10. Outpost

"Ow!"

"What are you trying to do? Kill him? You're supposed-"

"Kairi, it's okay. They just accidentally grazed my side. I'll be fine."

"Not if they keep torturing you like this! Get out of my way. I can help him more than any of you."

"Ma'am, please, we're trained professionals-"

"I can see that, what with how well you're handling him."

The nurses trying to lift Sora from the stretcher to the hospital bed looked at each other in irritation. Kairi hadn't let them do anything without demanding to be involved. When they denied her, she then demanded to know exactly what they were going to do. She had quickly gotten on their nerves, and now that they were trying to lift a muscular, fully-grown man in half a suit of ballistic armor onto another surface, they couldn't take it anymore.

"Ma'am, if you don't let us do our job, we'll be forced to call security."

Kairi was incensed by the threat. "'We'?! You mean you and the rest of the Sadist Squad over there? I could paralyze you all before you made it a foot towards the call button!"

Seeing that there was no hope for the nurses to calm Kairi down, Sora spoke up. "Kairi, please. Just let them get me on the bed and you won't have to deal with them anymore."

"Sora, I-"

"Please, Kairi?" Sora tried his best to give her puppy-dog eyes. Even when he was fully grown, Sora was always able to wield considerable influence over her with that technique.

The etched-stone look of disapproval on Kairi's face slowly softened as she tried to hold back a grin. Sora smiled as he saw his efforts taking effect on her. Finally, in a last-ditch attempt to seem angry, Kairi set her hands on her hips and defiantly said, "Fine. But I'll be back as soon as you're on that bed, and these 'nurses' had better be gone." She spun on her heel and walked out of the room, still trying to suppress a grin.

The four nurses breathed a collective sigh of relief. They might finally get to concentrate on the already difficult task at hand. They all took their places around the stretcher, grasping the sheet Sora lay on.

"Lift on three. One… two… three."

The nurses lifted in unison, struggling under the combined weight of Sora and his armor. They quickly moved him to the bed; so quickly, in fact, that he was rolled onto his side with the cracked ribs. He howled in pain, but cut it short, remembering that Kairi was still looking for a reason to put a nurse's head on a pike.

Once he was securely on the mattress, the nurses called in a pair of military technicians, who disassembled the remainder of the suit, which was mostly on his arms and his one good leg. Once the armor was fully disassembled, the woman he assumed was the lead nurse began attaching electrodes to his chest, being extra cautious not to press very hard on the right side of his ribcage. The other three busied themselves with respiration monitors, IV drips, and several other machines Sora didn't recognize.

The pain in his side slowly ebbed as the four exhausted, irritated nurses left the room, one by one, until Sora was alone in the bed. The only noise was the consistent beeping of the EKG monitoring his heart rate. Any second now, Kairi would come through the door, huffing and puffing about the nurses trying to kill him or some other nonsense. A minute passed. No Kairi. Two minutes. Five. Ten.

Fifteen minutes later, Kairi came storming through the door, looking angrier than ever. Sora had learned, through many, many painful experiences, not to ask her what was wrong when she got like this. The best course of action was usually to let her steam for about an hour, after which she'd be alright. But this was different. He couldn't exactly avoid her for an hour while stuck on a hospital bed.

"So… what happened?" he asked nervously.

Kairi was obviously holding back fury. "I went to the front desk to complain about those nurses. The receptionist brought out the head of the nurse department whatever-it's-called, who wanted to call out the Dean of Medicine, but she was busy arguing with one of her doctors, so the lead nurse-person threatened to call security if I got in the way again."

"I think you're being a bit over-protective, sweetie."

"Everyone seems to fall back on this all-powerful 'security' when they get irritated."

"I'm a big boy now. I can handle myself."

"What kind of weapons do security guards at a hospital carry, anyway?"

"I understand that you're really strung out from earlier today, but now we can just relax for a while.

"They'd better have tanks if they want to stop me."

"We're having totally different conversations, aren't we?"

"Yes we are."

The couple stared at each other for a second before breaking out in fits of giggles. It tended to be this way with the two of them. Kairi got overprotective of her husband, Sora tried to calm her down, and neither got anything accomplished. It was becoming a hospital-visit ritual for them.

Sora's bed was fairly large; large enough for Kairi to lie down next to him to his uninjured left side. She snuggled up to him, giving him a light kiss on his cheek. "I'm just glad you're okay."

"Mmm, okay might be a bit of a stretch."

Kairi smiled. "Alright. I'm glad you're alive."

"Not as glad as I am."

Her eyes grew wide as she propped herself up on her arm. "Is that so?"

"Uh huh."

"Nuh uh."

"Uh huh." "Nuh uh." "Uh huh." "Nuh uh." "Uh huh." "Nuh uh." The argument, if it could be called that, continued for the better part of a minute before Sora caved.

"Alright, you're more glad that I'm alive than I am. Happy?"

She nestled up against him again, closing her eyes and resting her head on his shoulder. "Now I am."

Sora sighed, feeling a stab of pain as his injured ribs were stimulated by his expanding lungs. It wasn't as bad as it had been even a few minutes ago. Even when he hadn't cast a spell consciously, the Keyblade's magical restorative powers were already hard at work repairing his bones. It was a wonderful gift to someone who often found himself in hospitals.

Next to him, Kairi shifted ever so slightly. "Well, you're back in the hospital."

"Yep."

"Again."

He couldn't stifle a small laugh. "Yeah, again. Don't make a big thing out of it."

"I'm not going to. I just expect my patience to be repaid when I'm here."

Sora grinned. "Yeah, like you're ever going to be hospitalized for anything."

"What about having kids?"

That stopped Sora's train of thought immediately. They had never talked about having kids before. Sure, the topic of small children in their household had come up before, but it was usually Hayner taunting them. There had never been serious conversation about starting a family. Sora didn't know what to say, so he told her the truth.

"We've never talked about it."

"I know." She opened her eyes, rubbing them with her free hand. "But I do want to have kids some day. Don't you?"

"I… guess…"

Kairi propped herself up again. "Don't you?"

Sora replied squeamishly. "Well, yeah, except… I dunno, I mean… we haven't talked about it, and I'm not sure I'm ready for it… I mean, what kind of a dad would I make? I don't know the first thing about being a parent."

"We'll learn together. We always do."

"But what if we screw up?"

"Then we'll rename him Riku."

Sora burst out into laughter, ignoring the still-milder pain in his side. The memory of his friend, though still painful to recall at times, was appreciated in the right circumstances.

He caught his breath again, replying through gasps for air. "I guess… you're right… but still… I dunno about it… just yet…"

Kairi shifted again, trying to find a comfortable position after Sora's outburst. "It doesn't have to be soon. I still want you all to myself for a while yet. I'm not going to let any spiky-haired offspring distract you until I'm ready for it." She poked his nose with an extended finger. "You haven't escaped me yet. Ha ha ha!"

A knock on the door stopped Sora before he could reply. Kairi quickly got off the bed before a doctor holding a clipboard walked into the room. He took a quick look at the pair of occupants, his face betraying a hint of surprise at his patient before going back to a gentle but businesslike expression.

"I don't even have to ask if I'm in the right room, so let's get to business." He looked down at his clipboard, scanning the text it held. "Okay, last hospital visit… broken collarbone from tripping and impacting a rock on the beach. Visit before that… fractured wrist from falling down stairs. Visit before that… fractured tibia from – okay, I'm seeing the pattern."

He looked back up at Sora. "From what it seems, you heal yourself with amazing speed. You should be fully healed in a couple of days. Normally, I'd tell you to take it easy until then, but it seems like you're going to be needed soon. I'll prescribe a fairly powerful painkiller to help you through the worst of it, but you'll still be a bit tender for a while. Ever take Vicodin before?"

Kairi's eyes widened at a memory of Sora after he had been prescribed Vicodin. He was high as a kite for a week. Anything and everything could set off a laughing fit that would last for nearly a half an hour. When friends asked about the incident, she jokingly described it as "the one time I considered killing him". In the wake of recent events, she was not ready for another round of that.

"Eh… bad idea," Sora replied.

"Yeah, it's best to try something else," Kairi remarked, "His last experience with Vicodin was… unfortunate. A drug without any psychological effects is best."

The doctor pursed his lips in thought. "Well, that limits our choices to some very dangerous drugs. I think methadone might work, but you're going to have to be very careful with it. In the wrong quantity, at the wrong time, mixed with the wrong chemicals… it's highly toxic."

Sora chuckled. "I don't think that will be a problem. I'll only need one dose before I'm healed again."

"Very well. I'll get you the pills. Once you take them, you can check out at the front desk and be on your way."

Turning on his heel, the white-coated doctor left the room. Sora swung his legs over the edge of the bed, leaning forward and groaning. "Man, I gotta stop falling from high places. It's gonna catch up with me soon." Kairi shook her head and smiled, incredulous. Only Sora could shake off falling from space so casually.

She got up and sat on the bed next to him. Her legs weren't quite long enough to reach the floor, so she was able to swing them back and forth. She was eager to get back to their previous conversation. "So…"

Sora got the hint. "We'll talk more about that later, I promise. For now, let's make sure we've got a safe place to raise them."

***

General Harris sat in a heavily cushioned office chair in a highly secure briefing room deep below the surface of Aegis. All the major commanders had been gathered to formulate a new strategy in the wake of the disaster aboard the Marathon. Harris was the youngest man in the room by at least a decade, and it made him uncomfortable. In his dealings with the slightly more youthful Sora and Kairi, he had forgotten that he was the youngest man in history to wear stars on his collar.

At one end of the darkened room, a colonel was briefing the room on the situation so far. Harris was only somewhat attentive. He knew the situation. Hell, he practically created it. If it weren't for his decision to send Sora and Kairi onto that station, there wouldn't be a situation on board. There wouldn't be an 'on board'. Station protocol would have dictated a self-destruction in order to prevent it from being used as an orbital outpost for the Heartless.

The colonel moved on to the events after the station's loss. "We know, through a message from SkyEye's main network, that the Heartless used the Marathon's main cannons to destroy the long-range sensor satellite Sentry. Moments before destruction, the satellite detected a mass warp jump larger than any before seen. The estimated total mass of the fleet that jumped is predicted to be more than six hundred and eighty million kilograms. Analysis concludes that it is a Heartless fleet of unprecedented size and power intent on exploiting the newly-created hole in our defenses.

"Orbital patrols have been reassigned to strike missions intent on destroying the Marathon, but station defenses make this-"

An angry voice from the darkness spoke up. "Hold on, hold on. You're talking about destroying an orbital defense platform? The vital link in our defensive armor?"

The colonel looked squeamish. "Yes sir. The odds of recovering it are slim to none, and we've already seen it used against our-"

The voice, which Harris recognized as the four-star General Petrov, Commandant of the Marine Corps, replied in astonishment. "This is ridiculous! That station is directly above one of the biggest cities on Aegis. We can't leave a gaping hole over twenty million people like that."

A female voice answered him. "General, are you suggesting we simply let the Heartless use the Marathon as a staging ground for an assault on our world?"

There was a slight pause. "I see your reasoning, Admiral Hallerworth, but even your Second Fleet doesn't have enough vessels to cover the hole left by one of those juggernauts, Gummi or conventional."

"If we simply let the station be, there will be nothing to stop this incoming fleet from prancing right through our orbital perimeter."

"I'm not suggesting we let the Heartless squat on our big guns. I'm saying we take the station back by force."

Petrov stood up and walked to the projector screen, accidentally bumping into the colonel on his way. "Outta my way, son; I've got some real estate to take back."

There was rapid-fire tapping on an unseen keyboard near the projector, and the screen changed from a display of the airspace around the compromised station to a view of the station with multiple arrows leading to it. "This is the current form of the plan to retake the Marathon."

The general flicked his wrist, extending a long metal pointer. "The blue arrows represent inbound vectors of Navy SEAL boarding craft, the green ones are Marine Special Forces. If the SEALs can execute a stealthy infiltration of the hangar bays, we can land as many troops as we need to retake the station. If not, Marine SF teams will breach through the station's windows, storming the Outer Ring and moving inwards. General Houston? What's our readiness for this operation?"

The man sitting across the table from Harris shuffled some papers, looking for the needed figures. "We can have eight hundred Special Forces troopers on the station with ninety minutes' notice."

The Marine general at the screen nodded. "Admiral? Are your SEAL teams ready?"

A sigh of resignation could be heard to Harris's right. "Seventy-four SEALs are ready to board the station in sixty minutes' time." The Marine general was about to continue when he was interrupted again by Admiral Hallerworth. "I certainly hope you know what you're doing, Petrov. I don't like committing so many Special Warfare troops to such a suicidal mission."

Though she only wore three stars, Hallerworth was usually supported by most of the room when she criticized Petrov's overly daring tactics. He couldn't simply ignore her, but he was absolutely determined to make this happen. "Duly noted, Admiral. Any other comments form anyone before we get started?"

Harris saw his chance. "Sir, you get every man, woman, and child on Aegis, put a rifle in their hands, and have them board that station, and you will still not get it back. Not without the most potent assets we have available to us."

General Petrov, obviously ruffled by a subordinate officer from another military branch criticizing his plan, replied angrily. "What would those 'assets' be, Major General Harris?"

Harris could feel the two lonely stars on his collar like never before. Petrov had the power to destroy his career for good with a few words. He swallowed nervously and explained himself. "I am speaking here of Sora and Kairi."

Murmurs of confusion swept through the room before Petrov silenced them with his booming voice. "Maybe you forget, General. Sora is in the hospital recovering from several broken bones, thanks to your decision to send him aboard the Marathon in the first place."

Checking his latest report, Harris replied to the contrary. Sora had been released almost a half an hour ago with a simple dose of powerful painkillers. He'd been up and about since then, his mobility unaffected. By the time he would get to the station, his bones would be nearly completely healed.

Petrov continued his objections. "Be that as it may, they already had their chance, and they failed. What makes you think they can do any better this time around?"

"Well, sir, all the Marines next to them."

Immediately, Harris could see Petrov soften towards the idea. He had gotten a reputation for wanting to give the Marine Corps credit for the defense of Aegis. The idea that even Sora and Kairi couldn't retake the station without the help of the Marines appealed greatly to the egotistical general. He slowly nodded his head. "Very well, General. Get your operatives back into orbit. The assault begins in an hour."

The lights slowly brightened in the room, and the commanders seated at the table all rose and began to file into elevators bound for the surface. Harris gathered his files and wiped the sweat off his brow. Not only was the room a bit too hot, his face-off with Petrov had made him perspire. As he rose, he heard a voice address him from behind.

"That was quite well done, General."

He snapped around to see Admiral Hallerworth facing him, a small smile on her face. Harris snapped to attention as the superior officer addressed him. "Thank you, ma'am."

"As you were." Harris relaxed his posture. The Admiral picked up several manila folders, cradling them in her right arm. She appeared younger than her fifty-eight years; her skin had just begun to wrinkle, and her hair hadn't yet begun to gray. Her small stature belied the brilliant orbital tactician and shrewd politician she was.

She began walking towards the elevator, motioning for Harris to follow. She made sure Petrov took a different exit before continuing. "It takes a lot of guts to stand up to Petrov like that, Harris, and you did it perfectly. It's always a joy to see someone else learn how to manipulate the Commandant's ego. Making sure the Marines got credit… you play the game well. I think those stars on your collar are destined for more company in the future."

"It's a possibility, ma'am. I haven't been very interested in seeking promotions recently."

They both entered an elevator, where Hallerworth pushed the button for the surface. "Whether or not you climb any higher among the general officers is irrelevant to the fact that you know very well how to do things so that your ideas are the ones that get used. I look forward to cooperating with you in many of these meetings in the future. My little group could benefit greatly from someone like you. We're lacking in younger voices, and our only Air Force man retired last year."

Harris was unsure of how to respond. Compliments from Hallerworth were very rare, and only a select few were invited into her small coalition. It was a chance that only came around once in a lifetime. It might be the only opportunity for the Air Force to get any kind of decent representation in strategy meetings. "I'd be honored if you'd accept me."

"I'd be glad to." Her voice took on a darker tone. "But you'd better make damn sure Sora and Kairi get that station back. Petrov is the only one who can't see that normal humans armed with conventional weapons are incapable of retaking that station. The military isn't made of supermen, though Special Warfare occasionally makes it seem so." She allowed herself a small smile at her own joke, but quickly regained her serious tone. "You're the only one with access to that kind of power. Make it worth something."

Nodding his head, Harris replied confidently. "I intend to."

***

Sora was barely out of the hospital doors before an Air Force car arrived to take him away. During his trip, an officer in the passenger seat explained the plan to wrest control of the Marathon away from the Heartless. He understood the basic tactics involved, but he couldn't help but wonder why he was executing essentially the same mission as earlier that day.

When the briefing was finished, the partition between the front and back seats automatically slid shut. Sora turned to Kairi, a look of mock surprise on his face. "Whoa… déjà vu."

Kairi smiled and nodded in agreement. "Yes, it seems like we're only half done for today."

"It's… almost as if I've lived through this before and didn't particularly enjoy it."

She had to cover her mouth with her hands to suppress giggles. Sora smiled. "I'm right, though, aren't I? I mean, nothing's changed. The only difference is that now there's a big hole in one hallway."

"And there are no people on board."

Sora held up his hand. "We didn't run into anyone on board last time. That won't change anything."

"I suppose you're right. We'll just have to hope that we can do better under the same circumstances as our last attempt."

The car arrived at the nearest Air Force base in ten minutes. The next thirty-five minutes were spent getting Sora a new suit, finding a suitable transport to the station, getting briefed on exactly where and how they'd get on the station, what they'd do when they got there, and finally preparing for takeoff.

Sora and Kairi were assigned to a SEAL boarding craft. They'd be the first ship to make contact with the station. Their first objective was to stealthily retake a single hangar bay so the Marines had a safe place to stage their assault. From there, it was a matter of staying undetected for as long as possible while taking out the Heartless. Once the human presence aboard the station had been detected, tactics would shift from infiltration to Sora's personal favorite: shock and awe.

With the inclusion of the two Keybearers, the plan seemed sound enough. Nobody could tear through a Heartless horde like Sora, and Kairi's magical talents were almost unmatched. Someone had once said that the pair wasn't a combat team, because 'combat' implies that the enemy has a decent chance of fighting back. They were more of a disposal team. That joke spawned new jokes, including a proposition for an official Keybearer insignia with two Keyblades crossed behind a garbage can. The truth was that they were nearly unstoppable. Their only loss had been less than twelve hours ago.

'Disposal team' was the mindset that Sora and Kairi had trained themselves to get into before each fight. It helped deemphasize each encounter, like it was 'just another day at the office'. But today, mere hours after their first defeat in years, they felt more like moving targets than anything else.

Kairi watched the mission clock in her helmet display count down to T minus fourteen minutes. Takeoff would be in less than a minute. They'd begin their attack when the clock reached T minus zero. At T plus two hours, if everything went according to plan, they'd have the station back. It was sound in principle, but she felt herself doubting the already dubious idea that the Heartless grip on the station could be broken.

The engines rumbled on the ship as the countdown neared T minus thirteen minutes. Ten ships, carrying seventy-four commandos and two Keybearers, slowly rose off the ground. The lead ship nosed up and accelerated into the sky, followed by the other nine. For the second time in twenty-four hours, Kairi felt herself being pressed into her seat by intense G-forces. This time, however, there was more pressing on her than before, an apprehension that couldn't be explained. This time, she couldn't help but think that the ship, though it was flying into the sky, would be carrying her to the gates of hell.

Disclaimer: Vicodin is a registered trademark and is not affiliated with the author, , Disney or Square Enix, Inc (or their affiliates).

A/N ^ That's a proper disclaimer.

Another long time between updates, I know. Blame it on stringent college applications and lazy counselors. Thank God for CommonApp, though, Allows for more of a shotgun, 'see what sticks' approach.

Future updates will be much closer together for two reasons: no more apps need to be done, and the plot is finishing up soon. The Enemy Within will be updated far less until this is finished.

Until next time!