Part 210: The AB Project
VLR OST: [Strain]
(Akane!)
Behind her was Dio.
He was moving quickly and quietly, a knife glinting in his right hand.
(Shit—!)
There was no time to yell to her.
I scrambled down from the top of the AB Room—
Phi wasn't following me.
When I looked back, she was still standing on the roof.
Before I could finish, she moved.
She ran across the roof, launched herself into the air—
[Music fades out]
Listen in: [English/Japanese]
He's fine. Just unconscious.
I bent down and held my fingers in front of his mouth.
He was still breathing.
I don't think he saw me.
He probably has no idea what happened to him.
Guy went down like a sack of potatoes.
He had it coming.
I heard footsteps come to a stop right in front of us.
I looked up.
999 OST: [Digital Root]
I've been waiting for you.
...
...
You're here to hear the rest, right?
Wait... Just...wait a minute.
How can you be so calm?!
If we hadn't shown up just now, you'd...you'd...
Although, that reminds me. I haven't thanked you yet.
Thank you very much. I very much appreciate you saving me.
Th-That...! What...?!
Are you an esper too?
Yes. Indeed I am.
I am able to jump through time just like you.
Then what the hell were you thinking?!
If you knew he was going to stab you, why were you going to let him do it?!
Because I had to.
You what...?
Think back.
Why are you here?
If I hadn't been killed by Dio, no one else would have been murdered.
Consequently, your own abilities would never have manifested.
...
...
I did explain, didn't I?
In order for that to happen, some death was necessary.
When a human brain is faced with danger, its processing speed increases.
Information is processed more quickly, and time almost seems to slow—a few seconds can feel like an eternity.
Unfortunately, that in itself isn't enough to send oneself through time.
The amplitude of the consciousness is simply too small.
In order to increase the amplitude, we need to slow down the brain before the increase happens.
You pull back on the rubber band and then let go.
The potential energy you stored in the band is released and converted into kinetic energy.
That's what fires the bullet out of the slingshot.
Now, while a slingshot can only fire in one direction, your mind isn't similarly limited.
When the bullet of your consciousness is fired from the slingshot of your brain, it travels past the three-dimensional world and into the four-dimensional one.
From that perspective, time is no longer fixed.
Your consciousness has been released from the three-dimensional cage.
Whoa...what?
We're infected with Radical-6?
Yes.
Don't you remember, Sigma? Luna should have told you about it in another timeline.
Well, apart from Luna, of course.
...
...
Unfortunately, it was necessary.
We needed to slow your minds in order to "store up" your potential energy.
Then we provided a dire situation that would accelerate your processing speed.
The result is what you are now experiencing.
...
...
Even that, however, wasn't enough.
You had the ability to travel, but your memories could easily be lost during the trip.
If the project was to succeed, you had to be able to retain everything you learned in each reality.
That was the reason you were forced to jump so many times.
With each jump, your ability to remember improved.
Eventually you would be able to retain everything.
...
...
That is why we made you play the AB Game.
That was why you had to select different Chromatic Doors.
By forcing specific choices, we could cause you to make more jumps.
[Music fades out]
Well, okay, there are a lot of things I don't understand, but all of what you've just told me makes sense.
You did...all of this so that Phi and I could jump through four-dimensional space with our memories intact.
Right?
Yes...
But...why did you need us to do that?
People have died for this.
I mean, let's count how many different ways people died... Murder, antimatter explosion, suicide...
I've died. So has Phi. So have you.
VLR OST: [Divulgation]
So why would you do all this? What does it matter that Phi and I jump through time?
Haven't I told you? Death was unavoidable.
You were all destined to die.
Sacrifices had to be made, for the sake of the project.
I already know all that!
What I'm asking you is why!
What is so goddamn important that it's worth all this?!
Ah...
...
...
What...?
Just when is "eventually"?
In a future not very far from now.
Bullshit! That's not good enough!
Why can't you tell us now?!
Instead of answering, Akane knelt down next to Dio and picked his knife up off the floor.
Don't change the subject!
But it's almost time...
What are you talking about? We've got plenty of time!
Wh-What...?
This is the way it has to be. Don't fight it.
...
...
Lagomorph!
Yes.
You call him Zero Jr. His official designation is "Lagomorph."
...
Lagomorph, this is an order: Unlock my bracelet.
Compliance.
Now everything is in place.
I have put the bracelet onto Dio.
That's the one Quark is in, right?
Correct.
I will move him.
I will also put your bodies back into the third AB Room.
Once that's done, I will reset its puzzle to an unsolved state.
To recreate the history that you remember.
Your consciousness is about to leave your body and return to the future.
Your body will be emptied, and your other consciousness will jump back in...
If your bodies aren't back in the third AB Room by then, it would be...bad.
So you're saying some version of us is going to wake up in that room and repeat the same history again?
Well, I guess this could actually be our second or third time...
You are exactly correct.
...
...
Lastly, I'm going to leave this with you.
She paused, and pulled something out of her pocket.
[Music fades out]
I'll tie it onto your ankle so that you won't lose it, all right, Sigma?
"Tu fui, ego eris."
It's Latin. It means, "What you are, I was... What I am, you will be."
Yes.
What am I supposed to do with it?
It will help you meet someone who's very important.
What...?
You won't be alone.
I will be at your side, watching over you.
Now hurry!
Wait! I still—
Sad news for anyone who really wanted to betray Phi and Tenmyouji after all that; it looks like that choice has been taken out of our hands.
...Look, I know you're out there. 38 of you wanted to betray Luna last time.