Star Ocean: Till The End Of Time Fan Fiction ❯ The Creator's Desire ❯ Chapter Four ( Chapter 4 )

[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]

Fayt cradled his right arm to his body, blood trickling from the corners of his lips. He was caught in the middle of something he truly did not understand, but he was determined to make sense of what was happening. The blue-haired man surveyed the scene before him, hoping he would see something or someone that would make sense to him.
The sights greeting his eyes were grotesque ones. Bodies lay strewn across the floor, and red blood splattered the walls. Black smoke filled the air, and it burned his lungs as he inhaled, causing Fayt to cough. He felt weak from the smoke and blood loss. Still, he struggled to stay on his feet, to keep his senses sharp, despite the pain.
Sphere Company had come under attack. That much was obvious to Fayt, but he still could not comprehend why anyone would want to launch such a vicious assault on the place. People worked there, creating information systesm and games, not weapons. It made no sense to Fayt.
Then the Gemity station attendant's words came back to him, about how fierce the competition was between companies like Sphere Company. Travel to the Lost City was severely restricted. Unless someone had direct access to one of the companines, no one could travel to the Lost City. It stood to reason that, since competition was so heated, the other institutions would want to try and eliminate Sphere Company. Luther had made it successful, very successfull, and the other companies had to be jealous. They would do anything to get rid of Sphere. More specifically, they were attempting to kill Luther, if this attack was any indication, and Fayt was not going to tolerate such actions against his lover.
Something behind Fayt exploded, and it sent him flying into the opposite wall. He let out a pained cry as he hit, his right arm in excrutiating agony. His head did not feel any better for hitting the wall, either, and the smoke that continued to fill the room made it difficult for Fayt to breathe and to remain conscious.
As he slid to the floor, Fayt's mind wandered to the last several days, and how they had been beyond anything he had ever imagined. He and Luther had spent the first day and a half in the blond's bed, exploring each other's bodies and finding what caused them to cry out in ecstasy. Their physical bonds had strengthened with every touch and with every kiss they shared. It simply blew Fayt's mind away at how intense those moments had been. After that, when they had exhausted themselves out physically, they had held each other close, content to be where they were and forging another bond, this one on a more mental and spiritual level. Words had not been needed between them as they had lain there, God with his fallen angel.
A third explosion -- or was it twelve? Fayt no longer knew -- rocked the complex and jarred his already-shot senses. It hurt to breathe, it hurt to think, and to move. All Fayt wanted to do at that moment was close his eyes and rest . . .

"What do you mean we can't go to Sphere?" Cliff demanded. "We've been able to go there before!"
The Gemity station attendant took one step back, fear flashing across his face for a brief second. Such an expression caused a fleeting feeling of satisfaction to surge through the Klausian, but it did nothing to alleviate his irritation. He, Maria, Albel, Sophia, Nel, and Mirage had so far to rescue Fayt from the Creator. They could not afford any setbacks. For a moment, Cliff thought Luther had one upped them and revoked their authorization codes.
"I'm sorry, sir, but the spacetime transport to Sphere is not working at this time," the attendant explained. "It has nothing to do with your authorization codes."
"What's wrong with the transport?" Mirage inquired, her tone quiet and calm as usual. Hearing her voice soothed Cliff and helped him to calm down as well.
"Nothing on this end," the attendant said, relaxing.
"So it's on Sphere's end, whatever this problem is?" Cliff asked. The attendant nodded his head in confirmation.
"I'm afraid so. Rumour has it Sphere Company has been attacked in the last hour or so, but it is only a rumour. People still have access to the Eternal Sphere so I don't know how true it is. I'm sorry."
Having said that, the station attendant turned away. The small group walked towards the main entrance. Once there, they formed a small circle and started to converse amongst themselves. As they did, Cliff noticed a very worried-looking Sophia.
"Fayt," she murmured, wringing her hands nervously. "How do we get to him now? He could be seriously injured."
"Now hold up a minute," Cliff interjected. "We don't know what the problem at Sphere is. It could just be a transporter malfunction."
Even as he said the words, Cliff knew they were a false reassurance. Transporters simply did not malfunction without reason, not when there was an entire company of eggheads available to fix the problem. Something had happened at Sphere, something serious, and all of them could sense it.
Before anyone could call him out on his words, a bright light appeared in the distance. It was a silver-white glow tinged blue-green around the edges, and the light itself outshone the sparkle of Gemity. The ground shook with a tremendous power surge, alarming the small rescue group and several of the people around them. As far as Cliff knew, there were only two people who possessed powers great enough to make the ground tremble beneath them, but only one could successfully control his abilities.
"Luther."
Behind the small group, the transporter flared to life.

"Get the transporter working! I want the research team out of here as quickly as possible!" Luther commanded. In his arms, he held an unconscious and deathly pale Fayt. He had to get the younger man to safety so he could receive medical attention. Luther also realized he had to get his remaining staff members out of Sphere, especially his research and development department. He may not have liked his subordinates much, but Luther could not deny they were geniuses. Because of such people, his company had become a major success. He would need them to rebuild Sphere and reclaim his place at the top.
Fortunately, no one argued with him. The technical team complied with his order quickly and began to work on the company's transporter. Everyone knew they had limited time before the attacks resumed once more, and none of them wanted to be in Sphere when the place finally crashed to its foundations. Luther had only bought them some time when he had unleashed some of his powers.
Behind Luther stood Azazer, Berial, and Belzeber. The three security agents were poised for attack. Between them and the technical team were the remaining researchers and developers, Blair and her small faction among them. Eventually, Luther would have to deal with his sister for her betrayal, but he found he could no longer be bothered by her actions. Unleashing the powers he had left him exhausted, and he had other concerns on his mind.
In a span of scant minutes, though it felt like hours to Luther, the technical team got the transporter to work. A small cheer erupted from those remaining and the evacuation to Gemity started. In groups of fix and six, the brains behind Sphere disappeared, heading for the safety that was Gemity. Finally, only he, Fayt, Azazer, Berial, and Belzeber remained.
As he strode towards the transporter, Luther stole a glance at the prone form he carried. Fayt had yet to make a sound, and his colour had worsened, going from a pale white to an ashen grey. The younger man's injuries were mortal. Luther sensed as much, and he willed his counterpart to hang on, to fight. It would be only a little while longer, and then Luther would be able to heal him until medical technicians could arrive. He did not want Fayt to die. He had just found him, after all.
Somewhere, deep in his heart and in the back of his mind, Luther heard Fayt reply.