BOOK 3: CONTRADICTIONS

Chapter 21: Declaring War


It has been two weeks since the major arc in the dreamscape. Kira and the others believed that, having resolved some of their internal conflicts that had manifested within the dreamscape, the awaited meeting would happen soon. Yet, two weeks later, they were still waiting. Waiting—such a loaded word. How long had they been waiting? Cagalli had been asleep for almost a year now. When she fell unconscious, scientists from Orb ensured her physical body was stable. Despite multiple checkups showing no major issues, she remained unconscious, dependent on the machines connected to her.

Three months after her collapse, in response to her condition, the Dreamscape Project was brought to fruition—not fully developed, but urgent circumstances demanded it be tested. Their first test subject was none other than their chief representative, which sparked debate within the Orb Council. In the end, seeing no other option to wake her, the Council agreed to place Cagalli in the dreamscape. Her consciousness did appear on their screens, marking a breakthrough, yet it raised new questions. Within this projected dream, Cagalli's reality was altered; she wasn't the Representative of Orb but a regular student living her life. Oddly, she seemed particularly fixated on the Aurora Borealis, which they suspected related to her condition before she lost consciousness.

Another three months passed, and technology advanced enough to allow others to join her. Cautious of potential risks, they began by allowing only one person in, and, unsurprisingly, Colonel Athrun Zala volunteered first. His eagerness fueled speculation of a romantic relationship with Cagalli—though, for now, that wasn't the primary concern.

Four weeks later, more people joined the dreamscape: Kira, Lacus, Yzak, Shiho, Meyrin, and Meer. This party arrangement was an experiment in itself, and soon they made a surprising discovery: Athrun's identity within the dreamscape was not aligned with his real self. He had been given a different identity, seemingly forgetting his mission.

Eventually, the entire team had to be withdrawn from the dreamscape, except for Athrun, as Cagalli's dream appeared deeply linked to him. Removing him might pose additional risks.

Over the past 10 months, the team had indeed gathered valuable data. One crucial insight was that Cagalli could control aspects of the dreamscape.

With this information in mind, they believed the fated meeting between her and Athrun would finally happen. But it hadn't, and they were left waiting once more. This cycle of searching and waiting, it seemed, had been present all along.

In the meeting room, the team assembled for their weekly briefing.

"Athrun and Cagalli must meet. They have to, but the question is when? What's taking them so long?" Kira's voice trembled as he looked over the monitors and the data in front of him. "Isn't there anything we can do to guide them together?" he asked.

The silent, solemn faces looking back at him seemed to say, "We've done all we can."

Lacus gently reassured him, "We've tried, haven't we? But instead of clearing the path, it seems we've only complicated their dreams."

Murrue interjected, "I think I see our mistake. We assumed the dreamscape would remain static, but with your involvement in their lives, it makes sense that their consciousnesses would respond to the memories you stirred. This interplay created a version of events we couldn't foresee."

"But maybe," Mwu suggested, "they've managed to work through something. This might mean they're closer to finding their way back to each other."

Shinn nodded in agreement. "Your presence in the dreamscape may have triggered something, but I'm starting to think there's another factor at play."

"Another factor?" Kira asked.

"Yes," Shinn continued. "Miri and I have been reviewing Athrun and Cagalli's files. We found a bug in the system that we initially overlooked."

"Let me explain," Miriallia added. She pressed some buttons to show them the data. "There were anomalies during the system upgrade. At first, I thought it was just a simple glitch. But when Sai, Meyrin and I looked closer, we discovered that some code had been inserted during the update."

"Yes, it was subtle," Sai explained. "The code was so well hidden it bypassed our security. I only stumbled upon it by accident when I was checking the backup server."

"Commander Kira, remember I have consulted you about this. It was your idea of checking the backup system," Shinn added.

"So it was Kira who suggested this," Miri added. She suddenly understood why for the longest time, no one had thought of checking the backup server.

"When I made that suggestion, I didn't have any clue that it would play a part, it was, after all, a backup server. Anything that happened in the main server should have just been coping to the back up system. Isn't that right? Are you telling me that no faults were found in the main server?" Kira asked, clenching his fist.

"Yes, that is why indeed, it was one hell of a job," Shinn responded. "Image, just imagine how they could made that upgrade without alerting the main system. Orb does not have that kind of technology at the moment," Shinn replied.

Murrue frowned. "How could it have bypassed Orb's security? Unless... " we have a mole?

Suddenly, the intercom blared, "The Aurora is under attack. I repeat, the Aurora is under attack!"

Murrue quickly pressed a series of buttons. "Report."

A man appeared on the screen. "We detected a breach in security. It was subtle, but we believe the Aurora Sanctum is compromised."

"Lock down the dreamscape area," Murrue ordered. "Secure the Orb Representative's and the Colonel's pods."

Before he could respond, the screen was hijacked, revealing a familiar figure - a silver-haired man no one thought could be seen once more, and in those circumstances.

The sight of Shura on their screen was shocking. How could he breach Orb's defences without being detected? What in the world was happening?

"Shura!" Kira's voice floated in the air.

"Kira, Lacus—good to see you," Shura's voice was calm and composed, but a hint of malice simmered beneath it.

"What are you doing here?" Kira demanded as the room fell silent, though everyone was not on high alert.

Shura's gaze shifted, a smirk playing on his lips. "And allow me to extend my greetings to Athrun Zala and Representative Athha. Oh, but they're not here. I wonder why." His smile widened.

The situation felt surreal, and a wave of panic crept over Kira. His whole body was tense, ready for a fight. Were they preparing to attack?

Just then, the screen changed, showing a video feed of a familiar location—the dreamscape room.

"I would've told you to say hello to Athrun for me, but it seems he's in the same room," Shura said with a smirk. "No matter; when he wakes, you can pass along my regards. For now, though, I'll be taking the Representative with me." His tone shifted to one of pride, his smile twisting into a dark grin.

The video continued, showing Cagalli being lifted from her dreamscape pod—by Shura himself.

"Get your hands off her!" Kira shouted.

"Or what? Are you going to stop me? How?" Shura sneered. "I'm already gone. I have to say, Orb's security did surprise me—you caught on faster than I expected. But it only took us a few minutes to take your Representative." His gaze hardened, eyes narrowing. "Oh, pass this message for me, when, rather if he wakes up. Tell Athrun Zala, that I'm taking his delusion with me," Shura grinned. The image of a naked Cagalli came to his mind. How could he forget that image, when he was giving his all in the battle, he was caught off guard by something as heinous as this image. "If he wakes up, he needs only to find me. I'll be waiting. Otherwise, the Black Knights will reclaim the power Orb stole from us. I'm starting by reclaiming Cagalli Yula Attha, Orb's tigress."

As if on cue, the screen went black.


A/N: It has been a while since the last update. I offer this chapter to the birthday boy, our Red Knight, Athrun Zala! 10/29/24