Year 2033, February
8:35 A.M
Kungsholmen, Stockholm, Sweden
. . .
. . .
A black limousine took me around the city one day. At that time, a lot of people shuffled in the streets. Though the vehicles on the roads seemed to be low in number.
"I heard you cannot access your first Aegis anymore."
I cast a glance at the direction of the voice. Bart sat on the seat in front of me, his figure obscured by the leather seat. I was considering the option of not to reply back.
Still, I never intended to do so anyway.
Miranda sat just next to me.
Her purple eyes were focused on the people's silhouettes outside, ignoring what was happening inside the limousine. She had not talked to me after what happened the day before. I blatantly said I had killed Hughes at that time.
Miranda's relationship with Hughes was a mystery to me. Hughes was obviously twice her age, so he could be her father or some sort of a mentor figure.
"You don't want to answer, huh?" Bart cleared his throat.
I could escape right then and there.
However, Bart had the controller with him. The drug that suppressed my Aegis activity was just injected inside me. Because of that, I doubt I could go far.
My temporary goal was to obtain as much information as I could. Frankly, about the Aegis Users and also how to disable the controller.
I could remain docile for the time being, acting the role of a helpless girl I was.
"Why am I here?" I asked Bart.
"Now you're asking me? Great." snorted Bart. "But I'll you answer you anyway. Since they forced me into this. His Supremacy wants an audience with you today, in the HQ. He thought it would be unwise for you not to take in the sight of Sweden while you're here."
'Taking in the sight, huh,' I thought. 'How kind of this 'His Supremacy' guy.'
"Shouldn't I be an existence that no one should never know? Now even those Vlasta's Maidens even recognize me," I said.
"Those close-combat type units are a rank lower than a general. They're quite powerful when they work together. So, they're qualified to have this information disclosed to them. Of course, His Supremacy already knew about you from the very beginning. It's just now that the rest of us Aegis Users actually believe in it," said Bart.
I wanted to ask more but his head drooped, trying to sleep.
The memories of Hope's torture was still vividly ingrained in my mind.
I glanced at a red brick architecture to my left. Apparently, from the tourist guide brochure I was holding up until then, that building was named Stadhuset, the City Hall of Stockholm. It was made in 1923, so it was quite old.
The limousine passed by another unique spot in Kungsholmen. Riddar Husset was the name of that beautifully designed elegant building. It was also an old piece of architecture, where it had been around since the 1600s. The guide explained briefly where the building was a place of Sweden nobles' history.
Not that I cared about it at all.
Other than that, there was nothing much happening along my trip around the borough. Except for Bart's awkward sleeping position while he was sitting, which eventually broke his neck when the limousine suddenly halted. Sadly, he did not die.
And in the end, we returned back to HQ, with the overbearing weight of the metal collar attached to me yet again.
. . .
"She really wants to talk to you. Best you stay in here for a while," said Bart.
There was a room in the HQ that was specially designated for Aya. And she lived there, whereas Alicia and Bart only come to the HQ for work reasons.
Aya opened her room's door and greeted me. "Oh, can Father take that collar away? I don't like seeing her like that."
"Hmm, yeah. Why not. She can't do anything as it is." Bart pushed a grey key into a slot at my metal collar and it clicked open. He pulled it away from me and I brushed over my fingers at my neck.
"Come on in," said Aya with a smile. I shot an eye at Bart as he had already made his way to somewhere inside the HQ, leaving me with Aya.
'I could run right now,' I thought. But that was a really straightforward way of escaping. As powerless as I was without my Aegis, there were a lot of soldiers roaming around. My best option was to just play it out.
"You're not coming in?" repeated Aya.
"Uh, yes. Sorry, I'm just thinking," I replied. My hands ran over my braided dark hair.
"Oh, okay. You like the white dress, aren't you? I don't see you wearing anything other than that," said Aya as I followed her inside the room. She closed the door.
"This is the only thing that I was provided," I answered. Aya gestured for me to sit in front of her and I did. The cushions that she and I sat on was comfy. Too comfy where it sort of bounced my body if I tried to move.
My eyes swept its gaze around the room. 'It's pretty normal,' I thought. The walls were painted bright red. With a lot of plushies and huge teddy bears lying around. Aya's bed was a tad too large for her small figure. The sheets on it were plain, only having the color of white. The blanket on the other hand also shared the wall's color.
Overall, Aya's room was filled with red. As if she only knew that color her whole life.
"Your eyes. You can't change it?" asked Aya.
"Oh. I prefer not. Since when my eyes were like this, I could see better."
"Hm. So, you can modify your body on your own? Interesting. It's the opposite of my Aegis's specialty," said Aya.
Apparently, Alicia and Bart did not say anything about my Aegis to her.
"What's your Aegis's specialty?" I asked.
"Hmmmmmm. I don't know how to say it. But all I know is that my Aegis have all these abilities that I did not even wish for. It sort appeared out of the blue, you see." Aya raised both of her arms, gesturing about what she could do. Unfortunately, I did not comprehend what she wanted to convey.
"But Mommy was happy that I could all these things! So, I'm happy too!" said Aya.
I drew my eyebrows together. Her yellow blouse complimented the atmosphere of the room. "So, Aya. How can you be so happy? They have done all sorts of things to you, isn't it?"
That question was something that I had wanted to ask ever since I met her. One would not have her positive demeanor after experiencing Alicia's various experimentations.
"Huh? What do you mean? Erm, it hurts back then. But now, if I do what M-Mommy said, she won't hurt me anymore," said Aya.
So I was right after all. Afraid of getting any form of punishment from Alicia and Bart, she endured all of it. In a way, her coping mechanism was very linear. Looking at her body shivering made me see myself in her. A little girl that could not do anything but be abused by her parents.
"Aya..." I mumbled.
She intertwined her fingers together. "Uh, Mommy used to do that kind of thing to you too, right?"
It was true. But I could not find it in myself to acknowledge it. After all, I did not have any memories of such events.
My Aegis was the only 'memory' that was left behind.
"Yes, she did," I said to Aya.
"Oh, okay." She darted her eyes away for a second. "I've been wondering... can you be my friend?"
"Eh?"
I gasped at her words. 'A friend?' I thought. That term was not unfamiliar by any means, but it has been a while since I last befriended someone with the same age as me.
Still...
"How old are you, Aya?" I asked her.
"Oh. I'm twelve."
"What? Then, we're the same," I said. Aya's height did not match her age at all. I was a little bit taller than her. "Aya, have you been eating?"
"Of course I did!" yelled Aya. "I'm just... slower than everyone else." She continued to ramble about her height to me. And I listened to every word she said.
For some reason, my heart was light. Perhaps it was because I have someone around my age to talk to and it was not about the fighting or something like that.
"Umph! Just because you're taller doesn't mean you can get Mommy's attention!" said Aya.
"Back to her, huh?" I muttered.
"Of course! If Mommy loves you, she won't hurt you anymore," said Aya. She pumped her arms in the air. "And I won't lose to you."
I blinked at her. "But I'm losing right now. Certainly, you're her favorite," I said, encouraging her.
"You think so too?!" Aya smiled in glee.
'How messed up have her life been to be like that?' I thought. For once, I actually felt pity for someone other than myself.
"You know, being friends doesn't sound bad at all," I said.
"Really?! Thank you so much!" Aya hugged me and I awkwardly returned it.
Strange.
The darkness that was staining my heart definitely felt off that day. A friend. Maybe it was not a bad choice to have Aya as one. She underwent all those things like I once did. I could feel her mental wound, absently scratching at her from the inside.
A friend that could understand me.
"Ava, right?! I'm Aya." She offered me her hand. "You already knew my name, but I'll introduce myself to you anyway."
I formed a thin smile. "Yes, I did know, Aya. I'm Ava. I hope we can get along well."
"Certainly! My first friend ever!"
I shook her hand and she proceeded to introduce every teddy bears in her room to me, of many different varieties and sizes.
'Her first friend,' I thought. Hearing her said those words made a feeling deep inside me well up, to truly treat her as my friend. But in that case, we could be best friends even.
I hit myself in the face. "What am I saying?" Aya was innocent, no doubt. However, with Alicia's words, she could turn against me at any time.
And because of that, I must be wary of her.
"Ava, are you listening? This is Setsuna. Mommy said she got it from Japan." Aya raised the small, brown teddy bear at my direction. I could not help but smile at her. Truly, she was amazing.
A few knocks at the door turned both of our attention to it. The door opened, revealing Alexander in his military uniform. He frowned at Aya.
"Aya, it's time. And of course you too, Ava. His Supremacy has arrived. We are to meet with the other Aegis Users now," said Alexander firmly.
Both me and Aya looked at each other and we followed Alexander as he led the way.
Soon, we stopped at an intricately designed silver door. It displayed the dark blue logo of the C.U. With one hand, Alexander twisted the doorknob open and we entered the room slowly. The eyes of everyone present there turned towards us.
Every Aegis Users of the Great Corporate United stood still, sparsely spread out across the room. And the human thrashes were also there. Wished that I could lay my blade at their necks.
And a man with a scarlet military uniform had my eyes fixed on him. His dark hair was combed backward, barely suited his image of a middle-aged person. His blue eyes were cold.
Alexander gestured at my figure for everyone to focus themselves on me. "His Supremacy, this is Ava. The last Aegis User that our proud scientists had produced. And as you said, she will be our ultimate weapon in our mission to take Neo Africa as ours, thus completing your vision of a united world."