Chapter 10: Deep Space
As they were riding through space, a huge spaceship appeared. When Terra tried to swerve from it, they got sucked in, glider and all. Gaia held on tightly to Terra. Soon, everything went black as they slipped into unconsciousness.
When they awoke, they were in a jail cell-like area. Outside the window they saw a short alien woman staring at them with a large shark-like alien man. They said some words that they couldn't hear and left, but were surrounded by Unversed.
Terra glanced at Gaia; she looked afraid and worried. That was understandable, considering they didn't know where they were. She twined Terra's hand with hers and held on tight.
Terra almost winced on the hold she had on him. Even scared, her grip was still as tenacious as always. He gave her a kiss on the cheek. Her skin was cold and clammy and on her forehead, he saw drops of sweat trickling down her temples.
"Gaia," he said softly, patting her shoulder, "it's okay. I'd take a bullet for you if you were harmed."
"Now, Terra," she protested in a voice shrill with anxiety, "I don't think—"
"It's necessary?" he finished her sentence. "I do think it is. You mean the world to me." He reached up and gently stroked her cheek with the utmost love and affection.
Her face burned as she turned away. Once again, she looked serious and her gesture said "bring-it-on!" Terra wondered if he could love anyone more than he loved her. His hand laced into hers and they opened the glass door that confined them.
Once landing on the linoleum ground, they began defeating the horde of Unversed. Strange creatures from the cells stared at them as they sliced down various Unversed. Gaia was scary with Keyblade, Terra thought decisively. All the Unversed were destroyed and never reappeared.
One of the inmates interacted with them that had four eyes on the sides of his face and a large, stout frame. His nose was the size of a tomato.
"Very impressive display," he commented like he was watching a sport on television. The couple began walking away, but he continued, "Wait, you help? I've been imprisoned on ridiculous charges!"
"Is that so?" asked Terra skeptically, both of them coming to a stop.
"I am innocent scientist," explained the alien who was in the cell, "who created galaxy's most destructive—uh…constructive species of all times. Why, my experiments could annihilate creatures you fought so hard. He is bulletproof, fireproof, and can think faster than super-computer. He can see in the dark and move objects 3,000 times his diminutive size. And for reasons preposterous, the Federal Council fears him. They take him away from me and throw me in here in small, stuffy, rather badly-lit cell."
"Because he's so powerful?" asked Gaia gently, staring at the alien curiously.
"Exactly," replied the alien, nodding. "Everyone gets antsy in pantsy when someone more powerful is in the neighborhood. You understand, perhaps?"
Terra lifted up his Keyblade and stared at it briefly and back to the scientist.
"We must make to rescue him, or he'll be banished to far reaches of galaxy!"
"Okay then," said Terra, approaching his cell. "Take us to him."
The alien came out and stared at the couple and began chuckling. "So I was rescued by a married couple?" he asked in a tone full of fun.
"No!" they both shouted in unison, shaking their heads in protest.
"We're not married," inserted Gaia quickly, looking afraid at the very thought.
"Do you two love each other?" asked the alien intuitively.
"Yes," replied Terra confidently before Gaia could answer.
"Do I hear wedding bell on horizons?" teased the alien, looking like he was enjoying this too much.
"Do you wanna go back in that cell?" Gaia's voice was full of danger.
"N-no ma'am," both Terra and the alien stammered, standing straight.
"Experiment 626," said the alien. "Is name I give to adorable, fluffy creature you two are helping to rescue. And I am genius scientist who created him, Dr. Jumba Jookiba."
"I'm Terra," replied Terra politely, "and this is Gaia." He nodded to the girl, who merely nodded unsmiling.
"Pleasure is all ours," said Jumba. "626 is this way. Hurry!" The couple and Jumba began walking out of the cell block.
After enduring through the Unversed-filled halls of the ship, they stood in front of a door that held the probable 626. When they opened the door, Terra and Gaia saw a blue koala-like creature standing in a floating capsule. He growled at the sight of them.
Even though he was allegedly dangerous, Gaia thought he was so adorable. His cute little face was attracting and he looked like a harmless dog.
"Remarkable, is he not?" asked Jumba in a prideful voice, approaching the capsule. "Such tremendous power in such itty-bitty package. Truly, he is the one and that's the only—the mightiest creature in all of galaxy. And his only, singular instinct—to destroy everything he touches! See?"
"What!" demanded Terra sharply, placing his arm protectively in front of Gaia.
Jumba let 626 out and it jumped and landed on Terra, crawling all over like he was exploring him. He kept crawling over Terra until he pulled a familiar star-shaped trinket out of his pocket. He dangled it and Terra felt his pocket anxiously.
"When did you—" he gasped in shock. "Give that back!"
"Too late," said Jumba carelessly, watching the scene go down, "it's already marked for destruction."
"No, stop!" shouted Terra anxiously, reaching out for it desperately. "My friends made me that!" He stopped himself, surprised for shouting out.
"Friends?" asked Jumba as if he needed to hear it again. "Are you joking?" He fell back on the ground and began laughing. "Such concept is totally lost on 626."
626 stared at the trinket and threw it on the ground. He left the area in the disgust. Terra walked over to it and scooped it up in his hands. He smiled softly.
"Funny," he murmured to himself quietly. "This whole time I've been telling myself I want to be stronger, more independent. But the second I let my heart do the talking I find out how little I know about myself. And how much I miss them." He looked at Jumba. "That experiment of yours, are you sure about him? Maybe he just wants friends like the rest of us." He put his hand on Gaia's shoulder and smiled at her lovingly.
"Impossible!" puffed Jumba in disbelief. "Pshah! He has no actual feelings—only destructive instincts I have carefully chosen for him. Or perhaps,"—he pulled out a pod and dropped it in a water-filled vial—"you need another demonstration of my evil geniusness!"
An electric creature came out and flew towards Terra. Terra pushed Gaia to the other side of the room and began fighting the creature. Even though the creature could get into the blasters, Terra fought it gallantly. Gaia wanted to give him a hand but he gave her a look that said "no". Just as Terra defeated it, Gaia stood up and walked over to him.
"Oh," cried Jumba sadly, falling to his knees when the experiment that was in pod form. "You'll be safe, little one." He looked up at Terra, who stood over him, and over his shoulder he saw 626 return. "What is it? Why have you returned?"
"Maybe he wants to know what friends are," answered Terra, walking over to the cute experiment.
"Preposterous," was Jumba's doubtful reply.
Terra ignored the scientist and bent down to talk to 626. "My name is Terra," he introduced himself politely.
"Terra," said 626 in a halting voice like a baby would when it said its first words.
"Yes," replied Terra with a gentle smile on his face. "I can't really explain friendship. When you feel it, you'll know it."
"Not if I have any say in matter," retorted Jumba angrily. "You are only meant to think about what you will destroy next. Now, I fix what is wrong with you."
626 growled and blabbered in an angry response until the alarm came on.
"Red alert, red alert," said the computer voice. "Experiment 626 and two prisoners have escaped from the cell bay." They repeated that message throughout the ship and 626 and Jumba ran out of the area, leaving Terra and Gaia alone.
"We can't stay here and get caught," said Terra to the girl. He and Gaia armored up and got the hell out of there via glider.