A/N: I'd apologize for the long wait, but there's no point really. I have a life and being a Senior is no cake walk. It's here now and I did my best to make it a bit longer than the chapters before. This chapter isn't going to make sense but it's okay, don't worry. I'll do my best to get the next one up in the next few months if I don't drown in economics homework first.
Also I'm not really liking the name Renessia. I'm sure no one else does either. It was so long ago when I chose it that I don't remember why. It has no meaning of anything, just something I made up.
Is there a name you guys would prefer I'd use? Or is it too late to go back and change that up? Leave your suggestions in a review or PM me if you prefer.
Enjoy
Anna grudgingly opened her eyes as she regained consciousness. She felt exhausted and didn't want to move, let alone get out of bed. Wait. Bed? Anna sat up and examined her surrounding. She was in a queen sized bed with a red comforter and white sheets. She didn't remember having a big bed on the condor, nor was the room this big either. Then it hit her. She wasn't on the Condor, but back in that room on Cyclonia.
"What the? When did I-...But I thought. Not good at all." Anna frantically jumped out of bed, stumbling over her words in a mid-panic attack. "How is this possible? I was saved wasn't I? I should be on the Condor after Aerrow and Finn saved me. How could I be on Cyclonia?"
Nothing was adding up. Unless Aerrow and Finn had lost to the Dark Ace after she past out. Could that of happened? No it couldn't have. How could he have caught up with them? He didn't have his skimmer near by since he was chasing after her. Anna was just going to have to ask questions and find out then. Speaking of running from the Dark Ace, her ankle didn't hurt any more. In fact. She didn't feel sore at all. No cuts or bruises were visible on her skin where they had been either. How long had she been out? Maybe she was taken in her time of weakness.
"I don't like this one bit." Anna muttered to herself, lifting a hand to scratch her head. Wait...was her hair always that long? Anna grabbed a lock and ran her fingers through it to the ends. It's longer than it was before, down to almost her mid-back now. Which is weird, Anna never liked her hair long and she most certainly never had it this long before. Had she really been out so long her hair grew 10 inches? Give or take a couple, she was only estimating. Even with her fast growing hair it would still take a least 2 year or 3 to get it this long.
Anna knew she had to get out of here without the help of the Storm Hawks, if they were even going to help her. She had no idea how long she had been here. "First things first. I should get dressed." Anna noted that she was wearing a night gown. Yet all she could find in the drawers was an outfit that looked liker her pajamas. "Oh...kay...this is weird, but I'd rather escape in pants."
After a quick change and slipping on some shoes, she stopped to stand before the door. Anna mentally face-palmed at herself. What if the door was locked? What would be the point in trying to escape then? Luckily for her though, the door was surprisingly unlocked. "Are they making fun of me with an unlocked door or something?" Anna frowned. Did they not think she would try and escape? Well she'll show them that she's not an easy prisoner!
Easier said than done of course. Anna's heart was beating hard and fast and she walked through the halls. The fear of getting caught or walking across the path of talons she didn't want to see filled her mind. Plus she had no idea where she was going, every turn she took was random with no thought. At the end of one hallway was a door. A dead end. Anna contemplated on opening it or not. The uncertainty was almost enough to drive her to turn around but the sound of footsteps from around the corner was the push she needed to open it and enter the room. Or course, maybe confronting the person in the hall was a better idea then who she faced now. Master Cyclonis stood in the center of the room, said person turned upon hearing the door slide open and close.
"You're late Reneissa. You know I don't like tardiness." The words hissed in Anna's ears.
"..." Anna was at a loss for words. She had just walked into the last person she wanted to run into. The thought of turning back and running crossed Anna's mind but her feet were too scared to move. And another question, what exactly was she late for?
"I'll let it slid. For now. Yesterday was pretty tiring wasn't it? Now, let's begin where we left off shall we?" Her words sounded more like a warning. What exactly happened yesterday? Wasn't she asleep? The last thing she remembered was escaping from the Dark Ace.
"You do remember yesterday's lesson right? Did it wear you out that much that you forgot?" Cyclonis must have noticed Anna's confusion. Had she been awake yesterday? Any other days before this one? Were they erased from her memory? That frightened Anna. She didn't like the idea of not remembering something that happened to her.
"I don't understand." Anna was getting frantic again. The urge to ask questions rose but her body refused to voice them. Something in the back of Anna's mind was bringing the fear. She wasn't sure what it was but it was almost like instinct. Like how a person can remember the pain of being burned so they avoid touching hot things. That same instinct of fear was there when ever Anna was in the presence of Cyclonis.
"Well then we are just going to have to take a quick review of yesterday's lesson." Cyclonis turned to the table behind her. Neatly stacked books placed upon it and other papers.
Quick review of yesterday's lessons? That was usually Anna's cue to tune out and fall asleep in class. But she had her full attention today. She didn't know she had a "yesterday's lesson" and a review of something she didn't know was definitely something she needed to know. Curiosity was beginning to show and Anna took a few steps from the door, closer to the desk.
"The crystal is on the table." said Cyclonis as she skimmed through a book.
Anna took this as a cue and approached the table. Each book was about crystals and papers were stuffed in a few different folders. Each about different theories. And on the left side of the table was the unnamed olive green crystal. The one she had mysteriously acquired when she came to this world. Well, rather she had always had this crystal and she only just woke up from a reality she had dreamed up. This tiny crystal. Only the size of Anna palm. What was it exactly? Why did Cyclonis need her? Wasn't she a master at the knowledge of crystals? What purpose did she serve? And what power did it hold?
"Do you feel it's power?" Cyclonis asked, though her questions sound more like statements. Anna pulled herself out of her thoughts and focused on the green rock in her hands. Which is what it felt like. Just another rock. "You have to focus." she continued, noticing Anna's lack of response.
Anna squeezed her gripped a little. "What exactly are you little crystal? What can you do? Why do you need me?" She thought as she stared at it. The crystal gave a faint glow in response. Anna's eyes widened a little. It was small but she could feel something. Something big...and powerful. Anna released her grip from shock and dropped the crystal. It fell to the table with a light tap and rolled a bit. The glow went out and Anna took a few deep breaths.
"You're starting to connect. This is good process but not enough." Cyclonis was getting frustrated. And Anna slowly inched away, not wanting to be too close in case she exploded. Figuratively. "What are you doing wrong."
"Is that a question or an insult?" Anna thought. Either way, Anna knew neither was good. Nothing was making sense right now and connecting with that stupid crystal that ruined her life is not that important right now. She could worry about it later when she was far away from here.
Master Cyclonis opened one of the folders and flipped through a few of the pages. Frowning she put it down and opened one of the many books. After skimming it she let out a frustrated grunt and slammed the book close. Anna flinched at the sudden noise.
"I need to collect a few more notes. Why don't you work on reconnecting with the crystal. I expect good results when I return." Cyclonis' eyes narrowed. That was definitely a threat. Anna simply nodded in response and watched her leave the room.
As soon as the door shut Anna surveyed the room. There was only one way in and out of this room. And it was that door. Was it possibly still unlocked? She hadn't heard it lock. Taking a deep breath, Anna inched toward the door but quickly retreated back to the table to retrieve the crystal. "Best not to leave it here." she thought and then headed back for the door. To her continuing luck, it was indeed unlocked. The door slid open with little sound and Anna silently walked down the halls again. Making sure Cyclonis had a few minuet head start to avoid running into her.
Anna made sure to look in every direction when she came to an intersection. There was no one and every time she did hear or see someone they had their backs to her and took no notice. Escape would be easy if she knew where the hanger bay way. Remembering the show and how the layout of the landscape was, her best bet was to take a skimmer. The wastelands lay far below the clouds. Much to dangerous for a simple girl. Anna wouldn't survive. The only other option was flying, though there was a very high chance of being detected. Motor vehicles are pretty loud and or course a radar would pick her up. This place it pretty regulated to any unauthorized vehicles would most likely be shot down.
But it's a chance that Anna had to take. She had to be brave right now. Of course, this plan would be just a bit more easier if she knew where she was going. "I have to go down. I know I'm pretty high up and the hanger is more near the ground. Well the ground of the terra at least." And the search for the stairs began. There weren't many signs to help guide her. She found bathroom signs and wet floor signs but nothing that would lead her to the stairs.
Voices could be heard echoing through the hall. Someone was coming. Anna's eyes darted for a place to hide. "Crates! Hopefully they don't need these..." Anna thought as she ducked behind some crates. They were stacked 3 boxes high in 2 rows. Enough for Anna to duck behind. The two men who where engrossed in their conversation passed by without taking notice.
"They're doing another inspection today." said the first man.
"Really? Didn't we do one last week? Are they looking for rat of something?" The second man groaned.
"A rat? Nah, I don't think there are any suspicious people in our ranks. I've known a lot of these guys for months! None of them seems to be the type." The first man replied. "I think they just want to mess with us."
"Uhg, I can't stand being treated like this sometimes." The seconds man complained.
The two turned the corner and Anna crept out from behind the boxes. It seems the talons are going to be busy. Perfect for her to sneak out with less attention. Looking behind her to make sure no one else was coming she continued on. Making sure to take a turn in the opposite direction of the two talons.
Anna eventually found the stairs and made sure to look up and down them before descending down the steps. It was only 5 flights of stairs. Each floor had almost like a directory. A reminder for what was located on each floor. This floor had the one word that stood out "Hanger Bay". "I'm in the right direction. I have to hurry though, I probably don't have a lot of time." Anna looked back up and down the stairs for anyone before continuing her escape.
It wasn't as quiet down here, the buzz of machines could be heard in the distance. But no signs of people. The hallway way long and wide, probably to move large cargo to different docks or rooms. Even the doors were larger. Anna decided to open a few of them. The first one looked like a storage room. Filled with many unopened crates. Nothing of use to her and the door was closed. The second door was a garage. Many vehicles were lined up, broken down an in need of repair. Anna needed a working skimmer, these would not do. The third door was a dock, but the ship was much larger than she needed. Before her was what looked like a flying battleship. It was huge and armed with cannons. She could never get anywhere in that.
The fourth, fifth, and sixth door had nothing of use either. Nor was there another living person to be found. Anna took it as a blessing and didn't dwell on the thought. It would only slower her down and cause hesitation. So when she arrived upon the seventh door she made haste through the sliding door. She had found what she was looking for. "Finally. Now for the next question." She muttered to herself as she approached one of the skimmers lined up. "How do I start it?" She climber onto the seat and analyzed the control. It was just like what a motorcycle would be back home (dreamland). But it had wings. So unless she knew how to deploy them, she isn't going to get very far.
"I think it was this thing..." Anna said as her hand gripped the pulley to her right. (My apologies for lack of proper vocabulary, I am not very knowledgeable in aviation or the workings of skimmers.) The wings popped out and Anna jumped at the sudden sound they wings made as the extended. She quickly scanned around the hanger bay for anyone. But just like almost every where else. It was empty. "They all must be at this inspection. I better go before anyone takes notice of what I'm doing..." Anna's tone harden at the fear and determination of escape as she retracted the wings back into place. She started up the engine and pulled away from the wall. That's when Anna's luck ran out. The alarm went off and the red lights above started flashing.
The thought of cameras and alarm systems hadn't even crossed her mind till now. But it was much to late to think about that now. It was now or never and now was a better bet. She slowly released the clutch as she gained momentum. Aimed at the open door, to the sky. The door behind her in the back of the room slid open as she drove over the edge into open air. The shock of what she did kept her frozen, the back of her brain shouted at her to reopen the wings. It was till the blast of energy the bast her head did she snap back to reality.
Talons. They were quick to act. Anna shook her head and pulled out the wings. It was a wobbly and uneasy but she was flying. "Holy- I'm flying!" Fear changed to excitement as Anna quickly adjusted to the controls and steadied her flight path. "Now I have to ditch these guys." A smirk worked it's way onto her face and the adrenaline kicked in. The Storm Hawks make this look much easier on TV! Dodging the attacks from the talons was not easy for an inexperienced flier. A quick look behind her revealed about 5 talons. They had weapons and out number her. Though Anna knew her skimmer had a weapon, she couldn't go into battle. Best chance was to lose them in the thick clouds.
She couldn't move as fast as she would like. The lack of goggles made it hard to keep her eyes open, even with the windshield. Thankfully the cloud made it much harder to see anything for her and the talons. But the engines were loud, easy to hear. Could she turn off the engine maybe? Drop below the could, only for a few seconds. The wastelands were below the clouds making the strategy very unsafe. But it was her best bet for the moment.
Hesitantly, Anna turned off the engine. The loud rumble from the engine died out and the skimmer began to lose altitude. With the wings out it was more of a gliding decent. It wasn't fast but it was enough to where Anna had to hold on to the skimmer tighter. She listened for the sound of the other skimmers. They were faint over the sound of the wind whipping past her ears. But not close, they must be losing their trail on her.
The clouds were suddenly gone and a dark barren land scape came into view. The only color was the bright oranges, and yellows of the lava the spewed from the ground. "The wastelands..." Anna remember from some of the episodes where the Storm Hawks had travel down through here. It was much more creepy in person. The rocks seems more sharp, and black. Like they were burned to a crisp from the heat of the lava. Anna quickly turned the engine back on and regained altitude to just right below the cloud line and sped up.
You could feel the heat from all the lava below. Giant beast roamed through it and on the land below. Some taking notice to Anna but deemed her to high out of her reach. After flying for a good 20 minuets, Anna couldn't stand the heat anymore and flew back up through the clouds an into open air. There was no one else around. She had lost them.
"Okay. The planned work. But where do I go now?" Anna's eyes scanned the horizon (In this case, where the cloud line and sky meet) but there wasn't much. She spotted Terra Gale in the distance. But that would be to risky. It's too close to Cyclonia. Her best bet was to keep flying till the skimmer couldn't go any farther.
She flew for what felt like hours. Anna couldn't be sure exactly how much time had past do to the lack of any time telling device. She could no longer see Cyclonia with her bare eyes but the skimmer still had half a tank of gas. So she kept going, wanting to gain as much distance as the machine would allow. Her fear of heights hadn't even come to mind. It was like she got over. Which is good, having a fear of heights would not be a great thing to have in a world where flying is the main source of travel. She wondered if maybe the fear was a mental thing she gave herself. To keep her from wanting to come back to this world.
The sun was starting to set when the skimmer started to beep. A red light flashed showing it was low on gas. Anna scanned the sky for the closest terra to land on. There was only one. One that was very familiar. "Isn't that...the terra we found my memory crystal on?" Anna frowned. What are the odds? But she had no other choice, the skimmer was not going to take her any farther. Very carefully, she lowed the skimmer close to the terra. The wheels touched the dirt ground and Anna put on the breaks. There were too many trees to get a clear landing and the skimmer was losing it's balance. She quickly jumped off as the skimmer lost balanced and crashed into the oncoming tree.
Anna rolled a bit after she hit the ground and let out a shout of pain from the impact. She came to a stop and slowly raised herself from the ground. Everything hurt again but nothing was broken. Her hands dusted off her pants and noticed her empty pockets. "The crystal!" She shouted frantically and she searched the ground. It was getting dark and a bit hard to see. The crystal gave a faint glow, telling Anna where it was and she picked it up.
"My pockets aren't the best are they." She said to the crystal. Anna noticed some brown, string like material hanging from the trees. Anna grabbed one and snapped a piece off. She securely tied it around the crystal to make it like a necklace. The same way she had found it around her neck that one day. "I'm have some really bad Déjà vu right now." Anna blinked and shook her head from the slight dizziness.
Going back to the wrecked skimmer, Anna knew should would not be able to move it. It's heavy and now tangled in vines. There were no supplies inside the satchels except for a few crystals. Anna had no idea what any of them did. Except the one crystal at the bottom. "This looks exactly like the crystal I stored my memories on. What is going on here?" Anna was starting to get freaked out by everything. They all couldn't be coincidences. Three in a row? No. Something has to be up.
Anna took the satchel crystals . They could be useful to her later. But what is she going to do now? She's stranded on a terra with no food or water and no way off. Anna decided she needed some kind of shelter for now. It was almost night and being out in the open at night was probably not the best thing. So she threw a few giant leaves on to the bike to cover it up and then began her search. "Maybe I should take higher ground, up in the trees...I don't know what kind of animals there would be here. But it'll be harder to spot me if I'm hidden behind the leaves." Anna decided mentally.
Looking for the best way up, she found some climbable roots to use to reach the lower branches of the trees. From there she had to mostly rely on her hands and feet to feel for branches. Tugging on them to make sure they could hold her weight. It was almost impossible to see before she reached a comfortable spot for her to sit. She nestled herself into a nook between the tree and a few thick branches. These trees where really big and amazing. She felt so minuscule compared to it. It made her feel relaxed and help her clear her mind.
The crystal around her neck began to glow dimly. "You're a very strange rock." she laughed lightly, turning the rock around in her fingers before letting it hang around her neck again. She set the satchel of crystals in her lap and opened it. The olive crystal brought some light to provide Anna a little bit of vision. Anna took out the memory crystal. She wasn't sure what it was actually called, but "memory crystal" seemed to be a fitting name.
"I'm guessing all you little things look alike. Because there is no way you could be my memory crystal." Anna was trying to convince herself. Memories of her Earth life flowed into her mind so she dropped the crystal back into the bag before the tears came out. She softly cried herself to sleep that night. The stress and longing for her friends and family catching up to her.
The next morning Anna awoke to the bright sunlight. Blinking, she unwillingly opened her eyes and stretched. Forgetting she was in a tree she quickly grabbed at the branches before she could fall to the ground. "I'm in a tree?...Oh yeah, that's right." Memories of yesterday's events flowed to the surface. Anna climbed down from the tree, her hair getting caught in the smaller branches. "Stupid hair..." she grumbled trying to untangle it. After some effort, it was finally loose and Anna continued climbing down.
"What can I use to cut it?" Anna asked herself looking for a sharp object. She went back to were she had crash the skimmer and removed the leaves. Not that it was much lighter outside she could search it better. There was a sort of glove compartment on it and Anna open it. Inside was what looked like some kind of radio and a pocket knife. Really? That's...very convenient. She took the knife out first and rotated the blade out. Gabbing her hair she did one clean cut through it. It was now shoulder length. Probably messy and uneven but that didn't matter now.
Anna threw the hair into a bush so it wasn't noticeable. Now she looked at the radio. It looked like an old radio. Everything in this world looked old fashioned compared to most things back on Earth. She wasn't completely sure how to work it. Anna located the power button and the thing came to life. She assumed the dial was turned to a frequency on Cyclonia so she turned the dials for another frequency. Most of it was static, suggesting she was out of range. But that was only an assumption.
Turning the dial to the left, she removed the microphone from it's holder and pushed the side button. "Hello? Is anyone there? I'm in need of some help." Anna said into the speaker. She released the button and waited for any response. There was no response, only static. Anna bit her lip and then turned the dial a bit more and tried again.
After a few tries she was finally able to get a hold of a man in the area. "My skimmer ran out of fuel and I landed on this deserted jungle terra. I'm not sure where." Anna explained.
"Jungle terra huh? I think I know where that is. Sit tight and I'll be right there." The man replied and the line went dead.
Anna breathed a sigh of relief as she hung the microphone up and turned the radio off. But she didn't relax. Who knows who this man could be. She re-covered the skimmer with the large leaves and went towards the edge of the terra to get a better look at the sky. The trees above made if hard to see anyone in the sky and anyone under the trees. The sound of an engine hummed through the air, but Anna seemed to lose consciousness before she could even see it.
A/N: Confused? As I stated above, it's okay, you're supposed to be. I promise it will be cleared up in the next chapter. Thanks for sticking with me!
I apologize for any mistakes I may have missed. After I wrote it I re-read it about 2 weeks later and then again today to get a better look. Hopefully I got most of them.
