Chapter XII- The Deep

Virginia awoke in a bed in the Baskar Colony. Laying in the bed next to her was an unconscious Jet. His shirt and scarf had been removed and his torso was wrapped in several bandages.

"That exploding bullet thing sent shrapnel all down his back. He won't be going anywhere for a while," Gallows sighed as he entered the room. "From the looks of his right arm, he probably won't be able to even shoot properly anymore."

Just another mark of failure on Virginia's part as leader. But she had no time to pout now. "What about the Guardians?"

"Lucio got away with them. And that's not the half of it. You've been out for two days, so while you were asleep Clive and I decided to run on down to the Ruin of Memory and the Teardrop is gone too," Gallows explained.

Virginia sat up, but then collapsed immediately.

"Save your strength," Gallows instructed.

"But we have to get going! The others will have made it to Fila Del Fia by now!" Virginia called.

"I had Lombardia send them a message. They're hanging out at Gunner's Heaven for the time being," Clive explained as he too joined them,

"So it's been eight days since the terraformation began. What's the world looking like?" Virginia asked.

"Like a paradise," Gallows said. "One that makes me sick to my stomach."

Virginia sat up once again, but this time she did not falter. "We're putting an end to this."

"Without the power of the Guardians we can't do anything!" Gallows cursed.

"You forget! The Guardians aren't the only power in this world! We have power inside us as well. As children of this planet we have a part of the Guardians power! Besides," Virginia took a mournful glance at Jet. "We have no more time to waste."

"Okay, so it looks like we're following Lucio to Fila Del Fia then?" Gallows asked.

Virginia nodded and grabbed her ARMS. Clive and Gallows left and Virginia bent over Jet's bed. "I wish we didn't have to fight without you Jet. Please get better."

---

The flight to Gunner's Heaven was the easy part. What came next was what made the entire trip much more complicated.

"There's a barrier around Fila Del Fia," Maya explained. "There's no way in by the air or land."

"What about by sea?" Clive asked.

"Well that's the trick," Todd chuckled.

"About 100 meters below the surface of the water the barrier lets up. We can sneak in under it!" Alfred explained cheerily.

Lombardia laughed. "I guess I'm not so useful after all."

"Sorry you have to miss the fight Lombardia," Virginia sighed, patting the dragon's wing.

Lombarida nodded. "I will wait in the sky for any unexpected occurrences."

And with that the dragon soared above the distant structure. The others boarded the Schroedinger. It was at this time that Gallows realized how little room there was in the old Sandcraft.

Gallows sat in the back clutching onto the bed post for dear life, Clive sat at an extra chair next to the radar display and Virginia sat in a co-pilot's chair to the right of the helmsman seat.

The craft began its dive, something which grated on Maya's nerves, but the others seemed to very much enjoy.

"I'll never get over that ears popping sensation," Maya flinched.

"It's because of the pressure," Alfred explained. "Don't worry it'll be over once our pressure is normalized."

Suddenly the Schroedinger shook fiercely. Virginia recognized this sensation instantly.

"It's another one of those monsters!" Virginia shouted.

"Todd! Prepare the electromagnet!" Maya ordered.

"Charging! She'll be at 100% in about three minutes!" Todd called back.

"Alfred, plot a course of evasion away from the monster but towards our objective and upload it to my navigation terminal!" Maya shouted.

"Already on it!" Alfred replied.

"Shady make sure our oxygen levels hold! I don't want this monster screwing up our submarine!" Maya called.

"Got it!" Shady called.

Virginia was impressed. Maya was definitely an excellent leader, but she rarely got to see her in action.

The craft lurched lower than their projected altitude. Shady seemed to be panicking over something and Maya demanded an explanation.

"The pressure level is dropping, but not naturally! We've sprung a leak!" Shady shouted.

"Found it!" Shouted Gallows who was being splashed with the freezing liquid. Virginia noticed a puncture in one of the pipes.

"Plug it up with something!" Maya shouted. "I don't want to die here!"

"Firing electromagnet!" Todd shouted.

"No wait!" Maya cried. But it was too late. The electromagnet did manage to pry them free, but also sent a massive shock through the water, frying Gallows. He screamed in pain and then fell onto the bed behind him, clutching his right arm, which was now severely burned.

"How close are we to our destination?!" Maya shouted.

"Less than half a kilometer!" Alfred shouted. "We can make it before we're flooded."

"Roger that!" Maya called. "Virginia is Gallows okay?"

Virginia didn't know. Wailing and weeping on the bed Gallows certainly did not seem okay. The extent of the damage was a mystery to her. Clive rushed over and plugged up the pipe with two large metal orbs.

"This was all I could find," Clive explained. "Part of the old steering mechanism that Dennis didn't want to throw away, thank God."

Gallows calmed down some, but it was clear that he was still in agonizing pain. "I guess it's my turn to get beat up, huh?"

"Stay calm Gallows, you'll be okay," Virginia said, tears now flowing freely.

And another black mark had been indelibly etched into Virginia's memory.