All too easy.
Diablos might have only enjoyed life for a short time period, but he had more knowledge on his side than almost any other thing that had ever lived. That included a wide scope on the history of the entire Planet and all of its developments throughout time. He knew most things on this world better than they knew themselves. He could formulate a plan to get himself to succeed in almost any situation imaginable, and he knew it.
Still…he enjoyed how kind fate had been to bring him into existence here and now.
Everything that Weiss had known was now his. And DeepGround had been very, very kind as to subconsciously transmit all current information into Weiss' artificially living brain. They wanted to make sure their leader would be on top of things the moment he arrived…which meant that Diablos was now on top of things. It was child's play to access all computer records and communication systems, as well as old footage of Weiss' own visage on the throne. He could have reverted back into Weiss…but for now, he preferred his current outfit. At any rate, he was easily able to contact the soldiers still in DeepGround. It was further easy to tell them about their fantastic new "esper weapons", and to make arrangements to receive the remaining cylinders in their possession, as well as to make ways of "recharging" their current "weapons". It was easy for his newest allies to move through the halls to their proper areas, and easier still to make sure that no one would be in his path when he himself decided to move.
Pandemona was easy to rig up. They had special wind tunnels inside DeepGround to train the soldiers in ways of sky-diving and midair combat. All he had to do was send him there and let him sit in the path of the fans at full blast until he was recovered.
Siren took a bit more ingenuity. In the end, Diablos had sent her to the center of communications control throughout DeepGround. Once there, he had directed her to turn on every single audio broadcaster in the room, each one playing a different genre of song at full blast, deafening her with its noise.
Cerberus was a bit more of a dilemma. Diablos wasn't exactly sure of the nature of his power. In the end, he decided the best way to give him "vigor" was to stimulate it. He sent him to the workout areas and placed him on one of the larger treadmills, built for one of his size, to run at full speed. It seemed to be working when Diablos left him…
With his new recruits recharging, it was time for him to see to other things. After all, there was still much to do. And he had one area in particular in mind.
Because of that, Diablos currently found himself standing here. In front of him a giant steel door, thick with several feet of armor, stood. Hydraulics held it in place, and a continuous echo went out from the other side. The door shuddered and even bulged slightly with each blow. Diablos smiled at it throughout.
Nearby, there were a pair of guards who had refused to obey his orders to leave. Oh, they hadn't refused outright. They weren't that dumb. However, they had insisted on guarding the area, making sure their prisoner didn't escape until Weiss had arrived. He had told all people to be gone and leave the prisoners to him. But two had stayed behind. They wanted to make sure nothing happened in the interim. And because of that, they had still been there, and clearly saw Diablos in his latest form when he rounded the corner and drew near.
Pity for them.
Now, both of them had their spines removed and were on the ground. Diablos was finishing licking some of the blood off of his other hand. He enjoyed the fact that, despite having been fully recharged, he felt their deaths none the less. They strengthened him.
Still smiling, Diablos finished cleaning off the blood, finishing his last finger by projecting his tongue like a long fork and winding it around his last digit, wiping it clean in one sweep. With that accomplished, he walked over to a panel near the main door. He immediately flipped it down, revealing a keypad awaiting instruction. He typed in a few digits, an override both from Weiss' memory as well as one of the two guards he had just killed.
That's right…they did die in agony in a time of war, didn't they?
The thought made Diablos snicker as he pressed the enter button, and then stood back again to greet his new arrivals.
A moment later, and a monstrous hiss sounded from the huge metal door. It heaved once, and then seemed to crack inward, as if shifting off of some mooring. A moment later, and it gave out the sounds of massive gears and wheels turning as it hoisted itself upward. It rolled on invisible guidelines straight up, passing into the upper portion of the frame it was in. As it slowly rolled up, dim red light was revealed on the other side. Bare, dusty sand rolled out onto the ground, spilling grains everywhere. Diablos saw this, and looked up and waited.
As the door continued to rise, a dark shadow was revealed beyond it. A tall one; easily the size of Azul in his human form. It continued to roll up until at last a massive monster was revealed, hands still in fists, and a very angry look on his face.
The look immediately called into mind myths of "minotaurs", creatures with bodies that were half man and half bull. Yet this thing looked far too hideous and monstrous to be a true one. It had hooves and fists, and long curled horns on top of its head. But its face was just plain ugly. Neither human nor bull. It was like some sort of twisted goblin, with a broad nose and a jutting chin. Large sharp teeth poked out from its jaws and its lips. Its eyes were burning with yellow energy. Yet it wasn't bright light or electrical. It seemed to be almost of some sort of natural color…a bronzed or dusty look.
The eyes soon flicked down and rested on the much-smaller Diablos.
The teeth grit, and the thing began to speak. It's voice was deafening to any normal human, and the whole room shook as dust fell from the ceiling.
"SO WHO'S THE ONE WHO CRAMMED ME INTO THAT-"
The monster went silent a moment later as it saw who…or what…it was looking at. Despite its huge size, it immediately looked stunned. It actually went back a bit, flicking its cow tail behind him, and holding its arms up.
"UGH! WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU?"
"Hel-"
Diablos calmly turned his gaze off of the hulking brute and looked past him, deeper into the room. His eyes rested on the source of the voice. Two male humans, nude but otherwise intact, were looking out at him. One was a boy, and he had begun to speak. He was starting to yell for help...but cut himself off. Both of them looked rather tense and frightened. After all…they had been caught in the room with the beast for some time. Yet on seeing Diablos, he immediately clammed up. He shrank back, and the bigger one, seeing the demonic horror worse than the monster, immediately put his arm around the boy as a shield and struggled to get in front of him to protect him, although both looked rather small and frightened by now.
Diablos smiled and gave a snort to them. After that, he looked back up to the monster. He stretched out a finger and beckoned to him. "How about coming out from there and talking a while?"
The gaze of the thing narrowed, and his rage returned.
"DON'T TALK TO ME THAT WAY! I DON'T APPRECIATE BEING PUT IN SOME UGLY HUMAN'S BODY AND BEING LOCKED UP FOR HOURS! WHO ARE YOU AND WHAT ARE YOU-"
"calm down, little brother."
A much smaller, nearly comical voice rang out. It was nearly a squeak, much like cartoon characters who are unusually tiny say in kid shows. Diablos, however, calmly turned his eyes down to the source.
Stepping out from behind the giant was something scarcely the size of Shelke. Compared to the much larger one, it had been able to successfully hide behind one leg without revealing itself. Now it easily stooped and walked underneath the larger one's legs to come out in front of him. It was a carbon copy of the bigger one, only scaled smaller. The coloring was a big different too. The huge one had red horns. This one had gold ones.
The giant looked down on him, and immediately seemed to pout. "BUT BIG BROTHER! HE COULD HAVE LET US OUT THE WHOLE TIME, BUT LEFT US CRAMMED IN WITH THOSE SMELLY APES, AND-"
"that's enough, sacred." The smaller one answered, waving a hand behind him, which immediately made the giant whine and back down. As for the smaller one, he kept his eyes on Diablos, looking up to him in much the same way Diablos was looking up to the larger one, Sacred.
"excuse my brother." The small one answered. "i don't attack without provocation, or let him do so. i want to at least give you the chance to explain yourself. but if you say anything i don't like, i'll gladly let him have you, and i'll take a piece of you myself."
Diablos merely kept his smile. "Of course. Step this way."
He extended a taloned hand, gesturing out of the chamber.
The smaller one immediately walked out. The larger one grunted, but then followed behind. Diablos watched them as they moved out from inside. Afterward, he turned back and looked in one more time. The humans were still hesitating, obviously unsure of whether or not to move. They froze again when Diablos looked to them. However, before they could try and make a move, the esper reached out and pressed the controls once again. A moment later, and the door slid shut again, and once more sealed. The two humans were caught inside.
The two beasts looked to Diablos curiously on seeing this, stopping in midstep.
"what do you want with them? why are you keeping them there?"
"They won't be in much longer." Diablos reassured. "They'll be leaving as soon as I give them and the rest in this DeepGround a private concert…"
Tifa nearly threw the paper down. She thought of burning it, then throwing the ashes in the garbage disposal. However…something stopped her from doing that. Namely the fact that she was more concerned right now about how many different people across Edge were reading this front page story right now and what they were thinking. She supposed she should have been grateful that the details of yesterday's city council meeting hadn't been published until today…when she could worry about it in daylight instead of having to wait through last night while tempers were still fresh.
For the first time Tifa could remember, she burned part of the kids' breakfast. She was so distracted by the paper that Crain had brought her.
The council meeting had taken place yesterday, and the new topic of the hour was the attack on the airport. By now, the casualty figures had come in, and many were still missing. They were presumed dead at this point, especially when one or two eye witnesses said that some sort of dark cloud had appeared to eat them before fading away. Although early investigators hadn't believed this, it began to look more and more possible with time, especially now that it was becoming clear that the enemy had generated energy shields, bent light over their bodies, and done other things out of the realm of physical possibility. And since there was no explanation, natural or mechanical, for many of these things, the next possibility had come in, one that was now a reality and, possibly, a scapegoat.
Magic.
The current mayor said that this attack was a result of too much complacency. After the Volunteer War, the citizenry had been lulled into a false sense of security. The New Shinra Army had been allowed to rise due to people's desire to simply ignore these things and believe life would be peaceful. The attack, they believed, was a result of it. Complacency regarding military factions and organizations…and complacency regarding people born with magical powers. If three or four people with magical abilities had managed to kill dozens, including no less than eight armed guards, then what would more of them do? A hundred would be able to take over the city. Perhaps more than just that…
A new vote was going to be put before the city council. This one was going to be on a new local ordinance that would likely soon expand to all other cities in the surrounding area and beyond. Before, the current law said that the local police had the right to detain and interrogate anyone engaged in "suspicious and questionable activity". This included the appearance of illegal transactions, such as drug sales, and someone ranting and raving about killing someone else while waving around a weapon. This vote, if it passed, would now include anyone engaged in any "non-materia magical activity". The mayor had made sure to tack on the end that this measure would just be the first in a series of new legislative steps to make sure that an incident like the one at the airport did not happen again.
Tifa knew the truth far better.
This was the first in a series of new legislative steps that would start a modern day mage warrior hunt. Now that the police were able to drag any natural magic user to jail, they'd be able to shoot them on sight and claim they were "resisting arrest". And it would give them an excuse to break the doors down to the orphanage. Worst of all, it would enable the city to start building a dossier on all magic users in the city. And that would be where the next laws could come in…imposing restrictions on all of these users…forcibly registering them and requiring them to list this status on a job or school application…or worse.
The woman would have kept thinking about this, when a pungeant aroma hit her nostrils. She turned and looked, and soon sighed as she realized the eggs were burning. As she quickly went for the spatula, she thought of today. Aerith was coming home. That was a good thing. Somehow it felt better to have that kind of power on their side. However, she knew enough to know that this thing wasn't going to be settled by force. Somehow they had to get around this, but how? Would they have to cut off classes for a while?
Even as Tifa began to adjust the material in the pan, the door to the kitchen swung open. She turned and looked, and saw that Denzel was already dressed and looking to her. He gestured behind himself to the front door.
"Hey mom? Can me and Azure head over to Marlene's?"
"Not just yet, Denzel." Tifa answered, trying to push the thoughts away and think about more current matters. "Until Aerith gets back, I want you boys to stay here and help out."
Denzel immediately frowned, obviously not liking the sound of that.
"I'm going to want more people around here from now on." Tifa immediately answered. She gestured down to the paper, still on the counter. "Read that and you'll see why."
Denzel hesitated a bit, still rather disagreeable about the arrangement. Yet having nothing better to do, he finally sighed, reached over, and took it up. He turned and walked out, letting the door swing closed behind him. Tifa frowned somewhat at his behavior, but then turned back to the food.
You want to protect someone, Denzel… You may have to sooner than you think…right here.
The woman thought a bit longer on this as she saw her son walk out…when she suddenly jumped. The phone in the kitchen abruptly rang, and she nearly dropped her spatula. With a gasp, she turned and looked over to the source. A moment later, she exhaled as she relaxed a bit, and then scolding herself mentally for being so jittery, she removed the pan from the stove onto a cold burner, and then walked over to its carrier on the wall. She soon removed it and put it to her ear.
"Seventh Heaven Bar and Deliveries."
"…They're moving again."
Tifa's eyes widened a bit. She recognized the voice as Vincent.
"…They?" She asked in a quieter voice…not wanting her sons to overhear in the next room. "You mean the people who made the attack yesterday?"
"Or a craft that they use." Vincent's voice answered. "They're headed up north. They're already over the ocean by now, but I've narrowed down their location. It's somewhere in the ruins of Midgar. One of the more heavily destroyed areas…the Shinra HQ Building."
Tifa tightened on hearing this. She realized what that might possibly mean. But that wasn't possible. The New Shinra was gone along with the old one. They couldn't still be kicking after all this time…could they?
"If I don't call back in six hours, you'll know where I went." The voice continued. "I'm going to try and track the entrance down while the old trail is still warm. If nothing else, I can stakeout the return trip."
Tifa began to speak. "Vincent…"
It was too late. The phone on the other end had clicked.
Ragnar frowned when he looked at the time. It was getting too late.
He looked up soon after, and looked out to the sky on the horizon. Nothing there yet. Of course, he wasn't sure how easy he'd be if something was there. It was daylight now, and still Quetzacoatl had not returned. She was supposed to be back before dawn. In all likelihood, it wasn't anything dangerous. She was likely losing track of time and enjoying herself too much. She might have even gone so far that it was still dark where she was. Yet that didn't change the fact that Ragnar wanted her back. He liked the idea of espers being free to roam the world, but that didn't change the fact that the world wasn't used to seeing one flying around.
The man shut the door to the car and gave a stretch. He had gotten up before dawn that morning, intent on getting Aerith and the kids aboard the next departing transport. They were headed back home now, although they'd be going via Junon. That was fine by Ragnar. Despite Aerith's power, he didn't like the idea of her going back to the "scene of the crime"…especially since he knew that somehow they had been breached, and so it was likely that whoever had done it knew they were coming. By the time he had seen them off and gotten over the sadness that came with the thought of once again being without his family, he set out for the facility again. Along the way, Shalua had called him. She said she hadn't found out any evidence of being hacked, but also that Quetzacoatl had still not returned.
To be honest, Ragnar was starting to get worried. They hadn't heard from Horus yet, and that was feeding his fear that she had something to do with what happened in Midgar. Some group of people had to know about Quetzacoatl as well, even if the locals did not. What if someone had made a strike on her? Espers were powerful, but far from invincible. Very far. Especially lower ones like Quetzacoatl. Swords and powder cannon had managed to best them hundreds of years ago. What would they do in the face of today's modern weapons?
Ragnar didn't like this. As he turned and began to make his way back to the facility, he began to wonder if he shouldn't have gone home as well. He'd like to seek out and stop these people himself. But no…that would do little good. There were already plenty of his friends back in Midgar. Even Vincent had shown up again to help out. Back here might be peaceful, but this was still where the rest of the essences were located. He had to make sure they weren't taken. And he had to find out who the leak was as well.
Soon he was at the door and moving in. The facility was mostly abandoned right now, save for himself and Shalua. Rex was supposed to be coming back with his last samples later that afternoon. He could have been in that morning, but Ragnar had to quickly make up a story to keep him from doing so. He didn't want him to accidentally spot Quetzacoatl. Accepting Horus was one thing, but he wasn't sure he could trust him to keep a lid on an esper…especially since he was starting to wonder who he could trust.
Inside the facility, Ragnar turned the corner and began to make for the laboratory. The halls were empty and dark, letting natural sunlight do most of the work at this point. He was free to get to the area, and once again pass through the doorway into the interior.
It hadn't changed much from yesterday. The samples were put away, but the lab looked extensively used. Shalua had left her examination of the various cultures she had and returned to her computer for the moment. She was typing away, once again seeming oblivious to Ragnar's initial entrance. Just like yesterday, after pulling the door to behind him, waiting for it to click, he began to approach her. He studied her features as he did so, wondering if she was still stunned about yesterday's discovery.
To his puzzlement, she seemed to have a new look on her face. This one was a look of unease…maybe even anxiety.
He stopped once he clearly saw this.
"…Something wrong?" He asked.
As if shocked, Shalua turned to him with a small gasp. This aroused Ragnar's suspicions immediately…despite the fact that he had thought the woman was one he could trust. However, she soon let out a slower exhale, and then seemed to relax somewhat.
"Mr. Vice…you scared me."
"Found something that really had you engrossed?" Ragnar asked, subtly redirecting the conversation back to before.
"Potentially." Shalua answered, turning back to the screen. "Despite the fact I can't believe it, I know that the only real facts that were written down about our ongoing investigation were on my computer system. So I looked in to try and find more. I figured that I'd be able to spot a clever hacker if I looked at the records a bit more closely. He or she may have erased their presence, but doing so tends to leave a mark. Something looking a bit too neat and tidy, so to speak."
"Find anything?" Ragnar responded.
Shalua frowned…but not as much as she usually would have done from disappointment. "I was beginning to think that I hadn't been hacked. All the records were perfect. That seems almost impossible. The code citrix on my system combines both logic and intuition. You can't make a program to do it normally, and it would have taken days of brain power work from an accomplished, clever hacker to cover their tracks. They wouldn't have had time to make it perfect, not in the brief windows in which I wasn't looking. That made me start to think that I was wasting my time looking for a hacker in the first place. That was…until I found this in the records. A slip."
"Slip?"
Shalua pointed to a place on the screen. Ragnar began to walk over at this. He had to maneuver around a few tables, but he finally made it over to the screen.
There wasn't much for him to see. It all looked like a series of random entries with different dates and codes for each in one big list. Shalua was pointing to one.
"Right here." She stated. "No tricks here. No cover ups. Just a plain old password access to my most secure files…at a time in which I was nowhere near the computer. Someone else used it here. Someone who knew my code."
Ragnar raised an eyebrow here. "So…that narrows it down to someone who could guess your password? Or who had a good idea about it? Like who?"
Shalua frowned yet again. "Effectively? No one. I've never even hinted at what my password might be to anyone in my life…" On saying this, however…the woman began to trail off. "…Except one person." She finished a moment later. "But that's not possible. Not unless…" Again…she trailed off.
Ragnar was definitely intrigued now. And he was beginning to grow suspicious. He turned his head fully to the woman.
"…Shalua?"
The scientist looked at the screen a bit longer. She was silent and motionless during this. But in the end, she swallowed a bit and turned back to Ragnar.
"…There's one possibility, but it's something I haven't dared to consider for a long time, Mr. Vice." She finally stated. "It's very unlikely…but it just might be true. I need to tell you something. There's a chance that I know where the attackers on yesterday's airfield came from."
Hearing this, Ragnar's eyes immediately widened.
"You do? Who?"
Shalua looked a bit uneasy, but continued.
"I've only managed to collect scraps of clues about it. Nothing even concrete. Yet these things cost me one of my limbs and half of my sight. That's what makes me believe it's real. The thought that such a place might exist was what made me hate Shinra intrinsically…but mostly for the fact that-"
Creak.
Both Shalua and Ragnar turned their heads as they heard a sound break the otherwise rather quiet chamber. When they turned and looked…they saw something. The door to the laboratory had just lightly swung open.
Shalua stared a moment at this, but then shook it off. She turned to the male Cetra. "That's why you need sliding doors, Mr. Vice. You won't have to worry about making them stay shut."
Ragnar didn't look to her in response.
His gaze was locked on the doorway, and his muscles were already tightening.
"Stay shut nothing." He announced. "I remember closing it behind me." Then, in a louder voice. "Someone out there?"
No answer. Just silence.
That was all Ragnar needed to know. After the airfield attack, he wasn't going to risk someone else showing up and causing trouble. Immediately after he realized that whoever opened the door wasn't advertising their presence, he held his hand out. A moment later, and Ragnarok began to materialize in it after a flash of flame. He soon winced after doing so…as he heard Shalua gasp and shoot back. He forgot all about the fact that she still didn't realize the full nature of his and Aerith's supernatural powers. No doubt, that probably just unsettled her even more. Despite how casual she had been the other day, he wondered how much she truly felt about Aerith's abilities. Yet that could wait.
"Get behind the lab table." Ragnar instructed to her. "It's steel. It should be bullet proof."
Shalua frowned a bit at this. "I might be crippled, Mr. Vice, but I'm far from invalid. I still have-"
Before Shalua could get out another word…it happened.
Some sort of invisible force suddenly swung down hard on Ragnar's wrist. The movement was in a perfect disarming gesture. Before the man could even realize what had happened, a jolt went though his wrist. He gave a yelp as his sword fell from his hand to the ground. The man winced and looked to his limb…only to feel a rather solid and powerful hit, like being hit by a ball of steel, smash him in the face. He was ripped off of his feet and thrown backward through the air. Unfortunately, this lab was cluttered. There were plenty of microscopes and bench chairs to smash into before he impacted an irregular wall with pointed racks on it. Pain was driven into his back before he was left to fall to the ground. In truth, it wasn't so bad. He was too dazzled to register most of the pain.
Shalua's eyes widened as she snapped around to the man.
"Mr….!"
She meant to cry, Mr. Vice. However, the last word never came out.
A saber, burning with heat from deadly red energy, suddenly materialized and pointed itself at her throat. Immediately, she halted in mid-turn. Her one remaining eye widened, and she looked ahead of herself.
To the woman's surprise, two red sabers, hovering in mid-air, were in front of her. One was to the side, but the other was aimed at her. Both hummed with energy, and it appeared that they might have been focused energy beams. They kept her pinned, but they did not strike. For a moment, Shalua only held, looking up and waiting for what would happen next.
Something did finally happen.
Abruptly, reality warped. It bulged out and twisted until it seemed to form some sort of bulge of a figure in midair. It looked like some sort of humanoid figure…wielding the blades. A moment later, and the bulge suddenly began to fill in with color and form. It was like reality was coloring in an outline of a transparent person.
The coloring was deep black and blood red, however. Yet the red seemed to almost glow as much as the sabers. The humanoid on the other side was lithe and small, however. No larger than a child. She was clothed in some sort of bodysuit…but it was a strange one. It looked almost damp…warm…like a layer of some sort of black flesh. In fact, you might have almost been able to say this was some sort of black and blood skinned monster…if it wasn't for the fact that the barest hint of human skin was showing out from underneath a large, visorless, horned helmet that looked almost bolted into the person's neck and skull. The edges of the bodysuit almost seemed to be digging under it though, as if it was trying to lift it off and replace it with itself. The flesh itself was white as a sheet…cold as death. Yet Shalua could still make out the edges of brown, messy hair from under the helmet, and saw the set of human lips curled into a cold sneer underneath.
The teeth on the other side were enlarged…almost like a vampire…or a beast.
"For years…I've thought of killing you." A cold, child-like voice underneath the mask spoke. And yet…something underneath it laced it. Something violent…vicious. It was trying to push itself through. It almost looked as if the person was trying to suppress it. "I had to. It's what gave me the will to survive. To turn my false hope into a savage desire. Both required me to hang on…to live."
A pause.
"…And now that I'm here…I can't help but wish I could hold long enough for you to kill me."
Shalua's eyes creased, in confusion of all of this. She didn't understand what it meant or what this person was saying. It looked like a girl and talked like one…but the savagery behind it was that of an adult woman…and it almost looked as if her clothes were alive and trying to graft themselves onto her. Yet through it all, Shalua heard the slow, cold voice…and slowly began to recognize something in it…something she had long since buried.
"…You…" She began to say.
As if in response, the helmet suddenly released and flipped back, much like a knight's old armor would do so to expose the face. And there she was. Shalua's heart nearly stopped. Her mind went blank as she saw her standing in front of her. It was impossible…inconceivable…and yet she knew it had to be true. Her thoughts had turned to her as of late, and now it seemed as if such wasn't just idle thinking but almost an omen. An omen that had now come to pass. For a brief moment…Shalua saw her there. A living memory given flesh…untouched by the same time and forces that had rendered her a shell of a woman…
That was…until a greater horror came when she realized she wasn't unchanged.
Her eyes gleamed. Gleamed with that same red blood color. And they were changing…becoming viper-like. Her ears were pointed now. All of it suited her teeth…her monstrous, carnal teeth.
It couldn't be her. No…this was a demon. A demon bearing her likeness.
Slowly, Shalua's surprise began to turn into terror.
"Oh no…"
"I wanted you to recognize me." The girl answered. "I wanted you to know who I was. But you see…I can feel it now. I can't bear to look in a mirror, knowing what it's doing to me. I can feel it breaking into my mind…making me see the world as not anything human but as flesh and food. I know I don't look like her anymore. But so much the better then. If I have to be the demon from Hell to punish you, then so be it."
Shalua, eyes still wide, began to back up. She shook her head in disbelief.
"No…you're not her… You can't be her…"
"I wanted to tell you I was…or at least once…that this was what I was forced to become." The girl answered. "But not now. You're right. I'm not her. At least, I won't be very soon. He did something to me. It's not just a control, you see. It's changing me. I'm losing my sanity quickly now. Or maybe the fear did it to me. I don't know. All I know is that I thought I was in a nightmare before…but now the nightmare is truly begun."
"No…"
The serpent eyes began to narrow.
"Kill me, Shalua. Kill me now. Let me try to imagine that I'm still alive…that I haven't already been banished into Hell. Do it…or I'll enjoy the first part of my change by seeing you die…"
Shalua's eyes widened further. Slowly, a horrible thought was entering her mind…one getting harder and harder to deny.
"You…you're really…"
That was as far as she got.
That was when a ball of fire exploded against the girl's suit and flung her away, smashing her into the opposing wall after raking her through a mass of lab debris.
Shalua's eyes widened again and she gasped. After that, she turned and looked back to the source.
Ragnar was panting as he got to his feet again. Only now, after having a few moments to get his thoughts and wipe away some blood from his mouth, did he remember that he had heard that one of the people who attacked the airfield could bend light. What he didn't expect was that she could turn totally invisible. This wasn't just a cloak or camouflage. She hadn't even left an outline. They could have mentioned that…he had been looking for one, and had assumed it wasn't her…
At any rate, he lowered his hand. That was just a weak fire spell…the best he could manage at his own level of training without the aid of Ragnarok. But it had done the trick. Now, with another wave of his hand, Ragnarok was safely back in his grasp again as he peeled himself off of the wall. He winced soon after, however. He had brought it into his hit arm, and it still hurt. It felt like it was bruised or worse. He had to shift it to…
No time.
Whoever the girl was, she didn't need nearly as much time to recover. She had barely finished landing when she suddenly sprung off from her position in the wall, her helmet swinging down and snapping back into place. A moment later, and she leapt across the room, bounded off of a wall on the side, and then shot straight for Ragnar. Both of her sabers were extended and aimed for him. The speed was astonishing. It was only due to Ragnar's training that he managed to turn and bring Ragnarok up in time.
The initial strike made a collision, and the blow was blocked. It was good, too. Ragnar had heard that the invisible one had used stunning poles…but these things felt a bit too hot to be safe. He could sense the heat from a foot away, where he had swung Ragnarok up to stop them just in time. Yet the block was far from without consequences. Pain shot up his wrists and he winced. He had been forced to block with his bad arm, and had paid for it.
Almost immediately…he heard an animal hiss from the girl and she advanced. As she flashed her long, dangerous fangs over her pale face, she charged forward like an animal, furiously striking and slashing with her sabers. However, the blows weren't entirely chaotic. They were planned and focused. Luckily, she didn't seem to pick up on his weakness, despite the agony he showed as he began to try and block off the assault as best as he could. It was so quick he didn't even have time to shift to his other hand. The best he could do was put his other on it as she struggled to stab him. However, unwieldy as he was, she didn't attempt to make the injury worse or knock the weapon away.
Shut up, Ragnar. He thought. Don't look in a package to Mist.
Luckily, heat seemed to be a factor in the girl's weapons. And heat alone could not best Ragnarok, especially since it relied so heavily on that element. These weapons, assuming they were lasers, would have cut through most other weapons on Gaia, but their heat was wasted on Ragnarok. As Ragnar started to stabilize and solidify his defense, he realized this.
He also began to realize something else. He was sensing something from the girl. Some form of energy or spiritual presence...
He hadn't picked up something so evil since he beat Sephiroth.
The girl drove both sabers forward one more time, letting out an interesting sound of metal on energy as Ragnar brought his blade up and intercepted. After that…the girl abruptly leapt back and seemed to once more shoot back like some sort of projectile. She struck the back wall a moment later, and then shot off for the one on her left. She bounced off this one again, and Ragnar braced himself for an attack.
Instead…to his surprise she shot over him and to the wall behind him. She bounced off a moment later. The man turned to try and intercept, but instead was just in time to spill back in desperation, barely missing the girl's sabers as they lunged for his head.
Unfortunately, he was completely off balance after this. As a result, he was little match for the girl when she finished shooting over him, landed on her feet, and then turned and seemed to skate across the ground as she lunged forward and slashed out. Ragnar knew something like this was coming, now that he was exposed, and with a terrific effort managed to twist his body around. It was awkward and painful, but in twisting he brought his side in, and as a result the laser blade only cut through part of his shirt. He did feel his flesh singe a bit…but he ignored it and faced the girl again.
Immediately, the girl shot forward again in another lightning fast move, and then spun around at the man, swinging both sabers out one after another. Struggling to keep balance, he forced himself to be calm as he intercepted the two blows. A moment later, and the girl snapped out of her spin, only to drive both sabers forward for his head in a quick thrust. Eyes widening, Ragnar was forced to arch back and let the deadly weapons just miss striking him in the brow. He almost could feel his sweat evaporating on them. Yet before he could duck around and try a counterattack…the girl surprisingly shot forward, swung both of her blades out, and then snapped them forward in a scissors motion, trying to take off Ragnar's head. He was too off balance to keep moving back, and so he was forced to do something more unorthodox. He spilled backward and dropped into a reverse somersault, missing the blades just narrowly.
However, even as he rolled back, the girl was on his heels, furiously stabbing at him every time he paused to try to get up, and forcing him to keep rolling.
This thing is vicious…
To that end…Ragnar figured he'd try something new he'd been working on.
For a few moments more, the man continued to roll back. Yet that wasn't going to work much longer. He was running out of room in the laboratory. And so, after rolling back one more time, while the girl was coming in to stab again, he abruptly braced his sword in front of him. Again, he channeled his fire into it. Only this time, he focused it on the blade's own reflective surface. In a moment, the sword flared up into a brilliant, golden dazzle, and sent out a powerful blast in front of him.
As it turned out, this was a foolish move. The girl didn't need eyes to see him, as evidenced by the visorless helmet. Yet it did manage to do something. She had been expecting another flame attack, it appeared, and so she had recoiled and held her ground. That was all the delay Ragnar needed to get back on his feet. By the time he was standing, she had recovered, and had brought her sabers out again. But this time, he beat her to the intial blow. He attacked her, using his sword's size, length, and power to immediately beat down against her. The girl was strong and skilled…but Ragnar was no pushover himself. Soon he was forcing her back…
As a result, he was somewhat expecting it when the girl crossed her sabers in front of her to intercept an overhead chop, and then quickly leapt backward again. A moment later, and she leapt from the ground and to the nearby wall. She ricocheted off of it again, and once more sailed for the man. However, this time, he was ready for it. He kept his eyes on her as she came. Luckily, she was still relying on brute power and offensive technique. Not guarding herself. And so, she turned herself into a living bullet with both sabers extended and aimed for his head.
Ragnar waited until just the right moment…
…Then sidestepped.
If the girl was surprised, she didn't show it. But that didn't change the fact that she sailed harmlessly by Ragnar with no way to stop herself. Yet even as she did, Ragnar lashed out with his own blow. Ragnarok swung up and out as she went by, catching something…
A moment later, and the girl landed, altering her body to swing her feet out and catch the ground at the last moment, then whirling around to Ragnar. She immediately raised both sabers up and toward him…
Only to find that they had gone completely dead. They were now nothing more than metal rods.
The girl looked to this, although she still showed no surprise, and quickly traced it down to the source. She saw that the power cords attached to her sabers had been severed. She looked back up to Ragnar…but it was already too late. He had her in his sights, and was rushing forward. He had no idea what this monster was, but he was going to put it down soon. He took the moment to zero in on her vitals and reaim his blade. In another moment, he would have caught her before she had a chance to react. He rushed in to a distance of only two feet from his blade to her body, and began to drive his sword forward…
"Ragnar! Don't!"
Shalua's words struck Ragnar's ear…and the sheer suddenness of it as well as the urgency made him hesitate. He turned his head to the source instinctively, and saw that he was looking over back to the lab bench. Not only had Shalua not left, she had yelled out to him, telling him not to beat the attacker while he could.
That delay was all the girl needed. For a brief moment…her eyes flared up bright red, burning with blood…
Then…she attacked.
Not eight…but sixteen energy after-images of the girl bombarded Ragnar at once.
It was fortunate that the poles had been deactivated. If not, nothing would have been left of Ragnar's body. At it was, the power of a rapid, focused thrust went into him from sixteen different ways at once. It seemed to drain all of the energy from him at it connected. He had never been struck in such a way. It wasn't just the pain. Getting hit from so many places at the exact same time overloaded his pain sensors. It was as stunning as it was painful.
Hence, a split second later, when the girl reappeared in the exact same spot she had been before…Ragnar immediately collapsed to the ground, twisted in odd angles and covered with painful bruises…or worse.
As for the girl, she straightened herself up soon after. Without any emotion, she tossed her poles to the side. A long hollow ring went out as they struck the ground. After that was done…she balled her hands into fists and held them in front of her. When she did, she slowly looked over them both through her sightless helmet, and tightened her fists even further until they began to stretch. She did so a moment…before a wet ripping sound went off, like flesh rupturing. Two holes ripped in the top of her gloves…and immediately two beams of burning red energy shot out, forming new laser "gauntlets" to replace her previous weapons. Unlike the last ones, these ones didn't need a power cord. They were tapped into the costume itself. For a brief moment, she simply returned them to her side, and then looked out at the fallen warrior.
A second later, however, and she spasmed.
Small flashes of shiny metal went off against her body, thudding into her shoulder and side. She reacted to each one somewhat. However, after four of them had gone off, the sources of the metal fell to the ground. She snapped her head over to the source.
It was Shalua again. Only now, her fear seemed to have abandoned her. Her eyes were far more focused, her demeanor cold, and her good arm extended and aiming a gun at the girl. However…the ammunition within it wasn't meant to be fatal. One could hardly tell from the bullets now, which had splat against the girl's body as if it was covered with body armor, but they had not been traditional shots. They had been the sedative bullets she had earlier.
Shalua shook a bit now, however, when the girl looked back to her and was still conscious. However, she tightened her jaw and continued to aim the gun at her regardless. The girl herself let out a scowl.
"Tranquilizers…" She said aloud, causing Shalua to look a bit surprised. She didn't appear capable of seeing anything…but somehow she knew that she had her gun loaded with the sedative bullets, and that what hit her wasn't fatal but was meant to incapacitate her. "Is that why you never found me, big sister? Because you always only did something halfway?"
Shalua hesitated a moment at this biting retort. However, after a moment, she spoke back. "…It is you, isn't it?"
"I thought you would have realized that by now." The girl retorted as she turned her full body to her.
"You're alive… You're not a ghost…"
"Unfortunately for you."
Shalua looked over her again. Her eyes turned into a new sort of fear. One of shock and pity. "…What did they do to you?"
"Someone else did this to me, but it hardly matters." The girl answered as she started to walk toward Shalua. "You weren't there to save me from either one. Not that I really care at this point. I've learned long ago that I was the only one I could depend on. Therefore I feel little now that you've become a target."
Shalua hesitated a bit more, looking like she would fire again. She looked at a loss, not sure of what to do or say.
"Shelke…" Was finally all that she could say. "Why are you doing this? I still don't understand…"
"That doesn't matter." The girl answered. She was getting close to being in cutting range now. "Nothing does. Nothing will in a short time."
One of her sabers began to rise. Shalua hesitated. Her face began to grow into a different kind of fear again. She raised her weapon further, then lowered it again. She looked so confused.
"Shelke…I haven't seen you in so long… What's happened? Tell me what's going on!" She finally spout in desperation.
The girl didn't care. Her pale face was oblivious. Her saber was up now, and ready to thrust. Shalua looked completely torn. She didn't know what to do. Defend herself? Shoot again? Try to talk further? Run? Stay? Her indecision was paralyzing her, and keeping her from doing anything to stop the girl as she now came into range to strike her down. In another moment, her confusion would have cost her life.
That was when another sharp sound distracted everyone in the room.
The door, which had swung shut again from inertia, was smashed open. A dazzling electric glow was behind it.
Shalua and the girl both turned and looked to the source. Shalua herself was blinded and soon shrunk back involuntarily. But as for the girl, her visor allowed her to stare right at what had shown up. Some sort of mystical bird had landed in front of the door. Its feathers were yellow and golden colored, and were gleaming with a supernatural light. Electricity snaked around its body. However, as she looked to it…it became clear that the electricity was swarming and collecting around her bill…focusing itself. A light began to glow from the end of it.
The girl seemed to realize what was going on, but the new arrival had been preparing for too long. As she turned her body to try and block…the air shattered as a white-hot bolt of deadly electricity shot through the air and smashed into the girl's body. Turning her into a rag, she was violently flung through the air and smashed hard into the back wall, crushing cabinets and glassware as she did. Shalua couldn't look. She was forced to snap her head away as the girl, rippling with energy, ripped past her and impacted. However, over the sound of thunder roaring through the air of the small room, deafening in such a small space, she did cry out one word.
"No!"
It was too late. Even after being smashed into the wall, the force continued to shove the girl forward further, and electricity was pumped through her body even more. She turned into a vivid blue glow as she was electrified. The blast continued to last for what had to be only about two full seconds, but it seemed like much longer compared to the instantaneous blasts of energy that were normally seen.
At last, however, it was cut off. The golden glow continued, but the bolt of electric energy disappeared. Free of the energy, the girl, body now smoldering and possibly black from more than just the suit, collapsed to the ground limply. The rest of the room shuddered. Loose paper and debris flung around from the force of the air coming back together, whirling things around in a small tempest for a bit longer before beginning to settle the situation. Shalua's eyes were still wide, but she wasn't looking at the rescuer or at Ragnar. Her eyes had fully turned to the body of the attacker. For a brief moment, the chamber was silent. No one moved or said anything.
Yet that lasted only a few seconds. After that, a groan came out from the ground.
Ragnar had been beaten rather badly…but after nearly being killed by Sephiroth, even a simultaneous sixteen-hit strike was hardly good enough. That wasn't to say he didn't feel considerable pain after taking that beating, and he knew he was going to be sore for quite a while. Nevertheless, he managed to give a grunt and slowly and stiffly put his bruised arms and legs underneath him. Each move hurt, and his body was throbbing with hot pain. But slowly he managed it. Once there, gritting his teeth all the way, he slowly pushed himself up and got to his feet.
Panting and gasping, the man began to look around. He had been stunned after that last chain of blows. He barely remembered what happened just now…save for the sound of a powerful lightning blast. The lab was a disaster area, however, and as he turned his head to the door…he saw none other than Quetzacoatl poking her smooth bird head inside.
On seeing this, Ragnar continued to catch his breath, but also realized what must have happened. He turned his head and looked across the room, and saw that there was a blackened imprint against the back wall directly across from the esper. He realized she must have done it. He turned back a moment later and, after catching his breath a second longer, looked grateful as he gave a nod.
"I was going to be upset that you hadn't come back until now…but now I guess I'll have to be thankful."
The esper gave a shrug, and looked a bit uncomfortable. "…I was losing track of time, forgetting about how the sun's position is different in relation to time depending where you fly in the world… But when I finally came back here, I sensed something evil. I also sensed your power suddenly take a nosedive. When that happened, I saw this." She looked a bit uneasy after that. "However…I don't know why…but something inside me seemed to tell me to just shoot. Shoot at full power. Almost screamed it in fact…and I couldn't stop it before I fired. I thought it had to be some sort of evil innate monster. I couldn't hold back before I blasted. Did I…?"
"Ragnar!"
That word caught Ragnar's attention and immediately tore him away from Quetzacoatl. It wasn't just the urgency. It was the fact that it was addressing him as "Ragnar", not simply "Mr. Vice" as it had all the times before. It was also rather filled with anxiety and fear. He turned around, and soon found himself staring back at Shalua.
Her eyes were wide with horror, and she was pointing down at the ground…right where the girl had to have fallen, based on what Ragnar saw from the wall. Instinctively, he quickly summoned Ragnarok back to himself. It was just on the ground, but his senses had been so dazzled on rising that he didn't know where it might be. Nevertheless, it evaporated in one flash of fire and reappeared in his hand a moment later. As he began to brandish it, he turned to the spot. Once there, however…he too froze.
The girl was most certainly unconscious. Ragnar hadn't seen the electricity blast, but he had thought it might have been enough to kill her based on what he heard. However, she didn't look too bad. He noted that he could now see her full head of brown, messy hair. He could also see her naked flesh exposed halfway down her torso and over part of her arms. Beyond that, however, was what was truly shocking him.
It was the attire.
It didn't seem wet and real anymore. It had taken a more artificial texture to it. However…it was blacker now. Not from being burned but from turning into what looked like liquid darkness. Part of it was still attached to the girl's lower body, enveloping her forearms and everything underneath her diaphragm.
But the rest of it had turned into something else. Something long, black, and like sticky oil. It seemed to be in some sort of strips that were flailed out from the main body…or more specifically where Quetzacoatl's bolt had landed. Yet that wasn't all. While the girl was motionless…the strips of material seemed to be moving. Writhing slowly on the ground like some sort of dying worms. However…they weren't staying slow long. Soon, they began to pick up speed. They seemed to be stunned for now…but they were getting faster. Recovering.
"What is it?" Quetzacoatl sounded, beginning to try and make her way through the doorway, which was much too small for her to begin with.
However, Ragnar didn't notice. Instead, he began to think back to the cryptic phrases that he had heard earlier.
But you see…I can feel it now. I can't bear to look in a mirror, knowing what it's doing to me. I can feel it breaking into my mind…making me see the world as not anything human but as flesh and food.
You're right. I'm not her. At least, I won't be very soon. He did something to me. It's not just a control, you see. It's changing me.
Ragnar didn't fully understand it, but he was still a very quick thinker. Something had been wrong with this picture from the start. Cold as she was, the girl didn't appear to have any real desire to attack them. She had something with Shalua, obviously, but he didn't know what. He hadn't been fully conscious when she exchanged some of her more suggestive words with the woman. Yet what he did know was this. Based on her words…someone had forced her to do this. He was right in thinking this wasn't the same girl from Cloud's descriptions. He wasn't sure what it was or what was going on…but he had a feeling that whatever this thing was attached to her, she didn't want it. It had bound itself to her body somehow…
He had no idea if this was supposed to be an ally or enemy for real. He didn't know why she had come here or what half of what she said meant. Yet he did know that whatever was on her, it wasn't good. He could sense its evil.
With that in mind, Ragnar quickly channeled his magical power into his sword. Soon it began to gleam with new light again. Though it was hard, he began to walk toward the fallen girl and the black thing. Somehow…it saw him. When it did, it tried something new. It tried to reattach itself her. Yet it was still too weak and stunned. It only managed to do a little before he was on it. Somehow, Quetzacoatl's bolt had weakened it more than the girl…at least he hoped. It had removed it partially from her body. Now…it was exposed and vulnerable.
He looked until he saw what seemed to be the biggest mass of the black ooze. Soon, his eyes rested on something. As it writhed…tried to cover it up…he caught a glimpse of something blood red inside the blackness. Something that looked like blood…
Seeing it, Ragnar tightened his teeth and drove his sword tip into it.
He thought he imagined it, but he knew that wasn't true. He heard it give a small cry. Yet whatever it was, he seemed to have gotten it in its "center" or "heart". His blade, burning with intense heat, immediately burned it out and began to spread out its devouring fire around it into the blackness beyond. But even before he did…the ooze came to life. Now, the rest of the suit melted into inky blackness and yanked itself off of the girl, revealing a naked body beneath…but with some looks that almost seemed like tentacle stings…or suction marks…as if it had been trying to burrow itself deeper inside her. Yet it no longer thought of staying attached. It flung about madly, like a worm that had its main artery pierced. It flipped itself off of her and vainly struggled, while simultaneously trying to drag itself away.
Ragnar was mortified…but he didn't let it get far.
Clenching his teeth and focusing, he drove his sword in again and slashed at it, cutting it up even more, making more of it burn…
In a few moments…the last of its ooze "tentacles" was vanishing into flame. It was gone.
Ragnar immediately powered down his sword. He let out another exhale, trying to calm down. Behind him, desks and the frame of the wall began to shake as Quetzacoatl, desperate for a look, began to squeeze more of her body through. Her neck craned into the air and looked down, however. She seemed to be a bit stunned by what she could see.
However, Shalua reacted the most. Once Ragnar powered down and stepped back…she immediately rushed forward and to the side of the fallen girl. Ragnar himself kept his sword up. He looked over her again, and managed to catch some signs of chest rising and falling. She was alive, it appeared. However, she might still be a threat. He wasn't eager to get that close, even without that thing around anymore.
Shalua herself stripped off her white coat and put it around the girl. Her flesh was still pale, although Ragnar could see it appeared to be getting color back. That only served to confirm to him that whatever that thing was, it had been responsible. Soon after, the scientist flipped the girl over onto her back, exposing her face.
Her eyes were closed, and her mouth hung open slightly. There were no fangs in it. Her ears were smooth and human again. It was rather like those old vampire stories when you look at a victim after killing the "head" nosferatu. More of Ragnar's suspicions were confirmed. Whatever that thing had been, it had literally been turning her into a monster. Now that it was gone, the changes were reversed. Perhaps it really had been trying to turn itself into her skin…
Shalua's eyes seemed fearful and nervous as she put her head to the girl's chest. She seemed to be making sure she was alive, although it looked that way pretty much to Ragnar. Yet once that was done, she turned and looked back up to him.
"We have to get her back to my lab. My equipment there is better suited to helping her."
Ragnar's look turned to confusion. "Your lab?" He asked in response. While he agreed that the girl probably needed to go to some medical facility, he had little trouble waiting to get a new flight to take her back to a hospital in Edge, where she could be monitored as dangerous. Again, she was not exactly a safe person to keep around, unconscious or not. Not until they found out more about what that thing was and why she had come there.
"Shouldn't we get her back to the Eastern Continent?"
"I can help her here." Shalua answered. "I know what you're thinking, Ragnar. And I don't want her imprisoned."
Now the man truly looked confused.
"Why not? She tried to kill us just now…"
"I have to talk to her." The woman cut off in response. "I have to try and figure out what's gone wrong…why she's mad at me and doing this."
A brief moment of hesitation followed…then one final statement.
"…She's my sister."
"You're on."
Siren only cast the smallest of glances…before closing her eyes and letting her melody sound. Even with a heart devoted to rage and death…Diablos was hard pressed not to feel his emotions moved as the haunting sound began to come from her throat.
Siren was "herself" again now. The only remnants of the woman that had been Rosso the Crimson lingered in her facial lines. They were still sharp and cruel, after all. But the woman, although humanoid in appearance, was no longer anything of the sort. Her long hair, loose behind her and folding like some sort of feathered golden green bird wings, stretched behind her and down to the ground. Her skin, sort of an olive-orange hue, was smooth and alluring when touched. She wasn't wearing anything at the moment, but it seemed to suit her just fine as she eased back into the cushioned chair. Her ivory teeth showed as her lips parted, and out rang her long, sad, moving melody. Her eyebrows, similar to slanted feathers, lowered over her purple eyes, as they gazed out with a sort of enchanting force while she sang her enrapturing song.
Diablos was well pleased as he leaned back and listened, forcing himself to not let so much as one entrancing note enter his mind or heart. The latter was easy…for he had no mercy or warmth within him. This esper, more than any of the others, was important to his goals. She had the most potential, and was the biggest key to his plan. Her voice…considered accursed and horrible by those who hadn't heard it, and peaceful and wondrous to those who had…was a far greater weapon than any magical attack. There were few people in history who could hope to possibly avoid the power of this song. For within Siren's bewitching voice dwelt a melody that aroused the deepest, purest feelings of happiness and contentment within the soul and memory of whoever heard it. The song held the key to a person's heart and mind…and therefore held the key to their will. A few minutes of listening to Siren's haunting chant was enough to make even the strongest, most resolute, and most determined person her slave. The esper possessed the ability to become the greatest heart's desire through the power of her enchanting voice. And no one could refuse what they yearned for more than anything else. Desire was something that all sentient life had. And all with desire were the prey of Siren.
That was why she could never be stopped for endless generations. The espers could only enforce small measures of control on her. Getting close risked hearing her voice. It was also how she was able to escape being the tool of the Warring Triad. Even they, with their immense magical powers, were not above desire. She was never fully the possession of any of them, although she came close with the Fiend. After all…since she was born of the darkness within the heart of another esper, her favorite thing was to create misery and discord in the hearts of men. And the Fiend excelled at that…
Among the few that could resist her charms was Diablos. He was easy. Composed of thousands upon thousands of separate base, vile entities, each one had its own specific desire that the others did not care for. Attempting to tempt him was the equivalent of one archer trying to shoot a thousand moving targets with arrows at once. Even so…Diablos could only maintain resistance through focus. An abandonment of desire was no way to beat her. Quite impossible, in actuality. Even a monk who attempts to remove all desire and attachment to worldly things has one desire left…the wish to be unattached to worldly desires. The far harder way was for the very exceptional few in the world, or even in history, who had grown to such an understanding of themselves that they could control their own desire in the same way that one controls one's temper or other emotions. Even so…one must also be able to keep her from forcing it out. Other than that…the only way to triumph was to block one's own hearing.
However, none within DeepGround were capable of this. And by the time they realized that the sound coming through the speakers was lulling them into a trance, it was already too late.
Siren sang for five straight minutes. One would have been sufficient, but she wanted to make sure that her hold on every living being within the walls of DeepGround was firm and secure. She could not enchant the espers, however. Diablos had made sure they were in silent areas. After all...if Diablos had allowed that, then soon they'd all be the minions of Siren and not him. But she easily managed to cast her spell over all of the regular soldiers, trainees, and prisoners. Like a master of the loom, she wove an intricate tapestry of domination over them. It wasn't enough to simply enchant them into being still and not defending themselves. She had to tell them much. She had to make them aware that they were now the slaves of her and Diablos. She had to make them understand that their will was now to be done, and that they would work endlessly, without food or sleep if needed, to carry out their desires. Most of all…they had to know that they were base, inferior creatures, and that the espers were their rightful gods. They would live and die at their command from this day forward. It was quite a bit…but with her power restored, Siren was more than capable of it.
Only then did she stop singing. Her mystical gaze leveled out unseen to her new servants and worshipers, knowing that DeepGround's area was now filled with ones who would do anything for her. The thought made her smile, especially knowing how she had been enslaved and nearly killed before by these rodents. From now on…no human, if she could help it, would get within ten miles of her without bowing down in worship of her.
With that knowledge, she turned the chair and back to Diablos.
"Interesting devices…these…'radios'." She mused. Now that her powers were fully back, every word she said was a wave of hypnosis and enchantment in itself. But without her singing, forcing her power into them, it was more bearable. Yet even hearing her voice was enough to make any normal person lose focus on fighting, start to forget what they were doing, or think the slightest evil thing about her. "The humans in this realm are yours to command, my lord."
"Good." Diablos answered. "There is much to do and little time. Once we have more workers, we will be able to modify this area to truly begin an engine of war. Yet for now…I want every new slave to begin to build me a temple. A very special one. I shall give you the specifications."
Siren crooked an eyebrow at this.
"Much as I would enjoy it, is their worship of us really essential if time is of the essence?"
This, however, only made Diablos show his teeth in a wide grin.
"This is for far more than idle worship. This temple is the beginning of what we need to become gods in more than name alone…"
To be continued...
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Briefly lived Shelke the Darkness... Yeah, I do that sometimes. I get good ideas, but then I realize that if I strung them out they'd just be filling patter. Then again...I might be the only one who thought it was a good idea in the first place, in which case it's good that I got rid of it already.
My idea for the suit was partially inspired by Venom's own suit, but the appearance itself was a knock off of Heartless Riku's costume (And yes, I know he's technically not a Heartless at any time, but that's how he's referred to, for those of you who are sticklers.).