Chapter Text
[Monday, April 18th, 11:38 PM]
Deep beneath Tokyo, a blonde girl waited alone on an empty platform for one of the last trains to Yongen-Jaya. She sighed, feeling the slight strain of her mechanical insides tighten as she reached into the inner pocket of her heavy charcoal trench coat, which draped loosely over her artificial body's delicate metal and rubbery white components. Then she pulled out a badly wrinkled minella held together by a paperclip, struggling to keep its contents secure, which explained why she came here.
Two women stood in the center of a small laboratory. One of them, a mature-looking woman with red hair dressed in a black business suit worn beneath a white lab coat, was Mitsuru Kirijo, the owner of Kirijo Industries and the leader of the Shadow Operatives. To her left stood the other woman, a blonde-haired, blue-eyed android whose metallic and silicone body shimmered under the dim light of various monitors in the lab. She was a seventh-generation anti-shadow suppression weapon and an active member of the Shadow Operatives. In front of them was a monitor slightly larger than the others, with a counter positioned to Mitsuru's right. Connected to the monitor by a cable was a touchscreen phone that allowed it to mirror the phone's display. The screen displayed the phone's home screen, featuring an old photo of a group of high school students in Gekkoukan High uniforms. There were nine total: four boys and five girls, accompanied by a gray and white Shiba Inu. Aigis was among the group, alongside a younger Mitsuru.
"I apologize for calling you here on such short notice," Mitsuru began, moving closer to the phone as she spoke. "However, something has recently come to my attention. Do you notice anything wrong with this screen?" She lifted the phone and turned toward Aigis as she finished.
Aigis looked over the screen, her eyes fixating on one of the girls in the photo: an auburn-haired girl in a high ponytail clinging to one of Aigis's arms. A slight frown crossed her face for a split second before she scanned the screen again. “I do not see any issues with this device. Even though I have an artificial body, I am not well-equipped to repair cell phones. Perhaps we should contact Fuuka-san, as this seems more like her area of expertise."
“The issue isn’t exactly the phone itself, but rather what’s on it.” Aigis's body tensed as Mitsuru spoke, a wave of dread washing over her. “During a recent business trip to Tokyo, a strange application downloaded itself onto my private phone. After several attempts to delete it, I accidentally opened it instead, and when I did, a twisted and distorted version of the city’s subway system appeared around me.”
As Mitsuru finished her explanation, memories of Tartarus and the Dark Hour flashed in the back of Aigis’s mind. “Aigis?” Mitsuru asked in a concerned tone, prompting the android to snap out of her thoughts.
“D-does this mean Tartarus is back?” Her voice was anxious, with a hint of sadness buried underneath.
Mitsuru glanced at Aigis with a touch of concern before continuing, “Right now, we don’t know; however, every time our scientists attempt to activate the application, this appears.” She tapped on the unusual red-and-black-themed eye application on her phone.
[CURRENTLY OUT OF RANGE OF MEMENTOS] popped up in bold white text as Mitsuru sighed.
“After numerous field tests, we've confirmed that it works only within Tokyo. This application is the reason I asked you to visit today. I’ve come to ask you to figure out what this ‘mementos’ is and how it might affect humanity, if at all," Mitsuru concluded in an urgent tone.
“Understood. Will I be alone in this operation?” the Aigis asked as she processed Mitsuru's words.
Mitsuru nodded at her question, “Yes, Junpei is busy with his career, as are many other reserve members.” She added, “However, we will prepare a living space for you in the city and provide access to the necessary supplies. If any other members become available, I’ll contact you ahead of time so that you won’t be caught off guard by their appearance.”
“When will everything be ready?”
Mitsuru paused momentarily before answering, “By April at the latest.” As she spoke, she turned toward the monitor connected to the phone, unplugged it, and slipped it into her pocket before reaching for the briefcase beside the monitor. “Coincidentally,” she continued, pushing the surprisingly light briefcase into Aigis’s arms, “this app also affected my business phone that I had with me, too. Everything we know about this ‘Mementos,’ along with that phone and its charger, should be in there; make sure to review the files. We'll contact you on that phone once we finish setting everything up in Tokyo.”
“I will prepare immediately. Is that all?" Aigis asked, her tone colder and more calculated than usual.
“Just one more thing, please be careful and take care of yourself.”
The screeching brakes of the train pulling into the station disrupted Aigis's thoughts. After gently sliding the manila envelope back into one of her coat pockets, Aigis stepped into the empty subway car. Taking a seat near the rear, she quietly scanned the various ads that decorated the numerous placards positioned near the ceiling of the car, recognizing a few familiar ones for Wild Duck Burger and even a couple from an acquaintance, Rise Kujikawa, whom she had met in passing through her work with the Shadow Operatives. Her eyes eventually caught a digital clock mounted above the doorframe; Aigis felt a wave of unease wash over her as she read 11:58 pm. She remained fixated on the clock as the seconds ticked slowly upwards, only to reset to zero once it reached sixty, involuntarily gulping as it did. Despite the many years that have passed since the erasure of the dark hour, seeing a clock tick towards midnight still puts Aigis on edge. She closed her eyes and began to count the seconds to midnight internally, hoping this would calm her nerves. As she did this, her thoughts drifted to the person who had taught her this method of stress relief.
Aigis hadn't always understood emotions and, as a result, didn’t quite grasp jokes. However, she felt a powerful urge to protect Kotone Shiomi long before developing her feelings. Aigis replayed her memories of the first time she started to count things.
The eerie walls of Tartarus loomed around the various members of SEES as they navigated yet another floor of the towering monstrosity, most of them bruised or exhausted from earlier encounters with shadows that night. Kotone was in worse shape than the others, yet she still wore a bright smile more for herself than for any of the other members. No one seemed to notice as she began to hum to herself now and then and even started counting under her breath when she thought no one was focused on her. However, Aigis did, and being the naive android she was, she didn’t hesitate to blurt out the first thought that came to her mind.
“Kotone-san, why are you counting?” Aigis asked as the group paused again to lick their wounds, making Kotone jump slightly, startled by the unexpected question.
“Oh, um, it’s hard to explain. I’m just counting the floor tiles,” she said softly, glancing around to ensure the other group members were still doing well.
“May I ask why? Are the tiles something important that we must look out for? If so, we should let the others know-” Kotone quickly interrupted Aigis before she could finish, the latter looking slightly embarrassed as she did so.
“It’s nothing like that,” she began, her voice slightly louder than expected as she glanced over her shoulder to make sure she didn’t alert the other members. Noticing that Junpei and Yukari had captivated the group's attention while they argued about something, Kotone sighed in relief before continuing in a quieter voice, “It’s just that sometimes when I feel anxious or scared, I start counting things. Anything really, it helps me calm down.”
Aigis scanned the expression on Kotone's face and recognized the trust she was placing in Aigis by confiding in her. She made a mental note not to mention this interaction to the others before speaking again. “Perhaps I should do the same to put you at ease, Kotone-san.” Kotone’s face brightened slightly at Aigis’s suggestion, and a smaller smile than before reappeared on her face; this time, however, Aigis could tell it was a genuine one.
Over the next few months, whenever Aigis noticed Kotone counting quietly to herself, Aigis began to do the same. Eventually, even when she wasn’t around Kotone, Aigis would still count when she started to feel the same as Kotone did after developing feelings.
As Aigis reached sixty in her mind, she started to open her eyes. The anxiety from before began to ease as the digital clock she had been watching didn’t stop at twelve. As she breathed a sigh of relief, the feeling from before returned with full force; the rumbling sounds and sensation of the subway car rolling down the tracks suddenly ceased as time seemed to freeze, evident by the fact that the digital clock had halted at 12:01. Aigis quickly scanned her surroundings, surprised as the image of a young man began to materialize in a cloud of darkness with golden light shining through, a presence that hadn’t existed a moment ago. Aigis stood up swiftly, her body instinctively entering a fighting stance as her mind raced with thoughts and calculations about what she saw.
A voice echoed through Aigis’s head like an afterschool announcement ringing throughout a high school. "I am Chronos... the dark sun that kills its father and wields the scythe of false power... See the karma controlling one's destiny..." The figure, now fully visible, was a short young man draped in a black hooded robe with a pocket watch hanging on dark chains around his neck. Aigis quickly tried to discern his facial features, noticing Chronos’s dark brown hair, lime green eyes, and dark complexion. As the voice ceased, Chronos knelt before Aigis with his head lowered.
Aigis stood in shock, absorbing what Chronos said. “Explain yourself,” she interrogated, slightly relaxing her fighting stance but staying alert in case this Chronos figure wasn’t being truthful.
“Soon, a rigged game with the collective unconscious shall begin. One in which its participants have no hope of winning,” As he said this, the figure lifted his hand, summoning a blue tarot card that floated above his palm. “Take my power and use it to summon forth the struggles of your past to march them toward victory.” Chronos crushed the card in his palm as he finished; a golden light engulfed his form, transforming him into a tall, lanky figure whose body resembled cast iron, with ball sockets at the joints of his arms and legs and its face replaced by that of a clock. Near its wrists and ankles were grey frilled cuffs made of cloth, reminiscent of Victorian-era clothing. Finally, the upper half of its body was adorned with four golden wings attached to its back, two of which sheltered his shoulders in the front, along with a similarly golden helmet featuring two smaller wings on top, resembling antennae.
An invigorating sensation washed over Aigis as Chronos's form dissipated into a golden light that soon vanished. It was evident now that Chronos was telling the truth, as Aigis felt her persona morph into the form that Chronos had just taken. The feeling of acquiring the new persona faded gradually as time began to crawl forward again, prompting Aigis to release a sigh she hadn’t realized she was holding in.
The last of Aigis’s tension melted away as a monotone female voice came through the train's speaker system, announcing its arrival at Yongen-Jaya. Determination quickly overtook her as she stepped through the opening doors and onto the station platform.
The intermittent beeping of turnstiles intertwined with the sound of tired footsteps as the occasional passerby made their way toward their respective destinations in the early morning resonated throughout the station, granting Aigis a moment of tranquility to piece together what had just happened. “...Summoning forth the struggles of my past,” Aigis hummed internally as the last part of Chronos’s request echoed in her mind. Countless memories of her time spent in Tartarus fighting to eliminate the Dark Hour flashed before settling on the image of her beloved resting their head beside her on the rooftop for the last time. An eternity passed as she remained focused on remembering the weary look in Kotone's eyes, reflecting on everything she could’ve done better leading up to and during their final goodbye, feeling a trail of cool liquid flow down her cheeks for the first time in years.
Moments pass before the sounds of the station begin to draw Aigis back to her senses. She slowly wipes the remaining tears from her eyes before heading toward the staircase leading to the street above. Yongen-Jaya is quieter than the subway below, though no less calming. Aside from the occasional stray cat climbing through the alleyways, Aigis can only hear her footsteps marching calmly and purposefully toward her destination. The sound of her shoes hitting the pavement helps her focus on her task as she glances at the full moon above, ensuring she won't get swept up in her memories again.
Aigis's destination was just a short 10-minute trip from the subway station where she exited. It appeared to be an unremarkable, low-rise, two-story apartment complex that had seen better days. That was the case mostly, except for the unit rented and furnished by the Shadow Operatives, which was equipped with everything the android needed for her daily activities. Her unit was on the second floor, the furthest of the three units from the staircase leading up to the second-floor balcony. The stairs groaned and creaked under her additional weight due to years of neglect as Aigis climbed them.
After reaching her door, Aigis paused to fumble for a key that had sunk to the bottom of one of her many coat pockets. Once she found it, she slipped it into the keyhole and opened the door before stepping inside. Aigis flicked the light switch at the end of the entrance hall and paused to take in her surroundings, the living area ceiling lights flickering on as she did so. What Aigs found was what she had come to expect after years of Anti-Shadow missions: a small, one-room apartment filled with generic-looking furniture that wouldn’t be out of place in any other home. The front door opened to a short hallway with three doors, two on the right and one on the left; the right doors led to a storage closet and bathroom, while the left opened to the bedroom. Beyond this was a larger, L-shaped living area with a connected dining room on the left and a door leading to a small kitchen. The apartment walls were painted cream, and the floors, except for the bathroom, were primarily light-colored wood.
After surveying the apartment layout from the end of the entrance hall, Aigis made her way to the living area, where she found a green two-seater sofa positioned at the front of the room, facing away from the hallway, with small dark oak end tables on either side—one of which held a lamp. Against the back wall, opposite the couch, stood a TV stand that notably lacked a television, and in between was a square coffee table. Both the TV stand and coffee table matched the couch's end tables. Taking a moment to sit on the sofa, Aigis contemplated her next course of action. 'I should contact Mitsuru to inform her about that being who called itself Chronos and the message. Before that, perhaps it would be wise to investigate the appearance of this Mementos further and examine my personas' new form for anything unusual first.’ Concluding that the latter option was the best course of action, Aigis stood up and headed to the bedroom for the night. Although she didn't need to sleep, entering standby mode remained a comforting routine, the closest thing to it she could do.