Okay, I'm not exactly sure what the caster shells all separately did in the series so I just went ahead and fit a bunch of made up effects in this chapter. This chapter is WAY longer than my regular chapters although I know that's no excuse for such a late update (blushes and cowers from angry FanFic readers). So yay, FINALLY!

BW: (looks at above) Hey, I'm coming round tommorow so you could always wait and give me a preview then...

FB: But BW, my poor readers (squints into distance to see if can spot any) have been waiting for ages!

BW: Yeah but I need to know before everyone else what happens to Gene and the gang! I mean what the hell is all this Atlantis business!

FB: (taps nose knowingly) Ahaha but you shall not find out until I tell you.

BW: (grabs FB by scruff of neck and shakes very hard) TELL ME!

FB: I...think...you...need...medication!

BW: TELL ME DAMNIT! Tell me and I'll let you live?

FB: (thinks) Um...well...okay, it's-

Disclaimer: I do not own the Outlaw Star series or BW but I do own (gasps from background) the concepts of the hologram tample and the caster effect in this chapter! (puffs up proudly, people in background deflate disappointedly)

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Unplugged

" Just tell me, did you know that guy? The one that helped us?"

" Why would you think that?"

"He sure seemed to know you."

Jim's eyes fell open and were met with a blast of sharp wind. The tiny sand granules in the air stung his eyes and lungs making him sit up spluttering.

"Urgh!"

Squinting through the wind he could just make out Aisha sprawled out on his left but she was the only figure he could find. His eyes darted over the camp for any sign of Gene or Melfina but all he could find were the remains of the Ctarl Ctarl stew in a pot over a dead fire and more burning red sand. Finally his eyes came back to Aisha.

"Aisha! Wake up!" he scrambled up and bolted over to Aisha's sleeping figure.

"Aisha, come on! Gene and Mel are missing!"

Aisha snuffled lightly in her sleep and rolled over. Jim growled angrily and grabbed her shoulders.

"You're real handy in a crisis Aisha." Jim stated, shaking her shoulders violently so her head snapped backwards and forwards. However brutal, it had the desired effect.

"Wha…"

"Aisha, finally!" Jim groaned exasperatedly. "Gene and Mel are missing, we've got to find them!"

"When's breakfast?" asked Aisha in a muffled voice.

"Focus!" snapped Jim.

"Alright, alright. Just lemme get my boots." said Aisha crawling forwards.

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Gene grabbed Melfina's hand and yanked her off of the pedestal. At that moment, the ground swelled and caved in on itself, the jagged rocks smashed the walls like fragile glass. Melfina's eyes filled with horror as the carvings shattered.

"W…what's-"

"We don't have time for this!" Gene roared. Pulling Melfina towards him, he vaulted for the door to the town hall. Melfina had no choice but to follow Gene, barely aware of anything, still replaying the moment when the carvings had shattered in her head. If there was anything else on those carvings that Melfina could have translated, it was lost now.

Atlantis…

Behind them, a part of the ceiling fell away and crashed to the ground sending a blast of hot dust forward to engulf them. Around them, the walls were disorientating and crumbling.

"Don't stop!" Gene yelled back at Melfina. "We've got to get outside!" (understatement!)

They hurtled forward. The overpowering dust from the collapsed building made it hard to breathe but they kept moving. Gene was rasping.

The door was there, Gene could see the steps outside, leading down onto the cobbled streets. His goal.

Suddenly, a deep rumble shook the ground forcing them to stop dead as they tried to steady themselves. Melfina's hand never left Gene's.

"An earthquake!" Melfina's petrified eyes fixed on Gene but Gene's eyes were on the ceiling.

The weaving cracks on the ceiling seem to have doubled in size and were still growing. He knew what was coming. Reaching into his back belt he pulled out his caster, already loaded.

"I've only got one shot at this…" he murmured.

Instinctively, Melfina moved in as much as possible on the shuddering ground and both of them watched the ceiling.

Gene's eyes blazed.

For a short minute, the cracks continued to make unwelcome pathways in the ceiling until…

The cracks split the ceiling over the support beam. Gravity did the rest.

Melfina felt the bottom go in her stomach, a blitz of ice and fire seemed to take her body over, her heart stopped.

Gene didn't hesitate. His entire perspective changed in that moment and his finger slid effortlessly over the trigger.

There was a burst of electric green light and a heart wrenching boom as the caster magic collided with the ceiling. Both Melfina and Gene were blinded with heat and light. Around them, they could feel the ceiling fragments as they impacted the ground.

And then there was nothing.

"Fire! The city's on fire!"

Tentatively, Gene opened his eyes and chaos met them. The sky was scorch black, people were running about in a mass panic, fire littered the streets turning the utopia into a nightmare. With a slight sense of dread, Gene looked down at the ceiling fragments of what was once the town hall. He was astounded.

The blast from his caster had disintegrated the debris the within a 2 foot radius of where they were standing. Small piece os ash and dust hovered in the air.

Beside him, Gene could feel Melfina shivering.

"How…how did this happen? Gene…these people…"

Gene made to say something but another quake cut him short.

"We've got to go." he barked urgently and dragged Melfina through the flaming streets towards the temple door.

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"Flynn! Gene and Mel are missing, did they come back to the ship?" Jim rambled entering the cock pit.

"I'm afraid Flynn went down to the bunker to sleep Jim but I assure you no-one else has entered the ship since Flynn came aboard." replied Gilliam.

"Damnit!" howled Jim, pulling his hair in frustration. "Gene should know better than to go wandering off! He's gonna get himself killed one of these days!"

"Hey Jim…"

"What!" snapped Jim sulkily.

Aisha just pointed a clawed finger towards the temple and the small stone doorway Aisha had dug up that day.

"You don't think…" started Jim, calculating impossibilities. His hook his head and his fist clenched.

"Only Gene!"

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Gene ran towards the door, Melfina behind him. The elaborate streets intertwined and lead off of each other so unless you knew the city it was impossible to determine which way to go.

Gene knew. He had made a point of remembering which side streets to take.

Melfina could feel something, a sense of something familiar. She glanced back into the sky and her soft brown eyes caught the plummet of a ship.

Gene could see the door before him on the path. All he needed was one more burst of speed to make it.

"Gene!"

Gene skidded to a halt and gawped back at were Melfina was pointing.

He couldn't believe what he saw. Time stopped, sound stopped. All he could hear was the faint pounding of his own heart beat as his eyes tried to comprehend what he was seeing.

It was a sea of fire.

It towered above the city, bathing everything in a choking heat, a wall of red and gold flame.

The end of everything.

Gene tore his gaze from the huge wave of fire and pelted towards the door. The impulse was to reach it and pound it until it opened in blind panic but he suppressed that impulse and tried to think logically.

'How did Melfina open it in the first place?'

"Melfina!" he shouted urgently over his shoulder. "How did you open the door?"

Melfina's eyes were wide and quaking but she still managed an answer.

"It…opened for me…"

"Shit!" Gene thrust his hand into his back belt but hesitated when he found his caster.

'It only stopped the door before, I doubt it'll open it…'

He gripped the handle of the caster firmly, drew it and loaded a number 10.

"Worth a shot!" he muttered and aimed.

The shell flared briefly on the toxic atmosphere before crashing into the door. A searing flash made Gene and Melfina reel back and shield their eyes.

The smoke cleared. The door was firm.

Gene was out of ideas.

The wall of inferno behind them was already three quarters of the way through the city, the air was thick with smoke and blood. There was no way they could survive an experience like this.

Gene and Melfina reached the door and pressed themselves against it as though it would make a difference. Gene slowly turned around and a blaze of relentless flame overtook his eyes.

Suddenly, everything went black.

At that precise moment, around the back of the temple, Suzuka stood up on the desert sands, a thin black wire held slack in her moon pale hand.

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Aisha felt the tremor of the door as it moved and stepped back , dropping the pickaxe she had been using to hammer her way through the door.

"What's happening?" asked Jim taking a fearful step backwards.

"It's opening."

Suzuka's sudden appearance from nowhere made Jim jump. He gasped, spun round and held his chest to calm his heart.

"Suzu! Where did you come from! How do you know it's opening!" Aisha exclaimed.

"Simple, I was the one that unplugged it so the door should open on emergency procedures." replied Suzuka.

"Nya?"

Suzuka sensibly gave up on Aisha and turned to Jim.

"The entire structure is a holographic device."

"Speak English Suzu!" complained Aisha.

"It means this place creates an illusion to anyone who stands inside. Regular holograms only create an illusion for the eyes but a hologram projector of this size would probably test every sense so the person inside will see, hear, smell and even feel their surroundings." explained Jim.

"Nya?" Aisha repeated.

"But how did you know where to find the plug?" continued Jim, frowning at Suzuka

Suddenly, the door gave an ominous groan commanding everyone's attention and slid smoothly open. Aisha and Jim peered tentatively into the darkness.

Suddenly, a hand shot out of the black and gripped the rim of Jim's shirt.

"Ah." yelped Jim being pulled forward slightly.

"Jim?"

The figure stepped out into the desert. He was sweating and panting slightly as though having run a great distance but the cocky grin on his face and the shock of red hair were the distinct characteristics of Gene Starwind.

He looked out left and right over the desert as though a little disorientated before letting Jim go.

"So I'm not dead yet?"

Jim wasted no time.

" No, you're not dead yet Gene you bastard! You could've at least told us where you were going instead of leaving us to panic when you weren't there like you did! What the hell happened to you in there!"

Gene scratched his ear indifferently.

"Sheesh, you sound like my mother."

"Take that back!" growled Jim angrily.

Behind Gene, Melfina stepped out of the temple.

"Mel? Are you okay?" asked Jim anxiously.

"Oh yeah, she gets the nice face." complained Gene.

"Can we just go?" asked Melfina. Her voice was emotional.

"I've had enough of this place!"

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A little while later and the Outlaw Star was climbing steadily out of the planet's atmosphere.

"Gilliam, set a course for Heifong!" Gene ordered.

"Right away Gene." said Gilliam pleasantly.

A silence settled over the ship, Melfina studied Gene carefully. He was sitting in his usual seat, hands hovering over the controls but his body was rigid. Melfina knew of course what was making him so tense, the images of that horrible place had left their scar on her too.

Her eyes suddenly cast downwards.

Atlantis…

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So Gene and Mel made it out of the temple, but was there anything important on the carvings that Melfina missed? What has Atlantis got to do with anything? How did Suzuka know where to unplug the hologram temple? What's in store next time for the Outlaw Star crew now they're finished on Mortlais? And where the hell has White Fire got to?

BW: Hello? White Fire?

FB: I think he's over that way!

BW: CHARGE!