Augusta Tower xxx AF:
Serah and Noel noticed how the people within this research facility acted so mechanically, interacting with no one as if the people around them don't exist. Even when Alyssa had been guiding the two throughout the tower she acted unusually different than her usual self. She was reserved, her expression was completely blank, and her voice sounded very monotone. When the two tried to ask why wasn't Hope with her, since Alyssa is the Director's Assistant, they were given no response. Noel nudged the smaller girl with his elbow and whispered as they came up to another elevator.
" Do you think we should keep going up? I mean, look around us; people are acting like zombies just shambling around or staring with blank expressions. The signs all around us and I know something bad is going to happen." Serah looks around and nods, confirming her comrade's suspicions. The signs were, indeed, obvious but with all the information they gathered who knows what occurred here. Although the pair couldn't help but notice something else disturbing on these people, there clothes and figures were stained red, a very deep red. The best plan of attack, agreed by the two, was to remain quiet and observe further. Upon reaching the end of the line a final elevator had been lowered and awaited to be boarded. The people here were the same as ever, monotonous and robotic. However the uniforms these people wore were different from Alyssa's and the standard Academy regulation uniforms employee's and students were required to wear. These people, men and women alike, wore what looked like custom military uniforms of forest and navy blue's camouflage, what looked like a sailors uniform, ones set apart from any type of military uniform history and both fighters had ever laid eyes upon. Noel squinted his eyes a bit and saw a closer persons uniform of a brand on one of their sleeves; a flag bearing the colors of red and white stripes with a blue square holding a number of white stars, a flag that had been stained with his friends and families blood once before.
'They're from that place. How the hell did they manage to infiltrate this facility without proper access? In such an earlier time than my own? Was it a paradox?' The Hunter wondered as he continued to stare at the uniform clearly disturbed. Serah felt the air around her friend and looked up to him, his face said it all as much as his slashing happy hand was twitching from being restrained of grabbing a weapon. Serah waved her hand in front of the brunette's face and he snapped out of his daze, surprised and gave his full attention to the Pinknette.
"Everything alright, Noel? Had me worried with your face looking so dark." She said concerned. Noel looked and noticed they were being lifted to another floor and Alyssa was not even close to being near the two, he cupped a hand and brought down so his voice could be a whisper and replied back, tension obvious in his voice.
"Did you notice the uniforms on the last floor we were on?" Serah nodded in response.
"Of course. They didn't look like any uniform I usually would see aside from Light's, the foot soldiers of PSICOM, the normal Guardian Corp and the uniforms from Hope and those from the Academy. We did jump four hundred years into the future, maybe it was a style change." Noel looked at Alyssa and shook his head, Serah raised an eyebrow at him.
"Remember the world that kid came from? Mel's world? Those people bore a flag on their sleeves, the same ones that murdered my clan, friends, family back in my time. They were from Earth!" The elevator came to a screeching halt but judging from looking upwards and downwards the elevator stopped right in the middle, not close to the bottom as it were to the top. Alyssa walks up to the pair mechanically and reveals a video, same as before, only instead of seeing machines attacking it was people that attacked first, the ones in the strange uniforms and Hope is fighting back keeping Alyssa and himself alive.
They both made it onto this very same elevator and tried to catch their breath as the elevator ascended.
"Who were those people, Director? Why are they killing everyone here?" Alyssa in the video asked to Hope with tears fresh in her eyes breathing heavily, frantically. Hope looked exhausted, sweat cake his face, matted his silver hair and drenched his uniform obviously tired from the constant battles while they ran. He struggled to breath and gasped for breathe using whatever strength he had to heal his serious injuries that appeared to be gun wounds and took care of his minor grazed injuries that was hard to tell if it were from bullets, blades or possibly by explosion. Finally getting his breathe back Hope responded.
"I honestly don't know who they were, *gasp,gasp*, it seemed to me those people must have come from either a different time or a different world. *Cough, cough* Judging by their uniforms a different world... Maybe the chaos brought them here..." Pausing for a bit to catch his breathe again Hope sat on his backside and rested his arm's on his knee's. Looking skyward his expression became grim.
"If only these people weren't hostile and more cooperative maybe we could have questioned them of where and when they are from and have more information on this Chaos and Paradoxes... Then just maybe-" soon Hope was abruptly cut off as machines, the supposed security if the Tower fell from above landing onto the elevator had raised their weapons against the two humans. However, both were too tired from running and Hope, who had done all the fighting was too tired to raise his weapon. Suddenly there were groaning and screeching sounds of metal scraping metal and the sparks were coming from the elevator lifts. The machines drew closer, Hope and Alyssa backed away, until the machines reached the middle of the floor it gave way and all who were inhabited there plummeted from an undetermined height to their deaths. Before the video ended you could hear the screams of fear and horror echoing as it became fainter and fainter until no sound could ever be heard again.
Serah's eyes were bulging and were on the verge of tears, both hands were clasped around her mouth but did nothing much to stifle the cries that escaped her covered lips. Noel paled and held a hand over his over turning stomach as he saw his new friends fall to their deaths, the two knew something was wrong with Alyssa but if what the video showed was true and they fell then why was she standing with them now?
"Serah, get your belt ready! There may be a chance that we might fall too!" Noel commanded in haste, Serah looked at him with wide eyes and felt for the chains around her belt and unclipped them, holding the chains in both hands and Noel followed suit.
"You cannot delay the inevitable! You will die here." The replica of Alyssa said mechanically then raised a hand. The same machines from the video fell from above and shook the platform heavily with their combined weight it threw the pair off of their feet. As if following the video of the past the machines shambled closer and closer until nearing the middle of the platform. The platform grew bright in the middle, creating two vertically designed marks in the floor and opened from below. Sliding down first Noel threw both of the hook blade chains toward the rim of the elevator which snagged firmly to prevent from falling. Serah was a few seconds slower but threw both of her chains and one managed to snag onto the outer rims and the chain supported her weight, although the lash from stopping abruptly caused pain to the Pinknette's waist.
"Serah! You alright?!" Noel called from above as he saw his friend dangling a few feet below him.
"I'm fine! Just in a little bind that's all!" She hollered back up to her friend looking nervously from being suspended in midair. As she looked down Serah unintentionally imagined seeing Alyssa and Hope fall to their deaths as she would have if unprepared as before, the pinknette was forced to bite back a sob. Noel, unaware of the girls actions, let out a sigh in relief.
"Try to climb the chain! It's better if we manage to reach the rim than to hang down there, I'll help you up okay! Can you meet me half way and pull yourself up the chain?" Serah looked around her very limited surroundings and found she was closer to the wall judging by her distance. It could help support her if she could climb up like in the old days where people climbed mountains this way. Turning herself around and getting her feet on the surface of the wall Serah began to climb with all her strength, struggling here and there, no longer using the wall for each step she took she slipped as she waited for Noel to reach the top first. Noel helped by pulling the chain up as he tried to keep himself balanced with a strong base on a narrow and slightly slanted platform on both sides of the rim with a gaping hole behind him and a large enough hole in front of him, if he slips its over for him and Serah. Both efforts finally brought the pinknette up and Noel pulled Serah up to the same level as he, using his own support to balance Serah on where they stood. There was a faint hum from above, the elevator repaired itself, closing the gaping platform until it was safe enough to stand on the flat platform as if it never broke open. The platform began to resume its ascension and a nagging feeling began preying on the two again.
"At least we were better prepared. Hehehe, good thing that Chocobo lady sold these belts, otherwise we would have fell to our deaths." Noel said as he chuckled nervously, trying to diffuse the tension as he gripped the front of his custom belt with both hands. Serah lightly chuckled along with the Hunter and replied back.
"Yeah. Good thing you saw them, these hook blade belts are pretty useful. They're like multi tools; a grappling hook, a long range weapon, the stuff you used in your time too, right?"
"Yup, these belts helped to take down big targets. Also, us Hunters were able to use them for mobility in combat and to get around our surroundings if the area permitted and graced us with tall enough structures and such to move around." Then the silence returned and all that could be heard was the sound of the elevator humming.
"What do you think is waiting for us up there?" Serah asked breaking the silence between the pair. Noel shrugged his shoulders and replied back equally curious and cautious.
"Don't know, but whatever is up there it killed Hope and Alyssa and turned all of those people into mindless machines too. And if we're not careful then we might get turned into soulless beings as well." The elevator was nearing the top and voices could be heard, Noel recognized one to be the young Seer Yeul while the other remained a mystery. Reaching the final floor the room looked smaller than past levels and with two figures and a strange machine in the closed space. Upon closer inspection the first figure was indeed the young Seer, who continued talking, to the second figure as neither had took notice to the newly arrived beings.
"This machine is sentient, it feels similarly as any living being. It thinks, it calculates like an advanced machine but is able to act on a will of its own. You could tell by what it had done to the humans in the lower levels, humans that were once alive and others that were slaughtered by other humans they were remade and reshaped as mechanical beings in human guise. Made by humans but with the intellect of a Fal'cie God." The second figure scratched their head and responded back,
"I don't understand. If people didn't create this machine to operate the tower it currently is, you're saying that the humans actually reawakened a Fal'cie?" The Seer nodded.
"It knew of what its species could do and seemed to be infuriated that the human race had gained control of their people, shutting down the many other Fal'cie in the process, governing their own without Fal'cie rule while the humans abandoned their quest to search for the Maker. This Fal'cie sought its vengeance to ensure the people were punished. Rebuilding the humans within the premises as mindless and soulless beings, a mere replica of a human stripped of emotion and thought. Incomplete, a sad fate of machines now bestowed upon man kind. A more ruthless fate than becoming a C'ieth."
"What if I take down the source of the tower? Will the paradox in this time revert to normal and set things right?" As the conversation continued Serah noticed the persons voice sounded familiar and kept her ears open to be absolutely sure, Noel noticed the familiarity of said voice and didn't look at all pleased.
"That is something you must find out on your own; if you and your friends are able to survive from the sentient's wrath." The Seer said and then she vanished in a quick flash of light. The second figure tried to stop her but failed. A hand was slowly clasped into a fist against their chest and and said to themselves confused.
"Friends? I had those? Even after all that I've done, all those things I did to the many who didn't deserve to be punished for the choices I made from being so weak? I'm not going to look for forgiveness, I made my choice and I can't replace them. Only thing to do is look forward and set things right. For the world... For... Claire."
Serah let out a loud gasp upon hearing her sisters name and quickly covered her mouth,
'Did this kid mean my sister? Does he like her!?' She thought frantically to herself.
However the person in front of the pair were too preoccupied with their own thoughts they had their eyes fixed to the floor and walked their way. Noel moved in front of the persons path and they bumped into each other, the smaller figure shook their head and looked up to see what they hit. All three figures suddenly had a look of surprise but to the two older pair it wasn't all that really.
"Oooh... Yeul was referring to you guys... Crap..." Mel said to the two and looked awkwardly to the ground.
"We heard everything you said, kiddo. And you should really hear what we have to say for all the times we travelled and fought together. To the time you up and left us back at Hope's research site." Noel said calmly, Mel raised her hands up flinching as if awaiting the Hunter to throw a punch. Nothing came. Lowering her guard the younger teen looked to Noel who smirked mischievously and pointed to Serah,
"But your not gonna hear it from me, fortunately." The Interloper looked to the pinknette and jumped in shock, she could have sworn the chaos was swirling around Serah's small frame, giving an ominous aura that countered her sweet smile and a very dangerous glint in her eyes. Serah grabbed the Interloper firmly by the collar, brought the taller teen down upon equal level until they both were seeing eye to eye. Very closely.
"Mel..." Serah began slowly, quietly and firmly. Mel's eyes widened and audibly gulped in fear.
"Yes?" She asks weakly, voice cracking slipping the girls true gender through her voice which was gone unnoticed, unable to move or turn her eyes away from the horrible wrath that she awaited for. Eyes never moving or faltering Serah spoke in a very deadly and calm voice,
"After all the shit me and Noel went through after I saw the chaos swallow you out of existence; we had been fighting countless monsters and paradoxes in various times, been overwhelmed countless times, been near deaths door a few counts and to only meet you here again and for WHAT!?" Serah had released the younger teen and dropped her to the floor. Her volume increased as much as her actions from her over reactive fury took over. Flailing her arms around to make her point.
"And that serious depressing fucking shit that you told me back at Sunleth Waterscape when Noel dropped his accessory that forever attached itself to my wrist I thought, for the love of all that was pure and alive, that you were dead! Only to discover your fine as the sun fucking shining sun! What the hell you stupid indecisive brat make up your damn mind! If your dead stay dead don't freaking come back from the grave after pulling some emotional crap like that! Bhunivelze!" Every word made the Interloper flinch and sink deeper and deeper into the hole she dug herself in from the time she saved Hope from falling in Palumpolum years ago. Death wasn't her destiny, at least not yet. There were no words, no actions that could counter the older woman's words that spoke nothing but the truth. So Mel just laid there in the ground with her head buried beneath her tense hands. Huffing very loudly and unsteadily Serah was still fuming but used up all of her words, her face red from her released anger and Noel looked at her with wide eyes from such a 'colorful' vocabulary she had within her, and he assumed that Lightning wasn't much of a curser or maybe the younger one picked the language up on her own and decided to use them now. However, Noel was about to speak he saw a bright flash of light and looked up to the walls of the room: they morphed into a cylindrical fashioned rather than the normal square shape. The color of the walls became a sort of pink unfamiliar to the Hunter from living in such a barren world and behind the trio attached to wires was an unfamiliar machine of peculiar design made from dark metal and glowed in various patterns the same color as the walls. Using Libra Noel only discovered the name of the enemy; Adam and surrounding the three now were the dead reanimated corpses of the soldiers from Earth with wires sticking out from the back of their heads staring at the living with dead fish eyes. Leaning down slowly toward the two others in his group, slowly to avoid what could lead to a stampede, and whispered delicately,
"Serah, Mel. This can wait, we are in a bad situation right now!" Serah was calmer than a few minutes ago and looked around her, Noel was right and the sight brought fear to her she nearly crashed into the Hunter obviously startled by the sudden changes. A few from in the crowd had violent body spasms and gurgled in pain, then reverted to being motionless, soundless. Mel looked and carefully stood to her feet feeling her left arm begin to spark to life and the electric blue glow brightened to being noticed by the A.I. The machine waved a hand towards the trio and the crowd began to shuffle to the with purpose and the intent to kill within those dead eyes. The trio stood back to back to back and drew their weapons ready to fight.
"Great... This is going to be one hell of a paradox to deal with." Mel spoke composing herself, feeling dreadfully anxious but kept as calm as possible. Serah touched the bracelet on her wrist and called for the power to return but when she touched it it shocked her fingertips and looked as if short circuited.
"What's going on? My bracelet isn't working!" Serah exclaimed, looking up again to shot Fira and Aeroga toward the closing crowd. Noel did the same but had to slash and hack several foes that were getting way too close. He was facing the direction of Adam and saw it was glowing brilliantly, brighter than the walls but its shine was somehow unnoticeable, it was probably controlling the corpses and preventing Serah's new power from being used.
"The machine! We deal with it we solve this paradox, maybe then the crowd will disperse." Noel spoke as if sure and fought his way toward Adam. Serah stayed with Mel fighting with magic and hitting bullseye with an arrow through the skull or slowing the group down but the more the trio killed more took their place.
'Child take to the sky, the crowd is too overwhelming.' Aheavenly but weak voice spoke in Mel's head.
'Etro!?' She cried in shock, the Goddess still had this much strength to communicate this way even when the chaos appeared. Instead of questioning the divine the Goddess wasted no time.
'Save your other friend after flying above, look for a way to Adam and beat it. But hurry, the Hunter has been captured and is now before the machine!'
'Shit, already?! Damn it Noel.' "Grant me the power of flight!" The wings of the black and white reappeared and Mel carried Serah above the ground. The impact of the wings pushing off made the corpses fall to the ground like dominoes however the fallen comrades were stepped on by the Calvary. Looking from above Mel felt shocked to see the uniforms from her world, was Earth and Cocoon merging? A question that was left unanswered by the young Seer who vanished moments ago, but even if that theory was proven true why was this happening? Fighting your own people despite differences in order to keep others safe from a world far beyond your own will be a great test of where ones loyalty lies.
"Mel, look its Noel!" Serah pulled the Interloper's face to her direction to see Noel was held down by two corpses struggling to free himself kneeling before Adam. The sentient machine spoke in a strange language but if there was a hint of English in there and from what Yeul said that machine will punish every living being to become mindless, will less empty shells of what human once was. And Noel was its next victim. Adam brought a finger to Noel and it glowed similarly to Animus when it branded the fated L'cie long ago and a drill could be heard in the same direction. Noel struggled harder as the metal became closer but more corpses held him firmly in place. Mel and Serah had to do something to save him.
"Serah get on my back, hold onto my shoulders from between my wings now! I'm going to save him!" Mel commanded and with little time to waste Serah obeyed. Once in place Mel's left arm flashed and a lightning produced weapon, a javelin, appeared. The Interloper focused her aim with her mechanical arm facing to Adam and steadied herself, finally in place and in a great haste she threw the weapon as strong as she could hoping she made it in time.
A/N: Whoo! Been a while since I wrote a cliff hanger... So yeah! After writing this I think I got a better plot for this story as to what the paradoxes should be and hopefully I can build on this idea to make this story, I hope, better. So, anyway the next chapter is up to this oh! And the belts that were mentioned in the story, I had recently finally watched and finished Attack on Titans( awesome by the way the english dub was alright, liked Sasha's dialogue with the instructor when she was eating the fated potato! But I must read manga to get answers) and derived the belts here from the 3D maneuver gear the military in Attack on Titan used. So anyways Hope this was alright, please leave a like, comment, review, criticism and such, they help and this is all I have to say as of right now. Hope everyone is alright and I'll see ya the next time, Ciao!