Just A Dream...
The Jem Memorial

Chapter Thirteen: Wild At Heart

"Well, I never thought that I'd be here of all places, after everything that's happened." Aja gazed up at Starlight Mansion, her heart full of memories. A sad smile touched her face. "Home, at last...at least that's how it feels. Better now it's no longer boarded up...how weird that Sylvina and her group should wind up living here now."
She headed up the front steps, ringing the bell and waiting impatiently for one of the residents to open the door. As it happened, it was Sylvina herself, who exclaimed with surprise at seeing her aunt.
"I didn't know you were still in LA till the other night." She admitted. "What brings you here?" She looked hunted. "I'm not in trouble, am I?"
"No, of course not." Aja laughed. "No, I've come for another reason completely. Are you all home?"
"We've had little choice." Sylva pulled a face. "With all the press and stuff about, we've been trying to keep a low profile." She frowned, eying her aunt thoughtfully. "Aunt Aja, do you know we have the computer?"
"Yes. That is precisely my reason for coming to see you." Aja nodded. "Synergy. Raya told me that she was still here...I wanted to see if I could help you out."
"Aaron's worried that the amount of power she's using will give away her location." Sylva led the way into the main lounge. "It's all greek to me, but we have had a few phonecalls asking if we know anything about what happened at the concert. It's only a matter of time before we have the FBI descending on us after seeing our power readouts."
"Then she must be shut down for now."
"She refuses to be." Sylva shrugged. "I hope you can help."
She pushed open the door of the lounge. "Guys, my Aunt Aja...she wants to see Synergy. Aunt Aja, this is Nancy, Copper and Aaron."
"Synergy mentioned you when we first booted her." Aaron smiled. "Aja of the Holograms...may we call you Aja?"
"Of course." Aja nodded. "I'm here basically to see if I can help protect her - and you all - from too much scrutiny. I understand she won't be shut down."
"No, she won't." Copper frowned. "We've tried reasoning with her, but it's no good. And none of us want her mad at us, else we'd do it when she wasn't looking..."
"That would be no good. She has - or had - fairly ample battery backup." Aja said matter-of-factly. "Where is she?"
"Down in the basement." Aaron said. "I'll show you."
"Thanks." Aja smiled. "It feels very strange to be back here after so long...even stranger since the house doesn't look that much altered since my time here. Brings back a lot of memories."
"It must." Copper nodded her head. "Mama said you and she and the other Holograms had a lot of good times here."
"Yes, indeed we did." Aja agreed. "It's too easy sometimes to let the bad overshadow the good, but coming here has helped me put that into perspective. I'm glad it's being lived in again...it needs people."
"We were going to rename it." Nancy owned. "Though we've grown accustomed to calling it Starlight Mansion."
"I'd appreciate it if you kept it's name." Aja said softly. "In memory of what it used to be. Starlight Music may not be with us many more months...it would be hard to lose the mansion too."
"Then we'll keep it." Sylva said decidedly. "Starlight is a nice name anyway. We just didn't want to be associated with Jerrica and Starlight Music."
"I don't think you will need to worry about that." Aja responded, as Aaron opened the basement door once more. "Well, she was never down here when I lived here."
"The room she was in had bad damp." Aaron explained. "Oddly enough this was the dryest place in the house, and someplace secure. Synergy, a friend for you!"
Synergy's projectors glowed a warm, vibrant pink as she surveyed her visitor.
"Aja." She murmured.
"Hello, old friend." Aja smiled. "Did you miss me?"
"Yes." Synergy bathed the Hologram in a gentle glow, shifting her features back to the Aja she had known those years before, and then allowing the image to fade. "Very much. Why did you go?"
"It's a long story, Synergy, but I'm here now." Aja said. "I'm sorry that you've been through the wars, but I understand these guys have been taking good care of you."
"They're good to me." Synergy paused, then, "I don't think I deserve it."
"You took us all by surprise at the Memorial." Aja observed. "I had no idea that you were no longer in Jerrica's possession. In fact I was under the impression you were dead."
"I would have been." Synergy replied. "If not for Aaron."
Aaron grinned.
"Yes, and a lot of trouble you are, too!" He teased her. Synergy's projectors dimmed to red once more.
"I know." She agreed.
"I know it's been a long time, Synergy, but I hope you still have the faith in me that I have in you." Aja rested her hand on the machine's hard drive. Synergy laughed.
"Any doubts I could have had were driven away by your kindness to me at the Memorial." She said. "You defended me to Jerrica...that I shall not forget, Aja. You are as true a friend as ever you were."
"Then will you do me a favour?"
"What is it?"
"Will you let Aaron and Sylvie and the others shut you down temporarily, whilst things are difficult outside?"
"I do not like the idea."
"I know...but you have my word that you shan't be forgotten or neglected ever again, Synergy."
Synergy's projectors flickered. Then she sighed.
"All right." She said resignedly. "I've caused the trouble, I should be shut down. But..."
"But only temporarily." Aaron assured her. "Don't worry, Synergy. We know."
"Good." Synergy smiled. "I spent a long time being someone's slave, with, as it turns out, very little gratitude in the end. I should like this time to be able to devote my runtime to my own ends, and not be always at someone's beck and call."
"I think that would be a good idea too." Copper grinned. "You're our friend, Synergy, not our slave."
"And that's as it should be." Aja nodded. "You've always been too real to me to be treated like a machine, Synergy. I hope that this is the start of a brilliant new future for you." She winked. "After all, I always knew that you were wild at heart!"
 


 PART TWO: THE JEM MEMORIAL
Chapter One: Starlight Mansion
Chapter Two: Discovery!
Chapter Three: Zoe
Chapter Four: Top Of The Charts
Chapter Five: Aaron's Secret
Chapter Six: Sirena's Plan
Chapter Seven: Reboot
Chapter Eight: Some Answers
Chapter Nine: The Jem Memorial Concert
Chapter Ten:  Revenge
Chapter Eleven: Repercussions
Chapter Twelve: A Temporary Solution
Chapter Thirteen: Wild At Heart

JEWELFIC MAIN PAGE:
Copper, Nancy, Sylvie, Anna, Blade, Sirena, Topaz, Aaron, Sophie, Justin, Elliot, Rosita, Luis and any other characters in this fiction which do not appear in the animated Jem series are copyrighted to me (E.A Woolley) as of January 2002 <unless otherwise specified> and are not to be reproduced without permission ANYWHERE. Jetta, Pizzazz, Stormer, Roxy, Raya and all other original Jem characters are the copyright of Hasbro Inc, Sunbow, Christy Marx and the other writers of the Jem series.
Sammi and the concept of Aja's future life are copyrighted to Gemma Dawn.