Again and again I go over my plans for what is going to happen, but I try not to think more than a chapter ahead, because than you spend to much time trying to set up the events necessary to make it happen. It is better to just go with the flow.
Disclaimer: I don't own the Vandread franchise.
#3: Darkened Horizon
Hibiki opened his eyes, finding himself entwined with the red hair again. The tentacle emerged from the writhing mass and began to address him. "Your heresy is to be purged." It's booming voice said coldly. The sky over the hills of the plain he was captured in darkened as storm clouds grew and flashes of white light showed the silhouette of a man approaching. "What the hell do you mean by that!" Hibiki spat in terror. The figure on the darkened horizon dropped bellow the illumination of provided by the lightning. The red swirled up around him, blocking out everything else around him. "Our messenger will eradicate you Existence! It roared. Just then the curtain of red in front of him swayed as if caught in the wind, and though it, he saw, to his horror, A black cloaked figure approaching.
Hibiki sat bolt upright in the hotel bed, and promptly fell of with a yelp of surprise. What was it I saw? He thought. It looked like the messenger of death, come to claim him. The thought was pushed from his mind as Dita said groggily, yet still tinged slightly with worry, "Are you alright, Mr. Alien?" A slight blush brought some color back to his pale and sweaty face. It was nice having someone to care enough to see if he was all right, even though having easily went back to sleep. Whoa, where did that thought come from? He thought, with a generic answer of "fine," that he managed to procure as Dita shuffled over, obviously still partially asleep and settled next to him with their backs to the bed. After a few minutes of silence as Hibiki contemplated where that odd though of complacency at Dita's concern had come from, when he felt a weight on hid shoulder. Snapping out of his thoughts, he looked down to see her head resting on it, fast asleep. He found that he really didn't want to disrupt her, and although he would never admit it to anyone, because he could scarcely admit it to himself, he felt kind of bad for waking her up the first time. He glanced up at the clock, and was amazed that it was only 1:26 in the morning. He reached behind him and grouped around until he found what he had been looking for. Pulling a pillow off of the bed and carefully placing it behind his head. He decided he would simply enjoy the peace, and besides, it was 1:00 in the morning, who would ever know? He thought as he slipped back into a dream world, where there was nothing but dozens of trays heaped with delicious looking food for him to devour.
Duero glanced over at the clock opposite of the table he was sitting at. He had finished eating and was once again reading. He liked gaining his own experiences rather than just reading about the way other people did things, it was still go to get a basic knowledge of some things down. That, plus when board, it was better to read than just sit. The clock hit 8:00 as he finished the thought, and since no noise was coming from Hibiki's room, he figured they must still be asleep. That was surprising due to how much noise Bart was making in the room over. He was taking a shower and singing in a very loud and horrible voice. He got up, pushed in his chair and waked to Hibiki's door, gently, yet firmly knocking on it as he came in range. He waited for several seconds, and receiving no reply, opened it to investigate. The bed was empty, so he walked over to the bathroom, knocking as well. Pyoro welcomed him and Duero replied with a simple "Good morning." He turned around wondering if they might have gone for an early morning walk, when he saw a tuft of spiky purple-blue hair sticking up from the opposite side of the bed. Walking around, what he saw brought a sly grin to his face. "Well, isn't this something."
"Well isn't this something." Echoed through the room, Hibiki turning, his hand frozen in mid grasp at a plate full of orange chicken. His eyes opened at this waking and gazing up at a grinning Duero, his eyes itching with sleep. "Wha…" he began, noticing a weight on his shoulder. Looking over he saw Dita's head resting in the same spot it was almost 7 hours ago. "What the hell?" He yelled jumping up, moving Dita's head of his shoulder first, as not to snap it around. Duero just smile more broadly and strode out of the room satisfied that they were awake.
Name: Gregory PershamAge: 24
Occupation: Parts Mechanic
"What do you feel qualifies you for this experiment?" Duero was plying questions to his latest interview recipient with a very business like air as he reviewed the data file on his personal data pad. He had been interviewing people in his cubical office since they opened the doors that morning around 10:00. It was now 3:30. Well, I am a people person, and a skilled at repairing damaged just about anything." Mr. Persham replied a bit nervously glancing over at Hibiki's corner. Obviously he had seen quite a few occupants of that area scream and run out of the building, sometimes chased away by Hibiki's … he searched for the right word… "Overzealous" rejection of the applicants, but most often because Dita was in there with them. Mr. Persham shifted nervously as yet another man ran screaming from the building, apparently for no reason. He was probably wondering what was being done in there, and if he would be administered the same apparently horrible thing. "If your wondering," he said coolly, "what is going on in there, a women is helping with their interviewing." "You mean," Pershing said, with curiosity replasing the nervousness in his voice, "that you captured a woman and brought it here?" Duero had troubled keeping the disgust off his face, not knowing whether the part about having "captured", of referring to her and "it" offended him more. "Well that clears that up," Persham continued, his nervousness vanished, replaced by a sickening smile, "when will I be informed if I've been selected?" he asked. "Right now," Duero said, fighting to keep his voice level, "Get out." He said coldly. "Now!" he said a bit more loudly as Persham stared at him inquisitively, but hurried to it after hearing the threat in the last word. Another filed in and the process went on as if nothing had happened.
The waiting room was the part of the building near the door not occupied by the cubicles. All the chairs that were not being used in the makeshift offices were in this area. These were all filled, as was allot of the surrounding space. The rain hammered down outside as lightning flashed in the distance, beyond the backdrop of buildings. Every so often a few of the waiting men filed out after one of the men who had just been "interviewed" in the corner. "Hey, Hibiki, you want to stop chasing all the men out? At this rate we aren't going to bring back any meals… I mean, guests, back to our female friends." Bart yelled across the row at Hibiki's cubical, as half the men in the waiting area ran out the door. Most of the rest followed as Bart added "Our female masters won't be very happy if we don't bring back enough choice meat!" The few that remained looked nervously at each other as Hibiki shouted Shut up, or you'll give us away!" back at him in the same joking voice. "I have orders from the head monster… I mean, Captain," adding extreme emphasis to the word captain, as if trying to make the over hearers forget he had said monster, "orders saying I should select those who seem the tastiest. That's why she had Dita here come along. Good thing no one saw here get the really big guy." "Yeah," Dita yelled, in again the same way as the other 2 were, "he was kinda tough to chew, but soooo good." She said the last part as if relishing the memory "I just had to save some to bring back to the rest of crew. After a short pause, she held a heavily loaded plastic bag, her hand and the bag covered in a red liquid. "Want some?" She called. "Why sure," He replied walking out and digging in the bag and removing something wrapped in newspaper dripping red liquid. "I didn't have a taste for this," He waved the thing, getting the liquid to drip more on the floor, "but it definitely grows on you, and it still warm." He said, as he walked back in to his office, and Dita's hand retracted, at which point the rest off the men ran out of the door including the ones B.C. and Duero were trying to interview. Hibiki stuck his head out of his office and said, while still laughing, "guess we can call it an early day." Everyone was laughing, even B.C. was chuckling. "How did you to coordinate that so well?" She asked, still smiling. There's a little text communicating thing in the pads we got, Bart replied with tears rolling down his face. The door opened and a small group of men filled in. "Ok," B.C. said as she walked over and locked the door, "this is the last group for the day." She motioned the first three to go into her, Bart, and Duero's offices, saying "Clean up whatever mess Dita made out of that last guy." This was immediately loud damn it out of Hibiki, who followed up after realizing what B.C. had meant, "why do I have to clean up the mess she made?" He emphasized the she, and continued in a lower voice, which he made sure carried around the room, "I told him not to get to close." But he stifled the laughter as he walked out into the middle of the aisle covered in what looked like blood and grabbed the box of cleaning stuff of the floor. He strode back in to the office, throwing a quick glance to the men in the waiting area. It looked just like a group of guy not knowing what they were trying to get into. They all looked a good deal frightened, except one, who's face was hidden in a black, hooded cloak.
The shuttle pulled up in front of their hotel at 4:30 and the departed back to their rooms. They ate and had their chat with the Captain that night, B.C. saying that not very many interview were suitable, and the first day provide only 5 possible candidates, none of which came from Hibiki's applicants. Then Bart retold the tale of they joke and all got another good laugh in. They finished, and went to bed, Hibiki receiving a small kiss on the cheek from Dita, which he didn't complain about to much, but left them bothblushing furiously. One overly long day over, and several to come, As the clock read 10:43 they both drifted of to sleep, hoping the next day would provide more productive than their first. Hibiki final thoughts were on the strange thoughts his mind and conjured up very early that morning, thoughts that should never have appeared in the mind of a strong man of Tarrak. He made a mental note to protest a lot more the next time Dita tried to do anything with him, And not presented a heaping plate or two as sacrifice. That eased his mind as it finished shutting down and he fell asleep.