008

8. ...In Despair

He stood on a cliff overlooking the vast wasteland that unfolded before his eyes. Wind blew through his soft brown hair, breaking not a strand from the meticulous part on the left side of his head. His face was round and boyish, with deep brown eyes and a perfect set of pearly white teeth. A butterscotch-colored frock coat covered him, adorned with golden buttons and a silver pocket watch. For the first time in his life, he had been sent out on a mission. He planned to complete it with precision and accuracy, for he was now one of the elite.

Behind the howling wind, another sound surfaced. It was a vehicle. The young man stepped off the edge and went sailing toward the ground. The 25-foot drop gave him no trouble, and he landed softly on the sand below, eyes fixated on the approaching buggy.

The buggy’s driver was Kurt Alzorne, another young man with a mission. The sleek, metallic sand buggy had been lent to him by the sheriff of Land's End, as his mission was an urgent one.

The pressure was getting to Kurt as he neared his destination, so he missed seeing the figure drop down gracefully in the middle of the pass. By the time Kurt noticed the blond-haired man walking toward him, his buggy had already zoomed in far too close.

"Holy–"

Kurt shoved his left hand onto the emergency brake in a panic, wondering if he'd be able to slow down in time. The stranger watched calmly as the buggy’s bumper moved up to nudge his shins.

"The hell ya doin', man?!" Kurt jumped out of the car with his shotgun. "If ya wanna die so bad, I'll just do ya right here!"

The young man stared at Kurt expressionlessly. He raised a hand and brushed some dust off the shoulder of his coat.

Kurt aimed his gun at the suspicious stranger. "What're ya doin' out here, anyway? This here’s private property. Speak, man, speak!"

"You are inferior."

Kurt faltered. "Say what now?"

The blond man put his hands inside his coat, then pulled them out to reveal two small, gleaming sickles.

"You're in my way, insect."

*

Cliff flung his eyes open, expecting to see the demented face of Xarles Klavier Van Kaen staring down at him. Instead, he saw the green casing of a regeneration tank. His limbs and vitals were attached to the tank by nodes and IV tubes which rapidly pumped in medicine and recuperative psynergy that would speed up his body's healing process. Submerged in warm, therapeutic jelly, Cliff’s body felt clean and secure. Even though he couldn't see through the casing of the tank, he knew where he was: the Guild hospital.

I can't believe it. Cliff looked down to his jagged, bruised stomach. I thought I was dead for sure... And I would be. Van Kaen would have killed me...if it hadn't been for Eden. Eden was who they were after, yet she saved me somehow. But in a way, that's even worse. What if she really is the Daughter?

It hurt Cliff's mind to think, so he resigned himself to rest. Whether it was minutes or hours later, at some point, he felt the fluid drain out from the tube. A panel to the outside slid open, and cold air rippled over his body.

"Vice-Captain Walden? Are you awake?" A voice called out. "Amazing. After only six hours of recuperation, you're already conscious again."

A short man with buzzed white hair in a blue Guild uniform approached Cliff and began removing the wires from his body. As Cliff slowly climbed out, he felt his body cry out in pain from every angle. After a few shaky steps, the Knight slowly regained his sense of balance.

"We washed your clothes, but they’re in tatters," the man explained. "I've prepared fresh underclothes for you in the meantime."

"Thanks for the underwear, Dr. Bern," Cliff chuckled, as he grabbed a soft white tank top and shorts and delicately slipped them on. "See, that’s why I always keep a spare outfit in my closet. A man like me just doesn't feel comfortable unless he's in his own synthetics."

Cliff’s doctor smiled. "I completely understand, Vice-Captain."

Cliff scanned the small patient room. On the far side was his busted shotgun. "Who brought me back here?"

"The 1st division brought you in, led by Vice-Captain Jaq," Bern answered. "From what I heard, the only survivors they found within the building were you and a civilian girl who was somehow unscathed. She kept a close watch over you the entire time."

"Eden..." Cliff's eyes went wide. "She...where is she?"

"Waiting outside," Bern said gently. "I had her leave for a bit in order to protect your modesty."

"Thanks, Dr. Bern. Now, if you’ll excuse me..." Cliff started off at a brisk pace, but soon froze as sharp pain erupted through his body. "Dammit!"

"I’m afraid you aren’t quite ready to leave yet..." Bern said, with a wince. "Miraculously, none of your organs were seriously damaged, mostly just muscle tissue and ligaments, which were quickly repaired by the tank. But that doesn't mean you're ready to run out there again. Your whole body needs time to recover from all the trauma it experienced.  You'll need to stay put at least for the next day or so."

"Unfortunately, I don’t have a day or so," Cliff sighed, lifting up his shirt and studying his stomach again. A huge scar ran across his bruised, purple belly. "I need to go retrieve something."

"Then I suggest you figure out a way to retrieve it without straining yourself," Bern continued sternly. "Or else your next recovery will take even longer – if you get one."

"I understand," Cliff said quietly, trying his best not to limp as he moved toward the door. "I appreciate all your hard work, doctor."

Out in the lobby he found Eden, still dressed in the green turtleneck and white skirt she’d picked out in Johnny’s boutique. Cliff immediately ran up and embraced her.

"Eden...I..."

"I’m not sure what happened," Eden murmured, her head buried in his shoulder. "But we survived, Cliff."

Cliff moved back and looked into her eyes. "I’m sorry I dragged you into all this. I was just trying to protect you..."

"But I ended up protecting you instead." Eden stared up at him with worried eyes. "I attacked him, and he ran...that monster was afraid of me, Cliff. What am I?"

"I..." Cliff began, then stopped himself. He had an idea, but that’s all it was – conjecture. It wouldn’t be fair to burden her with that – not at a time like this. But more than anything, Cliff didn’t want to believe that any of it was true.

So he lied. "I don't know, Eden."

*

Vance Darcouver opened his mouth and let out a blood-curdling scream, shattering the silence of the desert. Blood gushed from his open wounds as his body convulsed with shivers. He felt like throwing up, but there was nothing in his stomach. The sun's rays burned down on him, pulling sweat from his pores and only adding to his strife.

Where am I?! Hell? It's so...hot...and my wrists! My fucking wrists!

"Nooo..." he moaned. His dry mouth cracked and burned. "Mom..."

"Hey, pa! I think I see him! I think I see Kurt!"

Vance desperately looked around for the butcher's knife, still desperate to end his life and the suffocating pain. But it was nowhere to be found. And so, abandoning all hope, logic, and thought, Vance let himself succumb to unconsciousness. As he began to sink away, his ears were gradually filled with the loud sound of a motor.

"Right over there, yeah, he's lyin' right over there!"

Yanked back into the desert, Vance cracked an eye open, trying to catch a glimpse of what was happening. All he could see was a thick tire roll up, summoning a cloud of dust.

"Hey, Kurt! Kurt, it's me, Ashley!"

Strong hands grabbed Vance’s back and flipped him over. His arms scraped along rough sand; he coughed up a mouthful of dust and shrieked in pain as his body was jerked around like a penny in a washing machine.

"Aw, wait..." The one who had flipped Vance over – a tall, muscular young woman with a brown rat-tail, looked down on the teenager with a very disappointed look on her face. "Aw, wait, Pa, wait – it ain't him."

"What?" A hobbling old man made his way over to Ashley and Vance, adjusting his dusty glasses to get a better look. His tongue sloshed around in his mouth. "Yer right, Ash, shore as shit ain't him."

"Hey, you with me, man?" Ashley inquired. Her strong arms shook Vance back and forth, shifting dusty, sweat-plastered hair out of his eyes. "Holy shit, pa, we got a bleeder here!"

Vance cracked his lips apart, trying to say something, but all that came out were exhausted whimpers. He’d never felt worse in his entire life, and simply wanted to die. Luckily for Vance, he was unable to mouth this desire.

"Pa...pa, he don't look so good," Ashley finally deduced, looking toward her father.

"Yeah, I reckon he don't. Whaddya wanna do? Take 'im with us?"

"Well, he might know sumpin' 'bout Kurt."

"He shore might." The old man licked his chapped lips. "Toss 'im in the back, and let's high-tail it back into town. Maybe Kurt's back by now."

"Yeah, yeah, you're right, pa! Maybe he is!"

"Well, let’s get to it then. Grab 'is ol' bones there."

Ashley hoisted Vance up and tossed him into the gap behind the seats of the beat-up buggy. The old man got in after she started it up, and twangy country music started to pour out of scratchy speakers. Ashley and her father began to whistle...and Vance realized that he’d died and gone to hell.

*

Tao Fukunaga stood with his back to the Guild’s command center, watching with pensive eyes as Cliff and Eden approached. The Vice-Captain was dressed in a brand new hat and duster, while Eden wore a red open-front caped blazer with dark blue pants.

"I’m glad to see you’re both alright," the Seneschal said with a nod.

"Give Vice-Captain Jaq my thanks," Cliff said gravely. "But what took the 1^st division so long to arrive?"

"They hit us first." Tao motioned toward a screen on a nearby wall. "Beasts summoned by God knows what started hammering our shields, and while we were busy dealing with that, they compromised our communications system."

"Shit." Cliff took one look at the screen and clenched his fists. "Do you think they found out about the clock?"

"Of course they did," the Seneschal replied angrily. "You shouldn’t be asking yourself these questions, Cliff. You’re a Vice-Captain now. So next time you consider using an enemy’s vehicle to return to your own base, do yourself a favor and think again."

Cliff turned his eyes down, speechless.

"Now, that’s all the time I have for reprimanding," the Seneschal went on. "We need to try and bring the clock back from Despair while we still have a chance."

"A clock?" Eden asked, remembering the name of Cliff’s homeworld. "What’s the big deal about a clock?"

Tao quickly raised a hand and began to explain. "The world itself once thrived and flourished, but was turned into a wasteland hundreds of years ago by a catastrophic war. Ever since then, artifacts from the past have slept deep under the surface. An excavation team from the 4^th division has been researching and excavating the underground tunnels in Despair for years, and they finally uncovered something: a clock, a device that may be a key to the space-time continuum."

Eden’s eyes widened as she looked between the two men. "And the Dark Zodiacs are after those too? Please don’t tell me you’re thinking of sending Cliff there...he can barely walk!"

"No, originally I wasn’t planning on sending Cliff at all," the Seneschal said. "But we lost contact with the team hours ago. As of now, the clock could be anywhere."

"I’ll go get it," Cliff said. "I know those mines like the back of my hand."

"I figured you’d say that," the Seneschal sighed. "Unfortunately, I don’t have anyone to send with you. The 1^st division must stay here and guard the Guild, as is their duty. The 2^nd and 3^rd divisions are pursuing a God-hating cabal that threatened the Church. Captain Azuka took half of the 4^th division to Tartoch, and the other was split between here and Despair."

"I’ll go with him," Eden said calmly. "I can protect him."

"No way," Cliff said, shaking his head. "It’s too dangerous."

Eden turned to face Cliff, a citrus aura burning in her eyes. "Cliff, can you honestly say that to me after what happened back in that store? I don’t know if it was coming to this world that changed me...but I awakened to something back there. I’m stronger now."

Tao studied Eden intently. "You know, considering what just happened here, it may not be the worst idea in the world to transport you somewhere else for the time being."

Cliff stammered. "But..."

"Just get to Land’s End and find a way to make contact with the team," Tao said. "Confirm their safety, then return at once. That’s all you need to do."

Feeling somewhat defeated, Cliff looked to his superior and gave him a quick bow. "We'll be right back, Seneschal. I promise."

"You don’t need to promise me anything. Just come back alive."

Next: Sin