Disclaimer and stuff: Okay, this is getting a little redundant!
Note: Not quite as long as some of the other chapters…but this one features a little more of Albel and Nel then the previous ones.
Odd Note: Anyone out there played Radiata Stories? If you have then you will understand why I have to fight the urge to have everyone kick down the cell doors and start kicking the guards! XD I think that's one of the best features of the game! Anyway, on with the story!
Inside My Heart
Chapter 5
Sophia reached through the bars of her cage. There was just enough room for her to put her hand on Maria's shoulder.
Maria looked up, her blue eyes still slightly hazed over. "Sophia. We're in trouble if we don't find a way out."
Sophia bit her bottom lip. She looked briefly from Maria to the guard at the door. She thought about her situation. If the guard wasn't at the door, then she was sure some sort of security device would be monitoring them. Either way, they had no privacy.
Maria sat up, causing Sophia's hand to drop. Sophia pulled her arm back. "Maria, what's going on here?"
Maria rubbed her head. "Luther's back. I don't know how. But he's behind this."
Sophia felt like the air had just been sucked from the room. She heard Maria, but wanted so bad for this to all be a dream. "Luther?" She more mumbled to herself.
Maria looked up, trying her best to push the effects from the drug away. "How long have you been here?"
"I don't know. I woke up not long ago."
Sophia looked past Maria. Her attention diverted by the cage behind her. "Fayt."
"Huh?"
Sophia's looked back at Maria. "The cage behind you. Its probable reserved for Fayt. Since Peppita's not here, I assume she's being held elsewhere."
Maria turned and glanced behind her, noticing the empty cage for the first time. "Peppita?" she asked, turning back to Sophia. "He's got Peppita too?"
Sophia nodded. "We were attacked on Moonbase 7." A sudden realization came to her. "If Peppita's here, I wonder who else he has."
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"Jonnas! Gregory!"
Voices from the hall brought Albel from his trance. He stood and walked to the window. Since he had found he wasn't the only prisoner, he got up frequently to see what happened. He wanted to know what was going on. He knew that knowledge, no matter how small, was to a certain degree a form of power.
He was gathering as much information as possible, trying to answer his questions.
He peered out of the window in time to see the guards scatter. Up the hall a new prisoner was being ushered in. This time it was Adray. The guards went to the left side of the area and promptly opened one of the two doors along the left wall.
After seeing Peppita brought in, Albel had immediately noticed a pattern. Now his suspicions were all but confirmed.
The guards had just finished closing Adray's cell when footprints drew Albel's attention back to the hallway. He looked straight ahead. At first Albel dared to disbelieve his own eyes. He knew the man walking down the hall. He also knew the same man to be his tormentor.
Luther stopped in front of Albel's cell and leered at him. "Heard you just got a roommate. Better enjoy it while you can."
A growl emanated out of Albel's throat. "Maggot."
Luther laughed as he adjusted the girl hanging on his shoulder. Albel noticed her for the first time. Unlike the rest of his prisoners, she was a stranger.
Luther raised his eyebrow. "Like my new trophy? Stupid wench put up quite a fight. She even tore my favorite shirt." He let out a low growl followed by a short laugh. "When I get done with you and the rest of your crew, I might just have to open her up and see what she's got to give her such unique abilities."
His laugh sounded almost like a hum as he walked to Albel's right. "Open cell 6. We'll give her one of the Klausian's cells for now."
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After a brief discussion (in which no details were mentioned), a decision was made. The six would hold a meeting on Marietta's ship. Mirage, Cliff, Fayt, and Gates set immediately to the task of retrieving their belongings. Roger waited patiently with Marietta for the others to return to the rendezvous spot. Everyone was tense and fighting off panic too hard to talk.
Fayt was concerned with Luther's recent reappearance. Gates tried his best not to think about his sister in pain. Mirage was worried because she didn't know what had happened to Sashia. She felt responsible for the twins, and she felt guilty for letting Sashia come to harm. Cliff stayed silent because he could clearly see the worry Mirage was carrying.
When everyone was accounted for, they transported to the Silver Fox (the mother ship in charge of Vulpine Corp.). They went promptly to the board room. It was a large room, used mainly for business meetings and such. The six of them barely filled a fourth of the table.
Marietta sat at the head of the table. "Let me start with passing along a message from Maria." Marietta swallowed hard. She never liked to deliver bad news. "Maria has been taken captive by Luther."
"He's got Maria too?" Fayt tried, but failed to keep his voice down.
"Whoa! Luther?" Cliff managed to keep his voice steady, but just barely.
Mirage immediately darted her gaze across the table to Gates. He nodded silently, trying to force back his tears.
"No…Sashia was taken by…That can't be."
Cliff put a reassuring arm around Mirage. She couldn't help but to lean on him. She desperately needed his support right now.
"Yo, Fayt. You know something about this?" asked Cliff.
Fayt shook his head. "Not much. We got to Palmira Plains just in time to see him transport away with Sashia…" Fayt feel silent. He glanced sideways at Gates. The black haired boy just stared at his hands which were folded on the table.
Marietta nodded. "Maria wanted to take a tracking device with her, but he didn't give her enough time. He transported her off my ship before she had a chance to do more then tell me to find you."
Gates shot his head up suddenly. "Tracking device? Wait!" He leaned over the retrieve the bag he had dropped by his chair. He pulled his compact out and opened the lid. He punched in his access code.
"Got it!" he announced triumphantly.
All eyes turned to the dark haired Klausian. He spun his compact out, showing the screen. A light blinked on the screen. "We have an agreement. She has her compact set to monitor. This will tell us where she is." Hope flickered in his voice.
"Excellent," Marietta responded. "Where is she now?"
Gates turned to compact back to face him. Lines fell across his brow. "Actually, she's located in orbit on the other side of Elicoor."
"Huh?" asked Roger.
"That close," Cliff stated. "What is he hanging around for?"
"He said something about getting my room ready." Fayt replied.
Mirage lifted herself from Cliff and leaned on the table. She looked across at Fayt and Gates. "So far, we know he has Maria and Sashia. Do you suppose that this might also have something to do with Nel's disappearance?"
Fayt nodded. "That's what I was thinking."
"Ah, three damsels in distress! We must go and rescue them. It's the only manly thing to do!" Roger stood in his chair. The growth rate for a Menodix is slower then other races. Over the past three years, he had only grown an inch in height and aged the equivalent to one Earth year.
"Whoa, nothing comes from rushing head first into unknown territory." Cliff eyed Roger.
Fayt nodded. "For all we know, it could be a trap."
Gates couldn't take his eyes off the blinking light. "Trap or not, my sister needs me. Right now, she's still alive. I can't just leave her there. Not with that…lunatic."
Mirage would have leaned over the table to take Gates hands, but the space was too large. She nodded in agreement. "Yes, we need to get her back." She stood up. "I've got an idea. I'm going to go and give Luther a piece of my mind."
"Whoa, Mirage! Didn't you just hear what I said to Roger?" Cliff stood up and gently grabbed her arm. He looked at her. Concern was evident on his face.
"Yes, Cliff. And didn't you just hear me when I said I have an idea?"
He couldn't speak. He knew how hard headed she could be at times. Not as much as him, but when it came to situations like this, she could out do him. Of course, he had to admit to himself, she carried her hard headedness with much more class. Even in determination, she wasn't one to make hasty decisions. He had always trusted her. Always. That was the key.
"Alright, fill me in." He nodded and forced a smile.
"Me too," Fayt said as he stood up.
"Hey, if Lady Nel and Maria are in trouble, then I'm game," Roger added.
Gates stood beside Fayt. "Sensei?"
Mirage looked around and smiled. "I figured you all would want in."
"Don't forget about me," Marietta said. "Any resource I have is at your disposal."
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"Hey!" Peppita called out. She was still too short to get a good view of the hall. She hung on the bars, feet braced on the door, as she peered out. "Yeah, you, the ugly one! Come here."
Jonnas frowned as he moved to the cell door. "Little brat. What do you want?"
Peppita reached out of the bars and slammed her fist on his head. "That! That's for locking me up!"
Peppita quickly jumped down and back from the door.
Jonnas rubbed his head as he looked through the window. "I'll teach you a thing or two." He reached for the button to activate the door.
"JONNAS! What are you doing?" Gregory caught him before he could apply pressure to the button.
Albel smirked as he leaned on his own door. He didn't know which would have been more amusing. To see a couple of grown men outsmarted by a loud mouth brat, or to see Peppita get what she had coming? He never could stand the young girl. She was on his list of people never to see again…along with that little weasel boy Roger.
"Albel?" Nel's voice brought him out of his trance. He looked over to see her sitting up in the bed.
She hung her legs over the edge while she leaned her back against the wall. Albel left his place at the door and sat on the other end of the bed.
Nel shifted, wincing as she moved. She felt her whole body ach. She quickly recalled her 'interrogation' as the man had put it. Though she was never asked any questions.
"What are those for?"
Nel looked at Albel. His glance was on the metal rings around her wrist. "They prevent me from using my runology."
They sat in silence for a while. Nel tried not to recall too much of what she had just been through. She tried her best to clear her mind and get a good mind set on what was going on. But the events over the last few hours wouldn't stop haunting her.
As if reading her mind, Albel responded to her thoughts. "Did he show you his face?"
"At the end," Nel spoke in a low tone. "Right before I blacked out, he took off the mask. I must have been hit really hard. He looked like…" Nel shook her head. There was no way the dead could walk. She must have been hallucinating.
"Luther?"
She looked up to see red eyes locked on her. She slowly nodded her head. "Yeah, but that can't be. I mean, we were both there. He's dead."
"Didn't look dead to me," he grunted.
Nel leaned her head on the wall behind her and closed her eyes. Logic escaped her. She had no response.
"Now it makes sense," Albel spoke. "First he brings you in, then that little brat, and then that old fool. I still don't know where that other girl fits in."
The first thing that made Nel worry was that it sounded like Albel was actually having a conversation with her. She knew she had taken a few blows to the head, but she didn't feel that they could have affected her logic this bad.
She opened her eyes and glanced at him. He was still looking at her. He wasn't one to stare as far as she could remember. She couldn't do more then stare back.
Wait, he just made a list. The little brat was obviously Peppita. Old fool? "Who?"
He gave her a stern look. "That little brat and the old fool," he repeated.
"Peppita and…" She could hardly think. Why was he still looking at her? She started to feel uncomfortable.
"Adray," he finished for her.
"Adray? But why? What is he planning?"
Albel didn't answer her. He just sat in the same position still looking at her. She couldn't take it any longer. She stood up and paced the floor.
"Fist thing is to find a way out," Nel spoke to herself. Then realizations dawned on her. "Albel? What am I doing in your cell?"
"The door to your cell is broken." Albel continued to watch her as she paced around. He hadn't been this close to her in three years, but habits were hard to break. And over the past three years, he had fallen into a routine.
The first time he saw her again was four months after their return from the stars.
-Flashback-
Albel walked through the desert alone. He was on a personal leave from the castle. He needed some space. He needed to reflect on the events that had taken place in the dungeons underneath the castle.
He had chosen the desert because the land was as lonely as he felt. In a barren place, it was easy to clear things from ones mind and escape harsh reality.
Sweat poured from his brow as he set to the task of relieving foe after foe of life. He spent hours, alone, with no one but his sword for company.
He thought he was alone, until he heard voices.
The sounds carried over the rock pile which sat close to the pathway back to Surferio. He sheathed his sword and cautiously approached the pile. It was suicide to come out to the desert, and he was weary of anyone who would be in such a place. Of course, he was there, but in his case it was this or a breakdown. If he died in the desert, then that was clearly better then the alternative.
At this point in his life, he felt that his reputation was all he had. He couldn't afford to look incompetent. He needed something, and that was all there was to keep him going. There had been many times he felt the will to give up. After what he had confronted in the dungeons, he felt emptier inside then ever.
The desert was where he started his search. He didn't know what he was looking for, but he was sure he would find it. No matter what it took or how long he had to look.
He deftly climbed the rocks. The sun was high and the heat almost unbearable. It was at times like this he knew he was still alive. His pain was, to a certain point, his friend.
On the other edge of the rocks was a group of Aquarians. It was a small battle brigade. This was obviously one of their training grounds.
If didn't take but a brief scan for him to locate the brigade leader. A familiar face. He watched the whole training session, curious to see how she was doing after the whole celestial ordeal.
It appeared that she was no longer a member of the Secret Legion, but the captain of the Crimson Blades. He had always seen her as one to follow orders and only take the lead when deemed necessary. He found it odd, yet entertaining, to see her in command. She had been in command before, but this was the first time he really noticed.
And it wasn't the last time he would see her train her group…though she would never know she was being watched.
-End Flashback-
"Broken?" Her words brought him out of his trance. "I wonder if that had anything to do with casting ice needles earlier."
"Maybe."
As much as she was hesitant too, she sat back in her spot on the bed and set to the task of examining the metal bands around her wrists again.
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The first action Mirage directed was to investigate the area where Sashia had last been.
Marietta transported the five down to the surface. The sun had just started to rise on the Palmira Plains as they followed Gates.
When they reached the spot, they spread out.
"Sensei!"
Mirage made her way rapidly to Gates. He held up an Aquarian katana. The tip was coated in fairly fresh blood.
He handed it over to Mirage. She inspected it closely. "Adray?"
Fayt, who was close by, darted a look at her. "Did you say Adray?"
Mirage nodded. She handed the sword to Fayt. Cliff, seeing the transaction, approached to two.
"I didn't see Adray here last night."
Gates nodded in agreement. "All I saw was Sashia and that freak."
Cliff looked around at the group. "Well, it's evident that there was a struggle here last night. And there was more then just two of them."
Mirage knew what had happened. Her gut told her that last night; there was more to it then just Sashia being taken away.
"So, Sashia, Maria, Nel, and Adray were abducted…"
Roger cut her off. "And Albel! Don't forget about him."
The group eyed the Menodix. "Huh?" Cliff asked. "What about Albel?"
"Oh, I guess you haven't heard. The King of Airyglyph sent out a search party. Seems Albel never came back from his last mission. All the soldiers that went with him were found dead, but there was no sign of him." Roger peered up without his usual smile. "They were headed to Aquaria yesterday to inform the queen and ask for help."
Mirage shook her head. "This doesn't look good." She shifted from one foot to another. "Anyone else here see a pattern to this?"
Fayt turned white as a sheet. Sudden realization dawned on him. He quickly pulled his communicator from his pocket and set to the task of contacting Sophia.
The screen blinked twice. This was followed by Sophia's mail mascot, an orange tabby cartoon cat.
Normally the cat would cheerfully make the caller aware that Sophia was away from her communicator and that they should leave a message. This time, that was not the case.
The cartoon cat approached the screen in its normal cheerfully way. "Sorry, but Sophia will not be returning any calls. If you wish to see her again…then stop wishing. It's pathetic. You're all pathetic."
The screen went blank. Cliff looked from the communicator to Fayt. Fayt just stared at the blank screen.
"Um, not suppose to do that, huh?"
Fayt looked at Cliff and shook his head.
"Seems our problem just got bigger," Mirage responded, putting a reassuring hand on Fayt's shoulder.
She looked at Cliff. She could see worry in his eyes that mimicked her own.
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Nel appeared to be inspecting the bands, but in reality her thoughts drifted. She could feel his stare on her. She felt very uncomfortable. She wanted to yell at him, but that was the most illogical thing she could do. They were locked together in a very small cell and an argument would not help anything. Of course, it was illogical for him to stare like this. This was defiantly not the Albel she remembered.
The memory of his farewell to her three years ago had been enough to set her anger off again. She bit her lip as she vividly remembered that day.
-Flashback-
After many heartfelt good byes, Maria transported all the off worlders away. This left Roger, Adray, Albel and herself standing in Arias.
Roger, happy to be back where everything was 'natural', quickly darted away with a "See you later." Adray mumbled something about Clair and headed for the mansion. This left Nel and Albel alone at the western gate.
"Well, Nox, I never would have thought I'd see the day we would work together."
"Humph. I was just bored. Nothing more."
She looked at him, skeptical. She knew he had enjoyed the 'change of pace' but how could he be so nonchalant about it.
She stepped closer and looked him in the eyes. "Bored? And what now?"
He lifted on eyebrow slightly. "I'll find some other way to amuse myself. What concern is it of yours?"
She shook her head. "You'll never change will you?"
"Bah."
"I see. Knowing you, amusement comes in some form dark and cold."
About that time, Nel heard Clair call her name. She was about to turn and greet her friend when Albel grabbed both sides of her face. He held her while he kissed her.
When he pulled away, she knew she was blushing. How could he do that? And in front of Clair and only Apris knows who else!
He smirked. "That didn't feel so cold to me." He turned and started out of the gate. "Perhaps I should thank you for the brief amusement. It's not every day your face matches your hair."
It took all her strength to hold in her anger as she tried to keep Clair, and Adray who had followed his daughter, from getting the wrong impression.
On top of the public humiliation, he had just stolen her first kiss. She had made a promise to herself a long time ago that her first kiss would be on her wedding day. Of course, she had been young and naive, but she had yet to find anyone she had wanted to kiss.
That day, he had humiliated her and stolen something that was irreplaceable.
-End Flashback-
The image of the metal around her wrists blurred. Anger sparked in her again. She swallowed it back and tried to focus on something…anything else. Then she thought of the letter she was to deliver to Wolter. The letter that she still had in the pocket inside her shirt.
She patted her chest softly. It was still there. They had stripped her of her weapons, but had missed the letter completely. She had half a mind to call the guard over and pass it through the bars to him. After remembering that day three years ago, and finding herself locked up with him of all people, the letter was the last thing she wanted near her right now.
End Chapter 5
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Blue after thoughts:
Hahaha, forget about being in character. People change over time and I bet saving the whole universe has got to have an effect on everyone. So, now it looks like Albel is playing the role of the spy and Nel is the commander of a brigade. If you can't tell, I'm basing this on the ending I got, where everyone goes their separate ways.
Okay, not a lot of romance in this chapter…but it is Romance/Action/Adventure so that just means that another chapter will have to make up for that. :D
Well, answers to look for in coming chapters: How is Luther alive? What is he planning? Who will he go after next? What is in that letter Nel has? What is Albel thinking? What does Mirage mean by giving Luther a piece of her mind?
Blue Reviews:
BlueTrillium: I knew you had figured it out. About that note…that's coming up, I just had to build up to it. I know, kinda left it hanging there…not much of a cliffhanger really but it seemed like a good place to end this chapter.
ElusiveCat: I'm so happy someone is concerned for Sashia. One thing about writing a fic and adding your own characters is the fear that everyone will just shove them to the side. I'm not making Sashia and Gates a big focus in this…but they are still like my children…kinda. Hope you liked Sophia's mail mascot! Cats are one of my favorite animals and I was looking at the back of the game case the other day and spotted the little cat hanging from her staff. If you know anything about Xenosaga, then you know that Shion always has a bunny with her, so I figured Sophia could have cats as her thing.
Yuna Ying Fa: I'm glad you are still into this story. Hope this chapter didn't disappoint.
Darkladyxion959: You're so bad? Hahaha, I can't say anything about that…I'm the one who locked them up and well…we won't get into that – I have a very overactive and vivid imagination-. Hehehehe, here's the update. Hope you like.