(And so we return. If you would like to join up, please do so here: http://kh13.com/forum/topic/70174-kingdom-hearts-vanguard-ii-sign-ups-and-discussion/ )

 

 

{Disney Castle, exterior}

Even, Somebody of Vexen, moved to follow Severa to engage ENCOM Programs, but yelled out in pain as something hit him from behind. He fell forward, a dart sticking out of his back. More programs crowded around, trying to hem Severa in. A red dot appeared on Severa's chest.

"Drop your weapon and surrender." A voice yelled out from the same direction the laser beam. "Or die here and now. Your choice."

More laser beams aimed at Severa.

 

{Disney Castle, interior}

Master Aqua took her old Keyblade from Luna. She took in a deep breath and smiled.

"It is good to have this back, thank you." She said, closing her eyes for a moment.

She reopened her eyes and nodded to Luna.

"We had better arrange a way to get wounded in here for us to heal. Maybe a few of the Guardians could-"

"Dilan to all available forces." The former Xaldin said via a wall mounted radio. "Evacuate! Repeat, evacuate! Four more capital ships warping in!"

Aqua gave the wall radio a shocked look.

"What is this?" She hissed and made for the door.

Before she got to it, it exploded inward with Dilan flying backwards and landing in a heap in the infirmary. From the out of the dust and debries, a man in a suit shot in and wrapped an arm around the stunned Aqua's neck, putting a blade to her neck. Four more people in suits came in and pointed various weapons at the Guardians.

"Don't try anything, Keybladers." The one who had Aqua growled. "We of the Ulthor know how to beat your cursed weapons."

In the ensuing silence, there was a metallic ping. The Ulthor agent in the back flipped a coin and caught it. A tallish man with short cut blond hair, goatee and with a number of ear piercings, he noted what it had landed on and put it away. A playing card appeared in his hand and he threw it at the agent holding Aqua captive. As soon as the card hit, the man holding Aqua turned into a card.

 

{Twilight Town, Old Mansion}

Elenar, formerly Larxene, managed to dodge out of the way of the energy blasts coming in from the digital battle cruise in the sky. Most of the young Keyblade wielders gathered at the old mansion were not so lucky and were thrown by the blast and killed. One lucky Wielder was snatched by Zion and Xion before the duo with their new patient disappeared in a flash of Light. As the smoke cleared, Aeleus (Somebody of Lexaeus) groaned and tried to get up.

Elenar readied herself to added some lightning to Celas's Duel Ragnoraks against the ship, but saw a red dot on the back of Celas's back.

"Look out!" She yelled and jumped in between Celas and where the beam was coming from, erecting a Barrier in the blink of an eye. There was a loud bang and Elenar was thrown back, hitting Celas. The Savage Nymph crumpled to the ground, blood trickling out of the corner of her mouth. For a moment before it faded, there was a neat little hole in Elenar's barrier.

Above, the capital ship rearmed its weapons for kill shots, but was hit by a beam from one of the mansion's 2nd story windows. The ship crackled with energy as its guns started moving erratically.

"Get inside!" Ansem the Wise yelled from the 2nd story window as he tossed out a smoking device he had just coupled together. "It will be back online in seconds!"

Over the the city proper, more capital ships warped in over hand and started landing Program troops, causing panic and confusion from the general populace.

 

{The Castle That Never Was}

Old Master Xehanort looked over his Organization with pride. He was beginning the final stages of his plan. The puny Lights would not be able to rest dancing to his tune.

"Friends" he called out in his cracked voice. "Soon, all our work will come to fruition, and Kingdom Hearts will be-"

The old man's speech was cut short as a massive explosion shook the castle, tossing some of the 13 Darknesses out of their seats.

"What was that?" Master Xehanort demanded as he pulled himself back into his normal sitting position.

Xigbar teleported back to his chair after he left to see what was going on.

"It's ENCOM ships opening fire on the castle." The one eyed sharpshooter reported. "I thought you said they couldn't come into our world."

Master Xehanort's face hardened.

"My Darknesses, prepare to defend the Castle." He ordered.

 

{Traverse Town}

Three figures in dark suits stood on top of the Gizmo Shop in Traverse Town, crowding around a small computer they had set up.

"Are you sure the Doctor said this would work?" A tall blond woman with a beauty spot below her left eye asked.

A man with a stubble and glasses rolled his eyes.

"Yes, Helga." He answered. "I was paying attention when the mad genius gave us this."

The color ran out of the man's face as he caught sight of the glare the blond woman was giving him.

"Um, Commander Sinclair." He corrected himself.

Helga Sinclair snorted her contempt and jerked a thumb at the computer.

"Then fire up our remote control monsters and sweep the city for Keyblade Wielders." She ordered." But make sure they keep civilian casualties to a minimum."

The man with glasses nodded and saluted, a poor think to do together, and typed in commands into the computer. When the last key stroke went through, the Gizmo Shop's front door burst open and Heartless Neoshadows with some sort of control collars on them bounded out, there keen senses looking for the strong hearts that Keyblade Wielders had.

 

{Radiant Garden}

Ienzo, Zexion's true self, finished transferring files and assembling various pieces of equipment he wanted before returning to the Old Mansion in Twilight Town when he heard a loud boom and some commotion outside the castle. Dashing outside, the Cloaked Schemer stopped suddenly when he saw three capital ships hanging over Radiant Garden. To his trained eye, he recognized the pattern of the digital ship.

"How did they get programs out of the computer?" He thought.

Ienzo heard a light laugh from behind him.

"Magnificent, isn't it?" A female voice asked. "Once we found out how to transfer Clu and his troops into our world, we could finally realize your plan. And how beautifully it is working, too."

The Cloaked Schemer turned to face the uniformed woman with glasses, a sly smile on his lips.

"My dear Jihl, did you doubt me?" He asked in a mock hurt tone.

Jihl Nabaat laughed again and stepped forward to place a hand on Ienzo's shoulder.

"The Decolor is grateful for your contribution." She said.

Ienzo's smiled remained, but took on a satisfied look. It was all working like he planned.

 

 

{Enchanted Dominion}

Maleificent stormed through her old castle. She felt degraded having to come back here, but a better hide out had not been available. Plus, the Decolor wouldn't try to bother her here on her own world.

She swiped into an inner room she had given over to one of her new allies and found him tending to his patient. King Candy squirmed under his physician's care.

"Easy, my code is sensitive, ya know." He whined.

"Silence!" Maleficent thundered. "It was your own foolishness that lead to your damage. I told you to avoid the heroes."

King Candy fell silent, too scared of the Witch to say anything. The middle aged doctor chuckled slightly as he straightened up and adjusted his glasses.

"Do not worry, m'lady." Doctor Cidolfus Demen Bunansa said in a calming voice. "This digital monarch will make a full recovery with some improvements."

Candy made to say something, but was glared into silence by the Witch. Maleficent looked back to Dr. Cid.

"And the other project?" She demanded.

Dr Cid's amused smile was replaced by a look of almost religious zeal.

"Ah, yes. I believe I have made the break through we required." He answered.

This time, it was Maleficent's turn to smile.

"Show me."

The Archadian scientist bowed and lead the way out of the room.

"The power requirements were astronomical." He explained as he led the way down a corridor. "I had to practically burn out a star to generate the power necessary and a fool would have let that power to burn out the project's systems before fruition,"

The Doctor paused as he placed a hand on a door's handle.

"But I am no fool." He declared and dramatically opened the door.

Inside was a room full of equipment, but was dominated by a giant transparent tube filled with a liquid. Floating inside was a girl off about 14 years of age and multicolored hair. Tubes extended from the top of the tube and into her veins while a breath mask rested over the girl's mouth. A plaque was placed at the base of the tube bearing the inscription "Project Lacuna."

"Our Void Witch is nearly finished." Maleficent said, dark intentions in her eyes.

 

 

(*Whew* did you see that, cause I will not be doing that again.)

Kyle was a little stunned when he heard that.  "Attacked?  When?  By who?" he asked.  Then he shook his head to clear his mind, calming himself down a little.  "It's Richards, Kyle Richards."

Noctis was watching between the young Keyblade Wielder and the Void Witch while Celas' eyes were directly upon Leah."Is that so?" She said. "Care to explain how you came to obtain such knowledge, Leah?"The Dark Master knew that, from the very few, if not extinct, Keyblade Masters that survived on the great World such knowledge would be either lost or taboo. If that knowledge was mostly gone, then how come Leah knew about it?"Was it your Master the one who imparted that knowledge to you once they named you their Successor?"Noctis noticed a faint change on Celas' mood, she looked as if the information about the Tome was one of her deepest secrets."Keep calm." He said flatly. "Give her a chance to explain herself before jumping to conclusions."Celas sighed and shrugged, her mood going back to normal."Sure." Celas said as she looked at Leah once again. "Explain, please."

Rydia smirked at Kiwi after complaining her stealing the "limited edition" vanilla cookies. But she took the new package gratefully. "Thanks!" She said, prying open the package, and chowing down on one. Mmmmmmm. Perfect. It was really sweet, so, in other words, just sweet enough for Rydia to enjoy. She almost expected Edge to pipe in with a question on how she kept her figure when she indulged so often. Her reply was never more than an ambiguous smile and another bite of whatever she was eating. Rydia looked to Luna when she came up next to her, and asked her question. Rydia swallowed her most recent bite of cookie, then answered. "I hail from the Blue Planet. You probably haven't heard of it, but it has been through it's share of ups and downs, especially what with the recent problems of Heartless. Fortunately, our world has always been one filled with plenty of warriors. Edge and I were a few that fought several battles against not only the Heartless, but other villains that sought to take advantage of the situation. After the Decolor invasion, Edge and I left the world in order to fight the threat. I asked the Eidolons to warp us to where we could do some good, and we ended up here." Rydia explained.

~~~~~

Edge appeared next to Hawk and the prisoner. Where did he come from? A ninja never tells his secrets. Edge stared into the prisoner's eyes. "Perhaps you would allow me to try. Considering you and your amateur techniques aren't making any progress." The Ninja Prince of Eblan commented off-handedly. Of course, it was really more of a bluff, Edge didn't really have too much experience with torture. But this particular prisoner... He felt that he could get something out of this one.

~~~~~

Neena shrugged, then remembered she was talking on a phone. Blasted things. They didn't have them where she came from. "It is possible. But the very fact that they kept it a secret isn't a vote of confidence." Neena looked up from her desk to catch Severa's eye, but the Wanderer was gone. Neena rolled her eyes, but didn't really mind. As long as the girl didn't cause any trouble, then she was free to do what she wanted until Neena needed her again.

{Twilight Town: Main Street}

Aqua listened to Sparrow's reassurances with her eyes closed.

"Maybe we've been too insular from what is necessary." She muttered to herself.

She opened her eyes and squinted in the light. She worried again about the possible damage she sustained while lost in the Dark Realm. She also had memories of dark bug things that captured her before her rescue.

"I guess I'm lucky to get out of there with my heart in tact." She thought.

"What matters now is getting the worlds safe again." Aqua said, her voice stronger now. "From Xehanort and this...Ulthor or whatever is coming for us. If that means I lose some illusions, so be it."

She looked directly at Sparrow.

"Let's catch up with the others. Hopefully, they'll have some answers for us."

 

{Twilight Town: Beach}

The Agent gave Hawk a stead look with no sign of fear in it.

"I told you what I did as a courtesy." He said. "So that you might make the smart choice and surrender. It doesn't matter what you do to me. I won't betray the Decolor and they sure as hell will catch up to you sooner or later. It's up to you whether they use the kid gloves or not."

With his piece said, the agent set his jaw and started staring straight ahead.

 

{Disney Castle: Decolor Ship; Vents}

Lumiara pushed himself forward to peak through the vent at what Nocturne was looking at. He narrowed his eyes as he considered the situation.

"Just running, maybe 15 seconds." He answered after a bit. "That's at a full sprint, and not worrying about enemies."

He paused a moment.

"I might be able to do some short range teleporting down there, but they've done something to prevent me from opening a Corridor of Darkness or teleporting out."

The Graceful Assassin eyed the Guardian.

"Do you have anything to help with your speed?"

 

 

Rydia smirked at Kiwi after complaining her stealing the "limited edition" vanilla cookies. But she took the new package gratefully. "Thanks!" She said, prying open the package, and chowing down on one. Mmmmmmm. Perfect. It was really sweet, so, in other words, just sweet enough for Rydia to enjoy. She almost expected Edge to pipe in with a question on how she kept her figure when she indulged so often. Her reply was never more than an ambiguous smile and another bite of whatever she was eating. Rydia looked to Luna when she came up next to her, and asked her question. Rydia swallowed her most recent bite of cookie, then answered. "I hail from the Blue Planet. You probably haven't heard of it, but it has been through it's share of ups and downs, especially what with the recent problems of Heartless. Fortunately, our world has always been one filled with plenty of warriors. Edge and I were a few that fought several battles against not only the Heartless, but other villains that sought to take advantage of the situation. After the Decolor invasion, Edge and I left the world in order to fight the threat. I asked the Eidolons to warp us to where we could do some good, and we ended up here." Rydia explained.

~~~~~

Edge appeared next to Hawk and the prisoner. Where did he come from? A ninja never tells his secrets. Edge stared into the prisoner's eyes. "Perhaps you would allow me to try. Considering you and your amateur techniques aren't making any progress." The Ninja Prince of Eblan commented off-handedly. Of course, it was really more of a bluff, Edge didn't really have too much experience with torture. But this particular prisoner... He felt that he could get something out of this one.

~~~~~

[i forgot how complicated it was to reference two girls in a conversation without using their names ]

 

[Twilight Town, Main Street]

Luna listened intently to the stranger’s story. The timid Guardian would have felt a pang of sadness when she heard that another world was attacked by the heartless, but she had heard the story numerous times to the point that she became jaded… almost. “I’m sorry to hear that,” she started, “but since your world is filled with warriors, then there should be no need to worry.”

 

At the same time that Luna was having a conversation with Rydia, Sparrow was keeping his full attention on Aqua. "What matters now is getting the worlds safe again." the master started,  "From Xehanort and this...Ulthor or whatever is coming for us. If that means I lose some illusions, so be it."

“Affirmative, master.” Sparrow calmly replied back, “We’ll do all we can to support and defend you, no matter the cost.”

"Let's catch up with the others. Hopefully, they'll have some answers for us."

“I hope so too.”

 

The conversation now over, Sparrow resumed his vigilance on scanning the surrounding area for anything that could threaten the master as the posse continued their way back to the beachfront. Kiwi meanwhile, had decided to stop by another store. He was quick to acquire what he was asking for, and a short while later, the scout was jogging back to his formation position as the point man with a towel strapped onto his back. Luna noticed, but was unsure what to make of it. He’s so cute, and so weird! I wonder what he’s up to?

 

Meanwhile at the Beachfront…

 

"I told you what I did as a courtesy. So that you might make the smart choice and surrender. It doesn't matter what you do to me. I won't betray the Decolor and they sure as hell will catch up to you sooner or later. It's up to you whether they use the kid gloves or not."

 

With the agent’s ultimatum stated, the two guards knew that their session of chit-chat was over. “You know what to do, Raven,” Hawk started, “put him down then.” Ghost smirked a little at the father’s display of professionalism despite him having every right to end this in a messier style. The medic stood behind their captive agent and kneeled. “Pursuant to section three zero, you are still classified as a threat to us. As such, we have no choice but to do this.” He quickly moved his arms into the choker hold around the prisoner’s neck. “Don’t worry, you’ll just be rendered unconscious. Depending on how things go, you should be found and reawakened after a few hours. Hopefully, we should be long gone by then.”

 

RIght on cue, Edge showed up and startled the trio of guards. “Well this is awkward,” Raven calmly remarked, seeing the girl eyeing their prisoner.  "Perhaps you would allow me to try.” the ninja stated,  “Considering you and your amateur techniques aren't making any progress."

Hawk gave an angry glance, but Raven was the first to speak. “We were limited on what we could do. But if you believe you can do this better than us, then by all means…” He relinquished his grip around the agent and handed him to the ninja girl. “He’s all yours. When you’re finished, let me know so I can put him down.”

 

[Decolor Ship. Hanger]

Nocturne was furiously thinking out all of his available options. 15 seconds. 15 seconds for total escape. I wonder how fast hanger doors like these can close?

“Do you have anything to help with your speed?” Luminara asked.

“Negative.” was the guardian’s reply. “I usually don’t carry speed potions on me.” He continued to survey the area through the hole where the grate used to be, trying to analyze the ships that were parked in the bay. If any of them were armed, he reasoned, maybe targeting a warhead should cause enough chaos to buy them both precious seconds to escape, or even better, blow a hole in the hanger doors should the worst possible scenario come true. After his analysis, he returned his attention to the ceiling just below him. If there were any projections that he could grapple on to, this would make exfiltration so much more simpler. What was it that Zero-One always said? The only easy day was yesterday? I guess he was right...

{Radiant Garden: Dark Depths}

"You may have gotten stabbed." Lea commented dryly.

The former Organization member whirled around when he heard Sephiroth's voice.

"Oh, crud." He groaned.

He had never faced Sephiroth himself, but he had heard reports on the subject.

"So, you're with these guys?" Lea asked Sephiroth, gesturing to where the Program's bodies would have been.

 

{Twilight Town: Train Plaza}

Aeleus nodded.

"I was wondering if Even had remembered to send your invitation." He noted. "Long story short is that you are late and it might have saved your life. A group with a vendetta against Keyblade Wielders attacked the mansion, killing some of our recruits. We are currently winning here, but this Decolor have invaded other worlds as well."

 

{Twilight Town: Train Station}

Leah looked increasingly nervous as more attention was paid her. She tried to start a sentence three times, but she sputtered out each time. Lacuna pulled out of her lose grip and walked a few feet away, no longer looking wobbly on her feet.

"If you want to lie, go ahead." She said calmly. "I won't be able to read you so well over here."

Giving the Witch a desperate look, Leah gulped.

"Well, I..." She started to say, but again she lost her words.

Tears began to well up in the young wielder's eyes.

"So many things are gone, why couldn't that blasted thing?" She whispered.

Lacuna tilted her head to the side as she watched Leah. Rolud, lost in all this Keyblade History mumbo jumbo, gave Noctis a look that asked if he understood anything that was being said.

"What do you mean, 'gone'?" Lacuna asked, feeling curious.

"It started it all." Leah managed, trying to get a hold of herself. "Oh, the Light and Dark were always fighting, but it didn't get bad till that thing showed up. It told people that the Darkness would win, so the fighting really started, with the Light trying to change it."

"But...that was in the first Keyblade War." Lacuna said, recalling some of the knowledge passed on to her. "That would mean...oh."

 

{Disney Castle: Decolor Ship; Hanger}

"Yeah, that's what I was thinking to." Locke said reluctantly.

He glanced up at the ceiling of the hanger bay as he thought. He glanced around at the Ulthor agents and ENCOM Programs bustling around. He trusted most of his agents, but with Clu most likely a part of the dirty secret, he wasn't sure he could trust any of the Programs.

"We need to find out more about this." He continued, speaking in a lower tone.

Locke was confident that no one had been trying to listen in before, but he didn't want to take chances on that front.

"Once things have settled down on the ship, we need to discuss this in depth and make plans. Maybe invite Ienzo to join us?"

 

{Twilight Town: Main Street}

Aqua's jaw tightened slightly at Sparrow saying that the Guardians would defend her. Her job was to defend the world. How could she accomplish that if she herself needed protection? The young Master reminded herself not to blame Sparrow. He was just doing the duty he was trained for. She would just have to make sure she wouldn't need their protection.

Squinting, Aqua looked up in the sky as she walked to the beach to check on the space battle. Everything seemed to have moved to the upper atmosphere, with only a few dim flashes of weapons fire and ships exploding made it through the day time sky.

"We've taken back one world." She commented. "If we can get our prisoners to talk, we might have a better idea where to go next."

Aqua picked up the pace to get to the beach, eager to go on the offensive.

 

{Twilight Town: Beach}

Not trusting either of his guards, the Agent struggled a light as Raven started choking him out, but with his restraints, he wasn't able to do much. He was dimly aware of someone saying something, then the pressure around his throat let up. He gasped a little and tried to shake his head to get rid of the fuzz in his vision.

"What now?" He coughed.

He noticed the ninja looking at him. While determined, the Agent was smart enough to be concerned by the new comer. Even the hardest of people had a breaking point, and if this was the next wave of interrogation, he might be pushed closer to it.

 

{Disney Castle: Decolor Ship; Vents}

Lumiara seriously considered leaving Nocturne there and making his own way out. He had gotten on board the Decolor vessel to find out more about the organization, only to find getting out wouldn't be as easy. He had agreed to go with the Guardian because it seemed he would be helpful.

"But there are more ways he could be useful." The Graceful Assassin thought. "If I am to get a Keyblade, I need to prove myself a friend to the other wielders. Helping this soldier boy should be a good stepping stone. Plus, Ienzo wanted him safe. That little schemer must have something in mind."

Looking through the vent into the Hanger again, Lumiara checked for things he could use to cover his and Nocturne's escape.

"What if a teleport hopped to one of those things that look like ammo crates" he explained, pointing out a stack of crates maybe half way down the hanger bay, "and blew it up? That should keep attention off you long enough for you to make a break for it."

"Where do you need me?" he asked, looking him in the eye.  "I can help fight, that's why I'm here, after all."

Noctis noticed Rolud and gave a small shrug then he want back to Celas."Care to give us a little more info on the subject? By the way you're behaving I'm sure you know more that you let on."The Dark Master stared at the void for a moment before looking away."The Keyblade War.  A conflict between those who looked for the Light to stop the Darkness. A battle between those who wished to get the Light for themselves and those who wanted to protect it."Celas rubbed her eyes and sighed."Wielders forged blades in the image of "that" that was supposed to protect Kingdom Hearts, the X-blade. What we have today" She said as she summoned her own keyblade. "Is a mere copy of that Key. Functional, but a copy, nonetheless."The Prince raised an eyebrow, a serious look on his face."A weapon to use the power of the heart. How does that fit into all of this?""People are greedy. give them enough power and watch them abuse it. I do admit that Wielders are scarce in the worlds, Masters even more, but anyone with a Keyblade and a little knowledge of Kingdom Hearts will wish to either protect it from harm or harness the power to themselves."Noctis tilted his head."Like this Master Xehanort?" He asked. "But if this tome spoke of the Darkness and its eventual victory in the Keyblade War, then why are you worried? The war is over, this "Kingdom Hearts" thing was lost and the worlds were scattered, right?"The Warrior slowly looked at the Prince, her face completely devoid of emotions."Who said the Darkness would win in the first war?" She said. "It is said that the tome was able to see the future. Who can say how many wars are in our future?"Noctis looked at Leah and then back at his strange partner."Kingdom hearts, X-blade, Keyblades, Light, Darkness. And in the center of the conflict we have the tome. The blasted thing was the trigger to a full scale war." Noctis then looked at the Void Witch. "Did you learned something with this new information?"

I just hacked into the servers and rerouted the patrol. Straight to your buddy here." Sephiroth took out his masemune. "So, Lea let's get down to business. You hand over the idiot and no one gets hurt except him."

{Twilight Town: Train Plaza}

"For now, come with me." Aeleus answered. "We need to consolidate our forces, and there is a separate contingent on the Twilight Town Beach that we need to contact. Follow."

With that, the Silent Hero stalked away from Kyle towards the alley ways, apparently confident that Kyle would follow.

 

{Twilight Town: Train Station}

"That the worlds are potentially screwed." Lacuna responded in a casual, distant tone. "I guess I should include myself in that situation, shouldn't I?"

She waved a hand vaguely at Leah.

"Oh, and we might be dealing with a time traveller here."

Leah looked numb.

"I didn't time travel." She objected, but weakly. "At least, not in the usual sense."

"From before the first Keyblade War." Lacuna concluded, sounding a little smug.

Leah shrugged.

"Maybe." She said. "I went to sleep before a war started, but it was building up."

 

{Radiant Garden: Dark Depths}

Lea gave Sephiroth a puzzled look.

"Sooo, you're just here for him?" He asked, gesturing to Mysanca. "What, did you and Cloud break up?"

He briefly glanced at Mysanca before returning his attention to Sephiroth.

"How did you get on his bad side?" Lea asked.

"Right." he said, nodding his head.  He followed after Aeleus, heading toward the ally ways.

Sephiroth laughed. "You don't understand. Your friend over there has something more valuable. Cloud was just an obstacle. Now Mysanca, hand it over."

Mysanca got up. "Kill me first." Sephiroth swung at him and Mysanca blocked it. Sephiroth tried a combo and Mysanca blocked it with incredible skill kicking Sephiroth in head. He summoned his keyblade and stabbed him in the stomach. Sephiroth fainted. "Let's get out of here before he gets up. I'll explain later!"

Edited March 14, 201510 yr by Riys Hassam (TheGamer)

Edge pulled his gloves tight as he looked over the prisoner. "Excellent." He said, walking slowly towards the captive. The Ninja Prince strode in a circle around the tied up prisoner. He did so for a while, keeping his emotion neutral as he kept his eyes steadily upon his victim. His intent was to continually unsettle the captive with silence. Suddenly, Edge whipped his wrist out, and a knife flew out of his hand flying through the air and cutting the face of the prisoner. Blood leaked out of the wound, and Edge wiped it off the face of his victim with his index finger. "You bleed the same as I do. You bleed just the same as thousands of innocent souls affected by the chaos caused by your organization. Some of those souls are my people. A good ruler does not rest until his people are given the chance to live their lives to the fullest. At the moment, I believe it is you and your colleagues currently preventing that." Without warning, Edge shoved the Agent, throwing him to the ground. The Ninja Prince stood over the prisoner. "This is your last chance to help my people by telling me anything and everything you know. If you do not take it, I will help you do so."

~~~~~

Rydia nodded. "I hope so as well. But if this Decolor is as smart as they seem to be, I have no doubt they planned for any problems that may present themselves." She said, always careful to not underestimate the opponent she faced. "Man, how long have we been walking? Goodness gracious we're never going to get anywhere." The Last Summoner mentioned sounding slightly upset, though she still smiled.

~~~~~

"Sounds good to me. I hope we can do so soon. Stupid prisoner. See ya soon." Neena completed her phone call, and hung up. She rubbed her forehead, slightly exasperated. 

~~~~~

Severa sauntered back into the room she had left Ienzo, a self-satisfied smile upon her face. "Job done. That'll cause some more chaos right?" She said, walking over to Ienzo. "I hate to sound like a broken record, but what's next?"

Noctis stared at Lacuna, an expressionless look on his face."A time traveler?" Celas repeated. "That is impossible."The Prince then turned his head towards the young Master."And why is that? If you asked me about traveling between worlds before any of this....I would say you were crazy. Surely there is a-"Celas raised her hand to stop the Prince."That's not what I meant. Time travel has rules..." She said while thinking about the person in the black coat she saw in the forest of Twilight Town. "one of which states that the one traveling in time must discard their physical body and that there must be another version of them already in place."Noctis stared at Celas in silence, wondering how the girl obtained such knowledge."In any case." The Dark Warrior said as she turned towards Leah. "You will explain who you truly are and what is your plan. Something tells me that you going to sleep before a war, then waking up and arriving at the Mansion in Twilight Town is not a coincidence."

[F&%!ING FINALLY! I CAN POST! Oh, and this is turning into one helluva walk ]

[Twilight Town, Streets]

 

"We've taken back one world. If we can get our prisoners to talk, we might have a better idea where to go next."

Sparrow looked at Aqua with a glint of hope as she relayed her observations. He looked up into the skies as well, wanting to verify her conclusion to put his mind at ease. He felt a slight pang of doubt, but quickly suppressed the thought; Guards like him knew that they have no right whatsoever to doubt a master. The strict, booming voice of his instructor echoed in his head as he nodded in agreement at Aqua. Know your role, Guard! You are a tool to be used by a Master, and to be disposed of once your serviceable life is over at their discretion!

 

The squad leader closed his eyes for a moment, taking a quiet, deep breath to bring himself back into the here and now before finally replying, "Uh... understood, Master Aqua. Lead on."

 

Kiwi, Luna, and Ghost were keeping their diligence with their sentry duties. While the enforcer was still on the rooftops acting as their first line of defense against surprises, Kiwi and Luna exchanged passing glances at each other as they continuously surveyed the area, only to have their gazes last a little longer after each moment their eyes met. Kiwi was the first to crack a smile, and soon enough Luna was sporting a grin as well. “Like what you see?” the scout playfully remarked, to which Luna began laughing hysterically. “Well… You know, you could just say no instead of laughing like that. I can take the hint!”

 

“Pervert!” Luna playfully squealed as she covered her mouth, muffling her laugh into an endearing giggle.

“Oi! It’s ‘skirt chaser!’ It’s less incriminating that way!”

“Kiwi!” Sparrow’s voice echoed from behind, “Quit hitting on Five!”

“You can’t blame me for trying, sir!”

“Point taken. Carry on!”

With his leader technically giving him the go ahead, Kiwi started telling Luna every single corny pick up line he ever knew, making the poor Guardian blush and giggle with glee. Even Ghost wasn't immune as the duo heard the Enforcer snicker every now and then, shaking her head in outright disapproval at how bad it was. The scout finally stopped after a while, and the two girls were in a lot better mood than they were minutes ago. “Well that was fun while it lasted,” Kiwi sighed as he scanned the area with vigilance, “and from the sound of it, we must be close to the beachhead. I wonder how Hawk and Raven are doing?”

 

Meanwhile…

 

Analyzing Luminara’s proposal, Nocturne wasn’t exactly happy with the options presented to him. Actually, he was neutral, thanks to that damn lens over his eye that restrained him of almost all emotions. I’m under no immediate obligation to terminate threats directed at my assigned Princess. So, that means priority can be allowed for evasion and recovery…

“Do it.” the guardian whispered. The risk of not escaping was a little too high than what he would want it to be, but given the fact that he was captured just hours before, Nocturne wasn’t exactly ready to go back to the interrogation room anytime soon. He wanted to escape via one of their fighter crafts, but given the ridiculously narrow timeframe between detection, alert, and sealing of the exit, waiting for a ship to start up was definitely out of  the question… Better look at the ships to see if they’re armed. I might need it if things don’t work out as expected.

Edited March 20, 201510 yr by Javelin434

(Sorry for the wait, ladies and gents. I'll try to get into a more regular pattern for posting on here.)

 

{Twilight Town: Alley Ways}

Aeleus cautiously led the way through back alleys, occasionally glancing behind himself to make sure Kyle was still there. While the new wielder checked out so far, the Silent Hero had learned the hard way that keeping an eye on people was safer.

After a couple of turns, the big man stopped, holding up a hand for Kyle to do likewise.

"Well?" He asked the general area.

"Um." A male voice replied. "Don't bash me, I'm on your side?"

"Clever." Aeleus said dryly.

A teenager with wavy blond hair and came pants popped up from behind some trash bins.

"Next time, stick to the code, Hayner." The big man finished.

"I forgot it." Hayner said with a shrug. "But listen, I spotted another person with a Keyblade."

Aeleus raised an eye brow.

"Description?" He asked.

"Girl." Hayner began. "Blue hair. Dressed weird."

"I know who it is." Aeleus said with a nod. "Where?"

"Heading up Main Street towards the beach."

"Excellent. Thank you, Hayner. Get back to the station for now."

The teen gave a thumbs up, then ran past Aeleus and Kyle.

"We had best hurry up to catch them." The Silent Hero advised before starting to run.

 

{Radiant Garden: Dark Depths}

"No argument from me." Lea answered Mysanca, taking off after the wielder.

After a few steps, he turned and snapped his fingers, erecting a wall of flames around Sephiroth.

"Head towards the castle!" The Furry of Dancing Flames called. "And keep away from programs!"

 

{Twilight Town: Beach}

The Ulthor Agent only flinched a little as Edge cut his face, though their was a slight flicker of something as the Ninja King wiped off the trickle of blood from the fresh wound. A few seconds later, the Agent was on the ground, trying to glare up as Edge.

"The chaos was already there." He objected. "If your world was targeted by the Decolor, then you already had a Keyblade problem."

His eyes narrowed slightly.

"Or you have been proved to be a Keyblade collaborator. One former option gets you my sympathy. The latter, my contempt. Nether gets you answers in this situation."

 

{Disney Castle: Decolor Ship; Server Room}

Ienzo quickly closed out an inquiry screen he was working on, and greeted Severa with a smile.

"As long as the question is valid, never fear asking it." He said encouragingly.

Spinning around in his chair, The Cloaked Schemer stood up, putting a finger to his lips.

"Though fearing the answer might be prudent. First, I would like to see how the Decolor's wielder 'guests' are getting along. There are two on board this ship. Sora and Ventus, to be exact."

As Ienzo continued to speak, he started walking to the door to head out into the corridor.

"They should be well restrained, so a repeat of the Guardian's escape is highly unlikely."

He paused just outside the door.

"Coming, Severa?"

 

{Twilight Town: Train Station}

"I...I didn't travel through time." Leah objected. "I just went to sleep, and woke up now."

"You are referring to some sort of stasis?" Rolud asked.

Leah nodded.

"I guess so." She answered. "I felt something encasing me as I feel asleep. My friend, Thomas, came up with the plan, but he never told it all to me."

Lacuna snapped her fingers with a satisfied look.

"Crystal stasis!" She said with a hint of triumph. "I was trying to make that term connect with something. Now it fits into place."

The Void Witch then looked puzzled.

"But....why do I envision pink colored hair with the term?" She asked.

Leah shrugged.

"I guess that's it." She said. "I was suppose to be woken up by Thomas when...when the war was over."

She went silent for a few moments before continuing.

"I have no idea why I woke up when and where I did. I just followed the notes saying to meet at that old mansion."

 

{Twilight Town: Main Street/Beach}

Aqua set a brisk pace as she led the way to the de Wynter beach house. She would still have to rely on the Guardians to get information from the prisoners, though she would be watching closely to learn.

"I've always been good at learning." She thought. "It will be the true test when I have to apply what I've learned."

Dark thoughts of what she would have to do to get answers were interrupted by Luna and Kiwi talking. It had surprised Aqua how well the Guardians could joke with each other.

"Maybe it's a defense?" She mentally wondered. "A way to keep from falling to the dark they have to fight?"

Musing on this, Aqua kept marching till the buildings of the town gave way to the trees and sand of the beach. As the de Wynter estate came into view, the young Keyblade Master took a deep breath and continued heading for the structure and the answers she hoped to get there, both about the enemy and herself.

 

{Disney Castle: Decolor Ship; Vents/Hanger}

"Then be ready." The Graceful Assassin said dramatically before disappearing, leaving a few flower peddles in his stead.

He reappeared behind some of his targeted crates. He carefully looked around, making sure he was not being observed. After a mental count, he summoned his scythe and jumped away from the crate. As he flew through the air, he twisted, swinging his weapon. Magic erupted from his blade, taking the form of a slash that sped back towards the crate, setting off an explosion.

Pandemonium ensued moments after detonation, with soldiers and techs trying to get more munitions and ships out of the fire as fast as possible. Lumiara smirked with satisfaction, landing well away from the blast. Maybe a few more random deaths would in crease the chaos? He stepped forward to take. Swing at a passing tech, but his scythe caught on something. The Graceful Assassin looked back to see Locke standing a little behind him, the sword built into his cane out and blocking the scythe blade.

"Bad choice, son." The Ulthor Director said calmly before hitting Lumiara in the stomach with the sheath for his sword cane, causing the former Organization member to gasp and stumble back.

Edited May 26, 201510 yr by rikunobodyxiii

Kyle continued to follow Aeleus when the bumped into Hayner.  Once they spoke and Hayner moved on, he agreed with what Aeleus said.  "Right." he said.  "So, who was that Keyblade Wielder Hayner spoke of?"

Mysanca nodded running to the castle. He remembered when this world was called Hollow Bastion. Those were dark times but the situation was better now. Mysanca arrived at the castle luckily before Sephiroth was there. He hid in the shadows waiting for Lea.

 

{Radiant Garden: Dark Depths}

 

Sephiroth was enraged. He used his blade to slice through the flames. "You idiot! You made me lose my target! Do you know what you have done! This world is finished now! You see the fool you let get away has a power that can drain the energy of worlds. The more he drains the stronger you let him get!" Sephiroth was lying but it sounded pretty convincing.  

"So this girl was put into crystal stasis to what exactly? Save her from the war?" Noctis asked.Celas shrugged and waved her hand."I think it will be pointless to try and find the reason why she had to be protected." She said. "Maybe she will have a greater role to play this time. Something tells me that it wasn't a coincidence that she woke up moments before those ships attacked."The Prince went silent before continuing."That raises more questions without giving us many, if any, answers. Let us hope out "guest" can give us any hint of what we have to do next."

(Sorry for the wait, ladies and gents. I'll try to get into a more regular pattern for posting on here.){Twilight Town: Beach}The Ulthor Agent only flinched a little as Edge cut his face, though their was a slight flicker of something as the Ninja King wiped off the trickle of blood from the fresh wound. A few seconds later, the Agent was on the ground, trying to glare up as Edge."The chaos was already there." He objected. "If your world was targeted by the Decolor, then you already had a Keyblade problem."His eyes narrowed slightly."Or you have been proved to be a Keyblade collaborator. One former option gets you my sympathy. The latter, my contempt. Nether gets you answers in this situation."{Twilight Town: Main Street/Beach}Aqua set a brisk pace as she led the way to the de Wynter beach house. She would still have to rely on the Guardians to get information from the prisoners, though she would be watching closely to learn."I've always been good at learning." She thought. "It will be the true test when I have to apply what I've learned."Dark thoughts of what she would have to do to get answers were interrupted by Luna and Kiwi talking. It had surprised Aqua how well the Guardians could joke with each other."Maybe it's a defense?" She mentally wondered. "A way to keep from falling to the dark they have to fight?"Musing on this, Aqua kept marching till the buildings of the town gave way to the trees and sand of the beach. As the de Wynter estate came into view, the young Keyblade Master took a deep breath and continued heading for the structure and the answers she hoped to get there, both about the enemy and herself.{Disney Castle: Decolor Ship; Vents/Hanger}"Then be ready." The Graceful Assassin said dramatically before disappearing, leaving a few flower peddles in his stead.He reappeared behind some of his targeted crates. He carefully looked around, making sure he was not being observed. After a mental count, he summoned his scythe and jumped away from the crate. As he flew through the air, he twisted, swinging his weapon. Magic erupted from his blade, taking the form of a slash that sped back towards the crate, setting off an explosion.Pandemonium ensued moments after detonation, with soldiers and techs trying to get more munitions and ships out of the fire as fast as possible. Lumiara smirked with satisfaction, landing well away from the blast. Maybe a few more random deaths would in crease the chaos? He stepped forward to take. Swing at a passing tech, but his scythe caught on something. The Graceful Assassin looked back to see Locke standing a little behind him, the sword built into his cane out and blocking the scythe blade."Bad choice, son." The Ulthor Director said calmly before hitting Lumiara in the stomach with the sheath for his sword cane, causing the former Organization member to gasp and stumble back.

 

 

[Twilight Town, Squad Nightwing]

 

As if they were machines in tune with one another, Luna, Kiwi, Sparrow, and Ghost all simultaneously rested their hands around their belts. It was an uncanny sight to those unfamiliar with them, but obvious enough for the master to know that they were now in a more heightened state of alertness than what they were moments ago. Ghost hopped off the rooftops, knowing that it wasn’t in her domain whatsoever to maintain sentry duties on an open setting now. Sparrow slowed his walking pace as Aqua headed towards the de Wynter house, pulling rear guard for the team as he scanned the area with his ever watchful eyes. Luna and Kiwi were doing the same as they fanned out at the sides, putting more distance between them and the master in order to facilitate a larger buffer between threats and their most precious asset.

 

“Was wondering when you’d get back!” Raven playfully shouted to the team, waiving at Aqua. Hawk stayed quiet, but nodded in acknowledgement as he gazed at the master for a moment, then returned his attention to Edge. “Friend of yours?” he softly asked the approaching group, “managed to slip past my eyes and ears. Stealther?”

Sparrow was quick to answer his questions. “Affirmative, Hawk. Fighting the same enemies as us. Any info?”

“Some. Affiliated with an organization that calls itself the Decolor. They have subset organizations apparently, since the ones we confronted in the castle were called the ‘Ulthor.’ They're targeting anyone wielding the keyblade-”

The agent’s response to Edge caught the team’s attention. "Or you have been proved to be a Keyblade collaborator. One former option gets you my sympathy. The latter, my contempt. Nether gets you answers in this situation."

“Apparently keyblade collaborators as well.”

"Go on…”

“Believes to be justified in their cause. They do not wish to destroy the light, merely destroy those who wield the keyblade. They view the keyblade as the weapon of world destruction, and wants it gone. Also said that we’re not their only targets.”

“I can’t argue with that logic, and I guess it’s too late to try and persuade them if they’re overtly attacking us. At least they’re an equal opportunity adversary…”

Kiwi finally decided to butt in as he walked past them towards the de Wynter house. “At least they’re politically correct! We can’t have any discrimination in extermination after all! The more targets, the merrier!“

With Raven biting his lips trying not to smile, Hawk continued. “He mentioned a council that the organization has, and said that they are under orders of ‘incarcerating’ those who surrender willingly. Stated that they will put them ‘where they can’t hurt people’ and ‘kept in reasonable safety and comfort,’ but something tells me otherwise.”

“Surrendering is out of the option completely. But, it’s good to see they’re not out to facilitate our immediate ‘decommissioning.’ What else?”

“Refused to identify what and where their council is. Haven’t asked on troop strength and activities yet. That girl over there wanted to try asking some questions, so we let her.”

 

With the information in mind, Sparrow walked over to the prisoner, and noticed the wound and blood on his face. “What in Light’s name?!” the leader furiously screamed to his two other squadmates, “didn’t I tell you guys NOT to pull a section Three-Six?!”

Raven was quick to intervene. “Hold on a moment sir! It was the girl! Not us!”

The leader’s anger was quickly suppressed for the moment. “Alright then. Edge? Are you the one responsible for this? If so, then carry on. We need information on their positions and current worlds that they occupy.”

 

[Meanwhile… In a Decolor Ship, Hanger section…]

 

Taking the cue, Nocturne descended from the safe confines of the maintenance access, whisking out his bifurcated arrow-rifle in the process and arming the weapon in one smooth motion. The ionizing hiss was soothing to the Guardian as the blue energy cone shot out the front, making him a very visible target. The explosion occurred just as he landed, crouching lower than usual to absorb the impact and to keep a low profile. Amidst the chaos, the Guardian immediately started bolting towards the hanger door. He was running as fast as he could, that is until he decided to look over his right shoulder to see if there were any immediate pursuers. Luminara’s confrontation caught his attention, and the Guardian was quick to try and intervene. Keeping his body and direction the same, Nocturne slowed down just a little as he swung his right arms around until they were directly behind him; his left tucking into his body for stabilization. Keeping his arm straight and level, the keyblade sharpshooter was trying to acquire the new target within the computerized scope of the weapon as he tried to assist his liberator. It was a struggle, and he was hoping that the pink haired assassin would have the senses to step away from the assaulter so his weapon would render some assistance.

{Twilight Town: Alley Ways}

"Her name is Aqua." Aeleus called over his shoulder. "She carries the rank of Master and has been a central part of of a conflict between Light and Darkness. I had believed her captured when the Decolor attacked, but it appears she escaped."

Increasing his speed, the Silent Hero led the way through back allies and a few underground tunnels, cutting travel time to the beach significantly. As the golden sand of the beach drew closer, Aeleus grew curious about his new companion.

"Tell me, are you a self taught wielder, or did you have a master?" He asked Kyle.

 

{Radiant Garden: Dark Depths/Castle}

"Right." Lea said, turning around to give Sephiroth a smirk. "And you're the good manners fairy. Should have known by the wings."

With that final quip, the Furry of Dancing Flames waved at the One Winged Angel before disappearing in a swirl of darkness. He reappeared at the entrance to the castle. He was gonna have to stop using the Corridors so frequently, but when you were in a jam.

"You here, Mysanca?" He called out, looking around for the mysterious wielder.

 

{Twilight Town: Train Station}

"Well, I was awake for a couple of days before all this started." Leah admitted. "I was waiting for my friends to show up."

"Fate or chance? Fate or Chance? Fate or chance? Fate? Or chance?" Lacuna muttered to herself. "Can never decide."

Rolud whistled softly as he checked his nails.

"Well, not that this conversation hasn't been suitably mind bending, but I'm going to go check on what Dilan and Candy are talking about." He said pleasantly before strolling off.

Lacuna watched the Gambler as he walked, looking thoughtful, herself.

"It won't be much longer." She said in a detached tone. "Candy smells of fear, Dilan of anger and regret. The bug will crack."

Leah, who had been inspecting the toes of her shoes, looked to the young Void Witch with a worried look.

"Are you alright?" She squeaked.

"No." Lacuna answered in a far away voice, blankly staring at a wall.

A minute or so later, Dilan stormed out of the room he had been using for his "talk" with King Candy.

"The only thing useful the sniveling bug gave we was a name." He said. "Long John Silver. Candy said he ferried supplies to a space station where he was brought into our universe."

 

{Twilight Town: Beach}

Aqua listened to Hawk's report with interest. She was torn on the reported views of this Decolor. While she couldn't argue that the Keyblade could be used for horrible things, Xehanort being living proof of that. But she also knew in her hear that in the right hands, the Keyblade was a tool for balance and peace.

"In the right hands." She thought. "Such a simple, yet complicated stipulation."

She walked over to where Edge was interrogating the Ulthor Agent. Her eyes lingered on the blood trickling down the man's face, but said nothing about it.

"All going well here?" She asked in a flat tone.

 

{Disney Castle: Decolor Ship; Hanger}

<What are you doing?> the wormy voice in Nocturne's head demanded. <Leave the idiot and get out. We've got whole worlds to see!>

Lumiara caught sight of Nocturne's assistance attempt, and quickly twirled out of the way of the shot. But, that seemed to tip his assailant off as well. Locke, with surprising grace in a middle aged man, tumbled back to avoid the shot, and was back on his feet less then a second later.

"Two for one." He grunted as he glanced at the Guardian's position. "I can live with that."

Lashing out with his sword and hilt, Locke clashed with the Graceful Assassin, who was still getting some of his breath back. The pink scythe and short sword clashed and danced as both combatants tested each other's defenses.

Everywhere else, the shock of the blast was wearing off. Non-combat personal evacuated as the soldier Programs moved in to apprehend Nocturne. An alarm blared as the hanger doors slowly began to close.

"I was self taught." Kyle said, keeping up with him.  "Kinda had to when Heartless started invading my homeworld.  Shortly before it happened, a man handed me his Keyblade and left, then during the initial attack it just appeared in my hand.  At first, I just used it like a sword, killing Heartless left and right.  Then, things started to get more difficult and I started getting voices in my head telling me each of the different functions of the Keyblade when I needed them, like to lock or unlock a door to escape from a group of strong Heartless, or how to seal my world's Keyhole when I found it by chance.  Even how to create a portal to get here when I got the message."

{Radiant Garden Castle}

 

Mysanca came out from hiding. "Yeah. How'd you lose Sephiroth? The one-winged bitch is a crafty one keeps following me for no reason." He sighed. "So about that group your in, make me a member." He said. It was a demand not an offering so he expected to get in.

Edited June 6, 201510 yr by Riys Hassam (TheGamer)

Severa looked at the black screen for a moment, lost in thought. What was she getting herself into? It was an old thought, one that she had had many times previously, but it did not end. None of her business that little demon in her mind kept quipping. It was an ageless argument, and one that had affected her for a long time. She heard Ienzo's words but did not process them at first. She thought about the damage the Decolor was dealing, the problems that could arise with the Seekers of Darkness, and everything else. And she remembered why she was standing here now, way back when. And she decided something. She flicked something off her left shoulder. That little demon? Quashed. She glanced towards Ienzo with a grim smirk. "As always." She said, following him out into the hallway.

~~~~

They had a Keyblade problem? Or were collaborators? Edge thought back. He couldn't remember anything about Keyblades in any recent history of the world, but... That was it. There were ages old legends that spoke of a key-shaped blade, whose wielders had saved the world. So old not even the Elders at Mysidia knew anything about it. Is that what he meant by Keyblade collaborators? He balled up his fist in frustration before the voices of the others called him back to reality. "I'm a man if you couldn't notice." Edge shot back to the men of Nightwing Squad. "And yeah, I'm working on it. I probably won't hurt him too much." He replied in response to Sparrow's concern. He glared down at the Ulthor agent. "Probably." He glanced sideways towards Aqua. "If you consider all going well as this guy not giving up a thing, then yeah, all's going well." Rydia made her way over towards Edge, glanced over the prisoner. She had shut off her levitation magic of the other incapacitated agent over by the others. 

"You look like you're doing fine with this whole prisoner thing."

"Yeah, just fine." Edge responded tone a little, well, edgy. Rydia nodded quickly and began to walk away from him. She decided to leave this work to him. The Summoner did not particularly have the stomach for things like torture. Edge knelt down and picked up a discarded bucket and filled it with some ocean water before standing up to full height. He slipped a small pill into the bucket, though he probably wouldn't see that. "I find your goal distasteful, and since your organization is still responsible for the death and occupation of my people and government, I will continue. Especially since you haven't given me any actual reasoning for your discrimination. Now, here's the deal. I'm going to drop a bucket of salt water into your mouth and on your face every time you decide not to answer one of my questions. And when I say large, I mean large. It won't be fun." Edge proceeded to pour the salt water into his prisoner's mouth. "Kind of like that. If this goes on long enough, I might just proceed to waterboarding. So really, think of this as a favor. I could be doing much worse. Now tell me what you know about the Decolor." Edge demanded. Behind his mask, he was smirking. He didn't expect this to last too much longer. He had slipped a pill that would cause incredible hallucinations that morphed everything in the victim's environment into their worst fear. And Edge had no idea what the hallucinations would turn a torturer like him into, but he doubted anyone would want to lie to it.

"A space station?" Celas asked. "It will be a problem to find a station out there."

The Prince looked at the Dark Master.

"We have a lead. It is better than to have nothing."

Celas remained silent for a moment, her eyes set on the void witch, hiding a sign of worry for the young girl.

"There must be a way to track the station."

Noctis nodded and turned his head to the room Candy was.

"The bug is a digital being that came into our world. Wouldn't be possible for him to have some sort of signal just like the device that was used to bring him here? Maybe we could use him to track the station."

"Or we could make him take us there." Celas said as she looked at Noctis.

[Twilight Town, Beachhead]

 

Off in the distance, Kiwi's laughter could be heard when Edge had to clarify that the person was in fact, a he. While Raven looked down in embarrassment and defeat, Hawk's face remained straight and unchanged. Sparrow breathed a sigh of relief when the ninja admitted responsibility for the prisoner's injury. "Yeah, I'm working on it. I probably won't hurt him too much." It was now that Raven had moved next to him, and asked under his breath, "So are we gonna let this happen?"

"Not gonna intervene," the leader quietly replied back, "So long as we aren't doing it, we won't get in trouble. Just because we follow rules of engagement doesn't mean we make others do the same. Patch the prisoner up once the interrogation is finished, then put him down."

"All going well, here?" they heard Aqua ask.

"If you consider 'all going well' as this guy not giving up a thing, then yeah, all's going well."

 

As Edge filled a bucket full of water, Hawk shot an angry glance over to Sparrow. The leader knew what his friend was thinking, and was quick to explain as he quietly motioned his hand in a dismissive, ‘we’re not doing it, we don’t get in trouble’ gesture. Unfortunately for the leader, Hawk wasn’t having any of it as he continued to silently fume. Waterboarding was his favorite ‘advanced interrogation’ technique, and being denied the joy of doing it while watching someone else have the fun was particularly annoying for the rifleman. Fighting the urge to vent his frustration, Hawk stayed quiet and decided to watch Edge.

 

Within the hangers…

 

The telltale color change within the computerized scope of Nocturne’s sub-rifle from blue to red was slightly reassuring to the Keyblade Sharpshooter as he pulled the trigger on the weapon without verifying what target the thing had acquired. Not even a hint of doubt crossed his mind, and out of the corner of his eye, the guardian was able to witness the frustrating result of his action as the energy bolt missed its target. As his arm readjusted for another shot, the voice in his head opted for another option. What pang of regret Nocturne might have felt was immediately suppressed thanks to the restraining lens over his left eye. Now, the Guardian had only two objectives to worry about. Escape is now top priority. Focus… Only help those who help you when given orders to, or directed by Command.

He was quick to shift his focus on escaping as he brought his attention forward towards the exit of the ship, and saw...