Lucy just stared at Claude blankly. A sign of a confused expression was only slightly visible on her face. Claude didn't even know what to do to about this. He escaped through a drain, to where Simon was, ran all the way from the storage room to where he is now and thus so far he comes to see this. At least the engineers didn't do anything worse on Lucy than the state she is in now.
While Claude was occupied with Lucy, Simon somehow managed to find Lucy's uniform. The engineers shoved them in a small trash barrel, ribbon included (Again, JERKS!). Luckily they were clean, just a little stained.
"Simon!" Claude called. "I think Lucy lost her memories cause I don't think she recognizes me. What do we do?"
Simon thought for a second and then had an idea. "The machine you just shut off." He began. "It might of sent some data somewhere. Maybe even Lucy's memories!"
"Are you sure?" Claude asked.
"Well if this machine can absorb souls and memories, it must have sent the data somewhere." Both of them looked around then spotted a stand holding a mechanical sphere hooked up to the machine. "There!" Simon pointed. "That object might have them!"
Claude nodded. He helped Lucy off the table and was about to grab the sphere. Before he could, all of a sudden, some unwelcome guests make their exploding entrance through a wall. It was Meg and the rest of the experimented children. "There you are!" Meg yelled. "Simon, you shouldn't have left us! Anyone who tries to escape must be punished!" Meg turned her attention to Claude "But at least we have some 'newcomers'."
"Sis…. Sister?" Claude uttered out. "Meg it's me Claude! Your brother! Please recognize me!"
"That's right, new boy. Everyone is my brother and sister. We're like one big family aren't we children?" The rest of the mob agreed.
"So you lost your memory as well huh?" Claude said sadly. "Has everyone?"
"No one remembers a thing and it's bliss!" Meg said cheerfully. "No one remembers what they were here! And now soon your going to be one of us! It's a wonderful feeling!" Meg turned her attention to Lucy. "Oh looky here! Someone is one of us already! Isn't that wonderful children?" The children agreed with excitement.
Even though Lucy didn't have memories thus didn't know who's side she was on, Lucy hid behind Claude scared of not only so much of the excitement they were expressing but there were so many children at once.
Claude kept Lucy behind him. "Meg, don't even think about laying a finger on her! Leave Lucy alone! I mean it!" Claude yelled.
"Oooo! Feisty one aren't you?" Meg said with laughter. "Now how are we going to deal with you? I wonder…. Ah I know! Children, let's play a little game. Saw off the boy's legs so he won't get away. Then take the girl!"
The windmill children slid some saws they stored in their cloaks and began to surround Claude and Lucy. Simon jumped in ready to fight the windmill children off. Before anyone could proceed through their actions, the room began to shake. Something dangerous was going on outside of the windmill.
*what was going on outside was the teachers fighting for new bodies as happened in Volume 3.*
"What's going on out there?" Claude said to himself wondering.
Whatever was going on outside, parts of the ceiling were collapsing, some walls included. Some rubble fell on some of the windmill children.
Meg deciding this was too dangerous lead the mob away heading back towards the storage room.
Claude was again was about to grab the sphere but just to Claude's luck, huge chunks of rubble fell piling up on both the machine and the sphere. "NO!" Claude yelled in failure.
"Claude come on or we'll be squashed!" Simon yelled.
Claude didn't have much choice now. He ran for Simon but stopped to notice Lucy wasn't following him. He ran back to her. "Lucy come on!" Claude grabbed her wrist and they both ran towards Simon who was leading them out of the collapsing room.
….
*a few minutes after escaping destruction*
Claude, Simon, and Lucy decided to rest in a safe part of the windmill the would not collapse from whatever battle is taking place outside of it or be accessible for windmill children to find them and take them away. Claude and Simon were wondering what was going on outside the windmill.
"What's going on out there?" Claude wondered. "I could've sworn through the collapsing ceiling, I didn't just see missiles but some of the engineers inventions fighting. What were they fighting about?"
"Who knows?" Simon said. "What ever they were fighting about, if they keep up their reign of destruction, then all of Hollow Fields will be destroyed. We need to find some help to search through the rubble for that sphere and then the key to Hollow Fields."
"You mentioned that to Lucy earlier before she got experimented." Claude said. "This key to Hollow Fields must be the way out of the academy right?"
Simon shrugged.
"I see." Claude couldn't think of anything else to say or talk about at the moment. He looked at Lucy who was sitting at the corner hugging her knees. She already changed back into her uniform. "The kids in the windmill." Claude began. "Their memories have already been taken away but, did the engineers take something more from them?"
"Well" Simon thought about that. "Some of the other windmill kids. When they got their memories taken away, some of the skills they learned such as social skills or even what they learned from Hollow Fields was also taken away. I seen some of them just not mingle with the other kids around them. Some have even forgotten how to talk and thus remain silent. The rest of us are crazy enough but some of them are so crazy, the rest of us don't even get near them."
"So, the machine that took away their memories left some of the windmill kids with worse to deal with?" Claude asked.
"Yes."
"Thanks. That's as much as I need to know because for some reason, Lucy has been acting a little more strange than expected. I know that machine took her memories away but I didn't expect any worse than that though. She hasn't even spoke one word after I shut that contraption off."
"It's a possibility that the machine might of either effected her language or social skills." Simon looked at Lucy for a second than back to Claude. "By the looks of it, it might be social. Lack of memories often leads to lack of knowledge of companions one has made friends with so far. Forgetting how to make new friends is worse along with forgetting who one made friends with."
Claude looked at Lucy. She was still the same as she was minutes ago. 'Poor Lucy.' Claude thought. 'Having no memories and now lacking life skills, it must be hard on her…' Claude thought of a few classes he attended with Lucy who was always cheerful even though some of the projects given to her gross her out or give her the creeps. But she overcame those obstacles and was able to achieve high marks. In every success, Lucy smiled. What she learned from classes still left her smiling in the end. And now all those things she learned from Hollow Fields and some previous schools she worked so hard and learned from, most of those skills and memories are now stolen. Stolen from the horrid engineers lead by that horrible woman Miss Weaver. The one who took his sister away. The one who took the other students away. The one who lead all that she has sent to the windmill to live a horrible fate. Now, Claude must do something so Lucy doesn't live the same fate.
Claude stood up and looked at Simon in the eye. "Let's head for Summer's lair."
"Summer's lair?" Simon asked.
"Summer is a girl who hates me. Despite that, she and her friend might be able to help with searching for the sphere. Maybe on our way, we'll be able to find the key to Hollow Fields! It would be easier to get to her lair through the vent but I don't think your ball and chain can fit. Going outside and finding the entrance to her lair would dangerous and difficult though."
"I'll stay here then!" Simon said seriously.
"Stay? What if the windmill kids find you or worse? What if the engineers find you?"
"I'll take them down the same way I took on the engineers in that room with the machine! You don't have to worry!"
"Alright. Hope your still in one piece when I get back!" Claude went to Lucy. Lucy looked up. Claude offered a hand. "Lucy Come on!" Lucy gave an unsure look. "It's going to be alright!" Claude reassured with a slight smile. Lucy hesitated for a second, then grasped his hand. Both of them left the hiding place, found a vent and set off for Summer's lair….
To be continued…..