Chapter 6, The Pursuit

In the 1980s, New York was a barbarous battleground brimming with violence and corruption. Nearly ten years before a mummified corpse going by Rudy Giuliani would murder all the homeless, the metropolis was susceptible to the likes of bums and their stray dogs. One bum in particular, Fagin, had a nasty and diverse batch of canines trained to do his bidding. And today, after being cheated of his weed money, Fagin bid his dogs to eliminate Vexen, Larxene, and Demyx, none of whom were properly trained to deal with such vicious animals.

"MERICIFUL MESTOPHELES!" Vexen shrieked as the Great Dane gnawed at his leg. "I yield! I yield!"

"C'mon, old man!" Larxene snapped hurdling over the bulldog. "We can't give up against a bunch of ACK! BITCH!" The Saluki hopped on her back, knocking her off balance.

"This is insane!" Demyx said as he tiptoed backwards, the Dachshund slowly approaching, growling, and baring his teeth. "You'd figure we'd handle this obstacle easily considering we kill demons for a living. But, man! The 80's are just brutal!"

Fagin laughed maniacally at the center of this chaos. "You think you could mess with me! Me, a junkie who owes money to various figures of questionable credibility! HA HA HA HA!"

The Love Monkey wasn't having an easy go of it either. "I'm the Love Monkey!" he shrieked as the chihuahua chased him in the rafters of Club Ignition. Despite being an animal displaced from its own time, the Love Monkey still had to contend with violent savageries not unlike those of his homeland.

The bartender was only adding to the chaos, shooting various shotgun rounds wherever and whenever. Although he was a loyal NRA member, ol' Louie wasn't any good with a firearm. He only bought a shotgun to protect his small business and also maybe kind of compensate for his inferior manhood. The AC repairmen were forced to duck behind tables, fearing for their lives.

The bulldog and Dane lunged at Vexen's nethers, forcing him to step onto a chair, fending off the mangy mutts with his shield. "Back! Back, you filthy animals!"

"I'm the Love Monkey!" The lemur leaped down from rafters and onto Vexen's shoulders.

"Get off!" Vexen pled. "Seek shelter somewhere elOH GOD!"

The chihuahua lunged right after the Love Monkey, prompting Vexen to raise his shield in defense. The tiny dog hit it with a hollow thud, catching the attention of the other dogs. Everyone froze.

Larxene smirked. "Great. An opening. Hah!" She took a stab at the Saluki, but it handily dodged her attack and bit her wrist. "Ow!"

"Wait!" Demyx shouted before chaos could erupt again. "Vexen, hit your shield again."

Hesitantly, Vexen tapped his shield. Some of the dogs began to sit, tilting their heads.

"I think I know how to beat them."

"And how's that, dingus?" Larxene asked bitterly, rubbing her injured wrist.

"We have to communicate with the only language that transcends all planes of existence." The musician unveiled his sitar. "The language…of music."

Vexen narrowed his eyes. "Oh, you can't be serious."

"Just follow my lead!" Demyx ordered, rarely placing himself in the affirmative. "Vexen, you got drums. Larxene, rub your knives together to add a little spice to this dish."

"Heh?" Larxene cocked her eyebrow, but it was too late.

"1, 2, 3, GO!" Demyx began to passionately strum his sitar, prompting Vexen and Larxene to learn the rhythm as they went. The dogs were now all still, eagerly listening to this strange tune. Even Fagin and Louie were entranced, wondering how their Wednesday turned out like this.

Finally, the first verse was upon them.

"Harry Truman, Doris Day, Red China, Johnny Ray/South Pacific, Walter Winchell, Joe DiMaggio…"

Vexen scrunched his face, confused. These are just a bunch of proper nouns sung in succession. What is he on about?

But Demyx continued. "Joe McCarthy, Richard Nixon, Studebaker, television/North Korea, South Korea, Marylin Monroe…"

Larxene rubbed her knives together, uncertain of what was going on. These aren't actual lyrics! They'll never actually buy this.

"Rosenbergs, H-bomb, Sugar Ray, Panmunjom/Brando, The King and I and The Catcher in the Rye…"

Louie clutched his shotgun ponderously. I read The Catcher in the Rye in school. This song therefore applies to me!

"Eisenhower, vaccine, England's got a new queen/Marciano, Liberace, Santayana goodbye!"

Fagin scratched his upper lip and reminisced. I like Liberace. Wait, is he going into a refrain?! HE'S GOING INTO A REFRAIN, HOLY CRAP!

"WE DIDN'T START THE FIRE!" Demyx belted, dancing all around the bar as he played his sitar. "IT WAS ALWAYS BURNING/SINCE THE WORLD'S BEEN TURNING! WE DIDN'T START THE FIRE!" He pointed to the Dachshund.

Vexen rolled his eyes. He can't really expect it to…

The Dachshund began to sing. "No, we didn't light it/But we tried to fight it!"

Vexen's jaw dropped, as did Larxene's. It turned out music was a universal language, one that dominated Club Ignition in that moment.

Demyx shimmied over to the scientist. "C'mon, Sexy Vexy. Give it a shot!"

"But I-I don't know the words," Vexen stammered helplessly, attempting to maintain the rhythm he began on his makeshift drums.

"They'll come to you. Just let the music into your soul."

"Oh, that's pure rubbish and you know JOSEPH STALIN, MALENKOV, NASSER AND PROKOFIEV/ROCKEFELLER, CAMPANELLA, COMMUNIST BLOC!" But it was too late, for the power of music possessed him.

Demyx grinned. "See? I told you it was easy!"

Vexen couldn't help but smile in awe at his efforts. He had no time to congratulate himself, though, as he was onto the next lyric. "Roy Cohn, Juan Peron, Toscanini, Dacron/Dien Bien Phu falls, 'Rock Around the Clock'…"

Demyx pointed at, "Larxene!"

"Hey! I was told to rub the knives!" The nymph protested. "You said nothing about singing." But one look at the snarling bulldog to her left was enough for her to succumb to the power of song as well. "Einstein, James Dean, Brooklyn's got a winning team/Davy Crockett, Peter Pan, Elvis Presley, Disneyland…"

"Wait, can we say that last one?" Vexen inquired.

"Who cares?" Demyx shrugged, for who had time to answer such a heavy question as Larxene continued to sing.

"Bardot, Budapest, Alabama, Krushchev/Princess Grace, Peyton Place, trouble in the Suez!"

"EVERYBODY!" Demyx called out, prompting all the dogs to start a chorus line and sing…

"WE DIDN'T START THE FIRE! IT WAS ALWAYS BURNING/SINCE THE WORLD'S BEEN TURNING. WE DIDN'T START THE FIRE! NO WE DIDN'T LIGHT IT/BUT WE TRIED TO FIGHT IT!"

There was a break in the music as the Love Monkey took centerstage. Since his odd speech impediment prevented him from listing historical events and figures between the 1950's and 80's, he lent a welcome compliment to the power of song. And that was dance. Wild and crazy dance.

"Yeah!" Demyx cheered on his new pet. "Feel the burn! 1, 2, 3!" And he continued to sing, the dogs with him, and Fagin, Louie and the AC repairmen watching in shock.

In that moment, all was well with the world.

"…and you see, Vexen, only you can activate the castle's defenses to prepare for this Heartless invasion." Xemnas concluded his lecture to Replexen as they strolled Naught's Skyway. "I sense they'll arrive in a matter of hours, so I'll need you to be ready. Understand?"

"ARGH!" Replexen replied with one of his programmed phrases. "MY SKULL!"

"It is a heavy burden, I know," Xemnas assured his colleague. "But you're the only one who's familiar with the technology, considering you designed it yourself. Should you fail, your suspension will come to an end..." He raised his arms, looked up the heavens, and menacingly bellowed, "…with your TERMINATION!"

"ARGH! MY SKULL!"

"I'll leave you alone to contemplate your task," Xemnas left Replexen by the railing, heading back inside. "Good luck, comrade."

Left alone to his own devices, Replexen had only one thing to say. "DAMN IT ALL!"

"…and it goes on and on and on and on…"

And slowly, beautifully, ever-so softly, the song came to an end. The dogs were happy, and the day was saved.

"Whew!" Demyx wiped some sweat from his brow before fist-bumping the Dachshund. "You got good range, doggo!"

"Ay, it's no problem, daddy-o." The dog proceeded to put on sunglasses and shot Demyx a finger-gun.

"There are countless imponderables the mind can only hope to decipher," Vexen said from the corner, awestruck. "This is one of them."

"So," Larxene held up her hands in defense. "Are we good?"

Fagin stepped forward apologetically. "I'm sorry I tried to kill ya and stuff."

"Hey, it's no problem!" Demyx patted the bum on the back.

"No problem?!" Larxene scoffed, offended by the mere suggestion that there was no problem. "Speak for yourself!"

"But it's cool now because we sang the song," Demyx replied. "Music has the power to mend all wounds."

Fagin threw an arm around Demyx's shoulder. "You got that right." And so they began to laugh. All of them. Vexen, Larxene, Fagin, Louie, the dogs, the AC repairmen—they all laughed to their heart's content…

Until Fagan's head was blown off.

"HOLY SHIT, IT'S THE COPS!" Louie cried, pointing to the sidewalk. "They musta heard the ruckus and thought we was druggin'! SHIT!"

Another gunshot, this time handily deflected by Vexen's shield. Policemen were lined up outside, shooting up the place.

"Now what do we do?" Demyx shouted out of desperation. Fortunately, music not only mended wounds, but created friendships. The dogs, now allied to the Organization members, charged out of the bar and attacked the cops.

"That's our move!" Larxene stood up. "C'mon!" She ran out of the club, Vexen stumbling right behind her, and Demyx behind him with the Love Monkey perched on his shoulder.

"Bye, fellas!" Demyx bid farewell to his new canine friends. "Rock on! START THE FIRE!"

"Yes," Vexen agreed, struggling to keep up with the nimble warrior ahead of him. "We should start one. A literal one, I mean, to activate the gummi and get us out of this cesspit. The question is…how?"

"So, where are you gonna hide?" Zexion asked Axel, walking down the hallway to their rooms.

"Easy. Deep Jungle," Axel answered right off the cuff.

"Hm. How so?"

"The Organization doesn't have the rights to snoop around there."

"Ah," Zexion nodded, and was about to give his refuge when suddenly Saix appeared around the corner, prompting the two co-conspirators to gasp.

"Ack! Oh, Saix!" Axel straightened his posture as he greeted his on-and-off best friend. "What's going on?"

"Interesting question," Saix replied dryly. "One I've been pondering myself, albeit a bit more specifically."

Zexion scratched his head. "As in…what's going on…with you?"

"As in what's going on in Agrabah." Saix turned to the redhead. "You should know, Axel, considering you had three missions there today."

"Well, I, uh…"

"Three missions that you never left to do," Saix sternly added. "Do you have anything to say in your defense before I subject you to another suspension or another bout of community service? You've been racking those up lately, y'know. You're familiar with our 13-strike system?"

Resigned to his fate, Axel glumly answered, "Yes."

"Then explain yourself. Now."

There was silence. Zexion looked between Saix and Axel in nervous anticipation, the tension holding him in a vice.

Finally, Zexion spoke up. "It was my fault. I…"

"…discussed Kantian philosophy with him?" Saix finished for him. "I know. Lexaeus told me. And while he can believe that nonsense, I can't because I know Axel." He glared at his old friend. "He barely has tolerance for our meetings. Why should I expect him to have patience for moral absolutes?"

"Because I do!" Zexion blurted, catching the attention of both Axel and Saix. All eyes on him, the young intellectual regained his composure. "You see, I wanted to, uh, educate him. I just don't really like the way he looks at the world. I-I just don't see much of a moral code…"

"Gee, thanks," Axel muttered.

"…so I figured, 'He needs Kant pronto!' and so I pulled him aside and kept him here. In the castle. And not on his mission. So it's my fault. Not his."

Saix narrowed his eyes. "I see." He looked from Zexion to Axel and back to Zexion. "Very well then. As long as you leave for Agrabah soon, Axel, I don't see a problem." He paused. "Unless Kant has more words…"

"None!" Axel and Zexion replied in unison.

"Uh-huh." Saix waved them off. "Farewell then."

With that, Axel and Zexion sped-walked past Xemnas's righthand-man. "Wow, Zexion. I don't know what to say."

"It's no problem," Zexion answered curtly, brushing some hair from his face. "You'd do the same for me, no?"

"Uh…yeah," Axel replied hesitantly, as if his mind were somewhere else. "Since we're in this together. Course I would."

"Then it's no problem," Zexion answered with a faint smile. "C'mon. You got a jungle cruise to prepare for."

"Yeah," Axel said with a grin. "I got a bunch of bug spray to pack and maybe some sunscreen. Believe it or not, I burn pretty easily."

"You're kidding."

"No, really. It's a real pain in…"

"That ASS!" Saix turned to find a peeved Luxord heading his way. "No. 7? A word, please?"

"What's the matter, Luxord?" the Lunar Diviner inquired dryly. "Is your Clue set incomplete again?"

"Worse. Demyx attacked me."

Saix cocked his eyebrow. "Demyx? Him?"

"Unprovoked, he splashed some of his water in my face," Luxord complained. "All I did was ask him to a game of Connect Four."

"Hm. That's not like him." Saix stroked his chin. "Something's afoot here, Luxord. And I don't like it."

"Oh, man, they're still after us!" Demyx yelped, trying to keep pace with Vexen and Larxene.

"Damn it all!" Vexen cursed. "We need a fire to heat this gummi up fast!"

"Don't suppose any meteors are gonna fall from the sky," Larxene reared her head towards Demyx. "Or is that not an 80's thing?"

"I dunno! I just know the music!" A bullet flew past Demyx's ear, prompting the Love Monkey to scream, "I'm the Love Monkey!"

"We don't need something as big as that!" Vexen explained, ducking another bullet. "We're probably closer to our time period, so the heat doesn't have to be spectacular. Doesn't have to be a fire. It could be kinetic energy, maybe a bolt of your lighting…" He looked towards Larxene. "…we would need a proper lightning rod, though. And even then, I'm not sure…" It was then he felt a rumbling underneath his feet, causing him to stop.

"What is it?!" Larxene halted, wondering what the hold-up was.

"There's a force right beneath us!" Vexen explained. "A heavy force moving at breakneck speed." He noted some stairs leading underground. "Over there! Quickly!"

And so the trio ran down those stairs, hoping to escape the wretched hellhole that was New York City.

Larxica entered Larxene's room, clumsily pushing the door open and making her way in. Step after clunky step, she entered her duplicate's sanctuary.

Little did she know that this sanctuary was invaded by a certain pink-haired rogue who was hiding behind the door.

"Hyahh!" With one deft swing of his scythe, Marluxia beheaded Larxica, sending her head flying into the air.

"HEY…FUCK…FACE…" were her final words as the life faded from her eyes.

"Sorry, Larxene. Only a charmed circle is supposed to know about the coup. You lost your chance." Marlxuia picked up the replica's head, eying it closely. Sparks flew from her severed neck. "Odd. Though I'd say the sparks are in character, those are…circuits?" He furrowed his brow, puzzled. "A robot?" His eyes widened as his mind went to the next logical conclusion.

"A replica."

"Stand clear of the closing doors please."

"Aha!" Vexen cheered as they reached the subway platform. "Trains! Just like in Twilight Town, only dirtier and in much worse condition."

"OK. So?" Larxene demanded to know what this had to do with their escape, considering the cops were on their tail.

"These train tracks should have a third rail, just like the ones in Twilight Town," Vexen frantically explained, pushing through the crowd, and leading his comrades to the edge of the platform. "If you electrify it with enough power, that should be the lightning rod we need to generate the gummi's heat!"

"Cool!" Demyx nodded, though not fully understanding. "So where do we go?"

"On the train tracks!" Vexen jumped off the platform. "Quickly! Before the next train arrives!"

"I'm the Love Monkey!" The Love Monkey quivered with fear.

"The Love Monkey's right," Demyx agreed with his pet. "I dunno if we should…"

"Freeze, punks!" The cops called from behind.

"Get over it," Larxene snapped, jumping onto the track and after Vexen. Demyx gulped and did the same.

"Let's do it here!" Vexen stopped, gesturing at one of the metal tracks. "Quickly, before…"

"I'M THE LOVE MONKEY!"

Everyone looked up to see what the lemur was pointing at, only to find the C train charging towards them. Fortunately, it was just in time for them to hug the wall.

"Holy crap," Demyx panted, fingers digging deep into the dirty cement behind him.

"Larxene," Vexen fumbled for the gummi in his track suit. "Blast that rail! Now!"

Larxene didn't hesitate. With a cry, she zapped a bolt at the third rail, prompting a flurry of sparks to fly in the air…and not much besides that.

"What the hell?!" The savage nymph cried in despair. "Why didn't that work?!"

"It wasn't hot enough!" Vexen hastily dissected the situation. "We need more heat." He looked down the tunnel. "Kinetic energy from the trains! That's it!" The scientist turned to his fellow outlaws. "We wait until a train is a close to us as possible. Then, adding the bolt to that kinetic energy, we should have enough heat to get us out of here!"

"So we just wait for a train to hit us?!"

"NO! Right before it hits us!"

"That's insane!"

A series of bullets zinged past them.

"Would you rather they kill us?!" Vexen took out his shield. "Come on! We must hold our ground until the next train comes."

Larxene threw a few lightning bolts at the cops. "Hey, Maestro!" She snapped at Demyx. "Why can't you cook up a song for these guys?"

"Are you kidding me?" Demyx cried, throwing a feeble water bubble at an officer. "That shit works on animals and children. You can't reason with a cop!"

"I'm the Love Monkey!" The lemur gave another warning, pointing to a bright light at the end of the tunnel.

"That's your cue, Larxene!" Vexen declared, dodging another bullet. "Stand ready!"

Larxene attempted to charge her thunder magic, but the gunfire was coming too fast. "I don't have time! I need to focus!" She turned to Vexen. "Let me get behind your shield!"

"There's not enough room!"

"There's not enough time for this either!"

"I swear, you won't fit!"

"I'M THE LOVE MONKEY!"

"Love Monkey, don't!" But alas, Demyx's cry was too late, as the lemur had leapt off his shoulder and into the squadron of the cops, clawing at their faces and kicking them in their groins. Indeed, he fought them in fantastical and farcical fashion. The Love Monkey's heroics gave Larxene enough time to charge her lightning strike, just as the next C train got closer and closer.

"Now, Larxene!" Vexen commanded her. "Do it, now!"

"But the Love Monkey!" Demyx begged.

"DO IT, LARXENE!"

With a mighty roar, Larxene zapped the third rail, the C train inches away from our heroes. The heat from the attack activated the gummi, causing a flash of light to appear.

Demyx had little time to react. All he could do was take one last look at the Love Monkey. It should go without explaining how devastating it is to see a best friend look back with that same finality. Losing man's best friend is perhaps one of the most painful tortures we endure in this life. Whether it's the dog losing their master or the boy losing his lemur, this is a pain felt by all creatures.

Even Nobodies.