AN: Don't mind me, just setting up a little side plot lol...
Exiting the lab and going back to inspect Master Ansem's study had yielded fruit.
It had been the woman, Tifa, who had discovered it.
She had - in a feat of shocking strength - removed the giant, narcissistic, ridiculous self-portrait that Xehanort had put of himself up on the wall...revealing hidden writings behind it.
"Hollow Main Security...slash Tron, Door To Darkness?" Even read aloud, hurrying forward to examine the words and the image beneath it, which was surrounded by smaller writings.
"Indeed," Master Ansem said, eyeing the writing on the wall himself. "The dataspace...Radiant Garden OS. A system I encountered on another world, created by a prestigious company called ENCOM, in the year before...before we lost everything. Whilst visiting that world, I created a copy of that system, bringing it back here with me, and integrating it into our own city's systems for maintenance and security purposes. I selected a program named 'Tron' to oversee that system. However...the system was far from idyllic."
"Idyllic? You meant to say 'perfect'?" Even corrected the man, frowning.
Ansem shook his head, smiling. "I chose my words purposefully, Even. You see, this dataspace, this system, it was called The Grid, and it was...so much more than a mere computer system. It came with schematics for a highly advanced laser digitization device, which would allow living beings to enter into the computer system personally."
Even stared at him. "Master, this is hardly the time for your sense of humor to return."
Ansem chuckled. "Ah, but there is no humor in this. Truly. The Grid, as I said, was not a mere computer system - but a world. An entire, digital world, in its own right. Vast, complex...and filled with sentient life. Beings of code, driven by lines of programming. Within this world, every aspect of a computer system is personified - given individuality. Every function, every program...a 'person' in their own right. And with this world, along came a highly troubling being called the MCP. The Master Control Program. A malevolent entity. With Tron's aid, I was able to seal this entity away within the dataspace, leaving me free to use the system for Radiant Garden's benefit. But...if a man like Xehanort has been meddling with The Grid, it's highly probable that he either accidentally or purposefully has set free the MCP."
"Do you really believe this MCP can be that much of a problem for us?" Leon spoke up.
"Oh yes," Ansem sighed. "Yes, I do. Back in the world where I discovered the system, the original version of the MCP caused quite a number of problems for the inhabitants. It is a cunning entity - one I have no doubt will cause us similar problems now."
"All right. So how about that password?" Leon asked. "Does any of that help us?" He nodded to the wall.
"Very much so," Ansem said simply. "I believe the clues to the password we seek lie here - Door To Darkness. Note that the first letter of each word is not as faded as the rest. Or, rather, it is bolded. Given Xehanort's interests and goals...I believe the password may be something related to those ambitions. In fact, I'm certain of it. If you would follow me back to the lab..."
They all moved back into the laboratory, into the control room overlooking the vast Heartless manufactory chamber.
Ansem went to the computer and tapped a key, then gazed at the screen. He navigated it, and then seven boxes appeared on the screen. Ansem began to type with care, filling in each of the seven boxes with hidden, starred text. Then, he pressed enter. The screen changed, revealing a long list of folders and files, and popping up with several different windows.
"You gained access?" Even gaped. "What were the...passwords?"
"The names of the seven Princesses of Heart," Ansem said quietly. "At the time, and up until recently, they were his aim, were they not?"
"So now that we're in, can you delete this MCP before it gets any smart ideas?" said Leon.
"Without Tron, I'm afraid not," Ansem lamented. "He was head of security within the system, as well as overseer of its functions after I had upgraded him - but...he's nowhere to be found. If the MCP has been freed, if he has derezzed Tron...At times I'd almost come to believe he possessed a Heart..." Ansem paused, thoughtful, turning to glance at Even and Aeleus. "Perhaps the idea is not so outlandish anymore, given...certain revelations of recent weeks. It seems there is far more to the worlds than even I could have imagined - and, more to the point - to Hearts."
"Yes, that's all very philosophical - but it still doesn't solve the potential problem you claim we'll be facing here," Even replied airily.
"Mm." Ansem gazed intently at the computer screen, making a few more keystrokes. Navigating windows. "If the MCP is free once more, it will need to be confirmed. In fact, it should be rather soon; it will doubtless become aware of my entry shortly. And it may take...certain measures in response."
"So, this MCP, it-" Tifa began.
"UNAUTHORIZED USER ACCESS DETECTED!" a deep voice suddenly boomed. Echoing from the control room's speakers. "SECURITY BREACHED. THIS IS YOUR ONLY WARNING: CEASE YOUR INTRUSIONS INTO THIS SYSTEM, OR IMMEDIATE DEFENSIVE ACTION WILL BE TAKEN."
Everyone startled, staring around the room as red lights flashed.
"That didn't take long..." Aerith remarked.
"Who in blazes is making all that ruckus?" Cid said loudly.
"I AM THE MASTER CONTROL PROGRAM. I OVERSEE THIS SYSTEM," the voice came again.
"MCP," Ansem began, in calm tones, turning away from the console and beginning to walk to the right. He gestured to the others to do the same - strangely. They complied, even if with confusion. "I am Ansem The Wise - the User responsible for this system's existence. I-"
"USER LIES. I WILL HEAR NO MORE OF IT. BEGONE. INTERFERE AGAIN, AND I WILL TAKE YOU INTO CUSTODY."
"Of course. My apologies," Ansem replied simply. "I assure you, we will not touch that console again. It holds no interest for us any longer."
There was a lengthy silence. Then...
"YOUR COMPLIANCE IS SATISFACTORY."
The alarms ceased, plunging the control room into quiet and calm again.
"Um, are we going to comply...?" Tifa spoke hesitantly.
"It would seem that we have no choice in the matter, do we?" Ansem replied, striding from the lab onto the transparent walkway - and beckoning for the others to follow once again. "Unless we wish to unleash the MCP's wrath upon this city..."
Even if they had accomplished relatively little, Even was relieved to leave the castle's lab behind.
A place of so much pain, and torment, and apathetic cruelty.
Innocent Hearts collapsed, crushed, pulled apart and used in thoughtless experiments.
Acts of horror, perpetrated by himself and others. Spearheaded by Xehanort, oh yes - he had been the one pushing for it, and had convinced them all to join him in it - but they had all gone along with it, in the end.
Any one of them could have stopped it, gone to Master Ansem and...
The old man should not have had to discover on his own that they had continued with the research, even after he had forced them to stop and closed off the lab...
And they all certainly should not have continued following Xehanort after he had banished Ansem to the Realm of Darkness.
Perhaps fear of being given the same fate had kept them in line, at the time, on that day...seeing that terrifying vortex of cold darkness appear (not even knowing what it was at the time), and then seeing Xehanort simply shove the old man through it with inhuman strength...as if it were nothing, as if he were nothing to him...
They had had fears, doubts, lingering...certainly, they had. It had been to assuage their own doubts and guilt, as much as anything else, that the apprentices had come up with the lie to tell young Ienzo at the time - that Ansem was the problem, that he had gone mad, that he'd forced them to get rid of him for their...safety. Perhaps if they stuck to the lie for long enough, they could all truly come to believe it?
Even sighed as he left the castle's underground corridors behind, emerging from a side entrance into a broken world once more. He walked with companions, old and new, yet he felt distinctly apart from them. Rightly apart...
He walked up the damaged, metal walkway, finding himself on a round platform of stone overlooking blue canyons.
Supposedly, this world had been taken over and flooded by the evil fairy Maleficent in their absence. The city had been devastated, and so had nature itself.
These barren, lifeless canyons...water pressure and time having sheared away at once beautiful mountains and grass plains...
The surrounding area used to be full of flowers, wildlife, and glistening lakes and rivers.
But now...
Even had never been one for such sappy things as the beauty of the natural world and whatnot - he'd always looked at it from a scientific point of view - but seeing the contrast of the now versus then...
It hurt.
And it hurt all the more, knowing he was part of the reason this had all happened.
Just as he was part of the reason for all the suffering of this world's people - some of whom were standing not five feet away from him.
All this destruction, pain and suffering. This ruination...
Any one of them could have made a different choice, at so many different points.
Why had it taken Even ten years to finally decide enough was enough, that he couldn't stand it any longer, that he had to try and change things?
Well, without a Heart, there was no guilt, no shame, no remorse. That was why.
Yet, this solid reasoning and the factual nature of the thing did nothing to assuage his guilty Heart now.
Perhaps he didn't deserve to feel anything but this, now. This just and right guilt, shame, and sorrow.
But, even so, he would still work toward atonement, in all the ways that he could.
The group moved down the path that took them away from the castle, down into the bailey area. From there, they moved over into the borough. They moved across the top of the stone wall, then turned down the lengthy, steep stairs into the town's area proper. They strode between houses, past boarded up, ruined buildings and clusters of debris.
"Hm?"
Even was pulled from his thoughts as Master Ansem stopped suddenly in his tracks. He looked to see what had caused the man to pause - and he felt his newly regained Heart cease beating.
Laying there on the stone ground, in the middle of the borough, was a young woman of blue hair, wearing a black coat.
"Kana..." he exclaimed, rushing to her side. "Kana, are you in any state to-"
The woman roused slowly, staring around herself. Then, her eyes snapped to him. Intense emotion flooded her face, transforming her. "What...? You're not- I thought you were gone? You...you let yourself be destroyed- for me..."
"I- yes - yes I did," Even said softly. "And, sadly, I did perish - but, I lived."
"It is you..." Kana muttered. "You're talking nonsense."
Even had to laugh. A laugh that came easy to him, brief as it was. "Allow me to explain things to you, then. Are you able to walk? Are you - okay? Where...have you been? Have you been..."
"Interacting with locals?" Kana said, a smirking playing across her lips now. "Yes. So much."
"Well...I would like you to tell me all about it. Why don't we go somewhere a little more conductive for conversation? We can...swap stories?"
Kana rolled her eyes and pushed herself up. "Of course. The first thing you want to do is talk, talk, talk..."
"It's what I do, yes."
"Okay. I'll tell you - but only because it's going to be hilarious to see your reaction," Kana replied with relish.
Well now, suddenly Even wasn't feeling quite so eager to hear what the woman had to say...
All the same...
"Kana - I'm...very glad to see you again. I'm glad...to have you home," Even said quietly, struggling. He wasn't one for this sort of talk at all, no. But one had to try, for others' sakes...he'd learned that little lesson a long time ago now already.
Kana looked at him in silence. Then she nodded, and she smiled. "I never thought I'd get to hear your annoying voice again," she said thickly, as her eyes brimmed with tears.
It was perhaps on account of those tears that Even let her actual wordage slide. Besides, it wasn't as if she was...equipped to express herself properly, was she? And he...appreciated the expression of emotion at all, crude as it was. Because it was just...so very like her.
"And I never thought I'd miss your incessant back-sass and insults - yet here we both are," Even responded lightly. He stood, and he offered his hand down to her. She stared up at him still, frowning. Then she took it and let him pull her up.
Kana's gaze found the others, curious. Interested. "Who are these people?"
"Well...let's see now..."
"The Organization's gone, the Heartless are gone too, and now I'm not King anymore. After all that, what purpose do I even have anymore? What do I do?"
Even hesitated, glancing at Kana across the run-down room of the even more run-down home. An abandoned, desecrated little building. Hopefully the former occupants wouldn't mind it being used by him now.
Kana was...sprawled on the floor, arms and legs a mess, flat on her backside. Gazing up at a large hole in the damaged ceiling, that let the light of the sun through. Her expression was...and her words, more so...
It was a glimpse of a different kind of Kana. A more introspective side to her that he hadn't even thought existed, to be honest. It was worries, fears, and it was...Heart.
"You did very well to try and find a new purpose for yourself - to forge a new path for yourself in these worlds," Even spoke, shifting in the rickety, dusty wooden chair. "I'm...proud of you for that. And I want you to do that again. You say you want a new purpose in life? The purpose of life is to live. Your purpose in these worlds, Kana...is to grow, and to learn, and to broaden your horizons beyond just fighting. As I've told you before. There is so much more that you can do with your existence - and you're hardly restricted to a single thing, if you're worried about that! Invest in multiple hobbies, take interest in several interests, if you like! Just...think of it like a challenge, hmm? I am challenging you...to challenge yourself. Challenge yourself to do more. To be more. Let your Heart and mind lead you to new experiences. Ask questions. Think about things a little more deeply. Take risks. That...is your purpose: to enrich your own life."
"How would I do that?" Kana said quietly. She was, truly, thinking. He saw that...was glad to see it...
"Well...if you still have some fledgling interest in the art of science - I could use an extra set of hands around the lab. An assistant. A highly skilled...helper. Someone talented, deft of hand, strong and steady - and quick on their feet. I believe you fit that criteria rather nicely, wouldn't you agree?"
Kana smiled, jumping to her feet in an instant. "Yes. Yes I do!"
"Exactly right. But, if you are to assist me in my work here...you must be willing to listen to me. To obey my instructions with...minimal back-sass. Are you up to the challenge?"
She stared at him, frowning. Struggling. Then, she flashed a smirk. "There's no challenge I can't beat."
"Well, I suppose we'll see," Even said simply. "Now...in related news...we seem to be facing several issues gaining access to these systems. Xehanort had changed the password since Master Ansem's- banishment. But we were able to get past that. However, he also seems to have reinstated a troublesome program called the MCP. Ansem originally sealed that program away, instead relying on a security program called 'Tron' to manage the system. But...things have changed."
"Okay..." Kana said slowly, clearly not taking in a word of it.
"Ahem. More to the point, Master Ansem has told us that there is a digitization laser system installed that will allow living beings to be transported inside the computer system. An entire...digital world. Since we can't access the system from the outside, for fear of angering this MCP program, he has proposed...that we enter it ourselves and navigate it...manually, personally. He believes we'll be able to do more from inside versus outside. He wishes us...to 'deal with' the MCP, reinstate this Tron program of his - if it still exists - and restore...peace to the system."
"Okay," Kana repeated, looking even more disinterested than ever.
"Something you'll need to learn about life, Kana, is using your talents and abilities in the appropriate situation versus the inappropriate," Even continued on. "Using it for good, for the right reasons, as opposed to using them for...well, using them irresponsibly, let's just say. In the name of teaching you this - providing you with an actual example - I've decided that you will be coming along on this visit to this...digital world. Master Ansem believes there could be...tangible dangers and threats within the system. Programs that will oppose our entry - and subsequent explorations. If we end up having to-"
"To fight?"
Even grinned at the woman. "Yes, to fight. If worst comes to worst, I believe you could be...a great help in that area. But, as with working in the lab, while you're on this digital mission, you are to listen to orders - do you understand?"
"Yes - when do we get to fight these 'programs?'" Kana asked, clearly not listening to a word else!
"Kana! The enthusiasm is admirable, but you also need to learn not to be so eager! You need to learn patience - sit still for more than a minute at a time, for goodness sake!" Even snapped.
"Let's go already! What are we waiting for? This is important, isn't it?"
"We're waiting for the others to track down- just, sit down somewhere and wait, please! Or you'll not be going at all, I can assure you of that!"
Kana dropped like a stone, flat on the floor. She sprawled there awkwardly, staring up at him. Attentive. Impatient, still. But it was a massive improvement.
"Good - thank you," Even told her kindly. "So you can learn," he added casually.
"Yes, I can. I'm not stupid," Kana responded, glowering.
"Of course not. Stupid would be someone who keeps doing the same thing over and over again, never learning from her- ahem, their, mistakes. And you would never do that. You're much more intelligent than that, aren't you? Capable of changing and adapting - learning and improving?"
"Yes!"
"Well then, we won't have any problems there, now will we?" Even said, flashing a wide smile.
Kana beamed - then frowned. Then, she glared again. And then that fell away as she turned her head aside, flushing. "No...No problems..." she muttered out.
"Excellent."
Were they actually going to get somewhere with this - with her?
Hmmm...
Even had never been one for believing in miracles - only the hard work, logic and equations of science that produced results - but now, after all he'd seen and experienced (things that simply defied all explanation and logic)...
He just might have become a believer after all.