"Cheng." Cortes whispered, peering out of the Saint Nazaire. "They're coming."
Cheng looked up. "Now?"
"Now." the captain nodded.
As if he'd been signaled Cheng removed a small metal door from under the main controls, ducked in and started switched some wires.
"How long?" Cortes questioned as two of the S22's came nearer.
"Ten seconds." Cheng muttered, fixing the re-wiring exactly what Cortes had told him to.
The S22's were pulling up beside the ship now.
"Cheng." Cortes growled. "I need those guns."
"Five… four… three…" Cheng covered his ears.
A moment later a creaking noise came from the side of the ship. Cortes stumbled outside, peering over the edge of the railing.
A few feet below him small openings were appearing in the side of the ship, then long black metal cannons came out, readying for fire.
Corte smirked. "Fire!" The cannons went off, only a few of them working. Since the ship was tipping only a couple actually hit the S22's causing the Sphere ships to rock back and forth, but unfortunately they didn't do much damage.
Even though he'd only ticked the Sphere off more, Cortes couldn't help but feel proud that his ship actually still worked.
The S22's still though, came back up next to the ship, long ramps extending onto the deck.
Cortes grasped the new gun he'd come to find inside and aimed it at the S22's door.
It slid open, revealing Diwan. She strode ou onto the ship, ignoring his ominous weapon.
"Hello Cortes." she said coldly. "I'm sad to say I was hoping to find you dead. But of course that's not what I've come for. Is it?"
He didn't reply.
"What are you doing so close to Bablonia?"
"That's non of your bloody business." he growled, raised the gun more firmly toward her. "And I do know what you want, you can't have her."
"Cortes you fool I know Lena's not on board. Don't you think I would have sensed her?" with a flick of her hand his gun was fliying across the deck. He didn't even flinch as she strode toward him.
"But something tells me she'll be on her way soon."
---
"Mahad," Lena stared at the monitor thoughtfully. "It says the Saint Nazaire is up ahead… but it's not moving."
"I can see why." he stopped the Hyperion immediately. "Look."
When she looked up she felt herself go cold. "Those are S22's… why aren't they moving?" she could just see the small white ship just floating there, come tilted, but there were two at the Saint Nazaire already. "We should go help."
"No."
"Mahad-"
"Lena those Sphere ships aren't on the monitor. That means they've got some kind of device like Blue Sky. That's not good. We could be surrounded right now."
Lena looked around the ship, but all she could see out there was endless clouds. "But we can't just let them…"
"We won't Lena." he slowly flew the Hyperion forward. "But I don't want you to get out unless you have to. If it's just a few brigs I can take care of them."
She sighed. "Okay."
---
Cortes watched as the brigs dragged both Cheng and Dahlia from the bridge and down to where he was being held.
Dahlia didn't seem fully conscious and Cheng struggled under the brig's massive arm.
"I'm going to ask you a few questiong Cortes. I'll tell you whether your right or wrong, but answer truthfully." Diwan paced back and forth in front of them. "We already know Lena's not here, I'm expecting the answer is that she's on Bablonia?"
He didn't reply.
"Your in no position to act refuse." she raised her glowing hand toward Cheng. "Now tell me. Where is Lena?"
He clenched his fists.
Diwan's hand grew brighter as Cheng started to rise off the ground.
"Don't." Cortes stepped forward. "She's… she's on her way to Karzhem."
"Don't take me for a fool. I know she doesn't know where Karzhem is and even if she did you wouldn't be here right now."
"What makes you think you know my crew?" he glared at her. "Radio the prison yourself. I'm sure they're under attack right now. Why do you think we're here? You walked right into our trap Diwan. I was hoping to distract someone more important but… well, oh well." he let out an amused laughed when her face reddened.
She'd let Cheng back down now, but he was sure she'd thrown and energy blast at him any second.
Diwan raised her hand over her shoulder, signaling for a brig. "Bring me a communicator."
The brig walked off, back to his ship. A couple minutes later of Diwan and Cortes glaring daggers at each other, the brig reappeared.
"You hunk of junk." she snatched the communicator away from him. "Commander." she spoke into the phone like gadget nicely.
"What is it Diwan?" Oslo's annoyed voice came through. "This better mean you have captured Lena."
"Well…" she stuttered, causing Cortes and Cheng both to smirk. "Not exactly, we have… reason to believe she might be on her way to… Karzhem."
"Where did you receive this information?"
"Cortes sir." she suddenly seemed small and helpless.
"Diwan you fool, there's no one anywhere near the prison." he snapped, then his communicator clicked off.
Her hands started to glow, shattering the phone to bits. "You just made a very bad mistake Cortes." she growled. "Next questiong. What happens when normal people, like you, make special people, like me mad?"
He just stared at her, motionless.
"No one?" she returned to her pacing. "Let me refresh you memory." she stepped toward Cheng, raising a glowing hand toward him.
In the instant Cortes lunged toward her a low buzzing noise swooshed over head, a moment later the S'22's were hit with energy blasts, they smashed into each other, going up in flames.
Cortes slammed into her, her glowing hand hitting him on the back and sending him flying a few feet.
He smashed into something hard. A brig.
---
"We got them Lena!" Mahad let out a 'whoop' of triumph.
"We still need to help Cortes and the others." she reminded them, craning her neck to see the others as the flew past again. "That's Diwan." she squinted. "Mahad I need you to drop me over there." she pointed toward the bridge roof.
"No, we agreed you wouldn't go out-"
"Unless I have to. There is no way you can take care of Diwan and the brigs. I'm going."
He looked from her to the Saint Nazaire next to them. "I can't believe I'm doing this." he flew up over the bridge roof. "Go!"
The hatch flew open and Lena jumped, landing gracefully, with the use of her powers, on the bridge roof. "Hey Diwan!" She yelled down to the woman. "Looking for me?"
The Sphere woman's head snapped upward, glaring. A moment later she jumped forward, a blue light surrounding her arms. She landed in front of her.
"Nice to see you Lena. Lovely evening isn't it?" she threw both hands forward, sending rays of blue light flying.
Lena swerved avoiding the attack.
---
Mahad pulled the Hyperion up next to the Saint Nazaire, jumping out immediately, throwing his boomerang. In which decapitated the brig which, at the moment, was raising a glowing cannon arm at Cortes.
"Miss me?" he asked, running up to his captain.
"When we get back to Puerto Angel you'll be on washing duty for a month." the man growled.
"Oh it could be worse. Instead of the Hyperion I could be washing the Saint Nazaire." he shrugged, throwing his boomerang again.
"I'll keep that in mind."
Mahad stopped abruptly. "I've got to stop doing that."
Cortes picked up the gun he'd been using and starting firing, causing several holes to appear in one of the brig's chest.
Mahad could see the excitement in his captain's eyes. The thrill of taking down a few brigs. He stepped backwards, bumping into something… no, someone.
"Dahlia." he looked down at her surprisingly. She was attempting to pull herself away from the fighting, but the bandage wrapped around her confirmed she was badly hurt.
He tucked his boomerang away for a second, bending over and grasping behind her arms, hauling her away.
"I'm fine," she grunted, attempting to shake him off. "Go help Cortes."
"You need help." he insisted.
"Mahad-" she shoved him backwards, just as a laser blast flew past. "Am I going to have to baby-sit you all the time? Go help Cortes now." she refused to let him help her again.
He sighed, pulling his boomerang back out. "You sound like my mother."
---
Lena ducked, dodging one blow, but the second hit her, sending her flying backwards, nearly sliding off the roof, considering it was tilting. If she were to fall she'd fall into the piles and piles of broken metal and glass at the front of the ship.
"Scared Lena?" Diwan slowly walked toward her. "You're not doing as nearly as well as I excpected." she threw her hand forward.
Lena caught the attack and sent it back. "Leave us alone!" she yelled, throwing a full blast of energy forward.
The woman skid back several feet, coming to the other end of the roof, she tipped, but didn't fall.
"You insolent brat." she growled, throwing more and more attacks. "Your worthless, I don't understand why Oslo needs you anyway." she was mad, really mad.
A huge blast sent Lena flying backwards, off the roof and into down toward the piles of metal.
Diwan ran forward. She couldn't let the girl die, but when she peered over the girl was gone. "Lena…" she jumped down, slowly. "Where are you?" she landed lightly, but slipped on several shards of glass. She let our a frustrated growl. "So…" she called out. "Your playing hide-and-go-seek while you friends out there are taking the hit? Maybe we're not much different after all."
"I'm not like you!" she stepped out from behind a large metal beam, throwing an attack.
The older woman spun around and threw hers as well. The two massive amount of energy collided, causing a massive explosion. Lena flew backwards, slamming into the beam.
---
The ship rocked, sending Mahad falling forward into a brig, in which flipped over the rail, falling into the unknown of Skyland.
He flipped as well, grasping the railing before falling, he hung there. The ship tipped more, but didn't turn over.
Mahad managed to pull himself back up, just in time to catch a falling Cheng.
"Nice to see you buddy." he pulled the boy away from the rail. "And as much as I'd like to chat I'm a little busy, so why don't you go help Dahlia?"
"I was." Chena snapped. "But that explosion… it wasn't a S22 or anything. That was Sejin, Mahad."
He looked at the boy for a good long second. "Go to Dahlia, I'll be back." he stumbled forward on the unsteady ship.
"Cortes!" he yelled to the older man as he dodged several shots from a brig. "Where's Lena?"
"I saw her and Diwan up near the bridge." he replied, shooting the brig down. "Only a couple more left, I can take care of them. Go fine your sister!"
---
Diwan moaned, pulling herself up, her arm stingy madly. She clutched it angrily.
"You'll pay for that you brat." she growled, swaying as she looked around the area. "Where are you? Come out!"
An energy blast flew at her from somewhere, but she was quicker and stumbled aside. "You'll have to do better then that Lena!" she stood there quietly listening. She whipped her head up, staring at the girl whom stood above her, up at the bridge. "There you are." she threw her good arm up, sending an attack.
Lena dodged, huffing. She was tired, that was good. The girl jumped back down, landing with a rather hard thump.
"You're getting tired Lena, why don't you just hand yourself over now?"
The girl looked up at her angrily. "No."
"Fine then." Diwan's arm grew brightly, creating a massive balls of Sejin power, with an angry cry she threw it forward, striking the girl and sending her flying backwards.
The woman triumphantly strode over to her, raising her up in the air with her glowing hand. "Yes." she sighed relieved, the girl struggled, but was unable to escape.
"Bring me a ship." Diwan spoke into her communicator quickly, then jumped up to the upper level, the girl still in hand.
As the S22 drew nearer she waited. When it docked she started up the ramp.
"Hey!" someone yelled from behind her, a moment later something hard struck his in the leg.
She collapsed, the girl being able to break free from her grasp ran for it. Diwan stood back up, turning around and glaring at the girl's brother. "You little-"
He threw the boomerang again, just barely striking her head. But Lena threw her hand up, using a basic attack, which struck the woman and sent hurt staggering backwards, and off the ship.
---
They stood there for a second, in silence.
"Is she…?" Lena questioned quietly.
"Let's not wait around to find out." Mahad grasped his sister's hand, pulling her away. "We need to get out of here."
---
"Mahad, get over here." Cortes had one of Dahlia's arms over his shoulder, pulling her toward the Hyperion.
The boy took her other arm. When she sat down in the small ship she sighed. "What about the Saint Nazaire?"
Mahad looked to Cortes. "We could try to get it to work but…"
The captain shook his head. "No, we need to go. I'll be right back." he sighed, turning and limping back to the bridge.
When he got there he gazed over the ruined yet amazing ship. The one he'd had so many advetures on. With his brother, his crew… Marcus.
He staggered over to the far wall, where a glass case was busted. He pulled the ax from it's container. "Antique." he mumbled turning back toward the control panel. Without another word he brought it down hard, creating a huge gash in the controls. "My ship will not be used by the Sphere." he continued on, to the captain's chair and steering wheel.
"Cortes!" Cheng stood in the doorway. "What are you-?"
"Cheng, I need you to rewire somethings for me." he gestured for the small metal door under the destroyed controls. He'd made his decision.
"Oh… okay." Cheng looked at his captain uneasily. "Whatever you say."
---
Mahad watched as Cortes and Cheng made their way back to the Hyperion. "Mahad," Cortes slid into the passengers seat. "I hope this ship of yours can go fast."
"Are you kidding?" the teen laughed, switching the Hyperion on. With a jerk of the wheel it shot forward, swerving a bit then turning back around. Away from the Saint Nazaire. "So did you take care of the ship?" he asked glancing back behind them.
Cortes smirked. "Yes."
The ship jerked to one side a moment later, as a shock wave struck them.
"What-" Lena peered back behind them.
The Saint Nazaire was completely on fire, it's metal outer skin falling apart. "Cortes…" she stared wide eyes at the destroyed ship.
---
Diwan stared up at the explosion, bits of the Saint Nazaire falling down to the small piece of block she stood on.
"Diwan." her communicator rang out. She slowly pulled it up to her face. "Yes… commander?"
"Do you have Lena?"
She sighed. "No sir." then switched it off.
---
The Saint Nazaire was far beyong sight now, as the Hyperion made it's way home.
"Beautiful evening, isn't it?" Cortes muttered.
---
A/N: Lame plot I know, I was jsut really bored and could't think of one. So I suppose if you liked in then review please. P.S: i had lot's of doubts about Cortes not going to find them immediatly, along with several other things. Oh well. Thanks.