Tauria: Yeah... I know it's been a while... Almost a month... (tomorrow would be the month mark, actually). December was a bit of a busy month. Since it was Winter Break for what seems like most of the month (I have no idea if it actually is), I was babysitting for the majority of that time. Then it was Christmas. More babysitting. Then it was New Years. Can't really say it's been busy since the day after New Years... I've been lazy!
Well, not lazy. Productive with other fics, I suppose you could say. (the majority of January so far was spent typing a 12,000+ one-shot about Gyrus Krinkle... and doing math work) But anyways, I finally planted myself in the chair, opened up the document, and wrote the newest chapter for DWF.
We finally get to see Gibson in this fic! Yay! W get to find out Nova and Sprx's decision too, and if I say anymore, I'll give away the chapter! So, please enjoy the newest installment of DWF.
Disclaimer: SRMT is not mine. I'm pretty sure the plot is mostly mine. Maybe. Hard to tell.
EDIT: I changed some stuff in Gibson's part.
Divided We Fall
Tauria
Professors and Decisions
The blue monkey woke at 6AM sharp, as he did every morning. He yawned, rolling over to turn the alarm off before rubbing his eyes and sitting up. He stretched, letting out another yawn before beginning his morning routine. He grabbed a coat that had been hung neatly by his bedroom door, and picked up a stack of folders resting on his desk. He carried both items downstairs, into the living room, and placed them neatly on the couch.
He stepped outside and walked over to where the newspaper rested, neatly folded. He picked it up, and then went back inside. Once inside, the scientist walked into his kitchen. He placed the newspaper on the table, and made coffee and toast. Once the two pieces of toast were done, he put just the right amount of jelly on them both, and sat them on the table beside the newspaper. The coffee was done next, and a little bit of sugar was added, but he left it black.
As he drank and ate, he skimmed through the news articles, wondering if there was anything of interest. Nothing sparked his eye, and so the scientist found he had nothing better to do then think.
Nothing was worse than thinking for the blue monkey. You would think that since science was one of the few things he was passionate about, the primate would like nothing more than to think. And he did! When it concerned complex equations and drawn out experiments and writing down hypotheses and answering difficult questions… but not when he was just thinking.
Unfortunately for him, when he first woke in the morning, two cups of coffee were required before he could think about anything remotely scholarly. For he was not just a scientist. No, he enjoyed math, literature, linguistics, etc.. Granted, he wasn't as much of an expert in those areas, but… regardless, he enjoyed them.
And since he could think of none of those pleasant subjects (being only on his first cup of coffee), he was forced to think upon something else.
Trying to start down a pleasant road, the simian thought about how soon he would be headed to the University that he worked at to begin a new year of working with students ready to study chemistry, and how he would be working after school to tutor in all types of science.
I will be glad to get back to work… Vacations last far too long. But at least I got some valuable research and experimentation time in. It's been far too long since I had some time to work in a lab without teaching others…
However, he could remember a time in which he was constantly working in a lab. He could remember a time when he only had one student. He could remember a time when he was surrounded by noise, and constant breaks in a routine so that the only thing that was routine was the things that shattered it.
He shook his head, as if to shake those thoughts from his mind. He took a particularly long swig of coffee, barely reacting as the hot liquid burned his mouth. Those were thoughts he did not wish to dwell on, and those were the thoughts that snuck back into his head the moment he was not paying attention.
Swallowing the last of his first cup of coffee, he filled a to-go coffee cup with his second cup. He'd rather not drink the University's coffee. Yuck. That stuff tasted more like sludge then actual coffee, and thanks to his past life, the blue monkey knew a bit about what sludge tasted like.
He frowned. Again already? Normally there was more time in between those nasty thoughts. Oh well. A bit of work would clear it all right up. He pulled on the long trench coat (or at least it was a trench coat for a monkey) and grabbed the folders. He walked out to his hover car.
He placed the folders in the passenger seat, and the coffee cup in the cup holder. He began to drive. He didn't live too far from the University, but it was still quite a distance, and his rocket pack was low on fuel. He really needed to get the ingredients for that new fuel he was working on… the old fuel ran out far too quick for the monkey's tastes. It hadn't once upon a time, but those thoughts lead into dangerous territory.
He reached the University by seven. Luckily for him, his class didn't start till eight. He still had plenty of time to walk to his classroom and prepare for the day.
"Professor Hal!" he was joined by an older woman, with laugh lines around her eyes and mouth. Her hair was still mostly brown, but streaks of gray ran continuously throughout it. "Good morning," she smiled politely.
"Morning, Professor Amelia," the blue monkey smiled at her. She taught some type of a literature class. The name escaped him at the moment. (because I know next-to-nothing about the classes offered at universities…).
The two walked in companionable silence for the most part. Neither really cared for large crowds of people (well, unless they were attending a lecture or lecturing… then large crowds were quite welcome) and so they often walked together in the mornings, since for some odd reason, the science and literature classrooms were very near each other.
As they were walking to their respective classrooms, Amelia gave a slight smile in Hal's direction.
"Have any more of those nightmares?" she asked softly.
Amelia was the only person at the University he had trusted with his past - though he had not told her all of it. He told her that it plagued him with nightmares, and occasionally random thoughts. He told her that people he was very close to had hurt him very badly, though he never said what or why, and the woman did not pry. They were good friends, and he was glad that they had met.
"Not recently," Hal responded, feeling elated he could say that. The nightmares that had plagued him since the… incident… had left him alone for approximately one week, making the scientist extremely happy.
"That's wonderful! We should celebrate when school's over," the older woman grinned.
"And how do you propose we celebrate?" Hal arched an eyeridge in question.
"How about we go out for dinner tonight? Me, you, and my husband." she suggested.
"That sounds delightful," Hal laughed. And it did. It had been a long time since he had enjoyed dinner with friends...
He frowned a bit. Again? Already? What was this? The next thing you know, his old friends were going to show up around the nearest corner!
He lightly shook his head. Now wasn't the time to be bothered with that. He was going out tonight with two people who had helped him during his time of need (they had allowed him to stay in their guest bedroom until he had found somewhere to live).
Amelia fixed him with a perplexed look. "Are you alright?"
"The nightmares haven't plagued me… but today… I've already had three thoughts about them. Three. Within the space of two hours," Hal whispered. "Something… something must be happening." Thinking aloud, he was truthfully only talking to himself, but she heard anyway.
Amelia frowned. "What do you think is happening?"
The blue simian shook his head. "It doesn't matter. Whatever is going on, I refuse to be apart of it." Then he smiled. "Back to dinner. Where should we go?"
"Hmm… there's that nice little Romaily place," she suggested.
Hal nodded. "Sounds good to me," he smiled at her.
"Good! See you there."
Hal nodded, and then the two split at the fork in their path. He hummed a cheerful tune as he unlocked his classroom door and headed over to his desk.
As he organized his folders, and made sure his desk was in order, Hal started paying a bit more attention to the tune he was humming. Something was a bit off about it...
He frowned again.
This was getting to be quite disconcerting. Having so many little thoughts in the course of one morning about times he had long ago put behind him was just a little off-putting for the monkey.
Just focus on class, and keep reminding yourself about celebrating 'no nightmares' tonight. Everything will blow over. Today just happens to be a bit of an off day...
Hal sighed. Today was going to be a long day.
-o-
By that evening, Hal had decided that the Power Primate was an extremely annoying mystical force. It had pushed memories, thoughts, and names to his mind and the tip of his tongue all day that day, and he was getting sick of it.
Unlike many people, he did not resent the Power Primate's control over him. It was annoying. It was frustrating. But he would not resent it for guiding his destiny. But there were days - like today - when the blue monkey wished he had fought the effects in the past, so that maybe now they wouldn't have such a hold of him.
There were days when he wished he had ignored Ant- his old friend's advice and not embraced the control. There were even days when he regretted joining his old friends.
But today was absolutely irritating.
He had done everything that he could to distract himself. He had poured himself into grading papers. He had thrust himself into teaching. He had planned the rest of the year's classes. He had done absolutely everything in his power to keep himself from thinking about the past. He had done anything and everything he could possibly do - well, everything he thought of, anyway - to keep himself from thinking about the past.
Nothing had worked.
The Power Primate was a persistent beast; not to be ignored, it had pressed on and on and on. He had fought with it all day long and nothing had come of it. His mind was weary, and a headache pounded behind his eyes and in the deepest parts of his brain. It felt as if he had finally pushed his mind to the limit; trying to stop the Power Primate was more trouble then it was worth, in his opinion.
The only thing he had served to do was make himself look forward to the evening even more so. The dinner would help him keep his mind off the past, and put a true smile on his face. He did enjoy 'hanging out with' the Amelia and her husband. It was a pleasure that he was not afforded often.
And not only that, but he needed something to distract him from the names and memories that were jumping unbidden into his mind.
He needed it.
A day had passed since Jinmay and Chiro had spoken to Sprx and Nova. A day had passed since Chiro's vision. After he had regained consciousness, Jinmay had told the red and yellow monkeys to take a day to decide, and helped Chiro out the door.
Currently, the two teenagers were in a hotel, eating donuts gotten from the continental breakfast.
"Do you think they'll agree?" Chiro asked softly, running a hand through his jet black hair and staring out the window at the beautiful and peaceful town.
"They have to," Jinmay whispered. "You're the Hyper Force. Fighting evil is what you do. I mean, what could have been so bad that it drove you guys apart? I mean… you were all nearly inseparable before you left!"
Chiro nodded, before fidgeting slightly. "I don't remember much. I have feeling we all remember more, and because we were so traumatized by the event, we've forced it from our minds. Often when I'm meditating, I come across parts of my mind that my subconscious has locked from me, and I cannot open those doors. They are sealed too tightly for me to break."
Jinmay frowned. "It would be helpful to know what drove you apart… maybe if you could find out, you could fix the rift in your relationship."
Chiro licked his lips. "You're right to a certain degree… but I think the best thing to do would be to put that particular memory to rest. We don't need to dredge up bad memories now… I'm afraid that… I'm afraid that to pull it up will be to ruin our relationship forever. That's the vibe that part of my mind gives off."
Jinmay nodded. "It's going to come back and haunt you, y'know."
"Yeah, I figure that too. Whatever happened in the Robot that day, Skeleton King is going to try and put it against us again, thanks to the way it worked before. Hopefully we'll be able to stand against it again. Hopefully…"
"When you told me about what happened… you mentioned a monster. Something really scary. Does it have something to do with why everyone's acting so strange?"
"Yes. When I told you that story, you recall I said that the actual fighting was a blur? Well, when you remember a battle, how does that normally go?"
"Well… I remember everything – especially the fighting – in perfect clarity… Rarely is it a blur. It's as if time slows down in those moments…" Jinmay whispered, realizing what Chiro was getting at.
"Yeah," he nodded. "What the six of us should remember in perfect clarity – in stunning detail – is a blur. We don't know what happened. Quick flashes are all that at least I can remember. I suspect it's the same for the others as well."
Jinmay finished all that she was going to eat that morning, and as did Chiro.
"Time to talk to Sprx and Nova?" she asked quietly.
He nodded.
They held hands, walking out of the hotel and towards the simians houses in silence, thoughts occupied with their previous conversation.
"What do you mean you're not going to help us?!" Chiro asked the two simians, distraught. He didn't raise his voice, but he did sound quite distressed.
"Chiro… we have responsibilities and duties here that we cannot just abandon," Nova said softly. The resentment she had been harboring towards Chiro was acting up again, but she forced the irrational feeling down. She had no memory of why she should feel this way, and so she would ignore it.
Chiro took a deep breath, trying not to lose his cool. He could not break down now. They didn't understand the severity of the situation.
Though they should… Skeleton King is on the loose and it's remarkable that he hasn't conquered planets yet.
"Look… yesterday, when I had my vision, it wasn't a pleasant scene that I was shone. I was… given a scene of us working with the Skeleton King. We were enjoying the death and destruction that he was causing… that we were causing. At the very end of the vision, the voice that I have come to associate with the Power Primate said, 'Beware what will come if they do not join you…' Meaning, that if we do not join up as a team again, that is what will come! We are the few who will fight Skeleton King. The allies will protect their homelands, but we are the ones who will step into his territory and finally stop him like the prophecy of the Chosen One says! …not that I know what it says, but regardless, that is what we must do!"
Sprx and Nova swallowed. They knew that visions given from the Power Primate were rarely wrong, and they could not stand by idly and let the Universe fall to Skeleton King.
Nova sighed. "Alright. I see your point," she said softly. "I understand now why you were so panicked when you exited that vision… and I don't want that kind of a future. Working for Skeleton King? That's not on the list of things I want to do. I think I speak for us both on all this," she glanced at Sprx.
He nodded.
"We'll help you. But we can't leave at once. Or at least not both of us. Who are you going to get next?"
"Gibson," Chiro said softly.
"Right. Sprx, take them in your ship to where Gibson's at," Nova said firmly, leaving her fiancé no room (or will) to defy her. "I'll stay here and make sure everything will be okay when I leave. Once you have Gibson, you can come back and get me."
Chiro nodded. "Sounds like a plan."
Sprx fixed the young man with a hard glare. Chiro knew he meant no ill will (or, at least, he hoped he didn't) but the glare was still unnerving.
"After all of this, Kid, don't expect us to be a happy team again, okay? We're doing this for the sake of the Universe. Once everything is said and done, Nova and I are comin' back to Galaxia, gettin' married, and settling down happily ever after."
Chiro nodded, giving a half smile. "I didn't expect anything else from you, Sprx."
"Good. Now that that's clear, get yourselves back to wherever your stuff is stowed, grab it, check out of wherever your staying, and get your butts back here. Then I'll take ya to my ship."
The teenagers nodded. "You got it."
Tauria: Not much of a cliffhanger this time around is there?
Anyways, yes, I made Gibson throw himself into his work to try and forget about the team. It's not real obvious yet, but I hope to make it a bit more obvious in the next chapter. And yes, he does go by Hal now. Reasoning is in the next chapter, though there is one person who knows why already ;) Mainly because she gave me the idea for it.
In case anyone is confused, the reason for Sprx and Nova agreeing so easily after his long explanation and believing it so easily is because the Alchemist programmed them to protect the Universe, first of all. Second, Chiro is the Chosen One. The Power Primate compels them to believe him and to follow his lead. There are probably other reasons too, but I can't think of them right now.
Hopefully monthly updates are not going to be regular. It's irritating, wanting to work on a story and for some reason being unable to... (in this case, lack of inspiration to sit down and write...) However, reading my reviews and getting some new ones finally gave me the kickstart I need XD
And speaking of reviews, can I have some? Please?
(...darn these long authors notes. See, this is why I usually have characters intervene. They keep me from rambling. However, right now I'm too lazy to pull any into the A/N...)
