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.
"You know what this device is, don't you?" The young lady asked.
"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?" The lady asked. Understandably, she looked confused.
"It's quite a long story, miss..."
The girl looked up at Nathan and smiled. "Oh. It's Aimee. Aimee Davenport."
"Well, Aimee, it all started earlier this week, when..."
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.
Are these two just too different from each other to get along?
"Um...I think I understand now. It's still rather farfetched, but I get the feeling I should trust you. So your New Motus City is free from Shadows?" Aimee asked, amazed. The four of her new acquaintances nodded. "That's - never mind, we'll talk about that later. You don't know what this door is called, do you?"
"...To be honest, no." Serena replied.
"They're called Neo Dimensional Doors. Or NDD for short. They each have a unique code, and if you input a different code, it'll take you to another location in this city. Or in your case, back to your own world."
Blaine looked at the doorway once more, and shuddered. "How long have these things been around?"
"Ten years. Aeternus developed them and trained local electricians on how to do basic maintenance." Aimee said. "...What did you guys know about Aeternus before you ended up here?"
"We know Aeternus was at a convention ten years ago and there was an explosion that killed a lot of people," Amara began. "After that, Aeternus fell apart and folded. Nothing remains of them. With the way wireless telecommunications has advanced, no one's still using their hardware, either."
"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 won't save the code 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 follow along?" Blaine said, scratching his head. "She seems like a sweet girl, but if she's another Holy Cross..."
"I don't think so, somehow. I can trust her, I know it."
I just hope I'm not wrong.
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 desktop computer, which was in sleep mode. The keyboard seemed to be of an old, but reliable, make, and there were various CDs and other storage media scattered nearby.
"So, where are we?" Serena asked. "Your secret headquarters?"
"Actually, yes," Aimee said, solemnly. "It's not much to look at, is it? It's hard to get supplies when people are constantly hunting for new Persona users. Still, it's somewhere safe."
"How many of you are there?" Nathan asked, frowning at the bare light bulb. It was rather dim, thus leaving the room poorly lit.
"Five, including me. My friends are doing research outside at the moment. 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 fill you on what happened to this world."
"Sure," Blaine said. "We wanna know how Shadows came about."
"At the convention, the one you know about, 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."
"During the convention, for Aeternus' event, six people got up on the stage. They were involved with a top-secret project that they were finally unveiling. That would have been the Neo Dimensional Door. It worked, and blew everyone's mind."
I don't remember that at all. No one did, actually. Did the explosion happen before they showed off that thing?
"That was when we first saw them. The Shadows. Right there, in the centre. Everyone was freaking out, and tried to escape, but then the six people from Aeternus defeated them with their 'Personas'. All of them were making huge apologetic speeches, about how they were trying to stop these creatures from spreading, but it was too late. Yet they had 'contingency measures' - their words. The giant barrier, for one. Two, they had discovered a means to give people artificial Personas, so that a militia could be created to protect the city."
"...The Legion."
Aimee nodded. "The government was powerless to do anything. They basically merged with Aeternus, thus giving them full control over the city's safety measures. At the time, everyone was really suspicious of Aeternus, but they seemed to be the only ones doing anything to stop the Shadows nightmare. They were all over the city in days, and a lot of people died. The city was in total lockdown, and all communication with the outside world was cut off."
So the rest of the planet has no idea why this city's completely isolated? Or are they too afraid to act?
"Is that why the atmosphere feels so...eerie?" Nathan asked. "The Shadows must be affecting the air and the sunlight."
"I don't know about that for sure, but as you can guess, going outdoors is a huge gamble." Aimee said, darkly.
"...Aeternus created the Shadows themselves, didn't they?" Serena asked.
"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.
Aimee nodded. "Either that, or discovered them through other means. But I overhead the Aeternus leaders myself - I snuck in a building with my older brother. At the time, I really wanted to join them, and wanted to ask if they'd let me in even if I was so young. That was I heard them talking, in hushed voices. I didn't heard everything, but they were talking about how to spread more Shadows to increase panic in the people. And ways to make the public depend on them for everything in their lives. Then, I heard them talk about gaining enough power to completely rule the world..."
"They didn't have enough strength already?" Nathan asked, confused. "If they could seize this city so easily, what's stopping them from doing the same on a global scale?"
"I don't know..." Aimee said, shaking her head. She then looked tearful, and sat down. "...Before I could hear anything, they heard us, and we had to run away. Just after we got out of the building, Shadows appeared. My brother distracted them, and begged me to run away home. I did, and ran as fast as I could. I never saw him again. I just heard him scream, and..."
Oh my god. How old was she when this happened? Eight? Nine?
"I'm so sorry..." Serena said, eyes wide with shock. She held Amara's hand, trying to hold back tears of her own.
"My parents were distraught. They went out looking for him the next day. And they never came back. It was that night I knew I was alone..."
"Aeternus won't get away with this," Amara said, putting her hand on Aimee's shoulder. "We're here now, right? So we're going to help you guys out in any way we can. There's no way we can just forget about this world and its people."
Blaine, walking closer, kneeled down to Aimee's height. "She's right. I'm not gonna let this stand. I got a Persona, and with him, I'm gonna clean up this city!"
"I can't ignore this either. Aimee, you have my full support from today forward." Nathan said, reassuringly.
"Mine as well. I never thought that there would be people that needed my help. But I will." Serena said, passionately.
"...Thank you all so much!" Aimee said, getting back to her feet. "I'm sorry for getting so emotional. But it's been so long since we met new Persona users. Please, go home and rest. My friends won't be returning until after midnight."
"I don't mind staying up until then!" Serena said, eagerly. "...But I don't want my parents getting mad at me again. They ask me way too many questions as it is."
"Then let's go home. It looks like our true work has just begun." Nathan said, seriously. "I hope you're not going to drop out if things get difficult."
Offended, Blaine rolled his eyes. "Sorry to disappoint ya, but I ain't quitting. Not after one day, or however long it takes. Safe journey home, ladies."
Nathan, Serena and Blaine left the NDD, using the code for the real world. Amara was just about to do the same, but then Aimee rushed up to her.
"What's the matter?"
"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, worried. "Meeting your other self might be dangerous. This city has enough trouble in it already. Please, be careful."
"Thanks, Aimee. We will."
Amara, smiling, shook hands with Aimee. Despite all the battles Amara would face, she was glad to meet a friendly face in this dystopian city. Hopefully, Aimee's comrades would be pleasant as well. Yet Amara did wonder just how long this would take, however. It wasn't just a hobby, it was a serious commitment. She would simply have to see how things played out.
|June 9th|Solar Ray Mall|10:13 am|
Amara was here yet again, except this time just by herself. Tonight she was going to her father's for dinner, and she was excited to see him. 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 once a month. Looking for a new outfit in Rosa Candida, she soon gasped at a woman looking at the blue floral dresses.
"Hey, Karen!"
"Oh, hello Amara! Good to see you outside of work!" 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 if she said any of it to her boss, she might come across as a raving lunatic.
The fewer people that know about what I'm really up to, the better. Everyone else will be keeping it secret too. If not, then things could get rather awkward.
"So I haven't told anyone else this, but I'm getting divorced soon!" Karen said, almost ecstatic.
"Um... I'm sorry?" Amara said, flustered. How exactly she was supposed to respond to this, she wasn't sure.
"Don't be. I'm thrilled. This guy was a user, a cheater...just like the other three." Karen said, shaking her head in disgust. "Not one of them was anything like - never mind. I should have learned my lesson long ago. But I have now. See, this guy -"
The two of them discussed Karen's previous marriages, and Amara's own failed relationships. She laughed off Karen's claims marriage was 'a death sentence', and after some more chit-chat, they went their separate ways. Amara got the new dress she was looking for, and then wondered what else she should get.
Maybe I should go get Dad some flowers. It'd make a change from all the Egyptian ornaments he has scattered around.
She then recalled seeing a beautiful florist stall downstairs, and in a hurry, she soon found it. The name of the stall was 'Bianca's Garden', and the lady there, presumably the eponymous Bianca, was an attractive lady. She had fair skin and black hair, tried up in a bun, with some loose strands here and there. From the flower hairclip, to the pink floral outfit she had on, Amara could tell this woman lived and breathed in the flower world.
"Hello 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'd like a bouquet of those jasmines over there, please!" Amara said, admiring the white flowers to her right. Those were her father's favourite. The last gift he gave to Amara's mother was a beautiful jasmine, which she kept by her side until the very end.
"Oh, good choice! Especially their aroma." Bianca said, preparing the bouquet. "This particular kind of jasmine originally came from West Asia, but now it's naturalized in the Iberian Peninsula. And their shrubs can be up to 15 feet tall. Also, there's another kind of jasmine that's actually the national flower of Indonesia..."
After buying the flowers, which Bianca had explained in almost minute detail, Amara left. She would spend the rest of the day finishing up her painting, and then get ready to see her father.
I wonder what he's doing in the other world? And not just him. Every single person I've met her must have another self. Living through the same hell as Aimee, for ten long years. I won't allow it to go on.
|Kanaloa - Gregory Street - Blaine's House|10:32 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 for you!" Dan said, mockingly shaking his head. "You could have at least texted or something..."
"Sorry, Dan..." Blaine said, yawning. He didn't get much sleep, after all the chaos of the previous night. If he was going to go back to that gloomy counterpart of his city, then there would be more sleepless nights ahead. And he'd have to spend more time with the other three, who had power just like his.
Amara and Serena seem like sweet girls, so don't mind teaming up with them. Nathan, though, he's too damn uptight. Still, we're in a team, so I'll have to deal with his shitty attitude.
"So, last night. What happened?" Dan asked, tilting his head.
"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 the truth, 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? There really is a first time for everything!" Dan said, chuckling to himself.
"I do think about more than just girls, you know!" Blaine said.
"Yeah, course you do. After all, there's booze and motorcycles." Dan replied, sticking his tongue out. "...Relax. You know I'm messin' with ya."
Blaine rolled his eyes, forcing a smile. Right now, he wasn't in the mood for Dan's teasing. Not even a decent comeback came to mind."
"So, you got any plans today?"
Dan thought for a moment. "Nah, not really. There's nothing good on TV, except that weird antique auction crap."
"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. Now his life was going to get much more interesting, he needed to make the most of these quiet days.
|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!"
Rudo looked at the flowers, and smiled.
"Thank you, Amara. These flowers are just like you. Full of life, and bright as the sun. Now, come through and tell me all about Real People."
"Okay! Something smells great!"
Soon enough, Amara was eating kushari, a rice dish of macaroni, rice, lentils and many others. Rudo liked to add chickpeas and garlic vinegar to his own recipe, which his daughter loved just as much. As she ate, she told her father everything she could. About Karen and her history of failed relationships. Juan, who imagined himself as a casanova of travel. Collete, the clothes fanatic who probably had turned every room in her house into a walk-in wardrobe. Sheila, the sarcastic relationship columnist, who had described herself as an expert on dumping bad boyfriends. Then there was Stella, a psychic whose power might just be genuine. However, she didn't go into any detail about the other world. Making him worry about her was the last thing she wanted to do.
"This Stella character sounds interesting. You should try to get to know her, understand her somewhat." Rudo said, eating from his bowl, somewhat greedily. "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 would have been mugged if the police hadn't shown up at that precise moment. That was fortunate." Rudo said, pouring more wine for the two of them. "Also, Tomas was asking about you."
Tomas Weiken was a good friend of Rudo, and thus he was close to Amara as well. He had come to New Motus City from Germany, seeking to make a name for himself. Shortly after that, he met Rudo, and quickly bonded as friends. They were also business partners, who trusted each other with every venture.
"Oh, nice! I'll have to catch up with him later. Tell him everything's going great for me - no, wait. I'll call him myself!"
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 upstairs.
"What was that?" She asked, concerned.
"Hmm? I didn't say anything..." Rudo said, nonchalant. Clearly, he hadn't heard anything. "Get home safely, okay? And have a good second week at work. I'll 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|
The four found themselves in the secret basement once again, skipping the Development Centre entirely. Perhaps now they could finally meet Aimee's friends. She was waiting by the NDD as they arrived, and ran to greet them.
"Hey, good to see you guys again!" She said, eagerly. "It's just two of us - the others are hard at work again. Kyle, here they are. The ones from the alternate universe!"
"Good evening."
This young man, about sixteen, was in a wheelchair, was typing on the huge computer at an incredible pace. His black hair was long and untamed, and he had a green headset - around his neck. Beneath his pair of glasses were a pair of dark green eyes. He also had on a black and yellow jacket, with bulging pockets. He turned around to stare at the team, conveying little emotion. Amara sensed he wasn't nearly as sociable as Aimee, and that she'd be doing most of the talking tonight.
"...He's a little shy, yes. But he's a genius. An expert on finding and analysing data. We'd be lost without him."
"Wait. Your name is Kyle?" Serena said, in shock. "Kyle McHale?"
"That's correct. But how did you know my name?" He asked, now looking panicked. "Aimee, you didn't already tell her about me, did you?" She shook her head, somewhat confused herself.
"You don't know me? I guess if this is a different reality, you might not. Well, we're friends in our world. You have the same eyes, the same face, and you're in a wheelchair! Just like the Kyle McHale I know."
"Then who are you?" Kyle asked, gripping his wheelchair's handles tighter.
"Serena Agnethe." Stepping closer, the schoolgirl gazed 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. But in this world, that must have never happened..."
"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...well...he's...I mean, you're..."
Serena couldn't quite muster a reply, as her shoulders slumped. The Kyle she knew must have been friendlier than this incarnation, Amara thought. If they ran into anyone else they knew personally, it might cause even more anguish.
"Um, 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.
"I hope you're aware of this already, but just as a refresher, the Ornatu Legion is a military, consisting of Persona users. They're tasked with protecting citizens from Shadow. Most of them are young adults or teenagers. 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 allowed to join, and gain an artificial Persona." Kyle said, and images of the Ornatu Legion in uniform appeared.
Ours create a blue glow, but theirs are red. Is that significant?
"The people depend on them, otherwise they'd never be able to step outside. They're heroes, even the new recruits." Aimee said, as Kyle displayed photos of the Ornatu Legion. In each one, they were engaged in combat, utilising their weapons as well as their Personas. "What the public doesn't know is that artificial Personas are incredibly unstable. Early tests caused the trainees to go insane, then die in agonising pain. Even now, there's always a risk. Both to the mind and body." Aimee said.
"Of course, the exact details on the effects of artificial Persona usage aren't available, even to hackers like me," Kyle said, scowling. "...Don't think I didn't try."
"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 woman of about twenty, seemed to be in distress from using it.
"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 via other means." Kyle said, now with a slight smile. "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.
"Lucille Valley High School?!"
"Your goal, ladies and gentlemen, is to break in there and investigate the facilities."