Chapter 9: Ghosts of the Past

A/N: The story is starting to speed up a little! Just like XS and XSII! Haha! I am a genius! Some characters might go OOC but that is only because I am basing it off of the trailers I saw of XSIII. Yeah, I'm pathetic, I know. But I can't wait till it comes out!

Disclaimer: I don't own Xenosaga, for the last time. Put away your lawyers! (Though I do own the credit of making the name Celina for the girl, not the person itself because she was seen on one of the trailers. I didn't want to stray too far from the XSIII thing and you never got to figure out what her name was and I believe she was an ally. I also own Cirin and the blue-haired man who I have not named because I couldn't think of a cool name for him.)

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The bridge leading up to the Durandal's bridge raises, revealing Yuriev. Citrine gets up from her seat and salutes.

"All has gone according to plan. All we need to do now is head to Michtam and end this."

"Good. Unhook the Durandal and proceed immediately."

"At once."

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Jin quickly lands his E.S. in the Durandal's docks and gets off before getting involved with the space war outside. "I wonder how Canaan is doing…" He looks around and sees two guards tied up and unconscious. "Never mind. I have a feeling things are going to get hectic real soon."

He pulls out his connection gear and starts dialing in a couple of numbers.

Helmer appears onscreen. "Report."

"Well, our infiltration has succeeded but…"

"I know. Ormus has made their move. However, something more urgent has happened."

"What is it?"

"It's Vector…"

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Shion and Celina land on the rooftop of a building and stare at the Gnosis.

"Well, Shion. How should we handle this?"

Shion closes her eyes and starts to think. "I have no idea."

Celina yells. "Then why bother calling me? If we don't have a battle plan, I have two syllables that any sane person would understand for you: scr and ewed."

"It'll be fine." The Dinah reveals its hidden arm blades and starts hovering in mid air. "Let's do this!" She presses a button that says Hilbert effect and waits for it to be activated. Then she flies up towards the Gnosis and starts slicing them all.

She charges through one of them and then lands on another. She pulls out her arm blades and then stabs it into the back of the Gnosis. The Gnosis starts writhing around in pain until Shion removes the blade and flies off, leaving it to die as it plummets down to the ground. The arm blades suddenly disappear and the Dinah's hands glow with power. Shion fires beams of light from her hands, creating holes in the Gnosis and taking them down.

Celina shakes her head in her A.M.W.S. "Why did I have to be partnered with an obsessed one….then again, it isn't as weird as that psychopath they partnered with me last time. And then before I had that paedophile…guess I should be grateful that I at least got something of a semi normal one."

She materializes her weapons: two long-range cannons attached to her arms and two more long-range cannons attached to her shoulders. She starts firing endless bullets at the Gnosis, piercing them through and through with deadly accuracy.

Celina aims all four cannons up into the sky above the Gnosis. "Hey, Shion! Heads up!"

"Roger!" Shion flies up where Celina is pointing and extends her arm blades. Celina powers up her cannons and fires four white energy orbs at Shion. She spins around knocking the four orbs in a compass-like state. She then extends her arms to the side and connects her arm blades with the energy orbs.

She begins to spin towards the energy orbs she connected with, creating a circle of energy. She then starts to move around in a global shape, collecting the other two energy orbs before she becomes a giant, glowing white sphere of energy.

A rain of energy beams erupts from the giant sphere and home in towards the Gnosis. When the beams collide with the Gnosis, a small explosion occurs creating a hole in them. This goes on for several minutes, until most of the Gnosis threat is eliminated, leaving Abel's Ark hovering above Fifth Jerusalem.

"Apocalypse Rain!" Shion and Celina say at the same time.

"That was awesome!" Celina says. "We totally handled that one no problem!"

Shion holds her hand and slowly recovers her senses. "I'm a little dizzy though…"

Celina laughs a little. "Well, duh. Anyways, what are we going to do about that giant Gnosis? I doubt our attacks can even phase that thing."

Shion looks up to the Ark and wonders the same thing. (What are we going to do…It's just like that old myth David and Goliath…)

Everything, even time, seems to stand still as the Ark and the people watch the other. The Ark then starts to glow a golden light and Fifth Jerusalem starts to shake violently. The people begin to run towards the shuttles, crowding them all up. However, the shuttle company has a hard time trying to do anything due to the state of panic.

Celina flies up to Shion and faces her. "Shion? What's going on?"

"I don't know…" Shion looks around frantically, searching for the Elsa. (Please be safe…)

Just then, the Elsa flies up to Celina and Shion. Captain Matthews voice booms through the loudspeakers. "Hey, guys! We have to get out of here now!"

"But what about the civilians?" Shion asks. "Surely you can't think of abandoning them…"

"Sorry, kiddo. But Little Master here jammed up some of the controls…."

"It was an accident! How was I supposed to know you don't need to turn on the Elsa to activate the controls?"

"Whatever…" The Elsa opens up its cargo hold. "We're going to head back to the Durandal and pick up the E.Ss. So get in here so we can go! And if you're worried about the people, save it. I don't think we can do anything more for them than we have already done."

(I don't think he knows about the Durandal being taken over…) Shion thinks to herself.

Shion and Celina hesitate but slowly go in.

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The light slowly subsides and the Compass of Order starts spinning normally. Kevin walks in and sees Wilhelm watching the Compass.

"Everything is going as planned, Master Wilhelm."

"So it would seem." Wilhelm closes his eyes and sits back on his chair. "The Ark has finally begun to show improvement…"

"So does it mean that it will be ready soon?"

"Yes. The Door to Lost Jerusalem will finally be opened and the audience...satisfied."

Kevin starts thinking about the past, when he was developing her with Shion. (A new weapon to save our future…that's what I said. The words stand true from back then and I still believe in them today. KOS-MOS…Shion…you are our last hope. I apologize for not telling you, Shion…the role that you have been burdened with….)

"Lost in thought?" Wilhelm asks.

"No…it's nothing. Sorry to trouble you."

"That's quite all right."

Kevin bows and then leaves.

"The wheels of fate have finally turned and a new tide will dawn on the horizon. Will you be able to pull through, Yeshua?"

A slight pinging noise is heard. "Ah, Nephilim…how it has been awhile."

"Yes, it has."

"So what have you come for? I know that your intentions…are more of a visit."

"You shouldn't do this. You can't keep controlling them forever."

"I know. Even if I must use other people…I will…"

"So…you're still after it? I see that thousands of years of seclusion still haven't opened your eyes."

"Seclusion? I was banished."

"You could've easily gone back."

"It doesn't matter now. What's done…is done. Once I obtain what I need, I will return."

Nephilim starts to disappear. "Farewell then…my time here is done." (A ripple that will grow into a large wave that swallow even them…I hope that it is enough….)

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The Blue Testament, Virgil, is standing on a balcony of a building, overlooking the city. "Huh, I don't get why I had to be stuck here while Kevin and Albedo and even Voyager get to have some fun."

He suddenly gets overcome with flashbacks of him and a woman.

"Febronia…" He tenses up and then smirks. "What do you want?"

The ghost behind him has its back against him. "I came to see you."

"Right, trying to make me repent?"

"No. I'm merely seeing this with you till the end. I promised, remember?"

"And what if I don't?"

"You always were this abrasive, weren't you?"

Virgil scoffs. "I'll live by my rules. Not yours. Not ever. I'm over you, got it?"

"I know. Why else would you become a Testament? One of Wilhelm's servants."

"Is that how you see it? All things perceived to everyone are always perceived differently to another. That is why there will always be conflicts. And those conflicts lead to tension and eventually war."

"You're absolutely right. But that doesn't mean that one can't help to push their own perceptions to another."

Silence. The rain starts to fall on the city.

"My time is short. I must leave." The ghost starts to depart. "Be safe."

"You know Feb…I did this for you."

The ghost disappears, leaving Virgil to soak in the rain.

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Canaan slowly approaches the elevator to the bridge. He sees two soldiers guarding it while two others are conversing. (Hm…I'm going to need a diversion…) He looks around and finds a dead person's cane. (Hmmm…that might work…)

The soldiers suddenly tense up when they see an orange-haired old man walking up to him.

"Halt!" One of them pulls out a gun and walks up to him. (An old man with orange hair? That's odd…)

"This isn't…the park…?" Canaan said in his best old man voice he could muster. He made sure to keep his head down so they wouldn't see his young face.

"No, it isn't. Now go back to the train old man."

"If you don't mind, could two of you help me there? These old bones don't work like they used to."

The soldiers lower their guns and the leader motions for two of them to help the "old man."

As soon as they stand right next to help him out, he wraps his arms around his neck and rams their heads together. The other two soldiers quickly pull their guns out but Canaan swings his extending rod to whack away their guns. The soldiers run up to him and tag team Canaan.

Canaan easily back flips back several times to dodge their assault. But the soldiers took this to their advantage to grab the guns from the knocked out soldiers. Canaan, while in mid air, threw his metal extending rod at the soldiers.

It all becomes matrix as the bullets begin to fire and Canaan slowly lands. Somehow, the rod whizzes past all the bullets and strike one of the soldier's gun to point at the other soldier.

"W..atch….it…." The soldier says in a slow-tone voice. Too late, the gun is still firing bullets only this time at his fellow comrade.

"How the hell…Neo…" The soldier being hit with bullets falls over dead.

The soldier with the gun suddenly drops it and falls to his knees. "How…did he know my name? I'm supposed to be anonymous!'

Canaan puts his head on his head for shame and then grabs his rod. "Sorry…Neo." He whacks the soldier in the neck with his rod, knocking him out. "That takes care of that." He steps into the elevator and goes up.

He quickly rolls to the side when he reaches the bridge and finds out that no one's there. "What the hell?" He walks around. None of the 100-series Realians are there. Mary and Shelley were also gone. He was the only soul walking around the bridge. He walks up to the main control console stationed in the middle of the room, towering above the 100-series work area. "There's no one here…."

A message suddenly appears. It is a face with a tongue sticking out. "What is…"

"You know, you should be a little more discreet about infiltrating, Realian." A voice says behind him as the elevator stops. Canaan turns around and sees Yuriev along with Citrine.

"There's no way…." Canaan then pulls out his extending rod and runs towards Yuriev. Citrine stops him halfway and blocks his assault towards her. She then knocks him over the main console and jumps over it. She lands right next to him and puts a foot on his chest.

"Why are you doing this?"

"Because I can."

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The Elsa left Fifth Jerusalem's atmosphere and eventually reached space after a couple of minutes.

"What the…?" Hammer says as he starts typing furiously on the console. "Hey! Something's wrong with Fifth Jerusalem!"

"Tony! Bring us around!" Matthews says.

"Aye, aye!"

The Elsa turns around and everyone gasps in surprise.

"What is that?" Allen says.

Fifth Jerusalem is lined with golden lights and faint traces of wing like shapes were present behind the crumbling planet.

"It's happening again…" MOMO looks away only to find herself buried in Jr's chest. "I hope Mommy's okay…"

Jr. gracefully strokes her hair. "It's alright, MOMO. I heard that she went to Second Miltia in order to discuss things with Helmer."

"So what will we do now?" Ziggy asks. "It seems that Proto Omega is being revived through Fifth Jerusalem."

"We're not going to stand a chance if we don't think of something soon…." Celina says.

"I suggest that we return to the Durandal and retrieve the Zebulun and the Asher." KOS-MOS says. "There is nothing to be done here at present."

"Alright! Tony, bring us to the Foundation!"

"Way ahead of ya!"

The Elsa blasts through space, leaving Fifth Jerusalem to slowly break apart.

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"What's going on?" Jr. says. "The Foundation is being attacked? First, take over, now this!"

"So it would seem." Ziggy says.

"This is horrible…" MOMO says. "I'm sorry, Jr…"

"Be sorry for the people who I'm going to beat to death!" Jr. raises his hand in anger. "I'm not going to let those bastards have their way any longer!"

"Hey, look! The Durandal isn't there!" chaos says.

Jr. looks closer at the bottom of the Foundation. "What? Where the hell did that bastard take it?"

"Over there!" Hammer points out. "It's charging straight through the Immigrant Fleet's formation!"

"That bastard! Once I get my hands on him…" Jr. smacks his left palm with his right fist.

"Well, shall we join the fighting, Little Master?" Matthews asks.

"Of course we are! We're heading where the Durandal is and getting inside!"

"Woohoo! Finally, it's time for some action!" Tony says as he kicks up the Elsa's thrusters. "Into the belly of the fleet!"

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A/N: What a long and exhilarating chapter! I had much fun typing this yep yep! Though some parts may seem confusing, everything is understandable in my eyes! So if you're still confused as to what is going on, comment and tell me what I can do to help! Thanks for reading! Next chapter is coming up soon!