MHG-V1-2 (Initial Draft)

Chapter 17 - This is what I'm prepared to do for you

A.17

It was completely dark inside the tunnel apart from the light shining in from outside. Ken was up to his knees in cold water, which beside sending a cold chill up his body, made it harder to move.

"Flashlight." Ken said, activating a small light on his earpiece that illuminated enough in front of him so that he could see the outline of the walls and wasnt groping completely in the dark.

"Keep following the water way until I tell you." Ayaka's voice came. Ken grunting his yes and continued the slow walk deeper and deeper into the compound.

"Stop here." Ayaka said suddenly. "On the wall to your left is a ladder built into the wall. Take it up."

Ken looked to his left. Sure enough a series or rungs went up the wall. He could see now that the ceiling above him had gone and was replaced by expansice darkness.

Ken began his climb up the ladder. He wasnt very athletic, so it wore him out a bit, and he had to stop several times to catch his breath, but he persisted nonetheless.

He eventually came to a ledge, and at Ayaka's instruction got off the ladder and started making his way along it, his back pressed hard against the wall for fear of falling of. At last he came to a hole in the wall that had a single door embedded in it. A light next to it beeped green, and when he pushed it, it opened for him. The room he entered into was a massive open space with a ceiling that rose several floors above him. It was like the cavern of a massive cave. It was dimly lit by electronic lights, but it was better than the tunnel, so Ken deactivated his flashlight.

"My room is that small dome shaped structure near the center." Ayaka said.

Ken noticed it. It reminded him of an eskimi house. Large cables ran along the ground into it. He made hia way towards it and then slid open the single door on the outside.

"Welcome to my room."

Ayaka stood solemnly before him dressed in a black skirt and leggings and a white knitted sweater. She looked hauntingly beautiful as she stood there, her image projected by a holopad stuck on the ground. Her face was one of melancholy, but she smiled as Ken walked in.

"You came." She said softly.

"Of course, we had a.."

"Deal." Ayaka said. "But still, I'm touched that you actually came and are standing here in this room. Mostly its only engineers I get in here, so to entertain a boy like yourself is quite special.."

"Its only a room.." Ken said, creasing his forehead.

"Its more than a room." Ayaka said. "You can feel me here, right?"

"Feel you?" Ken asked.

"You didnt know?" Ayaka asked. "Or perhaps Teruko doesn't know? Here, come closer to the mainframe."

The mainframe Ayaka referred to could only be the massive cylindrical machine that sat on one side of the room and looked very similar to the one he had seen in Teruko's room. Ken walked around the holopad and came to stand in front of it.

"Open the door." Ayaka said.

Just then Ken noticed the thin circular line on the front of the machine with a tiny touch switch embedded in it. He pressed the switch and the front of the machine slid away to reveal a cramped room inside. There was a lot of machinery but in the center of it all was a round yellow donut-shaped object, attached to the rest of the machine by wires and talon-like clutches.

"Is that..?"

"My soul ring." Ayaka ended. "Come closer to it."

Ken stepped forward, so that he was almosy stepping into the machine itself. Suddenly he could feel something enveloping him. It was similar to the feeling he had had that time in Teruko's room. A feeling of being embraced while there was noone there to embrace him.