Chapter 89 — Only a Step Behind
Bathed in red light, Yuna stood squished in the back of the elevator car. Including Maechen and Yojimbo, seven soldiers waited patiently to chase the intruder lurking in the shadows of the underground installation. She could hardly stand the wait. Torn between ending Shuyin before he could begin to cause unimaginable havoc and letting him steal Vegnagun away from Bevelle, Yuna weighed each choice delicately.
As the alarm horns blared, she silently wrestled with herself. She desperately wanted to thwart Shuyin, perhaps even kill him, to ensure she would undo all the damage he will cause in the future. Consequences be damned, the idea sounded good except for one problem—her own end. If Shuyin died, Yuna couldn't get back to her time.
Her mind kept posing further questions. Maybe Iutycyr could send her back, or maybe she could steal the spheres in Shuyin's possession and return to her time herself. Reflecting back to Iutycyr's book, she hardly wrapped her mind around the nuances of his creations. She feared what unseen harm she could cause Spira by trying to work the inventor's devices herself.
Consternation continued to build up inside Yuna as she brooded in the corner of the elevator. She hated to permit herself to work in favor of Shuyin's aims, but she had to allow him to capture Vegnagun. So lost in her own thoughts, she realized she had no idea how deep the elevator had descended into the underground.
It slowed to a crawl before coming to a jittery stop. The steel doors opened, revealing a cavernous void of darkness. Cold air seeped into the elevator car between the exiting soldiers, chilling Yuna's skin. She felt goosebumps form on her arms. Facing the darkness of Bevelle's seedy underbelly again, she clenched her hands into fists. She loathed this place.
Pausing for a moment before exiting the elevator herself, Yuna braced herself for what lied beyond. The taller soldiers had blocked her view. She waited for Maechen and Yojimbo to exit first. Unsure if her fear of stepping foot in the underground again stemmed from her own experiences or the residual effects of Lenne's cohabitation, Yuna nearly succumbed to the overwhelming trepidation eating away at her.
Inhaling deeply, she stepped her foot out of the elevator car. Yuna rapidly scanned her surroundings, propping up the oversized helmet from hanging over her eyes. There before her, a fully functional cavern of machina creation labored in full force. Security machines scampered to their predesignate stations, chased closely behind by scared workers seeking cover.
Yuna stepped out onto an outcropping, revealing a cavernous chamber. A perfect cylinder, the walls of the chamber glowed teal from the electrical conduits running up and down the walls. They looked like a series of meandering veins to her. Red lights flashed over the steel structures far below in the center part of the chamber. Filling her with grief, Yuna recalled all of this from her time.
"We must go to the restricted area. The last report indicated the intruder was somewhere around there," one of the soldiers barked.
Yuna went to rush off with the contingent of Bevelle soldiers, but Yojimbo's outstretched arm prevented her from following. When she started to protest, he raised a finger up to his lips. She watched as the soldiers ran off.
"Now we're free to move as we please," Yojimbo said.
Maechen asked, "But how will we know where to go in this dark place?"
He gestured towards Yuna. "She'll know."
"That's right!" Yuna felt a swell of courage race through her.
"How did you navigate your way through the facility in your time?" Yojimbo questioned.
She stood quiet and deep in thought. "Well, there was some way. . . not a conventional way I think."
Walking to the edge of the outcropping, Yuna surveyed her surroundings. Her mind dwelt on how she overcame the massive gulf between herself and the buildings down below. Then her eyes caught a glimpse of a mighty iron chain anchored to the edge. It stretched all the way down to the edge of the central structure.
"I remember now!" she declared. "We slid down one of these chains."
Maechen shuttered. "Slid down? Oh my, that seems extremely perilous."
Yojimbo rubbed his chin. "Are you sure?"
Yuna nodded, much to Maechen's chagrin. Chuckling to himself, Yojimbo took a moment to survey the feasibility, or perhaps the absurdity, of using the chain as a method of transportation. His eyes followed the chain from anchor point to anchor point.
"I'm not confident about sliding, as you said. But we can definitely use it to climb," he said.
Maechen sighed. "Alright, if you're confident, Lady Yuna."
"Don't worry. I'll go first," she said.
She removed her cumbersome uniform and told her companions to do the same. Eyeing up the chain, she placed her foot on top of it. Measuring wider than her boot, she remembered why she could slide down it previously. It clattered and swiveled when she hopped on it. Using her momentum, she slipped down the chain, finding little resistance given by its glossy metallic construction. She flowed down it like a surfer on the waves outside her village in Besaid.
Jumping off the chain when she reached the central structure, Yuna turned around and waved. Hopefully her uneventful trip would encourage her companions not to hesitate. She watched as Yojimbo seemed to coax Maechen to slide next.
He managed to make it down the chain by taking careful, methodical steps rather than Yuna's less conventional method. Her attention split between observing Maechen and watching for soldiers to pass nearby. He finally fumbled off the chain and blew out a huge breath.
"You made it," she said with a smile.
"That may have been one of the most foolish things I've ever done," Maechen said. "But it will be a story I hope to never forget."
The two shared a laugh, which allowed Yojimbo enough time to make his way down the chain. He immediately scanned the area, searching for any signs of danger.
"Now that the fun is over, where do we go from here?" he asked.
Yuna tapped her foot against the cold steel floor. "Vegnagun is somewhere further below. I have to assume Shuyin is nearby."
"This place descends further?" Maechen questioned in horror.
Gunfire rang out just as he finished his sentence. Loud blasts echoed throughout the chamber. The floor beneath them rumbled, and the smell of oily smoke seeped through the stale air.
"We may not have to go much further," Yojimbo said with a smirk on his face.
Yuna raced around one of the security structures. A cloud of black smoke filled the open center between buildings, obscuring her view. She heard loud clanking and voices shouting. A bullet flew above her head, ricocheting off the building behind her. She immediately dropped to the ground.
As the smoke cleared, a deadly scene unfolded before Yuna. A multitude of soldiers lay on the ground, blood seeping from underneath their bodies. A blitzball fired across the central platform, smashing into the sole remaining machine. It stumbled backwards, inadvertently firing its arm cannon into a neighboring machina. The ensuing explosion hurled fire and sparks into the air. Standing with a devious grin on his face, Shuyin admired the results of his assault.
Yuna's eyes widened as she gasped. She had prayed that she wouldn't have been too late to counter Shuyin. Now he stood within her grasp. Lifting herself up, she stopped. Too soon to thwart him, she continued to watch him. Another soldier leaked out of one of the towers. Shuyin's lighting reflexes dodged his shot.
Spinning himself around, Shuyin fired a shot from a gun he stole, blasting a hole in the soldier's stomach. He curled over, gurgling from the blood spitting out of his mouth. The soldier flopped to the ground on his back. Shuyin walked over to examine him until he seemed satisfied with the soldier's elimination.
"You, stop!" shouted Yojimbo.
Looking to her side, Yuna spotted Yojimbo standing next to Maechen. Yojimbo had his sword drawn, ready to unleash an attack. Maechen held a rifle in his shaking hands. The gun chattered from his nervous trembling. Shuyin peered at both of them.
Shuyin shrugged his shoulders. "Your persistence is as commendable as it is annoying."
Yojimbo said, "Trust me, I'll be happy to end those feelings for you."
Even though her chest felt like it could burst at any moment, Yuna stood up. "This has to stop, Shuyin."
Taking a step back, Shuyin's eyes shot open. "Yuna."
She stared at him with a blank expression. "I can't let you take Vegnagun."
"Always playing the hero," said Shuyin. "And always being a liar."
Yuna frowned. "I was not trying to—"
"Shut up!" Shuyin interjected. "You can't toy with me anymore. I remember everything now."
Yuna clenched her fist. "Including your inhumanity?"
He shook his head. "You'll never understand. My love is what drives me. My love for Lenne."
Any hope of manipulating the outcome by taking advantage of his amnesia vanished. Yuna had hoped his memories would return slower than hers. With his memories of Lenne returned, she knew nothing would stop him. For a fleeting moment, jealousy washed over her. She wished she could drive as strongly as Shuyin—Tidus would be with her if that were true.
She shook her grief away. "Lenne would never approve of any of this."
"Don't tell me how she would feel! You think you're some gateway for her feelings and her morals. You know nothing about her," barked Shuyin.
Yuna opened her mouth to retort his claim but stopped herself. Nothing she could say would change his mind. She contained a thousand years' worth of Lenne's thoughts and feelings, but that mattered not. It was far too late for words.
"Enough small talk. It's time to end you," Yojimbo declared.
He rushed towards Shuyin, spinning himself around like a tornado. With a little smirk on his face, Shuyin backflipped out of Yojimbo's barrage. Raising his hand into the air, the platform and towers all began to rumble. Flying up from below, a towering fiend made its terrifying presence known. It flapped powerful wings to fly around the chamber. The serpent-looking creature absorbed the pyreflies floating in the chamber, pulling them out from the darkness, casting a blue haze around itself.
"It was nice of these fools to let me borrow their little watchdog," Shuyin said.
"Shuyin, this has to stop!" yelled Yuna.
He glared at her. "It will for you."
Darting out to attack, Yojimbo lunged at Shuyin with his blade extended. Before he could reach Shuyin, the fiend hammered down with its narrow arm. Its knife-like claw slammed down between Yojimbo and Shuyin, cracking the floor beneath their feet. By the time the fiend lifted its arm up, Shuyin had vanished from sight.
Maechen gasped. "Where did he go?"
"No! We can't let him escape!" exclaimed Yojimbo.
"I don't think we'll be able to go anywhere until we beat this fiend," said Yuna.
Maechen fired the first shot of their new encounter, striking the fiend in its abdomen. The bullet flicked off its orange skin, doing little damage to it. The fiend countered by swiping at him with its other arm. He ducked away from the attack and retreated behind the nearby tower behind him. Cutting off the fiend's pursuit, Yojimbo flung a trio of daggers hidden inside his clothing.
They struck the fiend, causing it to retract its arm. In retribution, the fiend fired a blast of fiery magic at Yojimbo. He cut through the flames with his sword, pushing through the super-heated air surrounding him. Undeterred by the arcane attack, he jammed his sword into the fiend's tail. It screeched in pain.
The fiend charged more magical energy. A bright flash of light engulfed Yojimbo before the fiend pulled back that energy. The bodyguard fell to his knees, coughing from the life force taken from him. Yuna ran over to help him back onto his feet.
"This is going to be a challenge," he murmured. "And we have to get to Shuyin."
She looked up at the towering fiend hovering above her. "You're right. We don't have time to waste."
Once Yojimbo had steadied himself, she pulled back from him. She removed the summoning staff from her back and wielded it in front of her. Raising it high above her head, she called forth the only help she knew she could acquire.
"Come to my aid, Anima!" she called.
A dark portal from an unknown void opened itself above Yuna. When the iron anchor shot out from the void, crashing down into the floor with a thunderous jolt, Yuna felt an immense pressure build up inside her chest. The terrifying visage of her aeon emerged from the darkness, shrieking at the fiend before her.
Anima wasted no time and engaged the fiend with a vicious strike. The creature jolted backwards but stood its ground. It countered with its own barrage of elemental magic. An explosion of fire, a bolt of lightning, and a pelting of ice all erupted on Anima in quick succession. Yuna ran behind her protector, barely escaping the falling rain of ice from crashing down on her.
She yelled for Maechen and Yojimbo to retreat. If this monster was to be beaten, it would be by a monster of her own. Directing Anima like a puppet master, Yuna watched intently as the aeon traded blows. She worried that too much time had passed since Shuyin ran away deeper underground. She desperately needed to pursue him before it was too late.
"Anima, we must end this now!" she cried.
Seeming to recognize the impatience in Yuna's voice, Anima let out a screeching howl into the air. Unimaginable power burst forth from the aeon, plunging the world surrounding the embattled foes into a blood red void. Anima revealed a monstrous being hidden in her underbelly.
The nightmarish visage ripped off the iron chains binding its true force, unleashing a torrent of strikes onto the fiend. The air superheated from the speed of the attacks, culminating in a final explosion engulfing the fiend. It fell onto the platform, instantly erupting into a wave of pyreflies.
Anima screamed into the air, belting out her victory decree. She returned the world around Yuna out of her hellish void and back into reality. Yuna glared at her in awe, unable to grasp the devastation she had just witnessed. Fading into the dark shadows of the chamber, Anima disappeared into nothing.
"What just happened?" Yojimbo asked, stumbling to get the words out.
Yuna closed her eyes. "A painful victory."
A remaining cluster of pyreflies swirled in front of Yuna. Their dazzling lights took shape in the fayth of Anima—Seymour's mother. Forever stoic in expression, she looked directly into Yuna's eyes. Immense pain transpired between the two women.
"Your path is clear," she said.
Yuna bowed. "Thank you again."
Seymour's mother shared the hint of a somber smile. "It's still small recompense for what I will do. Now go, before you are too late."
Watching her dissolve from her fayth form and transform back into pyreflies, Yuna felt a tear roll down her cheek. For a moment, the sadness of what Anima's future life would become gripped Yuna until she could brush it aside. From her hand, she dropped the summoner's staff. She watched it fall to the ground, the thud of its impact echoed across the vast chamber.
She turned to Yojimbo with fire in her eyes. "We need to go. Shuyin is getting ahead of us."
Yojimbo nodded. "Of course. How far down does this facility go?"
"Much farther I'm afraid."
She wasted no time leading her companions down into the belly of the underground. Through soulless, grey corridors she ran. The pale light washed out all the colors of the world inside the wretched halls. Like a machine, Yuna kept a constant stride, relying on her memory of the future to guide her feet in the past.
She came to a crossroads. A contingent of guards intwined with machina intercepted her. By now, their guise had long since been dropped. Yojimbo wasted no time in attacking the soldiers. The two machina flanked him on either side, kicking at him with their metallic feet. Maechen pushed away a lunging soldier. Yuna neutralized one of the machina with her pistols. One of the soldiers rushed up behind her and knocked her to the floor with the butt of his rifle. Yojimbo stabbed him with his sword and helped Yuna to her feet.
"We can't keep wasting time fighting," she said.
Yojimbo looked around at the soldiers forming a wall around them. "I know. There's too many of them."
"You must go on ahead, Lady Yuna," said Maechen.
She looked at him in shock. "But what about you two?"
Maechen smiled. "Don't worry about us. If you're to save the world, it is you who must make it to the end."
"That's right," added Yojimbo. "We'll hold them off for as long as we can. Now go!"
Without thinking, Yuna's legs ran her down the opposite corridor. Looking back, she caught a glimpse of Maechen and Yojimbo engaging the soldiers. Gunfire rang in the air for a time before eventually fading away too much for her to hear.
The maze of nondescript corridors seemed to go on forever. Her legs tired from the constant running. No matter if she ran in the past or the future, Yuna always felt like she had to run. Could she never catch up enough to find peace?
She finally emerged into a cavernous chamber. Little specks of red lights flashed on and off, their light momentarily revealing the horror contained inside. Held in place by two gigantic, metal clamps, Vegnagun loomed before her. It towered over her meager frame, casting its shadow across the chamber. At its head, Shuyin worked its controls.
"This is madness, Shuyin!" she shouted. "This will fix nothing!"
Barely looking up over the organ controlling the monstrous machina, Shuyin pressed down on the keys. A dissonant chord of frightful sound blasted into the chamber, startling the beast out of its slumber. When the horrid music dissipated, Yuna heard footsteps marching towards her.
"Shuyin, they are coming! Don't you remember what happened before?" cried Yuna.
He hammered his fist onto the organ. "They won't be able to stop me anymore than you can!"
A line of soldiers halted at the end of the corridor. They aimed their rifles at Yuna, ready to fire. Her eyes opened wide, instantly recalling Lenne's own memories from the fateful day she and Shuyin died in this very place. Not fear, but rage, emboldened her. Seething anger coursed through her veins. Slipping both of her pistols out of their holsters, she fired a barrage at the soldiers. Two of them dropped dead in an instant.
The remaining soldiers went to return fire but were startled by the quaking of the chamber. Shuyin resumed controlling Vegnagun, mobilizing it out of its clamps. The entire underground trembled from the might it possessed. Yuna knew he was about to escape. She put away her pistols and sprinted to the machina.
Through a hail of bullets, she leapt onto its tail. She gripped onto it with one hand, hanging on with all her strength. A bullet grazed her leg, and another lodged itself just above the hand grasping onto Vegnagun. She watched as two more soldiers emerged from the darkness of the corridor wielding a massive cannon-like machine.
Yuna felt her entire body overloaded by panic when the device started to ignite as a bright, turquoise glow engulfed Vegnagun and herself. An invisible force snatched her away from her inevitable destruction, thrusting her into a dimension of pure white.