Chapter Five: A Long Way From Home...
While the General and Ridley were returning to Dynas' office, Jack and Ganz were blissfully (as much as you can get from this) heading North-east towards the Nowem Region...or so they thought.
Jack didn't notice what was wrong until the plane started to sharply turn left when they were supposed to turn right making it go South-west instead of their supposed destination. As such, he immediately told the Captain and went toward the cockpit.
"Hey!" Jack tapped a man who was snoozing at the controls. The pilot wasn't really supposed to be sleeping; but there he was and he was really dependant toward the auto-pilot...
Of course, waking a pilot up didn't have the desired affect that Ganz and Jack hoped for. The pilot had panicked and started fumbling for something and at last pulled out a tranquilizer gun. He shouted and several shots rang out. Jack felt a pain in his arm and was losing consciousness rapidly as he faintly heard someone fall to the floor and heard nor saw anymore as he finally blacked out...
"...excuse me, but please wake up. You are on top of me..." That soft, but sweet voice woke Jack up and he sat up abruptly. He instantly regretted it as a massive headache erupted inside his head; it felt like a eating an ice cream too fast and it was laced with Nyquil! He groaned and found himself in a tiny cell on board the plane that earlier today was sharing a ride with his Captain...
"Huh?...How did I get here?" Jack asked warily, he turned towards the sound of the voice earlier and saw a young girl dressed in a school uniform with the Blue Vareth insignia on it. The girl had blonde hair tied in a single ponytail with a braid holding it together, her biggest standout was the large glasses she wore; round, with a crack in one lens. It hit Jack that he was in the prisoner's hold. To Jack, the girl seemed to have lived in better times before she ended up here. The tears in the Blue Vareth uniform said that as well as the glasses. The girl immediately started to blush under the curious stare and held her large tome in front of her chest like a shield. Getting the hint, Jack looked away, embarrassed...
Jack "coughed" and tried to start a conversation. "So, uh...what's your name?" The girl, who looked like she was recovering from her blush, started to glow red as she stuttered out her name.
"L-leona. Leona Weissheit." The girl, Leona, kept holding her tome in front of her chest. Jack nodded and started to drift out of saying things before Leona kept the conversation up with a small giggle and said.
"You know, not many try and break out so early in the flight. We usually try and breakout...oh around halfway." Leona laughed, thinking that he was a new prisoner. Jack laughed uncertainly, not knowing whether to break the news to her. She obviously had experience escaping the plane, but he wasn't so sure of his skills.
"Leona? I'm Jack, Jack Russell. Nice to meet you." Jack said, shaking her hand with his own. When he let go, he failed to notice a small look of disappointment cross her features before breaking out into a small smile. Jack smiled too and looked around their prison cell.
"You...aren't a prisoner, are you?" Leona asked, suddenly afraid. Jack was confused, but shook his head. Leona suddenly looked sad and was on the verge on tearing up. Jack suddenly felt bad; I mean he would be feel bad if he was part of the faction that was against them and probably someone had forced the young girl as well...
"Why did they put you in here? Shouldn't you be with those other callous pigs?! Lounging around in their luxury style rooms..." Leona asked bitterly...and to her surprise, Jack started to laugh. Leona was confused, perhaps Jack wasn't stable-headed?
"If that was true, then the captain wouldn't have to share a room with the other soldiers!!" Jack said while laughing. Leona huffed but grew curious when the laughing started and stopped as fast as it began when Jack had looked toward one of the planes portholes. The plane was originally held to insert air into livestock but has since been used as prisoner transports...
"I didn't join the army on my own. It was a crazy scheme by my girlfriend's father, who seems to absolutely hate me. The old bastard set me up and was about to immediately be shipped off until a man saved my life. I owed him my life and enlisted to pay him back for the strange sense of kindness." Jack spoke seriously.
Leona was confused about the conflicting emotions inside of head and heart. Her mind screamed as the suspicions she had at first, but her heart told her to believe the young man in front of her. Her heart also told her sadly that he wasn't able to return any affections that she might have for him in the future...although it never stopped her from having them any time soon...
Leona listened with her heart and believed him as she started to ask him questions about his life. When Jack asked the same, she was surprised at how close they got and began to tell him things about her life that she wouldn't tell about to anyone else.
Jack learned that Leona had a brother; a man named Genius Weissheit and that he was working for Blue Vareth as a spy inside the Radiata Army's research team. "Unfortunately" Leona said with a hint of sadness, that she hadn't heard of him or his research double spy; a woman named Morgan from at least six months after their last report.
Jack held no sympathy for the army aside for Ganz and Dynas. He told her in surprising confidence that he was living rough until his girlfriend, Ridley brought him out of the stupor for a short time until her father got seemingly jealous and hatched this conspiracy against him.
"You know, it was probably not a coincidence that all of them belonged to Cross' gang." Jack said with an angry laugh. Not knowing who this Cross was, Leona asked. Jack was surprised by this but thought that she was living inside the Blue Vareth's school and started to describe him.
"Cross Ward...huh. Well let's just say he ain't all right inside his head. He was a really timid kid, you know the type; self-conscious, really not a genius except for a few answers and some odd quirks. He also was crushing on my girlfriend, well best friend back then. After encouraging him to ask her out, he changed completely. He became extremely paranoid and kept flaunting Ridley in front of everyone, including me. He also got really possessive over her and started using a lot of drugs, mainly halogens and kept buying vodka." Jack paused and Leona thought that he was choking up when he was really controlling his rage.
"He also started to sprout lies to make Ridley and me hate each other. It almost worked, except I overheard the plan..." Leona almost was sucked into the memory as Jack started to retell it...
-Flashback: One year ago-
Jack was not having a good day, but then again in these times who wasn't? Ridley and himself had another major fight between them, each of them saying things that weren't exactly true and each time had Ridley off in the arms of Cross...leaving Jack to fend off the vicious hurt of the lies that Ridley told, fed to them by Cross.
Cross, hmph! Jack thought angrily, he once helped the guy by making the mistake of his life. At first, Jack was going to ask Ridley on a first date but began having doubts when nervous then Cross asked for advice on how to ask Ridley out. Suppressing feelings of jealousy and heartbreak, he decided to help the guy out. Of course, it all blew up in his face as Cross began to swirl out of control into the state he was in.
Jack was also saddened at how Ridley took in his every word as truth and perceived Jack as if he was in Cross' state of binge drinking and drug user. He also felt anger that Elena and himself had another fight earlier that week before angrily breaking it off with her and was surprised to learn that he was dating Adina at that time and the Elena blamed him for all of those "Missed" dates that they planned for.
'How the hell was I supposed to know which was which?! They dress exactly alike!' Jack said as he stomped toward Ridley and Jack's meeting spot and started to sit in those swings that forged a friendship between himself and Ridley.
"Hm...more like ex-friend now...I mean, how could she believe that I said I thought that I was using pity on her to be her friend, that is a total lie! She had pity on me!...I think." Jack vented in anger and finished in shame as he said something that they both knew wasn't true. Jack sighed and went toward the school once more ignoring Ridley as she passed him alone. Though Ridley made an effort in showing dislike for him, Jack was deep in thought as he focused on his thoughts and not in the surrounding area. Needless to say, Ridley was surprised and saddened at her ex-friend' s cold ignorance...
Jack headed toward an old tree to see if Elena would give him another chance when he heard laughter from behind the music building. Jack was curious and started to overhear some of the loud voices each explaining their useless info...until Jack heard Cross' voice. From the sound of it, Cross was high.
"Heh eh eh heh. I'm almost there boys! One more! One more and I'm rid of that punk forever...ever...ever. What a funny word, Ever!" Cross said and laughed while the other three, seemingly a mix of high and drunk people, laughed along. Finally one asked a question...seemingly hard for someone as drunk but he did it anyway.
"H-hey Cross. How goes the lie telling...thing. And-and what about the juggling?" The boy slurred stupidly. Jack wasn't sure how, but Cross seemed to understand perfectly and started to brag again.
"Yeah! I had to lie to Ridley and that...that stupid punk Jack as well to keep Ridley mine forever! I need one big lie...but I dunno what to say...eh! It'll come to me...me. For the juggles, well it was easy stealing that girl...what was her name?...Natles?...no Natalie!" Jack frowned and shook in anger. Ridley was being played, and so was he! That...that...dick!
Cross kept talking to a now asleep group. "Anyways, I think I'll take her to that old swing set that Jock and Ridely kept talking about...maybe I'll take her then...eh?! Hahahaheh!" Cross finished and slumped to the floor, finally exhausted from bragging. Jack had no other choice; scorned or no scorned, Ridley had to be told the truth!
Jack found Ridley crying at the swing set they went to when they met. It used to be part of the playground, but since then it was in disrepair. Jack tapped a surprised Ridley which quickly turned into a sneering Ridley. It scared Jack a bit to how well the sneer matched the one used by Ridley's dad, Jasne.
"What do you want, Russell?" Ridley said coldly as Jack flinched. Jack had to steel his nerves however and started to tell her about Cross' plans. As expected, Ridley didn't believe squat about it and started to tell him off.
"How dare you!! I hoped that you weren't a two faced liar, but this tears it!! Cross is such a gentlemen for me and you are just trying to tear us apart!" Ridley slapped Jack here and to say that didn't hurt emotionally was a total lie. "Don't fucking come near me again, Jack! Screw you and get out of here!" Ridley said and started to stalk away. Jack was hurt, both physically at the slap and emotionally from just how far the lies went. Telling himself that this was for Ridley's good, he shouted at her not in anger, but as a plea.
"Ridley!! If I'm such a liar, then I'll leave!! Just come back here around after school!!" Ridley only responded by flipping him off and Jack felt really lonely all of a sudden...He quickly made for the bus stop that took him to Adele's house and went to sleep until the eventual showdown between Cross and Ridley...
The next morning, Jack woke up early...which confused him but he wrote it off as a mix of spite and excitement at the upcoming event. Adele noticed the early riser and to say she was suspicious was putting it nicely.
Adele Russell is the last remaining Russell besides Jack himself. Adele, like himself was always interested in the old stories their father kept telling them and was saddened at the death of their mother and father, though their father's death was never official.
She somewhat inherited her father's type of questioning: Always to the point, never around. Immediately she said a single question laced with such will and force that Jack found himself spilling what was going on. Adele sighed at the answer and just told Jack to be careful and let him off just like that. Jack paid no heed and got ready for another day of school...
Jack was thankful that Ridley was only in his homeroom and not in any of his classes so it was really easy to avoid her. Then the show began...
Jack was having a lot of emotions for Ridley right now...and it was scaring him.
First he felt anger at his friend's pure hatred against him...
Second he felt hate at Cross and Ridley's gullibility for him...
Next he felt fear at Ridley's reaction after the fact was revealed to her...
Finally he felt shame and sadness at one time after the look of the crashing world around her was happening in just a short while assuming that Ridley took his advice...
Showtime...
Jack saw Cross lead Natalie Nanette, a high school senior and a total ditz to other reason than her own was giggling at a lame joke that Cross made and started to make out heavily with her with a furious Leonard Ford at the side of a building trying his hardest to not be seen...it failed spectacularly as his round gut was protruding from the side when he leaned toward them.
'That boy...needs to lose a lot of weight if wants to become a spy...' Jack said while looking at Leonard's attempt at eavesdropping. He turned back toward the kissing couple and looked to the left...hoping that Ridley would think their friendship was worth at least this final plea...and there she was in three...two...one...
"What the Hell?!" Ridley's voice echoed throughout the park. Children immediately picked up the phrase and headed toward their parents to ask what it meant, old people looked at the sky and believed that it spoke to them but went back to playing chess, dominoes or old style poker.
Jack looked on in amusement at Cross' whimpering and Natalie's shock as she explained that she didn't know a damn thing about them. Ridley, Cross and Jack himself had to wonder if she really was that oblivious...
The smack from Natalie just had enough force to knock Cross out and Ridley told an unconscious Cross that they were over. Jack stood silently as Ridley started to realize her world had shattered and was close to tearing up...and there it went, she started to cry...
Jack had enough shame on his conscious and started to turn away when he heard his name being called. It was a desperate call from Ridley to Jack, but for some reason, he could feel the slap on him again and he tried to run but he stood still...
"Jack. Please..." Ridley said trying to grab him on the shoulder. As soon as she did, Ridley was shocked and scared. The fate of their friendship was on the verge of collapsing and it was all up to Jack...
Ridley held back a sob as Jack rubbed the left part of his face; it was after all where she slapped him...her silent tears flowed from her as Jack gently removed her hand and walked away with only a few words...
"Not yet, Ridley...not yet." with that said, Jack had to painfully walk away from Ridley's heartbreaking sobs...
The next few days were awkward for both Jack and Ridley. For Ridley it was painful; Cross kept trying to control her by using lies, but each time Ridley tried to tell him off, Cross kissed her forcefully. Once the kisses were sweet, but now it was full of tobacco and alcohol. Ridley wondered how she ever thought this sweet...
The part that was very painful for her was that this was planned. Cross always picked the time to force himself on her just as Jack was passing by. Ridley was trying to break away but by the time she did, Jack was silently walking away, not hearing Ridley's shouts.
On the day that was supposed to be the last before spring break, Ridley decided to walk to the old swing sets to where it began...and ended the friendship between herself and Jack.
'Damn him!...and damn myself for believing it! I am so sorry Jack...' Ridley thought as the tears tried to come up again. It stopped as she saw Jack sitting there next to where Ridley used to sit and it just broke her heart to see it so...empty and cold. A simple gesture of course, but it was all she could do as she sat next to the empty swing beside Jack. Ridley looked with sad eyes at the once bright-eyed friend she once had such dull brown eyes. A faint imprint of the slap could still be seen on his left face.
They sat in silence for a while, with Ridley looking at him asking for his forgiveness in silence. Jack sighed and stood up. Ridley, still looking for a spark of life inside of those eyes watched as she almost gave up on ever repairing her friendship when she heard a voice ask.
"Aren't you coming? It's almost dark you know." Ridley looked up and saw a small spark in Jack's eyes. He had a faint smile and held his hand out to her. Ridley, instead of taking it his offered hand, leapt and started to cry on Jack's shoulder and hugged the life out of him with Jack doing the same, except his tears was coming only slower and on Ridley's head.
...a brittle wall became steel as the friendship was rebuilt once again. Jack and Ridley were standing still with each other until dark well settled and the streetlights were coming on when they did let go. Ridley was teary and red from crying and Jack was almost the same with a large damp spot on Jack's shoulder and a bit damp on Ridley's head. Jack closed his eyes and held Ridley like an old buddy and said:
"Ridley, we are such idiots..." To that, Ridley laughed and nodded. They walked home hand in hand...
The following week, the school and it's students found a very lively Jack Russell and a very happy Ridley Silverlake and found that their friendship was completely revived and even stronger! Not even Cross, who had woken up inside of a hospital room with a healing jaw, could not force Ridley away as she always stuck by Jack. Hell, he couldn't even force his mouth upon hers as she had Jack to protect her from even getting close! It seemed he had lost...
Cross was furious!!! Forget being a nice guy! It was time to remove Jack...permanently! With his cracked mind, he began planning his murder attempt of Jack using a poorly executed plan...in fact it kinda looked like this:
Plan kill jack: By Cross the great!
A. Steal Godwin's car.
B. Find Jack.
C. Smash his body into the school!!!
D. Laugh and make out with Ridley
Cross chose tomorrow and began to sleep with dreams of mass murdering Jack and his various copies that appeared to line up with a crazed Cross subjecting them to a conveyor belt for the Radiata City meat factory... He also dreamt of selling Jack's entrails and becoming a millionaire with Ridley and himself feasting on one of Jack's products...yeah I know, creepy as hell, huh?
The next morning Jack was not feeling well and had to stay close to the nurse's office with Ridley staying with him at every break they had until it was after the bell. Jack had no intention of going outside and stayed by the stairwell next Ridley who was talking softly when they heard a large CRASH! Forgetting his illness, Jack and Ridley went towards the sound and saw a large unknown Janitor being led away in an ambulance with a broken leg and Cross being wrestled to the ground by four police officers all the while screaming "Ridley! Ridley!!" Cross looked like a wild animal before spotting Ridley. He struggled and was being slowly pulled away by the police as he kept screaming to be let go.
"Ridley!! Ridley, my love!!! you'll get me out right?! Right!" Cross was just about screaming now and one of the officers just about tripped him and all four used their Taser Guns to put an end to the boy's loud voice. Ridley and Jack were watching in amusement as they none too gently shove Cross into the back seat of the squad car and the two sets of police rode away from the school with shocked teachers and a fuming principal Godwin at the state of his car.
Ridley and Jack slowly decided that kicking it after school was not the best idea after all...
As the months passed; from spring, to summer and finally to fall, old feelings began to grow between Jack and Ridley. It was almost comical in the way they tried to speak to each other about their feelings only to be left with a red hue for Jack and a crimson hue for Ridley. Believing their friendship to survive a hit like this, Jack and Ridley steeled their nerves and hoped to confess to each other by the end of the week...and tomorrow was Friday.
Jack was practicing his lines in English: "Ridley, I have wanted to tell you this for a long time...I love you...no that wasn't it! That wasn't it at all!!" Jack said, even though it was the best line he got. He was interrupted by a woman looking pointedly at him and asked him to read the line where the other student, a young freshman named Flau left off.
"Yes Ms. Hertz...ahem.." Jack pointed out a random line on his book and found a lengthy one and started to read it out loud...his gamble paid off as the teacher looked shocked at her student's attentiveness and freaking sheer luck and left him alone to ponder his confession to Ridley.
They met up after school and inadvertently blushed at each other as they walked to Ridley's home as they did everyday. Jack was gearing up and Ridley kept looking his way and looking in another direction when she thought Jack was looking at her. As it came only too soon, the pair arrived at Ridley's...
Jack was angry at himself for not saying it and saw that Ridley was doing the same and thought 'What the hell?' and tapped Ridley on the shoulder making her face him. Jack was hopeful as the blush intensified from a rosy blush to a full crimson red and that made him even more bolder as he bent down and kissed her.
Ridley mentally gasped; the kiss was absolutely wonderful! It wasn't forced like the bastard Cross. It was tender, passionate...and a bit hesitant? Ridley just about stopped the hesitation as she wrapped her arms around Jack but not before putting his hands on her waist as she kissed back. The two eventually sat on the floor with Jack sitting on the dirt road not caring if his jeans are messed up and Ridley with her skirt getting stained with dust. The two kissed for a solid minute before having to release it to make sure it wasn't a dream...of course the lack of air influenced their decision as well...
The two stayed in Jack's lap with their arms between each other, not even daring to let go or open their eyes. Suddenly the two murmured to each other their small confessions to each other but only heard...
"I love You..."
-End Flashback-
Leona was stunned at Jack's memory...it felt so real that she had actual tears fall from her eyes from the distant feeling that they both went through.
Suddenly all of the gates from the prison cells swung open and both were brought from their thoughts and stories to get out of the cells and try and lead the plane back to a safe place to their respective guilds for some comfort and plans of revenge against Radiata.
Jack and Leona wasted no time trying to get to the cockpit when they passed by Ganz' cell with him panicking over the cell being opened. Leona looked at Jack and thought he was screwed if he had an army captain act like this...
After Jack calmed down Ganz, the captain went into professional mode and went passed the now empty cells. It seemed each one of the prisoners found the parachute locker and used all of them to escape leaving the three to their deaths...
...yep...they were screwed...
Jack, Ganz and Leona were terrified by their fate but fear pumps adrenaline as they made their way toward the cockpit and found the pilot with several tranquilizers on his neck and chest. It seemed that they were sadistically forced in and one of them stood plunged into his heart. The autopilot device was completely destroyed and the plane was severely damaged at the steering handle with wires sticking out.
Fortune struck as the controls were still operational and needed one to pilot the plane.
Fortune failed to strike as the pilot is either dead or comatose from the overdose of tranquilizers...
Jack was at the seat in front of the controls as he tried to remember how to pilot the controls...the only memory he had was when playing at the old antique shops' flight simulator plane game and had to use those instructions to try and land this thing...
'Ok Jack! Remember your training...' Jack kept repeating these thoughts over and over as he tried to turn the plane safely toward the ground...and that is when it went to hell as the controls were extremely fragile and had stopped responding.
The plane started to fall to the ground in an alarming rate but by then it was only twenty feet into the ground as the plane started to collide with the ground.
"Everyone, hold on!!" Ganz said as he buckled a seat belt to himself. Leona had no place to go as she stood expecting to die in fear, she was grabbed by Jack and held on tight and covered as much as he could with his arms and slightly covering body as the plane crash landed on the ground...
General Dynas had received a phone call from the Radiata tower as one of their own planes; the one Jack was on, had crashed in the Tria desert...how the hell was he supposed to tell Ridley? She was already distraught over the blunder caused by Natalie and her father, now he was supposed to tell her that her lover is probably coyote food?!
...Dynas shook his head and answered that question...he began to shake a sleeping Ridley to tell her the bad news...it struck de-ja-vu as this was the same way he told Ganz of his father's fate...
End Chapter
Well thank you for trying and getting those review in, no matter how few. I just look at the hits and it's good enough for me but please drop a review, it makes this writer feel better about his talents-even if it is about criticism, at least the person gave a damn, right?
Alright, I originally planned to make it longer but I felt that a more detailed history of Ridley and Jack's relationship in the Cross era was needed. It also made good storylines as well!
The next chapter will explore more of Jack's attempt to find a certain guild and try to bring along Ganz and Leona to safety...and more on Ridley's fragile mind being shattered by Dynas' revelation...
Til next time!