Avast Me Hearties

[Zack Fair]

Zack’s journey through the Ashen Steppes had come to an end, for now. He wasn’t sure how he’d found the portal back to the Nexus, but he was glad beyond words to trade the fire and brimstone for the blank canvas of white. It wasn’t to be, because he’d made the hike towards a new gate, hoping for a nicer and more peaceful destination.

He was thoroughly pleased to have his wish granted. The gate he’d passed through led him to a bustling beach city known as Costa Del Sol, at least according to the signs nearby. He couldn't help but chuckle. There had been a vacation resort with a matching name in his home world, from before the Omniverse. The name and a few minor similarities seemed to be the extent of it, however. The place he’d ended up in was a large, bustling town that evolved into a metropolis if one went the proper direction. The resort town he knew had some great night life, but this place appeared more than capable of putting it to shame.

That was something he wanted to experience for himself though. He’d spent a large chunk of time in a lava filled wasteland, which was preceded by time on the run after his ill-fated mission to Nibelheim. It wasn’t until he tasted the salt in the air of this verse that he realized how desperately he needed to just relax. If he'd been fortunate enough to stumble into the vacation destination, he'd take advantage of it.

Despite the fact that he was still shedding ash and soot as he walked, he happily strolled through the bustling city, looking for the party district. He’d dealt with enough quiet and solitude over the past year or so, and now he simply wanted to have a nice drink in the middle of it all. Soon he was on the party strip, and despite it being the afternoon, things were already going. Music blared from several bars and restaurants, and drunks filled the streets. The Imperials were present, mostly just to keep things moving and remove the more dangerous party animals. Luckily, Zack wasn’t the only one carrying a weapon, and his massive sword went unmentioned. He simply walked the streets in awe, taking in the sight of people and civilization once more.

He pushed his way into a moderately crowded tiki bar, eyeing a seat in the corner. He’d have a perfect view of the floor from there, as he didn’t like to keep his back to a door, but also because he enjoyed people-watching. His first stop, however, was the bar itself, where a young bartendress was quickly making drinks while simultaneously dealing with a rowdy group of men occupying the seats right in front of her.

The lady gave Zack a warm smile when he stepped up next to one of the drunks, and simply held up one finger towards the woman running the bar. The man, meanwhile, turned and looked him up and down, unsure in his stupor if Zack should be treated like a hostile or an old friend.

“One of whatever’s your strongest,” Zack requested with a smile to match the lady’s, but decided to drive the point in. “I’m on vacation.”

The girl gave an understanding smile, especially after noting that Zack hadn’t hardly taken the time to brush the Ashen Steppes’ most plentiful resource from himself with any real effort. Zack ignored the mumblings of the drunks beside him while the girl poured him a strong drink.

“Plate of nachos, too, please,” Zack said as he took the drink and pointed to the table he was destined for. “Make it a tab. I’ll be over there.”

The girl rushed off and Zack went to turn, only to have the nearest seated drunk grab his arm. He held the drink up to prevent himself from spilling any, then looked curiously at this boozed up obstacle.
 
“She’s fine, isn’t she?” the man slurred out, grinning uncontrollably as he spoke.
 
Zack rolled his eyes, and pulled his arm free to pat the man on the shoulder. “Yea, she’s doing fine. You’re the one we’re worried about.”

The man stared blankly, not understanding Zack’s joke. The young super soldier laughed to himself and moved right along, paying the boozed up fools little mind. Instead he took the Buster Sword from his back and leaned it against the table, so he could easily sit in the chair.

He took his first sip of the drink and all of his worries seemed to wash away. He savored the burn on his throat as much as he could, even closing his eyes for a second. It sure hit the spot. It was going to be good to take some time to himself, so he could recharge his batteries. So much had happened so fast.

Now, though, it was just time for a break.

[Caira Ayryn]

Today was the day.

Caira traversed the final roads of Camelot and entered the Nexus beside her giant shadow lion. In her hands, there were the notes from the astronomers she had met in Dalaran, in the indents of the page, more had been written and even between the lines. She admitted a sigh, it was nearly illegible for people who were considered so very literate. The portal released her with a Whoosh! and the room became white.

She was alone.

Not the first time, and it certainly wouldn’t be the last. The simplicity of the moment had Caira mesmerized. As any direction could take her to any of the clues. Her violet eyes stayed on the page, and she chose simply to go straight and see where it would take her. The girl’s legs were tired of walking at the end of the journey, so she paused and did a few stretches before carrying on. New places, new things. The idea of adventure buzzed in her mind as she finally approached a portal that had shells built into its border.

There was only one choice.

Caira plunged in, and was immediately enveloped by the scent of saline. It engulfed her nose, and she could’ve sworn she even tasted the burn of salt on her tongue. Her violet eyes squinted while her ears perked at the soft sound of the tides changing. A rush of wind fluffed her black hair, full of ringlets while the shiny fabric of her sleek attire remained glued to her skin. The wounds she’d accumulated had healed, and she looked down at a few tears in her black skin-tight suit gave her a rather disheveled appearance, considering the stark contrast between the splotches that were torn, it was hard to miss.

Bright eyes glittered at the setting sun and she made her way toward the horizon. Today was a day for new beginnings. The female placed her book back in her satchel and strode off toward the town. Never before had she seen the ocean, never before had she taken in the beautiful orange hue of waves lapping against the sun behind a silhouette of a city’s scape. The view was intoxicating, the air aromatic. It was the perfect weather for her to find what she was looking for.

Now it was all a matter of where to look...

Sand glittered with sunlight as the tide played tag with the sand. Magenta sky painted the cool sheer sheet of water onto the echo of water pooling to create a mirror along the hardened slope of the shoreline and the sun sunk into the cold depths of the night. A new moon began to rise, the sliver of white contrasting against the vast expanse of blue and Caira felt the chill of the wind nibble at her nose. The city streets had certainly died down by now and Caira wandered in, casting wondering glances at the immense beauty of the ocean as she did.

“And my dear, you’ll find the next one in the verse where the waves kiss the sky.”
This was surely it, she thought as she remembered the advice, still clinging in the corners of her mind. She meandered through the streets of Costa del Sol, and she had stopped a few times along the way asking a few merchants and shopkeepers who were closing up, whether or not they had any clue of what she was looking for.

“Astronomer, y’say?” one man asked, putting his hands on his hips and rotating his hips outward, “Why I haven’t heard that term for over a century.” There was a jubilant laugh, his eyes shined with light, but he couldn’t say he remembered anyone by that profession coming through town.

The next shop keeper was a woman who owned a flower shop, she had beautiful hair, and her name was Martha, “Hi there sweetie, what can I do for you? Shop’s almost closed but for you I’ll let you look around, m’kay?”

“Actually,” Caira’s violet eyes caught Martha’s, “I was hoping you could tell me if there are any astronomers in town? It’s a pretty big place and I’m not from around here...”

“My, miss, are you a prime?” her sweet tone was layered with honey.

“I am, this is my first time in this verse. I go all over the place but I’m a knight in Camelot.” Caira spoke the truth.

“Now sweetie, I have some advice for you, don’t be saying those things around the men in white, you hear me? They’ll arrest you, things here aren’t like they are in Camelot, have you ever read George Orwell’s 1984?” the woman spoke rather whimsically, and invited Caira in for tea, who seemed delighted and intrigued by the mention of a book she’d never heard of, and accepted.

“No,” she spoke curiously, “I don’t believe I have.”

“Well hun, not all governments are created equal, see, and... This one has more of a totalitarian regime also there was a lot of surveillance... Umm, let’s see, control that’s the word, the Stormtroopers here patrol in an unhonest way, and they might eavesdrop or attack you if you seem like you’re doing something important.”

“That’s terrible!” Caira gasped.

“And its true, they trashed my shop, and threatened me after my husband died till a nice tall, redheaded gentleman with one arm came in here and saved my life. Now I can afford the shop and the repairs I had to apply since they’ve left,” her tone was calm and sweet, when a little boy with a dog hanging by a bright red leash ran in.

“IS DINNER READY MARTHA?” he shouted.

“Yikes, no need to yell!” she exclaimed.

He asked, comically to anyone who didn’t have sensitive hearing, “WHAT?”

Caira could’ve yelped, instead, she rubbed her ears painfully and winced while the boy continued, “Oh! You can hear me, I was at the harbor today and needless to say, lots of boat horns. My ears’ll be numb all week,” he offered the stranger a grin with only one front tooth, “Hi there, you have really pretty eyes. Martha here would say they’re like irises. Are you her new friend?”

This child smiled up at her with great big doe eyes, the dog by his side following suit, with his pink tongue popping out for stunning appeal, “Now, now, I only just met her five minutes ago when she came into my shop just prior to closing, also, you’re late young man!”

“Ooooh, I get it, so you’re staying for dinner?” this kid was good, and a sly smile leaked from his eyes.

“You’re still late young man. March up to the bathroom and clean up and maybe, just maybe, you’ll get desert,” the beautiful woman pointed to a place out of Caira’s sight and the boy did as he was told with his steps falling heavy on the stairs. “Heh, kids right? He’s not even mine, but he comes here every night for dinner and drops off the paper in the morning, if you ever see a red bike, that’s him.”

The woman laughed and it touched her eyes, “I’d love to have you stay for dinner miss...?”

“Ayryn,” Caira said, noting the ominous tone her false-name gave the stranger, thinking about food and the fact that her body didn’t need it to live.

“Well, it’s nice to meet you, I’m Martha, and I hope you like fish, ‘cause thats what’s on the menu.”

Less than a half an hour later, the woman was serving up steaming white fish fillets, the little boy had set the table and the dog sat at the end waiting for his bowl full of scraps. It was a beautiful family dinner, and Martha asked Caira to say grace, “Since we are honored to have a wonderful guest with us tonight, please do us the honor.”

“Sure,” Caira blinked and delved back into her childhood, trying to remember what the monks had always said before a meal, “Once, the sun rose, once, the sun set, but when we are together surrounded by the ones we love, we become the sun and welcome the warmth into our hearts. We are thankful for all that fills this room and beyond, our health, our safety, and our everlasting quest for fulfillment.”

Their hands unfolded themselves very slowly while Martha praised, “My, that was beautiful,” and the boy was already gobbling down his fish, adding a dash of salt, a squirt of lemon, and two shakes of pepper for taste.
The young boy thanked Martha for the meal and left with his dog leaving a small trail of paw-prints behind him. The bell on the door jingled as it shut and Martha asked, “So Caira, do you have any place to stay tonight?”

Reluctantly, the Prime shook her head, and Martha only grinned, “You know, I’ve been looking for a way to return the favor to the Prime that helped me, but he must’ve fallen off the Earth for how much I’ve searched for him, so, as long as you promise not to cause me any trouble, I’ll invite you to stay in my guest room. It isn’t much, but it’s a bed, and you seem like a fine young girl, you shouldn’t have to go out on the streets at this hour.”

“Oh, you’re very kind but I can’t possibly impose on you like this,” she protested.

“It’s already done, you Camelot type are all the same, and what’d you say, you were a knight? All the more reason to honor my offer, eh? Tell you what, if you stay with me for the night, I may have a place to send in the morning to help you find what you’re looking for.”

There was no denying that, and Caira was already feeling the limp fatigue draining the from muscles in her legs to the bones of her shoulders. The idea of a clue caught the knight’s attention and she accepted with the gratitude lining the layers of her words, “Thank you,” the Prime said cordially and offered to do the dishes.

“I’ll set out some clean sheets.”

...

In the morning she was awoken by the gentle rise of the gleaming sun over the water, and the loud ruckus of dishes downstairs in the kitchen behind the shop. It was all one building, a very quaint home and of course, Martha’s tea was to die for. The smell of food mixed with the fragrance of flowers filled her nostrils, and it was a kind she had never tried before. “Pancakes” or so they were called, were what was on the menu for breakfast. Lathered in gooey golden maple syrup.

“You’ve never had pancakes? You haven’t even lived!” the kid burst through the doors, letting the bells chime as they slammed, “Oh and the paper’s here.” He slopped down her copy of the paper and looked at the giant stack of pancakes towering over the wooden table with thin legs, which looked like it might collapse under the weight of all those pancakes. It was a feast fit for kings, and Caira was lucky that the kid with the red shirt ate over half of them since Martha said she was ‘watching her weight’ and only ate one pancake without a cube of butter on the top.

Caira picked up her fork and knife, which let’s admit, will always be a little weird for someone who grew up without having to use utensils, and cut a too big bite of flat dough for herself. It had already been saturated by the liquid sugar and it’s golden color glittered in the morning light. After sticking the fork in her mouth, she pulled it out and let the sweet dough fall on her tongue.

“Mmm! This is delicious,” she said through another mouthful as the flavors danced and mixed with the stray blueberry or sliver of banana. After eating a few, Caira was stuffed. The boy went off, thanking Martha for the meal and saying her pancakes were the best he’d ever had, “I’d have to agree,” Caira said with him out the door.

“Thank you, I rarely have cause to cook them, save for the squirt’s birthday. Now, after we do the dishes and water the flowers, I bet you’re mighty curious about what I have to tell you next.”

It was past three in the evening and after hours of grueling work Dang, flower tending was no small task! when, finally, Martha relinquished her silence (save the helpful advice she gave Caira when trimming a snapping bush, which actually snapped off a tiny chunk of the young girl’s hair.)

“His name is Gary, and no, he’s not a bartender at this saloon, but he’s a drunk who stays there day and night. Thing is, he’s the least drunk of them in there, y’know? I worry about the poor guy, I don’t think the alcohol is doing what he wants it to do for him, but hey, it’s his life. The bar isn’t far from here, just two left turns around the block. Remember, his name is Gary, and he’s got blue eyes and usually wears a hat so I don’t know what color his hair is,” she smiled again, warming the entire room and bringing her flowers to life, “Now, I don’t know if he’ll be able to help you, but if anyone in town is an astronomer, Gary knows him, or knows where to find him.”

“Of course, thank you Martha so much for your hospitality, is there any way I can repay you?” Caira offered with earnest intention.

“One way, Miss Ayryn, if you ever find Gildarts, you tell him Martha’s been waiting for him to come visit for practically months. That’s the prime that helped me, you see. He’s a very kind fellow, no temper really, but if he catches you mistreating some silly old flower shop keeper, you’re toast,” Martha giggled as Caira waved and walked out the door.

Two lefts, right? That wasn’t so hard, except that now there was about two thousand people filling the cobblestone streets, it must’ve been a farmer’s market every day, for no one in the city looked at all discomforted by the commotion, save the girl in the single layer of black.

“Ouch!” A knee landed on her shin, while two elbows shoved their way into her ribs. Making her way downtown, and she couldn’t walk any faster to get out of this mess. It was nice though, since she more or less, had cover of the crowd. Not that she was being followed, but with Martha’s warning and the way the guild had treated her with their trials, it was peculiar business indeed, these stars that fell from the heavens...

“Two dollars for a loaf of sourdough! Three for a fresh baked apple pie! Excuse me miss, are you interested in eating any fish?” a merchant leaned closer to the woman, his nose just barely inches from scathing hers.

“N-no, I just ate some last night,” Caira gulped, feeling his eyes as an owl’s boring into her soul.

“Okay! Come again!” the man said and Caira walked off, eyeing the man who had given her shivers. She never liked crowds, and well, this entire street was one calamitous cloud of them. Click click. her shoes carried her, yes, two city blocks left of the cute little flower store she had departed from, and there it was, her destination and it was unmistakable. A big sign hung on the front of it, but the words weren’t in a language she was familiar with. It was German, and they seemed to scramble up and around the wooden sign with a curved and fading font.

Her long legs carried her inside the wooden building, opening the door, she smelt the pungency of alcohol’s odor and dank air. “Hey!” there was a cheers as two men raised their glasses and a third put on a spoiled expression. “Bet’s off Jeremy, you lose. Your odds are nothing compared to my luck. It was a lady who walked in the door.”

“Yeah, yeah, round’s on me,” he groveled.

Caira’s steps didn’t skip a beat as she strode to the front, her eyes catching on the gorgeous blonde bartender with a ski-slope nose. She had no intention of sitting down, but the Prime on task, realized there were certain rules when you came to places like these. Even when you knew you didn’t belong.

“Ain’t she a little underage?” the groveling man asked his friends for a re-match to his two friends who immediately said, “No deal.”

There was a bit of commotion stirring in the bar, the paper had come, and apparently, there was some old news on the front of it, though, Caira wouldn’t have known the difference if Omni was out of power by now, she’d just met him, after all and it seemed like yesterday.

“What can I do for you?” the blonde approached Caira with kind eyes and a smile that accented her cheekbones.

“Hi, could I get a glass of uh, milk?”

Jeremy and the groveling man snickered, Caira felt her eyes widen in embarrassment. Before she could blink the ice-cold glass appeared before her, and the blonde was walking in the opposite direction! She took a few sips and hoped to get the bartender’s attention when she came back around. For now, her ears were loaded with the sounds of many people talk, while her eyes scoped the room for the one man wearing a hat.

“This fella apparently blew up an entire town in Camelot! Killed a few dozen people too! Gosh you just don’t know how crazy the other verses are until you read it in the paper!” A chorus of men responded with laughter while Caira seemed horrified. Camelot was her home.

“Bull shit!” A drunken man called out while Caira searched for this ‘paper’ they were all reading. Would it be in German just like this bar?

“No, it happened, not only is it in this article but I have connections in the Kingdom and apparently it was something that couldn’t have been prevented.” The Prime’s blood was boiling already, it sounded like an all-out massacre.

“He fled the scene after, done and got ‘imself a bounty ‘e did,” someone continued, hiccuped, and grabbed another flask.

“If it’s so true then what’s his name?” someone challenged.

“Everyone calls him Gildarts.”

Caira’s ears rung at the sound of the name, at the same time another man seemed to have dropped his glass, on himself, the bartendress hustled over with a clean cloth and began to pat the man, while Caira looked at the the newspaper a few feet away from her, a paper had fallen out of it in the commotion, it was a wanted picture with a man who’s hair was the color of smoldering flames, and a dark menace had been drawn in his eyes. Below, the number on his head and on the side of that, the very name they had just spoken.

[Zack Fair]

Zack had enjoyed a drink or two. Or, a few more than that. Alcohol didn’t affect him quite as much as it would a normal person, as a result of his Mako enhancements that had clearly carried over to this realm. He didn’t see that as an advantage, though. It was more of an expensive hindrance. Finances aside, he’d managed to get to the low end of a buzz, which was a welcome relief to him. He smiled and watched the crowd, taking in the sights of the people that crossed through the bar. Truly, there were some unique individuals littering Omni’s playground.
 
A pretty girl never went unnoticed by him, so he couldn’t help but spot the young woman who looked wildly out of place as soon as she entered the bar. One thing he could tell from her body language and demeanor was that she was not here out of choice, but necessity. It was almost worth approaching and asking her about, had something far more interesting not caught his ear.
 
Gildarts.
 
Zack had fought the dragon, Volvagia, alongside the courageous man. The two of them had been the only survivors of Alpha Team, and had limped down the mountainside together. Along with Miranda, they’d witnessed the defeat and banishment of the dragon. Afterwards they’d recovered in the remains of the Goron village, before being separated in the aftermath. With all they’d experienced, Zack considered him a friend and an ally. So, it was really hard to hear that the man behind that warm smile was actually a mass murderer.
 
It was enough that Zack dropped his glass in surprise, which caused another unexpected jolt when his drink shot everywhere, including on himself. He stood up quickly, silently impressed at how quickly the bartendress made it to him to try and pat him down with a dry cloth. He waved her away with a polite smile, still more interested in the conversation between the drunks.
 
There was no way to wield a massive sword like the Buster Sword in a non-intimidating manner, so he settled for not slicing or stabbing anyone with it as he heaved it over his shoulder. With his sword in its resting place, he hurriedly made his way over to the intoxicated gossipers. He moved through the crowd and took a breath as if he were bracing himself once he identified the men who he was approaching. It was the same group he’d spoken to earlier, when he ordered his first drink.
 
“What was that about Gildarts?” Zack asked abruptly, as he stopped behind the group.
 
The man Zack spoke to, the one who’d said the name of his supposed friend, didn’t even turn to face him. A second man glanced to Zack and let out an annoyed grunt.
 
“You’re crowding us, boy,” only one of them bothered to respond, waving Zack away without actually looking at him.
 
Zack pursed his lips, very slightly. Ever since he’d been promoted from the ShinRa infantry to the SOLDIER division, his experience with night life had changed. He’d stopped going to seedy bars with rowdy drunks and instead infrequently attended much nicer clubs. He was a little out of his element, these days, but the basics of how to navigate situations in these types of places never left him. Then again, there were probably better schools of thought than his.
 
“I was talking to him,” Zack said, tapping the one he’d first spoken to on the shoulder, before looking at the man who’d bothered to talk back. “I wouldn’t bother to ask you.”
 
The sound of bar stools sliding back caught the attention of the bar, and the three men were on their feet in a heartbeat, staring Zack down. It was only after fully facing the ex-SOLDIER that they noticed his appearance, and most importantly the giant sword resting comfortably on his back. Zack visibly watched the fight leave the men at the sight of his armaments, which was a good thing, because he didn’t have much of an exit strategy. He was merely at the level of intoxication that he was cognizant of the bad choices he was making.
 
“What are you, some kind of bounty hunter?” a third man scoffed.
 
“Easy, fellas. Who’s Gildarts?” Zack said with a firm voice, but a light hearted grin. Bounty Hunter. He didn’t confirm or deny that, as catchy as it was.
 
The first man finally responded, and it was with an unhelpful scoff.
 
“Read the damn paper yourself,” he shrugged, with a big dumb smile on his face. “He’s one of the bigger, badder primes, I hear. You might need a second one of those swords.”
 
Zack rolled his eyes, but snatched the newspaper just as soon as the man picked it up and held it towards him. He looked it over and shook his head. Sure enough, that was the guy he’d fought alongside.
 
“We’ve met, actually,” Zack admitted with a frown. “He didn’t mention this detail, though.”
 
Unfortunately, the three drunks were already distracted and tired of conversation. They slid back into their seats, and the bar as a whole went on with their revelry. Shaking his head, Zack looked around. He’d lost his seat, as the place became more crowded. He figured it wouldn’t be a bad idea to find a new watering hole, anyway, after causing a bit of a scene.
 
With his newspaper in hand, he started to make his way towards the door, but had to stop at the last second. The black haired, purple eyed girl was still in the bar, and she was moving with purpose, now. Curiosity overwhelmed him, and he stopped to watch.

[Caira Ayryn]

It was in the shadows, yes, the darkest corners of the room where Caira saw the man sitting at the corner seat, the dim light tricked her eyes as they sparkled over for a closer look. The knight took another sip lining her lip with a layer of frothy white; her eyes caught on her reflection just fast enough for her to sweep her tongue over the cool layer and smile embarrassedly at herself.

“Excuse me miss,” the bartender was exchanging the dirty cloth for a clean one as Caira asked, “Is that... Gary over there? With the hat?” she made an indication of who she meant by the subtle articulation of her eyes.

“Hm? What business do you have with him?” Caira paused, growing nervous but it was a simple question.

“I just uh, have a question to ask him.”

“Well, if I were you, I’d find someone else to ask, lady,” the bartender sauntered off, having been called for another round of ale by Jeremy.

It’s now or never, her violet eyes looked down as she stood, silently contemplating the dynamics of the approach. Thud, thud. Had those been her footsteps, or was that her heart? Another sweep of the room, the man with the large sword was on his way out, while there was another man sitting to Gary’s right, lying to the very woman he was trying to seduce. The soft flicker of his heart gave it away, and the woman was eating up his lies. Caira could’ve scowled, could have gone over and changed the course of their night, but that was not her fight.

Finally she had traversed the room, Gary’s table was small and he was perched in the eagle’s nest. Still, the darkness had clumped together so she could barely see his form, she extended her senses as her thighs brushed the edge of the wooden table. Wait a minute, there’s no heartbeat- There was a click next to her head.

Caira froze while the clouds of shadow disappeared from underneath the hat. The darkness had taken a very human-like shape, and even was so tangible, it held the hat in place above them. Now, the hat clattered to the empty seat and Caira’s eyes could only turn to their blurred edges as she felt the cold press of an iron barrel on her temple. Eyes and heads from all around the bar turned, each wondering if there would be gore splattering on the floor.

“Who are you? And what do you want with Gary?” Caira gulped as the gruff voice sizzled against her ears. Heart pounding, blood rushing. A second and she could be dead. No.

“A few questions. Nothing more, nothing less.” she played it cool, meanwhile her insides were wrenching with panic.

“You’re not an assassin? Dressed in all black, your hair lookin’ real nice, while your clothes are ripped just enough to reveal the sleekness of your skin? Assassins know that appearance is a big part in the game you know, hunting and well, catching their prey using the subtlest movements of their bodies for bait.” Uh, did he just call her, a knight of Camelot, a whore?

“You sound informed sir, however I promise you that is not why I am here for. Also, regarding my clothes, I simply have not had the time to fix them, I just got back from a very important mission.” her tone was neutral, she sensed something was off, and special, about Gary. He could control shadows, and he had known she was onto him the second she had entered the bar, confirmed, perhaps, by his fine ears, which had overheard her question to the bartender.

“I read your lips,” he said as though reading her stream of thought, “Now what could you possibly what with Gary? I warn you pretty little lady, this gun is cocked, one in the chamber, five others ready to fire after. I see you’re a Prime, and you appear to be speaking some form of truth, but that’s not good enough. Tell me, or I’ll fire.”

“You play a dangerous game, Gary, what do you have to be so paranoid about?” she felt his hand clench, “If you lower the gun, I’ll look into your eyes and tell you with honor, but I will not tell someone holding me hostage while he hides behind the cold steel of a gun.”

His head tilted, she had been direct, and he seemed to like it. “Kay little lady, take a seat. But know, I don’t need my pistol to end your life. Dying must not be comfortable, I reckon, even for a Prime. Each time seems like an unforgettable experience.”

He was hardcore, threats in every line of every word he spoke, right down to the demeaning words identifying her appearance. She took a seat, meanwhile, a man with sable hair and a large sword was gripping the edge of a chair, nearly breaking it as he watched the surreal confrontation between that girl, and the middle-aged man adorned with gray hair and a scar over his right eye.

“Thanks, now, down to business I take it,” she placed her half-full milk in front of her and used her violet eyes to hold Gary in place. As for his attire, it was rather nice, he had a long brown coat and a faded collared shirt, one he had not changed recently, which she could tell from both the dirt sticking to the accumulated oil and filth. “Hello then, I know you’re Gary, clever trick with that hat, you seem a little jumpy,” she observed, “But I won’t let it bother me, sometimes I have that effect on people.”

“You’ve been through a lot of pain here, I can see it in your eyes, Miss Ayryn. Introductions aren’t necessary, I know your name, and you know mine.” This exchange, so far, was unpleasant.

“Alright then, what do you know about an astronomer being here in this verse?” Gary immediately stood up, the squeal of his bar stool echoed throughout the room, catching everyone’s attention much faster than the soft cock of his bullet had at their initial meeting.

“Out.” he commanded in his darkest tone yet.

“But I-” he was her only lead. She doubted if there would be another one. She needed him.

“OUT!” he shouted, enraged and willing to make a scene.

“No.” She declared, each had stood up, their shoulders squared to each other as though ready to duel to the death. Caira partly waited for the shiny gleam of his pistol to come out in an instant to deliver it, but it never did come. He slipped her a note that no eyes, not even her own, could have seen... Other than Zack Fair’s.

In her hand, she felt the heaviness of the importance in the note. Smoldering on her back, she felt the layers of eyes boring down on her. And as she looked at him, he offered a wink. One she was meant to trust. Inside, Caira felt her anger soar. He could fly out the back door if he wanted to! He could escape in a puff of smoke and never return to this ole German bar. But she was supposed to trust him, because he slipped her a note she couldn’t yet read? It could’ve said ‘Screw you, hot stuff!’ or be completely empty.

The bar had lulled to a silence where no one dared to breathe, even Gary was intrigued by the standoff, the girl had more guts than he’d given her credit for. What struck him most was the genuine truth of most of her words. Now, she was holding her ground. He liked this girl. But she had to go, far away from the prying eyes of spies, and that boy dressed in black with the massive sword strapped to his back, “Out, I’ve been comin’ to this place here for ten years, I won’t be harangued by the likes of you, missy.” Gary declared, though not entirely meaning it, “Scram. Or I’ll have to shoot ya.”

Hopefully she hadn’t been blinking when he winked at her, because she sold this next part better than an infomercial. “Tch, Damn you! I can’t even grab a drink in this freakin’ bar without your sorry ass kicking me out?” coins splattered the table -albeit neatly for the blonde bartender- and Caira stormed off, a well-declared huff in every step, as well as sealed by a convincing slam of the wooden door.

The crisp night air brushed her nose immediately. It was dark. So dark. Street lamps had not been placed on the corners of either of the surrounding streets, but she took nearly no time at all to unravel the crumpled paper. Her steps halted, eyes strained, and scrawled in some messy writing was, “Meet me at the pier in one hour.”

Well no need for mystery then, she scoffed and put the note away. The pier and the shoreline were in the opposite direction. Turning around, she spun into the man with sable hair, black down to his boots, just like her, and a human-sized sword against his back. Caira was so caught up, she let the shock show on her face, making one of the most comical expressions Zack had ever seen. Immediately, he laughed, and with it, her worries washed away.

“Ha-ha, I didn’t mean to startle ya,” he said after catching his breath, on his lips, still a golden smile, and a look of concern in his eyes, “I just followed you out to ask what that was all about?”

Caira’s face suddenly became very stoic. She couldn’t very well tell him about the meeting in an hour, and she couldn’t tell him about the star piece, the guild had nearly forbidden it. Out with the truth then Caira, or are you going to lie to this poor boy’s face? Instead of saying the classic, ever-confounding ‘nothing’ she decided to go with,“I uh, can’t tell you.”

“What? Aww come on, don’t make me go and ask that guy. If he threw you out of the bar, imagine what he’d do to a guy like me!” his hands moved up in a gesture as he directed the attention onto himself.

Her eyes fell to the ground while she felt the soft curve of a grin on her face, “Yes, I’d be digging your grave if I let you back in there with the likes of him,” she agreed, “But I still can’t tell you, you could be working with the enemy.”

“Whoa, whoa, that sounds like some pretty deep stuff you’re in,” Zack said, he couldn’t think of much else to say that wouldn’t be considered rudely prying, so he just kind of stood there expectantly, waiting for her confidence.

Her eyebrows raised, “Well?” she asked, “I’m sure you’ve got better things to do than ask me about my missions.”

She had started to walk. “Sorry uh, miss, I really don’t.” He had an innocent smile, while his thoughts contemplated what implications the single word ‘mission’ had added to the purpose of her encounter with the man with the hat.

To her disbelief, her feet had stopped and she was looking back at him. The silence of the night hung in the air, while the buildings towered around them taller than trees, secluding them to the single passage of his disappearing up the street or following her down. Cobblestones below their feet added a certain taste to the setting. Caira looked up at him, he was tall, strong, and handsome, and she detected honest curiosity in him. But did she really want to get him involved? There were worse things than death in the Omniverse, and she had witnessed them first hand.

Zack looked down at her, the street was dark, but for all the darkness, the glossy blackness of her hair seemed to absorb it and contrast the silver hue of her face so he could see the slight adjustments her brows made as each thought came and went in her mind. She was tall, strong, and beautiful, and she had many secrets behind those violet eyes. He wanted to know her. Even if it was just her name. He wanted to know what type of person, what type of mission, creates such a spin out at a bar like that. Scratch that, it was not longer a desire. He needed to know. Earnest determination rippled beyond the depths of his expression. The ball was in her court, but to help convince her, without directly pressuring her, was the kindly introduction of, “My name’s Zack.”

The knight blinked as she looked at the man, he was persistent, but she sensed he would be willing to leave her alone, if that was what she truly wanted. But now the question thrilled her mind, was it what she wanted? And did she want to do this alone? By the looks of it, now, she may not have to. But, by telling him, she would endanger his life. “You could die, or worse, Zack. I don’t want any blood on my hands.”

“Sounds to me like you could die, working alone like this, that man held a pistol to your head, what would you have done if he had pulled the trigger?” What was that, concern in the black-haired man’s voice? Though, had it been the other way around, she was sure she would’ve felt the same.

“I’m willing,” she merely said, partly hoping he would go, the other half, hoping he’d stay.

“Now, what cause would have a woman like you so devoted, she’d die for it? Especially when you can’t say what?” Zack prompted.

She was silent for a moment. It drew out into the night, until she broke herself out of it, realizing what he was doing, she merely said, “I have to go.”

Ouch. Zack winced in the cover of darkness, and everything had gone so well up to this moment! He felt his jaw hang limp, and a frown form as she turned away, there was nothing he could do to change her mind. Nothing, she was already walking away. Except then, he heard the last of her sentence, “Come with me if you like. But right now, I have to go, or I won’t make it in time.”

Oh, so it was like that. Zack tapped his chest to see if his heart was still beating. She actually had somewhere to be, this didn’t count as rejection, right? He felt the excitement bubble up in him as he matched her swift pace down the slope of the city streets, as he caught up with her, he asked, “So what’s your name?”

The girl frowned almost immediately, in the violet shades of her eyes he saw an under layer of pain, “I can’t tell you that either. I’m known as Ayryn in most parts... So I guess you can call me that. Names are powerful things and can be used against you if you encounter the wrong person.”

He wondered what she meant by that, and was about to ask where they were going, but she extended the piece of paper to him, not ceasing her stride. “From Gary.”

Zack read it and nodded. “So that was just a show then?”

“Oh no, I’m sure he would’ve had no problem pulling the trigger at the beginning, but I think I appealed to his nature at the end. He’s a dangerous man, that’s for sure. Martha told me he can’t get drunk, so why does he spend his whole day at a bar? Seems counter-productive to me,” the girl mused innocently.

Zack felt the surge of his own irony bubble up in me, he had to laugh, not cruelly, but it was as though she was saying ‘seems counter-productive’ aimed right at him. “Well, I don’t know who Martha is, but for some people, it’s their idea of a vacation.”

The knight looked over at him with a very calm expression, “Martha owns a delightful flower shop on the other side of town. Does that mean you're on vacation? Also, you have some soot on your right cheek.”

Did she just say flowers? Soot? On my cheek? The heat rose in him, the soot on his cheek hid the red color that stained his skin. “Oh ah,” he took his glove and wiped it off, “There, is it gone?” he turned to her, on his face still lit with an embarrassed smile.

She nodded, wondering how someone could lie over that. His heart had started racing, indicating a lie, but he’d asked a question. Humans were strange but that was something she would always ponder, while he answered, still a tad nervously, “Yeah, I came here for a little rest and relaxation but it never lasts very long.”

“I’m sorry,” her chin dipped into something that resembled a pout, and offered, “You can still turn back you know.”

“You kidding? I’m here for the long haul, can’t even tell me your name? You’ve got me hooked.” he said as they passed by a fishing shop with, you guessed it, a huge hook for a sign. Ayryn forgot her troubles the second she saw it, and Zack made a hooked gesture with his finger.

“This encounter’s important, he’s my only lead,” she said after the silly moment passed, and seriousness fell between the lines of darkness. “If I don’t get some answers, I’ll be letting down a lot of good people. As well as endangering the entire Omniverse.”


“Sounds like a heavy burden,” Zack remarked thoughtfully, but really he thought the name Ayryn was too dark for this girl, who had smiled at his goofy pun. “What’s it all about, anyway? What answers can this guy tell you that you can’t hear anywhere else?”

“Gary!” Caira gasped as her foot clunked against the wood of the pier, and he held a gun, this time, at Zack.

“Move and I fire, miss.” he warned, fear thrilled her eyes while Gary looked down the barrel of his revolver.

“Don’t do this, Gary, this is Zack, he’s-”

“A spy, sent here probably to kill you. Takes a Prime to kill a Prime.” Gary was so certain. It didn't help that Gary associated the color black with death.

“Wait Gary, he won’t kill me, if anything, you will,” Caira stepped in front of Zack before he realized she was putting her body before the bullet and the gunslinger hesitated. A test.

Gary didn't fire.

“He’s no spy.” she declared, her words harder than the well-forged steel of his pistol. It was hard to argue with that, if he was a spy, she would’ve died for him and for nothing.

Gary tilted his head, “You’re blind, little lady. But so be it.”

It was safely caged in his holster, facing toward the ground, Zack could’ve ran at him and socked him in the face. He’d been stuck on the sidelines, looking at the back of this girl’s head, was that how he wanted to die? Her to die?

“On the contrary, my eyes see the truth.” Caira stepped closer, which made it seem like she was chancing it.

“Do they now?” he challenged. “Well, you’ve got a few minutes with me, try not to waste them. You understand why I had you come down here, don’t you?”

“More reasons than one,” she stated, quick on the uptake, “The first reason, is that you had no intention of being overheard, nor did you want anyone to know this encounter took place.”

Gary nodded, “The second?”

“You’re going to take me on a boat, your boat, to meet the astronomer.”

Gary’s lips grew into a broadened smile, “I like you, girl. But you think I’m going to take you to meet him on a whim, you’re mistaken.”

“What do I have to do?” she asked, and he noted that she had no weapons in her hands. Meanwhile, the paranoid man had many accessible from his immediate reach.

Zack remained silent, after-all, what could he say when he could barely catch what was going on? What was this all about, this girl was willing to die to meet an astronomer? Everything seemed a little too far-fetched. Meanwhile, this Gary character didn’t seem to want to take any chances on the wrong sort of people.

“Not you, dear, him.” the man’s eyes fell on Zack, “Your judgement should be enough to tell me if you are worth my time. If he proves me wrong, you get a free boat ride. En-route to the man you think you want to meet. If he proves you wrong, you will get no more information out of me, you will have let me down, and I might even kill this man who stands before me. Oh, worry not, he’s a Prime too, can’t ya tell?”

“It doesn’t involve him-” she protested.

“Oh, but it does,” Gary replied sardonically.

“But-” she whimpered.

"I need to know if you're the type of girl to be easily fooled by an attractive man's smile, where his intentions could be darker than his heart." Gary's tone was final.


“I’ll do it.” Zack stepped past her, ready and wielding the courage to face anything, especially after seeing the display of loyalty and compassion she had for a near-stranger.

“You could die,” Caira stated, hoping he would back down, but Zack turned and placed a hand on her shoulder, looking certain, “I’ll be fine. After all, I don’t have any ulterior motives, right?”

He smiled as the weight of his hand vanished as soon as it had come. The prime strolled up the rest of the boardwalk, leaving the shore behind and going closer out into the middle of the rippling sea. Gary looked at him, as though Zack were a skimpy piece of meat, “It means nothing to me that you have accepted this challenge, boy. It merely means you’re a spy or assassin devoted to his cause. The girl is more important to me, I won’t hesitate to shoot you down when you fail. You know nothing. And when I kill you, you’ll at least have the sense to know you chose the wrong person to kill.”

Zack didn’t like Gary. He wasn’t very pleasant, always held up a gun when he was scared, and there was little room for fun. “Kill her? I’m not a spy!” he spoke exasperatedly. What reason would he have to do that? but he was reminded of the shadows around her name [i]”I can’t tell you.[i]” she’d said. Tch. These sure were dark waters he was now swimming in. But she had warned him. And now he was in front of this scary, crazy man, with a loaded gun in his holster. Worse yet, he didn’t know what this mysterious challenge would even be.

The ex-SOLDIER stood tall against the harsh brush of wind, carrying a chill that drove into his bones as he waited. “Ah-ah, stay back girlie, I don’t want to, but I’ll shoot you too.” Behind him, Caira had edged closer, her intentions it seemed to Gary, were to aid Zack. “You ready, sonny?”

Zack’s eyes narrowed and his teeth grated together as the swarm of black encompassed him. Shadows spewed out from around Gary like that of an oncoming storm. It was night, and there was a little sliver of a moon high in the sky, just enough to reveal to Caira of the horrors to come. She shrieked, “No!” as she saw what lay below the shadows, the terror they carried, but was helpless. Again at gunpoint, she did not move.

Each prime remained standing, though Zack appeared to be eaten alive by the darkness. At first, he felt nothing, but then, all at once, emotions and senses clashed together so he could not tell them apart. Fear, terror, rage, destruction, pain. It all burned within him, everything negative, everything that could possibly be evil and wrong, all his regrets swelled to the sizes of mountains and felt like they were stabbing at his skin from the inside. All the unfinished memories played out in his mind, ending with tragedy and devastation.

The ex-SOLDIER could no longer feel his physical body, nor could he tell when he fell to his knees. He heard the faint sound of the girl’s voice yelling, “Stop it, you’re killing him!”

[Zack Fair]

This is all your fault, Zack.
 
Darkness consumed his entire body, and Zack couldn’t do much more than mentally chastise himself for his overeager foolishness. He lost all connection with his physical body, and instead was plagued by terrifying visions. Memories and thoughts he’d brushed aside since arriving in the Omniverse came to the forefront once more, and he once more had to worry about what had happened to his friends and family from before.
 
Cloud had been left alone on the mountaintop, presumably with the Buster Sword. Was ShinRa still lurking in the area? Certainly, Cloud wasn’t capable of handling them. What of Aerith? He’d sacrificed everything for the chance at seeing her again, and he didn’t even know if she was alive and in Midgar. His girlfriend had her own secrets to keep, and he had always suspected it wouldn’t be long before she found herself on the run. He just wanted to be there when it happened, to help and protect the flower girl. Tseng and Cissnei had gone on a limb to protect him, too, and they might suffer as a result. All of these worries floored him, along with the worst case scenarios of what could happen.
 
He had left too soon. Not that he had a say in it, at the end, but he could have made smarter choices, preserved his life. There was so much more to do. Now, he was stuck in a far away city, being mentally assaulted by some psychotic asshole.
 
There was a voice, far away and distant. It called his name. It sounded like it was coming from across a great expanse, but not as great as the one between here and his home world. It grew louder and louder, until before long, it was right next to his ears.
 
“Zack!”
 
The ex-SOLDIER’s eyes popped open, and he took in the environment around him. Caira was kneeling beside him, making sure he was alright. That was nice of her. Gary was over there looking like a smug jackass, if not a slightly surprised one as well. The man clearly had not expected him to survive the darkness. Zack looked into Caira’s eyes, and saw her worry dissolve from her face, replaced by a relieved smile.
 
Caira looked away from Zack, back towards Gary. “There’s no more reason for this.”
 
“Yep, you’re right!” Zack groggily agreed as he rose to his feet. Caira stood as well, keeping a hand out to help the swaying man, if he needed it. Upon getting to his feet, Zack rubbed the back of his head, where he could feel the blood flowing. He then waved his bloody, gloved hand as he took a few steps backwards. “Welp, this was fun. See ya.”
 
Zack spun on a heel and immediately began to walk back in the direction they'd come from. He didn’t know what the hell was going on with these two, but it was obvious he was in way over his head. Following a pretty girl had once again almost gotten him killed, and he took a little bit of pride in the fact that he knew when to bail, now. This whole situation was far more than he bargained for, especially when he was trying to lay low and have a nice vacation.
 
“Wait, Zack!” Caira called out to him, after some brief hesitation.
 
Zack couldn’t believe it, but he stopped in place. The ex-SOLDIER turned back around, and looked to Caira.
 
“We could really use your help,” Caira continued. “We’re doing something very important.”
 
“It’s the Omniverse, sweetheart,” Zack replied, with just a hint of disillusionment showing through his cheeky grin. “Nothing is important in Omni’s sandbox.”
 
“That’s not true!”
 
Zack rapidly blinked in surprise as he watched Caira recoil from her own words. She acted as if she knew a little more than she cared to let on, or at the very least held a powerful belief in her statement. It was enough to make Zack reconsider once more. He approached Caira, studying her very carefully. He’d been burned by friends in the past, and he didn’t exactly like the idea of putting himself out on a limb again. Still, there was something pure and good about her, and he didn’t even need to suffocate her with darkness and nightmares to know that.
 
Plus, adventure.
 
“…Alright, I’m in,” Zack said with a smile, but then glanced over to a dissatisfied Gary. “As long as he keeps that voodoo to himself.”
 
Gary scoffed, but Zack noticed he at least wasn’t waving the gun around anymore. It was still in his hands, held low in a half-hearted attempt to keep it hidden from eyesight. It didn’t bother Zack, since he was the last person that could comment on the benefits of concealable weapons.
 
“So,” Zack crossed his arms and looked to Gary. “Do I get to know what we’re doing, then?”
 
“No,” Gary was concise and blunt. “Not in public, and maybe not in private. I still don’t trust you.”
 
“That’s fine,” Zack nodded. “Because I don’t like you.”
 
“It doesn’t matter what you think. You are the expendable one, here on my mercy,” Gary responded, then turned his attention from one soldier to the other. “It’s time to go.”
 
“Can I get a hint?” Zack asked, but Gary had already begun walking.
 
Zack sighed. He always seemed to end up stuck with the “too cool for school” types of personalities in coworkers or allies. He paused for a moment, taking one last consideration. He knew he was in over his head, and this was the last chance he had to walk away. Why didn’t he?
 
“Thanks, Zack,” Caira’s voice came from beside him, and he looked to her giving him a genuine smile.
 
Oh. That’s why. Sucker.
 
Zack merely smiled back, and gestured his arm after Gary. Caira followed the moody man, and Zack strolled along at the rear. He assumed they were going to some hidden base or something like that, but instead was pleasantly surprised to see the docks of the great city, filled with boats of all shapes and sizes. His hesitance vanished as he smiled wide and looked over all the boats. After dodging lava for so long, the idea of travelling the high seas would be an incredible change.
 
This would be fun. Even if it was only serving to keep him too occupied to worry.

[Caira Ayryn]

“You pick it, miss.”

“Uh, pick what?” Caira said, confounded.

“You have three tries, you lose and I’ll make you swim there.” Gary put on a grin, but the prime couldn’t tell if he was kidding.’

“You mean... Your boat? You’re going to make me guess?” This should be fun.

“That’s right, see, I knew you were quick on the uptake,” Gary gave Zack the death-glare, as though saying ‘back off’ or ‘you’re not as quick’ which? No one would ever know. “You got three chances girlie.”

“Four,” she scowled, “There has to be a hundred ships in this harbor alone.”

“One hundred and fifteen to be exact,” the shipman smiled, pulling out a pack of smokes, “And it’s dark out.”

A quick huff came from Caira, “What, so I have less than a three percent chance of getting it correct?”

“Take what you get girlie or you’ll lose a guess.” Hard bargain. She stared him down. He slowly brought his lighter up to the death stick.

“Fine, at least I don’t have to do it alone,” she stated and the man gave a sadistic smile.

“On the contrary... You do. And you have one hour, starting now.” the secondary set his watch.

“UGH. Okay! I get it!” He was difficult. She could deal with difficult. But this had to be nearly impossible. Passing Zack after a lasting glance, she continued down the docks as her violet eyes swept the intricacies of each ship and sail.

Gary broke the silence between he and Zack, “You may think I’m doing this without purpose, lad, but I have my reasons, and I wouldn’t give her the challenge if I didn’t think she would have a chance.”

“A two percent chance?” Zack challenged, “It could take her days! And obviously you two look like you’re in more of a time-crunch than you’re leading on.”

“Percentages that large are often muddled down by facts. Of course, one of these ships is mine, that fact is confirmed, next fact, it’s not a ferry, nor is it a small dingy. How else could I travel far out into the ocean? It could surely be a fishing boat, but I obviously don’t have a crew. Inferred facts often narrow the field slightly, the girl was just trying to barter.”

“But why ask her what ship you have?”

“You might think it’s pointless, sure, I don’t blame you,” he sympathized, “But dark waters lay ahead, and it is best you face hard challenges early, enough to make you turn back, rather than wait until it is too late to turn back.”

“And if she gets all the guesses wrong?” Zack asked persuasively.

“That’s just it, boy, I think there’s a two percent chance of that.” he offered a smirk, revealing a gold tooth and some unaddressed scurvy.

“What makes you so sure?” Zack was partly curious, though he couldn’t stand to be a part of any conversation with Gary. There was a mutual dislike, but at least maybe he could help Caira narrow down the answer, and perhaps slip it to her, or hint at it if he found out which boat.

“There are only a hundred and fourteen ships visible in this harbor.” Gary lit a cigarette, polluting the ocean air.

“What?!” Zack shouted, “That’s cheating!”

“If she can’t handle this, she sure as Hell won’t be able to handle what’s ahead. This verse ain’t no joke boy, sail in the wrong part o’ the sea and guess what? Yer dead. Or worse. There are krakens and whirlpools out there, sinkin’ to the bottom of the ocean doesn’t just mean death out here.” Gary spoke his truth, “Finding a ship doesn’t have to do with survival, but tests surely do. She knows she’s being timed. If she can’t beat this, she sure as Hell won’t beat one where a matter of seconds means life or death.”

Zack felt his knuckles tighten but kept his lips sealed. Guys like this thought they were the heroes of the world, but really, they were just bullies who had been put in a position of power. Time ticked on. And on. And on.

“A minute left,” Gary announced as he lifted the cuff around his wrist, “And she’s not back yet.”

“She will be.” Zack said, pretty certain.

The sound of squeaking shoes came from the far side of the dock. The tall woman was striding quickly forward, her forehead glistening in the night with what he assumed saltwater, since she was drenched. If the situation wasn’t so serious, Zack would’ve burst out laughing, Gary raised his eyebrows, “What happened lass? Did you fall in?”

Her head tilted while her eyes fell on Zack first, then, more determined, on Gary, “Something like that,” she said as the squeaking stopped.

“So, have any idea which is my ship?” Gary asked, as though it were his custom.

“Honestly, I have only guesses, sir.”

Zack gulped, his entire face tensed while his jaw clenched. That was bad news, or maybe, she was letting on less than she knew.

“There’s a boat on port three, called Gary’s ship, but it doesn’t really look like it could be yours.”

“And yet you bothered to spend a guess on it?” he seemed displeased, “I’d never name a female ship ‘Gary,’ next?”

“The Honolulu, on port seven. Small, stern little boat, livable, but you could cross the ocean in it. Hasn’t been used in a while, barnacles on the bottom, doubt you’d let that happen to your ship.” she said, eyeing him.

“You should listen to your gut missy, you’re down to one now.” It was a warning.

Zack’s eyes bulged out of his skull, he knew how could he get her attention? She wasn’t even looking at him, nor would she until the trial was complete, pass or fail. Darn. If only he could...

“Boyo, don’t get any ideas,” Gary read his mind. What couldn’t shadow-man do? Hadn’t he tortured them enough?

“The last, is a submarine, in plot one hundred and three. I nearly missed it, since it was under water, and there were two large boats, as well as a small dingy, all sitting above it. So I took a dip, and though I couldn’t get inside, I thought the name sounded familiar.”

She stepped forward, and Gary let her, as she fished the box of cigs out of his jacket pocket. Caira looked down at the cheesy blue and white packaging, as well as the cursive of the name and concluded in a Sherlock-esque way, “Bermuda Blue.”

Gary didn’t smile, but he seemed pleased. He’d given her the answer all along, and she hadn’t missed a beat. Caira and Gary began to lead the way to the submarine and Zack staggered for a moment. Just who were these people? There were so many secrets, so many missing links, how did she know to take such initiative? He watched the woman walk for a moment before following, his eyes glued to her back. Maybe he really had gotten into something deeper than he could’ve imagined.

As they neared the place in the port, there lay a single dingy, taking the space of slot one hundred and three. Easily bypassed, if someone was looking with their eyes. Caira didn’t have to depend on them alone, giving her an advantage. Perhaps Gary had known it all along, her eyes flicked to him as he pressed the center of his watch and the sub rose, spilling water around its sides as it breached the surface.

“I still can’t believe you have a submarine!” she admitted, “Before today, I’d never seen the ocean, let alone been in a boat.”

Gary looked over, aghast, “Well looks like you’re in for quite a treat missy, my ship is special, she’s no mere boat. You can go to all sorts of places undetected. Zero pirates. Sometimes... Mr. Clowney will borrow it for research.”

“Clowney?” Zack inquired.

“That’s who we’re off to, are you two ready?” Gary asked as he opened the hatch, very simply, offering them a hand in and down the cylindrical boat, nothing but sturdy metal, but it felt like being peas inside a tin can.

[Zack Fair]

Zack had been in a submarine once before. It was part of a tour to learn the various facilities in Junon, and the different responsibilities of the many Shin-Ra divisions. He didn’t like it. He was too tall and his preference for oversized blades didn’t match well with the confined space. These memories were at the front of his mind as he watched Caira descend down the hatch after Gary. After glancing around the docks one last time, Zack grabbed the ladder and descended as well. He paused only to reach up and close the hatch above him, twisting it tightly to seal it.

Zack skipped the final three rungs on the ladder, dropping to the floor and landing with a loud thud. He surveyed the room they were in, which was predictably a little cramped. At the center was a large table with an equally large map covering it. There were various markings and instruments scattered around it. Zack figured it was at least a partial map of the Vasty Deep, considering that it was mostly water and islands, with some other structures penciled in.

Gary looked to Caira, then pointed to one of the two doors that exited the room – the one going towards the stern of the vessel – before issuing his next order. “Go through that door, and go downstairs. On the third right is a small supply room. Get the map that’s in there.”

“It’s different from this one?” Caira curiously asked as she looked at the table.

“It contains more important information. Go,” Gary was harsh with his order, and Caira departed.

Zack crossed his arms, then cocked an eyebrow as he noticed Gary staring intently at him. Great, now what?

“You wear a uniform,” Gary stated so bluntly it caught Zack completely off guard.

“They’re combat fatigues,” Zack responded quickly. Was this the source of Gary’s suspicion? Other than being a tremendous asshole, that is?

“They have an emblem,” Gary countered that point just as fast.

Zack scoffed as he looked down. Sure enough, the old Shin-Ra emblem could be seen stitched into the leather piece of his outfit. He’d honestly forgotten. “It’s from before the Omniverse. Just haven’t taken the time to scrape it off. What are you, the fashion police?”

“You were a soldier somewhere, I’m guessing,” Gary said as he stepped a little closer to Zack. “Some sort of organized army, given the fact that there is a marking of some kind.”

“It didn’t end well,” Zack shrugged.

“Not my concern,” Gary dismissed what Zack might actually be interested in talking about. “What was your rank?”

“I didn’t have a rank,” Zack answered, though the curiosity was apparent in his voice. “I was a part of a special operations section that worked independently inside the department.”

“Then I can assume you have some experience, and might be familiar with training regimens,” Gary snapped, his point finally made. It resulted in a tense stare down between the two. “I will not warn you again, not to interfere.”

“I’ve helped with training,” Zack’s voice was a rare shade of serious, for him. “I can tell the difference between the guys that want to teach, and the guys that want to boost their own ego.”

Gary scoffed this time. “Caira is destined for far more than you. You will be used and cast aside when your value has passed. There is great potential for her.”

“For you, or for something that really matters?” Zack challenged.

Gary’s eyes flared with anger. “I’m already tired of you, boyo. Sit and wait for me to send you to your doom.”

Zack smirked and nodded his head. To most others, that was a threat, but to him it was an exciting challenge, and an opportunity to defy the odds. Another reason he’d volunteered to stick around. But then again, he figured Gary knew that much about him. They both looked at Caira as she entered the room once again, clutching the rolled up map Gary desired.

Gary snatched the map from her hands, and brushed several pens and other tools on the table aside. He then dropped the parchment on top of the other one, and it naturally rolled open on impact with the table. Zack crossed his arms, while Caira bit her lip as they looked at it with him.

“Mr. Clowney is likely at Cinnabar Island, still. Which is here,” Gary advised them as he pointed to a land mass on the map, and then moved his finger to another. “We’re starting from here. As you can see, we have a long way to go.”

Zack tilted his head as he contemplated the journey. He’d never really travelled by water in any regard, having usually been airlifted to most of his far away destinations across the sea in his career. This sure would be interesting.

Gary continued after a brief pause. “Go downstairs. Get settled. Take this opportunity to rest.”

Gary departed through the opposite door, which appeared to lead to the controls that would move this undersea boat. Caira merely smiled at Zack, and nodded her head towards the door she had already been through. There were living quarters downstairs, which would presumably be their rooms. She was taking the initiative to assume that they were.

Zack followed Caira through the doorway, and down a terribly claustrophobic hallway. Halfway down the hall, slightly off to the side, there was a spiral staircase. Caira descended down it, and Zack followed her, only managing to get the Buster Sword stuck on the stairs once or twice. He grumbled but made the descent fairly painlessly.

They arrived in a new hall, this one just wide enough for one person at a time. There were multiple doors on either side, and as they approached Zack could see a bed built into the wall of each tiny room. There wasn’t much else, except for a rack to hang clothes and a small desk. Zack shook his head as he stepped into one room, nearly hitting his head on the doorframe as he did. That was going to be a problem on one dark night, for sure.

Caira stood in his door, watching as he took the Buster Sword from his back and leaned it against the wall. “I guess this is where he meant. We’ll need to sleep, after all.”

“I don’t know how you put up with that guy,” Zack responded, taking a seat on his old bed momentarily. Surely, Gary’s room was bigger and nicer than this sardine can. “That dude is certifiably crazy.”

“He’s here to help,” Caira said with a faint smile, and a moment of hesitation. “I’m pretty sure.”

Zack finally burst out laughing, and Caira’s smile remained, although the curiosity in her eyes was apparent.

“Pretty sure,” Zack repeated in his fit of mirth. “What kind of lunatic joins up with someone because they might be able to help or they might be a good person?”

Caira opened her mouth to begin her defense, but then she took in Zack’s ridiculous grin. Of course, he was here for much the same reason. “Oh…oh!”

Caira giggled as she got Zack’s joke, appreciating his lighter spirit. She couldn’t resist jabbing back just a little. “It’s not too late to turn back.”

Not more than a second after the words left her mouth the submarine lurched forward. They looked to the Buster Sword as it rattled against the wall and nearly fell over. They could feel the ship moving through the water. Gary had pulled the ship from the dock, and they were well on their way to Cinnabar.

Zack smiled once more. “I think it is, now.”

The two primes shared another brief laugh as their adventure began.

[Caira Ayryn]

The giant silver contraption lurched from its resting orbit. Soon the slow currents were warded by its steel shell and propelling spherical wings. Her eyes fell along the steel surfaces, brimming with sharp corners and shining buttons of all shapes, colors and sizes. Her eyes fell on Gary, then Zack. The older man kept rambling on about destiny, or so it seemed, and the younger, she couldn’t quite figure out what had compelled him to come. It was time to brief him. The knight of Camelot stood up, her face was smooth and stoic, polished like the silver metal cage they were surrounded in, “Come with me.”

Caira lead him to a porthole where she found her eyes looking out into the deep unknown. Navy blue filled the small ray they had out into the sea, it was darkest in the water, but still somehow, the night sea was clear and desolate. “Zack, I finally have time to tell you why I’m here, people may have died for the information I’m about to tell you.”

“I’m ready,” he announced firmly, he examined her gaze, though directed far away, beyond the glass that kept them from a drowning doom.

“A few years ago, some astronomers caught glimpse of a meteorite of pure Omnillium. This was in Camelot, but the thing is, the same night, other scholars gazing at the stars in different verses saw several different ones land. Pure, raw, unadulterated power. I won their trust, those in Camelot, and they let me look at it. They fear it, and not just because they are secondaries, in a world where immortals are favored. They keep it under lock-down, I think, judging by how they were speaking, even one can do unspeakable things. And, there are more. Imagine a group of people who had all of them, combined their power together?” Caira paused, gulping, “I fear for their lives. Every person, everywhere. There are children and sick people, normal people working to do the best for themselves and the world they now live. They were stolen too you know, and... I just can’t imagine a world that has gotten worse because I couldn’t stop them.”

“Them?” he asked, absorbing it all silently.

“By now, I’m sure more than one rumor has spread, but my friend Marty told me to keep watch for a pirate who owns a crimson ship because he is out here, hunting it and those looking for it. You’re in danger, and so is everyone who knows it exists.” She finalized.

“To think, all this trouble, caused by a shooting star.” Zack sighed and stroked his sable hair.

“Gary did that to you probably to make sure you weren’t a crewman, or... Uh, he just doesn’t like you,” she smiled at the unusual dynamic, “But anyway, at least he doesn’t want it in the wrong hands either. I’ll admit, I’m not sure I’m strong enough to find it alone and keeping it, that might be a whole new challenge, but I can’t just leave it, waiting for it to be unearthed and used for evil. Or sold to the hands of the Empire, who only want to see enslavement of life.” Her cause was noble and Caira’s eyes were firm, though avoiding the ex-soldier’s gaze until her next breath, “If I find that you have betrayed me, I won’t hesitate to kill you. This coming from someone who knows the full extent of death’s consequence.”

“Ayryn,” the name sounded bitter on his tongue, and very wrong, like a lie, “I’m here for the fight, you don’t have to doubt me,” and then he saw it, she was still looking at them with those amethyst eyes of hers, but this time, he recognized the very real pain in them. It had happened before. Zack gulped, letting the words of truth surpass any other kind of persuasion he could have used, “I don’t want to see this thing get into the wrong hands either, okay? I’m right here by your side, I’m even dealing with Gary, who hates my guts, by the way, and I let him do that shadow thing that could have killed me, I’ll help you do this.”

His words were true, from what Caira could tell, but so had been Merik’s though he, was disguised by a curse that made him chose evil over good, making it not his choice at all. Her eyes sunk away from his and she felt a sack of guilt weigh on her shoulders. Zack seemed to want to ask more, to know everything, her story, her name, the reason behind that deep seeded compassion. But as his lips opened, there was a jerk in the entire boat, Zack’s feet skidded across the slippery metal, lurching with the sway of the boat. Caira had fallen backward, barely dodging Zack from landing on top of her. He was sure-footed, she was not so lucky, landing on the hard ground.

A hand was extended instantly. “Let’s go find out what happened.”

The clamor of heels on metal filled the low arches that loomed above them. They ran in, crimson flashing filled the room. They found Gary looking out a periscope and frowning grimly. “What is it?” she asked him.

“Sea beast, category III, we should be okay, as long as it doesn’t realize that we’re inside, we must exercise precaution and be very still. Here lass, have a look for yourself.” He ushered her to the binocular-scope and she gazed through, her eyes blurring to the extra lenses before adjusting to see the swishy movement of a large fin. Zack was passed the scope next and blinked as he saw a set of it’s buster-sword sized teeth. Yikes.

“Okay, so, we’re going to just sneak right by it?” he guessed, as the torpedoes mounted weren’t being fired.

“If we can, boy, I have deployed the cloaking device, hopefully it tricks ‘im and he walks right on past. C’monnnn Blue.” Gary held the steer but did not usher the old sub forward, any movement now would warn the gigantic beast, resembling a well-fanged whale more than a shark, which could cause attack and punctures to the hull. They would drown.

Red lights flickered on and they stood in suspense. Gary frequently watching through the keyhole that lead to the outside sea, and Zack and Caira, who had each taken a less-than-comfortable seat on the chilled floor. “Gary, how does one man steer a ship like this alone? Where's your crew?”

He turned around almost immediately, the grown man’s stature now rigid from either pain or anger. A shadow hung in the hollows of his eyes, the light was so dim, she could not see what muscles were pulling his face taught, just that they were. “A long time ago, I killed them all.”

Caira gulped immediately, Zack’s jaw hung open, he had known this guy was bad news from the very beginning, the Prime was about to jump to a stand -never would he tolerate such a massacre, let alone a madman who would openly admit it- when he felt Caira’s hand hold him back, her hand fell so gently on his shoulder, “You didn’t command them to evacuate, did you? Instead, they drowned and your ship sunk. Somehow, you awoke in the aftermath, your worst nightmares come to life. You had survived, and all that you had worked and lived for, had been eaten by the same ocean you had once sailed so freely on.”

“Aye, where’s my damn whiskey?” his hands patted his pockets for the tin container, a sip of fire on his throat. “That’s better, and yes, that’s the tale lass, I’m searchin’ to kill it now and avenge me men. Their ghosts fill these hollow halls. I can still hear ol’ Jim’s laughter, and see my dear Cynthia’s smile.”

“It’s been ten years, hasn’t it?” Caira spoke, somehow, it didn’t seem like a guess.

“Eleven in one month,” he said, touching the ring on his finger, hidden by his oversized sleeves of his coat.

“And when you rebuilt it, the word ‘Blue’ took on a new meaning for you,” she presumed.

“Primes like you don’t have to deal with endings, the finalization that death brings to us secondaries, chosen and those who aren’t, many men were just as special, but not as worthy, to be chosen by a god without eyes to be deemed worthy of the blessed curse of immortality. Maybe he couldn’t see the injustice of it, or maybe, he saw it just a little too much. Those who live get stuck with the guilt. You never get to die, and me? I get to choose which way I’ll go.”

“It doesn’t have to be that way, Captain.” she said through the crimson-stained darkness, her tone soft, “There are too many monsters to triumph over to ever want to choose to succumb to just one.”

“You make it sound so small. Do my grievances mean nothing to you?” he spoke as though the girl couldn’t understand. She was a Prime after all.

“Tragedies are often as big and meaningful as you’ll make them, to die for only one, seems like a tragedy in itself.” Zack listened with his ears as the wisdom coated his heart. The girl was beyond her years, that was for sure, or, she had witnessed the unimaginable. “You can live if you choose to, and I think, you’ll be able to take on many more monsters that way, and bring meaning to the lives that mean so much to you, though they have been lost.”

Neither Zack nor Caira could see the tears streaming down his face. He had turned his back and was glaring up the scope again, he wheeled it around, checking as many angles the ship would allow, before triple checking the monitor’s cam. Radar-check next. Clear. Some tapping, “We’re all set,” the lights flickered back on, by the time they had, the old seaman’s cheeks had dried. “Miss Ayryn, a word please?”

“Whatever you have to say, may be heard by Zack as well. I-”

“Fine fine, I get it, you hold honor to a high regard. Everyone’s an equal, even the pathetic secondary with the half-life. But, how in the Omniverse did you know?” he asked, there was a twinge of pain in his voice, which was defeated by the curiosity at the corners of his tongue.

“Your first mate told me, he’s standing right next to you, but not in body." Caira paused, "He said you haven’t told anyone for ten years, that’s quite a burden, Mr. Summers. It is... Quite liberating to have the truth be told, than to hold the shame trapped within.”

"He's... Next to me? God... Don't we ever get to rest?" Gary clutched his fist together, the lighting was growing back from its dim shadow, "He should be gone, free from this living Hell."

"I think you know more than most why he couldn't leave your side. He was your brother." Zack was forced to watch, he strained his eyes but could not see, restored lighting or not, anyone there. Caira didn't seem like a liar, but this was absurd. "He said you never forgave yourself, but Jim stayed because he feared you'd never forgive him, for dying and leaving you alone in the world."

Pain convulsed on the secondary's face, but after ten years of carrying the sorrow, of course it was time to let it free. "I... I may as well have killed him-"

"No, you saved him by helping him live his dream when he was alive. He wants you to know that." Caira stated.

"Where's he standing? How do I know..." Gary asked, suddenly skeptical.

"A foot next to you. He says its his spot." No one was there, to normal eyes.

"How long has he been waiting there, trying to get me to hear him and notice him?" Gary asked.

"Almost eleven years, Gary. Jim also says he doesn't have to prove anything to you, you uh, scumbag." her expression changed to one of shock, and she had obviously censored the sailor's words. "I myself, assume I can see him, since I am a monk and... Maybe when it got dark I closed my eyes and meditated for a short period while I was listening and... Well I've never done this before. I can't really see him now, Captain."

"Jim? Jim, if you can here me, brother, I love you. Please, let me go and be free. I promise, I'll do my best to move on, in my own way. I'll sail the seas once more, looking for adventure instead of vengeance," Gary's resolution seemed certainly prompted by the heartfelt moment.

Caira blinked, her eyes strained, she couldn't see anything so she closed them, maybe the girl would try meditating again. She shook her head after growing exhausted, "I don't see him anymore... That was extremely weird." The Prime stood up, only to catch her hand on the nearest navigating station. "Gary, you didn't kill your men, a sea monster did. I was surprised you didn't go after this one, after hearing that... I know you feel responsible for their deaths. All eighty six of them."

"You kidding? When I make a plan with someone, I keep it. Else I wouldn't be a very good captain, eh? Plus the only one I care about... Is Bertha." Summers, Zack thought that was overly cheery, for such a dismal man. Though, now he knew the old man's reason. The haggered not-so-drunk in front of him didn't much resemble a captain, for he had a disheveled beard and his posture was a measly slouch, while he also didn't seem to wash his hands too often. Pirates had captains, didn't they?"

"You want me to get the star, don't you? What do you think its power is? Or... More like, what do you hope it is?" Caira asked, her eyes slightly narrowed.

"I'd love for it to give us secondaries the ability to morph the Omnilium it is made out of into whatever we wish, a genie in a bottle, with no limit. 'Course, it's more of a dream than a reality, I'd bring them all back, but... Part of me fears it. For them to die again, the inevitable... An' going the journey alone, sure, I know Clowney, but I need to be alive to kill Bertha. Y'see my dilemma? Even if I could use the piece to kill her, or somehow even create them in my memories, I feel like I'd be risking it all, or admitting my own faults. I only heard about it recently, see, but I've known Clowney for about two years. I warn you when you meet him though, always look in his eyes. He doesn't like when you don't. He's that kind of man. He's also a bit suspicious."

Both Primes nodded, making a mental side note, while Zack and Caira could only wonder what the real truth was behind the coveted treasure. She hoped it wasn't a war machine, nor that it could be used as such. Zack, hoped they'd make it far enough to find out. Summers manned the steer. Time flooded on, but in a room with no clocks, only the soft sound of beeping coming from the radar, it was hard to tell how much time had passed.

Ding! Gary spun the wheel fast, then skittered along to some of the control panels, asking Zack to press a certain glowing red button. The propellers ceased and there was a ripple of creaks that filled the sub. "Well folks, we made it. Welcome to Cinnabar Island."

[Zack Fair]

As the submarine surfaced, Zack was quick to turn open the hatch and pop his head out. The breath of salt-filled fresh air was nice in itself, but he was also more than happy to get a break from the increasingly emotional exchange down below. Caira had truly noble goals, but he wasn’t entirely convinced that there was any way – or point – to make this realm better or worse. They were all at Omni’s whim.

It had been unexpected to see a different side of Gary, though. He went from fighting the urge to punch the guy in the face to wanting to give him a big hug. And then, admittedly, still punch him in the face, but maybe once things calmed down, after an hour or two. He was equally impressed with Caira’s ability to read and understand the situation. She’d seen between the lines of Gary’s cryptic words, while Zack had taken them at face value. Surely, that was what Gary meant by his little training and potential spiel he’d gone through.

He could have thought about it all day, had a bird not flown low overhead and caught his interest, instead. Zack hoisted himself the rest of the way up, and soon was standing atop the metallic submersible they had traveled in. Before him was Cinnabar Island, an apparently peaceful community on a beautiful island. Again, he couldn’t help but be amused by the stark contrast to the previous verse he’d spent so much time in.

“Come on up!” Zack shouted down to the other two as he brushed a little more ash off of his clothing. He didn’t know where that stuff kept coming from.

He could have sworn he’d heard Gary say something about saying down below, but he wasn’t allowed much time to listen. Nearly a second after he’d spoke, massive sea serpent erupted from the water next to the submarine. Large eyes and powerful jaws on the blue and tan monstrosity were aimed right at the super soldier, and the Buster Sword was in Zack’s hands in an instant.

“What the…” Zack began to express his surprise out loud, when there was another splash.

Zack half-turned to see a large, blue skinned and duck billed monster land on the submarine’s roof with him. He was just as quick to draw his Bolt Materia from his belt, and held the glowing orb in his hand not occupied with his sword. He wasn’t thrilled about splitting his focus, however.

“Uh, guys!” Zack yelled once more. “We have some company!”

Caira’s head popped from the hatch, with curiosity plastered all over her face. As she climbed the rest of the way up, the blue intruder marched directly towards them.

“Identify yourself,” the being spoke with a surprising level of elegance, given its odd mouth.

“We don’t want any trouble, buddy. We’re here to meet a friend,” Zack responded, keeping both weapons ready to react.

“There’s been a lot of trouble on Cinnabar, lately,” the duck monster said. “Outsiders have been running amok, and we’ve had enough of it.”

“Wait, I'm from Camelot!” Caira interjected, causing the duck to tilt its head. "We're here to see Clowney."

“The astronomer?” the monster answered curiously. “Why?”

“That’s quite a deep question, there,” Gary said. Zack jumped a bit. When the hell did he climb up? "After all, I'm sure you've heard the rumors of his research."

Zack lowered his weaponry once the serpent lowered itself into the water, and closed its fangs a bit. If it was going to stand down, so would he. He didn’t quite put away the Buster Sword, yet, but he did lower it somewhat.

"I don't have to remind you that Cinnabar is a neutral island, do I?" the duck cautiously said. "We don't want any trouble, or much to do with anyone. A lot of us don't even want him here."

“Is there goin’ to be an issue?” Gary questioned, ignoring the monster's sentiments.

The duck monster scoffed, but it also shook its head. Clearly it didn't have much authority to talk about policies and laws. “We’re a bit on edge, be mindful of that.”

"We will be respectful," Caira was quick to pacify the situation, and the two monsters still looked displeased, but offered no more resistance.

The duck leaped from the submarine and disappeared back into the water, and the serpent descended after it. Zack was merely left in a state of bewilderment at that exchange, and left to contemplate the deeper meaning behind it. Who could be stirring up trouble, here? He looked over his shoulder to see a small blockade of ships in the distance, circling the island. That sure looked political, and they likely weren’t too happy that their little barrier had just been ignored by the submarine. Great.

“So,” Zack looked to Gary as Caira looked over the edge after the duck being. “Is that part of your little training regime? Leaving me to deal with them and see how I handle it?”

“Only she is privy to the my teachin’,” Gary responded with a wave of his hand. “I may not like ya, but I can at least use you for amusement.”

Zack heaved the Buster Sword over his shoulder and returned it to its rightful resting place, all while giving Gary a stern glare. He thought to respond, but instead just shook his head. Caira was already walking towards the front of the submarine, and he followed right after her. Hopefully not everyone on this island was as grumpy.

[Caira Ayryn]

Whap!

And Caira WAS DOWN! As fast as a linebacker can tackle the QB, the girl had hit the dull gray metal with a sounding cascade and a helpless yelp that sounded more like a newborn kitten mewing. The throbbing began after she lifted her head up and felt the damage, one large bruise was forming on the side of her head, covered by her now mangled mass of sable hair. It hadn’t been those who had confronted them, or so she hoped, as she looked around. Zack was by her side in an instant. “Are you alright?”

“Ooof,” she said, a little late and grasping his extended hand and he lifted, “I’m fine what was-”

The knight cut her sentence short, sighting a smallish animal plastered against the deck. That was what hit her. It felt like a cannonball, it must’ve been flying and rammed right into her. It hadn’t even twitched in the time it had taken her to stand, so the compassionate woman knelt once more while her hands hovered over the creature. It had bright orange skin, and the frayed thin wings of a dragon.

“It isn’t breathing,” she said without waiting to see if its lungs raised, which perplexed Zack more than Gary, and Caira immediately cupped its head in the palm of her hand and blew a breath on its lips. Plugging its nose, she did it again.

Scales shimmered upwards and rushed down, the wind gusted while Caira tried to press on its chest to make it breathe, “Come on, come on,” Gary passively watched from above, his arms were crossed in a dissatisfied position. In Zack’s mind, the gears were churning. He was catching up by replaying the memory in his head. The Pokemon had swept too low, or was cast by a too powerful squall. Judging by its weight, size, and how fast it was going, Caira should’ve been down for the count, like the little Charizard.

“Girl,” Gary grunted gruffly, “It isn’t out of breath or choking, it took a hard conk to the head.”

The pessimist's persuasion did nothing to Caira’s momentum, “I’m not going to let it die because I stood in its way.”

Gary frowned, that was not his philosophy, this girl still had something to learn. “Sometimes that’s how it goes, and there’s nothing you can-”

Caira’s lips were met with the scald of hot fire, while the ends of her hair smoked. The reptilian lizard roared from its place on the ground, wings flapped helplessly, slapping against metal, while the knight scrunched her eyebrows and took a few steps back. Her fingers felt the blistering pain on her now immensely red lips and her expression wilted into one of pain. Gary was in no position to gloat and was surprised the little beast was alive.

“Char-Char!” it said in a small, high-dulcet voice. Then it’s gaze fixed on Caira. Its strange hands wrapped around her arm and she saw the trepidation in its eyes, but she did not misunderstand it for confusion. Her gaze fell on the direction the little monster had put her between, and she rose, juggling the pint-sized dragon in her hands.

Two more followed with enormous speed, and well, their size was quadruple that of what Caira could only assume to be a baby one. Her shoulders became rigid, and Zack rightfully drew his sword. Gary rolled his eyes and hopped off his sub, first assuring it was locked and would remain at its station. “Two of them,” Caira warned her companion, she however drew no sword, instead, magic gathered in her palms.

Their skin bore the color of flames, just as the young one hidden behind the Prime’s black attire. There was no hiding the orange, that was for sure. “They’re big,” Zack quipped back, his sword was ready, wisely, he waited till they announced themselves to be friend or foe.

“We can take them,” She said to Zack before announcing to the enemies, “Stand down!” Fire blazed in the sky and circled around them as the duo of dragons grew closer, seeing the Primes’ defensive stances and the decision made, the Pokemon dove without hesitation. The girl bared her teeth and a tornado exploded in the direction of the orange beasts. They were swept in and then flung out at a rate that would make Caira sick.

The Pokemon were thrown from the air, and took to a hasty retreat, growling in fumes of fire underneath their breath. Zack sheathed his man-sized sword, “Ummm, never mind then,” he said and looked at her with a peculiarity in his smile.

The Pokemon hidden below her hair was shuddering, and Zack had to pry it off her back, just to get it to settle cradled in her arms. She exchanged an embarrassed look before glancing at its scuffed head and trying to make sense of their attackers. Gary called, “Are you done yet? Time’s a wasting, and he doesn’t like to be bothered past dinnertime.”

“We’re coming,” Zack yelled and wondered whether Caira would have trouble getting down the ladder with the extra obstacle. It hung like a baby in her arms and would have no other way. “You got it?”

“Yeah,” she took a big breath and jumped about twenty feet, rolling with her fall so the momentum wouldn’t rush cripplingly to her ankles.

“That was quite a show,” Gary smirked despite his windblown hair, and took a gander at the Charizard, “You know, they don’t come in that size originally, something might be wrong with it, or it ate a mini-fruit.”

“Mini-fruit? Is that a thing?” Zack echoed and thought about himself at that size.

“Better watch what you eat lad, ladies don’t like their men shorter than ‘em,” he winked and then came closer to Caira and the Pokemon, “It’s called a Charizard, it’s a fire-type Pokemon, which basically translates into monsters. I never liked ‘em if ya can guess why, but they have their uses. This one seems to like ya, it got the wrong idea when you chose to protect it.”

“Wrong idea? Because I didn’t let those two kill it?” she shot back.

“I don’t like to disrupt the natural course of things if I can help it, that’s all. Now you’ve got dead-weight on your hands and we’ve lost time. Let’s get moving.” Caira’s jaw dropped, Gary didn’t seem to notice, since he began to lead the way and turned her back on her.

“It needed help, how could you think that denying it that right would be okay?” she challenged walking up next to him.

“Darwinism, survival of the fittest, this island is a jungle and those beasts are wild, you best watch where you step and who you cross. They are just animals, sometimes they fight, sometimes they hunt each other, and sometimes they die. That’s nature, miss Ayryn.” His logic was true, but merciless, “You don’t just pick one up and take one home with you, thinking that if you tame it, it will change its true nature.”

“This one seemed so scared, it must’ve eaten a... Mini-fruit and the others ganged up on it because it was smaller,” she deduced.

“Unfortunate, but no need to go out of your way,” Gary didn’t glance back.

“You’ve made your case clear, and I’m making mine, it’s coming with us because those two will be back. Maybe we’ll even find a fruit to change it back to normal size.” she offered, her eyes moved from Gary to Zack, who had bitten his lip at Gary’s distressingly ruthless outlook.

“Do as you will, and fate will teach you the consequences to every choice you make,” Gary announced.

“Death? It may seem like just one life but there are consequences to not saving it. There always are. Even just one life has value.” Her voice was firm, like someone who had learned this. Gary wasn’t the type to inquire more, but instead, he settled on the newfound knowledge like a female bird resting intently on her eggs.

“Oh believe me,” the aged man nodded, “I know.”

...

Cinnabar Island was a decent size and the trio had arrived on the opposite side from the more built-up areas of the knoll. The air felt soggy even just a half a mile into the jungle, it was tropical and stagnant, full of moisture and humidity that pushed Caira to tie her hair back. Zack and Gary didn’t seem to enjoy the heat either, but Gary despite his dense trench coat, seemed to be the most acclimatized to the weather. She blinked away the dripping sweat from her eyes and spared a glance down at the teeny Charizard; it was sound asleep and snugly stable in her arms. It weighed probably around forty pounds, and Caira was huffing a bit as she tried to carry it. The svelte girl was never buff or muscular, and the composition of her skeleton was not at all dense. For a girl at five feet, seven inches, the hybrid only weighed ninety four pounds. And now she was pregnant with a poke baby.

She didn’t regret it though, and Gary knew it from the fierceness in her eyes as she trudged through the overgrown climate. Meanwhile, Zack had his own baby to worry about, the buster sword on his back was a part of him, so the extra weight never bothered him, but it was harder to move and be nimble through the smaller crawlspaces in their invisible trail lead by Gary when it only bent veridically or horizontally. Gary’s stride ceased, letting the Primes dwindling behind him catch up, meanwhile he inspected the canopy above, the way Caira saw it, at least there was a thick cloak of cooling shade.

The ex-soldier and the knight knew better than to start talking before Gary did, for maybe he saw danger that neither detected in this foreign climate. Calls of all kinds came from every direction, birds, bugs, and snakes all seemed more intelligent than the normal, but nothing had leapt into their sight. Yet.

“They’re lying low, they’re curious but aren’t willing to cross us yet, if it keeps up, we’ll be there in no time. Clowney’s base is built on the other side of the mountain. Since he’s an astronomer, you can imagine he needs the height for the telescope.” their guide informed.

“Who’s they?”

“The Pokemon. You didn’t think there would be just a few of them, did you? Nah, this island is basically ruled by them. As you saw, some don’t like guests. Others rejoice, especially the predators.” Gary smirked at this, “Luckily I know my way around, so should I encounter any, I’ll know how to deal with them. They’re elemental creatures, Pokemon are.”

“What exactly are Pokemon?” Gary didn’t like to be interrupted when he was on a spiel, but Caira’s question was in a broader sense, fair.

“Like I said, they’re monsters from a lost world, like Primes, they were taken here against their will. Some even talk, and think for themselves, like humans or vice versa. Well, they isolated themselves to this island, though you will find them running around elsewhere, most are met with more hardship and prejudice beyond these waters and choose to remain here. Where’d you get that necklace?” Gary spied the single strand of black around her neck, the rest was tucked below the black fabric of her attire. While Zack wondered whether this was the time or place for meaningless personal questions.

Caira’s eyes slowly moved up the middle-aged man’s face. He was a stranger. But she was also in his debt, he could leave them stranded here without delivering them to their prize. Gary didn’t seem like the kind of man to go back on his word, but how could she know after less than twelve hours of knowing him? She decided on a vague middle ground, “That’s a story for another time.”

“I asked what, not how you got it,” a smile wrinkled on his face, “Your answer gives me answers, even if more questions come from it and you attempt to be elusive. I don’t miss much, C... Ayryn, even if my eyesight isn’t what it used to be.”

Zack was looking past the lines of her clothes, trying to see the outline of the suspected jewel. It sounded like Gary hit the girl in a place she didn’t want to talk about. Maybe he even knew it, too. Everyone had places like that, perhaps it was a family heirloom, all she had left from her mom, or – “In that case, it’s a black jewel.”

“Mind if I see it?” He beckoned. Black was supposed to be Gary’s least favorite color, now he liked her gem?

“Can we continue after?” A subtle nod confirmed her demand. Behind the stoic female’s face, he saw the struggle of decision until she finally unzipped her jumpsuit and pulled it out, never taking it from her neck.

“How long have you had it?” G dawg asked. Zack rolled his eyes, Gary liked jewelry better than Caira did, it seemed.

“A while. Why do you ask?” she asked defensively.

“Hmmm,” he savored the suspense of not answering, “Just curious. Do you like it? Why wear jewelry if you aren’t going to show it?”

A family heirloom. Zack stepped in, “Why do you keep probing her about it? What’s it matter to you if she doesn’t wear it your way, maybe she doesn’t want it to get chopped off or broken.”

“Calm down laddie, if you listen rather than act, you might find the real truth. So, Ayryn? What is it?” he salted her name with a greasy tone.

“Why do you bother asking if you know the answer, Gary?” she said with a frown.

“I myself have more than one reason, one being whether or not you find me trustworthy. I’m surprised you let me take you this far, I could be leading you to your doom, though, not that you haven’t contemplated that. Can I touch it?” Gary asked. Zack thought it had gone far enough, but Caira pulled the loop from over her head and handed it to him.

“Be careful,” She warned, and Gary read between the lines, “As for trustworthy, you’ll have to prove yourself.” Everyone enjoyed the underlying tone of sass in that one.

“It really is a beautiful thing, as well as dangerous. Shadows usually are, you know. You should take good care of this, for I see it now with the better light.”

Caira blinked, “Do you know its name?”

“I am afraid not. But I like the potential. Never before have I held one of these in my hands. You’d be a rich woman if you sold it, or sought to find more like it.” Gary offered.

“I think I’d like it back please,” Zack’s intrigued eyes snagged on Gary, if he did anything wrong...

“Sure, sure,” he said and handed it back at once, “I would like to know where you found it.”

Found it. Not received, not ‘got’ but found. Zack once again felt like an outsider. Three was company, and what if she didn’t need him after all? Still, he wanted to see this through. Gary knew more than he let on, or wanted to lead on, and that was the kind of elusive man the secondary was, so the Prime observed.

“What makes you think I found it? I could’ve created it with Omnillium, if it is as valuable as you say,” she said and then looked at Zack.

“Well, they are incredibly hard to forge with the mind, all the hidden designs embedded deep within the stone are hard to duplicate. Most people think that its the symmetry in the cut that makes the stone beautiful, but it isn’t, there are fine shimmering fragments that pop out at certain angles. That one’s got them.” Gary was well informed, it seemed.

Caira frowned, cornered. “I found it in the Endless Dunes. I have no intention of selling it. Sentimental value.”

“Of course there is,” he sniggered, “Have you seen the way it glitters at night?”

“Of course I have, it’s my necklace,” Caira was weary.

“Do its true colors ever scare you?” Gary asked, and then looked down at the beast resting in her arms. Perhaps that had been his point all along. For a glimpse, Caira bared her teeth out of malice. An intense expression, if they had been talking about jewelry.

“No more than that of a cowardly man’s.”

Their eyes narrowed in sync.

“Uhh... Not sure what that’s about, but we should be getting a move on, we want to arrive before dark, don’t we?” Zack broke the tension. Caira pulled her violet eyes away, Gary let his remain.

“You’re right,” she admitted and hid her pendant once more, looking at Zack, she saw the quiet observance of his face. She hoped behind the mask, was not pain she had caused.

The company of three, trudged along for some time before Gary neared a large boulder, in which he rolled it over simply. It was a prop, very believable, it looked heavier than he was and twice his size. Styrofoam was below the thick gray paint’s surface, visible only in the patch where the ground met the prop’s form. Next Gary punched in a code to a pin pad attached to the mountain, it was surrounded by earth and vine. He turned to smile to them as a giant sliding door, once blended into the side of an overgrown cliff, emerged from layers upon layers of green.

“Well, here we are. He’s waiting inside.”

The blood pumped in her veins with anticipation. Silver doors were closing behind her and the elevator ascended. Bewp. Bewp. Bewp. Their acceleration slowed. Neither of them said a word, though many ice-breaking quips strolled through Zack’s creative mind.

Click clack click. The gentle patter of their feet carried the three across a strange looking room that served as both a hallway and a science-y museum full of half-finished concoctions which smelled from chlorophyll to chocolate.

Gary did the honors of opening the closest door, they emerged inside, the room was an office, filled to the brim with skews of miscellaneous paper and messier in the form of silent artistic genius. Although Caira couldn’t see Clowney’s face, his silhouette was a shadow against the window full of bright magenta colors of the setting sun.

“Gary, so good to see you,” an unfamiliar yet soothing voice welcomed them in.

“Jad, good to see you again,” trench-coat met lab,“Jadeveon Clowney, Meet miss Ayryn... Oh, and Zack.” The astronomer’s hand extended.

[Zack Fair]

The dark skinned man emerged from the shadows, and the first thing Zack could think was that he didn’t look like any book smart, science type that he had ever met. The scientists at ShinRa had admittedly filled a wide range of appearances, but they never were tall and well built like this man. His clothes were awfully casual, it seemed he’d come for a tropical getaway rather than important research. The long dreadlocks made from his hair supported that theory about his appearance. Zack cocked a surprised eyebrow as the man shook Caira’s hand, which didn’t go unnoticed.

“Don’t look too alarmed,” Jadeveon laughed as he looked to Zack, earning the young super soldier a scowl from Gary.

“No, it’s just…” Zack shook his head. “Wouldn’t have guessed who you were if I saw you on the street.”

“Isn’t that sort of the purpose?” Jadeveon responded, and Zack merely shrugged in response. It was a good point. This elicited an amused chuckle from the astronomer.

"Jad has been studying the same phenomenon you're interested in, Miss Ayryn," Gary announced, which served to explain to both parties their purpose for being here.

"It seems many people are interested in the star pieces," Jadeveon thoughtfully commented as he studied the young woman. "Though no one quite understand them."


“What are you doing all the way out here, anyway, Jad?” Gary asked as he looked around the lab. Both Zack and Caira noted he was far nicer to the astronomer than he ever was to them. “I thought the townsfolk of Cinnabar were fine with your presence.”

“Cinnabar has had quite an interesting time, lately,” Jadeveon admitted, shaking his head. “The Pokemon Liberation Front recently abducted a young Charmander and the only other prime living on the island besides Mewtwo, a man named Matrix, chased after them along with some others.”

“Matrix?” Zack asked with a cocked eyebrow. Odd name.

“That’s right,” Jadeveon confirmed, then continued to explain. “After that, another prime arrived, but she left with the Imperials after a brief skirmish. It wasn’t pretty. I’m to understand that several were questioned. As you can tell, this peaceful town has been through quite a bit.”

“So you’re hiding out here?” Caira asked. She worried it sounded a bit accusatory, which she didn’t intend.

“What I’m working on is fairly important,” Jadeveon remarked calmly, not showing any offense taken to such a statement. “I wouldn’t put it above the Imperials to try and abduct me from the town if I were residing in it. The Liberation Front has already shown it can be done.”

Zack crossed his arms and looked around the room, considering that point. He hadn’t quite realized the Empire was so strongly invested in this quest, as well. Crossing paths with them in any sort of negative way would not be good, from the might he’d seen they held on this realm.

Jadeveon let out another chuckle as he gave a warm, welcoming smile. “So, how can I help you, my friends?”

“I’m a knight from Camelot, and I need to find the star piece that crashed into the Vasty Deep,” Caira quickly answered, not leaving a second for anyone else to speak first. “From what I know about them, they need to be found.”

“I’m inclined to agree,” Jadeveon nodded as he walked around the desk, running his hand across the smooth finish as he walked. “The problem is that the Vasty Deep isn’t exactly a small verse.”

“None of them are, as far as I can tell,” Zack remarked, not seeing that as a viable obstacle.

“No, but the Vasty Deep is far larger than any other,” Jadeveon shook his head. “I’ve done some research on the star piece and where it might be, but unfortunately all of my notes have been commandeered by the Imperial Navy.”

“What happened?” Caira tilted her head as she pried just a little bit.

“They seized my ship for trying to run their blockade of Cinnabar,” Jadeveon explained. “Many are allowed through, but they singled me out. I managed escape and make it to the island, but all of my research was lost in the process.”

“And it’s at Costa Del Sol, now?” Zack asked.

“We will not be challenging the Empire directly,” Gary suddenly interjected. “That would do us no good. Jad, is there any way to work without those notes?”

“It’s a lot of guesswork already,” Jadeveon explained as he shook his head. “But I have some co-ordinates worth looking at written down. Even I had the time to start from scratch, I would rather the Empire not have their own copy.”

“We can get it,” Zack shrugged. He sounded full of confidence, despite his lack of real knowledge about the situation. He was simply confident in his abilities, based only on the knowledge that he hadn’t died when fighting one of the most powerful beings in the Ashen Steppes. “What are we looking for and where?”

“Remember that you don’t have a say in any of this, boyo,” Gary suddenly snapped. He was met with a challenging and threatening glare from the young vagabond, which caused him to return his own harsh one.

“Zack’s right, though,” Caira interjected, sensing the hostility between the two and deciding to intervene this time. “If the Empire has something important, we’ll have to deal with them. Now or later. Why not on our own terms?”

When Gary paused and visibly bit his lip, Jadeveon suddenly spoke up. “They’re right, Gary. It’s a lot of me to ask, given that I can’t leave what I have here, but it would throw off the Empire’s trail if we reacquired my findings. All of my notes are encoded, but they could eventually be cracked,” He looked to Caira, continuing his train of thought in the same breath. “The boat is likely not stored at Costa Del Sol, but a nearby island the blockade is using as a rest and repair station.”

Zack’s face remained serious. He felt Gary’s piercing gaze upon him, but he didn’t turn to look at him. He simply watched as the astronomer handed Caira a picture. The black haired girl reached over the small Charizard that was still clinging tightly to her to take it and look at it.

“That’s the boat. Everything important is in a briefcase hidden in what served as my quarters,” Jadeveon explained. “Acquire that, and we will have a good starting point. I have more work to do, so I’ll stay here.”

“It’s not right to throw you into danger, either,” Caira nodded. “We’ll return your belongings to you.”

Zack gave his own confirming nod. His brain was already running through possibilities and battle scenarios in great detail, even though he didn’t know what they were looking for or where, exactly. This was his chance to prove to Caira that he belonged on the team. Also to Gary, but he was less concerned about that dude’s opinion.

“Be careful, and good luck,” astronomer Clowney said as he turned back to his research.

Caira turned to Zack before Gary, with a hopeful and promising look on her face. She was much less excited about this than he was, as she clearly understood Gary’s logic about not antagonizing the Empire so early into this little adventure. She felt that Zack’s mindset was right, though. They needed to act first. As soon as she began walking towards the exit, Zack started moving in that direction as well.

It was time to get to work.

[Caira Ayryn]

Well this was great. All well and fine. They even had a submarine! Perfect for this momentously illegal task.

Caira kept her head up and her chin down as she figured they’d have to walk all the way back to the beach. The knight was feeling a bit pessimistic, though the astronomer at least seemed to be with them, it was hard to say just how with them he was. Gary looked like he would’ve wished to stay longer with Jad, but he also has to man the submarine, because a girl who knows next to nothing about most modern technologies wouldn’t even be able to raise the anchor (Which button is it!!!!) let alone get out of port.

The woman sighed to herself and looked down at the Pokemon nestled tightly against her. The innocent, that was what this whole thing was for. And of course, the heaviest form of redemption. She was an orphan, her parents had conquered the entire galaxy of her home world, save a small planet where she had opted to save herself rather than find a way to stop them. Breaking and entering would be a piece of cake, they’d just need a game plan, and the perfect place to think it through was in the submarine. Gary surely had some old maps of what the Empire’s ships looked like, if not, he’d at least seen one before.

“Where are you going lass?” Gary asked the girl who had started walking upon the same path they’d ventured here on, “The jeep is this way.”

“Jeep?” A foreign word rolled from her tongue as she parroted him.

“Hah, guess where you come from they have pegasus, eh?” he snickered, and at last she understood, “Yeah, too dangerous to cross the same path twice, we outta take the scenic route this time, eh? And now that we’ve got wheels it’ll be faster.”

“That route definitely had to be the scenic one,” Zack interjected.

“You ain’t seen nothing yet laddie,” Gary offered and lead them to another smaller cave, which had a vault hidden in the corner, while the middle-aged man pressed each coded number with a beep!

After six of them, steel doors opened, revealing quite an armory, but more transportation, though little of it recognized by the girl. Zack’s imagination seemed a little more thrilled, as he followed Gary in, his eyes following hungrily against the glossy cars and a few tethered flying disks. A low whistle, “This is quite a place, now at least I don’t have to wonder what Clowney does in his spare time,” this earned him a chuckle and the two men shared a smile. Men, cars, and submarines.

“You flew on a Pegasus, Ayryn? Wasn’t that scary? What if they suddenly swerve left and suddenly you just rammed face-first into a cliff!” Zack asked with articulating hand gestures.

“Oh believe me, it’s happened more than a few times, I was also afraid of heights for the longest time. Now, not so much. Oh! I forgot to ask him if he knew Marty! Oh well, can we call him later Gary? Or I guess I’ll have the chance to ask him when we return.” she rambled for a moment and then bit her lip for silence.

“I’m sure he’s familiar with the name, Jad knows a lot of people,” Gary reassured but was more transfixed with their four-wheel drive, marine green vehicle that they’d be sailing across the island in.

“You want shotgun, lad?” Zack cringed to himself, he wasn’t a little kid, maybe to Gary he was, but being an ex-Soldier was no small feat. Thing is, he did want shotgun, and climbed in.

...

The drive was smoother than riding anything with four legs, that was for sure, except for, maybe, a shadow lion. Gary put keys in a hidden slot and the metallic beast roared to life, steam from its nose came out its tail and Caira had to be assured many times that it was not alive, and then compare it to her hover board, which ran on battery.

“Ohhh, I get it,” she said at last and Zack wondered if she wasn’t just saying that.

The wind tousled Gary’s graying hair around but he wouldn’t have it any other way, at first they traveled from an underground road, then, to one of dirt which was a little bumpier than what Caira now identified as pavement. They did many swirling spirals around turns that swayed just below hills and mountains, and until it became dark they did not encounter any Pokemon.

There was a Gengar in the road, it was purple and had seething red eyes, then there was a Koffing, purple again but this one floated and spewed foul-smelling smoke, each left them alone, though hissed at their headlights which blinded their eyes. Gary was a good tour-guide, identifying their names and that some are more common to come out at night, “Ghost-type are my favorite, Ayryn, I have even taken in a few, though, we haven’t talked much for many moons.”

The way he was making it sound was that these creatures were collectable, though she remained quiet on that cause for another time, “Gary, uh, how will we know what the fruit that gets this little guy back to normal will look like?”

“We don’t, it probably isn’t on this island. Jad could take a look at him when we come back, but I doubt he could do much except grow him an extra foot, if that. Even those who excel at science know there isn’t always a quick fix, and neither is your magic, as you may have learned. All has a formula for success. The rest lay in failure.” Gary said forebodingly.

The Pokemon was awake now, and sat with a seatbelt which Caira had fastened after she learned its purpose, over it. The Charizard was uncomfortable but put up no fight. The woods hung above them, a canopy of palm trees, and coconuts shielding them from the stars, suddenly the world opened up around them and they were gazing at the beach, shining brightly, a bright sliver of moon, reflecting on the infinite waves beyond the island. It was beautiful, how the stars glowed ever-brightly, and everyone in the car took a moment to appreciate the glittering sky above and the shimmering waves below.

They had arrived at the sub and it was still in one piece. “Hey girlie, do your thing, we’ll need this ride later, and I don’t want to just stash it anywhere, it being Jad’s prized Jeep and all,” She nodded and used her prime-power to return the car to the Omnilium it was most likely made with, the rainbow pieces disappeared around her leaving neither of them wondering where it had exactly gone. She hadn’t had the chance to ask Omni that, either.

The submarine took off, thrashing propellers ignited by millions of watts from heavy turbines. What a machine she was! When they were out at sea, they dove under the cover of the waves, and then huddled all in the captain’s ‘main deck’ to decide a game plan for how they would retrieve the confiscated papers in the most inconspicuous way possible.

[Zack Fair]

Zack’s steps through the hallway of the cramped submarine were careful and deliberate. Room to move about was a premium commodity in the narrow passages and compact walls, and Zack was very self-aware of the massive slab of metal he carried on his back and the difficulties it offered in enclosed areas. It was a testament to his years of experience with the Buster Sword that his full awareness of his lack of space was masked by his seemingly lackadaisical stroll. He moved just as easily as anyone else might, even ducking over the low overhang of the doorway into Gary’s planning room. Not once did the Buster Sword come close to touching any part of the structure.

Such a feat went unnoticed as Zack entered, and unmentioned by him since he simply did not pay attention it anymore. Instead he marched right up to the table that Caira and Gary were looming over, taking one side for his own. Gary had a map sprawled out over the table, and Zack quietly wondered how many maps this dude owned. They always seemed to be looking over one or the other. He couldn’t fault him for it, though. After all, the scrolls were doing their job.

“So, the Empire,” Zack commented as he looked down at a detailed drawing of the island they were destined for. “What’s the best they could pull together from the infinite worlds that touch this ocean?”

Caira raised an eyebrow. That sure was a daunting way to look at the task at hand. Gary was unimpressed by Zack’s fervor, even though he expected such a statement. The older man had come to learn that Zack relished his status as an immortal prime in a vast and nearly limitless universe. It was oddly unique to see a prime like that, as many seemed to carry their own agendas or morals from their previous worlds. He sensed that Zack had changed greatly since his original realm.

“The Imperial impound near Cinnabar isn’t a truck stop, laddy,” Gary sternly rebuked Zack’s enthusiasm. “The opposition is deadly, and one slip up could be disastrous. Not only would it be the end of our little voyage, but it would alert the Empire to the value of what they possess.”

“If they don’t already know what the papers are worth, why take them?” Caira quizzically asked.

Gary shook his head. “All they know is that it’s potentially beneficial to Camelot. That’s enough reason to seize the ship.”

“Ah, politics,” Zack smiled as he sarcastically spoke. “All that time in the Steppes and I’d almost forgotten how petty people could be.”

Gary scoffed, but pressed on. “This outpost is well staffed, for sure, but the security is nothing compared to Coruscant or even Costa Del Sol. Stormtroopers, as well as the Imperial Navy, and probably some of Dr. Gero’s creations about the place, too.”

“Where would they keep the papers?” Caira queried as she looked over the layout of the impound.

“I wouldn’t know. I’ve never been there,” Gary remarked. “I simply acquired these maps in case the need came up.”

“Lucky for us,” Zack nodded.

There was a beep, and Gary quickly departed, without a word. Zack figured they were getting close to their destination. It hadn’t been a long trip, but that was to be expected, considering the Empire didn’t want to set up their base of operations too far from the blockade.

Zack contemplated for a minute. They didn’t know where exactly to go, and only had some old maps for guidance. After all, they might have remodeled since Gary acquired the floor plans, and then even that advantage would be out the door. Though those were valid concerns, the immediate one was simply getting inside. Like the old man had said, security wouldn’t be loose.

“You ever been scuba diving?” Zack asked, suddenly.

Caira looked up, but quickly shook her head. “No…never even considered it.”
 
Zack nodded in understanding. “Me either. Want to?”

“To get in?” Caira asked, just to make sure Zack wasn’t on some tangent.

“I’m guessing there’s no security underwater,” Zack reasoned. “If we approach from down below, we’ll likely have a much easier time infiltrating. We get what we need, then get out the same way.”

“But we can’t let the water ruin the papers,” Caira countered. “That would defeat the whole purpose.”

“True,” Zack agreed. “Maybe we can summon up something waterproof to store them in? Or steal some uniforms and march right out on one of their boats?”

“The first idea is better, so long as we have time,” Caira decided. “Summoning isn’t a short endeavor. We might be spotted.”

“We’ll figure it out when we’re in there, then,” Zack reasoned. He was happy enough to know a way in.

Gary entered the room once more, looking between the two. “If we get much closer, they’ll detect us. Have you figured out a plan?”

Zack glanced to Caira, and she nodded.

“I think so,” Caira said. “We’ll go underwater.”

“Suit yourself. I’ll need to stay here with the vessel,” Gary seemed unimpressed, but accepting of the idea. “It’s only a single hatch, so I’ll need to surface so you can leave.”

Gary turned and left for the controls once more, and Zack grinned. One thing was for certain, he was surely getting to experience a little bit of everything.

[Caira Ayryn]

Caira felt her ears pop as they approached the service. After her jaws feigning a yawn, she took another look at the maps of the ships, while Zack summoned the gear they’d need. Vaguely, while she was in Coruscant, had she heard of such a thing. It involved the technology to breathe underwater, and attachments to appendages like flippers. Hopefully, swimming wouldn’t prove too difficult. She’d done it once before and nearly drowned. But it was impossible to drown with scuba gear, right?

The prime found her eyes loitering on Zack, who’s Omnillium had nearly taken shape. Quickly, she turned her chin away, hoping he hadn’t caught a glimpse of her doubt. Gary raised a brow, and then bashed, “Is there something on yer mind, miss Ayryn?”

“Uh, what if we encounter a sea monster?” she asked, which was valid enough.

“I’ll try to torpedo it, but you do know there are worse things than monsters in this ocean, right?” Gary nudged.

“Worse things?” Caira’s violet eyes widened.

“Quit trying to scare her Gary,” Zack interrupted, handing the female a wetsuit made out of skin-tight fabric, not far off from what she was currently wearing.

“Scare her? You think she’ll be afraid of a little shark she can just punch in the mouth? Not this girl, no, she’s endured much worse. Even a sea monster is no match...” He appeared resolute with his chest puffed up.

Zack didn’t challenge him, and instead went over to Caira, “You’ll be alright, I summoned some good scuba gear, so it shouldn’t be that hard to learn. He’s just trying to scare you, by the way,” Zack crept a bit closer and spoke in a quieter tone so that it wouldn’t reflect off of the metal walls, “The worst we’ll encounter is a school of fish, other than the Empire’s guards. It’ll all work out. Stealth is our main priority, don’t even worry about the other stuff.”

“I suppose, if worst came to worst, you could just swing your giant sword at a sea monster... But I wouldn’t want him to eat you first because of that.” Zack offered a small laugh and as he did, dimples were revealed on his cheeks.

“Well now we’ve got a game plan for that too, don’t we? But I’ll warn you, that sea monster is no match for this sword. Ready to suit up?” he asked the knight, who nodded.

The weight of the air cylinder strapped on her shoulders was surprisingly heavy for something that was supposed to be full of air. Caira nearly toppled over when she picked it up. The suit she had slid on was sticky to her skin, not like glue, but snug like a firmly fitting shoe. The submarine crested waves and Gary opened the hatch, causing a hiss of air to shoot out, much like a whale. The duo of primes were ushered up. “If anything happens and I’m forced to change locations, I’ll be waiting near Cinnabar, got it? You can summon your own ride, if the Empire catch on and find me.”

Caira nodded sternly, Zack agreed this was a good course of action but he did not show it. Instead, after climbing the metal pegs that framed a ladder to the still darkling sky, the two paused as Gary sealed himself in again. Zack looked at Caira, who looked down at the waves with a strained expression. He could not see on which level she was perturbed, but he guessed it was the monsters, or perhaps, the fact that they could get caught. “It’s just like any other mission, Ayryn, and if we play it right, it will be a success, too.”

She appreciated his words, though they fell on hollowed ears. Caira was thrown back to her last encounter with fear, and realized it was surging up on her again. The waterfall pounded, its chants, louder than the memory, and Caira had nothing below her two feet, save an inch on each toe, of slick rock, and a thousand feet of air below her heels. If she fell it was instant death, that was, in itself, pretty scary. Now, if Caira breathed wrong, through the little pipe-thing that Zack called a respirator, she would drown, a not-so-instant death, which she would spend her last moments agonizingly kicking herself for her mistake. Humiliating, and the mission failed.

Her eyes lifted to him, heavy with worry, but also set free by his presence. She was glad she wasn’t alone. “You’re right, thank you.”

Whoosh!

Water filled her ears, trickling into ever part of her skin and filling it with a chilling glacial tingle. On her face, clasped a mask that wrapped around her nose, and below that, the little thing she was supposed to suck air from. Giving it a shot, she knew she was but a foot from the surface, and had little fear of failure. Fresh air filled her lungs and she exhaled through her mouth, watching the air bubbles rise. Through the goggles she saw Zack had started swimming lower, commencing the mission, and starting to act in stealth. It would be a long swim, since they needed to go in undetected, but they had the cover of night, and full tanks. Everything they needed to be successful. Caira moved her hands and used the extra length on her feet, to propel her forward into the murky darkness of the ocean.

To be engulfed by ocean waves on the surface seems so gentle, but hiding under the ever-shimmering surface is that of a cruel harshness. Caira’s eyes beamed through the night, grazing upon a few lurking fish and shark that ventured too near to them. Most of the creatures kept their distance, while the two Primes silently swished through the open water. Both of them had a flashlight attached to the top piece of their goggles, helping them see a narrow spectrum of distance in the unending water. It really was, vasty and deep.

Bubbles came from her mouth once more as she gulped down a fresh burst of air. It was a strange mechanism, but both picked up on it with some practice. Her black hair shimmered in the ocean around her, and flickered like a fishtail fighting a current. There was no way to speak during this time in their venture, so each Prime remained silent, and bubbled their air away. The ocean had a particular void sound, the sound of continuous currents, but it was very subtle even in her own keen ears. Zack lead the way, buster sword and all, as he plowed through the water. He seemed used to swimming, which probably tipped him off that Caira had not swam, ever, like this before...

Time rolled on, with the gentle sweep of her propelling feet so much so that Caira got used to the gentle motion of her own feet revolving. Zack suddenly slowed to a near-halt in front of her, and she did the same. Curious, Zack remained as still as the water would let him, and letting only a few scarce bubbles rise from his location. He clicked the headlight on his goggles off and Caira looked forward, straining to see what had caused this precaution.

A blink, another, and the water remained dismal and calm. Caira felt her awareness prickling, she felt the intent of danger, but she could not see what had caused it. Cold from the thrill of fear, and the lack of movement caused her muscles to grow numb, and her eyes swept side to side, waiting in the tension that had thickened the water around them to frigid ice.

Suddenly, invading almost every portion of her gaze, a dark shadow appeared, shapelessly looming over them. Caira could tell there was something there causing the shadow, but Zack had grabbed her wrist and not given her time to look at the thing. They swam off at full speed, his, much faster than hers when suddenly, something shot out of the cloud chasing behind them, and snatched Caira by the heel. Bubbles spurted everywhere, her mask was nearly flung off in the chaos, and the knight of Camelot was dragged away, with nothing to hang on to.

Zack spun around, and simultaneously drew the Buster Sword but too slowly, heeded by the sluggish churn of water. He grit his teeth through his breathing piece as he noticed she was no longer in sight. Whatever it was had been fast, no, supremely fast, and it was large too. He had to catch up to her, because if the unknown creature punctured her oxygen tank and continued to grab onto her, she’d be dead before she could reach air.

He tsked at the situation, shaking his head as he used the Buster Sword as an extra paddle, and followed the receding line of darkness, which signified whatever it was had gotten its dinner. He couldn’t accept that the girl was dead, not until he’d seen it, or at least seen the monster with his own eyes. There was no trace of any bubbles rising to the top, so his companion hadn’t left a remnant of a trail for him to follow. The idea of fear did not occur to the ex- SOLDIER, only how he would get her back.

[Zack Fair]

Zack moved just as quickly as he could. He powered through the decreasingly clear water, looking ahead as far as he could. At their depth, light was on the verge of becoming a precious commodity. He could just barely make out the shape of some serpent like creature ahead of him in the water. That had to be the thing that had taken Caira. If it wasn’t, then whatever it was had picked the wrong spot to be an intimidating son of a bitch, because Zack was just about to reclaim his place at the top of the food chain.

He drove the Buster Sword forward, burying it in the monster’s neck as far as he could. It thrashed and struggled, and Zack quickly ripped the sword back out, spraying thick blood from its hide and into the water, adding a layer of murk to the lack of light. The monster did not turn to attack him, but instead fled into the darkness further below. Terrifying, but Zack had another issue to deal with at the moment.

Caira floated in the water before him, cast aside during the assault on her own attacker. Zack quickly swam to her, and noticed her tank had been thoroughly pierced by its powerful teeth. Air had been replaced by water, only serving to make her sink in the water quickly. Zack grabbed her, but found himself struggling to hold her alongside her equipment that was as heavy as it was useless.

He remembered the advice of an old friend who did a great deal of scuba diving and underwater operations. The man had once told him to always have a second regulator on his tank, in case something went wrong with his own, or his dive buddy’s. Right now, the advice was spot on and flawless. He just wished he had actually followed it.

Still, he thought back and remembered another important phrase his old friend had once said.

“Hey, I hear that redhead in human resources is single.”

No, the other phrase.

“If you ever find yourself deep underwater and lose your regulator, don’t try to hold your breath. Keep the airway open while you search by blowing small bubbles. Remember, always be breathing.”

Zack quickly ripped his regulator from his mouth and shoved it into Caira’s. As soon as he did he began to steadily exhale tiny bubbles. Caira, meanwhile, thirstily inhaled a deep and powerful breath, having held hers far too long. Zack was truly impressed with how long she managed to maintain it, while in a high stress situation, to boot. With her gear now useless, Zack quickly unhooked the tank from her while she consumed the valuable oxygen.

He pushed the the tank from her shoulders and it fell to the floor deep below, while Caira gained the clarity of mind to grab Zack’s waist. They had to stick together, with one tank and a single regulator between the two. Zack pointed to his mouth and the bubbles he was steadily blowing, making sure she understood what he was doing. It didn’t matter if she knew why, it just mattered that she did so. She nodded, and Zack took the regulator so he could have his own turn at the precious oxygen.

They began to steadily swim upwards. Both primes had lost their bearings, but each of them were fairly certain they were close to the base’s entrance at this point. Where they emerged was less of an issue now. They simply needed to get to the surface. It wasn’t the most glamorous or impressive infiltration, having to share a tank and constantly swap the only working regulator between each series of breaths.

Looking up, they could see the underside of several ships, and also underwater walls and structures that were clearly the support for the Imperial base. They swam inwards, Zack tightly gripping his massive sword in one hand while using the other to take his turn at the regulator. With four fins kicking, they moved well, even though Caira felt a splitting pain in one of her legs from the initial attack. They would have to assess that possible injury on dry land, though.

They had just a little bit more swimming to do. Then the real mission would begin.

[Caira Ayryn]

It had her.

It was holding on tight. There were bubbles spewing everywhere and Zack had quickly been swallowed by the depths of the deep. Caira went to scream, out of shock, and choked on the lack of air. Her violet eyes widened violently, and she struggled to blink away the haze of fear, as she realized this would be her last moment of life. Omni promised, but he didn’t have to keep it. This was her fight in the end, not Omni’s and nor Zack’s. The knight wouldn’t let it end here.

Her eyes were open, but she could see no difference, it was midnight black and there was no sun to rise in how far the creature had dragged her. The water was icy, and she could only hear the gentle swish of water as they glided deeper into the night. Why hadn’t it killed her yet? Based on its size, it could’ve snapped her in two, but instead, its tentacle remained coiled around her, squeezing the life out but not so much that her bones were crushed. The lack of air and full sense of fear made Caira wheeze and gag, luckily her knight in shining armor came, before she had the chance to lose consciousness.

Zack came swimming vehemently through the water, his expression through the dark goggles was that of anger. There was a slash from that mighty sword of his, into the squid-like creature’s squishy looking mass. Filling the water around them faster than wind, was a blackish blood, giving the colossal squid enough time to escape, while Caira was blinking more slowly, and making out the blurs of his face less and less.

A cough and she was thankful for the gale sent into her lungs. Weakly but eagerly she took another breath, and another, and then passed it back to Zack, yelping as she felt the cold saline water braze an open wound. Caira’s eyes watched the eerily unchanged depths below them, as the duo swam to the surface, in the direction of the Imperial base.

Caira tried to review with herself, to see if she had changed her mind, but even the protests in her leg didn’t cause her to regret everything they had done so far. They’d met Jad, they’d captured a wild dragon! and of course, left it with the submarine, yeah, they were doing pretty well so far. She sucked in a breath and passed it back to Zack, he seemed like he was too.

Suddenly there was a motion of his hands and she knew they must be close to the Empire’s vessel. From what she had heard about the Empire, they were tyrants, just like her parents had been. So yes, she was against them, however, there was a bit of fearful anticipation flooding her bones as she though of sneaking in the vessel, and then having no choice, but that to kill. And how did Zack react to such an internal conflict? Her eyes passed to him, as the base of the ship came into view, there were a few smaller hulls surrounding the large one, but this vessel from the bottom, looked as large as an island.

She didn’t really know what the plan was, and suddenly looked to him, their eyes only spoke, and with them, they could only blink. Zack could mouth things, but the bubbles rose to the top, and muddled her ability to read his lips. Trepidation settled in her, she was nervous, afraid and excited. There were the consequences, they could get caught, or worse, the threat of death, but that all seemed like a false reality, this moment around them, was the truth. The Empire could not get their hands on this information and have enough time to encode it, she knew that for sure.

Zack was still motioning to Caira about some plan, and she couldn’t help but to smile, she had no idea what he was trying to say to her; she set her hand on his shoulder and directed him to just lead the way, and to the surface they ascended.

[Zack Fair]

Zack slowly emerged from the water. He rose just enough that his eyes were above the surface, allowing him to rapidly scan the area. They were in some sort of indoor docking station for the various Imperial ships. Fortunately, between two massive vessels like they were, they wouldn’t have been easy to detect, even if anyone was around. As it was, there didn’t seem to be anyone. He was more than happy to emerge from the water and take a genuine breath of fresh air, and Caira was just as thrill to rise enough to drop the regulator and do the same.

“Are you alright?” Zack asked his companion, now that their voices were available to them again.

“Yes,” Caira said, though her voice sounded just a bit strained. “Yes, I think so.”

“You think?” Zack was quick to ask for clarification. “Or you’re sure?”

“I’m fine, Zack,” Caira was insistent, even though Zack could recognize the pain in her voice.

Zack nodded, clearly unconvinced. It wasn’t like he had much of a choice in the matter, though. They swam the rest of the way to the nearest steel dock, taking care to look for any Imperials or security devices that might spot them. Zack hoisted the Buster Sword onto the ledge, followed by his air tank. He climbed out himself, and turned while staying at a kneel. He offered a hand to Caira, to help pull her from the water, but was surprised to see her stifling a laugh.

“What?” Zack asked, not seeing what was so funny at the current moment.
 
“You’re so goofy until you get worried about someone,” Caira couldn’t stop a giggle from escaping her mouth as she spoke. “You weren’t even this serious with Gary.”

Zack rolled his eyes, and the amused Caira took his hand, allowing him to pull her from the water. He then quickly got to work converting the scuba tank and its related apparatus into Omnilium. It would take some time to summon new ones, but it was safer than storing it somewhere or carrying it with them. Upon finishing with that, he slung the Buster Sword over his shoulder once again. He was as ready as he’d ever be.

A quick glance to Caira confirmed that she was ready, too. She had lightly patched up her leg, mostly so that she wasn’t leaving a blood trail. They could work on it a little better from a more secure area. Zack silently gestured with his head, and they made their way down the iron path.

Signs and various directions hung overhead. Things were conveniently marked, likely because there was little permanent crew stationed at an outpost like this. The need to direct their troops around would serve the two of them just as well. Zack spotted a door clearly marked “Impound” and easily deduced its value to them. He pointed to it as he slowly advanced through the apparently unoccupied facility.

It slid open with a level of technology that caused Caira to silently marvel, while Zack simply took in the new room. It was similar to where they had just been. Several boats of various sizes were docked on piers much like those in the previous room. Zack wasn’t entirely sure where the water was coming from, but he could see some cranes overhead, so it was entirely possible there was a way to lift them into this room. The important thing was that he didn’t see any way to remove the vessels. More importantly, though, was that they were certainly alone in this room, too.

“Let’s hurry and find Jad’s papers,” Caira whispered.

“Right,” Zack agreed, then glanced to her leg again. “You’re sure that doesn’t need any more attention?”

“It should be fine for now,” Caira said as she shook her head, then noticeably limped off.

Zack had to admire her spirit. Instead of dwelling too much on it, he got to work looking. There was a row of lockers along a wall, and he decided this would be the easiest starting point. He walked over and opened the first one he came to. It was filled to the bursting point with alcoholic beverages, obviously contraband seized from within. Zack rolled his eyes and shut the locker, moving to the next. He continued to sort through plenty of unimpressive objects that the Empire had seized. Finally, upon opening one locker, he found something that caught his attention.

He pulled a small gold and black pistol from it, with four flaps on the side that expanded to an “X” shape when he raised it. He looked down the odd sights, while he judged the weight of the gun. He wasn’t much of one for firearms, but this was a comfortable weapon. Closer inspection showed him that there were four barrels on the gun that could rotate on a cylinder, allowing him to choose which was the active one. They glowed red, blue, green, and purple. He seen similar technology in ShinRa’s elemental firearms, though they always felt much clunkier than this device.

“Zack!” Caira called to him in a quiet hiss.

Zack was jarred from his admiring of this weapon, and looked to his companion. He felt bad for spending so much time on something nonessential while she looked, but she didn’t appear to mind. She actually seemed quite happy. She was pointing at a small boat with a big grin. Zack could just barely make out the small emblem on the side of it.

“The mark of Camelot,” she gleefully clarified.

Zack joined her in smiling. She had found what they needed. Zack snatched the holster for his freshly acquired pistol from the locker before shutting it, then made his way over to Caira. What they were looking for had to be aboard this vessel.

[Caira Ayryn]

At last, the duo of Primes had found what they so passionately were looking for. Zack carried a darker, more commanding presence on his shoulders now, one that drew to the black of his clothes and stuck there. Caira’s eyes searched the horizon for any moving figures, her violet eyes glittered with pain, while she persevered. After a few blinks, they’d entered the Camelot vessel with swimming ease. Caira’s eyelashes flicked away some rolling sweat, but she was sure that this Camelot vessel had been Jad’s.

After the pair had descended below deck, it should have been simple, finding the papers. There had been a basic middle room for lounging with his desk also there, one with a mattress, and a kitchenette with a truly grand view of the ocean. Upon searching through his desk, Zack shook his head with disappointment, “It’s not here.”

This meant one of two things. One, the papers were in the hands of the Empire now, they were too late. And two, Clowney had hidden them so well, not even the Empire had found them when they seized the ship. Caira was banking on the second option, since she couldn’t accept this entire trip as a failure. “It must be in a secret compartment,” she whispered, “Did he say anything about where he had put them? Maybe he stowed them before the Empire took the ship... I’ll... Search under the floorboards.”

Caira knelt to the ground with her fingertips pressed against the wonderful pine flooring, while Zack opened up a cabinet only to find a large clown mask meet his eyes, and a clown suit stowed on a hanger behind it. Zack’s expression zig-zagged between shocked and horrified, but there wasn’t much of a difference. To cover his surprise, he closed the door of the cabinet but much too quickly. There was a swift CLUNK! that was much too loud for either of their likings. The girl looked up at Zack, warningly, and then there was a creak on the stairs...

The grip on his Buster Sword tightened as he whirled around, expecting nothing, or something other than that clown mask to be in his face. And so it was, “Who are you?” a booming voice shouted, “And just what are you doing on this ship!? Drop your weapons!”

The primes gulped simultaneously while Caira slapped her floorboards gently shut, and stood up under the cover of Zack’s broad shoulders, whoever was standing there, she couldn’t see, but she assumed it wasn’t a friend. “Who are we? Just who are you?” Caira sassed him, hoping to divert his attention so that Zack would whack his face, but they had no such luck, as more soldiers piled along the stairs now.

“Relax Stan,” a trooper said from behind, “They’re either pirates or ninjas, see, they look like ninjas because they’re wearing all black, but see, they could be pirates because they’re trying to loot on a ship in the impound lot. If they’re pirates, they’re not very smart ones.”

“You’re right Donavon the Third, but whoever they are, we have to take them into custody now,” Stan surmised, while Zack stared in wonder at the almost clown like white masks the stormtroopers had to wear.
“Y-you don’t have to do that..” Caira started, while her own eyebrows fretted, perplexed.

“And why is that, girl?” Donovan the Third edged closer.

“Because... Because... You’re like tow truck drivers, and... This is the impound lot, so... We will pay you to get our vessel back. Isn’t that right honey?” Caira nudged Zack a little too hard to be affectionate.

“Oh boy,” Stan sighed and facepalmed his black glove to meet his forehead, “Either this is really your ship, and you want your boyfriend to fork over the cash he obviously doesn’t have- I mean Don, look at those clothes- or you’re playing a trick on us. Perhaps you’d feel less excited to see us when we tell you, we aren’t the ones who towed your boat for parking in the wrong spot, but you were sailing under unauthorized premises.”

“And we’re soldiers,” Donovan added, “It looks to me like you were trying to steal back your own ship from out from underneath our noses, if not, then you’re retrieving whatever of your property was leftover which means you’re trespassing anyway. You’re both going to be arrested.”

“What? Honey, sort this out with your big man talk and we can then enjoy our honeymoon in peace, hurry up, we obviously don’t have the time to go to jail, RIGHT DEAR?” Caira wasn’t really good at imitating a lover, but she was good at being a naggy wife, it seemed. And she’s an expert liar, ironically enough.

In his chest, Zack’s heart accelerated at the idea with pulling off that lie, just as much when he’d seen the clown face. So, two honeymooners, that’s the story she’s going with?

“Still you claim this to be your vessel... I guess you aren’t looting it, because you’ve got a Camelot crest on the shoulder of your jacket,” Stan pieced together, having a habit similar to Don’s which made them hypothesize two theories at the same time, “That, or you just found that in the closet, and thought you looked fancy in it.”

Caira’s eye twitched. She’d earned this crest when she completed her knighthood training in the Kingdom’s capital. How dare they. Caira was about ready to lunge when Zack smiled, “Actually, why don’t you have a look for yourself.”

Out came the clown costume, jumping, mask-first, on Stan. Donovan gasped in fear, for clowns were his weakness, meanwhile, Zack had had very nice aim, because Stan’s eye holes were covered. “Time for us to dash,” Zack grabbed her hand, and readied his sword to break the kitchen’s largest window.

The glass shattered around them while Caira’s slower run left her jumping just after Zack. With that, she turned around and winked, “Sayonara boys, oh and Stan you’re right, we are pirates.”

She waved at who she thought was Stan and took the scary leap downward, the group of stormtroopers looked at the distance aghast, Stan stepped back a few feet in dread, for his fear, was of heights, while Donovan the Third grumbled, “I’m not Stan...”

Swish-swish, swish-swish the sound of swimming water flooded her ears as she and Zack dove deeper below the waves, so as to avoid the trooper’s fire, which was pointed at them, and sizzling the water on the surface.

Their lungs fought the depth that they were now sinking to, an with each stroke, Zack thought more and more of the defeat harboring within him. They’d not only gotten identified by stormtroopers, but they hadn’t even found Jad’s files. Desperately, he wanted air, but anywhere they surfaced, there could be a rifle aimed at their noses. Caira was injured and lagging behind, but if they could just make it out of the impound lot, they’d be golden... The breath he had last gulped caused him to cringe as he felt the last of the oxygen expire. He choked and blinked through the saline water, searching for reprise in this drowning mess they were in. Slowly, the corners of his eyes began to grow dark...

Zack dreamed of a labyrinth, one where danger was at every wrong turn he made, and at the end, there was ‘Ayryn’ smothered in a black goop that was her attire disintegrating, his arm reached out, so to save her from the seemingly dangerous muck, but when he did, she vanished too. Zack fell into an ocean of black and felt his neck lurch up, coughing up the water that had filled his lungs to the brim.

The girl looked down at him curiously, and seeing that his healing needs were tended to, she began to work on her own leg, a light pulsed from her palm which she concentrated on her bleeding thigh, as Zack blinked and looked around, finding the pair stranded and in a strange place. They were not in Gary’s sub, nor even back at Jad’s, but stranded on some shaggy island that looked more like a sandbar. It had two trees bearing coconuts, and a jar of sand, protectedly perched under one of the palm trees.

Zack felt the dense pressure build up in his head and grasped the pain, “You went further down than me,” she muttered in explanation, while her injury became little more than a torn hole in her pants, “And you barely floated because of the sword on your back.”

His eyes bulged, Where is it? it’s familiar weight wasn’t there, and with a sigh, he found that she’d set the sword just above where he had lain. It hadn’t been left behind.

“You probably didn’t hear me, but I told them we were pirates after all,” she smirked, “But I bet you they’ll search the vessel really good the second time...”

“The vessel! Awh, we didn’t even get the files... Now they’ll be swarming the place,” disgruntled, Zack sighed and held the handle of his sword for assurance, “And I guess us getting stranded isn’t the best either. It can’t possibly get any wor-”

“Oh, you mean... These papers?” She held up a very dense manila folder, with probably over a hundred papers in it, which had been conveniently placed in several gallon-sized ziplock bags and taped together, “Good thing Jad put them in there, or else I would’ve had no choice but to jump with them and have them get soggy. I found them while you were... Clowning around, and hid them when I felt them above us. They fit a little snugly where I crammed them, but other than that, obviously, we’re still breathing.”

Zack listened to her summary, and blinked a few times. His eyes widened, “Wait, you knew there were people on the top deck?”

“They’d have heard us if I warned you,” she said with a weighed expression and changed the subject, “I miss my new dragon, I gave Gary a call, but he didn’t pick up, I worry his ship was seized. If it was, we’ll have to summon one, together and go and get-”

“Going back for him endangers the papers from getting in their custody,” Zack’s expression was firm, and there was truth in his words.

“Okay, well, we will have to split up then, one of us takes the papers back to Jad and the other goes and frees Gary...” Caira said, her words hesitating at his expression.

“You don’t think, it would be safest for us to deliver the papers back to Jad together and then go back for Gary? The seas are dangerous enough out there, not to mention, alone,” Zack wagered while Caira’s eyes dipped from his.

“We’re both Primes... We should be okay...” Caira frowned now, “What if they hang Gary while we are traveling back to Jad’s?”

“Hang? The most they’d do is put him in prison until we broke him out,” Zack reposted.

“But if for some reason...” Caira looked worried, “He won’t come back if he dies, and I won’t let our allies die on my behalf.”

Zack nodded to her stubbornness, he hadn’t meant to be the bad guy, saying that it’d be dangerous to split up. He’d only meant to be rational. At least she’d gotten the papers. “We don’t even know if Gary was captured, for all we know, he’s fine and well, and his phone just lost its charge. But, we do have two things to do now, get the papers back to Jad’s safely, and go check on Gary. We can’t check on Gary with the papers, though the Empire may not even be the reason for his hold up. So we have to choose, or flip a coin, separating seems to be our only option, any preference?”
“No,” she said defiantly, “We should just leave the papers here, and go and get Gary together, right now.”

It was crazy, to leave the papers here unprotected, but there were few other choices they had, Zack doubted anyone would happen to stop at this ten by ten feet island, but that jar of sand didn’t just happen to roll in. “Or,” Caira interjected into his thoughts, “We can think of something better than Ziplock bags to put these folders in. Your pick.”

[Zack Fair]

Zack paused as he contemplated the situation. There was no easy out, or perfect solution to this mess. He still wasn’t exactly a fan of Gary’s, after the man had just about killed him before and openly admitted that he would leave Zack to die with no regrets. It was only fair to treat him the same way. A look into Caira’s eyes was all it took to remind him that he was cursed to have strong morals. He spit a bit of leftover water from his lungs to the side.

“Alright,” Zack relented. “You’re right. We can’t leave Gary. But these papers are the important thing, and even he would agree with a bunch of immortals saying that.”

“So…?” Caira left Zack room to continue, as he’d yet to present a solution.

Zack gave a confident, almost overly heroic nod. It was just a habit. “I’ll go find Gary. You get the papers back to Jad and figure out where to go next. If we don’t make it back, you put the pieces together and keep going.”

“Zack…” Caira slowly began to respond.

The ex-SOLDIER could only give a bold grin. If there was one thing he loved, it was storming into seemingly impossible odds, and all the better if there was a girl to impress while doing so. He gave a dismissive hand wave to downplay his plan.

“It’ll be fine,” Zack reasoned. “They’ll never know what hit them.”

Caira appeared to be unconvinced. “It’s just…”

Zack’s smile remained wide as he basked in the opportunity to play the heroic part up. Caira was making it too enjoyable. After all, it was all about the little things. He gave a wink as he crossed his arms, but Caira’s expression still remained. Finally, she simply pointed over his shoulder.

“They’re behind you,” Caira bluntly stated.

Zack’s grin faded as he turned to see what she was gesturing at. Sure enough, there was an Imperial patrol boat headed their way, filled to the brim with Stormtroopers. Oh.

Instantly, he began to try and figure out a new plan. He was coming up very short, however. There was nowhere to hide the documents. They Imperials had mobility in their motorized vessel, while the primes were stuck on a tiny island with no cover or concealment. There was no way and nowhere to run, not to mention he didn’t have the time to so much as summon a paperclip, much less a vehicle that might give them an edge.

He cursed himself for not considering that the Empire would be patrolling the area, and with plenty of extra vigor after the stunt they’d just pulled within the base. There was no running from this, and though a fight was a possible win, the risk of collateral was too great. Caira appeared to have no way of handling gunfire directly, and the slightest error would destroy these papers. Still, there was a way to approach this, but the risk was great. He couldn’t think of any other solution, however.

“Damn,” Zack remarked, though it didn’t sound like the wind had been totally blown from his sails. He still had that resolve in his voice, even if his words didn’t convey that message. “I guess they got us.”

“Zack, we have to do something!” Caira said as she looked around, but the truth was apparent. They were cornered.

“Don’t worry,” Zack winked as he looked over his shoulder. “We’re not out of this fight yet. Let them get those documents, just for a minute.”

Caira wondered how Zack could possibly spin this one in their favor, but he’d trusted her back in the impound. She supposed it was her turn to follow his lead, as hard as it was to separate herself from the well-earned papers that belonged to Camelot. As the boat continued to approach at a high speed, Zack merely held his hands up in surrender. Cautiously, Caira did the same from behind him. The Stormtroopers found no comfort in this gesture, and beached their craft quite abruptly, before exiting with well-practiced haste.

“Don’t move!” the lead trooper shouted as the squad in white quickly surrounded the duo in black.

“Easy, fellas,” Zack took a soothing voice, despite the gun barrels aimed right at his face. “You got us.”

“Hey, be careful with that!” Caira scolded a Stormtrooper as he snatched the papers from her hands.

The sergeant in charge of this group looked between the two, before resting the cold gaze of his mask on Zack. Caira’s reaction told him all he needed to know. “Are those papers the reason for all this? What are they?”

Zack just shook his head and laughed. “Come on. You know it’s not going to be that easy.”

“You heard him,” the Stormtrooper gestured to his men. “Search them and get them on the boat. We’ll have a specialist conduct the interrogation at the base. And secure those papers.”

Caira saw Zack smile as they stepped on the boat, and watched one of the Stormtroopers place the documents in a dry storage compartment near the front. At the same time, it took two of the armored shock troopers to heft Zack’s Buster Sword from his back and place it aside. The boat lurched backwards as the operator abruptly departed from the island, and they took off into the open sea.

Zack watched carefully as the man manipulated the controls to the vessel. It seemed like a simple boat with all the standard functions, and he saw no ridiculous Imperial designs that would prevent him from taking control of it. Good. Zack looked ahead as the Stormtroopers patted him and Caira down. He’d seen all he needed to see, and the papers were secure. Now all he needed was a good boat wake.

Caira followed Zack’s eyeline, slowly understanding what was happening. It was definitely a bold play, but it took a lot on faith. Once they finished their search of the primes, she saw one of them grab a set of handcuffs. If they let themselves be restrained, everything was going to be that much more difficult.

The boat rocked forward as it settled from a large wave, causing everyone a minute of unsteadiness. It was all Zack needed. He grabbed the Chain Chomp from his belt and threw the creature forward. The being awoke in midair and responded with the only reflex it had, to bite down hard on the lead trooper’s arm. The man screamed in pain and the other troopers reacted quickly, but they were already at a disadvantage.

Zack grabbed the barrels of the two guns nearest to him, pointing them upwards and sending the resulting gunshots into the air. The Stormtroopers struggled and tried fight back, but their training dictated that they maintain control of their firearms at all times. They were already at a loss and completely confused by these circumstances. Zack seized this opportunity to kick each of them in the shin with enough force to send them to their knees, then ripped the blaster from the hands of the trooper to his right. Wasting no time, he bashed the weapon first into the head of the still armed one, then into the disarmed man, and both soldiers collapsed to the deck, unconscious.

With no time wasted, Zack bolted forward and bashed the operator of the boat’s skull into the console, and shoved his limp body aside, as well. He pulled the throttle to a neutral position and allowed the boat to settle in the calm water, then turned to get back to the action.

As it turned out, however, Caira had more than taken care of the remainder of the Stormtroopers, who were sprawled all over the boat in various uncomfortable positions. He opened his mouth to compliment her swift handling of the situation, but she marched to the dry storage and pulled the documents out immediately. Only after confirming that this trip had not been for naught did she appear slightly at ease.

Zack smiled, but then noticed a second patrol boat headed their way. Even more, he noticed some sort of deformed monster, with large wings and a thin tail, flying over the surface of the water in the distance. He’d heard stories of the Empire’s bioweapon program, and something that gruesome had to be a part of it. As honored as he felt to get the attention of one of those creatures, he knew they didn’t have the time to deal with it. Even if they could beat it, a fight with that monstrosity would only allow the Empire’s reinforcements more time to arrive. He gritted his teeth, then looked to Caira. If she was all business, then so was he.

“Can you drive a boat?” Zack quickly asked, at the same time reclaiming the Buster Sword and the Chain Chomp. He returned the beast to his belt, but kept the sword in his hand. He was going to need it.

“…No!” Caira replied, after only a second of hesitation. “I have no idea how!”

Zack pointed to the throttle, a simple lever that moved on a one hundred eighty degree radius. He would have to be quick. “Forward is forward. Backwards is backwards. The middle is stopped!” he quickly barked out, eyeing the approaching vessel. Caira saw it too, but didn’t understand why Zack wasn’t just driving the boat. Zack suddenly continued, however. “Same plan as before. Get those papers out of here!”

Caira went to protest again, but Zack crouched low and gathered all of his strength. Then, with all the force he could muster, he performed a powerful leap high into the air. As he sailed upwards, he was already watching the surface below. He needed precision to end up on the second boat. The fact that they suddenly began shooting up at him didn’t help him concentrate. He held the Buster Sword forward, using the massive blade to deflect the laser blasts that came near him. His descent accelerated as he reached maximum velocity, and braced himself for a hard landing.

Zack impacted the moving craft with incredible force, shaking the entire boat and throwing two Stormtroopers overboard. The resulting soldiers were forced to grab whatever they could to balance themselves, and even Zack struggled to maintain his own composure as the vessel rocked with the combination of the waves and his own inertia.

Unfortunately, one of the Stormtroopers recovered first, and Zack found himself nearly overwhelmed with pain when he was struck on the right shoulder by a stun baton. The white armored trooper held it there, forcing the already kneeling super soldier to nearly collapse to the ground. He knew the others were likely recovered, by now, and the last thing he wanted was to be outnumbered by a group of these guys. Thinking quickly, he allowed himself to go prone, and dropped away from the electrified weapon. The second he hit the ground he rolled to his back and shot both feet back up into the man’s gut, sending him reeling backwards and gasping for air. Wasting no time, Zack pounced to his feet and swung his sword in a full circle. The weapon’s massive size combined with the small proximity of the boat meant that he was able to connect the sharp blade with every occupant that wasn’t himself. He hated to do it, but there were bigger things at stake. His main concern was how he’d manage to get past that bioweapon.

His concerns evaporated in an instant as he watched Gary’s submarine erupt from the water not far from the boat Caira was operating. Zack returned the Buster Sword to its resting place on his back, feeling a bit relieved, but also a bit frustrated. Where the hell had this dude been?

Caira hesitated, but focused on Zack’s brief instructions. She pulled the throttle to the neutral position and allowed the boat to come to a rest. In the time it took her to do so, Gary had thrown the top hatch of the submersible craft open. The man emerged from the hole, looking as angry as expected.

“Get in the sub, lassy!” Gary ordered at the top of his lungs. “Now!”

Caira didn’t hesitate. Questions could come later. She clutched the papers tightly to her chest as she hopped to the steel craft. Gary stepped the rest of the way out, and she dropped into the hatch beside him. The sight of Gary’s familiar sub was welcome, but she recognized that they weren’t out of the woods yet. She found herself surprised when she heard the sound of the hatch sealing shut, and saw Gary descend the ladder beside her.

“What about Zack?!” she asked in a near panic as she looked up at the locked compartment. Super soldier or not, he wasn’t getting into this submarine without being let in.

“He knew the risks!” Gary replied as he marched past her, on the way to the cockpit. “We have no time to waste before the whole Empire is on us.”

Caira gasped in surprise, and quickly ran after Gary. Still, she had enough awareness to set the papers they’d fought so hard for on the table within Gary’s planning room they had to pass through. She wouldn’t let Gary leave Zack behind like this, though. There had to be a way to get him in the sub while still preventing the bioweapon from damaging the inside.

Zack, meanwhile, rolled onto the top of the submarine after a quick exit from his boat. He knew well enough that he wasn’t getting into this submarine without help from its occupants. Still, he barely managed to get to his feet before the monstrosity of a bioweapon approach and swung at him with its deformed claws. Zack rose to a kneel and raised the Buster Sword to block the attack with no time to spare. The bioweapon pushed against his large sword, but Zack devoted a hand to bang on the closed entrance to the submersible’s interior.

“Gary!” Zack bellowed in a near panic. “Open up!!!”

There was no answer and Zack was forced to take both hands on the Buster Sword’s handle, and shove the beast backwards. He then swung again with his sword, and although he didn’t connect with the monster, the gesture was enough to force it to keep its distance.

“Gary! Let me in!” Zack once again loudly yelled. He knew good and well there was no was he’d be able to handle this monster on his own. Just the same, there was no escaping. His only relief would come from getting into the sub and departing beneath the surface of the water.

Zack sensed an incoming attack, and swiftly blocked another strike from the bioweapon’s claws. He stepped back, his concern growing as he had nowhere to go. He realized there was no way to enter the submarine without the bioweapon taking advantage of it and assaulting the interior. He realized what Gary would do.

As soon as he thought about it, he felt the sensation of water rushing into his boots. He glanced down to see that the water level had ascended past it shins, and that his waterproof boots were flooding from above. He swung his sword to fend off the Imperial monster once more, but focused on the real issue. Gary was bringing the vessel beneath the water, and he was doing so with Zack on the outside, instead of safely within.

The water level rose to Zack’s waist, and he set the Buster Sword upon his back as he grabbed a railing on the side of the submarine. It was meant as a safety precaution for when the vessel was surfaced, but he would hold onto this as long as he could. The submersible descended beneath the water, and Zack with it. He took one final breath of air before his head disappeared beneath the water as well.

The submarine lurched forward, and Zack could only hang on as he felt it move with incredible speed. The only thing connecting him was his firm grip on the railing, as his feet were flowing in the water while the vessel traveled. The velocity of the submarine combined with the water pressure from going so deep do fast would have been hell to deal with even if he could breathe underwater. He could feel his lungs screaming for oxygen and his fingers begging for relief against the underwater current. This wasn’t going to work. He’d done his best, but he was going to lose his grip, and probably his consciousness. He hadn’t expected to go out in such a ridiculous way, but the end seemed inevitable at this point. In his final contemplations, he never noticed the slowing of the ship. It wasn’t until it suddenly surfaced that he was aware of his surroundings.

Zack gasped for breath as he let go of the railing, and dropped into and exhausted heap beside the hatch. The sight of the sun above had never been so welcome. Gary had surfaced the craft, and although the bioweapon was in sight and searching, it wasn’t close enough to attack. There was time to get inside. There was no doubt in his mind which occupant of the vessel had argued on his behalf. He struggled to reclaim his breath, and in doing so didn’t even notice Caira throwing the hatch the interior open beside him. All he felt was the sensation of her grabbing him by the shoulders.

He offered no resistance as she dragged him, headfirst, into the submarine. He was a tough guy, and had taken plenty of rough hits in his life, which is why Caira felt no concern with dropping him the rest of the way down the ladder as she closed and sealed it in a hurry. It was mere seconds after they were secured that Gary brought the craft below the surface, this time for good.

To the Empire, these ghostly figures that had emerged from the water to begin with had once more vanished into the vast ocean from which they came.

[Caira Ayryn]

“Zack, Zack!”

There was a high pitched sting in his ear while he heard some heavy breathing and hurried noises. Icy water soaked his sable hair and drenched and ached at the corners of his eyes. The moment swirled around him, and his stomach protested as he turned on his side and choked up some water. The revulsion tainted his expression as well as his tongue.

Caira’s big eyes glowed in the half light and she placed a hand on his cheek and his eyes steadied on hers. Next thing he felt, was the entire ship lurching, both of them were sent over to the nearest steel wall, Caira’s skull collided nicely, while she managed to catch Zack’s head on her stomach. Nice he has something to pillow his fall, luckily her head was really thick, and the pain only pinched.

“We’re HIT!” Gary shouted, and it sounded through the many canals of maze within the submarine, as sudden water roared in their ears and trickled immediately to meet their feet. Zack, dazed and confused, and a little seasick, looked up and steadied himself. Caira’s eyes swept the scene, they’d thought they’d be safe inside, but now, they were in lockdown.

“Commencing emergency sealants around the affected areas, please remain calm,” the submarine announced and certain main doors began to descend.

Immediately, a mammoth tsunami tumbled down on them both. Waves of water hurdled over their shoulders and swept them away with the momentum of the gushing current. Zack slammed back into the wall, glued to its side of the sub, sticking to the metal as a result of the strength of the current, meanwhile, Caira was pushed right through the door and out of Zack’s sight.

That was when the very door she’d gone through began to close. Zack, helpless and defenseless about the water that surrounded him struggled even to lift a finger, it was as though gravity was so dense, it was a solid force, immeasurable and keeping him pinned. The salt stung his eyes only for an instant, before, with his blurred vision he saw the steel begin to descend. He was on the wrong side, with only the breath in his lungs as hope. He struggled. His shoulders buckled at the weight and he felt like he was being pressed too tightly. His face struggled to lift while the Prime lifted his hand inches, in the time that it took the door to get about halfway down. At this point, he wouldn’t make it. His heart sunk. Death by drowning.

Still, he persevered, maybe once the door closed the suction would stop and he could go out the hole that had caused the rupture, but no... There wasn’t enough time. Already he could feel the smoldering in his lungs, and his blood felt as though it were boiling cold. Zack shook his head, to his best ability, and still, grappled with another edge forward. The door was now two-thirds of the way down, and Zack was still a yard away, after moving about two feet. The ratio just didn’t add up, he was going to die, no matter how hard he fought against the gravity of the situation. Death would be the outcome no matter what happened.

Another of his hands went forward, the door was inches from shutting, but the Prime kept his dark eyes on it, for the small chance that something, anything, could change. The steel fell almost completely, before there was a loud grunt that was audible even through the water. Two sets of fingers appeared below the last inch of space below the door, bubbles sprouted from the friction of the door starting to go back up. Zack blinked in disbelief, while he hastened toward his sanctuary.

He went through the ten inch crack of space left from the door upside down, and then, the person who was holding it let it slam behind the Prime’s feet, nearly taking off toes. The water rushed past them, immediately dissipating throughout the space of the large sub, and there was no longer the force holding Zack hostage, so he collapsed to the ground. The thankful prime looked up, expecting to see Caira, however, blinked again and again, upon seeing that it was indeed Gary who had saved his life.

Gary pat Zack’s back to get any of the excess water out, and to help the Prime drink the fresh air in. The two men were dazed and confused, Zack, more so of the two, when Caira turned around the corner, looking much worse off than Zack, and covered in some very slimy looking silvery stuff. Her very step looked weak, but when she saw Zack, compassion spared in her eyes and she ran to him with haste and collapsed into a hug. They had themselves a nice “we’re all lucky to be alive” reunion... Until Zack released Caira from his hug, only to feel her body to limp, and her body unresponsive.

Gary looked down with a knowing expression, as panic coated Zack’s expression, “What happened, what is this stuff?” The silver substance stuck like glue to his soaked black attire.

The captain paused for a moment, and knelt beside the man cradling the girl in his hands. The two men's eyes met, carefully Gary nodded as he spoke, “Son, that’s her blood.”