Disclaimer: I do not own Star Ocean or its Characters.
Note: Hey everyone! It's been a while, I know. Those on the forums know that right now things have just been really busy for me, but somehow I managed another chapter – it's short but I got something done at least. :)
Racing the Storm
Chapter 3: A Sudden Twist in Fate
Another shot kicked up dirt inches from her foot. The three soldiers stood in formation; the center man slightly in front of the others and obviously in charge. Each wore a blank expression and carried an air of intimidation.
Albel stood erect and in front of her. If she had more time to think she might have wondered if he wasn't protecting her. His stance seemed to indicate he was shielding her from the battle.
"Come quietly, Esteed, and no one gets hurt."
She was tempted to do just that, but she knew better. She doubted they would so quickly dismiss the sight of a snarling Albel equipped with katana. She also doubted that Albel would be so fast to stand down.
Albel proved her right by darting straight at the soldier in front. He hadn't lost any of his speed from the last time she had seen him fight. With reflexes to put a cat to shame, he lunged for the speaker of the group. In the end, his sword proved faster than the soldier's gun and the man dropped.
Sophia couldn't help but to gasp at the soldier who laid still and covered in the fluid that once sped through his veins. His face was permanently covered with the expression of a pain she knew he no longer felt. Though in danger, she couldn't help but to feel a hint of regret that life had been lost.
Her eyes quickly darted up to locate Albel. She watched as he dodged one soldier's fire and pounced on the other. A sudden nostalgia washed over her. Her eyes witnessed a fight that took place in the present as her mind connected it to a memory from her past.
During her journeys six months ago she had been cornered by a small group of dragons. Fayt had insisted on checking on someone when they returned to Elicoor. She hadn't known him, but she trusted Fayt enough to justify the slight deviation from their current endeavor. She had wondered who had made such an impression that Fayt would ignore the events unfolding in 4D space long enough to 'check up on'.
They had found him in a cave with a huge dragon. At the time, she had been more impressed with the dragon than the man. The beast was large and did nothing more than yawn through the whole fight he had forced Fayt into. When all was said and done, the man insisted on following the group and a short time after that, camp was made. It had grown late and by this time Fayt had resumed his current worry over the main objective they pursued.
She had slept that night for a few mere hours before waking to sounds foreign to her. She left her sleeping spot and searched for the one who was on watch. She was sure the Cliff's shift had ended and the next person was on duty. She had fallen asleep first and therefore she was unaware of who was supposed to be guarding them.
When she looked, she found no one. She did a quick survey of the group to discover the newest member was the only one missing and not asleep. Another sound diverted her attention from the sleeping figures and into the darkness that pressed them from all sides. Somewhere in the dark was what had woken her. The sound was so small she began to wonder why she had heard it to start with.
She almost laughed at herself as she pulled her shoes on hastily and set off to find the source; not even taking the time to tie her shoes. She hesitated slightly; recalling every bad horror film Fayt had insisted they should watch. Leaving the group in search of strange sounds in the middle of the night was the number one no-no and sure to lead to death. Still, the soon-to-be-victim would venture out just to find the sound and die. They seemed to be guided by some curiosity and unable to stop. She understood now that it was a morbid curiosity and despite herself she continued.
Her search ended a short distance from the camp site and behind some rocks. She had just rounded the boulder when she was alerted to a scuffing sound behind her. When she turned her hopes of finding a member of her group were shattered when two dragons emerged from the darkness. What happened next remains a blur since everything happened so fast. One minute she was thinking that she had made mistake number one to being in a horror flick to looking into the lifeless eyes of Albel.
He had killed both dragons quickly and didn't even utter a word to her as he stalked away. What she wouldn't give to know what he was thinking at that time. Or maybe she didn't want to know.
Her thoughts had hidden from her true sight the mutilation that befell the soldiers. All three were mangled and no longer a threat.
Sophia bent over and heaved at the grotesque sight that appeared before her. The familiar nausea she remembered from witnessing the employs of Sphere who had ventured too close six months ago taunted her throat. Dealing with monsters was something she didn't like, but it never hit her with as much force as seeing another human dead.
As fast as the fight had been, time slowed to an excruciating pace as she watched Albel jerk. He had just turned toward her when something hit his shoulder; puncturing his skin and sending small drops of blood in a scattered rain. He fell to one knee and clutched his shoulder with his claw.
She felt like she was trying to run in water. Her feet weighed like lead as she propelled herself forward. Her mind had registered that he had been hit by gun fire, but she was set on autopilot. She vaguely felt the heat of another shot as it raced passed her and impacted with Albel's chest.
She knew someone was behind her. There had been more than three soldiers to start, the first group had been a distraction. Still, she couldn't stop. She had to reach Albel…she just had too. Guilt probed her gut as she closed the distance between them. The second shot had caused him to fall to his side. His once purple shirt was painted almost entirely with blood.
She could hear a rustle behind her and knew she had to act fast. She had a chance of getting away, but to do so would mean leaving Albel to die. It was her fault he was hurt and she knew she couldn't live with herself if she let him die.
She charged her energy as she moved. When she was close enough she fell to the ground; the dirt dug into the exposed flesh on her knees and her whole body jarred. She ignored her own minuscule pain as she reached out hastily and placed her small hand on his chest. As the energy leapt from her palm and into him, she focused on his eyes. They had started to cloud over, but the instant her magic touched him they vibrated back to life. His gaze met hers briefly before diverting to something behind her.
"Stupid girl. Run!"
His words came too late. Even if she had stood to run, it would have done her no good. Her healing spell had no sooner finished before someone grabbed her arm and jerked her to her feet. A soldier had her and pulled her away from the fallen man; pushing the barrel of his gun into her side. One look at the soldier's stone cold expression was enough to chill her. She gasped shortly and turned back to Albel. Another soldier hovered over him and was taking aim.
"No! Don't hurt him, please."
The soldier gave Albel a swift kick in the stomach before holstering his gun. "You goin' ta come quietly?"
Sophia watched Albel struggle for breath as he rolled to his back. "Y-yes, whatever. Just don't hurt him anymore."
The soldier nodded and motioned for more to aid him. Sophia had been too busy with negotiations to realize just how out numbered they were. Three more men raced passed her.
"Bring him with us," the man ordered. Immediately Albel was hoisted off the ground.
"No! You said you wouldn't hurt him." Sophia felt herself on the edge of panic.
"Heh, he's nothing more than leverage. As long as we have something to use we can be sure you won't try and pull any tricks on us later."
"But I won't. Just leave him alone," she pleaded.
The man ignored her as he withdrew his communicator and requested transport. In a blink Sophia was no longer on Elicoor. The natural landscape was replaced with metal walls. She wasn't given time to sightsee before the man that had a grip on her dragged her down one of the corridors. He didn't say one word as he lead her down a series of halls; stopping at a door. With his free hand he removed an electronic key and opened the door. He pushed her forcefully in and closed the door behind her; leaving her alone in a room with little light.
She stepped back in the dark. Holing both hands to her chest she did her best not the tremble. She had been caught and thanks to her so had Albel. She could only hope he was okay. She contemplated briefly if she should blast through the door. She had the symbological energy to, but she was sure that was the whole reason they had brought Albel. If she blew up the door and attempted to escape she had no doubt that Albel would be hurt.
She fell to her knees and cried silently. She'd been running from the Federation for six months. She let her father down, every member of Quark down, and she let herself down. Not to mention she got Albel involved. All she could do now was wait.
Her wait didn't take long. Her tears had stopped and her eyes were sore when the door opened again. She didn't know how long she had sat on the floor but her legs ached when two men lifted her. She was escorted, one man on each arm, back through the series of halls and into a conference room. She was sat at the table. Both men kept their position at her sides, both slightly behind her.
She was uncomfortable to say the least. Things had slowly gotten worse after defeating Luther. She helped to save everything and in return she was hunted. Unable to live life in peace and with her family, she had done only what she could to survive. She had lost everything so that everyone in the Eternal Sphere could live.
Her attention diverted from the table when a man, dressed as a commander, sat at the opposite end of the table. He was clean cut and easily in his fifties. His beard and mustache was short cut and streaked with gray. His eyes were a soft brown. If not for the circumstances, Sophia would have felt at ease due only to his appearance; a feeling she lost when he spoke.
"We want you to aid us in the capture of the Traydor girl." His voice was course and demanding.
She flinched. "What?"
"Aid us in the capture of the Traydor girl," he repeated.
"No, I can't."
He crossed his arms and leaned forward on the table. "It's not a request, it's an order."
"No," she repeated as forcefully as she could. "I won't help you."
"I thought you would say as much." He looked over his shoulder at the door he had entered from. "Guards."
At his command two guards pushed their way out the door. Within a few seconds they submerged dragging a very pissed and very tied up Albel. He was forced to the table and made to sit in a chair between Sophia and the commander.
An amused expression played on the commander's face as he studied the lines of worry that covered Sophia's expression. "Now, let me state myself again. You are to aid us in the capture of the Traydor girl."
Sophia swallowed hard. Albel's red eyes pierced her. She was sure if not for the gag the swordsman would be giving the commander, soldiers and even her a fair piece of his mind. She also noticed that he was restrained in the lasted device used on felons – sonic shackles. The shackles were so strong that not even Cliff could have broken them.
"Y-you're asking me to choose between my friends? And even if I did help there's not guarantee that you won't hurt him anyway." She did her best to stare the commander in the eyes.
"Ho ho, seems Clive's little girl has some intelligence after all. No, there is no guarantee but I can guarantee he will suffer if you refuse." He leaned even further. "If you agree then there is always the chance he will be sent back to his planet unharmed."
Sophia bit her bottom lip as her hands clutched into tight fists on the table's surface. How was she supposed to handle a situation like this? She knew that should the Federation be allowed to continue its struggle for power that the whole galaxy could face another enemy. Which was worst, having a maniac try to kill everyone or have a group of maniacs try to control everyone?
If she helped them then everyone lost. If she didn't only she lost. She had never been close to Albel but she didn't want to see him hurt. He had been a comrade and had helped them defeat Luther when he could have just stayed home. As she recalled, the battle with Luther was won mostly due to his efforts. The whole universe owed him, as did she. If he hadn't helped her on several occasions and during the fight with Luther, she would have never made it through alive.
A soft moan generated in her throat as she glanced at Albel again. She had spent numerous times attempting to understand him. Many times she would approach him only to leave (or be left) more confused than before. He was the one person she missed the least when everyone parted ways, but he was the one person she thought of first when she recalled her journey to defeat the creator. He was a mystery and something in her just had to know what made him tick.
She zoned in on the crimson hue that stared back at her. She couldn't order his death. She would live with the regret of turning her back on everyone before she committed anyone to die. But what about Maria? If she went along with their orders then she would be committing Maria to death. She was being force to choose between Albel and Maria. Both had saved her life and both were friends.
She had spent many nights in the lounge talking to Maria after she joined Quark. Despite their differences, the two girls had formed a friendship. It wasn't always easy. Their different perspective sparked many debates that they both had to walk away from – none the victor.
Given history, she was closer to Maria than Albel. Anyone from the outside would weigh the facts and make the decision that letting Albel die would be the least of the two sins. Still, something in her couldn't. As she stared into his eyes she could see him answering her dilemma. He knew as well as she did what was at stake. She didn't know how much he understood but it was enough for him to urge her to refuse the commander. For the first time she was able to read what his eyes were saying – and she didn't like it one bit.
"Perhaps I can further help you to make up your mind?"
The commander's question snapped her back to the conference room. Her eyes left their sanctuary and sought the meaning to the commander's words. What could he do that would make her mind up? What ever it was, she was sure it wasn't good.
She didn't know exactly how right she was. The door behind the commander opened and she gasped. She had no control over her actions as she stood; pushing the chair back. Both men behind her trapped her in place; each taking a hold of their respective shoulder and holding her still.
"No," Sophia half sobbed. "T-this can't be happening. It just can't." Tears formed in her eyes and she was unable to stop them from flowing down her cheeks.
A voice behind the commander spoke low and apologetically. "Sorry, but if you will just hear me out then you will understand."
"Understand?" she shouted. She could feel her face grow hot. "Understand? How can you say that to me while wearing a Federation uniform? How can you expect me to forget everything that's happened the last six months? Tell me! What I saw…what Maria found in the Federation's database…tell me how I'm supposed to be okay with that? Tell me, Fayt!"
(A/N) Short chapter, but with a twist I bet no one saw coming. Once this little idea planted itself in my head, I couldn't help but to go with it. I'm stopping here so that I can get an update up (before I run short on time again) and to let the image of Fayt in a Federation uniform sink in.