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« on: August 17, 2013, 12:04:32 AM »
Archetype blinked at what Phi just said to him. "Save the world? What do you mean by that?"
"Let's just say [parasitic bomb] hits the fan in the alternate timeline, and things ain't looking too peachy for humanity." She replied without any brakes.
"Can you please stop dodging the question?" Archetype asked seriously.
Phi cleared her throat. "... Having you in the battle against Wily II may be crucial to winning and losing; we are pieces of a grand puzzle, and we all have our roles to play. Nothing is a coincidence, everyone has their 'place'. We can..."
Archetype cut her off. "We're performers in a balancing act. Without one person, the entire act will crumble and fall apart." He tried to say it in a cryptic voice like Phi. "Am I on the right track?"
"Essentially, yes. Though I could do without the mimicking, thank you." She twirled her hair with an annoyed expression. "Anyway, you're a piece we think belongs in this puzzle."
"Excuse me if I feel the need to keep asking you to elaborate, Madame Mystery. Who is 'we'? Are you working for someone?" He asked.
Phi leaned back in the chair and crossed her legs again, suspecting this will be a long day. "Operation Janus."
"..... Really? You expect me to understand you after two words?" Archetype started to wonder if there was something wrong with this woman.
"Archetype, have you heard of the Roman God, Janus?" She asked whilst twirling her hair.
He blinked. "Huh? Well, wasn't he that God with the two faces or something? I think it was something about looking into the past and future." He scratched the back of his head, trying to recall anything else regarding Janus.
Phi nodded. "Precisely. Janus is the God of 'beginnings and endings'... desolation and prosperity. He has two faces; one facing north, one facing south. One face looks in the past, the other face looks in the future. Operation Janus is what Akane and I donned our crusade, using our ability to access the Morphogenetic Field. We observe events that branch out and connect to timelines; interchanged, past or present."
"Who's Akane?" Archetype sighed with annoyed redundancy teeming in his voice, almost as if she wanted him to keep asking questions.
Phi elaborated. "... Akane took me in when I was very young; like around 14 years old. She taught me how to control my Morphogenetic abilities. She became aware of the ever-encroaching dominance of Wily II's empire. Akane and I traveled to an alternate timeline where his forces were overpowering the Resistance, until eventually... Wily II won."
Archetype couldn't believe his ears. He felt slightly dizzy; like he was in a dream for a few moments, then he suddenly shook out of his trance.
"H-hold on! What the [parasitic bomb] do you mean, "Wily II won"?!" He snapped.
"Exactly what I said, obviously. Do I need to hook you on Phonics?" Phi said flatly, picking at her fingernails unenthusiastically.
"Cut the crap, Phi! Tell me what I want to know!" He grabbed her arm and demanded answers.
She yanked her arm out of Archetype's grasp. "I can't tell you anymore than that, I'm afraid." She responded.
"Why the hell not?!" He was making a scene, so he calmed down a bit to draw less attention to their conversation. "Phi, why not?"
"Because it could potentially cause a paradox." She replied simply.
Archetype chuckled. "A 'paradox'? What, have you been watching the Sci-Fi channel?"
"I'm serious, Arche." She continued. "Akane claims to have experienced one herself. Only by some twisted miracle, was she able to survive."
Archetype sighed. "Fine, so you expect me to believe you?"
"What possible reason would I have to lie? The only way to find the answers you seek is to find them yourself. In other words, travel to that crippled timeline. Interestingly, you were reformed in that timeline, as you are in this one... Archetype." She stated with an unreadable expression.
There was a long pause. Kinetic heat seemed to build up around these two. How were they connected? Where do their secrets lead?
"... You know about me, then. And you know about the sins I've committed." He seethed angrily through his teeth. "But do you know why I transcended my tainted, murderous flesh... and became a hero?" His eyes changed, and drew upon Phi.