Disclaimer and stuff: Yes, I own it and I also have a beach house on the moon! XD
Note: I've had some questions about Sophia, so I'm going to start this chapter with a flashback and hope that helps clear up things a bit. When trying to imagine what the crew would do after the game was over, I really thought about how Sophia would act and try to better herself…why, cause I like the girl – that and we share the same hair color and eye color (sorta since my eyes change from blue to green). I'm trying to give her something in this since she's had to have grown up some since the end of the game. I like writing couples best, but she was one of my most liked characters in the game. I hope you all like the explanation, because I really had to do some research of my own trying to get it to sound right.
Side note: I know this is a Mirage fic, but the action right now kinda over clouds that. This is still dedicated to Cliff and Mirage and there will be more scenes to come with those two. I'm hoping the next chapter will live more up to that, but I can't help getting a little involved with the Nel/Albel thing and some of this chapter is for explanation purposes. Just hang in there with me.
P.S. If you liked the whole "married couple" thing…check out the latest chapter to The Black Brigade Theatrical Troupe – which might I add was posted after my last chapter…XD
Inside My Heart
Chapter 9
-Flashback-
Sophia typed the access code and entered the lab. She scanned the area briefly, confirming that she was once again the only one there. She spent a lot of her free time in the lab. She had a few friends and would spend time hanging out with them on occasions, but lately she found herself being more a loner then she ever thought possible.
'If they could see me now,' she thought as she prepared for the task ahead of her. 'I bet no one would believe it. I hardly talk to anyone anymore, and lately I've done nothing but keep to myself.'
She shook her head. She never was much of a philosopher, but the discoveries she had made had weighed heavily on her. If she was nothing more then a program, designed for the amusement of others, then life should mean nothing. But life meant everything to her. Life…living…those things seemed so much a part of her, but also something foreign all the same.
Purpose. Did she truly have a purpose? She had been altered to save them all, but was that who she was destine to be? No, she was Sophia and not the child of Connection. She would be seen for who she was and not what she was.
When she started college, she chose to follow her father's footsteps indirectly and become a symbolic engineer. The field was poorly lacking in intellectuals who had an aptitude for symbolic engineering. Over the years, more people seemed to go for fields such as advanced medicines, space engineering, or other technical fields focused on one skill. Symbolic engineering required a great deal of knowledge in anatomy, physics, some electronics and some chemistry.
Her first year of college had been a struggle. She spent nights with no sleep cramming for exams or putting the final touches into her projects. At one point she almost changed her name. It seemed the instructors were either lenient because of who she was or they expected much more then she could handle.
Tonight was a night she didn't plan of getting any sleep. She had just finished her freshman year two days ago. While finishing up for the semester, she was overcome with an idea that nagged at her. She was only starting into the field, but already showed an aptitude for it. With her father and mother to help her, she had gained a lot of knowledge and was privileged to information that she wasn't scheduled to learn for another year or so…or at all.
She had been eager to learn all she could. She was going to make a name for herself on her own and not live off the names of others.
"If you keep burning the candle at both ends like this, then soon there'll be nothing left of you."
Sophia turned and smiled at her mother. Kyoko smiled back at her daughter.
"I know, mom, but…this is something I need to do."
Kyoko moved to sit down beside her. "Do you really think you can design a symbol like that?"
Sophia held up her schematics. "It's possible…but there's something missing here that is the key to it all." Sophia pointed to an open area on the sheet of lines and symbols. "I'm sure with a little more research; I'll be able to crack this code."
"Are you sure you want to create a Symbol such as this? You know that something like this would be beneficial, but if the wrong person got it then it would be big trouble."
Sophia bit her bottom lip. She was on the edge of a historical moment. "Yeah, I know the possible dangers, but someone will design it if I don't. Everything can be a potential hazard, but I can't stop now that I'm this close."
"Does she remind you of anyone?" Clive asked as he entered the room.
"Yeah, like father like daughter."
Clive moved to the table his family sat at. He placed a set of restraining bands and a small metal box on the table in front of them. "After you get the Symbol finished, you'll have to write a protocol to match. We'll need to have these bands updated so that criminals can't use your Symbol to stay out of jail."
Sophia examined the bands. She had heard the reports on them. They were the newest devices used to keep criminals from using symbology.
She held the box up. "What's this?"
"That is the Control Pilot," Clive responded. "That's what officials use to get the bands off a person."
Sophia examined the box. It appeared to be smooth on all six sides, but on closer examination a line was visible where it opened. She opened it into the two halves. One half consisted of a monitor, the other of a keypad. She looked, but could not find a way to turn it on.
"How does it work?"
Clive shrugged his shoulders. "Don't know. The only ones who can operate them are the ones who made them and certain officials of high rank."
Sophia knew at that instant that she held a piece of highly confidential material. It was no surprise that her father had such items. The lab worked very closely with the Federation. Though they were not privileged with all the information, they were able to get a hold of classified items.
If Sophia succeeded in creating her Symbol, then it would be wise to write a program to counteract it. She hadn't studied programs, so that would require her to work with someone who could…providing that she did succeed.
She looked again at her schematic. She was close to designing a symbol that would mimic a transporter, but on a personal level. Her symbol would allow a person to travel from one point to another without the help of a transporter. If the symbol was designed just right, then that person would also be able to transport items without using a machine.
The only thing she couldn't figure out was how to stop time in that instance. A machine ran off of numbers and digits and could be very precise. The problem with people was that time never stopped for them. She had read theories that in order to stop time, all movement had to stop. But a person could not stop the flow of blood through their veins no matter how still they stayed.
If time didn't stop during a transportation, then the results could range from instant death to the pain of having organs rearranged…which eventually also lead to death.
She needed to find the element that would allow a human to be as precise as a machine for a split second. All she needed was one symbol that would freeze time.
-End Flashback-
As a group of heavily armed men banged on the door, Sophia wished she could stop time. She had just about designed the symbol when she received the invite to Peppita's show. She couldn't pass up the chance to see a friend she hadn't seen in years…but if she had figured out the last detail for that symbol, then they would have an edge.
That is, unless Luther had already updated his bands to counteract any such symbol. She didn't know how far his knowledge extended. But that didn't matter…her research still remained unfinished.
She would have to think about things like that later. Right now, it was time to fight. She stepped back from the door and gave Mirage room. Testing the weight of the spear, she quickly determined that both bladed ends balanced equally. It was a big difference from her staff in that with a staff one end was heavier then the other. Still, she was fairly sure she could still use it.
In the past three years, she had practiced numerous times in the simulators. When she started, she did her best not to rely so much on her symbology. When learning hadn't been as easy as she had hoped, she sought a tutor. Eventually she had gotten pretty good with using the staff as a weapon alone, only using symbology here and there.
She hadn't carried her staff with her to see Peppita. She never imagined that this would happen; therefore her weapon wasn't among the others. She bit her lip and stood ready. Now wasn't the time to be choosy and the spear would have to do.
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It was dark and he was cold. He struggled with himself to open his eyes. A simple task felt like an all out war. Then a frightening thought entered him. What if his eyes were opened already? What if he was blind...or worst?
Despair and solitude seemed to taunt him from the darkness. He had to fight back. He couldn't lose now, not while his sister needed him.
Gates forced his eyelids to open. When his vision cleared, he knew immediately he was in an infirmary, probably aboard the Silver Fox.
"Gates? Thank goodness, you had us all worried."
He recognized Marietta's voice at once. He pulled his eyes from the ceiling and searched for her.
"Gates?" Her voice directed his attention. He though her voice had come from his left, but when she said his name the second time, he realized that she was on his right.
"What happened?" His voice was harsh. His throat felt extremely dry and coarse.
"Shhh, don't try to talk too much. Your being treated and should be able to get up in half an hour or so." There was a sadness in her voice. He could hear the questions she wasn't asking. She was too concerned for his condition to burden him with the need to respond when he should be resting.
"He got them...Fayt and Roger...he got them too."
Marietta rested her hand on his shoulder. "Not now. We'll talk a little later, when the antidote takes effect."
"Antidote?" His voice was barely a whisper.
Marietta shook her head. "Don't talk," she repeated. "While you were down there, your back up got here. He's one of the best doctors we have. He's seen to your treatment personally. You just rest. When you're ready I'll go get him and let him explain it to you."
He managed to lift his head. "Now."
She frowned at him. "Stubborn huh?"
He forced a smile. "Sashia taught me well..." He let his mouth go limp.
She nodded and left the room. Little time passed before she was back with an older gentleman. Gates assumed he was his 'back up'.
The man sat down beside the bed and looked Gates in the eyes. Gates immediately like the doctor...he could tell that the man was the up front and honest type.
The doctor pushed back his grey hair and smiled. "You will be right as rain in just a few more minutes. It takes a while for the antidote to take effect, but once it does; you'll never have known that you were poisoned."
Gates shifted and tried to sit up, but the doctor's firm hand held him down. "Just stay still a little longer. I promise, when it kicks in the pain you feel now will be a distant memory."
The doctor sat up straighter as he dug in his coat pockets. He pulled out a small metal ball, no bigger then marble. "This is what got you in the shoulder. It was laced with a poison…quite a deadly poison might I add. Not many survive, and if you had called Marietta five minutes later, then you would be dead right now."
"It was obvious that Luther was expecting more then just Fayt and Roger to be there." Marietta spoke softly. "Similar bullets were found in the dead Airyglyphian soldiers that were with Albel when he disappeared. If we hadn't been able to get the anti-toxin in you in time, then you would have been dead too."
Gates forced a smile as he turned to face her. "I refuse to die until I know my sister…and Sensei are safe."
"Stubborn," she teased him, making his smile widen.
---------
Nel jerked her head in Peppita's direction. The girl had already taken a fighting stance as she looked with anticipation down the hallway to the right. The corner blocked Nel's view, but her hearing told her that quite a few guards were headed their way.
Sashia darted to the corner and pressed her back to the wall. She was prepared to jump the first enemy to round the corner in her direction. Albel turned and readied himself for impact. Adray grabbed a hold of Peppita and pulled her from the enemy's direct field of vision.
Nel jumped a little closer to the coming action; putting herself just behind Albel. Her heart raced. It had been a while since her adrenaline had pumped this fast. It was a rush she both loved and loathed at the same time.
"Humph. Don't get in my way, Zelpher."
She was ready to respond to Albel, but the pending fight wouldn't allow time. Before the words could even form in her throat, the area became smaller as more people entered the scene.
Sashia held her breath and waited like a snake ready to strike. As soon as she was given a shot, she rounded her body into the first intruder to come around the corner. Her fist made direct contact with his breast bone, sending him back a few steps. As he fell back, he fell into the others who followed closely behind.
As the other guards rounded into the area, Peppita began promptly to dodge attacks, landing blows here and there as she was given the opportunity. Adray remained close to the girl, using brute force on anyone he could.
Though Albel wished more for his claw now then before, he made good use of his naked left arm. His body moved fluently as if he was still armed. His fist made ample replacements for his lost katana and claw. He was slightly pleased with the direct and more personal contact he made as he landed his enemies.
Nel cursed her luck at being in the back. She watched the others fight. The hallway had become crowded, leaving her no room to charge into battle. She had to wait until an unlucky soul made it through the carnage. She didn't have to wait too long.
Only seconds passed for her before two men came her way. They were armed with guns, but the cramped space left little room for them to get good aim. They were merely using their guns as clubs, attempting to shoot when they could.
As the two approached, Nel gave into her fighting instincts. She let go of all thoughts but that of survival. She rounded on her right foot and twisted. As she jumped, her foot made contact with the first man.
As she spun in the air, time seemed to slow. She felt a familiar pressure in her stomach. She didn't question it. She let into the pressure, hoping the results wouldn't be halted.
She focused her energy and released an aura disc. The disk collided with the second man, taking him down. She landed on her feet and blinked quickly at what had just happened. She could still feel the metal around her wrists.
During the fight Sashia had started at the front; but thanks to a series of dodges and attacks, she had been forced to the back. She had just knocked another man off his feet when the purple glow caught her attention.
"Versadom!" Sashia cursed in Klausian. "I should have thought of that in the first place." She had to move quickly to avoid a collision with Albel who wasn't paying attention to anything but the enemy.
Nel took a quick glance at the girl before engaging another man. It seemed to be no end to them.
"Nel," Sashia yelled as she fought. "The bands are designed to prevent the use of symbology…" She ducked under the oncoming blow and landed her own into the man's gut. "Symbology uses mental abilities…" Another attack cut her words short. She grabbed the man as she sidestepped, spun, and released the man – sending him into the wall. "Aura attacks require physical energy. The bands are not designed to prevent that."
Nel listened to the girl as she fought. If she had heard Sashia correctly, then she could still release powerful attacks. She would have to pace herself since aura attacks cause fatigue if used too much at one time. Still, she had an ace in the hole and she was ready to play the hand she was dealt.
---------
Luther kept himself from pacing the floor as he reviewed the replay of the two breakouts. Klausians. All his trouble spun from Klausians. First the two blondes find a way on his ship and then the wench manages to bust out of her cell. He should have killed her when he had the chance. He should have killed them all and not allowed his personal vendetta to hinder his better judgment.
That was a mistake he had to correct. He turned from the video and contemplated his next move. He had to calm himself…keep himself from getting too worked up. He needed to repress his emotions. He needed to activate the program he had written two years ago. He had anticipated problems and as a fell safe, he wrote a special program.
But there was a risk to using that program. If he lost control, then he would loose it all. The images of the breakouts played again in his mind. His anger grew. He had no choice.
"Sadie, I'm going to Lab 4C. I want you to download Inhibitor001 and have it ready for transfer."
"Affirmative."
"Oh, and reorder the units. I want them all killed…all but the Earthlings."
Luther left the room before Sadie had a chance to confirm his orders. He walked briskly down the halls. He could have transported, but he needed the walk. He was about to plunge into a world so cold that even the devil himself would freeze to death. His safety net, Inhibitor001, would only be active for a short time, but in that time there was no way to predict the outcome.
He stood on the edge of loosing all he had worked for these three years. He wasn't sure if the consequences were for the better, but he held no regrets. He had already been destroyed. The truth of his existence rested in him alone…if one could call it a true existence. If he failed this time, then there would be nothing left of him.
He sped his pace. His anger raged but his face portrayed him as the exact opposite.
---------
"Okay, guys. I'm going to open the door." Mirage moved her hand to the knob, keeping her back firmly planted against the door. "Cliff, take the right. Maria, you got middle. Sophia, wait for your cue."
Following orders, Cliff moved to the right side of the door. Maria stationed herself dead center, guns aimed and ready. Sophia stepped to the left.
Mirage felt the door start to give way. The men on the other side were trying to force their way in. She knew she had to move soon before they resorted to firing on the door. The results of that would not be in her favor.
With one swift movement, Mirage pulled the door open and to the left. She moved as if she was part of the door, gliding gracefully behind it.
Immediately, Maria opened fire on the startled men. She fired a few rounds point blank before she rolled to dodge the return fire. As her shoulder hit the wall, she was thankful that she had taken no injuries of her own…yet.
Quickly discarding the injured, Cliff grabbed the first man to enter the room unharmed. He started with a fast painful blow to the gut; causing the man to drop his gun. By this time, another man had entered behind the first. Cliff pushed the now gasping for breath man into the newcomer. Both intruders fell into a heap on the floor.
Mirage rounded from behind the door and quickly stomped her foot on the back of the head to one of the fallen men. Taking no time, she repeated with a crushing blow to the other man's face.
Her stomach turned uneasily. She hated using blunt force but it was them or her. No, it was them or the people she cared about. There was no contest.
Careful to stay out of Maria's firing range, Mirage promptly set to using the next clean target as a punching bag. Cliff's movements seemed to mirror her own. She took just a brief second to smile. This was like old times…only compared to how much trouble Cliff had gotten the two of them in at the start of Quark, this was just a warm up.
Sophia watched as man after man entered the room. As they entered, Maria did her best to pick them off. Any she missed were swiftly attacked by either Cliff or Mirage. As much as she didn't want to fight; Sophia felt she wouldn't be given a shot at any. But there seemed to be an unlimited supply and the men continued to pour through the door.
Sophia tightened her hold on the spear as she stared into the eyes of one man that made it through her three companions. He was in the process of lifting his gun to fire when the tip of the spear met his stomach. Sophia pushed the tip further, trying to knock him off. In that second she leaned the biggest difference between a spear and a staff. With a staff, after a blow the enemy fell. With a spear, the enemy was stuck to the weapon.
As she pushed, the man vanished; as did all the other men who were effectively taken down. Things seemed to be going in their favor until…
"Damn, got to recharge." Maria quickly tucked her guns into their hoisters.
---------
"Wait!" Marietta stopped at the door. "What do you think your doing?"
Gates shook his head and forced a smile. "I'm doing what I'm good at…I'm going to go get my sister out of trouble and try not to get caught in the process."
"Alone? You can't be serious."
"Look, I know what I'm doing." Gates adjusted the bag on his shoulder. "It's the way we work, Sashia and me. She gets in trouble and I get her out. I get in trouble and she helps me out…when she's done laughing at me that is. Anyway, I've got all I need here." He pointed his thumb to his back to indicate the bag.
Marietta pressed her lips. She didn't know exactly what to do but she didn't like his plan at all.
Gates leaned forward. "Just be ready for my signal."
"Are you sure you have all you need?"
"Yeah, this should be more then enough. Look, I promise I know what I'm doing. You should have seen the engine I designed on Klaus. My trade is mechanics. I've always had a knack for it."
Marietta forced a smile. "I do not doubt your intelligence…just your common sense." She chuckled lightly. "You just promise you will contact me if anything…and I mean anything goes wrong."
He looked at her and winked. "I can tell now that you spent a lot of time with Sensei…you even sound like her sometimes. Yes, I promise. Can I go now?"
She nodded reluctantly.
Gates turned and entered the transported. Within seconds he was standing beside the cruiser that had gotten the three of them to Elicoor.
His time recovering from his wounds had also allowed him time to rest. He was refreshed and ready for the task ahead of him. All he needed was an hour tops before the cruiser was ready. Then he would be able to do something instead of just sitting around with the crew of the Silver Fox and pass ideas around.
That's all they had done since they had attempted to send an unmanned craft to Luther's ship. The craft was disintegrated into nothing. Gates was sure Marietta's fear was that he would turn out the same way.
Gates would not be stopped…not even by the best security system there was. He was going to find a way onto the ship and he was going to get his sister out of there. Or he would die trying.
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Fayt let his head sink slowly to the side. He felt himself coming out of sleep. He replayed being shot over and over in his head. As soon as the dart had caught him, he tried to make use of time before he dropped.
-Flashback-
The dart hit home, landing on his chest. He plucked the dart out and tossed it way. According to the research he had helped Gates with; the effects were not instantaneous for Earthlings. That meant he had just a few seconds to act.
His sword was already weighing heavily in his hand. Using both hands, he lifted the weapon and charged at Luther. His vision started to blur, but he was determined to take Luther out before he blacked out himself.
Luther effortlessly dodged his attack. As Luther swung to the side he grabbed Fayt by the back of his collar. The sudden loss of momentum caused Fayt to drop his sword.
With one motion, Luther tossed him to the ground. Fayt landed hard, but the impact didn't hurt. In fact, he hardly felt anything…even the ground under him was loosing its hardness. He struggled to keep his eyes open.
Luther lingered over him, his laugh reeking of madness. It was all Fayt could do to keep his eyes open. The rest of his body wouldn't respond to his mental cries to get up. He couldn't move. All he could do was stare up at the man he had once defeated. The man who should be dead.
He was on the edge of the split second between reality and slumber when his drooping eyes caught a glimmer. As his lids shut, binary visions filled his consciousness. Then everything went black.
-End Flashback-
He blinked a few times, forcing his eyes to follow his commands. He took a second to look around, but his eyes were still adjusting. Then he tried to sit up.
It was no good. He was strapped down. He could feel his arms and legs bound. He lifted his head just too visually confirm what he already knew.
He was flat on his back and strapped down. Not good. He scanned the room. It was poorly lit but he could identify it as a lab. Various devices lined the walls. Computer screens blinked with a wide variety of digital images – mostly text that was too small for him to read from a distance.
"Roger? Gates?" Fayt forced his voice. He was groggy and his head still full of sleep.
He heard a moan followed by his name. He scanned the room but could not find the source.
"I'm back here…err…in a cage."
Fayt blinked. "Roger? How's Gates?"
He heard a rustle behind him. "I don't see him anywhere."
Fayt held his breath. He hoped that Gates had gotten away and wasn't hurt. The creep wasn't after him, he was an innocent bystander. A familiar pain struck his gut at the thought of more innocent people being hurt because of him.
No, not because of him this time. This was Luther's work and it was at no fault to him. He couldn't let himself think anything more then that.
The door opened, distracting him from his thoughts. Luther entered the room, barely paying attention as he crossed the floor.
"Luther," Fayt growled.
Luther stopped in mid step and scowled at him. His cold blue eyes penetrating him fiercely. "Not now…you'll have to wait. First I have a few things to attend to. After that we can play."
Luther continued across the room and sat down in front of one of the computers. "Sadie, is the file ready for transfer?"
Fayt wondered if he had gone completely mad and was talking to himself before a female voice responded.
"Affirmative."
"Good," Luther smirked as he leaned back in his chair. "Project yourself…I may need a hand with this."
At his command Sadie materialized beside her seated master. She was nothing more then a robot shaped like a woman. Her skin was metal. She had no hair or anything else to define her as anything other then a machine.
Luther glanced at her and smirked. "Get the connections ready. We will proceed with the transfer."
Without a word, the android set to her master's wishes. She pulled bundle of colored cables from the consol. Luther watched and waited until all the connections were visible before turning his seat away from her.
What Fayt saw next was eerie. The android touched Luther's neck, doing something Fayt could not see. Then she proceeded to 'plug' the connectors into Luther…into the back of his neck.
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Blue Afterthoughts:
Okay, a little explanation before I get questions. In the game you have mental enhancers and physical enhancers…which deal with HP and MP. HP and MP have always been separated into two different groups. In SO3 you have attacks that drain MP and attacks that drain HP. MP is used when using symbology. HP is used for what I call aura attacks. The restraining bands are designed to stop symbology – and I got to thinking that since symbology uses MP, then the restraining bands wouldn't stop aura attacks because they are on a different level. Therefore, our heros will be able to use any attack that they can in the game that drains HP. This was just discovered by Nel and explained by Sashia.
I hope that helps to understand the logic I'm using.
Blue Reviews:
IceBlueWings: I had the whole anger explanation told to me in school and it just fit in so well here. And remember, Sashia's parents were Klausian and I guess they had quite an interesting marriage. I hope I answered the question about Sophia. As far as Albel, hehehe, I think I'll do another flashback or something for him…he'll have to come up with something after this is over (or during) to make things a bit smoother between him and Nel. Ummm what is Luther after…? I'm building up to that but you guys are so sharp that I have to add a few twist in to keep you from figuring it all out. :D
BlueTrillium: Glad to see you're back! The Roger scene was good? Thanks because I find fight scenes hard to write…easy to picture but I have a hard time describing it. Right now our 'wicked warrior' is in the middle of a fight but believe me, he was soaking up every word Sashia said. I guess I left another cliffy here since both groups are still fighting for it, Gates is headed on what Marietta's convinced is a suicide mission, and what the heck is up with Luther?
Dark-pheonix: I'm glad you like my original characters…they are both based somewhat on myself – sorta since I took the things I do/like split those interest up and then built personalities around them. Their relationship with each other is built on the relationship I have with my own brother…makes it easier to write about. Right now there's a lot of action but there is more Mirage/Cliff to come, I promise ;)
Darkladyxion959: Hahaha, yup, Nel's guilty! Digs "The Wicked"…oh but don't we all…oh sorry, said too much XD Another vote for the Roger scene…coolness! I know, I'm not trying to neglect our favorite blonde couple…I'm getting there just got a few goons to discard first and I will truly compensate for it I swear! Oh, I'll try my best to make it good…real good.
ElusiveCat: Looks like both Nel and Albel have a few things to think about…too bad no time to think now. I couldn't resist the whole married couple thing, I had it in mind to do sometime and it seemed best for Sashia to do it. Yet another vote for the Roger scene…Maybe I should give the little guy more action…thanks a bunch! And yes, much more Mirage/Cliff to come. And when it does then the title of this story will really come into play.