Well, I'm back. Again. At least it wasn't three months this time. Only two.
What can I say, real life got in my way and severely impacted my writing time. That, and I went through about four or five versions of this chapter before I was satisfied with it.
Seriously. The most versions of any chapter I ever had was of Chapter One, and even then I only had two versions.
Anyway, hope you all enjoy!
Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts. If I did, all of the side games wouldn't be on handheld consoles. And one of them would have been for the Xbox 360 (you heard me).
Enjoy!
Chapter Thirty One: I Want Freedom
Tuesday, June 29th 4794 P.C.
Alliance HQ
Training Simulator
The Frozen Fields
Olette stood as still as she could in the center of the training simulator, doing her best to find something relatively interesting in the dull, gray squares that had yet to create an environment for her training. A very small part of her mind continued to revert back to the habit it had developed of causing her worry due to the simulator having some occasional malfunctions. The first time she had set foot in the simulator, she was nearly overrun by Shadow Heartless because the systems in charge of deciding the number of enemies in the simulator at one time had glitched.
Over two thousand Shadows had spawned and attacked her. The environment settings of the simulation had even confined her to a padded holding cell in a mental institution, preventing her escape while the Heartless kept coming and coming until she was overwhelmed and defeated. It wasn't without its benefits though; she had managed to impress her Master by single-handedly fending off almost five hundred of the Heartless with almost no experience with combat of any kind.
The brunette tapped her foot impatiently. She had been standing there for well over twenty minutes, waiting for Xanthos to enter the concealed control booth where he would observer her session and give instructions to Pence (who knew the workings of the training simulator better than anyone else) on certain adjustments to the simulation, based on how well Olette did. Xanthos wouldn't want it to be too difficult for her, after all.
Olette felt her ears twitch slightly as someone who walked with heavier footsteps entered the concealed control booth. A small grin spread across her face. The heightening of some senses were (according to her Master) one of the best side-effects of experiencing Destati. Just as Xanthos explained, Olette had first discovered her improved hearing and sense of smell within two weeks after they had first arrived on the Frozen Fields and they had been rapidly improving ever since.
There was a faint crackle of static as the simulation chamber's audio systems were activated. "Are you ready?" Xanthos' voice crackled. Olette nodded in response and cracked her knuckles anxiously. "Alright then. Just like last time, Pence will be in control of the simulation under my guidance. If he tells you to do something, do it. Understood?"
"Yes, Master," Olette replied, nodding her head towards the control booth. She heard Xanthos mutter something in a hushed tone to someone else in the booth. A brief moment later, a holographic countdown timer appeared directly in front of her, counting backwards from thirty.
"When the clock reaches zero, the simulation will begin," Pence explained. "I'm activating the environment simulation now." All around Olette, the simple, gray colored panels lining the interior of the simulation chamber began to glow with a faint blue light as the environment projectors came to life. A virtual world rapidly constructed itself around her, leaving Olette with the impression that she was standing in a large warehouse storage room.
The walls and floor were constructed from a dull steel paneling. Crates and boxes of various sizes lined the walls and filled much of the empty space in the room. Several workers, dressed in simple gray uniforms with yellow and black diagonal stripes on their sleeves and helmets with visors that hid their faces walked up and down the aisles formed by the crates, performing their duties. Occasionally, one of them would wave to Olette, oblivious to the orange countdown timer in front of her that was in its last few seconds of life.
"Ten seconds until start," Pence's voice announced. "Enemy simulations are online. User lives are online. You've only got three this time, Olette, so be very careful."
"I will," Olette said as she summoned the No Name Keyblade to her hands. Less than a week before, on the first day Xanthos had been teaching her how to Chase a Keyblade, Olette had succeeded on her first try, and created her own No Name. Unlike the pale blue coloring on her Master's version of the No Name, Olette's had a vibrant yellow glow. Olette glanced up from her weapon and stared at the countdown timer in from of her.
Three.
A chill ran up Olette's spine, the same chill she had felt the first time she had encountered the Heartless back on Twilight Town.
Two.
A swarm of Shadows rose out of the ground and pounced on the workers in the warehouse. Men and women ran screaming as the denizens of Darkness gave chase, determined to claim their hearts for their own.
One.
Olette's grip tightened around the grip of her Keyblade as she shifted herself into a fighting stance, holding the weapon tightly in both hands as the Heartless closest to her became aware of her presence and began to advance on her.
Zero.
Olette bent her knees slightly and used them to rocket herself at the nearest Shadow, the Heartless turned toward her, sensing the presence of the Keyblade and was swiftly reduced to a small cloud of black mist. She spun around, and intercepted an attack from behind, slicing the offending Heartless through its chest. Sparks danced along the edge of the No Name as Olette called forth her reserves of magical energy.
"Thunder!" Several bolts of lightning flew from the No Name's tip and blasted through a small group of Shadows, leaving only black mist in its wake. Olette followed up her magical attack with a flurry of swift blows as she tore through the Heartless around her. The claws of a Shadow nearly managed to graze her leg, but she managed to spot the attack and countered it by kicking the Shadow as hard as she could into its fellows before blasting them all into oblivion with a Fire spell.
She couldn't help but let out an exhilarated laugh as she moved from enemy to enemy. She was determined to prove to her Master that she could handle this test, and every Heartless that fell to her Keyblade only served to strengthen her resolve.
Just you watch, Master Xanthos. Just you watch.
LD
Torneo Rudman's Mansion
Sapidoa City
Padosoan
"We're screwed," Rinslet groaned as she walked up to the others who were waiting just outside of the main gate to Torneo's mansion. "They've bumped up security since Train busted in there earlier. There are at least twenty guards spread out around the grounds, and dozens of those Heartless things everywhere, not to mention a grid work of lasers mounted on top of the walls." She glared at Train. "You just had to let them know we were in town, didn't you?" Train simply shrugged in response.
"So, Svenny-baby… Once we're in are you going to take off your eye patch?" Train asked, glancing over at his partner.
"I won't use my right eye. This'll be plenty," Sven held up his gun for emphasis and waved it around.
"Good enough for me!" Train said with a laugh.
"You know, I really don't see how we're going to get into this place unnoticed," Nanaki pointed out. "If they have all of that security, I just don't see a way in."
"No sweat," Sven said confidently as he lit another cigarette and gently clapped the teen on her shoulder, "we're just gonna walk right in through the front gate."
"I've done some crazy stuff before, but how are we gonna do that?" Sora asked. With a flash of light, he summoned his Kingdom Key to his side, catching Nanaki's attention. "I could always try to unlock it with this."
"That wouldn't do us any good," Train said. Those gated can't be pulled open, the guards inside have to push them open. I got a good look when I was there earlier."
"Great," Sora groaned.
"Why did you stop using your Oblivion Keychain?" Nanaki asked Sora. "It made your Keyblade look badass."
Sora glanced down at the Kingdom Key in his hand. "It just doesn't suit me, you know?" He said with a grin. "Gothic really isn't my style. I like some of the more simple things, and what could be simpler than this?" He brought the Kingdom Key up to rest on his shoulder.
"I'll give you that," Nanaki said as she summoned the Keeper's Crest to her hand. "So, are we gonna do this or what?"
"We have to get in first," Train reminded her. "We have to get past the gate?"
"And how are we doing that?" Rinslet asked.
"Watch and learn," Sven said, removing a small red orb decorated with a drawing of a smiling cat face from his pocket.
"What's that little thing gonna do?" Train asked. Usually, Sven showed off his inventions to his partner, but the former Eraser had never seen this thing before. Ignoring Rinslet and igniting his lighter, Sven lit the small wick on the orb and tossed it gently to land in front of the gate. The orb rolled to a stop and released a puff of purple smoke into the air.
"So, is it going to explode or what?" Sora asked, having thought the orb was a bomb.
"I think blowing up a wall might get us noticed," Sven deadpanned in reply.
"Then what does it do?" Rinslet asked. In response, three cats appeared from the nearby trees that lined the perimeter of Torneo's mansion and began pawing at the orb.
"That's it?" Nanaki said. "That's lame." Sven's eye twitched in irritation and reached back into his pocket, producing a handful of the red orbs and lighting them all. In almost no time, the five of them found themselves standing in what seemed to be a sea of cats.
"What did you just throw out there?" Nanaki asked as she tried to avoid stepping on any of the newly arrived cats.
"My cat-luring grenades," Sven explained, having to raise his tone slightly to be heard over the constant meowing the cats were making, "and they worked like a charm!"
"What's all that noise outside the gate?" One of the guards on the other side of the gate called out.
"Here we go," Sora said, readying his Keyblade as the gates to the mansion began to open.
"What the heck? What's with all these cats?"
"Who cares? Just get them out of here!"
Two guards stepped out from behind the gates and began trying to shoo the cats away, but the sea of felines didn't seem to care.
"Let's make this quick!" Sven shouted, catching the guards' attention. Before either man could cry out, the Sweeper had already ran up to one of them and punched him as hard as he possibly could in the stomach, bringing the man to his knees.
"Thanks for opening the gates!" Sora said with a laugh, knocking the other guard unconscious with a swift blow from his Keyblade as he ran through the gates, quickly followed by the other three. Train, the fastest in their group, easily shot past Sora and Sven, taking point and running straight towards four guards standing outside the entrance to the main mansion who were drawing their weapons.
"It's that guy from before!" One of them shouted as he began firing his weapon at the group. "Tell the boss we have intruders!" Train easily dodged most of the bullets and deflected the rest with the side of his Hades. Swinging his pistol like a club, Train disposed of the four guards before anyone could bat an eye.
"This is insane!" Rinslet said, covering her head as she ran toward the mansion. Several Shadows and Neoshadows rose from pools of Darkness on the ground as she passed. Portals of Darkness opened and several Soldiers and Lance Soldiers appeared.
"Leave the Heartless to me!" Sora said, sliding to a halt in front of the entrance to the mansion and turning to face the denizens of Darkness. "You guys go on ahead!"
Train looked over his shoulder as he knocked the remaining guard unconscious. "Good luck!" Sora flashed him his trademark grin and swung his Kingdom Key in a wide arc over his head before falling into a fighting stance as the Heartless charged at him.
Sven shouldered his way through the door and immediately took a right down a hall leading further towards the heart of the mansion, closely followed by the rest of their ragtag group minus Sora. Train kept pace with Sven, not wanting his partner to overexert himself because of the hole in his gut. Rinslet and Nanaki however, split away from the two of them.
"You guys rescue Eve!" Rinslet called after them. "I'm going to go find where they've hidden the Nano-tech data!"
"I'll go with Rinslet," Nanaki shouted. "She shouldn't go alone if there are Heartless down there."
"You got it!" Train shouted, waving them away as he and Sven sprinted away.
"Be careful!" Sven cautioned.
"I'm always careful!" Rinslet shouted back as she and Nanaki slipped down a side passage that led to a descending flight of stairs. "The lab will most likely be underground. While security has their eyes on the boys, we'll go steal that data!"
LD
Torneo Rudman's Mansion
Eve's Room
Eve stared at the moonlight floor in front of her without the slightest hint of emotion on her face. Torneo stood over her, puffing on a thick cigar and staring down at his creation. She had been behaving strangely ever since he had ordered her to stab man in the hat earlier that day. Could that be the reason she seems… sad? Torneo asked himself as he shook the ash from his cigar onto the floor.
"What's going on, Eve? Are you upset about that fellow with the hat?" He asked, in as kind of a voice as he could manage through his gruffness. "That's not like you. That man was a Sweeper. He tried to capture me. He's our enemy." The large man took another heavy drag on his cigar. "You obeyed my orders and stopped the enemy. That's all. I don't know what went on between you before that, but you ought to forget it. It's of no consequence." He watched Eve, searching for a reaction. But all he saw was a single tear forming in the corner of her eye.
Rage filled Torneo, and in one swift motion, he drew his hand back, and slapped Eve as hard as he possibly could. Eve let out a small cry of pain, but left her head facing away from Torneo without a word.
"There's no need for tears!" He snapped at her, spittle flying from his mouth in his anger. "All you need to do is heed my orders and kill our enemies! Do you understand?" Eve nodded slowly.
Eve… she's meant only to be a killing machine. Is she finding a will of her own? Torneo let out a growl and looked up at the large window that overlooked the central courtyard of his mansion. I don't know what kind of shock she received on the outside, but her effectiveness as a weapon may have been compromised.
The door to Eve's room flew open and Flitt ran in, panting and looking ragged. "Boss Torneo!" He cried out. "Sweepers! Sweepers stormed their way through the front gate! They're on the grounds!"
Torneo's head whipped around. "What?" He roared. His hand grabbed Eve by her arm and dragged her out of her chair as he followed Flitt out of her room. The three of them quickly moved down the hall to the security office where an entire wall was dedicated to surveillance camera feeds.
Several screens displayed Sora making easy work of the Heartless. Shadows and Neoshadows exploded into black mist as the Keyblade tore through them. Soldiers and Lance Soldiers were swiftly destroyed, replaced by crystalline pink hearts that floated a few feet into the sky before vanishing. Nanaki and Rinslet could be seen sneaking around a long metallic passage, searching for the hidden laboratory. Sven, despite his injuries was making decent progress as he searched the mansion for Eve and Torneo, pausing only when he and Train ran into groups of guards. Train was a blur on most screens, his inhuman speed and accuracy turning him into a whirlwind of heavy blows and bullets that crippled guards without killing them.
Torneo didn't seem to be the least bit interested in Sora, Nanaki or Rinslet. His attention was focused on the man who should be dead and the Sweeper who broke into his grounds earlier that same day. "The guy with the hat is still alive? And the Sweeper! They're working together? I should have known," Torneo slammed his fists against one of the three desks in the room. "How dare they come back here? Damn them!"
Behind Torneo, forgotten briefly by him and the security personnel in the room, Eve watched the video feeds, the faintest glimmer of hope shining in her eyes.
LD
Torneo Rudman's Mansion
Underground Facility
"It's so quiet down here," Nanaki muttered as she and Rinslet crept along the underground passage to Torneo's research laboratory. It didn't help that the only sounds they could hear were the clacking of their shoes on the steel floor and the occasional electrical discharge from one of the many broken surveillance cameras. "I'm kinda creeped out."
You and me both, sister," Rinslet muttered as she peered down a dimly lit side passage. "There are way too many places for an ambush to be set up." She shivered. "But, on the bright side, that is just the kind of suspicious door we've been looking for," Rinslet commented as she and Nanaki approached a large, steel plated door at the end of the passage.
Rinslet reached into the top of her shirt and produced a plastic card from her cleavage. "This card key cost me a fortune, it'd better work." She pressed the card to her lips. "Open sesame!" Rinslet slid the card through the electronic set into the door frame.
For a few seconds, the lights around the reader flashed red before turning green. "Bingo! We're in!" The door slid open automatically, revealing a dimly lit room beyond.
With a grin of satisfaction, Rinslet led the way into the research laboratory. But her triumphant expression fell before she could even take three steps beyond the threshold. Immediately beyond the door were two rows of computers sitting at workstations. Every computer had been smashed and their monitors had gaping bullet holes in them.
"This place has been destroyed," Nanaki noted. "Someone definitely beat us to the punch."
"But who?" Rinslet muttered as she picked up a slightly charred floppy disk from one of the workstations and examined it. "'Tips on How to Make Rolled Omelets without Turning Them into Toxic Waste'," she read aloud. "What the heck does that mean?" She was about to toss the disk aside when she caught sight of the name written under the title. "'Tearju Lunatique'. The Nano-technology scientist?"
"Over here!" Nanaki called out from the dark space beyond the workstations. Rinslet looked up from the disk and noticed that there were dozens of large containment tubes filled with a sickly green liquid, each big enough to hold three fully grown adults in them.
"What are these?" The purple-haired Keyblade Wielder asked as she strode amongst the tubes. Floating inside of them seemed to be a random mishmash of horrifying creatures that would haunt the nightmares of children and adults alike. "It's like a monster museum. Were they all part of the Nano-machines project to create living weapons?"
"'Nano-technology Composition through the Ingestion of G-cells'," Rinslet recited off of the orange plaque placed at the base of one of the tubes containing a humanoid-alligator creature.
"This one is 'OD Weaponry Assimilated into Skeletal Genes with Reconstituted Bone Structure'," Nanaki added examining another.
"It's like there's no logic to their experiments," Rinslet muttered, deep in thought. "They just grabbed whatever they could find and changed it."
LD
Torneo Rudman's Mansion
Main Entrance
Sora panted heavily, clutching the Kingdom Key in front of him as he warily eyed the Heartless surrounding him. Without warning, they had suddenly stopped attacking him and instead formed a large ring around him. His head flicked back and forth as he spun around expecting them to attack as a group. But instead, the Heartless simply fidgeted in place.
Okay, now I'm getting worried. Sora swallowed hard. No sooner had those words formed in his mind than the ground began to shake beneath him. Tendrils of purple-edged Darkness rose from the ground, twisting and weaving themselves into muscular-humanoid shape. Sora dug his heels into the ground and prepared himself. If the other Heartless were standing by, than whatever was taking form was nothing to sneeze at.
The Heartless that now stood before Sora stood at about seven feet tall. Its skin was a dark, purplish-bruise color. Instead of a head, a black mist hung around in its place with two pairs of glowing yellow eyes that always seemed to be focused on Sora. On each hand it had seven long black claws in place of fingers. Emblazoned on the Heartless' chest, just below where its mist-like head was situated, was the Heartless emblem.
Sora's eyes widened slightly in recognition. This Heartless was extremely similar to the one he, Kairi and Naminé had fought back in the arena in El Dorado. However, the one he was currently staring at was significantly shorter, and its left warm didn't appear to have an appearance of boiling slime.
"So, are you supposed to be the weaker one or what?" Sora asked the Heartless, even though he knew it couldn't respond. Still, it felt good for him to try taunting his opponent. Though he wasn't willing to admit it, even to himself, he had been feeling a steady build up of anger over the past few days, ever since he had briefly been controlled by his Anti-Form, and taunting the Heartless seemed like a harmless way to do just that.
The Heartless raised its left arm, which began to glow with a pale, purple light as it changed shape, just as Sora expected it to. The hand transformed into a stereotypical cross-shaped guard of a sword, with at least a half a foot of a double edged blade extending from the guard. However, the blade suddenly ended, as though it had been sliced off, leaving only the stump of a weapon in its place.
Sora let out a laugh at how ridiculous it looked. "I guess that answers my question," he snickered. "Looks like that other one I fought was better than you, and even though I needed Kairi's help to bring it down, if you can't transform your arm, what good are you?"
The Heartless responded to Sora's taunts by swinging its sword arm down in a wide arc. As the partial blade lined up with the ground, a deep gouge began to form in the dirt, almost as if a real blade was there. The Heartless swung its invisible blade back around and crossed it over its chest. Sora stared, dumbfounded at the mark on the ground.
"Okay, I take back what I said," he chuckled nervously. "The other one wasn't nearly as scary as you are."
The Heartless, not surprisingly, said nothing, and instead chose to bull-rush Sora. The spiky-haired teen's nervous grin slipped off his face, replaced by a more serious grimace. He leveled his Kingdom Key with the charging Heartless and summoned forth magical energy to fire off a string of fire balls at the beast. Three streaks of orange, yellow and red raced toward the Heartless as Sora let loose a wild battle cry. The Heartless didn't even pause as its invisible blade deflected the fireballs, redirecting them harmlessly into the ground beside it.
"Well that was effective," Sora mumbled sarcastically as the Heartless swung at him. The teen leapt backward as hard as he could to avoid the invisible blade, as he had no idea how long it could be. Fortunately, the tip only grazed him across his torso, drawing a decent amount of blood, but nothing life threatening.
"Hey! I liked that shirt!" Sora snapped at the Heartless, rolling to the side to avoid a vertical slash from it. "I mean, sure, it was my only shirt so it had to happen sooner or later, but come on!"
The Heartless was surprisingly more nimble than its counterpart Sora had fought before. It swiftly dealt two quick slashes at Sora's head, slicing open one of his cheeks and leaving a gash across his forehead, causing blood to trickle down into his right eye, partially blinding him. Sora didn't even have time to try to fight back before another slash split open his left shoulder.
"Again with the shirt!" Sora growled. "This is really starting to get old, you headless jerk." He rolled backwards, narrowly avoiding another slash from the invisible blade. "You Heartless just don't know how to play fair, do you?"
The Heartless leapt up into the air, angling its sword arm down in what Sora assumed to be a stabbing stance. The teen leapt out of the way as the beast slammed heavily into the ground, driving its blade into the earth and leaving a shallow crater.
"But so can I!" The Kingdom Key pressed point blank against the Heartless' back. "Firagun!" The resulting spell created a large explosion that blasted the Heartless toward the wall surrounding the mansion, while Sora was thrown backwards into one of the decorative pillars lining the outside of the main building.
Sora groaned in pain as he forced himself back to his feet. The circle of Heartless had broken, forming instead a straight line facing the Wielder. In the center of the line stood, seemingly unharmed, the large, mist-headed heartless.
"You have got to be kidding me," Sora sighed. What now? If I attack with magic it'll just deflect it, but if I move in, it has the advantage.
As though it were reading his thoughts, the Heartless swung its blade arm twice in Sora's direction. The teen raised his eyebrows at this. He knew the blade wouldn't reach him. There has to be at least twenty feet between- Sora's thoughts were interrupted as a section of the pillar above him was sliced off and fell to the ground next to him with a loud thud.
"The length of the blade changes at will," Sora realized. His Keyblade shook slightly in his hands. He was starting to worry more than usual now. Great, that means I have no place to hide, this thing can get me wherever I am. Come on, Sora. Think, think, think. The Heartless charged at Sora again, drawing its blade back once more, preparing to move in for the kill. An idea hit Sora as the Heartless rapidly closed the gap between the two of them, but he wasn't exactly keen on what the outcome might be.
I don't know if this will work. But I'm out of options, so there's no reason not to try! He told himself. He shifted his grip on the Kingdom Key, holding it solely in his right hand, preparing to counterattack. Once the Heartless was less than five feet away, swinging its blade at Sora once more, the teen brought up his left arm and placed it in direct path of the blade. Even though I can't see the blade, I'll know where it is the instant it attacks.
The invisible blade dug into Sora's left arm, slicing through it like a hot knife through butter. Sora howled in pain, but kept his eyes focused on the bloody line severing his arm. Just before the invisible blade finished cutting his arm off, Sora intercepted it with the tip of his Keyblade.
"Now!" He roared. A single Firaga spell shot from Sora's Keyblade, knocking back the Heartless' invisible one and leaving Sora with an opening. As Sora's severed arm flopped onto the ground below, the teen stabbed the Heartless responsible through its emblem.
"Let's finish this with a bang," Sora growled at the Heartless. "Thunder!" A thick bolt of lightning burst from the cloudless sky and struck the Heartless. Sora kept the electric attack going until he felt himself about to pass out from the exertion it was putting on him, as well as the pain he was feeling from his stump of an arm. The Heartless remained still for a brief moment, and then faded away into nothing, leaving only a lone, crystalline heart floating up to the night sky above.
Sora collapsed to his knees, using the Kingdom Key to support himself. "That's what you get," he panted. A violently painful twinge lanced through Sora's body with each heartbeat as his blood flowed freely to the ground.
"Kairi's gonna kill me." He tried to laugh, but discovered it hurt too much. He looked up at where the Heartless had been moments before, only to see the other, weaker Heartless charging him en masse.
LD
Torneo Rudman's Mansion
West Wing, First Floor
"One after another," Train grumbled as he reloaded the chambers of his Hades. "It just doesn't stop."
"Hey, Train," Sven called out to his partner from behind the cover of a thick support pillar, "you're not aiming to kill them, are you?"
"Of course not," Train snorted in response as he snapped his gun shut. He ducked out of cover long enough to fire three shots, each one bringing down a different guard. "I haven't killed any yet, have I? They'd cut our fee if I did."
"Here they are!"
"Sven! I can handle these guys on my own!" Train poked his head out from cover once more and shot down the closest two guards. He glanced back at his partner, who seemed to be hesitating. "Go on! Didn't you need to tell that kid something?" Sven nodded, sending his partner unspoken thanks and took off sprinting as best he could down a side passage while clutching his wound.
"You owe me ten bottles of milk!" Train called after him.
"No way!" Sven shouted over his shoulder. "Three max!" Sven rounded a corner and his partner's fight vanished from sight. The wounded Sweeper let out a grunt of pain and allowed himself a brief moment to relax as he replayed the events from the day in his head, from meeting Eve, right up until he passed out from the stab wound she had given him.
Eve… I'm sure of what I saw. She attacked me because Torneo ordered her to. But I definitely saw tears in her eyes. She may be a living weapon, but she doesn't kill because she wants to. She made sure to avoid my vital organs. That's the only reason I didn't die! If someone just gave her a chance, that girl could be human again. It's too late for Train or me, but she still has a shot!
Sven forced himself away from the wall and took off at a brisk pace determined to find Torneo and set Eve free.
LD
Torneo Rudman's Mansion
Main Entrance
Sora spun on his heel and plunged the 'teeth' of the Kingdom Key into the chest of another Soldier, reducing it to a fine black mist with a crystalline pink heart at its core. Without pausing, Sora rolled to the side, narrowly avoiding a Neoshadow as it burst out of the ground. He aimed his weapon so the tip was level with the Heartless and called forth a large fireball that quickly disposed of it.
The only remaining Lance Soldier attempted to run Sora through with its weapon, but the Keyblade Master was faster. Sora spun the Keyblade around in his grip, deflecting the lance and driving it point-first into the ground. The Lance Soldier stumbled forward, unprepared for the sudden stop in its attack, and left itself wide open to a Blizzaga spell fired from Sora's Keyblade.
Sora smashed the frozen Heartless with a quick strike and turned to face the remaining Shadows, only to find that they had already disappeared. Sora breathed a sigh of relief and collapsed to his knees with a gasp of pain as the stump on his left arm sent another wave of pain through Sora's body.
This is bad… Sora groaned as he watched his wound stain the ground below him with his blood. It won't stop bleeding… And I don't have the energy to try to heal this.
The sound of approaching footsteps caught Sora's attention. He whipped his head around and raised his Keyblade in the best defensive stance he could muster. The footsteps were caused by a man dressed in a white lab coat that was headed toward Sora with a bloody lump hidden by a stained cloth tucked under his arm. His hair was a light brown in color and his eyes were hidden by the reflection of light cast off by his glasses.
"Master Sora, I presume?" The man inquired, glancing around at the rubble from the ruined gate that littered the courtyard. Sora's eyes narrowed and his grip tightened around the handle of his Keyblade.
"That's right," the teen replied. "Who are you?"
"Lower your weapon, please. You don't perceive me as a threat, do you? My name is Kazuo Kanzaki," the man replied. "But you can call me 'Doctor'. That's what the others call me in any case." Doctor smirked at Sora, sending a chill up the Wielder's spine, but whether or not it was derived from blood loss or from the smirk, Sora couldn't tell.
"How do you know my name?" Sora asked.
"Let's worry about that later," Doctor Kanzaki said. He raised his arm revealing that the misshapen object he was holding was Sora's severed hand. Sora's pupils shrank at the sight of his arm and he had to force himself to not vomit all over himself. "Normally, I wouldn't do this, seeing as we're enemies, but Creed feels it would be… inconvenient, if you were to lose half of your power."
At the mention of the name 'Creed' Sora' briefly flashed back to earlier that month, when he had first heard that name. "Allow me to introduce myself. It comes as a great pleasure to meet you, Master Sora, Princess Kairi. I am a member of the Apostles of the Star. My name is Charden."
"The Apostles of the Star?"
"Yes. We are revolutionaries led by the great Creed Diskenth, and as such we are now allied with the Queen of Darkness, Maleficent."
"So, you work for Maleficent?" Sora quickly forced himself to his feet, ignoring the throbbing of his stumped arm and raised his Keyblade in front of him. "And now you're suddenly offering to help me? I don't buy it."
"Come now, Master Sora, you're in no condition to fight anymore," Doctor Kanzaki said with a sigh. "You've lost too much blood. If you keep at that for much longer, you'll pass out and die." Sora glanced down at his wound, the flow of blood had slowed considerably since his hand was severed, but he was already having trouble standing. In fact, it took all of his conscious effort just to keep his legs from giving out beneath him.
"That doesn't explain why this Creed guy wants me to keep both my arms," Sora managed to grunt through the waves of pain shooting up his arm. "Wouldn't be easier for Maleficent if I was weaker?"
"Without a doubt," Doctor Kanzaki replied, pushing his glasses further up along the bridge of his nose. "However, the Apostles of the Star are only allied with Maleficent until she is no longer necessary to us." He pointed at Sora's Oblivion with his free hand and grinned. "Creed has an eye for murderous intent, and the Keyblade certainly has such a bloody history behind it. As such, he wants you to be at full strength should you ever decide to join us. So, here I am. I can use the power of Tao to treat you."
"Tao?" Sora repeated. Doctor Kanzaki ignored him and held out his free hand toward the fallen Wielder.
"Let me see your wound," he instructed quietly. "You don't want to bleed to death, do you?" Begrudgingly, Sora held out his injured arm toward the man, who gently took it in his grasp as he examined it. The two of them were silent for several long seconds as Doctor Kanzaki turned the arm around in his grasp, carefully examining the wound. Finally, a grin of satisfaction formed across his face.
"Ah, yes. The Seraph's blade is magnificent, wouldn't you agree?" He said, still staring at the wound.
"Seraph?" Sora repeated.
"A unique breed of Heartless," Doctor Kanzaki explained. "Born like most Emblem Heartless, only the Seraph isn't limited to a single form. This is due in part to the mixture of both Tao and Darkness. Two powerful forces fusing together to create a lethal, yet, beautiful tool of destruction." He traced the outer edge of Sora's wound, ignoring the blood and causing the teen to wince in pain.
"See here?" He continued. "Everything surrounding the wound is still intact. It's as though the cells were simply pulled apart. Therefore, soft Chi Kung treatment should be sufficient." He shifted his grip on Sora's arm so that he was holding it in one hand, while the other grabbed hold of the severed hand, guiding it back into place. A faint, pale blue light surrounded the wound and Sora nearly cried out as excruciating pain flooded his mind. It was even worse than when his hand had actually been cut off. He could feel his skin reconnecting, the muscle and tissue underneath knitting themselves back together, the bone fusing itself back into place, and it hurt like nothing he had ever experienced before.
"Don't worry," Doctor Kanzaki continued. "I'm reviving the cells with my Chi. This should only take a few more seconds. It's a good thing I perfected my work on the Seraph's offensive capabilities, otherwise, your cells would be too damaged for this to even work." Sora winced as pins and needles shot up his arm from the wound. The whole process took less than two minutes and when Doctor Kanzaki pulled his hands away, there wasn't a single mark on Sora's flesh to show that he had ever lost the arm other than the drying blood he had lost.
"I'll be off then," Doctor Kanzaki announced as he wiped his hands off on the cloth he had used to wrap Sora's formerly severed arm in. "My comrades are waiting for me to report in. Shall I pass your thanks along to Creed? If he hadn't made the request, I'd be handing you a rather large bill right now."
Sora glared up at the man. He could practically smell the Darkness on him. "Tell him, that one day, he's going to regret this."
Doctor Kanzaki chuckled and turned his back on Sora as he strode back toward the ruined gates of Torneo's mansion. "If you insist."
"What a weird guy," Sora muttered as he went back to ensuring that his formerly severed limb would still function.
LD
Torneo Rudman's Mansion
West Wing, Second Floor
There sure are a lot of them. Train said to himself as he loaded his Hades for what felt like the hundredth time that night. A bullet impacted against the pillar he was hiding behind, blasting off a small chunk of cement. All this gunfire and smoke reminds me of the old days. Just like… one of those days. A single heartbeat seemed to slow down time around him. The feeling of the kill, the cold emotionless state of an Eraser, filled Train's veins.
"Hey, where'd he go?" One of the guards that had been shooting at the former Eraser shouted over the gunfire of his companions as he realized Train was no longer shooting back. Slowly, the others stopped firing their weapons and looked around for signs of Train.
"Did he escape?" Another asked.
"Hold on," the first guard said, holding up his hand to keep his companions at bay. "He may still be waiting to make his move." As if on cue, Train stepped out from behind cover and locked gazes with the guards. The five men opposing him all froze in place as fear overtook them. Train's pupils had changed into cat-like slits, and he seemed to be emitting an aura of murderous intent.
What's happening? I c-can't move! One of the guards tried to scream, but no sound came out.
"I have business with Torneo," Train said as he walked toward the guards. "You will let me pass." One of the guards nodded shakily, terrified that even a small action like that could possibly get them killed.
H-he's a monster! The guard said to himself as Train walked right past them and disappeared around a corner. Even if there were a hundred of us… we still wouldn't stand a chance against a man like that!
LD
Torneo Rudman's Mansion
Security Office
"Neutralized?" Torneo roared at Flitt, who had just lost radio contact with another squad of guards. "All of them? There were thirty men on that detail!" In his anger, Torneo slammed his fist into the closest wall, leaving a decent sized hole in it as a result.
"Yes, Sir…" Flitt said nervously, flinching at the sight of his employer's anger. "The others are starting to desert as well." He glanced over at the wall of security cameras, only a third of which seemed to still be working. Sven could easily be seen sneaking around the west wing of the mansion where no more guards were left. Train appeared only as a blur in several cameras before a flash of light lit up the screen and static replaced the image. Clearly he was shooting out every camera he came across. "It's only a matter of time before the intruders make their way here. What do you want to do?"
Torneo was staring up at the displays as well, but his gaze was distant and Flitt wasn't sure the older man was even paying attention at all. He seemed to be having an internal debate with himself over the best course of action. With a grim expression, Torneo slowly turned toward his right hand man. "Flitt, prepare the N-S drug."
"What?" Flitt's mouth dropped open in disbelief. The N-S drug hadn't even passed proper testing yet. Things couldn't possibly be that desperate. "You're not going to give it to Eve, are you? Her body can't-"
"I know," Torneo cut his rambling off before he could get underway, "but this is an excellent opportunity to test her powers in real combat." He turned toward Eve, who had her eyes fixed on the screens displaying the Sweeper with the eye patch. "We'll unleash Eve's potential. And she will tear our enemies to shreds!"
LD
Alliance HQ
Training Simulator
The Frozen Fields
Olette drew in a deep breath to steady her nerves as she stared out of the exit to the simulated warehouse and across the landing pad that waited beyond at the newest challenge the simulator had thrown her way. A Dark Keyblade Wielder, dressed in the same armor most Dark Wielders had worn during the Keyblade War (according to the images Xanthos had given her).
The armor consisted of a form-fitting suit that appeared at first glance to be made of black muscle tissue. The black faded to red around the wrists. Crimson gloves covered his hands. The suit had a blood red muscle pattern on the chest. It had a dark red belt and matching, frayed cloth around his waist, opening in the front. The front of the cloth was held together by a pair of crimson straps that crossed in an 'x' shape over the Wielder's waist. The Wielder's face was concealed behind a featureless black mask that covered all of his head.
The Wielder clutched an abnormally long Keyblade in his hand. The weapon appeared chipped and asymmetrical in its design. The handle was smooth and red-orange and was surrounded by a roughly rectangular guard. The guard was predominantly black, though it faded into dark red toward the base of the blade, and had uneven, chipped spikes on each of its corners. The shaft of the blade was black with a faded bronze border along its edges, which are lined with prominent chips and a rust colored chain design running along its heart. The head of the blade was decorated by several chipped and oddly-shaped red-orange spikes with black tips, which also formed the teeth. A sinister blue eye was set into the head of the blade and seemed to be looking at Olette. The Chaos Ripper. A weapon forged by Chasers who had given themselves over to Darkness.
"Your new objective is to defeat your opponent and escape in the remaining shuttle before the facility collapses in on itself," Pence's disembodied voice explained. Olette nodded and tightened her grip on her Keyblade, ignoring the rain pelting against her face and in her eyes. "You've only got four and a half minutes to escape. Give him hell, Olette!"
As the glowing orange countdown timer appeared high above the landing pad, easily visible despite the vision-impairing rain, the Dark Wielder drew back his Keyblade and charged at Olette with a vicious cry. The brunette braced herself as her opponent bore down on her, carefully measuring his heavy footsteps and how close he was to her.
Olette drew back her free hand, now surrounded with a swirling, bluish-white energy. "Blizzara!" The energy around her hand redirected itself to her palm, twisting into an orb shape before following bursting forth and impacting against the wet ground in front of the Dark Wielder. The wet ground instantly froze over, leaving a long, smooth patch of ice in the Wielder's immediate path and allowing him no time to attempt to avoid Olette's trap.
He slipped and fell face first onto the strip of ice, still speeding towards Olette as he attempted to right himself. A smug smirk formed on Olette's face as she drew back her Keyblade, ready to end this brief battle with one blow. However, the Dark Wielder managed to get himself into a position that allowed him to plunge his Keyblade through the ice and into the ground below when he was just outside of Olette's range of attack. The Chaos Ripper acted as an anchor for the Wielder, who quickly turned his momentum into a weapon and spun around in a wide circle before kicking Olette in her stomach with both feet, winding her as she was sent flying back toward the entrance to the research facility.
The brunette gasped for breath as she scrambled back to her feet, briefly using her No Name for support. The Dark Wielder was closing in on her once more, not giving her time to properly recover. Olette barely managed to duck under the Wielder's slash. She attempted to counter with a blow to his ribs, but the man proved to be far more skilled with a bulky weapon than she had expected. He managed to twist his Keyblade around in his grip and brought his arm closer to himself just in time to deflect the No Name's teeth.
Olette kicked against the head of the Chaos Ripper, causing the Wielder to lose his balance as it slid between his legs. The brunette leapt away from him, putting as much distance between the two of them as she could as she tried to escape to the shuttle. Her emerald eyes flicked up to the glowing countdown timer overhead. She had already lost a full minute fighting this guy. She was running out of time and he didn't seem like the type to easily give up.
Three orbs of fire, each with a core as black as night, formed around the tip of the Chaos Ripper. The Wielder swung the blade above his head in a wide arc before bringing it down to point at Olette. The balls of flame raced toward her, leaving long trails of red and yellow in their wake. Olette raised her own Keyblade and concentrated on building up enough energy for a magical counter.
"Aquara!" Olette shouted. The rain shifted direction mid-fall, redirecting toward the brunette while the puddles on the ground rose up, joining together to form a dome of water several inches thick around her. The fireballs were reduced to clouds of steam as they impacted against the water shield and Olette could have sworn she heard the Wielder let out a growl of frustration.
Furrowing her brow in concentration, Olette continued to provide the magical energy she needed into her Aqua spell, changing the shape from a dome shield into a large, jagged spike which she froze solid with a quick Blizzara spell. "So long!" She shouted, striking the larger end of the ice spike with the flat of her Keyblade and sending it hurtling toward the Dark Wielder. Olette dropped to one knee and aimed her weapon at the Wielder as the spike flew at him.
"Thunder!" She called out to the heavens. The bolts of magical electricity struck the Dark Wielder before he could react, stunning him and leaving him open. The ice spike slammed into his chest and nailed him to the ground under its weight. Grinning triumphantly, Olette glanced up at the orange numbers overhead. She still had more than two minutes left.
The Dark Keyblade Wielder groaned in pain under the weight of the ice that was crushing him. He struggled to push the ice off of him, but quickly gave in and stopped struggling as blood pooled around him. Curiosity gripped Olette, and before she knew it, she found herself striding over to her fallen opponent and reaching down for his mask.
Olette's eyes went wide with shock as she finally saw the Wielder's face. His mask clattered to the ground and shattered, forgotten by the brunette. Olette took one step back from the dying body of the Wielder. His eyes may have been golden yellow, and his face may have been scarred, but she would recognize him anywhere.
Staring back at Olette as he slowly passed away, his golden yellow eyes glaring ice-cold daggers at her, was Hayner.
LD
Torneo Rudman's Mansion
Sapidoa City
Courtyard
Padosoan
Sven spat his mostly burnt out cigarette as he stepped out of the mansion and into the lavish courtyard at its heart. Torneo stood with Eve by his side in front of an ornate fountain, featuring a pair of winged-horses in flight. Mister Flitt stood on the other side of Eve, pistol raised and aimed at Sven.
"There you are," the injured Sweeper said with a grin. "I've been looking for you, Torneo."
The crime boss let out a boisterous laugh at the sight of Sven. "Ha! You brazen fool. Sneaking back here the very same day Eve sliced through you… you're a monster." His grin became more pronounced in the light of the moon as he examined Sven carefully. "But you are not immortal. I can tell from your face. It's so drawn and pale. You're certainly determined though. What's driving you?"
"I saw the kid cry," Sven responded without a second's hesitation, ignoring the pain his wound was causing him. "I can't just turn my back. That wouldn't be very gentlemanly of me, would it?" Sven raised his pistol and took aim at Torneo. "I'm taking you down! And setting Eve free! That's what's driving me!" Eve's eyes widened in surprise at Sven's declaration while Torneo only laughed
"Heh. Do you hear what you're saying? Eve is the product of my research," he said proudly as he placed a thick and on her shoulder and gripped tightly. "She belongs to me. You can't liberate property."
"Shut up!"
Everyone's eyes turned toward the entrance behind Sven, where Sora could be seen walking out into the courtyard, Kingdom Key drawn and pointed threateningly at Torneo. The teen strode up to stand alongside Sven, nodding to the Sweeper as he approached. "We each decide how to live our lives. Scum like you have no right to own anyone!"
"Eve! Don't listen to them!" Torneo growled into the blonde girl's ear. "These men are going to die! Right now!"
"I don't understand this word… 'Freedom'," Eve said softly, taking Torneo and the others by surprise. Her violet eyes locked with Sven's visible eye. "Does it mean I do what I want?"
"You bet," Sora said with a grin, giving the kid a thumbs up.
"Then I… I wouldn't have to kill anymore?"
"No more killing," Sven reassured her.
"Then… I want freedom," Eve declared. Sven smiled proudly at her. Torneo, on the other hand, looked downright furious.
"You must be kidding. A puppet who'd defy its master?" He shouted as he grabbed Eve by her caller and pulled her in front of him. "As if I'd let you go! I've invested billions in your creation!" Sora and Sven both moved to rush at Torneo only to stop as the crime boss produced a syringe filled with a sapphire blue liquid. "Don't come any closer! You can watch from there, Sweeper. With this N-S drug, Eve will prove her worth as a weapon!"
"N-S drug?" Sora asked. "What good will that do?"
"The drug will trigger the Nano-machines in her system to run rampant and maximize her transformative powers," Flitt explained, carefully aiming his weapon back and forth between Sven and Sora. "At a cost, of course. Eve's brain activity will slow substantially."
"In other words, we'll induce a trance, during which she'll faithfully obey my commands," Torneo said triumphantly. "Her body will transform into that of an ideal fighting beast. It should be quite a show, though there will be little chance of her transforming back, though." He pressed the needle against Eve's neck, not yet breaking the skin, as she struggled to escape him. "Now then, Eve, show me your true power!"
"NO!" Sven cried out as Torneo moved to drive the needle home. Eve let out a single, pained scream of terror.
A single gunshot rang out across the courtyard, and the syringe in Torneo's hand was blasted apart. Torneo stared in shock at his empty hand for a moment before whipping his head around to look for the culprit.
"Too bad, Torneo!" Train called from the roof of the mansion, grinning victoriously down at him.
Torneo gnashed his teeth together and snarled at Train "Why you-!" His words were cut off as Sven quickly closed the distance between the two of them and sank his fist into Torneo's face as hard as he could. Despite his size and weight, Torneo was sent crashing to the ground several feet away.
"Boss!" Flitt cried out in shock. He turned his weapon on the injured Sweeper. "You'll pay for that!"
"Sven!" Train cried out. He aimed his pistol at Flitt and pulled the trigger only to realize he was out of bullets. "Shit!"
"DIE!" Flitt roared as he fired his weapon.
Eve? Sven's eyes went wide with shock. In the instant before Flitt fired his weapon, Eve had rushed to stand in front of him, arms spread wide to protect him and screaming her defiance at Flitt. Time seemed to slow down as the bullet flew from Flitt's gun and struck Eve in her stomach. The force of the bullet knocked the girl off of her feet and threw her into Sven, who caught her before falling back on to the pavement.
Flitt stared blankly at Eve and Sven as the two collapsed to the ground. Sora appeared next to Flit in the blink of an eye and before the man could defend himself, swung his Keyblade into the man's face like a baseball bat. Flitt flew backwards, his nose broken and several teeth knocked loose from the impact. "You jerk!"
"Eve! Eve, hang on!" Sven cried out desperately as he carefully pulled Eve off of himself and laid her down on the pavement. Eve grinned back up at him, which left everyone present feeling confused. "Are you okay?"
"Before the bullet hit, I turned by belly to steel," Eve explained, lifting her shirt high enough to show the patch of steel on her body and the dent made by the bullet as it transformed back into unharmed skin.
She rearranged her atomic configuration, turning the skin to steel. Sven realized in amazement. That's the power of the Nano-machines
"Do you think, for the first time, my powers did good?" Eve asked with a smile.
"Yeah," Sven said, giving her a grateful hug. "You're something else, kid." Train watched the pair with a small smile before the sound of Torneo struggling to get back up reached his ears.
"You-!" Torneo began, reaching for Flitt's dropped weapon only to be stopped by Train placing the barrel of Hades against the man's head.
"Stay!" The Sweeper said, chuckling at Torneo's scowl. "Don't be such a poor sport. You lost, Torneo. Checkmate."
Torneo glared at Train for a moment before glancing at the Hades. A look of recognition swept over him and he began to shake slightly in fear. "That pistol! I see. The Black Cat lives!" He exclaimed nervously. "I had heard a rumor that you'd left Chronos to become a Sweeper. Small wonder you overcame my security detail. Lay a hand on me, and a certain person will not stand idly by."
Train's brow furrowed in confusion. "Who?"
"Don't tell me you've forgotten your old friend, Creed Diskenth?" Torneo said with a laugh.
"Creed?" Train repeated slowly. Torneo flinched. Train's pupils were rapidly becoming cat-like slits and it was rather unnerving to watch. "You know him?" Torneo watched Train nervously as he lowered his pistol and stared back down at him.
Then, without warning, Train reached down and grabbed Torneo tightly by the throat. Torneo gasped for air and flailed in Train's grasp. Effortlessly, the Sweeper lifted Torneo high off of the ground so that his feet were dangling in the air. Train held him there for a moment, watching the crime boss flail like a fish out of water, before slamming him into a nearby wall with enough force to crack it.
"Speak up!" Train shouted at him. The anger and murderous intent in his voice sending chills down Sora's spine. "Where is he?"
"Hey! What are you doing?" Sora shouted, rushing over toward Train. "He's choking!" Train ignored him and tightened his grip on Torneo's throat.
"If you don't tell me, I will erase you!" He growled, aiming his pistol at his captive.
"Wait! I-I don't know!" Torneo choked out. What's with this guy? Train fired his gun five times and Torneo let out a feeble scream. Five bullet holes now decorated the wall around Torneo's head, leaving one bullet still in the chamber of Hades.
"I said 'tell me'!" Train snapped. "Where is Creed-?" Sora's fist made contact with the side of Train's face, forcing him to drop Torneo as he was knocked back.
"Sora!"
"Back off, Train!" Sora shouted. "You're losing it! Killing Torneo does nobody any good!"
"I know…" Train panted, wiping a trickle of blood off of his now cut lip as he stared up at the teen. His eyes slowly shifted back to normal. "I know!"
"I-I don't know where he is," the fallen crime boss said in a pleading tone. "Once Creed slinks off, there's no way to contact him."
"What's your connection to him?" Train demanded as Sora helped him back to his feet.
"I share our research data with him," Torneo explained, watching Train carefully with a look of fear on his face. "That's all! I swear! He never told me what he intended to do with it."
It figures. Train grunted as he stood up, wincing as the sting from Sora's punch shot through him. Man that kid's got one hell of a punch. But, if Creed's connected to Torneo, then he's bound to catch wind if I do something dramatic and he'll make his move. This is my chance!
Train turned away from Torneo to face Sven and Eve, who was clutching onto the back of the older man's shirt. "This Creed, is he the guy who…" Sven began. Train's only response was a nod.
"So, what do we do with this guy?" Sora asked, gesturing with his thumb at Torneo, who was still watching Train with a slightly terrified expression. Sven opened his mouth to respond, but was interrupted as a deafening explosion went off somewhere close by.
"That's where the lab is!" Torneo exclaimed in shock. "It can't be…"
"Oh, but it is Mister Torneo," Rinslet said as she and Nanaki strode into the courtyard, both covered in black dust from the fire. "Your data just went up in flames, along with the rest of the lab."
"What did you do?" Torneo roared. He winced as another explosion went off. "All of it? It's all gone?" Rinslet shot a grin at the fallen crime boss, who looked flat out horrified, even more so than when Train had been choking him.
"Nice job on the explosions," Sora said with a grin as the two females walked over them. "But I thought you were supposed to steal his data, not destroy it."
"We didn't do that, Nanaki explained. "The place was trashed before we got down there. You should've seen it.
"Besides, I had a bad feeling about that stuff. It wasn't worth it," Rinslet muttered as she glanced back at the thick column of smoke rising into the skies above.
"But this is what you wanted all along, right?" Sven commented. Rinslet turned to look at him in surprise. "I had a feeling that this was never about money for you."
Rinslet grimaced and turned her gaze away. "Sorry," she mumbled, "I never intended to hide that fact from you. You heard the story about the military facility Torneo destroyed?" Sven and Train both nodded, while Sora and Nanaki exchanged awkward glances. "That facility was in the town where I grew up. Ever since I was a little girl, I had enjoyed the simple life; the beautiful flowers and the peaceful nature of it all. He took that away from everyone that didn't die that day he bombed the facility to get at the preliminary Nano-tech data."
"That's horrible!" Sora exclaimed. He shot a glare in Torneo's direction. "I knew he was bad, but what kind of monster does that?"
"The monster in an expensive suit that only cares about himself," Rinslet replied, a hint of sadness in her tone. She turned back toward the others and glanced at Eve. "What about you guys? You all done? Ready to turn Torneo over to the cops?"
"Well, that was the plan," Sven said as he lit a cigarette. He glanced down at Eve, who was staring blankly at Torneo. "But if we turn in Torneo, Eve will become a ward of the state. And she'll likely be subjected to the government's military research." Sven let out a sigh and took in a heavy drag on his cigarette. "What's the point in moving her from one lab to another? I think I'm just going to take her with me."
"And leave Torneo here?" Sora asked.
"In his condition?" Everyone glanced over at the crime boss, who was kneeling on the ground as he watched the column of smoke and flame rise into the night sky and muttering to himself.
"Everything I've worked for," he chuckled manically, "my heart and soul. All of it. Go boom! Heh heh ha."
"He's no threat to us," Train shrugged. "Or anyone for that matter."
"The police are probably on their way. I say we leave the rest to them," Sven said. He turned toward Train and raised an eyebrow at him. "Is that cool with you? Half a million down the drain?"
"Sure. Fine by me," Train replied nonchalantly. "I'm used to having all my efforts come to naught."
"Yeah," Sven chuckled as their ragtag group turned toward nearest exit they could find. "Just like usual." They had almost made it inside the mansion, when Rinslet and Train both realized that Sora and Nanaki were still standing in the middle of the courtyard.
"Aren't you two coming?" Rinslet asked, gesturing at the door. Sora shook his head.
"Nah, we gotta get going," he said.
"You know how it is," Nanaki said with a grin, "things to see. People to do." The others all stopped and gave the teen confused looks. Nanaki simply crossed her arms. "What? I stand by what I said."
Eve broke away from Sven and walked over to each of the Wielders, giving them a brief, slightly awkward hug. "Thank you both," she said quietly. "You helped me get 'freedom'."
"No problem," Sora said with a grin. "It's what we do best."
"Where will you go now?" Sven asked. "You don't have a car." He glanced over at Nanaki. "You didn't even know what a car was."
"We'll go where the stars take us," Sora said with a grin. "Besides, I've got people to help. They're counting on me."
"Then why are you still standing around?" Train asked. "If they need your help, then get going, you can always come back, right?"
"Of course," Sora confirmed. "We'll come back." He glanced over at the smoke from the lab explosion rising into the night sky. "Well not here, exactly, but we'll find you guys when we do."
"And that's all that matters," Sven said, clapping the two teens on their shoulders. "Take care you two."
"Will do," Nanaki said, producing the remote that would activate the Kingdom's warp system. "See you guys around!" She pressed her thumb on the remote's lone button, and the two Wielders were quickly enveloped in a pale blue light before the warp systems kicked in and brought them back to their ship.
LD
Radiant Garden
Governmental Offices
Office of the Chronos Numbers
Sephiria Arks and Belze Rochefort watched the large monitor they had installed in the conference room of their small office. On the screen was an image provided to them by their agents on the world of Padosoan: the image of Torneo Rudman's mansion burning to the ground while a news reporter's voice explained the image to viewers.
"On to our next story: After the explosion of his mansion home last night, crime boss Torneo Rudman has been taken into custody. He's being charged with the smuggling and manufacturing of illegal weapons. His trial and sentencing will be overseen and decided by an Elsidian judiciary council."
"In regards to Train Heartnet, it was a fairly showy execution," Sephiria noted. "It is a bit out of character. It seems strange that he would complete his last assignment as a Number two years after he left us."
"Perhaps," Belze said, his eyes never leaving the flames on the screen. "But all Chronos missions must be carried quickly and efficiently. Taking one's time is not an option."
"Do not forget, Belze, that number XIII abandoned us before he could carry out the mission against Torneo, and then our world was taken by the Darkness," Mason Ordrosso, Number XII, and the oldest living member of the Chronos Numbers reminded them as he strode into the room. Mason had long, gray hair that was spiked on the end. His moustache was as long as his hair and fell down to a point just below his neckline. He was dressed in traditional, Chronos overcoat over a gray suit. He carried a cane with an orichalcum sphere set into the top, his weapon, Virtue."But what does it matter? It's done! Mission complete! And we all sleep well tonight!"
"In any case, we know where Heartnet is now," Sephiria turned away from the screen and faced Belze. "Contact Jenos Hazard. Inform him that his assignment with the Chaser is done. He is to report to the world Padosoan and attempt to convince Number XIII to return to us."
LD
Sapidoa City Police Station
Sapidoa City
Padosoan
"All right, step out nice and easy."
Four police officers stood on either side of the prisoner transport van, guarding Torneo Rudman as he shuffled out. His hands and feet bound by cuffs. His eyes were still wide and he appeared to still be in shock from the after effects of watching his laboratory and subsequently his mansion go up in flames. A large ice pack had been taped to the side of his face where Sven had decked him.
Torneo flinched as one of the officers nudged him to hurry him along. "No sudden movements, understand?" Torneo slowly nodded his head and allowed himself to be led toward the station like an obedient dog.
The policemen had barely taken a few steps before all of them froze in place, their arms and legs snapping together suddenly.
"What the hell?"
"What's going on?"
One by one, the officers turned, shakily toward Torneo and drew their sidearms, aiming at various points on Torneo's body.
"My body's moving on its own! I can't control it!"
Torneo's eyes went wide with fear. The officers had similar looks of horror on their faces as they took aim. "What- what is this?" Torneo demanded. "Is this some kind of sick joke?" His eyes flicked back and forth, desperately searching for an escape. They settled on a pair of men watching what was happening.
One man was dressed in the garb of the Taoist homeland: a set of purple-blue robes, decorated with a large yin/yang symbol on a loin cloth that served for decorative purposes on the front. The man wore a purple wrapping over his head, concealing everything but tufts of long, white hair rising from the back of his head and his right eye, which appeared to be white.
The man next to the one in Taoist clothing was (to Torneo's horror) none other than Creed Diskenth, smiling his sinister smile as the guards fought against whatever it was that was controlling them. In that brief moment of seeing Creed's smile, Torneo knew what would happen to him one way or another.
"You've played your part well, Torneo," Creed said as four gunshots filled the air and Torneo's body collapsed to the ground. The guards turned their weapons on one another immediately after Torneo's body fell and four more shots rang out. "May you rest eternally in peace."
LD
Alliance Fallback HQ
Olette's Room
The Frozen Fields
Olette stared blankly across her room. She sat on her bed, knees drawn up to her chin, no longer dressed in her black cloak, but instead she wore her usual attire of Capri pants and an orange tank top. Her eyes focused on a framed photo of Hayner, Pence and herself on the first day they had arrived at the Frozen Fields. All three of them had wide grins on their faces, ready to face a brand new adventure together. Olette let out a sigh and buried her face in her knees.
The images of her battle against the simulated Hayner flashed through her mind and she squeezed her legs tighter. After she had successfully passed the simulation, she ran out of the simulator and rushed back to her room, where she did her best to calm herself down, but for the most part, it wasn't working.
She wasn't sure how long she had been in her room, but it had to have been at least a couple of hours judging on how stiff her muscles were getting. Pence and Nikki had both tried to stop by and talk to her shortly after she had ran from the simulator, but she had turned them away, saying she wanted to be left alone. Axel, surprisingly enough, came by a short while later and tried to convince her that he understood what it was like to see a friend become possessed by darkness. He had told her about someone named Isa, who he used to be friends with, before both of them lost their hearts to Darkness and became Nobodies.
Olette had told him, coldly, that it wasn't the same, because the Hayner that was corrupted by Darkness was a simulation, not the real one. Axel had left without a word after that, leaving her feeling guilty on top of everything else she had been feeling.
A small part of her wondered why Hayner hadn't stopped by to try and comfort her, even though she wasn't sure whether she would actually let him in or not. Maybe he doesn't even know… She told herself. She didn't remember seeing him when she tore through the control booth on her way back to her room. She silently prayed to whatever god or goddess that would listen to her for Hayner to not know what happened.
A light rapping of knuckles on her door startled Olette. It had been at least an hour since Axel had left and she hadn't heard from anyone since. The knuckles rapped again, more urgently this time.
"Olette, open this door please."
Olette blood ran cold at the sound of her Master's voice. It was obvious by his tone that it wasn't exactly a request. It was more along the lines of 'You can open this door of your own free will and let me in, or I can exert my authority as your Master to come in anyway.'
Knowing it would be better if she let him in, Olette slowly climbed off of her mattress and strode over to the door, unlocking it and sliding it open. Xanthos stared back at her from the other side of the frame, his expression completely neutral as she bowed to him out of respect.
"Please, come in," Olette said, standing to the side of the doorframe to allow him to pass. Xanthos stepped into her room without a word and waited for her to close the door behind them. As soon as the door clicked shut, Xanthos pointed at Olette's bed.
"Sit," he said. Even though it was a command, his tone remained neutral. Olette obeyed without a second's hesitation. She had managed to catch a whiff of the faint trace of alcohol on Xanthos' breath. She sat down on the edge of her bed and placed her hands on her knees. This was unusual behavior for her Master. He never came to call on her in her room. More often than not, he would send Pence or Axel to fetch her for him.
Xanthos strode across her room, his silver eyes carefully taking in every detail. "Back before the Keyblade War, this room would be reserved for Apprentice Chasers who had achieved the rank of Adept," he said. "The Adept Chasers were those who were frequently sent on missions for their Masters, rather than remaining under constant surveillance and tutelage. As such, these rooms were typically left to gather dust until such time that the Adepts returned to use them before setting out again." He stopped at the foot of her bed and turned to face her.
"I'm not going to apologize for what happened in the simulation," he said flatly, taking Olette by surprise. "What you encountered there was no different than what my sister and I endured during the War. I've killed my fair share of those I once called friend."
He sat down on the edge of her bed and faced away from her. "When Darkness corrupts ones heart deeply enough, it becomes difficult to bring them back to the Light. What's worse, those corrupted by the Darkness often seek to slaughter those of us who live in the Light, and every fight with them becomes a fight to the death. While many would argue that incapacitating the corrupt would provide a simple solution, it's different to put it into practice.
"Dark Keyblade Wielders are notorious for refusing to give in until they've been killed or simply don't have the energy to fight on. Far too many Wielders have lost their lives to their former friends because they became convinced they could help them." Xanthos rose to his feet and resumed pacing back and forth across her room.
"No offense, Master, but that doesn't exactly help me," Olette mumbled.
"It wasn't meant to," Xanthos replied. "And if it had, I would have been very surprised. You clearly have feelings for this Hayner boy." Olette began to protest but a glance from her Master bid her to keep her tongue. "Even though you'd adamantly deny it." He gave her a half-hearted smile. "I understand what you're feeling right now, Olette."
"Why Hayner?" She asked softly, almost inaudibly. "Why did you make the Wielder Hayner?"
"I didn't," her Master answered. "The simulation is designed to randomly generate a face for the people it creates in case their masks are removed. There was the possibility you could have been fighting Pence, or Axel, maybe even me. Hayner just happened to be chosen."
"Forgive me if I'm being rude, Master, but is there a reason why you came to see me?" Olette asked as kindly as she could, already craving a few more hours of solitude that her Master was depriving her of.
"Straight to the point then." Xanthos reached inside his coat and produced a manila envelope, which he dropped on Olette's bed. "For starters, you passed the training exercise with flying colors, and without using up all of your lives like Axel and Jenos both did. As such, I'm officially declaring you a Keyblade Adept, which means you can now go on missions I assign you without my supervision." Xanthos snapped his fingers and in a flash of silver light, Olette's earrings, the mark of the Chasers, changed from gold and silver to bronze in recognition of her new status.
"In a few hours, the first few ships of the Alliance fleet will be arriving in orbit, bringing troops and supplies to this complex to get it in working order to serve as a proper headquarters over the next few weeks," Xanthos continued on. "Due to my knowledge of this complex; I'll be forced to help supervise everything taking place." Olette stifled a giggle as the grimace her Master gave at the thought became pronounced. "This means, I will be unable to supervise your training, which leads me to your first assignment."
Xanthos folded his arms behind his back and faced Olette once more as she stood up to receive her orders. "Riku has offered to transport you back to Radiant Garden, since it's on his way back home. Once you are there, head to the Gummi Station in Mount Kathleines and report to Commander Halvorson in Hangar Thirteen. Understand?"
"Yes, Master," she said with a nod.
"Good," Xanthos turned to leave. "The rest of the information about your assignment can be found in the envelope. Be ready to leave in five hours and make sure Hayner and Pence are as well. I don't need them underfoot while the headquarters is being established."
"Of course," Olette replied. She waited until Xanthos had stepped out of the room before turning back to her bed and examining the envelope he had left her. Written in bold, black lettering were the words 'Top Secret. Project: Hope'.
LD
So, good news time without any bad news: I'm already halfway done with Chapter Thirty Two. I managed that this weekend while I was waiting on my beta to find the time to edit this chapter. And it's turning out quite well, I think.
Special thanks to my brother, who kindly created a logo for me to use as coverart now that this site supports images (about time). Now if only they'll start supporting external links so we can all have kick-ass music during our stories. One can hope, right?
There is a new poll up on my profile page. Just a little something I threw together for laughs. Basically, what I want to know is which characters in that list do you want to see appear in Looming Darkness at some point or another? All the characters listed were chosen from a random lottery. I'm not promising any of them will appear, but you never know. I already know how I'd manage to work in most of them just in case.
Want to keep up to date with the progress I'm making on the next chapter? Follow me on Twitter. ShadowHorizons.
As always, reviews and criticisms are welcome and greatly appreciated. Until next time!
Aspicio, diluculo Infinitas Noctis.
Shadow Horizons