Cosmic Castaway
Seth


Isis... really... there's nothing that we can do... we're just stuck here now, and we're all gonna die.

You really are a baby, Isis said, smiling. I can fix it, I just need you to calm down and cooperate.

It's a broken leg! Broken legs just don't heal in five minutes!

No, they can heal in about thirty seconds if you'll calm down and help me out, okay?

How do you plan to heal it in thirty seconds? That's absolutely ridic...

she whispered, placing an index finger at his lips to silence him. Close your eyes, and pretend there is no pain. She rested two more fingers against his lips as they parted slightly, to make sure that he wouldn't speak up again. Do whatever you need to, pretend you are on vacation somewhere relaxing, or just sleeping. It doesn't matter, as long as you are calm. I cannot work otherwise.

Duo did as he was told, though he sighed frustratedly to express his disapproval, and kept his eye open. Isis laid her hands on his leg, applying the smallest amount of pressure, enough for Duo to feel, but not enough to add extra pain. Then she began humming to herself, and one of the necklaces that she wore around her neck, the bluish crystal sphere, clouded and radiated a pale glow. A small buzz came from it, a sound that itself almost created a kind of warmth. He felt it as he grew weary and groggy, as one would feel on a drowsy summer afternoon. He seemed to fade in and out of consciousness...

Duo? Is that better?

His eye snapped back open and he looked into Isis' beautiful blue eyes, filled with concern. Huh? Alright...? Sure... Why not...

Your leg...

Leg? Oh right! The... he looked down at his leg, very confused. It... it doesn't hurt... not at all... like nothing ever happened.

Isis nodded and sighed as if relieved. Good. Then let's go, I'm sure we have plenty of walking to do.

They walked back out to where Ajax and Anna had been, but were immediately concerned when all they saw was Ajax walking around frantically running his hand through his scruffy blond hair. She's gone... I was only away for a second, and now she's gone...

Isis nodded calmly as Duo began to search, though there was little to search in this area except rocks and more rocks. He glared back at her and snapped, What? Not worried? Who knows what might have happened to her! She could be kidnapped or dying or eaten...

Horus is with her.

You put a lot of faith in that stupid bird.

Ajax trusted him enough to watch over her.

Ajax looked over at her timidly and said, I'm beginning to regret that, too.

You shouldn't. He will be back soon, and then we will be able to find her, and possibly Lady Une as well.

As if on cue, Horus flew towards them quickly from the direction of a large, rocky mountain, and came to rest on Isis' shoulder.

That was convenient, Duo muttered.

Do you know where Anna is, Horus? she asked the bird, ignoring Duo.

Is she safe? Ajax asked.

Did she fall in the well again? Duo asked.

Horus fluttered off of Isis' shoulder and moved to the top of Duo's head, picking at Duo's hair with his talons. EEK! Not the hair! I'll stop!! Really! Just don't do anything to the hair!

Horus flew off again and seemed swooped back towards the mountain. I take it we need to head that way, Ajax said with a step forward. I hope this bird is as trustworthy as you seem to think it is, Miss Ennead.

Don't worry, he's never failed me before.
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They stood just inside of a well-concealed cave. Along the walls were various technological contraptions, none like Duo had ever seen. Ajax stared at it curiously, as one stares at something which makes them recall the traces of a lost dream. Isis looked completely beyond them, as if listening for something. Where in the worlds does technology like this come from? Duo asked.

Isis hissed and crouched down behind a jagged rock, yanking Duo down by his braid, and Ajax following suit with little persuasion. Someone's coming.

Two men were walking down the hall perpendicular to the one they were in. Duo, Isis, and Ajax couldn't see them, but could hear everything they said perfectly.

...So they're really saying that Osiris is dead? I wouldn't think it possible...

Perhaps Master Seth is only being optimistic. I think he is laying low for the right time to strike.

But wouldn't he come for that human woman?

That was Master Seth's idea. But since he has not come, perhaps he really is dead. That would be nice. The universe would be much easier to take over that way...

And they were gone.

That was the most random dialogue I think I've ever heard in my entire life, Duo mumbled.

hissed Isis and Ajax.

We have to be careful, Isis continued in a very soft whisper. If we could hear them that well from this distance, then someone will also be able to hear us easily if we are too loud.

What do you suggest we do? Ajax asked. We have to get back Anna... If she really is here.. He shuddered and looked away. She's probably so scared...

Isis smiled and placed a gentle hand on his cheek. Don't worry, we'll get her back. It would be best if we split up in to two groups.

Wouldn't three be better? Duo asked.

No, because you are going to get yourself captured if we let you off by yourself, and what good would that do us?

Duo crossed his legs and arms and leaned back against the stony wall, determined not to strangle her.

Ajax smirked and asked, Then how shall we split?

I will go with Duo, and you go with Horus. I trust you by yourself, you know what to do.

Ajax blinked at her curiously. Do I?

She nodded with an assuring smile. Trust me. You do. Now while you are looking for Anna, also keep an eye out for any prison blocks or something, because if we find Lady Une, it is very likely we will find Anna. A child always has a sixth sense about her parents, and will probably go straight to her mother if at all possible. And in turn, you should be able to go straight to her.

This last comment further confused Ajax, but he nodded and decided not to further question it. Isis hadn't let them down yet, so why should he start doubting her now.
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Duo and Isis slipped down another corridor, getting further lost in the neverending labyrinth which this cave seemed to be. Finally they came to a room which Isis seemed to be quite interested in, filled with what looked like the equivalent to computer consoles for that sort of technology. She hurried over to one and quickly began working at it. Duo watched over her shoulder, and could not even begin to understand what she was doing. Not only was there no sort of keyboard, but no screen, no controls, no nothing except for a half of a blue sphere emerging from the center of the seemingly wooden console, which Isis' fingers traced along and tapped against, her eyes closed in deep concentration. Finally they opened again and she got up and yanked on his sleeve. Follow me, I've found the prison blocks.

Wha?!? How?

Don't ask questions, we don't have time. Just follow me.

Without any hesitations Isis moved gracefully from place to place, dodging every guard and turning every corner as if she knew exactly where she was going. Duo, not quite so gracefully, followed. Did you write down directions or something? I sure didn't see a map or anything...

I memorized it.

Memorized off of what?? There wasn't a picture or words or nothin'!



They ducked behind an out-thrust boulder just as two guards walked by, both wearing uniforms of all black, and carrying weapons that Duo had never seen before. Master Seth says there's something down here messing with the system, but I don't see anything...

You hardly looked, said the other, walking over to the console to inspect it. If it's who I think it is, she wouldn't have left any fingerprints or anything. She knows how to keep them off of our technology, the little ghost... He walked around more when his inpection of the console seemed to fail him, and Duo began getting very nervous. But if they were just here, they couldn't have gotten far. The shield here should confine her to this area, so she couldn't have just disappeared as is her usual way.

Duo and Isis held their breath as the guards came closer and closer. She placed a firm hand on his arm and said in a voice which was barely even a whisper, Be calm. They sense fear.

They'll find us anyway....

Yes, and that's what we're waiting for. But we have to wait for just the right time, or they will be able to communicate with everyone else that we're here.

They're getting closer....

I know. Now be quiet and let me do my work.

Duo hated feeling helpless more than anything, but knowing nothing about this foreign realm of technology into which he had entered made him almost completely dependent upon Isis, who seemed much more comfortable with it. He wanted to know where it came from, where she came from...

Isis bowed her head and narrowed her eyes straight at the two guards as they came ever closer, almost glaring at them. Her hands wrapped around the eye around her neck, which almost seemed to glow and hum.

The guards immediately turned there attention to where the two were hidden. What is that hum? You don't think she put something into the system to...

There's no way she could have done anything so complicated without someone knowing by now. She didn't have enough time...

Then what is that noise?

They came closer and closer, but with every step they took, Isis slowly began to uncoil her right hand from around the eye, leaving the left tightly clenched.

It sounds like it's coming from behind that rock...

Yes, Genius, it does.

Very funny.... What if it's some sort of explosive?

Would it matter?

I don't know! She might have found some super human weapon!

Humans don't make super weapons you idi...

But they could not continue their conversation, because just at that moment Isis stood straight up, her right hand outstretched to them, and a bolt of yellow light burst from her fingers and wrapped itself around each of them, knocking them out immediately. They fell to the ground without even so much as a short cry of surprise.

Duo walked over to them and examined them. Did you kill

No, that is unnecessary.

Maybe you think it is, but what if they wake up and tell someone?

They shouldn't be able to wake up for at least an hour. If it takes us that long to find Anna, then it'll probably be too late anyway.

Duo sighed and stood up tall next to Isis, who suddenly seemed very close to him. It was the first time he noticed her build really.... a rather impressive build, at that. He looked into her face, only inches from his own... And took a step back. There was something so familiar there... And something else not quite so familiar but incredibly attractive. It was driving him absolutely insane. So what do we do next? You gonna take us to the cells?

Of course, but we'll be a little less conspicuous if we look like we belong here.

Oh, really? And how do you plan to accomplish that?

Isis nudged one of the unconscious bodies with her toe and said, He looks about your size.

Duo blinked. Ooooh... We're gonna do the overdone switch-with-the-guards thing. Right. Got it. Then he looked at the other guard, whose rather stout figure did not match Isis' in the slightest. Uh... so what are you going to do?



You don't have time to sew it up! That's a lot of material to chop off and...

No, not the uniform. Me.

Duo blinked a little bit more, his usual pastime. How... exactly do you plan on doing that?

It's hard to explain. Just watch, and don't freak out. What you see now is the real me, what you are about to see is a desperate measure so we don't get caught before we should be.

You're not really planning on getting caught, are you?

Hopefully not, but it will probably be unavoidable. Now don't talk to me, this takes a lot of concentration.

Once again she knelt down and placed a hand on her necklace, and another upon the plump guard. Her skin began to glow and form into a metallic liquid, until suddenly her entire being, clothes and everything, was nothing but a misshapen ball of silver, which eventually ended appearing to be the exact replica of the guard.

Duo didn't know quite what to make of her... or him... Uh... do you do this normally?

Like I said, only when I have to. The voice sounded exactly like the one that had spoken in the hallway first.

You're... not exactly human, are you....

No, not exactly. Now come on, we have to find Anna and get out of here as soon as possible.

Isis moved quickly through the various hallways, again seeming to be very comfortable with her/his surroundings. It was everything Duo could do to keep up with her/him.

Finally, Isis seemed to be slowing down, as she/he turned to Duo and said, The prison block is just around the corner. There will probably be guards there if that is where they are keeping Lady Une and possibly even Anna.

What do you mean If?' If that's not where they're keeping them, then where else could they possibly be?

Isis smirked and said, We'll just have to hope that Ajax and Horus have better luck, won't we?

They walked casually around the corner, and were somewhat surprised not to come face to face with a number of guards. Quite the opposite, not a soul stood in the area, no guards or prisoners.

That was pointless, Duo groaned.

Isis bowed her head and transformed back into her usual self with much ease. No, it wasn't. Now we just have to wait.

Wait for what?

For Osiris.