THRICE

10 -- Ripples

Squall make a short click and stepped onto the surface of the deep swamp water, sending ripples through it. He took a deep breath and flexed his fingers, putting Lucian's Gift to work. Then, he lifted his other foot. The water supported his weight as easily as solid ground. He grinned and walked slowly toward Idaxi, unsheathing his sword. "I'm stronger than you could ever be," he said. "I'd suggest watching your words."

Idaxi remained silent, curled up and tightly holding her bleeding arm. Black blood dripped down to the dark abyss of sheet metal below her, where her forearm had already disappeared. "What should we do with her?" Duana asked.

Nyhus took off his sunglasses. "I've got an idea." He looked where he assumed Idaxi's eyes were and tried to catch her gaze. "Hey, look at me," he said sweetly.

Idaxi snarled, "No," but changed her mind when Duana's blades drew even closer. They were nearly touching her on all sides.

"Why are you here?" Nyhus asked her. "Give us all the details. I like those."

"And why would I tell you anything?" Idaxi snorted. She shrank back as a blade neared her neck.

"Well, that answers that question," Nyhus huffed. He almost put his sunglasses back on, but reconsidered and slipped them into his pocket.

Cara smirked. "She's not even human. You thought that would work?"

Squall frowned and clicked at Idaxi. "It's because of her vision, not her species," he said eventually. "I'll find other ways to interrogate her." His attention turned to the ship, and he kept clicking, trying to get a better sense of its shape. The water under his feet went still.

After a particularly sharp click, Idaxi interrupted him, snapping, "Stop that, for the love of the fates!"

Squall snapped right back, "That's how I see, Darkling. How about I take those flashlights of yours? Then we'll be on even ground."

Idaxi faltered and clutched them more tightly. She hadn't realized that his sense of space was quite that detailed. "I don't need to sink down to your level," she said tightly, though she had lost her bite.

Suddenly, they heard footsteps crunching in the gravel along the train tracks. Squall turned and furrowed his brow. He knew that gait. One of them, anyway. Three people stopped, staring across the water. Nobody knew what to say. Finally, Squall rubbed his forehead and said, "What are you doing here, Nisha?"

"Looking for you, obviously," she called back. Jaden scrambled to pull her away, but Monisha wrenched her hand out of his grasp and held her ground.

Squall looked towards Cara and Nyhus and gestured to the tracks with his head. They followed him towards Monisha, Tatiana and Jaden. "Looking for me with backup?" Squall said skeptically. "No, I don't think so. You made a mistake coming here."

Jaden fumbled for his laser pistol, but Nyhus locked eyes with him and said, "How about you throw that away and stay right there? Don't do anything."

"I can do that," Jaden murmured numbly, tossing the pistol into the water without any hesitation. He stared into Nyhus's eyes, and Nyhus stared right back, smiling reassuringly.

In the same sickly-sweet tone, Nyhus asked, "Is CAMIO coming?" He hopped off the last log after Cara.

Jaden nodded once, and Monisha stared indignantly up at him. "You said you wouldn't tell anyone!" she said. He didn't reply, or even react. To the beat of Squall's clicks, Squall and Cara circled behind them. Monisha and Tatiana exchanged nervous looks, and Monisha stammered, "We're here to take you back, Squall. We finished the spell!"

Squall cocked his head, then burst into chaotic laughter. "Take me back? You think I want to go back to CAMIO?" He shook his head, leaning on his sword. "You're the one who's out of your mind, then."