First of all, I wanna thank Chappu for reviewing this. Thanks for the praise, and better yet, thanks for the review! I hope to ya'll occupied with the strange little stories I create. But here's just one of 'em. So we've all met Jet Enduro (By the way, he can be playable in Wild Arms 3), a quiet, strange young man with the urge for the spheres. He created some mischief while sneaking on board their ship, but I will reveal how he was capable of doing that. But that's not important. What is is that this is the next chapter!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Chapter # 1:A New Beginning
Jet rattled the shackles for the next half-hour before Paine told him to shut up. He had no idea where they were going or where they were taking him. His adjure to escape just grew larger and larger as time passed. Their sophisticated technology amazed him and made him wonder how there could be such machines. He knew from their air-ship that they were Al Bhed. Sphere hunters, I might add. He did his best to stand up and it seemed more like kneeling. He pulled harder and harder on the shackles but it was no use. They had been made with some impulsive metal or iron. He pulled again and the shackles pushed on his wrists; turning them bright red. He sighed in frustration and went back to rattling. He shook them violently when the door opened again.
"I thought I told you to quit it?!" Paine shouted at him.
"Well it's kinda hard when you want to get outta here!" Jet shot back, just as vociferously. Paine sighed and shut the door again, leaving him in the filmy engine room with the engine's beating in his ears. It was rather sweltering as well. The steam that burst up from the opening and closing engines felt like the sun. He struggled to pull off his scarf and sat it next to him in a heap. The behemothic air-ship gave an ample moan and landed on some sort of surface. Couldn't be land though. The ship jiggled a little bit after they landed, could they be on water? That was his first guess. The door opened one last time and Buddy came down with a pair of keys, he was swinging around his fingers.
"So sunshine, how was your night?" he laughed. Jet didn't answer and waited patiently for him to release him from the pipes. Behind him stood Paine, obviously protecting his hide. "C'mon, we're goin' to Luca. You're favorite place in the world, right?" he forced another laugh and led him to the elevator, with Paine walking right next to him. The elevator chugged and the sliding doors opened. Paine stepped in first with her sword at her side, Buddy pushed Jet in and punched one of the buttons. They shot upward a few floors and stopped. The sliding doors made an oily squeak when they stopped on the bridge. One of the hatch doors were open and a sunny light and cool breeze filled the room. "You'll be gettin' a big surprise today."
"I can hardly wait." Jet muttered under his breath. They went out into the large city of Luca. Many people rushed about the streets, some heading for the stadium and some for the docks. Paine leaned on her sword as she stared around at the people gathering at the stadium. Blitzball season hadn't started yet, so what could they be doing? The others weren't with them, if they were going to the stadium, chances are they were already in the giant globe. The three entered the stadium with no rush. People stepped out of the way and bowed to Paine and Buddy, gracefully. The stage was the only substance that was lit, everything else was next to pitch black. In the air, the screeching noise of an electric guitar player, strimmed on the strings of the instrument with the greatest of ease. Two more guitarists shot into the air on hover-board like vehicles they stood on. Below the stage was some sort of statue with four faces on it. It was a golden-yellow and had eight arms. The faces were admired by the fans in the stadium, each face with a different facial expression. The hands started to bang on large drums with the drumsticks they had in their hands. Lights shot into the air, each one reflecting it's beam on to the stage. Two attractive young women were in the air, in a cage or some platform and were lowered to the blue platform which was the stage. Yuna was one of them, the other was a woman dressed in the same blue and black outfit with longer hair and a microphone. A voice echoed over a loud speaker.
"Ladies and gentlemen! Let's give it up for YUNA AND LENNE!" the male voice shouted. There was a roaring shout of people cheering at the women setting foot on the stage. With the microphone in hand, the two started to sing. Jet, Paine and Buddy stood in the entrance, having a perfect view of the women from where they were stationed. The claps, whistles and cheers died down in their singing process. Their voices was beautiful and enchanting. Jet was busy hatching a plan to escape the shackles' grasp. Although he had no gun but they didn't take his boomerang. He reached with both hands to his belt and took out the sharp-ended death weapon and began to saw at the chains. After about ten minutes he got one of the shackles off and already starting on the other. Yuna and Lenne had started their fourth song called "Forgotten Memories". The title seemed weird but it actually turned out soothing. A clack, snap and crack and he was free. It took buddy moments to figure it, he and Paine chased after him up and down the bleachers. Many people gasped at their rudeness and many recognized Jet as the convict.
"Jet! Get back here!" Buddy shouted. Jet gave him a taunting salute and jumped over heads and seats in the stadium. Paine stopped Buddy with the end of her sword.
"Don't worry, I'll get him." she said. She reached for her belt and took out another small radio. "Rikku, he's heading your way. I'll tail 'em." she said hoarsely.
"Roger." Rikku's replied.
The blonde-headed girl was stationed next to an old man with her daggers in hand. She saw the young outlaw pace for the exit. "Boy you are goin' down." she said with a sly grin upon her face. She took a different route instead of just taking him head on. She eyed Paine going for him from behind as well. Rikku ran up some stairs, bumping into anyone in her path. She knocked a few people over and smiled back with a "sorry" and continued after Jet. Soon, she was right above him. Running on a bridge that was structured across the glimmering stage, Paine's asperity seemed to be building up as she paced faster and faster toward him. She climbed on to one of the rails and jumped. She toppled on to him and they both fell backwards, her head on his chest and her knees in between his legs. She struggled to pull him up and pushed him against the wall. Paine came running with her skull-crested sword in hand.
"Nice work, Rikku. And this time we didn't have to beat up anyone else." Paine smiled. Rikku nodded and glanced at Buddy with the shackles in his hand. He panted heavily as the two held him against the wall. He held up the shackles, still catching his breath.
"He sawed through them! We forgot to take his boomerang!" he complained. Paine took the small curved sculpture from the back of his belt and handed it over to Buddy. Rikku grabbed another pair of cuffs from the pouch on her dress and folded them around Jet's wrists.
"Fabulous." he said sarcastically. Rikku smiled proudly and flipped her daggers around her fingers slyly. Paine rolled her eyes and pushed him forward the exit.
"Not so lucky now, huh?" Paine said plainly. Jet kept his mouth shut, knowing and have seen what Paine could and probably would do to him. She pushed him into a chair and sat in another across from him, outside the stadium. Buddy and Rikku waved goodbye and went back in to watch Yuna and Lenne. "You're the jerk who broke outta that Hakmura prison, right?" Jet nodded. "Funny. You're the first person to ever break out."
"Yeah. I know. Too bad I'm not the last." Jet said slyly. Paine stood up.
"What?!" she said in disbelief.
"Every good outlaw leaves his or her mark when they escape prison. And I did what every good outlaw does, soon some of the most dangerous criminals will be running all over. And the best part is, you have the worst one." a sly grin grew on his face. Paine sat back down with her sword over her lap. Jet cupped his hands together and sat quietly listening to the music and the duo's songs. Paine stared into his cold eyes for what seemed to be forever. Her had ran along the sword's tip and open the leather glove she had. It opened her skin and all he could see was a ethereal stream of blood running down her palm. She paid it no mind and blinked.
The concert was over shortly after his capture and the Gullwings came out of the pitch black stadium with laughs and smiles on their faces. Buddy was speaking to Brother in Al Bhed, something about the Celcius repairs. Jet also spoke the language of Al Bhed. One of the ways to get around for the things he wanted, but his fear of one day he'll be captured again and brought back to the planet from which he escaped. The calling voices that penetrated his mind inside the walls and the things he saw that happened to the sick people who went in there and never came out. But his dark deeds weren't even close to completion.
They reentered the Celcius without closing the hatch door. They were taking a break it looked like and were going to spend the day enjoying themselves. Yuna seemed happy, but something was wrong. That man in the picture he spared of Rikku, he seemed so familiar. As if he had stood right next to him from time to time, watching over him. He couldn't let the thoughts get to him, helping someone would be the last thing he would do. Besides falling in love. The boy sighed as he was pushed into the seat by Shinra's desk. Paine narrowed her eyes at him and went to the sliding elevator doors. Yuna's face was red and she looked sweaty, she took the elevator too and he was left staring around at the faces of Buddy, Brother, Rikku and the boy in the mask, Shinra. He rattled the chains once again and was left with a quick temper and a flushed face.
''Frah dra ramm ys E kuhhy kad uiddy rana?!" Jet shouted. Everyone looked at him strangely. Rikku walked in front of him.
"Al Bhed are you?" she said playfully. Jet's cheeks turned a deep red.
"No, I just picked a little up on my travels! Now lemme go!" he spased. Rikku just giggled some more and left the bridge.
"She's all for ya, mate. Better act fast." he laughed.
"What the hell's that supposed to mean?! Let me go, or I'll do it myself!" the boy complained. Brother forced a laugh.
"You do that." Buddy said with the same taunting salute Jet gave him earlier. "We'll be waiting." Jet's face just turned a deeper red, he raised his hands and tried to force them apart from the strong metal. The force was futile as well as trying to force it apart. He pissed and moaned in frustration at the punishment they've given to him. Though he may deserve it, he felt like he was a prisoner again. They were taking him back to the authorities again and there wasn't anything he could do about it. Or that's what he thought, they might just kill him and throw him overboard and let his corpse rot in the sea. Nah, not even he would do that. And someone of Rikku's character or Yuna's wouldn't even think of something that gruesome. About another hour, Buddy came back with Rikku, Yuna, Paine and Brother. Shinra was no where on the bridge. But he was said to be a whiz and studied often. He might be helping out in the engine room fixing something.
"So Jet, what was on that sphere that was so important?" Rikku said sitting next to him.
"Why don't you figure it out? It's not that hard. Just watch the damn thing and maybe you'll see!" Rikku frowned at him.
"What's your problem?" she said sadly.
"Me? You guys are the one's keeping me hostage. So I think it's you who has the problem." he said slyly. He kicked his feet on to the desk and leaned back, he put his cuffed hands behind his head for support. "Then again most psychos do that." Rikku grew red and pushed him out of the chair.
"We're not psychos, you jerk!" she shouted. She slapped him in the face and a popping noise came right after it. A large red mark was the aftereffect, she raised her hand for another attack when he caught her smooth hand and set it down gently. He sighed and sat back in the chair again, ignoring her other complaints. Rikku sat down on the nose of her piloting position and wrapped her arms around her legs, muttering something about Jet. Buddy shook his head and went to his terminal. Brother smacked Jet on the back of the head and leaned against the head of the ship. Jet paid him no mind and tried to nap, but noises were heard about underneath them. If his wonders were correct, Shinra was playing with his gadgets below them in the engine room. He spread his legs out and reach for some papers on the desk. The crew profiles, forthcoming inventions, upgraded weapons and one of the sphere locations. He took out some of the crew profiles and examined them. The three ladies. Rikku was the youngest of the three and looked to be the most attractive. (In his opinion of course.) He looked at the crew to see if they were watching. No eyes were traveling upon his lone, cold body. He read the profiles carefully and then went on to the "forthcoming inventions". Shinra had been quite the scientist. The small cameras he had developed and the tiny radios the women had, and the weapons were even better. A gun that had the ability to melt through solid stone or any other substance with the exception of water.
"Oh cool." he muttered as he flipped through the rest. Then at last, he looked over the sphere location sheet and stared into a small map. His eyes grew colder as he looked deeper into the bold words. They read "Aregon Tower". His eyes got wider and wider, "Aregon Tower". He folded the piece of paper and stuck it in his pocket as he heard footsteps that patted the floor behind him. Shinra had came up with a large hunk of wires in hand. He walked over to Buddy with the multi-colored wires.
"The rods are shot and the heater ain't gonna work for some time. We'll need to go into town to find another set of rods and a new generator." he said through a clouded voice. "And it looks like we're missin' the turbine engine. Can we go into town? We really need some repairs done on this "Enormous Pile of misplaced objects"." he said dead on. He walked back to the elevator without the reply of his comrade and took it to the engine room once again. Jet walked up to Buddy with his hands raised and a desperate look on his face.
"What do you want?" he said as if he didn't already know the answer. Jet grunted.
"I want you take them off, numbskull. Or will I have to make you fork over the keys?!" he threatened.
"Boy, threatening me won't get you anywhere. But maybe if you're willing to be tossed over to the guard, then I'll let you go. Or perhaps you'd like to cut the Wings a deal?" he said with a grin forming upon his face. Jet's desperate look dropped and produced a worried one.
"What kind of deal?" he asked daintly. Rikku listened to their "conversation", trying her best to keep out of their acknowledge.
"Well it's simple really. Even someone of your mind could find this easy. All you have to do is shake or nod your head. You help us Gulls with sphere hunting for awhile and we hide you from the guard. Whaddya say? It'll be fun! The infamous Enduro teaming up with the Gullwings! Others won't stand a chance! I mean, you are a sphere hunter, right?" he said vigorously. Jet nodded at the young man and held up his hands again. Buddy sighed and took out a rusty set of keys. He unlocked him and the shackles fell to the floor. Rikku stared at Buddy with a frown on her face. Jet sat down at Shinra's desk, wiggling his hands and getting the feel of free hands back in his bones again.
She jumped from her station and grabbed Buddy by the collar. "You have no idea what you've just done, do you?" she said quietly. Buddy removed her from his chest and calmed her down.
"Don't worry, he's cut us a deal. And when we're out on the streets he'll be on chains again." he said calmly. Rikku sighed in relief.
"Hear that, Jet? When we get off the ship, you'll be in those metal mittens again!" she laughed. Buddy shook his head at her back and sat back down. Shinra had come back without the multi-colored wires this time and instead with a toolbox and a pair of pliers in hand. Paine and Yuna came on to the bridge, Yuna with a smile forming on her lips and Paine with her arms crossed and her gothic grin like always. Rikku folded the shackles over Jet's wrists again and put a wire around the links. She grabbed hold of the wire and tied it around her wrist durably. She yanked at it and he was forced out of the chair, to her side.
"Everyone ready?" Buddy asked, turning to his comrades. There was no reply but he expected them all to be. Everyone stepped out of the crimson giant and on to the sunny streets by the harbor. Rikku tugged at Jet's chains to annoy him like he did her for no good reason. She laughed about it once in awhile but just did it for revenge. Buddy, Shinra and Brother went into a station with large letters above it called "Vehicle Repair". Buddy banged on the counter top and a large man with stains all over his shirt and a oily rag in his hand came out of one of the backrooms.
"Yeah?" he said annoyed. Buddy looked nervous staring at the man. He had tattoos all the way up his arms to his neck, a soul patch on his chin and was bald with the exception of a green mohawk.
Buddy swallowed and opened his mouth, "Yeah, um our ship. It's kinda' outta shape and it's got a few mechanical problems. Do you think you could take a look? It's docked on the harbor and we really think t-that it needs to be looked a-at." he said sweating. The large man stared at him for a few seconds.
"Yeah, I'll check it out when I'm done with all of the other junk I got." Buddy forced a small smile on his hot face.
"O-okay. How l-long do you think that'll be?" he asked, trying to stay calm. The man didn't answer and stepped into the back room again with the door slamming behind him. Buddy swallowed again and they exited the station.
"Man, what a weirdo." Rikku said shivering. Jet pulled back on the wire making her fall back. She pulled back and the next thing they knew, they were having a tug of war match. Yuna giggled and thought of it as "cute" while Paine looked at it the way she would look at fairy tale creatures. In disgust. Rikku pulled one last time and he toppled over on to the cement.
"You're lucky I'm in chains, otherwise you wouldn't be here right now." he said sharply. Rikku just smiled playfully and tugged at the wire again, yanking him off of the adamantine ground. He stood up and brushed the dust and dirt off of his front and continued with Rikku as his guideline. Shinra, Buddy and Brother walked into another mechanical engineering shop leaving the girls with....Jet. "Oh great, now I'm stuck with Goldie Locks and the two bears." Jet complained. Rikku slapped his head in a playful manner, getting him to shut up.
"I say we gag him and throw him into the water." Paine smiled. She cracked her knuckles and then wiggled her fingers.
"Buddy said we have to baby-sit him. Jerk. Never gives us time alone." Rikku said, yanking on the wire once again. Jet groaned at her remarks and temper.
"I have an idea, why just not let me go? It'll be easier for you and me!" Jet suggested with hope in his voice. Rikku shook her head in disappointment.
"To let you hurt more people?! No way. Either you're very stupid, or we're just uncomfortable with your jokes and such. What makes you t-" she started, Jet cut her off with a pointed finger.
"Hey I never killed anybody. It's when I kill somebody and that somebody will be-"
"Shut up, Jet. If you want out of this situation, you're gonna have to work your way out like the rest of us." Yuna said folding her arms. "If you don't want us to hold you back for any reason, just say and we'll gladly give you to the "wonderful" guard. And then you'll be right back where you started." Jet clenched his teeth and then rocked them back and forth.
"Fine have it your way." and with that, there wasn't another word out of him. The girls went toward the cafe`, Rikku had a struggled to get to the entrance by forcing Jet to do so. It was quiet and peaceful with cheerful people admiring their lively approach. Many of the men stared at them with cheers and whistling to compliment their figure. Yuna and Rikku blushed, Paine just sighed and sat down at one of the stools. Yuna and Rikku made their way through the crowded townies and sat at the stools next to her. Jet sat to Rikku's side with the chains rubbing against his pale skin.
"So, where to?" Rikku said excited.
"Wherever you want it to be." Paine said, a man came by with a cherry colored drink with a small slice of lemon on the glass.
"On the house." he said plainly and went off to feed the other customers' want.
"How about we go water-skiing?!" Rikku said, filled with joy like a child off to a themepark. Paine shook her head without looking at her. Rikku's rapture suddenly dropped and she popped another idea into her head. "Swimming? Scuba-diving? How about volleyball?"
"No way I'll be seen in a bikini." Paine said with her eyes closed and her legs kicked on to the counter. Rikku rested her chin in one hand for some time to think. Jet sat on the stool banging his head on the counter. He moaned as he sat up.
"Man, spending the day with a bunch of women is beyond me. Can't you people just pick something?! I wanna get on with my life." Jet shot quickly. His temper was quick and it was building up very quickly. The boy's cold eyes fixed on to Rikku's as she turned around, ready to pounce at his prey and make an escape.
"Will you ever keep quiet? I'm tryin' to think here." she said, tugging on the wire again. But he made no motion, just the muscles holding the wire back. She tugged again, rested her left leg on her right knee and pouted. Yuna stood up and headed down a small hallway that led to the restrooms. Paine dropped her feet and leaned on the wall; waiting for Yuna to emerge from the hallway so they could leave. "I got it! How 'bout we go to the sphere theater?" she asked hopefully. Paine smirked. Yuna emerged a few minutes later. "We're going to the sphere theater!"
Yuna smiled at the thought and said nothing. Rikku and Jet in front, Jet trying to keep up with the running Rikku and Yuna and Paine behind them talking about something. Whatever it was, it wasn't any of his business though. He couldn't help but wonder about the picture he saw in Rikku's room that night. The strangest thing.....
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Somewhere in Luca.......
"So, I hear you've found the Destiny-sphere. How much you want?" a one eyed man said. He spoke to a shadowed man in a desk with two other men at his sides. Both in black suits and sunglasses on. They narrowed their eyes at the cocky young man.
"Not for sale. Besides, you don't want it." he said. His voice was deep and raspy. A man of maybe fifty or sixty at the most. "Bad things are on this. Some people go insane just thinking about it. That's why it doesn't belong with the likes of you. Case closed, find someone else that's willing to sell. Because I ain't sellin'." he thumped a black sphere on to his desk. "Get lost or get tossed."
"Yeah, sorry to bother you old man. But it's kind of a shame. You know, I really wanted to know what was on there. You see I'm kind of, a rebel. The twisted emperor we're guarded by isn't playin' fair. So if it's something to blackmail him by in that, I get the point. Whatever it is, it's none of my business right? So I guess I'll just be goin' then, right?" he said, almost as if he were enjoying their conversation. The man didn't seem to be the easiest to trust, but what he was saying could've been true.
"I said get lo- hey! Get back here!" he shouted. The young man snatched the globe from his desk and ran out a door with a dirty window sill. "After him!" the man pointed to the door. The two men charged after the other with guns raised. The one-eyed teen made his way through a small abandoned building with the black sphere in hand. He ran across upturned desks with the greatest of ease, but sadly. He turned into a room with a dead end in his path. A cracked window and a, probably, empty fire extinguisher at it's base. He picked it up and threw it at the window, to his theory it crashed through perfectly and exploded on the street below. He jumped out just as guns started to blaze. He fell about two stories and landed in a garbage dumpster near the building. He fell in deep and disguised himself to avoid attention of the men in black. Some grime just left a little bit of space by his left eye so he could see. They were peering out of the window with their guns pointing down. They nodded to each other and went back in.
"Heh, suckers." he muttered as he jumped out of the old bin and brushed the grime off. He was in a dimly lit alley with the sun, barely shining in on him. He walked out of it and bumped into Rikku, Yuna, Paine and Jet. "Well hi! Didn't expect to see you here! How ya been?" he asked them. he put an arm on Rikku's shoulder and gave her a nugie. "Hey Cid's girl! Finally started lookin' for a man, eh?" he joked as he saw Jet. Rikku shook her head.
"Gippal!" she had excitement in her voice as usual. "I was wondering when I'd get another chance to see you. This is Jet. He's an outlaw that I have to baby sit 'cause he cut some deal with Buddy. And plus, he's the badguy. And we don't even like each other." she said punching him in the shoulder.
"Damn straight." Jet said rolling his eyes. Gippal hid the small ball behind him as Jet laid his eyes upon it. He stared at Jet until he glanced back up at him.
"Outlaw, huh? What are ya in for? Nah, don't blame ya. Gotta keep the women away somehow, right? But I see Rikku has seen to that." he cracked another joke. "But in all of seriousness, what happened to ya?"
"I prefer to keep that classified. Ask me when I feel like talking. But right now, it's just one step closer for you to lose another eye." he shot smartly. Gippal rolled his eyes and went back to the women.
"Anyway, I guess I gotta run. The machine faction needs more people to run at night and I'm booked for three machines. Sorry, wish I could talk more!" he ran off. Rikku sighed and continued walking, not as jolly as she had before but still excited about where they would be in a few minutes.
They reached the theater in minutes and entered the brightly lit lobby. Many people sat in lobby chairs or were at the counter, paying for their tickets. And some even buying refreshments and snacks. Jet was still miserable and his captor was his exact opposite. Feisty and happy she was and rarely seen sad or angry, at least in his point of view. She, with Jet right behind her, rushed to the ticket stand with a dozen small coins in her hands and slammed them on the counter. "Four please." she said in excitement. The clerk handed her four pieces of paper. She handed each one of them out to her fellow comrades and they entered an enormous, dark room with small lights that were dimly lit on the ceiling. "Cool. Haven't been to one of these in a long time!" she squeaked, trying to keep her voice down. She pushed Yuna and Paine up the stairs excitedly and dragged Jet behind her. He swung into a seat to her right and sat quietly waiting for the movie to start, Rikku, Paine and Yuna chatted quietly while the lights grew dimmer and and dimmer by the second. Finally the lights were turned off and the screen lit up, it showed three young men standing with weapons in their hands.
"Man, it's cheesy already." Jet muttered, kicking his legs on to the chair in front of him. The weapons were guns which roared with the click of the trigger. Several men around them fell and they walked around the bodies. Jet rested his chin in the palm of his hand while his eyelids grew heavier by the moment. When his eyelids reached each other, he fell into a deep, dark sleep.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The dream that he was projecting in his mind was dark. He and a comrade were running up stairs in a tall tower with guns in hand. A door was chained across, over and under the cracks where a feverish light glimmered through. He kicked at the door several times and it did not open. "This way!" his comrade panted as they turned into a hallway next to the door. They found themselves running up another set of stairs, which seemed like they'd never end. Another door was at the top, slightly open. He pulled open the door and ran inside, behind the door was several whimpers from a person. The cries of a little girl. She was kneeling by her bed with her hands closed around each other, she seemed to be praying. The bed was a hot pink and the sheets were pulled back to the ends. Tears dropped on to the bed making it a darker pink and a damp little river. His partner put a hand on the girl's shoulder.
"Is she the one?" Jet said putting his gun to the floor. "She is isn't she? Yes?" he walked toward the girl and the man.
"Jet, have you ever felt betrayed? Like when a friend stabs you in the back and you feel like you've lost everything?" he said. His comrade had spiked hair, bleached and thorny.
"It ain't the time Gene, she's the one we're here for. We best get her out of here before whoever the hell captured her comes back, our future is in her hands. We're here for the girl now tell her to-"
"It is the time! I'm sorry, Jet. But you've taken one step too much. You weren't supposed to see this place. The "Shadow" told me to keep this place secret. I'm sorry I couldn't of told you before, otherwise you wouldn't be in this situation. I'm sorry, Jet. Forgive me." Gene raised a gun, a revolver with two barrels.
"What are you doing Gene?! Are you insane?! You.......you set me up." Jet said, feeling the pain as how Gene had told. He took a daint step backward and slipped on the gun. Gene had walked toward him a grin on his face, half of a smile, and half of a frown. A bullet was fired, and then another. Jet fell all the way back with two bullets in his abdomen and with his hand clutched over his bloody stomach. Blood leaked out about two inches away from the hole. He took his hand off and stared at it, his palm and all the way to his finger tips were lined with blood. Gene raised the gun to his head and clicked the trigger. The widow-making chamber was empty and his time was running out.
"Goodbye, old friend." he said. He grabbed the girl by the shoulder and yanked her up from her position. She had cried harder at the sight of Jet's almost lifeless body. The girl screamed and struggled to stay away from this two-faced man but it was futile. The door slammed and he stayed staring at the ceiling. A tear formed in the corner of his eye and dropped to the cold ground beneath him. It began to create a small puddle of saltwater near his red ears, he struggled to stand up but felt a shattering pain within his body. He coughed and spit up a large pile of blood. He leaned against the wall, still clutching his stomach as if it were to fly away. He opened the door and collapsed. A voice echoed in the halls, "To save yourself, you must believe in what you are given. Save me...." it said. It was a female voice. A beautiful, female voice. He smiled, and then dropped his head to the ground.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Author's notes:Sooo, how was that? Sorry if it wasn't as fast as you thought it would be but it's a good story in my opinion so far. He hears this voice in the dream he had, his friend betrayed him. In his dream but what if it actually happened? What if the hallucination he was having was the effects of his past? Being set up by someone who mattered most was a shattered memory of his which you will find more about in the next chapter. Oh yes, there is some Al Bhed in there you might want to check on albhed.netfirms.com. It can translate it for you. R&R!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Chapter # 1:A New Beginning
Jet rattled the shackles for the next half-hour before Paine told him to shut up. He had no idea where they were going or where they were taking him. His adjure to escape just grew larger and larger as time passed. Their sophisticated technology amazed him and made him wonder how there could be such machines. He knew from their air-ship that they were Al Bhed. Sphere hunters, I might add. He did his best to stand up and it seemed more like kneeling. He pulled harder and harder on the shackles but it was no use. They had been made with some impulsive metal or iron. He pulled again and the shackles pushed on his wrists; turning them bright red. He sighed in frustration and went back to rattling. He shook them violently when the door opened again.
"I thought I told you to quit it?!" Paine shouted at him.
"Well it's kinda hard when you want to get outta here!" Jet shot back, just as vociferously. Paine sighed and shut the door again, leaving him in the filmy engine room with the engine's beating in his ears. It was rather sweltering as well. The steam that burst up from the opening and closing engines felt like the sun. He struggled to pull off his scarf and sat it next to him in a heap. The behemothic air-ship gave an ample moan and landed on some sort of surface. Couldn't be land though. The ship jiggled a little bit after they landed, could they be on water? That was his first guess. The door opened one last time and Buddy came down with a pair of keys, he was swinging around his fingers.
"So sunshine, how was your night?" he laughed. Jet didn't answer and waited patiently for him to release him from the pipes. Behind him stood Paine, obviously protecting his hide. "C'mon, we're goin' to Luca. You're favorite place in the world, right?" he forced another laugh and led him to the elevator, with Paine walking right next to him. The elevator chugged and the sliding doors opened. Paine stepped in first with her sword at her side, Buddy pushed Jet in and punched one of the buttons. They shot upward a few floors and stopped. The sliding doors made an oily squeak when they stopped on the bridge. One of the hatch doors were open and a sunny light and cool breeze filled the room. "You'll be gettin' a big surprise today."
"I can hardly wait." Jet muttered under his breath. They went out into the large city of Luca. Many people rushed about the streets, some heading for the stadium and some for the docks. Paine leaned on her sword as she stared around at the people gathering at the stadium. Blitzball season hadn't started yet, so what could they be doing? The others weren't with them, if they were going to the stadium, chances are they were already in the giant globe. The three entered the stadium with no rush. People stepped out of the way and bowed to Paine and Buddy, gracefully. The stage was the only substance that was lit, everything else was next to pitch black. In the air, the screeching noise of an electric guitar player, strimmed on the strings of the instrument with the greatest of ease. Two more guitarists shot into the air on hover-board like vehicles they stood on. Below the stage was some sort of statue with four faces on it. It was a golden-yellow and had eight arms. The faces were admired by the fans in the stadium, each face with a different facial expression. The hands started to bang on large drums with the drumsticks they had in their hands. Lights shot into the air, each one reflecting it's beam on to the stage. Two attractive young women were in the air, in a cage or some platform and were lowered to the blue platform which was the stage. Yuna was one of them, the other was a woman dressed in the same blue and black outfit with longer hair and a microphone. A voice echoed over a loud speaker.
"Ladies and gentlemen! Let's give it up for YUNA AND LENNE!" the male voice shouted. There was a roaring shout of people cheering at the women setting foot on the stage. With the microphone in hand, the two started to sing. Jet, Paine and Buddy stood in the entrance, having a perfect view of the women from where they were stationed. The claps, whistles and cheers died down in their singing process. Their voices was beautiful and enchanting. Jet was busy hatching a plan to escape the shackles' grasp. Although he had no gun but they didn't take his boomerang. He reached with both hands to his belt and took out the sharp-ended death weapon and began to saw at the chains. After about ten minutes he got one of the shackles off and already starting on the other. Yuna and Lenne had started their fourth song called "Forgotten Memories". The title seemed weird but it actually turned out soothing. A clack, snap and crack and he was free. It took buddy moments to figure it, he and Paine chased after him up and down the bleachers. Many people gasped at their rudeness and many recognized Jet as the convict.
"Jet! Get back here!" Buddy shouted. Jet gave him a taunting salute and jumped over heads and seats in the stadium. Paine stopped Buddy with the end of her sword.
"Don't worry, I'll get him." she said. She reached for her belt and took out another small radio. "Rikku, he's heading your way. I'll tail 'em." she said hoarsely.
"Roger." Rikku's replied.
The blonde-headed girl was stationed next to an old man with her daggers in hand. She saw the young outlaw pace for the exit. "Boy you are goin' down." she said with a sly grin upon her face. She took a different route instead of just taking him head on. She eyed Paine going for him from behind as well. Rikku ran up some stairs, bumping into anyone in her path. She knocked a few people over and smiled back with a "sorry" and continued after Jet. Soon, she was right above him. Running on a bridge that was structured across the glimmering stage, Paine's asperity seemed to be building up as she paced faster and faster toward him. She climbed on to one of the rails and jumped. She toppled on to him and they both fell backwards, her head on his chest and her knees in between his legs. She struggled to pull him up and pushed him against the wall. Paine came running with her skull-crested sword in hand.
"Nice work, Rikku. And this time we didn't have to beat up anyone else." Paine smiled. Rikku nodded and glanced at Buddy with the shackles in his hand. He panted heavily as the two held him against the wall. He held up the shackles, still catching his breath.
"He sawed through them! We forgot to take his boomerang!" he complained. Paine took the small curved sculpture from the back of his belt and handed it over to Buddy. Rikku grabbed another pair of cuffs from the pouch on her dress and folded them around Jet's wrists.
"Fabulous." he said sarcastically. Rikku smiled proudly and flipped her daggers around her fingers slyly. Paine rolled her eyes and pushed him forward the exit.
"Not so lucky now, huh?" Paine said plainly. Jet kept his mouth shut, knowing and have seen what Paine could and probably would do to him. She pushed him into a chair and sat in another across from him, outside the stadium. Buddy and Rikku waved goodbye and went back in to watch Yuna and Lenne. "You're the jerk who broke outta that Hakmura prison, right?" Jet nodded. "Funny. You're the first person to ever break out."
"Yeah. I know. Too bad I'm not the last." Jet said slyly. Paine stood up.
"What?!" she said in disbelief.
"Every good outlaw leaves his or her mark when they escape prison. And I did what every good outlaw does, soon some of the most dangerous criminals will be running all over. And the best part is, you have the worst one." a sly grin grew on his face. Paine sat back down with her sword over her lap. Jet cupped his hands together and sat quietly listening to the music and the duo's songs. Paine stared into his cold eyes for what seemed to be forever. Her had ran along the sword's tip and open the leather glove she had. It opened her skin and all he could see was a ethereal stream of blood running down her palm. She paid it no mind and blinked.
The concert was over shortly after his capture and the Gullwings came out of the pitch black stadium with laughs and smiles on their faces. Buddy was speaking to Brother in Al Bhed, something about the Celcius repairs. Jet also spoke the language of Al Bhed. One of the ways to get around for the things he wanted, but his fear of one day he'll be captured again and brought back to the planet from which he escaped. The calling voices that penetrated his mind inside the walls and the things he saw that happened to the sick people who went in there and never came out. But his dark deeds weren't even close to completion.
They reentered the Celcius without closing the hatch door. They were taking a break it looked like and were going to spend the day enjoying themselves. Yuna seemed happy, but something was wrong. That man in the picture he spared of Rikku, he seemed so familiar. As if he had stood right next to him from time to time, watching over him. He couldn't let the thoughts get to him, helping someone would be the last thing he would do. Besides falling in love. The boy sighed as he was pushed into the seat by Shinra's desk. Paine narrowed her eyes at him and went to the sliding elevator doors. Yuna's face was red and she looked sweaty, she took the elevator too and he was left staring around at the faces of Buddy, Brother, Rikku and the boy in the mask, Shinra. He rattled the chains once again and was left with a quick temper and a flushed face.
''Frah dra ramm ys E kuhhy kad uiddy rana?!" Jet shouted. Everyone looked at him strangely. Rikku walked in front of him.
"Al Bhed are you?" she said playfully. Jet's cheeks turned a deep red.
"No, I just picked a little up on my travels! Now lemme go!" he spased. Rikku just giggled some more and left the bridge.
"She's all for ya, mate. Better act fast." he laughed.
"What the hell's that supposed to mean?! Let me go, or I'll do it myself!" the boy complained. Brother forced a laugh.
"You do that." Buddy said with the same taunting salute Jet gave him earlier. "We'll be waiting." Jet's face just turned a deeper red, he raised his hands and tried to force them apart from the strong metal. The force was futile as well as trying to force it apart. He pissed and moaned in frustration at the punishment they've given to him. Though he may deserve it, he felt like he was a prisoner again. They were taking him back to the authorities again and there wasn't anything he could do about it. Or that's what he thought, they might just kill him and throw him overboard and let his corpse rot in the sea. Nah, not even he would do that. And someone of Rikku's character or Yuna's wouldn't even think of something that gruesome. About another hour, Buddy came back with Rikku, Yuna, Paine and Brother. Shinra was no where on the bridge. But he was said to be a whiz and studied often. He might be helping out in the engine room fixing something.
"So Jet, what was on that sphere that was so important?" Rikku said sitting next to him.
"Why don't you figure it out? It's not that hard. Just watch the damn thing and maybe you'll see!" Rikku frowned at him.
"What's your problem?" she said sadly.
"Me? You guys are the one's keeping me hostage. So I think it's you who has the problem." he said slyly. He kicked his feet on to the desk and leaned back, he put his cuffed hands behind his head for support. "Then again most psychos do that." Rikku grew red and pushed him out of the chair.
"We're not psychos, you jerk!" she shouted. She slapped him in the face and a popping noise came right after it. A large red mark was the aftereffect, she raised her hand for another attack when he caught her smooth hand and set it down gently. He sighed and sat back in the chair again, ignoring her other complaints. Rikku sat down on the nose of her piloting position and wrapped her arms around her legs, muttering something about Jet. Buddy shook his head and went to his terminal. Brother smacked Jet on the back of the head and leaned against the head of the ship. Jet paid him no mind and tried to nap, but noises were heard about underneath them. If his wonders were correct, Shinra was playing with his gadgets below them in the engine room. He spread his legs out and reach for some papers on the desk. The crew profiles, forthcoming inventions, upgraded weapons and one of the sphere locations. He took out some of the crew profiles and examined them. The three ladies. Rikku was the youngest of the three and looked to be the most attractive. (In his opinion of course.) He looked at the crew to see if they were watching. No eyes were traveling upon his lone, cold body. He read the profiles carefully and then went on to the "forthcoming inventions". Shinra had been quite the scientist. The small cameras he had developed and the tiny radios the women had, and the weapons were even better. A gun that had the ability to melt through solid stone or any other substance with the exception of water.
"Oh cool." he muttered as he flipped through the rest. Then at last, he looked over the sphere location sheet and stared into a small map. His eyes grew colder as he looked deeper into the bold words. They read "Aregon Tower". His eyes got wider and wider, "Aregon Tower". He folded the piece of paper and stuck it in his pocket as he heard footsteps that patted the floor behind him. Shinra had came up with a large hunk of wires in hand. He walked over to Buddy with the multi-colored wires.
"The rods are shot and the heater ain't gonna work for some time. We'll need to go into town to find another set of rods and a new generator." he said through a clouded voice. "And it looks like we're missin' the turbine engine. Can we go into town? We really need some repairs done on this "Enormous Pile of misplaced objects"." he said dead on. He walked back to the elevator without the reply of his comrade and took it to the engine room once again. Jet walked up to Buddy with his hands raised and a desperate look on his face.
"What do you want?" he said as if he didn't already know the answer. Jet grunted.
"I want you take them off, numbskull. Or will I have to make you fork over the keys?!" he threatened.
"Boy, threatening me won't get you anywhere. But maybe if you're willing to be tossed over to the guard, then I'll let you go. Or perhaps you'd like to cut the Wings a deal?" he said with a grin forming upon his face. Jet's desperate look dropped and produced a worried one.
"What kind of deal?" he asked daintly. Rikku listened to their "conversation", trying her best to keep out of their acknowledge.
"Well it's simple really. Even someone of your mind could find this easy. All you have to do is shake or nod your head. You help us Gulls with sphere hunting for awhile and we hide you from the guard. Whaddya say? It'll be fun! The infamous Enduro teaming up with the Gullwings! Others won't stand a chance! I mean, you are a sphere hunter, right?" he said vigorously. Jet nodded at the young man and held up his hands again. Buddy sighed and took out a rusty set of keys. He unlocked him and the shackles fell to the floor. Rikku stared at Buddy with a frown on her face. Jet sat down at Shinra's desk, wiggling his hands and getting the feel of free hands back in his bones again.
She jumped from her station and grabbed Buddy by the collar. "You have no idea what you've just done, do you?" she said quietly. Buddy removed her from his chest and calmed her down.
"Don't worry, he's cut us a deal. And when we're out on the streets he'll be on chains again." he said calmly. Rikku sighed in relief.
"Hear that, Jet? When we get off the ship, you'll be in those metal mittens again!" she laughed. Buddy shook his head at her back and sat back down. Shinra had come back without the multi-colored wires this time and instead with a toolbox and a pair of pliers in hand. Paine and Yuna came on to the bridge, Yuna with a smile forming on her lips and Paine with her arms crossed and her gothic grin like always. Rikku folded the shackles over Jet's wrists again and put a wire around the links. She grabbed hold of the wire and tied it around her wrist durably. She yanked at it and he was forced out of the chair, to her side.
"Everyone ready?" Buddy asked, turning to his comrades. There was no reply but he expected them all to be. Everyone stepped out of the crimson giant and on to the sunny streets by the harbor. Rikku tugged at Jet's chains to annoy him like he did her for no good reason. She laughed about it once in awhile but just did it for revenge. Buddy, Shinra and Brother went into a station with large letters above it called "Vehicle Repair". Buddy banged on the counter top and a large man with stains all over his shirt and a oily rag in his hand came out of one of the backrooms.
"Yeah?" he said annoyed. Buddy looked nervous staring at the man. He had tattoos all the way up his arms to his neck, a soul patch on his chin and was bald with the exception of a green mohawk.
Buddy swallowed and opened his mouth, "Yeah, um our ship. It's kinda' outta shape and it's got a few mechanical problems. Do you think you could take a look? It's docked on the harbor and we really think t-that it needs to be looked a-at." he said sweating. The large man stared at him for a few seconds.
"Yeah, I'll check it out when I'm done with all of the other junk I got." Buddy forced a small smile on his hot face.
"O-okay. How l-long do you think that'll be?" he asked, trying to stay calm. The man didn't answer and stepped into the back room again with the door slamming behind him. Buddy swallowed again and they exited the station.
"Man, what a weirdo." Rikku said shivering. Jet pulled back on the wire making her fall back. She pulled back and the next thing they knew, they were having a tug of war match. Yuna giggled and thought of it as "cute" while Paine looked at it the way she would look at fairy tale creatures. In disgust. Rikku pulled one last time and he toppled over on to the cement.
"You're lucky I'm in chains, otherwise you wouldn't be here right now." he said sharply. Rikku just smiled playfully and tugged at the wire again, yanking him off of the adamantine ground. He stood up and brushed the dust and dirt off of his front and continued with Rikku as his guideline. Shinra, Buddy and Brother walked into another mechanical engineering shop leaving the girls with....Jet. "Oh great, now I'm stuck with Goldie Locks and the two bears." Jet complained. Rikku slapped his head in a playful manner, getting him to shut up.
"I say we gag him and throw him into the water." Paine smiled. She cracked her knuckles and then wiggled her fingers.
"Buddy said we have to baby-sit him. Jerk. Never gives us time alone." Rikku said, yanking on the wire once again. Jet groaned at her remarks and temper.
"I have an idea, why just not let me go? It'll be easier for you and me!" Jet suggested with hope in his voice. Rikku shook her head in disappointment.
"To let you hurt more people?! No way. Either you're very stupid, or we're just uncomfortable with your jokes and such. What makes you t-" she started, Jet cut her off with a pointed finger.
"Hey I never killed anybody. It's when I kill somebody and that somebody will be-"
"Shut up, Jet. If you want out of this situation, you're gonna have to work your way out like the rest of us." Yuna said folding her arms. "If you don't want us to hold you back for any reason, just say and we'll gladly give you to the "wonderful" guard. And then you'll be right back where you started." Jet clenched his teeth and then rocked them back and forth.
"Fine have it your way." and with that, there wasn't another word out of him. The girls went toward the cafe`, Rikku had a struggled to get to the entrance by forcing Jet to do so. It was quiet and peaceful with cheerful people admiring their lively approach. Many of the men stared at them with cheers and whistling to compliment their figure. Yuna and Rikku blushed, Paine just sighed and sat down at one of the stools. Yuna and Rikku made their way through the crowded townies and sat at the stools next to her. Jet sat to Rikku's side with the chains rubbing against his pale skin.
"So, where to?" Rikku said excited.
"Wherever you want it to be." Paine said, a man came by with a cherry colored drink with a small slice of lemon on the glass.
"On the house." he said plainly and went off to feed the other customers' want.
"How about we go water-skiing?!" Rikku said, filled with joy like a child off to a themepark. Paine shook her head without looking at her. Rikku's rapture suddenly dropped and she popped another idea into her head. "Swimming? Scuba-diving? How about volleyball?"
"No way I'll be seen in a bikini." Paine said with her eyes closed and her legs kicked on to the counter. Rikku rested her chin in one hand for some time to think. Jet sat on the stool banging his head on the counter. He moaned as he sat up.
"Man, spending the day with a bunch of women is beyond me. Can't you people just pick something?! I wanna get on with my life." Jet shot quickly. His temper was quick and it was building up very quickly. The boy's cold eyes fixed on to Rikku's as she turned around, ready to pounce at his prey and make an escape.
"Will you ever keep quiet? I'm tryin' to think here." she said, tugging on the wire again. But he made no motion, just the muscles holding the wire back. She tugged again, rested her left leg on her right knee and pouted. Yuna stood up and headed down a small hallway that led to the restrooms. Paine dropped her feet and leaned on the wall; waiting for Yuna to emerge from the hallway so they could leave. "I got it! How 'bout we go to the sphere theater?" she asked hopefully. Paine smirked. Yuna emerged a few minutes later. "We're going to the sphere theater!"
Yuna smiled at the thought and said nothing. Rikku and Jet in front, Jet trying to keep up with the running Rikku and Yuna and Paine behind them talking about something. Whatever it was, it wasn't any of his business though. He couldn't help but wonder about the picture he saw in Rikku's room that night. The strangest thing.....
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Somewhere in Luca.......
"So, I hear you've found the Destiny-sphere. How much you want?" a one eyed man said. He spoke to a shadowed man in a desk with two other men at his sides. Both in black suits and sunglasses on. They narrowed their eyes at the cocky young man.
"Not for sale. Besides, you don't want it." he said. His voice was deep and raspy. A man of maybe fifty or sixty at the most. "Bad things are on this. Some people go insane just thinking about it. That's why it doesn't belong with the likes of you. Case closed, find someone else that's willing to sell. Because I ain't sellin'." he thumped a black sphere on to his desk. "Get lost or get tossed."
"Yeah, sorry to bother you old man. But it's kind of a shame. You know, I really wanted to know what was on there. You see I'm kind of, a rebel. The twisted emperor we're guarded by isn't playin' fair. So if it's something to blackmail him by in that, I get the point. Whatever it is, it's none of my business right? So I guess I'll just be goin' then, right?" he said, almost as if he were enjoying their conversation. The man didn't seem to be the easiest to trust, but what he was saying could've been true.
"I said get lo- hey! Get back here!" he shouted. The young man snatched the globe from his desk and ran out a door with a dirty window sill. "After him!" the man pointed to the door. The two men charged after the other with guns raised. The one-eyed teen made his way through a small abandoned building with the black sphere in hand. He ran across upturned desks with the greatest of ease, but sadly. He turned into a room with a dead end in his path. A cracked window and a, probably, empty fire extinguisher at it's base. He picked it up and threw it at the window, to his theory it crashed through perfectly and exploded on the street below. He jumped out just as guns started to blaze. He fell about two stories and landed in a garbage dumpster near the building. He fell in deep and disguised himself to avoid attention of the men in black. Some grime just left a little bit of space by his left eye so he could see. They were peering out of the window with their guns pointing down. They nodded to each other and went back in.
"Heh, suckers." he muttered as he jumped out of the old bin and brushed the grime off. He was in a dimly lit alley with the sun, barely shining in on him. He walked out of it and bumped into Rikku, Yuna, Paine and Jet. "Well hi! Didn't expect to see you here! How ya been?" he asked them. he put an arm on Rikku's shoulder and gave her a nugie. "Hey Cid's girl! Finally started lookin' for a man, eh?" he joked as he saw Jet. Rikku shook her head.
"Gippal!" she had excitement in her voice as usual. "I was wondering when I'd get another chance to see you. This is Jet. He's an outlaw that I have to baby sit 'cause he cut some deal with Buddy. And plus, he's the badguy. And we don't even like each other." she said punching him in the shoulder.
"Damn straight." Jet said rolling his eyes. Gippal hid the small ball behind him as Jet laid his eyes upon it. He stared at Jet until he glanced back up at him.
"Outlaw, huh? What are ya in for? Nah, don't blame ya. Gotta keep the women away somehow, right? But I see Rikku has seen to that." he cracked another joke. "But in all of seriousness, what happened to ya?"
"I prefer to keep that classified. Ask me when I feel like talking. But right now, it's just one step closer for you to lose another eye." he shot smartly. Gippal rolled his eyes and went back to the women.
"Anyway, I guess I gotta run. The machine faction needs more people to run at night and I'm booked for three machines. Sorry, wish I could talk more!" he ran off. Rikku sighed and continued walking, not as jolly as she had before but still excited about where they would be in a few minutes.
They reached the theater in minutes and entered the brightly lit lobby. Many people sat in lobby chairs or were at the counter, paying for their tickets. And some even buying refreshments and snacks. Jet was still miserable and his captor was his exact opposite. Feisty and happy she was and rarely seen sad or angry, at least in his point of view. She, with Jet right behind her, rushed to the ticket stand with a dozen small coins in her hands and slammed them on the counter. "Four please." she said in excitement. The clerk handed her four pieces of paper. She handed each one of them out to her fellow comrades and they entered an enormous, dark room with small lights that were dimly lit on the ceiling. "Cool. Haven't been to one of these in a long time!" she squeaked, trying to keep her voice down. She pushed Yuna and Paine up the stairs excitedly and dragged Jet behind her. He swung into a seat to her right and sat quietly waiting for the movie to start, Rikku, Paine and Yuna chatted quietly while the lights grew dimmer and and dimmer by the second. Finally the lights were turned off and the screen lit up, it showed three young men standing with weapons in their hands.
"Man, it's cheesy already." Jet muttered, kicking his legs on to the chair in front of him. The weapons were guns which roared with the click of the trigger. Several men around them fell and they walked around the bodies. Jet rested his chin in the palm of his hand while his eyelids grew heavier by the moment. When his eyelids reached each other, he fell into a deep, dark sleep.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The dream that he was projecting in his mind was dark. He and a comrade were running up stairs in a tall tower with guns in hand. A door was chained across, over and under the cracks where a feverish light glimmered through. He kicked at the door several times and it did not open. "This way!" his comrade panted as they turned into a hallway next to the door. They found themselves running up another set of stairs, which seemed like they'd never end. Another door was at the top, slightly open. He pulled open the door and ran inside, behind the door was several whimpers from a person. The cries of a little girl. She was kneeling by her bed with her hands closed around each other, she seemed to be praying. The bed was a hot pink and the sheets were pulled back to the ends. Tears dropped on to the bed making it a darker pink and a damp little river. His partner put a hand on the girl's shoulder.
"Is she the one?" Jet said putting his gun to the floor. "She is isn't she? Yes?" he walked toward the girl and the man.
"Jet, have you ever felt betrayed? Like when a friend stabs you in the back and you feel like you've lost everything?" he said. His comrade had spiked hair, bleached and thorny.
"It ain't the time Gene, she's the one we're here for. We best get her out of here before whoever the hell captured her comes back, our future is in her hands. We're here for the girl now tell her to-"
"It is the time! I'm sorry, Jet. But you've taken one step too much. You weren't supposed to see this place. The "Shadow" told me to keep this place secret. I'm sorry I couldn't of told you before, otherwise you wouldn't be in this situation. I'm sorry, Jet. Forgive me." Gene raised a gun, a revolver with two barrels.
"What are you doing Gene?! Are you insane?! You.......you set me up." Jet said, feeling the pain as how Gene had told. He took a daint step backward and slipped on the gun. Gene had walked toward him a grin on his face, half of a smile, and half of a frown. A bullet was fired, and then another. Jet fell all the way back with two bullets in his abdomen and with his hand clutched over his bloody stomach. Blood leaked out about two inches away from the hole. He took his hand off and stared at it, his palm and all the way to his finger tips were lined with blood. Gene raised the gun to his head and clicked the trigger. The widow-making chamber was empty and his time was running out.
"Goodbye, old friend." he said. He grabbed the girl by the shoulder and yanked her up from her position. She had cried harder at the sight of Jet's almost lifeless body. The girl screamed and struggled to stay away from this two-faced man but it was futile. The door slammed and he stayed staring at the ceiling. A tear formed in the corner of his eye and dropped to the cold ground beneath him. It began to create a small puddle of saltwater near his red ears, he struggled to stand up but felt a shattering pain within his body. He coughed and spit up a large pile of blood. He leaned against the wall, still clutching his stomach as if it were to fly away. He opened the door and collapsed. A voice echoed in the halls, "To save yourself, you must believe in what you are given. Save me...." it said. It was a female voice. A beautiful, female voice. He smiled, and then dropped his head to the ground.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Author's notes:Sooo, how was that? Sorry if it wasn't as fast as you thought it would be but it's a good story in my opinion so far. He hears this voice in the dream he had, his friend betrayed him. In his dream but what if it actually happened? What if the hallucination he was having was the effects of his past? Being set up by someone who mattered most was a shattered memory of his which you will find more about in the next chapter. Oh yes, there is some Al Bhed in there you might want to check on albhed.netfirms.com. It can translate it for you. R&R!