Part 3: Avenues of Thought

The Turks were making excellent time, they had gotten over the mountains pretty smoothly and were coming up on North Corel. Reno had gotten thoroughly drunk on the trip there, and was trying to sleep it off when the Turks had just about reached the end of their journey.

"Rude, wake that fool up." Elena said, bitterly. She had driven the whole way and Rude and Reno’s bickering over the last beer had driven her to throw the bottle and all out of the car and down the mountainside. Reno had almost got up and chased the bottle, but Elena had punched the gas, and Reno had nearly punched her, luckily, she still had her gun, and that abated his wrath.

As the car continued its journey in it the warm afternoon sun, Elena pushed back blond hair tiredly. What a day. What a week. She smiled though, everything would be okay now… If she could just get there, and get that girl, then she would be rid of these fools forever. It was funny, in the past the Turks had been a well-oiled machine. Now, they were fools, at each other’s throats. They would probably kill each other soon. Sighing, Elena put an elbow on the window and cradled the side of her head with her left hand. Meanwhile, Rude was hitting Reno.

"Get up man."

"@^$* can’t a guy get some sleep." Reno muttered, drunkenly.

"Reno get up, now." Elena said.

"Who the &%^) are you to tell me when I should get up?!" Reno moaned.

Elena had had enough. "Look you son-of-a-bitch, I’m gonna @#$!ing blow your head off!" Elena slammed her foot onto the break and hopped out of the car, she ran around to the back seat, yanked open the door, and reached down to her holster. She grabbed her gun, cocked it, and rammed the barrel into Reno’s forehead. "I am NOT ^$%#ing afraid to pull the damn trigger." She spat.

Reno lay there, looking at her, the same cocky expression in eyes, but he couldn’t hide his fear. No matter what, he knew Elena meant business, she was just as far down on her wits end as he was. Slowly he sat up. "Fine, Elena." He said quietly.

"Don’t ^%&* with me, Reno." She whispered, then put the gun away. She walked back to the driver’s side got in and they started off once more.

"What the hell is up your ass?" Reno muttered.

Rude just stared out the window, watching the craggy rocks move past.

Elena began to hum. At least it blocked Reno out.

*******

When Karis awoke, she was still in the same spot that she last recalled. She cradled her aching head, and looked around. She swallowed, and her saliva was forced down her cottony throat like water through a desert. She looked around, struggling for focus, it had gotten dusky, and her eyes weren’t working properly. Karis leaned over to the side and braced herself against the small uprising of a hill. She touched her face. Strange, it no longer hurt. She struggled to her feet and looked over the quiet village. The laborers must’ve been in for dinner and the night.

Karis managed to walk from her spot and to a small well that was near one of the exits of the village. She took a sip from the dipper and in the clear reflection she could see her face. With wild, frightened eyes she drank in what she saw. Her face was whole and intact, totally without mar or wound. She gasped and dropped the dipper in the well. She sighed and then turned away from the well, somewhat worried.

What was going on?

She couldn’t think about that now. She shook her head tiredly and turned back to the well and contemplated her next step. Those… Those people in black they had to be coming. She cursed under her breath. She hoped she could stay ahead of them.

Suddenly, she heard voices disrupt the quiet that had settled around the small village.

"Have you seen…?" a woman’s voice said loudly.

Karis whipped around to see a young blonde woman talk to the man that had sold her the potion earlier.

She couldn’t breathe. It was them! How had they found her?! She couldn’t think, only react now. She whirled around, searching for a place to escape, but none revealed themselves to her. She searched rabidly, her mind crying. Then she saw it.

There was a huge transport over past the exit. If she could just get inside…

"Elena!" another voice called.

Karis looked behind her once more, to see the same red haired man from the other night. She knew the bald one would be coming too… Her heart in her throat, she threw herself towards the exit and the transport. She was nearly there when she tripped and the attendant had decided to make a fuss.

"Oh, miss! Are you okay!?" the man nearly screamed.

Karis almost beat her head against the rocky ground beneath her. "God damned buffoon." She whispered as the man came near. She could hear the other people in black exclaiming.

"There she is!!" one of them screamed.

Karis grabbed the dumbfounded attendant and stumbled to her feet. She fumbled up and pushed the man down at the same time and hurried towards the transport. She could feel the people in black at her back, she could feel their energy around her. It felt dirty and evil. She ran towards the entrance of the of the transport, knowing feeling that if she could just make it…

One of the people grabbed the back of her coat. She struggled to break free. Her thin frame twisted in the cloth’s grasp. Finally, the worn fabric began to come apart…

She felt as if she would never break free, when, with a gratifying tearing sound, the coat fell away from her and she stumbled onto the transport. She found herself inside, the frightened operator just stared blankly at her. Her frightened eyes were all her needed, he nearly fell out of his chair as Karis pushed past him and slammed her palm onto the button in front of the man. The transport began to move, slowly, but fast enough to keep the woman and man from catching up to her. As she watched through the window, she stumbled back onto a seat and breathed heavily. This was too much. What did these people want? She looked over down at the platform that the transport was leaving behind, and saw a bald man join the other two. The sight of him sent a chill down her spine. She slumped back in the padded seat she had found herself in, and then looked down at the operator.

Breathlessly she asked, "Where does this thing go?"

The man, evidently shaken back into reality by the question at hand, turned his eyes to her and replied, matter-of-factly: "To the Gold Saucer of course!"

Karis sat back in her seat and stared out the window. What had that woman said…

The words echoed in Karis’ ears.

Karis didn’t want to make sense of the apparition that had spoken to her in the vision. Only because it was only a vision, nothing more, nothing less. At least that’s what she told herself. She sunk further back into her chair, not wanting to think about the people in black… Or about the stupid vision. Why was she cursed with this horrible "gift." No. It wasn’t a "gift" it was a hex. She was certain that this would all drive her to her death. She knew, she could feel reality and sanity, whatever she had left of the two, slip away slowly. Like sand from her fingertips. All Karis could do was close her eyes, in hope that she could somehow shield herself from the horrors around her, and shrink back into the seat, striving to make her presence on this Planet impossible to discern.

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