CHAPTER LXXV

AN UPHILL CLIMB

Pete hung his head low. Sitting in his seat at the meeting table on the Nexus Machine, he softly whacked his forehead against the table, awaiting his master's arrival…

Moments later, Maximilian sauntered in the room, followed by Maleficent. Their robes seemed brighter – it was clear that they knew Ember had been eliminated. Leon and Tifa each followed, bearing a sullen disposition. Jafar brought up the rear, tapping his staff on the floor as he slowly walked to his seat.

Maximilian and Jafar were the only two Knights that still wore their masks to every meeting, besides the Strange Man – Leon and Tifa had shed theirs, and Pete couldn't get one to fit his bulbous head, anyway. Maleficent insisted it took away from her beauty…

"I take it you have news for me?" Maximilian said, sitting in his throne. Pete cautiously stood up and raised his hand to his head, saluting his general.

"Uh…y…yes, sir…the Unsmiling Man, Ember has been eliminated…"

"Sora?" the Smiling Man drawled slowly.

"Actually…it was that spiky, blonde haired kid…Rainbow or Nimbus or somethin'…"

"Cloud," Leon corrected him, smirking. "Go figure."

"And what of the Fanged Man, Knight Vincent?" Maximilian continued, impatience slowly saturating his voice.

"He…was kidnapped by dat little insect Mickey and Cloud's girlfriend…dey stole the Boulder Bear too, master Max…"

"MAXIMILIAN!" he bellowed, standing from his chair. "Respect your superiors…I should strip you of your uniform for insubordination…and we all know what happens to discharged Legion Knights, don't we?"

Pete thought hard – he didn't know what Maximilian was talking about, but he decided it was for the best. Slowly nodding, he said, "yes, Maximilian sir…"

The sliding door to the meeting room slid open as the Strange Man gracefully ducked inside. He walked straight up to Maximilain at the head of the table.

"Here," he said, tossing the Frozen Eel haphazardly on the table in front of his superior. "Any more challenging missions you need to send me on?"

"Perhaps, Strange…sit. We've lost Ember and the Boulder Bear," Maximilian said quickly, recapping the latecomer.

"Pshht…" the Strange Man exhaled, making a mockery of the situation. "I could've told you that…never send a complete imbecile to do an idiot's job."

Maximilian tensed up, gripping the edges of his throne harshly as the Strange Man sat arrogantly to his side.

"Be that as it may, we're now two Knights down. The Frozen Eel is the only artifact we currently possess…Sora and the keyblade masters hold four; The Wind Butterfly, the Flame Salamander, the Boulder Bear and of course…the Dark One," he stated, biting his lip after the last bit. He himself had kidnapped Riku, only to have him stolen from right beneath his nose. He wasn't sure if any of the Knight's knew that fact – but surely, it would greatly diminish their respect for him if they did.

"Status reports on your bases of operation, please," Maximilian said, pointing first at Maleficent.

"The Castle That Never Was is running splendidly. The numbers of flying Heartless are steadily multiplying," she reported.

"Good."

"The Asteroid Base is pumping out more ships than we originally thought possible. Some of the Heartless vessels are actually fusing together, creating large warships. It's a very nice armada," Jafar said, having taken over in Vincent and Ember's absence.

"Radiant Garden is positively flooded. I've taken the liberty of…personalizing the place," Leon said smugly, nodding at Tifa. "Ground based Heartless are stronger and smarter than ever, thanks to some special arrangements…"

"Excellent. And I'm happy to report that the Nexus Machine is almost fully operational," Maximilian finished.

"The next order of business – the Eagle of Light. I've decided to send two of you to claim it."

"Good, kill two Knights with one trip…save on gas mileage…" the Strange Man chided under his breath.

"Is there an issue, Strange?"

"Not at all sir…it makes perfect sense for you to double your efforts after losing two of your underlings. Why put yourself at risk? Just send two more minions to their deaths…"

"I won't sit idly by while you insult my operation!" Maximilian said, slamming his fists into the table as he extended to his full height, towering over the Strange Man.

"Why not? You sit idly by during everything else, so why break the mold?" the Strange Man shot back, standing up to match Maximilian's height.

Instantly, Maximilian lunged at the Strange Man's throat, pinning him against the large, glassine window that led out into space behind the table. The Strange Man's feet slowly lifted off of the ground, his fingers clawing at Maximilian's hand to let him go.

"I am perfectly capable of running this operation. Have you forgotten how I've ascended to this position?" his voice trembled with rage. "Born the bastard son of a foolish scientist – a fool who wanted nothing to do with his real flesh and blood!" His grip tightened.

"I cast off my father, who had given me nothing…not a day's worth of notice. Playing with those experiments, he never even knew the scope of the power that dwelled within him…until he passed it off to the Dark One during a foolish fusion, of all things! Imagine, a real flesh and blood son denied the power of the Dark One…only to have his father stupidly hand it over to Riku…the boy who would ultimately lead to his demise."

"Sounds like you have some daddy issues…" the Strange Man choked, refusing to cater to Maximilian's force. Even in the compromising position he was in, the Strange Man remained calm, almost disaffected…

"Xehanort was a foolish man who ruined his only true son's life! I was taken in by the Legion of Shadows shortly after leaving Radiant Garden…they spoke of the Dark One, the Artifacts of Solace…even if my father hadn't been the sole holder of the Dark One's power, I would have been interested in the Legion. Slowly, steadily…I rose through the ranks…"

"You murdered your adoptive family. Let's not mince words…" the Strange Man hit a nerve, causing Maximilian's grip to crack the base of his Strange mask.

"More or less. Once I had gained the utmost position, however, my father had been killed…Sora and his nitwit band of merry men. I thought the power of the Dark One to be destroyed with him, a thought that sent me into despair. Oh…how overjoyed I was when I discovered Riku held the gift of the Dark One…"

He clenched his teeth behind his mask, dropping the Strange Man to the floor like a bag of garbage.

"A gift that should have been mine…" he said, slowly sitting back down into his throne. "Now that we are all perfectly clear on WHY I am in the position I am in," he shot a glance at the now standing Strange Man, "the Frowning Man and Tifa – off with you. The world that the mouse and his companions were marooned on by Pete's ship - the Eagle of Light awaits you there."

Lighting a much needed cigarette, Cid took a deep breath as he processed all the information he had just learned from the audio channels in the Nexus Machine. "That guy needs to learn when to keep his yap shut," he smiled, tapping his micro-com to alert the others.