Dark Clouds

In a lab in the Hierarchical City of Wadatsumi...

"Going deeper by 200...what?!"

"What happened? Report!"

"We've lost contact with Number 11!"

"Oh no! We won't be getting another if we lose it, and we can't just reach in and retrieve it, either... Relius Clover will be so angry..."

In a world very far away...

Lambda-11 attempted three times to re-establish communications with the Librarium labs, but all attempts failed, so it instead switched to automatic mode and began to observe its surroundings. It encountered a problem immediately: there were no surroundings to observe. No data flowed in, suggesting that it had been cut off from the Boundary and was now in an isolated dimension. It pushed itself up from a solid surface it couldn't see, and looked around.

Nothing was visible except the Stygian darkness. Yet, there was an energy around Lambda, pressing in on all sides. Threat levels increased when the source came back; the darkness itself was emitting that power. Or rather, it was taking up space and storing energy, the opposite of emission. Lambda relaxed after determining that this darkness was no immediate threat.

Running a checksum test as per protocol, Lambda realized that the dense seithr that permeated the Boundary was entirely absent. Without it, Lambda's weapons and auxiliary systems would be completely without power. Struck by a bolt of what might have been inspiration despite the scientists' best efforts to stamp that sort of thing out, Lambda checked for compatibility with what it had designated the Power of Darkness around it. Checks and simulations returned that Lambda could easily use this Darkness as a power source. Rerouting all powered-down systems, Lambda felt Lux Sanctus: Murakumo come online, operating at 200% efficiency. This Darkness was very similar to refined seithr.

Once the Darkness had been integrated into it, Lambda was struck by new information: another being was nearby. It got a directional fix on the new target, and sped off through the dark.

With Riku...

Riku hurt all over. Giving in to the Darkness and having that thing, Ansem, take his body was a nasty experience. He couldn't even feel his material self anymore, just the pain losing himself had caused. Suddenly, there was a presence, and he opened his eyes despite the certain knowledge that he wouldn't be able to see a thing.

But that didn't stop him from hearing, "Target located. Requesting current location. Requesting target data."

"Say what? Well, I might as well talk. This is the Realm of Darkness. You're of the Dark, too, aren't you? I'm Riku. Do you know a way out?"

"Negative. Point of entry indeterminable. Recommend spacial transfer as default method of transportation."

"Crud... Who are you, anyway? You're weird...whoa. I just got my first look at you. Are you a robot?" Riku literally couldn't see anything but the woman's weird, robotic appearance, since nothing else was here. Her legs were encased in two hard metal shells, and she moved by hovering. Her face was covered by an angled visor, under which one red lens glowed. While she was obviously female, based on her curvy physique and...other things, she didn't sound or look much like a human in that form-fitting armor.

"Designation: Boundary Interface Prime Field Device #11, Anti-Sankishin Core Unit... Lambda. Unit class is Murakumo Unit."

"So, you're... Lambda, and you're a Murakumo Unit? What's that?" And what kind of idiot builder gives their creation a ten-word designation and a number? "Lambda" was a fine name all by itself, and that was what Riku was going to use, since the rest kind of flew over his head. And he wasn't certain how he still had a head, after what he'd done.

"Designated purpose: combat against Sankishin-class units. Lambda is a weapon." No emotion showed anywhere in Lambda's statement.

"Wow, and I thought I had it rough. Is there a personality knocking around in there, or are you always like this?" Riku almost winced at how nasty that sounded, but Lambda seemed to be too busy to care.

"Emotions locked by base directives. Program logic unsound; programmer and creator not present in current time-space. Overriding emotional and awareness locks...done." Lambda jerked, and suddenly jumped to give Riku a hug. "Thank you so much! I was scared...I couldn't move myself, and they were going to torture me until I broke... I'm so glad I'm here, and not there!" Lambda was completely different all of a sudden. "I'll show you the real me. Disengaging battle mode. Lux Sanctus: Murakumo, deactivate." FLASH! Lambda was now clad in a black bodysuit that left her legs bare below mid-thigh, and a white cape of sorts with yellow tags hanging off the fringe. Her face was on the young side, with big, red eyes that were teaming up with her mouth to smile brightly at her savior.

Then, their little moment was ruined. "Hello...? Hello! Is anyone there?" The voice was high, squeaky, and coming from behind a hill that the two couldn't see in the pitch-black terrain.

"Who's there?" Riku called. Lambda stood up straight.

"Scanning...new life-form detected. Unknown source of energy detected. Estimated threat level is S. Likelihood of combat is undetermined." Lambda jerked again. "Sorry about that. Scanning protocols. That'll probably happen in a few other situations, too."

"Okay, thanks for the warning." Riku got up, still wondering why he had any legs to stand on. They looked like his... He was given no time to wonder, because the new figure finally appeared over the invisible hill. Riku's first thought was, is that a mouse? He decided not to worry about any new weird things, since there seemed to be so many of them these days.

"Hey! Who're you two? You're the first people I've seen here, besides all the Heartless. I'm Mickey! Can you tell me your names?" As he spoke, he bounded down the hill to stand next to Riku.

"I'm Riku. This is...Lambda." Riku hesitated, then decided not to try and say Lambda's full name, since it was a mouthful and he didn't catch most of it himself.

"It's nice to meet you, Riku and Lambda! How'd you get here? There aren't that many ways into the Realm of Darkness."

"I'd...rather not say. I'm not very proud of it." Riku looked down and to the side.

"I was in the Boundary, which is a sort of extra-dimensional space of infinite information, and I was randomly ejected here. I, for one, am fine with being here. I don't have much to go back to." Lambda smiled sadly at the newcomer.

"I thought home was always the best place to be. What would make you not want to go back?" Mickey was clearly trying to frown, but the shape of his face had him stuck in a permanent smile. The effect was pretty funny to behold.

"Try to visualize a place where I am not a person, but a tool. A weapon, in fact. In that place, I would be used until I broke, and then they would make another 'me' to use further." Lambda tried to smile, but it didn't work, and a few tears fell as she thought of it.

"Whoa, Lambda! You're crying!" Riku tried giving Lambda a squeeze. She felt human enough, especially with her armor off.

Lambda sniffed a little, then calmed down. "Sorry, Riku. It was so scary, though...I'm so glad they can't get me here. Humans can't go through the Boundary without dying and being absorbed into it, so they'd need me to find me."

"Well, at least that'll never happen." Riku gave her another squeeze on the shoulder, then released her.

"It's okay to cry sometimes. It proves we're alive."

"...You're right. We are alive. So there's still a chance that there's something we can do..." Riku mused to himself. "What are you doing here, Mickey?"

"I'm looking for a way to stop the Heartless! I guess you've both seen them?"

"Yeah," Riku sighed.

"No. What are 'Heartless?'" Lambda asked.

"They're beings of pure Darkness. They steal people's hearts and use them to multiply. If we stand here too long, we'll learn that the hard way, so let's keep moving, okay? I saw something over the hill, and I was going to investigate it when I heard you two. Would you like to come with me to check it out?" Mickey extended his hand, and Riku bent down on one knee to take it in a firm handshake (Mickey was too short to shake his hand while standing up).

"Thanks, Mickey. I'm in. Lambda, what about you?"

"I owe you a lot for breaking those restrictions. I'll follow you wherever you want, Riku."

"Then it's settled! Follow me!" Mickey beckoned, then ran up the hill.