CHAPTER 6
You Know I'd Walk a Thousand Miles
The year was 2027. It was a sunny afternoon.
Yoko was leaned up against the open boom gate that marked the entrance to her school's parking lot. Her classmates had either left for the day or were about to do so, yet she had no intention of following them. She remained at her spot, patient and vigilant, momentarily indulging in the fantasy of being a security guard even though she was little more than a scrawny ten-year old.
Eventually Yoko saw what she was waiting for emerge from behind the school's gym. It was a teenage boy in a jade-colored floral-print shirt, his black hair styled like her bob cut, riding down the sidewalk on a crimson mountain bike.
Yoko got up from her post and walked over so he could see her. "Over here, Brother!" she called out while waving enthusiastically.
Her brother slid to a stop before curtly waving back at her. "Hey there, Sis," he said, "Ready to blow this dump?"
"You bet!" Yoko ran over to her brother and hopped onto his bike's backseat.
"Next stop, Hayakawa Port!" her brother declared before kicking his bike into gear.
As the siblings made their way out of the suburbs and into a modest downtown, they talked about their plans and their destination.
"So," Yoko mused, "What do you think Dad has in store for us?"
"Probably the usual," her brother shrugged. "Whatever fish was too crappy to sell."
"Come on, fresh fish is fresh fish, especially when it's free. Plus, there's always a chance Dad tells us a good story about how he caught it."
"Basically, the same thing we get every day. Don't you ever grow sick of that?"
"Again, it's free! And you know Mom's going to figure out some new recipe for whatever Dad brings home."
"Fine. When you put it that way, I suppose it's hard to say no."
"See, Brother? That's the spirit!"
Eventually, the siblings crossed a river that ran through the middle of the city, a sign that there were mere minutes away from their destination. However, after they reached the other end of the bridge, something else caught their attention. A loud, horrid din like roaring thunder and shattering glass.
Yoko's brother brought their bike to a sudden stop before looking around to see where the noise could have come from. It didn't take long for him or his sister to look up and lay their eyes upon something almost beyond comprehension.
"Brother," Yoko whispered, "What is that?"
"I don't know," her brother stuttered.
A large portion of the clear blue sky was cracking like glass, and from this spiderweb of cracks emanated iridescent light.
Yoko's brother pondered, "Maybe it's some kind of drone light show." He didn't sound confident in his answer.
"Out here?" Yoko retorted. "In the middle of the day?"
Her brother forced out a chuckle. "Yeah, I know. Pretty stupid, right?"
Their conversation was interrupted by another peel of glassy thunder. The sky in the middle of the cracks completely shattered, leaving behind a jagged, gaping hole filled with pastel stars more numerous than a moonless night sky.
Something descended from this hole, something that resembled a spiky crab that had been chopped up and rearranged into a humanoid shape. It fell through the sky for several seconds before landing on its feet beyond the city. Moments later, the siblings heard those same feet hit the ocean floor.
Yoko found this figure equally fascinating and unsettling. Iridescent light rippled across its surface in glitchy patterns that almost hurt to look at. It towered over the city like a mountain, and while she couldn't see the water where it stood, she had a feeling it made the water look shallow.
"I hope you're right," Yoko uttered. The trembling in her voice betrayed her fear that it was anything but a swarm of drones.
"That would take a lot of drones," her brother mirthlessly chuckled, "And one hell of a sound system. Maybe wearelooking at a real monster."
"No. There's no way that's real. That…thingis something you'd see in a movie, a video game, an anime."
"Whatever it is, it's a lot bigger than a lot of the stuff I've seen in fiction."
Another peel of thunder, one less harsh and more melodic than the previous cacophonies, heralded the appearance of a golden ring of light just beyond the cracks in the sky. Once this ring was as big as the jagged hole, another titanic figure descended from it. This one had the same uncanny proportions as the first figure, but its segmented, pitch-black armor added a samurai vibe to the arthropod aesthetics.
"What's happening?" Yoko warily questioned after she watched and heard the black behemoth land in the city.
Her brother muttered, "Your guess is as good as mine."
For what felt like an eternity, the two titans stood and stared at one another. Then the iridescent colossus started lumbering towards the black behemoth, who reacted in kind. From the siblings' perspective, there was a delay in the sounds the two titans made, from their booming footsteps to the rattling of their joints and armor. This was due to the distance between the titans and the siblings, but it served to make the spectacle feel even more surreal than it already did.
The two titans collided, and the resulting crash was so loud the siblings could feel the noise when it reached them. The crash was followed by the semi-rhythmic thundering noise the titans made as they traded blows. Clouds of dust gathered around their feet, a sign that the city was being trampled by the battle. Then another sound joined the hellish symphony, the cries of people fleeing in panic. By that point, the siblings realized that whatever was happening, it was real enough to hurt them, or worse.
Yoko's attention finally broke away from the otherworldly battle when she realized her brother's bike had started moving once more.
"Where are you going?" she protested.
"Getting us the hell out of here!" her brother answered as he biked over the bridge.
"But what about Dad!?"
"Hopefully he's in the middle of the ocean, far away from all this shit."
"Turn around! We need to find him!"
"There's nothing we can do right now! Not unless you want to get trampled!"
"We're not leaving Dad behind!" Yoko was so frustrated that she almost felt like hitting her brother, but then she remembered they were still on a bike.
"I'm sorry, but there's nothing we can do right now." Yoko's brother kept his eyes on the road, leaving his sister unable to see how guilty he felt over fleeing. "We need to find a safe place to hide, then we'll start looking for him."
Their conversation was interrupted by an unearthly humming noise and a brief but blinding flash of light, followed by the sound of a distant explosion. Yoko's brother was so startled he nearly lost his balance, but he was able to maintain enough control of his bike to bring it to screeching halt.
Once the siblings regained some semblance of their composure, they surveyed their surroundings in search of the source of the explosion. The were quick to notice the fireball erupting in the distance just outside the city. They heard the hum once more and watched as a beam of light streaked across the sky and added another flame to the city's outskirts. They looked behind them and saw that the titans were now firing lasers at each other.
"Where do we even hide?" Yoko whimpered. She was grabbing the back of her brother's shirt in a desperate attempt to feel something comforting.
"The tunnel!" Yoko's brother stated before he started pedaling again.
"Do I ever think about the Echo War?
"Not really. Unless I'm asked about it, I try not to dwell on my past. I've taken to heart what I learned about myself during those tumultuous times, but otherwise I focus on the present and moving forward with my life.
"Now my dreams are a different story. I've lost count of how many times I relived my first encounter with Zearth. The moment my brother and I first laid eyes upon the black behemoth. The terror we felt as we fled from the battlefield. The relief when we survived by the slimmest of margins. The grief when we learned what happened to our father.
"Even now, the emotions from that fateful day linger deep within my very being."
It had been nearly a week since the Echo battle. It was early in the morning, hours before sunrise, and yet Yoko was wide awake.
As she silently stared at a white ceiling, Yoko mulled over the many potential reasons for her restlessness. Perhaps she was preoccupied with her most recent dream about Zearth. Maybe she found the futon couch she was sleeping on uncomfortable. It was also possible that part of her still didn't like the idea of sleeping in someone else's home, even if that someone was a close friend.
The friend in question was slowly shuffling his way into in the darkened room, his socks muffling his footsteps. "You awake, Yoko?" he mumbled.
Yoko briefly contemplated keeping quiet before whispering, "Morning, Daichi."
Daichi made his way to Yoko's futon, navigating the darkness with ease. "Can't sleep either?" he asked when he settled near his freckled friend's feet.
"I guess I'm just excited for the day." Yoko thought about mentioning her dream, but decided she'd rather talk about something other than Zearth. "So, why are you up? Today is Saturday, after all."
"Force of habit. Sometimes, I wake up early, even when it's not a workday."
"I see."
Daichi relaxed a bit and leaned back. "Want to do anything?"
"Oh, I don't know." Yoko shifted around so she could see her stocky companion. "I should probably get back to sleep, but part of me wants to go out for a joyride."
"Joyride?" Daichi shrugged, "Eh, there's not much to see around here."
"Fine, I'll save up my energy for the day."
"You'll be leaving after breakfast, right?"
"Yep. I've got big plans for the day with Chizu and Kirie. Besides, if I stay around here for too long, I might give Nakama the wrong idea about us."
"Right." Daichi briefly chuckled over his friend's remark. "You know, my siblings have taken a liking to you. They'll be sad when you're gone."
"The feeling's mutual." Yoko pulled her covers off her torso and sat up. "Of course, they'll always be welcome at our Zoom meetings."
Their conversation was interrupted by something appearing in the middle of the room in a flash of golden light. It was some kind of floating white doll small enough to fit in the palm of one's hand. It had a bell-shaped head with round, mouse-like ears and a wide grin flanked by pink cheeks.
"Huh," Daichi remarked. "Speaking of siblings."
"I'm back, bitches!" the doll suddenly blurted out in a young man's voice.
Yoko conjured a portal that started by her side and ended underneath the doll's miniscule, vestigial-looking body. She angrily reached through the portal, grabbed the doll, and pulled it in front of her face.
"Damn it, Brother!" she growled through gritted teeth. "It's five in the morning!" She was talking as loudly as she could while keeping her voice at a whisper.
"Come on, Sis," the doll verbally sneered, "Is that any way to greet family?"
"We have people sleeping upstairs. Children! So, keep things quiet."
"Fine," her brother continued in a softer tone. "You are no fun sometimes."
Daichi scooted over and leaned in so the siblings could hear him whisper, "Um, welcome back, Koyemshi."
"Same to you, Big Guy," Yoko's brother chuckled. "So, tell me, Sis, what are you doing here? Is something going on between you two?"
"What? Wait, no!" Yoko groaned. "We're not dating, if that's what you're asking. I've just been riding around Japan, and I needed somewhere to stay for the night."
"Oh, I'm sure you do," her brother chuckled again, much to her exasperation.
"So, Koyemshi," Daichi interjected, "If you don't mind me asking, why are you here?"
"Just making sure you guys are still alive."
"That should be obvious."
"Yep! Now tell me, how's the Echo War coming along?"
"Seriously?" Yoko sighed. "Can we talk about this later? Like, after sunrise?"
"Alright, if you insist," her brother sighed before teleporting out of her grip.
Yoko flopped onto her back. "Siblings, right?" she said through a forced laugh.
"I know," Daichi replied with an equally awkward chuckle. "Can't live with them, can't live without them."
"Yeah." Yoko tossed and turned for a bit before continuing. "Well, I don't think I'm getting back to sleep anytime soon."
"Me neither." Daichi shuffled off the futon and got up. "Now that I think about, a ride around town might be nice after all."
"I'm game," Yoko said as she sat up once more.
"Heck, we might even someplace quiet to get your brother up to date."
"Sure, why not? He'll need to learn sooner or later."
Daichi headed out of the room. "I'll see you at the front door."
Yoko mentally prepared herself to get up and get dressed. She also took a moment to savor the thought of teaching her brother something about her friends and the Echo War, just like old times.
It was the day the nature camp ended.
Yoko was alone on the beach, as her friends had left on a ferry for the mainland earlier that morning. She took her time admiring the view, from the ocean before her to the clear midday sky above, and once she had her fill, she returned to the empty school at the other end of the walkway behind her. She went into the wooden shower stall near the school's backdoor, and after making sure she was still carrying a bagged bento box, she started thinking about how much she wanted to be inside Zearth.
As expected, the television static teleported her into the black behemoth's white cockpit. It was still the same spherical void it had been a week prior, but now her boat seat was the only chair present. Part of her wished she could've been around to see Zearth's systems clean her blood off the worn green leather.
However, there was something else in the cockpit besides Yoko and her chair. A familiar mouse-like doll with an oversized bell-shaped head.
"You in there, Brother?" the freckled girl asked as she settled onto her seat.
"Of course," the doll answered. "Good to see you, Sis."
"Same to you. Welcome back." Yoko unpacked her bento box and opened it. "So, what's with the drone? Why aren't you here in person?"
"Don't tell me you've forgotten how hard it is to travel between universes."
"Right, of course."
"And don't worry. I can still access Zearth's systems remotely thanks to my Shard. If you need me to take over as admin, just say the word."
"Can we both be admins?" Yoko pondered before digging into her lunch.
"Sure, why not?" Her brother went silent for a few moments as he tampered with Zearth's programming. "So, it looks like the Echo gave you some trouble."
Yoko glanced down at her right arm, which was still in a sling. "Yeah, I know, but at least I got a team assembled. I should introduce you to them."
"We'll worry about that later. I have more pressing matters to attend to."
"Like what?"
"Like, where have you been living for the past two weeks? I'm not seeing any of the supplies we gave you before we sent you here."
"Give me a moment," Yoko groaned before reaching out in front of her.
A screen opened to reveal a view of a small cave filled with camping gear. Backpack, portable stove, sleeping bag, various other supplies, and even a laptop plugged into a solar-powered generator.
Yoko's brother scoffed, "You've been living there for the past two weeks?"
Yoko explained, "It was where I wound up when I first entered this universe. Happened to be uphill from a campsite where I found our new team."
"I see." Her brother then sarcastically quipped, "It looks cozy."
"It wasn't that bad, but yeah, I'm ready to move someplace civilized."
"Good. Any idea where to go?"
"Nope. I was hoping you could help me out with that."
"Very well, but let's get your supplies back here first."
"Wait, what?"
Yoko's gear suddenly vanished from the cave. The next moment she heard the whooshing of Zearth's teleporter, followed by something collapsing behind her. She jumped out of her seat and spun around to see her gear haphazardly dumped into a pile.
"Hey!" she yelled at her brother. "Careful with my stuff!"
"Relax," her brother responded, "It's camping gear, it's made to be sturdy."
"What about my computer?! You should at least handle that with care!"
"I know that." The laptop in question appeared on Yoko's empty seat.
"Oh." Yoko took a moment to calm down before continuing. "Thanks, I think."
"Don't sweat it. Now, make yourself at home."
Yoko got to work rearranging her belongings into a living space. Then she remembered the cockpit's lights always kept her awake, even when they were dimmed. As such, she'd have to find somewhere else to sleep, but she already knew a good place. She conjured a portal that led her through the cockpit's walls. Before she determined where she'd place her sleeping bag, she stopped to admire her surroundings.
Zearth's cockpit was identical to an Echo Core in appearance, a twenty-meter-wide sphere covered in white, petal-like structures several meters long. It emitted just enough light to reveal the column of thick black cables that suspended it in the middle of a thirty-meter-wide cavern. The floor, walls, and ceiling of this space were also made from black cables, interwoven like reeds in a basket or twigs in a bird's nest.
Setting up the new camp was probably more exciting than the week that followed, where Yoko only left the cockpit to buy food. For the first day or two, she used Zearth's sensors to locate her friends and do her best to describe them to her brother. Afterwards, the two spent their time online learning about the world, browsing for boarding schools, and figuring out how to get Yoko enrolled in one.
It wasn't until Friday that something out of the routine finally happened.
"Rise and shine, Sis!" her brother yelled in the middle of the night.
"Whoa!" Yoko, cocooned in her sleeping bag, was so startled she nearly rolled off the ledge she was sleeping on. Once her heart rate returned to normal, she angrily asked her brother, "What gives!? You have any idea how late it is?"
"Sorry, but an Echo's about to attack."
"I see." Yoko stated without a hint of gratitude, "Thanks for the heads-up."
"Hey, don't blame me. I'm not the one scheduling these battles."
"Yeah, but I need something to focus my anger on."
Yoko shuffled around the inside of her sleeping bag in search of her tank top and gym shorts. Getting dressed was complicated by the cast on her arm and confines of the bag, but somehow, she found a way. Afterwards, she crawled out and shuffled towards the cockpit. After using a portal to enter, she waited for her eyes to adjust to the interior lights.
Yoko noticed that her seat was still the only one present. "Brother?"
Her brother teleported to her side. "Yes?" he asked in a drawn-out manner.
She could almost imagine his smug smile. "Where are the rest of the chairs?"
"Work in progress. We're going to need to bring everyone else back in before Zearth can finish them."
"Right." Yoko slowly made her way to her laptop, which was lying on top of her backpack behind her chair. "Let me give them a heads up."
"No need. I'm teleporting right about… now."
"What? Wait, no!"
Before Yoko could finish her protest, her friends appeared the air before her in a golden flash. She could only watch in horror as they all subsequently fell to the ground. The few that were awake barely had time to scream before they made impact.
"What the hell?" she seethed at her brother while listening to her friends eclectically vocalize their pain and confusion.
"What? They were mostly asleep. The way I see it, they could use a little jolt."
At that point, Yoko was too angry to even think of a coherent comeback.
Kodama was the first of Yoko's friends to get up. "I was one move away from a perfect game," the small boy lamented while staring forlornly at the game controller in his hands. "So close to greatness."
The next was Nakama, whom Yoko almost didn't recognize with her hair down. The frail girl was increasingly anxious as she surveyed her surroundings, culminating in fear as she made eye contact with her freckled friend.
"Um, hello there," Yoko forced out through a strained smile. "Welcome back."
"You!" Nakama gasped as she stumbled back.
"It's okay," Yoko tried to assure her friend. "You're going to fine."
"This is… I'm in…"
"Yeah, we're in my brother's game." Yoko slowly made her way towards Nakama. "I'm sorry, but we don't have a choice."
"No! I can't do this! Get me out of here!"
Yoko reached out to the frail girl. "Look, you don't have to play the game, but we need you to stay around."
"No! No, no, no…"
"Data analysis complete," Yoko's brother announced. "Forging chairs now."
Yoko gave her brother an angry glance and snapped, "Not now, damn it!" She then tried to return her focus to calming Nakama.
On the other side of the crowd, Aiko finally came to. Like the rest of the group, her initial confusion evolved into anxiety as she realized she was no longer in her bedroom. Her anxiety became a full-blown panic when she noticed something rising out of the ground before her, as if the seemingly solid surface was in fact liquid.
As Aiko scrambled away, she bumped into a half-awake Komo, who let out a surprised yelp in response. That little noise was all it took to get Nakama screaming, setting off a chain reaction until nearly everyone in the group was screaming as well.
Yoko backed away despondently, unable to do little more than watch the farce before her continue to unfold.
"Huh," her brother quipped. "They really are a lively bunch."
"This is going to be a long night," Yoko bemoaned.