Hello, my lovely readers and welcome to another exciting chapter of The Voiceless. In the previous chapter, I had mentioned that I had to break it down due to its length, so here is the rest of what I wrote including some additions here and there. Things do get intense here, and you will be seeing Gray in this chapter as well as the rest of the members of the Desert Viper group. Hope you enjoy!
Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail or Takuma Ichijo. I only own Kaneko Aikawa and the group names (would that be plausible for a disclaimer? I suppose so). Anyway! Here are the rest of the OCs! Cassy Garcia - Lillian TM11 - Crow HarbingerofFire - Kietsu, Kunou, Keria, Aiden, Sarah, Gin, Malik, Riza shiningmoonslayer - Kagari Ichijo Joao Paulo - Raiden Katsou RokuxNami3 - Roku Alberona Gil - Cynthia Leanbow - Liam Chrisboy3037 - Dan Akatsuki Without further ado, here's the chapter!Chapter 3: De-moralized
Dragon Corporation – hearing that name would be enough to intimidate people. Ever since they took over the world years ago, freedom was limited. Starting off as a pharmaceutical company, they rose to new heights when the founder, Igneel, wanted to try new fields of science. When the apocalypse started, they bought out the military and police force, sealing conquer over the world. While many people cower due to the facility's fascist way of government, a few know of their heinous research methods.
The co-presidents of the facility, Natsu and Zeref Dragneel, believe that their ways are for the good of the people, and they want to find a cure as soon as possible. However, the rebels living in the mountains, Desert Viper, as well as those civilians who know about the experiments, doubt that.
The current situation is so dire and serious, that just the thought of it would be enough to cause heavy turmoil among the employees. Kietsu knew this. After all, he knew Natsu quite well, given his short tempers, and Gray Fullbuster just happened to be a subject that Natsu was most interested in.
"His favourite pet subject," Kietsu stated, imagining the younger man's antics, "Lovely…and I only got worse news. Very well, I'm coming over now. Hang in there, Juvia, and calm down until I arrive." He disconnected the call and flew faster toward the facility, hoping that Natsu would not try anything to harm his blue-haired employee.
"Okay…" Juvia replied, her voice soft and timid as she trembled behind her desk. She also disconnected the call with a shaking hand and took a few deep breaths. This was going to be a long and difficult night, and she knew it. She needed something, anything, to calm her down. Maybe some tea would help?
She stood up from behind her desk and put some azure strands behind her ears. It was a simple task: go into the break room down the hallway and make some tea. However, there was one obstacle that she was afraid of, and that was the chance encounter of seeing a very irate Natsu Dragneel. She cursed under her breath, wishing for a kettle in her office. With a heavy sigh, she walked around her desk toward the door that would lead into the hallway.
Outside and nearby, a pink-haired man walked down the hall with a black-haired woman. The man wore a dressy black shirt complimented with gray pants. Polished black shoes covered his feet, and a checkered white scarf completed the outfit. This was Natsu Dragneel, the co-president of Dragon Corporation, and sure enough, a scary and furious expression was on his face. "I WANT ALL SUBJECTS AND STAFF GATHERED IMMEDIATELY!" He boomed, alerting the other employees of his presence as they scrambled out of the way.
The woman walking beside him nodded, "Yes sir." She had long black hair that reached her shoulders, and white lab coat flowed at her feet as she walked. A clip board was held firmly in one of her arms, while her other hand held a pen. When she spoke, it was a firm and professional tone, which was perfectly suited for a right-hand woman such as herself.
"Lock down ALL doors at once!" Natsu ordered.
The woman jotted down the order, "Noted."
"NO ONE is to escape without me knowing, is that CLEAR?!" Natsu continued as his eyes shifted to his assistant.
"Crystal," She replied as she wrote it down.
Patience was definitely not Natsu's strong suit. His glare became even more intense as he growled, "Why are you still here, Lillian? MOVE YOUR FUCKING BEHIND AND GET GOING!"
Lillian twitched with irritation. She was only writing down the orders that he was barking at her, and his anger was giving her a headache. This was something that she had to put up with ever since she was promoted as his personal assistant. "I'm going! GOD!" She threw up her hands and rushed off to fulfill her tasks.
"Slow-ass bitch," Natsu cursed under his breath as he continued to walk down the hall.
When Juvia exited her office, she accidentally bumped into Natsu. This was not a good sign. She was afraid that something like this would happen. After all, she could hear his shouting down the hall and she should have looked. Blood froze in her veins as she trembled, knowing that even the slightest mistake would throw Natsu over the edge. He was known to also be…physical and violent.
Natsu looked at her intensely, his eyes showing the will to hurt. "Did…you just bump me…Juvia…?" He asked slowly, his tone making her shiver even more.
"I-I-I-I-I'm sorry, sir…I didn't mean to. Please don't hurt me…" She stammered as she backed away, despite the fact there was not much space between where she was standing and the wall.
However, that did not stop Natsu from what he was about to do next. He grabbed her wrists with both hands and slammed them against the wall. Juvia hit her head due to the force and she gasped from the slight pain that followed. "There are rules, Juvia…" Natsu snarled as he held his face close to hers.
Juvia closed her eyes tightly, dreading what he was going to do next. So much for that tea… "I'm sorry…" She apologized as tears fell down her cheeks.
Natsu's angry expression turned into a sadistic smile as he wiped her tears away. "Just…don't do it again…or else.."
Juvia opened her eyes slightly and became pale with fright. His fingers were rough, and the look on his face alone was enough to make her sick. "I…I won't."
The sadistic look on Natsu's face never subsided as he patted the scientist's face. "Good girl. You see? This is what you get for submit-"
Before he could finish, his hair was grabbed and he was thrown off Juvia. He crashed through a glass table with a screech. "Get off her…sir," the threatening voice of Malik was heard shortly afterward as the man himself glared at his boss.
Kietsu snickered as he watched. "Ouuuuuuuch, that has gotta hurt, Dragneel."
As he lifted himself up with his arms, Natsu snapped, "Kietsu…Malik…how DARE you throw your boss?!" Blood trickled from a shallow wound in his forehead, and he could feel tiny fragments from the table embedded into his skin.
Riza looked at Juvia and grabbed her arm. "Come on," she said, "let's get you calmed down."
It took a minute for Juvia to regain her voice. "O-okay," she stuttered as she walked away with Riza.
Kietsu stepped toward Natsu. "Last time I checked, my boss was Zeref. I am more loyal to him than I am to you…sir," he helped Natsu up, "And remember that I am the only one who willingly stays with you as I'm not that scared of you. So with this in mind, I advise being a bit more cautious while walking instead of being rude to someone who accidentally bumps into you, sir."
Natsu just rolled his eyes. The last thing he wanted was to be told how to run his job, but since Kietsu made some points, he decided to let it slide. "Hmph…fine." He took a step to the side. The effects of his injury weren't too bad; he could still stand upright. It was just that he was slightly wobbly since it was a head injury. However, he had enough training to withstand such pain.
He walked down the hallway with Malik and Kietsu beside him, ready to react in case he fell over. "I'm sure you know the situation, yes?"
"Yes, well, I actually came here to give you even more bad news first before we find Fullbuster," Kietsu pointed out.
Natsu rubbed his head. Could this day get any worse? "And they are…?" He whined.
"The two I had captured were saved by the rebels," Kietsu answered, "They found the small base I set up."
Natsu had it. He punched the wall with his bloody hand, making it crack a little from the impact. "They…what?!" The cut on his head stung and throbbed from his reaction, and he went back to rubbing it. Malik gave him a piece of cloth so that he can apply pressure.
"Must have been followed or they had a tracker on the two," Kietsu guessed. Then he shrugged, "Either way, they got away…but not before I tested your new…device." He smirked as he showed a silver ring on his left ring finger.
Being the co-president of a large and powerful company, Natsu had learned a thing or two about designing useful items. Just recently, he created a ring that would release nano-machines from a needle at the top of the ring. Hearing this bit of news, he chuckled darkly, "and it worked like a charm?"
Kietsu took out the device which was tracking the location of the rebels. "Yes, it's working just fine."
"Good," Natsu grinned. "We will take out those terrorists before they know it." Once they stopped in front of a mirror, Malik handed him a small jar of ointment so he can start tending to his wound.
The pinkette was almost finished applying the ointment when he heard a new voice approaching him. "Sir!" Crow walked up to the three of them with a couple of his soldiers.
Natsu rolled his eyes in annoyance as he gave the ointment back to Malik and turned to face the soldier. "What is it, Jackson?" Jackson was Crow's first name, and only Natsu and Zeref could refer to him as such. "I'm in a very important meeting right now, so if this is important, which it damn well should be…"
Crow finished Natsu's sentence, "I have bad news and good news."
Natsu twitched and tensed, "I'm listening…" He had a fist ready to break a bone of his choice, if this man would not speak up any time soon.
Crow noticed this and tensed slightly himself. He noticed Kietsu, his rival, standing beside Natsu and nodded in greeting before turning back to his boss. "My men and I managed to intercept some of the rebels, one of them being Takuma Ichijo."
Natsu's dark smirk returned. "Ichijo eh? I haven't heard that name in a long time."
Crow continued his report, "He was tricky. However, I managed to kill the one he cares the most."
Now Natsu felt excited to hear such news. His favourite thing was the thought of someone suffering, and the thought of the group of rebels losing one of their own was enough to bring a smile to his face. "Another is dead. This is GREAT!" He followed up with a maniacal laugh.
Even during Natsu's laughter, Crow concluded his report, "But I could not get the information needed…and just before I knew it, he was saved by his…allies." He tensed slightly at the humiliating loss. Still, even though he was a remarkable fighter, he knew that five on one was not a bright idea. Sooner or later, he would retaliate against them and make each of them pay for his defeat. Then he calmed down and faced his boss once more. "Either way…I broke his spirit. He won't bounce back after this major loss."
Kietsu smirked at his rival. "Good for you, little bird, but I aim for more than just one person."
Crow just looked at him with eyes devoid of any emotion. "Hmph, and you think that's going to make me react? You're good, Kietsu, I admire that…but business is business."
"Oh how stupid you are, little bird," Kietsu retorted, hoping to get under the other man's skin.
Natsu intervened quickly with an impatient frown, "And business still carries on as usual. Speaking of which…you three, come with me." He looked at Crow. "You know of the situation?"
Crow raised an eyebrow. "Situation? There's a new situation?"
The three men walked down the hallway, with Natsu in front. "Gray Fullbuster has escaped," he said, "Lillian has graciously gathered everyone."
Crow just said nothing. So another subject has escaped. This was going to be another thorn in his side, and he knew it.
"Sounds like fun," Kietsu said with a look of anticipation in his eyes, "I need to fuck Lillian before someone else does."
Shortly after he said that, he was greeted with an irritated glare of the aforementioned woman. "What was that?!" She snapped. "Know your place, soldier!"
Not wanting to get involved with this, Crow just walked passed her. "Women," he mumbled as he rolled his eyes.
However, Lillian's irritation did not faze Kietsu at all. He just simply smirked as he walked passed her. "Oh I know it, but do you?" He finished with a smack on her ass.
Lillian twitched as she turned around. "Why…you little…" She slapped Kietsu in the face. "Hmph! You're a fucking idiot!" She walked into the room.
Kietsu just chuckled as he walked after her. "She will be fun in bed," he mused. Malik just followed him without a word.
The small group walked into a large room that resembled a cafeteria of sorts, with steel benches spaced out on the cold, stone floor. Boys aged eleven through eighteen sat on these benches, each with chained shackles around their wrists and ankles. Scientists surrounded the boys in a circle, and Juvia stood with a mug of tea in her hand beside Riza. A man with sandy-coloured hair and a mark on his left eye was checking attendance while the large group waited for Natsu's arrival. This man was Jackal, and like Lillian was to Natsu, he was Zeref's personal assistant. Zeref, himself, had a lot of work to do so he could not attend. After all, Natsu was enough to interrogate the group.
Speak of the devil…the pink-haired heir walked in and immediately, the atmosphere turned cold and quiet. Tension was so high that you could cut it with a knife, and everyone was afraid to say or do anything. When he spoke, his voice echoed through the walls, and this made everyone even more uncomfortable. "Ladies…gentlemen…subjects…there seems to be a very dire situation here, and I did tell you all to cooperate but no, no, no…" He shook his head as he scolded the group, giving them all the impression that he was blaming each and every one of them. "Apparently it lands on deaf ears. 209 is missing…and now I'm hoping to get some straight answers before…" He looked around the room, and his eyes settled on Juvia. "Someone gets hurt." Juvia just trembled as she looked away from his gaze.
Natsu looked at the subjects. "You subjects were supposed to be heroes. Is that I promised you? That you would do something great for once? You did pass the first and grueling trial, seen people die, but you made it out in one piece. This goes for the next two trials, each more difficult than the last." He looked at the older boys who seem to be just as traumatized as the ones younger than them. "Now…it seems that someone doesn't want to cooperate. So the reason why I had you all gathered was to interrogate you all as a group." He looked at the staff, "this includes the staff as well."
Sitting among the subjects was a boy in his mid-teens. Bluish-white hair framed his face as he stared out into space. Black eyes seemed uninterested in what the older man had to say, as the boy just wanted this to be over already. Natsu looked at him. "Subject 210…Lyon Vastia."
Lyon looked at Natsu, annoyance showing in his almond-shaped eyes. "What?"
Natsu's expression intensified slightly. "Attitude, I see." He looked at Malik. "Malik…bring him to me."
Malik nodded as he walked toward Lyon, lifted him up easily, and dragged him toward Natsu. Lyon struggled in Malik's grip as he was dragged. "Hey! Let…go!" He protested. However, Malik refused to listen. He lightly tossed the boy to the ground and he landed in front of Natsu with a grunt.
"Much better," Natsu said, his scowl remaining on his face as he looked down at the boy. "My information tells me that you are roommates with Fullbuster, is that right?"
"Yes," Lyon mumbled inaudibly.
The scowl on Natsu's face deepened as his voice started to rise, "What's that?!"
Lyon looked at Natsu and repeated, only louder, "Yes."
The pinkette once again became calm. "So…if you were roommates, then you helped him escape. Is that it?"
Lyon's eyes widened at the accusation. "I did not! I didn't know what he was doing! He was going crazy, saying that he wanted to get out but-"
Natsu cut him off with a backhand across his face. "FOOL!" Lyon yelped as he hit the floor. "You think I was born yesterday?! So you HELPED him escape!"
Lyon twitched at Natsu's rage. "…N-not exactly."
"You think that LYING is going to SAVE you, boy?!" Natsu yelled.
"I'm not!" Lyon defended himself, tired of this interrogation already.
Natsu snapped his fingers. "Liar…I'll deal with you later. Take him away."
The boys started whispering in fear. "Is he going to that place where no one comes out alive?!" One asked. "No! No! I heard stories!" Another protested. "My brother left and never came back!" Another cried.
Hearing these frightened whispers, Kietsu held up a hand. "Hold up, Natsu."
Natsu glared at Kietsu. "What is it, Kietsu?"
"It could be possible that the boy got out on his own and that Lyon is not lying," Kietsu opinionated, "Besides, what does he have to gain by lying to you? You'd only kill him, so he isn't lying."
"Besides, he didn't 'say' by using his words," Lyon added, "He was freaking out for he was worried."
Natsu glared at Lyon and kicked him in the side, making him yell out in pain. "DON'T talk unless you're spoken to, brat!"
"Instead of being angry and impatient, try listening for once," Kietsu advised.
Natsu calmed down. "Hmph, fine." He looked at Malik. "Take him back to his place."
Malik picked Lyon up and dragged him back to his spot on the bench. Juvia just watched with a worried expression on her face. If Natsu called on her, what would she say?
"Now…Juvia," Natsu said as he stared at her. Juvia tensed as she closed her eyes. She was dreading that this would happen. "If I recall, you were in charge of Fullbuster, correct?"
Juvia nodded. "Yes, sir…"
Natsu raised an eyebrow. "Care to enlighten me?"
"Once I finished running tests on him," she explained, "I took him back to his room. He was looking at the girls' wing and…" She stopped when she saw Natsu smirk. "I had to lead him away quickly," She hurried to finish, "as much as it broke my heart."
Kietsu looked at her. "What? You think he went to hide in the girls' wing?"
Juvia looked down and replied, "His sister…was in there…"
"Ah right," Kietsu said. He had remembered that day when the two were separated. They were inseparable, so it was only understandable that Gray was screaming bloody murder when scientists pulled them apart.
"The poor thing didn't see his sister for nearly a year," Juvia went on, heartbreak imminent in her voice. "And he wanted to see her again…but knowing the rules, I couldn't allow it. So I took him back to his room and locked the door."
"And that was the last time you saw him?" Natsu pressed.
"Right," Juvia affirmed.
"I see," Natsu looked around the room at everyone else, "Can ANYONE share what they saw? How they got out?"
Juvia breathed a sigh of relief. She was thankful that she did not get punished and was able to live another day. However, that did not shake off her uneasiness.
Speaking of uneasiness, no one answered Natsu's request for fear of what he might do. However, this made the pinkette even more impatient. "No one?" He repeated, his voice rising ever so slightly. "ANYONE?!" The boys looked at each other. How can they give him any kind of answer when they barely know anything? They did hear the action taking place, but they never saw anything that could be worth sharing.
Sensing the growing tension, Kietsu spoke up, "Speak up and maybe I will talk to Natsu in taking you boys to the girls' wing to maaaayyybeee have some fun. However, since some of you are too young, I might convince Natsu to give some extra sweets." He crossed his fingers behind his back as he spoke in his sly tone.
Natsu raised his eyes at Kietsu's gesture. What is he planning on doing?
A younger boy with a bed-head style of black hair looked up. He looked no older than the age of 12. "I think I have an idea of what happened," he said bravely.
Natsu looked at the boy. "Subject 214…Romeo. Explain yourself."
Romeo nodded. "I was getting tests…and I heard yelling and punching across the hall. I know each guard had a tazer baton…but one was stolen because I heard sparks going off. That's when the alarms went off."
"And this was how he escaped?" Natsu asked.
Romeo paused for a moment, "I don't know the exact details but I can only guess so."
Natsu nodded as he processed this information. "I see." He looked at everyone else, "You see, you ingrates, this is how it's done. Learn from Romeo, and you won't become a fool like Lyon." He glared at him. Lyon just said nothing as he looked into space.
Romeo looked at Natsu. "So is Kietsu-san right?"
Natsu looked at Kietsu for assurance, "Well…Kietsu?
"What Romeo said is a possibility," Kietsu said with a nod. "Also, I appreciate it and all, but I think you boys should just go back to your rooms, except Romeo." Silent whispers are heard amongst the subjects. "He at least had the guts to talk about it, so he can be treated to something nice." He looks at Natsu and then back at the group. "The rest of you can just go back to imagining what it would be like to live better lives."
Lyon said nothing. He just did not care anymore, and he knew that that life would never come. He was sure that a number of other boys felt the same way.
However, some boys were jealous of Romeo. A boy with sandy-coloured hair, named Eve, sulked as he looked at Romeo. "Lucky guy," he said.
A boy next to him who looked a little older, replied, "You got that right." This was Hibiki.
Natsu looked at a few soldiers that also gathered in the room, a dark and evil look in his eyes. "Soldiers, escort these boys to their rooms." Then he looked at the boys, "And no talking!" The boys stood up and were immediately escorted to their rooms.
As he was escorted back to his room, Lyon closed his eyes. Good luck, Gray, He thought to himself and then opened his eyes.
Natsu looked at Romeo, who was left behind. "Well then, Kietsu, give him his…reward."
Kietsu smirked as he looked at Romeo. "Let's go then." Looking forward to seeing what his reward will be, Romeo followed Kietsu.
Meanwhile, Minerva walked out of the house with a sigh, her mind replaying the words that were painted in red on the wall:
Whatever makes her happy is for the best, but at the same time, I will kill my heart.
What did he mean? Minerva could only think of one thing and one thing only: when she left, he tried to kill himself. That would explain the blood on the walls. This made her feel responsible. However, if Kietsu listened to her and what she had to say, would it make any difference?
She remembered the day they met. They were attending university together before the apocalypse eight years ago, and they were both third-year neuroscience majors. He was so lively and intelligent, and the moment their relationship started, they gelled together. She was trying to fulfill her dream of being a professor. He helped her with her studies and helped her grow as a person. Furthermore, they seemed like the perfect couple.
However, when the couple worked co-op together at Dragon Corporation, that was when things changed. She accidentally stumbled upon something that she was not meant to see, and it made her see things differently: Something that was so gruesome and horrible that it scared her. When she told Kietsu about it, he just waved her off, telling her that it was nothing serious and she should not worry.
But even though he told her not to worry, she could not stop thinking about it. Even when the apocalypse started, she knew that Dragon Corporation was becoming worse. They started to develop a fascist way of thinking, and children and teen-agers were becoming used as experiments. Minerva could not understand why. She needed to do something right for a change. Even when her co-op position turned into a full-time position, she had to make a decision between her dream and her heart.
When she tried to persuade Kietsu to come with her, however, he got angry, thinking that she was abandoning her dreams to become a terrorist. This sparked a major argument between them, and it ended with her leaving him. She felt like he changed and she needed to leave before things became even worse. It was a sacrifice she had to make, in order to fight for a greater cause.
While she would always love Kietsu, she was not sure if she should forgive him for the events that led to their break-up. Men are so fickle, aren't they?
Speaking of men, a male voice broke her out of her reverie, "How did it go?" She looked to her left and saw Sting leaning against the wall, staring into space. Minerva smiled at her best friend. "You weren't kidding about wanting to come here," Sting continued, "it brings back memories…especially of the time Rogue and I met you and Kietsu." He chuckled. "Rogue was so anti-social, but I think even then he liked you, despite your unavailability."
Minerva giggled and then frowned, "Didn't think you would come back for me despite that craziness."
"Yeah well," Sting sighed as he stopped leaning on the wall to look at her, "You're silly for thinking that I would ever leave my sister behind." Since Rogue was his twin brother, he was referring to the fact that Minerva was his sister-in-law. "Are you okay?"
Minerva nodded, "I will be…just guilty that's all. Sometimes I wonder if it was right to come back here."
Sting looked at her. "What do you mean?" Minerva told him about what she saw, and he looked deep in thought. "I see…" He put a hand on his friend's shoulder. "You shouldn't worry. You had to make the best decision for you, and Kietsu never realized that. One day, he will see what you've become, and it's not like you haven't changed much. You're still that awesome, bad-ass, and intelligent woman my brother fell in love with. Give it time alright?"
Minerva smiled at his assuring words. "You're right. Well, we've spent enough time here. Let's go home."
Sting took out a tablet and plugged in a few codes. "By the way, sorry for arriving later than usual," he apologized, "I had to pick up my baby." He pressed a button to initialize the program, and a small jet plane appeared in front of them. While he was a hacker, he was also able to cloak transportation and shelter. He smirked at his achievement. "I feel like an Agent of SHIELD!" He exclaimed proudly.
Minerva giggled at the reference. "Come on. Let's get in."
"Sure thing," Sting replied as he walked with her toward the jet.
"I do have a question though," Minerva stated as she strapped herself in. Sting situated himself in the pilot's seat and started up the engine before turning back to her. "You alerted the others for help right?"
"Yeah," Sting replied. "After following you guys, I tried hacking into that hellhole where he held you and Rogue, but there was a firewall blocking me. Besides, I was outnumbered anyway."
"Smart thinking," Minerva remarked. Sting just nodded as he operated the plane for take-off.
Back at base, Ur tended to Takuma's wounds as she was listening to Kagari's report. "Takuma would have died if Aiden, Sarah, Jellal, Laxus, and Erza hadn't showed up," he finished. Ur just simply nodded, heartbroken because of Cana. This was going to be tough on all of them and their morale, she could feel it. However, this was nothing new, and she knew with the right words and actions, she could give everyone the strength they needed to keep going. After all, that was her duty as leader and founder of Desert Viper.
In the training room down below, Roku punched the various targets in a quick motion - think of one of those training exercises that Oliver Queen did on Arrow.
He was relaxing in the sitting room upstairs, playing cards with a few of the other rebels. Once he heard that the only family that he had left was killed and any possibility of having a niece or nephew vanished alongside her, he went straight toward the training room.
How could this happen? He could not believe that his older sister was killed! He tried not to blame Takuma because the two were best friends, but a part of him did. Takuma was supposed to protect her! Another part of him blamed himself for not being there when he would have. So many thoughts were going through his head - all filled with rage and grief at the loss of his sister.
A boy with red hair walked up to him. "Roku," he spoke.
"What do you want, Dan?!" Roku snapped.
"First of all, you need to calm down," Dan said. "What happened to Cana wasn't your fault. You should know that...neither was it Takuma's."
"You think I don't know that?" Roku questioned when he stopped his training. "I'm not trying not to blame others but that bastard who killed her."
"Are you sure?" Dan asked, unconvinced, "Because I heard differently outside this door."
Roku sighed. His friend had a point. While he was training, he was shouting expletives at Takuma and at himself.
"If you want my advice," Dan spoke again, "channel your anger and focus your energy on wanting to kill Crow, rather than blaming others. Cana won't forgive you if you do that."
Roku looked at Dan. "You...have a point." He sat down, opened a bottle of water and took a sip from it. "I have to get stronger...for Cana's sake."
Dan smiled. "All of us do." He walked toward the storage closet and picked out two kendo sticks, then threw one of the sticks at Roku. "Get up. We're training."
Roku caught the kendo stick and looked at his friend. "Oh are you asking me to beat you?" He smirked competitively.
Dan matched his smirk. "If you can keep up," he remarked back.
Roku got up and got into a fighting stance. "Oh you're asking for it," He shot back as he ran toward his friend and started to clash with him.
In a room upstairs, a red-haired woman was making out with a white-haired woman on her bed. While Laxus was out, his wife Mirajane was dealing with a situation of her own. Mirajane Strauss - now Mirajane Dreyar - worked as a nurse in a hospital and had often worked beside Ur in the base. Right after she finished working on Kagari's injuries, she was suddenly pulled into another room just when she left the operating room. There, she met the hungry smirk of Keria Seishin followed by soft lips against her own.
Now they were on the bed. Keria was on top of Mira, fondling her breasts with one hand and fingering her clit with the other. Mira moaned underneath her, somehow enjoying the other girl's touch. She wondered how Laxus would react, but then again, knowing most of the men in the rebel group, he probably wouldn't mind.
While the two were having sexual fun, a red-haired man with a scar over his eye sat in one of the chairs hearing Laxus explain what happened. Despite the fact that the two were bitter rivals, Kunou Seishin had to listen to this set of news. He clenched his fists and roughly picked Laxus up by the front of his shirt. "And WHY weren't you there to protect her?! Better yet, YOU SHOULD HAVE STOPPED HER!"
Laxus blinked. Why was he blaming him? He narrowed his eyes. "Calm down, Kunou. There's no reason for you to be so worked up."
Kunou clenched his teeth as he punched Laxus across the floor. "And WHY should I?!"
"Easy Kunou," Sarah said as she tried to calm Kunou down. "Laxus wasn't near her at the time. If anything, you should blame me when I was trying to stop her."
Kunou glared at Sarah. "You?"
Erza spoke up, "I am just to blame as she was, same with Roku. She was so adamant on saving Takuma's life." She looked down in sadness. "But now...he's so broken that I'm afraid he won't be the same."
"Yeah well," Kunou crossed his arms, "you're his sister. Deal with it."
Erza sighed. "He needs some time first, so I will eventually."
Laxus rubbed his cheek as he stood up from the floor. "First Bisca and Alzack, now Cana," he trailed off, "who's next?"
Bisca and Alzack were snipers in their group until a couple months ago when they were ambushed during a raid. They fought hard against a group of soldiers from Dragon Corporation and barely survived with many injuries. However, that was not what killed them. After they fought back with everything they had, they were weary and exhausted. Bisca had to use some of her medical knowledge to tend to Alzack's injuries as well as her own, but they were oblivious to a horde of zombies that were stalking them like hyenas or vultures circling their prey. There were reinforcements, but they did not make it time.
Aiden clenched his fists as he thought of the memory - the blood and gore that he, Erza and Sarah had witnessed from a distance as those monsters tore their friends apart. Even after they vanquished the horde, they had to do whatever he could to block out the disgusting and terrible sight. However, even still, the thought of it was enough to give anyone nightmares and the urge to throw up.
Erza trembled as she also thought of the memory. Bisca was one of her best friends, and not once did she have a wink of sleep since she witnessed it. Ur had to give her something to help her sleep every night, but that did not stop her from screaming in the early part of the morning. Covering her mouth, she ran to the bathroom. Sarah ran after her, also feeling the effects.
Aiden glared at Laxus, clenching his teeth as he tried to calm himself down. "Don't...mention...it...again!" He hissed as he gripped his head.
Laxus looked down, realizing what he did. "Sorry," he apologized, "It was the spur of the moment."
Aiden grabbed Laxus by his front. "I'LL GIVE YOU A SPUR OF THE MOMENT!" He was about to lash out, when the rescue group that saved Rogue and Minerva walked in.
"At ease, Aiden!" Cynthia barked as Liam used his strength to pry the two apart. "I will have no in-fighting, is that clear?!"
"It's clear," Laxus replied as he glared at Aiden.
Aiden just looked at Cynthia and then turned to walk off. "I'm going to have a smoke," he grumbled. Kunou just made a noise as he walked off as well.
A man with silver hair and an eye patch walked into the room when he heard the group. "Ah welcome back," He greeted. "What seems to be the problem?"
"Cana is dead," Laxus explained.
"What?!" The man exclaimed in shock. Everyone else showed how shocked they were at the news, all except Cynthia who narrowed her eyes. This was nothing new, as unfortunate as it may have been.
"How?!" Kaneko wanted to know.
"She was shot," Kagari answered as he walked out with Ur.
"And what happened to you?" The man asked Rogue as he started to tend to his wounds.
"Bastards captured Minerva and I, then tortured us for information," Rogue answered. "Then just when we were about to leave, they tried to blow us up." He looked around. "Speaking of which, where is Minerva anyway?"
"Right here," Minerva spoke when she entered the base with Sting.
"Where did you run off to?" Liam asked, confused by Minerva's presence.
"I had to deal with some personal business of my own," Minerva answered as she nodded to Sting.
"You okay?" Raiden asked as he took off his mask, revealing a head of brown hair. He walked over to the fridge to get a cold drink.
"I'm fine," Minerva replied. She looked at Rogue with concern. It was clear that he needed more medical attention than she did.
Cynthia looked at Minerva. "You don't have to tell us what you saw, but for now you all can relax." Minerva nodded. "However, even while we must relax, that does not mean that we can't keep our guard," she continued.
Kaneko nodded, "I agree. I don't know why but...Kietsu may have done a dirty trick."
That was when Ur walked up with Kagari behind her. It was clear that she overheard their discussion. "That boy is definitely a genius, so we must be careful." She looked at a petite girl with blue hair monitoring the computers in the corner of the room. A little girl with long blue hair played with her toys beside her. This was Ayame, Levy's daughter. "Let me know when you see something suspicious, Levy."
"Yes, ma'am…" Levy assured.
Then Ur looked at the rest of the group. "I know the news of Cana is unfortunate and is bringing us down, but we must focus our energy on taking down the enemy. While grieving is okay, the show must go on because Cana would have wanted it this way...same with Bisca, Alzack...and those friends of ours who have lost their lives."
"You're right," Kaneko trailed off while looking into space. She had her own fair share of losses, and she learned to be strong and go forward even if she had to force herself to. "This is war after all." She looked away, hair covering her melancholy eyes. Liam just stared at her.
Ur smiled assuringly. "So have yourselves a good cry, smile for the lost ones, train, and live life. We won't stop until our goal is met. Prove the enemy wrong and know that we are stronger than ever before."
"While you have a point," the silver-haired man said after he finished tending to Rogue's wounds, "it will still take time. Not many of us can smile just like that."
Ur sighed. "That may be true, Gin, but it will still take time. So take the time you need."
Levy looked back at the monitor and went back to her work, ignoring the tears that fell from her eyes. This was going to be difficult, especially since Cana was one of her best friends. However, like what Ur said, the show must go on, right? She wished it would be that simple, but she was not sure how long she would last. If it weren't for her daughter, she would be gone years ago. A small part of her hoped that Ayame's father, Gajeel, would still be alive somewhere.
A blip showed on the radar and she widened her eyes. "U-um, Ur-sensei!"
Ur looked at her. "What is it, Levy?"
"Something is on the radar!"
Ur walked towards her and looked at the radar. The people that were in the room, looked up as well. "Zoom in," she ordered. Levy did so, and there was an outline of a town within a three mile radius. Ur tensed a little. "The ruins of Hargeon," She noted.
"Is it friendly?" Liam asked.
"We don't know," Ur answered. "Liam, Kaneko...get Mirajane. Gin, you're coming with us on this mission. We are going to check it out and take necessary action." Liam and Kaneko nodded as they went off to find Mirajane. Gin looked at Ur and nodded as he went to get his equipment.
Kaneko and Liam walked down the hallway, treading along the linoleum floors, toward their destination. The moaning echoing in the hall was proof enough that Mirajane was in a room in this hallway, toward the left.
When they stopped at the door, Kaneko looked at Liam. "I will be back." Liam nodded as Kaneko knocked on the door. He braced himself and stood a foot away, knowing fully well what Keria would do. He can admit - it was pretty hot to see two or more girls make love to each other, but he would rather not get involved. Their fun is their own. However, he could not help feeling a little jealous.
After a moment, the door was answered and Keria, still naked, flashed a grin. "Kaneko! Join the fun!" She tried to drag her inside, but Kaneko stopped her.
"We need Mirajane," She told her. "Levy found a blip on the radar, so we're going on a recon mission to check it out."
Keria was disappointed, "Oh." Then she flashed another grin. "I will give up Mira, but you will let me taste you whenever you come back."
Kaneko sighed as she looked at Liam who looked like his ears were perked. Then she looked at Keria, "Fine, we get a deal. Also...there is something we need to tell you."
From the sadness and seriousness in Kaneko's tone, Keria frowned. "What's wrong?" Behind her, Mirajane was getting dressed but stopped when she heard Kaneko's voice.
Kaneko took a moment to think about how she would say this. "Takuma, Kagari and Cana returned from their raid-"
Keria's eyes immediately showed excitement. "Cana?! Where is she?! She promised that she would join me and Mira!"
The frown never left Kaneko's face. "That's the thing... She won't deliver her promise."
"What do you mean? Is she okay?" Keria asked with slight panic.
Kaneko closed her eyes. She had to say this outright, and it wasn't going to be easy. "She's...dead..."
Keria's eyes widened. These were the words she was dreading. "NOOOOO!" She screamed as she hugged Kaneko in tears. Kaneko hugged her back and soothed her as she cried loudly. Mira gasped as her eyes went wide. Why were they losing so many people?! It wasn't fair!
"I'm sorry, Keria," Kaneko sobbed as she held her.
"How?! What happened?!" Keria cried.
"They were ambushed by the enemy. Apparently she was pregnant..."
This made Keria cry even harder. Mira could not stand any more. She had to sit down before she could faint. Liam just sighed as he heard the girls cry. He had to look around the corner to watch the heart-breaking sight. If anything, he wished he would hug and comfort them both, but Keria was naked and also he felt that the girls would be better left in their moment. He also knew what Kunou would do if he got involved with his adoptive sister. So he just looked away as he continued to listen.
After a few moments of crying, Kaneko stopped hugging Keria and looked at her. "Are you going to be okay?"
Keria wiped her tears away. "Just...go."
Kaneko understood by the tone of Keria's voice that she wanted to be left alone. She looked in the room. "Mira?"
Mirajane walked outside, wearing pink blouse with all buttons but the top one were done up and white capri pants. Casual white shoes and white ankle socks were on her feet. A leather holster carrying a .45 caliber pistol was around her waist. She looked at both girls with her tear-stained face to show that she was also breaking down and nodded.
"Let's go then," Kaneko suggested. "Liam's waiting."
"That's fine," Mira replied. She looked at Keria. "We'll be back and then we can do something to help us grieve." Keria just nodded without saying anything. With nothing else said, Keria, Mirajane and Liam walked away and exited the camouflaged building in a small plane, which was also camouflaged thanks to Sting's skills.
A half-mile away from the Dragon Corporation is a wooded region lined with dead trees and carpeted with dead leaves. The only sounds that were heard were the crunch of leaves and panicked breathing as a boy in his early teens ran through the trees. Clutched tightly in his hands, was a tazer baton that he stole from one of the guards at the facility. His throat was burning, his legs were aching, his side felt like it was about to split apart...but he kept running. After all, he knew that they were hot on his trail, and the last thing he wanted to do was go back to that place.
This was Gray Fullbuster, age 14, also known as Subject 209. When he was only nine years old, Zeref told his parents that Gray and his little sister, Luna were selected for a special program that not only would supply the Fullbuster family with the needs to survive, but also the two would become heroes along with the rest of the younger generation.
At first, their father, Silver, was strongly against it. However, food was running out and the taxes were high, so there was no other choice.
However, when Gray and Luna arrived, they were immediately put through the first test, not knowing that everything that was told to their family was a lie until after the tests. Who knows what really happened to their family? One thing was for sure; throughout these tests, they saw death all around them. It was at that moment that Gray knew...these people were monsters.
Even still, throughout all of those tests, Gray fiercely protected his sister and paid the ultimate price. There was a scar across his left eye, which was covered in a bandage. But that was nothing. The worst part was that he could no longer speak. Could it be the trauma that affected both children? Or could it be the drugs? Or maybe it could have been that creature that he had to fight off in the second test? Either way, he could not stand to be at that place any longer. He had not seen his sister in two years, and he wanted to get her out of there, but first he needed help.
He only just left the wooded area when he set foot in the ruins of Hargeon. Maybe one of these buildings could provide shelter. He continued to run into the town, but due to the fact that his legs felt like weights and the thoughts in his mind were running wild, he tripped on curb and landed on the eroded pavement. Sharp pain was inflicted when he skinned his knee, and he hissed in pain as he caught the rest of his fall. The concrete also skinned his hands but the pain did not matter any more...
...At least not until headlights from the planes above made him freeze. He quickly rolled out of sight, into an alleyway between two nearby buildings. His breath caught in his throat as he waited for the planes to pass. The baton lay on the sidewalk and he hoped that it would not be picked up. Go away, He prayed, go away!
Eventually, the planes left and the coast was clear. However, Gray could not catch a break. A foul stench was in the air and groaning was heard. This is bad! He did not know what was worse - Dragon Corporation...or these things! He rolled back to his baton, picking it up and then as fast as he could, ignoring the pain in his knee. The unseen beasts seemed to surround him from all sides, and he wanted to scream. He could feel movement behind him, and he knew that he was being chased.
Quickly, he dove under a bench and held the baton in front of him as he waited. Cold sweat dripped down his forehead as he prayed for the zombies to disappear.
Five minutes of dreadful silence had passed, and thinking that the coast was clear, he started to slip out from under the bench. Then a swipe was made and he quickly got back to his hiding place. He fought with all his might against the rotting hands that tried to grab him, hitting them frantically. The cold dead eyes of the monsters were filled with blood lust as they persevered to grab their prey.
Just when Gray realized that he was doomed, shots were fired and the monsters screeched as they were torn apart by the bullets. Then silence followed, and he took a few shaky breaths as he waited.
Footsteps were heard and Gray immediately shut his eyes tightly. He just wanted to escape from this nightmare and be safe for once. Red flags were going off when he saw a person's feet in front of his face, and a slight shadow squatting.
"Are you okay, young one?"
And that's it! I know it's a little long, but I hope it's enjoyable. You will see action next chapter, so I will see you then! Let me know what you think in the meantime.
