Lucas dropped into the cot and sighed, staring at the door that separated him from the other boy- hoping he came out of the bathroom soon.
This would be the type of situation his grandpa would call "a fine kettle of fish".
He needed to find a way out of this place, but he couldn't escape without his powers, and besides…he still hadn't seen the masked boy's face.
If all he wanted was to stop Lucas and his friends from interfering, then why hadn't he killed them? Back at Thunder Tower, after they'd fallen from the flying machine, he'd probably assumed they were dead- but before they'd fallen, he'd had the option of using PK Thunder and knocking them off the ladder, but he hadn't. He hadn't attacked them.
At Snowcap Mountain, the Mecha-gorilla had been left to deal with them, and that had been a difficult battle- but at Tanetane Island, he hadn't even hit them hard enough to knock them out, only hard enough to stun them for a moment…if all he wanted was for them to stop interfering, it would have made more sense for him to kill all of them then and there.
But he hadn't.
How good were the Magypsies at sensing hearts? The question had occurred to Lucas before, but he hadn't allowed himself to wonder about it much. Was it- was it possible that the masked boy had a heart, and Ionia and Mixolydia had simply not noticed it?
That might explain it- that had to explain it- Lucas hadn't seen them really do much of anything using their powers- Ionia had used PSI powers of some sort to drift on the wind to get somewhere, but that was it.
Lucas was still thinking about this when the other walked back into the room, wearing a different set of the same uniform from before, and headed to the door.
Lucas jumped to his feet and headed him off before he could reach it.
"What's your name?" The question was blurted from Lucas's mouth- he hadn't meant to ask it just yet- not now, not like this…but he needed to know the answer- had to ask it before something else happened. "I'm Lucas- what's your name?"
The other blinked slowly, as if confused by the question. "I'm- I'm the Commander of the Army."
"That's not a name," Lucas said softly. "That's a title."
For a second, their eyes met through the mask- for just a second, Lucas's eyes met and held his one uncovered eye- and then the other was gone, pushing past Lucas and out the door, before Lucas could speak or move or do anything.
The door clicked shut as Lucas stared at it- and then came the sound of the lock being turned and of footsteps- of the other boy moving away and leaving Lucas alone again.
Lucas groaned- briefly covered his face with his hands, before shaking his head and straightening up.
That hadn't gone so well- he hadn't learned anything at all.
But now that he was alone in the room, maybe he could investigate and find some clues?
It wasn't much a room, really, Lucas realized again as he looked around. More of a grey box than anything else.
Lucas couldn't imagine living in a room like this- with no windows, no color, no fresh air. The thought of being left alone in there for who knew how long, with no way out, was bad enough- Lucas shuddered and decided to think of something else.
…clues.
Other than the dresser and the bed and the cot, there wasn't anything in the room- not even a rug.
The dresser was worth a look though. He and Claus had hidden all types of things in their dresser drawers when they were kids- and sometimes their mom hadn't been too happy with them for that- like the frog they'd tried to keep as a pet. Maybe-just maybe- he'd find something there. And when he was done with the dresser, he could investigate the bathroom.
Lucas nodded to himself, pleased with this start of a plan and stepped forward.
There was nothing- not trace of any clues whatsoever- unless the lack of clues itself was a clue.
There was only the same set of clothing, over and over again, in the dresser, and there wasn't even much of that.
In the top drawer, there were three sets of the rough pajamas that Lucas was wearing.
In the second drawer was underwear and socks.
In the third drawer were three white t-shirts.
In the fourth drawer were three pairs of orange pants.
They were all folded neatly- even more neatly than Lucas folded his things. He handled them carefully, to avoid messing them up. It made him feel kinda bad, snooping around like this, but Lucas didn't really have a choice. He needed- he needed to know what was going on.
But there was nothing in the drawers but the rather lonely sets of clothes.
Lucas sighed and turned away- and his eyes landed on the cot and the bed- and Lucas frowned.
They were some pretty sad blankets. Even the nursing home that Grandpa and Mr. Wess were stuck in had better blankets than these things, and most of their stuff was pretty worn out.
…why would the boy who was the Commander of the Pigmask Army have such tacky things?
When the Pigmasks had mixed the two of them up, they'd been really respectful and polite- they'd even seemed to like him.
Things weren't adding up.
…this morning, hadn't the other asked him if he needed anything? Maybe he should take him up on that offer- see what happened. Maybe he could convince him to get another blanket for himself, too. Despite what he'd said last night, this place was cold- he had to be cold, just like Lucas.
Lucas pushed himself to his feet and headed towards the bathroom.
He'd noticed last night that it was like one of the ones at Club Titboo- it had a sink and a toilet and even a shower. Lucas was a little overwhelmed by all this. He'd never had a bathroom at all in his house- like everyone else in the village until three years ago, his family had used an outhouse.
Underneath the sink there was a drawer and a cabinet- there wasn't anything in there except for some toilet paper and a couple bars of soap.
That was it.
Lucas sighed and stood up- back in the other room, the door clicked as it was unlocked.
Lucas slowly walked out of the bathroom at the same time that the other walked in the bedroom.
Without any sort of greeting, he held out a set of clothes to Lucas.
"Um, thanks," Lucas said automatically as he took them- his mom had always taught him to be polite after all.
The other didn't say anything- Lucas caught his eyes flickering to meet his before skittering away again.
With one last look at the still silent Commander, Lucas returned to the bathroom and shut the door.
The t-shirt was first- like the Commander's, it was plain and white. Lucas was glad that it wasn't rough and scratchy like the weird clothes from yesterday and the pajamas he was currently changing out of.
The pants and jacket matched and were made out of the same type of material- it was a little stiff, but seemed like it would be durable- and it wasn't scratchy either.
With only slight hesitation, Lucas put them on. He wondered if the other had ordered them made to his own measurements. Just the uniform that the Pigmasks had made him wear when they had mixed the two of them up, the clothes fit perfectly.
Lucas moved for the door, then remembered his hair. He grabbed the comb he'd seen earlier and combed his hair so it didn't stick up the haystack of a lazy farmer, then smiled, tentatively, at himself in the mirror.
"Lookin' handsome," he said softly. These clothes- they weren't that bad. A nice shade of blue, at least.
A commanding knock at the door caused Lucas to jump slightly.
"Coming!" he rushed for the door and opened it as the other was in mid-knock. "Sorry for taking so long."
The other boy looked at him- Lucas moved closer, trying to catch a glimpse of what was in those eyes, but the other turned his head. "Are you hungry?"
"Uh, yeah. I guess I am."
Saying nothing at all, the other headed for the door and Lucas followed.
The hallways were the same as yesterday- Lucas tried to map them out his head, but didn't get very far- they all looked the same, and so many questions were screaming for attention in his head- well, the other had promised that he would answer Lucas's questions, right? And there weren't any Pigmasks around at the moment. There were so many questions he wanted to ask, but one question jumped apart from the others in his head, and he had to ask it.
"So why are you pulling the Needles anyway?" he asked as they walked through practically empty halls, "Do you want the Dragon's power? Do you want it to make you stronger or something?"
The other boy didn't stop, but he did give Lucas a quick, slightly puzzled look over one shoulder. "The Dragon?"
"The one that's sleeping underneath the Islands- pulling the Needles will wake it up…" Lucas trailed off at the blank look on the other's face. "You don't know about the Dragon?" he asked, coming to a stop without realizing it.
The other boy shook his head and kept walking, and Lucas had to run to catch up to him.
"Then why are you pulling the Needles?"
"Because I was ordered to."
"By who?"
"Master Porky."
Lucas felt cold- he couldn't have said why. "Who's he?"
The other blinked slightly, as if expecting Lucas to already know. "The King- King of New Pork City, of the Army, of all these Islands."
"So this… 'Master Porky' is the guy who- he's the one behind everything? The one behind the chimeras? The one behind the Happy Boxes and the town changing? The one behind everything- he's it? He's the reason?"
"Yes." the other said, not turning to look at Lucas, just keeping on walking.
Maybe that was just as well- Lucas felt his head spinning. One person was behind it all- behind everything.
Faces flashed before his mind's eye. His grandpa, standing alone in the streets of Tazmily- Mr. Wess's face as they began to rip up his house to make the 'Old Men's Home'- Dad's face as he learned about Mom- Claus, turning to face him one last time before he left to fight the Mecha-Drago-
Lucas realized that his fists were clenching themselves tight at the thought of all the people that had been hurt because of the things that the Pigmask Army had done.
They reached the mess hall then.
It didn't have as many Pigmasks as it had last night, but there were still a large number of them there.
"Hey guys!" called a Pigmask from the food line, "We actually got something besides toast this morning!"
"Really? What do we got?" asked a Pigmask who had entered right in front of them.
"Omelets!"
"Omelets?" Lucas asked, perking up. He loved omelets! Apparently, the other noticed that in his voice, because he turned to face him.
"…you like omelets?"
"I love omelets," Lucas said happily, "Mom would always make them for us- her omelets were the best in the whole world." He sighed a bit, then remembered where he was and looked up- the other had his head ducked down and he began to push and maneuver Lucas into line.
"Oh Commander- hi!" The Pigmask in blue said as they approached. "You want your usual, right? And what about this person here?"
The other boy had started to nod when the Pigmask had started speaking, but paused when he'd mentioned Lucas- paused long enough that the other Pigmask- the one wearing pink- turned to Lucas himself.
"Hi there! I see you're checking out the omelets-" he lifted one up with his spatula and put it on a plate, then offered it to Lucas. "You want to try it, right?"
Lucas gave him a startled look for a minute, before smiling and accepting it. Once the plate was in his hands, he stared down at it briefly- breathed out deeply, before turning and handing the plate to the other boy. "I- I really like omelets- they're my favorite food- I think they're the best- so let's both have them, okay?"
For a moment, the other boy stared at him- Lucas didn't know if it was just him, but he thought the mess hall got really quiet- and then the other boy boy spun away from him sharply, turning back to the Pigmask cooks.
"…the usual for both of us. But also- an omelet too."
Lucas thought he might have grinned as they walked away. They both got omelets.
The other boy walked to a table, quickly and without looking around at all, Lucas followed just a little bit behind.
"You've been staring at me." The other placed his tray on the table- he didn't sit down, but he didn't turn around and face Lucas either.
Lucas didn't know what to say- he ducked his head shyly and slid his tray onto the table next to the other boy's.
"Why do you keep staring at me?"
"…because I'm trying to figure you out."
The other cocked his head to the side a little at that- like he was trying to figure out Lucas too.
Lucas looked at him- he didn't have anything else to say, or at least, anything else that he knew how to say- until the other boy turned away from him.
"You're hungry, right? Sit down and eat."
Lucas sat down, gave the other one last look and picked up his fork- poked at his omelet and sighed.
The other boy paused and gave him a curious look.
"It's all greasy," Lucas answered the unasked question sadly, and he flipped the omelet over, "And they burned it too." He sighed again. "It's not like it's real bad or anything, but I can make better omelets than this."
"…you can cook?" It might have just been Lucas's imagination, but he thought he heard disbelief in his voice.
"I can," Lucas said, just a little bit indignantly. Why did no one think he could do anything? "I'm not very good yet, but I'm not bad. Lots of people say so- Duster, Kumatora, even Mr. Wess says I'm pretty good- and he's kinda picky and he doesn't give complements easily." Lucas looked down at the omelet sitting in front of him. He poked at it again.
"…you should eat your food. Food gives you energy- makes you strong." The other was bent over his food- hunched over a bit, but Lucas could see his eyes focusing on him, before they moved back to the food on his plate and he took another bite.
"…why do you care?"
"You're mine now. I'm going to take care of you."
"…and what are you going to do with me?"
"Keep you safe." His tone said this was obvious. "Keep you out of trouble- keep you from causing trouble."
"I'm not the one causing trouble- the Pigmasks are the ones causing trouble." Lucas spoke softly, but firmly- he didn't look away from the other boy at all.
The other was staring at him- how Lucas hated that stupid helmet, hiding the other boy's face from him like that!- he couldn't tell what he was thinking. Lucas kept talking, trying to explain- he needed him to understand- "The Pigmasks are the ones behind the chimeras- they're always running loose and attacking people, and if that wasn't bad enough, the chimeras are victims too. They didn't choose to be what they are. I feel so bad for them- but I can't let them hurt people, so I have to stop them."
The other boy flinched slightly, but didn't respond other than that. Part of Lucas wished he would, so that they could actually talk- the other part was glad he wasn't saying anything, because there were so many things Lucas wanted to say-
"And the Pigmasks are also the ones behind the "Old Man's Paradise"- that's what they call it, but it's really an awful place. It's where they lock up all the older people- including my grandpa. They don't let them out, and it's an awful place, all broken down and sad-" Lucas released a breath- there were so many things he needed to talk about, he didn't know what to say next- the other shifted as if he was going to say something, and Lucas barreled on.
"Me and Duster and Kumatora and Boney- all we want is to be able to live with the people we care about. We don't want Happy Boxes or any of that new stuff- we don't need it and we don't want it. But if other people do- I won't stand in their way. I'm only pulling the Needles because the Magypsies- they're supposed to be the guardians of the Needles- asked me to- because they were afraid of what would happen if the wrong person pulled them- we just don't want the world to be destroyed- that's all."
"...What are you talking about?" the other boy asked, definite confusion in his voice. "We don't want the world to be destroyed either."
"Well, the Magypsies were worried, because some of them couldn't feel your heart when you pulled the Needles. They were worried that meant that you had no heart to pass onto the Dragon, which meant that the world would be destroyed, because the Dragon is supposed to inherit the heart of whoever pulls the Needles." Lucas stopped talking, briefly, and studied the other for a moment. "I think they were wrong…I think you do have a heart. You must have a heart- if you didn't, the Pigmasks wouldn't worship you the way they do- who can worship a machine that doesn't care if you live or die?- and you would have killed me and my friends before. I don't know why they couldn't feel your heart- maybe they were just out of practice- but I'm sure you have a heart."
The other was staring at him now- Lucas didn't know what or why, but something he said must have shocked him.
Before either of them could say anything else, there was a sound- footsteps behind them, and they turned to see a Pigmask- one of the ranking ones, his uniform a color other than the usual pink- he snapped to attention as they looked at him.
"Commander! King P is on the communicator and waiting to speak to you!"
The other studied the Pigmask briefly, then stood up.
"…should I just wait here?" Lucas asked him uncertainly.
He turned to Lucas - but before he could respond, the Pigmask spoke up again.
"Actually sir, he said that you're supposed to take him with you." He sounded rather apologetic- he was also sneaking curious peeks at Lucas. At least, the position of his head seemed to point to that. It was kinda hard to tell, without being able to see his face.
Lucas was beginning to get really sick of masks.
The other boy stood still a moment- turned to look at Lucas again, briefly, before turning back to the Pigmask. "Tell him we're coming- I'm coming, and I'm bringing him."
The Pigmask saluted and oinked and hurried away.
Lucas stood up and stepped close to the other. He wasn't sure what to think…this Porky was the one behind everything- so he was probably a bad person, like Fassad- but this was also a chance to learn more about what was going on…
"Are you scared?" the other asked without looking at him.
Lucas was silent a moment- considering what to say. "I'm worried," he admitted finally, "but I'm not really scared. You'll be with me, right?"
The other- he moved- like he'd touched something and gotten shocked by it. And then he turned to look at Lucas.
Lucas simply, steadily, returned his gaze, not looking away.
The other swallowed and turned away. "Don't talk unless he asks you a question. Just do as I say- follow me."
"Okay," Lucas said, following him as he began to walk again, "I'll trust you." He said it quietly, but loud enough that the other could hear. All Lucas could see was his back- he thought he might've twitched again, but he was moving, so it was hard to tell- but it seemed to Lucas that he was walking slower- that it wasn't as hard to keep up with him now.
If Kumatora or Duster had been here, they probably would have gotten mad at him for telling the other boy the truth about how he was feeling, Lucas thought as they turned another corner. But Lucas knew that he had a heart, and he knew that he wasn't evil- and he needed to gain the other's trust and show him that.
They walked through several hallways- some with more Pigmasks than others- and whenever they ran into some, they stopped and saluted the boy in the helmet- and he always acknowledged them- lifted his hand in a fist as they walked past.
Lucas was doing his best to look around and trying to remember where things were, but they all kept mixing together in his head- he wasn't used to navigating in a place without stars or landmarks. He wondered if they had any maps of this place…
Finally, they arrived- the other stopped in front of a door with the word "Communications" printed on it- he opened it and went inside.
Reluctantly, but not hesitantly, Lucas followed him inside.
The Pigmask from before- at least, Lucas thought he was the same one- saluted as they entered, then bowed towards the back of the room, and then left.
In the back of the room was a huge screen- it almost covered the wall. The screen blurred and crackled a bit- but it showed a close-up of a face- Lucas couldn't tell if it was a young person's face or an old person's face- it was closely zoomed in, making it even harder to tell.
Upon seeing them, the face laughed. "Hello Commander- or should I say, slave?" he giggled, and Lucas's skin crawled.
The other boy dropped to one knee in a bow and discreetly gestured for Lucas to do the same.
Lucas did the same- he didn't hesitate, but his knees itched with the urge to jump to his feet again. He ducked his head, so he wouldn't have to look at the face on the screen and so the face on the screen couldn't see his expression.
"And I see my slave has a slave of his own now. Aw, how adorable." Again came the creepy giggle. "Oh slave, the 'Nice Person Hot Springs' are almost completed- do you want to send him to take a dip in them?"
"No," the other answered quickly. "It's not necessary."
"Not necessary?" The voice seemed amused. Lucas almost looked, before remembering just in time not to.
"He's a good boy- obedient. He does what I tell him."
"Like you and me, huh? Ha ha ha!"
Lucas's fists clenched- he had to fight to relax them and keep them relaxed.
"Yes sir," the other said tonelessly.
"Well, make sure you keep control of him- don't forget to use that collar! And send some of my toy soldiers to go check out that temple- there must be some way inside! Make sure you send some scientists along too."
"Yes sir. I'll see to it."
"Good. And oh, slave…if your little slave gets out of control, I'll know who to blame, got it?"
"Yes Master Porky."
"Hey you! Slave of a slave!"
Lucas jumped and looked up without thinking about it.
"You understand too, right?" The face grinned at him- way too wide, way too many teeth- it looked like one of the Eerie Smiles from Tanetane Island.
Lucas nodded- he felt like he was going to be sick- maybe it was a good thing he hadn't actually eaten anything- not that so-called omelet or that weird porridge.
"Hey slave! You need to teach your slave better manners. It's always 'yes, Master Porky'!"
"Yes Master Porky," Lucas said quickly. Worry for the other drove out nausea induced by the Pig King.
"Much better. Slave, don't forget that the Needles are your priority!"
"Yes, Master Porky… sir? About the Needles- what is your purpose for-"
The face laughed, not even letting the other boy finish his question. "Haven't you learned by now not to ask questions like that, slave? You are just to do my bidding. That is all. Your only purpose is to do as I say, right?"
"Yes, Master Porky."
For the first time in his life, Lucas knew hate.
He'd known anger, knew it well, though it rarely stayed long- but this was the first time he knew hate, pure hate, unmixed by any other emotions- for a minute, it flooded him, filled him- he was shocked to find so much hate inside him.
Once the feeling faded enough that Lucas could think again, he realized that the face was gone from the screen and the other had turned back to look at him.
"You're even more trapped than I am." The words came out of his mouth before he was even aware of them forming in his head.
"…what's that supposed to mean?"
"I'm just trapped like this." Lucas tapped the collar around his neck. "You're trapped up here." And he tapped his head.
The other tilted his head, still staring at Lucas.
"I'm Lucas. What's your name?"
"…we already went over this." He turned away and started for the door.
"Yeah, but I'm not going to give up until you tell me your real name," Lucas said softly as he followed.
Whatever the truth of the "Commander's" real name and identity- he was a person, a real person, with a heart and a soul- it wasn't fair that that face on the screen, that Porky- it wasn't fair that he didn't treat him like a person. And he even rubbed his face in it- took evil glee in it!
Lucas made a vow to himself right then and there.
Lucas was definitely going to help him- this person who wasn't aware he was a person.
Lucas was going to save him, and together they'd find a way out of this trap and back to Duster and Kumatora and Boney- and together, they'd find a way to keep the world safe and they'd fix everything- and the world would be safe and everyone would be happy.
Lucas nodded to himself- sped up so that he was by the other boy's side instead of just following him. The other's head twitched in his direction before he looked straight ahead again.
Lucas smiled at him anyway.
Yes, he'd definitely do it. He'd save this person, and together they'd save the world- and everything would be okay again.
They would escape together.
OoOoOo
Have I mentioned yet that I love you guys for reviewing every single chapter thus far? Seriously, coming on and finding your reviews makes my day. They make me smile and dance through the apartment like a crazy person- and then people start questioning my sanity again.
Thank you and please kept reviewing and telling me what you think!