Author's Notes: I've become quite fond of writing in Halo's POV ^_^

Chapter 12. Fallen Control

** Halo's POV **

It was abnormally dark through the Back-Alley I area to which I was taken to. I didn't know why I was brought here and I wanted to find out- and soon- but my thoughts were cut short when I heard several approaching footsteps and what sounded like a slight scuffle. Some of them stopped to where only one set remained and they became closer until I could make out the tall, lean figure of Duke Red.

"Duke Red," I murmured. He gave a small laugh.

"Yes, it is I. Surprised to see me?"

"What do you want?"

"The tape."

"Tape?"

"Yes, the tape, the one that you recorded my conversation on." I gazed up at him from where I had been thrown. He was looming above me with his hands folded behind his back. I had to think of something, and quick. I couldn't give the tape back to him. It was the only evidence I had, the only thing that could be used to stop the meaningless war with the robots.

"Tell me now," Red hissed, baring down on me. When I said nothing he snapped his fingers and two Marduks came from the gloom that was the dank Back-Alley. They each had hold of Kenna and Fern, their arms held tightly behind their backs. Strangely enough, I recognized them as being in with the other Marduks that had courteously given them food.

I didn't want to do what I was about to, but I had to, in order to keep my evidence-

"She's got the tape." I said it slowly so that he wouldn't get suspicious of me. He turned a little and looked at Fern.

"You lie."

"Nope, no lie, she has the tape. I met up with them in one of the other Back-Alleys a while back and we traded. Unfortunately, though, I kind of . . . well, I recorded over the conversation with . . ." I had to think quick. I knew Fern always carried tapes with her in her own coat pocket, but I had to remember something on one of them, particularly the one in her pocket at the moment. ". . . With his snores. You can ask them if you don't believe me." I pointed to the Marduks, who looked puzzled. Duke Red looked at me, then snapped his fingers again and the Marduk holding Fern began to rummage through her coat pockets until he pulled out a tape. Fern was looking at me doubtfully. I sure hoped she had recorded Kenna's snores on that tape as well.

"Give me the recorder." I looked at Red for a minute, unsure, and pretended to be looking through my pockets for it when really I was ejecting the other tape and closing it again.

"Here," I said with a somewhat fake-sounding yawn. I forced it into his hands and he took it. This was a lie, of course, and I only hoped he fell for it. I went to the Tower after I met up with Fern and Kenna, of course, but the Marduks didn't know that. Or at least I hope they didn't. What felt like a billion years later he finally finished confirming that my lie was truthful but still didn't let me go. Instead, he announced he wanted to speak with me . . . alone.

** Atlas's POV **

They had taken Halo away, although I didn't know why, and so now I was stuck with Rock. If it was just to stall then I could wing it, but if they expected for a gun show then I was already dead and gone.

He just stood there, smirking. Apparently he was waiting. For what, I dunno. I didn't wanna know. Or did I? Whatever it was, it was something very bad, because Rock was nearly smiling, and when he purely smiled, it was best to run very far into the opposite direction. This wasn't an option for me.

** Halo's POV **

Duke Red circled around me. He made me kind of nervous, to tell you the truth. I thought he might strike at me any moment. Though he hadn't tied me up I still felt as though I was a prisoner. He had me taken to some building near where I had seen him moments before. Of course Marduks were guarding Kenna and Fern and Atlas was too far away for me to yell for his help. Oddly enough I felt some assurance that Duke didn't want to harm me in any way. Or, at least, I hoped so.

He stopped in front of me (I had been seated in a wooden chair) with his arms behind him. He gazed down his oddly large nose at me, his look suggested slight disgust, yet I knew he was only examining me. Though I was a bit self-conscious about my appearance I didn't care now. He was probably thinking about how uncivilized I looked or something, but really, no socks and a trenchcoat with missing buttons and rips along the hem really didn't suggest that it was obvious I was a robot-supporter . . . Right? I mean, not all robot-supporters are poorly dressed and not everyone is as high as him to care about their physical appearance. But I think I'm rambling inside my head! Back to the present ordeal.

Anyway, he was still making me slightly nervous so I asked him what he wanted to talk to me about. He gave a small laugh and took one step back. He watched me for a minute, though I stared back.

"What do you think?"

"Think of what?"

"Everything. Metropolis. Marduks. Robots. My plans."

"Your plans suck, robots are free creatures created and destroyed by you, meaninglessly, you're Marduks act like they're constapated, but I must say Metropolis is wonderful, though I think it could use a better form of government, a new president (because we all know what happened to the last one), and maybe it's just my opinion but it could certainly use a better duke."

I knew I was only shooting my mouth off again, but I couldn't help herself, really. I took a deep breath and looked hard at Red. He was chuckling again, which was annoying me.

"You don't take me seriously, do you?" I said hotly. "You think I'm nothing! You think I'm powerless against you! You think you'll dominate everything because I'm just one little person, one little expendable person and if I kick the bucket then there's no one to say that you ever had genocidal or world-domination or whatever plans!!!" I was nearly screaming with anger (and sarcasm) and had leapt to my feet. One of the Marduks had burst through the door to see what was going on.

"No, no, I have everything perfectly under control," Duke Red said silkily, as though we were having a peaceful and civilized conversation. Peaceful my butt.

"Control? Control?! That's everything to you, isn't it?! As long as you're in control of everything! The people! Metropolis! The whole continent! The whole damn planet!" Okay, I was going overboard. It was all pure sarcasm now. "FERN! KENNA! I'M COMIN'!" I shouted. I ran past the Duke, knocking the Marduk out as I knocked him hard against the metal door, then running out into Back-Alley. The other Marduk had come as well and he ran past me, without so much as a glance. It hurt to be unnoticed.

"Get her, you idiot!" I heard the Duke say, but I was already halfway to Fern and Kenna, who had been tied up. Together, with me in the lead, we ran back through the door leading into Other Side and slammed it shut behind us. Fern and Kenna helped me to lock it and when we turned we were faced with a shocking sight.

Atlas hadn't been harmed [yet] but he was apparently being threatened by Rock. But now, as everyone saw that we had come, running and panting, through that door and bolting it quickly after us it was quite clear that we had evaded the others and they weren't finished with us yet.

"Oh, shit," I heard Kenna curse behind me as the full realization of the situation hit him.

"Little late for that," I muttered to him. "You're just a little slow, buddy." My voice hit a high pitch as I hit the word little. I would have said more but I had to turn my head back as someone collared me. I could feel myself being lifted slightly off my feet.

"Back again, are you?" I heard a voice sneer lowly in my ear. Rock was holding me up.

"Yeah, miss me?" I tried to sound sarcastic again but having to choke that out didn't really do much. He smirked and dropped me, where I landed weakly and fell backwards on my bottom. He gave that high kind of laugh and reached inside my coat pocket to bring out my gun. Damn. There went my protection. Rock ordered two Marduks to take Kenna and Fern again, but as they came near I had to give Fern credit.

"Hey! You ain't gotta hold us or anything, you took our guns remember?" she said snappily at Rock, who gave a small chuckle. The Marduks took hold of them anyway, Fern glaring. Rock grabbed me, however, by the arm and heaved me from the ground to drop me near Atlas's feet. I looked up at him, where he raised a brow at me, then grinned.

"Get up," Rock ordered. I didn't want to follow orders like the dog he apparently though I was, but I did stand and (though this is off topic) I noticed how short I was and how little I felt.

"Rock." Duke Red had been let into Other Side by some Marduks and was walking toward Rock. "Thank you for capturing her for me again. She seemed to slip right through my fingers." Rock stood straight and saluted.

"Yes, sir." Rock . . . I had stupidly thought he had befriended me, or vice versa, and apparently he would rather kill me than disobey or show disrespect to his father. Damn it. I looked angrily at Rock then began to back up slowly and watch Red as he came forward. My pace got faster and faster until I turned and began running from Other Side back into Zone One. I heard Rock yelling 'follow her' and all sorts of other commands at his Marduks, but I figured I could go somewhere where no one could find me . . . Like the Tower.

I was nearly out of breath, panting so hard my throat was itching, but the Tower wasn't far ahead so I had to keep running . . . Though I knew they were no longer behind me. I wanted to get there, I needed to get there. I had to hide, I had to hide from them . . . From the Marduks, from Red . . . from Rock.

"Bastard," I choked out. I was barely aware that I had actually spoken it, not really meaning to. I knew that in only a few seconds I would probably be jogging, my legs weak and wobbling like jelly, my stomach churning, and my face red and hot and covered in sweat. I felt like I could die from lack of oxygen as I pushed the doors open, stumbled in, and collapsed in the middle of the large, marble hall. My legs were tingling and my knees were probably squealing in pain from the weight I had just pushed on them, my hands were balled into fists as if I had been beating on the floor, and I was choking again, trying to breath.

Then I fell forward. My cheek was plastered against the smooth marble and the heat from there and my rasp-y breathing from my open mouth were fogging up the floor. I tried to force myself up from the elbows but they gave way as well and I thumped back to the floor.

"Ouch," I whispered lamely after a few seconds. Well, I decided that if I couldn't stand up then I'd have to crawl. So I began to make my way to the stairs. Then I thought about it and turned and headed toward the elevator. I was almost there when I heard someone shouting. At first I thought it was a Marduk or someone like that so I tried as best I could to turn around and look at least a little bit intimidating, which, might I add, only got me plopping back down on my butt at the bottom of the 'up' 'down' switch beside the elevator. Then I looked around and saw above me but to my left someone leaning over the side of the railing (from the stairs) and shouting at me.

I crawled on my hands and knees so he could see me better and sat back. "Could you help me? I was sent here by Duke Red with some information. He told me to wait . . . uh, near a throne room or something like that for him to arrive there as well, but I was told to hurry and, well, now I'm all weak . . . I've fallen and I can't get up!"

I really was trying my best to look genuinely clueless and/or helpless and he seemed to be buying right in to it. He helped me and after only a short time he had me seated on what felt like a metal bench. He sat near me and I expected him to question me. I guess I figured I could weasel my way through more false explanations again, but I was surprised to see that he only leaned back against the wall with his arms folded across his chest, his eyes closed and his worker cap pulled low. It kind of reminded me of Atlas.

But that's silly. I couldn't be thinking about things like that now anyway. I had to come up with a plan, and good one, and fast. Well, first of all I had to regain some strength. I suppose I could take the light he had set down on the floor and find my way to the throne room or go and find that weapon. It had to be in the Zigguraut, right? I mean, where else was Duke Red gonna hide a weapon that was still going unnoticed? Or I could go and spy on people and try and gather more information or . . . something . . .

I disrupted my own thoughts when I yawned . . . Loudly enough to rouse the worker out of his doze. He looked at me for a minute and I looked right back, my eyes half closed. I was sleepy, it was evident in the way I was slouching against the wall. I had run all that way and was out of energy, having actually run all day earlier. I yawned again and took my coat off, bundling it up, and put in on the end of the bench. I set my head on it and prepared for a little nap.

I looked over at the worker dude who was still watching me and murmured, "Don't wake me up . . . I'l' come around when I'm ready," and decided my eyelids were too heavy to hold open so I closed my eyes and felt myself just kind of drifting off.

Author's Notes: Okay, I didn't really wanna end the chapter but I figure I should save the next part for the next chapter. Makes sense doesn't it? ^_^ Thought so. Besides . . . I yawned when I said she yawned . . . and I'm yawning now . . . So good-night . . . Or, well, after I upload.