Chapter Nineteen: Encephalon Drive, part two
''Your destiny with those guys...is as complicated as the storyline,'' Rukia told Shane looking out the window. ''Technically, with your knowledge of the series, you're pretty much a powerful entity. Maybe more powerful than the Gnosis...'' Shane looked at her dark-haired self, laying in bed as she listened to the red-haired double.
''But other than that, you're stil human.''
''And I regenerate faster than the rest of them? Is that because of ''me'' sleeping?!'' Shane yelled pointing at the girl in bed. Rukia looked back at her then turned around, leaning against the windowsill. ''Heh...I'm the one healing you, baka! Who do you think is the one making your body fit?'' Shane blinked at the girl then looked to the side. ''Well...I thought it was my powers that were doing it...'' The red-haired girl nearly fell off the windowsill, a look of both confusion and anger on her face.
''Your powers?! Look, you little suicidal brat...who do you think saved you from the Cathedral Ship explosion, the coldness of space, the bullet wound in your shoulder, and not to mention the broken arm and rib you sustained by attacking that Gargoyle Gnosis? And that WAS a stupid thing to do.'' Shane looked at Rukia then looked down. ''Sorry...'' The red-haired girl stood back up, waving her hand in front of her. ''It's nothing,'' she told her. ''I get easily angered. Too damn easy, if I may add.''
''Like me,'' Shane said with a small chuckle. ''But of course.'' Rukia looked up at the ceiling then nodded some. ''...I see. So it's that time already...'' The silver haired girl looked at her double with confusion on her face. ''Hang on, what?'' The red-haired girl walked over to her and placed her hands on her shoulders.
''Shane. Shion and the others are waiting for you at a church. You know where it is. Also...'' Rukia headbutted the girl in her head, making them both stumble back.
''Agh?! What the fuck, man?!''
''Don't be stupid, alright?'' Rukia said as she stepped back, waving at her. A small smile came onto the red-haired girl's face. ''See you, Shannie.'' Shane looked around the room, seeing the room shimmer. She felt her legs give way under her as her world turned completely white.
In another area of the Encephalon, Shion (along with Allen and chaos) appeared in the forest area. The group looked around as Shion narrowed her eyes slightly to see a large building about a few feet away from where they stood.
''Is that...a church...?'' She asked aloud. A low whoosing noise was suddenly heard as Jr.'s group appeared. ''Jr.?! How did you all get here...?'' The red-haired boy shrugged his small shoulders. ''Beats me,'' he told her. ''As soon as you dived, everything went all hazy, and the next thing I knew, we were here. After that, there were all sorts of visions...''
''Did we all get pulled into the Chief's Encephalon dive?'' Allen asked.
The brown-haired woman shook her head. ''That's impossible. None of you were connected.'' ''If KOS-MOS' oscillation pulse caused a counter-current to flow through the Dive Unit, its' not inconceivable. The one's we use are non-contact types, after all.''
''Even if that were the case,'' Shion said, ''the Simple Dive Unit couldn't handle that great a load. There would have to be some other external force...'' chaos folded his arms then looked at the ground. ''Regardless of how we got here, this is KOS-MOS' mainframe. Our memories found a common resonance within her, and resulted in the creation of this world...that's what it feels like to me.''
''But I don't remember ever being in a place like this,'' Allen said. ''I wonder if perhaps memories -- in other words, events that occurred in the past -- become stronger, more selective, and gain a higher priority when they resonate with others that share identical axes in time and space. If you think about it in those terms, it isn't quite so odd that both my memories and those of Allen are not reflected here.''
''So, what you're saying is that this world is constantly changing based on nthe experiences people share in time and space?'' Ziggy asked. ''A world made up of our past, as glimpsed through the mind of KOS-MOS...'' MOMO looked down at the gorund. ''So...its' all an illusion...?''
''There's no difference between illusion and reality to the person experiencing it. This is...no illusion,'' Shion said. Allen looked at her with a saddened look on his face. ''Chief...''
All of you must accept the entirety of your memories...
''So that's what she meant...'' The group walked to the church as MOMO looked around. ''Hey...wasn't Shane with us when the Dive happened?'' Shion nodded. ''That's right,'' she said. ''She was in the room...so..''
''So she could've been pulled in with us, too,'' Jr. answered. ''But what memories could she have...that are so bad?'' The group stood in front of the large doors of the church. Shion and Allen pushed on the large doors, the doors opening slowly and with a low creaking noise. Inside, the group saw a white haired woman wearing a combination of a blue/orange/gray dress sitting at the altar.
''Someone's here,'' Allen said. ''Those clothes...is she a Realian?''
''Yes...she definitely seems to be a Realian, but...I also sense something different...'' The pink-haired girl said in a quiet voice. ''Is this based on one of our memories, too, Chief?'' Allen looked at Shion. ''...Chief?'' The group got closer to see Shane laying on her side with her head in the white-haired Realian's lap.
''Shane?'' Shion said when she looked at the girl.
''Are you...a Realian?'' Ziggy asked her. The woman lifted her head to show golden eyes and a warm but inviting smile on her face. ''Yes,'' she said, ''my name is Febronia. I came to take care of this church because I longed for a place where Realians could find peace.''
''Febronia...''
''Do you know her?'' Jr. asked the brown haired woman. She lowered her head as she remembered where Febronia was eaten by monsters. ''I...I know you...I know...you!'' She placed her hands on her face as she trembled. ''But no...I don't want to remember...it's...it's...'' Febronia got up, placing Shane's head on the floor. The silver-haired girl opened her now red-violet eyes and looked up at the ceiling. ''Where the hell...?'' She sat up to see eveyone then rubbed her head slowly. ''You okay, Shane?'' Ziggy asked the girl as she stood up, straightening her hair. ''I'm alright...just a bit shaken up, though.'' Shane tried her best to smile at them.
''Shane...'' MOMO said the girl's name in a worried voice. The silver haired girl smiled at her then turned to Febronia as the white haired woman turned to Shion. ''Follow me, Shion,'' she said. The group watched Febronia go near the side of the door and into the back.
''The instant you open that door, you will come face-to-face with yourselves. It wil be an experience full of sorrow and pain...but it is, both to you and to us, a very, very important experience,'' Nephilim said as she stood near the door. She walked through the doorway. The group followed after the white-haired Realian female and the little girl through the door. Inside, the group entered a hallway where lightning flashed outside the windows.
''This...is inside of the Chief's soul?'' Allen asked aloud. Shion moved away from the group and approached one of the doors. ''This is...'' ''The Acute Neurosis Treatment Facility. A place you know well,'' Nephilim said standing next to them. Shane had jumped, clinging to chaos' arm tightly after the little girl appeared next to them.
''The room where Mom was hospitalized...'' Shion said sadly. ''Yes. A place where painful, sorrowful memories linger. I wonder...can you face them...'' The door opened as the group gasped in horror. There were dead bodies, including the mother and father of Shion, on the floor. Pools of blood had formed around the bodies and turning a darker shade of red. ''Oh my god,'' Shane murmered as MOMO hid her face in Ziggy's stomach. Shion panicked as she stepped back. The group turned to see monsters appearing, stabbing each other's back and possessing them to grow stronger. Jr. started to panic as the group continued to step back. In an flashback, Jr. was inside a dimly lit hexagonal lab as he saw the white haired boy from before laughing insanely.
''Al..bedo...'' The white haired boy continued to laugh then held his head. ''The Song...the song is...I...mirror, mirror, on the wall...show me...define me! I am the infinite telomerase! I am not an anti-existence! I am the PERFECT CHAIN!!!'' He continued to laugh as the flashback ended. Shion and Jr. were trembling with fear. Shane stepped back, falling on the floor. She screamed and held her head. ''No...I don't...I don't want to see it!!'' The silver-haired girl remembered seeing herself in the hospital in front of the bed where her dark-haired counterpart laid. The girl rose from her lying position as a crooked smile came onto her face. ''You're nothing...you're weak, stupid, and fat...!'' The girl lifted her head, blood streaming down the side of her face. Shane stepped back as the girl opened her eyes to show that they were blood-shot and the pupils black. ''N-no...you're not me!''
The group jumped as Shane let out a blood-curdling scream and collapsed on the floor. Allen walked over to the girl, shaking her. ''Chief! Jr.! Shane! What's wrong with you three?! Hey! Chief?!'' He glanced over to the monsters, his eyes widening. ''Wha...what is...?!'' The group saw the monsters transforming into a large, hideous monster. Shane grabbed the brown-haired man's hand as she sat up slowly. ''Oi, Allen, care to help me up?'' He was startled at the tone of her voice. What startled him more is when she opened her eyes, now blue-green.
What's going on...? ''Shane...are...you okay?'' The silver-haired girl stood and straightened her overcoat. ''Maa, Shane's not here right now. She's sleeping within me for the time being until she gets her head straight.'' MOMO looked at the girl who smiled at her. ''Then who are you?''
''Rukia, Shannie's 'darker half', so to speak.'' Rukia, in Shane's body, held out her right hand as light surrounded it. Immediately, a sword broke through the girl's hand. Allen watched in awe, seeing the girl twirl the seemingly large (but slim) sword in her hand. She gripped the black hilt and rushed at the monster along with the others as they fought the monster named Tiamat.
After what seemed like hours, Shion managed to deal the final blow, defeating the monster. Tiamat disappeared slowly as reddish-pink waves went everywhere. ''What...what's happening?!'' Shion exclaimed. The group appeared in an white area with a tree and grass around the roots. There, a woman resembling Febronia sat under the shade of the tree while two little girls ran around the tree, chasing each other. ''I am sorry, Shion.'' The group turned to see another woman who looked like Febronia standing behind them. ''I know it was hard for you...but...'' Shion's eyes widened at the sight as she looked back at the woman sitting under the tree and to the woman standing in front of them.
''There are...two of you...''
"The woman sitting over there isn't me; it's just an image created for the girls. An illusion. This is their world...created sole for Cecily and Cathe. I am using KOS-MOS' Encephalon construction abilities to show it to all of you.'' The silver haired woman looked at Shane/Rukia who folded her arms. "But…they seem to be so happy,'' Allen stated as he saw the smiles on the little girls' faces. "Would you say that… …if you were to see this?'' The area around the tree shimmered, turning into a dark and grave world. The tree was dead, rotting along with the Febronia look-alike who slumped against the tree. A darkened pool of blood was around her; the little girls continued to run around the dead tree. "This is…just an illusion that traps them here… A binding spell created by mankind to control the Zohar. But, as far as they know, this world is reality. I want you…to release my sisters… Please, for the future of the Realians as well…'' The Febronia behind the group said sadly.
"The future of the Realians…?" Shion asked.
"Not just for their future…but for the future of humans, non-humans, and all matter of living consciousness…" Everyone looked to Nephilim as she stood beside Shane/Rukia. "Feb and I can only exist in this world of consciousness. We can only come into contact with the real world for a short time. That is why I called for all of you…so that the future may be changed."
"Change…the future?" Nephilim turned around and pointed ahead of everyone. "Look,'' she said. The entire area shimmered again, the grave world disappearing. It was soon replaced with outer space as the planet Miltia appeared. Shane/Rukia craned her head to look back at the planet, narrowing her eyes. ''Miltia,'' Shion whispered. The silver haired girl looked up and pointed at an incoming object from the distance. ''Look, someone's comin' !'' Everyone looked up to see a different version of KOS-MOS. She wore advanced armor that was attached to her shoulders, arms, and legs. A pair of boosters were attached to her shoulders and back, a shield covering her face; blasters on her hips. She carried a large staff in her hand which was similiar to a scythe. It almost looked like she had a pair of angel wings.
"That's…KOS-MOS?!"
The planet glowed a bright red as it fired a crimson beam at the blue-haired android. The blasters glowed brightly, KOS-MOS firing a royal blue beam at the planet which sent her back slightly. The two beams slammed into each other as the entire area blew up in a chain reaction. "That stream of energy…is the consciousness known as U-DO.'' Jr. looked at the brown-haired girl with a horrified look on his young face. "What? U-DO…?!'' Nephilim looked to Shane/Rukia who stepped forward, moving her hair behind her ear. "U-DO...was the source of the space-time anomaly that engulfed Miltia 14 years ago,'' she said as everyone (including Shion and Jr.) looked at her with a surprised look. "What you just saw was a vision of the future, where U-DO encounters KOS-MOS in the form in which she was meant to be. U-DO will awaken soon. He feeds upon the consciousness of those who intend to awaken him, as well as those who wish to seek him…''
"It's gonna wake up…soon…?" The red-haired boy asked. "The future you just saw is but one of an infinite set of potential phenomena. But that does not mean that the future is already set. Even the smallest of waves can spread throughout the whole. Phenomena change with every moment, just like a drifting wave,'' The brown-haired girl told him and everyone else. "Are you saying…that we're that wave?" In response, Shane/Rukia nodded. "Yet, before it all begins… I wanted you to…face your pasts. But… I see you are not ready yet. I am sorry."
"But…why us?"
"Shion…you were once touched by a Gnosis. Despite that, you remain unchanged, the same as before. That would account for Shane who survived the coldness of space. That is why…"
Shion looked at Shane who was glancing back at the starry space. "That's why…?" Nephilim shook her head slowly as Febronia walked over to the girl's side. "There will be a time when I can discuss why. If you go back to Miltia… The place where it all began… Then you will see…" With that said, the two entities disappeared from everyone's view. "Wait!" A 19th century door appeared in front of the group as they looked at it. It glowed with a blue outline. ''That door...'' Shane/Rukia walked to the door, opening it. ''Come on, you guys,'' she told them. The group nodded and walked through the door. Behind them, the door had closed, vanishing as quickly as it had appeared. The group found themselves in a dimly lit cave with a rectangular stone box in the middle. At the back of the cave was a cross-shaped stone with KOS-MOS tied to it by wiring.
"KOS-MOS… So, this is your…" Shion reached up to the blue-haired android who seemed to be sleeping as her body began to glow with a blue hue. ''Ye Shall Be As Gods...'' KOS-MOS stirred at the saying, replying, ''Disarming subconcious domain protection.'' Everyone shielded their eyes as the entire area turned brighter and brighter...
Back on the Elsa inside the maintenance room, the group laid on the floor with their eyes closed, looking like they were unconcious. By the wall, Shane stirred from her unconcious state and held her head. ''Ooh...god, my head's killing me...'' She looked over the room to see chaos and Shion waking up. ''Shion, are you okay?'' The woman looked at her, nodding and stood up. Soon afterwards, MOMO, Ziggy, Allen, and Jr. woke up. The group turned to see the maintenance bed opening to show KOS-MOS, who woke up to stare at the ceiling. She sat up slowly and looked at everyone with her sensors.
''Morning...KOS-MOS...''
''Good morning, Shion,'' the android said.
''Well, looks like we all managed to make it back.'' Shane nodded at chaos' words. Allen looked at Shion then whimpered as he ran over to her. ''Chief!'' She turned to him then turned red when he embraced her. ''...I'm so relieved you're okay!'' The brown haired woman blinked slowly. ''A...Allen?''
At the bridge of the Durandal, Shion's group entered as the Vector employee walked over to Captain Lapis Roman. She held up a black video disk to her. ''I present to you the memory bank data from the Anti-Gnosis Humanoid Weapon System KP-X, KOS-MOS. Protection Level AAA, with no possibility of alteration,'' she told the female captain. The black haired woman took to disk and nodded. ''Memory bank data accepted. Please remain within the Miltian star system until you're cleared of all charges."
Later, Mary let out a breath of relief. ''Phew, well I'm sure glad that escapade's over and done with!'' Shelley looked over to Jr. who had a look of depression on his face. ''You don't look very happy,'' she said. ''Did something happen?'' ''Huh?'' He looked up at the lavender-haired woman and nodded some. ''Yeah, you could say that...I still can't believe it...'' The group looked at Captain Lapis as she walked over to them. ''We've got another friend of yours to release too.'' Gaignun had walked over to them with two soldiers carrying automatic weapons. Mary and Shelley's faces lit up.
''Oh...! Master Gaignun!''
''Master Gaignun...!!''
Shane turned her head away as the two women ran up and hugged the dark-haired man like they haven't seen him in years. Bad, Shane...get your mind outta the gutter, she thought. Jr. looked up at him, his hands on his hips. ''Hey.'' He smiled some. ''You've done well...'' The red-haired boy rubbed the back of his head. ''Ahh, no big deal...But...it sure brough back a lot of bad memories,'' he told him. He looked at Shion. ''Hey, Shion...that girl...she called herself Nephilim, right?''
''Uh...yeah,'' Shion said.
''Are you sure?''
''Yes, but...'' She watched the boy fold his arms then lowered his head to the ground. ''Hmm...'' ''What's wrong?'' Shion asked him with concern. ''Well...if that girl is somehow connected to what I'm thinking of...then things are gonna get real busy soon...''
Chapter Nineteen: End (LOONG chapter...R&R..)