Bijin: Alright... this chapter has been written for a long time, but for some reason I've been paranoid about posting it. I suppose it's because we're in the homestretch and I'm worried about messing something up before the climax and ending. Anyway, here's chapter 25. Relatively short, but a pretty important chapter. Review responses!
Lady-Jana-Sparrow: Nicely name. Anyway, yeah. Kratos did need some father-son time... even if the son wasn't quite all there. XD And you seem fairly happy about Colette's little mess-up. XD
Lloyd-forever: Oh i love Zelos/Sheena. But you'll have to see for yourself what all happens. Will the screwing over continue? Only I know! And I'm not telling. Nyeh. XD
Maxmagnus20019: Indeed. Zelos will always be Zelos. Nothing more, nothing less. Zelos is a constant.
Yokura: That seems to be a more popular idea as several people have asked me if they can use the angel hunter idea. I don't mind if you use them. They are originally my creation and all, but I don't mind other people using them. I appreciate you asking very much. XD
Alaia Skyhawk: Of course. Impeccable timing was the least I could do. After screwing them over so many times they deserved some plot-convenience. XD
Kingdomonkey: Late and relatively short, but here it is!
Alright... yeah... that's all.
Chapter 25: Russel of Mt. Volley
"Zelos? Can you hear me?"
Sheena's worry-clouded eyes swam into view and a smile came over redhead's face. "Wow... I could get used to this waking up and seeing Sheena's face first thing in the morning stuff," he chuckled. "Are you that worried about me?"
Sheena rolled her eyes, walking away. "Idiot," She growled.
"Sorry to keep you all waiting." An unfamiliar voice floated to Zelos' ears and he craned his neck to see a white-haired half-elf enter the room and look at the group. Raine, Genis, Regal, Presea, Colette, Sheena, and Kratos were sitting in folding chairs around an empty chair, which had obviously been reserved for the newcomer. Lloyd had been sat down and propped up against the chair where Kratos was sitting, and Zelos worked himself slowly into a sitting position. He gave the new man a once-over. He wore a simple dress pants and blouse outfit beneath a long white lab coat, as seemed typical of researchers. His white hair was long and pulled back into a high ponytail, making him look younger than his former partner. "My name is Russel Brig. I'm sorry you had to get caught up in that." He took a seat in the empty chair and Raine leaned foreword.
"What's the reaction to all this?"
Brig shrugged. "Well your statements have been filed as well as my statements and Warren's Angel Hunter group has been pulled from the government's files. They're not being discharged from their files, but they are being brought in for interrogation."
"What? They threatened you!" Sheena cried.
"Indeed, but the government trusts them more than you think," Brig muttered.
Zelos nodded, pushing himself into the conversation. "At the moment, the government fully believes angels to be a threat, and Warren, Letto, and Farith are their best weapons against them. Meaning they aren't going to fire them unless they do something completely outrageous."
"They nearly killed my son," Kratos growled deeply. "That's outrageous enough."
"Well there's no way you can plead that case now, sir. You refused to let the paramedics look at either you or your son, so we can't determine what was done to him. And now after time has passed, even if you did let them look at him, that argument wouldn't stand up in a case against them," Brig reasoned.
Kratos grunted. "I have my reasons."
"I suppose you do." Russel shrugged, but then looked at Raine. "Either way, you've all been cleared from the suspect list. The explosion that chased Warren and his buddies to head for the hills wasn't anything traceable, so the blame can't really be fairly put on anyone. They're covering it up as an industrial incident." He shrugged. "I don't really remember much about the incident except when they knocked me out. I was able to testify that you weren't involved in my capture, but I can't really say what happened. The most I remember was seeing Dr. Surah and Warren, and next thing I know, I'm waking up with paramedics all around me."
"Figures the government would cover it up," Zelos muttered.
"Remember, Zelos, you work for them." Kratos smirked over at him. Zelos gave him a dirty look, but Raine cut in before anything too profane could come from his mouth.
"Anyway, Dr. Brig..." Raine began. The half-elf held up a hand.
"You can call me Russel. Dr. Brig has always sounded far too formal," he chuckled.
"Well, Russel, we came to you because we have need to find a Phoenix, and we heard that Dr. Surah and you were the two main heads of Phoenix research. We were hoping you could possibly give us some information," she continued.
Russel took a moment to think, then looked to the group. "Can you give me the information you have? I can try to fill in the blanks if you want."
Raine produced the large folder she had stowed in her pack and set it on her lap. "Dr. Surah gave us this when we visited Mt. Arichi." She glanced through several small portions, then began to recite. "We know that Phoenixes live in active volcanoes since they make their nests in the lava pools in the crater."
Russel nodded and Kratos picked it up. "We also know that Phoenixes, because of their diminished wingspan use mana currents to fly and keep their bodies in the air."
"A basic mana tracker could probably find one, but basic mana trackers are a rarity these days. Even so, I'm surprised people haven't used basic mana trackers before. If they had, there wouldn't have been such a huge deal about the first time one was found," Zelos muttered.
Russel held up a finger. "I think I can step in here." He leaned foreword. "The thing is... even if you can find where the nest is, Phoenixes are very elusive and wary creatures. They generally don't like humans, meaning they will avoid them if possible. If spotted by a human, a Phoenix will dive into its nest and wait in the lava pool until it thinks it's safe to come out. The reason scientists haven't captured a live one or even met one in person is because we haven't been able to come up with something to drive them out of their nest once they've settled in."
"Well, are there any theories that give us a hint as to what could drive a Phoenix out?" Regal inquired. "That could be the key here."
Russel poked his chin. "Well, there are two main theories that people have come up with. The first is to create a disturbance enough to actually chase the Phoenix from its home." He shrugged. "But considering they live in active volcanoes, such a thing would most likely be looked down upon. After all, a large enough disturbance could trigger an eruption. The second one involved the pride of a Phoenix."
"Pride?" Kratos repeated.
"Yes. It is said that Phoenixes, while being reclusive birds, are also very proud. They think themselves above humans and so don't appear in front of them very often. It is said that if you present something that proves you worthy to a volcanic crater which holds a Phoenix nest, the Phoenix will come out."
"So... despite the fact that many other people have tried to find the Phoenix the thing that has to separate us from the other people is that thing that will drive the Phoenix to meet us," Sheena muttered.
"Well, you're a summoner, aren't you Miss?" Russel requested, looking to Sheena. "That Warren guy was asking for the summoner. Meaning you?"
"Yeah, but we're wondering what Sheena has to do with all of this," Genis informed.
Raine produced the picture of Aska from the folder. "Does it have something to do with this?" she inquired.
"Of course," Russel answered. "It's believed that Aska is probably one of the few things that can draw out the Phoenix."
"What?" Sheena exclaimed. "Why?"
"Well, Aska is classified in the same genus as the Phoenix. That's the first reason, they are similar," Russel began. "However the Phoenix sees it a little differently. The Phoenix looks at Aska and sees a smaller version of itself. Being a proud creature, the Phoenix will respond to something it sees as beautiful as itself."
"I don't get it. Aska is the summon spirit of Light. How can it possibly be in the same genus as a fire bird?" Colette inquired.
"Well, when Aska was first classified, people didn't know what summon spirits were," Genis began. "Aska was seen more than any other summon spirit since it flew around regularly and when people looked at it, they thought fire, not light. And so it was classified as a firebird. Kind of one of those things that was proven false, but never actually changed."
"So... once we find the Phoenix, we can get an audience with it by having Sheena summon Aska," Raine smiled.
"That's true, but there is one thing that worries me," Kratos cut in. Eyes turned to him. "Warren, Letto, and Farith knew about the need for Sheena. They obviously knew the theories on Phoenix behavior, and they have been able to track our movements completely up until now. How much to they really know? Is this information about Aska enough to tell us the location of the Phoenix's nest?"
"I doubt it. Aska flies around constantly. There's barely a way to track Aska, let alone-!" Russel was cut off as a young man wearing glasses and an unbuttoned suit jacket rushed in.
"Dr. Brig!" he called.
"Russel!" the doctor insisted.
"Dr. Russel! A Phoenix has been spotted!" he cried.
"What?" Russel stood along with the rest of the room's inhabitants.
"The Phoenix made a stop at Mt. Jira twenty minutes ago, landing in the crater and picking something up. Someone spotted it and it took off, heading west! And there's a call for you from Meltokio," he blurted in one breath.
"Thanks Mason!" Russel laughed. The two of them headed out.
"Alright! Mt. Jira is just a few hours away!" Zelos cried, sitting up. "We should get going!"
Raine pushed him back down with her staff. "Easy there, Zelos." Zelos pouted. "That was twenty minutes ago. The Phoenix will be back in its nest before we even get to Mt. Jira. There's no point in worrying about it now. Let's rest here for the night if they'll have us and let your wounds heal."
"But... we're so close..." Zelos whined.
"And getting closer," Kratos muttered. "Rushing around at a time like this is going to get us nowhere. Specifically when Warren is finding things out almost as quickly as we are. We need to plan our steps carefully or we'll end up losing Lloyd for good."
Zelos conceded and lay back down. Presea looked to Kratos, then to Lloyd. "Is he alright?" Kratos looked up. "I mean... those shocks Warren gave him... they didn't hurt him, did they?"
Kratos put a hand to his son's head. "He'll be fine. He just needs... a little time to heal. Warren used a little bit of electrical charge to shock him. He's got a few burns, but they're minor and few in number."
Genis smiled. "I'm glad he wasn't hurt."
"I'm sorry..." Colette muttered, her blue eyes glued on the ground. Her hands covered her face and tears began to wet her fingers. "It was my job to protect him, and I failed. I'm so sorry Kratos."
Kratos gave a smile. "I know you better than to think you were being careless. We weren't expecting Warren to see you when you took him, but I suppose Warren must've been hiding at a good vantage point. I can't be mad at you for not being able to stand up to Warren." Colette nodded, but Russel then burst through the door, a small cordless phone in his hand.
"Mr. Zelos? There's a call for you from Meltokio," he commented, handing the device over.
"Hello?" Zelos muttered. The room went silent and the group turned its attention on Zelos as he spoke. "Victor? Hey, wassap?" he chuckled. "Yeah! Yeah I did!" He paused for a long moment. "Nononono... umm... let me think... we're an equal distance away from both, so... Sybak. It's... more or less on our way." He nodded. "Thanks, Vic. I really appreciate it. Oh hey! Is that one computer guy still working there, the one with the blue hair who gave us the information from the computer when we were there?" He sighed. "Figures..." He then shook his head again. "Ah, no biggie. Thanks, Vic. See you at the ball, all right? Bye." Russel grabbed the phone and headed back to work as Zelos turned excited eyes on the group. "The mana tracker is ready!"
"So soon?" Sheena inquired. "It wasn't supposed to be ready for a day or so."
"Well, when the great Zelos, asks..." Zelos muttered proudly.
"This is perfect. We can head over there tomorrow morning," Kratos smiled.
Raine smiled and stood. "I'll go ask Dr. Russel about staying here tonight. Thanks, Zelos."
Zelos nodded. "It's in Sybak right now. I told them to leave it there so we can pick it up on our way to Mt. Jira."
"Sounds good to me," Colette clapped her hands.
Kratos glanced to the limp form next to his chair and smiled.
Her footsteps were silent, her movements crafted of stealth. And yet somehow, he knew she was coming.
"Awww..." he cooed mockingly. "Did you need a goodnight kiss?"
"Baka miko. Shut up," she grumbled. "How'd you know I was coming in here?"
Zelos gave a quiet chuckle. "You should know by now that I know everything about you, Sheena. You're complicated, but not that difficult to figure out."
"Thanks," Sheena growled. "A ninja loves to hear she's easy to read. I don't even know why the hell I came in here."
"Your bed not comfy enough? You and the others get to sleep in hotel-like beds. Then there's Lloyd and I. We got to sleep in the sick-person's room."
"Infirmary." Sheena grumbled. "And hotel bed? More like military cot. I don't get how these people sleep on them."
"You sleep on the ground all the time, what do you care?" Zelos inquired.
"Never mind..." She glanced down. "How are you feeling?" The redhead paused. "You gave me a scare today... I wanted to make sure you were alright."
"Sheena... listen. I may look slim, but I'm hardier than you give me credit for." He chuckled. "I survived you guys kicking my ass after I told you I had been working with Pronyma, didn't I?" Sheena didn't say anything. "Or... is that the reason...?"
Sheena growled, but her voice remained somewhat soft. "I thought you were dead, alright? You didn't show up again until you and Kratos saved all of us. I don't want to go through the pain of losing a friend yet another time."
Zelos reached a hand out and placed it on her head, a smile she only half believed curving his lips. "Lloyd will be fine. We're getting closer to the Phoenix every day."
"I wasn't talking about Lloyd!" Sheena insisted. However, she did crane her body to get a glimpse of the soulless body, sat up against the wall behind her. She paused, then giggled. "Zelos... look at this." She moved aside and Zelos' face turned red with the effort to hold in laughter.
Lloyd was not alone. Sitting next to him, her body facing was wall, was a sleeping Colette. Her body faced his, head resting on his shoulder and both arms wrapped limply around his torso, just enough tension keeping her upright. She still seemed to be hugging him quite tightly. Sheena chuckled. "I suppose Colette's more worried than the rest of us..." Sheena muttered, standing. "I'd better get back to bed. You need your sleep."
Zelos pouted, but shrugged and attempted to fall back to sleep as she left. His eyes closed on the sight of Colette and Lloyd, and unsurprisingly, and image with himself in Lloyd's place and Sheena in Colette's popped into his brain. Zelos fell to sleep with a smile.
Sheena remained at the door even after she had left, leaning back against the wall. The image of Colette and Lloyd would not leave her mind. Even if Colette wasn't comfortable hugging him like that, she did. If only to say sorry. She depends so much on him. Why can't I learn to depend on someone like that? I always have to do things myself and it gets me nowhere. She sighed and headed back to her room. If only for Colette's sake... we need to get Lloyd back soon.
To be continued...
Bijin: Alright... chapter 25 done. Hopefully chapter 26 will be done soon. I lost a big section of it because my thumb drive got yanked out at the wrong time. x.x So I've gotta rewrite a section. Hopefully that won't take too long. Alright... till next time!
Next Chapter: The Final Pieces