Epilogue - Junko
"Ripples"
Junko found herself smiling, watching as her new fans slowly receded from her vicinity, fading into the crowd gathered around that strange school bus. She was happy to be here-- happy to bask in the final moments of this story. Even though she felt like just an observer, a foot note on a tale she barely had any part of, there was a sense of satisfaction to be found in the fact she apparently managed to impact a few people's lives. Junko's life had felt so fleeting lately, and she knew it wasn't going to stop any time soon, so the fact that she felt some kind of bond with
anyone, no matter how minimal...
Well, that just meant a lot, didn't it?
Junko sighed happily, closing her eyes. This was okay, wasn't it? She was simply ready to go. No need to stop on the bus, for she knew she had a different ride in store. Turning around, the girl walked toward the forest, stepping over the tree trunks knocked over by those hairy giants. She'd just head out where no one would see her, conveniently forgotten, and wait for the inevitable shift to occur. The strong smell of pine on her nostrils, the wispy feeling of tall grass on her fingertips, and the vibrant greens of the forest... these weren't the kinds of senses Junko got to experience very often, at least not while in safety.
She'd enjoy them for now, wrapped in silence. She'd hold these senses with her for as long as she could, hoping to stave off the loss of memory that often accompanied a shift. She wanted to hold on to it, at least as a reminder that not
everything she touched turned rotten.
A song popped into Junko's head, one she recalled Nicki singing one time. She didn't feel comfortable singing, not wanting to disturb the stillness of the forest. Instead, the Ultimate Fashionista just hummed the tune, continuing to do so even as her hand flashed and her entire world turned bright green. For once, a shift felt just right.
***
The next stop on Junko's endless multiverse road trip could have been anywhere. So many realities were open to Junko, at least in theory. But, as the girl had begun to suspect, her destinations never seemed quite so random. She was always drawn by
something, whether it be conflict, familiarity, or destiny. This time was no different, as Junko found herself appearing in a place all too familiar.
Standing in swamp water up to her waist, Junko's eyes went wide in shock. She felt her heart leap into her throat. Shivers jumped across her spine and sent the girl into a spasm. She panicked, splashing dirty water across her clothes and face. She was quickly becoming a fashion disaster as she tripped over her own two feet and toppled into the water. She gasped as she threw her head above water, hoping to not drown herself in what would be one of the most pathetic displays possible.
As she breathed deeply, taking in filthy air, Junko wanted to scream. She
knew this place. It was that awful facility, and of all the places of that facility for her to end up, it had to be the containment area where those disgusting freaks of nature had kept her captive.
Junko felt like she was going to throw up. Cry. Collapse. Explode. Anything!
She raised her right hand above the water and stared at the mark on her palm intently. She didn't want to remember
any of this, for it was bad enough she already had to relive it again and again in her dreams. Junk knew she couldn't control the power, but maybe... just
maybe a miracle would happen.
"I need to go!" she screamed at her hand,
"I need to go and not remember any of this!" She let out a relieved cry as her hand sparked in response. Was this control, or was it just the universe finally giving her a break?
Did it matter?
"Yes! Please! Anywhere!"
In a flash of green, Junko was gone, leaving only still waters behind her.
***
In the Aether Facility's control room stood Sergei Vladimir, a high ranking executive of Umbrella, who was towering over one of his employees as they watched a strange sight on one of the security monitors. A girl who couldn't have been any older than a teenager had suddenly breached their security and appeared in the swamp environment of The Planet, an assortment of biomes where B.O.W.s were contained and monitored. Whoever the girl was, her appearing like this was simply impossible, at least by any means Sergei or Umbrella was aware of.
"Scan her," said the gruff man, his eye glaring at this strange blonde girl. He saw the panic in her movements and could tell she was screaming, though they weren't running an audio feed on her to hear it.
"Check for technology. Anything. Get Catherine on it if you have to."
The Umbrella employee tapped rapidly at his computer's keys, but Sergei could tell it was useless. The man was agitated as he said, "nothing. She's got
nothing on her. No lingering shifter signatures and all of our anti-shifter measures are working at full capacity, so... She--" The employee paused, before tapping at a few more keys. "Catherine is busy still running tests on Krauser, sir, but I don't think she would be any help here. The girl's a total anomaly."
Sergei didn't respond. He simply crossed his his heavy arms, teeth grimacing as he watched the girl disappear as quickly as she had appeared. The mark on her hand had flashed green, obviously being the catalyst for her shift. Magical... or biological? Either were intriguing. Neither Umbrella or the Coalition had yet to find reliable shifter technology that they hadn't already built, though both groups knew that less...
scientific means existed out there. The Coalition had the Chromatus users, but Umbrella? So far, they had nothing, and their technology that shielded against individuals shifting inside their facilities were useless against these magical means.
Making a B.O.W. with the same power had been met with failure so far, but that girl...
"She may be just what we need."
Clearing his throat, Sergei turned away from the monitors and moved to leave the control room. The girl was long gone, and Sergei had some interesting news for his fellow Umbrella operatives...
***
Junko got her wish, and her next shift resulted in a minor loss in her memory. The enjoyment she had gleaned from her calm exit from Gravity Falls was gone, replaced by a state of groggy confusion. The girl had awoken in a place unknown to her, the air cold and stale. This world was dark, and Junko barely had the energy to resist when someone grabbed her and pulled her to her feet. She felt beyond uncomfortable as her clothes dripped with stinky water and her shoulder wound flared up from the stress.
Junko whimpered as she was thrown into some kind of pod. She was unable to resist whatever this man had in store for her, though she tried to lift her head and get a good look at him.
"Why is it... so dark...?" The girl blinked away tears as the top of her pod fell down and trapped her inside. Her entire world went dark, and Junko drifted off into unconsciousness.
When next she would wake, she would find herself in a virtual world, met by members of a ship called the Normandy.