Hello everyone.
Hey I made it two months in a row. What is this, a consistent schedule. I really hope that I can keep it consistent.
Alright,
Hobey-ho let's go!
Everything was dark. I wasn't too familiar with the experience, but this must be what it is like to be underwater. I felt pressure on all sides of me, but at the same time I felt weightless. I thought I could hear something on the edge of my perception, but everything was muted. Tranquil. I couldn't tell which way was up.
I opened my eyes, even though it felt like each eyelid weighed a thousand pounds. I looked around, but I could only see darkness in each direction. Except one. Up. Above me I could see a bright light. It hurt, but I forced myself towards it.
As I got closer, the world got brighter and clearer. The water seemed to vanish around me. I became aware of a screaming in my muscles and an itchy feeling around my nose. There was a constriction around my throat that inhibited my breathing. Just before I reached the light, I realized what was happening. It wasn't water I had fought through, it had been thick black smoke. Dark Void!
In an instant awareness shot back to me. The world blacked out once again as I opened my eyes for real to find myself inside of a thick cloth sack. Or at least my head was. I was draped over someone's shoulder, and from the burning in my muscles, I had been there for some time. Despite how difficult it was though I made sure to keep my body limp and my breathing even.
"...Carrying them anyway?" A voice boomed in my ear. It took all of my willpower not to flinch away.
"Because we can't let them know where our base is," Shane grumbled.
"They are both out of it," the Pokemon carrying me muttered. I'm fairly certain that it was Quake, although I wasn't certain. "Isn't the Fennekin going to die?" He bumped me on his shoulder. "What does it matter if he sees anything? And the Navigator isn't going anywhere."
Smoke answered in a voice that begged silence. "Escape isn't impossible. Neither is outside communication. All it would take is one word from either of these two, and the whole of the Expedition Society would be knocking on our doors. Do you think for even a second that the Espeon won't come for them?"
I couldn't see him, but I knew that Smoke was staring accusingly at Shane.
Silence fell. I took it as an opportunity to try and learn something about our location. The air was cold and humid. It had to be early to mid morning. I wondered how long I had been out. I gauged Quake's movements. Hit footsteps were firm, firmer than they probably needed to be. His stance was wider too. We were headed downhill.
I tried to map in my head. Last night we had been on the bottom slopes of the Crimson Peak. In order for us to be going downhill we were either within the volcano or descending the opposite slope. Then again, I had no idea where we actually were. They could have taken us anywhere while we were out. Unfortunately there was nothing more I could learn while I was stuck like this. I briefly considered revealing that I was awake, but I decided against it. While I was still "asleep" I had an advantage. No matter how slight.
"Hey Quake? You need a break?" It was definitely one of the Fighters. Crash I think.
"No, I'm good," came the response. "Stanley, you good?"
"Yeah, this Vulpix is lighter than a feather. Although this stupid bracelet of hers is cutting into my arm!"
I had an internal panic attack. If they took that bracelet off of Vix; best case the Firestone would simply fall off leaving us with nothing. Worst case, the Hatred would find it and kill me on the spot!
I had to do something to distract them. Before I could even come up with a plan I heard a groan. Vix's groan. She mumbled a few incoherent words, before suddenly shouting. I heard a few smacks, then I heard Vix strike out. A few shouts from the Hatred members. Then Vix yelped.
I instantly tensed up. Was she hurt? What had they done to her? Then I realized my mistake. I tried to fall limp again, but Quake bucked me off his shoulder. I tumbled to the ground landing squarely on my back. "It seems the Fennekin is awake too."
The cloth was ripped from my head in an instant leaving me blinking in the sudden light. I looked around blearily and found Vix lying on her back with her fourth tail pinned under the Throh's foot. He didn't seem to have broken it, but Vix definitely felt it considering the pained whines she was making.
"Hey, let her go!" I said rolling to my feet.
"She attacked me," Stanley said. I looked over at him and couldn't help but grin as I saw the long slash Vix had left in his cheek.
I grinned at him. "I'd say you deserved it." My expression turned darker. "Imagine what you would do if you woke up with a bag over your head. She was simply scared. Now let...her...up!"
"Let the girl up," Shane said, "we need to keep moving. The sooner we get back to HQ, the sooner we don't have to babysit these two."
Reluctantly Crash lifted his foot and Vix scrambled away from him. She ran directly to me and then lay between my forelegs shivering, her tails wrapped around her like a blanket. I glanced up at Smoke who glared at us, but he didn't do much else. He must have decided that we couldn't exactly accomplish anything by simply being together.
"Vix, you good?" I asked softly. The little fox nodded through the tears trailing down her muzzle. "C'mon Vix. We gotta go."
She started moving, albeit reluctantly. She never strayed more than a step from me, and she was constantly shooting glances at me, as if to make sure I was still there. I watched closely the entire time. Every move, every sound had her tucking her ears and her tails retreating between her legs. It broke my heart to see such a frightened little girl where my proud Vix should be.
I wondered once again if I had made the right choice. There was still time. I could have her out of this in a second. One word would free her… and kill me.
"Shane, how much longer 'till we get there?" I asked.
"We should be there by went ahead and warned them that we were coming. We just have to...er...make a stop first…"
"What kind of a stop? Why would we make a stop?" Nobody answered me.
We marched for another hour or so. Despite how warm it was getting, a thick blanket of fog still surrounded us. That definitely frustrated me to no end. Smoke and Shane had been right. I wanted to know exactly where they were taking me. If I had any opportunity to tell Eve, I would take it. But even when the sun had reached its zenith the myst still stubbornly hung around. I didn't understand it, until I looked back. Smoke was at the back of the group; both of his arms extended. A pulsing blue light surrounded both of his palms.
Mist, not mist! He was making the fog!
Jokes on him though. Despite his best efforts, there was one thing he couldn't hide from me. We were still heading downhill!
Suddenly Shane stopped. The rest of us just barely managed to stop before we ran him over. He was staring intently into the distance. He cocked his head. "Smoke," he barked, "can I get a little room here.
The Greninja didn't say anything, but he shot Shane a dirty look before slowly lowering his hands. The fog fell away around us, until we were standing in a ten foot clear circle. At least it was supposed to be a circle. In one direction there was no fog at all. Instead there was a tell-tale shimmer in the air.
"A Mystery Dungeon? Really? Was there no other way around?" They ignored me again. Shane wandered up to the limit of the Dungeon and then hesitated. He looked back at Vix and me before nodding to himself.
"We should put the girl to sleep again." He said casually, as if he was suggesting that we all get a pizza.
"What?" I snapped stepping between Vix and Shane. "Hold on a second…"
But I didn't account for Smoke. With my back turned he blew a single wisp of thick, black smoke at Vix. As it engulfed her, Vix gasped instinctively and promptly collapsed.
"What the hell was that for?" I snapped. "This is a Dungeon. Vix could get us through it in five minutes. Isn't that what you wanted her for?"
"In this Dungeon, I don't want her to see." Shane said before he crossed into the Dungeon. "Somebody grab the girl," he called back over his shoulder. Quake made to grab her, but I growled at him.
"Back off! I'll carry her!" Quake stepped away looking nervously at Smoke. The Greninja nodded softly. Quake backed off letting me lift Vix onto my back. Unlike when I tried to carry Eve this way, I was actually able to lift Vix onto my back. She was much lighter than Eve (don't tell Eve I said that), and the lack of blood flowing onto my fur was a welcome change. Still as we passed into the Dungeon I hated that she was riding on my back rather than walking by my side. We were in a Dungeon, and I missed the advantage that she gave me.
The Dungeon felt weak as we entered it, like there were only one or two other realities pushing down on us instead of the typical ten or twelve. This was further supported as we walked through what seemed to be just an open field. Eventually though we arrived at a wall. No not a wall, a hedge. It was perfectly manicured, not something that you would expect to see in a Mystery Dungeon. We walked along the wall for a while before we found a gap in the hedge. It wasn't a singular hedge. It was a maze.
Shane led the way in, but I hesitated for a moment before were we going through the maze? From what I could see the maze was a big circle, so we could just as easily go around. I felt a sinking feeling as I followed Shane into the labyrinth. The hedges seemed to grow as we moved forward. To the point where after two turns I could see nothing but bleak, green shrubbery with a small blue rectangle high above. The worst part is that everything looked the same in every direction. If someone spun me around I would have no idea which way I was going, or where I had been. Not that I had any clue where we were going to be fair. Not for the final time I missed Vix.
It didn't occur to me for a while, but once it did, I felt my heart drop. We were in a Mystery Dungeon, but we had yet to turn back. Shane didn't hesitate at any turns. He didn't get lost. As far as I had seen we hadn't made any wrong turns. Shane knew exactly where he was going. He was Navigating. My blood ran cold. No this was impossible. Then an even worse thought struck me. If Shane could Navigate after all, why did he need Vix? And if they didn't want Vix for her Navigational powers, our threat of Evolution was useless.
A small voice in the back of my head reminded me that Shane had let Sparkle lead yesterday, and she had gotten lost a few times. They weren't Navigating then. But then again, I was certain that they were Navigating now.
It took us an hour to go through the hedge maze. The longer we lingered though, the more worried I got. We hadn't made any wrong turns, we had been walking, really jogging, for an hour, and we still hadn't found a stone platform. And then suddenly the maze ended leaving us in the middle of a mostly empty field. As the hedge walls faded behind us I could see a large grey blob on the horizon.
Vix finally began to stir on my back. I allowed myself to relax. At least slightly. I wasn't alone anymore. "Wuzzgoinon?" Vix slurred as she tried to sit up. She didn't have the strength or the muscle control yet so she flopped back down.
"Long answer or short answer?" I muttered to myself. "We are in a Dungeon, and we just went through a hedge maze." She nodded against my shoulder. "Relax, don't move so much."
She nodded again and then went limp. I completely understood. Being forcefully put to sleep was fantastic in an emergency, but it started to mess with your head and body the more it happened. It was completely disorienting to wake up from, and you didn't fully regain control of yourself for nearly an hour after waking. I knew she would be fine, but I kept Psychic tabs on her the whole time, just making sure that she was okay.
Suddenly Vix twisted on my back. Her forepaws were wrapped around her head, and her fur was standing on end. Her tails thrashed wildly, and she let out a blood-curdling scream!
She rolled off of my back while continuing to scratch at her head. I didn't know what to do. It was like she was having a seizure or something! "Vix! Vix!" I shouted, but I couldn't seem to get through to her. Then for the third time that morning a cloud of black smoke engulfed her and she fell limp.
"Wha-?" I tried to ask as Shane stepped forward to survey his work. He glanced at Vix before gesturing that I should pick her up again.
"Her abilities," he called over his shoulder."This Dungeon is a bit… odd. She should be fine once we get inside."
"Inside?" I echoed. I hadn't even noticed, but we had reached the grey splotch I had seen. About a hundred yards away was what I could only assume was the Team Hatred HQ. It was like someone had scooped the top off of a hill, and poured in a thick cement cap as a replacement. The whole thing was dome-shaped and made out of thick, slate-grey stone. It looked like a meteor that had crashed to Earth based on the huge slabs of ground that stuck up around the base. Nestled deep within the gap between those slabs was a gigantic metal door with the evil, black, tree symbol above it.
As we approached the door yawned open seemingly of its own accord. I shivered as I passed underneath it. It felt like a monster swallowing me whole. Before we went inside, I looked around at what could be my final glance at the sun. What seemed like a mile away I could see the hedges, but outside of the hedge maze I could see something. Reaching up to the sky was a uniform line of mountains. Were they the Scales? Were they the Crimson Peak? Before I had enough time to look around properly, the great iron door smashed closed.
I blinked in the sudden loss of light. The only illumination here were lines of long fluorescent tubes lining the ceiling.
But what was worse was the overwhelming presence I felt all around me. We were well and truly in the lion's den now. We were in a hall that seemingly ran down the whole diameter of the dome. Dozens if not hundreds of other halls branched off from it in seemingly every direction, but what was terrifying for me were the shiny Pokémon wandering every which way.
I counted at least eighty before I gave up. There were so many, with every type of Pokémon being represented. Flying types flitted around the lights overhead. Bugs scuttled along the floors and, more often than not, the walls. Bipeds carried carts and bags, while Rapidash, Zebstrika, and Mudbray dragged carriages full of boxes and occasionally other Pokemon from one end of the bunker to the other.
As the door slammed shut behind us those nearby turned to see who had returned. "Shane! Smoke! Hey guys." The shouts came from all sides as Shane led our little party deeper into the bunker.
"Shane, how'd the mission go?"
"Quake, you get any good hits in this time?"
"Yo, Crash! You'll have to come over this weekend. A bunch of us are gonna watch the game together man!"
The farther we went, the more Hatred members noticed Vix and me.
"Hey, who are they?"
"Is that the Vulpix? Whoa, you guys finally caught her?"
"Fennekin!"
The word echoed in the corridor. I shivered as the crowd began to whisper. They didn't sound happy. I didn't even need my Psychic to know what they were thinking, but I reached out anyway.
I'd heard in the past of stoning. An ancient method of execution where a crowd would throw stones at a criminal until they had been bludgeoned to death. That was what hearing their thoughts was like. A mental stoning.
Kill Him!
What is he doing here?
Why hasn't Shane killed him already?
Monster!
Haven't you done enough?
Kill!
Kill!
Death!
Death!
Death!
KILL HIM!
KILL HIM!
KILL!
My Psychic saved me. The Yanmega made no sound except for the buzz of its wings as it flew at me, its stinger extended. I briefly forgot that Vix was on my back as I danced aside to avoid the attack. I reached back and tipped Vix back onto my back before she could fall. I glared at the Dragonfly, and it hissed at me in response. It shot at me once again, thrusting its stinger at me. I ducked aside again, but it still managed to tag me on my back left leg. I was fairly certain that it was only a scratch, and I knew that it wasn't Poisonous.
I quickly changed to Fire and sent a wave at the Dragonfly, hoping to at least scare it away. It hopped aside and hissed once again even as the tips of its wings started to smoke. I knew it would have tried to sting me again, but Shane pounced on the Bug. "Enough!" The Umbreon's growl made my blood run cold. Shane batted away the struggling Yanmega who buzzed off into the depths of the Bunker to avoid the angry turned angrily to address the Hatred congregation.
"Everyone listen up," he shouted. Almost every one of the milling Pokémon fell still and silent. I was amazed at the amount of power Shane seemed to hold. "Yes this is the Fennekin. But he is under my protection for the next two days. He requested a couple of days to get his affairs in order. I felt that was fair. After this we will have an official public execution and be rid of him once and for all! Nobody is to touch him until then. Understand?!" Shane's announcement echoed through the halls. There was silence for a moment; then there was cheering. Applause.
I could feel my heart pounding in my ears. The amount of malice and, well, hate I felt projected at me was shocking. What had I done? Why did all of these Pokemon hate me so much?
I was vaguely aware of Quake, Smoke, and Stanley herding me out of the throng and into one of the side corridors. We wandered along for a few minutes before we reached a T-crossroads. The corridors stretched in both directions as far as I could see. These halls weren't as well lit as the others. Small sections were completely dark. But I could clearly see that all of the doors along the way were made of thick steel. These were cells. A prison.
And then they took Vix away from me.
Quake snatched her sleeping form right off of my back and began walking down the right corridor. I tried to follow, but Smoke threw out a leg blocking my path. No! I couldn't lose Vix too! I tried to dive at Quake, somehow hoping to get Vix back, but Stanley caught me. I instinctively lashed out with Fire, my fur catching alight. The Fighter immediately let go of me, patting out the flames on his arms. I charged again, before I was suddenly pinned to the ground by the huge mass of water that suddenly crashed down on me.
I was choking, I was sputtering. I had no idea which way was up. I felt an iron-like grip on the nape of my neck, the fingers digging in and breaking my skin. Crash, one of the thick steel doors slammed open, and I was suddenly falling. The rough concrete floor met me far too fast, and I just lay there dazed and defeated. Alone as the door slammed shut.
I still don't know how long I was laying there. It was cold and dark in my cell. If I didn't have the cool smooth concrete pressing against my cheek I wouldn't know which way was up. I felt miserable. They had taken my Fire, in more ways than one. At this point I felt like just giving up. Just let them kill me. Vix would evolve and get to go home.
No. That didn't work for me. I had made a promise. I promised Eve, I promised Vix, and I promised my father. My fur began to steam as my anger grew. The Hatred hated me. They thought I was a monster. Fine. If that's what they wanted, I could be what they wanted. They wanted to kill me anyway, might as well go all the way. It was time to lay all my cards on the table. I honestly didn't care what happened to me, but I was going to fix this. I was going to die anyways. I had nothing to lose. It was time to go for broke!
I was completely dry as I sat up. I closed my eyes and tried to calm down. Fire couldn't help me right now. I needed Psychic. It took longer than it should have, but eventually I felt the heat fade and then a growing chill. I reached out with my mind, searching for a familiar aura. Eventually I found it, ten cells down and across the row. Vix's mind was still dormant, and the dark fog in it was so think I knew she wouldn't wake for another hour or so. That was fine. I set up a Psychic connection and then returned to my own head.
I blindly fumbled my way to the door. As soon as I felt ice cold steel beneath my paw I prepared myself for the next step. I took a deep breath before shouting, "HEY, I NEED TO TALK TO SHANE!" Silence. There was a chance that nobody was there, but I was willing to bet that someone was watching the door. "I NEED TO TALK TO SHANE!" Still nothing. Fine. I wasn't planning on asking nicely. I gathered up as much Psychic as I could before firing it at the door as hard as In could. It wasn't drastic, but I dented the door. And even if nobody noticed that, the gong-like crash I produced guaranteed someone would take notice.
I waited for a response, but after five minutes there was nothing. I tried psyching myself up for another strike when suddenly the door flung open. Smoke glared at me with a dark fire in his eyes. "Enough. Be quiet."
I raised an eyebrow at him. I smirked, opened my mouth, and screeched as loud as I could. "I NEED TO TALK TO SHANE!" Then I shot the Psychic power I had gathered at him. It couldn't affect him, but it could move the metal door. It took almost everything Smoke had to avoid being smashed in the door.
I shouldn't have been surprised when Smoke lashed out at me. A wave of Darkness shot from his hand. It knocked me back a little, but it also dissolved any Psychic energy I had gathered. He sneered at me before slamming the door again.
I wonder why he seemed to think I was going to quit. It took the better part of an hour before I was able to summon any Psychic power, and the rest to gather the energy I needed. "I NEED TO TALK TO SHANE!" Crash! "I NEED TO TALK TO SHANE!" CRASH! Twice more Smoke returned and took my Psychic away, and twice more I patiently waited for it to return before continuing.
Finally a slot at about eye level in the door slid open with a loud screech. Well halfway open. The door was too badly dented for it to open all the way. If nothing else I had done a number on the door. Smoke's red eyes glowed through the gap. "What do you want?"
"I'm sorry, did you not hear me? I want to talk to Shane!" We met eyes, neither of us willing to look away. Finally Smoke disappeared with a growl. I couldn't be certain, but I was confident that hehad gone to find Shane for the purpose of shutting me up at least. In the meantime I settled down to wait.
I felt a small buzz in the back of my head. Vix was awake! I closed my eyes and focused my power on the connection. I probably put way too much Psychic power into the connection, but I wanted some warning if someone decided to butt in.
Slink? The voice was weak, but it was definitely Vix.
Vix. Thank Arceus. Are you okay? No more...I trailed off, letting my memory of her seizure play out.
No, I'm fine. I think.
What happened? Why did you… you know…?
It was weird Slink. It was like what I see when I'm in a Dungeon, but more. This place isn't normal. It doesn't act like anywhere else I've been. My sense of where I was and even who I was was thrown off by what I could see.
And what could you see?
There was a pause. I don't quite know. Too much and not enough? I don't know.
I wasn't sure how to respond to that. Well I'm glad you are okay. Look Vix, I'm going to reveal our hand soon.
What? Vix said sounding equal parts indignant and scared. Now?
Yes, we have to do this now. I refuse to be separated from you. If it works, we will be together soon.
And if it doesn't? Vix wasn't being pedantic. I could feel her fear.
It will work. It has to. Don't worry. Here is the plan…
I just barely managed to tell Vix the whole plan before I heard voices in the hallway. I quickly returned to myself just as the door scraped open.
"This better be good Fennekin!" Shane snapped.
"It is," I reassured him. "I just wanted to request that I get moved to Vix's cell."
The Umbreon looked at me like I was crazy. "No." He turned to leave.
"I think you should think about it. Or else."
Shane turned back to me shaking his head. "Empty threats aren't going to do anything. Nice try. Now shut up and try to enjoy your last few days."
I raised an eyebrow at Shane. "So much for asking nicely. It isn't an empty threat Shane. Let me go to Vix or there will be consequences. In fact there are a few things that you are going to do."
We were almost exactly the same height, but Shane tried to puff himself up to look larger. "You are our prisoner! What about that don't you understand? We are in charge, and you should be grateful that you are still alive right now. Why should we do anything you say?"
Ready Vix? Out loud I said, "Well if you don't… I guess you are going to lose Vix too."
Shane froze. I definitely had his attention. Then he suddenly broke out laughing. I felt a sudden shot of fear, but I ignored it. "You really had me going for a moment there Slink. You have nothing just admit it."
He didn't believe me. Fine. Now! I met Shane's eyes. "Three, two, one." I pointed at the door just as Crash appeared.
"Shane…" he panted, "the girl just… almost… she glowed… and…"
"Spit it out!" Shane snapped.
"We were watching the girl like you told us. Then she just started glowing. She was evolving. We rushed in and she stopped, but she told us that if we touched her she would evolve again!"
Shane turned to me. From the look in his eyes, he would have killed me on the spot had it not been for the threat of Vix's Evolution. "How?" he snarled.
This was the point of no return. I had to lie, and they had to buy it. I felt sick to my stomach. "You may have searched Vix's outsides, but that isn't where we hid it. Nurse Candice told us that it would be perfectly safe for Vix to swallow a Firestone. It will stay in her stomach until she chooses to use it." I shrugged. This was the most risky part of the plan. Despite my threats there was always a chance that the Hatred would search Vix and this time they would probably find the stone. Unless I convinced them it was completely out of their reach. "You are funny, thinking that we just gave her a Firestone."
I grinned as I met Shane's gaze. He was practically fuming. If he had been a Fire type, he would be on fire. As it was he was radiating oily smoke. Finally, he deflated. "What do you want? You do realize that no matter what, eventually we will kill you. Even if it means losing the Vulpix's power."
"That is fine," I said, "you can kill me just as soon as you are done with her. Once I see you let her go, you can kill me. Until then we are going to set up some ground rules. One, Vix and I will be kept together at all times. If we are apart for more than an hour," boom, "she evolves." I slapped my paw on the ground to emphasize the point. "Nobody is to so much as touch her. If they do…" boom! "I currently have a Psychic connection open with Vix. If it is interrupted," boom, "if someone starts listening in," boom, "or if we are somehow unable to communicate with one another, well you know what will happen. If anyone tries to get us while we are sleeping, or tries to put us to sleep-"
"She Evolves, we get it!" Shane snapped bitterly. "Is that it."
I was about to nod, when I realized one more thing. "You have to promise me that whatever happens, if anything happens to me you need to take Vix back to Eve. Don't just let her go, give her back to Eve. Please."
Perhaps it was a moment of weakness, but Shane's expression softened by a degree. "Of course. Now 'Your Highness' I'll take you to Vix. Let's go."
I tried not to show how excited I was as Shane led me from the room. I did take the time to smirk at Smoke as we walked by.
"I better not hear from you again!" Shane snarled at me as he unlocked and opened the door to Vix's cell.
"You won't," I said, "but first you should take me to her actual cell Shane. I already told you that we have a connection. I know where she is." The Umbreon looked pissed that his last shot to win had failed.
"Fine," he snarled as he slammed the door and opened the one just next door. "Now get in there!"
"Gladly," I mumbled as I pushed past him. The door was closed behind me with a clang but I honestly didn't care. "Vix!" I called looking frantically around for her.
"Slink!" I heard her scream. Then suddenly I was on my back with the little Vulpix laying on my chest, nuzzling desperately up under my chin.
I wrapped my forpaws around her. "Its okay Vix. I'm here. We are going to be fine." As I got to my feet I looked around the cell. If this place was going to be our home for a while, we were probably going to become very familiar with it.
Vix's cell, unlike mine, must have been on the outer edge of the bunker because we had a window. Since there weren't any lights in the room it was the only source of any illumination. It was at the top of the wall near the ceiling and there were five huge iron bars across it, but it was still a window. In the back right corner farthest from the door was a pile of fresh (I hoped) straw that the Hatred clearly intended for us to use as a bed. In the front right corner was a foul smelling hole in the ground. I hoped it would be a while before we would need to use it. The walls seemed to be made of rough cinder blocks with a strong grey mortar between them.
I carefully levitated myself up to the window, taking ahold of the ledge with my paws and bracing my back paws against the wall. It turned out that we weren't on the outer edge of the base. Instead we were looking inward at what looked like a courtyard. It was mostly covered, but there was a large circular skylight in the center where the sunlight was coming from. Unfortunately I couldn't tell what was in the courtyard, as what little light that came through the ceiling was red. I hadn't realized it, but the sun was just about to set.
"What did you see? What is in the courtyard?" Vix asked as I dropped down.
"I couldn't tell." Then I was struck by what she just said. "Wait a minute, how do you know that it is a courtyard?"
Vix blushed and then despite everything she got an impish grin. When she spoke she was almost whispering. "I told you this place was weird. It almost feels like a Dungeon."
"What do you mean?"
"I can see. I can see the whole layout of this base. I can't see anyone, or anything but the room layout, but I can see."
I lit up. I thought I had played all of our cards, but it turns out we had just been dealt a new ace. "Vix, have I ever told you how amazing you are?"
"You could stand to mention it more," Vix smirked.
I laughed as I pulled her into a hug. "You are amazing Vix. And you are so brave. Thank you for trying to stay strong. I am so proud of you."
"Thanks," she said sheepishly.
"Vix, we are going to get through this. Eve will find us. I know she will." I hugged her tighter to my chest. "I love you Vix."
"I love you too, Slink."