Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Tales of Symphonia characters, places, etc. Every bit of it belongs to Namco, bless their Lloyd-creating souls.
Panda: Hello everyone and welcome to my very first fanfiction. Actually, that's sort of a lie. I've written fanfiction before but have never actually published it to a site where other people could read it, so I'm a little nervous. Nonetheless, I do hope you'll enjoy (-cough-and review-cough-) my little piece. I'm not sure how often I'll be updating. Probably more often the more it's liked so let that be an incentive for you to review if you want to read more. And I promise you that it'll get better than this first chapter once it gets going. So yes, enjoy.
---------------------------------------------------------
Chapter One: Escape
Her eyes glazed over as the man shoved her against a wall. No emotion; give them nothing. The Desian smirked cruelly, brandishing his whip with a merciless glint in his eye. Anna stared back at him with apathetic defiance, refusing to show him the fear he so desperately wished to get from her. The woman knew he would be completely harsh with her; she was just another human, after all, a pathetic piece of filth; a vermin that they needed to exterminate. She was a host body and that was all. But it didn't matter either way. More than likely, Anna would suffer the same fate as the rest of the humans in the Asgard Human Ranch: she would have an Exsphere attached to her and she would eventually be taken over by it for the sake of cultivating the mysterious gems.
"Host body #04—oh damn, what's your host body number?" The Desian turned and barked out orders for his sword-carrying followers to go and search out Anna's number as he seemed to have forgotten himself. "No matter… You're called Anna, correct, by the other human filth?" She didn't bother to respond. The Desian grinned. "You have been specifically chosen by Grand Desian Cardinal Lord Kvar to be one of the host bodies to cultivate the Angelus Project for as far as we are aware, you are one of the most compatible." The man approached her, carrying in his hand a shining jewel that temporarily caught Anna's eye. Smiling a smile that made the female entirely uncomfortable, the Desian grabbed her at her hand.
Startled, Anna moved to push him away, but the Desian twisted her arm until she—though unwillingly—complied. Inwardly admitting defeat to this obviously stronger half-elf, Anna crumbled against the wall as the Desian pushed up against her, chuckling softly, menacingly. Leaning down, he whispered in her ear: "Resistance will not go unpunished." Again drawing away, the Desian shoved the gem into Anna's skin; she hissed lightly, forgetting for a moment to deny the cruel male her emotions. The Exsphere was set in her hand, just below her knuckles. Anna could already feel its power—was that power, that deliciously strange feeling?—soaring through her veins. The brief thought of attempting to flee flew through the woman's mind but a quick glance to the left smothered all hope. The gates were closed and locked.
"Egran, Reuben, take this female host body back to her cell. Do not treat her differently just because she is a host for the Angelus Project. Just keep her alive; that is all." Giving Anna a last inhumane smile, the Desian strolled from the vicinity and entered the Ranch.
Anna inhaled deeply, enjoying the first feel of fresh air she had gotten for months; relishing in the feel of the grass beneath her scantily clad feet. It was nice to be outside. But such reveling was short lived for the two Desian under hands ran towards her, ushering her towards the entrance of the Ranch; a door to the east of where she was standing. They were taking her back to her cell: home sweet home. The two half-elves walked on either side of Anna, strutting and flourishing their cross-bows as if they owned the place. Their ignorance was sickening and the female was utterly repulsed. In order to keep herself in line (to keep herself from attempting a futile escape from this hell hole) Anna took in every little feature of the building: its cool, smooth floors, the intricate designs engraved onto the wall, the harsh and cold way the Ranch seemed to hold itself. It would almost be a beautiful place if it weren't so hostile.
Before Anna had even a moment to enjoy her fleeting freedom, she was escorted back into her cell; the small prison she shared with three others, all apparently also hosts for the Angelus Project—whatever that was. The two Desians that had taken her back shoved her roughly into the small confinement, taking extra care to lock the prison cell. Anna watched them with detached interest as they parted ways to stand guard at either side of the quarantine. The Ranch obviously couldn't stand to have anyone escaping with their precious Exspheres, now could they? With a resigned sigh, Anna took a seat in the corner, tearing her eyes from the Desians to study her new room-mates.
There wasn't much difference between any of them; they ranged in ages, obviously, and their appearances, but all three of them held the same air of defeat. Their eyes didn't sparkle with the hope of being rescued any longer; they had given up all faith. Anna could feel the same sense of despair beginning to creep into her mind as well. That thought in itself was depressing. But it was only the truth, as much as the female hated to admit it. Chances of being rescued were slim, of escaping with her life even slimmer. What was there to do but wait to either be killed by the hands of those cruel, savage half-elves or be devoured by the parasite that was attached to her hand?
At the remembrance of having had become host to an Exsphere, Anna glanced down to her hand, examining it carefully. The jewel was embedded in her skin, giving off a strange glow. With slight revulsion, Anna noted that with every pump of heart, the gleam grew brighter before becoming a little darker again until her next heart beat. She couldn't help but feel as if it were feeding off of her life. Well, that was a rather moronic thought. It was thriving from her; it would take Anna's life in order for this gem to become usable. It took the death of several lives in order to lend strength to this disgusting organization. It was a ghastly thought.
Leaning her head against the rampart behind her, her amber eyes gazed listlessly at the ceiling until her lids became too heavy for her to bear. Blinking a few times, Anna finally let herself rest—and even though it was a fitful rest, one filled with nightmares of better days, it was a sleep desperately needed.
---------------------------------------------------------
She couldn't tell if she had slept for mere minutes, or for hours, or even for days. All she recognized, in her groggy, sleepy state was that there was a lot of racket going on. A siren was howling, a red light flashing in warning, and the incessant murmur of the other captives' voices. It didn't register in her thoughts that something out of the norm was going on; all she knew was that she needed more sleep. Her body was crying out for more rest. Brushing light brown tendrils of hair from her eyes, Anna tipped her head back as if to sleep again, only to feel a hand rest upon her shoulder and gentle shake her.
"Anna," the voice called, hurried and insisting. "Anna, wake up. The Ranch is being infiltrated. The idiot Desians guarding this place left the card key near one of the prisoner cells and some kid is releasing all of us. Come on, Anna, this may be our only chance to escape. …Anna!"
She grumbled a few times, trying to get out a coherent 'I'm awake' but failing miserably. Once more opening her eyes, Anna was welcomed by the sight of Mitchell, a man who had been in the same cell as she months ago. The two had become close friends and had thus been separated once it was noted by the Desians. Anna had obviously slept longer and deeper than she had previously though.
Opening her mouth to say something to her friend, Anna was interrupted by the distinct swoosh of the cell door opening. Mitchell, smiling warmly, grabbed Anna's hand and helped her to her feet. And together, they followed the rushed humans looking urgently for an exit to the ranch. Hope fluttered through Anna's chest.
Could it be that they would—after all these harsh, long months— finally find true freedom?