My Own Prison
Pt. Two: Trisha's Confessions





"Good, I see you reached Sovereign, Colonel." Rudolph's voice spoke, his face on the view screen. "As Trisha might have informed you, there was a large, unknown zoid found there but we'll need help excavating it."

"The zoid is sitting on a large volcano." Thomas responded for his brother. "Excavating it without setting off the volcano will be a big problem. The ice here has large traces of Carbon Monoxide, that means the volcano is almost ready to erupt."

"Then this is an evacuation job more than an excavation."

"Have faith, Sire." Darien spoke up, smiling. He pushed his glasses back up his nose with his middle finger. "Whatever that zoid is, we'll get it out, evacuate Sovereign and make it home in time for dinner."

"I wish I did have your faith, Mjr. Aethelwulf."

Darien rested his arm on Schubaltz's back and grinned with a foxy-sly grin. "Well, if you're as clever as I am, you can see around these little obsticles."

Darien gave Schubaltz such a heart-melting glance that Schubaltz's reaction was to blush deeply. He pulled his hat down and coughed. Thomas turned back to the viewscreen and smiled. "I trust that Trisha's expertise in the area will pull us through."

"Speaking of General Trisha..." Darien stood up and pulled his black glove down his hand tighter. "Where is she? I hadn't seen her since she was about to lay the smack on Karl's ass."

"She's probably resting." Rudolph smiled, then turned his direction toward off screen. "I gotta go, Homeliff is calling."

The screen shut off, allowing Darien to get a little frisky. "Colonel, if you have the time, I like to take you out for hot cocoa and a round of skiing on the mountain."

"I'm busy." Schubaltz snapped back, trying to maintain composure.

"Suit yourself." Darien smiled after he frowned, the smile hid the hurt very well. "My offer still stands."

He walked out of the communications room and headed straight for the infirmary. Inside, Trisha was finished putting her uniform on, Darien stopped when he heard the docor talking.

"The tumor's gotten bigger, madam General. The kemotherapy hadn't helped one bit."

"I feared..." Trisha replied, her voice low. "How long do I have to live?"

"3 months at best..."

Darien stood there with great sorrow and grief in his indigo eyes, they were widened and almost watering. He picked himself off the wall and ran off down the hallway, passing Schubaltz and Thomas. The bishounen colonel blinked, his shades budged upon the feeling of the wind. Over the loud speaker, they heard an all-familiar announcement. "Colonel Schubaltz and Lt. Schubaltz report to General Trisha's office immediately."

"Wonder what the old windbag wants." Thomas followed Schubaltz toward the General's office.

Inside, Trisha was putting her uniform back on, the brothers spotted a hospital gown on the chair by the desk. The older woman smiled at them, but it was a smile of sadness and pain. Schubaltz knew immediately something was terribly wrong.

"What's up, doc?" Thomas asked, smiling his normally cheerful and geeky smile.

"I have a few things I'd like to confess. Come with me to the main labs."


"That's a suspencion capsule." Thomas blinked, he observed it rather well. "Like the ones the Zoidians were kept in!"

"It didn't hold a Zoidian though." Trisha informed them, her hand on the door of the capsule. "This capsule is well over 200 years old, the Zoidians were wiped out sooner than that."

"I see." Schubaltz's fingers stroked the cold metal of the capsule, then brushed some dust away from a symbol. It was a pitchfork with prongs on the stem.

"This caspule..." Trisha said, softly but they could hear her. "...is where I found Darien."

They turned their immediate attention to Trisha as sadness etched in her eyes. The old woman put her hands together and frowned, she was staring at the symbol on the capsule.

"He's an Exemplar... a truly powerful magic-user... but even he's a rare case because he's got powerful psionics to boot. Darien predates anything in our history, in fact, he's not even from Zi to begin with. I did some research on Darien before he was released from the capsule. He was alive and well when Dorian City was destroyed by the hands of the Zenebas Regime. He was even alive when the Death Saurer wiped out the Zoidians. He... he remembered everything in his life with such clarity... I figured that if I lead him away from all the death and destruction that he would think that humanity wasn't a bad thing..."

"Ma'am... if he's been alive for thousands of years and he's not from Zi altogether... and yet he's seen what humans and Zoidians alike are capable of when hatred gets in the way..." Thomas began, his expression grim. "...then he can never really be fully trained into thinking humans have a good side."

"I think he knows." Schubaltz folded his arms, a smirk on his face. "Or he wouldn't be trying to get me in the sack."

"Karl..." Trisha smiled as she talked. "...Darien has taken too much of a fondness to you to bring up any feelings of lust."

"Really?"

"I know him more and an old woman can tell you what she sees when she looks in her grandson's eyes. Darien's eyes light up when he looks at you, his expression lightens big time."

"..." Schubaltz turned from her gaze and looked at the capsule. "...I'm sorry but I cannot return his feelings."

"W-why not!?" Thomas glared at Karl, confused. "You got an incredibly handsome man with extraordinary powers offering himself and the world to you on a silver platter and you say no!?"

The strawberry-blonde colonel walked for the door, his hands on his arms. Trisha scowled, she shouted at him. "I know about Marcus, Karl!"

Freezing in his tracks, Schubaltz's green eyes widened with shock. He looked at the doors in front of him, his feet unable to lift up and take him out of there.

"Darien is better than Marcus! You need to stop living in the past, Karl!"

"Trisha's right!" Thomas shouted, he was angry also. "If I wasn't in love with Miss Fiona, I'd fall for Darien myself! Wait! I am falling for Darien... BUT anyway...!!"

"...Don't misunderstand me, Thomas... Trisha. I do want to return the feelings. Darien is a wonderful man... I just..."

"He loves you, Karl..." Trisha slid her hands in her pockets and looked at the capsule. "It'd be a shame to pass up a wonderful thing. You can't find your soulmate in only a week... think about it."

"Take that leap of faith, bro!!! Trust me, you'll bounce!" Thomas pointed out, smiling.

The doors opened and Schubaltz left not saying another word. Thomas groaned and smacked his forehead with his hand.

"Thank-you, Thomas."

"We tried."

"I know. At least we got his foot in the door."

"Yeah, well..." The lieutenant growled, his fist clenched. "If Karl don't act soon, he's going to lose Darien and will have his foot in his mouth while using the other one to kick himself in the ass! At least Darien does love him..."

"Hmmmm?" Trisha looked at the 20-year-old lieutenant, seeing the angst in his green eyes.





-Continued-