Ancient Vision
Previously: Linea had announced that she is Hitomi's daughter. They deduce that Hitomi and Van were sent into the future. Hitomi and Van get closer than ever before and then, in the morning all four set out to find escaflowne - but are ambushed by Newton!chapter 13
"Face me Slanzar!" Newton bellowed from the cockpit of the giant white guymelef, Alkemis.Van shook his head in wonder, holding his sword in front of him. Slanzar?
"What," Newton smirked, "Don't know who you are?"
Ren stalked forward a few steps and yelled, "Why don't you just shut up, you...you tyrant!"
Newton snarled down at Ren. "Neither do you know who you really are?" Newton said, glaring down and the four trapped humans, "Two of you, Slanzar, and one of me? No matter, I will still have my revenge!"
"What the hell are you talking about?!" roared Ren.
Hitomi's mind whirled. Slanzar, Van, Ren. She held up a trembling hand to her
temples. SLanzar, Van, Ren. Newton's voice echoed in her mind: DOn't you know
who you are?". She glanced up at Van. She saw the profile of his face: long
unruly black hair, pointy nose, tan skin, maroon eyes and a resolute chin.
Behind him, she saw the profile of Ren's face. She pressed her fingers harder
onto her forehead. Van and Ren's profiles were more than just similar; they were
exactly alike! Hitomi staggered back slightly. Van jerked his head around to her
in concern. Ghostly voices echoed in Hitomi's mind. "Ancient One," Jalin
whispered, "You must know who you are."
"Foolish mistake," Newton grumbled,
"They did not even impart memories to you!"
The calm voice of Jalin again,
"Your wishes will be the key to everything."
And finally the determined
voice of Mia, "Save US" Hitomi blinked rapidly, a sudden rush of translucent
faces bombarding her. Slanzar, Van, Ren. Mia, Hitomi, Linea. As the the images
rushed upon her she gasped in realization: They were one and the same. A vision
echoed in her mind.
"Save us," Mia whispered from the mirror, "Your
future is...".
"Linea? Or mia?" Hitomi asked.
A soft whisper from Mia,
"Both"
Van reached out an arm to hitomi, who seemed to be reeling backwards dangerously.
"Hitomi!" he cried out, "What's wrong?"
Hitomi regained balance and stared at Van, her green eyes locking on to his. "Slanzar, Van, Ren," she breathed, "You are really..."
A sharp cackle burst from Alkemis' cockpit. "Finally!" Newton laughed cruelly, "Finally you realize your identity!"
Hitomi stared up at him. Ren, Van and Linea simply stared blankly.
"You little fools," Newton taunted, "Now you can die - realizing the full failure of your wishes!"
"No!" Linea screamed suddenly, "No!" The others turned to stare at her.
"I won't let you!" Linea screeched, "I won't let you destroy our future like you destroyed our past!"
Newton raised an eyebrow at the girl. "Your visionary powers have amplified greatly since the last time we were together, daughter. It must be because you, like the girl Hitomi, are finally realizing who you really are."
"Don't call me that!" Linea screamed, covering her ears with her hands.
"But why not?" the cruel Newton taunted, "That's what you are. I am sure of it. I remember how you were concieved." He threw a malicious glance at Hitomi. "You're her daughter. Ah yes, I remember it well. Young Hitomi, so pure, so idealistic. Your body so lithe, so sinewy. It was a struggle that night, believe me, quite a struggle. You tried to push me off...but, in the end," Newton paused, licking his lips, "in the end I had my way with you. And you were quite...satisfying."
Hitomi blanched, as white as a sheet, and felt her stomach lurch. Linea seemed to feel it too since she suddenly clutched her throat, seeming to try to stop herself from vomitting. Van was breathing heavily, rage increasing with every breath. With a sudden angry yell, he ran forward with nothing but his sword and charged Newton's guymelef. Newton laughed cruelly. With a well-aimed but not forceful kick with Alkemis' foot, he swatted Van to the side of the hangar easily. Van flew in the air and hit the wall forcefully, then landed on the ground with a thud. Ren, for no apparent reason, suddenly twisted in the air from a pain in his back.
"Stupid, foolish little boy," Newton scowled, "Since Atlantis till now you haven't learned."
All four suddenly looked up at Newton.
"What on Gaea are you talking about?" Ren yelled up at him.
Hitomi looked at the ground and spoke slowly and softly. "It's time we realized who we are."
Van raised himself up painfully and looked at her in confusion. "Who we are?"
Hitomi looked up. "Yes," she said wincing, "The wish they made, all the way back then -- while atlantis was burning. Mia and Slanzar, they wished they would meet again. And they did." She paused, collecting herself, "As you and me."
Van's mouth dropped open.
"And that's not all," Linea whispered, looking at Hitomi, "Hitomi, I can read your thoughts."
Hitomi nodded in understanding, knowing what she was about to say.
"Hitomi," Linea said, furrowing her eyebrows, "Ren and I -- aren't we...Well, aren't we -"
Hitomi nodded. "Us" she stated.
Ren stamped his foot. "Nonsense!" he said, "I know we look alike but-"
He suddenly grabbed his arm in pain. Van sighed. He was holding his sword to his own arm, where he had just cut a small gash. Ren stared
"That doesn't mean anything! Look my arms not even bleeding, yours is!"
Linea took Ren's arm affectionatly. "Ren," she said softly, "We do feel eachother's pain -but not to the same extent."
The thundering sound of a guymelef taking a few steps forward interrupted them. "No more of this dribble!!" Newton bellowed, "Now is the time for my revenge - where I will show how useless you two really are."
Ren knitted his eyebrows. Two? Just two? Only if...
Linea sighed. "Ren," she stated, "we have to help them go back in time, to stop Newton."
Ren grabbed Linea by the shoulders. "No," he fairly yelled, "No! If Hitomi goes back and they defeat Newton -- you might never be born! And then..."
Linea stopped him by gently putting a finger to his lips. "Ren, I know we will meet again."
"Linea, I-"
"We will meet again," Linea said firmly, "I promise."
Ren bowed his head. When he raised it again, his maroon eyes were filled with determination.
"Escaflowne!" he cried.
Linea turned to Van and Hitomi. "You must get to Escaflowne's energist."
Hitomi nodded.
"But how?" Van asked incredously, looking back at the guards and Alkemis.
Linea shut her eyes, thinking."Ren and I will hold off the guards."
"And we," Hitomi finished without thinking, "will draw Newton outside."
Linea looked up and smiled. "That's exactly, what I was going to say."
"Yeah, and," Ren asked uneasily as he saw the line of soldiers marching forward with deliberate and painful slowness, "How does that get them to escaflowne?"
"Confuse Newton outside somehow," Linea said, "Then backtrack and-"
"Enter the hangar from behind!" Hitomi cried.
"Yes," Linea smiled, "There's a trap door somewhere in the back of the hangar - and an underground tunnel that opens up in here somewhere."
"Sounds all very simple," Hitomi said.
"Yeah," Van commented, rolling his eyes, "All very simple but it's easier-"
"Said than done!" Ren finished with a flourish. The two men blinked at eachother. They shrugged.
The four turned to face the line of soldiers. Ren pulled out a huge broadsword and a wide shield came from his right armlet. Linea, from nowhere it seemed, drew out a mean-looking crossbow and a shield also materialized from her right armlet.
"Get ready," Ren muttered as all of them tensed up.
The soldiers finally rushed forward, yelling. Linea lifted her cross bow and what seemed to be hundreds of tiny little arrows sped at the soldiers, felling some and wounding others. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Van and Hitomi rush towards the main door, and Alkemis turning towards them. Lineagritted her teeth and shot another round of tiny arrows at her enemies. Ren, taking advantage of the fact that most soldiers were trying to cover themselves from the arrows, rushed into the fray with his broadsword, killing as many as he could. Soon only a few soldiers remained, a few fled and several lay dead. Linea stowed her cross bow and produced a short, thin sword. Linea and Ren faced the remaining 3 soldiers, backs together.
"Can we take them?"
"COme on," Ren grunted, "We are afterall the rebels!'
With a yell, he lunged at a soldier while Linea parried the blocks of another.
.
Meanwhile, Van and Hitomi were racing towards Newton's guymelef. As the sudden screams fo his soldiers distracted Newton, they broke for the door and rushed out. newton turned around in anger. Where had they gone? He lurched out of the main hangar, piloting Alkemis. Newton scanned the grounds. A sudden speck of black and red to the left made him spin around and crash in that direction. then it was gone. Alkemis stopped. A splash of brown hair to the right attracted his attention. He thundered quickly in that direction.
Hitomi squeaked in fear as Alkemis came after her faster than she had thought it would. She ran through the bushes desperately, letting the branches scrape her lightly. She panted and then froze in place, hiding behind the trunk of a tree. She heard Alkemis stop. Suddenly the huge aparatus lurched away again. hitomi breathed a sigh of relief. Van must be leading it away further. They could backtrack now, she was certain. She stepped out from her hiding place. A cold laugh greeted her. She froze, trembling.
"Foolish." Newton thundered from Alkemis.
Hitomi turned slowly around. The giant guymelef was standing in front of her. It lifted its arm.
"I have no more need of you, Hitomi or Mia. Your efforts have all been futile"
The arm lifted and she knew what was about to happen. Newton smirked as he prepared to kill her. A sudden yell startled him. Van almost flew into the air and sliced off the tip off of one of Alkemis' arms with his sword. Newton snarled angrily. Van jumped up to the cockpit, and banged the butt of his sowrd against the caged window. Knowing Escaflowne, he also knew that this would close the slats on the cock-pit window. Van rammed the slats again, causing them to shut and dent - so they would not be easily opened again. Then he quickly jumped off. He took Hitomi's hand wordlessly and they rushed off, back in the direction of the hangar. Alkemis swung around wildly, suddenly disoriented by blindness.
Van and Hitomi rushed silently towards the back of the hangar. They skidded to a stop when they were faced by a metal wall.
"Where is it?" Van panted.
Hitomi glanced around,"I don't see a trap door."
Van walked up to the back wall of the hangar and felt it's solid surface. "No door!"
Hitomi turned away from the hangar and retreated some steps towards the foliage. Van looked at her.
"I think," she said, dropping to her hands and knees and rummaging about in the leaves, "trap doors are usually on the..."
Hitomi brushed off some leaves off of a flat surface triumphantly. "On the ground!" She revealed a small wooden door on the ground. Van stepped up to it and tugged at its round metal handle. It opened after a hard pull. A dank stench rose up. Hitomi sniffed.
"Tunnels.." she muttered as they silently lowered themselves down.
.
Ren and Linea were once again standing back to back, panting. This time however, no soldiers were circling them. Three lay dead at their feet. Linea wiped her forehead with her sleeve. Ren sighed, letting his shield retract. Linea followed. They turned to face eachother. Linea smiled softly.
"Thank you Ren."
Ren smiled wryly, "Don't thank me. I still don't want to let them go...I know it's selfish. But, if you say..."
Linea smiled again. Then froze. Ren started in concern; Linea's body had suddenly become rigid and her eyes blank.
Linea struggled to breathe, her whole body scorched by some unknown heat. Is this a vision? She felt fear seize her like never before. She felt a horrible feeling of dread squeezing her stomach and ckoking her breath. Agaonizingly, she turned around. The scene was hazy but she could make out the great form of Escaflowne. Two figures were at its base. Hitomi and Van, she concluded. Then another attack of scorching, burning pain engulfed her. It was terrifying, she felt as though a flame was eating up her body. She turned again to see Alkemis spraying Escaflowne, along with Hitomi and VAn, with the acid metal of its arm. She let out a muffled scream.
Ren shook her violently.
"Linea!" he screamed.
Linea shook her head, the vision disapating but the pain lingering. She looked towards Escaflowne. her eyes widened in fear. Hitomi and Van were at its base. She cried out and wrenched herself from Ren's arms, running towards Escaflowne. The front of the hangar suddenly crumbled as Alkemis, cockpit open so Newton could see, came thundering in. Alkemis stomped towards Escaflowne as it raised its arm. Linea ran, yelling, as Hitomi and Van were climbing Escaflowne. She ran to escaflowne, as the surpirsed pair reached the shoulder, and clambered up onto Escaflowne's knee. Alkemis' arm stopped suddenly.
"Get out of the way," Newton snarled.
"No!" Linea said firmly, "No father, I won't"
Newton's facial muscles contracted. "Get out of the way, or I will kill you."
"Me, father?" Linea asked, "You'll kill me?"
"You were always stubborn," he whispered, a note of sad affection in his voice. Newton shut his eyes painfully and released the trigger.
hitomi shut her eyes. But she felt no pain. When she opened her eyes, she saw that the entire leg of escaflowne had melted away. She looked about franticaly for Linea. Linea was holding her breath. She lay, clutched in Ren's arms, at the foot of Escaflowne.
"Close one," he said, grimacing. They stood. Newton looked down at them without expression. Then he turned and lifted the arm back towards Hitomi and Van.
"Father, NO!" Linea cried. Suddenly, she twisted violently in the air. She gasped for air but took none in. A soldier hiding behind some boxes stood triumphantly, holding a cross bow.Hitomi reeled suddenly and screamed, feeling a searing heat striking her through the chest. Van caught her.
Linea gasped, her body burning in pain as she sank into Ren's arms. Ren cried out in terror as he caught her, and felt the hard cold shaft of a metal arrow sticking through her chest. He blinked back a rush of tears. WArm sticky liquid drenched his hands. He cried out again.
"Linea..."
She stared up, her eyes wells of pain. She struggled to breathe, choking on her own blood. "Ren..." she whispered, "We will meet..." She twisted in his arms.
Newton roared angrily and sprayed the boxes, and the soldier, with his acid metal. His eyes stung but he didn't know from what. All he knew what that his face was wet and his daughter was dead. He demolished that side of the hangar.
Ren clutched Linea's now limp body in his arms, staring down at her empty, blank face. he gently closed her eyelids with his fingers.
"..meet again," he whispered.
Hitomi felt nothing now. Tears stung her eyes. Van turned to the engergist and lifted his hand to it.
"We will stop this," he said under his breath.
Blue wind swirled around the pair. Hitomi wrapped her arms around Van's waist
from behind. The blue rivulets of light wrapped around Van and Hitomi, amidst
Ren's weeping and Newton's raging fit. The blue became a column of light and Van
and Hitomi felt the upwards pull once again. They shut their eyes, waiting for
the strange rush to take them back.
