*sigh* Alright, before I continue, I'd just like to say that in attempts to pull this out as long as all my ideas can fit, I've actually added on to the amount of Dimension Controllers. Please note that along with this, Mira also doesn't join the Vexos until near the end of the Vestroia portion of the fic. I apologize if you find the enlargement unnecessary and too unfaithful. I'll try to make up for it through the writing and plot quality.
Without further ado, I present the second chapter of Missing Link (and the title does in fact refer to a chain link). Enjoy!
… Oh, I took plenty of dialogue straight from the show for this chapter, so they might seem a bit out of place. (Some dialogue I added in for story reasons and because Spectra can't speak clear enough -.-;)
"Please, do promise you'll be careful."
"I promise Grandfather."
"Tell Lync you're visiting friends so he doesn't follow you."
"Uh-huh. I'll miss you Grandfather."
Young Alice had just received a message from her friends that they've finally discovered a way to getting back to New Vestroia without the usage of the Dimension Portal. Offered with the chance of returning to the other world along with both her old and newfound friends, Alice became full of joy and determination towards her upcoming rescue of Hydranoid.
The joy of the realization was not shared by everyone however. A certain somewhat unwanted visitor just happened to be eavesdropping from above. Just like how he had when yet another bit of hurtful news was brought upon him the first day he arrived in the unfamiliar world. He was not pleased.
"Tell Lync you're visiting friends so he doesn't follow you?" He repeated bitterly. "Are they planning to strand me here?!"
The pink haired Vestal slowly descent from the plexi-glass roof as he began grunting in frustration. It figured. After that whole trusting and bonding episode with Alice ended, he began to be shown as much less of a pain, even helping out with the chores in one occasion (mostly to cope with boredom), but despite all that, they still didn't trust him!
…Well, who would? He waspart of the "evil" Vexos.
"God I'm bored," he murmured to himself, a line that he's repeated over sixty times since his arrival. What's there to do though? If those two suggest reading those…those…strange backward books again, I'm gonna- Argh! "How long am I going to be stuck on this ice cube?!"
-BZZZZZZT-
"W-what the?!" He shouted off as a peculiar mechanical bee whizzed through the scene. "Where did you come from?" As it made sure his eyes centered around the miniature robot, it went off to project an image all too familiar. "Sp-Spectra?!"
"I have a deal for you, so listen up Lync."
"I'm listening," he replied nervously, still startled from the random encounter.
"You see, Gus and I will be returning to New Vestroia soon."
"What?! Impossible!" He exclaimed. "The Dimension Portal still hasn't been fixed yet."
"You're still waiting for that?" He chuckled. "By the time you return, New Vestroia will be mine and that pathetic prince you're spying for will be no more," he continued on before giving off another fit of chuckles.
"Oh, shut up!" Lync shouted. "Quit rubbing it in. Isn't it bad enough already that I'm staying in this hellhole?"
"Well that's the point," Spectra continued. "I have a deal for you."
"Hm?"
"I'm assuming that Dan and the others must have asked Alice to accompany them."
"Um, yeah. She just left right now."
"Well," he continued with an evil grin. "If you're able to fool that girl into bringing you here, Gus and I will be happy to take you back with us on one condition."
"Yeah?"
"You drop your loyalty to that royal brat and join our cause."
"…"
It wasn't like he wanted to be one of Spectra's puppets like Gus was, but the offer seemed too hard to pass up. It would be a chance to finally escape the ice cube he'd been taking refuge in for about a whole week. Really, he just wanted to go home…but at the same time, he couldn't bring himself to accept the offer.
"Forget it," he replied harshly, leaving Spectra with a raised eyebrow.
"Why not? I would think you'd want to leave here as soon as possible."
"Well, I do but…I don't know. Alice has actually been kind of nice to me and I don't really feel comfortable lying to her." He began to blush.
"Oh, I see," Spectra chuckled yet again. It was really getting on Lync's nerves now. "You'd rather stay here with your girlfriend."
"G-girlfriend?!" He choked.
"Fine by me. Just remember what you'll be dealing with when and if you ever come back."
-BZZZZZZT-
"…" Well, that was certainly unexpected.
Should I or shouldn't I? He sighed. Man, it'd be a lot more easier if we didn't go through that whole bonding episode. Who knows how long I'm gonna be stuck here!
Only less than a few moments had passed by since Spectra had offered Lync the chance to return to New Vestroia. He wasn't wanted there, but it wasn't like he was very much wanted here. And if I see another snowflake fall, I swear, I'll-
"Hm?"
Just as his inner conflict was finally reaching the point in which he'd probably never make a proper conclusion in time, a certain kind hearted Russian girl began to pass by. Probably finding a good place to teleport away.
This…this is my chance…but… Oh come on Lync! You're a bad guy! Now go and act evil and lie!
… Wow, never thought I'd stoop as low as to call myself evil…
"… Hey, Alice," he started, finally getting the guts the actually say something.
Alice turned around, startled. She'd usually just sigh and reply back calmly, but with the given situation, it didn't seem like he'd be receiving the comfort he'd received from her the last couple of days. It looked as if she wasn't sure what to do either.
"Oh, it's you…"
"Where you off to?"
"Oh, I, um, I'm just visiting some friends."
"…Oh, alright then… Have fun, I guess."
The burden of the situation finally lost, Alice calmly left the area in search of a different exit area. Lync on the other hand still wasn't too satisfied with his response.
… Maybe I should have went with her…
"What's with all the noise?" Lync yawned as he entered the lab in a grumpy mood. "Can't a guy take a nap around here?"
"Oh, he's staying with you guys?"
"Huh?" Wiping his eyes from the after effects of sleep, Lync finally took notice that the Resistance was right in front of him…then comes the confusion.
"What?! I thought you guys went back to New Vestroia. What the heck are you doing back here?"
"What? You knew we were going to New Vestroia?" Alice asked, showing shock in both her voice and face.
"Um, well, uh…yah…"
Now it was Alice's turn to be confused.
"Spectra and Gus trapped us before we could get through the portal," Dan grumbled. "I guess we should take you back too while we're at it."
"What?!" Baron replied. "But he's a Vexos. We can't go and bring him back."
"Well he's here, so it's not like he won't try to come back with us," Mira replied a bit blankly. Something obviously must be vexing her at the moment.
"What are you talking about?" Lync questioned. "I thought Gramps here said that the Dimension Portal still isn't done yet," he grumbled, arms crossed.
"Mind as well let it all out now while we're at it," Dr. Michael sighed. "You see, that was a lie I made so you wouldn't be informed of the real progress. You see, the process was able to speed up because of your gauntlet."
"Wait a minute, you took my gauntlet?!"
"Oh quit whining like a baby," Runo snapped. "It wasn't like you'd be doing much brawling out here."
"Whatever! Do you know how long I was searching for that thing when it just went missing all of a sudden?!"
"You used a gauntlet to repair the portal?" Baron asked, confused.
"Well, the Vestal technology was advanced enough to help. Unfortunately, this means that only those witha gauntlet will be able to go back to New Vestroia."
"What?!" Runo cried.
"No way!" Julie followed suit.
"But," Runo began again. "This isn't fair!"
Shut up. Nothing's fair in life, Lync thought. I…I know that a little too well. Runo's complaints were eventually answered by Dan, but those parts he didn't hear. By now, the Ventus Brawler was too self immersed in his own thoughts. His own memories…
… He was never anywhere close to popular back in Vestal. Quite far from it actually. The way his voice sounded, his height, even his pink hair, he was ridiculed and picked on for most everything about him. His reason for joining the Vexos?
To feel better upon himself.
To stroke his ego.
Dignity.
Were those reasons really good enough to gain the description of "evil"?
"Hey, Lync, are you going or not?" Alice's all too familiar voice said, breaking him away from his inner melancholy. "Dan, Baron, and Mira left already you know."
"Hm? Oh, right. See ya," he mumbled as he slowly disappeared into the portal.
...
"… Hey Alice, what's wrong?" Julie asked, noticing her friend's confusion.
"He knew where I was going, but he didn't try to trick me into letting him tag along or anything… It just seems really bizarre to me…"
"And?"
"Well, I don't know... Maybe he's different."
He was back in New Vestroia and with no one else to actually care if he spaces out, he was back to reviewing his thoughts and far from treasured memories. He remembered that he did in fact end up calling himself evil earlier today, so…what was happening to him?
What ever happened to the bullied and friendless kid from way back when? He turned into a Vexos. He turned into someone who thinks big of himself because others thought big of him as well. There was nothing more of the kid people once knew, but was that a good thing?
His thoughts continuously clashed and contradicted each other as he slowly made his way to Beta City, where the Vexos probably were at the moment. He wasn't aiming to make it there in time to stop the Resistance from deactivating the Dimension Controller, but he knew he'd have to regroup with everyone else eventually. Hydron would have his head if he didn't.
He suddenly stopped in his tracks, stared blankly towards the ground, and sighed.
"What am I doing with my life?"
Hm...This seems really rushed after rereading it... Oh well. If you have any questions or comments, please don't hesitate to review :)