Chapter 76 – Out of Time
The Zanarkand skyline brimmed with bright lights in the distance. A low murmuring of all the combined noise of the city hummed in the background, adding white noise to the twinkling chimes the pyreflies emitted. The fresh air left a hint of sweet taste on Yuna's tongue. She breathed it in and reinvigorated herself with its succulent smell.
"It's a beautifully clear evening," said Lenne while walking up next to her. "You should enjoy it."
Yuna bowed her head. "Of all the different ways I've looked upon this view, I think this one is the best."
"Why is that?"
"Because the city is full of life," answered Yuna.
Lenne turned her attention to the cityscape. "You've never seen Zanarkand at its height. I know you prefer the quiet life, but I think you would've loved to live here."
"It's true, I don't like hustle and bustle. But, then again, this Zanarkand is different," Yuna said.
"You're right." Lenne nodded. "So much art and so much liveliness existed here. The people loved to paint and sing, build and create."
"I'd come to your concerts," Yuna said with a smile.
Brushing back her hair, Lenne climbed up the small hill on the rocky outcropping nearby. She stood with her arms wrapped around, gazing silently into the distance. Yuna could plainly see the pain in her eyes. She climbed the hill and stood next to her friend.
"I couldn't imagine standing here and looking out over a ruin," whispered Lenne.
Yuna folded her hands together in front of her. "I couldn't imagine standing here before a flourishing city. Our realities couldn't be more different."
"I suppose time has a way of doing that."
"I suppose it does."
Lenne gave her a sidelong glance. "Hey, Yuna . . ."
Yuna waited a moment for Lenne to finish her thought, but no more words came. She felt her chest tighten and the world around her darken. Exhaling deeply, she returned to watching the glittering array of lights flash from the city. She didn't know what lingered on the edge of her friend's mind, but the biting anticipation spiked her anxiety.
"Zanarkand has given both of us so much," Yuna said, sputtering something out to break the silence.
"It has. Yet so much that has been given to us has been taken away."
"There's still hope," said Yuna.
Lenne turned to face away from her. "If it comes down to it, and you need to destroy Shuyin, please don't hesitate for my sake."
"What are you saying?" Yuna questioned.
Lenne answered, "You may not be able to save him or reunite us. In the end, it's more important to save Spira."
"Lenne . . ."
Facing Yuna once again, Lenne tried her best to force a smile. "You've already done so much for me. No matter what, thank you for everything."
Yuna embraced her. "You're welcome, my friend."
The inside of the Celsius slowly came into focus as Yuna opened her eyes. She had dozed off in her bed waiting for the airship to fly to Shuyin's destination. Rising out of bed, she glanced out the windows, seeing nothing but sparkling ocean below. Fat, fluffy clouds sped across the sky. In the distance, a solitary tropical bird flew by. Yuna nearly mistook it for a speck on the window. She knew they had to be close.
Leaving the cabin, she entered the lift, tapping her foot with her arms snuggly crossed, waiting for it to take her to the bridge. Though just a dream, Lenne's words echoed in her mind. Stopping Shuyin from destroying the world had always been Yuna's objective—both two years ago and today. The idea of killing him as a means to finish the conflict struck her differently. In the end, her goal had been to reunite Shuyin with Lenne, ending his need for Vegnagun.
Could they rest together in the Farplane after all that had happened? She wrestled with the question. While she appreciated Lenne's objectivity with the situation, Yuna couldn't bear to be the reason her friend wandered through eternity without her love. She would not condemn Lenne to the same fate she endured.
The lift jolted to a halt and opened its doors. Marching onto the bridge, Paine and Rikku quickly greeted her.
"You girls ready for some more action?"
Rikku poked her cheek. "Well, yeah. I just hope you're right about Shuyin going to Iutycyr Tower."
"It makes sense that Iutycyr would have his time travel device in the tower named after him," said Paine.
"Yeah, but how did we miss it the last time we were there?"
Yuna frowned. "I wish we knew. Since Shuyin has the book, he probably knows what to look for."
"Well, let's just make sure we find him before he can figure it out," Paine said.
Rikku pumped her fist. "Yeah! It's time to end his craziness once and for all!"
Like a shockwave rumbling over her, the unintentional menace in her cousin's words shook her. The gravity of so much finality weighed down upon her. She feared victory and the safety of Spira would come at too high a cost. If Lenne had nothing left to cling to, would she vanish into the Farplane, never to be seen again? The guilt racked her enough to make her sick.
Brother declared their destination coming into view. Out of the cockpit window, the mysterious island appeared from a hazy blanket of fog hanging over it. Just like during their first jaunt to Iutycyr Tower, the ruins of an ancient town outside the tower rested dormant. No remnants of Yevon and the old religion persisted on the island.
Looming over the town, the shadow of the tower cast its long, black visage on the buildings. Smoke still billowed out of the tubular stacks on the structure's exterior. From their vantage point, the top of the tower disappeared into the clouds. Yuna thought back to the treacherous climb up the tower's many floors. Unlike two years ago, she could fly to the top this time.
"Land us on the top floor," ordered Yuna. "If Shuyin is inside, I'd rather have the advantage of the high ground."
Rikku blew out a sigh of relief. "I'm glad we don't have to climb this thing again. I was so tired last time."
"It was good for you," remarked Paine with a sly grin.
"Well, the end was at least," said Rikku, throwing her arms behind her back.
The Celsius lifted above the clouds, finally revealing the top of Iutycyr Tower. The machina, which had spontaneously activated the last time they arrived at the top, remained dormant. Out from behind one of the bronze, animal statues, the weapon the Machine Faction created emerged. It fired off a barrage of rockets at the airship, crashing a chain of explosions against the ship's haul. It rocked back and forth, with a trail of black smoke pouring out of the engines.
"Not again!" shouted Brother.
Buddy yelped. "Oh, boy, this is bad!"
Brother looked at Yuna. "We can't take another round of rocket fire. Yuna, it's now or never!"
She nodded, comprehending the dire situation. Leading her friends to the landing ramp, they leaped out of the airship onto the top of the tower. Standing on the mechanical experiment, Shuyin stared at them with a menacing expression. He gripped his hand into a fist.
Another line of rockets flung out of the machine when the Celsius ducked away, leaving the Gullwings alone to face the threat. With hardly any cover available to them, Paine called for them to spread as far apart as they could. Shuyin ordered the machine to attack them at will, then he climbed down from it.
The machina imposed itself in front of him, hiding his actions. With orders in hand, it wasted no time in engaging. It lunged toward Paine, swiping at her with its stubby arm. The servos controlling it whizzed with a deafening sound. She deflected the blow with her sword and lunged to slice a gash into its metallic hull.
It countered with a precisely guided rocket. Paine threw herself out of its path, but the explosion tossed her back near the platform's edge. Rikku sprinted over, helping her friend to her feet. Sharpening her eyes, Paine ignored the trickle of blood seeping down her forehead and ran directly at the machina.
With an overhead motion, she sliced it, the impact of her blow sending out a burst of light. It stumbled back, reeling from the concussion. Following up on Paine's attack, Rikku leaped over her and lobbed a blue gem. It smashed against the metal hide of the machine, splintering into a thousand tiny shards. A series of blue lightning bolts zapped down from the heavens on top of it, sending sizzling electricity through its circuits and cords.
While her friends had been engaging the machina, Yuna used the distraction to try to maneuver herself to find her true target—Shuyin. With the monumental size of the Experiment, she had a difficult time getting past it again. When she attempted to slip by it after Rikku's lightning barrage, it hammered down on her with its electrified arm. The swing connected with her chest, launching her backward in the air. Her skin burned like fire coursed through her veins.
She screamed in pain and tumbled onto the platform. Her vision blurred and she tried to regain her bearings. Shaking her head, she rose to her knee, holding her hand against her chest. A blackened imprint had scorched into her clothing. Unholstering a pistol, she fired wildly at the machine. Bullets bounced off its thick hull. While ineffective in stopping the machine, it allowed her to regroup with her friends.
"Geez, Gippal made this thing too strong," Rikku said.
Paine sighed. "He finally decided to do something right for once, and it had to be this."
Yuna felt her senses return to normal. "Any ideas how we beat this thing?"
"If we could pierce its armor, that would be a start," answered Paine.
Rikku rubbed her chin. "Maybe if I can find a way to get access to its controls, I can disable it."
"I like that plan," Yuna stated. "Now how do we get around its armor?"
"When we fought it in Bikanel, I had started to weaken the back near the top, I think. Let's keep chipping away at it there," Paine said.
Nodding in unison, the girls fanned out into a large triangle formation. The machina, recovered from the impulse of electricity shooting through its body, fired off another rocket. It impacted the space between the girls. Through the cloud of smoke, Rikku rolled by its base on the left side, slamming two large grenades against its bottom. The explosion knocked it off-balance. From behind, Paine wheeled in with her sword, shoving it near the top of its back.
The sound of shattering glass followed the bright flash of light her sword's impact inflicted. Running in from the other side, Yuna fired three bullets at the crack formed from Paine's attack. The girls regrouped and readied themselves for another sortie. Rising into the air from behind the Experiment, the ancient machina Iutycyr created sprang to life.
"That's probably not good," Rikku remarked, pointing up at the twin spirals of water shooting up into the sky.
Yuna yelled, "He's getting close to activating it! We need to hurry!"
Before she could finish rearming her pistols, the machina launched another volley of missiles. Bright trails of white smoke twirled together into the air, getting lost in the brightness of the sun. Noticing the rockets tracking her movement, Yuna acted on a daring idea.
She ran at the machina, thrusting herself up onto the body of it. Quickly she scurried up its cold, metallic exterior, hoisting herself up on its back. The stubby arms of the machine couldn't reach her to throw her off itself. Her eyes focused on the trails of smoke now aimed squarely at her. Rikku and Paine shouted for her to jump, but she held out a hand. The impending strike of the volley of rockets rushed toward her. A cacophony of high-pitched whining grew louder until her ears ached.
Just before they rained down on her, Yuna threw herself off the machina. Her body slammed against the ground, and she rolled away just as the rockets exploded. A series of blasts blew fire and shrapnel across the platform. The Machine Faction's experiment collapsed on itself into a heap of burning metal and rubber.
Lying on the ground, Yuna panted, watching the pillar of smoke soar into the air. After a few twitches, the machine no longer moved. She blew out a sigh of relief. Her attention quickly shifted from the muffled sound of her friends calling for her when she spotted Shuyin behind the destroyed foe. Translucent green energy coursed through the activated machina of the tower.
When she squinted, she saw two spheres in place on a pedestal, with the final one in his hand. Her body reacted without thought, and she sprinted at him. Her strides took her faster than her legs had ever run before. Gripped with panic, helplessness consumed her.
"Stop, Shuyin! You don't know what you're doing!" she screamed.
He looked up at her and shook his head. "I know exactly what I'm doing! It's time to make everything right again!"
He placed the sphere at the onset of the pedestal's open housing slot. Everything seemed to happen in slow motion to Yuna. She dove at him, reaching out with her hand to knock it out of his grasp. When her fingertips grazed his wrist, he snapped the final sphere into place. Shimmering light devoured her, blinding her from everything around her. She felt bursts of energy shoot through her skin and invade every part of her body, though it caused her no pain. An unseen force pushed with unparalleled pressure against her chest, compressing her body together. She desperately gasped for air, and then the world went dark.
Opening her eyes, she heard voices murmuring, even though she couldn't make them out. Looking down at her hands, she touched the coarse surface of the stone platform. It felt firm and real. She glanced up, watching Yuna's friends Rikku and Paine hovering over her.
"Who the hell are you?" Paine roared. "And where is Yuna?"
Rikku tugged on Paine's arm. "Um, I think I know who this is. But it can't be . . . it's impossible!"
Rising to her feet, Lenne brushed the bits of debris collected from the remnants of the destroyed machina off her black, lace skirt. She noticed a few smudges on the white ruffles of her shirt. Intact otherwise, she fanned out the fingers of her hand in front of her. Everything felt real again. Turning her head to look behind herself, she noticed no pyreflies swarming off her body.
"I don't understand. How am I alive?" Lenne's words were seeped in doubt.
Rikku approached. "Are you Lenne?"
She nodded to Rikku, although even she didn't believe it to be true. "I am."
"How are you here? I thought Yuna carried your spirit." Paine gazed at her with bewildered eyes.
Lenne answered, "She did. Something happened when Shuyin activated this machina."
Rikku's eyes bulged. "Whoa, wait! He got it to work?"
"That had to be what caused the bright flash of light," said Paine.
Lenne nodded. "Correct. Oh, my love, what have you done."
"Does that mean Yunie is lost in the past or something?"
"If he was able to make it work, then I guess she might be. Although that doesn't explain why I'm here," Lenne commented.
Witnessing the gut-wrenching shock in the faces of Yuna's friends, Lenne bowed her head. She couldn't bear to be responsible for eliminating Yuna from their lives. Paine stammered for a moment before turning around and rushing to the far edge of the platform. Tears started to pour down Rikku's cheeks. She blubbered something about Yuna being gone forever and descended into an inconsolable mess.
Not knowing what to do, Lenne embraced Rikku, holding her tightly in her arms. It didn't feel right for her to try to give comfort, but nothing made any sense to her. She had given comfort to ailing Zanarkands many times, but Rikku's cries pierced her heart deeper than those a thousand years before. Rikku buried herself in her chest. Lenne felt her clothes dampen.
She continued to brush her fingers through Rikku's hair, saying nothing. Time lost all meaning while Rikku wept. Looking out toward the falling sun, she watched Paine crouch along the edge, staring off into the distance. Lenne couldn't begin to fathom the amount of devastation seething in her. Worse yet, Lenne had no relationship with either of them.
Yuna stood as the caretaker and heart of the Gullwings, not her. Lenne only had bits and pieces of feelings and memories from Yuna's psyche to relate with. She would be no substitute. Would they even want her to be with them? Dark thoughts crept into her mind. She forced them aside, focusing on this impossible new lease on life she just acquired.
Brother's voice fizzled on Rikku's Commsphere. "Come in! Is everyone okay?"
Still buried in her chest, Rikku didn't respond. Lenne looked over at Paine to see if she received the communication, but the woman did not indicate that she heard or cared. Swallowing hard, Lenne wrestled with what to do.
Finally, she said, "Yes, everyone is okay . . . mostly."
"Who said that?" asked Brother. "Is that you, Yuna?"
"No, she's gone," sobbed Rikku.
"What?" Brother's voice echoed.
"Something terrible happened and now she's gone!"
Releasing herself from Lenne's embrace, Rikku stumbled over toward Paine, who had stepped back from the edge of the platform. Rikku continued to explain what happened to her brother when Paine approached Lenne. A blank expression crossed her face, but her eyes flamed with swelling anguish.
Lenne's hands jittered. "I'm so sorry I didn't—"
"Please, don't," interjected Paine. "It's not your fault."
"I don't know what else to say."
"There is nothing else to say," said Paine. "I just . . . it all seems surreal. There's no way Yuna can be lost, but she is."
Lenne placed a hand on Paine's shoulder. "Don't give up hope. I know Shuyin. He didn't go through all of this without planning to return."
"Perhaps, but how will that help Yuna?"
"I don't know, but I'll do whatever I can to help. Shuyin is a driven man, but not always tidy. I'm sure if we look, we can find something that could help us."
Locking eyes with Lenne, Paine blew out a long sigh and nodded. "I suppose you need a home now. You're a long time away from yours."
Lenne flashed her a smile. "Thank you."