Ch.10

Charles Offdensen had just returned to the command center after taking a lunch break when the warning lights went off. The peace and quiet he had barely been able to enjoy during lunch was completely ripped away from him as a team of Klokateers looked into the issue while he sat back down in his seat. Beside is chair, Ishnifus Meaddle was sitting in a seat Charles ordered for the priest, meditating. The lights and siren didn't seem to disturb the elderly man, and Charles began to wonder if this religious consort was truly meditating like he claimed he would be, or if he were merely asleep. With how little the man ever left the command center, Charles figured Ishnifus may be sleeping.

"Sir," a Klokateer spoke to Charles. "There seems to be structural damage to the rear hull. We'll need to surface and make repairs soon."

Charles sighed, leaning his head in the hand, staring at the monitor that flashed an alert to the part of the sub that was damaged. He sighed again, pinching the bridge of his nose and closing his eyes. This was the last thing he needed. The band was on the run from a homicidal group, bent on revenge, and from a being not from this world. It would be a huge risk for them to surface and dock. But he knew the greater risk would come from not fixing the problem and having the hull burst while in deep sea.

"Go ahead and rise to a decent depth," Charles ordered. "And tell me the closest location we can dock at. Where are we?" On the screen in front of them, a map appeared, with a red dot blinking in the Pacific Ocean to denote their location. The Klokateer next to him pointed on a paper map in his hand to a location they would be making port at. "How long until we reach port?"

"We'll be there tomorrow, sir. We're already making preparations with the team there." Charles nodded to the Klokateer in approval.

"Inform the band and our guests of the events."

The Klokateer nodded and left the room. Beside Charles, Ishnifus finally stirred. Charles looked over to the elder man. Ishnifus blinked his eyes, peering around the room at the cluster of Dethklok employees squandering around, and the flashing red lights that had yet to be ceased. At that moment, the lights finally were turned off, letting the room rest in peace and return to its normal lighting.

"The heart will be tested," the high priest began to speak his riddle. "And a journey to the beginning will take way."

Then, the priest stood from his chair and walked out of the room, leaving Charles to stare after the confusing man, his brows drawn together in skepticism. Charles was not one hundred percent sure Ishnifus was in his right mind. Even after seeing the prophecy with his own eyes, and the events unfold around him, this man was more of an enigma than any other person to exist. Charles just shook his head and sighed once more, focusing back on battle strategies and possible locations for the enemy.

It had been screaming for what seemed an eternity. Kay looked at the clock on the wall, seeing that almost an hour had passed. And it wouldn't stop wailing. Around her, the mothers of the band were cooing and shushing the little imp, but to no avail. The boys of the band sat together, teeth gritting and eyes twitching. Kay could see that their nerves were at wits end, and unless Pickles' nephew would shut up, someone was going to end up in Hell. The blond singer looked over to her closest friends and saw them rolling their heads in annoyance, wanting the little heathen to stop.

The band mothers had checked the diaper numerous times, and tried to feed the little guy, but he wouldn't take anything. Trying to play ended up being a joke, and he had actually just woken up from a nap. But still he wailed. Still he cried. Still, he drove everyone mad. It had gotten so bad, Kale and Kai bolted from the common room the moment they could. It was only after their departure that the families had told everyone to stay so they could all 'bond.' Kay had no idea why her and her friends had to stay, since they weren't part of Dethklok.

Kay looked over to the cluster of women surrounding the source of the infernal ruckus. She saw the mother of the child sitting next to Seth with a bored look in her eyes, smacking her lips while chewing gum. She looked the epitome of white trash, with disheveled clothes and a ponytail at the top of her head. Her eyeshadow was smeared on too thick and dark, and there were gaudy earrings hanging from her ears, pulling the lobes down and stretching them. She sat with the baby in her lap, not doing a thing. And the rest of the mothers simultaneously tried to quiet the child any way they could.

Kay grew more irritated. She felt her eye and her fingers twitch. Instantly, the thought of landing a blow right to the cheek of the good-for-nothing baby carrier flashed across her mind. The singer stood up from her seat and briskly walked over to the group, her hands balled into fists at her side, and her anger seething out from her body. She saw out of the corner of her eye as the girls sat up and watched her every move, intent on intervening the moment things became physical.

The mothers stopped cooing and turned around as Kay walked up behind them. They looked dumbfounded as they stared up at Kay's hate filled features. Kay looked past them, only eyeing the source to the disturbance. The baby's mother didn't even peer up to Kay as she stood in front of her. Kay reached down instantly and snatched the baby from the woman's lap, and turned on a dime, walking away from them and back to her chair.

The tiny blond sat down with the wailing child and cradled him in her arms. He fussed and tried to move around, attempting to break free from her grip. But Kay held him down with a firm grip. Kay saw as the mothers stood up and began to walk over to her. Kay could almost hear herself growling over the screaming baby. But she closed her eyes and forced herself to calm down.

"Rest your head now, little prince,

The day's been long, the road so difficult.

The joy you brought brings warmth to the night,

But now it is time to sleep."

Kay heard the footsteps of the parents halt as her voice began to carry over the crying, and the child began to settle down at the sound of her voice. Elsewhere in the room, she heard someone standing up and rushing around the room, grabbing something from Skwisgaar. She knew it was the Swede by his vocal protest. He was instantly quieted though, and whatever it was that was taken from him was moved around. Instantly, Kay heard the strum of Skwisgaar's guitar as one of Kay's friends began to play the musical accompaniment to her lullaby.

"Sleep, sleep, enter to a new land.

A peaceful land with candy clouds and mermaids swimming.

Dream of love, expand your heart so.

Sleep, sleep, and show me in the morning.

Rest your weary eyes now.

I will be here when you wake.

You are never alone,

So wipe away your tears."

Kay vaguely noticed that the baby had quieted down tremendously, only crying as he tried to get out the last of his frustrations. But around them, she noticed that it had gotten remarkably silent, save for the guitar that was playing. Kay smiled. Not for any of the people in the room, but for her memories. They were good ones. Memories she missed.

Sleep, sleep, enter to a new land,

Of Viking ships, and flying fairies.

Dream of love, your heart knows no bounds.

Sleep, sleep, and show me in the morning.

Sleep, sleep, it is not the end.

I will follow you in these worlds you see.

Seeing the depth of love you hold so.

Sleep, sleep, and show me in the morning."

As the guitar played its last notes, Kay opened her eyes and looked down at the baby cradled in her arms. His eyes were wide with wonder, and his mouth slightly opened into an 'O' shape. In this state, she realized that the little imp was cute. Her smile turned from one for her memories to one for the child in her arms. Kay looked up and saw the mothers standing next to her, their eyes and mouths wide open in shock and amazement. She held the baby out for one of them to take, which Molly obliged, bringing him back to Seth and his wife.

Out of the corner of her eye, Kay saw Trista handing Skwisgaar his Gibson and walking back to the rest of the girls. She had also noted that the four boys of Dethklok had their eyes transfixed on Kay. Even Abigail, who was well enough to sit and join everyone, sitting between Nathan and Pickles, trained her eyes on Kay, in utter amazement. In front of Kay, though, the mothers of the four band members turned to their sons, speaking simultaneously.

"You need to marry her," all four almost yelled to their sons.

Kay almost fell out of her seat, and heard as the girls busted out laughing. It was cackling laughter. Across from her, a bright red blush spread across the faces of the boys in question. No one got a chance to retort the women's comment as the door to the common room opened and a Klokateer came in, grabbing everyone's attention.

"We will be making port," the hooded man stated. "There is structural damage to the submarine. We will be docking in order to make repairs." The Klokateer looked around at everyone, making sure they all understood. At everyone's unspoken question, he continued. "We will be docking at Tokyo Bay. We will arrive tomorrow." He nodded to everyone and left.

Kay noted that everyone began buzzing about being in Tokyo, and what kind of damage the sub had taken. But she and the girls were silent. Kay felt her stomach drop, and what little contents were inside began to roll around, making her feel ill. She could feel a cold sweat begin to creep across her skin, and her mouth kept producing acidic saliva, the precursor to vomit. As dizziness took hold of her head, Kay stood from her chair and walked out of the common room, hearing the loud protests of the families. She didn't care at that point if they hated her. Her focus was on telling Kale.

The halls blurred together, and the floor wobbled. Kay wasn't sure if she was going the right way, or if she was moving at all. She softly heard the muffled voice of a male nearby her. He kept calling out her name. But she had no control of her body at that point. A pair of strong hands gripped her shoulder as her body began to feel weightless. The pounding in her chest rang in her ears, and her breathing was harsh. Kay knew she was taking in oxygen, but it didn't feel like any was being supplied to her body.

She was forced to sit down in a chair, and a blurred figure stood before her. Kay had no idea where she was, or how she had gotten there. The only thing she was aware of was the chair she was sitting in, and the shadowed figure looming over her, speaking to her. His voice was so distant, so muffled, she had no clue what words he was saying. She tried to close her eyes, but found they wouldn't cooperate. So Kay closed her mouth, gulping down the acidic saliva, hoping she wouldn't expel the contents of her stomach. She slowly took a deep breath through her nose, attempting to control something. And so she sat like this for a few minutes, counting the seconds, and breathing deep.

The colors around her began to sharpen and return to their objects, and the sound of her heart beating retreated back to its cage in her chest. Above her, the man standing before Kay put his hands on both cheeks, wiping under her eyes with his thumbs.

"Kay," his deep voice soothed. She looked up to see Kale smiling sadly down at her. "You done freaking out now?" Kay chuckled, closing her eyes, feeling warm moisture drip down. Kale's thumbs caught the drops, wicking them away. She inhaled deep and opened her eyes to her friend again. Luck was on her side for running into him.

"We're headed to Tokyo," Kay's voice shakily proclaimed. "We'll be there tomorrow."

Kale's smile disappeared. She could feel the heat in his hands slip away, and a shake begin to start. He audibly gulped and cleared his throat. Kale's hands fell from her face, down to his sides.

"What are we going to do?" he asked. She could hear him staving off the fear. Kay sat there in front of Kale, thinking of the situation.

"Best thing is to not leave the sub unless we have to. And stay low."

"Do the others know we're headed there?"

"The girls do."

Kale nodded, shifting on his feet. He was antsy. Kay didn't blame him. She was too. They had a day to prepare for their arrival. Kay feared what could happen. It had been many years. And they were times she wanted to forget. Now all she could do was prepare for what would come next.

Kay was coming home.

Pickles noticed that Kay had a habit of freezing up and running away whenever something bad was going on. He watched as she stood from the chair, not seeing anyone in the room anymore, and briskly left the room, much to the protests of his mom and his bandmate's moms. But rather than follow her, like he usually would, he looked over to her friends. Three of the girls sat on a couch together, while one sat in a wheelchair, too weak still to walk on her own. The four of them were huddled close, speaking amongst themselves. Worry was plastered on each of their faces.

"We should go shopping when we get to Tokyo," Nathan's mom suggested, bringing Pickles back to reality. He saw Kay's friends freeze at Rose Explosion's words, then sigh. Pickles was more than curious by their actions, but it appeared they didn't want too much attention on the subject, so he decided it was best to stay silent.

Abigail stood from the couch, looking back at him and Nathan.

"I think I should go back to the infirmary," she said. Pickles and Nathan stood from the couch, and walked the brunette woman out of the room. Pickles told himself that he would have to find Kay and ask her what the situation was all about.

"So, we're all in agreement," Amara whispered to the others while they walked down the halls. She was pushing Michelle's wheelchair, with the sickly woman in it. "We pack up the house and abandon it."

Around her, the girls grew quiet. She understood. It was the last thing any of them wanted. But now was as good a time as any to cover their bases. Simultaneously, the three women around Amara nodded their heads solemnly.

"Maggie, find Kai and inform him of our plans," Amara spoke, taking the initiative in this subject matter. "Trista, find Kay." When Trista looked up at Amara, the taller woman continued. "You know how to help her better than anyone else."

"We should go shopping when we get to Tokyo," the girls heard one of the mothers' proclaim. The four young women froze in that moment and looked up towards the rest of the people in the room. They collectively sighed and watched as the weak brunette, Abigail, stood and ushered the band members of Dethklok to escort her to the infirmary. Amara took this time to look at her friends. Trista shuffled her feet where she stood, nerves taking over. Maggie only looked as if she were merely miffed by the turn of events. Amara knew that Maggie's outward actions didn't match her true feelings though. Michelle sighed again, shifting her weight in the wheelchair she was still bound in. She wasn't well enough to walk on her own yet, though she made great strides.

Amara took a hold of the steering grips on the wheelchair and began walking the ill woman out of the room, headed towards hers. Michelle looked back once to see Amara walking her, and stared straight ahead of her the rest of the journey. The trip to the rooms didn't take long, but droned on in silence, making it feel longer.

"I have enough strength to wheel myself around, you know," Michelle's soft voice trilled as they crossed the threshold to one of the rooms. Amara only smiled in response as she brought the younger woman to her bed. Dethklok's doctor was considerate enough to bring in the medical supplies Michelle needed. The supplies consisted mostly of a couple monitors and an IV.

The two women stopped next to the bed, still silent. Of all the years of their past, they didn't need to speak often to know what was silently being said. Amara walked to the front of the wheelchair and held out her hands to the younger woman, finally getting a good look at her that day. Michelle was from Italy, and her features were prominent with her heritage. Smooth, olive colored skin stretched supplely across her frame. Her hair was a dark brown, full and wavy, cascading down her upper back and shoulders, barely reaching her mid back. Her golden brown eyes were cast to the side, not wanting to look at Amara and show any weakness. Amara stood her ground, though, waiting patiently. After a gentle sigh, Michelle closed her eyes and lifted a slender hand up to Amara's own, her long fingers sending gentle rays of warmth to the other woman's. Amara smiled a little wider to herself as she felt the little callouses on the tips of each of Michelle's fingers. Michelle had opened her eyes, seeing Amara's face, and blushed, pursing her lips together in a huff.

With energy neither women knew she possessed, Michelle rushed up from the wheelchair, sending it rolling back, and turned to the bed. Amara chuckled lightly and leaned down, kissing the lithe woman on the temple. Michelle growled slightly and crawled into the bed, averting her gaze from the tom boy.

"You need anything before I go?" Amara asked gently, reveling in the rise she got from the Italian.

"No," Michelle sighed. In that moment, Amara saw the energy leave the brunette's eyes, and watched as she began to slump down into the bed, exhaustion taking over. Amara smiled, knowing that Michelle's job was to rest and recover.

Silently, the blond tom boy left Michelle to sleep, and wandered down the halls, searching for another old friend.

A short few minutes later, Amara found herself in the dining room with only one other person. She thanked the gods that the other person was Kai.

The freakishly tall Asian sat at the table, huddled over a notebook, scrawling things into it, occasionally sipping a cup of coffee. Amara strode over to him and sat in the chair beside him. Kai never made a motion to acknowledge her presence, but she knew he was aware. She glanced down at the notebook, trying to make out what it was. There were a few doodles at the corners of the page, and small single sentence paragraphs here and there. She reeled back when she saw the main topic of the page. It seemed to be poetry or lyrics, concerning love, and the loss of a love. Amara understood. She sighed to herself and grabbed the notebook from under Kai's hands. Kai jumped back and growled in anger, scowling at the tom boy.

"What the fuck are you doing?" he demanded.

"You're not fooling anyone," Amara calmly countered. She stared Kai in the eyes, letting her rage show a little to counter his. Kai settled down then. "We know you still want her," she spoke softly. Kai averted his gaze to his coffee mug. "We're not stupid. We know the truth. But you're an idiot if you think writing a few love songs will win her back." That comment elicited a glare, but Kai did nothing more. "We're making port in Tokyo," Amara informed the man, who stared at her in confusion. "We're going to pack up the important stuff at the house and leave. Never know if we're going to get attacked." Amara stood from her chair and tossed the notebook onto the table in front of Kai. "Just let her go," she pleaded as she left the dining room.