Chapter Eight: Trapped
As I ran down the corridor with Happy flying behind me, I prayed that the gunshot wasn't at Gray but since his voice was shouting after the shot, I supposed the guy missed or something like that. Although, there was the possibility he was taking his last breaths now. With that thought, I sped up even though I was dead tired.
"Lucy, are you sure you're OK?" asked Happy worriedly.
"Like that matters now," I said, "We're the only two able to do something!" Then, seeing Happy's usual face sad, I added more gently, "I'm sorry. It's just… I know I have to get stronger, maybe one day; I'll be as strong as Erza, Natsu or Gray. But I'm just afraid I'll do the wrong thing."
"Like what?" asked Happy.
"I don't have much experience with S-ranked missions," I said, "I've only had the Galuna Island one, Oracion Seis and that Battle of Fairy Tail time and all those times, I had someone to guide me like Erza, Natsu or Gray and now I'm on my own… and I'm afraid I'll do something wrong."
"You won't," said Happy reassuringly, "You'll always do the right thing, Lucy."
"Thanks," I said, smiling. We neared two huge teal blue doors. I flung them open, not bothering to peek. I could be one second too late to regret it for the rest of my life. The scene before me surprised me.
The room was pretty much completely blue, except the enormous window that stretched all around the circular room. At the front of the room, just touching the window, was a black chair with wheels, seated behind a plain brown table. There wasn't anything on the table except a few papers and pens scattered about. The next thing I noticed was the princess who was not tied up or gagged or had a gun pointing at her head which surprised me. She looked completely free, unscratched and beautiful as ever.
The next thing I noticed was Gray whose hands were tied with rope and sitting at one side of the room. He looked terrible with scratches and tears in his clothes, although it was still in one piece. There were also some stairs leading out of the room.
"Gray!" I cried, practically crying with joy.
"Lucy, move!" yelled Gray.
"Nani?" I said before a huge, iron-barred cage fell around me, already locked.
"Lucy!" said Happy, who was on the other side of the cage, not trapped.
Go, I mouthed to him. I pointed at the blue stairs leading out of the room, Tell Natsu and Erza there's an entrance here and see if they can get past it!
Happy looked reluctant but quietly floated away just as a figure walked in the room. He was middle-aged, older than Ladin, probably in his thirties. He had a long, oval face and slightly curly black hair on the top of his head, looking like bed-head hair. He also had dark, pitch black eyes and pointed features. His figure was tall and slightly muscled under his black pants and V-Neck T-shirt. Out of the three mages, he was the most casually dressed. I also noticed he had a glinting black earring stud in the shape of a heart which was usually girly but it somehow suited him.
"And so the last one came," said the guy, obviously Nero, "One is captured, two can't go anywhere and the other is caged." He gestured to the table, a black magic circle appearing, "Want to see them?"
Suddenly, a yellow screen appeared and showed the scene of Natsu and Erza. Natsu, of course, had a thousand arms, continually bashing the Runes with no success. Erza was kneeling over a redheaded mage. Infra! The room looked wet from Aquarius' wave. I also noticed a blue figure on the other side of the Runes. Happy!
"Archive Magic?" I said, surprised, remembering the magic that Hibiki used.
"Oh, a bright one," said Nero, "Lucy."
"OK, you know what?" I said, "All day so far, your guild, or organization or what have you have told me I'm Lucy, then I'm Not-Lucy, then I'm Lucy again! How do you people know me?"
"I can't tell you," said Nero, "You're our enemy now." His glare was as cold as ice, "I always thought better of you."
"Why does everyone keep saying that?" I nearly yelled, "My head is literally going to explode with everyone telling me they know me when I don't know them and that I'm now working for the King when YOU kidnapped the princess!"
"Ano, Lucy…?" said the princess suddenly, speaking up for the first time. She was looking at the floor though, shy.
"Chantelle?" I asked.
Her head automatically swivelled in my direction, "You know my name, Lucy san?"
"Of course; we're supposed to save you," said Gray.
"But… I don't need—" began Chantelle.
She cut off then, when she saw Nero shaking his head at her.
"I have to go and do something," said Nero, careful not to specify what he was doing. He looked at Chantelle, "Come, Chantelle."
She obediently followed him down the stairs of her own will. I stared after her in surprise. She said she didn't need something. Our help? And there was something else about the way Nero looked at her. Not love as in boyfriend-girlfriend since he's thirty something and she's barely more than 19 but in a loving manner, like a father might look at his beloved daughter. That shocked me as well. Maybe we'd misjudged Fallen Dark.
In any case, I thought, I have to help Gray.
I tried to glimpse the lock of my cage. The lock was a simple one with a funny keyhole. It seemed to be something that you'd scan across. I thought hard. What would you scan across something like this? It could be anything! Then I suddenly remembered something.
A heart, I thought, Infra had two dragons in the shape of a heart. Nero had a heart earring. Somewhere on Ladin, he must have had a heart something as well. The thing I need to scan is something in the shape of a heart!
I looked at my clothes which had no heart shapes. Then my eyes wandered to the whip I had attached to my belt. It had a heart shaped end. I picked it up and carefully sticking my hand out, I pressed it against the scan thing. It made a quiet beep once and the lock fell off. It clattered to the floor and Gray's head popped up, looking at what I was doing. His eyes nearly came out of his head when he saw my lock off. I quickly tugged the door back so it still looked like I was trapped and picked the lock off the ground, stuffing it in my skirt. I would wait for a good opportunity to catch Nero off guard and save Gray.
I put a finger to my lips at Gray and he nodded and smiled. Footsteps echoed off the steps as Nero and Chantelle came back up. I immediately put on a solemn face, Gray following suit.
"What was that clatter sound?" asked Nero, coming back up. He went over to the desk and saw a pen dropped on the floor, "Oh that must have been it." He picked it up and placed it back on the desk.
"Well," said Nero, quietly pacing the room, "You people know our hideout and where the princess is. That's particularly bad if the King were to find out such information. Therefore, none of you will make it out alive."
He pulled out a silver shotgun from out of nowhere and pointed it at Gray, "First the boy, then Lucy."
I widened my eyes and my hand automatically went to my belt so I could summon one in front of Gray to protect him but I hesitated, Spirits aren't shields… my own voice echoed in my head. Besides, I had no magic power or enough time. I looked up at Gray, terrified. My whip wouldn't make it there in time if I had to unhitch it again and I had no other weapon.
I shoved open the door of the cage.
He pulled the trigger.