Chapter 43
Being transported by Khayeza's mouth wasn't how Sam expected Glee Anselm to go. The Highwind creaked, bobbing side to side whenever Khayeza swam in another direction. Saliva sloshed around on the outside of the ship, flooding the engines and setting off alerts all over the cockpit. Sam and Ben did what they could to quiet them down, taking damage reports. The whole time, Sam kept a mental list of everything she was going to need to repair. It just kept getting longer.
"You know Sam, I've been thinkin," Ben said over the Highwind's whining, "Kosh mentioned your dad going to his family. You don't think he went to find you, did he?"
"Pretty sure he meant his family that already lives here," she replied, half distracted. "You know, mom, dad, aunts, people like that."
"AH!" Ben realized. "Makes sense, makes sense." He swung his legs back and forth. "Oh I am just so excited to meet them! I wonder what the ole Ainsworth family is like."
She half-smiled, but it fell. "Yeah, you and me both."
Ben noticed her expression change and tilted his head. "What's wrong?"
Sam leaned back in her seat, glancing out of the fogged window. The longer they were in Khayeza's mouth, the less they were able to see as thick humidity warmed the outside of the Highwind. Looking out, she could barely make out the headlights of Kosh's ship.
They were trapped there until someone let them out. It wasn't exactly the way she wanted to meet her dad again. Though she also didn't know what she expected either. Back in her mind she wondered if her dad would even want to see her. Maybe Ben was right, he had a family here. Was that enough for him?
She shook her head, pursing her lips. "It's nothing."
Ben tilted his head the other way, the hue of his eyes shifting to green.
"You guys are getting close to something," Lupe's voice came through the earpiece. "The scans show some sort of settlement but… Huh, that's different."
"What is it?" Hinata asked from her seat in the captain's chair.
"I might be reading this wrong but I think it's on the back of another one of those turtle creatures, what did Kosh call it?"
"A Gampassa," Ben answered.
"Right," Lupe said. "But it's like twice the size of the one you're in right now. It's massive!"
"A town on the back of a turtle?" Sam asked.
"Gampassa," Ben corrected and Sam waved him off with a roll of her eyes.
"At least we're getting close," Hinata said. Her feet clanked against the metal stairs as she walked down into the cockpit. She placed her hands along the backs of Ben's and Sam's chairs. "We'll get settled in and then find a way to wherever your dad went. I'm sure someone will know a way there."
Sam nodded, not saying anything in reply. Her fingers trembled over the controls, getting things ready for flight. Even with the engines stalled, she would be able to manage some movement, at least enough to get them out of Khayeza's mouth.
A vibrating trill rang from the control board and Ben hopped up in his seat.
"It's another message!" he told them. "Patching it through."
"Wait, Ben, your droid disguise!" Lupe reminded him.
"Whoops!" Ben pressed another button and magic swirled around him, turning him into a battle droid. "Roger Roger!" Pressing a few other key buttons a blue hologram flickered to life, showing Kosh. "Oh, it's you!" Ben reverted the magic drive for his droid form, turning back into his copper self. "What can we do for you?"
Kosh blinked. "Did you… just change shape? Or am I seeing things?"
Sam shook her head, not really wanting to explain. "It's a thing he does sometimes. What's up?"
"Oh, yes, we are nearing Nakano," he explained. "Since your ship is unlikely to work, I would like to attach a cable between us. Would that be alright?"
"You're going to tow us in?" Sam asked. "Your ship's strong enough?"
Kosh nodded. "I have yet to find a ship I cannot tow. Though I will admit yours is larger than most. Khayeza will bring us right next to her mother. My hope is that even if my ship struggles with your size, the distance will not be long and I will manage."
"You can attach it," Hinata told him. "Do you need any of us out there to help?"
"No, I should manage fine on my own," Kosh explained, then smiled. "But thank you for the permission. I will get to work."
The hologram fizzled away.
"Did he just say Khayeza is bringing us to her mom?" Lupe asked, a grin evident in his voice. "That's gotta be what Nakano's on! Her mom's carrying it on her back."
Ben laughed in disbelief. "She's gotta be humongous!" His feet rapped against the floor in excited pitter patters. "Oh this is turning into the best vacation."
Hinata and Sam exchanged a look, but kept their thoughts to themselves. A loud metal clunk scrapped across the front of the ship. Through the foggy window they could see Kosh attaching the thick cable by a large hook.
"So how often do we think he does this sort of thing?" Lupe asked.
"He seems really used to it," Hinata replied, thinking about it and laughing, "I'd guess he does this on a regular basis."
"Travel by Gampassa," Lupe said wistfully. "What a way to get places. That's gotta be the strangest way we've ever traveled."
Hinata giggled. "Actually, I have a weirder one. There was this one time in Wonderland where Riku and I met this massive talking worm with wings. I think it called itself the Early Worm."
Lupe snorted. "Like the early bird gets the worm?"
"Yes!" Hinata said with a snicker. "Seriously, that's what he called himself and he flew us around Wonderland."
"We have gotta go there and see this thing!" Lupe said.
Ben gasped. "Next vacation! Wonderland!"
Sam listened to all of them chatter and talk, leaning back in her seat and running her hands over her face. She was glad they'd at least chilled out. Hinata was so stressed out before that it was making Sam feel like the calm and collected one, when she was far from it.
She watched Kosh's silhouette rush back to his ship. He went across the tongue like he was on any old path and climbed into the cockpit. The Highwind lurched forward, along with a wave of saliva that lifted Kosh's ship as if it were a boat. Khayeza had come to a stop. Everyone fell silent, waiting and watching.
With a rumbling groan, Khayeza opened her mouth. Water roared inside, engulfing both of the ships inside. The water wiped away the fog, giving them a clear view of Kosh's ship bobbing side to side. Beyond him they could see the ocean beyond Khayeza. It was then they realized just how deep under the water they were. Thin, fleeting rays of sunlight glimmered faintly in the darkness, trying desperately but failing to illuminate their surroundings.
Kosh's ship sputtered to life. Water proofed engines whirred and hummed, swirling bubbles behind it as it moved. The cable between them pulled taut and the Highwind slumped forward. Sam attempted to start the engines, they whined and gurgled, but ultimately listened. She retracted the landing gear, allowing the ship to lift. Pushing the controls upwards, she attempted to follow Kosh on her own accord, but after a few stuttered movements, the engines died.
"Great," Sam sighed and Hinata placed her hand on her shoulder.
Thankfully, they didn't need to move on their own. Kosh's small ship did indeed prove strong enough and tugged them behind him. They exited Khayeza's mouth, and doing so revealed the majesty of Nakano. It was indeed a settlement planted on the back of the Gampassa. Golden arches created the frame of a dome, connected with a thick translucent barrier that kept the water out. The entirety of Nakano spanned multiple miles and beneath it all, Khayeza's mom carried them. Her six flippers moved in unison through the water, creating a current that warbled the sides of Nakano's barrier. She chirped, the sound waves rippling through the water. Khayeza chirped back, swimming over to her mother and rubbing her head against hers.
"This is… incredible," Sam whispered.
"Man, I wish I was there," Lupe said back. In response, Sam brought up his hologram on her arm so he'd get a better view. He smiled over at her before he looked out at Nakano.
Kosh led them around the back of the settlement. It gave them all the chance to take it in from a bird's eye view. Lanterns held a warm glow amidst the dark ocean. They could make out homes and a courtyard. Light leaked through the cracks in doorways and the occasional person walked around. Hinata made note of the vines crawling up the sides of the arches, wondering how they could grow without sunlight. None of them had an answer. They were all far too enraptured by the view.
Approaching the back of the base, they saw the ship landing bay. Kosh's ship went through the barrier, it rippled, clinging to him until he was all the way through. Then it did the same to the Highwind. The moment they were through the ship dropped, clanging against the metal ground and reverberating through the landing platform. The team screamed in surprise, knocked off their feet at the landing. Ben was up first and helped the girls up.
"You guys ok?" Lupe asked, his hologram glitching away.
"Never better," Sam said, rubbing her head.
They could already hear the commotion outside the ship and Sam sent a look back towards Hinata, who noticed and strained a smile back.
"Time to meet the rebels, I guess," Hinata said, straightening her clothes.
She went over to the door and pressed her hand against the panel. With a chime it slid halfway open, before sparking and stuttering to a stop. All the lights in the Highwind flickered in response, until they dimmed and shut off completely.
"Come on!" Sam groaned.
"At least it waited till we were here!" Lupe said.
"Yeah, guess there's that," Sam replied. She scooped up a half-awake Avan from his spot on the navigation and curled him around the back of her neck.
Ben slipped between the half opened door and the doorway, pressing his back against it. With a groan, he pushed, anchoring his feet against the ship for more leverage. A groaning creak traveled through the walls, then the door gave way with a sudden lurch, sending Ben tumbling to the ground. Hinata helped him up and made sure he was alright before all of them climbed out of the Highwind.
At least a dozen ships were scattered around the hangar bay, each one painted the same blues and greens they saw attacking the Separatists earlier. Sam spun around as she walked, seeing another platform above them for more ships to land. One by one the chattering people in the bay quieted down, each of them watching the group. None of them were human, but Sam wasn't exactly surprised by that, she was used to being the minority species back on Montressor. She wondered if that's why they stared or if they recognized the resemblance to her father.
Reaching Kosh's ship, they spotted a woman and him in the midst of what seemed like a heated debate. She stood an entire foot lower than him, but that didn't deter her confidence or attitude. Her skin was a lavender that perfectly matched the hue of Sam's hair. Dark purple freckles dotted her skin, all the way up her toned arms that were equally spotted with old worn scars. Rather than hair, thick long tentacles cascaded down her back, each one wrapped with leather and adorned with golden bands.
As they approached, they could make out her heavily accented voice scolding Kosh. "What did I tell you about bringin in ships covered with Gampassa slime, De'vari?"
"I was escorting—" Kosh tried to explain.
"I don't care what you were doin!" She cut him off. "Do you know how long it took me to clean out the grates last week? I just finished scrubbin the smell out of my clothes!"
"I'll get CLE-Four to handle it for you," Kosh said. "But I really had no choice. I was under orders from Commander Jarith and Khayeza was the safest way to get them here."
"Get who here?" she demanded.
Sam cleared her throat and the woman looked over, her already large eyes widening even further. Kosh went to Sam's side.
"This is—" Kosh began to say.
"My cousin," the woman cut him off again, closing the distance between her and Sam and ignoring the others. "Ainsworth, right?"
Sam opened and closed her mouth. "Y-Yeah, that's… Who are you exactly?"
The woman's deep purple eyes darted all over Sam and she shook her head. "Your dad didn't tell you anything, did he? He's my uncle, well, half uncle. You know how family works, right?"
"I mean, yeah," Sam started. "But—"
The woman held out her gloved hand stained with ship grease. "The name's Ris Nonatso. I'm one of the ship mechanics around here." She shrugged. "Sort of runs in the family. From what the commander told me, you've got the makins for it too."
Sam hesitantly took her hand. "You've known about me this whole time?"
With another shrug, Ris replied, "Last two years anyway." She crossed her arms. "So you finally found your way here. Your dad know you're here?"
"Yes," Kosh answered for Sam, joining the discussion. "Commander Jarith sent me with a team to intercept them from the blockade."
Ris pursed her lips. "Oh, of course, why tell me any of this stuff, right? Wouldn't want to let the mechanic know of the workload heading her way!" She turned and walked away. "Thanks for the heads up, Kosh!"
"Now I know where you get the sass from," Lupe muttered and Sam scoffed.
Kosh sighed. "I'm sorry. Ris is usually quite amicable when she isn't blindsided. I should have warned her about us coming."
"Sounds more like my dad should have told her," Sam pointed out, watching Ris ordering everyone to get back to work.
"Yes, well, Commander Jarith is rather busy," Kosh replied. He unraveled the scarf around his head and shoulders, freeing his mussed white hair and indigo flushed face. The damp scarf hung over his arm and he looked between the group. "Details like this tend to fall to the wayside in our line of work."
"What line of work is that?" Ben asked.
Kosh hummed, finding the right word for it. "As of late, I would say purely survival. The Separatists have been more forceful than usual. I believe the tides in the war are not going the way they would like, so they are pushing for more control. That is why Commander Jarith went to the other settlement. He is pleading with the remainder of his family to join us here, however, they have been… reluctant. Ris is the only one to agree to come here to join the rebellion."
"This rebellion sounds serious," Lupe commented and Hinata nodded.
"Can you take us to him?" Hinata asked and Kosh looked over at her. "To your commander, I mean."
"We will have to find Harris, which should not be hard. It is likely he is in the tavern," Kosh explained. He turned and put up his hand, ushering them to follow. Their steps echoed in the massive room.
"Why can't we just take one of these other ships?" Sam asked, stepping out of the way of a mechanic.
"Harris is the only one among us able to dock at populated settlements," Kosh explained. "According to the Separatists, we do not exist. Their scanners do not work underwater and we have managed to remain hidden."
"But somehow this Harris guy can go there?" Sam asked.
"Hmm… I suppose you are not aware of him," Kosh pondered, a smile curving his mouth, though they couldn't see it. "Harris Concordian is a musician of sorts in this world. His work is well known across several planets, but I realize it may not have reached every corner of the galaxy."
"Wait," Hinata said. "Harris Concordian… The jazz musician that James used to listen to?"
Sam laughed, almost bitterly. "Of course dad got it from here. So this guy's got special privilege or what?"
Kosh swayed his head side to side in thought, weighing his reply. "I suppose that would be the best way to explain it."
A wide door swept open, leading them outside. They stepped out of the hangar bay, finally able to see the inside of the massive dome on the gampassa's back. Warm lights dotted the underside of the dome's frame, but even with their illumination, against the dense dark ocean the settlement appeared dark and in an endless night. Street lights lined the stone streets, their bulbs humming with electricity. A pair of children ran in front of them, chasing a strange frog-like creature as it hopped away. They passed what appeared to be a neighborhood. The buildings were patched together with boards and a hodgepodge of materials. Lamplight glowed from the windows as people peeked out of them, watching the outsiders go by.
"How long have you all been here in hiding?" Hinata asked.
"Approximately fourteen months, I would say," Kosh replied. "There used to be more of us."
"Are we going to be able to take Jarith from this?" Lupe asked.
Sam didn't reply, her brow furrowed and she looked out amongst the town as Hinata softly said, "I don't know…"
"Have you seen any sort of dark critters?" Ben asked. "Like Heartless or Nobodies?"
Kosh looked over his shoulder at him. "I can't say I have. I will be sure to bring it up to the Commander, though."
Ben accepted the answer and continued on. He walked a bit ahead of everyone, spinning and looking at everything in the town. Lines of code went across his eyes before he suddenly stopped and gasped. "Guys, you aren't gonna believe this. I just ran a search on this Harris Concordian guy and he is the real deal!"
Kosh sighed as Ben continued: "He's got over a dozen different albums, each one riding the charts, even in the middle of the Clone Wars! Everyone LOVES this guy!"
"Those details are exaggerated," Kosh said. His exhaustion on the subject strained his voice. "He is regarded as a musician and released a single record that has remained a favorite amongst the locals. His notoriety purely stems from being a pureblood Nautolan from Glee Anselm. It is not often this world is heard about at all, so to have a local celebrity is a novelty to them."
Kosh's steps fell harder, his pace increasing the more he talked. Everyone followed, glancing between each other from Kosh's sudden change in disposition. Lupe snickered through the ear piece, trying to cover his voice.
"What's a guy like that doing here with the rebellion then?" Sam asked.
"My only guess is his bond with the Commander," Kosh replied. "They were apparently close before the Commander left Glee Anselm all those years ago. Though that was well before my time here. Upon the Commander's return, their friendship was said to pick up right where it left off. I am unsure how that's possible with decades apart, but it is not my business and… I'm sorry, I'm forgetting myself." He slowed to a stop and let out a breath.
"You really don't like that guy," Sam said with a chuckle.
"He is a valuable ally," Kosh admitted. He looked up at the tavern not much further up the path. Jazz music and smoke poured from the doors, mixing with the roar of laughter and clinking glasses. "It is the way others fawn over him that causes my frustration. Which is unfair of me to express to you, I know. And I apologize for that."
Hinata walked up beside him and lifted her hand to place it on his shoulder.
"I appreciate the gesture," Kosh told her, "but you will find I am still quite damp from Khayeza."
"Oh." Hinata drew back her hand and instead clasped them in front of her. "Um, thank you for the heads up. I was going to say it's alright. I'm sure tensions have been high having to stay hidden like this."
He subtly nodded. "We are surviving." He cleared his throat. "Come, it is not far off now."
As he continued forward, Hinata took a moment to check in with the others. "This place is not what I was expecting," she told them with a hushed voice.
That was an understatement, but Sam merely nodded in agreement. She tried to imagine her father walking down the same path in the Nakano settlement. He'd been trapped here for two years, surviving. She wondered how it changed him.
Ben took the time to ask: "Do you think there's anything we can do for these people?"
Hinata frowned, glancing back at the tavern up the way where Kosh awaited them. "I don't know, Ben. I want to, obviously, but… We've got Keres and the Organization. We're just supposed to be here for Jarith."
"It's not your guys' responsibility," Lupe said. "As much as it sucks to accept that."
"There might be a way," Sam replied. She looked back at the others, arms crossed. "I doubt my dad will even consider leaving without the rest of these people."
"I know," Hinata admitted with a heavy sigh. "I'm starting to realize that too." She shook out her arms. "But for now, let's just find the guy. We can go from there."
"Good call," Lupe agreed. "He might end up surprising us."
Hinata smiled at the others, before turning and leading the way towards the tavern. Kosh waited patiently outside for them, his hands linked behind his back. He bowed his head respectfully as they approached and motioned his arm towards the door to welcome them in.
Sweet scented smoke fogged the air inside the tavern. It billowed out of swirling glass tubes behind the bar, reaching the ceiling in colorful plumes and congregating into a thick cloud. The haze made it difficult to see individual people and they appeared more like blobbed silhouettes conjured together. Kosh threaded between them, leaving Hinata and the others to sneak their way through. Hinata bumped into a short round droid carrying a tray of drinks. It beeped up at her, its white and blue lights blinking in frustration. Another person nudged past her, their breath thick with alcohol.
Despite the atmosphere, lively music played over the commotion of the crowd. The notes carried hope and excitement, while the grumblings of the patrons told a different tune. Hinata pushed forward with Sam and Ben in tow, reaching Kosh tucked away in the corner, his golden eyes trained on a stage.
Through the smoke, the glow of floor lights along the stage bloomed across the figure of a man. He sat on a stool, swaying back and forth in rhythm with the long wooden instrument in his hands, lost to the world around him. Hints of his blue skin shimmered in the direct light. He appeared to be the same species as Ris, with long thick tentacles along his head where hair normally would be. They bounced with his movements, some of them tied back with an elastic band, but the more he moved with the music, the looser the band became.
Sam walked forward, coming out from the corner Kosh hid himself away in. Her eyes remained trained on the man. He was… familiar. She recognized the song. The notes wove their way into her memories. Her first time in space with her dad, taking a ship on a test drive. The stars were so vibrant and vast. She'd been able to sit on her dad's lap and try piloting the ship for herself. They careened through the cosmos. Her dad's laughter still sounded so rich, even after all this time. All the while, this song played over the ship's speakers.
She reached the foot of the stage, only then realizing how many people were there beside her. Some of them danced, others cheered, acting as if they were at an actual concert and not a dive bar in the middle of the ocean, and then there were the ones like her, quiet and contemplative, listening to the notes.
The final notes rang through the air and the man's eyes opened. They were large and deep blue, brimming with warmth as applause and cheers greeted him. A sharp toothy grin spread across his face and he gratefully nodded his thanks, lifting his instrument. Then his gaze flitted around the crowd, finding Sam standing just a few feet away. His grin softened into a subdued smile.
"Jane?" he asked, his voice barely heard over the crowd.
Sam's heart tightened, along with her throat. She attempted to smile, but any movement threatened to make her cry. Instead, she just nodded.
His gaze softened before he suddenly looked back to the crowd, his charming grin returning with ease. Standing from his seat, he bowed, flourishing with his hand. "And with that parting song, I must be off."
Groans and boos combed through the crowd, but the man ignored them, waving and smiling as he walked off the stage with his instrument tucked under his arm. He motioned his head for Sam to follow.
Multiple people attempted to cut off his path, but he sidestepped them, assuring them he'd be back soon. Sam struggled to keep up with him because of the forming crowd, but he thankfully stood taller than most and she kept her gaze on the blue tinted tentacles until they slipped outside. It was a literal breath of fresh air when he opened the back door to the tavern. The smoke wisped away and Sam could finally see clearly.
A whistle grabbed her attention and she saw the man motioning for her attention, heading down an alleyway.
"I should probably get Hinata first," Sam said under her breath, unsure if she should follow a stranger down a dark alley.
"I'm so relieved you just said that," Lupe agreed, letting out a breath. "She's on her way."
Sam chuckled and thankfully didn't have to wait for long as the door swung open once again. Kosh came out with Hinata and Ben in tow.
"Where did he go?" Kosh asked with a sigh.
"Down here," Sam told him, leading the way. "He always sneaking away like this?"
"His stage personality is quite different from who he really is," Kosh explained. "He does not often stick around after a show is finished. Though I do wish he would stop making me chase him every time I need something."
They went down the alley, it forked into multiple directions.
"Harris, please!" Kosh groaned. "Your Commander needs you to bring—"
Another whistle cut Kosh off. They looked over to find the man leaning against a dimly lit doorway, holding back a thick tattered curtain. He smirked, motioning his head inside the room. Kosh sighed and led the way in.
It was a cozy room, with pillows and blankets covering rock benches. A single lamp settled in the center of the room. Its bulb fluctuated with power. A hallway led further into the building, shrouded in darkness.
"Harris, this is—" Kosh started to speak before a bundle of clothes were tossed in his face.
"Courtesy of Ris," the man explained. "Go change."
Kosh's cheeks warmed with indigo and he disappeared into the dark hall to do as he was told. The man watched him go, shaking his head with a fond smile before he looked back to the others. None of them said anything at first, even Ben remained quiet, taking everything in and processing.
"You lot certainly came a long way, didn't you?" The man broke the silence. He looked at Sam. "Your dad's talked nonstop about you and your brother. Some of us started thinking you were a fever dream of his."
Sam huffed out a laugh, looking away. She sat down along the edge of one of the benches. "You're Harris Concordian then?"
"The one and only." Harris put out his arms, chuckling. He ran his hand along the back of his head. "I'm not sure what you've heard."
"We've heard that Kosh doesn't like you very much," Ben said and everyone winced at the same time.
"Ben," Hinata scolded, but Harris burst into a hearty laugh.
"No, no I don't think he does either," Harris agreed, still laughing. "Though it is more my fame he dislikes. The crowds of people and the billboards, it is a life he doesn't understand." He looked towards the dark hallway. "What do you think, Kosh?"
Kosh reappeared from the hall, wearing a fresh tunic and cotton pants. His face was still a warm indigo as he bundled up his damp clothes. "I hadn't meant any disrespect." He looked around at the group. "Have you met everyone?"
"Ah, no." Harris turned towards Hinata and held out his hand. "I don't believe I've made your acquaintance." Hinata placed her hand in his and he began lifting it to his lips. "You've been as silent as a—"
"Stop," Kosh groaned. "She is part of the mission, not a fawning fan. Speak normally, please."
Harris cleared his throat, releasing Hinata's hand. "Fine then. My name is Harris, what is yours?"
"Hinata." She took back her hand, secretly thankful Kosh stepped in. "And this is Ben, and you seem to know Sam." Harris glanced curiously over at Sam from the mention of her name, but didn't say anything as Hinata continued, "Kosh mentioned to us that you are the only way we can get to the other settlements. How soon can we leave?"
"Right to the point then." Harris crossed his arms. "We can leave when you're ready."
Sam got up and walked towards the doorway. "Then let's go."
Keres
Jumba shifted his sitting position on the stool. Its metal creaked beneath his weight, the wheels at the bottom of the legs rolling as Jumba pushed it back and forth across the lab, gathering reports and supplies. Keres mumbled in her sleep, or at least Jumba presumed she was asleep. At her request, she was confined to a treatment chair in the middle of the examination room. Thick leather straps wrapped around her torso and oven mitts covered her hands with the ends zip tied to keep them tight. Her jumbled words slipped out, unintelligible as her head shook left and right.
Her muttering mixed with Jumba's. He poured over his notes, reading bits and pieces out loud as his fingers clacked against his keyboard. A diagram of a metal cuff took up a majority of his computer screen. The outside of it was plain. Silver metal with green lining the seams. Circuit boards covered the inner side, with orbs coursing through the threading connections. Thin needles lined the center, with wires and wrapped around their base before disappearing in the maze of circuits.
"Jumba…" Keres' voice tumbled out with strain.
The typing paused and he turned his chair to face her.
"Is it ready?" Her half lidded eyes looked back at him.
"Ah, almost," he assured her, turning back to his computer. "The build is complete. But now the data must download. It will take time, but not much."
She whined, but Jumba didn't glance back much too focused on getting the last few remnants of his data typed in before the download started. Keres laughed behind him, the sound low and jarring compared to the weakened voice he'd heard moments before. Jumba paused, looking over his shoulder to see her pulling at the straps keeping her confined.
"Finally," she breathed out.
"Keres?" Jumba asked, standing and walking over. He looked at her arms, seeing black spreading through her veins. "Ah, you must be thing she warned about. Her, what did she call, darkness? Though you are not a true darkness. Not according to those—"
"Quiet!" Keres growled. She tugged at the restraints, not flinching as they dug deeper into her skin.
Jumba hummed, walking closer. He grabbed her arm, flipping it over. "You are more like a parasite, yes? Ah, perhaps virus might be better word." He poked at the thick black veins on her wrist. "See? These were not like this before. A sign of, how say, corruption." He stroked his chin. "How interesting!"
The more he talked, the more violent Keres became. She thrashed, her back arching and legs kicking uselessly. Jumba wasn't fazed. He reached blindly behind him towards his desk to grab a clipboard. Without fully taking his eyes off of her, he scribbled notes of her change in demeanor, noting her paled skin, glowing eyes, and aggravated behavior.
Tendrils of darkness spilled out beneath Keres, smothering the chair and pouring onto the tiled floor. Jumba stepped back, cautiously curious.
"Let us out," Keres hissed through gritted teeth. "It won't be long until we have full control and we will break free."
"Yes, your corruption of her is impressive," Jumba noted. "I will have to make inhibitor stronger than I thought."
"That thing is useless."
Jumba chuckled in return. "Hah! We will see about that, won't we?" He sat back down on his stool, reaching to his keyboard and beginning the download into the inhibitor. "Now, tell me, Keres' darkness, what is this you are making?" He motioned towards the pooling matter on the floor with his pen. "Are you trying to spread your virus?"
All he got in response was a satisfied hum and a smirk. Jumba accepted it and watched the pools. Golden eyes blinked in the center of one. A scraggly arm reached out, dripping with gold liquid. A thin body followed it, dragging across the ground without legs. Jutting out his lip, Jumba nodded, intrigued as he wrote down another note.
"Keres did not mention you could create other creatures," Jumba said, keeping a watch on the creature over his clipboard. "It is no wonder why she wanted to leave little girl's house."
The monster screeched, black threads keeping its mouth from opening completely. It clawed its way towards him. Jumba pulled out a bright yellow blaster from his pants pocket and shot out a bright green orb. It smashed into the creature's face, popping and globbing out a sticky slime that swiftly and completely encapsulated it. It tried to scream, its voice nothing but a muffled blurb of bubbles.
More appeared. One attempted to climb on top of the slime, only to sink in and be trapped along with its brethren. The two of them ripped each other apart in their sticky confines. Jumba got up from his seat, strafing around the edge of his lab to keep an eye on the rest.
"Ah, I see!" Jumba exclaimed. He shot another creature crawling across the ceiling towards him. It splotched to the ground near Keres' chair, splattering her with globs of slime. "You infest Keres' system, multiplying and taking her over so you can spread and consume a world. That is your goal, yes?"
"Such a pathetic attempt to understand." Keres scoffed. "She is not the pitiful victim you paint her as."
Jumba hummed, approaching her once more once every creature was encased in slime. She glowered at him, the glow of her eyes casting light across her cheeks.
"Then explain it to me," he offered. "I am very curious."
An eyebrow rose, a subtle smirk quirked up the corner of her mouth. A pair of black tendrils coiled around the zip ties at her wrists. "We are not a virus. You cannot comprehend what we are."
"You are a creation of the Organization, yes?" he asked.
She growled, shooting up her body until her binding pulled taut. "They do not even understand what they blindly created. We are not spreading, we are consuming."
The zipties loosened, more tendrils wrapped around them.
"With every piece, we become more." A fire lit in her eyes, her voice growing. "Our ascension is only beginning. We will become more than you can imagine!"
"So I was not completely wrong," Jumba pondered aloud, taking notes. "You do mean to consume the world. Though, did not expect growing stronger from it."
"Let us show you."
The zip ties snapped free. With blinding speed, her hand squeezed the front of Jumba's neck. Dark vines sprouted from her fingertips, strangling him. Jumba choked out a gasp, his clipboard clattering to the floor. The air from his lungs vacuumed away, replaced with a burning emptiness. Draining magic slithered up his body, surrounding him and absorbing into Keres. A wicked grin crawled across her face while Jumba's eyes blinked out of sync.
"We will have your mind," she whispered with a sickly sweet voice. "Imagine all the things we'll be able to do. All the things we can consume for ourselves because of you."
Jumba's hand lifted, trembling. It reached blindly towards the desk, knocking papers to the ground and shattering a mug. Cool metal met his fingertips and he clung to it.
"No one… can have the mind of Jumba Jookiba," he strained out the words and clasped the inhibitor around Keres' arm.
It latched, its seams igniting and shooting green light through her veins.
Her eyes went wide, her pupils dilating. "What did you—"
The words trailed off. Her eyes rolled back and body went limp. Jumba fell forward, his hands catching the side of the lab chair as he gasped for breath.
Keres stood in an endless pool of black. The hollowed tree that once confined her floated down the black river, decimated. Stained sunflowered rose and fell with the gentle waves, free from their stems. They parted as Keres waded past.
The liquid clung to her legs, making every step harder than the last. She didn't know where she was heading, the horizon carried nothing for her, the only inclination she had was to keep moving. Minutes had passed since the darkness forced her here. She felt its power growing, the way it crept up her veins and consumed her mind. All she could do was hope that the restraints she pleaded for were enough to hold it back.
The sky rumbled with thunder, but not a cloud was to be seen in the warm painted sky. Keres welcomed the sound. Moments before there was nothing but silence. Even wading through the darkness yielded nothing. The thunder brought something new. It brought hope to Keres. She smiled up at the sky, closing her eyes and listening.
"Something must be happening," she whispered to herself, the sound of her voice nothing more than a soft hum in her chest.
Fingers wrapped around the hem of her pants, tugging the fabric. Her eyes shot open to see a slimy black hand reaching out from the darkness. With a gasp, she jerked back, disconnecting the arm from the ocean and it lost its form. Another hand reached out, followed by another and another. Their fingers dug into her, their nails attempting to break her skin.
"Get away!" she screamed, her voice hoarse as if she were in a dream.
The liquid became thicker, sloshing around like honey. Keres moved one leg at a time, straining as more and more hands wrapped around her. Her knee buckled. The darkness went up to her chin and she sputtered and coughed before being submerged completely. The hands pulled her down, the light from above shimmered through the surface before disappearing completely. A hard surface met her back. It was smooth, cold to the touch, but its details lost to the darkness. Keres couldn't move. Her lungs begged for air.
The thunder on the surface vibrated through the darkness, gaining strength. Keres closed her eyes, listening. Her chest screamed, her lungs convulsing. Then in a rush, the pressure of liquid washed away with the roar of a waterfall. She gasped for air, opening her eyes and seeing a cosmos above her. Liquid still poured down the sides of whatever surface she found herself on. It soaked her hair and stuck to her clothes, but she could breathe. She sucked in a breath, sputtering into a cough and rolling onto her side. Her blurred vision cleared and beneath her she saw red stained glass. An ethereal light illuminated it from below, making the glass shimmer. Keres pushed herself to sit up, her body swaying. Thick darkness still clung to the edges of the platform, filling the cracks in the glass. She carefully stood up, stumbling before finding her strength and looking down.
The circular surface displayed a young woman. Her eyes were closed with a tranquil expression across her face. Red locks of hair swirled around her, wild and free with parts of it braided with golden beads. Her hands were beside her face, as if she were lost in a peaceful slumber. Purple stained her fingers and hands, starkly contrasting the pale complexion. Keres held up her own hand. The purple stain on her matched the woman below.
"Is this… me?" she asked, her voice echoing in the emptiness. She looked towards the rest of the stained glass, only to find it still covered with a thick darkness.
A ray of light pierced through the cosmos. Keres looked up, shielding her eyes from the intensity. It surrounded her, breathing warmth and life back into her as it lifted her up and laid her down on a chair. She blinked her eyes open, everything blurry.
"Are you sure she's still alive?" Lilo asked, the sound of her small footsteps pacing the lab.
"Yes, yes," Jumba assured her. "Look here, vitals. Still strong. She'll be awake soon."
Keres groaned, blinking to get her vision to clear up. "Jumba… Lilo? Did it work?"
"AH! See, what did I say?" Jumba said, coming to Keres' side.
Lilo jumped onto the chair, tackle hugging Keres. She knocked the breath out of Keres, but Keres chuckled and patted her hand along the little girl's back.
"I didn't know if you'd make it," Lilo admitted, pulling back and simply sitting on Keres' lap. "Do you want some pizza? You're probably hungry."
Keres chuckled. "Maybe." She looked around, noticing the mess of slime and Unmade around the room. "Was anyone hurt?"
"Ah, no, don't worry," Jumba said, waving his hands. "They were unexpected, but I handled it. The inhibitor seems to be working just as intended! I may need to make it more powerful in future, but for now seems ok. How do you feel?"
"I'm still figuring that out," Keres admitted. She ran her hand up her arm, finding the metal of the inhibitor near her shoulder. It vibrated gently, heated with dark magic. Keres could sense the darkness within. It was a strange sensation compared to feeling it infested inside of her. "I feel different, at least. I can think clearly."
"Good, good," Jumba said. "I took notes on your, ah, darkness, when it came out. I believe it is more like a computer virus than a true magical darkness like your Organization intended."
"Computer?" Lilo asked. "Is Keres actually a robot?"
Jumba laughed while Keres grimaced at the thought.
"No, not as such," Jumba explained. "Ah, she is more a creation with an artificial intelligence inside. It goes out, searching for ways to make it stronger. Absorbing was not something I expected, but it make sense. More it learns, more powerful it becomes."
"So it's not magic at all," Keres said, leaning back in her seat and staring at the ceiling.
"More like combination," Jumba said. "I suspected as much before when I first discovered you. These Organization Members have made copies. They call them Replicas, yes? But you are something else. These Replicas are exact copies, while you were programmed to be certain way. It is how I make my experiments! Though I do not use their magic. It is too unpredictable! And that is why it failed when they created you. They lost control over the darkness and it escaped!"
"Can she be fixed?" Lilo asked.
"Hmm it would take time," Jumba said. "But maybe not impossible."
Keres ran her fingertips along the inhibitor. It was getting hotter, nearly burning the pads of her fingers, but she didn't stop touching it. "What would 'fixing me' look like?"
"I take sample of blood, I experiment and find way to rearrange DNA," he explained. "You are a creation of science, it should be easier than it would with normal human."
"And the magic?" Keres asked.
"Ah yes, that will be more hard to figure out," Jumba replied, rubbing the back of his head. "Maybe we find information at Organization lab! Little girl went out to find me experiments we can use to sneak in."
"Sure did!" Lilo said, climbing down from Keres' seat. She stood tall and proud, her hands pronounced on her hips. "Wanna meet em?"
"Soon," Jumba told her, waving her out of the way. "I must run tests on Keres to make sure inhibitor work correctly. Then we will see who you found."
Lilo deflated slightly, but accepted. "Well alright. Yang's getting impatient, so don't take too long."
"You brought Five-Oh-Two here?" Jumba exclaimed. "Put it in the containment chamber before it melts all the equipment."
Lilo promised she would as the door to the lab slid shut behind her. Jumba sighed once she was gone.
"I suppose I should have been more specific which experiments I wanted her to find," Jumba muttered.
Keres smiled, leaning back in her seat. The sounds of the lab kept her on edge. Jumba stuck her with a needle on the underside of her elbow, drawing blood. The dark red liquid filled the vial, with lines of black mixed in.
"You mentioned you didn't expect it to absorb," Keres said, keeping her voice level and quiet so she wouldn't distract him. "Did something happen?"
His four eyes glanced up at her, before looking back at the vial and sealing it. "Nothing I couldn't handle," he told her. Another vial was connected to the needle and filled up with blood. "Your darkness attempted to take my mind. But inhibitor was done just in time, so no harm done."
A searing heat pulsed in the inhibitor before fading away. Keres winced but didn't otherwise react. "I'm… sorry. I was hoping the binds would be enough."
"They were for a time," he replied, removing the needle. A bead of blood grew from her arm before he pressed a cotton ball against it. "Hold."
Keres did as instructed, keeping her fingers over the cotton ball. "What if the inhibitor wasn't finished in time? What would have happened then?"
Jumba hummed. "Then you would be much smarter than you are now."
A huffed laugh escaped her, emptying her chest. "How are you so calm about this?"
"I have made six-hundred and twenty-seven living creatures. And those are just the ones I recorded!" He sat down on his stool, hands clasped over his belly. "This is not first time experiment made an attempt on my life. And it won't be the last!" He laughed then sighed. "But your concern is appreciated."
The muffled sound of a crash rattled the lab's door. Jumba groaned, shooting up from his seat. "What chaos have you brought here?" he yelled, pressing his hand against the scanner to unlock the door. Lilo said something in return, but the specifics were lost to the commotion as Jumba rushed in and the door slid shut behind him.
Now alone, Keres ran her hands over her face. She looked around the lab. Chunks of slime covered the floor, each one mixed with darkness. Pieces of her Unmade floated around inside. She sat up, swinging her legs off the side of the chair. In the far corner, she spotted a pile of slime with a fully formed Unmade still inside it.
It was buglike in nature, with long spindly legs and large eyes. Upon seeing her it jittered in its gelatinous prison. Her feet met the ground, her legs unsteady. Keeping a hand on things around her, she made her way over. Bubbles globbed out of the Unmade's mouth as it attempted to chirp for her attention. She knelt down beside it watching it try to make its way to her. Whatever ill intent her darkness intended for it didn't seem to be present in its mind any longer, if it ever was.
She prodded her fingers against the slime. It was sticky, but didn't glue her to its surface. Her fingers attempted to dig in and tear it away in chunks, but it merely melded between them, reforming once she moved past.
"Maybe…" she mumbled, her hands swirling in front of her.
Ice particles shimmered between her palms, forming together into a sharp scoop. She gripped its handle, the ice hardening, and scrapped the edge of the slime. It sliced through, though she was only able to remove it in small chunks. The Unmade watched, its movements becoming more excitable and frantic the more she removed.
The lab door slid open and Lilo's pattering feet came in.
"Keres, we're waiting for—" her voice cut off with an excited gasp. She ran over and skidded to her knees beside Keres. "What is that?!"
"You might want to get back, I don't know if it's friendly," Keres warned, motioning her head for Lilo towards the chair. Lilo pouted but listened, clambering up on top of the lab chair and peering over the top of it. "But… it's something I made, on accident."
"The darkness did it?" Lilo asked and Keres nodded. "Is that why you left?"
Keres scooped more of the slime away before answering softly, "It was part of the reason."
"What's it called?" Lilo asked.
"I don't…" Keres' voice trailed off and she paused her work. A subtle smile curved her mouth. "Unmade."
"A what?" Lilo asked and Keres laughed.
"That's what they're called," Keres explained. "Unmade. A friend of mine named them."
Lilo hummed, thinking it over. "I don't think that's a very good name."
Keres sputtered into a laugh. She glanced back at Lilo. "Oh yeah? And what would you call them?"
"Well Stitch and I call Jumba's experiments our cousins!" Lilo explained proudly. "And each one gets their own name."
"So I'm guessing you're the one that named Houdini then," Keres replied and Lilo nodded.
"Mmhmm, and Yang, and Snafu, and all of our cousins!" She hugged the back of the chair. "And Stitch and I helped them find where they belonged. Do you think we could do the same thing with your Unmade?"
The Unmade inside the slime was fixated on Lilo, hanging on every word she said. Keres observed this, chewing on her tongue. "I don't know," she answered honestly. "They can be dangerous."
Lilo blinked and deadpanned, "I brought a cousin that spits lava. It tried to melt the island."
Keres wasn't sure if she could believe that, but Lilo's eyes didn't seem to be lying. She was starting to wonder how Lilo managed to stay alive with all her wild misadventures with Stitch. "We'll just have to see," she settled with the response, focusing her efforts back on getting the slime off the Unmade.
Its leg twitched, the first thing to be freed. Followed by its head with four large faceted eyes that looked like golden jewels. It chittered, bits of slime and gold acid dripping out of it.
"What is that gold stuff?" Lilo asked.
"Acid," Keres explained. "It's their blood."
"Woooaah…" Lilo whispered, in complete awe as she watched the creature become completely freed.
It didn't take much longer. The Unmade's thin feet clicked across the tile. It was smaller in size, reaching to Keres chest with her knelt beside it. Glittering wings buzzed across its back, bits of darkness flinging off. It looked between the girls, blinking. Its mandibles clacked together while it figured out its next move.
"What to do with you?" Keres asked with a sigh.
"Flik," Lilo said.
"What?"
"His name! It should be Flik," Lilo explained. "I saw it in a movie once about bugs."
"Don't name it until we're sure it won't attack anymore," Keres told her. She stared into Flik's golden eyes. A fuzzy warmth emanated from its chest, a sensation Keres focused on. The magic that formed it was changing. Without the influence of her darkness controlling its intentions the slate was wiped clean. Or, at least that was what Keres hoped. "Are you going to attack?" she asked.
Flik fluttered its wings, taking a few steps forward. Keres stood up, putting herself between it and Lilo. The wings spread out, shimmering with gold and took flight. Keres put out her arm and Flik landed on it, chittering contentedly.
"Yup! He's a good one," Lilo decided. "Maybe he can come with us to the lab!"
"You're coming with us?" Keres asked, looking at her over her shoulder.
"Of course I am!" Lilo said, standing up on the chair. She placed her hands at her hips. "After everything I've done, sneaking into a lab will be easy peasy."
Flik hovered over to the chair and Keres turned to face her completely. "This is different, Lilo. I don't think I'm comfortable with you going."
Lilo jutted out her lip. "But I worked so hard on getting our cousins here! I can handle it."
"The Organization is different," Keres replied. "They aren't like the experiments."
Lilo huffed and plopped back down on the seat. "I thought you were different. No one thinks I can do anything."
Flik scuttered over beside her, rubbing his head against her arm. While he did, he kept his mouth fully closed, keeping the acid inside. Keres watched the interaction, a frown settling on her face. It was like Flik was doing what she wished she could do and comfort her. Instead, Keres let out a breath.
"Lilo… the person I'm formed after, she's a fighter. She's trained most of her life to fight and knows how to do magic. She's smart, clever, capable, but…" Keres leaned her back against the chair, half sitting on the edge, "she got captured by the Organization anyway and it created me." She lifted her hand to put it on Lilo's leg or shoulder, but she faltered and settled her hand on the seat. "I know you can handle yourself. You are an amazing little girl. But the Organization is unpredictable. They have magic and abilities that even I struggle to fight against. And if they were to capture you—"
"Then maybe they'll make a copy of me too!" Lilo chimed in. "And she could go with you on all of your adventures, no matter what world you went to. Like a partner in crime!"
Keres tried to smile, but her heart tightened along with her throat. She sucked in a breath, her fingers gripping the chair. "Lilo, the things they would do to you in order to create the copy… I would never forgive myself." She stood up abruptly. "No, you need to stay here. Please."
Lilo looked up at her, then slowly looked away. She brought her knees up to her chest, resting her chin between them. "Alright…"
The silence following was deafening. Keres peeked over at Lilo but couldn't bring herself to say anything else. Instead she turned to leave the lab. Flik whined but followed, landing on Keres' shoulder. Lilo's pittering footsteps reluctantly went after her.
The lab door hissed open and Keres stopped mid step in shock. Flames flicked the edges of her glass confined room. Lava pooled on the floor of it, the furniture crisping into blackened ash. Jumba was too distracted to notice the carnage as he wrestled a metal chair out of the mouth of a stout orange creature with a massive maw. The entirety of the chair legs were sucked into its mouth while Jumba tugged on the back rest. Electricity arched between the computers, drawing back to a nimble yellow creature with glowing antennae on its oval head.
Lilo's pace quickened and she pushed past Keres, waving her arms. "Drop it, Tank!" She rolled up a stack of papers and swatted the orange creature on its gelatinous head. "Give Jumba back his chair. You know better."
Tank's large black eyes directed towards Lilo and it whined and grumbled, a glob of saliva dripping out the side of its mouth. Lilo swatted its head again and Tank spit the chair out, sending Jumba stumbling back. Jumba groaned, placing the gnawed slimy chair back in its proper place with a firm hand.
"Enough!" he yelled and each of the experiments ceased their squirming. "Little girl! I said to gather experiments to infiltrate Organization lab."
"I tried!" Lilo argued, waving the rolled up papers at him. "I really did, but I couldn't get the ones you wanted."
Jumba crossed his arms and stood in front of her. "Three-four-nine and Three-five-zero?"
"Jail."
He grumbled, running his hand over his head. "I thought they on parole?"
Lilo shook her head. "Their ice cream heist didn't work out."
"Ah, that is unfortunate." He rubbed his chin. "Three-seven-five?"
"Working."
"One would think mission more important!"
"His manager didn't think so," Lilo replied, peering left and right. "I think he might be a vampire."
"Experiment or manager?" Jumba asked.
Lilo pondered it for a moment before shrugging.
Jumba slid his hands over his face, then sighed and straightened his posture. "Well then, we make do with experiments here." He turned to Keres. "Sorry about room. Little girl forgot to remove furniture before confining Five-oh-two." He glanced to her shoulder, his eyes widening and hands outstretched towards Flik. "Aha! There is new creation! Not as destructive as others?"
Flik fluttered his wings at the recognition and Keres glanced over to the new companion. "Yeah, I think after you placed the inhibitor the darkness' control over it went away."
"Ah, very good, very good," Jumba said while grabbing his clipboard to write notes.
While he wrote, Keres looked into her room. The furniture was nothing more than a pile of ash now. A thin red critter slithered along the glass. It peered down at Keres and Flik with its wide black eyes. Keres' head tilted and she smiled.
"I think I've seen this one before," she said. "That one too." She motioned towards Tank then looked up at Lilo's and Jumba's curious expressions. "You wouldn't remember me. It was a while back. Just, um, don't worry about it."
"She's right," a nasally voice piped in. A teal creature walked into the middle of the group. Its head doubled its height with six long tentacles floating in various directions. "The Organization wiped everyone's connection to her. Or, technically to her host, really. Hinata was her name."
Keres got down on her knee. "And I met you, too, didn't I? Or… she did."
"You share the memory, so I think it is correct to say you remember as well," the creature replied.
"Very curious," Jumba said, stroking his chin. "Not only did Organization create copy, they wiped the connection between hearts. That something only magic can do." He glanced up at Keres. "Ah, this is One-two-zero. Foils enemy plans."
"I call him Snafu," Lilo added. "He didn't used to talk."
"That was until Jumba upgraded my vocal capabilities," Snafu explained. "It is good to see you again. Keres, was it?"
Keres huffed out a chuckle. "Yeah. It's good to see you too. And to be remembered. Doesn't happen often." She stood up and looked around. "Is this everyone?"
"Is it?" Jumba asked, looking at Lilo.
Lilo cleared her throat and cupped her hands around her mouth. "Alright troops, form up!"
With jittering excitement, each of the experiments hustled to a line up in front of Lilo. The red one remained in the confines of Keres' room but huddled in the corner closest to her. An old stuffed bear bobbed over, floating a few inches off the ground. As it approached Keres it rose higher up so she could grab it.
Keres took Mr. Fluffy Bear, smiling down at it. "Thank you, Houdini."
Houdini squeaked, a sparkling light making him reappear in front of her. Its ears twitched and head tilted. Keres leaned down and scritched between his ears. His foot thumped the floor before he turned to face Lilo. A smaller critter scuttled up beside Houdini, maroon in color with a long thin nose.
"Alright team!" Lilo stood tall, her hands clasped behind her back. She paced in front of the group. "I won't be accompanying you on this mission, so you've gotta make sure you listen to Jumba and Keres, alright? I don't wanna hear about you misbehaving and getting them in trouble. This is a super secret, super important mission and it needs all of you to make it work." She stomped her foot. "Turn around and meet your new leader!"
Each of the experiments turned and faced Keres, their large black eyes innocent and curious. Keres blinked. "M-Me? I don't even know what they all do."
Lilo walked behind the experiments, patting each one on the head as she passed. "This is Finder. Show him something and he'll lead you right to it! You know Houdini. He can make himself and anything around him invisible with a blink of an eye. I'll write down the magic words to make him disappear and reappear on command. You've already met some of the others too, but I'll tell you what they do. Snafu takes any plan and gets in the way of it."
"That's a rather meager way of putting it," Snafu commented, crossing his arms. "Perhaps in my mute days, but really, now I work on your side."
"Then you tell her," Lilo replied.
"Very well," Snafu agreed. "My job will be to listen in on the Organization plans. Whatever plans they have will be thwarted by me."
"How exactly do you do that?" Keres asked, kneeling to be at the experiments' levels.
"My connectors." He pointed towards his tentacles. "They are sensitive to sound and information, even going so far as to connect to computer servers to learn secrets. Upon learning their secrets my mind formulates a way to disrupt them. Such as upon my first meeting with Lilo and the others, they planned a similar infiltration onto Captain Gantu's ship. Sparky here was meant to disable the weapons, so I recalibrated the weapons to instead be activated and trained onto him."
Keres snickered. "That will come in handy."
"Can I keep going?" Lilo asked Snafu with a raised brow.
"Certainly, don't let me keep you." Snafu sniffed.
Lilo sighed and continued. "This one's Sparky. He handles electric stuff. He can even go into the walls and turn off all the lights!"
Sparky took that as an invitation and zapped to the ceiling. The lights flickered on and off until blooming to such a high intensity they sparked and the glass casing on the lights cracked.
"Experiment Two-two-one, get back here!" Jumba yelled. "Don't break my ship!"
Its head poked out from the ceiling a satisfied toothy smile across its yellow face. It crawled back into the lineup.
"Then you know Tank and Yang," Lilo continued, undisturbed by the display. "Tank eats metal and Yang makes lava!"
"Together we will make short work of the Organization lab," Snafu said. "I'm certain of it."
Keres stood up, looking around at the hodgepodge group. "I think we will, too."
*Author's Note: Hello! It's been a bit. I'll be honest that figuring out which experiments to bring on this excursion has been tripping me up for months. I kept over thinking it and was worried I wouldn't get things right. I finally settled though! There are more fitting experiments for infiltrating the lab, but I have ideas with this little group, so we're rolling with it!
Also want to ask if you guys like having the chapters half with Hina and half with Keres, or if you prefer having a full chapter of Hina and then a full chapter of Keres. Let me know! I'm going back and forth on what is better to do.
I've been so excited to introduce Harris Concordian. He's been on the agenda as long as Jarith has!
If we continue doing the half and half chapters going forward, next up is meeting Jarith and infiltrating the Organization lab!
Thank you all so much for reading. Have a wonderful week!*