Inconvenient Truths (Part II)

✧₊⁺

The chamber that greeted me was spacious, befitting royalty, though the woman I visited claimed no such title. The space was dimly lit, what visibility I had coming primarily from the moonlight pouring in from the open glass doors at the other end of the room.

Standing out on the balcony was Autumn, the Songbird of Memoria.

“I would ask what happened to inspire such a look, but I can venture a guess.” She paused her watch over the night sky, turning to face me as a gust of wind ruffled her cloak. “You have learned a bitter truth, have you not?”

“…”

“Silence… is also an answer.” She smiled knowingly. “So, what brings you here to my chambers at this late hour, Jiro? Is there something you wish to ask me? I will do my best to produce a satisfactory answer. I feel you are now ready to hear it.”

I don’t know.

Was I there for answers, refuge? Even I wasn’t quite sure. To my right was an upholstered canopy bed, and a fancy woven rug underneath. I made my way through the room and approached the balcony where I finally spoke.

“Why…” I shook my head. “Why did it have to be those two? This is my punishment, isn’t it?”

“Questioning why bad things happen is a fool’s errand, Jiro.” The Songbird sighed. “You’ll never get anywhere doing so. One must accept the unfairness of life if they are to continue living it, and the mistakes one makes along the way are a part of that.”

“Did you know, from the beginning? Back in Castella when I met you for the first time. You said they had been through a lot, and so had I…” I paused. “I got the feeling there was something you weren’t telling me.”

“I did, I knew.” I winced as the Songbird confirmed my suspicions. “I wasn’t lying when I said I knew all of Memoria’s people by name. That includes Hunters, Eternals, their histories, and things they enjoyed in life. I have access to all of it in their profiles. Much like Archie’s, but my database is larger, more complete.”

“Then you kept it from me, why!?” I asked sharply. “If I’d have known back then, things would be different… I wouldn't have…”

“You would have distanced yourself from them to preserve your feelings, and theirs.” She said, “But as a result, they would likely have met their end on the road at the hands of Blackheart on this day. Everything must happen for a reason, Jiro. Surely you realize this?”

It doesn’t matter. I’m still a killer, and the reason they’re here is because of me.

Yuna had told me that I should try apologizing to those I’ve wronged, but I had no idea that it was her and her daughter I owed an apology to. What would she think now if she knew the truth? I wasn’t ready to face that question just yet.

“I’ve been wondering since the moment I met you, and back in that mine when you saved our asses… You seem to know quite a bit and do a lot behind the scenes. Who or what are you really?”

“HUNTER PROTOCOL HAS BEEN INITIATED. ALL HUNTERS WILL BE RETURNED TO THE LAUNCH BAY FOR PROVISIONING IN T-MINUS TWENTY MINUTES…”

“If you might spare me your last few minutes here...” She smiled. “Would you like to find out?”

I nodded. The Songbird stepped back towards the balcony, still facing me, and took off her hood. My eyes widened in shock. Her short white hair and bright blue irises aside, in all other ways she looked exactly like…

“Aki…” I stood, mouth agape. “What—what happened to you!?”

I couldn’t believe my eyes. How I hadn’t realized it before baffled me, considering how similar their voices sounded. A night of reveals only got weirder with each passing moment.

“Eternity happened, Jiro. But I must correct you. Like your two friends, I am merely a simulacrum of your ex-wife, Ueda Aki. One who shares her memories and feelings, but not her true essence. Her soul.” The Songbird replied.

“Does this mean you were… uploaded to the Digiscape the same way as all the others?” I asked. “You—I mean, she never told me about any of this! It doesn’t make sense…”

“Allow me to explain where she couldn’t.” The Songbird looked up at the sky, a nostalgic look in her sapphire eyes. “What I’m about to tell you is a brief overview of what I know regarding Ueda Aki, the late Director of LiveRite Corporation and Project Memoria, and my creator.”

I waited patiently for the Songbird to begin. All the while, questions surged to the forefront of my mind, things I’ve wanted to ask my ex-wife but couldn’t say. But could this really be her copy, or was this some sick joke? I didn’t know what to believe anymore.

“Ueda Aki was a brilliant woman, the granddaughter of an equally brilliant scientist; her life’s work involved continuing her grandfather’s legacy in ushering in humanity's next great evolutionary step. Digital Transhumanism.”

“You mean, like that cult movement? Those guys that tried to take people apart and put them back together as cyborgs to survive after the bombs dropped in World War III? The feds shut them down, I thought.”

“While evolution was their goal, it’s not quite the same, Jiro. Rather than aim to enhance the physical human form for the continuation of your race, Ueda Akito's—and your ex-wife's—studies were devoted entirely to preparing a nest for all of humanity when the world ran into a conflict it couldn’t recover from.” The Songbird explained. “That, in essence, has been the true goal of Project Memoria from the beginning. The Digiscape was to be that sanctuary for humanity to flee to—dead and living alike—for all eternity.”

“That’s insane… So this is all just a digital testing ground for that. Is that what you’re saying? And I’m guessing the problem with it all…”

“Right, just as Blackheart told you, the existences that already call this place home lack a true soul, which cannot be created by scientific means. The chips administered prior to their deaths only scan their memories and behavior patterns for the purpose of recreation, and so the great human transmigration Ueda Akito envisioned could not come to pass.” The Songbird admitted what I had feared the most. “Ueda Aki came to realize this and tried to have the project shut down, but she was… removed.”

“Removed? So it wasn’t an accident… she really was killed for her work, but why? Who would do something like that!?”

“I cannot say for certain whether it was a murder. As an imperfect copy, Ueda Aki’s memories are scattered within me as incomplete strings of thought, and the details are hazy.” The Songbird shook her head.

“Tch. Figures.” I muttered under my breath.

“But there were trillions of dollars invested in Project Memoria. World leaders, businessmen, and dignitaries, all fascinated by the prospect of leaving behind the world they had ruined with their avarice in favor of another.”

“The Digiscape…”

“Earth’s air is barely breathable and it teeters on another global conflict over limited resources. Ueda Aki would certainly make enemies by trying to pull the plug on their investment in the future of humanity, perhaps even vilifying herself in the process.”

“Where I’m going, I can’t take you.”

Is that what she meant? Did she think she would be killed for this, and served me those papers because of that?

Even if that were the case, it would change little. We still both said some hurtful things, mostly me.

“Myself and Blackheart are two parts of Ueda Aki’s consciousness representing her logos and pathos. As the Digiscape came into being, so did we, unbeknownst to Director Barnes and his ilk at first.”

“I can believe that you’re a shade of Aki if I really try, but I’m having a hard time doing the same for Blackheart. After she tried to kill us on the road… there’s no way that was once the woman I loved.”

“I understand, but believe it or not, Blackheart was once Ueda Aki’s more kind and empathetic side, her pathos. But great loss and pain have warped her nature, causing her to bring that selfsame pain and suffering unto others.” She said, closing her eyes. “However, while our methods and priorities differ greatly, we were both developed for the same purpose.”

“You mean…”

“Yes, we were created to bring about the end of the Digiscape. And for that reason… I must ask for your help.”

“My help?” I scoffed. “I’m just a killer and a sad man on top of it all. You’re asking the wrong fella.”

“I told you before, didn’t I? That you were the only one who could help me.” The Songbird attempted to sway me. “I do what I can from this side, but without a man on the outside, I cannot hope to achieve what must be done, what Ueda Aki programmed me to do.”

My mind immediately flashed to Yuna and Shizuka for some reason. Sure, they weren’t the same as themselves back on Earth, but could I really say they weren’t alive at all? I never knew them before all this, but I had gotten to know them. I called Yuna a friend and someone I cared for, even after learning from Blackheart about their true nature.

If Autumn was asking me to help her shut down Project Memoria, and all the folks living here by extension, I wasn’t sure if I could so readily agree to it. Even if she looked exactly like the one person I’d ever loved.

“Director Barnes knows I’m plotting behind his back, but the reason he doesn’t move to eliminate me is because my essence is the only thing keeping Blackheart at bay.” The Songbird smiled. “The Hunters’ weapons, their Supporters, they all operate with the help of my program. You may have reservations about all this, but hear me out first. I do not wish for the suffering of anyone here. I have grown to love Eternals as my very own people, but Barnes cannot be allowed to continue with what he’s planning.”

“So what are you asking me to do, exactly? And what is he planning? He’s a cocky bastard, and I hate his guts, but you’re making him out to be some kind of pariah.”

“Director Barnes is working on globally expanding Project Memoria, using data collected from the open beta, but the finer details evade my feathers on what that means.” She tapped her chin. “Your first task is to infiltrate his office and extract key documents from his computer. Timelines for his operation, and internal communication strings. That will determine our next course of action as it relates to the fate of the Digiscape.”

“Are you saying… you haven’t decided yet?”

“I told you, I must first determine the severity of what he’s planning first, and make a decision from there… I don’t have a good feeling about it all, but I would prefer to avoid shutting this place down for as long as possible. Now can I count on your help?”

“I don’t know… What if I get caught?”

“Don’t get caught.”

“Gee, thanks. And you still haven’t told me why only I can be your gopher. I’m not seeing a solid reason to stick my neck on the line here, to be frank.”

“I sought you out because Ueda Aki trusted you more than anyone else in the world, but if I must dangle a carrot in front of your face to spur you into action…” The Songbird turned back to look at the night sky and the vast neon city below. “Director Barnes likely kept all the data from your ex-wife, the previous director, archived in local storage. Her research notes, the journals she kept, you just may find out more about how and why Ueda Aki met her end.”

“Wait, seriously!?”

“And as an added bonus… I’ll tell you what I know about the gift she left behind for you here in the Digiscape. You just need to say yes, Jiro. Help me avert a bad end for Project Memoria, and I’ll help you.”

I thought about it for a time. What she was asking of me wasn’t an easy task. The only reason I escaped legal trouble, according to Barnes himself, was because the Director did it as a favor to Aki and probably for his own twisted amusement. However, I don’t assume he’d take too kindly to me snooping around his work.

But an opportunity to learn what—or who—was behind my ex-wife’s death was not something I took lightly either. Adding a mysterious gift into the mixture made for quite the carrot indeed. Not to mention, she expressed a desire to help the people of the Digiscape.

“ALL HUNTERS WILL BE RETURNED TO THE LAUNCH BAY FOR PROVISIONING IN T-MINUS FIVE MINUTES…”

If doing this could make up for what I’ve done, even a little bit, it would be worth it. Maybe I’d even be able to face Yuna with an apology.

“I’ll do it.” I finally said.

“Excellent!” The Songbird beamed.

“But where do I start? The place is crawling with security, locked doors, and surveillance systems. Even getting in and out of my room takes a chaperone.”

“Now that you’ve agreed, I can tell you.”

“Tell me what?”

“You'll have a bit of help in your quests on the outside. I already have an inside man who’s been feeding us what information he can, and we share a mutual distrust of Director Barnes. Come on in, dear.”

I turned around at the sound of the door opening behind me. A man with white hair and goggles stepped into the room, much to my surprise.

“Yamamoto!?”

“It’s actually Thresh in the Digiscape, Nagai-san.” He corrected me. “Though you tried splendidly to blow my cover before in front of the other patients, thanks again for that.”

“Who cares about your ‘cover’? You mean you’ve been working with this coward the whole time?” I scoffed.

The Songbird shrugged, wearing a sly grin.

“I’d appreciate it if we saved the name-calling for later. I apologize for what happened before, but I alerted Autumn-san of your predicament in the mine, so that makes us even.”

Even? I think not, but I can’t very well afford to complain right now.

“Fine, I’ll play ball. For now.” I said.

“Good. Now listen closely.” Thresh quickly moved on. “I’m gonna tell you exactly how we can get our hands on those documents. Here’s how we’ll do it…”