The Dark Arcology
Reliquary

Adam glanced up, noting the arrival of two strangers.
"We do thank people for not porting directly here," he told them in a pained tone. "Some of the artefacts are sensitive to it."
"Sorry," one of them apologised. "I wasn't aware of that. I got a message from you about a talking suit of armour?"
"And you are?"
One wrist was presented, immediately identifying him to be none other than the Grandmaster himself.
He gestured to his companion, "He's not of the Arcology, but he's with me."
Adam tapped his chin, then turned to the custodian beside him.
"Who did I tell you to give my message to?"
"You... didn't say."
"So who did you give it to?"
"My First, Sand."
"Perhaps Sand passed it on to Roxas," Sora suggested.
"Perhaps," Adam replied, turning back to him. "But he sent his own people to examine it. They signed the armour out not long ago."
"And you let them?"
"They told me they believed they could find out more about it. Information on it is scarce, so I saw no reason to disallow them. It is their responsibility if something happens to it while in their care."
"How convenient." Sora's tone clearly indicated his scepticism.
"You think there's something fishy going on?" his companion asked.
"Doesn't it seem like that? The message takes a detour on it's way up to Roxas, then just when we stop by to investigate, it 'happens' to have been removed before we get here."
"This Sand of yours, he's a First, right?"
Sora nodded, "A friend at that. He's helped more than once in the past."
"So maybe he got word somehow, and took it out for us?"
"Unlikely. Only Jamie could have done that, and he was there with us all along. Besides..." he turned to Adam. "When was it checked out?"
"About an hour ago," he answered. "I have the complete history of the artefact on record."
"Where was it found?" Sora's companion asked suddenly.
"Do we have time for this Terra?" Sora asked him.
"I'm starting to have some suspicions of my own, Sora. Something doesn't quite seem right to me. Where was it found?" he repeated.
Adam examined the records, tracing it's history. "The Chamber of Repose, Castle of Radiant Garden. It was previously inaccessible, but following the destruction of the castle in the World that Never Was an expedition was finally able to gain access to retrieve it."
"Who retrieved it?" Terra pressed. "Who was on that expedition?"
"Three persons," Adam read. "Two fifth-ranks and a first rank. Records say... they were known as Sand, Merle and Rue."
"Merle is Sand's ex-husband, and Rue's been Sand's first rank for some time," Sora told Terra. "This must have happened while they were still together, but before either of them became a First."
Terra didn't seemed finished yet. "When did they become Firsts?" he asked next.
"The Registry will have that information. We'll stop by and ask them, but it's bound to be before I came to the Arcology. They were both Firsts when I got here. Are you sure this is relevant Terra?"
"This Sand of yours just took it out, Sora. He's the one who retrieved it, and now he's got it back to find out something about it – but why would he wait until now to do that? What's changed since Aqua's armour arrived here?"
"Who is Aqua?" Adam asked curiously, nudging the custodian beside him. He started taking down what was being said.
"A friend of mine. If I'm right, then it's her Keyblade and her Armour. I don't suppose you have an image of it?"
"Of course. Most artefacts do, so people can see them safely." He made a face and continued, "Some of them don't because the image is just as dangerous as the real thing, and some of them are more powerful in an image. Here it is." He handed them a small card. Terra glanced at it, then handed it back.
"That's definitely hers, I'd recognise it anywhere. Sora, we have to find out what your Sand is doing with it."
Sora nodded, touched on his markings, then nodded again, "Fifth floor. Thank you for your help," he told Adam, put a hand on Terra's shoulder, then hesitated. "Safe to port out?"
"Normally no," Adam told him. "But in the circumstances, I'll make an exception."
"You're too kind," he murmured, vanishing.
"Did you get all that?" he asked the custodian beside him.
"All of it."
"Run down to the Records and get everything you can on this Aqua person. Take a copy of our notes with you, you might need them to find the right person. This may be just what we need to get more information about the armour."

Fifth floor
Desert Climate Simulation

In all the Simulation, there was only one safe haven from the perpetually howling sandstorm. The normal entrances to this floor had been disabled and the maintenance crews conveniently forgot to show up to fix this. Officially, this complex was a research centre dedicated to experiments in a desert climate. Unofficially, it held far more.
Rue appeared in the only chamber where porting was permitted, and quietly made his way through the main research rooms to what appeared to be no more than a cleaner's closet. A hidden door led him down some stairs to a new area.
Sand was there, along with Seifer, a stranger in mismatched clothing just this side of shabby, and a suit of armour.
The stranger was not familiar to him, but the green gemstone hanging around his neck proclaimed him to be the current representative of Sand's Rogues.
Conversation broke off as Rue entered, and eyes turned to him.
"What news, Rue?" Sand asked him.
"Roxas is completely distracted by the continued existance of the Heartless, Master," he reported.
"But it seems Sora is now looking for that," he pointed at the armour. "He has the revived Terra with him."
"Inconvenient."
"We can arrange for an accident to befall him," the stranger suggested.
"No. We know what happened last time he stumbled in on one of your accidents. We can only hope your people don't talk."
"I'll see if I can distract him," Seifer told him. "Roxas crying for help should turn the trick."
"How do you plan to achieve it?"
"Nothing simpler. There are Heartless around, Sora proved that we can control them. I'll just take control of a bunch of them and send them off to visit Roxas."
"It won't work," Rue told him. "Sora removed the dark taint on our Kingdom Hearts. Our power doesn't count any longer."
"I think it's time we called in our allies to help," Sand mused. "Rue, you know how to contact her. You know what to tell her?"
"That we need a distraction loud enough to send Sora running, Master."
Sand nodded then turned to Seifer. "Are you sure Swordsman won't suspect anything?"
"Completely. I told him Roxas cleared me to stop by Twilight Town. I've no intention of going there, but it gives me some time before I have to return to what I was doing for him."
"Good. I want you to go with our guest here to his friends. Their last encounter with Sora and Roxas proved that they're dreadfully unprepared to meet either of them. You've had training under Swordsman, and you know their tactics. Make the most of the time to bring them up to scratch. As soon as they're ready, having them come down here. If the distraction isn't enough, we'll need something to delay Sora."
"Do you have enough room for us?" the stranger asked. "There are a lot of us."
"This place is bigger than it looks. I've taken a part of the third and fourth floors as expansions to this area. They can't be accessed from the outside, so there's no risk of intrusion there."
"I believe you may be wrong Master. After Sora confronted Xemnas, he created a new passage from the Core to the main Arcology," Rue pointed out.
"I'm aware of that, but I don't believe he'll think of it. We'll move deeper into here. Rue, you may port directly into and out of any the lower parts of this facility as needed. Now go to work everyone."
Sora and Terra appeared outside the facility inside the dust storm. Terra snapped something that was lost in the howling, and the storm abated around them.
"Thanks," Sora coughed.
"Never say it isn't helpful to have someone skilled in Earth magic. Why do you have an indoor sandstorm?"
"Your guess is as good as mine this time. I don't know everything about my Arcology."
"Well you're helpful."
"Be nice. There's something ahead. There are people there, at least."
"You might want to port us directly there. I can't hold off this storm forever."
Sora nodded, concentrated, and their view blurred into the inside of a facility. The howling lessened now they were inside, but it was not cut out entirely.
There was no one around here. It was a small circular chamber with a single corridor.
Terra glanced at the lone door at the end, then at Sora.
"Don't look at me," he shrugged. "I didn't even know this was here."
They headed down the corridor. To one side were thick windows showing the storm outside.
The door opened into a much larger room filled with computer stations and people working them. Sand stood in the middle apparently examining a terminal, but glanced up as they entered.
"Well, isn't this a surprise? What brings you down here, Grandmaster?"
"Why did you remove the armour, Sand?"
"Armour? What armour would that be?"
"The one you received a message about that was meant to reach me instead."
"Oh, that armour. I didn't give any order to remove it."
"The Reliquary's records say otherwise."
"Strange. Perhaps someone removed it claiming to have my authorization. Thanks for letting me know. I'll look into it."
"Do you mind if I do it for you?"
"Oh, I wouldn't want to pile more work on you, Sora. I know how much you dislike it. Just leave it to me, I'll have it handled in no time."
"I'm not worried about who did it, Sand. It's the armour I'm after."
"I could launch an investigation for you," he suggested. "I don't have anything to go on though, except that note, and you've got that. I don't suppose I could steal it off you?"
"I left it in my office," Sora told him. Terra glanced at him curiously, but said nothing. "You've got a good memory though. I'm sure you don't need it."
Sand's face flickered slightly, but he covered quickly. "True. Well, I'll look into things, but I don't think I'll find out anything until I find out who removed it."
Their expressions locked, neither one showing anything out of the ordinary. Sora relented first.
"Keep me posted, Sand. If I don't hear from you I'll assume something's happened to you, and I'll take personal control of the investigation."
"Of course, Sora. You can count on me."
"I'm sure," he muttered unconvincingly as he and Terra turned away, then vanished, ported by Sora to his office.
"Why did you lie to him about the note?" Terra asked him.
"I didn't want him to take it back. Didn't anything seem out of place to you?"
"He didn't exactly seem surprised to see us, or by your questions."
"Exactly. He's right, I might dislike work, but if I take a personal interest in something I'll put up with it and he knows that – but he insisted on keeping me away from it. Something isn't right."
"So what are you going to do?"
Sora didn't answer, instead arranging several bits of work on his desk, then wrote something on a blank sheet and put it aside with the note on it, then nodded, satisfied.
"That should do it."
"That was significant?"
"It's a trap. Sand seemed to have an interest in keeping the note, even though he doesn't need it. So now I've made it so I can track it."
"And the notes you wrote on the other sheet of paper with it?"
"Misinformation. I suspect he'll come and try to take it. If he does, he'll find that too, and think we know more than we actually do. It'll send him off to a place I've been to that should keep him out of trouble."
"Where?"
"Castle Oblivion. It used to be owned by Organization XIII, but with their downfall it's empty again. They used it to try to manipulate me, but failed. He can look there all he wants, he'll never find anything – especially not Aqua herself. Now we've baited our trap, we just have to see if he takes the bait."