The Real Blackheart

✧₊⁺

I approached my foe who had avoided the worst of the blast somehow. The same could not be said of her pet, however, as it burst into countless black butterflies at the conclusion of our final attacks.

Head hanging low in defeat, Blackheart knelt in the middle of our shared battlefield. I sensed no more malice or tricks up her sleeve, but I couldn’t be one hundred percent certain. I came to stand over her and pointed my revolver downward.

“You win, Jiro.” Blackheart exhaled sharply. “Your will to ‘save’ the Eternals… was greater than my will to end their suffering. Are you quite happy now?”

“Not exactly, no.” I answered truthfully. “There’s still a lot left to do, and far too little time to do it. Are you happy with the way things turned out? Sure don’t look like you are.”

“Why don’t you just shoot me, and get it over with… My power is drained, my armies scattered. You have no use for a bird of prey with her wings clipped, and I’ll always be a risk to myself and others, you can’t deny it. Best to cut the problem off at its source, like a weed.”

I considered her words for a moment, but then I holstered my revolver and held out my hand.

“No can do, miss.”

“Well, why not!?” She snapped.

“‘Cause when I see you sitting there, crying with that face, I find it hard to pull the trigger.”

“I’m not crying! I’m…” She put her hands up to her cheeks as if surprised by what I could clearly see. And though she tried to deny it, Blackheart looked up at me, tears and snot streaming down her face. “I’m… crying? Heh. I’m crying. I’m really…”

Blackheart burst into tears, and without thinking of the implications, I knelt and pulled her into a tight embrace.

“Blackheart was once Ueda Aki’s more kind and empathetic side, her pathos.”

I finally got it. Maybe it was my desire to be that shoulder for Aki to cry on, something I could no longer be, but I let her wail into my chest until her eyes ran dry. In time she stopped, backing away from me in a hurry like I was toxic to the touch. After a long pause, I half-expected her to attack me for hugging her. However, she spoke instead.

“It was… before the Hunters arrived, just after Ueda Aki’s passing. I was known by my actual name back then, Winter. And Autumn was like a sister to me…” Blackheart began. “Only the original batch of beta testers were here with us. It was lonely, empty. I knew what we were from the beginning. We were created with a directive in mind by your ex-wife, her last hope, to bring about the end of Project Memoria in her absence if we felt like it had lost its true spirit.”

I listened to her tale in silence, absorbing her words.

“But things were peaceful here, and the people were kind. I found no reason for it all to end. Then there was this young girl… she came here by means unknown, but in time I learned she had passed from an illness. With her family all on the outside, she had not a single soul that she knew here to keep her company. Nobody…” Blackheart smiled bitterly. “I decided to raise her as my own in a small village on the outskirts, and things continued like that for some time.”

A daughter? Maybe that’s why she seemed so taken by Shizuka, and criticized Yuna’s parenting on the road.

“Then what happened?”

“That… man, the American devil, happened.” The look on Blackheart’s face soured.

“The Director?”

“Yes. His security drones were a program based loosely on your Supporter friend, designed to remove Autumn and I from the Digiscape by whatever means necessary.” She explained. “They searched far and wide to track us down, attacked us unprovoked at every turn, but they could not best our programming, nor could Barnes exceed your ex-wife’s brilliance. In time though… the man got desperate.”

Blackheart looked up at the pink clouds above.

“While I was away at the control tower, Autumn’s domain, to discuss a joint effort to protect the Digiscape from its usurper, Barnes’ drones… turned on the outskirts.”

“…”

“In an attempt to draw me out, he slaughtered everyone in several villages, including…” Blackheart clenched her teeth, sharply inhaling. “She was innocent, and she suffered needlessly. This place was supposed to be a utopia, a second chance at life for many. After, I closed off my heart, convinced myself that my daughter was never even real to protect my own feelings. When I decided it needed to end, I evolved into a virus in the truest sense and swore to destroy this abominable place. But…”

The tears flowed freely down her face once again.

“I’m cursed with our creator's memories, her regrets stack on top of my own into an endless abyss of pain and longing. I’ve become an irredeemable monster, and to be bested by you of all people…” She shook her head. “Once again, I, we find ourselves at the end of a long road with no purpose, no justice, and no victory. Only shame, and all alone…”

I was taken aback, my lips parted slightly. There were so many things I could try and say to her, offering condolences, or apologies. It was hard to know what would resonate, because I was never any good at connecting with people. However, I decided to tell her my honest thoughts, which was all I could ever truly muster in these moments.

“But you’re not alone… and you’re not irredeemable.” I smiled. “There’s a million people here, and billions on the outside depending on our help. If you’re worried about forgiveness, don’t be. That can come after, and as a wise older woman once told me… A little apology goes a long way.”

“Even for someone like me?”

“Even for someone like us.”

Blackheart seemed surprised, but then she rubbed her chin as if she were considering my words.

“Wooooooo!” Archie suddenly sprang back into action. “Supporter systems back online, and excellent work you… two?”

My Supporter, fresh from his nap, panned between Blackheart and I with a curious emoticon flashing over his interface.

“Archie! What a relief to see you. Sure missed a lot though.” I chuckled.

“So it would seem, but what became of your partner in this mission?”

“We, umm…” I struggled to come out and admit that he had been blasted away by Blackheart with her standing right behind me.

“He was sent back to the launch bay. It was… my doing.” Blackheart came out and admitted the truth herself. “Executive program, tell me. He hasn’t… perished, has he?”

“Determining…” Archie’s interface flashed through a bunch of code, and then his digital eye returned. “By connecting to the atrium, I have determined that Yamamoto-sensei avoided any brain hemorrhaging, but his microchip was damaged beyond further use.”

“I expected that much, but thank goodness…” I sighed in relief.

I was glad the man was okay. It would’ve made things a little awkward if he wasn’t, to say the very least.

“Now the… crow in the room must be addressed.” Archie cleared his nonexistent throat. “Can I take your cordial positioning to mean that you have come to some sort of understanding?”

“That depends on her, I reckon.” I turned to Blackheart who twiddled her thumbs anxiously, and she met my gaze. “My friend ain’t dead, as you just heard, and you don’t have to be consumed by regret anymore. You just need to take my hand, and you’ll never be alone again. So how about it, Winter?”

The woman appeared shocked to be called by her true name, but then the look on her face softened into a warm smile. Nodding, she began to step forward, reaching out her hand…

“Fine, if you insist so strongly, I’ll hu—!” Blackheart began, but her words were suddenly cut short.

“Hu?” I repeated, tilting my head.

It all happened in a flash, and before my mind could process it all. I heard a squelching sound, and a curved blade protruded from Blackheart’s chest. I could see the long handle of a weapon behind her shoulder.

It was a scythe.

“Winter!” I shouted, shock painting my face.

She stumbled forward awkwardly, her hand resting on the blade. With a final, accepting smile, she burst into a plume of black mist. A single, iridescent butterfly was left behind and it flew off in the direction of the control tower.

Her half of the crystal admin key also fell to the ground, clattering in the direction of someone who had just dropped in. I panned my gaze up to the figure, still in shock after what had just transpired.

“Well, that was hardly satisfying.” I heard a man’s voice as he sighed. “ I expected a big lightshow, or something. But we got a puff of smoke, and what, a bug for our trouble? No ‘Ding Dong the Witch is Dead’? Where’s the fanfare, the atta-boys, huh?”

I shook my head in disbelief at the sight of the man.

“Thresh… Yamamoto!? But why, how… your microchip was broken. And I thought we had—!“

“—a plan, a deal? Oh, I’m sure you did. We all have a plan until we get punched in the mouth, my friend. Mike Tyson said that by the way.” Thresh approached, summoning his discarded weapon to his open hand. “And you’ve got something wrong about me, Jiro-kun.”

Jiro-kun…

“You’re not Yamamoto…” My face warped in anger. “Barnes, you bastard!”

“Bingo! I’m a little offended that it took you so long, but I am wearing the face of your friend.” Barnes smirked. “Didn’t he tell you that this account was shared with someone else?”

Wait a minute…

“This avatar, Thresh, is part of a shared administrative account that I have partial access to…”

He was right. I don’t know how I could have forgotten, but Yamamoto definitely told me in the mine that he was sharing his access to the Digiscape with someone the whole time. To think that it was Director Barnes.

“Thresh is my persona, I just let Yamamoto borrow it for a while so he could meet with the Songbird in ‘secret’.” Barnes scoffed. “Yeah, I knew what he was doing. And sure, I couldn’t exactly listen in with Autumn’s interference, but I’m no idiot either. Yamamoto was Aki-san’s pet gopher, always was a kissass.”

“Don’t you dare say my ex-wife’s name, prick. You had something to do with her death, I know it!”

“Those are some heavy accusations without proof, Jiro-kun, her death was an unfortunate accident.”

“Yeah, right! And we saw your plans, your little global expansion deal, you aren’t going to get away with it.” I growled. “Once word of this gets out, you’ll be—“

“—Ah, deja vu. A lot of people tell me that I’m not going to get away with things, Jiro-kun, and I always do.” He shrugged before turning to Archie. “By the way, scrap metal, that hotel booking was for my cousin's bar mitzvah. Once the world‘s worst spy over here snuck into my office, and yes, I saw you, I called up my friends in the world summit to rush ahead with the grand opening plans.”

“Rush ahead, you mean—!?”

“You betcha. In around four hours, billions across the globe are going to close their eyes, expecting to see a paradise that will never come. And I’m going to get filthy rich by saving the Earth.” The man laughed to himself. “I’ll be a goddamned folk hero, and I have you to thank for it all, my friend.”

“What do you mean?”

“You’ve been able to accomplish in one week what I’ve been struggling to do since the early days. Which is removing Blackheart from the picture, or getting her in such a state that she would leave herself exposed to attack.” Barnes explained. “ You see, I’ve been watching you from the beginning, Jiro-kun. I knew the Eternals would become a soft spot for you, and I knew Autumn would cooperate with you to save them. Prioritizing that over stopping me ended up being your downfall though. Just couldn’t let them go, could you?”

I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. It was… my fault?

“And I don’t know if you knew this, Jiro-kun, but the admin key holders have a sense of hierarchy… those with more key fragments… ”

“Jiro, stop him!” Archie warned as Director Barnes knelt down, but it was too late.

“…have more privileges.” As Barnes gained control of the key fragment, his appearance changed, his winter fur coat and goggles disappearing in favor of a reaper’s ensemble. He wore a dark cloak, and his hair was a white flame blazing on top of his head.

“And with this…” Barnes held out both hands to reveal his key along with Blackheart’s half. “There’s not a soul left who can stop me.”

Not wasting another second, I pulled out my revolvers and aimed to fire but I was knocked back with a simple wave of Barnes’ hand. My revolvers disappeared, and the man grabbed me by my throat.

“I’m going… to stop you…” I sputtered.

“You aren’t going to do anything, it’s over. I’m coming for the Songbird next, and then I’ll lock this place down so tight that nothing will get in or out until I’ve extracted all the data I need for the prototype.” Barnes spat, glaring at me with his crimson eyes. “And your services are no longer needed. You and the other hunters are hereby fired, effective immediately.”

Barnes tossed me aside and brought up a digital interface, typing in a few commands.

“ACTIVATING FINAL HUNTER PROTOCOL. HUNTERS WILL BE RETURNED TO THE LAUNCH BAY IN TEN, NINE, EIGHT, SEVEN…”

“It’s been a blast, Jiro-kun, but the cops are on their way to book you as we speak for all kinds of fun charges. But I’ll miss having you around, it made for good TV in my office.” Barnes turned around, his arms folded behind his back.

“You won’t win.” I insisted, glaring at the man.

“I already have.” Barnes looked back with a twisted smile. “And another thing I’ll admit since I won’t be seeing you again...”

“FOUR, THREE, TWO…”