Delphine and all other characters not otherwise mentioned are copyright Delphine Kiminsu. Jared Matte is copyright himself. Knuckles the Echidna is copyright SEGA Enterprises LTD. Just to clear a few things up, this story begins a day before Dimitria leaves to find Comet. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Dubious Findings Running Part 7 --Delphine Kiminsu "hat the hell..." Delphine ran outside. Eva went to the door and looked out. Delphine was fighting off ten or so armed humans. Another creature, red in color, was also fighting them, but he didn't look like he was doing so well. "Hurry! They can't come in here!" Eva called out. She hoped Alconer hadn't heard her, but she didn't want anyone to get hurt. Delphine yanked the other up, and together they ran into the hut. Delphine slammed the door shut and leaned against it, catching her breath. "Are you all right?" "Yeah." Eva caught the tear in her jacket. "What about that?" "Hm? Oh... it didn't cut my skin. I'm fine." She turned to Knuckles. "Knux? What the hell are you doing here?" "Looking for you...?" He smirked. She put her hands on her hips. "Found you." She sighed. "Boys..." "You act like you're not very surprised?" Eva glanced between them. "I knew he was looking for me. And he gets himself into trouble all the time. All teenage boys do." Knuckles grinned. Then he frowned. "Um, Del... how'd you know I was looking for you?" "Jared found me first." Knuckles blinked. "He's here?" "Yeah. He's..." She cleared her throat, then smirked. "Well, see for yourself." Knuckles turned to face the inside of the hut. Jared was leaning against the wall, his arms crossed, watching them. Knuckles' expression hardened. So did Jared's. Delphine and Eva exchanged glances. "I take it something did not go well?" Eva asked quietly. "I guess. I don't really know," Delphine answered, just as quiet. "So. You found her." "First. Yeah." Knuckles clenched his fists. "Where was she?" "In the residence of short people." Delphine laughed. "Hmph." Before anyone could say anything else, something slammed into the door. It jumped on it's hinges, but held. "We know you're in there, Kiminsu! Come out!" Delphine glanced at Jared. He stared at the door, then started over. There was another slam, and the lock came loose. Delphine slammed it closed and leaned against it. "Hold it, I'll block the door!" Eva went to the other side of the door and lowered the board, but before she could slip it into the slots, there was another slam, and Delphine couldn't hold the door completely closed. Someone else was pushing against it from the other side. Jared rammed the door and stayed against it. The door was sustained. "Geeze, Jared, you should've done that." "Too late now," Jared said through clenched teeth. He had aggravated his wound. "Hold it, a little longer... there!" Eva had slipped the board into place. Delphine and Jared stepped away from it. The clamor outside had stopped. Jared placed his hand over his wound and leaned against the railing. "That wasn't the brightest thing you've ever done," Delphine said. He pulled his hand away to find blood seeping through the bandage. He sighed. "Great." "What the hell was that all about?" Delphine glanced at Knuckles. "There's some people out there who don't like us too much. Particularly me." She hesitated. "But..." Jared looked at her. "But...?" He prompted. "Those people out there didn't look like the people we encountered before. They dressed differently." Jared frowned. "So we have more than one group after us?" "They attacked me. Maybe they just saw you and decided they wanted all of us." Delphine nodded. "Whatever the hell's going on, we should get home." Delphine shook her head. "Del..." "It's not like that. I will go home, eventually. It's just that..." Knuckles looked around. "Hey, where's Comet? Didn't she come with you?" "That's the reason I'm not going home yet. I have to find Comet." She sighed. "I'm not making either of you come with me. You should both go back..." "No," they said at the same time. "I'm not going to just leave you out here," Jared said. "I had to save your butt just as much as you saved mine back there. Maybe more." Delphine smirked. "Fine. Don't come crying to me if you get killed." "Yes, mom." Delphine turned to Knuckles. "Okay, what's your reason?" "My reason? I'm not gonna sit back and watch Jared do a half-ass job at watching your back," he said with a smirk. Delphine rolled her eyes. Jared glared at Knuckles. "All right, fine. After those guys out there are gone, I'll scout around to see if there's anything nearby -- and both of you will stay here." "Del?" "If I bring one of you I have to bring both of you, and I'm not going to sit there and listen to you bicker while I try to find out what's going on." Jared smirked and looked at the floor. Knuckles took no notice. Delphine glanced between them. She had the feeling that she was very close to grasping something she hadn't been aware of before, but she just couldn't get it. She walked up to Jared and looked at his wound. "You'd better get some rest if you plan on going anywhere. That was stupid." He grimaced. "I know. Sorry." She smiled. "Don't worry about it." Jared walked back to his room. Delphine sat down on the couch. Knuckles sat across from her. "Del?" "Yeah?" "We need to talk." "...about?" "Our 'relationship'." Delphine grimaced. "Knuckles..." "I think it's over." She blinked. That hadn't been what she had expected. "It's obvious that you like Jared, and I kinda... met someone... and we just aren't it anymore." "Okay." Knuckles blinked. That hadn't been what he had expected. "Okay?" "Yeah. You're right. We've gotten older, and things that have happened have changed us. Neither of us are the people we were when we started going out." Knuckles grinned. "I thought you were going to have a fit on me or something." "Disappointed?" "Relieved." She smirked. "Okay then." Knuckles glanced around. "Um... not to pry or anything, but just what did happen between you two?" She looked at him, then grinned. "I'll tell you if you tell me what happened to you afterwards." He shrugged. "Okay." For the next two hours, the exchanged stories. Eva sat at the table, working, and listening every once in awhile. Jared stayed in his room, and Alconer was no-where to be found. When Knuckles finally finished his side of the story, Delphine stood up and stretched. "I'm going to go write in my journal." Eva looked up. "I placed your things in an extra room. I'll show you where it is." "Thanks." Delphine followed Eva out of the room. Knuckles sat back and stared off into space, thinking. When Eva left the room, Delphine sat in a chair and wrote the days events in her journal. When she finished, she took off her windbreaker and pulled out the jacket that Gerald had given to her. She hadn't had the chance to try it on yet. She did so; it fit. It was green with white trim, and went all the way down to her ankles. It buttoned up the front, and the collar could be pulled up around her neck. "I wish I had had this when we were in ice land. It would've been a bigger help than my windbreaker," she said to herself. She picked up her old jacket and neatly folded it, then put it back in her pack. Dimitria had given it to her, as she had given her all of her other clothes. Delphine was starting to wonder where she had gotten them. She had assumed that they were just something someone on the other side of Mobius had thought up, but now, she saw that Jared, Devon and Lisa wore similar clothing -- denim jeans and tee-shirts. Delphine was starting to wonder about a lot of things about Dimitria. She told herself that she was going to get Dimitria to tell her when she got back, although in the back of her mind she Dimitria wouldn't tell her anything unless she wanted too. Delphine smirked, and started putting things away. There was nothing. An empty, dark blackness. Nothing. A tiny, tiny blue light, right smack in the middle.For five years, it stayed the same. Then it grew a little. Just the tiniest amount. Dormant for seven years. Another small, tiny growth. Dormant for another four years. Then, it slowly, steadily grew. Another year went by, and it was more than one hundred times its original size. Six months past, and it almost swallowed the blackness. For two months, it stayed that way. And then, there was a sudden explosion. The black threatened to take over again, until the blue was gone. The blue light would soon be diminished, if it did not fight back. Another blinding, deafening explosion. The soft, blue light overcame the blackness. Jared sat up in bed and looked around. "What in the hell was that?!" He looked around again. "Damn weird dream," he muttered. He felt a chill, then noticed that the window was open. He got up and closed it, then walked out of his room and looked around the living room. Nobody was around. The fireplace was dimly lit. There was a book on the table. He went and picked it up; it was the book Gerald had given Delphine. She must have forgotten it was there. Curious, he opened to the first page. It didn't make any sense; just a bunch of symbols. He sighed and sat on the couch. He didn't feel tired, and he didn't have anything to do. He sighed and looked around again. He hadn't gotten a good look at the place earlier... or the day before? He didn't know what time it was. "Jared?" He jumped and looked towards the stairs. Delphine was coming down them. "What are you doing up?" "I woke up, and I couldn't get back to sleep." She grinned. "I couldn't sleep period. I heard someone walking around and decided to investigate." She came over and sat down next to him. "How's your wound?" "It hurts, but it's okay. I'm ready for whatever we're up against." He looked down and said quietly, "Thanks for not leaving me out there." She smiled. "Jared, you're one of my friends. One of my best friends. You don't need to thank me for that sort of thing." He grinned. "Thanks anyway." She smirked and rolled her eyes, then shivered. "You cold?" "No, I just got a weird feeling. like we're being watched." "Probably by Knuckles," Jared said under his breath. Delphine glanced at him. "Hey. Besides, we broke up." "...Oh. Sorry." "It's all right." Alconer watched them from behind a partially opened door. "They are two of the five." "Five? There are only five?" Eva asked. "Yes. But five with that sort of power..." "Well, I guess... but still, it seems... odd. It seems like there should be more." "They will have help, from all corners of Creation." "Hm." The next morning, Eva came into the living room to find Delphine sleeping facedown on one couch, and Jared sleeping faceup on the other. She smiled, then gently shook Jared awake. He blinked awake and sat up. "Hm? What is it?" "Breakfast?" "Yeah. Coffee." He grimaced. "Black." She smiled, then left the room for the kitchen. He glanced at Delphine. "Del?" She didn't stir. He shrugged and stretched, then stood up. He rubbed the sleep out of his eyes, and followed Eva's lead into the kitchen. An hour later, Delphine had awoken, and was getting ready to scout around. "I still think you should bring someone with you," Jared said quietly. Delphine smiled at him. "Don't worry about me. I'm a big girl. I can tie my own shoes and everything." Jared smirked. "Fine. Just, be careful." She looked at him. "You do realize that this is pointless. I'm always careful. Unless I don't need to be." She winked as she put her pack over her shoulder. "It's not worth worrying too much, okay? I'll be fine." "I know I just... don't want you getting hurt." She grinned. "Thanks." Their eyes met for a moment, and then Delphine left. Jared sighed and sat in a chair. Eva tilted her head and gave him a strange look. "Are you still worried? She said she can take care of herself." "He doesn't think she can," Knuckles said as he walked into the room. Jared looked up at him, giving him a strange expression. "What the hell is that supposed to mean?" "You don't think she can take care of herself." "I know she can take care of herself." "Then why are you so damn worried about her?" Jared gave a laugh that said, boy are YOU stupid. "It's called 'caring'. One of those concepts you never figured out." Knuckles' eyes narrowed. "What would you know?" "Just from watching you. You think you know how to, but you really don't." "You're just a moron." Jared shook his head, but didn't continue. "What, you're done now?" "Not really. But Del didn't want us 'bickering'." Jared took a sip from his third cup of coffee. He looked into the cup, whirled it around a few times to remix it, then set it down. "Besides, you're not going out with her anymore. So why don't you you cut this crap out?" "What?! You eavesdropped on our conversation?!" "No, stupid, she told me. And you eavesdropped on ours just a minute ago." "Y--" "Jared, could you help me with something over here?" Alconer quietly asked as he came into the room. "Sure." Jared stood up and followed Alconer out of the room. "Thanks," Jared said quietly. "It was nothing. You seem to have a problem with that boy." "That's just the problem. He's a boy, he hasn't grown up." Alconer shook his head. "Well, you needn't worry about that now. Listen, there is something you need to know." Jared looked at him. "What?" "I know who it is that those men from yesterday serve. His name is Morgan." Alconer paused. "And I believe he wants Delphine dead. Because she is a Kiminsu." Jared blinked. "How do you know this?" "Don't ever ask where your information comes from. Do hope that it is enough." Alconer walked out of the room, leaving Jared with a myriad of questions. Delphine stepped into the forest surrounding the hut. The grass beneath her feet was a perfect green. The leaves on the trees were all healthy. Vines hung down from the branches, often blocking her vision. Bushes and other ground plants sprouted up everywhere. She kept on for hours. When came upon a river, she sat on the river bed to take a rest. She lay down, enjoying the sunshine. After about half an hour, she stood up and walked across the river, which was only shin deep where she was. Footprints that had dried in her mud caught her attention when she reached the opposite shore. "I wonder who these belong to..." It appeared to be two people, but she wasn't certain. She shrugged and stood up, walking on. She had walked about ten feet when she felt something... strange. That something wasn't right. "Dimi?" Why did she sense Dimitria? is she near here? but we're nowhere near home... at least i don't think we are... She looked around, but didn't see anything out of the ordinary. I've been out here awhile. I should go back... "THERE SHE IS! THE KIMINSU!" "Uh oh." Delphine whirled around. A mix of humans and furries were running towards her. She turned and ran into the denser forest, hoping to lose them. She could hear them crashing through the undergrowth to find her in the trees. She smirked; they wouldn't find her once she found a hiding spot. She paused to catch her breath, and listened. She could hear her pursuers trampling through the undergrowth, undoubtedly making a mess. With a smirk she turned away, but another sound caught her attention. Slow, stealthy footsteps, coming up behind her. She bolted, stopped, and hid in a tree. Moments later a head of dark green -- green -- hair walked by underneath her. She waited, then jumped down. The figure whirled around. She grabbed his laser rifle, jerked it out of his hands, and turned it around. He blinked, shocked. Then the situation caught up with him, and he started to turn to run. "Don't make me shoot you!" Delphine said. He slowly turned back around, glaring. "I won't tell you anything," he said with a sneer. She grinned at him. Then she leaped. It happened so fast that when she had him pinned to the ground, her dagger against his neck, it took his brain a few minutes to catch up. "Maybe not. I hope you don't. I'm mad. I need someone to take it out on." "What do you want to know?" he asked reluctantly. "Who do you work for?" "...You don't know?" "That's the reason I asked you. There are a lot of people who want be dead, it seems. Who do you work for?" she repeated. The boy looked for an escape. "I'm not letting you go until you tell me what I want to know. And if you don't..." He swallowed. "Well." "Look, he'll kill me if I say anything! Please..." Delphine sighed. "And if you don't tell me anything, I'll have to kill you. Besides, how would he find out?" "He... c'mon, just let me go! I won't try to get you or anything." "And be quiet. If I hear anyone coming I'll... geeze, I sound like a broken record." His eyes narrowed. "Do you think I won't kill you?" "No." She waited for an answer, but he didn't say anything else. She pushed the dagger harder against his neck. "Who do you work for?" "No one." He gasped as she pushed the dagger into his skin. "His name is Morgan!" She stopped. He lay perfectly still, hardly breathing. "What does he want with me?" "I... I'm not sure. Something about being a 'Kiminsu'. He said... he said he wanted you dead because you're a Kiminsu." Her eyes narrowed. "What does my last name have to do with any of this?!" "He said that... that... I don't know... c'mon, I don't know anything else!" "What. Did. He. Say." The boy shivered. "That, that your power is a danger to him," the boy whispered. Delphine blinked, then pulled the dagger away from his throat and stood up. He lay there, shaking slightly. "He's going to kill me... he'll find me and... oh God..." "How the hell's he gonna find out?" "How do you think he found out you were here?!" "Spies...?" "He doesn't need spies!" She understood, and nodded. "Then run." She helped him to his feet. "Go, now." The boy nodded shakily and disappeared into the trees. Delphine sighed and shook her head. "Poor kid won't last five minutes out there." She paused to think. "I think it's time I followed one of them... Maybe I'll find out where these people hide out." She nodded to herself, and went to find someone to follow. Jared stepped out of the hut. He looked around, then ran into the forest. He had taken a short nap, and had had a rather disturbing dream about a black castle. The moment he awoke, he left to find Delphine. Knuckles was sitting on the roof when Jared stepped outside. He watched him disappear into the trees, and then jumped down to follow him. Delphine peeked around the corner, and saw no one. She turned into it, and found it was a dead end. "Damn... it's like a maze! Geeze..." She put her hands on her hips and looked around to see if there was anything else to find. "Hey there! You! Who are you?" Delphine looked up. A being that looked like Nights and the being she and Jared had encountered at the underground temple hovered in front of her. She raised her eyebrow. "Uhm... why, what's wrong?" "This area is restricted. Only Level 1 Employees are allowed. Who are you?" "I'm, ah, Jen." "Jen WHO?" "Jen, Cunningham." Delphine slowly edged towards the exit, but she would have to get past him in order to escape. The being took out a small mechanical device, and pressed several buttons. "Jennifer Cunningham... there is no Jennifer Cunningham!" "It's just Jen, not Jennifer." "All employees are required to give their full, complete name... hey, where do you think you're going?!" Delphine turned the corner and ran to the end of the hallway, stopped at the intersection, and turned right. "Hey! Come back! I haven't finished with you yet!" The being chased after her, drawing his laser gun. He shot at her, missed, shot again, and missed again. "What's going on out there?" "Suspicious character escaping!" "Oh, great. Now I have two people after me!" She heard a laser shot, and then felt something slam into her back; her body went numb, and she fell to the floor. She heard footsteps approach her, and pushed herself to her knees. Someone kicked her in the stomach, and she rolled over onto her back with a cry, and gave a soft moan. "Find out who she is." "Scanning... she's not an employee." There was a pause. "Then who is she?" "I don't know." Another pause. "Hey, it's beeping... holy!!" "What?" "She's the Kiminsu!!" Delphine cringed, then rolled away and pushed herself up. "What?!" "Get her!" Delphine stood up and leaned against a wall, her eyes closed. "She's not going anywhere." Delphine opened her eyes. The being from before was dressed in a gray cloak and pants, with white hair held back in a ponytail. This new person, a human, was dressed in black pants, shirt and vest, his black hair falling into his bright green eyes. "What do you want with me?" She asked. The human glanced away, but the other being smirked. "What do you think? You are a Kiminsu. It's been one of Morgan's project's to collect you for quite awhile now." "Excuse me?" "Morgan. Our boss. He has a lot of power, but there are people who can enhance his power. Such as you." "You can't just take a Kiminsu's power, stupid. You need two things." "Oh, really? What?" She smirked. "Like I'm going to tell you. If your boss was all you make him out to be he'd already know. Apparently he doesn't." The being walked up to her and put his gun to her head. "Don't talk like that to me!" She let out a blast of energy, sending him flying into the opposite wall. She went into an all out run, almost fell, caught her balance, and ran on. The human ran after her, clearly able to outrun her. She glanced back and cursed. He grabbed her jacket and jerked her back. She gave a short shriek and fell into them. They crashed to the floor. Delphine jumped up, but the man tripped her and she fell back down, face first. He jumped up, a second before she stood back up. He grabbed her from behind and twisted her arms behind her back. She struggled to get away, but he had her. "Damnit!" She sighed angrily and gave up. "Are you done?" "For now." He grinned, but she couldn't see it. "There's no point in resisting. Morgan would eventually catch you, no matter what you did." "Oh really? I doubt that. I assume he's been looking for me for awhile." "He was after your father before he was terminated." "How dramatic of you. So if he's been trying to get me my entire life, and I've been in basically the same place the whole time, and he has never found me until now, when I come to him, then odds are he wouldn't find me if I got away." "Observant girl. You're a lot smarter than I thought you'd be." "And you're a lot stupider than you look." "What do you mean?" She grabbed his hands and flipped him over her head and onto his back on the floor. He yelled in surprise and pain, and then gasped when she jumped onto his chest. She pinned him to the ground, holding his own laser gun against him. "I mean that I can easily enhance my natural strength by using my power. You didn't do your homework, did you?" He gasped in pain, then smirked. "Okay, you win." "Good. So, how do you use this thing, anyway? There's a hell of a lot of buttons..." "W, wait a minute..." She looked at him. "You were about to kill me, just a minute ago. Or capture me and take me to this 'Morgan' guy, who would probably eventually get rid of me when he found he couldn't do anything with me." "You're wrong, girl. I don't know how, but he found a way to steal your power." He glanced around. "Look, just let me up, and I can explain things." Delphine's eyes narrowed. "And I should trust you because?" "Look, girl... Delphine..." "How do you now my name?!" "You're not just a Kiminsu, and I'm not just an employee." She looked into his eye's. They were the same exact color as the green in her eyes, sort of a dark forest green, yet bright. "All right." She removed the gun from his forehead, and then stood up. He sat up, and winced. "Ouch... I should've known better than to try and fight you... geeze..." He pushed himself to his feet. "C'mon, this way... ow." She smirked, and followed him down the hallway, and to a stairway. It was dark and wet, and smelled like mold. The wooden steps were old and crumbling, and looked as if they would fall apart the moment you stepped on it. "Are you sure we should... go down there?" "We're not going down there." Delphine stepped back, not sure what he meant. He pressed a stone in the wall, and the stone started withdrawing, and then moved to the right, revealing a hidden passageway. "All these old castles have things like these. You think they would have blocked them off by now, but it never happens. Lucky for us. After you," he offered. "No thanks. You go first." He smiled. "All right then." He stepped into the passageway. Delphine followed close behind, into the dark. Jared gazed up at the huge, stone castle. Delphine was in there, he could feel it. And so were Dimitria, and Comet. He couldn't have explained how he knew. He just knew. "What the hell are you doing?" Jared looked over his shoulder. "I could ask you the same. You couldn't have made it here on your own, so you must've followed me." "I know you're up to something," Knuckles accused. Jared opened his mouth, but decided against it and turned back to the castle. "Look, I'm going in there. And you'll just get in the way." "What?!" "Don't follow me." Jared started to walk away, but Knuckles grabbed his arm and held him back. "What the hell are you doing?" Knuckles asked deliberately. "Why do you care?" Jared returned, just as deliberate. "Because that place doesn't look like the good guys' hangout." "You think I'm a traitor?" "I don't trust humans." "What about Del?" "The only exception. By nature humans are selfish. They lust for power." Jared hesitated, thinking of what to say. "Just because some of them are like that, doesn't mean they all are." "Like you could prove me wrong." "What is your problem?!" "I don't like you." "Thanks for clearing that up." Jared yanked his arm away, and peered through the trees, looking for guards. There were none. "I don't trust you either." "Do you want me to cry over it?" He shot off, making for the open door. He ran, jumped, dived, and then rolled. He was inside, and no one had seen him. He stood up, then winced, sucking air in through his teeth. He reached inside his leather jacket and held his side. "It better not start bleeding again..." He glanced towards the entrance. Knuckles had glided in and landed, making the slightest noise. Jared took his hand away from his side, checking it to see if there was any blood. "I'm going to find out what you're up to, whether you want me to or not." Jared sighed angrily. "Fine." Jared was irritated, but slightly relieved. He didn't know how well he'd fare in a fight in his condition. He sighed again and tried to decide what to do. Getting in was the easy part; finding Delphine and getting out was going to be a lot harder. He pushed himself up from the wall and started walking. After a moment, Knuckles followed, watching him like a hawk. Delphine looked around. She had followed the boy, Eric, down a flight of stone steps, and into a large room with two long tables and a fireplace. He had gone to the other side of the room, while she stayed near the stairs. "...what?" "I'm still not sure if I should trust you or not." He nodded. "All right. It doesn't matter much." He paused. "Morgan has been living in this castle since his birth. He was taught to hunt down and kill Kiminsu's. I don't know why. When he turned twenty-eight, he discovered what a Kiminsu was, and what they can do. He decided that he wanted that power, and went searching for a way to take it. He learned about the Medallion, and how it gives a Kiminsu their power. He learned that the only reason the Kiminsu's are the only ones who can use it is because it's been passed down, and hasn't been taken away by some other force. It's not in their blood, it's just a simple little trinket." Delphine blinked, then smirked. Of course, that's what Morgan thought. Dimitria probably didn't even know the whole truth. "Then he's discovered the 'secret'." It would work in her favor. If he managed to take it away, she could surprise him, and overcome him. And she also wasn't completely sure of Eric. "Then that's the truth? He's not mistaken?" Delphine nodded. "...Oh." "Where you expecting something different?" Eric glanced at the floor. "I wanted him to be wrong. I didn't want it to be so easy for him." She blinked, a little surprised. Maybe he was trustworthy. "Eric?" He looked up at her. She started to say something, but stopped and sighed. It could be an act. "Sorry." He nodded. "It's not like you did anything wrong." He sighed. "What are you doing here, anyway?" "I was attacked din the woods, and I followed one of them to find out who was attacking me." "Hm. Maybe you can stop him." "Morgan?" "Yes. He thinks I'm on his side. I could distract him, while you..." "Eric?" "Hide!" He hissed. She looked around quickly, then backed into the stairway, hiding in the shadows. "Eric." "Martinus. What is it?" "The D'jinea is in the castle." "What is she doing here?!" "Possibly the same thing we are, if the rumors are true. But I need to make sure. Have you located the Kiminsu yet?" "Um, yes, well, she, er, got away." Martinus nodded. "Well, be sure to find her, I have urgent matters to discuss with her... and possibly the D'jinea." Eric nodded, and Martinus left. When Martinus was out of earshot, Eric glanced behind him. "Delphine? Where are you?" He glanced back at the hallway, making sure Martinus was really gone, and then looked back. Delphine was standing in front of him, her arms folded against her chest. "Who are you? What do you really want with me?" Eric hesitated, looking for a way to answer. "Well?" "Look, just gimme a second, I'm trying to figure out how to put this." She nodded, and waited, wary. "Martinus and I, and a couple of other people, want to stop Morgan. He's been controlling this country and the surrounding area for some time now, and he's starting to spread his empire. Not throughout this planet, but on others as well." Delphine blinked. "And how does he do this?" "He can travel to other worlds. I don't know how he does it, but..." "I do." "You do?" "Yes." She paused. "Who is the D'jinea he spoke of?" "You know of the D'jinea?" "...I know they exist. Not much else." He nodded. "Anyway, her name is Dimitria." "Dimi?! What's she doing here?" "You know Dimitria?!" "Of course! She..." Delphine blinked, and stopped. "Yeah, I know her. She's a good person. Why? What does Martinus want with her?" "Just to see whose side she is on." "What for?" "She wasn't always a good person." "...What do you mean?" Eric didn't answer. "Eric?" "Maybe you should ask her." He glanced down, then looked back up at her. "There's a Pegasus captured here, and I want to help her. Will you help me?" "A Pegasus?!" "Yeah, I know, just a myth, right?" "No... Is her name Comet?" "Yeah..." "Where is she?!" "You know the Pegasus too?!" He blinked, shocked. "Does the 'Guardian of the Floating Island' ring a bell?" "What?!" "Sonic the Hedgehog? The 'maren Nights, from Nightopia?" She smirked at his disbelieving look. "Tell me you don't know the President of the USA." "Well, I don't. But I do know a few people from Earth." Eric blinked. "You've been to both Earth AND Nightopia?" "Well, no. Just Earth. It's a long story." He blinked a few more times, letting it sink in. "Um... well... I'll... let's go get Comet..." Delphine nodded, smirking. Eric walked out of the room, sort of in a daze. Delphine shook her head and followed. "How do you know all these people?!" "I get around," Delphine answered vaguely. They had walked in silence for about half an hour, on their way to helping Comet, when Eric had struck up a conversation. They still had fifteen minutes to go before they got to the prisons, at least if they didn't want to get caught. "So, with all these people who know you, you probably have a boyfriend, right?" She hesitated. "I have someone I care about." They were silent for a moment. He gave a soft laugh. "Sorry. It's been awhile since I've met a girl who has common sense." She smiled. "It's all right." They were silent again, which was good, because they heard approaching footsteps. After a quick look around, they found a dark spot to hide in, and waited. "Yes, yes, I know. A human and a furry have infiltrated? What are they gonna do, pick the mortar out of the walls?" A pause. "All right, all right, I'll find them. Sheesh." "Morgan?" "Yeah. He wants us to find a couple of renegades someone saw come into the castle." "How do they know it was renegades?" "One was an echidna, and the other came in in a hurry." "So?" "Like he didn't want to be caught." "Oh." Two male humans came into view. Delphine and Eric glanced at each other, and stayed silent. Delphine had an idea of how had come into the castle, but she wanted to make sure. "What did he say they look like?" The other started explaining, and Delphine recognized the descriptions as Jared and Knuckles. When the two were gone, Delphine stepped out into the hallway, put her hands on her hips, and shook her head. "Those two..." "What, you know them?" "Yeah. They probably came after me." She grinned. "Worrisome brats. C'mon, let's find Comet." Jared and Knuckles stopped to catch their breath. Jared leaned against the wall and held his wounded side. "Crap, they've found us out..." "I don't get it... I made sure that no one was watching..." Jared paused, then pounded his fist against the wall. "Damnit, the windows!" He brought his hand to his forehead and rubbed his temple. He was starting to develop a migraine, and it wasn't help his thought process any. "How could I've been so stupid... damn!" "It was an honest mistake." Jared glanced at Knuckles. "You all right?" "I'll be okay." He pulled his hand away from his side. "well, at least we know to avoid everyone. If we move fast enough, we'll probably find Del soon. Then we can get the hell out of here." Knuckles nodded. Jared pushed himself away from the wall, and swiftly walked away. Knuckles followed him. They soon found themselves in the prisons. Up ahead, they heard people talking. Jared peered around the corner. When he saw who it was, his eyes widened. He turned back to Knuckles. "We found her." Delphine and Eric stopped in front of the cell. Delphine saw Comet inside, just lying there. "Comet?" No answer. She attempted to contact her telepathically. Nothing. "She's asleep. Or unconscious..." She looked at Eric. "I don't suppose you have the keys?" "Not the right ones... I guess I didn't think about that." "You know how to pick a lock?" "Yeah." Delphine pulled a lock pick out of her inside coat pocket. "Here, I'll keep watch.Wait, don't use it on the door." She kicked the door in, breaking the lock. "Waste your time on the shackles." He walked inside and knelt beside Comet, and began to pick the locks. Delphine stood across from the cell, watching the hallway. "...huh, whah... HEY!" "AH!" Eric fell back away from Comet, then protected his head as she stood up on her hind legs, ready to smash his head. "I'M ON YOUR SIDE!" "Comet! Stop! Eric's with us!" Comet landed next to his head. Eric jumped and almost screamed. "Del?! You're okay!" "Hey, that's my line!" They grinned at each other. Eric rolled away from Comet and stood up. "Oh... heh, sorry about that." "I, it's all right." Eric brushed himself off, then walked out of the cell. Comet followed him. "How'd you find me?" "That's a long story, and we don't have time for it. We have to find Jared and Knuckles before they do." "They're here?!" "I'm pretty sure. They came after us, and found me, blah blah, I told them to stay at the hut, they didn't, yadda yadda..." Comet laughed. "The usual, then?" "Yeah." Delphine said with a grin. Eric glanced between them. "We should..." "Del!" Delphine whirled around. "Jared, Knuckles!" The two boys came up to her. "We found you. "Again." She rolled her eyes. "Geeze, guys, what are you doing here?" "I followed him," Knuckles told her. Jared sighed. "Alconer said something to me, and... I needed to make sure you were okay." "What'd he say?" Jared glanced over his shoulder at Knuckles. "I'll tell you later." He glanced up from Delphine, and saw Eric. "Who's that?" "This's our new buddy Eric," Comet said. Delphine brought a hand up to her mouth to muffle her laughter. "Um, yeah. I'm Eric." Knuckles gave him the once over, and instantly decided he didn't like him. Jared told himself he would save judgment for when he knew Eric better. Delphine shook her head. "All right, let's get out of here." Eric glanced at her. "Delphine?" "I'll take care of it later," she murmured. "Take care of what?" Comet asked. "Nothing. Let's go." "Del?" "I said it's nothing! Now let's get out of here before someone catches us." Delphine sighed and avoided looking at her friends. Comet tilted her head, then looked at Jared. He shook his head, signaling that he didn't know. Eric followed behind Delphine, leaving the other three behind. "Delphine? Why don't you say something to them?" She glanced back at Eric, and then back at the others. She sighed, and turned to face him. "I don't want to get them involved in this. This is my problem. I'm the Kiminsu, not them. I'm the one with this power. I can't share the power, why should I share the problem?" "They are you friends, right? I think they would want to help." "Look. I ran away from a problem I couldn't deal with, and Comet came with me. Look what happened to her. Jared and Knuckles came after me, looking for me, trying to convince me to come back. Knuckles almost got killed, I think, on his way to finding me. Jared was half dead when I found him. He kept with me, and I think he's done more than enough. I don't want to see him get hurt anymore. Or Knuckles, or Comet. I've cause them enough trouble. They don't need to deal with some power hungry, power corrupted freak who wants my Medallion because he thinks he can take the Kiminsu powers with it. I shouldn't be getting you involved, but it seems like you're already in too deep. I just want to get them out of here. Then I'll come back, and fight this jerk. If I live through it, good. Then after that, I'll get them home." A hard glint had come to her eye, a cold, hard glint, that gave off the look of a child who had been forced to grow up far, far too fast, and at the same time, the look of a war-hardened soldier, ready to die for her honor, her cause, and her friends. "It is very obvious you care about them, a lot. Do you think they care about you, just as much." "I... think so. I hope they do." "The I think you should not be so selfish." She blinked. "You don't want them getting hurt, because you don't know what you would do if you lost them. If they care about you half as much as you care about them, then they don't want to lose you, either. You're trying so hard to protect them that you won't let them protect you." "But..." "No. You cannot simply say you are the cause of all their problems, saying that you can't let them help because it's all your fault. It's a lie. You didn't cause anything. You didn't choose to be a Kiminsu. But, you did choose to fight against those that would hurt the people you care about. You chose to do something about the evil in all this. You did have a choice in what path you would take in life. Why can't you let your friends decide their path? What if they don't want to be spectators? What if they don't want to watch you die? Maybe they want to help. Just because they don't know everything about you doesn't mean you can't tell them. Let them into your life the way they've let you into theirs." "He's right, Del. We do want to help." Delphine looked up sharply. Jared, Knuckles and Comet had walked up while they were talking, and had heard most of the conversation. "I don't care what the hell is going on. I'm going to follow you until it's over. I though you knew that by now." Delphine rubbed her arm, avoided looking into their eyes. "Cut the crap. You can't sit here and act like you're invincible, and that you can take anything on. We all know by now that there are some times when you do need help. Just because you have some special power that we don't, doesn't mean you're better than us." Delphine bowed her head. "I didn't mean..." "Enough of this bull," Comet said, rolling her eyes. She walked up to Delphine. "If you don't let us help, I will beat you to a bloody pulp. Okay?" Delphine looked up with a smirk. "Gee, it's nice to know that I don't need enemies. With friends like you, and all." Comet laughed, an action the involved nodding her head. Then she turned serious. "Are you all right?" "What do you mean?" "You seem... distraught." Delphine glanced at Eric. "Is it safe to talk here?" "It should be." Delphine nodded, then turned to Comet. "There's this guy Morgan. Basically he wants my power." "How the hell's he figure he'll do that?" Comet asked. Delphine laughed. "That's the same I was wondering. Anyway, Eric says I can stop him. He's causing a lot of trouble in a lot of places, and..." "That's more than enough. We fight him, we destroy some sort of evil, right?" "Yeah." "Good enough for me. Okay, let's go." Comet walked past Delphine, past Eric, and waited at the end of the hall. "I would have thought the last living white Pegasus would be... quieter," Eric whispered to himself. "What, Eric?" "Hm? Oh, nothing. Just, talking to myself." "Really," she murmured. She bit her lip and turned to the others. "Guys... I'm sorry. I didn't realize..." Knuckles waved it off. "Don't worry about it." He walked past her and joined Comet. Eric glanced at Jared, then did the same. Delphine sighed. "That was stupid..." she muttered. "Del." She looked over her shoulder. "Oh." She blushed. "Jared..." "Are you okay with this?" "What do you...?" "I want to help you, obviously. But you seemed adamant to do this alone a minute ago. Are you sure...?" She smiled, grateful someone had bothered listening to her. "I don't know how powerful this guy is. I don't know if I really need help of not." She smirked. "I think you've proven yourself capable, anyway. So it doesn't matter much." Jared grinned. "Thanks." "Are you two coming or what?!" Delphine sighed. "Knux is starting to get on my nerves." "You're not the only one." They joined their friends. "Do we have a plan, yet?" Eric asked Delphine. She hesitated. "Not really. I want to find Dimitria before we do anything else." "Dimitria's here?" Comet asked. Delphine nodded. "I thought she was." *quiet* *paranoid* "How would you know?" Eric asked. "Intuition." *oh, yeah, he'll believe that for, say, two seconds* *what's wrong with letting him know about the telepathy?* *I don't completely trust him, is all* *you're paranoid* *it's a good habit* *I think I've been insulted* "Well, let's go, then." "Right." "Martinus." "Hello Dimitria. I haven't seen you in years." "And I you. No great loss, though." Martinus laughed. "Still have your sense of humor, I see." "Who said I was kidding?" "No, you haven't change much." He paused. "At least, not where it counts, as I hear." Dimitria hesitated before answering. "So it's hit the rumor mills, has it? Oh well. I knew it wouldn't be long before someone with a big mouth found out." "You act as if leaving the Royalty isn't a big deal." "It was easy." There was a moment of silence. "How do I know you really left, Dimitria?" Martinus said quietly. "I can't prove it to you. I'm not sure how. I can only give you my word." "If you really haven't changed much in attitude, then I believe you." "Just my point of view is different. Twenty years." She shook her head. "It took twenty years for everyone to figure it out. I didn't think I was that good." "You did a marvelous job. Much better than I did." He paused. "Why did you leave?" "My mother... fell in love with a human." "A human?! Of all things... human!" "Better than a detrimental," she spat. He blinked. "S... sorry." He looked down. "I heard there was a son," she said quietly. "Is he alive?" "Y, yes. But, I do not think he is aware of who I am... or who his mother is." "Martinus..." "I wasn't trying to insult Selena. I just... after everything she said, and then, a human..." He smiled, and shook his head. "She never knew where she was going, that woman. She was intelligent, no mistaking that, but..." Dimitria looked down. "Oh... is she..." "She was killed, yes." "I'm sorry." He hesitated. "Did you ever meet the human?" Dimitria laughed. "Oh, yes." "Who was he? Anyone important?" "You could say that." "Was there a child?" "Yes. A girl." "Did he know...?" "No, I don't think so." *Dimitria?* She jumped. "What is it?" "Sh." *Delphine?!* *yeah. what the heck are you talking about? and who is that guy?* *an old acquaintance. where are you?* *nearby* *she's nearly as bad as you, Dimitria. who is this young woman?* *what the hell?* *apparently he also can't mind his own business. are you safe?* *yeah. I have a few escorts. hold on* Delphine opened a door and stepped into the room, followed by her companions. "Ah, just as I thought. You found her, Eric?" "... what do you want with her?" Martinus blinked. Dimitria crossed her arms and eyed Martinus. "Good question." "Oh, it's really very simple." Martinus jumped, the slowly turned. "Morgan," he said with disdain. "He simple wants to get her to try and stop me. Not that she can, even if she is a Kiminsu." Martinus glanced at Eric. He swallowed and shook his head. Martinus blinked. "Why not?" Delphine asked, crossing her arms. There was a smirk on her face, and her eyes showed little fear. "Because, it is simple to take your power from you." Delphine glanced at Dimitria. Dimitria quickly listened to her idea, smirked, and nodded. Delphine uncrossed her arms. "So you know." Comet glanced at Dimitria, then nodded ever so slightly. Jared and Knuckles glanced at each other. Jared knew something was up, but Knuckles thought that Morgan was right. "You could avoid a large mess by just handing the Medallion over." Delphine gave a slight laugh. "Did you think I'd make it that easy for you? You'll have to kill me before you get your grubby hands on the Medallion." "Easy enough." Delphine's hands glowed green, ready. Morgan threw a ball of majik straight at her. She threw her arms up in front of her and crossed them, blocking the shot. Then she threw several energy balls at Morgan. He was knocked over, but not for long. "Get out of here!" Delphine yelled to her friends. She ran farther into the room to get a better shot at Morgan. Dimitria ran up next to her, and threw an energy ball similar to Delphine's, but it was white. "Dimi?!" "I'll explain later, we have to destroy him!" *Martinus, get the rest of them away from here!* *Dimitria?* *Go! Get you and your son, and the others, away from here. Delphine and I will be all right. Just go!* *Okay, if you're sure* Martinus ran across the room to the others. "We must leave. There is nothing we can do for now." "But..." Jared looked at Martinus, then at Delphine. "We can't... we can't just leave them..." *Jared!* what the... *don't ask, Dimi said she'll explain later. you guys can't stay here, you'll get in the way* Del? *please! just go!* "You're right. Let's get out of here," Jared told Martinus. He left through the door they had come in. "What was that?! Two seconds ago he didn't want to leave!" Knuckles exclaimed, confused. "Dimitria probably had something to do with it. Come, let us leave." Martinus walked through the door, and the rest followed suit. *just what the hell is going on, Dimitria?!!* *Delphine, please. we don't have time to talk about this now* Delphine didn't answer. Dimitria blocked a majik shot. *Delphine, I've kept a lot from you. Some of it is because I did not know until recently, and I did not have time to tell you. everything has just been a jumbled mess... I...* *like you said, we don't have time to talk about this right now* Dimitria swallowed, but didn't answer. They continued fighting Morgan. Knuckles ran to catch up with Jared. When he did, he asked, "What the hell was that all about?!" "Delphine contacted me telepathically and said we needed to get away from them." "...I didn't know you used telepathy." "...I don't." "Then... how..." "Hey. We're going to take a shortcut out of the castle. We need to go through here first." Eric pointed to a door with symbols on it. "What does it say?" Jared asked quietly. Eric shrugged. "I don't know. But it's the weapons storage room." Eric opened the door and glanced inside. Seeing no one, he walked in. The rest followed. Comet shivered. "Why do they need so many sharp objects?" "You're not scared of the guns?" "Guns aren't so bad. You can be unarmed and get away from someone with a gun. Swords and daggers are different." She shivered again. "Why is this one in a glass case?" Knuckles asked, gesturing towards a sword resting on a high wooden block, covered by a cube of glass. "That? I don't know," Eric admitted. "Morgan must think it's special for some reason." Jared walked over to it, staring at it. "What?" Comet asked. "It... looks familiar, for some reason." Martinus walked up behind him. "Jared, what is your last name?" "Matte... why?" "Hm. Just curious." "C'mon, we don't have time to..." *Eric, be patient. were you not paying attention?* *Father?* *he said his name is... oh, never mind. you don't know.* *Dad? What are you talking about?* "You can take it, if you want. Morgan certainly doesn't need it." Jared carefully removed the glass covering, and placed it on the floor. He took the sword, and studied the hilt. There was an insignia on the hilt, that looked oddly familiar. He looked closer. It looked as if the insignia could be removed from the hilt... "But... I don't know how to use a sword," Jared admitted. "That may not be a problem," Martinus said quietly. "What?" "We should hurry and leave," Martinus said, ignoring the question. Eric, Knuckles and Comet walked out of another door, one that led to the outside. Jared looked at the sword again, this time noticing that there was a belt attached to the sheath. He thread it through the loopholes in his jeans. "I wish I knew what the hell I was doing..." He followed the rest outside. Martinus did the same, after a moment of thought. "What should we do now?" Comet asked. "We can do nothing besides wait," Martinus replied. "Great," Knuckles muttered. *Dimitria?* *Martinus! Thank the Creator... is everyone out okay?* *yes... Dimitria, did you know about Jared?* *know what* *he is a Matte* *what about it?* *...apparently you have not done your homework, Dimitria* *Martinus??* He didn't answer. Dimitria cursed under her breath. "What did he mean..." "DIMI LOOK OUT!" Dimitria raised her shield, but not in time to keep her feet. The blow knocked her down. Morgan threw another. Dimitria shrieked when it hit her. "Dimitria!" Delphine summoned up her energy and threw blast after blast at Morgan, giving Dimitria time to collect herself. Dimitria slowly pushed herself to her hands and knees. She slowly healed herself, being careful not to extinguish what was left of her Energy. *Dimi! are you all right?* Dimitria looked up at Delphine. She had an unbelievable amount of control over her Energy, like all Kiminsu's before her. She also had an unbelievable amount of Energy. And Delphine was only sixteen; she had a lot of time to get better at controlling it, and for it to grow. Dimitria wished she had such control, for she was waning. She was exhausted and trying not to pass out. She didn't have much longer to help before Delphine was alone. *I believe so* she returned after a moment of thought. She switched. *Martinus?* *what is it?* *we need help. bad. I'm not sure how much longer I can last...* Martinus stared at the ground, thinking. "What is it?" Eric asked. Martinus shook his head. "They're going to need..." He looked at Jared. He was sitting on a rock, studying the sword. It looked familiar; it FELT familiar. "Jared." He looked up. "They need help. You can help them." "...How?" "I think you know how." Jared looked at the sword in his hands, then back at Martinus. "But...?" He blinked. Then he stood up and sheathed the sword. "Are you sure?" "Yes. Go." Jared glanced at Eric, then ran into the castle. "What the hell is he doing?!" Comet asked, incredulous. "Helping." "And you LET him go in there?" Comet sighed. "C'mon Knux, we've gotta stop him before he does something stupid. He can't fight that guy." "Right." The two ran into the castle. They had to run through the prison to get back to Delphine and Dimitria. Jared was far ahead of Comet and Knuckles. "I don't think we're going to catch up to him in time," Comet said. "I think you're right." They both stopped to catch their breath. "Maybe we should just leave. We can't do anything, can we?" "Well..." He stopped. "What?" "Sh, listen." They heard soft, lonely crying. "It must be another prisoner. We should get her out." "You're right. It sounds like it's coming from over here..." Comet followed Knuckles to a small cell in the corner of the prison. "Hey, are... Terra?!" The female echidna looked up, then stared. "Kn, Knuckles?" "Wait a minute! What's going on?" "I know her!" He punched the door lock, and opened it. "This is weird... who is she?" "Just someone I met on my way here. She has nothing to do with these people," he said as he helped Terra to her feet. "Are you okay?" "Y, yes, I think so..." "What happened?" "A little bit after you left... a man dressed in black and a bunch of other men came and took me and some of the other villagers to here." "Dressed in black?" Knuckles asked, anger straining into his voice. "Did you catch his name?" "I think it was Eric... yeah, Eric." Knuckles glared at no one in particular. "I knew we couldn't trust him!" "Maybe it was a different Eric. I hear that name is popular among humans," Comet offered. "Yeah, right. It was him. He's not on our side." Knuckles' anger grew the more he thought about it. "Let's go find Delphine." "C'mon Dimi, get back up," Delphine said through clenched teeth. Her strength was waning; she needed to stop shooting constantly like this, if only for a moment. "COME ON!" "Delphine!" Jared ran up to Morgan and came down on him with the sword. Morgan screamed in pain and let his guard down. Delphine blasted him once more, and he fell to the ground. He moved, but he didn't get up. "J, Jared?" "Del..." "Ohh..." Dimitria finally pulled herself up to a standing position. "Jared? What did you..." "I... I..." "ARG!" Morgan jumped up. "You! I can't believe... this is HIS doing!" "What?!" "That damned D'jinea... he'll pay for this..." Morgan ran past them and out the door. "HEY!" someone yelled as Morgan ran into them. He ignored it and kept running. "I think that was Knuckles..." The three ran out the door. "Knuckles, what are you doing?" "Del! Eric's a traitor!" She blinked. "Wh..." "We don't have time for this, we have to stop Morgan!" Dimitria exclaimed. "You're right, let's go!" They ran down the hall after him, down a flight of stairs, and out the exit of the castle. "MARTINUS!" The D'jinea looked up. "Morgan." "What have you done?" he said in a voice that was eerily calm. "I can't believe you, of all people, would go against me." "Believe it," Martinus said defiantly, but with a definite note of fear in his voice. Eric stood faithfully beside his father, his fists clenched so tightly his knuckles were white. "Morgan! Leave them alone." Morgan glanced over his shoulder. Delphine stood behind him, Dimitria to her right, Jared to her left. Knuckles, Terra and Comet were behind them. "Ha ha ha." A majik aura appeared around Morgan. His entire being began to glow with a white light. He channeled his power up through his arms and to his hands. An orb formed between his hands. "Time to meet your maker, Martinus." "No!" Eric leaped at Morgan. "ERIC!" Morgan threw Eric back the way he came. Eric landed on his back, twitched, then didn't move. "Why you SON OF A BITCH!" Martinus threw pure Energy at Morgan. Morgan's aura absorbed it. "Now that that annoyance has been dealt with..." "MORGAN!" Morgan whirled around. Jared stood in front of him, sword drawn and held as if he had handled swords all his life. Pure defiance shown in his eyes. "You Goddamned Matte. You think you and your sword can stop me?" "I'd better damn well try." "You will NEVER--" "Oh shut up!" Jared stuck the sword through Morgan until it went out the other side. Morgan, his eyes wide in horror, opened his mouth to curse Jared, but he was choked by his own blood. Jared pulled the sword back out, took two steps back, and dropped it. Morgan fell to the ground. He was dead. "Jared?" Delphine came up behind him and put hand on his shoulder. His chest was heaving and he was shuddering. His breath came out in ragged gasps. "Oh geeze, don't pass out. What the hell just happened to you?!" "I... I... I don't... I don't know..." He slowly sat down. "I don't know how... or why..." Delphine looked up at Dimitria. Dimitria stared at Jared for a moment, then shook her head, and walked over to Martinus. Martinus was leaning over Eric, seeing if he was alive. Delphine knelt next to Jared. "Are you going to be okay?" "..." "Jared?" "...is Eric okay?" Delphine looked up. "I don't know." "Go look." Delphine blinked. "All right." She stood up and walked over to where Eric was lying. "Is he okay?" "I'm not sure," Dimitria said quietly. "Dimitria. Please," Martinus pleaded. "Don't pretend you can't." "What are you two talking about?" "I gave all that up when I left the Royalty, Martinus." He glared at her. "That's a lie." She closed her eyes and bowed her head. "Why don't you do it," she said quietly. "Because I can't! You know I never learned to heal! Dimitria!" She sighed in resignation. "If he wasn't your son..." she sighed again, and placed both her hands on Eric's chest. They glowed white for a moment, and then it dispersed into Eric. His breath, although shallow at first, returned. "You mean... he was... and you just... Dimitria?!" Delphine took a step back. Dimitria stood up and faced her. "Delphine... I have a lot to explain." "Apparently," she replied, irritation seeping into her voice. "Eric?" They looked down at Martinus. He was gently shaking Eric to wake him up. "Uhh..." Eric gasped in pain and opened his eyes. "Eric! Are you all right? You had me so worried..." "Dad...?" "Don't do anything that stupid ever, ever again!" "Sorry..." Eric coughed and struggled to sit up. Martinus helped him. "I didn't want him to kill you," Eric said between gasps. Martinus' eyes softened. "Eric..." "Wait a minute!" Eric looked over a Knuckles. "Knux..." "Do you mind explaining why YOU imprisoned Terra?" Eric blinked to clear his vision, then got a good look at who Knuckles was talking about. "You have no idea who you're talking about." "Try me." Eric glared at him. "Look, whatever that bitch has done to you to make you think..." "WHAT?!" Knuckles glared at Eric. Terra hid behind Knuckles and whispered something to him. He blinked, then caught sight of the sword Jared had dropped. "Take that back," he said evenly. "There's no reason to think Terra needs to be imprisoned, she hasn't done anything wrong." "You don't..." Eric glanced around at everyone else. *I'm on your side, Eric* He looked up at his father. They smiled at each other. *so am I* Delphine told him. as am I* Dimitria said with a small smile. Comet glanced between Eric and Knuckles, then walked over to the group. *me too, I guess* Knuckles looked at them. "What, you all trust him?" Jared looked up, suddenly aware of the situation. Knuckles picked up the sword that Jared had dropped. "I swear I'm going to..." Jared ripped the sword out of Knuckles hands. "Don't. Touch. The sword." "You don't even know how to use the freaking thing!" "Yeah, the sword just jumped out of my hand and went through Morgan." He sheathed the sword and walked over to the others. *so'm I* *what the hell?! extra voice, really weird* *it's me* *Jared?! ... my head hurts...* *so does mine, so don't worry about it too much* "Fine. That's just fine. I don't need any of you anyway. C'mon, Terra." He led her by the hand into the surrounding woods. "Knuckles, wait..." Delphine turned to stop him. Terra looked back, grinned, and winked. Delphine blinked. "Oh man." Dark green eyes. Like the dark green eyes from her dream she had had in the caves. She lifted her hands and found that her palms were sweating. "Del?" "Damnit... he's in trouble." "No kidding." She looked at Eric. He shook his head. "He's a moron." "He's in love," Dimitria said quietly. "He's a moron." "Should we do something?" "He won't listen." "There's a difference between explaining things and calling people names, Eric. Half the reason he got mad was because of that," Delphine said. Eric sighed. "We should get back to Alconer's hut. I still have some things there." *not to mention I'm tired* she said to Dimitria. *you're not the only one. you're used to this, I'm not* *I didn't even know you could do that. I'm starting to wonder about a lot of things about you, Dimi* *...I'm sorry. there are a lot of things you need to know that I didn't tell you, even though I should have* *it's all right* She paused. *what did you say your mother's name was?* *Selena...* Delphine didn't answer. Her eyes widened and she seemed to be realizing something. *what is it?* *don't pretend like you don't know* *...I don't. what's wrong?* Delphine looked at her. *...what was the man's name, the one your mother fell in love with?* *I think his name was Darren... oh my gosh* Dimitria's eyes widened when she suddenly realized; Delphine's father's name was Darren. Her mother's name was Selena. *I... I didn't... oh my... I didn't make the connection...* *I'm... half D'jinea...* *yes, you are* They looked at each other. "Hey... Hey! What are you two talking about in there? I can't hear you." They both looked at Comet. "W... we were having a private conversation." "Oh. Sorry." "Anyway... so what should we do?" "Like I said, we should go to Alconer's hut. We all need a rest." "And explanations." She looked at Jared. His face was pale, and he was shaking slightly. "There are a hell of a lot of things that make no sense to me at all." She went to his side and touched his arm. "Are you all right?" "Yeah, I think..." "Okay, we've don't enough dawdling, let's go." They arrived at Alconer's hut about a half an hour later. He welcomed them in, his hospitality never waning. Delphine, Martinus, Dimitria, and Jared were all in Delphine's room. Delphine was sitting on the edge of the bed, and Jared was sitting in a chair. Martinus was standing in the middle of the room, and Dimitria was leaning against the window pane. "Many years ago -- before you two were born -- Dimitria and I were members of the Royalty. The Royalty is the D'jinea empire. The main Royalty is on a small planet in the Fourth Dimension -- a planet called Bah'jor -- but its members are spread all over Creation. We were a part of the army." "Why did you need an army?" "The Royalty is in the middle of a war with Gar'hnd." "Gar'hnd?" "The Detrimental Empire. We..." "Whoa, whoa, one thing at a time here," Delphine said, "who're the Detrimental?" Martinus looked at Dimitria. "You didn't even tell her that much?" "I wanted to keep her out of it," Dimitria said quietly, studying the floor. "It's all right, Dimi," Delphine said. Dimitria looked up, relieved. Delphine looked at Martinus. "So, who are they?" "This is going to take quite a bit of back history. Okay. Over one thousand years ago, the D'jinea and the Detrimental lived in peace. Life was simple, there was no technology even close to what we have now. But, there was still pride. And... ethnic differences. Certain close-minded members of the society were biased against the other race. These people each believed their race was better than the other. It was a known problem, but the leaders thought it was in check. A few skirmishes here and there, nothing that couldn't be fixed by a day or two in jail for the perpetrator. But, one day, it all came crashing down. A group of Detrimental attacked two D'jinea. The man was badly wounded, and the woman was, unfortunately, killed. I don't think the group knew that the consequences of their act would be an all-out war between the two peoples." "What?! What happened?" "Things grew from bad to worse; basically, they just started hating each other, little by little." He paused. "Where was I?" "You and Dimi were a part of the army..." "Oh, yes. We had both been born into the Royalty, and fate found us under the same command. We fought against the Det's using Majik, Energy, and, of course, weaponry." "Why did you leave?" "I left because I was sick of the war. They didn't care about civilians, innocents..." "Relatives," Dimitria finished for him. He looked up sharply. "Dimitria." "Oh please. You left because your sister was accidentally shot by a scared private." "That's enough!" "'That's enough'? Get a hold of yourself, Mart. You're acting like you left out of your own good will. You didn't care until it got just too close to home." "Oh, really? And just why did YOU leave then, hm?" "I was vacationing with my mother -- my only living relative, mind you -- and we came here, to Mobius. It was one of the few planets not yet touched by the war. We thought." "Not to sidetrack, but what happened to your father?" Delphine asked. "MIA," Dimitria replied. "Oh. Sorry." "Quite all right. It happened a while ago. Any--" "Wait. Sorry, I keep interrupting. But... you said to Martinus before that you left the Royalty twenty years ago. You told me you were twenty-one. Logic tells me this is not possible. Dimi, just how old are you?" Delphine finished. Dimitria sighed. "That's the other thing... I have been alive for fifty-four years." "You... what?" "I'm getting to it, I promise." She paused a moment to regain herself. "Anyways, my mother met Darren." "Darren?" Jared asked, sitting up. He had been slouched in the chair, not really listening. He knew Darren was the name of Delphine's father. "Yeah. She's getting there," Delphine said. Martinus glanced between them, not knowing what they were talking about. Delphine glanced at him. "Oh, my father's name was Darren. Darren Kiminsu." "...oh. OH. I see." "As I was saying, my mother met, and soon fell in love with, Darren Kiminsu." "Waitaminute, just how long have you known this?" "About an hour. Delphine figured it out when I told her my mother's name..." "And mine. Selena," Delphine finished for her. "Doesn't that make you... half-sisters?" "Pretty much." Jared blinked. "Oh." "Your father was a great man, Delphine," Dimitria said quietly. Delphine smiled. "I know, Dimi. Go on." "Sick of the way the humans fought their war..." "Hold up. My father was a part of the human army?" "For a time. He came a few years before Robotnik took over things; he didn't like the humans, so he switched sides. He switched shortly after Julian, and some thought it would become a trend." Dimitria smiled. "Five years before this switch I was called back the the Det-D'jin war; Selena kept me informed of what was going on by letter.' "Letter?" "Our technology is... advanced. Anyway, my mother had already married your father, so I did not even suggest she come back with me. I stayed with the Royalty for awhile, but soon became tired with their ways. So I left. I came back here, and soon found out what had happened. Darren was... murdered, and Mom..." Dimitria stopped. "Dead?" "I never found out exactly what happened to her," Dimitria said quietly. "Well, that's all well and good," Martinus said, "but I believe your memory deceives you." "Excuse me?" "I did not leave the Royalty because my sister was murdered by that moron -- whom, I might add, should not in any way been given access to a gun -- I left the army. I stayed with the Royalty for almost ten years after that, until I found out their plans." "...what plans?" "You don't know? About the Kiminsu's?" "...no, I never heard anything about that." "Apparently it was still classified information when you left. They wanted to take the Kiminsu's and use their power to win the war." "It looks to me like the D'jinea already have a power similar to a mine -- a Kiminsu's," Delphine said. Dimitria glanced at the floor. "True, but we have much less control over it. Your family seems to have a knack for it." "...well, okay, that I understand. But, so what, we have more control over it. Does it matter all that much?" "It matters a great deal. Greater control means greater power. You saw the shape Dimitria was in; that battle with Morgan drained her almost completely. And she's better than most. You came out and you weren't even breathing hard." "And you're only sixteen." Delphine took a moment to think it through. "So, they wanted a Kiminsu, so that they would have more power... but what's one person in an army of thousands?" "DNA." Delphine blinked. "Oh. But-- that doesn't make sense," she said, confused. "I'm assuming you know about Tytus Kiminsu and the orb?" "Mhm." "He purposely made it known that the orb had given him his power; when in reality, it only gave him the Medallion. The Medallion is merely the orb in a different form." Delphine took the Medallion out of her pocket and looked at it. "Do you know what the symbol on it means?" "It is simply the Kiminsu insignia." "Oh." "He knew that someday, something may happen that would attract some form of evil, wanting the power. So he told his son that the power came from the Medallion. It is only a piece of metal." Delphine smiled. "That's a bit of a relief." "Now I need to explain something that may not make much sense at first." "Like any of this makes sense?" Jared muttered. Delphine smirked. "Humans are, originally, from Earth. No where else. They came to Mobius." "Wha-at?" Martinus looked at Jared. "Have you heard of the 'Lost City of Atlantis'?" "A million times in a million different ways. Why?" "Most of what you heard is just myths; but there really was a country called 'Atlantis', on Earth. Somewhere in between the time the dinosaurs died out and the time the other humans learned their first bit of technology, Atlantis disappeared. "The ground it was on is still there, believe me. Perhaps it did sink, but more likely over time the island was overcome by the tide. The Atlantians, basically, were tired of their planet. They were a bright people, and Earth was boring." "Still is," Jared commented. "Yes, well... So, they all split up and went in any direction they pleased, into the galaxy. They had long since discovered inter-universal and inter-dimensional travel; some simply found another planet in their universe, some traveled to different universes in the same dimension, and some to totally different dimensions." "Hold on. Explain 'Universes' and 'Dimensions'. I don't get it." "A Universe is a body with several star systems and a lot of space. You tell the difference between one Universe and another by the time line. Some time lines are incredibly slow, while some are incredibly fast, and some are in the middle somewhere. It's very complicated," he added, seeing the expression she gave him. "A Dimension ins a body with several similar Universes. You tell the difference between Dimensions by the majikal properties." "Wha-- nevermind, my head is already spinning, let's just skip that part." "Hold on. I know you said there were other humans on Earth, so how humans still exist on Earth makes sense. But, didn't anyone stay behind?" "Well, actually, this is where some of your questions are answered, Jared. There were a few families who stayed behind. The Mattes where one of them." Jared blinked. "You mean..." "Yes. You are an Atlantian descendant. As is Delphine." Jared gazed at the floor. "I'd suppose the Atlantians where what you'd call 'super-humans'. They each had full control over their Energy." "You've used that term twice to describe this power. Why?" Delphine asked. Martinus shrugged. "That's what it is called." "...oh. Again." "But some had a genetically enhanced knack for certain things. Some where great writers; others were painters; and some were swordsman." Jared looked up. "They weren't born with these traits, the traits were put into them, my gene-manipulation. But, they also knew what they were doing; the descendants of these people with genetically enhanced traits are born with the same ability. A child could pick up a paintbrush and begin to paint, or, in your case, Jared, pick up a sword without ever holding one before and be able to use it. Especially their family sword." "What?" "Can I see it, please?" Jared nodded, pulled it out of the sheath and carefully handed it over. Martinus pointed to the symbol Jared had noticed before. "This is your family's insignia." Two swords were engraved in the metal, the left one overlapping the right in an 'x' fashion, and three words in a language Jared didn't know behind the swords. "Do you know what those words say?" Martinus looked at them. "No. It is very possible that it's an Atlantian language, but I cannot be sure." Delphine walked over and looked at it. "It says, 'strength, courage, honor'." "You can read it?!" Martinus exclaimed, incredulous. "Yeah. My father taught me the language, after he finished teaching... whatever tongue this is. " "English," Jared told her. "That kinda bothered me, all you guys speak the same language as me, and we're not even from the same planet. I guess it makes sense now, a little." "Perhaps you should teach Jared the language," Dimitria added quietly. "That's a good idea." "Sounds good to me," Jared said. Jared and Delphine smiled at each other. "You wouldn't happen to know the language, would you Dimi?" Delphine asked. "Well, no..." "Do you want me to teach you?" Dimitria smiled. "I'd like that." Martinus glanced between them. "Well, I think that covers most everything, doesn't it?" "Wait, Martinus," Jared said. "You said all the Atlantians had Energy, and that it was something passed down through the generations." "Yes." "Does that mean... I have it?" Martinus blinked. "I guess it does, doesn't it." Delphine and Dimitria looked at each other, then at Jared. "Oh. Wow. Oh, wow." "How?" "Hm?" "How would I use it?" Jared asked Martinus. "Someone would have to teach you how to use it." Jared looked at Delphine. "Just call me Ms. Tutor." He smiled. "Thanks, Del." He looked at Martinus. "Does this mean I'll be like Del, or like you guys? I mean the control thing." "I would guess your control would be similar to Delphine's, because you are an Atlantian, and managed to keep your name, like she has." He looked around. "IS there anything else?" "None that I can think of," Delphine answered. Jared nodded in agreement. "Well, then, I'll go check on Eric." Martinus left the room. Jared pulled the chair closer to the bed and sat back down. Dimitria walked towards the door. "Dimi, wait. Stay. I... we need to talk, I think." Dimitria sat down on the bed next to her. "Why... why didn't you tell me any of this before?" Dimitria looked down. Her hands were folded and resting in her lap. "I did not think you were ready for it. I also needed to collect more information. I did not have a complete explanation. I didn't know everything he just told you. I... I'm sorry." They were silent. "You never explained the age thing," Jared said, disturbing the silence. "Oh, yes. Once a person has discovered the full potential of their energy, their life span greatly increases. I discovered my healing power when I was twenty-one, and I've hardly aged since then." "Does that mean..." "If both of you discover whatever it is that is almost unique to your Energy power, what your strongest point it, you would live for a very, very long time." "Yikes." Jared glanced at the floor, then looked up at Delphine, a sudden realization showing in his eyes. "Del, what about Peter?" She blinked, then brought her hand to her mouth. "If..." She glanced at Dimitria. "Is it okay if I tell Dimi?" "Might as well," he sighed. "Peter and Jared are related. They're both Mattes." Dimitria blinked. "When did you find this out?" "That's not the point." Dimitria looked between them, then gasped. "He would have the same abilities as Jared!" "Uh-huh," Jared said, feeling a little sick. "I hope you did kill him, before." "If he survived the fall, then we need to find him and get rid of him..." "Wait, what fall?" "We had a little incident. Basically, I threw him. Into a river. From really, really far up." Dimitria thought back to when she saw the girl helping the blonde haired boy out of the river. "Uh-oh." "What?" "I think I saw him on my way here. Alive." Delphine blinked. "What?!" "I didn't think about it at the time, so I guess I didn't make the connection. That was Peter." "Crap. We have to..." "Hey everyone!" Comet walked in. Delphine smirked. "Hi Comet. Come to join us?" "Actually, I need to tell you something." She glanced at Dimitria and Jared. "I guess they can hear it too. Eva just told me that I'm the last known living white Pegasus, and there are some people after me who want me dead. They don't know I'm here, though." She gave it a moment to sink in. Delphine jumped up. "What?! Comet!" "Don't worry about it too much. They have no idea where I am. And if they do find me, well..." She grinned. "Don't give me that look, Del. I'll be okay. I just figured you should know, in case something happened and there isn't any time to explain." Delphine glanced at Dimi and Jared. They both nodded. "Well, as long as we're at it, there are a few things I should tell you. In case something happens, and there's not much time to explain." Delphine grinned, then gave Comet a summary of what had happened, what Martinus had told them, and what they had figured out. "Oh my. I guess we'll have to do something about him, before he finds out." Jared sighed. "What is it?" "I dunno, I just have this weird feeling. Like it's..." "Too late." He looked at Delphine. "Me too," she said quietly. Eyes that were eerily purple looked intently the monitor. The boy was wearing a black tee-shirt and slightly baggy blue denim jeans covering his black sneakers. His hair was blonde. He looked to be about fourteen, fifteen years old. The monitor showed a figure tied up, lying on the floor, unconscious. A girl was standing by the door. Her eyes were hazel. She was wearing a green shirt underneath a blue denim jacket, and blue denim jeans over black boots. Her hair was light strawberry-blonde. She looked to be fifteen, sixteen years old. "What are you going to do with him?" she asked quietly, causing him to pull his eyes away from the monitor to look at her. "Elenore? I though you were resting." "I couldn't sleep. I keep dreaming that something bad is going to happen." The boy smiled at her. "Nothing bad is going to happen. Everything is under control. There's no way they could get in here, if they were anywhere near here." "You saw what happened to--" "Elenore. Don't worry about it, okay?" She walked over. "I know I shouldn't worry... I just... can't help it." She sat in a chair next to his. "Peter?" "Yes?" "You never answered my question. What are you going to do with him?" she asked, pointing to the monitor. "I'm going to send him somewhere where he can't hurt us," Peter replied. "Peter? What... nevermind, I think I just answered my question." She stood up. "I'm going to see if I can get some more rest." She forced a smile. He looked at her, giving her a real smile. "Okay." She nodded and turned away. The moment she was out of sight, she leaned against the wall and closed her eyes. She had been sent to spy on Peter, acting as a potential girlfriend to get him to tell her what she needed to know. Her brother had sent her in order to find out everything and anything about Peter. She was doing a good job at spying, and as acting. As a matter of fact, there was only one problem with the whole plan. She wasn't acting. Eric sat up in bed and looked his father in the face. "How come you didn't tell me all this sooner?" "I was not planning on telling you any of it, but seeing as Delphine has graced us with her presence, I decided that you deserved an explanation." Eric sighed. "Dad..." "Although it may have been better, if I had told you sooner. Then you might not have jumped at Morgan to stop him. I know owe Dimitria two favors." "...Sorry, Dad." Eric glanced down at his hands. Martinus frowned. "I am not ashamed of you. I am simply saying that it may have happened differently, had you known everything." Eric looked up. "I am not mad at you for trying to protect me." Eric smiled. "Thanks, Dad." He sighed. "Who was my mother?" Martinus blinked. "What?" "Who was she? A human? Another D'jinea?" "It does not matter." *you yell at me for not telling Delphine everything, and you will not even tell your own son who his mother is?* *mind your own business, Dimitria* *fine* Martinus sighed. "I guess I should tell you..." The four of them came down the stairs as Eric and Martinus walked out of the room. "Perfect timing," Delphine said. "I think we should stay the night, and then head back to Knothole." Martinus blinked. "The Freedom Fighters?" "Yeah." "But Robotnik is dead. Who are you fighting now?" "A guy named Peter. He's practically a kid, but he's too smart for his own good..." Delphine shook her head. "Do you two want to come with us?" "Actually, we need to clean things up around here." "Oh. Well, that's all right." She looked at Eric. "You be careful. If it weren't for Dimi, you'd be dead right now. You owe her your life," she glanced over her shoulder at Dimitria, "which you wouldn't if you had thought about what you were doing." "Hey, I've already been chastised and ridiculed. Leave me alone," he said with a grin. She smirked. "Sorry, sorry. But, still..." "All right, I promise I won't get into anything life-threatening if I can help it. Okay?" "Good." They smiled at each other. It was dark out. That was good; no one would see him. Eric stepped onto the roof of the hut, and took a thin, rectangle shaped device out of his pocket. He sat down and pressed several buttons, then waited. Two minutes later, a female face appeared on the screen. "How are things going?" He quietly said into the communicator/recorder. "Okay," she told him. "He has Sonic T. Hedgehog captured, though. No signs of an escape plan from the remaining FF's. Other than that, things have been quiet since our last contact." Eric nodded. "Good." "Eric...?" "Yeah?" "...n, nevermind. It's not important." "El? What's wrong?" "It's nothing. I'm fine. Don't worry about a thing." She flashed a grin. "See you in two weeks." The screen went blank. Eric felt something sharp poke into his back. He gasped and froze in place. "What are you up to, Eric?" "...crap..." was the whispered reply. He obviously hadn't been quiet enough, for Jared had found him out. That was probably Jared's sword digging into his back. "You have five seconds to start explaining before I give Martinus a reason to hate me." "I wasn't doing anything wrong. I was talking to a friend of mine." "About the comings and goings of the Freedom Fighters?" Jared asked sarcastically.The sword dug deeper into Eric's back. "Ah, stop! Let me explain!" Jared eased up. "Look, I... I sent someone to spy on Peter. That's all." "Why." "Does it really matter? What does it have to do with you?" "It has everything to do with me!" Jared whispered fiercely. "Shit, Dad wasn't kidding," Eric whispered, turning white. "About what?!" "About you. You're a Matte." "I'm starting to see why Del was getting so frustrated. I do have a first name, you know." "That doesn't matter much the place where I came from... of course, it was a living hell, so it doesn't really..." "Do you want to go back there?" Eric swallowed. "Jared..." "Stop changing the subject. Why did you send a spy to Peter?" "I think you know why," Eric said quietly, almost so that Jared couldn't hear. "And I think you'd better not let him anywhere NEAR that sword." "Until I stick it through him." Eric turned around, and instantly found the sword tip at his throat. "I didn't say you could move." Eric closed his eyes and desperately tried to control his breathing. "You can't kill him. Not with this sword. It... he shares your name, damnit." "So?" Eric sighed. "Forget it." Jared clenched his teeth, but he pulled the sword away. Eric had already been on his knees, but now he dropped onto his hands as well. "So much for staying out of life-threatening situations," Eric said to himself under his breath. "How was I supposed to know you weren't a traitor?" Jared asked as he sheathed the sword. "You could've asked," Eric said with slight sarcasm. Jared walked over and helped him to his feet. "Sorry." Eric walked past him and down the ladder back into the house. Jared watched him go, then sat down on the roof. He rested his arms on his knees, then let his hand drop onto his arms. His whole world was spinning around all over the place, and he couldn't catch up with it. He couldn't even sleep through it. "Nothing will ever make sense again..." he muttered to himself. "Jared?" a voice asked, causing him to jump. He looked over his shoulder. "Del... geeze, don't scare me like that." "Sorry." She sat down next to him. "I couldn't sleep." "Neither could I." They grinned at each other. "Again," they said at the same time. "I just can't sleep. By brain is restless. It won't stop thinking," Delphine said. "Neither will mine. I'm exhausted, but my brain won't let me sleep. Darn it." Delphine smirked. They sat in silence, listening to the night life. A sudden realization came to Delphine. "Hey, wait a minute. Devon... he can do some of the same stuff I can." "What do you mean?" "He can protect himself with a shield, and I've seen him throw a few energy balls." "...this is weird." "In every way." Another silent pause. "Jared..." "Yeah?" "I... I think I..." She sighed. "Nevermind." A long pause. Delphine found Jared's hand and held it. End of Part 7. To be continued. Back