Prototype Zero

Shun stands shocked by the news of the relativity between Aione and Professor Tatsuya.

Shun: “How come you never told us that your uncle was a Machina professor?!”

Aione: “I didn’t know that I had an uncle that was that important myself until I came to this town. Apparently he’s my father’s youngest brother. I’ve just never met him because most of my family lives back in my hometown.”

Shun ask with a puzzled look.

Shun: “Speaking of hometown, where exactly are you from?”

Aione: “Actually I’m from Tsubasa Town. It’s a city a few miles west of South City.”

Shun: “I didn’t know you were from so far away. So how did you come to live here in the first place?”

Aione: “Well it’s kind of a long story.”

Shun: “Well we should find somewhere to stop at and get something to eat first. I’m starving!”

Shun lets out a short laugh as they start walking to the nearest restaurant. They find a booth to sit at as Shun reads the menu. Aione sits next to Mirage in the seat closest to the aisle then begins to read the menu. A waitress comes up to their table with a kind smile on her face.

Waitress: “Can I take your order?”

Shun: “Well I’ll take the largest bowl of pork ramen you have and some takoyaki.”

Shun hands the waitress the menu as she turns to Aione.

Waitress: “And anything for your girlfriend?”

Shun and Aione’s faces grew red as Aione began to break eye contact in shyness.

Aione: “We’re not together. But I’ll take curry beef. Make it mild. I can’t handle spicy food.”

Aione hands her menu back to the waitress while looking elsewhere.

Waitress: “Well I’ll be back with your food soon.”

The waitress walks away as Zero addresses Aione.

Zero: “Hey you there, Aione?”

Aione snaps out of a small trance that she seemed to be caught in.

Aione: “Oh sorry. I was just thinking about some things. But to know about how I’ve gotten here, you have to know my entire story.”

Shun: “I understand. Go ahead. We’re listening.”

Shun and Zero lean in closer as if she were about to whisper something secretive to them.

Aione: “It all started when I was younger. I grew up with a great family. I had everything I could ask for. I had a loving, kind mother that took care of us without any complaints. I had a strong father who made sure all of our needs were met. We were a great happy family.”
Shun: “Then what was wrong?”

Aione: “Nothing. I had a good childhood. It wasn’t until middle school that I started to act out. I was always the good kid who never got in trouble. The other girls teased me and picked at me because I always excelled at everything. So to shed that perfect image of myself, I started running with the local gangs. I did stuff from staying out late to arguing with my parents. Eventually, I got into machinas and started fighting with Mirage. Mirage and I were unstoppable. We took down everyone who got in our way. The feeling that we had that much power at our arsenal made me drunk with power.”

The waitress brings the plates of food to the table. Shun grabs his plate and places it in front of him.

Aione accepts her plate with a smile. Shun starts digging into his plate as Aione takes her time eating slowly as she continues her story.

Aione: “Soon later, our gang was feared and respected throughout town. We couldn’t walk down the street without being feared. But our fame soon reached out of city limits, and soon we found ourselves in the middle of a war with a gang from South City. The war put the city in chaos. Not a day went by that we were fighting with them.”

Shun: “Who’s “them”?”

Aione: “The Black Diamonds.”

Shun stopped eating because he almost choked on his food.

Shun: “You fought against the Black Diamonds?!”

Aione: “Yeah. And we were evenly matched. They were tough battles. But one day, the battles were really intense. We were tearing the town apart. Buildings were collapsing and destruction was ensuing throughout. We had to stop this and keep the town from falling apart. We were fighting with everything we had. Our side had gained the upper hand in the fight. The fight had dragged on into the residential area of town and soon my neighborhood. Mirage and I somehow ended up defending our home from the leader of the Black Diamonds, Kosuke. We were both fighting with everything we had. But one attack from him missed us and struck our house. My mother was injured badly in the blast but my father wasn’t home so he wasn’t harmed. We defeated the leader and drove them out of town.”

Zero: “So what happened next after you defeated Kosuke and the Black Diamonds?”

Aione: “Well after we emerged from the flames that were burning around the area, the worst happened.”

Mirage put her head down in shame.

Mirage: “The town turned on us and hated us.”

Shun: “How was that possible?!”

Mirage: “It was a case of mistaken identity. The townspeople assumed that we had started the fire because we were the only ones to emerge from the fire after the battle. Our parents tried to calm the townspeople and convince them that we didn’t do it and that it was because of a battle that we were defending. But our pleas fell on deaf ears and the whole town shunned us. People turned their heads and avoided us any way that they can. After that, people called us the “Angel of Death”.

Shun’s mouth opened abruptly in amazement as some ramen fell from in between his chopsticks.

Shun: “That name sounds awesome. So what happened after they started to call you that?”

Shun continues stuffing his face with food as Aione take another bite of food and continues talking.

Aione: “Well after my mother came back from the hospital, my parents tried to return to normal life themselves as well. But to no avail, they suffered the consequences of the town’s scorning as well. So they decided to send me to live out of town with my Uncle Tatsuya. He’s not that much older than us, and he’s known to be a genius in his field of research. I’ve never met him because he’s always been in school out of town and working really hard but I just heard of him after this incident.”

Shun: “So what did you do when you first got here?”

Aione: “He was always at the research lab and never really home, but he made sure that everything was taken care of. He was always at work during the day so he came home at night to make sure that everything was taken care of as far as the apartment, Mirage, and I were concerned. We’ve spoken at times over the phone and computer but I never knew that he went missing. I didn’t even know he was researching Machina-related business at the factory until you told me that he went missing. I thought he was just away at work for an extended time.”

Shun: “When was the last time you heard from him?”

Aione: “About a few months ago. But the last time I heard from him, he was kinda on edge. Like he was worried about something.”

Shun: “It could’ve been before the explosion of the Research Facility.”

Zero: “Seems to be about 4 months ago. But we need to find out where he is. So where are you living at now?”

Aione: “I still live at my Uncle’s house. But it seems like everything is being paid for somehow. All the bills are in order and food seems to be refilled in the fridge twice a month whenever I come home from school. But it happens on random days so I can never find out who’s doing it. It’s like my Uncle could be hiding and taking care of me from the shadows.”

Shun: “But if he is watching over you and the house, why doesn’t he just come home and stay at home?”

Mirage: “My guess is that someone or something is after him. But how is he watching over us is the tough question to answer.”

Aione’s phone rings and then stops.

Aione: “I think I have a message.”

Aione pulls out her phone and reads the message she’s received. Aione drops her phone in shock.

Shun: “What’s the matter, Aione?!”

Aione: “It’s my parents. They’ve been attacked.”

Shun's takoyaki falls from between his sticks and back onto his plate.

-End