Chapter 2
Specimen
Hinata lowered herself into a seat, her gaze averted from Riku's. Taking in a shaking breath, she ran her hand along Jack's back, distracting herself in any way she could. Riku looked her over, swallowing hard as his throat constricted with emotion. Something about her made his heart sink and flutter at the same time, and it was a bit unnerving. Running his hand through his hair, he walked towards the doorway of the room and looked out into the hall. He wanted to give her some time before rushing to the lab.
"How are you doing?" Ben asked, sitting down in a chair beside Hinata. His eyes were still dimmed blue, a rim of oil glistening on the metal around his eyes.
She chewed the inside of her cheek as she shook her head. "I-I don't know… This doesn't feel real."
"Yeah…" Ben agreed, placing his hand over hers. "I don't know why everyone forgot about you, but at least Jack and I haven't." Hinata turned her attention to him as he added, "And, no matter what, we'll be here for you, alright?"
The slightest smile tipped the corner of her lips as she nodded. "Thank you."
"And," Ben's gaze went downcast, the blue in his eyes darkening, "I'm sorry we didn't get here sooner. If we had, James never would have—"
"It's not your fault," Hinata cut him off before he could finish his thought. "I...I don't think anyone expected this to happen…"
Ben slowly nodded, looking back at her and giving her a quick scan. "Your vitals are doing better," he told her, trying to lighten the subject. "You'll probably want to get cleaned up soon, though, so you don't get infected."
Hinata glanced down at her clothes. It was amazing that anything was still in tact with how ripped and stained her clothes were. Her pants were barely staying together, and everything from the knee down was completely soaked with blood. She could feel the sting of her open wounds against the soiled fabric. An entire sleeve of her shirt was missing, replaced with a thick bandage that covered the severe burn Axel's Replica had given her.
Taking in a long, drawn out breath, she replied, "There isn't much I can do about it right now."
"There's a shower on the Highwind," Riku spoke up, getting their attention. He still kept his gaze out towards the hall, arms crossed as he leaned against the doorway. "You can get cleaned up there before we head to the lab. I doubt Sam and the others have left yet, so the ship should still be there."
"I-I wouldn't want to hold us up," she stammered.
"You won't be," Riku turned around, his gaze still averted from hers. "With the state of this place, I doubt anyone's going to be taking the time to delete all the data, so there's no rush."
Hinata bit her tongue, her face warming as she realized he was right. She looked him over, examining his new appearance for the first time. Mixed with his new deep voice, he was almost unrecognizable, but something about him was still just inherently Riku. She had expected him to look like her old master, Xehanort. He sounded similar to how she remembered Xehanort, but his face didn't match… at least he wasn't an exact copy of him. That realization brought a small semblance of relief to her.
He caught her stare, meeting his eyes with hers before she quickly averted her gaze.
"Alright," she agreed. "I'll try to be quick."
With a motion of his hand, Riku surrounded them with a black mist. When it dissipated, they were back outside of the facility standing in front of two ships. A light rain drizzled from the clouded sky, making Hinata squint as she looked at the unfamiliar ship beside the Highwind.
"Sam bought that ship from one of her customers before coming out here," Ben explained, noticing the way Hinata's eyebrows knitted together in confusion.
She silently nodded, walking towards the Highwind with a bit of a limp in her step. Ben was close behind her, helping her up the walkway as Riku looked towards the larger ship. He went inside, hearing loud clangs of metal echoing from the underbelly of the ship. Going towards the hatch, he lifted it and saw Sam down below, working hastily on the ship's wiring. He jumped down, the thump of his feet hitting the grated floor catching Sam's attention. She glanced over her shoulder at him, tears hot on her cheeks and eyes reddened. Without bothering to greet him, she turned back to her work.
"Are you—" Riku started.
"If you're about to ask me how I'm doing, don't," she snipped, cutting him off.
He nodded, stuffing his hands in his pockets as he looked around the mechanics of the ship. His Corridor of Darkness pulsated powerfully in the hurriedly made drive core, sparks randomly erupting around it from stray wires and poorly connected parts.
"What's wrong with the ship?" he asked, trying to change the subject.
Sam slightly chewed on her tongue, before answering, "Nothing… Nothing major anyways… Just— need something to do."
"Yeah…" he rubbed the back of his neck, feeling the thick tension around him. "I'm, uh, taking the girl to the lab. Going to find out what the Organization wanted with her and James." He noticed Sam taking in a sharp breath when he said James' name, her movements stopping for just a moment.
Shaking her head, she replied with tears straining her voice, "I don't know why you're telling me. I couldn't care less what they wanted with her."
Riku frowned. "I figured it might give you some closure, or at least some understanding of what happened."
"I'd rather go home and forget this ever happened," she muttered, adding under her breath. "Forget that my own brother is dead cause of some red-headed b—."
"It wasn't her fault," he reminded her. "She's been through a lot, too."
Sam sighed with obvious aggravation, looking over her shoulder. "Are you done? If you couldn't tell, I'm a little busy right now."
He let out a breath, shaking his head. "Fine. I'll get going. Call DiZ if you need anything." He turned around to leave, but paused. "And... I'm sorry for everything that happened. James deserved better."
Without waiting for Sam to reply, he climbed out of the underbelly, shutting the hatch behind him. Jim and Amelia were nowhere to be seen, no doubt off retrieving James' body for the trek back to Montressor. Running a hand through his hair, Riku let out a long sigh and took a moment to reground himself before heading towards the Highwind.
He heard the running water from the shower as he went below deck. Ben was sweeping up large chunks of metal and wood that were scattered along the floor with Jack floating beside him. They paused when they saw Riku and Jack flew up and nuzzled his cheek. Riku smirked as he scratched Jack behind the ears.
"How is she doing?" Riku asked, looking towards Ben.
Letting out a long sigh, Ben rested his chin on the top of the broom in his hands. "Not great, but I'm sure the shower will help."
Riku looked towards the closed bathroom door. "Does she have some fresh clothes to wear?"
"Of course she does!" Ben nodded, motioning towards Hinata's bedroom. "She keeps a few outfits in her room on the ship all the time."
"In her room?" Riku repeated, turning and walking towards the room Ben motioned to. As he entered, he immediately recognized it as a room he often slept in on long journeys. The room was mostly intact, only a few pieces of furniture and books scattered about. He went towards the wardrobe and pulled it open, pausing when he saw his clothes folded neatly beside a set of clothes he didn't recognize. "She stayed in here sometimes, too?"
"Well this is her ship," Ben reminded him, his eyes dimming when Riku darted his attention to him. "Oh, right, you wouldn't remember that…"
"The Highwind is hers, huh?" Riku muttered as he closed the wardrobe and turned around with his arms crossed. "Just… who is she, anyways?"
"I… I don't really know how to answer that," Ben replied honestly, scratching his head.
"Like to me," he tried to clarify. "DiZ said she was important to me." He glanced back at the wardrobe with their shared clothes. "Were we close?"
Ben let out a sudden awkward laugh as he turned away and began sweeping mindlessly. "That's, uh, something she should probably tell you about herself!" he blurted out with a raised voice. "I'm not really the robot to ask and I know she wouldn't like me blabbing it out."
Riku frowned from Ben's reaction but decided to leave it be as he continued to look around the room. The water to the shower shut off and within a few minutes Hinata opened the door, braiding her soaked hair with shaking fingers. She limped out, leaning against the wall to give herself a rest. Riku came out of her room and scanned his eyes over her. Without the blood caking her skin and clothes, he was finally able to see what she truly looked like. Her red hair reached past her shoulders, and even when damp, it was brighter than Kairi's. It fell over a dark-purple sports bra that showcased her toned stomach, as well as the remaining bruises and cuts along her body. Black shorts covered her legs, cutting off right above a swollen knee that Riku was sure was the cause of her limp. His heart lurched towards her, a small voice in the back of his mind telling him to pull her into his arms, to comfort her. With a shake of his head, he wisped away the thought, feeling unsure where it had even come from.
Clearing his throat, he got her attention. "I can heal your leg before we go, if you want."
She glanced down at her leg seeing the swollen mass before slowly nodding. "I would appreciate that."
Ben leaned his broom against the wall and scurried over to Hinata, grabbing her hand. "Let's get to your room then!" He began leading her over, letting her lean her weight on him. "We can get your new clothes then, too!"
Riku stepped aside as Ben led Hinata into the room, and watched as she was lowered to the edge of the bed. She winced, letting out a slight hiss as she sat down, but sent Ben an appreciative smile regardless. Ben saluted in return and turned towards her wardrobe, picking out some clothes for her.
"This isn't going to feel pleasant," Riku warned Hinata as he came into the room and knelt in front of her.
"Oh, I remember," she assured him, a small bitter laugh escaping her at the end. "You've healed me quite a few times."
"I have?" he asked, meeting his eyes with hers as she nodded.
He sent her a small smile, his heart nearly jumping when she returned the gesture. Before his face could begin to warm, he shook his head and focused his attention on her swollen leg. He lifted his hand and gently placed it on her warm skin. A green mist began emanating from his hand, almost immediately melding into Hinata. Her hands clenched the blanket under her as she began lightly chewing on her tongue to distract herself. She kept her gaze on Riku, seeing his amber eyes focused on her injuries as he healed them. A spike of sharp pain made her take in a gasping breath and without thinking, Riku placed his free hand over hers. Hinata's eyes darted to his hand over hers, feeling his warmth spreading into her skin. A smile began curving her lips despite the pain before Riku realized what he had done and hastily retracted his hand.
"S-sorry," he stammered, standing back up as he ceased the green mist. The tips of his ears burned red as he avoided eye contact, eventually turning around and walking towards the doorway.
Hinata watched him for a moment before turning her attention to Ben as he handed her a new outfit. She gave him quick thanks as she stood up, the pain and swelling in her leg completely gone. As she pulled on the burnt-orange longsleeve and black jeans, Ben went over to the desk and pulled open the first drawer. Hinata froze when Ben returned holding her necklace. She took it from him slowly, running her thumb over the golden locket that hung from the blue beads. Emotion began welling up in her throat as she glanced over at Riku, realizing he had no idea about the vision inside that locket. Taking in a shaking breath, she put it on, wrapping her hand around it as it rested above her chest.
"I can't believe it survived," she whispered shakily to Ben.
"It was because of James, actually," Ben admitted, scratching the back of his neck. Riku turned his attention to him as Hinata's eyes widened.
"It was?" she asked, tears beginning to strain her voice.
"Yeah," Ben nodded, his eyes tinting blue as he began to explain. "When we carried you in here and locked ourselves in when Bane boarded, James grabbed your necklace and made sure to hide it out of sight, so the droids wouldn't see it and try to take it." Ben looked to the necklace, "He said he knew it was important to you and wanted to make sure it was safe."
"What is it?" Riku asked, cutting into the conversation.
Hinata looked towards him with tear glazed eyes, opening and closing her mouth a few times, before shaking her head. "It's nothing…"
Riku frowned, especially after the surprised look Ben gave Hinata from her answer.
"You aren't going to tell him?" Ben asked with a hushed voice. Hinata sent him a pleading look that made him clear his throat uncomfortably. "Well, then—um, we should probably get going then, huh?" He scurried out of the room, his eyes downcast and blued.
"Tell me what?" Riku asked once Ben was out of the room, crossing his arms.
"Riku, please," Hinata shook her head, closing her eyes tight as she tried to keep the tears back "not right now…"
Letting out a long breath, Riku resigned, "Fine, let's get going." He looked outside the room. "Hey," he called out to Ben and Jack. "Come on, we're leaving."
Ben and Jack scrambled back to Riku and Hinata. Jack flew over to Hinata, landing on her shoulder and licking her cheek.
"Which floor were you on?" Riku asked, looking at Hinata.
"15B," she replied, looking around as a black mist enveloped them almost the moment the words left her mouth.
They reappeared in front of the jammed elevator shaft on 15B. Hinata looked around, her heart already racing and pounding in her ears. The lights were red, and the alarm still going. A group of Heartless walked into view, pausing when they saw the group. Riku stepped forward to take care of them, but Hinata put out her hand, stopping him.
"These ones are different," she whispered to him, watching as the Heartless simply continued on their way. "I don't think they've fully turned yet."
"That's… unsettling," Ben spoke up, running his hands along his thin arms. "I really don't like this place."
Hinata nodded. "Yeah, it's not my favorite either." She took in a deep breath, trying to calm her uneasy nerves. The previous emotion in her throat was gone, replaced with the urge to throw up for having to step foot in the facility again. Swallowing hard, she walked forward, no longer limping and her posture straight. "This way."
She heard the others following not far behind her as she quickened her pace to get out of there as fast as possible. She could still hear the occasional scream, the scratches of Heartless as they tried to find an escape. The sounds echoed in her mind, something she knew was going to haunt her dreams for months. Within minutes, she slowed to a stop in front of her empty cell, the door still wide open.
Riku came to a stop beside her, as she informed him. "This was the cell they kept us in…"
He nodded as he looked it over, seeing blotches of blood along the floor and the metal bed attached to the wall. He took in a breath, knowing it all had belonged to Hinata. "And they brought you to a lab?"
She looked over the cell one last time, before turning. "This way."
Riku watched as she walked on, leading the way towards the lab. He glanced back at Ben and Jack, making sure they were keeping up, before following after her. A thick stench of Darkness began to waft around them, vaguely reminding Riku of the Horned King's stronghold in Prydain. He sniffed the air, noticing it getting stronger with each step they took.
"There's a lot of raw Darkness up ahead," he spoke up, noticing Hinata slowing her step.
"I smell it too," she softly replied, continuing on. "It wasn't this strong before… something must have happened."
"Could it possibly have been that Replica?" Ben peeped, his hands tightly clasped by his mouth.
Hinata didn't reply as she turned the corner seeing the doorway leading to her lab. Blackened blood was smeared along the floor, causing Hinata to slow her step as she noticed it. She brought her hand to her nose, the stench of the Darkness almost overwhelming for her. Glancing behind her, she met her eyes with Riku's, silently asking what to do next. He nodded towards her and stepped forward, passing her as he summoned Soul Eater. Silently, he made his way to the doorway and peeked in, ready to fight, but froze. He stuck out his hand towards the others, telling them to stop.
"What is it?" Hinata asked, watching as Riku dispelled Soul Eater and entered the room. When he didn't reply, she went towards the doorway and gasped at the sight.
Ice coated the walls. A thin layer of snow over the ground mixed with black and crimson blood, creating a nauseating stench. Cavuk's lifeless body was slumped against the wall, its silvery skin charred and unrecognizable. Hinata clamped her hand along her stomach, feeling the burn of bile in the back of her throat as she looked around. Riku briefly glanced back at her as he walked around the room, his footprints imprinting in the snow. He bent over by a metal medical stand, finding a thin blanket folded on one of the shelves. Grabbing it, he unfolded it and placed it over Cavuk's body.
He met his gaze with Hinata's for a moment, nodding at her to enter the room. Swallowing hard, she stepped forward, keeping her eyes off the floor. She noticed the large crack in the thick glass window that overlooked the other room, the sight making her frown. Turning, she looked up at the computer screens that lined the wall. Each screen showed surveillance footage of the floors and halls Hinata and James used in their attempt to escape.
She walked towards the computer desk, clasping her hands along the edge of the desk. "That's how she knew where we were…" she whispered, feeling Riku come up beside her.
"Who?" Riku asked.
Hinata looked up at him, before averting her gaze to Ben and Jack as they entered the room. Ben scanned the room with a blue tint in his eyes, but little to no reaction otherwise. With a long sigh, he looked up at Hinata.
"I haven't seen stuff like this since my days with Captain Flint," he informed her, walking up beside her. "I sort of hoped I'd never have to see it again."
Hinata placed her hand over his, sending him a silent, sad smile, before looking back to the computer screens. "Um… Vexen and Cavuk had been typing in notes in these computers. I'm not sure how to access them though."
"Allow me," Ben released Hinata's hand and pressed the center compass on his chest. It flipped open, revealing a small control board and wires. Grabbing a dark blue wire, Ben pulled and extended it as he walked to the side of the computers, examining them. "Does anyone see a port?"
"You're going to link yourself into the computer?" Riku asked, seeing Ben nod in response.
"You can do that?" Hinata asked as well, getting another nod.
Jack barked, floating in through the wall the computers were hung on. He grabbed the wire from Ben in his mouth and went back through the wall.
"Woah!" Ben exclaimed, his eyes flickering and suddenly covered with code.
Jack came back into the room as the computer screens all flashed to black, with white strings of code scrolling across them. Hinata and Riku stepped back, diverting their gazes between Ben and the screens as he navigated.
"Okay," Ben spoke up, "lots of info here! Just need to find the right stuff…"
"Anything that explains what the Organization wanted with this place," Riku told him.
"And with me," Hinata added, running her hands along her arms as she scanned her eyes around the room once more. "And preferably as quick as possible…"
"Let's see here," Ben scanned through the files in his new computer mind. "Lots of corrupted files, I'll send those to DiZ now, he can probably decrypt them! Hmmm…" he hummed, and blinked a couple times. "This seems like it might be helpful!"
All of the screens flickered, bringing up a recording. It showed a lab, similar to the one they stood in, but much larger. Tubes of Heartless were placed randomly along the walls and a massive white desk covered with various papers and books stacked on top of them. Vexen was at the desk, flipping through the pages in front of two large holograms that sat on the other side of it. One was of Xigbar, cockily leaning back in a seat with his legs crossed. The other was another Organization Member, the hood concealing their face.
Xigbar cleared his throat before speaking up, "So clear this up for me, why exactly do you think we want to hear about your little projects?" With a chuckle, he leaned forward and added, "In case you didn't hear, the real Vexen was just recently eliminated at Castle Oblivion. I don't see why we'd want anything to do with his cheap wannabe Replicas."
"I am well aware of Vexen's demise," Vexen's Replica snipped in response, waving a handful of papers towards him. "Doesn't mean that our research has to be stopped. We are nearing a breakthrough that will change the entirety of the Organization."
"I'm listening," Xigbar sighed, leaning back in his seat once more and sending a look towards the other Member sitting beside him.
Vexen's Replica cleared his throat as he glanced back at the piles of paper on his desk. Grabbing a specific one, he looked back up, and explained, "I've been working with a few Kaminoans, the natives of this world. They are seekers of knowledge, such as myself, with expertise in cloning." He walked around his desk, glancing down at the paper in his hands, "Most of them work for a government, the Republic, creating a Clone army, but a select few have other interests. Those few created this facility precisely to conduct experiments."
"Ugh," Xigbar slung back his head. "And this is important because…?"
"With each of the clones the Kaminoans create, they are able to completely rewire the being's brain to think and do as the Kaminoans please," he explained, beginning to get excited as a grin curved his lips. "I'm able to do similar things with my Replicas, but only with certain aspects, such as the amount of Darkness and—"
"So, basically," Xigbar cut him off, still sounding bored "you think you can combine this cloning with the replicating process?"
"Precisely," Vexen's Replica nodded, pointing towards Xigbar. "As we've seen, Heartless are mindless creatures of Darkness and Nobodies are hardly better. The numbers of the Organization are dwindling. At this rate, without proper intervention we will cease to exist altogether in a matter of months." Looking down at the paper in his hands, he let out a sigh, as his grin slightly faltered. "The unfortunate fact about clones however, is that they must be grown. And that takes time, which the Organization does not have."
"Why not send those half baked Organization Replicas after the troublemakers? You made enough of them to do somethin," Xigbar suggested.
"Ah," Vexen's Replica smirked, shaking his head. "That would prove to be foolish. Sora and Riku have already proven that they can take us out. If we begin sending less powerful Replicas of ourselves after them, they'll easily defeat them and soon memorize our fighting techniques, and master fighting against any Organization Member. We would become no more of a threat than the Dusks."
Xigbar shook his head, "Alright, then what is your suggestion, oh Great One?"
"I've created a bond with one of the Kaminoans, one named Cavuk," Vexen explained, he stepped towards the door, opening it and allowing Cavuk to enter. "We've been working together to create a combined procedure making use of a special serum. This process gives us the control and freedom of their cloning methods but isn't much slower than my own Replica creation."
Cavuk looked between the holograms, nodding its head slowly, before adding on, "We've only been able to test the serum on these dark creatures grown in our labs." It motioned towards the Heartless in the testing tubes. "But essentially, with this serum, we can tweak the mind of our subject as we see fit. It can be tricky, but we should be able to adjust things such as aggression and suggestibility. Make them a new person that will fit whatever needs you deem worthy— and follow any instruction."
"Not only that," Vexen pointed towards Cavuk, the excitement in his voice becoming obvious. "But while the patient is injected with the serum it blocks certain receptors in their brain, so they feel no pain or negative emotion, and they can't resist. We use this time to study their fighting methods and limits, yet allow them to become weak enough during the battle so they cannot fight back between tests."
Xigbar was leaning forward a bit more, beginning to take interest in their idea. He nodded in thought, surmising, "So we would have to do this with every Replica? Wouldn't that just be a pain?"
"That's where the fun begins," Vexen smirked an unsettling smile. "We only need to complete and perfect this procedure with a single Replica. Then we only need to copy the base Replica, after their mind has been reworked in our favor. We could easily make dozens this way, to be a force of anything the Organization could need."
"And they'd be smarter than Dusks, huh?" Xigbar placed his hand to his chin, glancing over at the Organization Member beside him before asking, "But what if the base Replica escapes or dies and we need to make our base model again?" Xigbar added.
"Well you see, I've actually thought of both of those possibilities," Vexen looked down at the paper in his hands and then over to Cavuk, taking in a deep breath. "We capture this specimen, and keep them here as we create this perfect Replica. While they are here, we also re-work their own mind, to make them believe they work here in the facility. This should keep them docile and easy to contain."
"What if their friends come looking for them?" Xigbar asked.
"That is where the powers of a certain Nobody comes in," Vexen replied, clasping his hands behind his back. "During Namine's short stay in Castle Oblivion, my original copy was able to extract enough data to learn how to replicate her power over memories. It is by no means a perfect copy yet, and I still have much to do. We thankfully shared all of our computer files, so I have all of his research."
Cavuk stepped forward and explained, "With this science, we can make everyone forget they ever knew the specimen. Thus, they will have no reason to come looking for them."
"And we saw firsthand how much Namine was able to rework Sora's mind to forget his true past," Vexen added. "We can do the same to the specimen and further work it with the serum, making them believe they belong here."
"But didn't that witch's powers only work on Sora and people connected to him?" Xigbar interjected.
"Yes," Vexen agreed. "However, we believe we can originate the effect around another person of our choosing."
"How will it work?" Xigbar asked.
"Once we are able to truly replicate the effect, it will work through the serum," Vexen explained, glancing over at Cavuk. "That is, once it is perfected. That is purely hypothetical at the moment."
"The serum will become a part of their bloodstream," Cavuk added. "Affecting all areas of their heart and brain—"
"And anyone who is connected to their hearts as well." Vexen finished. "Making everyone forget who they are."
Xigbar tapped his chin, thinking it through. "Alright, say we go along with this little plan of yours. Who's the lucky specimen? Should we just put a help wanted sign on the outside of the facility and see who turns up?"
"Not likely," Vexen sneered, not appreciating the attempt of humor. "I have a few in mind, but one in particular stands out as a probable candidate." He looked over at the Member sitting beside Xigbar, who had yet to say a single word. "One that, if I'm not mistaken, is someone our Superior has been interested in procuring for quite some time."
There was a pause before the hooded Member replied, "She will work perfectly…"
"Wait, who?" Xigbar leaned forward at a complete loss.
"I believe your childish nickname for her used to be 'Princess'?" Vexen turned towards Xigbar.
"Oh!" He recalled with a laugh, "Yeah, what happened with her? Just shows up out of nowhere after being missing for eight years? Wasn't she supposed to be a Member or something?"
"She was, though there was a much larger purpose in mind for her," the hooded figure replied.
"Oh, yeah?" Xigbar asked, his brow arched up in curiosity. "And what purpose is that, Lord Xemnas?"
"You will know when the time comes," Xemnas replied. "For now, our focus will be on securing her. Which may prove difficult. The Imposter is searching for her and if he is able to find her before us, he will rarely let her out of his sight."
"Just send me and Saix after her," Xigbar waved him off. "We'll get her back here no problem. Imposter or not."
"There is one possible setback to consider," Cavuk interrupted, catching their attention. "The memory properties in the serum must be tailored for a specific person."
"Ah, correct," Vexen nodded, pointing towards Cavuk. "Just like Namine's powers revolve around Sora. If we do indeed decide to pursue Hinata as the specimen, we have to begin creating the serum now. It will take some time, and this formula will only work on her. If she does indeed prove difficult to attain and we need a new candidate, we will have to start on the serum from the ground up, which will take many months."
"Which, from what I understand, your Organization does not have," Cavuk finished.
"Don't worry, getting her here will be the easy part!" Xigbar waved them off. "You let us worry about that."
"As you wish," Vexen nodded towards Xigbar before looking towards Xemnas. "Do I have your permission to begin creating the memory properties for the serum, Lord Xemnas?"
Xemnas nodded. "Yes, you do."
The video flickered out of existence, as Ben exited out of it. Hinata had her hands clasped in front of her mouth. Shaking her head, she stepped back and turned, hurrying out of the room.
"Hinata!" Ben called after her, his eyes flickering between the code and a dimmed blue.
"I'll take care of her," Riku assured him, placing his hand on his shoulder as he passed. "Keep looking for anything else that might be helpful."
Ben wordlessly nodded as Riku walked out into the hall. He stopped at the doorway, watching Hinata as she paced back and forth, her pale hands running along her arms.
She noticed him watching her and paused. Sniffling, she spoke up, her voice strained with tears. "You probably have a lot of questions."
"Yeah," he nodded slowly, crossing his arms, "but they can wait."
She nodded in response, looking away as a tear fell down her cheek. Taking in a deep breath, she began, "I just—I just can't believe it..."
"Believe what?" he asked, his voice calm as he looked her over.
Her hands tightened around her arms, as she blurted, "That I was chosen to be their special project like it was some sort of game! My entire life has for some reason revolved around them and no matter how hard I try, they keep coming back, finding new ways to completely ruin everything. I'm just… I'm sick of it! And what did that guy mean? Some greater purpose? It doesn't make any sense!"
"What did you do to them?" he asked.
Her breaths became ragged as her emotions erupted, "I didn't do anything to them! But they decide, on a whim, that they're going to force me to be their puppet, and for what?! To create some stupid army for them? Don't they have enough?!" She buried her face in her hands, trying to regain her composure as broken sobs escaped her. "I have nothing left! I'm a stranger to almost everyone I love and I lost—" her voice cut off with a weak cry. She fell to her knees, her arms wrapped around herself as she broke down.
Her cries echoed through the halls, her tears falling to the floor. Riku approached her, slinking to the floor beside her and leaning his back against the wall. He allowed her to weep in peace, knowing she needed to let it out. His heart lurched for her, and he fought the urge to pull her into his arms and tell her everything was going to be alright. Instead, he watched her in silence, trying to figure out just who she was.
"Why did this have to happen…?" Hinata's broken voice caught Riku's attention. She stared absently at the tile floor, watching her tears puddling beneath her. "Everything's gone… because of them…"
"Not everything," Riku finally spoke up, noticing Hinata barely flinch her attention towards him, before she went back to staring at the floor. "Their plans for you obviously didn't go as they hoped. At least you have the chance to rebuild, rather than actually becoming their puppet."
"Would it have been better if I had?" she asked, her eyebrows furrowing as she closed her eyes. "I wouldn't have even known anything was wrong… And no one would have remembered who I was to come looking."
"You would have preferred living a life of ignorance?" Riku asked her, seeing her reluctantly shake her head. "This isn't what any of us wanted, but…" He pushed his hair back, looking towards the doorway of the lab as he let out a breath. "You can't give up just yet."
She shook her head again, letting out a quivering breath, as she muttered, "James should have been the one getting out of this… I accepted I wasn't making it out of here, but he—" her voice cut off for a moment as she tried to take in a breath. "He had no reason to be here…" She glanced up at Riku. "I mean, the only reason you're even here, was for him… and I-I couldn't even protect him…"
"That wasn't your fault," Riku assured her, reaching forward and placing his hand on her shoulder. A spark raced through him the moment they made contact, a familiar feeling that caused the tips of his ears to warm. He instinctively ran his thumb along her shoulder, watching as she reached her hand over his as if out of habit. Swallowing hard, he averted his gaze back to her face. "With the state I found you in, I know you did everything you could."
She swallowed hard as she nodded. "I did…" Taking in a breath, she told him, "I'm sorry… I didn't mean to break down on you like this."
"It's fine," he replied, slipping his hand from her grasp. "With everything you just found out… it makes sense."
She took in another long breath, sitting up straighter as she looked towards the ceiling. Her overwhelming emotions reigned further back with every relaxing breath she took. With a calm tone in her voice, she told him, "Thank you for talking with me…"
He brought his eyes up to her face in surprise, before glancing away. "I could tell you needed it."
"I did," she agreed, pushing her hair behind her ear. "I still can't fully believe this is all real, but after that recording... " She shook her head. "I'm not sure what to believe."
"Uhm, guys!" Ben's voice echoed down the hall towards them. "Sorry to interrupt, but I found something you might want to see!"
Riku looked towards Hinata as he stood and held out his hand for her. She took the offer and was hoisted to her feet, sending him a slight smile of thanks. He vaguely returned it before turning and rushing back to the lab.
"What is it Ben?" he asked, without waiting for Hinata to enter behind him.
"I—um, found some security footage of the Replicas…" Ben told him, his voice hesitant. "It's—uh, not pretty."
"Did you say, Replicas?" Hinata asked, as she entered the lab. "More than one?"
"Yes… the one you and James encountered in the halls was the third one created," Ben informed her, flickering the computer screens to a paused recording. "This is the footage of her."
"What happened to the two other Replicas?" Riku asked, crossing his arms.
"They were, uh," Ben cleared his throat, "in the words of the scientists— 'euthanized after being deemed improper.'"
"But this one somehow escaped that," Riku surmised, watching as the recording began to play.
It showed Cavuk and Vexen working on the Replica before she slowly began to awaken and struggle against her bindings. Hinata watched, her heart dropping as she watched a copy of herself pull her bloodied hands out of the bindings and wreaking havoc on the entire lab.
"Oh my God…" Hinata gasped as she watched her Replica shoot a Dark Fire into Vexen's gut before hurling a flame towards Cavuk, already helpless on the floor.
Riku glanced between Hinata and the Replica in the recording, before his eyes narrowed when he saw the Replica summon water to throw Vexen across the room. "Where did she get the water powers from?"
"I have them," Hinata informed him, her voice distracted as her gaze was glued on the screen. "She's just… destroying everything around her… what is she doing?"
"She's absorbing his power," Riku informed her, watching as Vexen disappeared in a cloud of smoke. "Is she the one that killed James?" He looked back to see Hinata wordlessly nodding. He took in a breath as he looked back at the screens, seeing the remorse filling the Replica.
"She told me she was addicted to the feeling when she was killing…" Hinata said to no one in particular. "But the moment they were dead, she hated herself… They made her insane..." She looked away as Larxene entered the recording, knowing where it was heading. "I can't watch this…"
"They call her Thaanix," Ben informed them. "Or that's what they were planning on calling the Replicas."
Riku nodded, wincing at the recording as Thaanix overtook Larxene. "Did you forward everything to DiZ?"
"Yes'sir," Ben nodded. "I sent him all of Vexen's reports and anything pertaining to Hinata that I could find in the database. A lot of it is encrypted, but I'm sure DiZ can figure it all out."
"Good," Riku sighed, shaking his head as Larxene also disappeared in a cloud of smoke. "That's probably everything he needs then. Let's get out of here."
"Yes please," Hinata muttered, running her hands along her arms.
"W-well, there is one more thing that I found…" Ben told them hesitantly, "But… I don't know if you'll want to see it."
"What is it?" Riku asked.
"It's well... the surveillance from floor 3B… when James and Hinata were confronted by Thaanix."
Hinata lost her breath, shaking her head as her hands tightened around herself. Emotion began constricting throat as her memory flashed to only an hour before. "I-I can't," she told them, leaving the lab once again.
Riku looked after her, letting out a sigh as he turned towards Ben. "Alright… Let's see it."
"Are you sure?" Ben asked.
Without replying, Riku looked towards the screens, waiting for Ben to put on the recording. Ben swallowed hard and did as he was told, bringing up the footage of a hall on 3B. Hinata stood outside the lab, her back leaned against the wall as she try to reign in her emotions once again. She could hear Thaanix's voice crying out from the recording, the sound making her bring her hands to her ears as she slid to the floor.
"Why did this have to happen…?" she whispered, her voice shaking.
She stayed there, trying desperately to drown out the sound of the recording until she felt a metal hand on her shoulder. Opening her eyes, she saw Ben kneeling in front of her, his eyes a dark blue, and oil welling up inside them.
"It's over, Hinata," he assured her, his usually cheery voice now low and solemn. "I won't play that recording ever again, I promise."
Hinata wordlessly nodded, unable to find her words as Ben helped her to her feet. "Thank you…" she whispered to him as she stood on her own.
Riku came out of the lab, his steps heavy and his eyes downcast. He reached into his pocket and pulled out the communication device. "We got everything we need," he informed them, his voice ever so slightly trembling. "I'm going to call DiZ to see where we need to head next."
"Alright," Hinata agreed, looking over as Jack nuzzled gently against her cheek. She scratched him behind the ears, thankful for his company.
DiZ's hologram appeared over the device. "I've received all of the files and recordings, thank you."
"I'm glad it all went through alright," Ben peeked his head in front of the recording. "Was there anything I missed?"
"No, Ben," DiZ smiled. "You did a thorough job. I'm rather impressed."
"Well, I wanted to make sure we got everything, especially if it can help at all with Hinata," Ben replied, glancing over at Hinata and smiling towards her.
"I think it most certainly will," DiZ assured him, looking towards the others. "Hinata…" his smile diminished. "Is something the matter?"
She brought her gaze up to his hologram, swallowing hard before opening her mouth, but then closing it again, unable to bring the words.
"James, didn't make it," Riku informed DiZ, seeing his one visible eye widen. "He was killed while they were trying to escape.
"That is unfortunate," DiZ let out a breath, looking back to Hinata. "I'm truly sorry for your loss."
Hinata nodded, her eyes welling up with tears as she averted her gaze.
"How is Sam faring with the news?" DiZ asked.
"Not great," Riku replied honestly, rubbing the back of his neck. "She is heading back to Montressor to give James a proper burial."
"You should go as well," DiZ suggested, noticing Hinata bringing her gaze back to him.
"W-what?" Riku stammered in surprise. "Why? What about Sora?"
"Sora is just barely leaving Twilight Town and will not be needing our intervention or aid for some time," DiZ reminded him, his voice becoming a bit stern. "And this data will take me quite a while to get through completely and decipher. In the meantime, you will accompany Hinata to Montressor for the funeral and a well needed break, before heading back here." DiZ looked towards Hinata, giving her a slight nod.
Riku let out a long sigh, rubbing the bridge of his nose in frustration. "Alright," he resigned, biting back the urge to fight against his instructions.
"And have Sam make any necessary repairs to your ship," DiZ added. "It will be necessary for future missions."
Riku simply nodded, taking in a breath.
"Thank you… DiZ," Hinata spoke up. "You-you don't need to do this."
"I understand the loss of a loved one," DiZ informed her. "And with what you have just endured, a bit of familiarity might do you some good." With that, he cut the call.
"I'm really sorry," Hinata gently grabbed Riku's arm. "You shouldn't be being dragged into this."
"It's fine," he let out a breath. "Just ready to go back."
"I understand…" Hinata nodded. "Especially with Sora just waking up."
"Yeah…" he glanced over at her. "You know Sora, too, huh?"
She looked up at him and nodded. Taking in a deep breath, she asked. "How are we getting to Montressor?"
"Sam might still be here!" Ben suggested, "Let's go see if we can hitch a ride with them."
"I don't know if that's a good idea," Hinata pointed out. "Sam doesn't want me anywhere near her."
"It'll be alright," Riku told her, flicking his wrist and surrounding them with a cloud of black smoke.
They reappeared outside, a light drizzle falling from the stormy sky. Hinata looked up, feeling the cool raindrops against her warm skin. She drew her gaze to Ben as she felt his metal fingers wrap around her hand, but his eyes were focused on Sam up ahead. She stood outside the ships talking quietly with Jim, her arms crossed. When she heard the footsteps approaching, she glanced over her shoulder and sighed heavily at the sight.
Once they were within earshot, Sam muttered to Riku, "I thought you said you were taking her to the lab…?"
"I did," Riku replied, coming to a stop and holding out his hand for Ben and Hinata to stop a few feet away. Quieting his voice, he told Sam, "I found out what happened."
Sam clenched her jaw, looking away. "I don't want to know…"
Jim placed his hand on Sam's shoulder as he looked over at Hinata and Ben. "What are you guys going to do now?"
"DiZ wants us to head back to Monstressor with you guys," Riku informed him, noticing Sam stiffening considerably from his words, "to help with the funeral and to get the Highwind repaired."
Sam shook her head. "She's not coming on my ship," her voice was low and shaking as she moved her glare up towards Riku, "or getting anywhere near that funeral."
Riku let out a sigh. "Look, she's just been through hell. The least you could do—"
"The least I could do?" Sam interrupted him, her voice raising as she pressed her hand to her chest. "I'm sorry, but maybe you forgot that I just lost my own brother!" Her voice cracked, straining with tears. "I found him in a pool of his own blood, and everyone is going on about what I should be doing for some nobody, who shouldn't even be here!"
"I know…" Hinata spoke up, drawing everyone's attention. Tears were choking her own voice. "I know it should have been James that made it out, Sam, not me. And—" her breath shook "And I'm so so sorry that he didn't."
"Hinata…" Ben said her name solemnly. "Don't say things like that."
"But it's true," Hinata shook her head, her eyes glistening with tears as she met her gaze with Sam's. "I did everything I could to save James, but…" she took in a sharp breath, "it wasn't good enough." She stepped forward. "If I could go back and change who lived, I would. In a heartbeat—"
"Hinata, stop," Ben spoke severely, his voice quivering.
"Well it's too late now," Sam bit, an intense anger snipping from the back of her throat. "He's gone. I never even got to say goodbye. Sure you had plenty of time for that."
"Sam—" Riku warned, glaring over at her.
She shook her head with a scoff. "Use your Dark portal to get to Montressor…" She turned towards the entrance of her ship. "She's not getting on my ship."
"That's ENOUGH!" Ben yelled out, his bellowing voice echoed through the air, making everyone freeze in surprise. He stomped forward, releasing his hand form Hinata's.
"Ben, don't," Hinata pleaded with a whisper, but watched as Ben stomped towards Sam.
He came to a stop in front of her, Sam stumbled back a step in surprise as she stared into his orange eyes. "It's fine you don't remember Hinata!" he shouted. "But that's no reason to be treating her like this! This is ridiculous! You have no idea how HORRIBLE you are being! To someone that's done nothing but great things for you and your entire family!" He pointed angrily towards Hinata. "She's the reason your family still has a place to live, she's the reason you know your dad is still alive, and she's the reason you even got to meet Jimmy again! And seeing you treat her like this makes me so… so furious!"
"Well I don't remember ANY of that, Ben!" Sam yelled back, stepping forward to stand up to him. "She's just a complete stranger that I found right by my own brother's DEAD BODY!"
"Sam!" Jim grabbed her arm, gasping when Sam yanked out of his grasp.
"You guys—" Hinata stepped forward, trying to break it up.
"You're not the only one that lost someone today!" Ben pointed out, cutting Hinata off. He paused, oil welling up in his eyes. "James was special to all of us, especially Hinata. You saying she's the one that did it or that she shouldn't have made it out of there, it's just…" he looked towards Hinata, the orange glow in his eyes dimming. "It's not right. No, it's worse than that, it's horrible." He looked back at Sam, the orange glow returning. "Besides, the Highwind is Hinata's… She doesn't need your permission to ride it."
He stepped back, grabbing Hinata's arm and led her towards the Highwind, his head tipped upwards as he refused to look back at Sam. Jack floated after them, lowly growling at Sam as he passed.
"So if you'll excuse us, we'll be on her ship," Ben told them as they walked past. Hinata looked up at Riku as they went by, and he nodded towards her, letting her know it was alright.
Sam shook her head, watching them get onto the ship. Running her hand through her hair, she took in a deep breath and whispered. "This is ridiculous…"
"I saw the recording of what happened to James," Riku spoke up, his voice quiet. Sam paused, as he continued, "It wasn't her fault. She really did everything she could to make sure he got out of there."
Sam looked up at him, tears welling up in her eyes as the rage was finally beginning to fade. "You actually watched it?"
Riku cleared his throat as he averted his gaze. "I… I needed to know for myself… see what actually happened…"
"Do you know who did it?" Jim asked, stepping forward.
Riku nodded. "It was one of the experiments… A Replica."
Sam took in a sharp breath, wrapping her arms around herself. "They just… killed him?"
"They were going after Hinata," Riku told her, seeing Sam tightly shut her eyes, "but… James kept getting in the way, trying to save her."
"So they took him out instead…?" Sam asked, her voice quivering.
"Yeah," Riku nodded, "and at that point, Hinata was so close to being gone, there wasn't anything she could do."
Sam let out a breathless sob. "He went out protecting her… didn't even care what would happen to him…"
"And he wouldn't have remembered Hinata either, right?" Jim asked, running his hand along Sam's back.
"I don't think he did," Riku shook his head.
"Why would he do that?" Sam shook her head, tears dripping down her cheeks. "He didn't know how to fight or how to even protect himself. Why would he throw himself out like that for someone he didn't even know?"
"If they were as close as Ben said," Riku began, running his hand along the back of his neck, looking towards the Highwind, "he might have been able to tell he knew her. Felt some sort of unexplainable connection."
"Why do you say that?" Jim asked.
Riku took a deep breath. "Because I can…"
***Author's Note: Thank you so much to everyone for reading. I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and if you have any questions about why the Organization wanted Hinata, feel free to ask. The encrypted files will also be revealed later, sort of like Ansem's Reports, but they will be Vexen's Reports. They will go through the process of the experiments leading up to Hinata getting there, complications, stuff like that. So there will be further explanation if you are at all confused.
Things will get to a lighter note soon here, I promise. I know it's really heavy right now. And I also promise that we won't be staying on Montressor forever either, only a chapter. Then it's back into the thick of things with missions and all that.
Quick shout out to my husband and Jackie, for being amazing editors and supporters! Thank you both SO much for your help!
Thank you again to everyone for reading! Have a great week!***