(no subject)
The target seemed obvious. The bridge. Those arrows were an omen, as far as John was concerned. Time to get moving.
Around him, in the corridors, the sounds of squeaking and shuffling.
The bridge, not too hard to find. In its centre, looking out at the stars (that question was answered, then...)
"Good to see you, keybearer."
John's pulse surged for a moment.
The captain... he looked familiar. Where had he seen him before?
"What are you doing here?" he asked, drawing the keyblade and pulling closer.
The captain looked at him, face impassive. "That's an odd question. You know what I'm doing."
It was Keyes. The human-looking Heartless. The one he'd taken down, but standing there so untouched, so calm... something was different about him, though.
All the same, a cocky remark came unbidden to his tongue. "What, destroy everything?"
"Excuse me? ...Waking up must have shaken your memories," the captain said with a headshake. "I'm not sure what you're trying to get at."
"I didn't just wake up!" John insisted. "And my memories are fine! I just - I just..." How would he explain just finding himself in whatever that place had been?
Another headshake. "You don't remember how you got here. I've heard of things like this happening in the past when coming out of deep sleep."
Deep sleep? What? Were they talking about completely different things here?
And more than that - why talk about memory?
"All the same - you're needed elsewhere," the captain simply said. "We're abandoning the ship. Take this; it'll do you more good than me." He held out a pistol. "I don't keep it loaded, but you'll be able to find ammo as you go."
"You want to help me?" John asked, still disbelieving.
"You're still confused, I see. But you're our only hope. Good luck, keybearer."
They left.
Heartless everywhere, now. They came swarming out of the scenery. Mostly the little ones; the occasional larger one seeming to shepherd its smaller companions along. He couldn't complain at the lineup, compared to what he'd fought in the past - just that they were here at all.
And crewmembers, too, now, fighting off the horde. They seemed to know what they were doing, but it didn't always help. They didn't seem bothered by the fact a teenaged boy was fighting alongside them... yells of "The keybearer's here!" sounded around him. As far as he could tell... they seemed happy to have him there.
So had the captain, after all. Even after everything.
Something was up. But nothing to do but keep fighting, keep running. Doing what he could for the crew of this ship that he shouldn't even be on. They seemed to know where they were going; nothing for it but to pretend like he did too.
The Heartless encounters now were interspersed with the sounds of explosions. They were getting nearer the airlocks now, signs indicated. Nearly there...
A set of doors in front of him didn't want to open in the same way as many of them had, automatically shifting aside. He resorted to hacking at them with the keyblade until they went.
Only to be faced with a worse mess than before.
"They got in through the airlocks! The crew go out... they get in. Clever," Cortana said, both admiring and sad.
As they watched, another dark vessel latched onto their own, and the airlock spilled out its cargo.
Damn. That wasn't the usual he'd been fighting here. It was like the Heartless ship itself was sending out new emissaries... he could see dark shapes forming in its centre.
He'd tackled worse in the past, but all the same - this wasn't going to be fun.
The group flew into action.
Not getting away that way, then. A change of plans. The trio looked around; just following their noses, it seemed like. Getting through wherever they could. Following waves of crewmembers wherever they showed up.
There, at last -
Another green light. It almost seemed like the crew couldn't see it, from the same lack of reaction they'd shown him... They ran past, oblivious, the last few leaping into the escape pods.
As things turned worse, the decks shaking beneath his feet, he shared a look with his companions.
"Now would be a very good time to leave," Cortana said, her voice tinged with worry.
"I concur."
John swallowed, and jumped through.
On one hand, they were back. The familiar sight of the ancient constructions around him. Back on solid ground.
On the other?
Still no sign of Kelly.
Around him, in the corridors, the sounds of squeaking and shuffling.
The bridge, not too hard to find. In its centre, looking out at the stars (that question was answered, then...)
"Good to see you, keybearer."
John's pulse surged for a moment.
The captain... he looked familiar. Where had he seen him before?
"What are you doing here?" he asked, drawing the keyblade and pulling closer.
The captain looked at him, face impassive. "That's an odd question. You know what I'm doing."
It was Keyes. The human-looking Heartless. The one he'd taken down, but standing there so untouched, so calm... something was different about him, though.
All the same, a cocky remark came unbidden to his tongue. "What, destroy everything?"
"Excuse me? ...Waking up must have shaken your memories," the captain said with a headshake. "I'm not sure what you're trying to get at."
"I didn't just wake up!" John insisted. "And my memories are fine! I just - I just..." How would he explain just finding himself in whatever that place had been?
Another headshake. "You don't remember how you got here. I've heard of things like this happening in the past when coming out of deep sleep."
Deep sleep? What? Were they talking about completely different things here?
And more than that - why talk about memory?
"All the same - you're needed elsewhere," the captain simply said. "We're abandoning the ship. Take this; it'll do you more good than me." He held out a pistol. "I don't keep it loaded, but you'll be able to find ammo as you go."
"You want to help me?" John asked, still disbelieving.
"You're still confused, I see. But you're our only hope. Good luck, keybearer."
They left.
Heartless everywhere, now. They came swarming out of the scenery. Mostly the little ones; the occasional larger one seeming to shepherd its smaller companions along. He couldn't complain at the lineup, compared to what he'd fought in the past - just that they were here at all.
And crewmembers, too, now, fighting off the horde. They seemed to know what they were doing, but it didn't always help. They didn't seem bothered by the fact a teenaged boy was fighting alongside them... yells of "The keybearer's here!" sounded around him. As far as he could tell... they seemed happy to have him there.
So had the captain, after all. Even after everything.
Something was up. But nothing to do but keep fighting, keep running. Doing what he could for the crew of this ship that he shouldn't even be on. They seemed to know where they were going; nothing for it but to pretend like he did too.
The Heartless encounters now were interspersed with the sounds of explosions. They were getting nearer the airlocks now, signs indicated. Nearly there...
A set of doors in front of him didn't want to open in the same way as many of them had, automatically shifting aside. He resorted to hacking at them with the keyblade until they went.
Only to be faced with a worse mess than before.
"They got in through the airlocks! The crew go out... they get in. Clever," Cortana said, both admiring and sad.
As they watched, another dark vessel latched onto their own, and the airlock spilled out its cargo.
Damn. That wasn't the usual he'd been fighting here. It was like the Heartless ship itself was sending out new emissaries... he could see dark shapes forming in its centre.
He'd tackled worse in the past, but all the same - this wasn't going to be fun.
The group flew into action.
Not getting away that way, then. A change of plans. The trio looked around; just following their noses, it seemed like. Getting through wherever they could. Following waves of crewmembers wherever they showed up.
There, at last -
Another green light. It almost seemed like the crew couldn't see it, from the same lack of reaction they'd shown him... They ran past, oblivious, the last few leaping into the escape pods.
As things turned worse, the decks shaking beneath his feet, he shared a look with his companions.
"Now would be a very good time to leave," Cortana said, her voice tinged with worry.
"I concur."
John swallowed, and jumped through.
On one hand, they were back. The familiar sight of the ancient constructions around him. Back on solid ground.
On the other?
Still no sign of Kelly.