The New Kid

Chapter 15

Yuja: I have to be honest. I hate the opening to this chapter.

Isaac: Then why'd you write it?

Yuja: Because I was tired, in a grouchy mood, getting ready for finals, and I don't think I could rewrite it to be any better. In the end, this chapter was written over the course of a few months, so you might notice changes in the writing from time to time, depending on my mood when I worked on a particular part. And I just want to get this chapter on up so I can continue with this and my other stories without too many complaints. By golly, I'm not gonna be pinned as the one who doesn't update for two years again.

Jenna: At least not until you forget another story and it sits here rotting until you start getting e-mail requests to continue.

Yuja: Sometimes, I really wonder why I keep you two.

Jenna: You know you would miss us. Yuja doesn't own Golden Sun.

Yuja: And if you notice any areas where the spaces have been deleted, just ignore it. For some reason, I've noticed, this program/site deletes spaces at random places and sometimes even changes punctuation. Real annoy.

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"Are the medicines ready?"

"Yes, Lord Babi. We have calculated how many potions and herbs it will take, as well as a select number of Psynergy Stones, and have already produced a surplus amount," stated a scientist in a white lab coat.

A door opened in the side of the room and Iodem walked to the bed, handing Babi a flask. Babi took the container, removed the cork top, and took a large sip of the clear fluid. He handed the flask and top to Iodem, who put the cork back in place and set the container on the bedside table before bowing his head and exiting out the side door through which he had entered.

Babi turned back to the scientist. "What are the reports?" The scientist read some numbers and information off his clipboard. "Very well. Proceed with the administering of potions and whatever else you have for his health, but do not give him anything to boost his Psynergy just yet. In fact," he carefully got out of bed and, clutching his nearby cane, opened the drawer in the bedside table. Taking a small item from the drawer, he then limped over to stand before the scientist. "Give him this." He handed a vial to the man. The liquid inside had a faint purple tint to it. The man accepted the vial and read the label. Babi walked back to stand beside the bed. He was fully dressed, but he wore a robe over his clothes.

"Milord, this is-"

"I am well aware of what is in that vial, and I want your team to use it. I don't want any of his Psynergy returning until I say so."

"Yes, Lord Babi." The man bowed and left the room.

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Voices. He could hear voices, growing in number and volume. Isaac had been slipping between consciousness and sleep ever since Alex's visit, and was dimly aware of any surroundings. But his senses were starting to sharpen, and the sense of a nearing threat was growing.

Suddenly, something was grabbing him and putting him in a sitting position. His arms and legs where being tied down and, before it could even properly register in his mind what was happening, something pinched his left arm.

"Here," said one voice. "Give him a shot of this in his other arm."

"Sir?"

"You heard me. Lord Babi doesn't want him to use any Psynergy until everything is ready. One shot should do it."

What? The pinching in his arm was restoring some of his strength, and Isaac's vision cleared a little more. People in white lab coats surrounded him; six total. Moving his head to the left, Isaac saw that one was taping a needle in place in his arm. A thin tube connected it to a bag on a stand. To the right, another was cleaning a spot on that arm. A few seconds later, there was another pinch, like a bee sting, but this one wasn't restoring any strength.

A numbing pain was coursing through him from the point, almost completely countering the healing effect from his other side. Isaac tried to squirm or at least move, the feeling of unbearable discomfort consuming him, but every limb was tightly strapped down to the bed. Finally, Isaac cried out, not sure if he could take anymore. There was running outside and the door burst open, and he could hear two more people entering through it.

"What is this? What is this?"

"D-Dr. Kraden, Lord Babi ordered us to-"

"What is that?" demanded Kraden, marching over to the man that was slowly and carefully injecting the shot. "Take it out!"

"But sir-"

"Did you not hear me?" Kraden pulled the man's hand from Isaac and took the needle away. "On what authority did you try using this?" The other scientists seemed almost to cower under the old man's rage. "Answer me when I ask a question!"

The scientists jumped. "Lord Babi gave it to me personally," said one. "He doesn't want the boy to use any Psynergy until-"

"So that gives you the excuse to use poison!"

"We were only following orders," squeaked the man.

Kraden growled in his throat. "I'm the head of the science department here. You take orders from me. If Lord Babi gives you an order, you are to run it by me. Incompetent fools. Now, get out of my sight. All of you!" The scientists hurried from the room, the last one quickly shutting the door behind him.

Kraden glared after them, then threw the syringe into the nearest trashcan so that shattering glass could be heard. Taking a deep breath, he returned to Isaac and examined his arm. Isaac looked blankly at the ceiling. He couldn't feel his right arm, and it was getting hard to breathe as the numbness spread across his chest. The discomfort was gone, but so was the rest of his feeling.

"The nerve," grumbled Kraden, checking a chart beside the bed. "Picard, could you please remove the ingredients of that injection? That is, if you still have enough Psynergy. It should fall under a mix of the paralysis and poison categories. Mainly poison."

Picard nodded and moved to Isaac's right side. When Isaac glanced over and finally saw him, sunglasses and all, his eyes went wide. "I-it's you…" he mumbled weakly.

"Save your breath, Isaac. There will be time to talk once you are healed."

Isaac didn't have the strength to argue. Picard placed a hand on Isaac's arm and started using what little Psynergy he had left. Isaac could feel the numbness receding and soon vanish.

Kraden was now to Isaac's left, examining the bag that hung from the stand. "We can leave this one," he said as Picard finished. "It's just a potion and herb compound. Quite effective healing tool. I discovered it myself."

"Master Kraden. What was in that syringe?" asked Picard as he began to untie the teen. "You called it poison."

"It is a mixture that unfortunately I have to take the blame for creating as well." Kraden sighed and marked some things on another chart. "It is one of my many regrets. It causes a paralyzing effect on its victim and drains them of their Psynergy. The reason I call it poison is that too much could cripple an Adept's Psynergetic abilities, or it could actually weaken the Adept for life. It wasn't my original intention, but when I realized what I had done, I destroyed all but one copy of the notes and supposedly all samples of it. However, it seems Lord Babi somehow managed to get a dose or two."

"The copy of the notes; is it safe from him?"

"The only copy exists in my head. It cannot be erased and, as long as Lord Babi doesn't gain mind reading abilities or acquire a Jupiter Adept, they should be safe. I only remembered the formula because I hoped to one day create the antidote, which would actually be the product I intended to make in the first place."

"W-who are you?" said Isaac faintly. He had never felt so weak.

"Sorry. Did we not introduce ourselves?" Kraden came back in view. "I am Dr. Kraden, alchemist and Babi's lead scientist. And I believe you have already met Picard, who has recently become my own self-appointed apprentice." He grinned at Picard, who gave a slight smile in return.

Isaac was staring at Picard. "I-I remember you…I think." He thought a bit, blinking. "You were there when the boulders…and…and the funeral…"

Picard nodded. "It seems he has not acquired any form of amnesia if he can remember me," he said with a smile to Kraden. "I did my best to not stand out back then."

"Excellent. Now, the sooner you recover, Isaac, the sooner we can see about helping you."

"Helping me? But, aren't you one of Babi's people?"

"In a way," said Kraden, finally putting down the chart and standing beside the bed. "But that doesn't necessarily mean we agree with everything he does. In fact, you and Picard here are not so different."

"What?"

"Neither of us ever agreed to come here," answered Picard, looking briefly at the wall as he spoke.

Isaac was about to ask what Picard meant, but there was a knock, the door opened, and Iodem entered. Kraden straightened himself and Picard, whose back was to the door, looked away at the opposite wall, his eyes closed behind his shades as though trying to restrain himself. Iodem looked from Kraden, to Picard's back, to Isaac, then back to Kraden, grinning.

"So, the boy has finally awoken." It wasn't a question. "Very good. Good timing, too. Lord Babi has waited long enough."

Isaac was confused. Hadn't Babi just ordered for his Psynergy to be limited. At Iodem's last words, Picard's eyes had shot open and he stood rigid and stunned. Kraden had briefly lost his balance and had to quickly right himself.

"But, Iodem, he has not recovered properly. He has just woken up. For Pete's sake, this is far too soon!" explained Kraden. "It's all happening too quickly!"

"Then he will start off with his weaker forms of Psynergy." Iodem raised a hand and held up two fingers for the people behind him to see. "Get him ready." Two people entered from behind him, both wearing the full body suits. One pushed Picard roughly aside.

"Doctor," said the other politely, coming around the bed and carefully backing Kraden from the bedside with one arm.

"You can't do this!" exclaimed Kraden. "He isn't ready!"

"Then you can take it up with Lord Babi," said Iodem simply. "Far too much time has all ready been lost due to the boy's lack of cooperation."

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Alex ran along the corridor, slowing to a quick walk whenever he passed a window. Picard had come and told him that Isaac had already been taken. Isaac, you had better be okay. He shivered slightly. He barely had any strength himself, but someone had to go. Picard had practically collapsed in a chair after telling him, having used so much Psynergy himself in such a short time.

He passed another window and almost fell trying to stop and backtrack. There, in a large room that opened one floor down, stood Saturos and Menardi. It was the training room. As Alex watched, a door in the wall opened and Iodem entered, closely followed by two suits dragging Isaac along between them. He looked barely conscious, but he was still trying to pull back.

Before Alex knew what he was doing, the floor was flying under his feet. Going down a set of stairs, he stumbled and slipped on the last flight but didn't lose his footing entirely until the bottom. He ignored the pain in his knee as he got back up. He could heal it later, but someone had to help Isaac now. He didn't know how he could stop them, but he had to do something.

He finally reached the door and ran through, which probably broke a dozen or so safety rules for the training room, but he didn't care at that instant. The suits were too busy unlocking Isaac's hands from the brace used before to look up, but Iodem turned and approached him.

"Can I help you, Alex?"

Alex shook his head, trying to get his breath back. "No sir. But, Isaac – he's not ready for this."

"That is not for you to decide, Alex. Now, why don't you just head back to the medical wing before I am forced to do anything-"

"That won't be necessary, sir," interrupted Saturos, coming forward. "I'll handle him."

"That would be wise, Saturos. After all, he is your student."

Saturos took Alex by the arm and led him away. "But…Saturos…he isn't ready enough…You can't do this–"

"Listen to me Alex." They were now outside of the room and Saturos held him by the shoulder against the wall with one hand and used the other to point a finger in his face. "I'm going to try being nice to you right now. But if you keep interfering with the procedures, then so help me, I will personally make sure you can't leave your next hospital room!"

"How can you allow this?"

Saturos took a step back and studied him. "What's wrong with your leg?"

Alex looked down. He hadn't realized that he was holding it slightly above the other as he leaned against the wall. The pain was stronger now that he was starting to calm down. "I fell down a few stairs."

Saturos sighed, moving a hand through his hair. "Fix up that leg and get back to the medical wing." He waved a hand in the direction of the said area, then held it to Alex's forehead. "You're still cold." And without looking back, Saturos reentered the room.

Picard. Kraden. Alex had to tell them, so he started for Kraden's lab first. However, a crippling pain shot through his leg and, the leg giving out, he crashed to the floor, landing on his left arm. Gasping, Alex managed to sit up against the wall, holding his arm. This just wasn't his day.

"Crap!" Healing wasn't his specialty, even though Mercury Adepts were supposedly great healers. He was always too busy studying Teleport to practice his Ply technique, and now he was paying for it. Casting a weak Ply to dull the pain so he could stand, Alex tried thinking of Kraden's lab as the blue rings surrounded him. Unfortunately, as the now familiar feeling of weightlessness came over him, the image was replaced by the cell hall where he and Saturos had argued. No! Wrong place! But it was too late as the well-lighted corridor faded out and the darker hall came into view.

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Garet was back to his pacing. While meeting Picard had helped moral, Mia had hardly spoken or moved since his last visit and Jenna kept asking Felix if he felt okay. Finally, Garet couldn't stand the silence any longer. He had to do something.

"I know! Let's play tick-tac-toe!" Hey, it was something.

Felix looked at him like it was the dumbest thing he had ever heard. "With what? We don't have any paper or pencils."

"Simple." Garet grinned. "We yell and bang on the bars until someone comes along. Then we order them to bring us what we want and we don't stop the noise until we get it!" Yep. He really needed to do something.

"We order them? Then do you think I could get some fries with that?" joked Jenna, giggling.

Garet glared at her. Felix groaned. "What the heck? Why not?" the older teen said sarcastically. "While you're at it, I'll just be here hoping they don't have a Russian roulette or something for the more annoying prisoners."

Garet growled in his throat, but before he could say anything back, a blue light appeared in front of the cell and was replaced by Alex.

"Then again," said Felix casually, seeing Alex, "a Russian Roulette is starting to sound good."

"And just what brings a snake like you down here with us, Alex?" said Jenna angrily as she stood. "Uh, Alex?" Alex slumped to the ground against the opposite cell door, his face pale and clutching his arm. Jenna looked over her shoulder at Felix, who was starting to stand as well. "Man, is he even alive?"

Felix ignored her. "Alex?"

Alex looked wearily up at Felix and the others. "Sorry." He tried to stand, gritting his teeth, which looked awkward as he tried to put on his grin at the same time. "Wrong place."

"Did you just teleport here?" questioned Felix some more, not feeling all too sorry for the Mercury Adept.

Alex feigned a smile and short laugh. "Not exactly intentional, but yeah. Now, if you'll excuse me." The blue rings lit up again, but Alex gasped in pain as the rings burst and vanished. He slid to the ground again.

"Aren't you supposed to be in the hospital wing right now?" questioned Jenna, not feeling much concern for her older schoolmate either.

"I was, until Picard told me about Isaac being-." He cut himself off, but it was too late.

"Isaac? You've seen Isaac?" asked Garet hurriedly. Mia was staring wordlessly from behind.

"You could say that," answered Alex. "I saw him just before I ended up here. Picard got the crazy idea that I could do something." He looked up at the others, puzzled. "How long have you guys been down here?"

"Er, uh, not long," said Garet quickly.

"How did you know about the hospital wing?"

"Um, well you see, we…"

"Picard told us," answered Felix as though it was an everyday conversation.

Alex nodded slightly, not really believing them.

"Alex? What are you doing down here?" Picard had entered through the door at the other end of the hall and was walking towards them.

"I could ask you the same," remarked Alex with a glare.

"You should move on, Alex. There are guards coming."

Alex started to shift his weight as though going to stand, but Picard reached him and placed a glowing hand on his shoulder. Alex looked up as though to ask "Why," but Picard answered before he could.

"I have access to nearly every area in this building. However, you do not, and it would not do well to have you heavily questioned."

Alex looked at Picard almost angrily and, shrugging Picard's hand from his shoulder, stood in place, his knee healed but still shaky. After a brief and tense silence, the blue rings surrounded Alex and he was gone.

"What was that about?" asked Garet.

Picard allowed a faint grin to mark his face. "Alex is still in training. You could say he was hired simply to help in the capture of Isaac, but there are other reasons as to why Babi would keep him around, much less alive."

"Let me guess, Babi wants Alex's teleportation abilities."

Picard nodded. "Like Isaac, Alex is going through what could be the most dangerous part of his entire life, he is just too self-confident to realize. Now, if you'll excuse me. I may have near unlimited access to this building, but to have my services questioned at such a time would not be of help to anyone." The prisoners nodded in understanding and Picard exited by the door through which he entered.

They knew the guards were coming. Picard had come down for the sole purpose of warning them. But they didn't know how long it would be for the guards to arrive or what their reason for visiting the captives was. So it was rather unnerving when six guards in uniform appeared minutes later and one unlocked and opened the cell so four of them could enter. The four friends stood and moved away. Only two guards stayed out in the corridor, one with the keys and the other seemingly in charge of the whole procedure.

"All right now, two of you are coming with us," stated the one in charge.

One of the guards grabbed Jenna by the arm. "Hey! Let go of me!" She tried hitting him with her free hand, but another guard started to move in to assist the first.

"Hey!" Seeing her in trouble, Felix jumped forward. "Hands off my sister!" Felix attempted to take a swing at the man, causing the man to release Jenna as he stepped back to avoid the blow. With Jenna free, Felix withdrew from the door, holding onto her wrist behind him with one hand, the other hand ready to knock the lights out of whoever touched his little sister.

The two guards started for them again, but the one in the hall figured it wasn't worth the trouble. "Forget them. Just get the other two."

"Mia!" A third guard made a grab for Mia, but Garet quickly pulled her away. Instead, the third and forth guards grabbed him and, holding his arms behind his back, dragged him into the hall. The second guard finally got hold of Mia's upper arm as the first guard blocked Felix and Jenna from their friends.

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"Now, Isaac, it's really not that hard, is it? All I ask is that you make this simple flower bloom." Iodem's voice made it sound as though he were talking to a small child, but Isaac still wasn't paying him any mind.

He was tired and felt weak. The potion combo had restored just enough of his strength that he could stand without bending at the knees, and a strange purple crystal in the shape of a small star had restored most of his Psynergy when pressed into his palm, but he simply refused to do as this man told him. He had been in front of the same small rose in the same glass vase on the same royal blue cloth that draped over the edges of the same wood end table for what seemed like an eternity. Around the room were various kinds of greenery and a few pots filled with what looked like stones.

"It's only a flower. Where's the harm in helping it grow? Don't you want to practice your powers some?"

Isaac stood silently. So what if they had him here? It didn't really matter to him anymore, as long as no one else got hurt. He couldn't remember much of what happened before he had been caught. He remembered fighting with Alex, and then-. Everything was a blur after his near drowning. He thought he had seen his friends appear – Mia and Jenna had supported him while Garet and Felix shielded him – but how could they? He must've been dreaming or something. The letter was from Alex, so his friends wouldn't have known where to find him. They probably figured he had skipped meeting them, or had gone on home.

How long had he been here? They must've realized he was missing by now. No doubt they went by his house soon after school just to make sure he was safe. That's just how they were. They were constantly checking in on him. But, as far as he knew, they were all safe back in Vale, and that's exactly how he wanted it.

"Isaac, this is a relatively simple task. I just ask that you make the flower bloom." Isaac raised his eyes to see the single rose. He could've sworn he heard a faint whisper coming from it, like dried leaves being lightly blown across rough ground.

"You're not going to release me if I do, so why should I?" It was the first thing he had said since speaking with Kraden and Picard.

"This is merely a test. A practice run, if you will. You start off small, and work your way up. The more you do, the better your payment." Isaac stood silently. Iodem's temper and patience were wearing thin. "If you do not do as told, I'm sure you realize that you will be the one to pay." The Venus Adept continued to act like a statue. As long as no one else got hurt, he didn't care what happened to him anymore.

Iodem refrained from growling under his breath. After all, Isaac had to give his powers willingly, so Iodem could only do so much…at least to him. He spoke quietly as he moved around the table. "So you won't make it grow. All right then, we'll skip to the next step." In one movement, Iodem swept his hand across the table and the vase went crashing to the floor, the glass shattering around the rose in a puddle of water.

Isaac visibly flinched, staring at the flower. It was so young, it hadn't even begun to uncurl yet. He focused on it and, once again, he heard the whispers in his head, only more strained. The rose was in pain, and he could feel it, just like the dandelion at the edge of the river… This really was what it meant to be a Venus Adept. He raised his eyes to view the table, but there was no whisper, no feeling. That wood was dead and beyond his reach. It left him with a hollow feeling instead.

Iodem bent over and picked the rose up out of the glass and approached Isaac. "I know you can sense it. You didn't just flinch from the sound. You can help it, though. All it takes is a little cooperation."

Isaac looked away from the rose. He couldn't hear it if he didn't look at it, but Iodem moved it so that it was in front of him again. Isaac continued to say nothing, despite the cries of the flower.

"I'll make a deal with you." Iodem moved back to the table and raised the cloth behind it, pulling out another vase with water in it and placing it on the table. "If you heal this shrub," he motioned at a small wilting fern next to the table, "then I'll put the rose in this vase. Then we'll all be happy." Again, Isaac stared at him wordlessly. He couldn't give in. He had to hold on. Sooner or later, something was bound to happen that would get him out of here. If not, then he would just have to wait for them to get tired of him for the day and send him to his room or cell or whatever.

After another moment's silence, Iodem's patience finally ended. "Very well then." Looking to the door, he nodded at the guard standing there, who in turn nodded and exited the room. "It seems you leave us with no choice. If you will not cooperate on your own, then I am forced to use any means possible to persuade you."

The door opened again and the guard returned, followed by four others. Isaac didn't look in that direction, though he could tell they were pulling something or things along with them. As the guards came to a stop behind him, he heard a soft gasp and then "Oh no." Turning his head as little as possible to see the source of the voice, he felt the color drain from his face.

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Yuja: And that's where I leave it hanging. Oh, and that "Man, is he even alive?" part originated from a joke between my friends and me that started with the watching of a few Excel Saga episodes. Sorry guys, but I couldn't get Jenna a stick to poke him with this time. Maybe I'll try again later.

Isaac: Wait! You can't leave me hanging like this!

Yuja: Watch me.

Jenna: You'll never hear the end of this from us.

Yuja: I never hear the end of anything from you guys.