Mianite- Season 3

Chapter 27: Going Into Hiding

Waglington's POV:

"Well, the good news is that they're not going to come looking for you over here," Martha muttered, determination reflected in her beautiful blue eyes. 

"Is there any other bad news?" Spark asked, hunched over from pain. "Other than, you know, the fact that this entire city wants me dead for no reason?"

"The person who did leave through the visitation center door was getting help for you," Martha muttered. "But Ambrosia's been long gone, and she'll have a goddess with her. One who's actually experienced with battle, and whose powers are much more developed than mine."

"We need to get out of here," I said, which was pretty obvious at this point. "But we can't exactly go back to the apartments. They'll find us, won't they?"

"And now we can't leave the city," Spark muttered. "This is just setting us up for disaster."

"We have to go hide you in someone's apartment," I told him. "Someone who they wouldn't expect you to be rooming with."

"What if they search all of the rooms?" he hissed. Despite the fact that he was about 80 years old and badly injured, he looked very intimidating, and I didn't doubt that he would put up a good fight against anyone trying to hurt him. 

"What other choice do we have?" Martha cried. "Let's go. Now."

Reluctantly, the old man followed his daughter through Galena's streets, with me acting as a lookout to make sure that we wouldn't be stumbling into any more guards. 

Tom's POV:

I couldn't fall asleep. I had been laying down for hours, but was unable to drift off, and it was incredibly frustrating. I gave up around 1:30 in the morning, figuring that I might as well get something to eat and relax on the couch if I wasn't going to sleep that night. 

There wasn't much to eat, so I grabbed a bowl of cereal and plopped down onto the apartment's luxurious sofas. It was pushed against a wall, with an enormous window next to it. As I peered out of it, I noticed that I was able to see an entire side of the laboratory, as well as many streets leading up to them. 

I was marveling at how quiet and pretty the city got at night. There wasn't a single sound, and the dim streetlights gave the crystal-like buildings a faint glow. Normally, in cities, I could barely hear myself think, but Galena was completely empty. 

Then, the sirens started going off. 

I noticed them running through the street. I had finished eating my cereal, so I had dumped the bowl in the sink and rushed back to the window to see if I could catch a glimpse of what was happening. I hadn't seen anything but lights going on and off in the laboratory for a good fifteen minutes, which had been growing annoying. But now, I saw them. 

Barely illuminated by the streetlights, Martha was running down the street alongside a hooded figure. She was supporting Spark, who seemed to be in great pain. I didn't know what to do, or if I should help them, but I figured it might get me into even more trouble. They were clearly running from something, and the sirens going off didn't sound like good news. 

A few minutes later, I heard a few sharp knocks on my door. It sounded like someone was pounding on it, desperately trying to get in. My hands were shaking, but I forced myself to swallow my fear. 

"Tom?" Martha called from the other side of the door. "Are you there? Please wake up!"

I unlocked the door and threw it open, wondering why they were coming to me, of all people, for help. I was faced by Waglington, who had his hood mostly off. He nodded to me in greeting, then stepped aside. 

"Please help me," Spark croaked, limping toward me. I stepped aside so he could enter my apartment, staring in horror at his terrible condition. There was blood dripping down his face and arms, which couldn't be very good for a man his age. He was walking with a significant limp, and his glasses were broken and skewed. 

"This is going to sound crazy," Martha said, entering as well and quietly shutting the door behind her. "And maybe a bit hard to believe."

"Well, it's not like Spark did that to himself," I muttered. "Should I get anything to help him?"

"A glass of water, maybe," Martha said. "I'll try healing his wounds with my powers. Waglington, why don't you give him an explanation?"

"I'll try, I guess," Waglington answered nervously. "But... I'm not sure where to begin. You heard about Cypress's group splitting up?"

I took a tall glass over to the sink and began to fill it up. "Yeah, I heard. What happened with that?"

"I don't know what happened to the others," Spark said, his voice hoarse and hollow. "But Cypress and I were trying to get help, because we were the first ones to find Malachai's body. And then... then we did end up finding a Galena leader."

"And I'm guessing they didn't exactly help you?" I brought the glass of water over and gingerly handed it to him. 

Spark shook his head while taking a long sip of water. "They assumed, for some reason, that we had actually been assisting Safire. So, they... they took Cypress, and..."

"And?" Part of me wanted to make a joke, to lighten the mood, to do what I had always been known for doing. But, seeing how broken this poor old man looked, I couldn't bring myself to say anything. 

The fact that he looked identical to Sparklez made this a million times more difficult. 

"And they shot him," he continued, his eyes focused on something in the middle of the air. "They dragged me inside the laboratory, though, knowing I wouldn't be able to fight back."

"They... they killed him?" I gasped. "And not you?"

"Tom," Martha sighed, irritation covering her face, "Shut up, please. Let him finish the story without asking him stupid questions, or making him feel guilty, alright?"

I felt my face turning red. "I didn't mean to make you feel... I was just..." I stuttered. 

Spark waved away my apology with a wrinkled hand. "It's fine, forget it. But, yes, they spared me. It's because I was from Ruxomar. They were going to take my memories and analyze them, probably using the information I knew for their own gain. Disgusting, it is."

I opened my mouth to comment, but, after receiving a harsh glare from Martha, decided it was better to stay silent.

"I was escaping when I ran into Gaines. The poor guy had already gotten what was going to happen to me. He was brainwashed, and couldn't remember a thing. Eris was there, too, and ratted us both out. She called the guards when she saw I was escaping. I ran for it, though, and barely made it out alive. Gaines, his messed-up mind causing him to have conflicting thoughts, stayed with Eris," Spark said. "And then I made it out, and found these two. That's it, I guess."

"Eris?" I snarled. "Can I kill her? Please?"

"Tom!" Martha yelled. "What do you not understand about the fact that she's brainwashed? She's not doing this, Galena is. She's not the problem here, got it?"

"It's terrible, when you really think about it," Waglington said in a hushed voice. "There's an innocent girl trapped in the shell Galena forced her into, and she's acting against her will."

"Before we get too deep," Spark interrupted, "Is it okay if I stay here for the night? I need somewhere to hide. I'm currently very, very wanted."

"Er, yeah, sure," I said. "Make yourself at home."

Martha and Waglington stood up to leave. "I guess all we can do is go back and hope for the best," she sighed. "I hope Ambrosia's alright, too."

"Ambrosia?" I asked, shooting them a confused glance. "What about her?"

Waglington let out a small, exhausted laugh. "Looks like we aren't done explaining."