Sorry again for being late. I really have no excuse this time other than me being lazy about editing and proofread. It just been one of those do nothing weeks for me. Thanks again for all your feedback and support.

Now, onward to the story.

Chapter 9: Desert Base

Genis shivered as the desert grew cold as the sun fall. He attempted not to show his discomfort in front of the Desians. He couldn't show weakness to them. Lloyd would be strong in this situation and so would he.

"Are you alright?" one of the Desians asked in concern.

Genis refused to answer and chose to turn his head a way from the Desian.

"He's not use to the change of weather around here," another Desian remarked. "It's to be expected."

"Are you sure it's safe to lead this kid to our base?" a Desian asked.

"We could hardly leave him in the town for obvious reasons," the Desian replied in a knowing voice. "If they didn't take him, the kidnappers would."

The first Desian nodded. "True, true."

They walked in silence for another hour before a large steel dome came into sight. Genis had to keep himself from panicking as the Ranch grew near. He had never seen a Ranch like this one before. Instead of an open yard surrounded by a steel gate, it was all enclosed.

It could be because it was within a desert. If they worked the people like they did at the Iselia Ranch, they would all most likely die of heat exhaustion within hours. For whatever reason, the Desians wanted to make people suffer within an inch of their lives, but wouldn't outright kill them unless they disobeyed.

When he thought about it, what exactly was the point of the Ranch?

Before he met Marble, Lloyd used to tell him how the people were forced to do mindless work all day like cattle. When Genis saw the atrocities for himself, he thought he was going to be sick. The people didn't build or construct anything, they just work. The most common manual labor was pushing heavy steal blocks all day. Did the Ranch exist just to cause suffering?

"We've brought the target, Lloyd Irving," a Desian spoke, breaking Genis from his thoughts.

Two guards stood in front of a large steel gate and one was glaring right at him. "Who is this child?"

"His friend apparently," the Desian answered as he glanced at him. "What should we do with him?"

"The boss only wants Lloyd," the other guard replied. "I don't see any need to bring him along."

The Desian nodded. "Understood."

One of the guards pressed a code on the side of the door and the gates slowly opened. The Desian carrying Lloyd walked inside, along with his other comrades. The gate closed behind them and Genis was now left alone with the two guards.

Genis knew it was time to return to his act. "What's going to happen to me? Lloyd forced me to come here. I didn't want to." He began to softly sob and allowed false tears to run down his eyes. He had mastered the pity act from dealing with Raine when he wanted something.

The two guards looked at each and then back at Genis. They both gave him a look of pity, something that Genis never remembered the Desians giving anyone.

"Alright, as a fellow kinsman, we'll let you go," the first guard said.

Genis stopped crying and attempted to hide his smile. He couldn't actually believe it worked.

"Are you sure this is alright?" the second guard asked.

The first guard sighed. "What can a kid do?" Although, his tone suggested he knew what Genis could possibly do.

Genis decided not to worry about that as he began to flee. "Thank you for freeing me! I'll never forget this." He then ran.

He didn't stop until the base was well out of sight. It was now nearly completely dark and the wind blew unto his damped skin. He began to shake again, but it was more out of shock over what just happened. He'd escaped, but Lloyd was now a prisoner of the Desians. If he didn't act, Lloyd would be lost.

A loud howl caught his attention and he looked up to see Noishe running towards him. Apparently, he stood just far enough to keep the Desians from seeing him.

"Noishe!" Genis exclaimed as the dog stopped in front of him.

Genis hugged his neck, getting comfort from Noishe's warmth. "We have to save Lloyd, but I can't do it on my own."

Noishe whined and barked in a manner like he was talking to him.

"I wish I could understand you," Genis said as he pulled away. Something told him that Noishe was more than just a 'dog' as Lloyd kept insisting. He seemed to understand and feel his pain.

Noishe suddenly knelt down before Genis.

"You...you want me to ride you?" Genis asked.

Noishe whined several times.

Genis wasn't sure what Noishe had in mind or what he could do, but he was out of options. He slowly got on Noishe's back and as soon as he was settled, Noishe was off into the desert. Genis held on for dear life as Noishe ran faster over the dunes. For some reason, Noishe was heading in the opposite direction of the Ranch.

Whatever Noishe was planning, he hoped they could act soon enough to save Lloyd.

Yuan didn't understand what Mithos was up to. It was bad enough that he had gotten Kratos to act as care keeper to the Chosen. If he had known, he wouldn't have sent Botta and his men to certain death. He knew Mithos didn't trust him, but he didn't think he would pull a fast one like this on him.

Thankfully, the casualties were small. Only minor injuries and one death. Too bad, he was starting to like Vidarr, but he was a moron to challenged Kratos. However, he wasn't sure why Kratos was so merciful to the others. It was perhaps best not to think too much about it.

The next surprise, however, came that night. To think Kratos' son was still alive. Not only that, but he had the Angelus Project. It was almost like the spirits were playing a bad joke on him. That kid has been alive this entire time and has actually became friends with the Chosen. He had been under their noses the entire time.

The biggest surprise of all came from the man-child himself, of course. When he had learned that Lloyd was still alive, he half expected Mithos to order Forcystus to take his men and bring him the boy and the exsphere at all cost. None of that happened.

He simply ordered the return of the Angelus Project and even that seemed like a halfhearted gesture. When Forcystus' failure was reported, Mithos almost shrugged at the news. No, he actually seemed pleased. Why would such a failure please him?

Mithos was not one to forget about things. He knew the importance of an Angelus and why the Angelus Project was needed for Lloyd to grow into his sleeping powers. So, why would he want one over the other? It made no sense.

"Yuan, are you listening?" the voice of his 'boss' called.

"Sorry, what did you say, Lord Yggdrasill?" Yuan asked humbly.

Mithos glared at him in annoyance before speaking. "I asked was the transfer machine hooked up to the Great Seed?"

"Preparations are being prepared now," Yuan stated in the usual born manner that he reserved specifically for Mithos.

Mithos nodded. "Good, the Chosen should be here within a couple of months and I want everything to be ready for her arrival."

"Are you even sure Kratos will bring the Chosen?" Yuan challenged.

Mithos chuckled lighted. "We have no need to fear betrayal from him. His rebellious spirit has long since been broken."

"But seeing his kid again could fire it up," Yuan said.

"It will be that child that will keep him with us," Mithos replied with certainty. "Kratos is of no concern to me. I'm more concern about 'others' in our operations."

Yuan knew he meant him along with some of the Grand Cardinals. Specifically, Kvar and Rodyle were on Mithos' bad list. Rodyle was so bold that he had cut almost all contact with Cruxis. It was not too surprising since the Mana Cannon was nearing completion. He would have to deal with Rodyle soon before the fool gave himself a way completely. Kvar for his part seemed to be still loyal, but his ambitious and his own self-importance nature made him similar to Rodyle. He could be coaxed to act on his ambitions with the returns of the Angelus.

"Lord Yggdrasill, what is to be done with the Angelus?" Yuan asked. He decided it was best to be blunt. "It's not safe to simply let him wonder free."

"The Angelus will be dealt with in due time," Mithos said in a dismissive tone.

Although Yuan could tell that Mithos was hiding one of his many dirty little secrets. Mithos maybe mastered Kratos' poker face, but he knew how to read certain body movements from him. Mithos had something big planned for Lloyd.

"For now, we just need to concentrate on the Chosen," Mithos ordered. "The Angelus Project is secondary."

"I will keep that in mind," Yuan said curtly.

Mithos leaned back into his chair. "You're dismissed for now."

Yuan slowly stood up and said nothing as he left the conference. He was kind of disappointed that he didn't learn more. Mithos was playing his cards close to the chest. This was indeed a critical time for everyone. No matter what, the Chosen couldn't be allowed to finish this journey.

He walked into his room and checked his messages for the day. He was expecting it to be a slow day, until he saw a feedback from the Renegades. He quickly rechecked the message and saw the words he has been waiting for from Botta. They had the Angelus. Finally, some good news to balance off these bad couple of days.

With any luck, he might be able to 'persuade' Lloyd to join in his cause. If he could awaken that boy's dormant power, he would be a great ally against Cruxis. Not to mention a good bargaining chip to use against Kratos. He may even be able to exchange the Chosen for Lloyd's life if it came down to it.

He hated lowering himself to mastermind villain territories, but desperate times called for desperate measure. If he wanted Martel to finally have peace, he had to get his hands dirty too. He could repent in hell after everything was finished.

Yuan grabbed his Shallow and began his walked towards the transporter. Hopefully, Mithos was too busy with his other plans to be bothered by his absents.

Kratos kept guard over the still landscape as Raine cooked the dinner for the day. Despite his words about wanting to cook everything, it was truthfully not a realistic plan since he needed to keep watch and not spend his time cooking. Back during the war, he could have done both since he had a unit of experience soldiers to watch the front for any danger. Despite how capable Colette and the Professor were, however, they were not trained for combat.

It was truthfully too dangerously to let any of them take watch. Colette was the Chosen and the one that had to protect above all else. The Professor was a healer and would not be able to handle herself if anything managed to sneak up on her. So, he would just have to take whatever the Professor made. He could only hope that nothing she cooked cause permeant damage to any of them.

"You're so quiet all the time, Mr. Kratos," Colette said as she sat next to him. "You can talk to us more."

"It's not good to get too close to a client," Kratos answered.

Colette tilted her head. "Why?"

Kratos didn't answer for a second. "Because I'm a hire hand and it would be unprofessional."

"But you're more than a hire hand, Mr. Kratos," Colette said with a smiled. "You're our friend too."

Kratos almost chuckled at the comment. "We barely know each other. That's hardly a friendship."

Colette lowered her head for a moment. "That's true." Her mood suddenly brightened again as she lifted her head. "But we're going to get closer through this journey. So, we may become friends in the future."

"You're certainly a bright-eyed girl. I would have never expect that from the Chosen," Kratos said. Especially knowing that she was going to die soon.

"Well, there's no point in staying sad," Colette replied. "We have to enjoy things while we can."

Kratos gave a small smirk. "Wisely spoken words."

"Dinner's ready!" Raine exclaimed. "I think I finally got my sweet and spicy theory sound. I even added few new ingredients."

Kratos had to suppressed a shudder.

"Oh, I can't wait to try it," Colette said.

Kratos wasn't sure if she was being serious. Knowing this Chosen, however, she meant every word, which was more than a little frightening. Before he could contemplate that a moment longer, a loud howl got his attention. He knew that howl all too well.

He stood up and began to look around.

"What is it, Mr. Kratos?" Colette asked.

Raine also was at attention.

"There's something coming," Kratos said. This time, they all heard the howl.

"Those howl sounds familiar," Raine noted.

Colette looked over the horizon. "It's coming here!" She pointed to a white dot in the distance. Soon, that dot got bigger until its form could be clearly seen. "It's a doggy!"

Raine squinted her eyes. "No, it's Noishe."

"Noishe?" Colette repeated in surprise. "What he's doing way out here?"

Raine put her hand under her chin. "Did Lloyd follow us here?"

Kratos wouldn't have been surprise if that were the case. From the little he had seen, Lloyd was as stubborn as his mother. However, he didn't see Lloyd on Noishe's back. Instead, he saw the other boy who was at the temple. Genis, he believed his name was.

It took a couple more minutes before Noishe reached them. The poor thing was exhausted and nearly collapsed on the spot.

Genis rolled off the dog and patted it. "Thank you, Noishe."

"Genis, what are you doing here?" Raine asked as she ran towards her baby brother.

Kratos took a bottle of water from his porch and poured it into a bowl. He then sat it next to his old friend who drank it greedily.

"Raine, I can explain later," Genis said, nearly running his words together. "Lloyd's in trouble."

Colette paled at those words. "What happened to Lloyd?"

"He was captured by the Desians," Genis said.

Everything stood still when they heard those words. Kratos nearly gripped his sword in fear. They all knew what that meant.

"When did this happen?" Kratos asked in his most calm voice.

"In Triet," Genis said. "We were attacked and Lloyd was struck by a lightning spell."

Colette looked around in confusion. "But why would the Desians want Lloyd?"

Genis lowered his head in shame. "They wanted him because we mess around at the Ranch."

"You went to the Ranch!?" Raine yelled. "You know that place is strictly forbidden."

"I know, but I met a friend there about two weeks ago," Genis said as he rubbed his exsphere. "Her name was Marble."

"Given the use of past tense, I take she's no longer alive," Kratos stated. He actually didn't care about the details at the moment. He just wanted to save his son.

"Yea..yeah. The Desians found out about Lloyd and me being at the Ranch and came after us," Genis said slowly before he began to shake with anger and grief. "They attacked Iselia and burnt it down!"

Colette grasped in horror and Raine had a troubled look on her face.

"They killed dozens just to prove a point and they sent a monster after us," Genis continued in a dead tone, nearing tears. "It wasn't a monster, though. It was Marble."

"They turned a person into a monster?" Colette asked in horror. "I didn't know it was possible."

Kratos knew all too well it was possible. What a cruel thing they did to those boys. He didn't think Forcystus would have been that sadistic.

"We didn't know and Marble..." Genis trial off as his voice hitched.

"And you killed her," Kratos concluded.

Genis shook his head. "She actually self-destructed on the Desian leading the raid. They pulled back, but they vow to keep hunting Lloyd because of his exsphere. Because of that, the mayor had Lloyd and me banished."

There was another long paused.

"Banished, so you can never return to Iselia?" Colette asked in disbelief.

Genis nodded his head, finally allowing the tears to fell from his eyes.

Raine wiped them the best she could. She wanted to comfort Genis more, but they had other pressing problems to address. "Where was Lloyd taking?"

"He...he was taking to a Ranch here in the desert," Genis said.

Kratos blinked when he heard this. The Desians had no Ranch in the desert, unless Mithos added more without telling him, which was entirely possible. But it was impractical to put a Ranch here. It was too hot for the people work efficiently, even if everyone was kept in an enclose space. That, however, mattered little at the moment.

"Can you lead us back to the Ranch?" Kratos asked.

"I think so," Genis answered.

"Then, we should leave now," Kratos said.

"The desert is more dangerous at night," Raine warned.

"We don't know how long it will be before the Desians put Lloyd to work," Kratos said. Genis shook again at the thought of Lloyd working like a slave. "They also want his exsphere, so we must move so they don't acquire it."

Colette nodded. "We have to hurry and save Lloyd."

Noishe barked, getting a second wind after drinking his water.

"Alright, but we better eat first," Raine suggested. "We will be no good to Lloyd hungry."

"Fine, who's cooking?" Genis asked.

"I made dinner for tonight," Raine answered with pride.

Genis' face grew pallid. "You did?"

"Professor, given the...experimental nature of your food, I should remake dinner," Kratos said neutrally. "We want to be at our best."

Raine frowned at the fact that her food was being rejected again, but knew Kratos was right in this case. It was ashamed since she knew she had something. "Okay."

Genis looked towards Kratos. "You have my eternal gratitude." He was rewarded for that statement by receiving a hard slap to the back of his head.

The sound made even Kratos winced.

Lloyd groaned loudly as the darkness lifted from his eyes. His back was throbbing in pain and he had a headache. What the hell happen? He had finished off a Desian when a searing pain rushed through him. Then, he blacked out.

He looked around and found himself in a metal cell. There was a steel bed on the side and what appeared to be a toilet in the center of one of the walls. Well, he was definitely in some type of prison, but where?

Lloyd heard voice muttering on the other side of the cell bars and he saw two Desians talking. He tried to listen in to what they were saying, but his mind was still fuzzy. After a couple of minutes, the last of the fog finally cleared.

"...if so, I feel sorry for the kid," one of the Desians said.

"Yeah, he can't possibly escape execution," the other Desian said.

Lloyd's eyes widened in horror. "Execution, what the hell!?"

They both turned to face him. "So, he's awake."

Lloyd attempted to stand up, but his legs refused to listen to him. "Where am I?"

"That's none of your concern," the first Desian said. "But if you're good, no harm will come to you."

"Like I trust the word of a Desian," Lloyd spat.

"Desian," The second Desian chuckled.

"Just be quiet," the first Desian said. "It will still be awhile before that bolt attack wears off. So, make yourself, comfortable." They then went back to their duty and paid little mind to him.

Lloyd leaned heavily against the wall as he thought about his position. His weapons were gone, along with his traveling pack. Without them, it was nearly impossible for him to escape.

He looked to make sure the guards weren't looking and lifted up the edge of his gloves. He sighed in relief when he saw his miniature tool kit was still there. It had all his delicate equipment he used for carving. It was a convenient way to carry his tools without a big workbag.

But he couldn't escape with crafting equipment. Wait, he could use them to pick the lock of his cell. He was certain he could do it given enough time. The problem was, he couldn't break the lock with the guards watching him. They would stop him in seconds and take the last of his stuff.

Somehow, he had to get the guards a way from the door. He looked under his glove again, searching for something that could help him. None of his tools were strong enough to skin a cat, let alone a trained Desian guard. He glanced up to his hand and saw the Sorcerer's Ring mounted on his right hand.

Crap, he had forgotten all about the ring. He was certain he was supposed to put it back at the temple since it was a sacred object that no one could touch. He paused in mid-thought as an idea formed his head. The Sorcerer's Ring could shoot fire. If he did it right, he could somehow used it to distract the guards. It was a huge gamble, but it was better than nothing. He was not going to sit quietly and allow himself to be killed.

"Hey, time to eat," one of the guards said as he slid a tray of food under a slot through the door. Lloyd was not interesting in eating Desian's food, but his stomach growled in protest. He hadn't eaten since lunch and who knew how long he had been out. Plus, he would need all his strength to get out of here.

Making up his mind, he crawled over to the tray of food and slowly ate. It was hard meat with some water, but it wasn't too bad. He was expecting much worst. With his stomach having something in it, Lloyd relaxed against the prison's wall. Although he had been knocked out for a long time, he still felt tired. Being unconscious didn't replace sleep. He attempted to stay awake, but he eventually dozed off.

"Hey, Lord Botta is calling you," a voice broke though his sleeping mind.

He gradually woke up to see three guards talking to each other. He stretched his sore muscles as he listened to the Desians talked.

"Gotcha," one of the guards said as he took off along with his partner, leaving only one guard to watch his cell.

Lloyd's eyes widened when he realized that this was his chance to escape. He clumsily stood up and walked over to the cell's door. The guard paid no mind to him. He was not close enough to the cell for Lloyd to physically reach him, so he was in no danger.

Lloyd touched the bars and looked over the Desian carefully. If he wanted to do the maximum amount of damage he had to aim at the right place. He would have only one shot at this. He took aim with the ring and made sure to point at the Desians cloth clothes and not the armor.

With his target in sight, Lloyd shot a small ball of fire at the Desian. He hit his target perfectly and the Desian's clothes soon caught on fire. He didn't even realize it for a second until his flesh started to burn. The Desian was soon screaming as he ran around, trying to put the flames out.

While this was happening, Lloyd removed one of his picks and began to jimmy the cell door. It was one of the most advance locks that Lloyd had ever encountered. Nonetheless, Lloyd hadn't met a lock he couldn't break and he wasn't going to meet his match here.

The Desian by this time had collapsed to the floor and flames consumed his body. Knowing that his screams may have gotten someone's attention, Lloyd increased his efforts. Within a few minutes, the lock clicked and Lloyd casually pushed the door open.

He put his tools up and sighed in relief. It was a shallow victory, however, until he finds his things. Without a weapon, he was as good as dead. He looked around the prison area until he found his swords and his other equipment stuffed into a small box.

He didn't care how they treated his things like trash, but it was good that they kept everything together, although it was kind of arrogance of them to put everything in one room like this.

Lloyd strapped the swords back to his belt and felt much better having his weapons again. Now, the next part was to actually get out of here. He wished he had a map or something of this place to show him the way out. Making guessing was going to get him in trouble.

Well, he had no choice. He was getting out of this place.

I think this chapter moved the story nicely despite all the extra stuff.

Kiomori, thank you again for your continue support and reviews. I thought adding the scene with how Colette made that hole would give a nice touch of humor in my story. I am not very good at writing funny scenes and part of what gives Tales of Symphonia its charm are those moment of humor in-between drama. So, I try to use as much of the source material I can to lighten the mood.

Kf2104, thank you too for your continue support. I personally though Lloyd's reaction to his wanted poster was kind of subdue given the kind of personality that he has. It wasn't until Dawn of the New World that reveal that Lloyd actually liked his poster, which is why he was not all that upset about it.

Shiro No Kishidan, thank you for your review and for reading all my other stories. I try my best to improve my writing skills and hope that I do get better with every story that I post. I hope you keep reading.

With that said, until next time.