11- The Gauken Project
The plot has now arrived. WHOOOOOOOO.
Thank you aron, Sode & HEL.
But before we start, I'd like to apologise for chapter 10. I'm ashamed to say the second half of it was just something I tagged on the end, to make up the word count, to get a chapter done and to give away a massive spoiler I was saving for the sequel. (Though there were plenty of hints) Therefore, I will attempt to not give away any more massive plot points for The Dark Gauken Saga or The Gauken Covenant until we actually get there.
(Oh, amd my page breaks aren't working.)
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February 26th. Ten days after Toris's insane birthday party. Twelve days after an even more insane Valentine's Day. After those two parties, Toris was certain that he never wanted to see confetti and chocolate spread in the same room again.
Speaking of which, the aforementioned incidents had left Raivis passed out in a Morgan- Kirkland-and- vodka-induced coma/sugar crash, and Eduard and Toris had dropped the little Latvian boy off at Dr Sharqi's office on the Monday. It was now the following Saturday, and Toris hadn't seen him since.
Eduard hadn't either, or Morgan, or Emil.
He popped his head in just after he got back from Crowford, and Dr Sharqi greeted him with a tight-lipped smile.
"Mr Laurentalis? Do you have any problems that need attending too? Or do you need help on your Unit Nine notes for class?"
Toris shook his head. "I was just wondering how Raivis is."
The Egyptian woman sighed. "I have told both you and your friends, Mr Laurentalis, Mr Galante cannot be seen by anyone due to the fact he has been transferred to a more secure location in Port Hardy, as we are unable to treat him adequately here."
The Lithuanian boy just nodded. "Thank you. Can we at least have the address of the hospital, so we can write or email or something?"
"I cannot see the point. Mr Galante is still unconscious due to his accident, and coma patients cannot retain any information given to them in their condition."
Toris simply nodded again. and carried on leaning against the doorway.
The teacher brought her head back up from her notes. "Is there something else, Mr Laurentalis?"
Toris nervously scratched the back of his head. "Well, my birthday was ten days ago, and I've been seeing Feliks for longer than that."
"I fail to see what this has to do with me."
"Elizaveta said that if anyone had that right… equipment, it'd be either you or Gilbert, and I already asked him, and Feliks doesn't like strawberry flavour, so…"
The doctor caught on, and flushed red.
"We do not condone that kind of behavior at this school, Mr Laurentalis, but if you and Mr Lukasiewicz ever… desire to proceed with your relationship, second cupboard by your head."
Toris grinned. "Thanks Doctor."
"Now get out of my office."
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Toris proceeded back to the Gaul dorm room with haste. The rest of the student population was there waiting for him.
Kat spoke first. "Well?"
Toris sighed. "She's still lying."
There were gasps of shock all around the room, and Feli whimpered.
"Veeee~ so what do we do now?"
Ludwig awkwardly put his arm round her. "We don't know."
Arthur stood up to address the room. "So let's get this clear, then. According to all the resident staff at this school, Raivis Galante has been transferred out to a hospital nearer the border. But Kun-woo says that he's still here? And that Phil never left until late November, and her twin only went home at Christmas?"
"I'm never wrong, da-ze."
The Briton glared down at the Korean girl. "There's a first time for everything."
It wasn't the best thing to say- the electric girl had been holding in suppressed rage all day, mainly at herself, never noticing that her own twin had gone missing three months before he actually vanished off the map.
"I have lost my brother, Kirkland."
"And I've lost my best friend, Im."
Unlike what most people thought, Alfred Jones could sometimes read an atmosphere, and could tell they were going nowhere with their discussion but an angry battle between two of their most deadly residents.
"Artie, Kun-woo, stop. It's getting us nowhere."
The pair exchanged glares, then nods, and sat back down, Arthur on a beanbag shared with Monique, Kun-woo by Kasem on the floor.
Alfred continued. "We need to find out what's happening here. We should confront Headmaster Vargas and show him that we know what's going on-"
"Headmaster Vargas is of no use to us or to our endeavours."
All turned, and brought themselves to look at Rodreich Edelstein, the Austrian teenager with control over sound.
"The Headmaster has both his adopted grandchildren attend this school. If he knew that students were being taken away for reasons less than sound, he would not have gone through the trouble of adopting Feliciana and Lovinio. If you add in the fact that he is also an incompetent man-child, and incapable of acting, it is fairly obvious he knows nothing.
"If you ask me, the most likely people to be involved are Professors Sharqi, Iceni, Kerkouane, Coburg, and Ling. They seem the most competent adults in this facility. Add in the fact they also spend an inconceivable amount of time in the attic, I presume that is where the students are held, although I may be wrong, and they could be on the third floor, where the staff rooms are."
After his speech, the Gauken student body just stared at Rodreich in amazed shock. The Austrian just shrugged.
"I observe. I have had my suspicions since last summer, and I was quite vocal with them. If lives have been lost because of your refusal to listen, that is nothing to do with me. Es ist nicht meine Schult."
Both Kun-woo and Arthur looked mutinous, but refrained from speaking. Morgan looked enraged, but also held her tongue. Only one person dared speak.
"Eres un cabron."
Roderich turned apathetically. "Excuse me, Antonia?"
"TE HE LLAMADO UN HIJO PUTA! USTED TIENE DERECHO A DECIR QUE SABÍA QUE MI HERMANO ES PROBABLEMENTE MUERTOS, EN EL PEIR, QUE FALTA, Y NO TIENE NADA QUE VER CON USTED!"
Everyone shifted back from the shapeshifter. They could see her eyes melting across the spectrum from green to gold, and narrow horizontally. Her canine teeth began to elongate, and grow down over her lower jaw. Her fingernails sharpened to a deadly set of Belarusian claws, all while she was screaming angry Spanish obscenities at the Austrian.
"MUERTA, PEDAZO DE MIERDA! YO VOY A ARRANCAR LAS PELOTAS Y COSERLAS A SUS GLOBOS OCULARES-"
"Desistere, cagna spagnolo. Stai andando ad avere per seguire quelli attraverso."
Toni straightened her back, blinked a few times, and morphed into her male self to cry, leaning on Lovinio for support. As the pair sat down again, the discussions began.
"I believe it is almost six, comrades. Do we wish to gain something to eat?"
The elder four Nordics agreed to go down to the kitchen and order pizza, whilst the others planned what to do.
It later went uneaten- with the memory of a minimum of three missing students in their heads, it was understandable that no-one had much appetite.
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"Alfred, there is no way we will all survive a direct confrontation."
"Of course we will- we're obviously the good guys!"
"Git, this isn't a movie. This is real life."
"Dude, real life now involves superpowers. Does that mean you can't have a little faith in me?"
"Ahem." Angelique raised her hand.
"Oui, soer?"
"As the person most likely to die in this- by your standards anyway, Alfred- could I suggest that the youngest of us leave before the rest of the operation begins?"
Arthur raised his eyebrows. "Why are you the most likely to die?"
She raised an eyebrow. "What happens to the black guy in every movie? Ever?"
Alfred nodded. "She right. If anyone needs to go, it has to be Angie."
"Not just her, though. Anyone who doesn't want to be directly involved should have the chance to leave."
Arthur turned to Toris. "Are you implying something?"
"No. But I can see several people over there who don't want to be involved."
The main plotters- Monique, Alfred and Arthur- surveyed the room. Whilst some were animated, with grim looks on their faces, a few were holding expressions of terror- or at least, unease.
Arthur sighed. "If anyone does not want anything to do with the breakout, and instead want to leave early, raise your hand now."
It was a disappointingly large group- most of South- East Asia, both Africans, all of the Balkans, Anri and Lars Linden, Renee Celei, Feli and Lovinio, Carlos, Mina, and a surprising trio of Ludwig, Vash and Natalya. Though maybe Natalya wasn't unsurprising- she wasn't going to risk her life from people she despised.
Kun-woo was staying, though she was the only Asian that was, all the Nordics were, and most of the two Europe dorms were staying, including a surprising Lilli Zwingili. Morgan, to show she was extra determined about staying, had made a big show of sitting on her hands.
Toris wasn't sure anyone else noticed, but he saw Arthur's finger twitch, and Morgans' mouth both shut automatically and her right arm shot in the air.
Alfred counted. "Twenty-two leaving early, and twenty staying."
Morgan had a mutinous expression on her face, and Toris didn't exactly blame her. She was less than a year younger than Lilli, who Arthur was letting stay. Though Toris understood the need to keep your family safe, she was trying to possibly save her best friend's life. Vash, probably the most protective older brother on the planet, was reluctantly letting Lilli fight, and it seemed hypocritical of Arthur to not give his own sibling a choice.
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Lovinio formed a tunnel in the basement, letting the larger group escape into the forest. You could tell by the way she was walking that Morgan wasn't moving of her own free will, and she was still glaring at the older group of students.
When the hole filled itself in, Arthur faced the others. "You know what you have to do?"
The other nineteen nodded affirmative, and went off to conduct their separate missions. Toris joined up with Eduard, and queried if he was scared.
Eduard thought for a second. "Truthfully? I'm about to shit myself. But I'm going to do this anyway." He grinned, though rather unconvincingly. It looked like he was going to be sick. "Let's go get our third Baltic State back."
As he turned right to reach the staircase, Toris felt a small burning sensation on the back of his hand, lifting it up to his face, so he could see in the minimal light, he could read;
Stay safe. Don't like, die on me.
Feliks grinned nervously at him from behind on the staircase. When they reached the top, the two boys faced each other for a temporary goodbye.
"I'm not going to die on you."
"Promise?"
The Pole looked slightly up at his boyfriend, and brought up his right hand. "Pinkie promise?"
Toris looped his finger around Feliks's without hesitation. "Pinkie promise."
They kissed softly in the dark corridor, gripped each other's hand for a brief moment, but were then forced to separate- Feliks to the fifth floor, Toris to the third.
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Toris and Eduard's main job was to create a distraction- I know, again, this is starting to get repetitive- whilst the upper teams broke into the attic, the lower teams searched the third floor, and the Nordics prepared themselves for the worst part of the plan. They knew that an alarm or warning would go off if the had to break into the fifth floor by force, so they were assigned to incapacitate the teachers temporarily.
Toris stood watch in the store cupboard as Eduard was tinkering with the air conditioning system. Their part was straightforward- make sure that none of the teachers leave the floor, and don't let them see Mattea, Kat and Lilli searching their private quarters.
There was a triumphant "Yes!" from behind him, and Toris knew that the mission had started.
He began to hear crackling from the surrounding rooms, and then a high-pitched shriek that he assumed was Professor Kanafaska. Eduard had rigged the air conditioning to send out a wave of electricity to cause all metals to start conducting, and to start some small electrical fires. It had the advantageous addition of blowing the fuses of the lights on the third floor, making it easier to move around in the dark.
The door creaked open, and an invisible Mattie, and her two companions, left to gain information. Toris stayed behind, as was his and Eduard's part.
There was a thin line of educational pamphlets leading across the corridor outside- the headrush from retaining that much information at once, due to the fact Toris was touching them, would almost certainly cause unconsciousness. Eduard was forced to stay, as all the metallic devices would go back to normal, if the air-con panel was left unattended for too long.
He finally heard a door slam- and could hear angry Greek swearing.
"This is ridiculous, Romulus. We cannot see a thing, and Jean now has that awful spork stuck to his hair due to the static."
"Calm down, Hera, darling. The fuse box is just downstairs. Me and Legolas will go and fix it."
An affirmative grunt and steady footsteps showed that the the headmaster and Professor Coburg were approaching the staircase. Toris felt a sharp pain between his eyeballs as the two men placed their feet on the awaiting trap, and the two men fell to the floor with a loud thud.
There was silence for a moment, before Professor Kanafaska began to sob again, and Dr Sharqi sighed.
"Obviously this is the student's fault. Jean, take the pair of them away, and Boudicca, could you help search? Ailean, could you take Serafina to her room to calm her down?"
The two boys in the storeroom could hear Gula take Kanafaska away, and Gaulois drag their unconscious teachers away along with Kerkouane.
"Nuan, could you check upstairs? Use the other staircase, the one through the dining-room."
Eduard and Toris shared a look as the heard Professor Ling argee and walk away. They hadn't known there was a second staircase, so it was obviously unguarded. Ed's eyes glazed over, so he was sending a message a message to Liz telling her to watch out.
Professor Ling began to walk in the opposite direction, and the remaining two women conversed while searching, beginning at the rooms furthest from the stairs.
"Who do you think it is?"
"I'm not sure, but probably Im or von Bock, maybe Väinämöinen."
"Would this be enough for an expulsion?"
"Deliberate aggression and sabotage against staff? Definitely." Toris could hear the monotone in Sharqi's voice. He really hated the way she spoke sometimes- as if nothing she ever did could cause an effect in her student's lives.
Both women were near the bottom of corridor now. Eduard has been making a step up, so they could reach the ceiling. He'd pushed a plaster tile away, and Toris was giving him a leg up so Eduard could crawl into the ceiling space and they could escape.
The two women were really close. They were discussing which governments would allow them to take 'precautionary measures'. Eduard pulled himself into the ceiling, turned around and brought his arm down for Toris to grab. But as the Estonian began to haul him upward, he placed his knee on a weak spot in the centre of the plaster tile, causing a crack through it.
Thankfully, it didn't break, but it was enough- their hands had fallen away from each other in a moment of shock. After Toris fell back onto the boarded floor, there was a quick silence, before footsteps began to leave the adjacent room to search the one they hid in.
Toris looked upwards to shout, but Eduard had used the correct initiative and replaced the tile and begun to escape.
Dr Sharqi slid the door open, and as she saw him, her face formed a disappointed frown.
"Mr Laurentalis? I must say, I'm rather disappointed. This is rather out of character for you."
He said nothing, and hung his head in falsified shame.
"I'm afraid you're going to have to come with me."
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The Literature and RS professors escorted Toris upstairs, past the options classrooms, then upstairs from the Europe dorms, to the coveted fifth floor. He was relieved to see that the rest of students attempting to break in had apparently left.
"Outside, on the fire exit stairs."
He was further reassured by the information from Liz, but as he was lead through the door into a fluorescent- lit room with no windows, the connection broke. It was hard to tell how he knew, but when he was on the fifth floor, it was like a comforting hum in the very back of his brain had just… gone.
It was disturbing. He wasn't sure what to make of it.
"Toris, we're going to have to make a few phone calls- stay right here."
The two older women left, and Toris squirmed on his uncomfortable plastic chair. Looking around, the room definitely reminded him of the wake-up room for when a student first arrived. The same sparse, minimal furniture combined with a less-is- more paint scheme. The phone room was soundproofed, but had a partially glas wall, so he could see the teachers through it.
Dr Sharqi wasn't actually speaking, but Professor Iceni was running her fingers backwards through her hair and talking incessantly. She carried on for about ten minutes whilst Toris shifted around, just watching them. When she placed the phone down and grinned, he decided he never wanted to see her smile again.
She reentered- Dr Sharqi stayed in the phone room- and spoke to him.
"We've spoken to our sponsors, and our liaison with your government, Toris, and we've come to an agreement that you cannot continue your studies with us after this incident. We treat aggression against staff very seriously…"
Toris went into a state of shock after that. Was that seriously the reason students were removed? Phil had been constantly rude and threatening, Jon-heong refused to go to lessons, and Raivis had a… slight drinking problem. Had he just gotten himself expelled for nothing?
Where was he supposed to go? As a measure of international security, he couldn't just go back to Lithuania-
"I'm afraid you'll have to come with me to discuss your future."
She began to lead him to a set of metal doors before he started thinking properly.
Wait. If the others had been expelled, why were they still here? Or were they- after all, Kun-woo could be wrong. Though like she said, she'd never been incorrect before. And anyway, why did the staff need to block off mental communication upstairs? Was there something sinister going on?
And then there was that smile of Professor Iceni's- the smile of a great cat about to lock its jaws on a dying deer, which promised nothing but ill intent towards its directee.
Against what was probably his better, saner judgment, he paused walking.
Iceni turned suddenly, causing her hair to fly over her shoulder. "Mr Laurentalis?"
He shuffled from foot to foot, trying to swallow the lumps in his throat and hide the tension in his limbs. "I really don't want to go through there with you, Professor. May I speak to my liaison myself?"
Her normal, cold expression took on a reaching subzero look. "That will not be necessary, Toris."
He began to chew on his upper lip. "If it's all the same, I'd rather do any discussion here-"
"Toris-" she brought her hand into the pocket of her coat- "If this impertinence carries on, I will have to restrain you, and that will go against you at a later date."
"Please, Professor."
"No. I'm afraid I'm going to have to take extra measures now-"
Plaster exploded everywhere with a deafening CLANG. Toris ducked down as the wall broke in, and curled up to protect his head. Water began to cover the floor, and the professor fell down when an unidentified projectile flew at her head. When he was certain that the ceiling wasn't going to come in, he lifted his head.
It was the fifth- floor team, plus Eduard. Liz was sans cherry-red cast iron skillet, which now most of the dust had cleared, he could see had been the unidentified flying object earlier, and Gilbert was sans consciousness, as it seemed that Liz had used his head as a battering ram to break through the wall.
The dishevelled and windswept crew entered, and Toris had never been happier to see them. He would have said so, but he was bombed by an angry fabulous Polish blond.
Feliks was immediately all over him, and checked him for any injuries. Though he kept his face down, Toris could se a mixture of anger, frustration and ecstasy leak out of his boyfriend's eyes. Finally certain that he was alright, Toris was consumed by a rib-crushing bearhug, and when he could breathe again, he addressed the rest.
"Why'd you decide to break in instead of using the door?"
Gilbert, who'd defied death again, answered. "Wasn't by choice. This arschloch-" pointing at Liz- "used my head as an unawesome battering ram."
Arthur sighed, gave the albino a patronizing look, and explained. "Elizaveta grew frustrated with trying to pick the locks or attempting to teleport through so we could get you, so when Gilbert complained, she began to bugger his head in."
Counting it was reasonable an explanation as any, Toris turned to Alfred, who had seemed to become the de facto leader, and asked what they were going to do now.
"We're going to have to do it again."
Rodreich had already crossed the room and was studying the doors. "They use the same system-running water with an electric current through the walls and doors."
It made sense- he'd already noticed the water, but looking back at the wall there were a few smoking wires too. Teleporters couldn't go through another's element, so water running with electricity would be a perfect defence mechanism. It would also mess up any brain signal, the electricity in the wall acting like static, or TV interference.
Liz's eyes lit up as she began to reach for Gilbert's hair again.
The Austrian boy sighed, and shook his head. "There's really no point in using him. I'll break the door."
The rest of the group- the other ten of them- stood at the other side of the room. Alfred began to shovel ceiling dust in his ears. The safety of that was uncertain, so Toris just folded his ears down, Everyone braced themselves.
Rodreich screamed.
The sound ricocheted through the room causing the escape squad to crouch in the foetal position to protect themselves against the noise. Toris covered his head as plaster began to rain down again. The pressure on his eardrums almost reached breaking point, but the sheik ended almost as suddenly as it began.
The iron door was gone- shattered inwards by the sheer immensity of the sound. They picked themselves off the ground and entered the next room.
It was a blank-white corridor which split off into several new unlocked doors, still made out of metal, but according to Kun-woo, had no water-electric protection system. The group set off to search each of the further rooms.
Feliks, Toris and Eduard started in the room furthest to their left.
It was a fairly large computer suite, glowing an eerie blue emitted from the screens. Eduard sat down at one, begun to type, and began to captchalogue files into a modus system.
Toris has hopeless with any advanced technology or data system- a result of his power being text-based, he assumed- so hung around the door with Feliks, who'd been looking everywhere with forlorn looks, and was uncharacteristically quiet.
"Are you okay?"
Feliks gave a forced smile. "Not, like, dead yet am I?"
Toris leant against the wall, shoulder-to-shoulder with the other boy so they just brushed next to each other. He leant forward and tilted his head.
"You know what I mean."
The Pole shrugged, and sniffed hard. "I'm fine- I, like, totally, can't believe this is happening- but I'm like really just disappointed that we can't like, trust people, again- I don't wanna go back to being, like, the grody kid in the grody school in the middle of Krakow where everybody totally thinks you're a freak."
Toris empathized- most of the students had an isolation-from-old-friends-because-of-powers-reasons story. Gauken had been a new home for students who'd been there for only a few months or almost two years. It was a dysfunctional surrogate family who'd clicked or clashed like they'd known each other for years. Even Toris, the newest student, was feeling the loss o home harder than he'd expected.
But just Feliks, worried, concerned about the future, was terrifying, because it wasn't the idiotic, oblivious, adorable boy he'd grown too love. It was too different- though maybe it was kind of a good different- but him leaving that huge part of his personality scared him.
He wrapped his arm around his boyfriend, pulling them into a one-armed bearhug.
"We're going to be okay. I'm not leaving you."
Feliks wriggled himself free, and held out his pinkie finger again, wiping moisture out of red-tinged eyes.
"Pinkie Polska Pony Promise?"
Toris felt his cheeks rise involuntarily, and entangled his own finger as well.
"Double Pinkie Polska Pony Promise."
Eduard called them, shocking the pair out of their lover's bubble, and they paced towards the other side of the room.
He pointed to the screen. "Read this."
It showed a picture of a tanned girl around Morgans' age, with brown hair swept into a side ponytail. She had large white wings protruding from her uniform, and her face was covered in paint. The information across said her name was Kate Kirkland- Irwin, and she'd been the first student at the Academy almost a year before it officially began, taken from Australia.
It listed any relatives with possibility to become Gauken students- two older brothers and six cousins. Two of her cousins were highlighted- Arthur and Morgan.
But the last piece of information it said was 'Removed from facility.'
Eduard shifted the screen. There was an albino cousin of Rodreich. Berwald's ginger-haired half-brother. The Nevadan cousin of Alfred and Mattie, Jake. None of them looked any older than eleven.
But they all said 'Removed from facility.'
One of the last records was a distant relative of the Vargases, Stefano, which thankfully said 'Released from facility' and was under watch in Seborgia.
Eduard moved on. Feliks gave out a small shriek.
It was Philip. 'Removed from facility.' Then Jon-heong. 'Removed from facility.'
The final record was the worst.
'Raivis Galante. Removal date: 27th February. Permission gained: Affirmative.'
Eduard's hands froze over the mouse and keyboard. Feliks took a few steps back from the screen. Toris's eyes flicked down to the clock in the bottom-right corner.
00:38. It was the twenty-seventh.
He pulled on the shoulders of the other pair. "We need to go get him now."
They shook themselves out of their horror, and nodded affirmative. They began to walk towards the open door.
But it was blocked by an unwelcome presence restricting the bright light from the corridor from entering the room. They began to stare down the barrel of a Glock 22.
Dr Sharqi removed the safety from her pistol. "I'm afraid not, Toris."
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Done. Sorry about the long wait, guys, but… stuff. School. Work. have been hectic lately.
Send me your thoughts and theories, please!
(syd004, I'm working on your omake, I haven't forgotten)
Please follow, favourite, and review. DbM out.
