Kingdom Hearts Fan Fiction ❯ Kingdom Hearts Route B ❯ The Crew ( Chapter 14 )

[ P - Pre-Teen ]

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Kingdom Hearts, Final Fantasy or any of the Disney/Square Enix characters that appear in this work. Please support the original releases.

 

 

Chapter 14: The Crew

 

 

Donald stared at a Milo with his beak hanging open.

"So, Mr. Witmore really paid for all that equipment?"

"The whole expedition?" Sora added.

"Yep."

Goofy chuckled. "He must have really cared about your grandpa."

"Yeah. I owe him a lot. I finally get to show the world all the amazing things my grandpa believed in."

"And you get to help me uncover a few mysteries about my own city," Kida said.

Goofy scratched his temple. "I don't get it."

Donald frowned. "Yeah, it's the other way around. Shouldn't you be the one telling him about your city, Kida?"

The ride through the caverns slowed down as Kida stared out silently into the tunnel ahead of them. When she finally spoke, her voice was low.

"We are not thriving. My people live, but our culture is dying. Since we were banished down here, no one can understand our writing. We are forgetting our past and, without it, we may not have a future. With each passing year, a little more of our way of life is worn away. And with those creatures suddenly appearing, it's getting even harder to hold on to our identity."

Donald and Goofy hung their heads.

"What do you mean?" Milo asked.

"Before you arrived, those 'heartless' appeared. My people already have to scavenge for food at the edge of a crumbling city and now those creatures are attacking them, making them vanish."

"Well it's a good thing we're here then," Sora said. "Milo can help you figure out the past while Donald, Goofy and I can take care of any heartless that pop up."

Kida turned around and grinned at Sora.

"You give quite a bold promise."

Donald rolled his eyes. "Yeah, he does that a lot."

"Hey, come on! We can't just abandon people in need."

"Yeah, Donald," Goofy chuckled, "you know it's the right thing to do."

Donald crossed his arms. "I just don't want to forget why we're really here."

The caves got brighter. A sea breeze reached Sora's nose. Soft light peeked through the rocks at the end of the tunnel. Vines and roots crept out from between the cracks along the walls.

They flew toward the light. The cave faded away and the world opened up. Sora forgot that they were underground, or even under the sea. He stared out into a crystal clear waterfall that stretched high above his head. Kida made the vehicle fly upward, and, once they were above the waterfall, Sora, Donald and Goofy gaped at the sight below them.

From above, the city of Atlantis sat in the middle of an enormous disk of water. The water roared down over the edges of the disk in powerful waterfalls that ended in a layer of mist so thick that they couldn't see anything beyond it. Standing along the edges of the disk, like stern guards protecting the city, were statues of ancient golems.

A shadow was cast over them as they flew under the thick arm of the statue. It stood with its legs spread wide and its arms outstretched as though it were ready to block a massive wave from washing away the city.

They flew over the disk of water, mountains and small islands that rose up from the miniature sea. At the center of the disk, there was a city that looked like one massive cone of houses, statues, buildings, and courtyards. Kida flew to the city and slowly descended down onto a plaza.

Citizens of Atlantis waved at them as they landed. As they ran up to greet them, Sora noticed that all the people of Atlantis had the same silver hair, brown skin, and blue eyes that Kida did. They even wore the same cerulean crystal around their necks.

The Atlanteans greeted Kida with excitement. Some even poked and prodded the fish vehicle as though they had never seen such a marvel before. The crowd swallowed Kida, pulling her away, yet she didn't seem bothered by her people's eagerness.

She looked over her shoulder and called out to Milo. "Meet me at the palace later!"

As Kida moved away to answer her people's questions, a few children jumped up onto the fish vehicle with Milo, Sora, Donald and Goofy. Goofy patted some of the kids' heads, entertaining them with funny faces and silly jokes.

Sora looked around. The city was covered in fresh vegetation and vines, which grew like spiderwebs over the buildings and the stone roads. Carved into every surface were symbols and pictures from Atlantis' past. Many of the buildings were were cracked and scratched. Still the city was beautiful, even if parts of it looked a little run down and flooded.

After politely interacting with the Atlanteans and answering their questions, Milo led Sora, Donald and Goofy through the city, explaining the ancient history and culture of Atlantis.

"There was just one thing I was wondering," Sora said. "Why would the heartless want that journal?"

"This," Milo presented the journal with a flourish, "isn't just any journal! It's the key to unlocking all of the mysteries of Atlantis. In addition to leading my crew here, I've learned so much about the city through this journal."

"Where is your crew?" Donald asked.

Milo gave them a smug grin. "Wait till you meet them."

He led the way to a bustling market near a stone pier. Milo asked the trio to wait for him while he went to gather up his crew. The moment Milo left, Sora felt the overwhelming need to site down and relax for a second. Too bad there wasn't a bench in sight. Though, there was nice, lone blanket by one of the food stands. Sora walked over to it and sat down.

Which turned out to be a big mistake.

There was a low, scratchy growl by Sora's ear.

He turned his head and found himself staring into the beady eyes of a chubby, and very dirty looking man.

"What have you done?" the man snarled.

Sora stumbled backward, his keyblade appearing in his hand out of reflex. He stared at the strange, metal apparatus that covered the man's head and half of his face. There was a headlamp in the man's forehead and a crooked lever coming out of his temple. The man's eyes looked like tiny telescopes. They popped out of his head and stared into Sora's face.

Sora squirmed, feeling as though he were under a magnifying glass. "Uh, what?"

The man turned the lever at his temple and his telescope eyes shrunk back into his head.

"You have disturbed the dirt!"

The man pulled up the red blanket Sora had been sitting on, revealing whole piles of different color dirt underneath.

"You have mixed and smashed all my samples!"

He turned on Sora with a beady eyed glare.

"You do not look Atlantean. Who are you? Where are you from?" He pointed at Sora's keyblade. "What is that?"

"This is my-"

"Ah! You're so slow!"

The man grabbed Sora's wrist and took out a pair of tweezers from the pocket of this thick, trench coat. He brought the tweezers dangerously close to Sora's hand.

Sora struggled. "Let go!"

"Hold still, crybaby!"

There was a little pinch on Sora's fingertip.

"Voila!"

The man let Sora go. His eyes zoomed in the tiny spec of dirt he held between the tweezers. He mumbled to himself while he smelled the dirt. He even tasted it. Then he turned to fix Sora with a furious stare.

"Young boy, the microscopic blueprints of the dirt tell me you are not from here. A forest, a swamp, a desert, two separate cities, these are all the places you have been to, and recently." The man's eyes narrowed. "How is it you have traveled so far in such a small amount of time?"

Sora swallowed a lump in his throat. From behind the dirt man, Donald growled.

"Sora, can't you wash your hands!"

Goofy raised his arm and took a whiff. "Gee, I think we all could use a bath."

The man turned on his headlamp and shined the light right in Sora's eyes.

"Talk! Who are you? Where did you come from? What is your country of origin? Tell me, fiend!"

Sora backed away until he hit someone. Turning, he looked up a tall man with a thick, black mustache.

Mustache looked at the dirt man and then back at Sora.

"Did ya sit in the dirt?"

"I didn't know it was there!"

Mustache shook his head, and put a comforting hand on Sora's shoulder. "Don't sweat it, friend. Mole, can you let the little kid off this once?"

"Mole?" Sora repeated.

The dirt man introduced himself. "Je m'appelle Gaetan Moliére, lead geologist on this expedition. Everyone calls me Mole."

Sora could see why. With the man's very round head and body, the thick furry collar around his neck, the overwhelming stench of mud, the buckteeth, and the thin layer of scruff on his cheeks, the so called lead geologist felt more rodent like then human.

There was a tap on his shoulder and Sora turned around to see the mustached man holding a waterskin.

"Have some water. To relax."

"Thanks." Sora drank the water and then noticed the very concerned look on the man's face.

"What?"

The man was looking at the back of waterskin. "Oh no."

Donald and Goofy pushed passed Mole. "What's with the face?"

"What did I just drink?" Sora asked harshly, feeling panic rise up in his gut.

"I think I just gave you nitroglycerin by mistake." The man sniffed the waterskin in Sora's hand. "Yep, definitely nitroglycerin."

Donald and Goofy nearly feigned. "Is Sora going to explode?"

Mustache put up his hands. "Don't move, or breathe, or think, or do anything, except pray maybe?"

"BOOM!"

Sora, Donald and Goofy screeched. They crumbled onto the ground, clutching their chests, wheezing and shaking. In front of them, Mole and the tall, mustached man roared with laughter.

Fueled by fury, Donald was the first to get back on his feet. He waved his fists in the air, his face red. "What's the big idea! Are you trying to kill us?"

"Relax junior," said Mustache, waving around a red stick of dynamite, as though it were just lollipop. "It was only old nitroglycerin. The chances of exploding are very unlikely."

Donald took one look at the explosive and stepped back, his hands up.

Goofy groaned. "I feel sick!"

"Sick? I can help you with that," said a new voice.

Goofy turned around. The bald man standing behind them looked as though he could challenge a grizzly bear to a wrestling match and win. The muscles on his arms and chest seemed way too big for his olive colored, army tank top. He loomed over Goofy and the poor, old dog gulped.

Luckily, the big man sidestepped Goofy and moved passed Sora and Donald to cross his arms in front of Mole and Mr. Mustache.

"Vinny, Mole, what have I told you about picking on little kids?"

"We were only giving the kids directions, doc. Ain't that right Mole?"

"That is correct."

The big man raised a suspicious eyebrow at his two buddies and then turned around to face Goofy.

"Did you say you were feeling sick?"

He removed a stethoscope from his pocket and pressed it to Goofy's heart.

"Now, take a deep breathe."

Goofy did as instructed.

Big stuck a popsicle stick into Goofy's mouth.

"Say 'ah'."

Goofy opened his mouth wide.

"Hmm, nope. You look completely healthy to me. Did you eat something that is making you feel nauseous?"

It was just then that an old man popped up out of nowhere. "Course he's sick! Look at all the food these people be eating."

The old man pointed to the food in the marketplace. There were all kinds of fish, and sea food, and some kind of green goo that looked a lot like mashed seaweed. Now it was Sora's turn to feel sick.

"No beans, bacon, or lard! I gots to teach these people how ta cook!"

A girl in overalls walked up to them and a swung at the old man with a wrench, barely missing him.

"Oh no you don't, Cookie. I want some actual food, and not another one of your lard surprises."

Sora pressed his hands on his temples. Between Mole, Vinny, the muscular doctor, the wrench girl, and the old man, his head was beginning to throb.

"Who are all you people?"

The beefy doctor snapped his fingers.

"Ah, right. The name's Sweet. Joshua Sweet. Medical officer."

He pointed at the mustached man.

"This is Vinny, our demolitions expert, and you've already met Mole."

"Enchanté."

"This," he pointed to the girl in overalls, "is Audrey Ramirez, our chief engineer."

The girl gave Sora a once over, chewed and blew out a bubble of pink gum.

"And finally," Sweet continued, pointing to the old man.

The old man held his suspenders and stood up straight. "Jedidiah Allardyce Farnsworth."

"But we all call him Cookie," Sweet explained. "He's our chef."

"Please to meet cha," Goofy said.

As if things weren't confusing enough, Milo appeared a moment later, with a beautiful, blond woman and a barrel-chested, middle aged man in tow.

Milo spread his arms wide. "Ah! I see you've met everyone."

Sora wondered if it would be rude if he were to sit back down on the dirt. He was about to collapse but was stopped when the blond woman caught his eye. Her sharp, hawk-like stare seared into Sora, and he couldn't help standing straight with his arms at his sides.

The woman set her red lips in a thin line as she looked at Sora, Donald and Goofy, assessing each of them.

"Now, Helga, you're frightening our heroes," said the older man.

The woman stepped back, but her gaze didn't leave the trio.

The man cleared his throat.

"Lyle Tiberius Rourke. I'm the commander of this expedition. I've heard you three helped our friend Milo get his journal back." He extended his hand. "Please allow me to express my gratitude."

Commander Rourke's hand looked big enough to punch through solid concrete. Sora wondered how many pushups a man like Rourke would have to do in order to have such bulging biceps. As they shook hands, Sora couldn't help but feel a little scrawny.

Donald and Goofy saluted.

"At ease, gentleman," Rourke said. "You're not a part of my crew, there's no need to be so formal. Though I do believe I need your help."

Helga fixed Sora with a look that made him feel as though she knew about every lie he had ever told in his life.

"You three. State your name and rank."

"Um, Sora. Keyblade master?" "Goofy. Captain of the guard."

"Donald. Royal court magician."

"Interesting titles. What is your objective in coming down here?"

"Actually, we're looking for someone."

Sora described Locke as best as he could without breaking the world order. Unfortunately, it didn't look like anyone on Rourke's recognized his description. Helga narrowed her eyes.

"You lost a friend down here? My condolences."

Commander Rourke gestured to the city. "Perhaps looking around for a little while may help you find him. However, I have a favor to ask. Those creatures have been making it rather hard to rest and resupply here. We're only allowed in Atlantis for a sort time you see, and my crew are tired from the trip."

"You're asking us to take down any heartless we run into?"

"That's correct. It would also help Mr. Thatch greatly. He still has some research to do."

Sora scratched the back of us head. "Okay, we'll do it. We will meet back up with you after we've searched the city for our friend."

"Very well, meet us back at the edge of town at o' three hundred hours," Helga commanded.

"Yes ma'am," Sora said automatically.

Rourke smiled. "And someone still needs to talk to that Atlantean princess and get a feel for how things are around here."

He thumped Milo so hard on the back that Milo's glasses nearly flew off his nose.

"The rest of you," Rourke looked at his crew. "You know what to do."

Rourke and Helga walked off with Vinny, Mole, Dr. Sweet and Cookie trailing close behind them. Only the mechanic, Audrey, and Milo stayed behind.

"Hey squirt," Audrey pointed at Sora, "can you really take down those monsters?"

Sora summoned his keybalde. "You bet I can."

Audrey put her hands on her hips and leaned in so close that Sora couldn't help backing away.

"Two for flinching."

She punched Sora twice in the arm.

"Hey," Donald growled.

Audrey ignored him, twirling her wrench in the air. "Scrawny kid. I'd like to see you in action."

"Oh yeah? Well I'd like to see you take down some heartless with your wrench."

"You got a deal."

"Sora," Donald moaned.

"What? She wants to see what we're made of, let her see it."

Audrey put her hands in her pockets. "Let's go kill some monsters."

"You mean we'll kill the monsters. You can just watch."

She gave Sora a "yeah right" look.

"Um, guys," Milo started, "don't forget that we still have to meet up with Kida at the palace."

"You go on ahead, Milo," Goofy said, "we can't go there until we've searched the city for our friend."

The trio searched the city and asked the citizens if anyone had seen Locke while Audrey looked at the sights. After searching every nook and cranny with no hint of Locke, or the heartless, Sora was starting to get antsy. He could feel Audrey's judgmental stare burning the back of his head. It would be nice if one heartless would show up so that he could destroy it and get Audrey off his back.

With no luck in the city, the friends started exploring the ruins on the outskirts of town. They passed under stone pillars covered in moss and vines, over ancient roads that were cracked and covered in craters, and climbed up old, forgotten statues. Still there was no sign of Locke.

"Looks like your friend ain't here," Audrey said. "And neither are those monsters."

"What is you problem?" Sora snapped.

"I don't have a problem. I just want to see you wimps in action."

Donald raised his staff. "I'll show you a wimp!"

Goofy reached out and plucked Donald off the floor before the duck's temper could erupt. "Now now."

While Donald had a tantrum in Goofy's arms, Sora glared at Audrey.

"What? You don't think we can take those heartless on?"

"Those things destroyed half of our crew getting here. Everyone on my team is a trained professional and we were barely able to take them down. I'll believe that you three can take them on when I see it."

A cloud of darkness popped up right behind Audrey's head.

Goofy dropped Donald in favor of bringing out his shield. Sora raised his keyblade at the heartless. Audrey, surprised, took a step back. The heartless raised its lance. Sora reached out, grabbed Audrey's shoulder and pushed her to the side. The lance sliced down through the air, missing Audrey by an inch.

Donald, still fuming, finally had something to throw his temper at. He pounced on the heartless' torpedo-shaped head and began smacking it with his magician's staff.

"You stupid, annoying, confounded heartless! Blizzara!"

Icicles stabbed the heartless, making it vanish, but darkness always attracted more darkness. Before Donald had even landed on the floor, a horde of heartless had appeared in the ruins.

Audrey raised her wrench. Before Sora could stop her, she charged forward, whacked a heartless across the face, and sent it flying toward a stone pillar. The pillar cracked and fell over, smashing the heartless.

The other heartless moved toward Audrey, surrounding her. She backed away, hitting the heartless that got too close. Her defense didn't stop the creatures from calling more of their kind. They closed in on her like a pack of wolves that were ready for the kill.

Goofy put his feet on his shield. Sora and Donald gave him one big push and he rocketed off at blinding speed, crashing into the heartless like a bowling ball hitting the pins. The heartless went flying, which was the perfect opportunity for Sora and Donald to fry them with a pair of thunder spells.

More heartless appeared on the ground, but with Goofy defending Audrey, there was nothing to hold Sora and Donald back. Sora picked up the duck and put him on his shoulders. With his keyblade in his hand, he charged the group of heartless. Donald threw fire spell after fire spell from Sora's shoulders, keeping the heartless at a distance, while Sora hacked and slashed his way through the heartless on the ground. Like a firecracker with a knife, Sora and Donald obliterated every last remaining heartless.

When everything was quiet once again, Donald gave Sora a high five, and then jumped off the boy's shoulders.

"Oh boy, that felt good. I really needed to blow off some steam."

"I think we've gotten a little stronger," Sora said.

"Stronger? With the keyblade maybe, but your magic could still use a little work."

"Aw, come on, Donald."

"You know, fellars, I think it's our teamwork that has gotten better."

Audrey cleared her throat, making the trio look at her. She came up to Sora and pinned him with a glare. Sora glared back, only to be completely thrown when Audrey grinned.

"Sorry for being so hard on you. It's been a tough few days."

Sora blinked, but couldn't help smiling back a moment later. "Don't sweat it. To be honest, I actually kinda like having you around"

Audrey smirked. "Oh really?"

Sora blushed. "I mean, you kind of remind me of a friend of mine. A friend that always pushes me to be stronger."

"Sounds more like a rival to me."

"He's that too." Sora put a hand over his heart. "We've been friends since we were little kids, and we were always competing."

"Sounds like me and my sister. We pretend we don't get along, but I know she always has my back." Audrey dusted off her overalls. "Well, I'd better get back to Commander Rourke and the others to help them finish setting up. See you, Sora."

She left before Sora could ask what her crew was setting up for. When she was gone, Goofy called for a huddle.

"Hey fellas, I don't think Locke is in the city."

"But the shadow man said he was in this world," Donald said.

"Well, we haven't checked the palace," Sora reminded them, "and Kida did ask us to go there."

Goofy looked down at the ground sadly. "I sure hope Locke is okay."

Sora felt like pins were being pushed into his heart. What if Locke wasn't in Atlantis? What if Dr. Facilier had just been lying? He shook his head. There wasn't time to doubt. They still had to check the palace, and if Locke wasn't in that world, then that would mean that they would have to beat his location out of Dr. Facilier himself.

 

 

 

"How are you feeling?"

Riku rubbed his eyes. After some walking, and a few healing spells, he had gotten used to the darkness around him. The black energy still lingered in the back of his mind, but it was easier to ignore now that King Mickey was with him.

"Better. I can see just fine."

"I'm glad to hear that. You know, I'm impressed."

"Why?"

"You're a good student. You were able to pick up how to do a cure spell pretty easily."

"You think so?"

Mickey nodded, winking.

"You know, back home, I would be the one doing all the work. Sora would laze off and Kairi would find a way to make us do her part."

"Sounds like you had to learn to be independent."

Riku stopped walking. He took a look around the realm of darkness, at all the strange, black and purple glowing platforms that stuck out of the black void. The large, open road he and Mickey stood on seemed felt like it stretched forever into the darkness. How far would he go down that road before realizing there was no end?

"Maybe, I'm a little too independent," Riku said.

"What do you mean?"

"I spent a lot of time doing things on my own, and look where it got me. All alone."

"Gee, you're not alone. I'm here."

Riku gave Mickey an appreciative grin. "You know, I don't know even know why I'm telling you all this. Somehow, you're really easy to talk to."

"I was alone for a while here too. So I know how you feel. It's just lucky we found each other again. This place is so huge. I wonder if it's just as big as the sky that connects all the worlds."

"Right. The worlds really do share one sky."

"And one destiny."

And one realm of darkness, Riku thought. For a moment, he wondered if the world of light would be able to exist without the realm of darkness. Then he felt a heavy thud against his heart. Something was coming.

Mickey summoned his keyblade.

Dark spheres with hungry teeth and sharp, yellow eyes floated in the air. Underneath the dark ball heartless, shadows rose up from the ground. The heartless circled around Riku and Mickey, yet they did not attack.

The platform underneath Riku's feet rumbled. Then the world slanted sharply to the side, like a sinking ship. Riku leaned on the soul eater, trying to keep himself standing. The platform tilted the other way, and it was all he and Mickey could do to hold on. A swirling, black whirlpool appeared on the floor.

The ground tilted once more as a massive, muscular arm came out of the vortex. Like a hand clutching the end of a cliff, the creature's claws dug into the stony platform. The arm pulled the rest of the body out, and Riku watched, his heart screaming in fear, as a giant heartless stood up among all the small fry. It was only then that the ground stopped shaking.

Riku stared into the giant, heart shaped hole in the creature's chest. Slowly, the monster straightened up to stand on its short legs. It's head was a mass of tentacles. There was no face, only yellow eyes that stared silently into the darkness.

Tiny shocks stung on the inside of Riku's stomach and chest. The creature was looking at him. It twitched and then the smaller heartless attacked.

Something slammed into Riku back, smacking his lungs. He fell to his hands his knees, gasping. Darkness sprinkled onto him from above, and Riku looked up just in time to see a heartless explode overhead when Mickey's keyblade ran through it. The king landed at Riku's side.

"You okay?"

Riku grit his teeth. Shame pushed down his terror, stuffing it into a deep well inside him. He pushed himself back up, gripped his soul eater tight in his hands, and charged the shadows and darkballs.

"Riku wait!"

Riku sliced through one heartless sphere, and then through the row of shadow heartless that had tried to scratch at his legs. The sound of chewing drew Riku's attention to the right and he ducked before a darkball could bite into the side of his head.

Standing, Riku stabbed the heartless in the back. He felt spidery fingers clamping around his ankles. Looking down, he tried to slice the heartless holding his legs, but then a shadow heartless jumped onto his shoulders. It pulled at his hair and tried to scratch his face. Riku was too distracted by it to stop the heartless dragging him down.

Mickey dashed forward and sliced through the heartless holding Riku's legs, allowing Riku to finally get rid of the heartless on his head. He opened his mouth to thank the king, but the words died in his throat.

The giant heartless was right behind Mickey. It's fist flashed through the air.

"Look out!"

Riku pushed Mickey out of the way. The fist crashed into Riku, flattening him into the ground. He didn't even have the strength to scream. A fist closed around his body, lifted him up. The giant heartless squeezed. Riku grit his teeth, staring into the creature's empty, emotionless eyes.

King Mickey appeared in the air behind the giant heartless. He raised his keyblade and sent a fireball that spiraled down, searing into the back of the heartless' tentacled head. The heartless turned around, swiping the air behind it as though Mickey were nothing more then a fly to be swatted.

The king landed on the heartless' head and slammed his keyblade into the the heartless' face. With its free hand, the heartless grabbed King Mickey, and began to squeeze. Riku watched helplessly while listening to the sound of his own body being crushed. The smaller heartless down below began climbing the giant. They sat on the fist holding Riku, swarming him. He felt claws and teeth on his arms and legs.

The darkness tightened around him. The eyes of all the heartless melted together until Riku was looking at a dark, black sea full of yellow eyes that were ready to swallow him back into the abyss he had just barely escaped from. Riku couldn't think. He swatted at the eyes, at the darkness, but it closed in, tighter and tighter until he breathed in the stench, until he couldn't hear anything, until...

You're one with the darkness now.

Riku opened his mouth but couldn't hear himself scream. He was buried under a rockslide of darkness and there was no escape. The voice felt closer then ever.

Open your heart to darkness.

Riku struggled harder. He couldn't sink back into the darkness. He would never let Ansem take over him.

Never again.

Oil gathered up in his chest and eyes, but he wouldn't let it stay there. He raised his hand in the dark, and felt the power transfer there. Ansem's voice laughed in his ear, the darkness began to burn his skin, but Riku forced the black energy toward his arm, and shouted without words.

Black and purple orbs of energy burst from his hand, shredding through the heartless, the platforms above him, and everything that was unlucky enough to be in its path. The swarm split apart, the heartless pulverized the dark power. The hand holding him down let go. Riku fell toward the floor, finally free from the darkness, but not from the burning.

Flames seared his entire body. His eyes felt as though they were melting. He hit the ground, but the pain of slamming against the floor was nothing compared to what he felt in his head. He lay on the ground, unable to move until something soft and warm numbed the pain.

A pair of hands helped him sit up. Riku sat still gasping, listening to King Mickey voice. The chants of healing spells, one after the other, relaxed his heart. Finally, the burns were lifted, but exhaustion made it hard to open both eyes.

Riku opened his right eye and thanked King Mickey.

"Are you all right?"

Riku nodded.

"What a relief."

Riku looked at the king. His black fur was matted and tussled. There were scratches on his pale face.

"Whoa, are you all right?"

"Don't worry about me. That huge heartless got a few good hits in, but I was able to take it down after you shot that dark firaga spell."

Ice gathered in the pit of Riku's stomach. "Dark firaga?"

"Yes. Right after you threw out that spell, the giant heartless was stunned. I was able to defeat it."

"I used the power of darkness."

"You had no choice. Things were desperate."

"No you're wrong! All that talk about rejecting the darkness and I just made the same mistake!"

Riku opened his left eye. Half of his vision was completely black.

"What? My eye! I can't see though it!"

 

 

 

Jiminy's Journal

Gaetan Moliére (First Appeared in Atlantis The Lost Empire, 2001): The lead geologist on the mission to find Atlantis. Members of his crew call him Mole because he's more at home in the dirt then anywhere else. He has an uncanny ability to deduce things simply from studying one sample of dirt.

Vincenzo "Vinny" Santorini (First Appeared in Atlantis The Lost Empire, 2001): An expert in explosives who just loves to blow stuff up almost as much as he loves to play practical jokes on people with his buddy, Mole. His deadpan and chill sense of humor makes him the most relaxed out of everyone on Milo's crew.

Joshua Sweet (First Appeared in Atlantis The Lost Empire, 2001): Although he's a tall, muscular man, Dr. Sweet is a good-natured person who genuinely cares for the health of others. He is bombastic and self-confident and keeps troublemakers like Vinny and Mole in line.

Audrey Rocio Ramirez (First Appeared in Atlantis The Lost Empire, 2001): A teenager with a tough exterior, Audrey takes a little while to warm up to people. She's a gifted engineer who also isn't afraid of a fight. Underneath her tomboyish outer layer, she has a softer, more sisterly side.

Jedidiah Allardyce "Cookie" Farnsworth (First Appeared in Atlantis The Lost Empire, 2001): Don't let his old age fool you. Cookie is a spry old man who is both resourceful in the field and in the kitchen. He serves as the cook for Milo's crew, though his meals are questionable at best.

Lyle Tiberius Rourke (First Appeared in Atlantis The Lost Empire, 2001): The composed commander of the team sent down to find Atlantis. He is a big, imposing man who seems to be in complete control of his crew despite the fact that he hasn't given a single order. How does he get such a team of misfits to respect him?

Helga Katrina Sinclair (First Appeared in Atlantis The Lost Empire, 2001): A beautiful lieutenant and Commander Rourke's right hand. Helga is the one that barks orders and makes sure the team is doing their jobs. She has little to no tolerance for nonsense and is comfortable using intimidation to keep people in line.