A First Betrayal
The boys followed Keyes along the road through the Gulch. Birds hopped around in and out of the shade. Just another pleasant and sunny day. Keyes chewed on his pipe for a moment as they did. "You want a little help in finding your friend? I can provide it. All you have to say is 'yes'."
It didn't take a second for the boys to decide. John was first to speak.
"All right. I-"
Something wrenched inside him. He looked down at a shift in weight at his waist - he hadn't seen the keyblade in its other form for so long he'd almost forgotten what it looked like. But why...?
"Sure. Anything."
It wasn't perfect, though. As he progressed, John couldn't help but feel edgy. He didn't know why. Keyes seemed like a good guy, everything added up, but something was smacking him in the head that he shouldn't be here. But why? What could be wrong? Was a name like that just too good?
They headed out into the cave network in the canyon's walls. He'd seen the cave entrances from a distance, but never been inside. Keyes stopped when they were well into the system, turned, and held out a hand.
"Look around, boys."
John stared.
"...what are they?" Sam asked. He'd seen the things before, but beyond that, had no clue.
"Heartless," John replied, half in shock. They lined the walls, but made no move to attack.
"Correct."
The idea was so outlandish, John couldn't even respond. He'd just gotten himself roped into working with the enemy. One thought came to mind. I could stop it here. Work from the inside. Make them... jump off a cliff. The idea was ... strangely tempting. And he was committed now. "We're not going to... become them, are we?"
Control them to destroy them.
"No. I'll promise you that." Keyes glanced around - "You won't be one of them. You won't be like that."
The boys exchanged looks. "...Okay. I'll..."
"Reclaimer!" a voice yelled. John span around to look. Cortana and Spark stood there - at least, Cortana stood. Spark was hovering above the ground, hands outstretched, a blue light surrounding each.
Cortana, too, seemed different - a blue-violet aura shone around her. "Get away from him!" she called.
"Calm down. He's a friend." John held his hands up.
"Oh, I see. He's your buddy. Your pal. Do you know what that bastard was about to make you do?" she yelled. Spark gave her a look.
"Yeah, and I could handle it! I was going to stop it all..."
"It doesn't work like that! You don't just borrow darkness, John. It borrows you. You wouldn't have been one of those things, oh, no. You'd have been worse. He's already one of them."
John turned around. "...Is this true?" he asked Keyes.
"What's she talking about?" Sam added, looking about on his own.
"She's just confused," Keyes replied, putting a hand on Sam's shoulder. "Come on." A snap of fingers, and the pair were gone, leaving John and his guardians stranded. Keyblade was useless - right. Good job he had backup.
He'd done this in practice. But - one thing to face off with illusions of Shadows from another world. Another to go up against Combat-Forms from his own. Still, no chance to turn back now, no chance to run.
An explosion of a crystalline grenade later and the battle was on. So caught up in his own fight, John didn't notice a pair of the larger Heartless grabbing Cortana from the fray and vanishing. It was only when the battlefield was full of the fading shapes of their enemies than he even had the chance to look.
"...Where are you?"
It took a futile search of the area to convince them she was gone.
-
The walk back to the Pillar of Autumn was a sad one. John couldn't even look up. Explaining the situation to Spark had been hard.
"I was doing it for a friend," he whispered.
"You would not have been who you are if you had any other motive," Spark replied, drifting alongside him. "Nevertheless, you need to learn. The kindest thing you could have done for your friend would have been to leave. Trying to save her above all else has only delayed our mission."
"But how? She was right there! Spark, stop acting like..."
"Like I do not possess a heart? Reclaimer, there are things I lack, but a heart isn't one of them." He paused. "Perhaps I was unfair. You are a child."
"No, you just act like I'm one. You don't tell me anything."
"It is for your own good. There are things you must come to realise on your own. And you must fix the damage you have done on your own, too. I will help where I can, but there are things it is yours to do."
No matter what Spark said, though, John couldn't feel guilty about having tried to save Kelly. About what had happened to Cortana, yes, but the attempt in itself? It'd just been Keyes's fault, nothing more! He could have done it if he didn't interfere!
He fastened his seatbelt in the ship and looked at the Index, willing it to spring to life. Become his key again. If he could get that to work, he just knew, things would be okay.
"...work. Please," he whispered. The artifact in his hands remained inert.
"Please. I'm sorry..."
((Disclaimer: Parts of this scene's dialogue are taken straight from Halo 1.
Also: there has been a small change to the sequence of events since first writing this post. Nothing that effects the outcome, but fits better IC.))
It didn't take a second for the boys to decide. John was first to speak.
"All right. I-"
Something wrenched inside him. He looked down at a shift in weight at his waist - he hadn't seen the keyblade in its other form for so long he'd almost forgotten what it looked like. But why...?
"Sure. Anything."
It wasn't perfect, though. As he progressed, John couldn't help but feel edgy. He didn't know why. Keyes seemed like a good guy, everything added up, but something was smacking him in the head that he shouldn't be here. But why? What could be wrong? Was a name like that just too good?
They headed out into the cave network in the canyon's walls. He'd seen the cave entrances from a distance, but never been inside. Keyes stopped when they were well into the system, turned, and held out a hand.
"Look around, boys."
John stared.
"...what are they?" Sam asked. He'd seen the things before, but beyond that, had no clue.
"Heartless," John replied, half in shock. They lined the walls, but made no move to attack.
"Correct."
The idea was so outlandish, John couldn't even respond. He'd just gotten himself roped into working with the enemy. One thought came to mind. I could stop it here. Work from the inside. Make them... jump off a cliff. The idea was ... strangely tempting. And he was committed now. "We're not going to... become them, are we?"
Control them to destroy them.
"No. I'll promise you that." Keyes glanced around - "You won't be one of them. You won't be like that."
The boys exchanged looks. "...Okay. I'll..."
"Reclaimer!" a voice yelled. John span around to look. Cortana and Spark stood there - at least, Cortana stood. Spark was hovering above the ground, hands outstretched, a blue light surrounding each.
Cortana, too, seemed different - a blue-violet aura shone around her. "Get away from him!" she called.
"Calm down. He's a friend." John held his hands up.
"Oh, I see. He's your buddy. Your pal. Do you know what that bastard was about to make you do?" she yelled. Spark gave her a look.
"Yeah, and I could handle it! I was going to stop it all..."
"It doesn't work like that! You don't just borrow darkness, John. It borrows you. You wouldn't have been one of those things, oh, no. You'd have been worse. He's already one of them."
John turned around. "...Is this true?" he asked Keyes.
"What's she talking about?" Sam added, looking about on his own.
"She's just confused," Keyes replied, putting a hand on Sam's shoulder. "Come on." A snap of fingers, and the pair were gone, leaving John and his guardians stranded. Keyblade was useless - right. Good job he had backup.
He'd done this in practice. But - one thing to face off with illusions of Shadows from another world. Another to go up against Combat-Forms from his own. Still, no chance to turn back now, no chance to run.
An explosion of a crystalline grenade later and the battle was on. So caught up in his own fight, John didn't notice a pair of the larger Heartless grabbing Cortana from the fray and vanishing. It was only when the battlefield was full of the fading shapes of their enemies than he even had the chance to look.
"...Where are you?"
It took a futile search of the area to convince them she was gone.
-
The walk back to the Pillar of Autumn was a sad one. John couldn't even look up. Explaining the situation to Spark had been hard.
"I was doing it for a friend," he whispered.
"You would not have been who you are if you had any other motive," Spark replied, drifting alongside him. "Nevertheless, you need to learn. The kindest thing you could have done for your friend would have been to leave. Trying to save her above all else has only delayed our mission."
"But how? She was right there! Spark, stop acting like..."
"Like I do not possess a heart? Reclaimer, there are things I lack, but a heart isn't one of them." He paused. "Perhaps I was unfair. You are a child."
"No, you just act like I'm one. You don't tell me anything."
"It is for your own good. There are things you must come to realise on your own. And you must fix the damage you have done on your own, too. I will help where I can, but there are things it is yours to do."
No matter what Spark said, though, John couldn't feel guilty about having tried to save Kelly. About what had happened to Cortana, yes, but the attempt in itself? It'd just been Keyes's fault, nothing more! He could have done it if he didn't interfere!
He fastened his seatbelt in the ship and looked at the Index, willing it to spring to life. Become his key again. If he could get that to work, he just knew, things would be okay.
"...work. Please," he whispered. The artifact in his hands remained inert.
"Please. I'm sorry..."
((Disclaimer: Parts of this scene's dialogue are taken straight from Halo 1.
Also: there has been a small change to the sequence of events since first writing this post. Nothing that effects the outcome, but fits better IC.))