A/N I don't own Skyland.
So-rry for the delay! I always love reviews!
Xihan: Cheng's father
The city was usually a quiet, restful place; grim because of its façade of faded brick colour, but peaceful. The secret inhabitants of the area sometimes manifested however, voices disrespectfully loud.
Today there was movement through the winding passages of the city. Voices echoed along the walls. Footsteps slapped upon pavement.
Soon, a seijin girl and a young man stepped out of the shadows. They stopped suddenly, for the road which they were following ended abruptly several steps in front of them. Beyond this point, the city was too fragmented to explore on foot.
Mila stood aside, gazing into the emptiness of misty sky. The young pirate before her was silent for a moment too, contemplating the ruins; Xihan seemed to camouflage perfectly into the bleak surroundings, what with his charcoal grey outfit that so resembled the colour of dust. The pair of verdant goggles hanging around his neck and his bright green boots were the only lively flashes standing out against the brown and grey of surrounding buildings.
Xihan was a calm, logical person who had never once showed any disrespect towards Mila; he had even defended her from other rebels when she had first arrived here with Marcus. Still, there was a strange tension dividing them. Even now, Mila felt uneasy around the rebels - after all, she hadn't exactly gotten a warm welcome by the resistance...
Xihan must have somehow sensed that Mila was observing him, because he turned around and met her gaze. He watched her for a second, noticing how impatient and edgy the ex-guardian looked.
It was Xihan's responsibility to show the newcomer around the hideout; the rebel had been assigned the job of tour guide for the day. He had been escorting Mila through the rebel base all morning, explaining everything. The ex-guardian finally had the chance to explore the amalgam of block which had been claimed by the pirates. The concealed structure of the hideout was coming into view now... Mila knew which buildings were secretly used for meetings, which centers were still usable… She also knew of the precarious areas which were slowly but surely, crumbling into dust.
Mila had been released from her 'prison' less than two days after her arrival to the pirate base. She had been delighted of course, to escape the confines of the dusty room at the time. Now however, she wondered if it really made any difference. Mila was still trapped: the city was her prison. She couldn't escape it. Plus, any possible access to ships was well off-limits.
The pirates had reluctantly set her free and assigned her a dwelling in one of the intact buildings. It was apparent by their attitudes that most did not approve of Marcus's decision to bring her along. Even so, the rebels had treated her with a decent amount of respect. They had been relatively good to her, considering that they had once been enemies.
Mila pictured the pirates in her mind. Some were ruthless, mean - like De la Vega. Others seemed emotionless. Some were humorous and enthusiastic. And if she guessed correctly, then there was less than thirty pirates assembled on this base. It was discouraging. A rebel outpost, she had imagined as an organized, secret society filled with individuals working together towards a main goal. Here, it seemed as if the outlaws couldn't even agree between themselves. Xihan had explained that there were many rebel stations strewn across Skyland; the communication between these bases unfortunately, was less than desirable. The resistance seriously lacked organization.
The pirate base was well concealed though; what Mila had perceived as temporary weather was actually a permanent occurrence; the mist was everlasting. A thin haze of fog always coated the city with yellow light, creating a sea of copper and gold which glimmered with diamonds of thorny metal shrapnel. The fog shielded the hideout from enemy eyes. Marcus was clever to have chosen such a hideaway.
Marcus. She hadn't seen him for three days now. Was he was avoiding her? Was he, perhaps, already regretting his decision to bring her along?... Mila was tired of guessing. Besides, she was so angry with him that she thought it best that he stay away.
Xihan drifted towards the edge of the road and gazed into empty sky. "We dock the ships down here," he told her, "come take a look."
Mila shifted with curiosity, walked over and stood next to Xihan. She looked downward into a space of open sky which glinted with rusted metal. A meagre collection of mismatched rebel ships was docked down below between walls of fragmented earth. There was another gap of light beneath the aligned vessels; a patch of cloudy sky. The vessels could circulate in and out using these two concealed entrances. It was a cunning hideaway for pirate ships, but it was disordered.
Reflexively, Mila found herself searching for the Hyperion. She couldn't find it. She did note a flurry of movement along the docks however, as a few pirates walked around, tending to the ships. Disembarking with stolen canisters of water; the bright 'S' insignias evident on the metal containers.
Xihan leaned against a brick wall, risking a cautious glance at the same Sphere insignia on Mila's bright blue uniform before looking away again. Mila ignored this as she scanned the area quickly, eyes searching. The city - or fragments of it - seemed to spread out in every direction.
She stepped away from the crumbling edge, disappointment etched across her face. "So is this it? The hideout…."
"Are you not impressed?" Xihan asked sarcastically. "There are other hideouts. Besides, we're always on the move… should leave this place sooner or later. It works for now." His eyes took a strangely vacant look for a while and then he spoke again. "There's a larger base on the other edge of the Archipelago… We stopped by once, after a mission. There's this man over there, one of the resistance's leading scientists - the Sphere was after him too you see, and he and his daughter joined the rebellion..."
Xihan looked dazed for a second, a slight smile on his lips. Mila caught glimpse of a memory in the air, of a girl with glossy black hair and a confident smile. She shut the memory out. Mila had learned the hard way that rebels didn't appreciate a seijin presence in their minds.
"The man's laboratory is filled with plans for innovative robotics…" Xihan continued, "Even plans to build improved versions of brigs-"
"Brigs." Mila repeated. The idea of rebels having their own robots was troubling.
"If you understand the enemy, you have a better chance at defeating them. Besides," he smirked, "We don't have the resources necessary to build our own robotic army."
Mila nodded with approval. "It's probably better that way."
"Yeah… I guess so."
Mila glanced once more at the docked ships, metal hulls lustrous in the half-light. "Why are you even showing me this?" She asked abruptly.
"You're one of us now." He answered impartially.
A twitch of anger. "You know that's not true." She snapped angrily, turning away.
"Hey... Mila wait-"
"I'm not allowed to take part in any pirate activity." Mila argued, "I can't go anywhere without people watching my every move…"
"Look, we're doing the best we can." Xihan sighed, dropping all pretence of indifference. "You used to be with the Sphere. Marcus defended you, convinced the others to let you stay. The fate of this hideout rests on the hope that Farrell is right, that you really aren't with the Sphere."
"How close were the votes?" Mila enquired.
"I- What?"
"How close were the votes against me? To drop me off on the fringes…"
"I don't really remember-"
"Xihan…"
"It was too close." He paused. "But those who voted to keep you here did so for your own safety. An ex-guardian drifting alone out there- Well, let's just say that the Sphere doesn't take kindly to traitors."
"Oh, was that Marcus's argument to keep me here? Pity?"
"Not pity. You helped him escape the Academy right? He owes you one."
"He doesn't owe me anything." She snarled, remembering a blue seijin energy line suspended in the air, an arrow for Oslo to find them… "And he brought me along without telling me where we were going. Marcus was supposed to drop me off on a neutral block – I should have the option to leave."
"Farrell doesn't make all the decisions around here." Xihan responded, and there was a deep, meaningful undertone to his voice. His dark eyes glinted and he gave a slight nod.
Maybe Marcus wasn't the one keeping her trapped here, Mila realized. Other pirates were responsible; rebels who were scared that she would run back to the Sphere had she the freedom to take off.
"And this isn't about keeping you here forever... But, you have seen everything."
"And you don't trust me."
"I don't know you." Xihan replied coolly. "Just give people a chance..."
"They hate me." Mila snapped. She started walking faster but Xihan kept pace beside her.
"Farrell doesn't hate you. He must trust you if he brought you here right?"
Mila's frown faded slightly. "I don't understand why he brought me here to join the rebels if I can't even take part in the actual resistance."
"Do you want to join rebel missions?" He asked casually, taking her off guard.
"Yes... No - I mean…" She paused. "I've seen things I'll never forget. This is personal. I want the Sphere destroyed."
The words formed and drifted so smoothly out of her mouth that she was surprised. They both stopped and stared at each other; they were now standing on a narrow strip of rusty, metallic walkway; the path ahead snaked its way between crumbling buildings and disappeared into the bright yellow mist.
Xihan smiled. Mila almost smiled back... Almost. "Alright then," he said, "I think I've shown you everything around here…"
At this moment, a shifting silhouette in the distance caught the corner of Mila's eye… A lone shadow was striding down the walkway. It was a man. He was wearing a lab coat and balancing a wobbly stack of books in his arms.
"And remember, the cafeteria's right down the path- Hey, where are you going?"
For Mila had taken off at a run, eyes fixed on the man in the distance. Vector. Her hair whipped backward in the wind as she sprinted; Xihan's yells were muted by the sound of her resonating footsteps. The girl couldn't listen, couldn't see or focus on anything other than that man. This stranger who held the answers to the questions that she needed to solve. She skidded to a halt behind the scientist; "YOU!" She shouted harshly. She lay a hand on Vector's shoulder to stop him and pulled him a step backward.
The man stumbled off-balance; books flapped through the air like makeshift birds that plummeted to the ground within seconds of achieving flight. Vector spun around to face her, eyes narrowed in confusion.
"What on Skyland?..."
"Oh… Sorry, sorry…" Mila muttered, catching her breath. She focused. The books organized themselves into a neat stack in the air which dropped cleanly into Vector's outstretched arms.
The man recognized her now and he gave a hesitant smile. "That's quite all right, you startled me."
There ensued a faltering silence punctured by the sound of footsteps as Xihan arrived next to them, panting. After a few seconds, he straightened up, black hair windswept.
"Everything okay?" He asked, looking between the two.
Vector spoke first; "Everything's fine. Mila and I have matters to discuss."
"All right…" Xihan muttered confusingly as he walked away, "See you guys later."
Mila looked at Vector with surprise. "We need to talk…"
Vector nodded tiredly. "Follow me."
Mila sat in a tattered armchair in a large room. The brick walls were plastered with sun-bleached papers that had become curled and dried with the years, like a layer of dead leaves on dry asphalt. The window sills were lined with jars of pencils, crayons and brushes. And array of old canvases and easels covered the walls in the back of the room. This had evidently been some type of artistic studio which had fallen into neglect along with the forgotten city.
A large desk stood out in the middle of the messy room; it was cluttered with books, stacks of papers and a computer, glowing and flashing as codes and numbers filed down its screen. The desk obviously belonged to Vector - the rest of the studio must have been owned by some long forgotten artist.
The dull scratching of a small radio sent whispers through the air as a Sphere news station relayed the latest happenings.
Vector was walking about; moving a stack of papers there, flittering through the pages of a thick volume here, eyes blank with concentration. This room, Mila guessed, was his study. There was a small coffee table beside her seat; a dog-eared sketch pad was sprawled open on the wooden surface, gleaming under a film of dust. Mila flipped a page.
The papers were yellowed and pale with age but Mila could make out the fine outlines of a pencil drawing – the sketch of a calm, cool expanse of water. It was a small sunlit pond which glimmered in the dappled light of the forest. Small lily pads coasted calmly on the glassy surface. The mucky edges of the pond were crisscrossed by strands of tall grasses which nearly swayed in the invisible breeze. Mila could almost see the tiny dragonflies moving, she could almost imagine the smell of wet grass and muddy shore.
The image made her feel thirstier than ever, but she couldn't peel her eyes away. It was sad to think that such places no longer existed in the natural world. How could people have let the world fall apart – why hadn't they taken action sooner to prevent the cataclysm which was the break-up of planet earth? Mila didn't understand.
"I suppose you have a lot of questions for me." Vector started, his voice dragging her back to reality. He was sitting behind his desk now, having finished organizing his stack of leather-bound volumes which Mila had helped him carry all the way to this building.
"Yes." She said. "Why do you know me? And why don't I know you?"
"Oh dear," Vector sighed. "I must admit something… I don't actually know you either…" When Mila looked confused, Vector ran his fingers through his greying hair and he laughed. "It's a very long story."
"And I've got all the time in the world." She responded.
"Yes, well," he laughed again, "I suppose I'll start from the very beginning."
"It all began several years ago… No it was eight years ago - Or was it nine years?" He shook his head, muttering something about time flying by so quickly. "I was an aspiring scientist at the time, travelling alone, looking for employment… But times were difficult. People were still scrambling around in the rubble, trying to salvage what was left of their towns or cities - trying to survive. It was terrible. Terrible…"
He looked up, "As you know, the Sphere was the only form of government left in that time; it had been gradually taking over through the years - the Sphere itself was initially formed by the countries which would slowly fade away, leaving it the organization in charge of the whole planet. People turned towards the Sphere for support. No one thought badly of it I'm sure, except perhaps the bandits that had profited through all the mayhem. I approved of the Sphere taking control. It was necessary, someone had to bring order. Chaos had reigned for too long a time. So… Where was I? Ah yes, I had been travelling around the globe for quite some time. One day - several years ago - I arrived at Ningxia province and decided to pay my old friend Zalo a visit."
"Zalo?" Mila asked. "Hailong Zalo, dignitary for Ningxia?" She had learned about the different dignitaries in charge of sectors across Skyland.
"Precisely. Yes, Zalo and I have known each other for a long time."
Mila blinked confusedly. How did she fit into all this?
"I arrived at the monastery - you can imagine my surprise when I noticed a small girl running through the courtyard."
It took several seconds for it to sink in.
"M-Me?" Mila stuttered, eyes wide.
Vector nodded. "Zalo was a Sphere dignitary in those years, he represented Ningxia province of course, but he was also an ambassador for the Sphere."
It was true that Ningxia province had always been allied with the Sphere; the two shared a sort of mutual respect. The province was powerful and the Sphere knew this, starting a war over the mineral-rich region was pointless; humans had nearly been wiped off the earth in the first place. Instead, the two held an alliance.
"Hailong explained that the Sphere had entrusted him with a great responsibility - that of looking over a seijin child", Vector bowed his head, "until the child was old enough to join the Academy of course. Seijin children only joined the Academy at the minimal ages of nine or ten… and the Sphere thought you too valuable to put in an orphanage."
"How long did I stay there?" Mila asked, eyes aglow. She was sitting on the edge of her seat now, gripping the armrests, mouth open with awe.
"You lived there for a few months. Sphere officials tried to transfer you somewhere else not so long before my arrival. You had refused apparently. Zalo found you hiding in one of the ships in the monastery's docks. Like a 'little stowaway' he said. He convinced the officials to let you stay at the monastery in the end. What was the harm in letting you stay if you were to be transferred to the Academy in a few months' time?"
"But, why were they taking me away?" Mila asked, smile faltering. If she had found a temporary home, then why would they transfer her somewhere else?
"The Sphere, I later acknowledged, had many tactics for young seijins who were to be future guardians. By making you live from one place to another, never more than a few months at a time, you would not become attached to anyone. So the transition to the Academy would not come as a shock. Also, the Academy would become your first stable home; a place of comfort, familiarity."
"That's horrible." Mila spat, leaning back.
"I agree…" Vector paused. "So you see, I never knew you personally, simply by name. I stayed only in Ningxia for a day and took off on my travels again. Eventually, I settled in a small city and continued working on my projects, taking jobs here and there. By now, I had travelled all over the globe."
His hand brushed against large ruled sheets of papers on his desk, which depicted different areas of Skyland covered in coordinates and equations. Maps...
Suddenly, his expression darkened.
"Something happened. One day, a Sphere official approached me with a job offer; a glorious career as a Sphere scientist. They had learned of my experiments with light you see, and were fairly interested. We don't know exactly what it is in sunlight that triggers seijin powers – why, to this day, it is still a mystery…" Vector waited. "But I respectfully declined the offer. Yes, I had been looking for such an employment opportunity for a long time, but by now, the Sphere's corruption was becoming evident. Unfortunately, they wouldn't take 'no' for an answer… The next time an agent approached me, it was with a threat. Naturally, I took off in the middle of the night, leaving an empty apartment behind. The months passed - I found myself once more close to the reaches of Ningxia. When I arrived at the monastery however, it was to find a tired-looking Zalo and newly strained relations between Ningxia province and the Sphere. You were gone. The Sphere had taken you to the Academy while Zalo was out. He never had a chance to say goodbye. Of course he was furious, but he wisely decided to do nothing - he had to remain impersonal. You were already gone, there was nothing to be done – it had been your own decision after all. The alliance of peace between Sphere and Ningxia had to be kept in good condition; the safety of his people came first and the Sphere's influence was already growing dangerously."
"I remember," Mila whispered, "I remember leaving for the Academy. I just thought it was the right thing to do. The opportunity for higher education, I couldn't let that pass me by…" and Mila didn't think the Sphere would have relented had she refused to go there in the first place. "But I don't remember Zalo…" She admitted sadly.
"I think he never forgot about you Mila. He loved you I'm sure, like a father would love a daughter."
Mila smiled. The thought of someone out there, almost like a parent, was such a comforting thought that it felt as if her heart had expanded inside her chest.
"Meanwhile, I was off again, travelling… After a year or two, my luck finally ran out. They found me. I lived with the Sphere for several months; it was dreadful. Cameras around my house, can you believe it? Preposterous! I was under constant surveillance. The Sphere demanded that I complete my experiments on replicating sunlight. I couldn't work under such stressful conditions! I tried to explain that the seemingly magical formula to seijin energy was nearly impossible to find... They wanted no excuses. No, this time, I found that my life was threatened. Some time later, a prototype light panel was built and ready to be tested – or so they thought. For I knew that my panels were useless, and perhaps I hadn't exactly given them my full attention. You see, I wanted no part in helping the Sphere anymore… Soon after, they found the perfect test-subjects-"
"Students from the Academy." Mila finished for him.
"Yes."
"But we were children." Mila said quietly, "Why would they use us?"
"You were amongst the youngest at the Academy. They couldn't risk older students, if something went awry with the experiment, they'd have wasted years of training on these people. To take the youngest was more favourable, and children, they believed, were less likely to suspect anything was wrong."
"It's awful. I can't believe I- I didn't realise..."
"Oh but of course the Sphere cared for its young seijins! Their lives were of the utmost importance – they represented the future of the organization after all. And I assured them nothing would go wrong – I knew of course that the lights were weak models, barely more than gleaming scraps of metal."
It was true; the lights hadn't worked properly in her memory. Their sustenance in light had been feeble, not nearly enough to recharge her powers. Perhaps if such a thing could work, the seijin would need to be exposed to the light for an extended period of time - but who would take the time to do such a thing? It seemed ridiculous and unnatural...
"I met you that day." Mila said, "You were the scientist, in the gymnasium. You told me about the docking bay."
"Ah yes… I figured you deserved a chance for escape. However, you looked happy there-"
"I was happy." She conceded. "But I'm glad you mentioned the docking bay, you helped me escape the Academy with Marcus."
Mila explained everything that had happened at the Academy and how it all linked together. How, because of his instructions, she had found the docking bay. Mila didn't want to imagine what would have happened had she not kept this valuable piece of information in memory; she had been so disoriented, waking up in that dark cell. The story took quite a while to recount. When she was finished, Vector sat there in astonishment.
"Why… I had no idea that…"
"Thank you." Mila cut in.
"You're welcome… I suppose…"
"So what happened next? How did you leave the Academy?" She asked.
"It wasn't as difficult as I had anticipated - I simply flashed my identification card wherever I went. No one wanted to contradict a Sphere scientist I suppose. I left for a well deserved vacation – and didn't return."
"Then you joined the rebels."
"Eventually, I decided to do so… The resistance needed scientific minds too. And I changed my name for good measure, in case the Sphere ever heard of me again."
So Vector wasn't his real name? It made sense, some rebels even referred to him as 'the' Vector. It was more like a pseudonym.
"What's your real name?" Mila asked and Vector winked humorously. "Is it…Vincent?"
Vector's face fell.
"N-No! I mean, er no…" He laughed nervously, tugging at his collar, "Of course that's not my name..."
Mila tried to wipe the smile off her face; she couldn't help being a seijin after all. "Do you like being in the resistance?" She asked casually, trying to switch subjects.
"At least I can pursue my work in peace here. Somewhat." He sighed. "And what do you think so far?"
"About what? The rebels?" Mila gave a disinterested shrug. "I don't know."
"It must be difficult to make the transition from one extreme to the other."
"Yes!" Mila exclaimed. "I lived my whole life with the Sphere… At least as long as I can remember."
Vector nodded tiredly. "You're not the first or last soul to be fooled by the Sphere I'm afraid. They're very convincing." He said. "And I don't personally think the Sphere has always been a nuisance. It has simply lost sight of its main objectives for Skyland. Corrupted by the leaders. It isn't about peace anymore. It's about world domination. You see, if you control the water supply, you control everything and everyone."
"Even if they could spare the water," Mila continued, thinking of the large swimming pools at the Academy, "They wouldn't."
"Exactly."
Mila exhaled noisily, feeling a little lost.
"I'm sure everything will turn out fine." Vector added, as if reading her thoughts, "You know, rebels aren't bad people. They're simply angry." He leaned forward, casting a conspiratorial glance in her direction. "And perhaps you are safer hiding here with the pirates."
Mila knew of course that she could take care of herself, but the idea of the Sphere lurking around every corner was worrisome. Just then, a forgotten thought glowed, like a flash of lightning. "My parents!" She yelled abruptly, "Do you know anything about them?"
Vector looked away.
"Please, Vector… do you know where they are?"
"I'm not sure I should be the one telling you this…"
"Telling me what?" She asked.
"Zalo was informed by the Sphere officials who brought you to the monastery that…" His voice trailed off for a moment, "I'm afraid your parents passed away when you were one. Their cause of death is unknown."
A deep silence darkened the room. "Oh..." Mila breathed.
"I'm so sorry." Vector said, eyes fixed on the desk.
"No. It's okay… I'm fine." It was almost true. Mila felt a strange feeling of emptiness but nothing more – perhaps she was too bewildered at the moment. After all, she thought angrily, why should she miss people she didn't even remember?
The dull scratching of the radio echoed in the silence. Something in the quiet words of a Sphere reported stood out and Mila tensed. The girl scrambled to her feet suddenly, reached forward and turned a dial on the small radio. The Sphere channel was clear now, the strong voice of a reporter ringing in her ears. Mila. They had mentioned her name. She clutched the radio in her hands, eyes wide as she listened to the broadcast.
"… the seijin is responsible for the brutal murder of a young guardian by the name of Priscilla-"
Vector listened too, face blank with confusion.
"… she is an accomplice to criminal Marcus Farrell... Wanted dead or alive for treason against the Sphere-"
The radio clattered onto the desk.
"Oh my!" Vector gasped, "Mila what-"
He looked up but it was too late. Mila was already gone, the entrance door swinging in the void.
A/N Filling in all the gaps was arduous work!
Sadly, Mila's parents died when she was one - it said so in every Skyland timeline I found. I took most of the information on Mila's past from the episode 'The Great Wall'. I want the story to fit into Skyland as perfectly as possible.
The scientist Xihan mentioned; obviously Tibald (Cheng's grandfather). I tried to clarify his position with the rebels: the series was very unclear about him... and the Skyland timeline for that matter. I gathered all the information I could find and created a logical timeline with it that fits all episode backgrounds.
I hope you liked it! Keep reading, the story's not over yet!