Sage Frontier Fan Fiction ❯ A Tale of two Fakes! ❯ A new spin on Thanatology ( Chapter 25 )

DISCLAIMER: I don't own SaGa Frontier. SquareSoft does, and they can't believe I'm making a fiction with Fuse as an actual hero. I can't believe they cut him out of being a main hero. Also, I want to wish a Happy Belated Birthday to Shadow-Chan34276. Blue and Rouge love you a lot.

 

The sewers were never a place of fond memories. Rouge burned that into his mind when he and Blue first went to Manhattan, but now, he was slapped in the face that there was indeed something much worse than sewers. Tunnels under the sewers. Not only did it have mold and spores growing in it, but the smell of the sewage somehow penetrated the stone floor above, seeping into the natural cave he was now climbing through.

 

“Seriously, this sucks,” Rouge mumbled to Blue as they followed Dr. Nusakan down a sloping crest, “This is the worst mission we've ever been on. Even Rita was better than this. At least we could've killed her.” Blue rolled his eyes, shaking his head.

 

“And be charged with murder alongside it,” he reminded Rouge very sternly, “Trust me, this is better.” Rouge snorted. He certainly didn't believe that at all. Rita wouldn't have given them the risk of contracting a fatal disease that not even Mystics could defend against. Fuse, who had barely heard their little argument, turned back to them.

 

“Besides, once you get past the smell and spores, it's actually lovely down here,” he encouraged, “Just think of the people up there, not braving this cave and not seeing its beauty, soldier. That's the perk of this job; to see wonderful places without paying huge fares for it.” Rouge issued a low growl. There was no way that would ever convince him, but he knew better than to say otherwise. That would simply end in an argument. So, they continued on, passing corpses of monsters that had fallen from the new virus. Rouge resisted the urge to retch, and Blue flinched, pitying the creatures. They, after all, were as innocent as the people in this.

 

“I'd say we came in the nick of time,” Dr. Nusakan commented, moving the corpse of a gecko with his foot, “This is the kind of germ I've been waiting to see.”

 

“Don't get too excited, doc,” Fuse said sternly, eyeing the corpse of a dead shellworm, “This thing is fatal. It might kill you if you get too close. Besides, we're here to stop this disease, not to study it.”

 

“Ah, but I need just a sample and I'll be set, my good officer,” Dr. Nusakan said kindly, smiling, “Nothing dangerous. The spores on my coat will do nicely, provided you don't need them for evidence.” Rouge's eye twitched at listening to the doctor, but Fuse seemed more than willing to continue the rather morbid topic.

 

“Nope, we don't need your coat,” Fuse replied, “Our mission is to stop the spread of the disease. Though, if you find anything, we'd be glad to know what this virus is.” Dr. Nusakan agreed to submit his studies to IRPO at that point, much to Fuse's relief. That would probably make their job easier later. Blue simply smiled, glad that Fuse was actually getting along with their client, but Rouge was the only one less than enthusiastic with their partnership. He nudged Blue in the ribs.

 

“Is it me or is Nusakan another crackpot of a Mystic?” he whispered, “His whole life is bent on getting sick. Isn't that a little weird?” Blue snorted, and lightly smacked Rouge on the head. Yes, Nusakan was an oddity, but he'd seen much, much worse.

 

“It's about as weird as a high-schooler trying to catch the flu to ditch school,” Blue replied flatly, “Listen, Rouge, I know you hate Mystics, but try to cool it a little. They're actually helping humans out, so please don't ruin it.” Rouge mumbled, but said nothing more on that subject. He didn't need to anger Blue. Sighing, they simply continued on. The cave was very quiet; everywhere they went, animals had died. Plants had withered, and even the natural glow of the cave seemed to have dimmed considerably. In a way, it reminded Rouge very painfully of Campbell's virus. And, with that, a new thought brewed in his mind. This might very well be a fabricated spore they were dealing with.

 

“Hey, doc, I was wondering,” Rouge began, and Nusakan glanced back at him, “You think this could be man-made? The spore?” Nusakan stopped and considered that. It was possible, but something inside told him it wasn't that. Even at their stupidest, or evilest, humans weren't smart enough to create something this dangerous. Calmly, he shook his head.

 

“No, I doubt it was created by a person,” Nusakan replied, “No human or Mystic would ever experiment with a fatality like this. If anything, I'd say it was contracted by something and brought here inadvertently. Whatever that source was, however, is probably dead. If only… we could figure out where this came from.” Fuse, who'd taken the lead as Nusakan slowed down to speak, looked back and shrugged, not exactly sure why that would be a problem. Nusakan, after all, was one of the most powerful Mystics in existence.

 

“I'm sure you have some nice equipment that'll figure that out for you, right?” Fuse asked, but when Nusakan shook his head, he exclaimed, “What!? Then how do you identify these germs of yours!?”

 

“It's a delicate process, officer. And, I merely identify the molecular structure of my subjects. I cannot identify its original source unless the spore I'm studying specifically has any outside DNA on it,” Nusakan replied carefully, adjusting his glasses, “And, unless these spores are immortal, the original ones have probably died off by now.”

 

“So, then, even if we stop the outbreak here, it'll still continue unless we know where it's coming from!?” Rouge concluded, and when Nusakan nodded, he moaned, “Man, these missions get better and better. How the hell are we going to figure out where they came from in the first place!?” Blue hummed, and narrowed his eyes as he looked around. No one supplied an answer for Rouge's question, but something in Blue's mind began to turn. These spores were already causing symptoms here, and they weren't that old to begin with… Blue smiled, finally reaching an idea.

 

“If we can figure out who else has had this massive outbreak before us, we might be able to figure out where it's coming from aside from down here, right?” Blue asked, and finally, Rouge began to grin, seeing Blue's plan, “What if we post a bulletin or something?” Nusakan hummed, wondering if that would work, but Fuse shook his head, shooting down Blue's only suggestion regarding its complete identification.

 

“Can't do that, boy,” Fuse stated sternly, frowning as he actually turned toward his three allies, “If we do, people might start getting terrified and make false reports, or doctors might give us diseases and areas resembling this virus. The doc did say this mimics lesser viruses, right?” Blue looked down, saddened that his suggestion didn't quite make it. Rouge glanced at Blue, and then glared at Fuse, who seemed eager to simply go ahead.

 

“But we have to do something!” Rouge cried, “Boss, what the hell's stopping us from warning everyone!?” Fuse snorted before turning ahead, grinning.

 

“See, it's a little thing I like to call mass hysteria,” he explained simply, and Rouge's eyes narrowed flatly, “If we go around and tell people we found a disease that can kill you in an instant, they're going to react by making false allegations and wasting our resources trying to assure themselves they don't have this disease. In less than a month, we'll probably have exhausted most of our squadrons.” Rouge's lips thinned as Fuse began walking forward again. That wasn't a good enough reason not to warn anyone, but when he glanced at Blue, not even his own brother seemed willing to argue with their boss. He wasn't nearly as docile. He ran ahead past Nusakan, who was inspecting a spore that had fallen onto a wall.

 

“Boss, stop!” Rouge yelled, and surprisingly enough, Fuse came to a halt, looking back at Rouge critically, “Look, I know we can't waste anything, but this is serious. This is worse than what happened in Manhattan. The Campbell virus mutated its target, but this kills its victim. We can't let it go without warning. I think the people have a right to know, so why the hell aren't we doing anything about it!?” Fuse frowned, looking at Rouge with a seriousness that Rouge himself had never seen before. The older cop sighed, shaking his head.

 

“Look, boy, I know you're upset, but you don't know crowd control like I do,” Fuse replied seriously, “There are already people on alert, and you know how they reacted: they barely functioned without freaking out over it. If we went ahead and told everyone, we'd be disrupting our investigation and possibly the entire police force. I want to help these people as much as you, boy, but you have to look at this realistically. The people are safer left in the dark right now. Rash acts are how calamities start in the first place.” Rouge calmed down as he looked at his boss's grim expression, never having heard Fuse so serious since they began working for IRPO. Blue and Nusakan came up just behind Rouge, who looked down, ashamed to have questioned his superior.

 

“Boss, I'm… sorry,” Rouge said, as Blue asked, “Did something similar happen before?” Fuse looked at both twins, and then nodded, sitting on the ground. He didn't want to waste too much time, but he felt if he explained his own past a bit, he might make them understand the true severity of this case.

 

“A long time ago, back when I was a rookie, we had an outbreak of what we thought was cholera in Owmi,” Fuse started, “See, it was a relatively new virus in Owmi, since the town was so clean and rich, but as soon as I heard what they thought it was, I did some research. I found out that if it was left untreated, the victims would die within hours from dehydration. I… broadcasted it without superior permission, and caused a wide-spread panic within over three major continents connected with Owmi. So much time was wasted, with all of the phone calls people made, letters, petitions… it wasn't my best work.”

 

“You caused a riot?” Rouge asked, and laughed, “Cool!” Fuse snorted, and shook his head.

 

“It was anything but cool. I was nearly fired for it,” Fuse continued, “It wasn't a riot, boy. It was mass hysteria. And, it affected almost every world save for the Mystics, who were immune to it. It was… one good Mystic who figured out it wasn't cholera, but a milder version called chloramene, which is exclusive to Shingrow. We found out the virus was spread from a single gecko that was taken in captivity and placed in Owmi as an experimental procedure. Needless to say, I was severely penalized for my rashness.”

 

“What happened?” Blue asked. Fuse looked up at the ceiling of the tunnel, and smiled weakly.

 

“I was demoted to janitorial services until they saw fit for me to wear a badge again,” he replied, “The Mystic… told them the symptoms were all too similar and asked that I be brought back in shorter time than they allotted me.”

 

“Who was this Mystic?” Nusakan asked, tilting his head, “In the past 200 years, only a few of us have ever allied ourselves with the forces of law for you humans.” Fuse snorted again, and sighed.

 

“It was Silence,” Fuse replied, “It was that silent, little bastard and his use of telekinesis that saved my ass that day. I still don't know why he did it; we weren't friends. In fact, I hated him. And yet, he still felt a need to bring me back. I never understood, but he asked just one favor in return.” Rouge blinked, raising an interested brow.

 

“What favor, boss?” he asked, “To not hate him for being a jerk?” Fuse laughed. That was the very thought that crossed his own mind on that day, but that wasn't it.

 

“Nope. That never even crossed his mind,” Fuse replied gently, “He asked that I never cause an uproar like that again. He asked that the next time something like that ever happened, that I stay calm and never let something so dangerous slip out. I… made that promise to him, and I promised none of my men would ever cause such a ruckus again. I plan to keep that promise, boy, so just trust me on this.” Rouge sighed. He didn't like that he couldn't warn anyone of the danger, but he did see where Fuse was coming from. Fuse stood up, and when a moment of silence passed, seemed to think that meant he was done, for he continued onward, with Rouge following behind. Nusakan glanced at Blue, and then followed before Blue took up the rear.

 

“Sir, I can understand you not making a rash decision again, but why keep that promise to Silence?” Blue asked, after they turned a corner, coming to the side of an interior mountain above a lake far below, “It sounds like you really hate him, so why keep that promise to him? Is it because he saved your job?” Fuse stopped for just a moment and hummed, and then seemed to ignore the question as he continued on. Rouge blinked, and looked back at Blue and Nusakan, both seeming to guess why Fuse would heed such a promise from a rival like that.

 

“Boss, why would you!?” Rouge asked again, eye twitching as he slowly guessed the answer himself, “Don't tell me he's like Ildon and that freak, Ciato!” Fuse snorted, and walked further.

 

“You'll just have to wonder now, won't you?” he asked, neither claiming nor denying the statement. Nusakan simply smiled, walking past Rouge as Blue laughed, none too surprised with Fuse's response. Rouge's eye twitched again, and his mouth dropped open. He understood Mystics being homosexuals, but humans and Mystics together!? It reminded him too much of Ciato's reaction to him. And that very reminder made him pull his hair out.

 

“What the HELL!?” he asked, “Is the entire world going gay on me!?” Blue laughed again, shaking his head as Fuse snorted once more.

 

“Even if it is, why's that such a problem, boy?” Fuse asked him. Rouge growled, but had no answer to counter with. There technically was no problem, but he certainly didn't want to think on it for too long. Eye twitching, he followed the other three as they once again moved on. It was too silent as they slid down a slope toward a lower level, no doubt a silence due to the severe lack of monsters roaming around. Rouge sighed, and winced when his sigh echoed off of the walls. It was much louder than it should have been.

 

“Damn it, didn't anyone survive?” he finally asked, frowning, “Is it really this fatal? Roufas didn't say anyone in town died.” Nusakan looked back at him critically before answering, as he adjusted his glasses.

 

“This place is condensed with the virus, Rouge,” he replied calmly, “Up top, we have three layers of earth and stone to dilute it, so it's not nearly as toxic. But here? There's no protection. Anyone who lives down here for an extended period will probably die within hours.” Rouge's eyes widened. Hours? That's all it'd take? That wasn't very long at all, and he really had no wish to die so soon.

 

“Does this mean we're in danger!?” he exclaimed, “We're down here, after all!” Nusakan hummed, and pointed to the masks he had handed to everyone.

 

“We'll be relatively safe as long as we wear these and don't breathe the spores in,” he told them all reassuringly. Rouge didn't say anything more, but he did notice that Fuse slowed a bit until he was by Nusakan's side.

 

“What do you mean by `relative?” the older cop asked, raising a worried brow. He didn't like the tone Nusakan used, even though it was calm. Nusakan himself simply chuckled.

 

“Safety is a rather relative term since we barely know enough about these spores to label what they can actually do,” Nusakan explained, as he took the lead, “We're close, yes, but it's only when the spores get inside of you through some means that they do the damage. Relatively speaking, if we don't ingest them through breathing, we should be safe from any fatalities. But I can't guarantee it on the note of side effects. Allergens are so small, they can slip through most fabrics, so even if we don't die, we might still get a slight cold from these spores.” Rouge grunted. If that was meant to calm him down, it did very little in attaining its goal. The last thing he wanted was to get sick from his job.

 

“That's reassuring,” he mumbled, as Blue nudged him hard in the ribs, “Ow! Damn it, bro, what was that for!?”

 

“Considering the fact that we're receiving so much help from a Mystic, I really wish you could learn to stop being so rude,” Blue scolded, giving him a flat look, “If you really don't believe the doctor, why don't you just rip off your mask and see for yourself?” Rouge growled, but didn't argue further. Blue did have a point: They were receiving an awful lot of help from the Mystics. Without another word, the two brothers continued on behind Fuse and Nusakan, both of whom were discussing what could be used to neutralize what symptoms in the spores. Fuse had asked if any plants in the tunnels would work, but it was ruled out; Nusakan was certain all of them were infected, which would null any healing they could do.

 

“My best bet would be that the answer lies in a mixture of antibodies from both natural and outside sources,” Nusakan concluded, as they came to a large clearing of dirt, “We'll need every victim's DNA to determine what to use, but I could easily sort out what would be needed for each individual.” Fuse nodded, and decided that might be the best course of action, even if it was a rather unstable one. However, as Nusakan looked forward, he saw a figure lying in the dirt. At first, his immediate thought went to another slain monster, but then he saw that it was a person. Immediately, he rushed forward and said, “My goodness, there's a person down here!?”

 

“Who the hell is stupid enough to come down here at a time like this!?” Rouge asked, brows furrowed as he, Blue, and Fuse ran over. Whoever this was, was no monster. His orange hair was spread out all around him as he laid on his back, and his suit, an interesting combination of orange, white, and black, was ripped a bit, a large slash across his chest. But, what really worried the twins were his wings; torn and bloodied butterfly wings. When Fuse saw the man, his eyes widened.

 

“Silence!?” he exclaimed, “My god, what the hell is he doing here!? Silence, wake up!” He shook Silence gently, who slowly opened an eye. He sat up, and then stared at Fuse, blinking. Fuse asked, “Silence, why are you here!? This wasn't your job.” Silence blinked again, and closed his eyes. Rouge and Blue immediately heard a voice, but Silence didn't move his lips.

 

`I was asked to help out. Mystics are immune to all disease, Fuse,' the voice said calmly, almost gently. Fuse sighed heavily, and shook his head.

 

“Not this one, buddy,” he said grimly, “Nusakan here is pretty sure it's fatal enough to kill Mystics and humans alike.”

 

`I know,' the voice continued, `I passed out after too long. I… failed the mission. Don't go any further, I doubt you'd survive.' Fuse's eyes narrowed as Silence did indeed appear to be speaking to him.

 

“You didn't fail, you stupid jerk,” Fuse growled, closing his eyes, “And we're not leaving. We have a job to do, and even though we could die, we have to do something.” Rouge nodded in agreement, and this time, Silence actually snorted. Everyone looked at him, but the only sound he made was a snort. He smiled.

 

`I haven't seen you this determined in years,' he replied thoughtfully, `You are right, though. Just don't cause such a ruckus again. I've no need to save you again.' Blue laughed, and Fuse wrinkled his nose distastefully. Then, he simply became indignant.

 

“Hey! I didn't ask you to save my sorry ass!” Fuse yelled defensively, and Silence looked as though he might have been laughing, “STOP LAUGHING AT ME!” Silence stopped, but his smile remained as he shook his head.

 

`You will never change, my dear friend,' Silence said, `Even after all these years, you haven't changed one bit since our first mission.'

 

“Oh, please! I turned out just fine. I'm the leader of my own squadron!” Fuse reminded him, “Technically, you work for me now!” Blue raised a confused brow. He had never met Silence before, and if he worked for Fuse as well, why was that? Silence himself snorted again and took out a pendant in the shape of a blue heart. Rouge's eye twitched as he saw it.

 

`True enough. I have something I forgot to give you, and just… never felt you deserved until I realized you were coming here,' he replied, and when Rouge opened his mouth, he continued, `Being a mute has given me moderate psychic abilities. I sensed Fuse would be coming here, and wanted to give him something that would protect him from the monster in there.'

 

“There's a monster?” Blue asked, and Silence nodded, looking down.

 

`Yes. A giant spider. My… My Blue Heart couldn't protect me,' Silence replied, `When I saw Fuse coming, I thought… he finally deserved it for even attempting to stop this terrible plague. He did more than I could. I didn't bother to ask the locals for information. I simply went ahead…'

 

“But why!?” Fuse asked, “That's not like you, Silence. I'm usually the one to rush in like a SWAT team. Why act so rashly?” Silence didn't look up at him. His gaze remained on the floor.

 

`I didn't want you to go hurt, Fuse. You would've charged in without knowing what you were dealing with,' Silence replied, `I… just take this.' He shoved the locket into Fuse's hands. Fuse simply looked at the locket. He frowned. It was the locket that started their rivalry so long ago. Silence had worn it without even thinking, and when that fateful Maelstrom hit, he was saved… while Fuse was nearly killed. He was sure Silence had junked the amulet… but he hadn't. He kept it, either as a reminder to what he did or to Fuse's dislike.

 

“Silence, why?” he asked, “This was yours. It protected you.”

 

`I stopped needing it the day you said you hated me for it,' Silence told him, a slight blush forming, `I didn't want it anymore. I haven't used it since… but now, it can help you. It'll protect you from her liquid acid.' Fuse sighed, and nodded, slipping the locket around his neck. Then, he turned to where Silence had come from. A dark, lone chasm between the rocks sat, and Fuse was unable to see inside despite its wide depth. Blue felt amazing power coming from there, and yet… something seemed entirely too familiar about it. He looked to Fuse, who nodded, seeming to sense what Blue was thinking.

 

“Yup, we're going in, soldier,” he replied, and turned to Nusakan, “Listen, doc, could you take care of Silence? I don't think either of you should be going in there.” Nusakan agreed fully to that, and after seeing that Silence would be all right, Fuse led Blue and Rouge into the chasm. The smell was unbearable, and slipped right through the masks they wore. Blue felt his eyes water, the sting of such an infection getting through his senses, and Rouge was ready to throw up. Still, they continued on through a short tunnel that eventually opened up into a very large chamber. If it was possible, the smell was even worse.

 

“Damn it, what died down here!?” Rouge demanded, plugging his nose under his mask. Blue squinted his eyes, trying to see anything in the darkness, but the only things catching his eyes were the swirls of green and yellow as the spores floated in the air. It made him sick to look at, but he had a job to do. Carefully, he took out a flashlight, flashing it toward the middle of the chamber. There, a large spider indeed sat, but most of her legs were crumbled, some even being burned off entirely. Threads of sticky goo came from the ends of said legs, and her spider-like body heaved with the effort needed to breathe. Blue jumped back as he realized who it was.

 

“A-Anita!?” he screamed, “How can this be!?” Rouge looked back at him, eyes widened as he heard the name.

 

“What? Did you say Anita? As in, Anita Campbell!?” Rouge asked him, “Bro, we killed her!” Fuse's lips simply thinned as he looked on the creature that was indeed, the remains of Anita Campbell. She blinked as she tried to see who was disturbing her this time, but could barely move. Blue simply nodded as he glanced at Rouge.

 

“I know, but something must've happened to discount our last blow,” Blue guessed bitterly, crossing his arms, “What did you do to escape Hell?” Anita groaned miserably as she leaned forward, her red hair in a matted mess as she looked at them all. Blue frowned. He didn't sense any form of malice in her; just agony.

 

“Made a deal… with Hell's Lord,” she said slowly, her eyes unfocused, “Said he… would bring me back… didn't say… he'd bring me right back… to just before I died…”

 

“Damn, you got scammed by Hell's Lord?” Rouge asked, biting his lip, “I almost feel bad for you.” Anita snorted, and then sighed as she shook her head.

 

“I've been hiding in here trying to recover, but some fool of a Mystic tried to kill me while I was sleeping,” Anita explained, “I accidentally hit him with acid. It was a reflex.” Blue blinked. It seemed like whatever was actually going on wasn't intentional. Carefully, he stepped forward, even though Rouge urged him not to.

 

“Do you know you're spreading around a really dangerous infection?” he asked her calmly, “It could even kill Mystics.” Anita blinked, and then coughed, rumbling the entire chamber, as rocks from the ceiling began to fall.

 

“I am?” she asked, sounding genuinely surprised, “I didn't think I was. But… that'd explain why… so many things are dying. Are you going to try and arrest me?” Blue glanced at Fuse, who nodded, walking over to join his underling as he took out a pair of cuffs, despite them being too small for Anita.

 

“We don't have a choice, miss,” Fuse told her, “You've endangered everyone in Koorong. That right there is a capital offense. You're looking on at least 500 years of imprisonment.” Blue glared at Fuse. Five hundred years!? No one could outlive that… except for maybe a Mystic. Anita, however, just laughed. But it wasn't a cold-hearted laugh; she was amused with something.

 

“Officer, as much as I deserve jail time for what I've done lately, you might actually be better off killing me,” she replied calmly, “I doubt I'd last for the trial date, and this way, the infection might actually stop. Then again, murder isn't exactly part of your job now, is it?” She gave an almost mocking smile as she asked that, and Fuse looked down mumbling, “…no, it isn't…” as Blue looked at her, wondering what she was actually up to. This didn't seem like the same corrupt woman he faced back in Manhattan.

 

“Wait, are you saying you want us to kill you!?” Rouge asked, throwing his arms up, “Okay, I don't get it! First, you go insane and try to poison the world because you lost your dad, then you nearly kill the entire world, and now that it's actually happening, you want us to kill you? What the hell!?” Blue snorted. That was a rather vague, but somehow accurate, description of what Anita seemed to be doing. Obviously, Anita found it just as humorous, for she chuckled as well.

 

“Killing me freed me from the insanity I threw myself into years ago,” she told them, “Technically, I am dead. I just did a stupid thing by playing bets with Hell's Lord. Now I'm paying for it. But that doesn't mean everyone else should, either, right? Isn't that what started this?” Blue nodded, and glanced at Rouge. She was weakened; they wouldn't need Aubergine to finish her off. Any form of spell would do it. Rouge seemed to have been thinking this as well, for he nodded. Blue glanced at Fuse, but the older cop seemed absolutely confused with what was happening. So, Blue stepped forward.

 

“You've got a point. We'll end this here and now, Anita,” he told her, “I'm… sorry that you got yourself mixed up with Hell's Lord.”

 

“Yeah, if we knew you'd do something that stupid, we'd have sent you somewhere even worse than Hell,” Rouge added, and Blue nudged him in the ribs, “Ow! Anyway, see you never, Anita!” Blue closed his eyes, summoning every ounce of strength he had. If he was going to pull this off, he needed as much magic as possible. Slowly, very slowly, he felt a portal opening up behind Anita, sucking out all of the air in the chamber. Then, he heard it as the wind roared past them, into the portal itself. He opened an eye, and saw Anita slowly being pulled into it.

 

“Thank you,” she said, her voice echoing in the wind. Blue nodded, and watched as she was finally sucked in, the portal sealing itself up immediately after. The air immediately became fresh, the spores dying off without their original host to feed off of. It smelled cleaner, but even with their victory, no one moved. They simply watched as the green mist disappeared.

 

“…so, that's it?” Rouge finally asked, after a moment of silence, “We throw her in a portal and she's gone?”

 

“Seems to be it,” Fuse replied, and turned toward the chasm, “Come on, boys. We have to go and make sure Silence and Nusakan are all right.” Without argument, he led them out of the chamber, and back toward where they left Nusakan and Silence, both of whom were watching in amazement as the spores continued to die until nothing but fresh air was left throughout all of the tunnels.

 

“Seems like whatever was causing this phenomenon was killed off,” Nusakan observed, “I'm fascinated! Officer, tell me what happened!” Fuse, who clapped Silence on the back, nodded and led them all forward, toward the entrance back into Koorong.

 

“Well, doc, it all happened like this…” Fuse started, and then explained what they had witnessed in the chamber. As the two Mystics spoke… or in Silence's case, thought, Blue and Rouge hung farther back, Rouge still looking over his shoulder at the slowly shrinking frame of the chasm behind them. He didn't see what had happened to Anita; he shut his eyes as soon as the wind whipped up. But he did know Blue nearly exhausted everything in order to cast the spell he did. Biting his lip, his glanced at Blue.

 

“So, what did you use to end her life?” he asked, as Fuse prattled on about some huge battle that didn't actually happen. Blue looked up at the ceiling.

 

“Vortex. High-leveled Space magic,” Blue replied gently, smiling, “She's fine, Rouge. Hell's Lord can't try to scam her again.” Rouge nodded, and they continued on. After a moment, Rouge patted Blue on the shoulder, smiling proudly.

 

“You did the right thing, bro,” he said calmly, “Killing her was more merciful than making her go through a trial. In a way, you were better at serving justice than I would've been.” Blue smiled weakly as he was led along by his twin. That was true, but Rouge was always kinder. He simply didn't want to see an innocent die.

 

“What I don't understand is why the infection warped her that badly, and why it didn't affect her when she came back,” Blue said, as they walked up a steep slope, the sudden sound of trickling water becoming refreshing to their ears, “Rouge, do you think… she was undead?”

 

“It'd explain why the virus was so bad,” Rouge agreed, nodding his head, “Good news is, Space magic is really powerful. I don't think she's coming back. Even if she did, she's a good guy again, so there's no problem. Still, I just hope all of the spores are dying, and everyone will be all right.” Nusakan, who was finished listening to Fuse's story, looked back and grinned, adjusting his glasses.

 

“They'll be fine once I analyze the samples I was able to get,” Nusakan assured him, “I'd like you all to follow me to my lab, to see the results.” As they reached the entrance into the tunnels, Fuse nodded, agreeing to do that. After all, they hadn't received any calls from IRPO to not follow Nusakan, so any information they could get would be just as well. Fuse stepped aside to let Nusakan lead.

 

“All right, doc. Lead us to your lab.”

 

-----------------------------(End Chapter)

 

And so, with Anita being the cause, and mercifully dispersed to space itself, it looks like our team of ragtag cops once again saved the day! But, how dangerous was the spore in question, and can Nusakan find the cure before it kills? Will Anita come back, and will she ever reveal her true name, which is actually not Anita? What's going on between Silence and Fuse? And, can you all forgive me for messing up Campbell's actual name? Find out next chapter, so click that Review button!