Hey guys,
Thanks to those of you who have stuck with this story for as long as you have. This year it was harder to update due to the school being seriously understaffed due to the explosion last August. School is now over, exams have been marked, and marks have been entered. I'm on my way to visit my family for the summer and along the way I decided to stop by my beloved Japan. It just so happened that a typhoon apparently hit nearby and it's raining cats and dogs today - presenting the perfect opportunity to update my sadly neglected story.
Just to alleviate some worries, no, this story will never be dropped. It will get finished, however, it may take a bit of time before it is completed.
- Rampant Id
Chapter 10 - Boarded
The co-pilot scratched his head in puzzlement. The scanner indicated that there were no lifeforms aboard, besides him of course. However, when he entered this particular compartment it suddenly lit up notifying him that the room was occupied by two other lifeforms. He shook the scanner, and even slapped it against his right thigh for good measure, then glanced at the reading once again.
"Oh great, that just broke it more. Now it claims that there are three other lifeforms, not just two."
"As it should," spoke a voice from right behind him. The co-pilot spun around grabbing for the blaster at his waist, and just barely managing not to have his hand blown off with the shot that blasted the weapon right out of his hand.
"Smooth move," The redhead standing before him drawled out, his blaster calmly pointing at the co-pilot's chest.
"Now call up your Captain and tell him that you didn't find anyone, and then notify him that you will be returning aboard."
"I-I what?" stammered the co-pilot, his eyes glued to his assailant's ominous, black eyepatch.
His head was yanked back by a fistful of hair, and a blaster nozzle was pressed up into his throat. "Call your Captain. You found nothing. You will now return to your ship." An impatient voice bit out each sentence next to his ear. "You wait any longer and this damned eye patch will be the last thing you see. Understood?"
"Y-yes." With a shaking hand the co-pilot raised his communicator up to his mouth and activated it.
"Captain, n-no lifeforms found. Permission to return to the sh-ship," The co-pilot nervously swallowed around the nozzle when it was pressed harder to his throat in warning.
"Damn it... acknowledged." A sign could be heard over the comlink, then almost as an afterthought the voice sounded again, "Permission to board granted."
The co-pilot began to breathe again when he felt the nozzle of the blaster ease off his throat.
"There, now that wasn't so hard, was it?" The redhead asked cheerfully, completely at odds with the deadly personality that had shone through just a moment ago.
The co-pilot's legs were shaking so hard that he had to lean against the wall for support. His eyes widened when he saw two more people approaching him. Where were they coming from?
"So Lavi, what should we do with him?" The white-haired boy asked, looking down at their new prisoner curiously.
"Tie him up and wait for me. I should be back in a few minutes. Oh, and just to ensure he doesn't cause us any problems..."
The man named Lavi stalked toward the weak-kneed co-pilot and without a pause struck him in the head with the butt of the blaster riffle; darkness enveloped the co-pilot as he dropped to the floor, unconscious. He never heard the white-haired youth's dismayed shout.
Finally, the Pilot thought as he heard a series of knocks on the other side of the cockpit door. He stood up and strode toward they keypad. Having pressed the unlock sequence he turned to admonish his co-pilot for taking so long. However, he never got the chance.
As the door slid back it revealed a tall, imposing red-haired man with an ominous, black eye patch covering his right eye and in contrast making his remaining eye stand out with a vibrant green intensity.
"Who the h-"
The pilot never got to finish his sentence as he was blaster whipped across the face and promptly landed in a heap on the metal floor, at the same time that the cockpit door could be heard closing. The man, known as Lavi, stepped over the body without a pause and stalked over to the control consoles. A few rapid key strokes later the cockpit door opened once again to reveal Allen and Cross. The first carried a box of partially reassembled droid parts, while the second stood next to him nonchalantly with the small golden ball-shaped droid resting on his left shoulder..
"The co-pilot?" Lavi asked, still tapping away on the console keys with a look of deep concentration on his face.
"Tied up and hidden in your smuggling compartment," Allen replied, looking a bit conflicted. "Is it really all right to leave him there? I mean, what if they don't find him in time and he starves to death or something?"
"Wow, you're strangely concerned about others - unlike your typical exorcist." Lavi delivered that barb while shooting an unmistakable glare in Cross' direction. Cross averted his eyes and looked out the cockpit window at the stars that lay spread out before them.
"Where's Chome?" Lavi asked suspiciously.
"She's clearing the memory banks so that there is no record of who was piloting the ship, nor a way to trace the actions of those aboard when the tractor beam locked on." Allen supplied helpfully.
Just then Chome stalked through the open cockpit door. Spotting the unconscious pilot on the ground she pointed an accusing finger at him.
"Why is there a prone body lying in the middle of my cockpit?"
"Your cockpit?" Lavi asked with a raised eyebrow.
"It became mine the minute it was decided that my ship would be used to store Noah Lackeys." Chome replied, her tone was laced with accusation as she grabbed the pilot's writs and started dragging him out through the cockpit door.
Lavi shook his head, trying to hide the look of fondness that flitted across his face.
Suddenly Cross sat up straight as his gaze locked onto a speck in the distance; at the same time Allen's head jerked up - a look of confusion on his face.
"They're here". Cross stated, his voice going hard.
"Who is?" Lavi demanded, although his eyes were already trained on the window as if he had also felt whatever it was that was drawing the attention of the other two.
A dark look passed over Cross' face a moment later. "He's here," he muttered under his breath.
Allen on the other hand looked as if he were in a daze. His eyes glazed over slightly and he was quietly mouthing something repetitively to himself.
At that very moment Chome burst in, her face a mask of fear.
"We have to get out of here!" She shoved past Allen to the front of the cockpit where Lavi sat at the console. As she reached out for the keys to get the ship moving away Lavi grabbed her wrist in midair.
"No Chome, if we move we will look suspicious. As long as we stay here with the tractor beam locked onto our own ship, we will stand a chance to pass for nothing more than soldiers following orders." Lavi explained calmly, pretending that he didn't feel her wrist shaking in his grip.
Chome closed her eyes tightly and pressed her lips together, then as if coming to a decision, she leaned forward so that her mouth was only an inch away from Lavi's ear. "There is a Noah on board. He will sense us and kill you." Chome whispered quietly to him.
Lavi's gaze snapped to her face, his piercing stare locked onto her eyes. She in turn refused to meet his gaze, looking everywhere but at him. "Chome?" Lavi asked, a wealth of meaning behind that one word.
"Don't. You promised you wouldn't ask," Chome whispered, still averting her eyes.
"We can't leave yet Chome, but we will escape the instant an opportunity presents itself. That I promise." Lavi said as he released her wrist.
"It will be too late." Chome's whispered brokenly and turned away from him, her fist clenching at her side while her right hand sought the support of the cockpit wall.
Out of the corner of his eye Lavi saw Cross shaking the boy named Allen. Not getting any reaction out of him, Cross' hand shot out and sent a resounding crack throughout the cockpit as the boy's head snapped to the side, a red handprint visible on his pale cheek. His white head jerked back to Cross, a creepy smile flashed across his face for a split second. Lavi would have also sworn that for a moment he could see the boy's eyes glow with an unnatural yellow light. What the hell?
As quickly as it had appeared, the expression was gone. A confused looking Allen stared back at his mentor, his blue eyes blinking in shock as his hand went to his throbbing red cheek.
"What was that for?" He demanded, looking both hurt and angry.
Lavi watched Cross' expression carefully. He could just make out the momentary worry and fear that Cross had locked away behind an unperturbed facade. Who would have thought that the legendary unshakable General could actually be afraid of something? What that something might be Lavi had no idea, but he was determined to find out. Anything that could be used against the man he planned to execute in the near future was valuable. Busy speculating on the meaning of what he had seen Lavi only vaguely heard Cross' reply. It was plain to see that the boy had no idea what had just transpired.
How interesting...
A big shout-out to those who have reviewed this story. You guys rock. :)
- Rampant Id