Gwen: This chapter depresses me...
Why?
Gwen: YOU should know, you wrote it.
*big innocent eyes* Who, me? Dear little me, write something DEPRESSING?
Gwen: You do it all the time.
I do NOT.
Gwen: Okay, what-fucking-ever. I'll just let the dear little FanFiction readers get along with the story now. *looks at you* Stock up on happy before going any further.
Oh yeah! Heh heh, sorry guys, I forgot you were there. ^^; Anyway... yeah. Enjoy!
"How could I help us out?" I asked. My head was a little dizzy from the realization that I could turn myself invisible. Again I felt that little bubbling excitement deep in my chest that I had found my power. I willed myself to become visible again and saw Amy's relieved face that I was still there.
"You could sneak out of here and get us some Chaos Emeralds," Bella said in a low voice. "Then we might be able to take down the Dark." She shuddered. "I hate him so much."
"Total agreement, Sister," Caroline said.
"Okay, so where are the Emeralds?" I asked, sitting down and mentally preparing myself to keep a list in my head.
"He keeps them in a vault in the testing labs," Shadow said. "It's hard to get to, but I'm sure you can find it. You're really smart."
"If I can remember where the testing labs are," I muttered to myself. I looked up at their expectant faces. "So when do I go to find them?"
"I think you should go now," Sonic said. "The sooner the better."
And the less time I have to talk myself out of it, I thought. "Okay." I looked around for guards, then willed myself to become invisible again. It happened faster this time, and within seconds, I was completely transparent. I was pretty thin, so I slipped out between the bars of the gate without squashing myself to death, and then I was out.
And I had no idea what to do next.
Just then, I saw Mephiles start walking down the hallway, and he had a death grip on someone as he was dragging them to the testing lab. As I got a better look at them, I realized with a little shock that the guy who was getting tested on was the green hedgehog I had made friends with out in the garden.
He was jerking away from the Dark with all his strength, but he couldn't get away. "Let me go you creep!" he screamed.
"Manic, I am NOT going to put up with you today!" Mephiles snapped at him. "You've stolen enough from me already! This day is your last!"
Manic's eyes widened to the size of dinner plates, and then suddenly he was begging. "No! Please, no! NOT THE CHAIR!"
I felt my own eyes widen, and I almost let out a little squeak. So they weren't going to the lab! Mephiles was going to kill Manic for thievery!
Suddenly I wanted to throw up. I wondered if that would be invisible too. I knew the sounds wouldn't be, though, so I swallowed back the impulse and watched them continue down the hallway. As they passed me, Manic came so close to me I could touch him, but I held back that impulse, too.
But I felt my feet follow them before I could keep them back as well. For some reason I had to follow them. I forgot about the Emeralds momentarily and continued down the hall quietly behind them, listening to Manic's pleadings for mercy.
We passed the testing lab, and I kept a mental note in my head on where it was so I could come back to it later for the Emeralds.
We reached a door I had never seen before. It was painted red and black, and there were several signs covering it. "KEEP OUT!" "WARNING!" "HAZARDOUS!" "DO NOT ENTER WITHOUT AUTHORITY!" "GO NO FURTHER!" They reminded me of the signs that covered Aidan's bedroom door back on earth, and I suppressed a really-innapropriate-for-the-situation giggle. Mephiles punched in a password and the door opened just long enough for all three of us to enter before it slammed closed again.
Inside it was slightly darker than it was in the hallway, and before me, I saw what looked like a throne. It had chains covering it, and the entire thing was stained a rust colored red. I knew that was dried blood, and I felt a chill run along my spine as I remembered what Tails said. "They start smoking as soon as they get buzzed, and they explode in less than a minute. It gives a new meaning to raining blood."
Mephiles picked Manic up and threw him into the chair, and the chains slithered around him immediately. Manic started to cry, the tears staining his face. "Please, Mephiles. I'm too young to die. I'm only fifteen! I have a brother, a sister! I need to see Sonic and Sonia!"
Wait, Manic and Sonic are brothers? I thought. I looked at Manic again. They did look similar.
"Then you should've known better than to try to steal from me." Mephiles walked away from the chair to a control panel over at the other side of the room. Manic's head lowered and his sobs grew quieter as he shook with fear. He was sure this would be his end.
I hurried over to him as quietly as possible and whispered to him. "It's going to be okay."
He lifted his head and looked around. "Who's there? Show yourself. Someone is here, I know there is."
"You're hearing voices," Mephiles said, not looking away from the buttons he was pressing. "Soon you'll stop."
I gently put my hand on his and was relieved when he didn't scream, but just flinched. "Manic, I'm here. You met me out in the achomedla fields. I'm Renata."
He finally turned to my voice. "Then why can't I see you?" he whispered.
"I can turn invisible," I explained under my breath. "I'm right here for you. You don't have to be afraid of death."
He looked down for a second, and his hand stopped trembling. "I'm not scared anymore, Renata."
"That's good," I whispered.
I felt electricity travel through the air, and I reluctantly stepped away from the chair to keep myself from getting electrocuted myself. Then I saw a blinding spark on the top of the throne, and for a split second, I could see Manic's skeleton.
He began convulsing; his eyes rolled to the back of his head, and I resisted a scream. A thin smoke radiated from his ears, his nose, around his eyes, and his mouth, and somehow I knew his body was burning on the inside. The sight was so grotesque, but I couldn't look away. I had to keep watching.
Several moments later, I heard a loud boom, and his body was no longer there. I felt several wet drops land on my skin from above, and I didn't have to look to see that they were his blood.
I looked over at Mephiles, and saw that he looked ready to cry as well, as if he hadn't wanted to do what he had just done. He had just murdered someone, and I had just witnessed it. He ran to the door and it opened; I snuck out behind him.
Luckily, Manic's blood was invisible along with the rest of me, so I didn't have to worry about it showing up. But if I touched something, the blood would smear there, so I mostly kept my hands off of everything.
I found the testing lab again and, since the door was unlocked, I went in with ease. Everything looked the same, and, pressing the image of Manic dying out of my mind, I looked around for a hidden door.
I found one, the seam just barely visible in the wall, and pressed on it. It opened, and I realized this was the room with the headless zombie dolls. Mephiles must have taken the lock off 'cause there was a lock here last time I saw it.
Today they didn't run around like usual. They were sitting calmly on the counters, seeming to whisper to each other as I walked by, though I knew they couldn't see me, even if I weren't invisible. I walked through the room to the door at the other side. It had a keypad, and when I came within 2 feet of the door, it asked me for a password.
I thought of whatever could be a password around here. Power? Electricity? Mephiles? Darkness? I tried all of those, and none of them worked.
Then, on a whim, I punched in my own name. It blipped green, and the door opened.
I was amazed. My name is the password? I stepped into the room, and the door closed behind me.
Inside, everything was a deep, scarlet red, and it reminded me all too much of Manic's blood, which reminded me of his face when he had heard he was going to die. I shook my head, trying to keep the tears from leaking out of my eyes, and looked around.
On little red, silk pillows, I saw six Chaos Emeralds blinking up at me. I stowed them under my shirt, and they became invisible as well, and I ran out of the rooms and was in the hallway again.
I found my prison and slipped through the bars. In the other prison, I saw Aidan meditating. Shadow, Amy, and Sonic were talking quietly to each other. Rouge was polishing her fingernails hot pink, and Cream was sitting next to her painting Rouge's toenails a dark red. Silver and Blaze sat in silence, looking around. Caroline and Bella were talking in the corner while looking through some papers that I saw had PUREBLOOD printed along the top. Tails was playing with marbles in his room.
I sat down on the bed noisily, and everyone looked to my prison. I slowly became visible again, and everyone gasped when they saw the blood and the glow of the Emeralds under my clothes. I hid the jewels under my blanket and looked straight at the cobalt blue hedgehog. "Sonic, Manic is dead. Mephiles electrocuted him."
Gwen: T^T Told you it was depressing.
It's not depressing, it's just kinda sad and sudden. Heehee, I just used alliteration!
Gwen: *exaggeratedly rolls eyes* I'm gonna go talk to Shadow.
;) Have fun!
Gwen: WHATEVER! *runs off*
Well, hopefully THAT'S taken care of... anyway... R&R, I'll be back soon with chapter 13, my lovelies!
~ GABL
