!IMPORTANT AUTHOR'S NOTE!
Alright, so it's looking like updates are going to be posted in two week intervals on Sundays. So, biweekly on Sundays. I have a calendar set up to remind me, and should I run out of chapters written in advance, well, we're all screwed. It's looking like the average is about one every two weeks, so that means I SHOULD always be at least two or three ahead of the game at all times. Alright.
However, school is starting in less than a month. This will be my senior year, and I'm taking on a few extra responsibilities. I am now the editor to an E-news letter sponsored by Campus Ministry at my school, which puts me on the Board for that same organization. I have to get twenty five hours of community service done during this year, get my drivers license, apply to colleges, get a job, and do my schoolwork on a regular basis (which I do already, but you know what I mean. I'm taking 3 AP courses; give me a break). In addition, I will be going on college tours throughout the Northeast to figure out which one is right for me. And this month, I have to finish my summer reading.
In short, I am going to be extremely busy this year. I am going to try very hard to keep these updates constant, but depending on how full my schedule gets, I may drop updates from every two weeks to every three, or simply one a month. I have to see how it goes and how quickly I burn through the prewritten chapters.
HOWEVER!
We ARE nearing the end. I estimate another ten to fifteen chapters (going off my current writing style, which seems irritatingly slow but completely necessary) before we reach the end. It SHOULD be, in theory, only eight, but by now, I've realized that what was intended to be only one chapter usually winds up being three. By my original outline, this was supposed to be finished at chapter 22. And now we're on chapter 28 and this event is supposed to be, like, chapter 15.2, which shows you how much I miscalculated with my original outline. Ah, the wonders of writing.
ALSO during November, also known as NaNoWriMo, I WILL be attempting to write my own novel. Of course, I've already started it, but my goal is to really crack down on it during that time. I really hope that actually happens, but knowing me (and you all have some sort of idea of my personality by now), that may or may not happen. Updates may be on hiatus during November in order to give me time to focus completely on that. Of course, that is only if Ultimatum isn't finished by then (which I hope to God it is, because I've been writing this for WAY too long haha).
Um...I think that's all I wanted to say. Oh, hopefully this makes up for the last chapter, which was pretty short (but important). ALSO: See if you can find symbols and patterns in the coming chapters. You'll make your English teachers proud! And if you have trouble with that sort of thing, go to Barnes and Nobel (or Amazon) and buy the book How to Read Literature Like A Professor. Trust me, it's a VERY useful book that I wish I had read in Freshman year. It will really help you.
Alright. NOW I'm done. Without further ado, here's the story.
"The truth." Dumbledore sighed. "It is a beautiful and terrible thing, and should therefore be treated with great caution."
― J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
"So this is Displatis," Keith remarked, looking around the bright landscape. Mira was doing the same, squinting in the sunlight. She shielded her eyes. Beside her were Alice, Keith and Shun, all taking in the different aspects of the land.
The sky was a brilliant azure, the bluest Mira had ever seen. It wasn't as pale as the sky on Earth and was even more vibrant than that of New Vestroia. Here and there a puffy white cotton ball occupied the airspace, lackadaisically drifting toward some distant destination. Mira glanced upward; the sun was high. It was about midday, she realized, and warm breeze ruffled her cape. She sniffed, then smiled.
"It smells so nice," she sighed, closing her eyes.
"Like sweet mint," Alice agreed, sounding just as content.
"It's beautiful here," Wilda commented from her shoulder.
Spread out before them was a long, sloping green field with swaying grass, dancing in the breeze. A few leafy trees stood here and there, shadows pooling at their roots. Purple flowers dotted the grass sparsely, but there were just enough that the splash of color was welcome. Rocks protruded from the ground every so often, as if they were anticipating a traveler's desire to use one as a seat.
Wilda was right; it was beautiful.
"Did Dr. Michael say where the nearest settlement was?" Shun asked, effectively killing the mood. Mira turned back to Alice, who was standing near the back of the group. The redhead was unfolding a piece of paper—it looked like a Post It note—and looked up at the ninja. She tapped her ear, activating the earpiece.
"Grandfather, can you hear me?" she asked tentatively. She paused, frowned, then sighed and pulled the earpiece out of her ear. "The signal's too weak," she declared, turning back to the Post It. "But to answer your question, Shun, I believe it's a few miles from here."
"What direction?"
Alice thought for a moment before pulling out a device that resembled a Vestal communicator. She pulled up the screen, then tapped several invisible keys on the floating screen. She turned to Shun. "Give it a moment to calibrate; it'll know the GPS coordinates as soon as I enter them, but it needs to adjust the compass."
"The compass readings changed?" Mira asked.
"Well, no, not really," Alice explained. "You see, each planet has a different magnetic field, so North is different on each planet. North isn't even a fixed point; it isn't on any planet, since the magnetic field is constantly changing. It's kinda complicated. Give it a minute and then we can start moving."
The group waited for about two minutes before the device beeped and the image of a compass appeared. Alice glanced to the left, then pointed. "That way is North, for our purposes. Now…" She opened a few different screens, then consulted her Post It and started tapping numbers on the keypad. It calculated for a few seconds, and then a map appeared.
The group gathered close, Shun peering over her shoulder for a good look. Even though everyone was looking at the screen themselves, Alice spoke out loud. "It's about four miles to the East."
Shun nodded, then disappeared. The group blinked, startled, but not really surprised. Alice sighed, then tucked the device back into the pocket of her dress. She adjusted her knitted purple poncho, then took a step toward their destination.
"Time to get going," Keith said, following. Mira nodded, clenched her fist, and steeled herself. This was where Mylene was. She was going to see her again.
I wonder how she'll react. Will she be happy or just tell us to leave?
Keith wrapped his arm around her shoulder, apparently guessing her train of thought. Mira kept her gaze to the ground, and to anyone else it might have looked like she was just trying to figure out where to place her feet, but Keith knew her habits well enough to recognize her brooding. "Don't worry about what she'll say," he said quietly. "It'll all work out."
The childish response fell from her lips before she could stop it. "Promise?"
"I promise."
The darkness was suffocating, just like it always was. But even though Dan had been through this vision a million times, he couldn't convince his unconscious self to acknowledge it.
He was running, running. He was always running. The malevolent presence was behind him, gaining. And then it was in front of him, and Dan skidded to a halt. He yelped, whirled around, and sprinted in the other direction.
Sweat coursed down his face. His throat burned. He swallowed painfully, then continued gasping for air. It was hot and fetid, humid and nauseating. The rank odor clung to his nostrils like a leech, and he wasn't sure if it was the lack of air causing his dizziness or the smell.
The invisible ground beneath his feet was warm and sticky, like spilled juice on a hot summer day. He tried not to think of the possible substances beneath his toes.
A low rumble started behind him, soon encompassing him. He felt it in his chest. Grimacing, he pushed himself. Farther, farther; he had to go farther. Farther into the red-black expanse before him. He had to escape, had to run, had to go—
Had to—had to—
Dan slowed, confused. What did he have to do? The darkness was fading, cut by a brilliant light. A brilliant light made of a million colors, as if it were shining through a prism. He stared, transfixed, as the vision shriveled and burned away, vanishing like ash in the wind. He was standing, instead, in the middle of a peaceful field. The wind was buffeting the long grass all around him, but it was a welcome change. The air was fresh and clean, and he drank it in eagerly.
That's when the white dragon appeared.
"Greetings, Dan," a throaty, feminine voice said.
"Wa..Wavern?" he blinked, confused. "What are you doing here?"
"Dan, please, listen. You are going to wake up in a moment, and I need you to do exactly as I say. Please, Dan, you don't have a lot of time." Dan stared, unsure of what to say. Memories returned to him, and he remembered where he was in reality. He blinked and shook his head vigorously, trying to dislodge the cobwebs of his confusion. She took his silence as an invitation to continue. "I have used some of my remaining power over the Perfect Core to short out the lock on your door. You should be able to open it and get out. However," she said sharply, noticing the look of eagerness on Dan's face, "escape will not be as easy as you think. You must return for your friends. You must."
"Like I'd leave them behind!" Dan cried, beginning to understand that this really was Wavern. This wasn't just another vision; this was Wavern. "There's no way I'd leave them here at the mercy of these psychos!"
"That's what I want to hear." He could hear the smile in her voice.
"I can get the Vexos easily enough," Dan said, turning the situation over in his head, "but where's Joe? And where's the other thing they took?"
"You need not worry about the Vexos," Wavern assured him. Dan blinked. "That escape opportunity they were offered—that's going on now."
"Now?!"
"Yes. That is where you must go; you must join them."
"But, wait, where's Joe, then?" Dan demanded, starting to panic.
"You know where he is. It's the only other room you know here." Dan paled, realizing what she meant. Her dark eyes narrowed. "I am sorry; I realize that this will be difficult."
"No, it's fine," he shook his head. "If it means he get's out safe, then it's fine. What about the other—"
"Focus on Joe, Dan," Wavern interrupted. "Do not worry; he is unguarded. Your other companion will reveal herself to you. Hurry; you have no time to waste!"
His eyes shot open; he bolted upright. Gasping for breath, Dan took in the room around him. He was awake.
Joe. Dan leapt to his feet, staggering immediately from the pain. His back was on fire, his arm pulsing with infection. He forced the fingers on his left hand to relax, relieving some of his pressure and agony. Even so, the glass beneath his bandage sent needles of discomfort up his arm. It felt like the burn along his jaw was constricting the bone itself, and the bruises on his torso and arms ached, but he forced it from his mind. Joe was more important.
Dan grimaced, groaned, but darted to the door. He threw out his hand, prepared to push against it, then gasped and skidded to a halt. "What the—" he gasped, staring at the back of his hand. It was glowing. There was a golden, glowing circle there, floating just above his skin. He stared, transfixed. "What in the world…?"
Dan, you need to focus! Dan jolted, and the glowing circle vanished.
"Wavern?" he asked, startled.
Yes, she replied, her voice urgent. You must hurry; do not forget what is at stake!
Dan shook his head to clear it, then nodded. This wasn't important right now; he'd deal with it later. He pushed against the door, tentatively at first, then more forcefully. It gave.
He stepped outside cautiously, peering this way and that in search of guards. He wasn't sure if Barodius had his room guarded or if he was simply kept under lock and key, but he didn't really want to risk being found right now.
Satisfied that he was alone, he stepped into the hall. "Which way was it…?" he murmured, glancing from left to right. The memory came to him easily enough(frighteningly easily enough), and, steeling himself, he began his dash toward that hellish room.
Each step, each slap of his foot against the floor sent shockwaves of pain throughout his body. The whip lashes on the backs of his calves stabbed him each time his foot made contact with the freezing metal beneath it, almost as though a tiger was constantly raking it's claws down his legs. Each pump of his arms caused the mutilated skin of his back to crease and then stretch, tearing open scabbed-over flesh. He was being stabbed a million times in already tender places. Blood trickled down, causing a sensation caught horribly between a tickle and a searing sting.
Trying to shut it out was nearly impossible; he couldn't stop his eyes from tearing up. He winced, his breaths ragged, and instead resolved to run awkwardly, with his arms held stiffly at his sides. He had to keep his left forearm uncomfortably relaxed, otherwise the constricting feeling got worse than it already was. It wasn't ideal, but it spared him some pain. Enough, at least, for him to think clearly.
"Left here," he muttered, rounding the corner easily. His feet nearly slipped out from under him, but he caught himself easily, eliciting only a gasp for his troubles. You know, he thought wryly, as useful as that uniform was, putting shoes in the uniform itself was a pretty stupid idea. Next time I see Elright, I am so giving him a piece of my mind…
Briefly, he considered the fact that the commander of the Nethian forces had once been detained much like himself, but forced the thought away. No, better not to return to that negative train of thought. It wouldn't bring about anything but brooding, and any lapse of concentration he had a feeling he'd regret.
He slowed, recognizing the area he was in. Shit, how'd I get here so fast? He was already standing before the door, the one he had grown to despise. The door that wouldn't open unless Sellon or one of the others touched the panel beside it. The door that separated him from that wretched electric pen.
The door itself was unassuming, made of the same lackluster metal as the rest of the facility. It blended in well, without even a doorknob to announce it's presence. It was a sliding door, like the ones he frequently encountered in supermarkets. The only indication it was even there was the black trim lining it and the panel beside it. Easy to miss if one wasn't looking for it. Or lacked hellish memories of it. Dan shivered.
His eyes, out of habit, were drawn to the red stain on the wall at about eye level. His right fist clenched in response to his disgust. They hadn't even bothered to clean it off, even though it had been almost two weeks since the incident! The handprint still stood out like a sore thumb, obnoxious and painful. At least, it was a painful thought to him; his captors probably found it amusing, as sadistic as they were.
Growling, Dan turned his attention to the panel beside the door. He gave it a once over, not even bothering to touch it. Stoica had already explained what would happen if someone lacking the necessary DNA to unlock it attempted to enter, and while Dan had tried to tune him out (under the premise that he would never want to break into the room in the first place), his disturbingly gleeful words had stuck with him. "At first, it'll just feel numb, almost like your hand has fallen asleep. And then, you'll smell something strange. Kinda like meat cooking in a frying pan!" He had taken the opportunity to cackle like a madman while Dan tried to wipe the look of disgust off of his face. "And then you'll realize you're smelling burning flesh, and that the palm of your hand has been turned into a hamburger!"
Dan was fairly certain that was the reason they decided to give him a 'decent' meal that evening. If 'decent' meant hamburger meat that looked like it had been dropped in a brick oven and left there for several hours.
So, touching it was out of the question. A quick glance around the hall quickly revealed that there was nothing he could use to break the thing, not unless he was willing to get himself electrocuted ripping a lamp off the wall. This was just great.
"Uh, Wavern?" he muttered. "Any ideas?"
It was silent for a moment, and Dan was beginning to think Wavern had departed when she finally did speak. …Stand back. Dan did as he was told, hardly needing any encouragement to back away from the door, but curious as to what she was about to do.
The farther I get from this place, the happier I'll be, he thought wryly.
He was saved from further mind-wandering when a shower of sparks erupted from the panel and he jumped a foot in the air. It took him a moment to realize that the sound of electricity popping wasn't of Kazarina's lightning, rather electrical components shorting out. Dan sighed in relief, shook his head as hard as he could, and steeled himself. The door was opening.
Dan hissed in anger when he saw the state Joe was in and wasted no time in rushing to his side. "Joe!" he exclaimed, stopping just short of the metal chair he was pinned to. The teen didn't acknowledge him. Dan snarled. Going after me is one thing. They didn't need to bring him into this!
The Gundalians hadn't decided to restrain his head, so it hung limply above his chest. Dan couldn't tell if it was the harsh white light from the ceiling reflecting on the metal cuffs that made Joe's forearms look blue or if they were actually bruised, but the angry red puffiness and smears told blatantly of the lacerations the cuffs concealed. Upon shaking his shoulder in an attempt to rouse him, his head lolled back, revealing not only raccoon-like bruises beneath his eyes, but also blood red burns along his jaw, a small line jutting up from the center of each side to travel up onto his cheek. The adjacent burn on Dan's face—the one that only lined one half of his jaw—burned with the realization. They were doing the same things to him as they did to Dan.
But why? Why were they doing this to him? He didn't do anything to them! And even if he had, that didn't make it okay! How could anyone be okay with this kind of suffering? Were the Gundalians really such a heartless people that causing pain to another was inconsequential?
"Joe," Dan tried again more urgently, jerking his shoulder. A small groan escaped the unconscious teen, but then, his eyes opened a slit. He blinked, then seemed to realize who was standing in front of him.
"Wha…?" he mumbled, his speech slightly distorted, as though he had a fat lip. He did. "Dan…?"
"Hey," Dan said softly. "How are you feeling?"
"Like I walked into a puddle touching a live wire," Joe replied groggily, "and then got hit by a truck." He made a face, sticking his tongue out a few times. "You wouldn't happen to have any water, would you?"
Dan smiled apologetically. "Sorry, fresh outta that, buddy." Joe chuckled, but Dan didn't miss the slightly gaunt quality in his eyes. His laughter faded quickly. The slight mirth was short lived and hollow. It felt fake.
"What are you doing here?" Joe asked, concerned. He cleared his throat. "If the Gundalians catch you—"
"Doesn't matter," Dan cut him off. "Remember how they said the others would have a chance to escape?" Joe frowned, but nodded. "That's happening now. We gotta go."
"Then what the hell are you doing here?" Joe demanded. "Get out of here; it's you they want!"
"I'm not leaving here without you or the others," Dan said stubbornly, taking hold of the cuffs with his fingertips. Joe winced, but Dan pretended not to notice. He set about attempting to bend them open.
"Dan, once you get out of here, they'd have no cause to keep us," Joe shot back. "They'd let us go!"
"Pfft, like hell they would," Dan scoffed, adjusting his grip. This was harder than he thought it would be, and his arm felt like someone was tying a tourniquet around it in three different places. "Kazarina would sooner use you in an experiment than let you go."
"Experiment?"
"You do not want to know." Dan frowned, giving up on using his fingers. He glanced around the room, taking in the unused (as far as he knew) needles on the cart and the accursed electrocautery atop a bloodied cloth. He failed to suppress a shudder, but Joe didn't say anything about it.
"Dan, you can't get me out," Joe protested. "Just leave me; I can get out by myself, trust me."
"I'm not leaving you." He made his way over to the cart, briefly wondering if there was some sort of key to unlock the chair. "And no offense," he continued, raising an eyebrow as he lifted the cloths, "I don't think you can get out of there without using your hands, considering the fact that they are bolted to the chair." He checked every shelf, and even moved around chemicals, but to no avail. No key.
He was beginning to consider using one of the metal plungers from the syringes to beat the cuffs with when Wavern decided to speak again. Her voice came as such a surprise that Dan jumped so hard he knocked over a few of the syringes, sending them to the floor where they shattered.
Joe, if ever there were a time that warranted the use of the Wavelength, it would be now.
"But Wavern—"
"You can hear her, too?" Dan asked. He turned to face his friend, who was staring back at him with wide eyes.
"You can hear her?" Joe repeated, astonished. He stared at Dan in wonder, looking for the life of him as though he were unsure of what to say. Ultimately, Wavern spared him from an explanation.
Joe, quickly. You know I cannot remain here for long. I have used up too much of my energy as it is.
"But you said to use it only for emergencies," Joe protested again.
Joe, this is an emergency! Wavern said sharply. Please, Joe. He hesitated, seeming to weigh the options in his mind. Dan watched him in confusion.
"…What is she talking about?" he questioned. Joe sighed.
"Alright, Wavern," he relented. "But you have to take care of yourself for a change! Head back to the Perfect Core and replenish your energy. Drago will kill me if something happens to you."
At first, Dan wasn't sure if he was imagining it, but as it grew more intense, he realized it was actually happening. A bright light was enveloping Joe's body, one similar to that which covered the Gundalians and the Nethians when they changed to and from their human forms. He squinted at first, but his eyes opened wide when Joe stood up, lifting his hands away from the armrests. Dan gasped, jumping, and then started again. The fire on his back had eased, and his arm and wrists hurt less. Joe stepped away from the chair with ease, and then the glow died down, revealing a rejuvenated-looking Joe. The swelling on his lip had gone down, his black eyes had vanished, and even the burns on his jaw had disappeared.
While Dan gaped at him, Joe lifted a wrist to his face, then gave a small smile. The cuts were gone. Dan glanced at his own wrists and over his shoulder; the cuts on his wrists were still there, but had scabbed over. The lashes on his back had done the same. Only the fern-like lightning scars from the times Gill and Kazarina hit him with them and the pulsing (though less intense) beneath his bandages remained. His jaw fell open.
"Okay, what just happened?" Dan demanded. Joe's grin fell away, replaced with a look of slight guilt.
"Uh…"
Joe, can you handle things from here on out? Wavern stepped in again. A brief look of relief crossed Joe's face, and he hurried to answer.
"Yes, we'll be fine. Tell Drago that Dan is fine," Joe said. "We'll be home soon."
Be safe, Joe.
"You, too, Wavern,"
It's funny how you only notice certain things until they're gone, like the warmth of a room, or the comfort of your bed. That was how Dan felt when he realize Wavern had departed. A warmth that had permeated the room suddenly vanished, and it became cold and unfriendly. The needles all of a sudden looked sharper, the alcohol on the cart more painful, and the electrocautery more deadly. A sudden feeling of fear pierced the dark brunette upon seeing the dreaded thing, and the smell suddenly registered with his nostrils. Sharp and uninviting as a laboratory, a scent filled with acrid chemicals. The echo of the crack of Sellon's whip assaulted his ears, and he flinched unconsciously.
"Dan?" Joe asked, cutting through Dan's panic attack. Dan blinked. Joe was staring at him in concern. "You just got really pale. Are you okay?"
"F-fine," Dan lied shakily, struggling to bring himself back to the moment. If this went right, then he wouldn't have to set foot in this room again.
That was when he remembered what Joe had just done. His surprise must have shown on his face, because Joe flashed a nervous smile. "How about I explain while we get out of here?" he suggested.
"That sounds like a plan."
They walked in silence for a moment, Joe leading the way. He, unlike Dan, seemed to know exactly where he was going, but Dan wasn't as concerned with his directional capabilities as he was with his seeming ability to phase through objects. And wind up healing both of them in the process.
Just as Dan was about to open his mouth to question Joe about it again, Joe began his explanation. "You remember when we first met? When I was in the hospital?"
"And you passed out in the middle of our battle? That's a tough memory to shake."
"Heh, sorry 'bout that," Joe chuckled, rubbing the back of his head and grimacing in sympathy. "What did the doctor tell you guys happened again?"
"Low blood sugar…" Joe frowned, looking pensive.
"I'm gonna take a wild guess here and say that's not what actually happened," Dan said cautiously. Joe glanced at him with a nervous smile.
"Well, it was along those lines but…it was a bit more serious…" He didn't say anything for a moment, apparently hesitating. They rounded a corner, coming into a hallway that was paneled differently than those surrounding it. Dan recognized the charred white walls from when Anubias and Sellon paraded him around the facility the first time, but, judging from Joe's puzzled—and somewhat startled—reaction, he hadn't seen it before.
"Uh…I've been meaning to ask…who—or what— runs this place…?" Joe questioned nervously. His eyes darted around suspiciously.
"Mylene said that it's an abandoned resort building or something, off on the outskirts of the largest Vestal city…" Dan said slowly. "It hasn't been used for a few years." He raised an eyebrow at his friend before moving to investigate a pile of rubble. "Why are you freaking out?"
"Just…tell me you've never seen a white cylinder with a laser beam that asks who you are before filling you with bullets."
Dan looked up from his debris searching and just stared at him.
"Uh, what?"
Joe tried again, all while scanning the walls dubiously. "You've never seen a turret? Or seen writing on the walls that says 'the cake is a lie' or pictures of cubes with hearts and wings? Or encountered a power-mad AI intent on brutally murdering you with neurotoxin?"
"Dude, did the electricity fry your brain or something?" He scanned Joe's arms and noticed the same intricate, body-art like scars running over his skin as his own. "What the hell are you talking about?"
Joe stared for a brief moment, shook himself, and then laughed nervously. "You've never played Portal, have you? It's nothing. Don't worry about it."
"Uh…okay…?"
Dan found an aluminum two-by-four that was relatively intact; one end of it looked as though it had been broken by a giant thinking it was a toothpick, but it was large enough to be used as a weapon if it came down to it.
They continued down the hall, Joe glancing around like he was expecting someone to shoot him all the while. Dan sincerely hoped that Joe was still mentally sound, because he did not want to go confront the Gundalians with a paranoid schizophrenic mumbling about cake and boxes with hearts, even if he did have a two by four.
Thankfully, Joe saved him from further derailing that train of thought by launching back into his explanation of intangibility. "My mom didn't say why I was in the hospital either, did she?" He sounded almost…disappointed. Dan shook his head, watching him with a raised eyebrow. What was he hiding?
Joe sighed, shoving his hands in his pockets. "Well…I guess she wouldn't want to talk about it too much. It's not exactly a fun topic."
"Joe, will you please stop beating around the bush and tell me what the heck is going on?"
Joe sighed. "Right. Well, when I was nine, I was diagnosed with type one diabetes, which really isn't much of a problem with today's level of medical understanding. You know about diabetes, right?"
"Uh…not much, no. I think my cousin has it, but I never talked to her about it."
"Well, do you know what diabetes is, right?" Dan looked thoughtful for a moment.
"Isn't that when you can't eat sugar or you die or something?"Joe deadpanned.
"Okay, I guess I shouldn't be surprised."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Dan asked indignantly.
"Well, you always struck me as the kid who'd sleep in class…"
"The last time I attended school for a full year was Freshman year, Joe."
"Isn't biology required for Freshmen?"
"Not at Wardington High," Dan smirked.
"You might wanna get your facts straight. I went to Wardington High, too," Joe snickered. "But anyway, diabetes is when your body doesn't respond to insulin the right way. Either you don't make enough, or you have insulin resistance. I didn't make insulin.
"When you met me, I was in the hospital because of my diabetes. I had a bunch of other problems first and they wanted me there for observation for a while, so I was kinda stuck while they did their tests. Then you showed up." Joe smiled fondly at the memory. He led them around a corner.
"I passed out that day because my blood sugar was dangerously low. I didn't eat breakfast. Or lunch. I wasn't hungry. But when I was unconscious, I had that vision of Wavern."
"That one that made us start trying to make Drago the Ultimate Bakugan?"
"Yeah," Joe confirmed. His expression then darkened into a look Dan was so unused to seeing that his eyes widened in surprise. "Later on, though, Wavern told me that I wasn't supposed to wake up."
Dan was silent, speechless. Joe continued.
"I mean, it was kinda stupid of me. I hadn't eaten for almost a day, and that can be really dangerous for a diabetic. So I was in a diabetic coma. And that night, Wavern came to me in my dream, and she saved me." He pressed a hand to his chest. "Because she was my Guardian Bakugan, I was exposed to the positive energy of the Infinity Core a lot more often than anyone else. And since the Infinity Core gave life to everything in it's vicinity, it gave life to me. It didn't just wake me up from my coma, it completely cured me of my diabetes."
"Seriously?" Dan exclaimed. His eyes were the size of tennis balls, the white for once overshadowing the red. Joe nodded and smiled.
"Yeah. The doctors couldn't explain it. I think a few of them wanted to experiment on me, since diabetes doesn't normally vanish out of thin air. But that's not the best part." Joe stopped walking, grinning. He grabbed Dan's scabbed-over wrists, eliciting a gasp of pain from his friend and causing the wounds to reopen again. He dropped the two by four with a clatter. Joe grimaced in sympathy. "Ah, sorry. But trust me, this is worth it."
Joe closed his eyes, took a deep breath in through his nose, and then slowly let it out. Dan watched curiously, trying to ignore the slight feeling of awkwardness the more he thought about how Joe was holding onto him. But all of that vanished when a dim glow began to shine between Joe's fingers. After a moment, it faded, and Joe looked up. He smiled as he pulled his hands back, revealing unblemished skin where bloody welts had once been.
Dan's jaw dropped. He yanked his hands back in surprise, eagerly scrutinizing the miraculously healed tissue. Not even a scar remained! He looked up, mouth agape, into Joe's grinning face.
"Wha—how—?"
Joe laughed. "Wavern and I call it the Infinity Wavelength." He started walking again, as if it wasn't a big deal at all. To him, it seemed, it wasn't. Dan snatched up the two by four and stumbled in his effort to keep up.
"But—but how?"
"I was exposed to the Infinity Core a lot more than the rest of you," Joe explained. "Sometimes, Wavern would have these…episodes…where she couldn't control it's power. Because I was there, my body absorbed it, like when you're exposed to radiation."
Dan gave him a blank stare. Joe sighed.
"Okay, like a sponge, then. So whenever she lost control or Naga tried to pull on it and she had to struggle to hold on, my body drew the life energy in. I absorbed enough to create a sort of generator within my body."
"What do you mean?"
"Um…well, it doesn't generate new energy, per se. It kinda just replenishes the amount I absorbed. So if I expend it, it, over time, comes back. I don't know exactly how it works. Wavern says it has something to do with life energy and stuff that reminds me of those New Age nuts." Dan chuckled and Joe grinned.
"So, what sort of things can you do?" Dan asked, intrigued. Joe thought for a moment, glancing at a few unlabeled doors.
"I can heal minor injuries," he started, tapping a finger on his chin. "My senses are a bit more powerful than most people's. And I can phase through small objects. Thin walls, handcuffs, stuff like that. And I can make myself invisible." Again, Dan's jaw dropped. Joe backtracked. "Only for very short amounts of time, though. Very, very short. Thirty seconds, at most."
"That's insane!" his companion exclaimed. "When did you figure all this out?"
"A little after the final battle with Naga," he replied. They rounded another corner. "Alice invited me to her home in Russia, since she and Dr. Michael were doing some tests to see if Masquerade and Hal-G still existed inside of them."
"Wait, why'd they invite you?"
"They figured that since they'd been exposed to the Silent Core and it changed them, maybe the Infinity Core had done the same to me," Joe answered. "I'm not going to go into the science of it, since it's kinda confusing, but in the end, we figured out what I just told you. And that I can only use it in spurts. I have to let it recharge between major uses, since otherwise it'll burn out and I won't be able to use it at all."
They had reached the end of the hallway. Joe stopped abruptly and when Dan started to round the corner, he grabbed him by the back of his shirt. Dan gasped in surprise. He stumbled backward as Joe covered his mouth with his hand, holding a finger to his lips and glancing at him urgently.
Dan narrowed his eyes at him, confused, as Joe retracted his hand. He tapped his ear, then glanced pointedly at the hall in front of them. Dan frowned and followed his gaze, moving quickly and quietly as Joe signaled for him to move to the edge of the hall.
Both boys peered around the corner cautiously, but Dan was the one that had no idea what to expect. His eyes bulged when he caught sight of Mylene and the others walking between Sellon, Kazarina and Anubias, Anubias at the back and the two women at the front. All of their hands were bound behind their backs with plastic ties, just like Dan's had been. The prisoners held their heads up high, undoubtably refusing to give their captors the satisfaction of seeing how this wounded their pride. If Dan didn't know any better, he'd say that Mylene was some foreign dignitary being led to her execution from the way the blue fire in her eyes danced.
He couldn't stop a shudder.
Lync was the one last in the order, and it was at that moment that said pink-haired Vestal stumbled, letting out a startled, half-muffled cry. He fell to the ground, unable to catch himself. From his vantage point, Dan couldn't see his face, but he was sure Lync was looking ticked. The fallen teen let out another sharp cry of pain when Anubias' foot connected with his stomach. Joe clamped his hand firmly around Dan's mouth again just as he was opening it to start yelling.
"Shhh!" Joe hissed. He wrapped an arm securely around Dan's torso, holding him in place in case. He knew Dan wouldn't think twice about going to help the Vestals.
"Keep up," the Gundalian growled. He leaned down and yanked Lync to his feet. This time, the Vestal was silent, opting instead to glare viciously at Anubias. Anubias seized his shirt, allowing Dan and Joe to see Lync's face. Such hatred flared in his cerulean eyes it was almost tangible, even from the boys' distance. "Got a problem?" he demanded.
Lync spat in his face.
Anubias's fist connected so hard that Lync's head snapped to the side audibly. Dan jerked against Joe's grip in rage. He held tighter.
"Lync!" Mylene and Volt cried, whirling around to check on their friend. Sellon's whip cracked and Mylene cried out, stumbling.
"Mylene!" Shadow exclaimed. He hissed, turning to Sellon. "Damn you! The hell'd you do that for?" She just smirked at him, brandishing her whip threateningly. He growled, advancing, but before he could get very far, Mylene ducked in front of him.
"Knock it off; they're not worth it," she growled. Blood ran down her cheek from the cut just beneath her eye.
"Tch," Shadow grunted, but left it. Lync got to his feet begrudgingly, his lip already starting to swell. He spat out a mouthful of blood with a murderous expression, lifted his head, and turned to face Kazarina. She was watching the excursion with amusement.
Dan wanted to kill her.
The group started walking again, but when Anubias pushed Lync, he didn't fall this time. "Come on, let's follow them," Joe hissed when they rounded a corner up ahead. He let go of Dan and ducked out from their hiding spot. He silently darted down the hall in pursuit. Dan followed.
They tailed the group quietly, always staying a hallway behind, with Joe leading the way. He didn't say a word to Dan for the whole rest of the way, instead giving silent commands to keep quiet and move faster or slower depending on the hall. Dan complied tensely. His grip on the two by four was dangerously tight. Eventually, Joe lifted an arm to stop him. They were in the middle of a hallway this time, a large doorway beside them. Joe stopped him just before this aperture, giving him a warning glance. He beckoned him close, then leaned over to whisper in his ear.
"They're waiting in that room."
"Why?" Joe shrugged, then peered around the corner. Dan sank to a squat and did the same, taking in the scene before him.
The room was huge; far larger than Dan expected. The ceiling had to have been at least sixty feet off the ground, made up of metal rafters. Various air vents and pipes hung unhidden above, as though this were a boiler room of some sort. It kind of reminded Dan of the school gym at Wardington High School.
But the confusing thing was not the ceiling, but what laid forty feet from the entrance. It was a long metal wall that spanned the length of the room, but didn't reach the ceiling. A little to the left of the center was a podium of sorts, something that looked oddly similar to the spherical control panel of Kazarina's when Dan was held prisoner there. His lips puckered as if he tasted something sour. He didn't want to revisit the memory.
Anubias and Sellon had disappeared, replaced by someone else. A humanoid figure standing beside the panel caught Dan's attention. He frowned, then blinked in recognition. It was the girl from the other night, fully decked out in her veil, cape, mask and tiara. Her eyes were golden and had a hesitant harshness to them, something that rubbed Dan the wrong way and puzzled him at the same time. Was this a Gundalian girl in disguise or a human enslaved to Kazarina through hypnosis? And why did she look familiar…?
"Dan, we have taken two important things from you," Airzel said. "Joe here is one of them. The other is not your immediate concern."
Dan's eyes widened and his jaw dropped. The girl—that blue tint beneath her veil—it couldn't be—
"Your other companion will reveal herself to you."
Joe's hand clamped over his mouth just in time, but Dan's mind was still reeling, so he didn't much care.
Runo?
Yes, I did just do that. It's a wonder you people haven't burned me at the stake yet.
Wow, long chapter. Eesh. Dan wants to brood, but I don't want him to brood, and meh, it's just frustrating because he doesn't want to work with me. Anyway. More next time!
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