A/N I DON'T OWN SKYLAND.
Mila couldn't believe her luck. No Sphere ships had given her pursuit when she had flown off with the Hyperion. She suspected it was because the no fly zone had only been imposed on the docks whereas she had left from a rocky outstretch on the outside of the city; completely undetected.
She wasn't used to flying a ship like the Hyperion and she kept accelerating too fast and making rough curves. To make matters worse, the vessel must have been damaged during the crash because it shuddered sideways from time to time. Well, at least it was flying otherwise they'd both have been caught.
An hour had flown by since her departure. The guardian had purposefully averted the Sphere controlled blocks to attract less attention; Mila was presently heading for the outskirts of the Archipelago. Where else could she drop off a pirate? She'd have to drop him off, rush back to headquarters and make up some story - but what if no one believed her? Should she take the risk of even going back? It also took her this amount of time to realize what a horrible mistake she had made.
What if a camera had caught sight of them leaving together? Why hadn't she thought about that! It was over, and now she couldn't go back to the Sphere just for the sake of some stupid pirate. He had ruined everything!
"Why did I save you?" She snapped angrily at the sleeping rebel who was slumped on the back seat. "I'm going to lose everything and it's all your fault!"
He snored loudly and she turned her head back forwards. She didn't even know why she had saved him at this point; after all he was a criminal. A miscreant, a villain, some lowlife revolutionary.
But then, she knew why. What was the point of lying to herself now? The truth was simple; she couldn't kill people. That's all there was to it.
"Idiot…" She muttered to herself and blew the hair out of her face.
Why was she such a failure? This was a horrifying error; Mila had let a moment of weakness spoil her future. All her years of effort at the Academy were ruined. She hadn't even managed to complete her very first mission. Where would she go now? All she had known was being with the Sphere.
An angry tear streamed down her cheek. And Oslo, oh no… He would throw a fit when he found out. If he found out. There was still a chance that she hadn't been spotted right? Unless someone interrogated the brigadiers that had let her 'inspect' the crash site.
Oh, who was she kidding? Everything was lost.
She was pondering on the horrible, hopeless life that awaited her when the pirate groaned and she jumped nervously. Mila had almost forgotten about him.
"Hmm…" He moaned.
Mila kept her eyes glued on the sky ahead and concentrated on her flying. She heard his clothes crinkle as he shifted on the back seat.
"What the…?" His voice was sleepy but layered with worry.
She sat up straight, not much knowing if she should let him know of her presence just yet. After all, he had charged at her with a sharp metal pole like a mad person earlier.
"I can't see." He stated to himself with growing alarm. "I can't see anything. I'm blind. I'm blind."
"You're not blind." Mila said quietly, unable to hold it in anymore. "They're sun glasses."
Farrell fell silent, turned onto his side and squinted in her direction.
"Who's there!" He demanded as he managed to sit up, if not maladroitly what with his hands tied behind his back. As a response, Mila exhaled noisily.
"You! You're that guardian!" He uttered with shock and he shook his head so that the glasses fell off. "And you're piloting my ship! How did I get here?… What are you doing-"
"Enough with the questions."
Marcus squinted in the moonlight as he looked around. "I see you don't have any brigadier buddies… Scared them off?"
Mila's cheeks reddened with anger. This was all his fault; she hated him so much right now it was beyond comprehension. "I'm saving your life you idiot!" Mila exclaimed, releasing all her frustration on him at once.
For a moment he just glared at her. "What?" He finally asked, the arrogant tone was gone.
"I- I don't know... why I'm doing this."
There was a long silence in which Mila sat tensely, prepared to counter-attack if he tried anything.
"I'm finding this hard to believe." He said as he awkwardly made his way forwards and sat in the front passenger seat on her right. "Well, well… I've got to admit I wasn't expecting this." He had a look of pure confusion on his face. His hair was disheveled and he had a red imprint on his left cheek from sleeping face first on the leather seat for so long.
Mila just shook her head and side glanced in his direction. "Don't try anything stupid, I'll throw you overboard…"
"After all the trouble it took to save me, I doubt it." He said coolly and looked at her. "And by the way, I know seijins are just like the rest of us when the sunlight's gone."
"Just like the rest?" Mila cried indignantly. "Seijins possess superior power and intellect beyond your-"
"Drop it already." He groaned.
Mila's mouth tightened into a grim line and she glared in his direction. He smiled self-importantly. She hated his calm exterior. He should be scared. He shouldn't be mocking her.
"So now; untie me so I can drop you off somewhere." He ordered without delay.
That's rich considering I'm the one in charge right now. Mila thought. "Oh, I don't think so. I'm going to drop you off."
"It's my ship!" He yelled, betraying some of his bottled anger. His dark eyebrows lowered and he narrowed his eyes.
"It belongs to the Sphere; you stole it from us!" Mila shouted back.
The pirate shook his head and muttered insults under his breath which Mila promptly ignored.
"So… You 'saved' me." He stated after a few minutes of awkward silence.
"Yes."
"I don't get it."
"Me neither." She admitted.
"You know… There's no going back at this point, they'll kill you."
"Kill? No, you seriously misjudge the Sphere…" Mila smirked.
"They killed one of our men. We've lost too many already."
Mila stopped and stared obstinately forwards. "I saw it… I'm not the one who did it I swear…" she said, and his gaze lost some of its ferocity. "I'm not proud of what happened."
"Is that what changed your mind?" He asked and Mila closed her mouth with shock. How could he even tell that she had changed her mind about the Sphere? For all he knew, she could be lying to him about this so called rescue and be taking him back to headquarters right this moment. She remained silent but he nodded.
"We're going to miss the kid." He murmured and stared outside.
Mila looked at him with surprise. It was the first time she'd heard someone care about another in this way. Any betrayal of emotion was not publicly displayed at School. And to hear it from a ruthless pirate was even more surprising.
"Sorry." She blurted out before she could stop herself. Shut up, shut up!
He glanced her way with surprise and his frown faded.
"I guess... sorry I tried to kill you back there." He added, somewhat reluctantly.
"Same, I suppose." She said.
Were they really doing this? Pirate and guardian apologizing to each other? It was so strange. She cleared her throat.
"So where should I take you?" She asked.
"I can't give you coordinates to rebel bases…" He answered impatiently.
"Well, anywhere in between?" She prodded.
He thought for a second. "Babylonia."
"But that's Sphere controlled…" She argued.
"They hardly ever come by over there, it's fine." He looked at her. "And where are you going?"
"None of your business." Mila retorted sharply.
"Since there's no going back why don't you join the resistance? We could use people like you."
"To steal and spread chaos. I don't think so."
"Is that what they told you? We're not trying to spread chaos, we want peace. But to get freedom, we need to fight."
"Freedom of what?" She asked with a small laugh and the pirate shook his head in disbelief.
"The Sphere steals our water, people are dying. We're all their slaves, including you."
"I chose to go to the Academy." Mila retorted, slightly amused by his lies.
"Not many have that privilege; they're taken against their wills. Separated from their families."
Mila stopped smiling. "No… that isn't true." She glared at him, suddenly amazed at how easily he could make up lies. "Just… be quiet." She snapped.
He just shrugged with annoyance and stared back outside; at any rate, he was too tired to argue anymore. Mila thought of Katie, always so reluctant and distant in class; could it be true that she had been kidnapped by the Sphere? No, no. She put her thoughts aside and set course for Babylonia.
A cool, clear morning brightened the skies and the Babylonia region merged into sight. Mila wondered if she would be considered missing by the Sphere already. It had been such a strange journey. The passengers had barely spoken the whole way; unless one counted sporadic arguments for conversation. The Babylonia region sat in a bank of cottony white cumulus clouds, bathing in the morning sunshine. It was beautiful. Farrell nodded at one of the smallest block fragments on the less inhabited edge of Babylonia where an old farmhouse was sitting in the field.
"You live here?" She asked.
"Of course not." He rolled his eyes and Mila groaned impatiently. The Hyperion docked next to a small quay: the ship's engines spluttered and stopped abruptly.
"All right so… Go on then." She ordered.
He cleared his throat impatiently. "First of all, take these off."
Mila flipped his handcuffs off with her powers and crossed her arms, letting her hands glow ever-so-slightly. Farrell rubbed his wrists and stood up. He pushed open the hatch and climbed out of the cockpit and onto the metal deck of the ship. Mila watched him. He leaned on the open window and gazed at her.
"You do know the ship is out of energy, right?" He asked.
Mila's eyes set on one of the bleeping yellow lights on the control panel that flashed 'empty'. She cast him a quizzical look.
"We've been running on reserves for the last half hour. The ship needs to recharge."
"You knew this!" She exclaimed.
"Yeah." He smiled. He tapped the window twice, turned around and left, leaving Mila flustered and furious. She scrambled out of the seat, closed the cockpit window and followed him hesitantly, at a reasonable distance. She needed to see where he was heading...
She followed him across a swaying golden field and landed on unkempt path that led to the house. She hated the way he walked, his shoulders straight and how he was taking, long proud strides... The brick house itself had the appearance of falling into ruin; the shingles on the roof were curled and sun baked; the wooden doors, which were painted in faded blue, were chipped and cracked. The front 'yard' was invaded by wild plants and the windows were so dusty that they resembled grey panes, it was nearly impossible to see inside. When they had gotten close enough, she stopped, still watching him intently, and Marcus knocked on the door. No one answered so he twisted the doorknob, forced the door open and peered inside. Seemingly content with the fact that it was deserted, he entered without a word.
Mila didn't follow though; she spotted a water trough that connected to a water cistern by old pipelines in the front yard. Had it collected rain water? She pumped the rusty lever until water spewed out and she cupped her hands and drank gratefully.
"We haven't even been here five minutes and you're already taking the water." He mentioned as he walked past. She ignored him and washed her face. When she was done, she found an old park bench in the overgrown grass and sat on it, crossing her legs.
"What are you doing?" He asked impatiently.
"I'm waiting for the ship to recharge." Mila said through gritted teeth.
"Fine. Sit there all day for all I care." She heard his footsteps crunch the dirt as he walked away. After about an hour of sitting in the heat, she'd had enough. Seeing as she had nothing to lose, she entered the old house. The wooden door creaked with protest as she strode inside the living room. Dust danced in the rays of sunshine streaming between the moldy curtains. In the back, there was a small kitchen and a door that lead to the backyard. A ladder on the right connected to the loft.
She heard a commotion upstairs as objects rattled around in the ceiling and guessed that Farrell was there. She would just inspect this place - she had to admit that curiosity had gotten the better of her... She sat hesitantly on the sofa and waited. The rebel could be calling his rebel acolytes right now to come and jail her for all she knew. Soon, he climbed down the ladder, carrying a box which he set on the rickety kitchen table. She heard him sigh. "What is this place?" She asked in a monotone voice as she pulled stuffing out of a hole in a dusty cushion.
"Used to live here." He said as he walked around the kitchen, inspecting the pantry and counters.
"It's deserted." She noted.
"That's because," He heaved something from the top drawer, "the Sphere came here and killed my father a few years back."
Mila froze and threw the cushion away. She could sense that he wasn't lying now that it was day and she had her powers. Not that she entered his thoughts often because he would just shut her out anyways. It was much easier to read people's minds when they were unconscious, she noted.
"What did he do?" She asked, not masking her curiosity this time.
"He was spreading rebellious ideas…" He answered nonchalantly, his voice muffled as he poked his head under the sink and rummaged for objects unknown.
Mila was silent. It seemed that her perception of the Sphere kept getting worse as the days went by. Had she been told lies at the Academy or was this rebel trying to scare her? Mila decided on the latter.
She picked up a dusty picture frame from the end table and wiped the grime off with her sleeve. It was the image of a family; a young couple. She could see the house as it was before it fell in ruin, little flower patches grew in the front yard, the grass was trimmed. The dark haired man was standing behind the bench with his hands on the woman's shoulders; he had a serious face, as if he hadn't found time to smile when they took the picture. They were both dark-haired but the man had a deep tan, undoubtedly from working outside as a farmer; this is what Mila guessed these people to be. The woman sat on the bench, cradling a bundle in her arms. The photograph had yellowed slightly with the years but it was still clear.
The picture frame was snatched out of her hands abruptly. "My parents." His voice sounded behind her sofa, which was adjacent to the kitchen, and she flinched and stood up. The term parent was so unfamiliar, so alien to her. She didn't remember ever having a family.
"They look... nice." Mila said, not much knowing what to say. It was true though, they were good looking sweethearts, and she felt a pang of jealousy that someone could have had such a family. He watched her as he plunked the frame back in its spot, the picture faced downward on the table.
"Aren't you worried I might go tell the Sphere on you? Or attack…" She inquired.
"No. You're wanted now." He said.
"I could reason with them you know, they wouldn't just kill me…"
"I don't think you should take that chance." He was right though, she didn't know who to trust anymore. She was stuck in the middle.
"You don't know me." She snapped anyways.
"Whatever." He sighed and walked towards the kitchen table, his boots clomping noisily on the wooden floor boards. He lifted a tin can from his box of collected objects. The can was labeled 'potatoes'. "Hungry?" he asked, shaking it slightly.
"That thing's been lying in the cupboard for years…"
"It's canned. It could last a lifetime."
"I doubt that." Said Mila, eyeing the rusted can with disgust.
"So sorry I can't get you escargots and caviar madam." He said rudely, mocking her accent.
As if anyone ate caviar and escargots these days!
Mila had opened her mouth to retort when she felt something tickle her left foot. She peered down and saw a rat nibbling on her shoe. The seijin shouted out with fear; she scrambled backwards and stood onto the dusty couch; with a loud squeak!, the rat skittered back to its hole in the wall.
Farrell lost hold of the tin can and veered around, expecting to see an enemy entering the front door. His eyes set on the rat. He stared at her and a smile appeared on his lips; she could see he was trying to hold back from laughing.
Mila cleared her throat and stepped back onto the floor, her cheeks flushed with embarrassment. Her tough girl façade wouldn't work for long at this rate.
"What are you looking at?" She demanded and he shook his head, as if she was a silly child. She recuperated the runaway can with her powers. "Well, let's try this." She said, wanting to change the subject, putting her free hand on her hip. She was starving... "If I die it's your fault."
A/N I've been working on this story for some time. I already pre-wrote the main outline of each chapter. Here's a hint: You can expect more action-packed adventure! So yep, Leave a review! Laissez un commentaire!