To Tame a Beast
This chapter has two parts.. So I've decided, being that I know a lot of you are going to want to be killing me the way I end this chapter, that I will break it up into chapters 12 and 13 (or 13 and 14 if you go by ).. The titles well also go together because of this.. Just to let you all know
I linger in the doorway
Of alarm clock screaming
Monster calling my name
Let me stay
Where the wind will whisper to me
Where the raindrops
As they're falling tell a story
Evanescence Imaginary
Chpt. 12 Catch me as.....
She twirled the glass in her hand as she leaned back against the bar counter. She looked back at the some what over crowded bar. What away to spend three hours of free time, Rei sighed as she drained the red liquid from the glass and set it back on the dark oak counter for the bar tender to refill it. Most of the Dragonslayers were off to a side of the room (with their third round of beer on the way) half falling out of their chairs in laughter as they caught Celena up on what she had missed. Though from the looks of it, Celena wasn't going to remember much of what they were saying, since she and Miguel had a chugging contest. The 'tender placed the glass back next to her hand and when about his way, seeing to the other drunks that had piled up. She picked the glass up and looked to the darker corner of the place, not to far away from the Dragonslayers. Dilandau had his feet up on the small single wooden table with a pint of beer in his hand. Draining the glass again, Rei turned around to face the 'tender as she set the glass down again. Wine was loosing her interest and fast. It seemed to be ages since she last had a good taste of alcohol, let alone someone who could play the card-shot game. And given the change it didn't matter to her who she played with, as long as the night ended with her being half drunk.
"Hey 'tender! Get me a bottle of your best, and two shot glasses!" A man, maybe in his thirties pull a bottle off the back of the bar, two shot glasses from the space below her, and set them down. Rei leaned over the bar a bit, caught his hand and battered her eyes. "And a deck of cards please?"
Resting his feet up on the table Dilandau leaned back in the chair, sitting it on its two back legs as he nursed his drink. He was in no rush to drink a whole lot in only a few hours like his men were. At less one of them could be some what sober when it was time to leave. There was an uproar some where in the bar, he didn't bother to look around to see what it was. Placing the mug on his lap, he tipped his head back to stare up at the wooden ceiling of the place. A bar in the middle of no where, at less there wasn't a chance of Folken finding him if anything was to happen in the next few hours. Right now the last thing Dilandau was interested in was charts, figures, and numbers. He definitely did not want to be looking at numbers. With a small shiver he looked back down the mug. Before he could pick it up, a set of slender arms in see through red fabric wrapped themselves around his shoulders; One hand with a bottle of vodka, the other with two shot glasses and a deck of poker cards.
"I don't like you, and I'm pretty sure you don't like me." Rei rested her head against his; he could feel her breath of his neck as she spoke. Not a hint of liquor tainted it. "But it takes at less two to play a game of shot poker, and none of your slayers will last me a good game. So how about it?"
"What does the winner get?" His red eyes met her empty sapphire ones that hide well under the long white bangs. With a titling motion of her head, they moved off.
"Loser pays for the night's rounds, and the bottle of vodka." There was a chorus of voices from their left.
"It's about time someone got a drinking game started! I didn't think we'd get any excitement happening there for a while." Miguel's voice yelled over the others. Rei stood up and walked to the other side of the table putting down the cards, bottle, and shot glasses. Meanwhile the Dragonslayers dragged their chairs to form a semi-circle around the table where Dilandau had been sitting. Shesta was the only one to come up to the table. He sat down taking the deck of cards into his hands and shuffled them. Rei sat across from Dilandau with a sort of confused look in her eyes as she watched the hands of the boy.
"We all know the rules right?" Shesta said looking at the two as he started to deal the hands. "The losing hand has to take the shot, the game ends when a person passes out, vomits o-"
"Or when we get kicked out!" Dallet yelled as he rocked back in his chair to rest his feet on one of the near by tables. "It's whoever has had the most."
"Yea, yea..." Shesta rolled his eyes. "You all know the rest."
"And no cheating!!!!" Celena shouted as she waved at the waitress to bring on more drinks, the bar filled with the echoes of laughter.
"Go, go, go, go, go! " There was a chorus of cheers and shouts as Rei slammed down the shot glasses. She coughed a few times, and Shesta shuffled the cards again. She picked up the empty bottle and threw it across the way to the wall so that it would shatter into pieces, adding to the pile of other ones. A new way found at summoning the waitress to get them another bottle that required less voice, and let the loser of the hand a way to vent the anger. There was a loud commotion behind them, as the boys made beats on who would be the winner now, the game passed its seventh bottle of vodka, leaving the two tied in shots. Dilandau sat back in his chair waiting for Shesta to deal out the new hand, watching the sapphire eyes across the table. She was slumped down a bit in her chair with her head resting on her hand. Her eyes were fighting to close as blood vessels started to show. He smiled, the wench was reaching her limit. Her card hand was pressed against her chest, as if to count the slowed hard beats beneath the skin. Dilandau was aware of his light headedness, it have been a long time sense he had a chance to drink this much. Two bottles ago most of his slayers would be floored.
"Come on Shesta hurry up!" Miguel said, his speech sort of slurred. Most of the chairs had been abandoned, the few people left in the bar moved closer to see who would win this card game of shots. Shesta began to deal the cards out one at a time, face down to the two of them when there was a loud crash behind them. There was the sound of glass shattering on the floor, bottles smashing underneath someone's foot, and on top of it the drunken female voice singing.
"Louis, Louis, O Baby let my people go. Huh? Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah! OOO, Louis. Louis! OO, baby let my People go!" Celena giggled as she spun around on the wooden bar counter, the beer in her mug tossing about. "O, Louis said Louay!!" (a/n don't ask me I spent twenty minutes trying to come up with something for her to sing, and I got this from a friend, Louay is a southern thingie he told me.)
"Umm... who was supposed to be watching her?" Dallet asked, as he put his jug down on the table. Celena was carrying on another tune, kicking more bottles over.
"I think that was Shesta..."
"Viole, how can I watch her when I'm dealing cards?" Shesta said putting the cards down.
"Someone get her down from there," Dilandau growled. "Before she starts to do something else..."
"Like stripping?" Miguel joked making Guimel smacked him on the head. "Hey, Dilandau-sama aren't we suppose to be reporting back to the Vione soon?" Groaning Dilandau looked over his shoulder to the old grandfather clock that sat in the far corner of the bar and cursed. "Take that as a yes. Hey, guys get you last drinks in, we got to go!"
"But, we don't know who's won!!" Gatty yelled, as he and Viole tried to get Celena off the bar. Dilandau was already half standing when Rei reached across the table and tapped the few cards in front of him.
"One card throw; highest wins, doubles ties." She leaned back again, pushing some of the long strands of hair off her shoulder, the red clear fabric of her shirt danced over the black bra beneath it. "Boys call your last bets!" All of them (except Gatty and Viole who were still trying to get Celena off the bar) hung in a circle around the table. Smirking, Dilandau picked up the top card of the deck, and tossed it down on to the table with triumph.
"King of Diamonds..." There was a cheer from his men, as he leaned back on his heels. "Let's see you do better.........Bitch." A chorus of "o"s echoed around the room. Rei leaned a bit over the table to pick off the card from the deck and stood back up without laying it out for them to see. Turning the card into the palm of her hand so that no one could read it, she walked along the table and picked up the vodka bottle.
"Well, what is it already!" One of them yelled, as she poured the liquid into the small shot glass, and picked it up.
"Cheers Dilandau-sama..." She smiled as lifted her head up so it leveled his ear to whisper, "You lose." and walked away, leaving the Ace of Spades on top on his card, the shot glass in his hand. "Asshole." There was a chorus of voices that filled the bar, as he looked down at the shot glass in his hand; he closed his fingers around it tightly until it shattered
"You'll pay for that one, Bitch."
The Vione was still lit up, and busting with life while they arrived back onto the hanger level. Anomic was quiet; sleeping under the early morning sky. The fortress loomed above preparing to make its departure to continue on its war path. Miguel and Shesta were helping Celena up the stairs that to the second level of the hanger with Rei on the upper floor waiting for them, then Dilandau and the others came up on the elevator platform. He had chosen to ignore the conversation of his half drunken men, he instead concentrated on finding ways to repay the wench for the humiliation she had dealt him today, plus the past few weeks she had been on the Vione. Disrespect, not following orders, sarcasm, and every other little thing she could use was nothing to showing him up like she did tonight. Never would he take the defeat at a game like that, not from one of his own soldiers, and defiantly not from that damn bitch. He was going to have to put her in her place, and he was going to have to do it soon.
"Come on Celena, just five more steps to the top." Shesta said was he halfway dragged the drunken girl up another step. She giggled and started to say something only to stop, laughing at whatever she didn't say. "Note to self... Never let Celena have too much to drink anymore. This is starting to get tiring."
"Look who's talking," Miguel laughed as they accomplished another step. "It could be worse, she could have tabled herself." The two continued laughing and continued up the steps, down the third hall with Rei following behind them. The others had gone down another hall that lead to their room, this one lead to the girls', and then farther down another stair case that lead up to Dilandau's chambers.
"Could you two be any louder?" Rei growled as they turned the corner and down the lit hall.
"Sorry Re-re" Miguel laughed over his shoulder at her. "Is all that vodka finally getting to you?" Her snarl was lost behind them as they turned another corner when a hand grabbed her upper arm. Rei snapped sharply around with her other hand to strake the unwanted attacker only to get it caught in his other hand. His blood red eyes burned in the sapphire pools of her own. She shifted trying to get her hand and arm free.
"I want a rematch, bitch." Dilandau breathed, as he let her go abruptly.
"Still haven't learned name calling doesn't get you anywhere yet, asshole?" She retorted, as she stood back a bit, enjoying the look that crossed over his face for the few meaningless seconds. His hand twitched at his side but did not move to strike her. Rei shifted her weight and smiled. "Well, I guess I could always go for some more, been a while sense anyone could hold more then a few bottles in a game... Got anything stronger then that watered wine we have at meals?"
"Austria Red...."
"Well then..." she waved her hand. "Lead the way..."
The small bar was quiet, almost completely empty since the night began to fall late into the new morning. Lost in the shadows of the poor light place, two figures sat around a small wooden table. The elder of the two leaned back in the small chair, with the beer glass in his hand. Dark pools of purple not focusing at anything particular. The silver strains of hair fell from under his cloak hood. The boy across from him sat leaning against the table, head in his hand black hair falling over his clear blue eyes.
"She didn't even recognize us...." The younger one whispered as he traced the out side rim of his glass.
"I told you before she wouldn't remember us." The older one replied as he sipped his drink, and set the empty container on the table. "Her personality it seems, has also changed."
"Do you think it's still a good idea to carry this out, then? No memory of us, think of how she would react." His clear blue eyes looked at his partner's face, who leaned back now with his eyes closed deep in thought. "And, it will be harder too now, with both of them there...."
"Don't worry about it. Leave that to me and Vickie..." the elder one smiled, as he picked up the empty glass. "Cheers, 003, for the victory of Zaibach against Prince Tettro, for it will be the last true victory the demon boy will have."
"Good night, Celena.." Shesta said as he and Miguel left the girl passed out on her bed with one boot on and blankets some what pulled around her. As the door closed, darkness engulfed the room once again. After a few minutes the silence was broken by Celena's snores, two gray eyes blinded from by the slightly opened curtains. The sound of claws tapping on the metal floor echoed quietly under the faint snores. The white wolf walked slowly across the floor. Stopping and sniffing the air, it whined as it stopped in front of the door. Its claws racked against the metal door, it jumped up onto it, and fell to the floor again. Celena groaned and turned in her sleep but did not wake. The wolf whined again, as it jumped up on the door.
"No, Mayonaka..." Celena mumbled in her sleep as she tossed in the bed again. "No go out... Go to bed Mayo... "The snores continued after a few seconds, and the wolf whined softly to itself and it walked slowly across the room and jumped up onto Rei's bed. It's gray eyes blind while it looked to the door and whined softly.
He followed behind her, careful in watching her movements. Every now and then, she would sway or would stumble a few small steps. She was also holding the side of her head once in a while, as if she had a headache. He could barely hold by the grin, the alcohol was getting to her making his plan to finally bet the bitch into submission much easier. Rei stopped suddenly, almost making Dilandau run into her. Turning, she growled at him.
"Open the door moron.. I don't know you code..."Dilandau stepped passed her, walked coolly up to the pad lock next to the door, and punched in the code. Standing aside he waved her in.
"Bitches first." He smirked as she walked passed, glaring at him. Before he walked in after her, he quickly punched in another code, and the door locked silently behind him. She stood a few steps ahead of him, hand brushing her long white hair off her shoulder studying the room. In front of her was a small circular red oak table with two chairs on either side of it. To the far wall, a large oak dresser with craved patterns to match those on the table, to her left was a full length mirror, and to her right a large bed, frames made from the same red oak wood, cased in red sheets. Next to the bed was the two doors that lead out to the balcony, she started to turn around to face him.
"So shall we get-" SMACK, the sound echoed in the small enclosed along with the sound of bone hitting metal as Rei hit the floor after Dilandau hit her. She groaned as she curled up in a ball holding her head. Laughing softly, he bent down and picked her up by holding her throat.
"I've had enough of the disrespect I get from you, bitch.. I think it's time you learned who owns you." Dropping her so that she hit the floor again, he stepped around her to the dresser to pull something out of the top, and walked back over to her. Rei was curled up with her hands on her head when he knelt down again, taking his dagger out of the sheath in his boot. He was about to pull one of her hands off her head to bind it with the rope that he had gotten off the dresser, when he suddenly found himself struggling against her as she pinned him down on the floor. There was a wildish growl that poured of her throat as she fought him for the dagger. Dilandau struggled against the sudden strength of the girl, his mind didn't register the redness that began to fill her eyes, but the growl oddly reminded him of a wounded predator. After what seemed hours, Dilandau was able to kick her off him when she managed to work the dagger from his fingers and right into the oak table. Sitting up panting, he looked at Rei, laying lifeless on the floor. He continued to stare at her when her eyes slightly flickered open, until he was aware of something wet moving along side his face. Eyes darting to the mirror, he could see the small cut on his cheek. Growling he looked at the dagger that lay a few inches from her left hand, blood hung onto its tip. "You'll pay for that too bitch."
Sighing, Folken locked the door behind him. He pealed off the cloak and tossed it on to the chair next to the small table. It had been to long of a day, and being that he was barely able to sleep the day before, his mind was beyond num. Sitting down on his bed, he slowly kicked off each boot, as his mind tried to work though, and make sense of anything he had been about to translate during the day. Kane had made his work almost nearly impossible to translate, his dialect was far different then from that the Atlantians had used. After stripping down out of his clothing, Folken laid down on the bed, staring off onto the ceiling and groaned deeply. All he needed now, to make this situation anymore worse, was for someone (most likely Dilandau) to push the wrong combo of buttons. Then he'd be able to see first hand all that was written in the first seventeen pages of that experiment journal.
"Great why did I have to go and think that..." he ground and he rolled over on the bed, and let his mind embrace the darkness of slumber that it had been tugging at all day.
Celena attached herself to his arm once again, as they made their way through the shadows. Once in awhile in front of them, he could catch a glimpse of the short white haired girl that was taking them away from here. Away from the madoushis, away from the pain that they made happen when they 'experimented' on them. They had come this far, every time they came across a guard they were too hid in the shadows. That is what she had told them to do, leave them to her; she had said to them when they walked passed the body of the guard that had stood out side of their cell. It must had been months ago( when they were with Jajuka away from all this) but 'they' had taken them away locking them both back up into these cells. He almost bumped into the white hair demon went they stopped in front of a closed door.
"What's wrong?" he asked her as she cocked her head to the side and looked over her shoulder at him. The soldier's red eyes were empty of light.
"It's locked..." She growled then sighed looking at the code pad. Celena shook at the soft echo of boots down in another hall that found its way to them. The girl quickly punched in some random numbers. It took her a few tries before the light turned green and the door slid open. "Come now..." She slipped in first, he and his sister waited a few seconds before following her in. They had crossed this girl when they had made their first attempt at leaving this prison. Since then she had help them in little ways, always promising them when she disappeared into the dark corridors of the ceil block, that she would get them free. Now that day had finally come. Celena walked quickly next to him, his own pace quickened. He was trying to keep up with the demon-girl that jumped among the shadows. She seemed to relax now, the death grip on his upper arm disappeared. Her hand tugged in his and she slowed down her pace.
"Come on Cel...." He tugged on her hand. "We have to keep up."
"I'm scared..." She whispered. He squeezed her hand slightly and he looked back at her, gold-ish silver hairthat barely touched her shoulders. Then he looked back to the she-demon as it turned around a familiar hall.
"Why are we going this way?" He stopped looking at the white haired girl, who at first kept walking until she noticed that they weren't following.
"We can use the melefs; there are melef patrols that circle this tower..." She titled her head; the solid red eyes looked at him, sending slivers down his spine. "You do know how to at least some what pilot one right?"
"Yeah, but not very good."
"It's ok..." She said turning back around. "We will only need just one... I can pilot the best, so we will take mine." They followed silently behind her again, hugging close to the shadows now that they entered a well used corridor. His nerves were jumping at any slight sound, his stomach turned the on the food he was barely able to eat only a few hours before. His mind began to play tricks on him now, making nothing out of shadows. The only reason he did nothing of the hidden figures that he could see hiding in the shadows along the hall, was a steady faint sound of the girl ahead of him. If there was any real danger, she would know. Biting down the fear that had been eating at his 'sister' only a while ago, he turned the next corner only too stop abruptly. The she demon was hunched back, teeth bared like a wild animal cornered, growling at a gray haired madoushi. He backed away a step, watching the girl and this 'thing' he hated. He did not recognize this one, but the she demon did as it jumped back a bit and tilted her head to the side puzzled.
"Kane....?" There was a sad look on this ones face, not like the ones he had seen, those that poked and prodded him day in and day out. It looked as if he pitied the girl before him, his gray eyes shifted from her to the two of them. The pity seemed to echo in them as he studied them for a second. Celena was once again in a death grip on his arm, whimpering. The gray eyes locked on to his red ones. It was as if there he found him self frozen in fear (not of fear of this man) but from the pity that was in his eyes. No one had ever looked at him like that, and in the future Dilandau would find himself hating the sight of someone pitying him, because of this man. The trace of this man's eyes was broken by the sound of a hard THUD. A crossbow arrow found its self in to the she demon's chest. She staggered back in surprise, eyes staring down at the arrow in her chest, hand circled around the thing, blood began to pour out of the wound. Before he could to anything to help, his arm was suddenly grabbed, and Celena cried out was the two of them were broken apart by another man. He fought this other stranger, trying to get a hold of his frighten other half, and to help the she demon as she fell to her knees.
"W-Why.....?" The words bubble out of her throat as she fell on to her side, now Dilandau could see the crossbow in the madoushi's hand, as he lowered it. Growling in fury, he fought the man harder, biting down into his hand. The assistant cried out and jerked his hand away from him, giving Dilandau the chance to run. But it was short lived as someone, a guard that had been in the shadows, grabbed him.
"You stupid little-" The man cursed, looking down at his bleeding hand.
"Axiom, see that those two are returned to their cells..." Kane said as he knelt down next to the she demon, pressing his hand against her neck. "I'll take care of this mess."
"Yes sir. Come on you brats!" Dilandau struggled against the guard as he pulled him down the corridor, so close yet so far from freedom. But now, he fought to catch on last glimpse of the she demon.
"N-NO! Nine!"
(end dream)
He cried out in his sleep, tossing around in the sheets in the darkness of the room. The glitter of red eyes shimmered as the moonlight creped through the curtains. The glimmer of a dagger shimmered as it was put down from where it hovered above him. Anger and fury that once filled the red eyes fluttered in confusion. For a minute she sat on her knees next to him, dagger in hand before slipping off the bed, leaving the chewed through rope next to his head, to gather the remains of its clothing.
The door slid open and side as she walked slowly into the room, arms wrapped around themselves, trying to offer some sort of warm to her shivering body. She was careful how she walked, so not to case more pain to shoot up her sore body. There were a few soft snores from her sleeping roommate; she tossed a bit in her slumber. She walked pass her to her own bed hidden by the shadows of the lightless room. Falling to her knees she used her hands to find the medium sized chest, and opened it. There was a whine from the bed. The wolf jumped down and walked over to her, ears back and tail between his legs. His gray eyes barely locked on to her reddish sapphire ones as she looked at him before turning back to the chest. Her hands shifted through the contents slowly looking for something. Mayonaka whined again and he laid down next to her, resting his head on her legs. When she pulled her hand out of the chest, there was a glimmer from a small needle.
He found himself staring at the ceiling as a light chased away the darkness of the room. It took him a while before he realized that he was awake. Groaning, he remembered not turning out any of the candles, they must have woken him back from his dreamless sleep. Which he had found not very resting. His body still felt to tired to get up to turn any of them off. Not feeling like getting up to turn them off, he sighed and closed his eyes again.
"It must have hurt." His maroon eyes shot open at the sound of the female voice, it continued to speak. "It must have hurt, went they did that, drilling metal into bone." He sat up looking to his left at the white haired girl that sat on the chair next to the bed. Long hair pulled back in a loose pony tail, a solid black long sleeved high neck shirt on, and the uniform pants. Even though the manner of her dress was a bit strange. What made him feel uneasy was the way she was looking at him, no, his metallic arm. It didn't effect him much to have someone look at his arm anymore, but the way her sapphire eyes were fixed on it, it send shivers down his back. It wasn't until the silence continued, and her eyes stayed were they here did Folken notice something wrong. They were empty, lightless.
"Rei, is there something wrong?" Her eyes fluttered a bit before she looked up at him. They were empty and lightless, but some was her expression.
"No...." She sighed. "And yes..." She wrapped her arms around her shoulders, half mindedly and she looked off to the side. What ever it was she had managed to get a hold of and take seemed to be inflicting a behavior manner that was not normal for her. He was so busy running a list of drugs on the Vione that could do this that he almost jumped at the sound of her voice. "It's their fault he's mentally unstable... but it's not something impossible for me to fix." She stood up then. "Just thought you'd like to know." She turned and walked towards the door. He was so caught of guard by what she said that it took him a few seconds to jump up out of the bed.
"Rei, wait, t-"He was barely to say it all when the white haired girl suddenly collapsed onto the floor only a few meters away from the door. "Rei!"
Red Moon, 3rd day
It has been four weeks since project 009 collapsed in my chambers. I still do not know what caused it, or even the drug she had taken. None of mine have been missing from my lab, nor has there been any missing from the medical wing of the Vione. All I can assume is that she may have something hidden that she took from one of the madoushis. I had her things searched, but I have come up with nothing. There is a possibility that it is in her personal chest, but it has a blood lock and I cannot open it. The following morning she seemed to have returned to normal, she was anger about something, but I can not tell what is was. There were excessive burses on her body, one the most visible on her face, what caused them I can only guess to be Dilandau. She was also more 'jumpy' whenever I came to close. Whatever Dilandau did to 009 seems to have continued to have changed her behavior throughout these weeks; she has been less insubordinate, along with a few other things. I still do not know it this development is for the better or for the worse. She seems to be holding back, and now that wolf follows her around I have been able to conduct a small experiment: whenever her temper seems to get the better of her to the point that she would break under. The wolf growls or whines until the danger of her changing has passed. I will be able to use this to the advantage later, if she once again begins to become unstable again. Aurora was unable to come up anymore information of Kane's other experiments conducted on 009. But she was able to name the drug that was used in her 'emptied' years after her last attempted escape. It may have been the drug Rei used on herself, but when I tested her blood for any remains of it, there was nothing in her system except for what I have been giving her. I will have to wait until her behavior takes another rapid change. Aurora retorted that I should be honored that 009 has taken such a liking to me, that she would crack the code to my room that late at the night. I find it a bit disturbing that she can, I very much doubt that she can also get into other places without my knowing. This may prove to be a problem if I am unable to find a means to control her before she looses it again.
On another note, there is no change in Dilandau's nor Celena's certain conditions. Both are responding well to the newer drugs that the other madoushis have come up with. Though it Celena's seems to have a bad effect if mixed with alcohol. After the last nights drink out with her brother, she has been in the medical wing with stomach pains. And with all the Dragonslayers and Dilandau going out on melef practice she was deemed her day to be spent with me. Since her brother will not allow her to come along. I will, unfortunately, not be able to do anymore testing with her hanging over my shoulder, but it has been awhile since I have had time with her. And she does seem to have something planed and won't tell me. Maybe a break will help clear my mind so that I can have a clear view of what I am doing.
"Alright.." Dilandau said over the crackle of the com of his Alseides "Lets keep in mind what we're doing out here." The high winds beat on his Guymelef as he flew behind his slayers (all in a perfect V formation) beside him flew the damn wench on the demon armor that had been in the hanger. The black dragon hovered slightly beneath him; Rei's white hair flew wildly in the height winds. He had enjoyed the change in her attitude after that night, though he sort of missed her smart retorts to his orders. Though, there had been a flicker of her old self went she had walked her guymelef right off the hanger floor into the sky only to have it raise as the black dragon that it was now (a/n: for those of you who care, it looks much like the version of Escaflowne in the movie, not the series.. I really don't want to go into detail...cries this chapter is too long as it is...). The crackle on the com was because of the head set she wore, that was being beaten on by the winds. "Dallet how long have we been out here?"
"Four hours sir." The boy responded, almost yelling over the com. Dilandau growled inwardly, he was going to have to find a different means of the communicator for the girl if this kept up.
"Alright, let's get some target practice in before we return to the Vione......" His eyes traced the mountain terrain. "Now... To find a moving target..."
"They can shoot at me.." Rei's voice came over the intercom. "I might as well do something today besides freezing my ass off..." She broke off from him and rose higher in the air to catch a stronger wind that carried her farther in front of the formation of the other Dragonslayers.
"Alright boys, lets see which attack squad can hit our lovely dragon first, won every wins, the team gets a bottle of Austria wine with there dinner tonight!" Dilandau yelled, with a smile, this odd to be interesting. "Break formation!" The six melefs broke off into two groups. Alfa, the attack group that consisted of Shesta, Guimel and Miguel turned off to the left. Beta, consisting of the last three, Dallet, Viole and Gatty continued to fly straight. There were shouts of orders over the com by the team leaders, as they chased after the dragon, it only twirled out anyway from there attacks, with out a scratch. The Alseides hovered in the air, watching the dragon keep them all in a certain radius around him. He moved every now and then to keep out of harms way. Even though Alfa had shot of the less amount of times, they seem to be closer then the Beta. She would angle her Ispano guymelef just so that their tries would barely miss her.
"Beta, don't waste your crima claws if you can hit the target!" He yelled over the com. Annoyed that they were having such a hard time. Dropping the idea of trying to hit her with a claw, Beta was the first to try and trap Rei so that she could not escape, but by making a spinning drop she was able to get passed them. It's was Alfa that made it a success when Rei yelled at Shesta.
"Shesta! The point is to try and hit me, not actually hit me! You nicked my wing!" There was a sputter in her graceful fight, then she regained control over the guymelef. There were shouts of victory from Alfa, along with the groans of defeated. Dilandau couldn't help but smile at this a little in the enclosed chamber of the Alseides; he knew that out come before this had even started, Shesta was always the better shot out of the six boys.
"Sorry, I was aiming for you flank.." Shesta's voice sheepishly came over the com, admitting he had missed his target, but he was still the first to land a shot of the Ispanol guymelef. Rei didn't respond as she hovered in the air several miles over the rocky terrain. Voices agreed over the com as he watched her, he could see her head turning each which way as if listening for something.
"But you guys always win!" Dallet's voice yelled over the com, being Dilandau attention back to the melefs hovering in the air not to far away from him.
"O, stop you whining, Dallet, you can do just as good if you weren't so wide with your aim. "Guimel laughed.
"So wide?!!" Dallet shouted. "You shouldn't be talking Guimel, you can even get a dam-"
"Enough!" Dilandau shouted over the crackling of the com to silence the argument that had broken out. "You're all starting to should like a bunch of school girls. Alfa wins the wine, lets get back to the Vione before one of you block heads tear apart another of my melefs like you did last time!" There was silence once again on the com link, minus that of the crackling from Rei's com. "Reform ranks, and let's get back to the Vione." He watched them reform the perfect "V" that they had started in. He raised the Alseides so that he was level with them before they began to make their way back in the direction of where the Vione would be. It wasn't until they had traveled half a mile before he noticed that the blue dot on the radar hadn't moved, and was not following them.
"Rei, why aren't you following?" There was nothing but crackling over the com to answer him. "Rei!"
"Go ahead... there's something I've got to check out, Sir." He was barely able to pick up her voice through crackling on the com. Before he could say anything to her, there was a silence over the com link, no more crackling over as Rei turned off her com link. But her tracer was still on and Dilandau watched it move east on the radar.
"Do you want us to retrieve her sir?" Miguel's voice came on.
"No, I'll deal with this problem." He growled, dropping out of ranks and turning around. "Get back to the Vione." Shutting of his own com, he started back to the area that they had been practicing at in total silence, minus the soft beep on the radar. I thought we already went though this, bitch, and you were being so good, he growled inwardly. Well it looks like we're going to be having a little more 'fun'.
She jumped out of the cockpit onto the damp grass at the edge of the small forest. She had seen this from the air while dodging one of the slayers attack, and it was something here that had caught her attention. She had seen it again just after Shesta had nicked her wing. Curiosity had not drawn her here; it was more the feel of something she once knew. Kneeling down, she brushed her had over the grass, before it stopped, hovering over broken pieces, in the shape of a foot print.
"This way..."
Dilandau landed the Alseides down on the grassy opened field at the rim of the small evergreen forest, next to the sleeping from of the Rei's Ispanol guymelef. Jumping down from the Alseides, he looked up at the sleeping black demon. It's cloak fluttered slowly in the light breeze. It was empty, Rei must have wondered into the forest, but why would she go in there? He walked a bit in each direction trying to get a good idea were she may have gone, but it wasn't until he saw the small imprint in the mud did he move into the forest. Jumping from root to root, and along the over ground forest floor, his mind was clicking through things that he could do to the winch when he found her. He was so lost in thought that he almost stumbled right into the clearing where she laid. Unconscious on the forest floor, Rei laid on her stomach with a dark haired boy bent over her. His head shot up at the sound of a twig snapping as Dilandau stepped forward pulling out his sword.
"What the hell do you think yo-" Before he was able to finish his sentences, something was bashed against the back of his neck. He felt himself hit the ground before falling unconscious.
He was aware of the throbbing pain mostly on the back of his neck then any where else as he slowly came back around, listening to the sounds of rasp breathing. At first he didn't bother to open his eyes, the headache pounded behind his closed eyes, but he slowly become aware that he was oddly prompted up against something solid. Cracking his eyes opened slowly, Dilandau was blinded by the brightness of the lights that surrounded him. He tried to shade his face from the light with his hand, but he only found that he could not move at all. Despite the pain he could feel, his body itself left heavy and stiff.
"I don't think you gave him enough..." A voice came, from in front of him, smooth and light as it spoke. He tried hard to focus his eyes on where the voice came from, but his vision was blurred, all he could make out was the dark shadowy from on a man standing next to a bared door. "He's awake.."
"Um.. That doesn't mean anything, boy." A deeper voice responded. Finding himself able to move his head, he shifted into the direction of the voice. This male was closer for him to make out through his blurred vision. Silver hair fell around his face, as he knelt down next to something lying out on the floor, with a small black bag next to his knee. It wasn't until he stood up, did Dilandau see the mess of white hair. Rei, unconscious, and breathing irregularly, it was then he realized that the rasp sounds were coming from her. "It should start working soon, as long as she doesn't try to fight it."
"I told you not to give her so much..." the other voice scowled, the silver hair one just laughed as he carefully stepped over Rei and walked towards the blinding light. "What are we going to do with him?"
"Nothing right now..."
"Nothing, then why didn't we just leave him there for the dragons?!"
"Temper, temper." The silver hair man's voice laughed again as the door to the cell closed and locked. "We can live it up to Celtic king to decided what to do with him, he's just a constellation to getting what we came here to get." There footsteps echoed as they walked away, Dilandau had to strain to hear them.
"You make it sound like you didn't want to do this."
"On the contrary, 003, I live for this." 003? Numbers....I've heard those before so were... He slipped back in to unconscious as Rei's breathing returned back to normal.
"What the hell do you mean she's missing!?" Aurora's voice was ear popping as she jumped up from her set, face magnified by the screen. Folken barely glanced at it as he paced back and forth lost on thought. "You're kidding me right? Could she be like flying around in Silencer, it's been months since she was last let near that thing."
"It's kind of impossible for her do just be on a 'joy ride' when her guymelef is sitting empty in the hanger." He growled back. "And she's not the only one missing... So is Dilandau."
"What? Both projects? You're really pulling my leg right, Folken.... This isn't funny."
"I wish I was..." Aurora fell back into her chair, head in her hands as she stared at him through the screen while he continued to pace back and forth.
"Getting away with just Dilandau missing, that's easy. He has a habit of disappearing and his slayers setting off false alarms...but with both him and 009, that's like asking Emperor Dunkirk to roll over and play dead ." She groaned and pulled on her hair. "How long?"
"Seven hours." He stopped and looked at her as she shuffled about some papers in her hands.
"This could be a major problem.............. Celtic knows about 009."
She felt cold hands press against her neck as she slowly came around, back to in her aching body. It wasn't pain, like that from battle, or from over work on muscles, but it was just plain pain. Like someone had messed with your insides, or that they were on the bridge of exploding, but to put it bluntly, she felt like hell. The cold had pressed against her forehead, she opened her eyes only to blink at the brightness.
"Welcome back to reality bitch." Dilandau said, unnerving and she looked up at him through blurred eyes. "You would care to know were the hell we are?" Rei blinked a few times She took in the dark wood of the room, the bare wall to her left, the shifting motion beneath, leaving the conclusion that they were not on the ground but moving through the air.
"Some sort of transport.." She managed to cough out through her overly dry throat. She tried to sit up a bit, but only found that her body was num to her mind's order. Dilandau looked at her when she fell back onto the wood floor.
"I figured that..... Don't try to move, they gave you something, mines worn off a bit... I can at least walk around now." He leaned over her again, looking down in the unfocused sapphire pools, and laid his hand down on her forehead again. "You're burning up. Whatever they gave you must not be agreeable."
"W-water..." He stood up then and walked away from her sight only to return a few seconds later with a glass in his hand.
"I wasn't going to touch any of this, but I can't have you burning up on me...." He knelt down next to her, and tilted her head up so that he could pour the water down her throat. Rei coughed the water up the first few times, before he was able to get her to swallow the rest of the glass.
"H-have to get o-out of here..."
"And how do you propose we do that?" He growled at her. She closed her eyes as if in through. "I've got nothing to pick the lock with... and then there's the problem of being in the air!" She glared up at him.
"Help me to the door... I know how to get out of here..." She started to sit up.
"And may I ask," Dilandau groaned from her added weight to his own, his knees almost buckled from the added pressure. "How do you know?" She limped along with him as they made their way to the bared wall. She leaned up against the door part, and put her arm through the bars.
"The ships made out of red pine... There's only one kind of ship made out of red pine, and that's a Celtic transport." Her hand jiggled at the lock on the door. "And lucky for us," something clicked, and the door slide open, "They're all designed the same..."
"Lucky as hell, how did you get it open?" She pulled her hand back in an pushed the door open.
"One never lets their secrets known." She flashed a smile at him before looking about the halls. "Left, we can get out going that direction."
Most of the time Rei had leaned against the wall for support as they made their way around the ship in the direction she picked. Whether or not there was a way off a transport in the air, he didn't know. But, as long as it was better then being in that cell, he didn't care. At some point, he had to help her walk, when she almost collapsed, the drug they had given her hadn't yet worn off. Helping her walk along the corridors was easy though, but down these damn steps, was hard as hell. She had led them here, one of the hangers on the transport; luckily they hadn't run into anyone, well yet anyways.
"How much longer...?" Dilandau asked, shacking her a bit to keep her from falling unconscious. She looked about the opened space for a few seconds, like she wasn't sure where she was until her eyes caught something.
"This is it..."
"This is a hanger...How the hell are we getting off this airship from a hanger?!" He snapped at her, freezing at the bottom of the stair well.
"You'll see asshole." Rei growled at him, the first spark of herself he had seen since she had woken up. "Out to the center of the floor, leave me there. Then you go pull that lever to the far side, it will opened up to our escape."
"Wow... what a plan." Dilandau rolled his eyes as they limped their way through the boxes scattered about the floor to the clearing in the center. He left her leaning against a set of boxes and he made his way to the lever she had pointed out. Finding the thing was harder then she had made it seem, it was buried beneath several small wooden boxes and some nets that held them together. "What the hell is this thing carrying?" He mumbled as his hand finally caught hold of the small lever, and he pushed it down until it caught. Nothing happened at first, but after a few seconds there was a loud moan that echoed in the small, crate full hanger. The ground seemed to shake as the clear part of the hanger floor began to fall down out of the ship, letting the setting sun light seep through the crack that began to form as the two parts fell away from each other.
"What the hell?" Dilandau half said out loud. He made his way back to where he had left the white haired girl. As he rounded a set of tall boxes, she saw her standing next to the opening in the floor looking down onto the world below. There were formations of rocks below that he could make out as he walked slowly to her. They were higher up then he thought they would be, and with the look on her face she must have missed guess as well. He stopped next to her, looking down on the rocky terrain below. "Do we have a plan B?"
She looked up at him and frowned before looking back down at the terrain below. It looked like she was trying to figure something. Sighing he turned away a looked over the rows on rows of boxes scattered about in the hanger, letting his mind wonder on what was in them. There was a silence between them before the sound of running feet echoed in the hanger. The black hair boy from the forest appeared on the upper floor of the hanger.
"There they are! The floors open!" He shouted over his shoulder making his way to the stair well. Behind him, coming from the same corridor, Dilandau could see the silver haired made from before.
"Shit! We've been found!" Dilandau growled, he was weaponless and probably still drugged, but he wasn't going to let them have him without a fight. Although Dilandau would not get a change to fight with the two men this time, Rei wrapped her arms up under his before using her weight to being him with her and they plummeted over the edge of the open hanger floor. He wasn't able to find his voice to yell anything at them when the wind better his words back into his opened mouth, and he stared down at the sharp rock terrain that had once been thousands of feet below them now coming quickly towards them.
Congratulations, you have just finished reading 9,404 words.... Be proud of yourselves.... And please make this overly tried, exhausted, and half dead writer happy. Review ......
GA1:collapsed over keyboard) twitch, twitch
Folken poke I think she's dead....
Celena: She can't be! She cannot leave our readers with that
cliff hanger! She may loose them....
Folken : pokes GA1 again do you want to tell her that?
GA1: twitch, twitch