Aether is Unbreakable, Section 3

## **Squad #[REDACTED]'s Story (from Kari's perspective)**

### **Entry 31**

I suppose after what had just happened I’d at least be happy for these friends of mine, but in truth I was in disappointed disbelief for the fact of the matter being a living creature that wasn’t human had its first meal of Sprite Cranberry and a pyramid of Twinkies.  Hugh had a few choice words with Lady Mira, one of his in the circus, and Caz them promptly steeled his attention towards Hugh as they both then made their way to her tent. She was the one who brought Azathoth forth from me that then led to the near undead one’s death, Barry if I remember well.  Upon all of us seated in the tent the two began to berate, if there was ever a polite way of doing so, Lady Mira with questions about Lucy and the reasons behind its situation. Apparently Hugh was the only one out of the loop, other than us of course, and her reasons didn’t seem very justified. At this point I was more focused on a question festering within my own head, and upon everyone getting up to leave I was the last out the tent entrance.  I turned slightly to her and asked if reaching out to me for my fortune was worth it, and she sounded regretful in her lack-luster answer. I told her then I have my reasons to refuse someone something so simple and if only she knew me more than just a stranger she’d come to understand I only do something like that to protect others. If only she could tell that, but knowing now not only that she was foolish but her insight was given to a wooden mannequin that there was no way she would have been able to put two and two together so effectively back then.

Recently I have often wondered if experience by age really is as common as we believe, as I’ve been proven a lot recently that even the experienced can be stupid. I’ve also wondered if I’m just as susceptible, I like to think that I’m not because I have too much to lose if my own stupidity costs someone close to me something grand. That and the grief that would follow.

Well after that I went and found an interesting replacement for the old “Solid-EYE” tech I had for such a short time in a different dimension to this and my home one. The new eyepatch is enchanted rather than mechanical but it still provides me optical enhancement and viable dark vision so it works for my intentions.  Not to mention that very recently we as a group were all payed very handsomely. For the two days we’ve been allowed to rest after returning from our unplanned detour I decided to take that time to finally go somewhere in the Natural World I apparently have some connection to: Aquaria City. I’ve had this feeling ever since I started here in the Aether that I should be heading that way and only recently did I finally remember to visit. It was a somewhat long trip but I knew I’d be taking it alone, I didn’t tell anyone where I was headed because I had a feeling it would be best if only I knew what could be about to happen. I felt like whatever I’d run into once I got to Aquaria City that it would be personal.

Upon arriving everything seemed rather fine but once I began to travel about the sidewalks of a bustling metropolis, that statement is not to be taken lightly as this city was busy, big, and urban down to the definition, people began to recognize me nearly every second. I was receiving greetings, praise, and respect by what felt like every citizen there. It felt very odd and it was then that I both knew I had to get to the bottom of this and that I sadly made the right choice coming here. As famous as I am back in World Zero people at least have the decency to nod or wave, leave me to myself and whatnot. Here was different and it made me immediately suspicious.

My first stop was a bar and the bartender greeted my similarly, addressing me by my first name. Now when I say people recognized me it was like I wasn’t like I was an idol or like I was being worshipped. No, people were addressing me as “Kari”, “Ms. Frost”, and even some saying “Frosty” or “Special Agent Frost”.  Aliases I’ve had people call me in World Zero that no one here should even remotely have known, I could have sworn I even heard some say something like “IQ” or “Kari-bear”. I was creeped out by how lightly everyone seemed to sap into my personal life without a reason to explain why. I asked the bartender about Nate which I received a negative to, then I mentioned that I’d probably be back later in the evening, but only just to drink. The people in the bar waved and smiled if I made eye contact, which I did back as not to be rude but could still feel my smile coming off more as nervous than cheerful.

I figured if I went to the authorities I could get more answers about my known presence here, and figured the nearest police precinct would be more helpful than the Aether Guard in this specific instance.  Upon getting to the clerk within the nearest precinct I asked for any records of my being here, to my shock I was handed both a census and tax return for several years for the city! That means that not only had I apparently been here, I had lived and worked here. I took these documents aside and noticed that I could not see a single instance of my name on these documents, the tax returns even being entirely blank. The clerk could not confirm this and it’s then that I noticed that there was text on the returns only within my peripheral vision. Where my name on the census forms should be was a blank spot, but in my peripheral vision I could confirm that my name rested within that blank spot. I couldn’t make out what occupations I had worked on the returns in my peripheral vision nor could I see what place I had apparently lived in on the census forms.  I thanked the clerk for his time and returned the documents, which he then noted that he’d look for something more in their records room. He returned puzzled as he could not find me in their own records, and as he turned to look at the previous documents he then also noticed the returns were blank and my name was not in the census form and became even more confused. As if a switch was flipped this clerk then could see the concerning truth only I could see: my presence in Aquaria City was not as it had supposed to be.

I took my leave and came to a stunning realization upon sightseeing around the city: everything as it were was almost like something, or someone, manufactured my existence here. As confusing as it was I still didn’t know exactly why my existence in this city was the way it is. Something provided the entire metropolis with the knowledge of me, my accomplishments, and my personal life and I had no idea who had done it or why this was happening.

Like I had mentioned earlier I did make my way back to the bar to maybe soothe my mind, but upon entering I realized that a public place with everyone happily or apathetically greeting me as it were probably wasn’t the best idea for effectively calming myself. I ordered a drink and sat myself on a stool thinking what it was I’d get myself into next. Almost on cue I noticed a breaking news report of a police chase in the city. I watched frozen and focused as I saw him in a truck bed, a total stranger driving the truck, firing his M4A4 at pursuing police all on live television: Nate. He looked dead into the camera and mouthed something I knew was meant only for me, “Leave me”. I charged out the doorway pushing anyone in my way aside and immediately charged into my AE86 towards the direction of the commotion.

I knew in this moment, now that I had the reason how he managed to get to this "Aether" dimension. I don't know who pulled him here but I knew how. With the experience of Operation Black Light fresh in my mind I took no hesitation in finally showing the people of this realm what I can really do. Being an ex-spy, a SOCOM and GSG-9 veteran, and survivor of a near worldwide apocalypse is one thing but there are two things you never challenge me to unless you don't care that you'll lose: piano and driving. Whoever he partnered up with made a dangerous mistake using a car to escape with Nate. My reputation with my shadow AE86 and with SDR is never to be underestimated.

### **Entry 32**

I pursued them well enough and easily enough at that.  I first pulled next to one of the pursuing police officers that then warned me, “This is not your business, Kari, leave it to us”.  I then retorted, “This is my business and it’s best you leave it only to me”. Given that this chase was taking place at only 60 kph or so I could easily accelerate over to Nate and the infernal driving the truck.  That's the power of supercharging a DOHC that performs like a 2JZ. It's also because my car is six decades newer to them while being a century old in World Zero.

I was warned not to give chase by Nate too and they drove into me, though me, and onto the road on my right as if some ethereal form. I reactively gave chase with great ease given the lack of speed that this whole ordeal was happening at and caught up to them.  I let SDR give chase and she was grappled and thrown asunder by what I could only look at in anguish with: Way Beyond "ACT 2"? A fully humanoid manifestation of all its previous capabilities brought into this malnourished looking lumbering figure.  I saw Nate preparing something as the infernal attempted to drive on steadily. I took shots at Way Beyond ACT 2 only to disable it in some way and to bloody Nate once as a warning. Way Beyond took the hit hard and SDR went in to fully remove the back left wheel of their truck to slow it down further.  The thing tried grappling at my AE86 but for anything to do that they would have to be hoping for a miracle as I could easily maneuver any attacks in my car just as I could on foot.

Once my opportunity came to be I noticed the infernal replaced the wheel SDR had previously removed as if it were nothing.  At that point I didn’t want this to get anywhere further as I had enough of fucking around. With time now stopped I had SDR disassemble Nate’s fancy rifle, which I remembered he got from Aki some time ago and was actually a LVOA-C, and had her take the parts with her. After that I had SDR take Nate, the infernal, and all the gear they brought tossed into my car.  Upon resuming time of course they were confused, and that’s when Nate crushed some chalk prism in his hand, teleporting all of us to a marshland biome with some grand, but really gloomy, mansion in the distance. Nate attempted to have Way Beyond ACT 2 perform some kind of trick with the thundering weather outside, and as soon as I locked both doors both of these goons tried to roll down the windows to jump out.  Hell even the infernal in the back tried to roll down my window to escape, but before either of them could make a move SDR had Remembrance bring about some string binding to secure them both in place.

Apparently I drove right past Duke, Caz, and Hugh on the path I was using and I stopped time again to have SDR take everything out of the car safely as I exited myself upon resuming time. The three I had previously passed ran up to the commotion I had now stirred asking what it was I had been doing and who these two were.  With Nate and this other guy tied up it was then that I had to ask Nate a lot of questions. First being why his Anima had another form, what kind of mess he was stuck in, and that I needed to help him. Of course that last one was persuasion, not a question. I had to get Caz to help with his “Truth” spell since my Enthrall thing I apparently can do doesn’t seem to work too well mostly. Upon Hue and Caz tearing through Nate’s stash of arms within the Doomsday Kit they must’ve extracted around 40 or 50 individual handguns and rifles, which Caz had Huggy graciously swallow around his fleshy mass with to the displeasure of both me and Nate.  Eventually Hue pulled out a large 6-person tent that we sheltered ourselves within.

Finally getting to ask Nate on the pressing matters, the first two criteria were easier to ask for as it was that Moloch enhanced Way Beyond for the time being, and that he had also been given dark magic to help him fulfill a demand made by Lucifer and Moloch in bringing back to them demonic artifacts such as one that was brought with us from the truck. The persuasion hit close to me, but it went something like this:

“Let me help you, let us help you.  Whatever it is you’re in trouble with, I’ll be there to weigh the odds in your favor.”

“I don’t want you to get involved, it’s not your concern.”

“Did you want to harm me back there in that chase, did you really want to kill me?”

“I, no.  I don’t think I could ever really do that.”

“You wanted me not to get involved, but here I am.  I demand that I get you out of this mess, it’s only right for who we are to each other and what I stand for.”

“I told you to leave me.  I really don’t want to drag you into this.”

“Well, unlike this I’m often asked for help by many and I do what I can to pull through.  All I’ve noticed with every case is that I excel their expectations and do the job just as they asked.  For Aki, for Ren, and for Ashton. For all of them I did it not for the gains I’d have by the end but solely to better their lives at my behalf.  In the light of becoming a legendary hero to others I do what I do for others and never for myself, as that is what it means to be that which others can rely on.  Now I ask this not for my benefit but for yours: will you let me help you?”

“I, well, Kari I don’t know.”

“When you first awoke in hell, in that ship that crashed.  That was us, back when it was me, Duke over there, and two others who aren’t here now.  Well we didn’t mean to crash it but that’s how it was. I knew someone else escaped from that crash but they were long gone upon our awakening.  There’s a lot I want to do for you, Nate, and one of few things I ask of you in return is that you tell me things so that I can help you with them and not keep silent.  The other is that I want to trust that you won’t run off on me or my friends here. There’s so much I can do for you if you’d only tell me to begin with. I can give you time to think, I can create time for you to think no matter how irresponsible that is, all I ask is that you come with us.  That, and maybe we could even catch up.”

“Alright.  Give me time, I’ll think about it.”

“And what about you, what’s your role with knowing Nate?”

I said this as I was addressing the infernal, also still tied at this point as the two were placed next to each other.

“I’m Garam, what’s it to you?”

“Quite a lot actually, but you didn’t answer my question.”

“Well I’m to help him make ends meet as I’ve been assigned to by Lucifer.”

“Within reason, I imagine.  I’ll have you know that I personally don’t mean to lay harm on either of you, but I’d like to help Natey over there make ends meet.”

“Certainly I can believe that with someone with a face as pretty as yours.”

“Well, I appreciate the compliment but I sure hope you heard what I just said.”

At that instant I felt calmer around Garam, but suddenly Duke completely knocked him unconscious as Cas blindfolded him and Hue threw him into his pocket plane.  I didn’t even have time to argue as I looked to Nate once again, feeling the need to clarify what had just happened.

“Wait!  Hey, uh, Nate I-”

“Look, I’ll stay with you for now but give me time, okay?”

“I guess I can’t decide that I was going to be cooperative with you and Garam on the behalf of my entire team, but that’s what I was hoping to do.”

“This tent isn’t going to withstand this heavy downpour much longer.  Is that manor up ahead safe?”

“I don’t know, uh, Cas?”

“It is my family’s home.  I wouldn’t call it optimal but other than my parents being rude they’re not dangerous, so yes it is safe.”

With that we all headed up towards the mansion, which I myself hadn’t been in before.  We were all given appropriate rooms within and I requested I share whichever guest room I was provided with Nate and Garam, I felt like their being here was my newfound responsibility.  Since Garam was out of commission for now I had the room only with Nate. In that time I tried to catch up with him, not necessarily make small talk but actually converse with him, but he would so much as budge.  Although upon getting a bit flirtatious with him I could see his stoic facade start to fade as it almost seemed he was about to break. Even though it took about an hour to get to that point, Caz’s family called about all of us in for dinner.  I was probably seconds from getting pounced on but maybe it was for the best he stay unmoving in front of what we weren’t expecting to face. Upon getting all situated for a dinner I wasn’t very keen on taking part in, and I’m sure Nate wasn’t either, a knock came from the door.  The family butler went to answer as he introduced that Val was here to join us.

Almost immediately upon being in the room, as we all had sat down to enjoy a meal, Val produced a knife and severed a chandelier from the ceiling causing the table below to go ablaze. Val then pointed right at Nate and ordered him to challenge her to see who could extinguish the flames first.  Nate stood up, exclaimed, “Fuck it, sure.”, and used some kind of his new magic to dampen the flames. After that Val ripped the clothes off of her, which was to say just rags, and do as she said. After about a few seconds of doing so she bolted right out of the mansion itself and into the pouring rain. At that point I had SDR simply water down the flames with Nate and I running after Caz and Hugh after Val.

While Nate had his Way Beyond binoculars out, and apparently SDR thought it’d be cute to cup her hands around her eyes and mock him, and I saw Caz pick up Val, grow wings, and rush towards a lake in the distance. Hurriedly the rest of us gave chase towards this ocean-sized lake in the distance, noting that Caz and Val were getting the head start and the advantage on getting there before us. Not only did everything happen as sudden as it did but it would appear that Caz had been using that Mass Teleport he has to quicken the travel time.  Once they got there Val in an instant went from the shore to inwards into the body of water, and before Caz could give chase she split into all these clones that ran in different directions. Once we had noticed Caz running after one of these clones, or maybe the actual Val'Thuum I wasn’t sure, Scallion splashed in remarking that while the storm hindered his flight it didn’t hinder his naval travel and offered us a ride inwards. I asked what he was doing here and he seemed to be wanting to ask to same question, but he politely answered that he was the one that brought Duke, Caz, and Hugh to the Palatino estate.  I then asked him how Val got here then, and he wasn’t sure. Scallion then asked about Nate and he politely, if a bit stubbornly, answered with his name and that he and I went way back. I knew at that point Scallion didn’t know I came from a different dimension and telling him that along with the fact that Nate is the same way at that moment seemed like a terrible idea.

Eventually the ship came across Caz and he climbed aboard. Upon sailing inwards more we all noticed a glowing light towards the bottom of the lake, then Caz teleported himself down to it. Hugh promptly walked onto the surface of the water itself, produced a large dumbell from his hat, and sunk down into the lake alarmingly fast.  I ushered SDR to remember the likeliness of something aquatic to enable us underwater breathing and then I suggested Nate get Scuba gear from within the Kit. He turned to Duke and asked if he was a basalt mountainfolk specifically, which both Duke and I said yes. Duke asked if it was Nate’s turn to Flex Seal himself and Nate did pull out a can of Flex Seal and said, “Stand still. I’ll make it quick”. While he did that I laughed to myself and upon finishing Nate and I dove in, just the naval professional practice of it felt like old times, while SDR picked up Duke and dropped him into the lake clumsily.

By the time the three of us got to the bottom it seemed that the light from the bottom was not just that but an entire underwater complex.  Upon getting closer we noticed there were airlock units to fully enter this massive underwater structure. After entering we followed the trail of wet footsteps of many further into the complex and past a burning wreckage of a room labelled “Control Room”. Of course it was, knowing our reputation. Upon hurriedly pressing on we got to a room lit up by fire yet again but in the center of it was a massive humanoid being, skin all gold in worn rags for clothes and chains binding him almost like prey in a spider’s web. Val was utterly still and next to her Caz was chanting something to himself. Hue was preparing one of those fabled chamber guns, at this point I’d imagine he acquired it when I went off to Aquaria City, and was prepared to fire. Val for once made a reasonable action as she said something to Caz and in return Caz provided her with nearly every explosive he had on him.  Now why I say reasonable is that Val proceeded to place these explosives all over the golden man and upon doing so Hugh turned to Duke, Nate, and I said this bound goliath before us was Ulysses himself. I turned my gaze towards Hugh and said, “Finally, maybe now we can mark one off”.

“We can only hope so, I hope Pleroma works.”

“If you don’t think it will, I can make it so.”

“Did you want to?”

“All I can say is that if I fail then I don’t think we’ll get a better arms handler to use it.  I’d say Nate but in the time spent being older than we look I’ve done more shooting in lost decades than he has.  It’s your responsibility, so you have the right to decide for yourself who should use it.”

With that Caz seemed to finish chanting, Hugh did something to all of those explosives, and in an instant everything rushed forth.  The explosives went off, then in an instant all of us, with Ulysses, were standing in a tower back in the Palatino mansion, and Ulysses was free of his bindings.  He stood before us looking pleased and stated, “Finally, now the real competition may begin”. As we all stood before him: Duke, his White Ivory Tarkus, Hugh, Lucy, Val, Caz, Nate, SDR, and myself, I thought about all that led up to this point and all that’s been sacrificed.  Jeff abandoned us in these final moments, we lost Ping to Azathoth, and many have died in our wake. We’ve all entangled ourselves in each other’s personal affairs and struggles and we all overcome them together. I knew then and there that we would not lose to Ulysses, we all had resolve of gold and we’ve worked hard to carry on.  We would emerge victorious over evil, just as I always had.

### **Entry 33**

In an instant Jeff re-emerged from the trap door in the tower and immediately took in the whole situation.  I was more ready than ever to get this over with, for all injustice this god would be. So much so in battle that he preferred to target Sweet Dreams Requiem and I, failing at doing so.  As heavily as combat ensued for it was over with a literal bang. Hugh planted the entirety of his remaining 15 grapefruit bombs and that was enough to destroy the god in a bright flash of light after all our combined efforts to kill him.  We celebrated with an exchange of encouragement and Jeff had apparently given me a gift, labelled by a lyric from a song I loved in my youth. He gave me more than I think he knew he did, and I made it clear to him I was thankful as during that fight with Ulysses he put his heavily wounded body in front of Val to protect her from damage despite his own injuries.  I honestly praise him for such a heroic thing, as even though I would have done the same in that instance not just anyone else would. Nate held together too despite being really unfamiliar with anything that was happening, and for that I praised him too.

In the midst of combat Ulysses charged forth something I had vaguely recognized before for its severity: God Hand.  I may not have known magic, or still don’t, all that well and I have my son to help me on that front, but I knew what God Hand was.  An inescapable explosion of holy energy akin to a nuclear blast. We all survived from that somehow but the surrounding environment was ravaged, we had to check on Scallion and the rest of the house after that battle just to be sure.  Upon doing so the butler of the estate with a lot of belongings packed on him like a mule walked out the front door, declaring to Caz that his parents would be moving out immediately. I thought nothing of it and openly announced to Nate that he didn’t have much of a choice than to join us.  With his near insincere remark Caz planar teleported us back to the Aether for all of our required rest.

I wasn’t prepared for sleep that night at all.  I almost get the feeling when I dream so do the others, but none the same.  I awoke in one of the pods in Azathoth’s cursed laboratory. Upon exiting I was greeted with the sight of my own corpse, a trail of my own corpses.  It led me from a trail to a pile of them, and then into the room I remembered Katya being stored in. I opened it to find a live me with the outfit I remembered visiting Ferox in full with my old, beautiful long hair, not that my current sci-fi hair is comparatively worse.  She, I, was going to shoot me and I easily shot that gun, my Mk. 23, out of her, my, hands. It’s difficult to explain this so I will simply refer to it as her and not me.

I for the moment thought this other me was from the past as her SDR was weak and she hadn’t cut her hair, let alone I hadn’t been to Ferox since I brought Voce back to World Zero.  Well, no, I returned Sol back to Ferox with Voce. Still, it had been since the end of the summer for me in 2090. After some debacle and debate I had forgotten that Katya, more worse for wear than before, was resting below the boot of this other Ferox me.  She announced that we were both wrong and advised checking the nearby terminal for details. This ancient DOSX computer held a lot of entries, Katya advising the first one at the very bottom.

I wasn’t prepared for it as upon looking at this file it showed DNA, labelled as my DNA.  Katya in her deathly state exclaimed with all Azathoth has done here that all of us, and the corpses, were homunculus lab-born copies meant to copy me and my power as pawns or as experiments.  We were artificial, and it made sense as I had no memory of how I came to be in the Aether Guard other than simply arriving one day. I always thought Katya dragged me into that dimension. The last thing I remember was claiming I was in no position to hesitate ending all of us, to which Katya played my bluff.  I fatally shot the imposter, then Katya, then turned the gun to myself and woke up to that shot. From there I had no more memories of what happened in the “Aether” dimension and everything became a bit easier to understand.

You’re probably asking, “Well if that wasn’t the real you and you can recount on everything that unreal you has done in that dimension this whole time, as well as having memories of dimension hopping to and from this whole time, then how does that make any sense if that wasn’t really you?”  Excellent question, o predictable listener.

There was a mental connection between us, the real Kari and the “unnamed Kari”.  The real Kari was transferred the unnamed Kari’s memories passively to believe they were the same, given memories to believe we were one the same.  The unnamed Kari having been there the whole time, but still the real Kari having actually been to the “Aether” dimension before personally. Azathoth used that small time window to be inspired enough to grow artificial Karis and Katyas like they were spores.  Now that this is known to me, something is different and concerning.

The real Kari won’t know anything anymore beyond this point as our memories are disconnected and independent.  I have my freedom here in the Aether as someone else, someone not the Legendary Hero of World Zero. I can’t be called that, and I’m not deserving of being a famous hero.  I’ve been living a life of falsehood and the real Kari, having her memories, I understand she is an amazing person and am grateful she is not under Azathoth’s thumb. The real Kari Frost is a powerful figure who has saved lives, touched hearts, and been an exemplary role model and friend to all those that appreciate her, and I’m nothing.  I’m a fallacy representing someone of great valor, the true definition of a nobody. Azathoth has already failed at replicating Kari Frost, it’s an impossible task. One cannot touch her, a person ascended beyond all humankind by her good deeds. You can’t tame Kari for she is unable to be replaced, replicated, or fabricated. One cannot fake Kari as her experiences make her the hero she is, the hero she deserves to be.  For that Azathoth will never be able to attain his goals of making me Kari Frost. Her resolve is actual, and no one can touch it. My artificial self could never come close.

Despite my newfound depression I will not let that hinder me.  I am a changeling, but I will keep the resemblance of her body and her face.  I will live on not as Kari but as her friend. I will help Nate return to the real love of his life, I could sit in solitude and gently weep at the last moments Kari saw Nate during Operation Blacklight. It inspires me to return him home seeing such an unbroken force like Kari break down at the notion that her lover risked his life and dimensional being for her and their friends, despite knowing he'd face fate doing so.  I will change my look and carry on her will and I will fight on for my friends, our friends, like any other. I don’t know how to break it to them, but I will do so similarly as I have here in this log. I don’t know if I’ll ever receive closure but I won’t let that bother me, nothing will stunt my newfound freedom but one question: what do I even call myself now?

## **Other Cached Data**

**Entry 32 - Beginning**

   **Entry 32 - End / Entry 33 - Beginning**