Chapter Three- The Truth

And so we lived, day after day, in my Lord's own living nightmare. Despite my words, I did indeed share Bahamut's cylinder with him. During the daytime he was poked and prodded almost constantly for some reason or other. The researchers kept a daily account of his strength and vital statistics. At night, they kept him under constant surveillance by both guards and video cameras. This tactic puzzled me a bit. Did they actually think that he was going to try and escape again while in his condition?

Apparently, Jenner did.

Bahamut's situation did improve somewhat as time passed. Sabateur argued with Jenner over and over that the persistent testing and surgeries were taking a toll on Bahamut's health. "It's becoming too dangerous," Sabateur kept telling Jenner. "Look at him. He' s wasting away right before our eyes! If you don't cut back on the experimenting, we are going to lose him."

It took awhile, but Jenner finally agreed and to my relief, the extensive testing (surgeries and such) was restricted to once or twice a week.

When he wasn't being tested on, I sat inside of his cylinder with him and told stories about what I had been doing over the years, just because it felt nice to share my past. When I became tired, I would lay on the floor next to his feet and sleep. Then when Jenner and his team did operate, I stood behind Bahamut's head and cradled it in my hands. Thankfully, Sabateur also put a stop to operating without proper sedation and Bahamut never again had to consciously witness another surgery.

Still, for me it was always too terrible to watch so I opted to keep my eyes closed while whispering reassurances into his ears. It all may have been for naught since he couldn't hear me, but I felt that it was the best thing that I could do for him while I was there.

Some nights, when I couldn't sleep, I would wander around the rest of the Research Center. There were five other floors besides the one Bahamut was being held on. On these floors, I found yet even more researchers' working on different…projects. As I saw them, I was reminded again of the term 'Island of Inhumanity'. Never before had I heard a term that was so truly well earned. In addition to Bahamut, these researchers were experimenting on both monsters and…and humans as well.

Just when I believed that the place couldn't possibly become any more horrifying, the researchers proved me wrong by actually running tests and experimenting with their own kind. And not just any old kind of experiments, but it seemed as though that they were trying to… merge a human and a monster into one new being. There were numerous bodies strapped onto gurneys inside one room that were almost too grotesque for words. Men and women alike were being merged with monsters like the Funguar, Blitz, Anacondor and Grand Mantis. Monsters that had yet to be joined to a human sat in electrified cages around the fifth floor. Geezards, Blood Souls, Grendels and even a trio of Ruby Dragons were all waiting to meet their doomed fate along with a few more formally mentioned monsters.

As you can surmise, I didn't stay in any of those places for too long before I returned to Bahamut's cylinder. And every time I returned, I found myself wondering the same question: What in Hyne's name were these researchers trying to accomplish with these poor humans and monsters, and just what did Bahamut have to do with it?

The answer would turn out to be more alarming than I could have ever imagined. And I discovered it the awful night when Dr. Sabateur left the island…

*Ten Days Earlier*

It had been another sleepless night for me and I was out sitting on the dock next to Jenner's boat. My bare feet were in the water and I once again cursed the fact that I couldn't feel its coolness. Before my exile water had always been the one thing to sooth me during times of tribulation. Anyhow, I hadn't been there long before the door to the lab was suddenly pulled open and an angry Dr. Sabateur came storming out onto the dock. He was wearing a black jacket over his medical uniform and a large gray traveling bag was in his hand. Jenner came out behind him. He didn't have a jacket and his hands were empty.

I was instantly worried. Both of the doctors' attitudes toward each other had not improved since I had gotten there. Jenner was still constantly needling Sabateur and provoking his temper, while Sabateur still argued over Bahamut's position and well being. It was an awkward living environment for the rest of the researchers. Apparently, the two were partners in this experiment. One would tell their team one thing, and the other would dismiss the former statement and tell them something completely different. More heated arguments between the two doctors were usually the end result of things like this. And the more frequent they became, the more I began to fear for my Lord's safety.

Like that night. Sabateur headed for the speedboat tied next to Jenner's boat and threw his bag into it. My insides froze. Bahamut's only human defender was trying to leave. All I could see was his orders to insure Bahamut's safety rapidly disappearing.

"No!" I cried frantically, standing up on the dock and hurrying over to him. "Where are you going? You can't leave! My Lord needs you here with him! He needs you here to protect him from that insane monster, Jenner!"

"Malcolm!" That was the insane monster himself as he joined Sabateur and me by the boat. "Just where in the hell do you think you are going?! This experiment isn't over yet!"

Sabateur's dark eyes were aflame. Pointing an angry finger at Jenner, he replied with, "On the contrary, Lyle. This experiment has been over for me for weeks. I just pray that I can walk around the mainland's with the tiny shred of conscience I have left. What's going on in there is defying all the laws of nature, Lyle. Human Nature and Mother Nature. And I have no desire to be a part of it any longer."

"What are you talking about?!" Jenner demanded, grabbing Sabateur's arm as he tried to climb into the boat. "This wasn't just my idea! If I remember correctly, it was you who proposed to me the idea of creating new Guardian Forces!"

"What?!" I gasped aloud, switching my gaze back and forth between them. Create new Guardians? Was that really what they were trying to do?

Sabateur tried once again to climb into the boat. "A mistake I wish I had never made."

"MISTAKE?!" Jenner roared, pulling Sabateur back onto the dock and then gripping his arms. He was clearly upset. "How can you call it a mistake?! We've made incredible progress! We've come farther than any other would-be researchers in the world! The successful joining of the monster's and the people is complete! Within the next two weeks, everything will be ready!"

With a mighty shove, Sabateur pushed Jenner away from him and shouted, "And then what, Lyle?! Huh?! What will you do then?!"

"You know exactly what I'm going to do!" Jenner shouted back, giving Sabateur a shove in return. "You've helped me do it twice already!"

"Oh, yes." Sabateur chuckled bitterly. "I remember now. You're going to attempt to transfer Bahamut's power to your new GF's."

Horrified, I covered my ears with both hands and squeezed my eyes shut. No, I didn't just hear that. I didn't hear anything. I'm not even standing next to them. I'm still inside Bahamut's cylinder, finally asleep and dreaming this Hyne forsaken scene…

Jenner ruined my theory. Very faintly, I could hear him tell Sabateur, "The chances of success are much higher this time, Malcolm. The first two failures were not as powerful as Bahamut. The Great Lord's cells are much stronger than the other two's. Once the cells are inserted into the created GF's, the transformation process will be complete. Then if the new GF's can handle Bahamut's cells, the rest of the transformation process should go smoothly."

I opened my eyes and took my hands away from my ears. I wasn't dreaming. Everything was real. Oh, Hyne!

Sabateur wasn't convinced by any of Jenner's words. "We don't know if anything will go smoothly, Lyle. We've never gotten past the part of inserting the Guardian's cells into the Creations. They have all died both times. The Creation's by somehow rejecting the Guardian's cells, and the Guardian's themselves because of the lack thereof their cells. Just what makes you so certain that it will work this time?"

"Because the samples I've taken from Bahamut show that he can withstand to lose a few thousand cells without dying."

Sabateur snorted. "That's a hell of a lot to go on."

"It's more to go on than we've ever had!"

"Then by all means, go for it!" Sabateur told him angrily. "Go ahead and continue with your dammed experiment! I'm not going to be around to see another failure on your hands anyway!"

Failure?!

"No!" I yelled, feeling my eyes well up with frightened tears. "You can't mean that! You can't leave Bahamut with Jenner knowing that he could possibly die! Please stay! Please stay and help try to prevent it! Please try to protect my Lord!"

It was no use. Sabateur began climbing into the boat yet again.

"I'm afraid that I can't let you leave this island with all the knowledge that you have of it," Jenner informed him icily.

Sabateur stopped and then jumped back onto the dock. Then he looked at Jenner and said tightly, "Was that a threat?"

Jenner wasn't given the chance to answer. Without warning, Sabateur reached back and then slammed his fist against Jenner's cheek. Yelping, he crashed face first onto the dock. There was a distinct cracking noise. Jenner's glasses had broken.

Above him, Sabateur was breathing extremely heavily. Then in a truly disgusted voice he told Jenner, "There isn't a thing happening on this island that I would want to brag about, so you needn't worry."

Jenner didn't respond. Perhaps he was unable to. Already, I could see a fast-forming bruise on his left cheek. He seemed dazed and disoriented.

I didn't feel a bit sorry for him and kicked him in his side. He didn't feel it of course, but I enjoyed doing it anyway. "Create new Guardians!" I spat out angrily as I kicked. "What makes you think you have the right to re-create a species that was created thousands of years ago by your true Creator? Just what makes you so special? Who do you think you are? Hyne herself? I think not!"

The roar of a boat engine stopped me dead in my kicking tracks and I looked up. Sabateur had untied the boat and was now in the process of moving along the dock toward the cavern's exit. A single light was lit up on the hood.

"Stop!" I pleaded, abandoning Jenner and running along the dock beside the boat. "Please don't go! Bahamut might die! Don't you understand that?! Don't you even care anymore?! He needs you! Malcolm!"

I had run out of dock space. Trying to stop, I found that my momentum was too great and was unable to avoid falling into the water. When I resurfaced, I caught a final glimpse of Sabateur's boat just before it exited the cavern. And then he was gone. Upset, I let out a scream of rage and began splashing angrily about in the water. Or rather, I tried to. The water just remained calm. For a moment, I forgot that splashing was impossible since I had no physical contact whatsoever with the water. The realization only upset me more and I let out yet another scream.

Suddenly, the familiar voice of the door caught my attention and I looked over. Jenner was in the process of opening it. Even from the water, I could see the fury on his face. And at that second, I knew where he was headed.

Bahamut! Panicked, I hoisted myself back up onto the deck and made a mad dash for the door. Jenner was just returning something to his pocket when I flew past him and through the door. For once, I was grateful for my exiled position. Obstacles such as doors, glass, walls, cages or anything of the sort were not a problem for me. I could step -or in this case, run- right through them.

I entered the room and headed straight into the cylinder. Bahamut was still asleep. But I knew he wouldn't be that way for long. Jenner was coming for him and Hyne only knew what he was going to do to my Lord now that Sabateur was gone. True, this whole institution wasn't exactly a Guardian's Paradise, but Sabateur had done his best to keep Bahamut comfortable. But now that he was gone…

Distraught, I stepped up to Bahamut and put my arms around his middle. Or I tried to. He was awfully wide. Then I rested my cheek against him and said, "Sabateur is gone, and Jenner is on his way here right now. The monster is trying to create his own GF's. That is why you're here. Jenner is going to inject these creations with your cells and then attempt to transfer your power to them. He's tried this twice before with two other Guardian's and the operation failed both times. All the subjects died."

I shivered at the thought of the same thing happening to Bahamut. Looking up at him, I then continued with, "He is mad, my Lord. Mad! If he performs this operation on you and you…and you…die," I had to force the word out. "Then he will just send his researchers out into the world to capture another Guardian and this whole process will begin again. And if that operation fails, then I have every reason to believe that Jenner will once again just capture another. He has to be stopped before he makes our kind an endangered species."

I didn't know why I was telling him all this. Maybe it was because I was so afraid for him. Or maybe because deep down, I was hoping for a miracle. A miracle that would somehow relieve Bahamut from the worst of his ordeal. And for the past several weeks I had thought that the somewhat more merciful Dr. Malcolm Sabateur had been that miracle. Oh, why did he have to leave? Why did he have to abandon Bahamut?

There was a loud crash. Startled, I spun around and found Jenner standing in the doorway with his arms folded, anger still evident on his face. A footprint was visible on the door. He had kicked it open.

Without thinking, I held my arms out at the sides and tried to shield Bahamut.

Jenner strode into the room and positioned himself in front of the cylinder, looking up at Bahamut furiously. Too furiously. My worry went up another notch and then exploded into a full-fledged panic when Jenner began banging his fists against the glass. "Wake up!" he thundered loudly. "Wake up, you bastard! Open your damn eyes and look at me!"

The chains rustled as Bahamut stirred against them. Then I heard him give a grunt. Jenner stopped banging, but continued to glare up at him. I followed his gaze and studied Bahamut myself. He was awake and looking back down at Jenner. His eyes were unreadable.

There was a short silence as the two of them sized each other up. Then Jenner said, "Dr. Sabateur has left the island, so as of now you will disregard any of his previous conditions to your experimenting. You are under my full observation from now on. And as such, you are expected to be on your best behavior at all times. If you don't cooperate, then the consequences will be extremely dire. Do you understand that, Lord Bahamut? Dire. And I have no problem with making that a promise."

"Monster!" I threw at Jenner, still shielding Bahamut. "You are only threatening him now because you're afraid! With Sabateur gone, it's up to you to run that horrible transformation operation yourself! Coward!"

"What do you have to say to that, Your Lordship?" Jenner taunted with a terrible grin.

Bahamut didn't move. He just kept staring down into Jenner's eyes with that unreadable expression. This clearly bothered Jenner. He must have been expecting Bahamut to cower before him. Then with one last glare into Bahamut's eyes, Jenner walked over to the door and called out, "Trent! Crow! Wheel the Machine in here at once! We're going to extract his cells tonight!"

"No, you are not!" I screamed at him, feeling my panic escalate. "You will not extract any of his cells, Jenner! I won't allow it!"

The Machine was rolled into the room a few minutes later. It was a tall, rectangular piece of machinery that was lined with several plastic bags around the top. Four tubes attached to four giant syringes with were hanging on the front. Smoke billowed all around it. Then Jenner began to hook up the paralyzing gas hose to the cylinder.

"No!" I screamed again, trying to cling to Bahamut and once again cursing my exile. "You can't do this! He's going to die, Jenner! You are going to kill him just like you killed your first two Guardians!"

The gas began seeping into the cylinder. Afraid, I frantically tried to fan it away from him. Oh please, please don't breathe it in, my Lord! I thought to myself I can't help you! Fight it! Don't let them do this to you!

My silent pleas proved to be as futile as my actions. Bahamut tried to struggle, but again the gas soon became too much for him to ignore and he had to take a breath. His eyes watered and the choked coughs returned. Then his body slumped in the restraints and I knew that it was too late. Sniffling, I leaned against him and tried put my arms around him again. "They can't do this to you," I whispered miserably. "They can't just risk your life like this. You don't deserve to die in this horrible place. You don't deserve to die for that monster Jenner."

The door to the cylinder opened and I heard the jangle of a set of keys. Another doctor stepped through me and then inserted a key into one of the locks. I wanted so badly to stop him. Damn my exile!

"Wait, Trent," Jenner said suddenly. "Don't release him."

Huh? I turned my head just in time to see Jenner take a cautious step inside the cylinder. "Don't release him," he said again. Then he gestured to the machine and added, "I'd rather remove the cells while he's restrained in here."

Trent didn't question the order. Instead, he pocketed the keys and stepped back to help wheel the Machine inside the cylinder. I didn't want to see anything, so I kept my eyes shut. But since I couldn't fully shut off my hearing, I heard the shuffling of the equipment being switched on and Jenner giving out a few more instructions. Then they were ready.

At first, there was nothing but the sound of suction that came from the machine. But then all at once, Bahamut let out an agonizing sound that sounded very much like pain. Surprised, my eyes flew open and I glanced around me. One of the four syringes had been inserted into his right arm and the machine was slowly extracting the cells from his body. Then without warning, Jenner literally slammed the second syringe through my back and into Bahamut's stomach. I didn't feel anything of course, but I was horrified to discover that Bahamut could. He let out the same agonized sound and when I looked up at him, I saw raw agony in his eyes.

He wasn't completely numb!

The other doctor, Crow, realized this as well and ventured, "Dr. Jenner? He still has some feeling left. Should I inject him with a sedative since the gas seems a bit ineffective?"

"No," was Jenner's quick and quiet reply.

Crow was shocked. "No? But sir-."

"I said no!" Jenner told him in a fiercer voice. "Insert the last two syringes now! And be quick about it!"

Trent and Crow obeyed. But I closed my eyes once again before I could see where the other two syringes were placed. The only indication of the act came from my Lord's continuing sounds of agony. Anguished sobs built up in my throat and I tried unsuccessfully to choke them back. Crying wasn't going to help him. Nothing I could do was going to help him. And if everything went according to Jenner's previous cell removal operations, then no one was going to be able to help him. He would be dead. He would be gone.

The reality of it all was just too much for me to bear. Crying, I lowered my head and prayed to the only person who could help him. Oh please my Lady. Please let him be all right. Please let him live through this torture. If he dies then…then I will have nothing left while exiled on this world. And I know that I deserve that kind of misery but…don't let Bahamut be the reason for my misery. Save him. Let him live on. Please don't take him away from me.

My Lord's painful cries went on and on. All I could do was hold on to him and continue to pray…

*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*

More than a week had passed since that night.

Bahamut remained in his cylinder, too weak to move or even open his eyes. The machines and modules that recorded his vital statistics showed understandably drastic changes in his health. His heart rate and his breathing percentage had dropped to alarming numbers. How he could even still be alive after that terrifying procedure astonished me.

But I was grateful. Perhaps in her own cosmic way, my Hyne still cared about me.

Dr. Jenner was beside himself with joy. The madman practically skipped to and fro around the Center, grinning smugly. The operation had finally been successful. Soon he would be able to move on to the next phase of the experiment. The extracted cells had been preserved and then placed inside the freezing unit. Jenner wanted to wait a couple of weeks before going any farther with the transformation process in order to give my Lord time to heal.

I was bitterly surprised. The monster was on a roll, yet he wanted to put everything on hold so Bahamut could regain his strength for his next torture treatment? How kind of him.

As for me, I lived in fear of his possible death. Granted he was still alive, but for how much longer? His health had barely improved over the past ten days. Every breath he took seemed to take great willpower and his originally pale scales had completely faded into pure white. He spent three quarters of the days asleep. I couldn't blame him. I wouldn't want to look around this awful place any longer than I possibly had to, either.

So I spent every minute right beside him inside that cylinder. Gone were my sleepless night walks and curious adventures. I kept a close eye on him at all times until I passed out from pure exhaustion. Then I would always jerk myself awake and continue to watch him, worried that he may have died while I was thoughtlessly asleep. Thankfully, he was always still breathing.

Night had fallen on the tenth day. I was inside the cylinder, trying my hardest to avoid falling asleep. It was very late. Somewhere in the midnight hour. My head continued to become heavier and heavier, but I kept fighting to keep it upright. I couldn't go to sleep. Bahamut's vital signs had been a bit lower than usual for the past several hours and I was very worried. In the end, though, my exhaustion eventually won out yet again and I fell asleep sitting up.

A strange sound woke me from my slumber some time later. Blinking, I rubbed my eyes and found that I had fallen over onto the ground while I was sleeping. I glanced questioningly up at my Lord, who appeared to still be sleeping somewhat peacefully. He couldn't have made the noise. So who had?

I turned to study the room…and then gasped aloud in surprise.

Dr. Sabateur was leaning against the cylinder, his hands pressed onto the glass and an expression of sorrow on his face as he studied my Lord. The expression said everything. He regretted leaving. He was sorry for leaving. He wasn't going to leave again. Ever.

Jumping up, I put my hands over the ones he had pressed against the glass and gave him a relieved smile. "Thank you for coming back," I told him gratefully. "Only you can put a stop to my Lord's suffering. Please help him now."

I waited. Sabateur continued to just stare up at Bahamut. Then he glanced at the monitor that showed the vital statistics, frowned and then turned back to Bahamut. More staring.

Now a bit impatient, I said to him, "Doctor? What is it? You can see how weak he is. Please, do something!"

Nothing. He remained there in front of the cylinder.

What was wrong with him? He was just standing there. If he wasn't going to help Bahamut…then what was he doing back?

The door opened and Jenner strolled inside. He spotted Sabateur and then broke into a wide, sinister smile.

"Amazing, isn't it Malcolm?" he asked as he joined Sabateur by the cylinder. "He's still alive."

There was a slight pause before Sabateur agreed with him. "It is amazing, Lyle. I have to admit…I was mistaken. Bahamut survived the cell removal operation after all. I'm impressed. And intrigued."

Intrigued? A huge feeling of dread swept over me. I didn't like the sound of that.

Jenner smirked. "I thought that you would change your mind about the whole experiment once you heard the news. It's not every day that a medical scientist can make this kind of breakthrough."

"Indeed not," Sabateur admitted. "This is truly incredible. We must proceed at once with the next phase of the operation."

WHAT DID HE JUST SAY!?

"WHAT?!" I bellowed in horrified shock, hoping that I hadn't heard him right. Surely he couldn't…he couldn't…!

"I agree," Jenner replied. "We'll inject the cells into the GF's tonight and see how they fair. If they are still alive by dawn, then we'll begin the transfer of Bahamut's power to them."

Sabateur nodded and then ventured, "So…I'm forgiven then? For everything I've done? Arguing with you, running out on the project, punching you in the face…Have you accepted my apology?"

To my disgust, Jenner just waved a hand and answered with, "Forget about it, Malcolm. Consider it all stress-related. We've both been working on this project for a long time, haven't we?"

"Too long," Sabateur grumbled. "But now that it's all finally coming together, I say we call a truce. How 'bout it?"

A truce? Hyne! I watched in stunned silence as the two men shook hands.

The door opened once again and Crow entered the room. "Dr. Jenner?"

The monster turned to face him. "Yes?"

Crow pointed outside the door. "The Electronics Team is having a few problems with the Central computer's mainframe. Can I bother you to please come and take a look at it?"

"Now?" Jenner was perplexed. "Crow, I'm about to continue with my experiment! The biggest experiment of my life and you want me to take a look at the damn mainframe? I don't have the time!"

I finally found my voice. And my sarcasm. "Isn't that always the way? Just when you thought that it was safe to play Hyne, something else has to come up. What is the world coming to?"

Crow looked perplexed as well. "There's some sort of glitch in the mainframe, Doctor. It's preventing us from reading your GF's vital stats and from getting a visual on them. All screens have gone black."

"Damn!" Jenner rubbed his head in agitation. "Why do these things have to cause problems now?"

Sabateur was thoughtful. "I've got an idea, Lyle. You go check on the mainframe while I thaw out the cells and inject them into the GF's. How does that sound?"

There was a short pause. Then Jenner relented with, "All right, Malcolm. Thaw and inject the cells, and then wait for me inside the main room on the fourth floor. I'll join you as soon as I'm finished."

Sabateur nodded and then headed for the freezing unit. Then Jenner and Crow headed out the door.

I watched as Sabateur quickly gathered up the plastic bags full of my Lord's cells. He seemed to be in a hurry. But of course he was! He was now once again part of history in the making. The sight of him was sickening and I told him so. Naturally, it didn't stop him from placing the bags into a machine to be thawed. Then when they were finished, he picked them up and headed out. But before he left, he stopped and looked at Bahamut one last time.

I was beyond furious. "Just go," I told Sabateur angrily. "Because believe me, there isn't anything else you can possibly do that will hurt my Lord any worse. Betrayal is the ultimate sin where Bahamut is concerned. There is nothing that he despises more." I paused and then added remorsefully, "And I should know."

And then, Sabateur said four firm words that absolutely confused me. "Hold on, Lord Bahamut."

Then with that he walked out of the room, gripping the four bags of cells tightly in his hands.

I stared after him. Hold on? Hmm. Sitting down in front of Bahamut, I folded my arms in front of me and pondered the words. Just what were they supposed to mean? 'Hold on, the worst is yet to come'? Or could he have meant…'Hold on…I'm going to get you out of this'?

"I don't know, my Lord," I told Bahamut slowly, glancing up at him yet again. He was still asleep. "Should we trust him? I mean, Hyne knows that I'm a terrible judge of character. At first, I was thankful for all that he had done for you and then a few minutes ago, I was ready to kill him for betraying you. But now…with his parting words…" I shrugged. "I don't know what to think anymore."

Ten minutes passed. Then the lights and equipment inside the room all flickered a few times. Odd. Then suddenly, Sabateur entered the room slowly and then faced the security cameras. The bags of cells were still in his hands.

"You still have the cells?" I questioned aloud while observing him curiously. After a moment he walked over to one of the cameras, pulled something out of his pocket and then slipped it into a slot the was on the side of it. A red light went on above the lens. Then after a quick glance at his watch he ran back to the door, locked it and then ran over to the cylinder. His face was flushed with what looked like both nervousness and excitement.

"What in the name of Holy Hyne do you think you are doing?" I asked him as he opened the cylinder door. Brave man. He stepped right through me and up to Bahamut. Then he pulled another sedative syringe out of his pocket and stuck it into my Lord's arm, who barely twitched at the feel of it. I believed his nerves must have all been frayed now.

But again, what was Sabateur doing?

He didn't speak. Instead he went quickly about setting up the Machine. He placed all four plastic bags back around the top of it. Then after pausing to glance at his watch again, he carefully inserted the four giant syringes into Bahamut. Now I really wasn't sure what to think. Was he going to extract more cells? Why? Weren't four full plastic bags enough?

Bahamut's eyes remained closed. If he had any idea of what was happening to him, he gave no sign of it. Sabateur looked up into his face a few times as he worked. But he didn't seem afraid. It was more like…he wanted Bahamut to see him for some reason. But…why?

When everything was hooked up, Sabateur went back over to the bags and then placed a hand on them. Then, he proceeded to once again say a word that confused me. "Cure!"

I recognized it. All Guardian's were able to use that magic spell. But…I'd never heard of a human casting it! Not even when they had Guardian's absorbed into them. If a Guardian wanted to use magic, then it would have to be released from the human in order to cast it. Before my exile, Guardian's were only able to help the humans mentally. Like the human I had killed trying to kill Bahamut. He had his own knowledge and ways of combat, but with Bahamut absorbed into him his knowledge, speed and agility had tripled. But…that was about as far as it went. So how was Sabateur able to cast that 'Cure' spell? And again…why?

Suddenly, it hit me. He was healing Bahamut! And in an ingenious way, too. Internally. I watched in amazement as the bags of cells lit up in an array of blue and white colors. Inside of them, the cells glowed as well. Seeing them, Sabateur flipped a switch and the glowing cells made there way through the four tubes and back into Bahamut's body. Soon, he was glowing as well.

"I'll be dammed," I muttered.

Sabateur smiled, apparently pleased. Then after checking his watch for the third time, he told Bahamut, "I only have a few more minutes here, but I want you to know that when you wake up, you will be back at full strength. Those restraints around you will be completely useless. Break out of them and then fly away. Everyone here will be too surprised and too scared to try to stop you. Be free, Lord Bahamut. And maybe one day…one day you'll be able to forgive me for all that's happened to you here."

My eyes became misty. Sabateur really was a good man.

"I've poisoned the other would-be GF's," he continued, "They should all be dead by the time you wake up. I'm also going to evacuate the Research Center and then destroy it. Nobody is going to have the chance to find and follow the work that has been done here. Your kind will be safe from other people like Dr. Jenner…and myself."

There was a catch in his voice and he had to take a deep breath. I suspected that his eyes were beginning to get misty, too. At any rate, Sabateur pulled himself together long enough to finish with, "Good luck to you, Bahamut."

I thought about all that Sabateur was sacrificing in helping my Lord to escape. His job, his colleagues, his respect. There could have been a whole list of possibilities. But he was giving them all up to make things right. He was giving it all up to…redeem himself.

No, I take my earlier statement back. Sabateur wasn't a good man. He was a great one.

Grateful, I put a hand on top of his head and said softly, "Good luck to you, too, Malcolm Sabateur."