Return of the Angels

"Fine, who are you?"

The darkness continued to cloak around them where the light could not reach. It was like a magnetic pull that kept echoing through the prison so that it may drown its victims. But thanks to the torch that Van was holding, Celine didn't have to listen to the voice of darkness. She didn't want any more of herself to be torn away than it already was. She had lost so much and only gained a small amount back. There was much she needed to do and she had to find it out on her own. Right now, this planet and the humans come first.

"You don't already know me?" she confidently asked with a smirk tugging at her lips.

"I…" he suddenly quietened. "I've never seen you in my life." He quietly snarled.

But she could feel the darkness choking those that had drowned into it. The prisoner's here were in a pit that she might not be able to save them from. Their minds were lost to it, to their despair, and to the tortures that they've been delivered with blow after blow. If she closed her eyes now she would be able to picture each torturous moment that they've all endured. It was horrendous, this feeling, it was what the darkness wants. It wants her to discover what it was like down her, wants her to give herself up to it so that she may receive what they are being given. As the one born of light, she had never had to see darkness before, and that was why they were mortal enemies.

"So the name Sapphire does not ring any bells?" she answers.

Silence filled her and in its place the sound of numerous heartbeats was battering at her. The heart of the voices, the truth to what is said and felt! She could feel that some where scared and beyond terrified. It was some of these that want it all to end, have their life quickly taken from them so they don't have to endure any more of it. Their hearts were a traitor to their voices, their souls even more traitorous than their hearts. Their souls were crying out to her, begging her, pleading her to remove them from this terrible place.

It seems they've been here long before the Guardian Force had been set into motion.

Something was definitely off about this place.

In Raven's cell especially!

"Well, does it?" she asks.

"Using that name won't work on me, girl!" Raven responds.

"You believe she's long since died, right? Three years ago after she battled Rafael to the death?" again his silence was his response.

She knew he was listening and remembering. His heart was thumbing against her, she could hear its voice, and she could its feelings. He had been in turmoil ever since he had heard that she had sacrificed herself to finish the battle. He knew nothing else that had happened afterwards, all he knew was that she had died. Now it was a new beat to the heart, and its voice she could hear. Raven was confusing her with Sapphire but he was trying to see the difference between them. She knew he was on the verge to knowing that she was Sapphire, but he didn't want to admit it. He just couldn't bare it to be true that she was her.

It appears that Raven had definitely known Sapphire more than her friends had.

"She was a fool wasn't she?" now she was trying to get his feelings into the air. But again, he made no sound. "All those that had loved and cared for her and she needlessly sacrificed her own life into fighting him just so that this world was safe from him."

Now he looked up at her with a newfound confusion.

"Yes, Raven, she was thinking of everyone on this planet as she sacrificed herself. She wanted her friends and those that were close to her to be able to live in peace without any demons trying to destroy it. But she didn't die, she lived and found her true self, the real her. She now carries her own name, her birth name. Someday, I bet she hopes that you remember without her having to tell you."

He shook his head. "You're lying… You're lying!"

"Look me in the eyes and say it." She snapped.

He opened his eyes and looked at her startled.

"What was Sapphire to you? What did she even mean to you? Do you think so little of her?"

"Sapphire… she was…" his words stuck to his throat.

"Well she definitely never saw you as a cowardly bastard that tries to hide from the truth. She knows that you'd charge head first into anything that you're confident enough to do, even if you lose, you'll try again and again until you win. She knows that you're as stubborn bastard, Raven. Don't even give her a chance to think that she was wrong about you."

"Celine…" Van's hand descended onto her shoulder and she felt the gentleness behind her. The voices of the prisoner's hearts were now becoming overwhelming, but it was Raven's heart that had captured her. But Van's voice had broken it, and although she didn't look at the man, she was listening. "It's enough, he's not going to listen; he's as stubborn as you say he is."

"Don't think for one minute that I'll leave this be, Van."

Could that be tears he hears in her voice?

"I know, we'll discuss this later, but for now, let's go. I can feel that you need some time to calm. Maybe I shouldn't have brought you down here."

"It's fine, Van. I needed this whether I liked it or not, I needed it."

He nodded his head in understand and with a quick look at Raven, she turned and disappeared down the hall with Van leading the way with the torch. They stopped when they reached the Giant's desk. Van and he exchanged words and he handed the torch back to him, but Celine's eyes wondered down the passage they had returned from. Was it wrong to think that there's something down here that was affected all those imprisoned? Could Raven have been affected by it too?

No, she knew that wasn't true. He may have been under a demon's spell before, but there was no way he could be possessed by one. They hadn't arrived yet, or was this just the effect of demons arriving? She could search the planet's aura as much as she wanted and she wouldn't find anything that has disturbed it. No demon has entered or touched this surface yet. She would need to wait before she could do her job. But something definitely needed her attention down here and she wasn't going to leave it until it was sorted. But for now, she needed some time to calm down. She had been riffled up because of all that was down here.

"Let's go Celine," Van calmly spoke to her.

They walked up the stairs and entered back into the light that seemed to have recharged her somewhat. For a being of the light, she preferred the light much more than the complete abyss of darkness. They didn't stay in the building so they walked out in the direct fresh air that breezed through the large empty space where some zoids were located. Celine breathed it in deeply, it was a little hot due to the sun that was now slowly falling in the sky, but it was better than being down in that stuffed hot prison.

"Van, are you going to do anything about the conditions of the prisoners?" she suddenly asks Van that he turns to her surprised.

"Well, I'll have to speak to Kristen first about it and see if anything can be changed. Is there something on your mind?"

"It's better that I discuss it in a bigger party, Van. Something didn't appear right down there to me."

"I could tell; you looked as if you were going pale down there."

"I'm going to speak to Kristen, don't wait for me Van."

"Okay, I'll see you in the cafeteria then?"

"Just don't wait up!" She called as she begun to head in the direction of Kristen's office.

He watched as she entered the large building and then he moved towards the cafeteria when the door closed behind her. She jogged up the stairs through the halls and turned corners so that she could reach Kristen. There were two guards posted on duty outside of his doors and they opened the doors for her at her approached. She nodded at them in thanks and she moved inside of the room, hearing the door swing shut behind her. The room wasn't quite like she had expected it to be. Whereas she thought it'll have just a place of business, he had it mixed with portraits of his family.

"Ah, Celine, welcome, what can I do for you?"

"I'd like to arrange a meeting, it's quite urgent."

"If there was an emergency, wouldn't I be the first to know?"

"Look, everyone has different stages of emergency and mine tops yours. So understand what I'm saying and allow me to make the meeting."

"I can't do that, I'm afraid."

"Kristen," she said in warning voice.

"We've had her differences and that's behind us now. I am not saying no just to spite you, I'm trying to think of what's best for the soldiers."

"And this is the best for them. They need to know what I'm going to tell them, otherwise something could seriously happen."

"If something does happen, and since you have pre-warned me now, I might have to assume that you have done something to cause something to happen."

"Are you saying if something happens you'll blame me?"

"What else am I supposed to do?"

"Call a meeting so I can pre-warn everyone."

"About what…? Demons…? You've destroyed him already, so don't fret and just go for lunch." He went back to work on the paper in front of him.

"Kristen, it's just as important as capturing Raven…"

"Good day, Celine."

He was just not going to budge and she knew it. She gritted her teeth and clenched her fists. She stormed out the office and banged the doors open. The guards looked at each other as if they were trying to ask the same question. Had they just seen what they thought they saw? Because as she left the office her body was glowing electric blue, as if electricity was trying to zap her, but instead it was her body that was producing it.

She wouldn't stop until she got outside the gates of the base and then screamed her lungs out. It shook the sands; it shook the base and inside the building things collapsed onto the floor. It was like an earthquake had struck them. When she finished she slumped down on the sand and crossed her arms. Kristen was being a pain in her butt. Just because he was near the leader of this place it doesn't mean that he could be all high and mighty and think that she'd just listen to him. Somehow she has to get that meeting in before it was too late. If she attends those meetings she would be told to shut up time and time again by him and no one would be able to know what she was going to say.

"My little Celestial, what on earth troubles you?"

Harold sat down beside on the scorching sands, but like her, he was not affected.

"There's something wrong in the prison and Kristen won't allow me to call a meeting so that I can discuss it with everyone."

"Before you came here, I've been thinking the same about those prisons. I've not been down but just standing at the top of the stairs gives me the shudders."

"What's down there?"

"Memories and they're very torturous ones too! If there's something else down there, I haven't got a clue. I've not been down to check it out."

"I believe something is down there. The darkness tried to smother me at one point and when the torch was lit, it tried to get me to encourage me to join the darkness."

"A being of light refuses such dark invitations. They are weak in the darkness, which you should already know."

"The living conditions are terrible and Raven blamed Van for it."

"Van is in charge of those that control the prisons, well them and more. But of course he would be to blame, but he didn't know before now."

"He didn't appear surprised."

"One has to expect the unexpected. Although it is the first he has been down in those prisons, he should have expected much since there has been very dark rumours about the place."

"But what do I do? I fear something will happen down there and I can't warn anyone about them."

"My dear, we were made from the same cloth, your mind shares a lot of likeliness with mine, so I'm sure you'll be able to figure something out."

He kissed her forehead and stood up. He gazed out into the horizon before he walked back inside the base. She needn't have to think to be able to know what he was on about. But it did give her some comfort in the least. At least now she knew that she needn't always rely on him. Her mind too has the answers and he just proved that.