Chapter 23: Return the Lost Boy!
The Tower of Maya was a tall building with no less than a hundred twenty-three floors, located several kilometers outside of Carona Town. It was surrounded by a dense forest that was littered with the odd clearing here and there. A concrete fence surrounded the Tower's oversized parking lot. From above, Mint could see only one entrance to the compound, and she understood better why Belle suggested that they wait for nightfall. It wasn't quite that dark yet, but it would be soon enough.
Her eyes scanned the forest area, and she pointed at the small clearing where the green Hexagon was waiting. "Drop us off there, Rod."
"There's Duke," Rod commented offhand as the dark-haired man flagged their vehicle down.
Mint was just a little surprised. "You know Duke?"
"Yup," Rod answered. "We come from the same hometown."
Easing the steering wheel, he carefully set the Pulsar Inferno Typhoon Omega into the clearing. Mint jumped off as soon as they landed, not even bothering to open the door, and a couple of seconds later (after unfastening his seat belt), Rue came down as well. "Meet us back here in a couple of hours, alright?" Mint said. With an affirmative nod, Rod tipped his hat at them and flew off.
Duke was preparing to leave too. They couldn't use the Hexagon for a sneak attack into a high-security office building anyway. As soon as he was gone with their mechavehicle, Belle walked towards the two kids. "Are you ready, guys?"
"As ready as we'll ever be," Rue answered. He noticed something sticking out of Belle's back-pocket. "Belle, is that…?"
"…Klaus's device that contains Prima's genetic code, yes." She finished the sentence for him. "It's finally completed. Come on," Belle led their way through the foliage.
"So, how are we going to get in?" Rue wanted to know.
Mint spoke up. "I say we bust in through the front door, threaten them with really big cannons, and demand that they give us back Prima and an additional three hundred million zenny or we're going to blow their precious tower into a billion zillion smithereens!" Rue looked at her like she was crazy. "Just kidding."
"A fire exit?" Rue ventured to guess. "Or a hidden passageway? I know that some of the underground tunnels lead to this area."
Belle smiled at him. "You're absolutely right—some of the tunnels run directly underneath the tower. They chose this location because of that, and because of its close proximity to the lake ruins. But Mint's method is actually closer to what we're going to do."
Rue stopped short. Only then did he realize that Belle wasn't leading them towards the Tower of Maya, but rather, she had led them to the largest of the lakeside ruins. In the dim light of dusk, Rue could see a man sitting down against a toppled-over pillar, patiently waiting.
"You're late."
Belle huffed. "It's not my fault you decided to go dramatic on them last night." The man stood, and he wasn't alone. Trap Master and Psycho Master were with him, the former carrying a video cam and the latter holding what appeared to be some sort of remote or signaling device. Psycho Master was also carrying an unconscious Prima in one arm.
"[Expletive]!!" Mint involuntarily took half a step backwards. "I knew she couldn't be trusted!" It's just one battle after another isn't it? Rue's expression said it all.
A laugh was heard from the shadows of the nearby trees. "She couldn't be trusted? Or perhaps you're referring to yourself?"
Mint suddenly grabbed Rue's arm, her eyes darting towards the sound. She whispered warningly, "I know that voice."
"You should," Maya told her. "We are family, after all. Tsk, tsk, tsk," she shook her head somberly. "You haven't changed. You're still as irresponsible as ever. You've been gallivanting through these ruins without a care in the world, when it is our family's sworn duty to see to their protection and preservation…" she sighed deeply. "I bet you never even knew that."
"So, the tomboy here's really a princess, huh? A true scion of East Heaven, kingdom of the sorcerer-mages… but I'm not impressed." Belle said, stepping forward. She pulled out Klaus's genetic-mimicry device and threw it towards Maya. "Here, just like we agreed upon."
"Not all of it yet, but I thank you," Maya nodded. "Doll Master, I trust you can handle things on your end." A fireball shot towards her suddenly, but Maya sensed it coming and sidestepped. She turned to Mint, pulling out the Cosmo-Penalty. "You really will never learn."
"We'll see about that!" Mint raised her rings as she prepared another spell. She would've cast an ice bolt this time, but Maya pulled the trigger first.
Mint ran away screaming. Maya gestured for her guards. The younger princess disappeared back into the shadows, presumably to return to the Tower, and leaving Ruecian and his Masters to finish the job.
Rue made to run after Mint, but Belle placed one hand on his arm. "Your business is here."
"Belle…" he frowned as he turned towards her, still not fully believing what was happening. "Why are you doing this?"
Belle shook her head. "Maybe someday you'll understand. Maybe then you'll forgive me." Without warning, she grabbed his arm that held the Arc Edge and twisted it behind his back, the weapon dropping uselessly upon the ground. Rue didn't resist her even as she slapped electronic handcuffs on him. "Valen is still biding his time. It's not you they're after now."
"What, then?" he whispered back.
"All they want is a demonstration of your abilities. They agreed to release Prima afterwards." She lowered her voice suddenly. "I hope you live to realize that he isn't the real enemy, but is stuck in the turning cogs of fate just as helplessly as you are. She's not in the Tower of Maya, Rue." Belle straightened, raising her voice again. "Ruecian will explain it better to you." She inclined her head towards the older man.
"It's simple, really. All you have to do is to defeat my minions." Ruecian vaguely waved his hand, and several critters of the type Rue had never seen before appeared before him. They were chest-high and spider-like, and they hovered like Aero-Scooters. Unsurprisingly, Rue could recognize them as mechanical now. Not only that, but as if by instinct, he knew what they were and how they worked, down to the very last microchip. And he knew that they would obey Ruecian's telepathic commands to the very best of their limited AI capabilities.
So that's it. It all boils down to whose will is stronger. Gritting his teeth, Rue mentally prepared himself for the battle to come.
There were no tricks this time, no unexpected attacks. He couldn't sense Ruecian's instructions to the creatures, but he could second-guess their movements, and it was a simple matter of jumping and sidestepping to avoid the claws and slashing appendages.
It was something that he hadn't done in eight years. Although he vaguely remembered the drills and the training, he had done it so often before that it was practically second-nature to him. He responded subconsciously, and he didn't even need to think as he evaded the creatures' attacks.
He was a child, and he didn't know how old he was. Ruecian took him to the training room. The door closed, and he was left in total darkness. Cold, it was very cold, and he was freezing. "When the body is numb, that's when you can focus on the mind. Sight and Sound are your primary senses, but they won't help you now. Feel with your thoughts, sense with your mind!"
"Sense with your mind. Reach with your mind. Learn to control them!" He had learned, and he had survived. The handcuffs fell off from his wrists, releasing him.
Rue dashed sideways and grabbed the handle of the Arc Edge, evading the creatures all the while. Trap Master recorded it all on disc, of course.
The man held the Arc Edge before him. His hands were still too small to hold the weapon properly, and he could barely even lift it. But the man had laughed and pressed him to use it anyway. "You'll learn eventually. It's all in the wrist. Practice, practice, practice." He couldn't even remember the man's name or what he looked like.
He destroyed one, two, five of the creatures before he realized that it wasn't working. There were too many of them. He had no choice but to try and wrest their control from Ruecian. He lowered his weapon, concentrating.
"He has the potential," Valen said. "I have high hopes for this one." They watched him from behind the safety of transparisteel glass as Rue battled the mechanical creatures, weaponless and alone, all in the name of training.
As one, the creatures turned on Ruecian. Psycho Master switched on the remote and it emitted a jamming signal to disable the creatures. It was meant as a last resort only if things go wrong for the Masters. The creatures stopped dead in their tracks.
Ruecian was running towards the lake in retreat. Rue chased after him.
It was midnight. The door to his room had opened suddenly, without reason. Rue stepped out, hesitant, knowing he would be punished if he was caught. But the corridors were empty. He picked up his sword and walked up ten flights of stairs to ground level. The parking lot was empty and the lights were all turned off. He didn't see a single soul. He took his chance to run away.
Ruecian didn't go farther than the water. He turned, brandishing his weapon. The metal glove and the Arc Edge clashed, and the sound of metal hitting metal echoed across the lakeside.
Ruecian caught him past the gates. He had no choice but to fight. And the next thing he knew, he was in the hospital with Claire.
The creatures were moving again. Too late did Rue realize that the jamming signal had disappeared. Caught between several enemies, he froze. It was enough. Ruecian kicked him, and he fell down.
Ruecian jumped onto a creature and used it to fly up. "Come on, Rue," he taunted. "Surely you can do better than that."
"I'm sure everything will be alright, Rue. You should never give up hope. Never, ever give up." Claire would always smile whenever she would say that. But her smile was always sad.
Rue jumped onto a creature as well. Ruecian smirked. He knew that the boy couldn't control the other creatures and maneuver the one he was standing on at the same time. If they fought like that in the air, Rue would definitely lose. Rue knew it too, but he didn't see any choice except to fight on. He couldn't even get close to Ruecian as he bashed almost helplessly at the other creatures that Ruecian was once again controlling.
Ruecian struck him from behind. Rue fell, barely managing to keep his balance as they hovered high above the water.
Claire. If I get defeated here, I won't be able to save Claire.
He tightened his grip on the Arc Edge. He was starting to tire, mentally and physically. He gritted his teeth, determined to fight until the last.
Claire had the prettiest brown eyes. In the sunset, sometimes they look red and almost exotic… But I don't remember her having red eyes.
"What the [expletive] do you think you're doing?!!"
A flame shard zipped so close to Ruecian's cheek that it left behind a red welt. They both turned to see Mint at the lakeside, her clothes muddy, her hair and face splotched with dirt. Somehow she had managed to neutralize whatever Maya had thrown at her earlier. The dual rings impossibly twirled across her arm without touching it as she used her magic. Prima was with her, his small hand clutching her belt, and he watched the aerial battle with child-like wonder. There was no sign anywhere of the other Masters—Mint must've defeated them already.
Ruecian cursed loudly. He sent what remained of the creatures towards Mint and Prima, planning to handle Rue by himself. Mint met the creatures head on, and one by one she managed to destroy them. When she had no strength left to cast magic, she struck them with her rings. As the last creature was destroyed, she fell on her knees, finally spent, and Prima had to support her.
The sight of his friends in danger snapped Rue out of a slight daze. With one last effort of will, he jumped. He grabbed Ruecian by the arm and bodily threw him down towards the lakeside. Ruecian hit the ground solidly, but he managed to stand up at once. Rue hovered down and landed, readying his weapon after using it to disable his erstwhile vehicle.
The squeal of fusion-propulsion engines made everything suddenly stop short. A sleek, black mechavehicle was upon them. They all watched wordlessly as it landed. The ventral hatch opened, and a man in a floating wheelchair came down to meet them. He was old and wizened, and although he could no longer move his body from the chest down, his demeanor was regal. There could be no doubt as to his identity.
"Master, you're here," Ruecian immediately got down on one knee, his surprise evident.
"I wanted to see him for myself," Valen said. He turned to the younger white-haired boy. "You have exceeded all of my expectations, Rue."
When Mint recognized him, she screamed. "You!! You're the black man of my mother's dreams! She died because of you!" Rage blinded her like she had never experienced before. Without thinking, she jumped him, her bare hands aiming for the exposed neck. But Valen wasn't so helpless as to be defeated by such a reckless attack. As soon as she came within striking distance, Mint's head struck an invisible force field, the collision and her own momentum sending her sprawling backwards onto the ground. Quickly she stood and prepared to attack again, ignoring the blood that trickled down her face.
Rue grabbed her from behind, his hands circling her waist and pinning her arms to her sides. "LET ME GO!!" She thrashed wildly, but he held her fast. After some time she calmed down, and her entire body shuddered in vexation. Rue felt her slacken. Still holding her tightly, he helped her to sit on the ground.
"Very good, Rue." Valen told him approvingly. "It's only right that you should protect your father."
When Rue replied, his tone was soft and oddly cold. "I did it for her sake, not yours."
"Do you think I care what your reasons are?" It was a rhetorical question, but there was something in Valen's tone as he said it. "But I'm not that heartless. Merry Christmas, my son. Take your friends and get out of here." He turned and floated back into the ship.
"This isn't over," Ruecian whispered. He followed Valen into the ship, and the doors closed behind him soundlessly. The ship then soared up into the darkened sky and headed back towards the Tower of Maya from where it came. Rue let go of the girl and stood up, and his eyes followed the black mechavehicle as it faded into the distance. With a sigh, he turned once more to his companion.
She was staring at him, and several expressions seemed to pass over her face all at once. Her eyes narrowed, blurry with unshed tears. Softly and accusingly she whispered, "You're Valen's son?"
Rue could only gaze back at her. "I don't know," he answered truthfully. Mint shook her head and wiped frustratedly at her eyes.
She walked over to Prima and bodily picked him up. "Let's go, Prima. Rod should be waiting for us by now." She forced a smile at the child. "Tonight's Christmas Eve, isn't it? We can all of us have a fancy dinner at Mel's, and I'm sure Mira and Elena will have everything ready when we get there. It's going to be so much fun! Don't you think so?" In answer, Prima hugged her tightly about the neck and snuggled into her arms. Carrying the boy, she walked across the empty ruins without once looking back. Rue picked up their fallen weapons and followed the two silently.
Author's Notes
13 March 2003. Recently, it has been brought to my attention that hoverboards *do* exist. Thanks to national inspirer for pointing this out. Very well, I do not, legally or otherwise, have any connections to the existing hoverboards that can be bought for US$8,000.00 and only hover 4 inches off the ground. The Real Adventures of Johnny Quest I believe also features hoverboards (although I'm not sure if they called them hoverboards)—that's where I got the idea, but I expounded/modified the concept for my Yv23 series (which, as of the moment, is still an unpublished graphic novel). Floating skateboards also appear in Back to the Future 2 and its animated series, but I don't know how that relates to hoverboards. Kit from Disney's Tale Spin has a cloud surfer. The Yv23 hoverboard technology that appears in this fic is based on the fictional LLCU concept, which is NOT what the real hoverboards work upon. Although mentioned several times, no hoverboards will actually appear in CARONA HIGH, so please don't sue me.
Transparisteel is from a Star Wars novel.
Thanks again to TRUEHAWK for pointing out the Psycho Master battle. There's no special trick attached to that—the Aeon Shard itself will not allow its bearer to get hurt if it can do anything about it, and this function is subconscious. I just don't know how to explain it in the story without adding extra scenes that, considering how long this is already, are probably better left out.
A very special thank you to The Shadow Trio and the Crew of Light. It gladdens my heart to know that there are those who miss me when I don't update. Your support really means a lot to this struggling story-weaver. ^_^.
How much longer, *deep frustrated sigh* you ask? Oh, it's not that much more. We've already gone so far—don't give up on the story now! I'd say we're already in the final third of the series. Okay, so it's Long with a capital L. And since it follows the game story, you guys shouldn't get surprised at anything I throw in. Believe it or not, Ryan, your being psychic is no accident—it means you paid attention to the details and managed to put them together correctly. ^_~. I am not yet telling outright who Belle's sister is if you haven't figured it out, since it's somewhat obvious already, anyway.
In all honesty, I'm starting to get bored with this story (obviously some of the former readers share these sentiments)… I'm running out of ideas… I'm running out of motivation… I'm running out of words and scenes that I haven't used already… and I friggin' want to just give up and let go… but maybe it's just a phase we all go through. Besides, I can't just leave it hanging like this, now can I? Actually I could, but I won't. Only twelve chapters left to go! HWAHAHAHAhahahakhakcough!!
Need I ask this: Please RnR? "Hi! I'm still reading this so I thought I'd just let you know." Reviews *do* help wannabe authors to write better. Sometimes, anyway. ^_^.
Deleted Paragraphs
Stuff that really don't fit anywhere, just put here for posterity's sake. The delete key is sometimes an author's best friend, while other times it's just one's worst enemy. Thank heavens for Auto-Recover.
"That's enough," Belle said, looking straight into Doll Master's eyes. "Call your minions off, Ruecian. That's enough of a demonstration." She then turned towards Maya. "Leave her, your highness. She's still your sister."
There was something in the other woman's eyes that made the younger princess stop dead in her tracks. Maya's eyes narrowed involuntarily, but reluctantly she lowered the weapon down. To her guards she commanded, "Let's go." She and the others turned to leave, and Belle and Duke followed them. Doll Master took one long look at Rue before he too turned away.