Chapter 9
Return of the Messengers
Lorelei struggled to free herself, but the two demons kept a tight grip on her arms. She looked over and saw both Faust and Otaru also struggling against the demons but to no avail. She glanced to where the girls lay. Sparks spat out from the pile, indicating that they might be active, but were seriously damaged. Her only hope was Rei and Mara, but looked to be worse off then the girls. Finally she was before the demon. She looked away but his hand forced her to look at him.
"Such beauty. It's a shame that I must kill you." The demon said as he smiled, "But then again...it is all for the worst..."
She watched as he raised his hand and pointed it in her direction. A ball of energy formed in his palm.
"Good bye Lorelei."
The demon released the ball. Lorelei could only watch as the ball came right at her. She had just started to feel the heat from the ball when everything before her went blue. There was a brilliant flash as the energy ball struck the field before her. And then, it vanished.
"WHAT?" The demon turned and looked towards Mara and Rei. Lorelei could see Rei glaring at the demon.
"That was a foolish thing to do." said the demon as he threw an energy ball at Rei, catching her in the chest. Lorelei winced as Rei was blasted from the demons grasp and slammed hard against the wall. She then slowly slid down into a heap.
"Now," said demon, turning back to Lorelei, "where was I? Ah yes," an evil smile appeared across his face. "your death."
He had just started to raise his hand when the wall exploded. Lorelei looked away as a cloud of dust moved towards her. She heard the demon, mutter something and then ask "What now?" She then heard a new voice, a female one.
"I suggest you let them go."
Lorelei looked over to see what looked like a young girl of maybe 8 or 9. 'But it can't be, it must be a marionette!'
"And why would I do that?" growled the demon. Then turning to one of his minions he shouted. "Get that marionette!"
Lorelei watched stunned as the marionette raised her fist at the demon and then smiled, before shouting, "ROCKET FIST!"
The marionette's fist shot off of it's arm, catching the demon right in the face. After waiting for the rockets to shut down, the marionette reeled in it's hand and reattached it while the demon collapsed to the ground. Lorelei looked at the demon leader who absolutely furious.
"What is wrong with you fools? You can't handle a stupid marionette!"
The marionette gave a small smile, "I'm not a marionette."
"Wha?"
"Sigel?" Lorelei turned her head to see Rei looking up at the newcomer.
"Hey Rei!" replied Sigel, "You look like hell."
Rei gave a small smile, "Um, Sigel" she pointed towards the demon.
"Oh don't worry about him." replied Sigel, "I came prepared!" She held up a water balloon.
Everyone present just stared at her.
Draco just stared at the object before he began to laugh, the other demons joining in.
Lorelei looked down at the floor, "I'm doomed."
"You expect THAT to hurt me?" laughed Draco, "Your circuits must be fried!"
"I never said it was for you." replied Sigel, "It's for the portal!" She then tossed the balloon towards the middle of the room. It exploded, creating a large puddle in the middle of the room.
"What portal..." was all Draco said before the puddle began to glow.
Otaru, Faust, and Lorelei stared stunned as figures began to emerge from the puddle and float above the floor, 5 in total. 3 of the five had helmets and gray outfits that matched Rei's, while the remaining 2 each had a different helmet design and dress, one in red and white, the other in blue and white. All carried the type of staff that Rei had carried.
"Hello Draco." said the one in red and white, "Did you miss us?"
"Skuld," muttered Draco, "It is a problem I intend to rectify right now. Get them."
All the demons leapt at the assembled goddesses and guardians, even those who were supposed to be watching Lorelei, Otaru, and Faust. Seeing her chance, Lorelei began to move away from Draco. He quickly reached out and grabbed her.
"You're not going anywhere." He said quietly.
"What about us?"
Draco looked up to see Otaru coming at him in a flying kick.
"Please..." Draco caught Otaru in the arm one handed and tossed him against the wall. Faust then ran at him throwing punches. Draco sighed and backhanded Faust, sending him flying across the room into the Marionette pile. "Is that the best you can do?"
"Well we could always try." Draco turned around to the hole that Sigel had blasted. Standing in it looking very pissed off were Luchs and Panther.
"More scrap for the pile." said Draco with a smile.
"Don't forget about us." Draco looked in the other direction to see that all his minions were now laying all over the room. The 3 Guardians and 2 Goddesses glared at him.
"All of them so quickly?" muttered Draco.
"I have a lot of pent up aggression." replied one of the Guardians, the red-headed one.
Draco sighed, "It's so hard to find good help these days."
"Surrender." said Skuld.
"I didn't survive this long without having a back up plan." replied Draco. He tightened his grip on Lorelei. "And she is still part of it." Flames engulfed both him and Lorelei. Draco's loud laugh filled the room. Then the flames vanished, leaving no trace of Draco or Lorelei.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Otaru stared at the spot where Lorelei had once stood. He heard movement beside him and looked over to see Luchs and Panther moving towards the platform.
"She's....she's....." stuttered Panther.
Otaru watched as the one called Skuld pulled off her helmet and waved her hand over the spot that Lorelei last stood. The spot glowed red. "No, she's not. She's been teleported."
"Teleported?" asked Otaru. "Teleported to where?"
"I'm not sure." replied Skuld. She turned as a low groan was heard from one of the demons. She walked over and pulled the demon up from the floor by it's hair. "But we have a way of finding out." Skuld then looked up at the two male Guardians. "Shinji, Touji. See if you can find out where Draco went."
Shinji nodded while Touji smiled and cracked his knuckles. Both grabbed hold of the demon and dragged him out of the room. Otaru paid no attention to them as he walked over to the pile of marionettes. He carefully began to sort out who was who. He was soon joined by Luchs and Panther, who helped him to carefully move each of the fallen marionettes. They soon had each of the marionettes laid out in a row. Otaru sat down near the heads of his girls and sighed. Repairing them was going to take a while.
"Otaru?"
Otaru glanced over to see Lime looking at him. "Lime? How are you?"
A few sparks spat out from Lime before she answered, "I don't feel very good."
"Don't worry Lime," said Otaru, "I'll fix you. You'll be better then ever."
Lime gave Otaru a smile. Her smile then disappeared, "Otaru, Is Lorelei alright?"
Otaru just stared at Lime as he tried to come up with something to say. The sound of someone walking over caused him to look up. Rei slowly limped over to them and knelt down next to Lime.
"Don't worry about Lorelei right now Lime." Rei said quietly, "Let me do that. You just rest."
"You promise?"
Rei smile at Lime, "Of course."
A new voice caused Otaru to look up. Skuld was standing before a communicator, much like the one Rei had been trying to fix. A beam of light came from it, causing a hologram to appear. The hologram was of a woman in blue and white robes, she looked like an older version of the other goddess present in the room. The woman spoke in a strange language. Skuld responded in the same language.
"Who are you?" Faust asked staring at Skuld. Skuld stopped speaking and turned to face Faust. The hologram looked around as if to see who had spoke before turning back to Skuld and apparently asking a question. Skuld responded then turned and spoke so that Faust could understand her.
"I am Skuld, Goddess of the Future. I believe you know Guardian Asuka and Sayoko, Goddess of the Present from your time on the Mesopotamia." Indicating the other two present, who were currently assisting Mara. "And this," nodding to the hologram, "is my immediate superior, Belldandy." The hologram frown slightly at the phrase 'immediate superior.
"Alright," said Faust. "What are you doing?"
"I just informed her of the situation." replied Skuld, "And she in turn will try and track down just where Draco took Lorelei."
"I will contact the SysOp in Hell to assist us." said Belldandy, "However they are still very understaffed."
Skuld let out a sigh, "What else is new?"
"When there is something new I will contact you." replied the Hologram, "In the meantime, you should remain on Terra 2. That is all."
"Bye Sis." said Skuld quietly as the hologram faded. As she picked up the communicator Faust walked up to her.
"That's it? We're just going to sit here and do nothing?"
"We can do nothing for Lorelei until we know where she was taken." replied Skuld. She then looked over to the marionettes, where Rei was kneeling, talking quietly to Lime. "Besides, we must tend to the injured."
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Kami-sama sat behind his desk, staring at the kneeling figure before him.
"I assume you have an explanation for your actions?"
Belldandy did not look up. "Yes sir."
Kami-sama waited for several moments. "Well?"
"Rei was found being by several rogue demons. I took it upon myself to order the remaining Guardians to rescue her and the mortals that were also held captive."
"And how did you know where Rei would be? The council forbid anyone from going to Terra 2."
Belldandy continued to stare at the floor, "I asked the demon Mara to go to Terra 2, then later, I sent Sigel. It was on Sigel's report I sent the Guardians."
Kami-sama leaned back, "I think you've been hanging around Urd too long. Using loopholes to get around orders is something I would expect from her, not from you."
"Yes sir."
Kami-sama rotated his chair and turned to looked out the windows that overlooked the heavens. "Have you found where he took the mortal?"
"No sir. We have communicated with the SysOps of Hell. The said they would 'get back to us.' The demon that was captured has been sent by the guardians to the holding area here for questioning."
"Very well." Kami-sama rotated his chair back to face Belldandy, "Until the matter is resolved, I am placing all the Guardians under your control."
Belldandy nodded, "Yes sir."
"That is all."
Belldandy rose from the floor and bowed before turning and heading for the door.
"Oh and Belldandy..."
Belldandy turned and looked back at Kami-sama, "Yes sir?"
"If anyone asks, I placed the Guardians under your control earlier when you informed me of the situation."
Belldandy stared at Kami-sama, "A lie?" she asked.
"An error." Kami-sama smiled, "It seems my clocks are all a bit slow. Now get going daughter."
Belldandy smiled, "Yes father."
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Lorelei found herself being dragged by Draco through a series of descending caves. Several times they entered large and very warm caverns, so huge that clouds formed near the ceiling. In the caverns, Lorelei could see several dark and gloomy buildings. Draco however seemed to be avoiding them. After nearly 30 minutes of walking, Draco approached a cave wall and waved his hand before it. The wall shivered before moving out of the way. Draco pulled Lorelei into the room beyond, the cave wall closing behind him. Several demons were waiting for them on the other side. When Draco approached, they all bowed to him.
"Lord..." said the closest demon.
"Jerax." Draco motioned the demon to rise. "What is our status?"
"We have produced several hundred additional S2 powered Sabers as you requested," replied Jerax, "but it was not without a cost."
Draco stared at Jerax, "Continue."
"We lost 23 demons to the Queen's Security force." said Jerax.
"And the special project?"
"The doctor wishes to speak with you."
Draco nodded, "Continue to keep an eye on the Security forces. I shall take our 'guest' and see the good doctor."
Jerax bowed, "Yes My Lord."
Draco pulled Lorelei down a hallway. As they rounded a corner, Lorelei stumbled and fell to the ground, causing Draco to lose his grip on her. She quickly got up and started to run from him.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you."
Lorelei stopped and looked back at Draco. He had made no move to chase her or even call for anyone to stop her. "Why not?"
"In case you haven't realized it, 'your not in Kansas any more.'" replied Draco. "You're in hell. And if you think running away from me is going to help you, you're wrong. I'm the only thing keeping you alive right now."
"Why should I believe you?"
"Fine. Don't believe me. Go ahead, see how far you get before another demon comes along and either kills you or worse. And believe me, there is always a worst." Draco turned and started to walk away.
"Why would you want to keep me alive?" asked Lorelei, "I thought you wanted to kill me?"
Draco stopped and called back, "You still have a use. As long as you live, the Guardians will try and rescue you." Draco then turned and faced her, "And when they come, I'll be waiting."
Draco turned and continued down the hallway. Lorelei looked about the hallway. The sound of something roaring from the direction they had come from sent chills down her spine. She quickly took off after Draco.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Rei stood on the balcony of Castle Japoness, leaning against the railing as she looked out over the city. Behind her, the door opened and Sayoko walked out and stood next to Rei. Sayoko looked out over the city before speaking.
"You know you really scared me."
Rei glanced over at her friend, "Oh?"
"The last time I felt that bad was when you blew up Unit 00."
"How do you think I felt. Until Mara should up, I had no idea what happened to any of you." Rei turned and looked back over the city. "Any word yet on Lorelei?"
Sayoko shook her head, "Not yet. Shinji and Touji sent the demon upstairs. Auntie will be calling Mom as soon as she's done fixing the remaining marionettes."
Rei raised an eyebrow, "She's doing what?"
"She's helping Faust and Otaru repair the marionettes." replied Sayoko, "All of them, including the Imperial Guard."
"Considering her history with machines, I don't know if I want to stand near any of them."
Sayoko frowned at Rei, "She hasn't blown up anything in years."
"I'm kidding."
The sound of the balcony door opening caused them both to turn. Lime stepped out and looked over at Rei.
"Lime," said Rei with a smile, "How are you feeling?"
"Ok." replied Lime, nervously looking at Sayoko.
Rei glanced over at Sayoko before looking at Lime, "Lime, this is my friend Sayoko. She won't hurt you."
"Will she yell?"
Rei looked at Sayoko confused, "Yell?"
"Yeah, the other one yelled at me when I said hello and called me a doll."
Sayoko smacked her head, "Damn, I forgot all about that. I should have warned Skuld."
"Its not your fault." said Rei. "After 500 years you'd think she'd finally get over it, especially since she can talk to her mom now."
Lime looked back and forth between the two, "Get over what? Did I do something wrong?"
"It's not your fault Lime." said Rei, "Asuka had some....problems when she was younger. Spending time on a planet full of marionettes just dug up old memories. How are the others?"
"Bloodberry and Tiger are up and around." replied Lime. "Skuld and Otaru are finishing up Cherry and then they're gonna fix Baiko and Tama." Lime was quiet for several moments, a sad look on her face.
"What's wrong Lime?" asked Sayoko.
"Lorelei."
"Don't worry, we'll get her back." said Sayoko, placing her arm around Lime, "In the meantime, how would you like to hear some funny stories about Rei?"
Rei began to pale, "You wouldn't."
Sayoko smiled at Rei before leading Lime back into the castle, "You see, when we were younger, Rei was learning how to use her powers. Well one day, she was practicing teleporting herself by moving from room to room. Unfortunately, Shinji was changing in his room when she popped in by mistake........"
Rei stood alone on the balcony, holding her head in her hands. "She has to be a demon, that would explain everything."
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Milady."
Daimakaicho Hild, the Queen of Hell, turned and looked at her kneeling minion. "What is it?"
"We have traced the traitors teleport to here." replied the demon He was last seen heading towards the lower levels."
"Contact Yggdrasil and inform them." ordered Hild, "Then send our security forces to apprehend him and those who are with him. Remember, the mortal must not be harmed."
"Yes Milady."
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dr. Taltamir sat in front of massive computer. Several Hundred years ago, he had been the leader of a team that had reactivated the Mass-produced Evas. He had then moved on to activate the dummy plugs, something which he had been ordered not to by his superior. Afterwards he had been fired and released by the UN. He was not to remain unemployed for long however. Because of his extensive knowledge of the Evas, he was quickly hired by a third world country that wished to build its own Evas. It was not to be however. Shortly after he began work on the project, the UN learned of the plan and leveled the complex, killing everyone there, including Taltamir. When he had awaken, he had found himself here, in hell. After spending 30 years in continual torment, a demon had approached him and offered him a deal: to work for him in building an army. In return he would be restored to life. Taltamir did not hesitate to accept. It was only after he had arrived here that he discovered what he would be doing: restoring to life the most powerful and deadliest creatures ever known to mortal or immortal. Taltamir stood up and walked over to the observation window that looked down into the restoration chamber. 13 tubes were lined up along the wall, inside floated human like figures, yet they were anything but human. Only 13 of the powerful beings had been able to be brought back. Of the other 4, 3 had been completely eradicated. The last one was alive but was no longer as it was.
Taltamir turned as the door to the chamber opened. Draco entered followed by a red haired woman.
"Doctor." said Draco, "How goes your project?"
"They are basically ready sir." replied Dr. Taltamir. "But we will not know until they have awakened."
Draco glared at Taltamir, "You have had 500 years to work on this! They must be flawless!"
"The samples you gave me were scorched, decomposing, crushed, and almost vaporized!" replied Taltamir, "This is the best I could do!"
"They had better. I would hate to found out that my time has been wasted....."
Taltamir gulped as Draco's eyes seemed to glow red. He was saved when another demon entered the chamber.
"My Lord! The Queen's security forces are heading this way!"
Draco glanced at the demon, "Very well. We should warn them off." He then turned back to Taltamir, "Doctor, revive them."
Taltamir stared at Draco stunned, "But....I need to run more tests! I don't know if...."
Draco leaned closer to Taltamir, his eyes bright with flame, "Revive them now!"
Taltamir shrank under the look, "Yes sir." He quickly walked over to the terminal and began to type in a series of commands.
Draco grabbed Lorelei's arm and pulled her closer to the observation window. "Look upon them Lorelei. What you see here is the beginning of the end of Terra 2, and the Heavens."
Lorelei looked down into the chamber as several machines inside began to glow with power. Sparks flew across the room as life-giving power surged through the cylinders, lighting them up so that the figures inside could be seen. At first Lorelei could see no signs of life. Then, inside the closest cylinder, one of the figures, a man with gray hair, began to move its arm. Lorelei stared in shock as the man opened his eyes. She gasped as he turned his red eyes towards her. A smile then crept across his face. With a loud blast, the cylinders exploded, filling the chamber with a bright white light. Lorelei fell back from the window as the entire room began to shake.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The security forces moved quickly towards the last known location of the traitor Draco. They had just reached the second to last cavern when the ground shook.
"What's going on?" shouted one of the demons.
Before anyone could reply, the ground before them collapsed and a massive surge of power spit forth from the earth. Most of the security force was wiped out in seconds from the energy. Those that remained fled in terror. Before leaving the cavern, one of the demons turned around for one last look. What he saw stunned him. Still coming forth from the ground was a massive energy blast. It was in the shape of a cross.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Otaru, Faust, the Guardians, the Goddesses, and the Marionettes all stood around the hologram of Belldandy.
"...At this time Hell is sending its security forces to apprehend him and rescue Lorelei." said Belldandy.
"So they won't need us?" asked Asuka.
"No." replied Belldandy, " They claim they will have no problems in capturing the demon. So there will be no need to......" Belldandy's voice trailed off and a look of confusion came over her. Alarms could faintly be heard over the link. Suddenly she let out a loud gasp, a gasp which was echoed by the Guardians and Goddesses present. All fell to the ground clutching their heads in pain.
"What is it!" shouted Otaru as he bent down next to Skuld. Skuld tried to answer but was unable to make a sound.
Lime ran over to Rei, "What's wrong Rei? What's happened?"
"The most feared enemy we have known has returned." Everyone turned to the doorway as very serious looking Mara limped into the room.
"What do you mean?" asked Faust.
"The Angels have returned."
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Author's notes: Yes I'm working on the next chapter, and yes I know I'm moving slow. I've been busy.
Return of the Messengers
Lorelei struggled to free herself, but the two demons kept a tight grip on her arms. She looked over and saw both Faust and Otaru also struggling against the demons but to no avail. She glanced to where the girls lay. Sparks spat out from the pile, indicating that they might be active, but were seriously damaged. Her only hope was Rei and Mara, but looked to be worse off then the girls. Finally she was before the demon. She looked away but his hand forced her to look at him.
"Such beauty. It's a shame that I must kill you." The demon said as he smiled, "But then again...it is all for the worst..."
She watched as he raised his hand and pointed it in her direction. A ball of energy formed in his palm.
"Good bye Lorelei."
The demon released the ball. Lorelei could only watch as the ball came right at her. She had just started to feel the heat from the ball when everything before her went blue. There was a brilliant flash as the energy ball struck the field before her. And then, it vanished.
"WHAT?" The demon turned and looked towards Mara and Rei. Lorelei could see Rei glaring at the demon.
"That was a foolish thing to do." said the demon as he threw an energy ball at Rei, catching her in the chest. Lorelei winced as Rei was blasted from the demons grasp and slammed hard against the wall. She then slowly slid down into a heap.
"Now," said demon, turning back to Lorelei, "where was I? Ah yes," an evil smile appeared across his face. "your death."
He had just started to raise his hand when the wall exploded. Lorelei looked away as a cloud of dust moved towards her. She heard the demon, mutter something and then ask "What now?" She then heard a new voice, a female one.
"I suggest you let them go."
Lorelei looked over to see what looked like a young girl of maybe 8 or 9. 'But it can't be, it must be a marionette!'
"And why would I do that?" growled the demon. Then turning to one of his minions he shouted. "Get that marionette!"
Lorelei watched stunned as the marionette raised her fist at the demon and then smiled, before shouting, "ROCKET FIST!"
The marionette's fist shot off of it's arm, catching the demon right in the face. After waiting for the rockets to shut down, the marionette reeled in it's hand and reattached it while the demon collapsed to the ground. Lorelei looked at the demon leader who absolutely furious.
"What is wrong with you fools? You can't handle a stupid marionette!"
The marionette gave a small smile, "I'm not a marionette."
"Wha?"
"Sigel?" Lorelei turned her head to see Rei looking up at the newcomer.
"Hey Rei!" replied Sigel, "You look like hell."
Rei gave a small smile, "Um, Sigel" she pointed towards the demon.
"Oh don't worry about him." replied Sigel, "I came prepared!" She held up a water balloon.
Everyone present just stared at her.
Draco just stared at the object before he began to laugh, the other demons joining in.
Lorelei looked down at the floor, "I'm doomed."
"You expect THAT to hurt me?" laughed Draco, "Your circuits must be fried!"
"I never said it was for you." replied Sigel, "It's for the portal!" She then tossed the balloon towards the middle of the room. It exploded, creating a large puddle in the middle of the room.
"What portal..." was all Draco said before the puddle began to glow.
Otaru, Faust, and Lorelei stared stunned as figures began to emerge from the puddle and float above the floor, 5 in total. 3 of the five had helmets and gray outfits that matched Rei's, while the remaining 2 each had a different helmet design and dress, one in red and white, the other in blue and white. All carried the type of staff that Rei had carried.
"Hello Draco." said the one in red and white, "Did you miss us?"
"Skuld," muttered Draco, "It is a problem I intend to rectify right now. Get them."
All the demons leapt at the assembled goddesses and guardians, even those who were supposed to be watching Lorelei, Otaru, and Faust. Seeing her chance, Lorelei began to move away from Draco. He quickly reached out and grabbed her.
"You're not going anywhere." He said quietly.
"What about us?"
Draco looked up to see Otaru coming at him in a flying kick.
"Please..." Draco caught Otaru in the arm one handed and tossed him against the wall. Faust then ran at him throwing punches. Draco sighed and backhanded Faust, sending him flying across the room into the Marionette pile. "Is that the best you can do?"
"Well we could always try." Draco turned around to the hole that Sigel had blasted. Standing in it looking very pissed off were Luchs and Panther.
"More scrap for the pile." said Draco with a smile.
"Don't forget about us." Draco looked in the other direction to see that all his minions were now laying all over the room. The 3 Guardians and 2 Goddesses glared at him.
"All of them so quickly?" muttered Draco.
"I have a lot of pent up aggression." replied one of the Guardians, the red-headed one.
Draco sighed, "It's so hard to find good help these days."
"Surrender." said Skuld.
"I didn't survive this long without having a back up plan." replied Draco. He tightened his grip on Lorelei. "And she is still part of it." Flames engulfed both him and Lorelei. Draco's loud laugh filled the room. Then the flames vanished, leaving no trace of Draco or Lorelei.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Otaru stared at the spot where Lorelei had once stood. He heard movement beside him and looked over to see Luchs and Panther moving towards the platform.
"She's....she's....." stuttered Panther.
Otaru watched as the one called Skuld pulled off her helmet and waved her hand over the spot that Lorelei last stood. The spot glowed red. "No, she's not. She's been teleported."
"Teleported?" asked Otaru. "Teleported to where?"
"I'm not sure." replied Skuld. She turned as a low groan was heard from one of the demons. She walked over and pulled the demon up from the floor by it's hair. "But we have a way of finding out." Skuld then looked up at the two male Guardians. "Shinji, Touji. See if you can find out where Draco went."
Shinji nodded while Touji smiled and cracked his knuckles. Both grabbed hold of the demon and dragged him out of the room. Otaru paid no attention to them as he walked over to the pile of marionettes. He carefully began to sort out who was who. He was soon joined by Luchs and Panther, who helped him to carefully move each of the fallen marionettes. They soon had each of the marionettes laid out in a row. Otaru sat down near the heads of his girls and sighed. Repairing them was going to take a while.
"Otaru?"
Otaru glanced over to see Lime looking at him. "Lime? How are you?"
A few sparks spat out from Lime before she answered, "I don't feel very good."
"Don't worry Lime," said Otaru, "I'll fix you. You'll be better then ever."
Lime gave Otaru a smile. Her smile then disappeared, "Otaru, Is Lorelei alright?"
Otaru just stared at Lime as he tried to come up with something to say. The sound of someone walking over caused him to look up. Rei slowly limped over to them and knelt down next to Lime.
"Don't worry about Lorelei right now Lime." Rei said quietly, "Let me do that. You just rest."
"You promise?"
Rei smile at Lime, "Of course."
A new voice caused Otaru to look up. Skuld was standing before a communicator, much like the one Rei had been trying to fix. A beam of light came from it, causing a hologram to appear. The hologram was of a woman in blue and white robes, she looked like an older version of the other goddess present in the room. The woman spoke in a strange language. Skuld responded in the same language.
"Who are you?" Faust asked staring at Skuld. Skuld stopped speaking and turned to face Faust. The hologram looked around as if to see who had spoke before turning back to Skuld and apparently asking a question. Skuld responded then turned and spoke so that Faust could understand her.
"I am Skuld, Goddess of the Future. I believe you know Guardian Asuka and Sayoko, Goddess of the Present from your time on the Mesopotamia." Indicating the other two present, who were currently assisting Mara. "And this," nodding to the hologram, "is my immediate superior, Belldandy." The hologram frown slightly at the phrase 'immediate superior.
"Alright," said Faust. "What are you doing?"
"I just informed her of the situation." replied Skuld, "And she in turn will try and track down just where Draco took Lorelei."
"I will contact the SysOp in Hell to assist us." said Belldandy, "However they are still very understaffed."
Skuld let out a sigh, "What else is new?"
"When there is something new I will contact you." replied the Hologram, "In the meantime, you should remain on Terra 2. That is all."
"Bye Sis." said Skuld quietly as the hologram faded. As she picked up the communicator Faust walked up to her.
"That's it? We're just going to sit here and do nothing?"
"We can do nothing for Lorelei until we know where she was taken." replied Skuld. She then looked over to the marionettes, where Rei was kneeling, talking quietly to Lime. "Besides, we must tend to the injured."
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Kami-sama sat behind his desk, staring at the kneeling figure before him.
"I assume you have an explanation for your actions?"
Belldandy did not look up. "Yes sir."
Kami-sama waited for several moments. "Well?"
"Rei was found being by several rogue demons. I took it upon myself to order the remaining Guardians to rescue her and the mortals that were also held captive."
"And how did you know where Rei would be? The council forbid anyone from going to Terra 2."
Belldandy continued to stare at the floor, "I asked the demon Mara to go to Terra 2, then later, I sent Sigel. It was on Sigel's report I sent the Guardians."
Kami-sama leaned back, "I think you've been hanging around Urd too long. Using loopholes to get around orders is something I would expect from her, not from you."
"Yes sir."
Kami-sama rotated his chair and turned to looked out the windows that overlooked the heavens. "Have you found where he took the mortal?"
"No sir. We have communicated with the SysOps of Hell. The said they would 'get back to us.' The demon that was captured has been sent by the guardians to the holding area here for questioning."
"Very well." Kami-sama rotated his chair back to face Belldandy, "Until the matter is resolved, I am placing all the Guardians under your control."
Belldandy nodded, "Yes sir."
"That is all."
Belldandy rose from the floor and bowed before turning and heading for the door.
"Oh and Belldandy..."
Belldandy turned and looked back at Kami-sama, "Yes sir?"
"If anyone asks, I placed the Guardians under your control earlier when you informed me of the situation."
Belldandy stared at Kami-sama, "A lie?" she asked.
"An error." Kami-sama smiled, "It seems my clocks are all a bit slow. Now get going daughter."
Belldandy smiled, "Yes father."
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Lorelei found herself being dragged by Draco through a series of descending caves. Several times they entered large and very warm caverns, so huge that clouds formed near the ceiling. In the caverns, Lorelei could see several dark and gloomy buildings. Draco however seemed to be avoiding them. After nearly 30 minutes of walking, Draco approached a cave wall and waved his hand before it. The wall shivered before moving out of the way. Draco pulled Lorelei into the room beyond, the cave wall closing behind him. Several demons were waiting for them on the other side. When Draco approached, they all bowed to him.
"Lord..." said the closest demon.
"Jerax." Draco motioned the demon to rise. "What is our status?"
"We have produced several hundred additional S2 powered Sabers as you requested," replied Jerax, "but it was not without a cost."
Draco stared at Jerax, "Continue."
"We lost 23 demons to the Queen's Security force." said Jerax.
"And the special project?"
"The doctor wishes to speak with you."
Draco nodded, "Continue to keep an eye on the Security forces. I shall take our 'guest' and see the good doctor."
Jerax bowed, "Yes My Lord."
Draco pulled Lorelei down a hallway. As they rounded a corner, Lorelei stumbled and fell to the ground, causing Draco to lose his grip on her. She quickly got up and started to run from him.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you."
Lorelei stopped and looked back at Draco. He had made no move to chase her or even call for anyone to stop her. "Why not?"
"In case you haven't realized it, 'your not in Kansas any more.'" replied Draco. "You're in hell. And if you think running away from me is going to help you, you're wrong. I'm the only thing keeping you alive right now."
"Why should I believe you?"
"Fine. Don't believe me. Go ahead, see how far you get before another demon comes along and either kills you or worse. And believe me, there is always a worst." Draco turned and started to walk away.
"Why would you want to keep me alive?" asked Lorelei, "I thought you wanted to kill me?"
Draco stopped and called back, "You still have a use. As long as you live, the Guardians will try and rescue you." Draco then turned and faced her, "And when they come, I'll be waiting."
Draco turned and continued down the hallway. Lorelei looked about the hallway. The sound of something roaring from the direction they had come from sent chills down her spine. She quickly took off after Draco.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Rei stood on the balcony of Castle Japoness, leaning against the railing as she looked out over the city. Behind her, the door opened and Sayoko walked out and stood next to Rei. Sayoko looked out over the city before speaking.
"You know you really scared me."
Rei glanced over at her friend, "Oh?"
"The last time I felt that bad was when you blew up Unit 00."
"How do you think I felt. Until Mara should up, I had no idea what happened to any of you." Rei turned and looked back over the city. "Any word yet on Lorelei?"
Sayoko shook her head, "Not yet. Shinji and Touji sent the demon upstairs. Auntie will be calling Mom as soon as she's done fixing the remaining marionettes."
Rei raised an eyebrow, "She's doing what?"
"She's helping Faust and Otaru repair the marionettes." replied Sayoko, "All of them, including the Imperial Guard."
"Considering her history with machines, I don't know if I want to stand near any of them."
Sayoko frowned at Rei, "She hasn't blown up anything in years."
"I'm kidding."
The sound of the balcony door opening caused them both to turn. Lime stepped out and looked over at Rei.
"Lime," said Rei with a smile, "How are you feeling?"
"Ok." replied Lime, nervously looking at Sayoko.
Rei glanced over at Sayoko before looking at Lime, "Lime, this is my friend Sayoko. She won't hurt you."
"Will she yell?"
Rei looked at Sayoko confused, "Yell?"
"Yeah, the other one yelled at me when I said hello and called me a doll."
Sayoko smacked her head, "Damn, I forgot all about that. I should have warned Skuld."
"Its not your fault." said Rei. "After 500 years you'd think she'd finally get over it, especially since she can talk to her mom now."
Lime looked back and forth between the two, "Get over what? Did I do something wrong?"
"It's not your fault Lime." said Rei, "Asuka had some....problems when she was younger. Spending time on a planet full of marionettes just dug up old memories. How are the others?"
"Bloodberry and Tiger are up and around." replied Lime. "Skuld and Otaru are finishing up Cherry and then they're gonna fix Baiko and Tama." Lime was quiet for several moments, a sad look on her face.
"What's wrong Lime?" asked Sayoko.
"Lorelei."
"Don't worry, we'll get her back." said Sayoko, placing her arm around Lime, "In the meantime, how would you like to hear some funny stories about Rei?"
Rei began to pale, "You wouldn't."
Sayoko smiled at Rei before leading Lime back into the castle, "You see, when we were younger, Rei was learning how to use her powers. Well one day, she was practicing teleporting herself by moving from room to room. Unfortunately, Shinji was changing in his room when she popped in by mistake........"
Rei stood alone on the balcony, holding her head in her hands. "She has to be a demon, that would explain everything."
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Milady."
Daimakaicho Hild, the Queen of Hell, turned and looked at her kneeling minion. "What is it?"
"We have traced the traitors teleport to here." replied the demon He was last seen heading towards the lower levels."
"Contact Yggdrasil and inform them." ordered Hild, "Then send our security forces to apprehend him and those who are with him. Remember, the mortal must not be harmed."
"Yes Milady."
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dr. Taltamir sat in front of massive computer. Several Hundred years ago, he had been the leader of a team that had reactivated the Mass-produced Evas. He had then moved on to activate the dummy plugs, something which he had been ordered not to by his superior. Afterwards he had been fired and released by the UN. He was not to remain unemployed for long however. Because of his extensive knowledge of the Evas, he was quickly hired by a third world country that wished to build its own Evas. It was not to be however. Shortly after he began work on the project, the UN learned of the plan and leveled the complex, killing everyone there, including Taltamir. When he had awaken, he had found himself here, in hell. After spending 30 years in continual torment, a demon had approached him and offered him a deal: to work for him in building an army. In return he would be restored to life. Taltamir did not hesitate to accept. It was only after he had arrived here that he discovered what he would be doing: restoring to life the most powerful and deadliest creatures ever known to mortal or immortal. Taltamir stood up and walked over to the observation window that looked down into the restoration chamber. 13 tubes were lined up along the wall, inside floated human like figures, yet they were anything but human. Only 13 of the powerful beings had been able to be brought back. Of the other 4, 3 had been completely eradicated. The last one was alive but was no longer as it was.
Taltamir turned as the door to the chamber opened. Draco entered followed by a red haired woman.
"Doctor." said Draco, "How goes your project?"
"They are basically ready sir." replied Dr. Taltamir. "But we will not know until they have awakened."
Draco glared at Taltamir, "You have had 500 years to work on this! They must be flawless!"
"The samples you gave me were scorched, decomposing, crushed, and almost vaporized!" replied Taltamir, "This is the best I could do!"
"They had better. I would hate to found out that my time has been wasted....."
Taltamir gulped as Draco's eyes seemed to glow red. He was saved when another demon entered the chamber.
"My Lord! The Queen's security forces are heading this way!"
Draco glanced at the demon, "Very well. We should warn them off." He then turned back to Taltamir, "Doctor, revive them."
Taltamir stared at Draco stunned, "But....I need to run more tests! I don't know if...."
Draco leaned closer to Taltamir, his eyes bright with flame, "Revive them now!"
Taltamir shrank under the look, "Yes sir." He quickly walked over to the terminal and began to type in a series of commands.
Draco grabbed Lorelei's arm and pulled her closer to the observation window. "Look upon them Lorelei. What you see here is the beginning of the end of Terra 2, and the Heavens."
Lorelei looked down into the chamber as several machines inside began to glow with power. Sparks flew across the room as life-giving power surged through the cylinders, lighting them up so that the figures inside could be seen. At first Lorelei could see no signs of life. Then, inside the closest cylinder, one of the figures, a man with gray hair, began to move its arm. Lorelei stared in shock as the man opened his eyes. She gasped as he turned his red eyes towards her. A smile then crept across his face. With a loud blast, the cylinders exploded, filling the chamber with a bright white light. Lorelei fell back from the window as the entire room began to shake.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The security forces moved quickly towards the last known location of the traitor Draco. They had just reached the second to last cavern when the ground shook.
"What's going on?" shouted one of the demons.
Before anyone could reply, the ground before them collapsed and a massive surge of power spit forth from the earth. Most of the security force was wiped out in seconds from the energy. Those that remained fled in terror. Before leaving the cavern, one of the demons turned around for one last look. What he saw stunned him. Still coming forth from the ground was a massive energy blast. It was in the shape of a cross.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Otaru, Faust, the Guardians, the Goddesses, and the Marionettes all stood around the hologram of Belldandy.
"...At this time Hell is sending its security forces to apprehend him and rescue Lorelei." said Belldandy.
"So they won't need us?" asked Asuka.
"No." replied Belldandy, " They claim they will have no problems in capturing the demon. So there will be no need to......" Belldandy's voice trailed off and a look of confusion came over her. Alarms could faintly be heard over the link. Suddenly she let out a loud gasp, a gasp which was echoed by the Guardians and Goddesses present. All fell to the ground clutching their heads in pain.
"What is it!" shouted Otaru as he bent down next to Skuld. Skuld tried to answer but was unable to make a sound.
Lime ran over to Rei, "What's wrong Rei? What's happened?"
"The most feared enemy we have known has returned." Everyone turned to the doorway as very serious looking Mara limped into the room.
"What do you mean?" asked Faust.
"The Angels have returned."
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Author's notes: Yes I'm working on the next chapter, and yes I know I'm moving slow. I've been busy.