74Chapter 1
The unarmored blue FM-ian yawned loudly. His tiny gray box of an office was empty, as it always was. The giant, glowing portal to the Astro Wave was clear, as always. And the stretch of Wave Road leading from the portal out into the distance was, predictably—
KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK
The guard snapped to attention. Floating just outside his office was an FM-ian shaped like a large harp, eyeing him with a bored expression.
"Oh, Miss Lyra!" the guard said, quickly saluting. "My apologies, I didn't see you coming!"
Lyra smirked. "Nodding off, perhaps?"
The guard gulped.
"Oh, don't worry, dear, I won't tell anyone. I hardly blame you: guarding this place must be dreadfully tedious."
"Y…yes, ma'am. Thank you very much, ma'am."
Lyra moved a pace away. "I'm here on official business. Could you open the gate for me, please?"
"Oh, of course! I'll get it immediately, ma'am."
As the guard reached for the lever, Lyra casually floated towards the portal. The blue pillar of light turned green, the bars surrounding it disappearing one by one. Poking his head out, he said, "It'll only take a moment, Miss Lyra. If I may ask, where are you going? Hardly any off-planet assignments have been handed down these days—do you have some kind of special mission?"
Lyra watched the locks continue to open. "Something like that."
A light on the control panel flashed. The guard turned to a viewscreen, which soon flicked on to display a large yellow FM-ian.
"Gemini, sir!"
Lyra spun around.
"This is an alert for all Astro Wave guards," Gemini said. "One of our elite soldiers, Lyra, has betrayed the FM King."
She turned back to the portal. Only one more lock to go.
"We believe she is trying to make it off-planet. Should you see her, you are ordered to turn her in to the authorities."
The guard looked up. "I-I see. Um…sir?"
The last lock disappeared. Lyra leapt into the portal before the guard could do anything, feeling the world rush past her as she was transported to Planet FM's upper atmosphere.
"Yes? What is it?" Gemini asked.
Staring at the portal, the guard said, "Um…I'll let you know if I hear anything…"
Sonia walked down the dirt path cutting through the park, staring up at the stars. She had hoped to explore the city a little more, but she was so recognizable lately that she couldn't go anywhere without attracting a mob. No one was in the park except her—she had some room to breathe here.
Of course, she might have been able to look around if she had her staff with her, but her manager didn't even know she was out. He had insisted she stay in and spend the next few days practicing, regardless of the fact that she knew all these songs backwards and forwards and could play them in her sleep. (She had played in her sleep once—for how unnerved her manager had been she thought he would've remembered.)
She stopped in front of a large flowerbed and looked at the open field beyond it.
"So that's where the stage is going to be?" she mumbled. "Hm…this looks good. We should be able to get a lot of people out here."
So many people.
She shook her head. Sonia walked to the nearest bench and sank into it, pulling her guitar onto her lap and exhaling loudly. At the instrument's head was a small screen that displayed a Transer menu—she touched through the options and skimmed her email to pass time.
This is still boring, but…I guess it's better to be bored out here.
She picked at the guitar for a bit, and then looked down at the sunglasses clipped onto the neck of her hoodie. She held them up and examined them: they had wide, pink, oval-shaped lenses that mashed together at the center, with concentric semicircles etched into their surface.
Sonia slipped them on. "Haha…they're not very fashionable, but I guess I shouldn't complain."
She started playing again. About half-way through the song, something caught her eye; her fingers stopped and she looked up at the sky, seeing a bright white light streak across it.
She leapt to her feet. "A shooting star?"
The light kept moving, seemingly growing brighter by the second.
"Weird, they're not supposed to last this long…well, more time to make a wish, I guess!"
She closed her eyes and thought. An image of her mother came to mind—she tried to think of something else, but that was all that came.
…I guess, she thought, I wish I had a chance to know more about her.
She didn't think shooting star wishes really came true (not for several years now), but she still felt silly for not wishing for something a little more realistic. When she opened her eyes, she saw that the light was still getting brighter…
And it appeared to be angling towards her.
"Huh?"
She took a step back and bumped into the bench, falling onto it. When she looked back up, her sunglasses started flashing, forcing her to shut her eyes.
"What's going on?!"
She opened her eyes just enough to see the bright light barreling down on her.
"Ah!"
Sonia was knocked off the bench by some blunt force and hit the ground. She was dazed for a few seconds; when she could see straight again, she grabbed her guitar and was relieved to see it was unscathed.
"Whew, that's good…"
She stood up and dusted herself off. Stooping to pick up the sunglasses, she wondered, "What the heck was that?"
"Hello there."
She spun around. No one was there—even the strange light had disappeared, leaving the park just as dark and empty as it had been a minute ago.
"Weird," she said, putting the sunglasses back on.
She blinked.
The glowing neon platforms in the sky didn't go away.
She took the glasses off, and the lights disappeared. She put them back on—they came back.
"…Huh," she said.
"Excuse me, dear?"
She turned around without taking the glasses off, and now saw a large, flaming harp with a face floating in front of her.
"…Oh, um, you mean me?" Sonia said after a short delay.
The harp smiled. "Yes, you. I know you can see me with those."
Sonia ran a finger along the glasses. "Is that it? Why? This has definitely never happened before…"
The harp frowned. "You don't know what the Visualizer does?"
Sonia shook her head. Is this a dream, maybe?
"I see…well, put simply, it lets you see EM waves, which humans normally can't perceive. I'm an EM lifeform from Planet FM—it's only because of your Visualizer that you are able to see me. They were off, so I jumpstarted the battery for you. Apologies for the rude landing, but I was having some trouble aiming."
Sonia crossed her arms. This being was being polite enough, but somehow she couldn't help but feel…patronized. "So you're an alien?"
"Yes."
"Okay."
The alien raised one eyebrow. "You're being awfully calm about this."
Sonia smiled nervously. "Well, even if this isn't a dream, panicking won't really get me anywhere."
The harp laughed. "What an interesting human…my name is Lyra, by the way."
"I'm Sonia. Sonia Strumm."
Lyra's eyes widened. "Did you say Strumm?"
Sonia cringed—having her name recognized was a bit concerning even when talking to humans, let alone sentient instruments from outer space. "Um…yes?"
"I see…"
"…So, um, what brings you to Earth? I mean, if it's okay for me to ask."
"Considering how I made my entrance, I believe you're entitled at least to that," Lyra replied. She spoke a bit slowly. "Some brutes from my home planet are looking for me. Earth is sort of out of the way, and…"
She trailed off. Sonia waited expectantly, but all she got was, "It just seemed like a place where I could find a friend."
"Really?" Sonia said. "Is there anything I can do to help you?"
"Hm? You want to help out an alien you just met?"
"It sounds like you're in trouble. I might not be able to do much, but if most people can't see you then I feel like it falls to me to at least try to help."
Lyra looked at her for a moment, and then grinned. "…Thank you. I think I'll take you up on that."
The alien disappeared in a burst of pink flame. Sonia looked around, and then heard laughter coming from the screen on her guitar.
"The EM technology of you humans is still a bit primitive," Lyra's voice said, "but this should do for now."
Sonia looked at the screen—Lyra was floating inside it. "Huh? Hey, please be careful! This was a gift from my mother!"
Lyra's face shifted. It bothered Sonia in a way she couldn't articulate. "Really…did she give you the Visualizer as well?"
"Huh? Well, yes, but…"
"Forgive me if this is sudden, but can I meet your mother?"
Sonia blinked. A pit began to form in her stomach. "…Um…"
"She must have some experience with EM waves if she had access to a Visualizer," Lyra explained calmly. "Such a person would definitely be able to—"
"I can't."
"Hm?"
"I'm sorry, but…I can't take you to Mama."
Lyra eyed Sonia warily. "…And why not?"
Sonia lowered the guitar and looked up. "She's in Heaven."
After a moment, Lyra asked, "And where is Heaven?"
"What?"
"Is it someplace far away? Is that why you can't take me?"
"You…don't know about Heaven?"
"I have some basic knowledge of this planet, but nothing in-depth. Is it on another continent, or the other side of the world?"
Sonia shook her head—her chest was starting to sting. "No. Heaven is, um…it's where you go, when you…pass on…"
Lyra had been edging closer. She now recoiled, wide-eyed. "…Oh. Oh, dear, I'm so sorry." She sounded far more sincere now.
"That's alright," Sonia said, and her unease began to subside gradually. She started walking back towards town—no use standing around in the park all night. "But, you really don't know about Heaven on your planet?"
"…Our beliefs are a bit different," Lyra quietly returned. "We FM-ians have a legend that says when we die, our waves drift through space and eventually coalesce with those of our ancestors in the form of a star, or maybe in a larger constellation if you have a prestigious lineage."
Sonia brightened up a bit. "That sounds beautiful."
"In a way, I suppose."
Sonia hummed. "I'm not really sure where to take you. You say it might help to see someone who has experience with EM waves, but I don't know anyone like that."
"…I hope I don't seem rude in asking, but…you don't know any co-workers or friends your mother might have had?"
"No, sorry. She did used to be a scientist, but she left that job about three years ago; she never really talked about it much."
"I see."
"There was one friend she had who I met a few times after that, but I don't know how to get ahold of him. I could try looking him up."
"That's alright, dear; thank you anyway. I'll figure something out."
As they reached the park exit, Sonia became aware of a strange buzzing sound. She looked up at the buildings that loomed above, and her eyes were drawn to their brilliantly-flashing signs, which were pulsing with an odd frequency she had never seen before.
"That's strange…"
Suddenly, one of the signs burst apart, raining glass shards and live sparks on the road below. Sonia jumped.
"Ah! That's definitely not normal!"
"Rats," Lyra said. "Looks like this wasn't the best place to hide after all."
"What do you mean?"
Another sign burst.
"This can only be the work of EM viruses."
"Viruses? But viruses are easy to keep in check—they've never caused problems like this."
Lyra shook her head. Well, her whole body, really, but Sonia assumed it was an equivalent gesture.
"These are EM viruses from Planet FM. The entire planet is made up of strong EM waves, so our viruses are a lot more powerful. Some of them must have been on my tail; I can't believe I didn't notice…"
More signs began to erupt. Sonia dashed away from the dim street light she was standing next to.
"So we have to stop the viruses, right? Can you do that?"
"Normally it'd be a breeze. But, the EM waves on this planet are so much weaker, I don't have access to my full power. These viruses picked brawn over brains—they don't get as bad a penalty as intelligent waves like me."
Sonia ducked behind a bush as the streetlights in the park started popping. "Isn't there anything you can do?!"
Lyra hesitated for a moment. "…Do you see that? Over there, on the ground?"
Sonia looked. A whirlpool of orange light was spinning on the ground a few feet from her, right next to an old tree at the edge of the park.
"What is that?"
"It's a Wavehole. Distortions like that link the Real World and the Wave World, and—oh, there's no time for the specifics. If you want to stop this, then step into the Wavehole!"
Sonia nodded and ran. She entered the Wavehole a bit tentatively, but didn't feel a thing.
"Now," Lyra said, "no matter what happens, just follow my lead, alright?"
"Alright," Sonia said. A bit reluctantly, she added, "I trust you."
Lyra faltered. "You…a-alright. Good. Raise this device and say 'EM Wave Change! Sonia Strumm, On the Air!'"
Sonia raised her guitar, then: "Wait, what?"
Another streetlight exploded.
"Er, I mean…EM Wave Change! Sonia Strumm, On the Air!"
Light blinded Sonia, and a feeling like a mild static shock ran through her whole body. The sensation lasted for what felt like a long time, and when it passed, she looked around and discovered she was now standing on the Wave Road above the park.
"How did we get up here?"
She then looked down at herself. She was wearing a pink dress with a large heart-shaped armor plate over her chest, and black fabric over her legs and shoulders; her lower legs were encased in thick pink armor, and the fabric on her arms was striped pink and white. She held up one hand and looked at the yellow cuff and pink glove now adorning it.
"…What is…?"
She touched her head—it was now covered by a helmet, and the Visualizer had transformed into a visor. A long white scarf was hanging from her neck, and she saw that her guitar had changed to look more like a light blue harp with a microphone stand growing from its top, a face carved into the head just above the mic.
"I'll explain as we go," Lyra replied, her voice coming from the guitar. "Just brace yourself. They're going to come to us now."
Sonia nodded. "…Um…is this…permanent?"
"No, this is a temporary transformation."
Sonia wore an exasperated grin. "Well, I guess I always did dream of being a magical girl…"
The lights that were still flickering returned to normal, and a creature appeared on the Wave Road in front of each one. All of them looked like black dots with nothing but eyes and feet, hiding under oversized hard hats that sprouted antennae. They advanced down the road like a mob.
I'm so sick of mobs.
"We're going to have to fight them," Lyra said.
"I thought you said you didn't have your full power here?"
"I don't. But when you EM Wave Changed, we fused together to create this new form. It restores my power, but you're the one who has to use it."
Sonia looked at her guitar and exclaimed, "I don't know how to fight!"
"You know how to play this instrument, correct?"
"Well, yes."
"Then you're in luck! No one is better than me at weaponizing sound waves. Just play something and I'll handle the rest."
The viruses kept moving forward. Sonia faced them, took a breath, and strummed her guitar. A large musical note appeared before her and flew at the viruses, plowing into a small group of them; they exploded on impact, and the shockwaves knocked over a few of their companions.
"Whoa!" Sonia said, taking a half-step back.
She played a chord, sending out a few more notes that thinned the oncoming group even more.
"Wow. But, there are so many of them…if only we had—"
Before she could finish, two box-shaped speakers appeared on either side of her, and at the next note she played, they sent forth additional notes that wiped away the majority of the surviving force.
One of the viruses summoned a pickaxe. It struck the Wave Road, sending out a shockwave that destroyed one of the speakers. Sonia jumped back, avoiding another shockwave, and sized up the threat: fewer than ten viruses remained, but they had successfully closed the distance and could attack her at any time.
"Now might not be the best time to test your evasion tactics," Lyra said. "I can take them out in one go, but since you're new to this, the strain might be a bit much."
The viruses raised their pickaxes. "Fine with me!" Sonia said.
"If you say so."
Sonia raised her arm high and then brought it down on the strings. A massive, heart-shaped shockwave pulsed out from her, sweeping away the viruses and the smoke and flames that they burst into one-by-one.
"Amazing…"
She began to feel lightheaded. Stumbling to the side, she sat down on the remaining speaker and caught her breath.
"You okay, Sonia?"
"I think so."
"Sorry to throw you into this headfirst. For what it's worth, you handled it quite well…I'm actually impressed."
Though the FM-ian sounded somewhat condescending, Sonia was too drained to care. "Haha…thanks…"
She went back to examining her outfit. This was a lot to take in: aliens, super-viruses, magical transformations, battles…Lyra was already seeming like a lot of trouble.
…But…she needs help. And she doesn't seem that bad.
After resting another minute, Sonia stood up. The speaker vanished.
"So?" she asked.
"I'm sorry?"
"So, what do we do now? If those viruses were able to follow you here, then the others you're running from will probably be here soon too."
"Yes, probably…and they'll surely want to pick a fight. I guess I'll just have to be ready for them."
Sonia nodded. "Alright. How do we do that?"
"Hm? Wait, do you mean you still want to help me?"
"Well, yes. I said that I would, didn't I?"
"Yes, but that was before I said anything about actually fighting. I'd hardly be offended if this was a deal-breaker."
Sonia shook her head and smiled. "It is sort of scary, but…I want to do what I can, I guess. Besides, Mama always told me that I had to keep my word!"
It was a while before she received a response. "You truly are an interesting human…"
Lyra laughed. "Very well, then! I'll teach you how to use my power so that you can defend us both. But, for now, I think we could both use a little sleep."
Sonia yawned. "Yeah. How do I get off the Wave Road?"
"Just step back into the Wavehole, dear—that'll separate us again."
Sonia walked back into the swirl of energy. Another flash, another shock, and she was back in the park, looking like her normal self. She took off her Visualizer and sighed deeply, and then headed back towards her hotel.
Well…I'm certainly not bored.
