CHAPTER XXXIV
ABOARD THE NEXUS MACHINE
When Sora regained conciousness, he felt strange. His hands were numb…but his feet were throbbing. He realized quickly that he was hanging on a wall by his arms, clenched by ropes tied to the top of the wall. He looked left and saw Kairi in the same predicament. Goofy and Donald were the same on the right. To the left of them was a large doorway, big enough to fit a ship through. The wall on the right was peppered with posters of landscapes in various worlds. One of them, he could barely see through the dimly lit room, was of Radiant Garden before the uprising. How far away from the hangar were they? Were they even still on the ship? Sora had no idea. As Kairi, Donald and Goofy all awoke, the wall in front of them blinked on like a computer screen. The Smiling Man's visage spread across it, daring them to look.
"Welcome to the Nexus Machine, keyblade master…or masters, it would seem. The Dark One. The one you call Riku – where is he?" he asked ferociously.
"What do you want with Riku?" demanded Sora. "He hasn't done anything!"
"No…not yet, Sora. But can you honestly tell me that Riku has defeated the darkness in his heart?"
Sora's mind raced with these words…after what Cid had told him over the micro-com…if it was true, and Riku defeated the darkness…wouldn't he become a Chaser? But was Riku ever really a heartless, or was he just fused with one…? The questions all led to more questions, and Sora silenced them by screaming at the top of his lungs.
"LEAVE RIKU ALONE!" he shouted, finally giving up and collapsing, giving his entire weight to the ropes.
"Fine. Don't tell me. I won't be offended…I'll get it out of you somehow…" he said, shutting off the screen.
Kairi noticed how worked up Sora got about Riku…she tried to comfort him, but comforting someone is really hard to do when you're hanging from a wall and unable to pat them on the shoulder.
"Sora…don't worry…even if they do find Riku, he can handle himself. Besides, they'll never be able to get to him where he is…" she said, careful not to divulge any unnecessary information. As she finished talking, the large bay doors opened wide enough for a body to pass through. They stayed open, and Donald used the opportunity to peek through...he could see the Barrett! They were in a room adjacent to the hangar…if they could only break free…
The man who had walked into the containment room was the Legion member with the fangs on his mask. A single fluorescent light turned on overhead, giving a little light to the room. It was enough to see the four friends and the Legion member. The Fanged Man stepped up to the friends and spoke in a dark tone.
"I need to know where you're holding Riku. I've been instructed to do what I need to in order to get the information from you…" he said, raising a triple barreled pistol with an etching of a three-headed dog on it. "Don't let it come to this."
Kairi had a fantastic memory…but where did she recognize that gun from? She thought hard, eyes closed, as an image of Vincent flashed into her mind, running into the square in Radiant Garden. She opened her eyes and gasped out loud, eyes starting to well with tears.
"Vincent?" she said softly. "Vincent…I thought you said we'd be meeting again under more pleasant circumstances…this isn't even close…"
The words hit him as Vincent lowered the Cerberus to his side, sliding it back into a hip-holster. Apparently, Jafar and Ember hadn't taught him how to summon his weapon yet. He shook and trembled, reaching his hand out to Kairi…
"I…know…pretty lousy accommodations they got here…" he said, still coy as he fought his inner darkness. Kairi smiled weakly as she noted the feeble attempt at flirting. Vincent reached up and ripped off his mask, tossing it at Kairi's feet. Sora, Donald, Goofy and Kairi looked on at Vincent, looking as though he was about to vomit, kneeling on the ground.
"I can't fight…it's getting stronger…" Vincent stood up and stopped shaking. His eyes flashed a bright yellow as he raised his Cerberus, aiming directly at Kairi's head…
He felt his mouth twinge as he pulled the trigger…as the barrel moved slightly and aimed at the rope over Kairi's right arm. The bullet pierced through the rope, and as her arm fell free, she looked at Vincent, whose eyes were momentarily green.
"Go…" he said, using his left arm to subdue his right arm that held the Cerberus. Kairi summoned her keyblade and slashed twice – severing her and Sora's ropes first and then releasing Donald and Goofy. Sora, Donald and Goofy ran straight for the Barrett as Kairi lagged behind. Walking the line between bravery and stupidity, she walked up to Vincent's side and whispered in his ear, "thank you."
He smiled for half a second as she ran off to the Barrett.
Sora at the controls and Goofy in the turret, they discussed over the intercom what they were about to do. "Just blast the door out and we'll escape! Goofy, what are you waiting for?" Sora yelled, looking up at the turret.
"Turn around, Sora!" Goofy yelled back. The hangar door was sliding open, revealing the darkness of space. Kairi pressed up against the glassine in the back of the ship, looking down at Vincent as he pressed the door override button. They didn't waste a moment as Sora took the ship up and out, heading for the World That Never Was faster than they ever had before.
