Radiant Garden lived up to its name on a daily basis, and today was no exception for our heroes.
The gummy ship landed in a blue canyon as per gummy ship landing instructions, and our heroes disembarked, with the exception of M-O who was still busy scrubbing.
"Whoa look at this place." Ven said as they looked around.
Instantly two Turks approached them. One of them with red spiky hair, a pair of goggles around his forehead, his jacket unbuttoned, and carrying a metal nightstick. The other was bald and wore sunglasses.
"Hey Valentine!!" the red haired one said as he approached.
"Not now Reno." Valentine replied.
"……."
"Rude be nice to the senior officer." Reno said to his quiet partner with a smirk as Vincent's eyes twitched.
"RENO!" a voice from behind the two Turks called, and Vincent smirked at the man approaching.
The young man was dressed like typical Turks, except he had his black hair in a ponytail.
"Watch it you two…you may be Turks now but you will still respect your superior officers." The man warned before turning to the small group before him.
"My apologies sir…it won't happen again." He said with a bow.
"Tseng…nice to see you on top of things." Vincent replied.
"You trained me well." Tseng said as he stood at attention.
"Uh Vinnie?" Aqua asked, causing Vincent's eye to twitch in the process, "you mind introducing us to your friend?"
"Down Aqua." Ven said as Aqua shot him a look as if saying "bite me."
"?!" (Translated: Vinnie?!)
"Yeah…that's rich." Reno snickered in response to Rude's statement.
"This is Tseng…my protégé, those two are Reno, and Rude." Vincent introduced.
"Is he rude because he's so quiet?" Terra asked innocently.
"Naw it's his name." Reno replied.
"I hate to correct you sir but I am no longer your protégé." Tseng said as Vincent arched an eyebrow, "I have been made a full Turk…I have a protégé of my own now." He added as a young female Turk with short blond hair approached and stood at attention behind Tseng.
"This is my protégé...Elena." Tseng introduced.
"Or 'Laney for short." Reno said as the woman's eye twitched.
"Oh yes, Karen's younger sister." Vincent said as the woman's eye twitched again.
"Uh Vinnie?" Aqua called again now causing Vincent's eye to twitch again, "Don't we have somewhere to be?"
"Yes…we do, follow me." Vincent replied as the other Turks stood at attention when they passed.
"Who were those guys?" Cid asked after they entered the city.
"Turks…the local law enforcement of Radiant Garden…I'm one of them." Vincent replied as he stopped dead in his tracks and held a threatening finger at Aqua.
"And never…ever…call me Vinnie or any other sort of name other than my full first and/or last name…got it?" Vincent demanded as Aqua nodded quickly.
"I'm just trying to be friendly." She mumbled under her breath.
The heroes followed Vincent around for a moment as he led them through the castle to Ansem's study, receiving salutes along the way from the various Turks lining the halls.
Finally they reached the doors and Vincent knocked on it then stood at attention.
"Come in." Ansem the Wise's voice echoed.
"Ah Mr. Valentine, I see you have returned with our new friends." Ansem said as he stood up to greet them and Yen Sid appeared from what appeared to be an ordinary looking wall.
"What's this?" Ansem asked as he noticed Aerith and Wall-e.
"I'm sorry sir but I'm the reason that they're here." Terra said as he approached and held out the T&L device…now rendered inactive thanks to his removing the batteries.
"This was planted in my jacket prior to your…kidnapping of me and I inadvertently gave away our entire mission details to a malfunctioning robotic pilot." Terra confessed as Yen Sid's eyes widened.
"What?" he asked disbelievingly.
"We did however locate and silence the robot before he sent anything." Ven added.
"Robots are crafty machines when their programming requires them to be." Ansem said as he sat back down.
"But that doesn't answer the question of who they are." He added.
"Oh…this is Wall-e…" Terra said as Wall-e emptied a garbage can into his cavity and compacted it into a cube.
"Ta-dah!" The robot said as he presented the cube, earning a silent snicker from Ansem.
"…and this is…" "Aerith Gainsborough, the last of the Cetra." Yen Sid said with awe as he walked over to her.
"The what?" Aqua asked.
"The Cetra are believed to be the creators of Kingdom Hearts…and the forgers of the Keyblades." Yen Sid replied.
"I-is this true Aerith?" Terra asked.
"Yes…I am a Cetra…but I know only a few precious details about my ancestors." She replied.
"The Cetra are rumored to have great magical capabilities." Yen Sid said.
"So that explains how she can grow those flowers so easily is all…it doesn't make her some almighty deity." Aqua said as Aerith nodded slightly in agreement.
"But I did know that Terra was a Kingdom Knight since the moment I first met him." She said as a look of surprise appeared on Terra's face.
"Really?" he asked.
"Mmm hmm." She said with a nod, "Are you mad at me?"
"No…worlds no." Terra replied, "I just wish you had let me know ahead of time that's all."
"I wish I could have let you known." She replied sadly.
"With all due respect…" Vincent said as he spoke up, "…but how does her being a Cetra change anything?"
"She is a vital key to helping us find Kingdom Hearts before the darkness does." Yen Sid replied.
"Will you help us?" Mickey asked.
"Of course I will…that's why I came with you guys anyway." Aerith replied with a smile as Wall-e rolled up.
"Wwwallee?" The robot asked.
"Of course you can help." Ven replied as Wall-e made a rapid yet happy sounding wriggling noise.
"We have another one of them robots on the ship…calls himself Mo, won't stop cleaning things." Cid added, "…on the other hand I've never seen the ship any cleaner than it has in years."
"Uh M-O is short for Microbe Obliterator." Terra interjected.
"Oh yes I've seen them before." Ansem said.
"We also came here to ask where we should go next." Ven added as he steered the conversation back on topic.
"You shall go to the world of your wife's heritage Ven…to Spira." Yen Sid answered.
"My Apprentice was quite fond of it and would visit there often…it is also the location of the ruins of Zanarkand." He added.
"Zanarkand…I recall Lulu mentioning something about a place called Zanarkand." Ven answered.
"Zanarkand was once the most magical city in the world of Spira, but a time of war stirred up against the people of the city of Bevelle and consumed most of the planet, it wasn't until a monstrous being referred to only as Sin destroyed both Zanarkand and Bevelle did the war end…" the wizard explained, "…however Sin still lives and terrorizes the people of Spira even to this day."
"Oh please if that's the case then why hasn't Sin been spotted in over a hundred years?" Terra scoffed.
"Because he still slumbers somewhere upon Spira." The wizard replied as Terra shut himself up again.
"No wonder my wife hates you." Ven whispered to the Midgar native.
"But what threat does it pose if it's asleep master?" Mickey asked.
"The growing darkness may cause it to stir and eventually awaken…you must go to Spira…find a summoner and destroy the beast before it is too late!" Yen Sid said as Ven raised his hand but the wizard anticipated the question.
"I am aware that your wife is a summoner…but not the kind we need." The wizard replied.
"Huh?" Ven asked.
"I don't summon the Aeons Ven…" a familiar voice replied, "…I guard the ones who do."
"Lu?!" Ven asked in shock as he turned to see his wife standing behind them in a long black dress with belts around the front, her hair up in a bun, and holding a moogle doll. (Her FF-X appearance)
"Yes Ven it's me." She replied as they moved in and embraced.
"And don't forget me!" another voice said as Terra turned a deep shade of red.
"ZACK!!" he yelled as said youngster appeared.
"Y-yes sir?"
"WHAT are you doing here? You're supposed to be watching Riku!" Terra yelled.
"Relax uncle Terra he's with a nice family and that Sora kid doesn't even know his mom isn't really there." Zack replied very nonchalantly.
"What are you talking about?" Ven asked as he and Lulu broke their embrace.
"A living hallucination." Yen Sid answered.
"A what?" nearly the whole room asked.
"Sora, and everyone around him, believes that his mother is really there taking care of him, so much so that they can even feel her presence…but I cannot maintain the hallucination for long." Yen Sid answered.
"Oh like a hologram that can talk, pick up things, and think for itself?" Terra asked as the wizard nodded.
"Oh…" Terra replied before returning to his angry self and turning back to his Nephew, "WHAT PART OF STAY WITH RIKU DID YOU NOT UNDERSTAND?!"
Zack quickly ran behind Aerith and started sobbing and Wall-e quickly folded into a rattling box.
"Do not yell at the boy Terra." The wizard interrupted, "I brought them both against their will…Riku won't even remember Zack."
"You really have a nasty habit of that you know?" Aqua told the wizard as Terra knelt down to Zack's level.
"I'm sorry I yelled at you." Terra apologized as Zack peaked around Aerith's dress.
"You mean it?" he asked with a sob.
"Hey you know that gummy ship out there?" Terra asked, as Zack nodded, "…well it stopped with a jerk and I got off."
Zack giggled as he ran over and hugged his uncle.
"So what's so special about Spira? No offence Lu." Ven asked.
"Because hidden beneath the ruins of Zanarkand are ancient Cetra ruins that may have clues as to where Kingdom Hearts is hidden." Yen Sid answered.
"Xehanort had a silent interest in the history of the Cetra." He added.
"And I can read Cetra so it's no problem." Aerith added as Yen Sid spoke up again.
"You need to hurry…I fear that the forces that the robot was conspiring with are already working on Spira as we speak." He said as everyone nodded.
"Lulu can only stay with you for this mission alone…then she must return to the Destiny Islands." The wizard said as everyone turned and ran out the door to the gummy ship, which minutes later roared into space.
Meanwhile…
In an unknown area of space, a large vessel similar in appearance to a 16th century sail boat only with more modern features, sits in waiting, but it isn't at all lifeless.
It is captained by one of the most notorious space pirates in the known universe, the cyborg, Captain John Silver.
Silver clanked into his quarters, and pressed a button on a small holo-phone and a dark visage appeared instantly.
"What is it?" the figure asked.
"Beggin' yer pardon me lord." The cyborg replied, "…but we still haven't received anything from that a cursed bot from those BNL bilge rats."
"You need not worry Silver…you will be contacted soon by another agent amongst their ranks." The visage replied as it held up a golden spherical object with strange markings on it, "Then you shall have what you desire."
"So uh…how will I know ye agent?" the cyborg asked.
"He will find you and give the information directly to you…as well as give you some navigational…assistance." The visage replied.
"What sort of assistance?" Silver asked as he heard a knock on the door.
"Who is it?!" he asked enraged and the door opened revealing a tall crab/spiderlike creature which entered.
"Beggin' yer pardon captain…" the creature said in a gruff voice, "…but there is a gummy ship approaching off the port bow."
"That is the one you are waiting for…do not fire upon it!" the visage said as Silver nodded.
"Ye heard the man Mr. Scroop now get crackin!" Silver ordered as the monster turned and scuttled out the door on its eight legs.
A moment later a dark colored gummy ship pulled alongside the sailor ship, and a man wearing a white lab coat, glasses, and with his black hair in a pony tail disembarked.
Silver recognized the man immediately.
"Hojo me bucco, how ye been?" Silver asked as Hojo snarled at the pirate captain.
"Spare me your bohemian flattery, and listen you metal plated buffoon." The scientist responded as he dug into his coat and pulled out a data disk.
"Now this you are to take to Spira, and hand it over to your superiors when they arrive." Hojo added handing the pirate the disk.
"Problem!!" the pirate responded, "There is next to no way to get there without either getting caught by the Montressor patrols or taking the Pelucia passage…which is very difficult to navigate."
"Not for a robot." Hojo responded as a white and black robotic steering wheel attached underneath a large four legged machine emerged from the gummy ship.
"AUTO!" The robot replied as the Pirate smiled sinisterly.
"This may just work out after all." He replied with a sinister laugh.
End Chapter 10
Incase you're wondering...John Silver & Scroop are from one of what I call "Disney's flop film series." In other words a film that flopped in the box office. This particular film (I liked this one) was Treasure Planet…the rights of which I do not own.