Chapter 9: Remembrance

The prone and unconscious figure of Sydney Collins lay on the floor of some dark void, she had only recently become the wife of Sam Collins. Someone, or something calling itself (himself?) Alexis had appeared to her in the mirror of one of the adjacent dressing rooms as she slept after another successful show put on by Team Samurai, the name of the rock band Sam and his friends had formed, had dreamed of forming ever since the mid-90s, it had finally come to fruition.

Slowly, Sydney's eyes began to flutter open, she began to pick herself up off the floor, grasping her head.

"Oh, my head," she said as she let out a groan. Taking her hand away from her throbbing head momentarily, Syd surveyed her surroundings.

"Where am I?" she asked herself, "Well Sydney girl, wherever this place is, it sure does look creepy, and I'm definitely not in Kansas anymore to paraphrase Dorothy,"

"Ah, you're awake. Good," Alexis said as he appeared in the void.

"What is this place? Where is this place? Why did you bring me here?" she asked, at a loss.

"Everything will be made clear shortly, Akane," Alexis replied.

"Akane," Syd grasped her head again, "why do you keep calling me Akane?"

"What name would you prefer I called you?" Alexis asked her.

"By my actual name for one, Sydney Forrester," she replied.

Alexis sighed, "Have it your way, Sydney Forrester it is," he said.

"Now that we've gotten that out of the way, maybe you won't mind telling me where here is?" she asked.

"Oh, how rude of me, I seem to have neglected to welcome you to my humble abode," Alexis said politely.

Sydney looked around at the darkness that surrounded them, "This is where you live?"

"Not exactly, but it will do for now," Alexis replied as he turned away from Syd.

"Where are you going? Wait a minute! You can't just walk away from like that, Alexis!"

"Oh? Is that right?" he asked as he turned back towards her, it unnerved Syd to have this creature look at her the way he did, it made her skin crawl.

"Is there something you'd like to say to me, my dear?" Alexis asked.

"You bet there is!" Syd said defiantly, "I have about a dozen questions, and you better have some good answers!"

"Oh my, such a demanding girl," Alexis said condescendingly.

"Exactly who or what are you, who is this Akane person, and what's her connection to you?" she asked, Alexis was silent.

"What's the matter, Alexis? Cat got your tongue?"

"Put simply," Alexis spoke up, "You are Akane's counterpart in this world,"

Elsewhere...

"ARG!" Gridman grunted as he tumbled through a skyscraper. Picking himself up out of the wreckage, Gridman was battered and bruised, the blue light on his forehead was flashing. Someone or something had been thrashing Gridman like a ragdoll. To make matters worse, he had no idea how he ended up in a seemingly unfamiliar city, the how or the why, his mind was a total blank. Though he could make out several landmarks during the battle, such as Tokyo Tower, the Eiffel Tower, and even the Statue of Liberty? This was obviously a simulation of some sort, one that made even Akane's world look like child's play.

"What's the matter, Gridman? Not having fun anymore?" Gridman's opponent spoke up, shockingly enough, he closely resembled Gridman appearance-wise, save for a slightly sleeker build, he was mostly colored blue with red highlights and red gauntlets, his forehead had a red color scheme instead of the plain silver scheme, appendages that resembled wings adorned the sides of his head.

"Fun? Who said anything about fun?" Gridman asked.

"Oh, don't tell me you don't get a thrill from the adrenaline of battle?" he asked.

"I only fight to protect my comrades and only when it's absolutely necessary, or when the well-being of others is threatened, not for sport, or some cheap thrill," Gridman corrected.

"Too bad," his opponent replied.

Elsewhere, in a dark room, someone watched the battle through a vast array of monitors, the figure was shrouded in complete darkness. A white, Perisian cat with red eyes sat comfortably in this person's lap, as the mystery woman lovingly stroked the animal's back.

"What do you think of my new city, Mr. Gridman?" she spoke to no one in particular, "Bigger and better in every way, and where everyone must love everything about me, or else suffer my wrath," she giggled.

"Isn't that right, Alexis?" she asked an adjacent monitor to her right.

"Indeed, my lord. After all, Akane's word is law," Alexis replied.

"That's right, and anyone who thinks otherwise will be punished to the fullest extent of my laws," she replied.

"Oh yes, Lord Akane, severely punished,"

Elsewhere...

"Tick tock, Akane, tick-tock," she heard whispering in the back of her head as her eyes shot open. She found herself in a white, sterile room. Her dark hair was disheveled and obscured her right eye. The walls were padded.

"Why?" that was the first word she said in hours or at least the first intelligible word. Akane had basically rambled incoherently throughout the night. She had been sedated the previous evening. The psychiatrists on the opposite side of the observation window listened intently, clipboards at the ready to jot down every word the fragile girl said.

"Why couldn't you just stay blissfully unaware?" she asked, "I built this city for you, for us, why won't you stay with me?"

"Any breakthroughs yet?" the man largely responsible for getting Akane transferred to this awful place spoke to one of the psychiatrists that were seated.

"Unfortunately, we've been getting nowhere fast, Dr. Ōwada,"

"Is that so?" Dr. Ōwada asked out loud as he rested his body weight against one of the vacant chairs as he gazed through the window at Akane.

"However, during her restless night, we did manage to glean one concrete clue as to the cause of her recent unhinged behavior, a name. Young Miss Shinjo distinctly uttered the name 'Alexis',"

"Alexis, huh?" Ōwada contemplated, "Who could that be?"

"Whoever, or whatever it is, just discussing any detail no matter how minor, seems to upset her a great deal," he explained.

"Keep at it, we're looking at a goldmine here, studying Akane Shinjo and what makes her tick could make my career, I've never encountered anyone quite like her,"

"It appears she's up and walking," his colleague began. Slowly but surely, a dazed, confused and extremely disoriented Akane made her way toward the door. She grabbed the doorknob and attempted to open it, but to no avail. It was locked. Without warning, she flashed back to her captivity when Alexis had absorbed and forcibly assimilated her into his being, her hand covered in blood as she clung to the doorknob, as desperation took hold of her. Akane recoiled from the door in utter horror as she let out an audible gasp.

"I, I can't get out," Akane whispered to herself "The world, it won't let me out, maybe it is too big for me to handle after all, maybe my friends were wrong," an exhausted Akane slowly collapsed against the door, tears welled up in her eyes as she silently whimpered for the unfeeling, uncaring doctors to please let her out. She just wants to go home. No, not home. Her world, the one she created, she had to go back to it. She had to protect her friends from the threat of Alexis, a threat she knew all too well.

"Save me," she said "Yuta... Gridman, Rikka, Utsumi... Anti, anyone, please save me, I can't do it alone,"

"You are never alone, Shinjo," she heard a reassuring comforting voice,

"Mister Gridman?" she asked, the Hyper Agent offered his hand to the young, trembling girl.

"Take my hand, Akane," Akane brought her hand out to meet his, but it was suddenly swiped away by Alexis, who materialized out of nowhere, Akane gasped in horror.

"She doesn't need your help, Gridman, I am the only person she needs or wants, and she knows it. Don't you, Akane?"

"I don't know what I want anymore," Akane replied.

"All the better reason to ignore all of these silly little overtures, and return to where you truly belong, crafting your magnificent creations at my side,"

"Kaiju?" she asked.

"Yes, kaiju. Your kaiju, it's what you lived for, remember?"

"But... My friends,"

"Your so-called friends will only hurt you in the end, dear girl. They always do, I'm the only one you can trust, the only one who truly cares," Alexis insisted.

"Alexis cares for no one but himself, Shinjo. Don't let him sink his claws into you again, don't let him manipulate you again, don't let him feed off of you again. Fight him with everything you have, with all of your heart and soul, I believe, we believe in you, Akane," Gridman said.

"Enough of this foolishness!" Alexis yelled out, "Akane made her choice a long time ago, I will not allow you to fill her head with all of these pitiful notions about friendship, I am the only friend she needs,"

"A friend who uses a troubled girl's own fears and vulnerabilities against her is no friend at all," Gridman said matter of factly.

"Akane knows she has nothing to fear from me," Alexis replied.

"Why not let Shinjo speak for herself, for once?" Gridman asked.

"She has nothing to say to the likes of you, she knows I'm the only one who has her best interests at heart,"

"That's a lie and you know it, Akane,"

"The fact of the matter is that Akane was broken inside long before you or I came into her life, and she'll remain that way long after we've left it and are but a distant memory,"

"I don't believe that for a second," Gridman said with determination.

"It doesn't matter what you believe, the reality is staring you right in the face, Gridman. It's futile of you to delay the inevitable. Even if Akane willingly went with you, she will eventually retreat within herself once again, as she always does," Alexis explained with confidence.

"And let me guess, you'll be there to enable her worst impulses when she does, won't you?" Gridman asked.

"In a manner of speaking, yes,"

"You'll never get away with it, Alexis Kerib. And someday you'll pay for all the lives you've ruined,"

"And who is going to stop me, you? The Hyper Agent who is long since past his prime? You're old, Gridman. Antiquated, outdated. Yesterday's model. Why do you think it is I was able to defeat you so easily during our first battle?"

"Akane will stop you as only she can,"

"Akane relies on me to care for her, something her family and her peers could never do, they could never truly understand or comprehend the depths of Akane's despair," Alexis explained.

"And you do?" Gridman asked.

"Indeed, I've had centuries of practice afforded by my immortality. I've destroyed civilizations for my sheer amusement, and loved every second of it,"

"I've heard enough of this! You've hurt Shinjo for too long, I won't let you do it anymore! Not to her or anyone else ever again! Do you understand me? It ends here, Alexis Kerib!" Gridman yelled, Alexis was undeterred.

"A bold sentiment to hold on to, but then you've said that before, haven't you?" Alexis asked, "Pardon me for a moment if you will, my dear, while I dispose of this nuisance of ours," Alexis spoke to Akane, who was lost in her own thoughts and staring out into space. Alexis brought out one of his serrated blades and prepared to do battle, he quickly assumed a fighting stance. Alexis dashed directly toward Gridman, tackling the Hyper Agent before he could even react and slamming him against some invisible wall. The wall itself was some sort of barrier supposedly meant to protect Akane's subconscious, a defense mechanism of sorts. For a brief moment, you could see the glass case that contained all of Akane's past kaiju appear behind the barrier. She had used her love of kaiju to fashion a way to protect herself, a way to protect her psyche, from outsiders. When the dust settled, Alexis was strangling Gridman.

"I don't know who or what you are, whether you're the true Gridman or some defense mechanism crafted by her subconscious, it doesn't matter. I will destroy you all the same!" Alexis said as he tightened his grip. Slowly, desperately, Gridman inched his free hand down Kerib's arm until he was able to break his grip on his throat, crushing Kerib's hand with all the energy he could muster, and quickly delivering a roundhouse kick while Alexis was momentarily dazed, Alexis stumbling backward against the kaiju barrier.

"Grid-Beam!" he cried, the beam blasting Kerib a substantial distance across the white void, where he once again crashed into the kaiju barrier with a painful groan.

"It's no use, Gridman. I'm at my strongest whenever I'm in close proximity to Akane, and this is the closest I've ever been. As we speak, I'm feeding off the negative emotions generated by her. And I have all of the meat things in that sanitarium to thank. They couldn't wait to have Akane committed and studied like a lab rat. They practically did all the work for me! All I had to do was light the spark!"

"How could you? Shinjo was finally free of your manipulation, to live her life in peace. She had finally been dealing with the trauma of what you did to her!"

"Dealing with her trauma? She merely repressed that trauma, as she always does. Like she always did," Alexis explained.

"What?" Gridman replied.

"You see, Akane hasn't been okay for some time, even after she returned to her own world, she never could escape the guilt of all those people she killed. She'd wake up screaming in the dead of night, begging for someone, anyone, to put a stop to her murderous rampages. Your Fixer Beam merely prolonged the inevitable, as it may have awakened what was left of Akane's heart, but Akane's problems go far deeper than even that,"

"And if it was up to you, you'd see fit for things to remain that way, wouldn't you? For your own selfish gratification,"

"Tell me, why do you care so much about what happens to Akane anyway?" Alexis asked.

"What?" Gridman said, slightly taken aback.

"During all those months that you spent dwelling within a sleeping Yuta Hibiki, did you actually develop feelings for Akane, is that it? Are you in love with her?" Alexis asked.

"If you must know, I am a fragment of the true Gridman left behind within Akane Shinjo's subconscious, and I have one mission, and one mission only..."

"And that is?" Alexis asked.

"To protect Akane Shinjo from anyone, or anything that would do harm unto her!" Gridman explained.

"You never did answer my original question," Alexis replied.

"It doesn't matter how I or Gridman himself feels, I have a mission to complete, we both do, and I intend to carry mine out!" Gridman insisted.

"Where is the real Gridman anyway? Do you happen to know by any chance?" Alexis replied.

"If I did, I certainly wouldn't tell the likes of you!" Gridman replied.

"Hmph. Have it your way. It will be a lot more interesting and fun to track him down myself, so I may enjoy squeezing the life out of him!"

"What makes you think you'll even get the chance?" The Gridman fragment asked.

"Don't make me laugh. The real Gridman could barely even touch me last we met, his fragmented consciousness is hardly a match for my power!" Alexis said confidently.

"Are you going to fight, or talk all day?" the Gridman asked defiantly. Alexis sighed.

"Very well, but don't say I didn't warn you," Alexis said.

To Be Continued...