Locke and Terra - Burn
Title: Burn
Theme + Number: 10. Defend
Claim: Terra and Locke (challenge)
Characters/Pairings included: Kefka, Cid, mentions original Returners
Rating: T
Warnings: Kefka's not the only crazy one in this...
Summary: AU-ish. Terra was re-captured while traveling to Narshe with Edgar and Banon. This examines what happens when she wakes up.
Note: The progression and format of this piece were set by my high school creative writing teacher. I used an old exercise from that class to create this.
I wake chained to a throne. The room around me is fuzzy, and blurs in and out of focus as someone’s fingers probe my head. The fingers dig in and give my hair a sharp tug, forcing my head to tilt back, and I wince as maniacal laughter rings harshly into my ear. The clown.
I squint against the bright, garish blur that is the clown as he draws back, a thin circlet in his hand. Crown… Head hurts… I only just removed the crown… Slave Crown. This happened before. But last time, someone else took off the crown. And old man who sent someone to help me. Who? Someone else helped me, someone else saved me, someone else made me feel safe… I just can’t remember who…
The door clangs open, and a man in a banana suit huffs as he hurries into the room. “Kefka, you fool!” His voice is too loud; like the laughter, it hurts my head. “You were ordered to wait for me to handle the removal! To do so incorrectly could lead to irreversible damage!”
The banana man snatches the circlet from the cackling clown and rushes to my side, his fingers touch my skull, more gently that the clown. He lifts my chin with two fingers, and suddenly bright light shines into my eyes. It hurts. I clamp my eyes shut and try to turn away, but he tightens his hold on my face and refuses to let me budge. “She’s shying away from the light. This is not good.” Something clicks. I open my eyes a crack, and then all the way, relieved at the lack of light. I can’t see the full room anymore; black spots dance across my eyes.
There’s pain in my arm, and I hiss in surprise and jerk my head to where a needle is sticking out of my skin. The banana man pulls the syringe out and sighs. “That will keep her calm, but who knows what could happen once the drug wears off. I hope you’re happy, Kefka.”
Kefka.
Is he a bad man? I’m scared.
Fingers lace themselves through my hair, and my head is bounced up and down; my teeth clack as I’m thrown back and forth. “She’s mine, mine, mine, mine MINE!!!” shrieks the clown. There are three black spots with white edges bouncing on his face.
I watch him remove the chains, and he’s moving too slow but too fast at the same time. He wraps his hand around my arm, and I whimper as his fingers grip exactly where the needle pierced. He jerks me up and we’re moving.
The world continues to warp. I feel like the world around me still too slow, like I[m fighting my way through waist-high water. He drags me down stairs and through halls, and I squint my eyes and try to avoid seeing the bright lights set in the walls. There are people in the halls, but they shrink aside. I squint harder, trying to see their faces, but there’s too much light.
We’re in a hanger now, and there’s a huge machine in front of me. It’s ugly, but at least I can see it in the dim light. Soldiers scramble around Kefka, and he turns at me to grin.
“You’re going to pilot that. You’re were stolen from us by some very bad men; men who told you lies and were planning to betray you. We got you back, and now you’re going to help us fight against those bad, bad men. Do you understand? We’re going to kill the Returners, you and I. All of them.”
Returners. Bad men. Lies, and I can see it, there you are. And I can see it, I was kneeling and you were holding a cloth to catch the blood on my face. And I can see it, you smiling. And I can see, you helping me up. And I can see it, you stayed with me. And I can see it, you held my hand. And I can see it, you shied away when fire flared from those hands. And I can see it, a man bloody on the floor, and you scrambling to pack. And I can see it, your back. And I can see it, you leaving. And I can see it, you didn’t look back.
Kefka grabs my arm and drags me comfort me cheer me watch me little me shy me quiet me fire me monster me hurt me sad me don’t leave me.
Kefka shoves me in the cockpit, his hands strangely efficient as they fasten the buckles of my harness. He kneels, and he and his make-up are both smiling. “Do you remember what to do? It’s easy; we trained you for this. All you have to do is burn up everything.”
Burn.
Burn everything.
Fifty soldiers dead, but that was supposed to be a lie, wasn’t it? They say she doesn’t remember anything; she doesn’t remember that she’s a monster. She’s a last ray of hope. For who? Hope for you, who walked away?
I watch my hands as they click buttons. The suit comes alive with a rumble, and a neat and orderly checklist appears in my mind. Standby first engine… First engine go. Pull the levers. Standby second engine… Second engine go. Wrap hands around the arm-like extensions that take up most of the cock-pit. Standby third engine… Third engine go.
This was easy. This was natural. This couldn’t be a lie?
He said he’d stay with me. He left. He promised he would stay and he left. He lied.
They must be my enemies, then. They must be the liars.
The suit disconnects from its generator, and we lurch to life. I manipulate the controls and we find our rhythm as we move to the left, where too-bright arrows point the way. Out of the cockpit is night, and I smile in welcome relief as my eyes finally fully relax. Another suit follows, but it travels in little spurts, like its pilot is not fully comfortable with its mechanics. My comm-link comes to life with a burst of static, and Kefka’s voice surrounds me. “Our enemy is up ahead. They are primarily foot soldiers, and should offer little resistance. Do you remember how to burn? Show me now. Burn up everything!”
It’s easy, to flip the switches and activate the molten lava. The fire is bright, but it doesn’t hurt my eyes. I watch it, how different shades of orange and pure white dance for me. The fire should be catching something, and sparking into a different kind of flame, a quiet flame that I used to build for him, I think, but there’s nothing to consume here. Kefka laughs in my ear, and cries, “Perfect, perfect, perfect! Let’s go! Burn everything!”
I want to see that other kind of the flame; the kind I used to build. I need to find something to burn. I activate the suit, and Kefka follows. The series of mirrors set into the side of the armor allow me to see the foot soldiers that march in orderly ranks around my suit. They are used to this. Perhaps I fought with them before. This is easy; this is right. This is true.
The march to the battlefield is lengthy but not tiring. There are fewer enemies waiting than I expected, and I wonder why they need me to fight. These people stole me, and lied; I don’t want to fight them. There they are. The king, the lion, the bear, the thief.
Thief treasure hunter thief treasure hunter thief treasure hunter stole me stole me liarliar thiefthiefthief…
The foot soldiers form ranks and stand at ease as I take point and maneuver the armor forward. Why are they here I don’t know why is he angry I don’t know who are they I don’t know who is she, standing beside him I don’t know why this hurts I don’t know why I don’t know did I don’t know you I don’t know leave I don’t know me I don’t know you I don’t know anything I don’t know anymore I don’t know love I don’t know hate hate hatehatehate click the switch tap tap tap nononodon’tleave press the button and
let
him
burn.
Theme + Number: 10. Defend
Claim: Terra and Locke (challenge)
Characters/Pairings included: Kefka, Cid, mentions original Returners
Rating: T
Warnings: Kefka's not the only crazy one in this...
Summary: AU-ish. Terra was re-captured while traveling to Narshe with Edgar and Banon. This examines what happens when she wakes up.
Note: The progression and format of this piece were set by my high school creative writing teacher. I used an old exercise from that class to create this.
I wake chained to a throne. The room around me is fuzzy, and blurs in and out of focus as someone’s fingers probe my head. The fingers dig in and give my hair a sharp tug, forcing my head to tilt back, and I wince as maniacal laughter rings harshly into my ear. The clown.
I squint against the bright, garish blur that is the clown as he draws back, a thin circlet in his hand. Crown… Head hurts… I only just removed the crown… Slave Crown. This happened before. But last time, someone else took off the crown. And old man who sent someone to help me. Who? Someone else helped me, someone else saved me, someone else made me feel safe… I just can’t remember who…
The door clangs open, and a man in a banana suit huffs as he hurries into the room. “Kefka, you fool!” His voice is too loud; like the laughter, it hurts my head. “You were ordered to wait for me to handle the removal! To do so incorrectly could lead to irreversible damage!”
The banana man snatches the circlet from the cackling clown and rushes to my side, his fingers touch my skull, more gently that the clown. He lifts my chin with two fingers, and suddenly bright light shines into my eyes. It hurts. I clamp my eyes shut and try to turn away, but he tightens his hold on my face and refuses to let me budge. “She’s shying away from the light. This is not good.” Something clicks. I open my eyes a crack, and then all the way, relieved at the lack of light. I can’t see the full room anymore; black spots dance across my eyes.
There’s pain in my arm, and I hiss in surprise and jerk my head to where a needle is sticking out of my skin. The banana man pulls the syringe out and sighs. “That will keep her calm, but who knows what could happen once the drug wears off. I hope you’re happy, Kefka.”
Kefka.
Is he a bad man? I’m scared.
Fingers lace themselves through my hair, and my head is bounced up and down; my teeth clack as I’m thrown back and forth. “She’s mine, mine, mine, mine MINE!!!” shrieks the clown. There are three black spots with white edges bouncing on his face.
I watch him remove the chains, and he’s moving too slow but too fast at the same time. He wraps his hand around my arm, and I whimper as his fingers grip exactly where the needle pierced. He jerks me up and we’re moving.
The world continues to warp. I feel like the world around me still too slow, like I[m fighting my way through waist-high water. He drags me down stairs and through halls, and I squint my eyes and try to avoid seeing the bright lights set in the walls. There are people in the halls, but they shrink aside. I squint harder, trying to see their faces, but there’s too much light.
We’re in a hanger now, and there’s a huge machine in front of me. It’s ugly, but at least I can see it in the dim light. Soldiers scramble around Kefka, and he turns at me to grin.
“You’re going to pilot that. You’re were stolen from us by some very bad men; men who told you lies and were planning to betray you. We got you back, and now you’re going to help us fight against those bad, bad men. Do you understand? We’re going to kill the Returners, you and I. All of them.”
Returners. Bad men. Lies, and I can see it, there you are. And I can see it, I was kneeling and you were holding a cloth to catch the blood on my face. And I can see it, you smiling. And I can see, you helping me up. And I can see it, you stayed with me. And I can see it, you held my hand. And I can see it, you shied away when fire flared from those hands. And I can see it, a man bloody on the floor, and you scrambling to pack. And I can see it, your back. And I can see it, you leaving. And I can see it, you didn’t look back.
Kefka grabs my arm and drags me comfort me cheer me watch me little me shy me quiet me fire me monster me hurt me sad me don’t leave me.
Kefka shoves me in the cockpit, his hands strangely efficient as they fasten the buckles of my harness. He kneels, and he and his make-up are both smiling. “Do you remember what to do? It’s easy; we trained you for this. All you have to do is burn up everything.”
Burn.
Burn everything.
Fifty soldiers dead, but that was supposed to be a lie, wasn’t it? They say she doesn’t remember anything; she doesn’t remember that she’s a monster. She’s a last ray of hope. For who? Hope for you, who walked away?
I watch my hands as they click buttons. The suit comes alive with a rumble, and a neat and orderly checklist appears in my mind. Standby first engine… First engine go. Pull the levers. Standby second engine… Second engine go. Wrap hands around the arm-like extensions that take up most of the cock-pit. Standby third engine… Third engine go.
This was easy. This was natural. This couldn’t be a lie?
He said he’d stay with me. He left. He promised he would stay and he left. He lied.
They must be my enemies, then. They must be the liars.
The suit disconnects from its generator, and we lurch to life. I manipulate the controls and we find our rhythm as we move to the left, where too-bright arrows point the way. Out of the cockpit is night, and I smile in welcome relief as my eyes finally fully relax. Another suit follows, but it travels in little spurts, like its pilot is not fully comfortable with its mechanics. My comm-link comes to life with a burst of static, and Kefka’s voice surrounds me. “Our enemy is up ahead. They are primarily foot soldiers, and should offer little resistance. Do you remember how to burn? Show me now. Burn up everything!”
It’s easy, to flip the switches and activate the molten lava. The fire is bright, but it doesn’t hurt my eyes. I watch it, how different shades of orange and pure white dance for me. The fire should be catching something, and sparking into a different kind of flame, a quiet flame that I used to build for him, I think, but there’s nothing to consume here. Kefka laughs in my ear, and cries, “Perfect, perfect, perfect! Let’s go! Burn everything!”
I want to see that other kind of the flame; the kind I used to build. I need to find something to burn. I activate the suit, and Kefka follows. The series of mirrors set into the side of the armor allow me to see the foot soldiers that march in orderly ranks around my suit. They are used to this. Perhaps I fought with them before. This is easy; this is right. This is true.
The march to the battlefield is lengthy but not tiring. There are fewer enemies waiting than I expected, and I wonder why they need me to fight. These people stole me, and lied; I don’t want to fight them. There they are. The king, the lion, the bear, the thief.
Thief treasure hunter thief treasure hunter thief treasure hunter stole me stole me liarliar thiefthiefthief…
The foot soldiers form ranks and stand at ease as I take point and maneuver the armor forward. Why are they here I don’t know why is he angry I don’t know who are they I don’t know who is she, standing beside him I don’t know why this hurts I don’t know why I don’t know did I don’t know you I don’t know leave I don’t know me I don’t know you I don’t know anything I don’t know anymore I don’t know love I don’t know hate hate hatehatehate click the switch tap tap tap nononodon’tleave press the button and
let
him
burn.