A/N: Just a short note, though it probably doesn't apply to anyone who's bothered to read this far: I'm writing this purely for my own amusement, and am only continuing to post it because a few people seem to like it. I am aware that it is unoriginal and contrived, so you don't need to tell me. Sorry for spamming up the genre, but I've seen worse. That is all.

Chapter 5

Later that day -- night, whatever, it was impossible to keep time around here -- they gave me new glasses and new clothes, as my old set was torn and stunk to high heaven. Then they left me alone in my room with my thoughts.

It was then that the events that had happened to me in so short a time caught up to me. Maybe some small part of my mind decided that I hadn't been stressed enough during, but in any case I had a nervous breakdown in the corner. About fifteen minutes of uncontrollable shaking later an alarm of some sort went off, leading me into another panic, thinking it was a fire alarm. But the door was locked, making me effectively a prisoner, so I was left to sit waiting for my death. But when no flames came to claim my life, I decided that I was overreacting yet again.

At some point I must have dozed off, because I was awakened by the door opening. It was Doctor Man again. "The results of your tests have come in," he said. Tests? I didn't remember any tests. "There's no evidence of cranial injury," he went on, "but you have a previously undocumented blood type." Had they stuck needles into me while I wasn't looking? And my blood type was fine, thank you very much. I didn't know what it was, but I knew it was normal. "We have decided to do further tests."

"But --" The doctor looked up in surprise at my interruption. "But I'm fine."

He cocked his head at me. "You don't really have a choice in the matter."

"What?"

Doctor Man came further into the room. "I can't really disclose our reasons to you, but we are a tightly-run organization," he told me with a stern look. "An anomaly such as you cannot be overlooked."

"But Yu --" I stopped myself, remembering I wasn't supposed to know his name. Hopefully he would just think I had said "you." "But that other guy didn't even believe I'm from another world!"

"That's why we're doing the tests." He tapped the side of his nose. "To see if you are."

"But --"

"Protesting will get you nowhere." He made some adjustments to some machine in the corner of the room, then moved back towards the door. "In a few minutes a team will come in to assist me with the first test."

I squirmed on the bed as the door closed behind him.

---

Because I was too shy to ask, I never found out how long I stayed there. By my own estimations it was probably a couple days. My days were marked by either strange incomprehensible tests inflicted on my person or excuricating boredom. I wasn't allowed to leave the room, and there wasn't so much as an instruction booklet for me to read. Instead I retreated into the world inside my head, depleted somewhat by my own guilt for making up stories about people I now knew actually existed.

While I was in the middle of a daydream involving Yuusuke and Harry Potter, to my surprise Botta barged into my room. Ever since Yuan had left however long ago, the only people I had seen were the doctor, whose name I had never actually learned, and his assistants. Before I could even begin to wonder what he was doing here he began to speak to me in a hurried tone.

"We have some work for you to do, in return for our hospitality," he said, drawing something out of a pocket and handing it to me. It was a metallic bracelet with a circular indent in the center, along with some other odd decorations. "There is a group that we need surveillance on, and you seem a likely candidate," he continued as I analyzed the bracelet. "With your previous contact with the Chosen's group, I doubt they will suspect you." I looked up. What? The Chosen? I had a bad idea where this was leading. "They have infiltrated our base here, and they will 'rescue' you from the 'Desians.' You will report to us daily using that bracelet." He pointed out what looked like a glass bead and told me that I could press that to contact them and then talk into the bracelet.

"But -- the Chosen? I mean, isn't that kind of --" I began hoplessly.

"You have no choice in the matter." Botta was now trying to bustle me out the door. "There are complications as a result of your Exsphere implant, so every day after your report insert it in that indent there. Otherwise it will parasitize you far more quickly than normal." But, the Keycrest -- "These two will escort you to where you need to be." With that he was gone in a whirl of robes, leaving me with two Renegades.

"Come on," said one, and we were off.

As I was led through corridors that all looked the same to me, I couldn't help but wonder what I was getting into. Spying on Lloyd? First off, if I gave the Renegades too much information I could completely prevent the world from being saved. But if I gave them too little, they might to decide to cut me off and I'd turn into a monster like Marble. And what was up with that anyway?

My train of thought was derailed when we turned a corner and ran quite literally into Kratos and Lloyd. I windmilled my arms, trying to keep my balance, and one of the Renegades put a hand on my shoulder and drew me back, almost protectively.

"Take the priosoner and call for backup!" the other one shouted, even as he jumped back to avoid Kratos's sword.

"Yes sir!" the other one replied, too close to my ear for comfort. He started to drag me away, but was intercepted by one of Colette's chakrams, which whizzed close enough by me for me to hear. His cry of "Oh, shit!" and my sudden release made me turn to him in horror -- his hands were clamped over one eye and he looked to be in considerable pain.

Someone else grabbed my hand and I was pulled away from the Renegades. I turned yet again, getting somewhat dizzy, and Genis was alternating between staring at my face and the Exsphere on my hand.

Apparently the battle was over already, as suddenly we started running in the direction I had come from. I tried to look back as I was dragged along in their wake, and the two Renegades were on the floor. One was crawling over to the other, who wasn't moving. I turned away, feeling sick.

"What's...going...on?" I wheezed, already exhausted after running a dozen yards.

"I could ask the same of you," Raine replied, not nearly out of breath as me.

We passed by a few startled Renegades and then we were at what I assumed was the entrance. Lloyd inserted his fingers in the cracks of the doors and pulled, to no avail. "It won't open!"

Kratos nodded at a keypad by the door. "Try the console over there"

Raine and I immediately hurried over. It looked like a simple security keypad, like you would find in someone's house by the front door -- ten number keys and a display that read only "armed." "Any ideas?" Raine asked, as if I would know. Oh yeah, I told her I knew about computers. She probably knew more than I did.

The only ideas I had I had got from movies I had watched, so I said, "One relies on them not changing the password periodically, and the other relies on being able to rip this thing out of the wall and knowing which wires to cross, so not really."

There was a crash of metal on metal behind me and I half-turned. "Hurry!" came Colette's voice. Out of the corner of my eye I could see Genis preparing a spell, and I couldn't help but turn my head to stare at the blue light surrounding his hands.

"Got it!" I heard Raine say beside me. A glance at the keypad showed that she had somehow managed to disarm the system. The doors slid open and without thinking I ran out into the smoldering heat of the desert.

Out of the corner of my eye I saw a huge creature rise up out of the shadows of the base. I let out a shriek that sounded something like "hweegle" and tried to back away, but I felt my foot twist under me and I tumbled to the ground. The sand bit at my fingers as I tried to back away.

"Get up!" Lloyd shouted, hauling me up by one arm. The thing came into the light, and I realized it was Noishe, as big as a pony. I came down too hard on my foot again, and caught at Noishe's shoulder for support. "Noishe?" I muttered softly, before I could stop myself. He flicked an ear towards me in surprise.

"Let's go!" Kratos shouted impatiently. The others were already ahead of me. I took a step and squeaked in pain. Kratos rolled his eyes and a green light surrounded his hands, and to my amazement a cool stream seemed to flow through my ankle, taking all the pain with it. I barely had time to move my foot around expirimentally before Kratos grabbed my hand and forced me to start running. Noishe loped along in long strides beside me.

After a few minutes of running Kratos allowed us to stop, and I fell to the ground hacking my lungs out. "We're not being followed," he said over my panting.

"How odd," Raine muttered. She glanced at Lloyd, then me. "We'd better get moving nonetheless. Some of us have some explaining to do."

"Let me finish dying first," I said in between breaths, getting up anyway. No one paid any attention to me, much to my chagrin.

"Who were those guys?" Lloyd asked as we walked towards some unidentifiable shimmering haze in the distance.

"Desians, I would presume," said Kratos, as if he didn't know any better.

"Man, why'd they chose such a crappy place to put a ranch?" Lloyd whined.

"Did they hurt you, Lloyd?" Colette put in anxiously.

Lloyd shook his head. "Beside that fight with the spiky-haired guy, no."

Genis laughed, "Your hair is just as bad, Lloyd."

"Shut it, Genis."

I felt a grin tugging at my face, despite my exhaustion. Yup, these were the characters I knew and loved.