Memoria

✧₊⁺

The internal control panel was located on the floor second from the top in the middle of a large hexagonal room. It was arena-like in size and featured five crystalline walls with one open-air wall and crystal pillars. The brilliant and starry night sky was on full display as we approached.

The panel itself was pulpit-like, rising out of the ground with a digital interface on the front. I walked right up to it and studied its surface. There were three slots for keys, one of them having already been taken, likely by Barnes who was nowhere in sight. I placed my full key inside and turned it, locking it in place.

“Administrator recognized: Nagai Jiro. How can I help you, Nagai-sama?” The control panel asked.

“Check tasks,” I repeated what Archie and I had rehearsed on the way up the hypersonic elevator.

“Checking… There is currently one task in progress. Would you like to review?”

“No, cancel all current tasks,” I said. “And start another one.”

“As you wish, Nagai-sama. The task ‘Test Data Backup’ has been cancelled at seventy-nine percent completion. What is your next task?”

Whew, that was a close one.

“Begin total system annihilation,” I commanded.

“Confirming, you want to delete all system files, and scrub the archives of usable data?” The control panel asked. “Please reply with a ‘yes’ or ‘no’ to verify your selection.”

This is essentially throwing Aki’s entire life’s work down the drain, as well as her grandfather’s.

That fact wasn’t lost on me. But I like to think she would understand, given the circumstances. There was just one thing left to say…

“No!”

I felt something hit me like a truck and I flew backward, rolling across the floor in the direction of the crystal pillars facing the entrance. I gritted my teeth, pulling myself to my feet and glaring at my attacker.

“Administrator recognized: Connor Barnes. Cancelling total system annihilation. Have a nice day.” The control panel said in a cheery voice.

“You really thought you could pull one over on me, huh, Jiro-kun?” Barnes approached, sneering. “And here I was waiting on the top floor for you so we could have our epic little rumble, but you came behind my back and tried to hit Control-Alt-Delete on this place instead. Uncool, man.”

He summoned his scythe back to his open hand.

“Believe me, I was coming to beat the hell out of you next, but I have a list of priorities to keep.” I spat.

“Oh, we’ll see about that, won’t we?” He smirked. “I gotta say, for you to break out of your restraints and come back here instead of taking your lone chance at freedom… Maybe I didn’t know you as well as I think I did. I thought we were kindred spirits, you and I.”

“Jiro is nothing like you,” Archie said.

“Really? But what if I told you I could make all your legal troubles go away at the drop of that white hat you’re wearing?” The Director’s eyes lit up as I remained silent. “Your parole arrangement from before was temporary, but if you turn around and walk out of here now, I’ll have some bribes in the right hands and you’ll be on a plane to paradise.”

“…..”

“No extradition, and no bullshit. You can help me save the world.” The man put his hand out to me in a gesture of good faith. “So what do you say, my friend?”

A trade offer. My freedom for my ignorance…

“Of course, I could throw in a small severance package to—“

There was a loud shot that echoed across the room. Barnes flew backward, holding his abdomen. Shooting to his feet, he looked at me with blind rage.

“I say go fuck yourself.” I pointed my revolver at the Director, the barrel smoking from my last shot.

“OH, THAT’S IT! I’m done being reasonable… I’ll bring my all to bear, and there will be none left to stand in my way!” He roared, black flames surrounding him and his eyes glowing red. His voice grew darker, echoing. “Your corpse will be the first slab in the future foundation of Earth.”

“Today, I avenge Aki.” A blue sparkling aura surrounded me as I pointed my rapier at the man, daring him to make the first move.

“…”

“…”

“…!”

After a brief stare-down, we both charged at each other, our melee weapons clashing. Sparks flew in every direction as rapier scraped against scythe in a flurry of movement and killing intent. Most of it was improvisation, but I felt the power within me guiding my movements.

Barnes created a cyclone with his scythe, and I slashed through it with my rapier, only to get a boot in my chest which sent me skating backward. Before I could recover, he was up in my face preparing to swing his scythe downward. I pulled out my revolver, and fired upward, just missing his face as he hopped back to his previous position.

“I should have known you would make the wrong choice. Your ex-wife did the same. You both could’ve seen the new world!!”

“I don’t wanna live in any kind of world you’re imagining. It’s an affront to God!”

“I thought you didn’t believe in God, Jiro-kun!?”

I fired off a barrage of rounds at Barnes, which he masterfully deflected with the flat side of the scythe or simply dodged. Archie, ever my trusty companion, tried to slow his movements using his tractor beam, but they were otherworldly. Soon I began to get quickly overwhelmed by his attack pattern. Aggressive moves, followed by him backing off to recover for less than a second before charging in again.

“Annoying creature…” With a backward swipe, he knocked Archie out of the sky, sending him clattering across the floor.

“ARCH—!” I got the wind knocked out of me as Barnes jammed the snath of his weapon in my gut, and he followed it up with a punch to my jaw that sent me reeling. To finish the trifecta, he did a cross-slash maneuver that sliced up my chest and neck, bringing me to my knees.

“I promised Aki-san if she took that cyanide pill, I wouldn’t kill you, but I realize now that that’s exactly what I should have done!” Barnes raised his scythe to land the killing blow. “Say goodbye, my friend.”

In the end, I didn’t prove to be strong enough. I began to close my eyes in quiet acceptance of this fact… but fate had other ideas.

“What the—!?”

There was a blinding light as the entire tower glowed with energy. Barnes stumbled back, shielding his eyes. Two iridescent butterflies circled over my head. And I felt a hand on each shoulder. I panned between two spectres, one clad in blue, and one in black.

But there was one more figure some distance behind Barnes. She glowed—clad in gold—and smiled at me, placing her hand on the control panel in a deliberate manner.

Ah… I get it. Coming this far and giving up doesn’t suit me, doesn’t suit us. Not when so many people are counting on us. Isn’t that right, Autumn, Winter… Aki!

I stood to my feet, glaring in defiance at my foe.

“But how!?” Barnes cried out. “You’re nothing but a killer, Jiro! Both here, and in the real world. Meanwhile, I’m a god! You shouldn’t even be standing, you—!”

Feeling a fresh burst of energy, pure and electric, I charged in with newfound purpose, interrupting Barnes and pushing him backward with the speed and ferocity of my rapier strikes.

“ARRRGH!” He lunged forward with his scythe, but I was quicker, disarming him and following up with an uppercut to his jaw.

He hopped back to regroup, but I was tired of playing defense. I fired off several rounds, and—closing the distance—I felt my power surging into my weapon as I put all my arm strength into one downward slash.

With a bewildered expression, Director Barnes fell flat on his face on the crystalline floor underfoot. Archie recovered, joining me as I walked over to the control panel.

“Begin total system annihilation,” I commanded once again.

“Confirming, you want to delete all system files, and scrub the archives of usable data?” The control panel asked. “Please reply with a ‘yes’ or ‘no’ to verify your selection.”

“Hold… on…” Barnes still had some life in him as he crawled in my direction. I pointed my revolver down, preparing to fire. “Wait, don’t! I’ve locked down Hunter Protocol from the inside out… if you do this, if you destroy the Digiscape with us still here… we both die.”

“Archie, is he telling the truth?”

“I am… afraid so, and it can not be overwritten by executive command.”

My eyes widened. A reflective look flashed across my face as I considered his words. Of course, it would come down to this. The creeping feeling of dread I had before wasn’t misplaced.

“Hehehehahaha… That’s right… my final failsafe.” Barnes snorted, cackling to himself weakly. “You thought you’d get out of this… without my pound of flesh? You’re… so stupid, Jiro-kun.”

“Maybe I am.”

I inhaled deeply.

“That’s right, you’ll reconsider my offer, you’ll—“

“Yes.”

“H-huh?? W-what did you just say?”

“NOW STARTING TOTAL SYSTEM ANNIHILATION, FILES WILL BE REMOVED IN TEN SECONDS… TEN, NINE, EIGHT…”

The PA system blared its final announcement as I smirked at Barnes.

“A couple of killers like us don’t belong in paradise.”

“JIROOOOOOOOO!” He screamed.

“SIX, FIVE…”

There was a smile on my face as I looked out at the stars.

“TWO, ONE…”

. . .

. . .

. . .

. . .

. . .

. . .

. . .

I stood in a blank white space. My clothes and skin began to flake away like petals falling from a tree in spring. I knew it was the end, and I knew there were things I couldn’t do. And yet… My worries felt like a distant memory.

I looked up to see a woman standing in front of me.

“So, this is the choice you made,” Aki said, wearing a favorite white blouse of hers. Her short black hair swept to the side with a slight breeze, her deep brown eyes staring back at me with a hint of sadness. “I had hoped you would live a happy life, long after me, and find someone who could truly love and understand you.”

“I did… You don’t have to worry. In the end, I did.”

“Oh? Good. Tell me, was it a fun journey, Jiro? Did you find fulfillment? Was it… all worthwhile?”

“It was. I just… hope they won’t be alone when I go.” My voice was shaky.

Yuna, Shizuka, all my new friends back on Earth, and so many more.

“They won’t be.” She closed the distance, placing a hand on my shoulder.

A warm light passed over me from her touch, a glowing ray shooting into the air.

“They will never be alone again.”

I understood her meaning.

Side-by-side, Aki and I took one last walk together into the open arms of oblivion.