I was lying in my bed in Elric's room, the light-gathering device resting on my chest, when there was a knock at the door. I opened one eye and looked at Elric, who was sitting on his own bed, reading. He nodded to me and got up, making his way to the door and opening it to reveal Sydney Yates. Sydney looked surprised to see Elric, but he composed himself quickly.
"Good afternoon." he greeted the silver-haired male, "I was told Tria would be here."
"Tria is resting." Elric stated, becoming slightly defensive, "May I take a message?"
"Let him in, Elric." I said, closing my eyes again, "I've been expecting him for some time."
There was a pause, which I could guess was Elric turning to look at me skeptically, but when he saw that I couldn't see his incredulity, he sighed. I heard him return to his bed, followed by another pair of footsteps approaching mine. I opened my eyes again to see Sydney taking the seat that was set up next to my bed, his face concerned. There was also a certain anxiousness and urgency in his brown eyes that told me the purpose of his visit.
"Hello, Sydney." I said, turning my head to look at him more directly, "I trust life in the Fossil Parks has been treating you well?"
"Very much, thanks." Sydney replied, the tone of casual conversation not seeming to sit well with him. At his clear discomfort, I sighed.
"Let me guess. Your superiors want a final report soon." I said, knowing I'd hit the nail on the head when I saw him flinch. I also saw Elric turn his wary gaze to us, his golden eyes hardening and becoming as sharp as my claws.
"I did say you're too sharp, Tria." he said, almost sounding sad as he nodded, "Yes, I need to send in a report soon. The bossman's gettin' impatient. He wanted a report last week, but at the news of your injuries, he agreed to wait a while longer. Now that you're recovering, however…" He trailed off, eyes lowered guiltily.
"A report of what, exactly?" Elric asked, his dread turning quickly into a threatening anger. He got up from his own bed and strode across the room to sit on the side of mine so that he could look at the Australian investigator directly. Sydney cringed at the harshness in the other male's tone and demeanor, while I simply answered.
"A report of whether or not my existence should be allowed to continue." I replied, surprisingly casual as both men looked at me in shock, "You didn't really think the news of my episodes could be contained in the Fossil Parks, did you, Elric?"
"You knew about this, Tria?" Elric asked, now focusing his sharpened gaze on me. When I nodded, he growled. "And you didn't say anything about it because…?"
"I didn't want anyone interfering with the investigation, consciously or subconsciously." I replied just as easily, looking at the shock on both men's faces, "These people have every right to be concerned, Elric, and they have every right to look into this matter. Can you honestly blame them?"
"If they attempt to kill you without understanding what's going on…" Elric growled, glaring at Sydney.
"Which is exactly why I'm here, Elric, was it?" Sydney interrupted, not so much angry or insulted as anxious to pacify the other male, "I'm here to get the facts, all of them, and make a report based on them." He turned back to me and added, "That's why I'm here now, actually, Tria. My boss wants a report, but there are some things I don't understand. I need the whole picture before I can give an accurate evaluation."
"And just what will this report contain?" Elric asked, glaring at me in warning, "Some of the details are classified and might cause panic if they reach the public."
"None of these details will be publicized, Elric." Sydney replied, understanding of Elric's wariness, "None of my mission is public, actually. That could cause an outcry of another sort, and even so," He continued before Elric could protest, "My orders are not to report every detail. My orders are to find out what I can and make an evaluation from that. The details are only so I can make an informed decision; they aren't to be passed on."
"And if we hide anything, that would be seen as automatically suspicious." I added, "So it would probably be wise to tell Sydney what's going on and let him make his judgement based on accurate information from the source rather than lack of or even misinformation. That was my thinking."
Elric looked between me and Sydney, still not comfortable with the situation, but he sighed and shook his head.
"I see that I am outnumbered here." he said finally, "Tell him what you want, but I'm not leaving you alone. That is my compromise."
"That works." I said, wrapping my tail around his waist and curling it around his arm, "Thank you, Elric." As my childhood friend gripped my tail, I turned back to my visitor. "Now, Sydney. What is it you wanted to ask?"
Sydney jolted slightly and instinctively reached for his notepad. At the glare from Elric, his hands stopped, and he nodded before resting them on his knees.
"A week ago, you suffered some serious injuries, apparently from a fierce battle, but few seem to know what it was that inflicted those injuries. I assume you know what caused them?"
"Of course. I was there." I replied simply. I huffed a slight laugh at the annoyed glare from Sydney as Elric rolled his eyes, before holding up my left wrist. "Remember what this detects?"
Sydney stared at the device for a second before looking at me in shock. "Y-You were facing the dark energy?!"
"Kind of." I replied, feeling Elric's grip tighten, "I was taking part in an ancient trial of the ancestors of two of my Paleo Pals, who are ninjas. You face off against your own shadow, and you must overcome it to pass. My shadow is more dangerous than most, because it can utilize dark energy, which combats the light energy that is the basis of my own power."
"Your shadow uses dark energy?" Sydney repeated, looking nervous, "So you weren't fighting the dark energy itself?"
"Not directly, no." I replied, "The dark energy usually takes over whatever it enters, corrupting it for its own purposes. My mission was to contain the dark energy and then let myself be destroyed, but that didn't happen." The coil of my tail tightened around Elric's arm when I felt him shudder. "Still, even with some of the dark energy still present, I wasn't expecting the problems I've been having. I thought I would simply continue to suppress it with the light energy I get from the positivity around me, but this is a lot more difficult. I've been trained to harness light energy to fuel my power, which made me perfect for containing the opposing energy, but I'm not perfect. I have negative emotions, and I've been suppressing that negative part of me for so long that it's gained a mind of its own, and that side can harness dark energy the same way I harness light. And she is much harder to suppress."
"So you got these injuries fighting…your dark side?" Sydney asked when I had finished.
"She calls herself Dart." I affirmed, nodding, "She wants a chance to live, but she sees the life I've built as damaging to me and, by extension, her, so she wants to attack and destroy that life and all that threatens her. She sees herself as a protector of the self, as opposed to my nature as a protector of others. We cannot compromise, so we are in constant struggle with one another. I use light energy gathered to suppress her." I tapped the device on my chest. "But with every effort I make, she counters in an attempt to be free. We can't compromise, we can't exist at the same time, so if one takes control, the other will be suppressed. The struggle is to determine who suppresses who."
"Do you know who's gonna win?" Sydney asked, getting straight to the point. I shook my head.
"Hard to say. Dart's determined to live, and she gains power from negativity. I'm just as determined, and I gain power from positivity, so there are really three potential outcomes."
"Three?" Sydney asked, and Elric looked at me. I nodded.
"Three." I repeated, holding up a hand as I counted on my fingers, "The first possibility is that I will overwhelm and completely suppress Dart with the power of my light. The second is that Dart will overwhelm me and take control with her power of darkness. Both of these are quite unlikely." I sighed. "The third possibility is what I'm worried about."
"And that third possibility is…?" Sydney asked, his nervousness making him impatient.
"Dart and I will remain in a deadlock, constantly struggling against one another, and that struggle will eventually destroy this body and kill us both. That is the direction I appear to be going in."
Elric growled, gripping my tail hard, and Sydney flinched visibly. He glanced down at his notepad, then at his watch, and directly asked the question he'd been trying to answer since he first arrived in the Parks to investigate me.
"Would you consider yourself dangerous, or not?"
Elric tensed, and he was about to turn on the Australian man, but I beat him to it.
"Of course I do." I stated matter-of-factly, "I am very dangerous. I can wipe out entire vivosaur teams, kill humans with ease, and destroy the Fossil Parks and beyond. I am dangerous, and I've never denied that." I then looked from the horrified expression on Elric's face to the pained one on Sydney's and asked, "May I ask you a question before you leave?"
"Of course." Sydney replied, leaning forward to show that I had his attention.
"Would you consider yourself dangerous?" I asked, watching the man closely as he jolted in shock.
"Of course not!" Sydney exclaimed. He looked from me to Elric, who was now watching curiously, before continuing, "I'm just a human. I'm not very good at Fossil Battles, as I'm sure you recall, nor am I skilled in excavating and reviving fossils. Not good with weapons, either, or fighting in general. I'm not dangerous at all." He then looked at me and, seeing the look I was giving him, asked me, "Do you think I'm dangerous?"
"Yes." I said simply, and Sydney stared at me in shock. Elric arched an eyebrow at me, clearly wondering where I was going with this. "You are very dangerous to me. My life is in your hands. Your decision and report will be used to determine whether or not I will be allowed to live. That gives you a lot of power, and power is dangerous."
"Your danger comes from lack of control, not power." Sydney said, sounding insulted.
"Tell me this, then. Would someone with my lack of control, but your level of physical power, be considered dangerous? Dangerous enough to warrant an investigation to figure out whether or not their existence should be exterminated?" I asked, staring directly at the man as I asked that question. When his eyes wouldn't meet mine, I continued, "Everyone with power is dangerous, because everyone with power can control things beyond themselves. Even those with dangerous traits, like a lack of control, are only considered dangerous if they have the power to back it up, to extend that dangerous trait beyond themselves to affect others. That's what makes one dangerous, whether the power they have is physical or influential." I then smiled at Sydney. "I'm not going to tell you what decision to make, but I do want you to keep that in mind when you judge me. That is all."
I then closed my eyes and returned to my restful state. Elric was still stroking my tail, and I heard Sydney shuffling uncomfortably. I then heard him stand up, and I felt Elric pause in his continued memorization of the scales on my tail.
"Thank you kindly, Tria. You've been a big help." Sydney told me before walking out of my room.
"Anytime, Sydney." I replied, and I heard his footsteps pause at the door before continuing, disappearing shortly afterward. I then heard Elric move into the seat Sydney just vacated, and I opened my eyes again to look up at him.
"Are you sure that was wise, Tria?" he asked me, "You just told him that you were dangerous and gave him a lot of reasons to advise your death."
"Better than trying to hide everything and forcing him to make a decision based on rumors and self-conclusions." I replied, "That kind of behavior is suspicious, and it would not end well for me. Better to cooperate and give the impression of someone who is rational and open than the impression of one who has something to hide."
"And if he still decides to kill you?" Elric asked, crossing his arms as he glared at me expectantly.
"Then we'll deal with it." I said simply, patting his knee before closing my eyes again and sighing, "I think I'm going back to sleep. You do what you feel is necessary."
"I will." Elric said seriously, taking the empty light-gathering device and leaving the room. He turned off the light and shut the door, his footsteps fading as he left to deal with this new threat. I lay in my bed for a while, resting but not sleeping, when a familiar noise reached my ears.
"You're early." I said after dialing the familiar number.
"Something's come up." the voice on the other end replied, "I have to speak with you directly. It's urgent."
"Is he making a move?" I asked, and at the confirming noise he made, I asked, "Is tomorrow night too late?"
"No." the voice replied, "Tomorrow's fine. I'll be there."
"As will I." I replied, putting the phone down as the other caller hung up. I then curled up again and went to sleep, regaining my strength for the next day.
