Salutations my beautiful readers! I would like to apologize for the week delay, and the fact that this chapter is a bit shorter despite the extra time I had to write it. That being said, length is not even a factor when it comes to the quality of any piece of literature, but I will say I had a hard time getting into a good rhythm when it came to writing this installment. As I stated in the author's note last week, the first book of The Electric Lens is coming to close within the next few chapters. Due to this, I will be moving to a biweekly postings schedule to give myself the extra time to produce a smooth flowing and well written finale! (But with that being said, I once again would like to apologize to the English langue for any grammatical mistakes that do pop up in the work XD)

Moving at a supersonic pace onto the reviews!

Joecola double "O" More Roman please XD: Yeah, a lot of things happened for the main cast last chapter! Although this chapter and the next will work to finish off the set up for the end of book one, the finale for The Electric Lens has been started. The actors, cough characters cough, have taken the stage!

Blitzkriege37: Velvet's option is very much to alert the proper authorities to the threat going in. On the other hand, Gareth's hail marry, unfortunately for him, will be revealed at the end of this chapter ;)

ButtCatt: Honestly dude your too kind, thank you!

Alright, with all that out of the way, I gladly present to you all the next installment of The Electric Lens!

Text Key

"Speech"

'Quote'

Thought

"Flashback", scene

"Electronic Speech"

Electronic Text's

"Langue that isn't understood by POV Character"

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Chapter 24

There was nothing. Why was there always nothing? Why was the void the only thing that greeted Penny when she stepped into the unknown? Why was her curiosity always punished this way?

The electronic being… well she didn't sigh. Both because she physically couldn't, and because she mentally didn't care enough to mimic the gesture. Similar to when her body was dismantled, the reversed proved to also hold an existence freed from time and rationality.

Only, through its torture, reality had grown incumbered. As such, the matter less life form felt no urge to follow the questions she produced down their never-ending rabbit hole. There were far, far, more concerning matters at the moment then contemplating existence.

What has occurred?, being the most practical, and emotionally valued question, the copper headed girl could muster in the emptiness of her own body.

With surprising calmness out preforming entropy, the answer rang to light. The darkness of the void being pushed back, as it proved to be nothing but her own mental landscape. One now filled with memories that instantly held meaning.

Visions of a wide-eyed Velvet staring down the apocalypses alone was the first thing to refill her mind. Made worse by the fact that it held contexts despite Penny's life flickering before her eyes in reverse. As if she was standing atop an unmoving skyscraper, but only its antenna had been constructed.

Before the copper headed girl, locks now having an imitation of color alongside mass, could speak out in concern, the imagery changed. The landscape remained locked, but the camera shifted perceptive, as a new brunette she instantly recalled as Gareth appeared. Emerald eyes going dim behind closing eye lids. Their user desperately clawing at a metallic hand… she could only process as her own.

Time causing her to pass by the horror wordlessly, the mechanical… corpse stared into its own soul. Looking into her very being, aware that despite the tidal wave of death, and dying young man in its own grip… only one soul here could be truly harmed.

Penny, caught between immobility and wanting to lunge forward and liberate her comrade, witnessed the frames of time stopped. The silver shining exo skeleton relinquishing its grasp on the youngest Cadarn, whose neck was still embedded with the pressure marks of the trap. For so long electronic being had yearned for her own body, for the avatar that her father made truly hers. However, seeing it now stalk towards her, stepping on air that held the weight of two worlds, she no longer knew how she could fit into such an apparatus.

Or maybe, as each step by the mechanical doll pushed the artificial Polendina back two, the pastel theme huntress simply wished she could blame her newfound fear on detachment. That the reason she wasn't crying out in protest was because she didn't know how her own vocal processor worked. That she had grown so accustom to be limbless she could no longer figure out how to run away through physics.

… but neither desperation was the case. The atmosphere being nothing more than a broken second hand, Penny knew why she stood frozen in place despite the distance building between the two. She was no longer in control of this vessel, and such a thing terrified her beyond logic. For as the scenery went blurring between a battle torn field, plane, and town, the Atlas android was afraid that if she spoke, she'd hear her own voice.

Not saying a word, the inhumanness of the machine was made all the worse. Each step giving it the false material value of a soul. Through the Aelle estate it was gifted far to perfect porcelain skin. In the cramp space of a hanger, it gained clothes meant for a wooden puppet, only for the more claustrophobic environment of a government vehicle to tie a bow around newly installed carrot follicle.

Whoever you are, please cease, unless immediately assumed hostile, Penny had always offered her greetings with a pleasant hello. But even as proof of such a gesture came on a screen in a darkened room, the final freckles dotting her doppelganger face made her beg,

"I am Pandora, hostile entity detected", the sentient pieces of code had thought she'd be safe in her own mind… Which looking back was a vast oversight, given her current environment held the animalistic property of allowing the rivers of both logic and emotion to flow out the same delta.

I-I do not comrpehe-, before Penny could even understand if this… creature was reading her own mind it interrupted her. As they entered a black void, and the opposing 'Pandora' now stood in place. The time of its steps now in harmony with the space they traveled.

"I am Pandora, hostile entity detected", not sure how to put words together in her central processor, or whatever she had left that acted as an organic brain, the girl didn't notice her tin body separate. It's left arm and torso slowly orbiting away from the center of mass,

Cease! the red headed girl called back to her counterpart, now taking on the aspect of a different fear. One that caused her hair to bleed a new crimson.

"I am Pandora, hostile entity detected", the very words themselves were nothing but a statement. Not even a threat, but as the lone carrot topped girl finally began moving forward, and her detached limbs recalled, the newfound environment frighten Penny to know end. Enough so, that the sins of a buried memory were placed on her faults,

I said cease! familiar swords ushered in a sky, as the metallic squared ground beneath her duplicate with the hovering steel blades. Seemingly stitching their user back together, the hopeless smith took a step onto a circular arena,

"I am Pandora, hostile entity detected", the weapons multiplied with Penny's paranoia, as her instinct, ones she never appreciates or dreaded, shot her hands forward now deciding that everything was a threat. Including her thoughts of regret or alternative paths outside of fight,

"GET AWAY FROM ME!", it had been the least Penny thing the mechanical girl had ever said… which, as golden braces lagged behind her outstretched digits, she realized the youngest Polendina didn't utter them at all.

"I am Pandora, hostile entity detec-", the approaching footsteps finally came to a halt. But the copper head only knew so when she felt herself get launched back. A familiar sensation of wire wrapping around her core, as she and the camera finally shifted to her own point of view.

With the catalyst of this event being nothing but a terrified spartan, the android's contexts of the situation were cut off even as the memory returned. As such, the event held in her mind, was nothing but fact, a true existence she had to relive… and as the similar motions played out, she could only grip onto one piece of solace.

For as she floated in an eternal abyss… too tired to question the meaning of life, or if all her inorganic pieces formed an inorganic and therefore false sentience… the climb up to her fall was accelerating with each passing jump,

What has occurred?

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Maybe he really is a deity, Summer thought solemnly, as the plane she hardly remembered entering touched down on a polished runaway. A flat strip of land atop a hill, looking far to perfect in its levelness. As if somebody had cleaved the elevated lands summit off with a sharpened kitchen knife.

Just as God had given light to the very sun ushering them in, Uther had so easily taken it from their fallen place of refuge. Darker than the night they left behind, the Caliburn base spread across the land like a doll house fresh out of its boxes.

Structures upkept to outshine even their mint condition models condition, the state-of-the-art radio and air tower sat as if it was a new addition to the surrounding pine forest eco system. Despite having been around for over half a decade, the facility seemed untouched by change… and as it now existed without its generator, perhaps the silver eyed woman had flown back in time.

Back to the moment this glorified vault had just swung opened its completed hinges. With Summer ready to deposit a reincarnating burden of regret, with a golden giggling bundle of joy ushering in a truly fresh start at life.

… but such things were the thoughts of a desperate warrior. Whose depression couldn't even voice out her need to bargain with time.

Almost on cue the future was brought in by the sudden vibration of the plane striking the Earth. It was an analogue landing, and as such it was a staggered one. If she hadn't just been stripped of her ability to think, Summer would have noticed her entire body had joined its inertia a foot in the air for a moment. With gravity's only response, being an aggressive call for everybody to be seated immediately.

Her aura actually having to kick in to lessen the shock, the silver eyed huntress was surprised the only thing to voice its disproval of the landing was the planes creaking frame. However, since nobody else had talked when they departed, who were any of them to speak upon arrival.

Nimue was in the cockpit and was only making more noise than usual because she had essentially relearned how to fly. With all the perks of auto pilot… and Penny, being disabled, she had to multitask reading the aviator manual and figuring out which levers, switches, and buttons now only served as distraction to far more practical equipment.

… but at the very least, she seemed to house a drive. One that began with the talk Summer gave her and was only further fueled upon when Uther threaten her pieces in their chess game directly. How much Nimue believed a victory, or whatever could count as the word now, could be achieved was something the tundra aura huntress knew not.

A hollowed-out cabin being lit by nothing but a red dawn's sunlight, the three people spread throughout absolute edges of the hanger proved more lifeless than the countless feet of metal and equipment in-between them.

Summer didn't know how Laura or Arthur were taking the events… she hadn't had the courage to look either in the eyes. And from the moment that foxes dispersed into the night, she didn't have the want to breathe, let alone analysis other people's descent into depression.

He just… took him, the prodigal Beacon student looked to Hwyelbane. To unworthy to even say her son's name, let alone picture him, she could only think about how she failed the very concept of parenthood itself, all the power on this world… and all it ever does is protect me

A group of jeeps came cascading onto the runway. All the men were armed, but as Summer's far off gaze looked upon the devastated face of George, she realized all those people were far more willingly to shoot themselves then any threat in the plane at the moment. Not able to bear the sight of other peoples forced sorrow, Summer's metallic gaze met the steel interior of the aerial vehicles floor. Her thoughts speeding up, only if to give her an actual moment to wallow in self-shame,

and now-, the universe had even taken that from her. As the gear grinding sound of the hanger door brought in a new flood of emotions… and unwanted light.

Seeing the barrels of the Earth rifles that could defeat her so easily, Summer turned her gaze to her halberd. Before blinking the eyes watering around her eyes back into her iris. Standing up, she used her weapon for support, just as an array of laser pinged across all three dimensions of the flying vehicles stomach,

It was all done far to professionally. With green cameo men and women, pointing their weapons into every nook and cranny of the cargo bay. As if there thin lines of red would reveal to them something the sun hadn't,

"All clear sir-", pushing back the clean-cut shoulder leading the squad, George came stomping into the plane. Holding back his urge to run, he walked with ferocity… but also, slight fear. As if Uther could still see him even now, and any act of military disobedience, no matter how mundane or obsolete, would result in an immediate execution,

"Were is she", the question mark was strangled, as the always so calm and silver tongue man held eyes of horror, anger, and whatever little command he had left.

Hearing nobody else even get up from their seat, Summer was the only target left for George. As such, she took his storm despite still beings swept away by her own,

"…", she opened her mouth, but even as he stopped his brisk walk less than a foot away, she found no words coming out.

"Summer were is she", his voice grew angrier, more so than she'd ever seen. It was easy to realize it wasn't directed at her… but given how she felt about herself, it wasn't hard for her mind to draw in his rage towards Uther like a magnet, "For the love of God, tell me if Nimue-"

"I'm fine", the pilot door lock echoing across the chamber, all the assaults rifles in the room pinged onto the pixie cut blondes haircut, "Now tell the kindergartens here that if they want to actually make use of their finger guns, there's a playmate in the holding cell. So, go stand watch outside the door"

Her voice tore the weapons line of sight away from her suit. Almost as if the dots of lights were a stain, and as an ever-demanding parent she now demanded her toddlers to clean it up. Briefly forgetting the chain of command, even the seasoned veterans felt the urge to follow Nimue's order… and after a brief look to George, whose only response was dropping the two elephants of weights on his shoulder, the commander sighed. Raising a clenched fist, he then brought two fingers forward towards the steel clade barrier, and him and the squad formed a semi-circle around its vicinity, all laser pointers now ready to lead the way for its far slower lead companion.

"Oh, thank God, Nimue I… I swear your father's", the tanned commander hugged the pseudo daughter he had, not even caring for any complaint she'd have on the matter… and although the blonde-haired agent looked for from comfortable with the motion, she notably didn't shy away from it,

"He's fine… or as fine as somebody with a high impact sniper rifle trained on their head can be", Nimue was showing more emotion than Summer at the moment, and in her monotone state, the latter couldn't even find this off putting, "Listen… I need to know why Uther wants us here, after all that Crown is apparently gone…"

"I don't know", the bald man backed away. Clearly having wanted the hug to have lasted longer, but now looking around at the tense atmosphere of the room, realized how important getting down to business was, "I didn't even know that red headed rat took it before Uther called… then he just threatened me, called me a traitor, and that my last act of obedience was to stay here waiting for Summer and Arthur. That if anybody left more than two miles from the base, or even turned on the standard defense array, let alone a cell phone, he'd…"

He spat at the name of the rodent and Uther worse than any curse, but then trailed off knowing why he was damning their souls to begin with,

"He didn't even tell me if you were alive… or how he could kill Issac… but it's not just us, he's threated nearly every high-level employees' family here", he looked down at the thought of his husband being torn to shred, the truth Nimue giving of him still being in his house unaware of his potential death lurking outside only offering a little comfort, "Maybe he still needs them to tell him how that Crown works. After all, it's not like any of our researcher were actually able to crack why it was so important. Besides Summer's words, it was always just a piece of metal made of an unknown alloy. If he could get you to tell him mor-"

Summer felt his eyes latch onto the top of her head. As her crimson locks stared back in place of her eyes. At the moment, she didn't have the heart to tell him why that theory was a bust,

"He doesn't need us for that, he made that quite clear", for the first time since Nimue dragged Arthur onto the plane, the man spoke up. His voice holding nothing but venom for existence itself… something that George scrunched his eyebrows out,

"… Then it's something else… listen Arthur, I've been a soldier, I have combat experience", he misunderstood why the blonde man was angry. But as her husband's still bent over in his seat, the dutiful vanguard didn't quite understand that the blue-eyed man was going through an identical situation to him, "The needs of the many out way the needs of the few… but he's got what we fight for on the line. So whatever pettiness is going through your head-"

"He has Amr George", Nimue said this, and the name echoed across the hanger, as Summer bit her lips just as Arthur fist tighten.

Not off put by the silence, the soldier guarding the door didn't flinch… but finally seeing all occupants of the vehicle for the first time, the clean-shaven commander did. His eyes retreating with his posture, he looked to the tears silently running down Arthur's face… just as Summer realized there were droplets coming down her cheeks as well,

"I-I… Arthur… I didn't", it took a lot for Nimue to actually surprise George… but in the worst time and way possible she did… and took no solace in the victory, "C-come on… let's talk outside"

Finding the plane to cramped, the man didn't need his men and woman to see this. Nor did they need to be reminded of their own endangered families but the people whose very existent unintentionally put their loved ones in that position,

Not having the energy to speak up any more without bursting into tears, Arthur slowly made his way to his feet. Beginning to follow George and Nimue out. Summer paused for a moment, seeing the true devastation on the eldest Aelle face… and before she followed him wondered if she was cursed. Hexed to tear apart any family she'd ever been a part of,

"We'll figure something out… I promise Uther's not stupid enough to lay a finger on Amr", the man brought a reassuring hand on the blonde king's shoulder, but before he could shrug it off… the ignored parent stood,

"A-and what about Gareth?", pausing just as he was halfway down the ramp, the vanguard looked back just as Arthur's own knuckles grew whiter. For the first time, George actually noticed there was a third anxious parent in the plane… one who had even less certainty over there child fate then either Aelle or Rose, "or Velvet and Penny… Uther knows there out there… w-what will happen to them if they're found?"

Summer hadn't used her time frozen to be overcome with the paranoia that had assaulted Laura's mind. Only now did she realize how much of their conversation Uther heard… and how her son was insurance… and Gareth was just a variable. He was a small one at that, but one doesn't reach the status of godhood by overlooking ants.

The only saving grace, was that Laura could be ignorant from the knowledge of how the East Coast director operators. How his contingency plans, much like the one lining her newfound strings, strangled the life out of any possible outcome… however, as the sound of water pinging of meta echoed out form the rear of the plane… it was evident one of the youngest Cadarn's parents had,

"I don't know", the whisper entered the aerial machine like an echoed throughout the cave, and it was only the withhold of two words that stopped Laura from falling to the ground. But as she stood frozen for a few more seconds, she could only dam back her tears with the instability of an unknowing shield.

Eventually she walked forward, past Summer in quiet and brisk pace to get out of this god forsaken plane. But as she went by, the pole axes wielding huntress notice Arthur's own steps increase. His speed causing him to past George as his want to get away from Laura grew clear.

For the question haunting his mind for the entire trip now entered Summer's mind. One that had possible different pathways, all ranging in length and inhumanness… but eventually they'd reach the same conclusion weather physically or practically.

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Before the light had briefly blinded Gareth's vision, the room had been darker than an infinitely dense singularity. Even now, as the overhead lights filled the room past its capacity limit with electromagnetic waves, the darkness remained. Simply retreating back into a one-way void that sat as a far too perfect rectangle,

Jesus Christ! the abruptly woken high schooler thought was… well it was one produced by fear and shocked. But not as much as it should be.

Not to misinterpret his own survival instinct, he was very much terrified. And all feelings of horror and despair were only further nurture by the sight and feel of his limbs, torso, and cranium trapped in some sort of futuristic metallic coffin. However, with the inclusion of waking up within his own dreams, the youngest Cadarn was growing accustom to gaining consciousness in a vastly different place then where he lost it,

Okay…okay… no not okay, definitely not okay, his lungs given more room than any of his outer organs, the teenager began to take in air, although in a far more subdue manner then his thoughts would let on, were the hell am I!

The room seemed vaguely familiar to the one Gareth's mind had conjured up… or rather then one Penny had experienced upon her birth?... creation?… Questions for another time, or hopefully never. However, unlike that one a world away, the sight of this one was not preceded by the school yard bully throwing a fit. But rather the silver corpse of his…

Oh my God, Penny!, he strained against the restraints. His neck trying to scan the room past what his eyes could see. Even with his aura rippling out across the nape of his back and spine, the material didn't budge an inch,

"Penny where are you?!", the product of his vocal cord was not restrained by the physic that bound his limbs, and as such, he shouted out the name against his better judgement.

At the moment he couldn't fight his own instincts. So many of his emotions revolved around his electrical projected friend at the moment, but no more so than concern. With every other interaction being dubbed as a non-priority, including the one she marked as crucial the moment before her avatar arrived, the only thing that concerned Gareth now was that he couldn't see her… and that the last thing he remembered her doing was entering… herself,

"That is something I'd very much like to figure out Mr. Cadarn", a voice liked tempered thunder rang throughout the echoing walls of the cell, and tensing up, Gareth felt the vibration shake through his steel prison, "One of many things in fact"

Gareth's body had given up on the concept of confusion quite some time ago, so his eyes that were forcefully drawn onto the black hole esc painting only held panic and frustration,

"W-where is she?!", the reply was stuttered, but Gareth's own soul caused him to force it out with the confidence of a threat… one that was made all the more truthful when his eyes briefly flashed. Showing him his cuffs were far from archaic, and that the thin steeled wallpaper was far from artistic.

Code emerging into vision, the youngest Cadarn saw through the one-way window, or rather his instincts simply made it an actual one. Although, given the lack of a reaction by the polished headed man on the other end, Gareth's semblance certainly didn't alert the man his machine was off. Or, as the brunette's eyes quickly saw the interworking's of the coffin, and more importantly its vast array of release switches, he hoped the man wasn't any the wiser… whoever he may be,

"I do not believe you possess the intelligence to be leading a false question", upon that insult, Gareth tried to causally, or as nonchalantly as the situation would allow, divert his eyes from the titan like man and continued to have his pupils roam the darkness as if it was just that, "So I can confidently say I know as much about her location as you do Gareth"

The emerald eyed boy shivered, far to put off by how natural that man stated his name,

"To be quite frank, I had thought I kept tabs on all the people in this little game… but the mere fact that I did not know about this Penny individual certainly reassures me of why it needs to be played", the man's voice was filled with long since murdered emotions… but the sudden frown on his face proved to Gareth that he still thought his view was the only way in and out of the room, "With you giving all you know on that subject however"

Having said no more than a single handful of words upon coming too, Gareth was put off by how absolute the clouded eyed man came to such a conclusion,

"We must move onto how you became a piece", the ones and zeroes along the brunet's covered armed flowed together. Morphing into letters they seemed to mold themselves above Gareth's screen locked eyes. Creating a hologram of the word 'constrict'.

Before the neurons in his head could question the uniqueness of this vocabulary choice, the sensory nerves throughout his muscular and skeletal system gave an answer. Feeling like his legs and arm were in the grip of the world's most sadistic anaconda, pain erupted out across the four appendages. His aura rebelled against the all-encompassing weight, but even as it lit his body blue, the dispersion of pain signals was proving a far better deterrent to the discomfort then his shield like soul,

"Who gave you this?", the man's voice acted as if he didn't care, but the moment Gareth gritted his teeth and was about to scream his agony away, the man reached for a lever all too fast. His semblance telling him the machine was reversing, and not just pausing, the emerald eye boy felt his muscles breath along with his lungs, "How did you receive it?"

Panting, it took all Gareth's willpower to not reach into this bloody chair computer script and yank out its digital spine. However, despite how much his mind wished this nightmare would disappear as suddenly as it came, he knew springing his one trapped card would be useless if he traded the mercy of this man's oversight for improvisation,

"I-I don't know", the response was defiant even with the stutter, so Gareth tensed up expecting for the metal reptile to resume its hunt. However, as the man gave out a voiceless, almost disappointed sigh, his voice entered the room one more, "maybe it was an accident"

The youngest Cadarn, shot out his own venom. One that made him wonder why he was so hellbent on questioning his own luck,

"I see… well it would be wise of you to remember your accident as best as can Gareth", there was a look of regret in the aged directors' eyes… but the tone of voice indicated he would in no way dwell on it, "I'll give you some time to think, but know are instruments are far too intrusive to make mistakes"

Finally putting two and two together, Gareth fear solved the question such a statement held before he could even repeat it in his own head. Looking to his aura now with newfound dread, the man was about to leave the room, before he hesitated at the most mundane looking switch on the side of the wall. Seeing the terror, he had induced on the boy, he let out another human bout of air, before retracting his hand. Deciding to grant the occupant light as his only companion.

…, thoughts of what the word 'intrusion' now filled Gareth's mind. So much so, that he had to forcefully retake control. Reminding himself that going through the countless scenario of his own death, wouldn't help him actually escape… nor would they even provide some sick form of acceptance,

Definingly not okay!, Gareth repeated to himself, as the man unknowingly left the youngest Cadarn with as much information as he himself gained.

Looking around the room, the boy momentarily blinded himself to a singular view. As his fear wanted to see nothing but smooth walls and uniformed corner's. However, every calming breath he, ironically, forced himself to breath, more and more options presented themselves to the boy.

Hidden cameras and door becoming beacons of neon blue one's and zero's, the emerald eye aura user could see the room for what it truly was. Alert systems running from his chair to the completely vacant room the man left, Gareth was quick to shut it off.

However, before he took the fight out of the locks strangling his body, his eyes darted back towards the camera system. Almost like an extension of his will, his mind compelled the numerals into phonetic symbols. Ones that he could simply rearrange to spell out his command.

In truth, as he rearranged the numbers into a sentence that looped the footage together, he was unaware about how professional his qualitative 'hacking' ability translated to the quantitative nature of the actual field. Unfournanlty, as he finally got the sole furniture in the boxes like room to go limp, the emerald eyed young man didn't have time for self-doubt.

The cuffs popping off with the sound of a sniper rifle, Gareth thought his semblance had proven lack luster. However, as pressure proved to be the only culprit for the noise, one that soon trapped itself I the echoing walls of the torture chamber,

A-alright, rubbing his wrist, the wild hair brunet noticed his aura had remained unbroken, but a far less appealing blue and purple hue emerged on the layers of his arm. They were already fading, although this did little to prove the outer most soul was as weak to creativity as any other defense, W-what do I do now?

… his mind provided him with nothing but a blank canvas. If the situation wasn't so dire, Gareth wagered he'd start moaning about how inadequate he was… Luckily for him… the environment he found himself in harbored no catalyst for such self-pity, Okay… what would Penny do?

The line of code becoming a trail of breadcrumbs, the youngest Cadarn's instinct saw them disappear into the monitor room. Hesitantly following the river of code to the edge of the room, a connecting door slid itself open, and almost caused Gareth to jump back in shock.

However, as he saw the cold steel of that room clash with the white of his insane asylum, he was quick to exit the latter.

Commandeer all video surveillance in the area, saying the sentence in the electronic being's upbeat voice, Gareth coulnd't help but give himself an encouraging small smile. Going over to the board. The Cadarn began looping any, and all camera it held watch over, as he then turned to reveal more locations to himself… only such a product of his will uncovered more then he thought.

This observation strip harboring more paintings then just the one featuring his empty room, a light suddenly shined from two more locations,

"What the…", a voice rang out through the speaker, and on reflects Gareth shot his arm up ready for surrender. However, as he turned around, he quickly brought them down in self-defense… as the couple with the fact the words just uttered weren't in English, the youngest Cadarn was face to face with a murderer… and with eyes scanning through with almost pitiful distain and confusion, the silver haired teenager on the other side proved the barrier between them was nothing but a mirror, "Who the hell are you?"

Not being who he suspected, the legless criminal scanned the far less skilled aura user up and down in mere seconds. His gray orbs seeming to be both underwhelmed, perplexes… and already drawing up fives ways in which he could kill the brunette int the quickest way possible,

"I… uh", not even sure of his confusion could be picked up by the mic… the emerald iris teenager, quickly bit his lips. That pain the only things stopping him from bursting out of the room in a dead set sprint.

Even with his mind convincing him that more danger awaited the immediate outside world then this serial killer held behind a prison wall, Gareth's eyes needed to retreat for the moment. Only such a thing brought with it even more unwanted and confused emotions.

For cascading in from the rooms third window… Gareth wasn't met to a pair of murderous eyes staring back at him. If only because the silver moats that the irises held were very much closed, as with no furniture like his other two inmates, Amr was curled up in the furthest corning sobbing in the dark. And in the back space of his mind, the youngest Cadarn knew his one chance had even called in and his escape attempt had just begun.

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"I… uh"

Gods… if that is the person behind everything, I think I'll laugh myself to death, this thought was all Mercury could muster as he finally saw one of his mysterious captors reveal themselves to the world.

Walking a fine line between scrawny and slender, the chestnut-haired boy on the other end of the now accurately defined window was a far cry from how the gray eyed mercenary envisioned what these people would be like.

While he always knew his blindness too their actual appearance made these people far more intimidating than they actually were… he was expecting them to give off less emotion than the machine that brought him here. Hell at a certain point he had even briefly nurtured the idea that perhaps this planet was truly a different type of dystopian from his own, and that he had been kidnapped by a sentient artificial intelligence,

Man… I can't believe I'd prefer it to have been an actual machine, the silver haired delinquent sighed while blowing a strand out of his face, The very idea that I've been playing mental chess with a kid who can't even talk correctly after making actual eye contact with me-

His pity filled frustration came to a crashing halt, as he had to rewind the thought he had gotten caught up with,

Wait a second, if he could, the Remnant infiltrator would have snapped his neck back up to the unidentified boy. Ignoring the fact that the timid kid's emerald eyes had grown even larger upon turning away from Mercury, the prisoner was much more occupied with analyzing the reaction he had induced, Did he just talk?

It was yelped out in an accent Mercury had never heard, but the panicked kid had clearly stated a word in universal. This itself was… surprisingly new for the gray eyed aura user. While these people were almost certainly analyzing the way he spoke, and clearly had access to his home planet's tongue… 'Pandora' had always acted as a translator.

Narrowing his pupils in much needed curiosity, the chained criminal began applying more and more logic to the situation. An action that, despite only producing more and more questions, made the mercenary adorn a small smile for the first time since he got here.

Well… unless these assholes stepped up their game, you're definitely not with them, with a sinister smirk being his version of hope, Mercury watched as his eyes continued to gaze through the rooms two-way port hole.

On the other side, the by all means casually dress boy seemed more clueless than Mercury on where he was. His surprise upon seeing the criminal, accompanied with the one he now adorns upon gazing through another viewing area was proof enough of that.

More so than anything, the fact that the boy hadn't re activated the viewing machoism divining the two rooms made it quite obvious that he wasn't supposed to be there… That and the very real fact, that Mercury's unimpeded eyes could see straight through his cell and into another one.

A room nearly identical to his… with the exception of an empty chair, and an open door that had been disguised as a wall,

"Hey, you", viewing the mysterious newcomer as a resource instead of an insult, Mercury acted fast to regain his now lost attention. While probably years his senior when it came to practical experience, physically the brunette looked only a year or two youngers.

Almost like he was able to program the emerald eye young man like a toy robot, the gray orbed criminal caused the lone free prisoner to jump. With his stuttering universal dialect being redirected back to somebody who could actually make use of it,

"… Me", the delayed response of the string bean made the silver haired aura user he knows address bite back a sarcastic remark.

"Yeah you", Mercury said as the boy, as it became clear that the fear in the boy's eye showcased, he knew exactly what the mercenary was saying, "How did you get out of that damn chairs"

Not risking his luck, the interplanetary travel didn't make a point by rattling against his restraints. Rather he adopted a tired and somewhat desperate voice. Trying to indicate to his fellow inmate he was of no harm. Unfournanlty, as soon as a frown made its way onto the other young man's face, Mercury knew his façade wouldn't work,

"L-like I'm gonna tell you", surprising Mercury, the fear that still masked the emerald teens voice also held… almost direct hatred. Talking as if the silver haired henchman had wronged him personally.

Gods, the lone Black thought as he dropped his short lived faced and rolled his eyes, is he another stowaway… how many did we miss,

"Listen kid", the inmate said now trying to gain the upper hand through brutal honesty, "I'm sorry if I wronged you are something back in Vale or at the tournament. But as you can clearly see, were not in Vale anymore"

"Tournament?!", the emerald eyed man replied, both in confused ignorance over something he didn't know, as well as teeth clenched anger over something Mercury was blind too, "I don't know or care about some weird tournament, I know exactly who you are. You're the bastard that attacked Velvet… and murdered Lance"

With the sudden shock of Mercury's reveal over, the boy finally spoke with the knowledge that the criminal was of no threat to him at the moment. Steel walls and cuffs ensuring the brunette that Mercury couldn't actually move against him,

So, he's with that second year, the gray orbed man thought, more shocked at how much knowledge and information this kid was giving away by accident then his venom dripped tone, and… he doesn't know about the Vytal Tournament?

If he could, the silver haired aura user would cock his head to the side. That second thought actually unveiled more than the first.

Wait… did he not come through with us, not being aware of the biggest culture event of four nations was one thing… well it wasn't, it was insane, but not as much as the idea that this person could have come from a different point on Remnant, great… another piece the Witch didn't tell me about

Having lost his prey, Mercury tried to banish any negative thoughts he held for Salem and her damn need for secrecy. However, as the emerald eyed boy looked to his side, in a place perpendicular to their cells, the criminal had to act fast. He couldn't lose himself to conspiracy theories. For as far as he knew, the brunette was eye to eye with the exit,

"Wait, hold up", the slicked back aura user began with a mixture of both fake and real desperation, "Those guys could be back at any time"

At this the boy stopped. For, despite the worried and somewhat withheld look on his face, the young man was hesitatingly reaching out an arm towards the third wall of the observation room Mercury was blind too,

"… I don't know how you got here, or what that faunus girl told you about us", Mercury sped up his word, and tried to gain sympathy by taking advantage of the fact this person knew the rabbit ear student, "But I'm not with these guys, I don't even know who they are or where we are. But I swear to the gods I've never met or went out of my way to kill somebody name Lance"

"YOU SNAPPED HIS FUCKING NECK YOU PSYCHOPATH!", whatever strategy Mercury had been setting up with his words came crashing down. As steam erupted from the young man's mouth.

Snapped his neck? What the… wait a second, being one of the only parts of his body that could still express emotion, Mercury's pupils dilate to the point that they were almost leaking over the irises.

To his credit, the kid immediately clenched his teeth together, and looked over to the door. Only as another voice entered the room… Or rather the crumpling noise of a voice that went through static twice enter Mercury's cell,

"G-Gareth", all though spoken through tears the words were lost on the criminal, but as the kid across from him cringed at not only at understanding the information that came with that emotion, but Mercury also all of a sudden got his first answer to be this kid was from, "Gareth I want my mom…I-I want my mom and dad now!"

The voice rose in octave, and by the time it ended, Mercury had to tense his own facial muscles to avoid the sound of cat tuning a chalkboard,

"I-it's…", the emerald eyed kid addresses the hidden third inmate. But bit back whatever words he was going to say… although the important thing for Mercury he wouldn't understand them it they were spoken or not, "How did you get here?"

Ignoring the fact that tonal cues were truly universal, the still chained prisoner didn't comment that the young man attempt at reassurance came out like he was shifting fault onto whoever he was talking too. Unfournanlty, the mysterious person did take it as such, and only began to weep more,

"I… O-okay… Amr your gonna have to be", the boy was now stuttering over himself, and realizing his method for escape was now being wasted because he had two keys instead of one Mercury for went everything, and just became the embodiment of directness.

"I don't care who you are, who you're talking too, or whose neck I broke", Mercury whispered out his order harshly, and because of his own restraint the boy fell into line. Not in the military sense, but one made by the gray coated aura user making him realize something obvious about their shared environment, "But the most important thing that I, and you, don't know, is how much time these silhouetted dipshits are going to let us have twiddling are thumbs. What I can tell you though, is that every second you waste spinning your head around like a lost kid in downtown Vale, is another second closer to your death. So, if you want to live, listen up"

The crying didn't stop, and while the nervous kid on the other side clearly didn't want to listen to Mercury, he was beginning to piece together how he couldn't just walk back into his cell and escape again,

"Listen? So, you can just kill me later?", the gray orbs orbited around the top of Mercury's eyelids, "Y-you seriously think I'll help you out after I've seen what you've done"

"No", Mercury replied with unmoving iron, "You're going to help me out because the odds of a weaponless and legless cripple killing you"

He motioned down to his stubs, and shockingly it was only now that the boy seemed to realize his counterpart didn't have a lower half. Fear shot through his eyes… one that Mercury let fester by not telling him that whoever these warden and guard were, only took his mechanic ones,

"is less than the near certainly of these guys executing when they either find out you can waltz about their prison unimpeded, or the wet ball over there tells them", Mercury eyes never lost their gaze, even as the emerald ones retreated back over to the third cell, "So here's what you're going to do. You're going to let your friend out, you're going to let me out, and then your gonna tell me how the hell you're doing it"

The emerald eye kid bit his lips, but Mercury did an excellent job of convincing him he was out of options.

"T-then what… I'm letting you out just so we can wing it from there?"

"No", the criminal said with certainty, "You're letting me out, because I'm going to wing it for you"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Playing tug of war with his own brain, Gareth's emerald eye's met gray for what proved to be the world's shortest staring contest. Shining with authority and superiority, Mercury's gaze was far too much for the Earth based aura user to handle. But as he looked at the outline of code that danced along the invisible frame diving him from Amr, the youngest Cadarn knew all too well that the reason why he broke eye contact so quickly was because the criminal… the murderer, was right.

"Jesus Christ", muttering out the statement, the barrier separating the two-half-brother seemed to be an object of faith. For even if it was just an expression of the fact Gareth couldn't believe he was about to present a serial killer with a get out of jail free card, the wannabe wall lifted up.

Walking over to the youngest prisoner's cell, Gareth was half expecting to see the paraplegic interplanetary travel crack a sadistic smile. Afterall, he had only known the person by the destruction he left behind. Shockingly however, the proper aura users' lips remained small and horizontal. His gray orbs tracking the youngest Cadarn's every move, but almost like they were begging him to speed up. Weather this was brought on because he wanted them to get out of here faster, or because he wanted to get out of here faster, the teenager couldn't say… but then again, at the moment, the only thing that mattered was that Mercury had a want and drive to get out.

"Amr", Gareth stated the name rather harshly… although this was one of the few times, he found himself saying it at all, "… come on, were going"

Given the luxury of a furniture free cell, the youngest Aelle sat huddled up in the far corner. Seemingly having gained some form of comfort in the stability of the wall, he shifted his tear-streaked face towards his older counterpart. Immediately sucking in air through a clog noise at Gareth's emotionless words, the younger child brought himself to his feet on shaking legs.

would have just been better if we were strangers, retreating back into the control room, the emerald eyed man coulnd't help but feel guilty. In a normal sibling relationship, Gareth would have probably acted with far more concern at the sight of his brother held up against his will… but in their twisted family, it was the mere fact he was his brother that the youngest Cadarn coulnd't help but involuntarily add disdain to his words.

"Just… stand on the other side of the panel and don't touch anything", nodding at Gareth's words, Amr silently went where he was told to go. Now looking to the ground for support, and only ever sending his older sibling quick gazes, as if Gareth was an upset babysitter that just put him in a time out.

"Why don't they know that you've escaped?", the foreign tongue that translated itself on the way to the aura user ear was expecting an answer.

"I shut out the security alarm, and I've got their cameras in some sort of loop…", Gareth trailed off, as he looked towards Mercury with a skeptical look,

"How?", even as the questions grew shorter, their need for specifics grew,

"I don't… really know", the emerald eye boy said, as he only proved a point to himself by opening the criminal's door next and walking in. His steps treating each of his own words as if they were landmines, "My power… lets me do weird things with electronics"

Even if his narrowed eyes were still asking Gareth to speed up, Mercury grew quiet. Seemingly contempt in letting the other boy talk as he slowly made his way over to the metallic coffin,

"I just kind of… will them to do what I want", scratching the back of his head, the youngest Cadarn, couldn't help but look towards the interplanetary murderer and see the irony of the situation. Even as he re arranged the code in the computerized chair, he was fighting his own want to keep it firmly locked,

"Power?", with a series of clicking noise, logic one over instinct, however. A victory made all the sweeter by the fact that as the gray eyed teens cuffs came off, he simply grabbed his own wrist instead of Gareth's neck,

"Or my… semblance…I don't know, I'm not really sure how on Earth any of this aura stuff works"

"…Earth", leaving his lips awkwardly a gray eyebrow was raised as, and the fact that Mercury was able to make that usually aged pigment of hair look youthful Immidielty caused Gareth to regret his choice of words,

"… you know… the planet… the one were on now"

"I always just thought it was hell", the criminal seemed to joke to himself in self-pity before he shook his head, "So, you're not from Remnant?"

his voice rising out of the chair for him, Mercury eyes loomed over Gareth despite still be forced to sit down by a more biological restraint. Not exactly sure what the gray eye criminal wanted him to do next, the emerald eye boy simply shook his head.

"And outside of just 'messing with electronics' you don't even know what semblance and aura are?", once again all the youngest Cadarn could do was shake his head side to side… feeling as if any lesson he learned on the subject had just evaporate despite the past month with Velvet and Penny,

"Great", the legless aura user sighed sarcastically before looking at the control consul through two-way glass, "… do you at least know who these people are, or is would I be better off asking the child back there"

Somewhat insulted by that, but still just swaying on the balls of his feet, the out of place high schooler followed Mercury's gaze to Amr, retreating back into the cell,

"Besides the fact that they've apparently kidnapped my friend body… I don't have much of a clue"

"Kidnapped your friends… body?", the silver haired man eyebrow continued its climb along his forehead, before he looked back to Amr… Only to have his pupils go slightly wide when gray clashed with silver. A meeting that, given how quickly the youngest Aelle cowered away below a panel, proved to be the planets second shortest staring contest,

"Yeah…", Gareth said, drawing out his response. To focus on the fact that Mercury had just assumed him and Amr were 'friends', to hold himself back from revealing more information, "It's complicated… but my friends actually… well… Penny's uniq-"

"You know the machine", whatever question had been going through the criminal's mind when he caught sight of Amr were quickly redirected to Gareth when the ladder muttered the mechanical girl's name,

"… yes", the youngest Cadarn replied cautiously, instinctually taking a slow step back, "Although… I don't think she's really a machine… L-like I said, it's complicat-"

"Believe me kid all that 'girl's'", Gareth took another, albeit smaller step towards the door. Although, the moment Mercury uttered out the gender with sarcastic distain, the brunet paused his movement and narrowed his eyes onto the man, "Ever done is cause me 'complications'"

"You are a murderer, so sorry if I can only see that as a good thing", the emerald eye teen couldn't help but shoot back, an action that caused mercury to shake his head,

"Save your good and evil bullshit-", before he could argue with Gareth, the criminal seemed to debate something in his own mind, before letting out a puff of air. Evidently realizing that a childish argument, albeit about very horrific actions, wasn't going to get them anywhere, "You know what, it doesn't matter right now. Your friend… Penny, you said you were trying to get her body back. As in, she didn't have one before"

"… yeah, she didn't tell me what happen to her back on her home planet", for a moment, Mercury's pupils lost contact with Gareth's, "But apparently somebody found what was left of it… and they've been using it… to kidnap people"

Realizing that how Mercury was abducted was nearly identical to what happen to him made Gareth feel somewhat nausea. Even if it was out of his control… having anything in common with the killer was enough to make the earthling's stomach flip over,

"It got you too", Mercury began, seemingly pulling himself from getting lost in his own thoughts, "Why didn't you just 'will' the thing to shut down?"

"… I tried… well… I guess Penny tried after I put her back in her avatar…", Gareth brought a hand up to his head as a new wave of stress was appearing. Hindsight ushering in a new wave of self-doubt and regret, "… everything just happens so fast… and… I don't know. By the time I was knocked out all hell had broken lose, and I haven't seen Penny or her body since"

Looking back to see Mercury's reaction, the brunette only saw his silver haired counter part grow more and more confused. His mind racing to piece together what he could from the youngest Cadarn's explanation, but seemingly having no luck,

"I… I don't have time to even begin to put together all your half-baked explanation", he eventually shot out, willingly to belief all of what Gareth just said, if only because he found it all too monumentally ridicule to be a lie, "so just tell answer me these two things"

Before Gareth could even nod his approval, the criminal shot out the first one,

"Penny… and her weird machine body aren't the same thing?", Gareth nodded, and rather then go down the rabbit hole of how such a thing was even possible, the interplanetary travel turned his neck around, "But… with your help she might be able to get control of it"

This time, the youngest Cadarn couldn't produce an instant response, rather he spent his all too valuable seconds coming to the same blank conclusion he already knew, "I… mayb-"

"Yes or no", the words came out commending a response,

"… Penny-"

"Yes. Or. No", the criminal now clenched his teeth as he repeated the question,

"… yes, but I don-", he was interrupted before his hesitation would kill them all,

"Your right you don't know, which is why I'm thinking for you", he looked back towards the control room, the heads in his gear never failing to cease their rotation, "You can loop cameras?"

Gareth tried to nod, but it was apparent that Mercury was done asking the boy thing and simply thinking his plan out loud,

"And you've got control of the things in these three cells at the very least", almost ready for the restraints to come back on Mercury leaned back in the coffin, "Move that kid back into his cell, but loop the camera and cut off his audio feed"

"… b-but won't they", Gareth's words cascaded themselves onto depth ears,

"Then come back in here and reactivate my restraints"

"W-wait a second, didn't you just-"

"Head back to your cell", Gareth face tighten up, "and just have your camera loop as well, keep your mirror two way though"

"… are you going to tell me why?", Once again, the brunets attempt to butt in was in vain… although as he would instantly found out, Mercury would produce the answer on his own,

"I'm going to cause a scene", the mercenary mouth adopted a grin, one befit for a criminal that made the youngest Cadarn shudder in place… making the order to head back to his own detainment cell with very appealing all of a sudden, "Gods know that bastard behind the looking glass has been dying to send in the eagle"

"… Okay, now you not making sense", Gareth said, already back towards the connecting doorway. Looking to him for a moment, whatever joy Mercury had seemed to be loss. Weather because him and the emerald eye boy were on completely different pages, or because the ladder simply existed was beyond the high school drop out at the moment, "What do eagle's have to do with any of this?"

"You'll see soon enough", the gray irises criminal responded, his mouth going thin once more to offer Gareth confidence through fear of death… and more importantly failure.