Chapter 9: Maps
In the Stone Temple, Bar and Mars tended to Sora, using Riku's cloak to cradle his head. The messenger, in Riku and Criss' absence of mind, had left to inform them of the plan. According to another spy, Goofy and Donald, Sora's friends, had been let off easy. They were now in the Sunday Special's building.
Riku hadn't the heart to tell Sora what the place was.
"What about Kairi?" Sora winced. Bar was using some kind of herb as an antiseptic, but it looked like it stung worse than alcohol.
"She's safe," Mars said. "She's with Shu."
"Being with Shu isn't exactly safe," Criss snorted.
Bar and Mars exchanged a look. Riku barely caught it before they broke it. What was that look about? At the moment, however, he was felt more nauseous than worried. If Mars said she was safe, she was safe. Somehow, he trusted the man.
"Listen, if we're going to attack any of these places, we need to get those plans," Riku said. "So are we going to get them or not?"
"No thanks, leave me here," Criss said firmly. "Plans or no plans, I'm not breaking in to YaYa's house."
Riku shrugged. "Fine, stay here. Who's going to lead me to the house?"
Bar and Mars silently continued to clean Sora's cuts. In the corner, Criss had her back to him. Riku sighed. "I don't exactly know these tunnels—"
"No worries, no worries, I'm coming," Molly burst into the room. "Now, can you swim, young man? The tunnel we're headed for is one of the last flooded ones."
Riku chuckled. "I lived on the beach all my life. Of course I know how to swim."
"That cements it for me," Criss smiled nervously over her shoulder. "I don't know how to swim."
As Riku and Molly turned to leave, she stopped him short. "Okay, fine, I lied, I can swim, all right? I'm going, I'm going, just no more macho stuff."
It felt like a million years had passed when they finally reached the tunnel Molly said would lead to her old fire grate. They were already waist-deep in the freezing water. Criss felt her teeth chattering.
"I'll swim to the ladder to show you where it is," Molly said. "We need to dry off before we go up, at least enough that we won't drip. Her fire's on, so we'll dry in no time."
She dove under the water. In less than a few seconds, she was a quarter mile away, waving from a ladder. No wonder her name was the "Water Dragon".
"That's gonna take us a bit longer," Riku said. "We might as well get started."
"Started, right," Criss sighed. "I'm starting to think this was a bad idea."
"You thought it was bad before I even thought of it." Riku leapt into the water. Criss followed him, her cloak weighing her down.
"You were smart, you left your cloak behind," Criss said. She spotted another fire grate ladder ahead. As Riku continued on, she dangled the cloak over the highest ladder rung.
"Couldn't you just use your magic to make it waterproof?" Riku asked.
Criss slapped her own forehead between strokes.
The two fell silent, focusing on Molly. At last, they took hold of the ladder. Riku sat on the second highest rung, Criss just beneath him. The fire above burned bright, warming their chilled bodies.
They could hear YaYa.
She was home.
"I don't see what is so important about that Criss Nallen girl," she was saying. "All Shu seems to want is that Criss Nallen. Isn't she getting hungry? She hasn't eaten anyone else since...since..."
"I know it's hard to remember the commander, YaYa, but this is business." Most likely it was her new subordinate. "Are you sure you don't know where Criss Nallen is? Or that boy she was with?"
"No, I don't know anything more than you do."
"Fine. Come along, your rest is over for today."
Riku heard the footsteps, and finally, the front door. He patted his feet, finding them dry. Molly looked up and smiled.
"Okay, they're gone now. Listen, there are two doors, a front and a back. Criss and I will keep lookout in case anyone comes by. I will instruct you to where the plans are hidden."
Riku nodded. one of you douse the fire?"
Instantly, the flames went out. Riku pushed on the grill and rose into the room. It wasn't as simple as Criss' had been, but it definitely wasn't much better. The same style of table and chairs sat in the middle, with a thick quilt on the floor in the corner. Riku noticed one difference.
Wooden planks covered the dirt of the ground beneath his feet. He pulled Criss and Molly into the room and waited for instructions.
"All right," Molly said. "Go over to the table. On the underside should be a tiny button. Push it."
"Could you relight—" The fire flared up again. "Thanks."
Riku looked all over the table until he finally found the tiny button. If he wasn't looking for it, he never would have found it. He pressed it and told Molly he'd done so.
"Okay, now go to where the quilt is. A board of the floor should be raised. Push it down."
This one he found easier, and pressed back into place. A grating noise filled the room. When Riku turned back toward the center again, he saw that a board near the table had opened. Inside were several rolled-up sheets of paper.
"Those are the plans, all right," Molly smiled. "Criss, water-proof them and let's get out of here."
Molly descended back into the tunnel, and Riku followed her close behind. Criss carried the sheets of paper. Together, they swam back to the Stone Temple. Criss saw her cloak, but shrugged. It wasn't like she needed it or anything.
YaYa came back to her house, having forgotten something. She could have sworn she'd left the fireplace going. When she went to investigate, she found the grate wide open. Down into the tunnel below, she dropped.
And on another ladder further down the line, she saw Criss Nallen's trademark black cloak.
Uh huh. YaYa knows...
In the Stone Temple, Bar and Mars tended to Sora, using Riku's cloak to cradle his head. The messenger, in Riku and Criss' absence of mind, had left to inform them of the plan. According to another spy, Goofy and Donald, Sora's friends, had been let off easy. They were now in the Sunday Special's building.
Riku hadn't the heart to tell Sora what the place was.
"What about Kairi?" Sora winced. Bar was using some kind of herb as an antiseptic, but it looked like it stung worse than alcohol.
"She's safe," Mars said. "She's with Shu."
"Being with Shu isn't exactly safe," Criss snorted.
Bar and Mars exchanged a look. Riku barely caught it before they broke it. What was that look about? At the moment, however, he was felt more nauseous than worried. If Mars said she was safe, she was safe. Somehow, he trusted the man.
"Listen, if we're going to attack any of these places, we need to get those plans," Riku said. "So are we going to get them or not?"
"No thanks, leave me here," Criss said firmly. "Plans or no plans, I'm not breaking in to YaYa's house."
Riku shrugged. "Fine, stay here. Who's going to lead me to the house?"
Bar and Mars silently continued to clean Sora's cuts. In the corner, Criss had her back to him. Riku sighed. "I don't exactly know these tunnels—"
"No worries, no worries, I'm coming," Molly burst into the room. "Now, can you swim, young man? The tunnel we're headed for is one of the last flooded ones."
Riku chuckled. "I lived on the beach all my life. Of course I know how to swim."
"That cements it for me," Criss smiled nervously over her shoulder. "I don't know how to swim."
As Riku and Molly turned to leave, she stopped him short. "Okay, fine, I lied, I can swim, all right? I'm going, I'm going, just no more macho stuff."
It felt like a million years had passed when they finally reached the tunnel Molly said would lead to her old fire grate. They were already waist-deep in the freezing water. Criss felt her teeth chattering.
"I'll swim to the ladder to show you where it is," Molly said. "We need to dry off before we go up, at least enough that we won't drip. Her fire's on, so we'll dry in no time."
She dove under the water. In less than a few seconds, she was a quarter mile away, waving from a ladder. No wonder her name was the "Water Dragon".
"That's gonna take us a bit longer," Riku said. "We might as well get started."
"Started, right," Criss sighed. "I'm starting to think this was a bad idea."
"You thought it was bad before I even thought of it." Riku leapt into the water. Criss followed him, her cloak weighing her down.
"You were smart, you left your cloak behind," Criss said. She spotted another fire grate ladder ahead. As Riku continued on, she dangled the cloak over the highest ladder rung.
"Couldn't you just use your magic to make it waterproof?" Riku asked.
Criss slapped her own forehead between strokes.
The two fell silent, focusing on Molly. At last, they took hold of the ladder. Riku sat on the second highest rung, Criss just beneath him. The fire above burned bright, warming their chilled bodies.
They could hear YaYa.
She was home.
"I don't see what is so important about that Criss Nallen girl," she was saying. "All Shu seems to want is that Criss Nallen. Isn't she getting hungry? She hasn't eaten anyone else since...since..."
"I know it's hard to remember the commander, YaYa, but this is business." Most likely it was her new subordinate. "Are you sure you don't know where Criss Nallen is? Or that boy she was with?"
"No, I don't know anything more than you do."
"Fine. Come along, your rest is over for today."
Riku heard the footsteps, and finally, the front door. He patted his feet, finding them dry. Molly looked up and smiled.
"Okay, they're gone now. Listen, there are two doors, a front and a back. Criss and I will keep lookout in case anyone comes by. I will instruct you to where the plans are hidden."
Riku nodded. one of you douse the fire?"
Instantly, the flames went out. Riku pushed on the grill and rose into the room. It wasn't as simple as Criss' had been, but it definitely wasn't much better. The same style of table and chairs sat in the middle, with a thick quilt on the floor in the corner. Riku noticed one difference.
Wooden planks covered the dirt of the ground beneath his feet. He pulled Criss and Molly into the room and waited for instructions.
"All right," Molly said. "Go over to the table. On the underside should be a tiny button. Push it."
"Could you relight—" The fire flared up again. "Thanks."
Riku looked all over the table until he finally found the tiny button. If he wasn't looking for it, he never would have found it. He pressed it and told Molly he'd done so.
"Okay, now go to where the quilt is. A board of the floor should be raised. Push it down."
This one he found easier, and pressed back into place. A grating noise filled the room. When Riku turned back toward the center again, he saw that a board near the table had opened. Inside were several rolled-up sheets of paper.
"Those are the plans, all right," Molly smiled. "Criss, water-proof them and let's get out of here."
Molly descended back into the tunnel, and Riku followed her close behind. Criss carried the sheets of paper. Together, they swam back to the Stone Temple. Criss saw her cloak, but shrugged. It wasn't like she needed it or anything.
YaYa came back to her house, having forgotten something. She could have sworn she'd left the fireplace going. When she went to investigate, she found the grate wide open. Down into the tunnel below, she dropped.
And on another ladder further down the line, she saw Criss Nallen's trademark black cloak.
Uh huh. YaYa knows...