Author's note...I don't know what to write. Yeah, have fun reading^_^. Updates are slow because SCHOOL RUINS DREAMS. Yes. I'm working on the third chapter already so...pardon me. And I'm posting on mobile and mobile isn't the best platform for this so...if there's anything weird please tell me. Oh yeah, i do use quite a number of OCs, though none of their roles would be really significant. They're kind of there to tie up the ends, because there are always others at the sides who contribute to successes rather than just the mainstream characters. If you understand what I mean. And reviews are welcome, very welcome! Enough talking by me, enjoy.
Main project Chapter 2
What he felt was a dark, desolate gloom.
Nineheart sat on the rickety wooden chair, pen in hand, ink flowing freely as words filled the page. He had pretty much gotten u sed to his little cell, though he still couldn't get over his dislike for the stagnant air and uncomfortable bed. At least it was better than a cage. He was glad that they had agreed to his request for pen and paper, providing him with rather sufficient amounts each time. Today, he would be getting his usual stock again. He wondered who would come by each time. Sometimes, it was one of the higher ups. Most of the times, though, it was one of those members who were neither too high up nor low in the ranks.
He heard the sound of a key turning in its lock and the creaking of a metal door. Aforementioned door was then closed. The sound of footsteps echoed for a while before coming to a stop. Soon after, the door to his cell slid to the side. A girl with short brown hair stood at the door. She wore the Black Wing uniform he was so used to seeing, the Black Wing logo ever so prominent on her dark hat. Her face was shadowed by the brim of the hat, obscuring her face from view. In her arms was a stack of paper and a box of pens above it. The door slid close behind her.
The girl walked forward and the light shone onto her face, revealing youthful eyes and a cheery smile. Nineheart couldn't help but sigh. Another youth. One so lively too. He wondered whether she was new or just extremely optimistic so as not to be affected by the nature of the organisation. She reminded him of someone else too, but he couldn't remember. His time in his cell, with hardly any contact with life, had dulled his memory some.
"Here's your papers and pens. What are you writing to require so many?" the girl chirped.
Nineheart paused for a moment. It had been a long time since anyone had made any small talk with him. He used to dislike it, but in his current solitude, he treasured any humane interaction he could have.
"I'm writing a story." he replied simply.
"Oh, I see."
The girl placed the papers down on his desk, taking the box of pens off and putting it beside the stack. She eyed the slightly dishevelled stack of papers at the side.
"Do you mind if I settle your things for you?"
"...I don't mind, in fact, I'd be glad if you could help. Thank you."
The girl proceeded to help him tidy up the papers, putting them into a neat, orderly stack. She then transferred them into a box, which Nineheart used to contain
"Well, I'll be leaving now. Goodbye!"
Nineheart sighed again. The girl was well-mannered and so full of life, he wondered what she was doing in an organisation like the Black Wings.
"Goodbye." he responded.
The girl turned and walked away, towards the door. Just before she reached the door, she said one last line.
"Well, do you care to be recalled to life?"
He looked up in surprise.
"Well, I can't say for sure." he replied.
The girl stopped and laughed lightly. She then exited the room. Nineheart turned back to his papers and continued to write. He heard the sound of the lock being turned again. Then it occurred to him. The lock hadn't been turned a second time. Neither had he heard the inner door close. He turned to see the inner door open. He stood up slowly and walked towards it. A piece of paper lay on the floor. He picked it up gingerly. On it was a drawing of a bird. He wondered whether it belonged to the Black Wing member from earlier on. He also wondered why she hadn't closed the door. He looked out to see that the outer door too was open.
And suddenly, alarms blared through the area. The Black Wing member from previously came into view again.
"The door's open? Was the system hacked? Those resistance people are really smart aren't they? Argh, alright, pack your papers, we probably have to be moving." she said.
Nineheart sighed. Yet another displacement. Every time a infiltration like that occurred, he would be moved to somewhere else. The Black Wing hideouts seemed to be infinite. He entered the room and tied his boxes of papers together, then placed them in a large bag and carried them on his back. Years of confinement with nothing to do bad been highly productive to his writing. The boxes contained years of work, and he didn't plan on losing any piece of paper. He looked at the girl. She was talking over the intercom, apparently receiving orders from her superiors.
"Okay, time to bring you to the next place. Follow me." she said.
Nineheart followed her wearily out of the cell. Swiftly, she brought him out of the base through a back exit. He didn't bother in taking in the layout of the place. The back exit would probably be demolished after this usage. Soon, they were in the mountains. The girl kept moving forward, never turning around once. Suddenly, she stopped and signalled for him to crouch down behind a rock. The girl was looking at something, but from his position, he couldn't see what was going on. After some time, her shoulders relaxed and she stood up.
"I'll pass it to you from here." the girl said.
"Alright, get back in there." another feminine voice said.
The girl nodded and signalled for Nineheart to stand. A dark-haired lady came into sight and the girl left. She also wore a Black Wing hat and outfit, a similarly black backpack on her back.
"Alright, you're with me now." the lady said, her tone serious, like that of most of the Black Wings around.
Nineheart nodded and continued to follow her. His footsteps got heavier as the weight of all his papers started to get to him. Walking uphill wasn't an easy task for someone like him, who had been confined for so long. Sure, he did walk around quite some in his cell, but that didn't make for too much exercise.
"Out of breath already? I guess scholars aren't the type with stamina. Pass me that bag, I'll help you with it." the lady asked.
He looked into her green eyes and saw the sincerity in it. However, he shook his head and continued to walk.
"If you insist..." the lady said.
She continued to proceed forward. At a point of time, she took off her Black Wing hat and carelessly threw it into her backpack, freeing her wavy hair from the French braid it had been in. Nineheart wondered if it was really okay for her to do that. The Black Wings seemed to be very particular about their dressing and if her higher-ups saw her doing that, she would probably get scolded. But he mentally pushed that question away and focused on the arduous task of trekking through the mountain.
Suddenly, the lady turned around to look him directly in the eye. He stopped walking, wondering what she was doing.
"Is your memory that bad?" she questioned.
He had no idea what she was talking about. This was probably the first time he had ever met this member.
"I'm sorry, but I don't believe we've met before." he replied.
"...I see."
She raised an eyebrow rather sceptically, turning and continuing to walk. As they proceeded uphill, she suddenly took a sharp turn to her right and started to head downhill, Nineheart following as best as he could. Eventually, they ended up before a rock wall. The lady pressed on one section of the wall and one portion popped out, a panel appearing. She quickly drew something on it and the panel disappeared back where it came from. The wall then opened up before them. Nineheart wondered how this base would be like. He would have to remember its layout when he entered and draw it down somewhere again. She signalled for him to enter before her.
He entered to see a empty room, with nothing in it. The lady walked up to the wall across the room, placed her hand on one section of the wall and the wall opened up. Frankly, Nineheart was rather impressed. He hadn't been able to see any trace of an entrance anywhere, both for the outside and inside. And that was a feat, considering the number of secret passages he had been through. However, the fact that the technology used here was different from the other Black Wing bases put him off some. Was it something different this time? Were they finally getting rid of him, after years of resistance from him?
The lady entered the passage created in the wall and he followed suit. The passage seemed to be a lift of some sort. She placed a palm to her right and that portion of the wall glowed, revealing a keyboard. She keyed in several commands swiftly and the lift moved downwards, without a sound. The lady sighed.
"Ah, mission complete! Perfectly too! Hey, put down those papers, I'll carry them for you as I said! What's with your insistence on carrying them, you're just going to make yourself sore all over. I'm more qualified for such a thing...or maybe I'll get someone else to haul them out of the elevator." she said.
Nineheart stared at the lady quizzically. Her previous serious demeanour had been replaced by one filled with vigour. She seemed much more relaxed than previously. He found it hard to believe she was a Black Wing. Or was she?
"...you really don't know who I am?" she asked again.
"As I've said before, no."
"Do you have memory loss? Or is your age getting on you..."
A sly grin crossed the lady's face.
"I assure you, my mind is still very active indeed and shows no signs of deterioration."
"Whatever you say."
The lift came to a stop and they were in a corridor. It was empty, with a door at its end. Nineheart could hear some commotion from behind the door.
"Oh, don't get too shocked by what you see alright? Just stay calm and keep cool."
Nineheart wondered what would be so shocking that he couldn't keep his cool. He had seen so many things, probably nothing could prove shocking, no matter how horrible. They walked to the end of the corridor and the lady stopped, placing her hand on the doorknob.
"Alright, prepare yourself..." she said, pausing dramatically.
She turned the doorknob.
"Voila."