Rejoice one and all! Your beloved author has returned! Anyway…Jesus, it's been awhile, hasn't it, people? Let me tell you, that break is just what the doctor ordered (and my doctor, I mean myself). I feel great, and I'm back to writing. Well, let's see…what have I been up to lately? Ah, I've started saving up for a Nintendo Wii, and at this rate I should have it by the end of the month so I'm looking forward to that (I really hope I don't break anything when I play the damn thing…). That means I'm gonna have to remove one of my older consoles from the entertainment center. I'm thinking it's going to be the Nintendo 64. It's old, I never play it, and the Wii is backwards compatible, which is good because my GCN can hardly read a brand new game anymore let alone an older one. Oh! And since my break, Microsoft Word is working for me again! I have spell check again! Yay! You see, I've gone without spellchecker this entire time. From the prologue to chapter 14, I had no spell check. Now I do. Go me. Anyway, like I said, it's good to be back, so let's get the party started again!
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There were yelps of pain and surprise as X bolted through the hallways of Guardian HQ, his emotions at some point between panicked and pissed. Whoever didn't get out of his was either bowled down or had their feet stepped on. In his hand he held the tool that opened the engine room hatch. He was muttering to himself.
"I don't believe it! What the hell possessed them to do that!?"
He reached the engine room. The hatch was still shut and there was no one else there. He expected to hear Vent and Aile calling out trying to get the attention of a passerby. X blinked.
"That's strange…"
The reploid put the end of the tool into the small opening and the hatch popped open. He looked down. The hatch was narrow and roughly twenty feet deep. He couldn't see into the room and he couldn't hear Vent and Aile.
"Vent? Aile? Are you two okay!?"
He could faintly hear Vent's voice.
"It seems as though X has found us."
Aile groaned.
"Awww, man. I was just starting to have fun too."
Vent rolled his eyes as he spoke.
"Aile, there'll be more time for that later."
X called out again.
"Uh…are you two down there?"
Vent called back up the hatch.
"Yeah, yeah, yeah. We'll be right up."
A few minutes later, Vent and Aile were finally back in the light of day. X frowned.
"You guys okay? You sure took your time getting out of there."
Vent shook his head.
"Yeah, we're fine."
Aile snaked her arms around Vent's neck and put her chin on her shoulder before smiling at X.
"In fact, Vent and I have never been better."
X came to a slow realization what Aile meant by that.
"Oh no, please don't tell me..."
Just for the sake of rubbing salt in X's wounds they kissed in front of him. The reploid growled.
"Fan-fucking-tastic."
Vent sighed.
"You're just pissed because you didn't want us to hook up."
"I never said that! You could have at least--"
Aile cut X off.
"How did you know we were down there anyway?"
"Rose told me."
"Rose knew?"
X sighed and rubbed his eyes.
"Oh god…you guys are clueless!" he yelled. Vent looked X in the eyes.
"What do you mean?"
"You two were set up! Do you think its coincidence that you two and only you two were asked to 'fix' the secondary equipment, despite the fact that you know next to nothing about it?"
"Well…um…" Vent stammered. X continued to speak.
"Not to mention that the moment the hatch closed that the power turned back on!?"
Vent and Aile sighed. How did they not realize it before? X didn't stop talking.
"And now for the bonus question: Who's behind it--" this time X was cut off by Aile.
"Prairie…"
Vent blinked.
"Buh?"
"Prairie is behind it! Damn it, and here I thought she'd backed off!"
X shook his head.
"Not just Prairie. Everyone was in on it, not including me."
Aile snapped.
"That's it. I've had it. She's meddled in our affairs for the last time!"
Vent backed away slowly as he spoke.
"Last time?"
"She's been doing this for weeks! I don't know about you, Vent, but I want some revenge."
Vent thought this over for a moment. Sure, Prairie's little stunt had succeeded in making he and Aile an item, but at the same time, he was in no way pleased about being locked in the secondary engine room. He looked to Aile with a grin.
"Alright. I'm up for a little fun."
He extended his hand to Aile.
"Partners in crime?"
Aile hugged him and grinned malevolently.
"Partners in crime."
X's voice was the epitome of sarcasm.
"Oh no, help, call the Sheriff! Bonnie and Clyde are in town."
Vent and Aile spoke in unison.
"Shut up, X. You're helping us."
"Okay…wait, what?"
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There wasn't a single noise throughout the entire airship everyone was asleep.
"Eeeep! Watch it, Vent!"
"Sorry!"
"Guy's this is so wrong!"
With the exception of Vent, Aile, and X. Vent slapped X in the back of the head.
"Aw, c'mon, X. You can't tell me you haven't ever wanted to do this."
"No I haven't!"
Aile sighed.
"Well here's your motivation: Zero is the one that spread the rumor that you wear women's thongs."
X froze.
"That son of a bitch is history!"
Vent smiled.
"Much better."
No one said a word for a moment. Aile's voice cut through the dark.
"This is it. Prairie's room."
Vent snickered.
"Revenge tastes oh so sweet."
X clicked on a flashlight and shone it around the room. He stopped on Prairie's dresser.
"Got it."
Aile nodded.
"That's one piece of the puzzle. Now…where is--"
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Prairie was up at first light. She blinked sleepily and looked around. Something didn't seem right. She opened a drawer in her dresser.
"Empty?"
She opened all of the other drawers and her closet. All of them were empty.
"Grand. The one night I sleep in my underwear and some wise-ass pulls a panty-raid…who the hell am I kidding!? A full wardrobe raid!"
She grabbed a blanket off her bed and wrapped up in it before looking to see where she dropped her doll.
"Where did I…!!!"
The she came to the realization that she didn't have it with her when she woke up. A scream tore throughout the airship. Vent, Aile, and X burst out laughing. Aile gasped for breath.
"That was perfect!"
Vent gave her a high-five.
"And it isn't over!"
The group repositioned themselves outside Phantom's room. Prairie burst in moments later.
"Phantom! Have you seen my doll, I can't seem to--you thieving bastard!!!!!"
"Huh!?"
It took Vent and company everything it took not to laugh as they heard incoherent curses and what sounded like a brutal beating. Prairie stormed out holding her doll in her arms. The trio peeked into Phantom's room. The room was in disarray, but the best part was seeing Phantom dangle from the wall by the spikes jutting off of the back of his helmet. The group slipped forward. This time to Fefnir's room. Now that Prairie had her doll back she could focus on finding her clothes. About half an hour later, she crept down the hall, red in the face despite the fact that there was no one to see her. She held the blanket around her tightly. She knocked on the door.
"Fefnir? Have you seen my…?"
She slid the door open and her face looked like something out of an oil painting. All she could do was stammer.
"You…you…you!!!!"
There was a loud crash followed by Prairie's screaming.
"YOU PERVERT!!!"
Prairie's eyes seemed to glow red as she left, fully clothed. Vent and Aile slipped in and grinned in satisfaction. A pair of Prairie's panties was on Fefnir's head along with other miscellaneous undergarments. Aile looked around, satisfied with the results.
"Well, we got Phantom and Fefnir beaten within an inch of their life."
Vent nodded.
"And we put Prairie into shock by taking her doll!"
X nodded.
"That felt good. I'm ashamed to admit it, but it did."
Vent grinned.
"And to top it all of I found out Prairie's bra size!"
X gave Vent a weird look. Aile glared at him. Vent laughed sheepishly.
"Um…kidding."
"Just shut up. It's time we check on Zero and Harpuia."
X rubbed his hands together.
"Ohhhh, I've been waiting my whole life to get back at Zero for all the crap he's put me through!"
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As Zero's optic sensors hummed to life, the reploid found himself in an unfamiliar room. There were empty bottles of beer on the nightstand.
"That's odd. I don't remember drinking last night."
Zero stretched and bumped up against something. He felt something move behind him and a familiar voice.
"What the hell? I don't remember drinking last night."
Color drained from Zero's face.
"Harpuia!?"
"Zero!?"
They were in the same bed. They put that and the empty booze bottles together and the result was screams of terror. Outside the room, Vent and Aile smiled. Not only did their plan work, but they had never seen X so thrilled.
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"I wonder if our plan worked?"
Leviathan lay on her bed staring at the ceiling. She hadn't seen Vent and Aile since the group had locked them in the engine room. She sighed and went to leave her room, but the door slid open and Vent stumbled in. He was bleeding profusely from his chest. He clutched the wound with his hand. He gasped for breath.
"Help…me…"
"Vent!?"
Plasma burst tore past Vent's head and singed the walls. Vent's eyes widened in horror.
"Hide me…she's coming!"
"Who's coming!? What the hell is--"
Leviathan was cut off when a plasma burst hit Vent in the head. He collapsed in a heap on the floor, his blood pooling out. He was dead. Leviathan was caught in a limbo of horror and disbelief.
"Who could of…!?"
Aile stood in the doorway, panting, the blaster in her hand. She looked at Vent's corpse before she kicked it in the head.
"Bastard! All that time locked up together and you go and break my heart!"
"Aile! What the hell have you done!?"
Tears welled up in Aile's eyes.
"Damn it. I don't even know why I thought he could have loved me! He was an insensitive prick and I'm an idiot for ever loving him."
She turned the gun on herself, looked at Leviathan, and smiled a sad smile.
"You were right, Leviathan. Human emotions are sick and sadistic. I'm not sticking around to see if things can get any worse."
Leviathan made a grab for the gun.
"Aile, wait a mi--"
The next sound heard was another plasma discharge and Aile body hitting the ground. Time seemed to freeze. Leviathan couldn't move. The commotion had called everyone else to the room. Prairie ran in, followed by Zero, Harpuia, Fefnir, Phantom, and Rose. They took one look at the scene and like Leviathan, froze. Prairie broke the silence, her voice barely a whisper.
"What…happened here…?"
Leviathan slumped down to her knees.
"They…I don't know…Aile said he broke her heart. She said 'After all that time we spent locked up and you go and break my heart.' She shot Vent, and then she shot herself."
Prairie was almost at a loss for words.
"All of this…because we locked them up together?"
They heard footsteps behind them. It was X.
"Tragic isn't it? Worst of all, they were our last chance to stop Serpent. Now were doomed.
Zero frowned.
"So…we doomed the world just because we tried to help them?"
They looked at Vent and Aile's corpse again. Someone else spoke.
"Or you would have doomed the world if we were really dead."
The group almost jumped out of their skin. The looked back. Vent and Aile stood there X grinning broadly. Aile smiled and patted X on the shoulder.
"Thank you, X."
Vent grinned seeing the dumbfounded looks his friends wore.
"Hi guys! We're back from the dead!"
Zero stammered.
"But…but…but…the corpses!
The supposed bodies flickered and vanished. Vent pat X on the shoulder.
"All of it holographic work done by X."
Leviathan pointed at the burn marks on her wall.
"But holograms can't do that!"
Aile held up a blaster.
"I actually fired the first few shots."
X nodded as he spoke.
"We're also behind Prairie's vanishing wardrobe, the missing doll, putting Harpuia and Zero in the same bed together."
Phantom blinked.
"Which means I only had the doll because you took it!"
Aile's face was filled with false surprise.
"Look! It's Captain Obvious! Yes, that's why you had the doll."
Vent cackled.
"And why Fefnir had Prairie's clothes. Putting her panties on his head was just something a little extra I threw in there," as Vent spoke, Prairie was trying to think of something to say.
"Why?!"
"Why, what? Why did we do all of this?"
Aile frowned.
"You should know. It's because you guy's locked us in the damn engine room!"
Prairie pointed at Harpuia.
"It was his idea!" she yelled. Aile shook her head.
"Beyond the point. You're the one who had it done. You're all responsible. Let this be a lesson to you: Cross us, and you will be dealt with."
Haurpuia waved his hands.
"Wait, wait, wait. Why didn't you get back at Rose?"
X shrugged.
"She accidentally tipped me off to you plan."
Prairie rubbed her temples and shook her head.
"Grand. We try to help you and you do this."
Vent shrugged.
"Oh don't get us wrong. Your little plan worked, but that doesn't mean we still weren't pissed."
Silence took over the group again. Vent finally broke the silence.
"So, it's 7 pm, and we're basically free for the rest of the night…now what?"
Aile grinned.
"Wanna go make out?"
Vent's face lit up.
"Icing on the cake that is revenge!"
The couple ran off.
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Alright, I'm back! Not my longest chapter, but hell, I just got back. I need time to get back into things. Alright, assuming my shiny new Nintendo Wii doesn't distract me, I'll post next Friday, okay?
