Yeah. I finally got it done. One word of advice. Don't post your stories on Gaia. They're vultures. They killed my inspiration. Anyway. Thanks to all of you who remained loyal readers.

CHAOS

CHAPTER SIX

Amber stirred, roused by the sound of multiple crashes. When she came to, she wished that she hadn't. Her whole entire body felt as if it weighed about two tons, including the muscles on her face; and when she tried to move her head to see what was making those noises, it felt as if millions of knives were being stabbed into her at once. She groaned as she forced her head sideways.

Not far from the bed she was lying on sat a pile of literally hundreds of books. They didn't look stacked; it was more like they had fallen on something. That something began moving.

"Aaugh...dang it! You awake, kid?"

"Yeah..." Amber replied hoarsely.

"Can y'help me?"

"No."

"No? What a wimp."

Amber, cursing to herself, attempted to sit up. It was a slow and grueling process, and she almost wanted to give up and go back to sleep, despite Axel's nagging. It was quite funny to watch the demon who had caused this pain be buried alive.

A hand suddenly emerged from the pile, and soon after that another joined it. With a grunt, Axel was eventually able to thrust his head outward, gasping for fresh air. He immediately turned his head to Amber and glared.

"I don't suppose you'd be willing to get up and lend me a hand, would you?"

"Nope."

"Thought so. How's the recovery process?"

"I feel like crap."

"Thought so."

Amber slumped back down in bed and closed her eyes. It was a wierd feeling to have two black wings neatly folded at her sides, but she strangely felt more complete. Smiling to herself, she felt her ears with her fingertips. She could get used to this.

After much effort and complaining, Axel was finally able to throw most of the books off of him, and he emerged holding one of them.

"Here's the one I was looking for," he announced to himself in an accomplished tone. "Oh..." He looked back over at Amber. "I got you some clothes to fit your new body...I'm pretty sure they're your size." He indicated with a lazy wave of his hand some neatly folded clothes at a table on the other side of the room.

Amber sighed, knowing that this would require more effort than it was worth. She began the chore of sitting up again, and after a few attempts, was successful. She painfully flexed her arms over and over to get rid the stiffness, but it didn't seem to be working. Her body was a complete disaster.

"Time to stand up," she encouraged herself. "One, two..." With all her might, she managed to force herself into a standing position. Smiling to herself in triumph, she attempted to take a step forward.

That failed miserably.

The next thing she knew, she was flat on her face, the pain surging through her body like an electrical current. She groaned and turned over on her back, sighing and defeated. When she opened her eyes, Axel was standing at her head, looking down at her. It was then, for the first time, that she could get a good glimpse of him. He was thin, with long, shaggy, black hair lazily tied back. It was all in his face and in his eyes as well; a mess. He had greenish eyes, which had bags under them, most likely caused by lack of sleep.

"What are you gaping at?" Axel suddenly asked.

"Nothing."

He extended a hand to help Amber up, and helped her to her bed. After that, he ran over to the other side of the room to rummage in a cabinet. He pulled out a dusty black bottle and handed it to Amber.

"Sit up, yeah that's good. Now take about two sips of this stuff. It'll knock you out for a bit, but you'll feel like a new person when you're awake again."

Amber eagerly gulped down her dosage, but almost gagged at the rotten taste. "Ugh...what's in this?"

"No ingredients familiar to you, I'm almost positive."

"Axel...where's Damien?"

"He's still in Court, I believe. I wonder what's taking him so long. All he has to do is flash his shiny Brotherhood badge in front of their snobbish faces and he's home free. What's keeping him, I wonder?"

Badge.

Amber's stomach dropped. It couldn't have been the one she'd taken while looking for his housekey, could it? Shaking, she took it out of her pocket and timidly held it up so that Axel could see it.

"You don't mean this, do you?" Axel's jaw hung open.

"What in the name of Lucifer are you doin' with that?! That's not Damien's, is it?"

"I...found it," Amber explained meekly. "I didn't know it was important."

"Important? Important? Kid, that's the only proof that he's a member of the Brotherhood! That was his way out of being prosecuted!"

"Um...oops?"

"Oops is right, kid. Anyways, didn't he tell me once that he keeps it in his underwear drawer while he's up in the Mortal realm? What were you doing going through his undies?" He narrowed his eyes. Amber immediately put her hands up in protest.

"It's nothing like that! I was just looking for...looking for...ugh...dizzy..." The room began to spin, and suddenly she couldn't hear Axel anymore. The next thing she knew, it was all dark.

In her state of unconsciousness, Amber dreamt.

Without Chaos...

What was this wierd voice?

...there would be no suffering...

No, not a voice. A thought.

...no strife...

It felt as if it was resounding from deep inside her very being, like it was a part of her that wasn't really her.

...no death...

What was it? What did it want from her? What did it know about Chaos?

...and no existence.

"Kid...hey kid!" Amber woke to someone shaking her. She was disappointed to find that it was Axel, and not Damien. He was beginning to be a bit of a pest. Amber cracked her eyes open.

"What is it, Axel?"

"Get dressed in your new clothes. We're leaving."

"Where?"

"Damien's still not back. I'm worried. We're gonna go check up on them, see what's the hold up. Sound good to you?"

Amber nodded, rubbing her eyes. Strangely, it didn't hurt to move anymore. She just felt as if she'd woken up from a long, long nap. Sitting up in bed, she flexed her arms once more. Totally fine. Testing herself, she sprang out of bed, landing firmly on her feet.

"Wow...I feel great! That stuff really worked, Axel!"

Axel wasn't paying attention. He was moving about the apartment, checking things and muttering to himself.

"What's wrong?"

Axel turned to her. "We gotta think of a way to bail him out once we get there. I have a feeling he was found guilty. Man...kid, we can't let this happen! Damien's my best friend, he means the world to me! I can't imagine the kind of things they'll do to him if they..." He scratched his head and stared at the ground.

"I'm sure we'll think of something once we get there. For now, let's try and calm down. I'll go get dressed, and we'll leave shortly, all right?"

Axel nodded, but Amber could tell he wasn't listening. Sighing, she took the clothes that Axel had gotten for her and entered the white room once more, for privacy.

It was haunting, revisiting the place. Her blood stains were still splattered on the ground, a sick reminder of what had taken place a couple of days ago. Trying not to look at it, she turned around and began dressing. Axel had been right about the medicine; she felt better than she'd ever felt before in her life. She had much more energy as an Immortal. But that's what she'd expected anyway; they weren't called Immortals for nothing.

The clothes were a bit baggy on her, but they were really comfortable. They were made of a soft material unlike anything she'd ever felt before in clothing. Perhaps it was of demon creation?

When she emerged, Axel was already at the door, pushing stray strands of hair behind his ears. He was shifting anxiously.

"Are you all right?"

"Yeah..." he replied absent-mindedly. "Hey, by the way, I never got your name."

"Amber Steele."

"Hm. I like it. Nice to meet ya, Amber. Now let's get going."

When they emerged from Axel's apartment, Amber found that her guess about it being perpetually night in Hell was correct. Though it must have been a sort of day time for them at the moment, because everyone was up and about. She had to wonder how they told time without the sun cycles her realm had.

Much to her surprise, when she looked up into the sky, she saw gliding black figures against the night sky. No doubt they were demons, she told herself, and suddenly she had the urge to fly herself.

"Axel...will you teach me to fly?"

"What?"

"To fly."

"No can do at the moment. We can't approach the area we're infiltrating by air. We're taking a series of underground tunnels."

"Infiltrating?"

"We ain't exactly gonna be guests in the Court, if that's what you thought. We're gonna have to sneak in and spy. Hopefully he hasn't been sentenced yet."

"But once they know he's a member of the Brotherhood or whatever you call it he'll get out of it, won't he?"

"Not even a Brotherhood membership can get you out of a sentence. It's a law here. Once you're given a punishment by the Court, there's no revoking it. Not even by Lucifer. You gotta carry it out."

"What are they gonna do to Damien, then?"

"I really don't know. A death sentence would be against the Code, but I wouldn't put it past anyone of the Court elected by Lucifer."

"Who's Lucifer?"

"Oh, man. Do I have to explain everything to you? Well, Lucifer's the Lord of Hell. He ain't the first, though. I think we're on..." he began counting on his fingers, "...the seventeenth? See, our government works in cycles like dynasties, and we're in the Lucifer dynasty right now. When Lucifer's soul is about to be reincarnated in a Mortal, he passes the leadership on to his predecessor, whom he dubs Lucifer as well. But this Lucifer has to be by far the worst we've had in a long time. He's the one who created the Brotherhood. See, he gives his blessing to the demons he feels worthy of him, and they become powerful Lords. They're so powerful that they're above the law, and it used to be that only the ruler of Hell could be above the law. They get a badge upon joining the Brotherhood and all, and that's how they get out of doing so many things."

"But what does Lucifer get out of having a Brotherhood?"

"Eyes and ears among the people. If there's a plot for rebellion, Lucifer'll know about it. If someone breaks the law, Lucifer'll know about it. By having the Brotherhood, he's governing the very lives of our people. Demons shudder and cower every time a member of the Brotherhood walks by."

"That explains all the strange looks Damien was getting earlier. Hey...if the Brotherhood is so bad, why is Damien a part of it anyway? I don't get it."

"The first reason is out of defiance. See, when Lucifer took over the throne, he told the people that he'd find the demon form of Chaos and throw him out of Hell for good. He had this huge god complex, thinking that he'd be the one to do away with Chaos so that he'd stay out of our realm. And look where ol' Chaos is, a member of the friggin' Brotherhood. Who'd have thought?" He chuckled.

Amber wasn't as cheerful. Her eyes suddenly widened. "So he is Chaos..."

Axel placed his hand on his forehead and groaned. "Aaugh! Dang it, he wanted to be the one to tell you. Forget I said anything, okay? Let him explain everything about himself. I'll probably get it all wrong anyways."

Amber looked down, speechless.

"Anyway, the second reason is, and I think he's psycho for this..." he lowered his voice, "...he wants to somehow overthrow Lucifer. He believes that if he gets close enough to him status-wise, he'll be able to find a weakness and push him out of the throne for good. Again, I think he's crazy, but it's not like it'll matter after about a year. His body is gonna be destroyed after the Apocalypse anyway...Dang it! I gotta stop leaking all of this info..." He ran a hand through his messy hair.

By now they were reaching the end of town. Not too many people could be seen anymore, which was a good thing. Axel had a mouth the size of Canada.

After a bit of silence, the two came across what looked like the end of a massive pipe jutting out of the ground. Axel pulled back his sleeves and grasped the two adjacent handles of the lid. He struggled to unscrew the top, heaving and panting and generally making a spectacle of himself. The lid didn't budge. Amber sighed and motioned for him to take only one of the handles in his two hands, while she took the other. Together, they began turning the lid slowly but steadily. In a matter of minutes they had gotten it most of the way off. Axel picked it up off of the pipe and threw it off to the side.

Amber marveled at how easily she was able to turn the lid; it seemed that she had been granted impressive strength upon turning into an Immortal. She longed to test her new abilities, and resented the fact that Damien was in such a need of rescue.

The pipe revealed a ladder leading down to some sort of a passageway. Without hesitation, Axel jumped into the hole, and Amber heard him land with a graceful thud, followed by a vague, "Dang it...that's gonna hurt in the morning."

Following his example, Amber held her breath and jumped down after him. Instead of squeezing her eyes shut, she looked below her for the ground, hoping not to repeat Axel's mistake. It turned out that her night vision had improved immensely, as she could soon see the ground rushing towards her. Making use of her new wings, she spread them, which made for an easy landing. Her feet touched the ground gently, and she retracted her wings. She squinted as everything in the dark tunnel became clearer by the minute. It looked as if they were in some sort of sewer system, minus the smell.

"Where are we?"

"Underground passageway. This series of tunnels runs underneath the surface of most of Hell. Not too many people go this way, and I can't blame them. It's kinda creepy down here. But that's what makes it such a safe way to travel. Almost nobody comes down here anymore. Anyway, Its winding turns are very complicated, but I have a map," he stated triumphantly, pulling out a sloppily folded piece of paper. "It shows the entire underground of this area. See, here..." he indicated a specific point on the map, "...is where Damien's trial is being held. We need to travel up this way and turn here, and then go straight...and eventually we'll end up somewhere within the area of the Court. I can't tell you where the exit to the surface will be, but hopefully it'll be convenient."

"Is this way...safe? What's lurking down here?" Amber looked around warily.

"Don't worry, little missy! I'll have you safely escorted, you can count on me!"

"That's what I'm afraid of..."

"Hey, don't be that way! You can trust me, honest!"

"Whatever, let's just go." Amber grabbed the map from out of Axel's hands and started down the tunnel. It was amazing how clear everything was in an almost pitch black darkness. It almost made Amber feel less paranoid. Almost.

There was a small waterway going down the center of the pathway they were walking, and aside from their footsteps, its trickling was the only sound echoing throughout the place. The air around them was terribly humid, but it was generally cool.

Axel and Amber didn't talk the whole way there; Amber had too much on her mind to say anything that would strike up a conversation. She had finally begun to trust the place, and actually considered coming down here more often once all this had been cleared up. It was her ideal getaway from people, like the park she'd always go to, only more secluded. It was perfect. Perhaps she could get used to Hell.

They walked on for hours, stopping every half hour or so to take a break. Axel had brought some water, but it wasn't nearly enough, as they ran out about half way there. It didn't bother the two, strangely. Then she vaguely remembered something that Axel had told her earlier, about how Immortals could go for months on end without food or drink; it was one of the many things that made it so difficult for them to die. Amber still felt thirst, but she soon came to realize that it was one of her old Mortal instincts that hadn't left her yet that were telling her that she needed water. Perhaps that was why she was sort of feeling the fatigue from the walk, too.

Suddenly, Axel took her by surprise with a random question.

"So...are you and Damien an item? Just curious."

"Wha...what?"

"Just answer the question. Were you dating him in the mortal realm?"

"Sort of, I guess. It was a complicated relationship."

"He's crazy about you, you know."

"What? He sure as hell doesn't show it."

"He loved you before you two even met. Said that you came into his dreams, gave him hope."

"Hope for what?"

"Freedom."

Just like my dream, Amber thought. She had to wonder what kind of freedom Luther was hoping for, but she didn't want to hear it from Axel. She wanted to hear it from Luther himself.

Soon, their surroundings began to get brighter. There weren't any lights around, nor openings that she could see. What was creating this light that got more intense by the minute? Axel didn't seem affected by the change at all.

"Axel...what is that?" She asked, shielding her eyes. She got no response from the demon; he didn't even make any move to acknowledge her. He just kept walking ahead of her, seeming to get further and further from her by the minute. She began to run, sprint, but Axel only became more distant in the immense light.

"Axel! What's happening?! Answer me!" Soon, his figure had completely vanished. The light was blinding now; it was all she could see. No walls around her, no ground below her. Only this warm, inviting light... She wasn't even in the passageway anymore. Beautiful light...

After a while, a figure walking towards her made an appearance in the distance. Axel? No, the man was human, and more familiar...

"Avery...?"

"Amber...is that you?" Avery began to run, and Amber towards him. Was it really her brother?

"Avery!" When they finally met, they embraced tightly. Her brother...his scent, his warmth, his voice, his smile... "Why are you here?"

"Amber...I want you to come to Heaven with me."

"What? But I'm already a demon..." She looked back to flex her wings, but there were none. She was completely human again. She looked up into her brother's warm eyes. "What?"

"Please, Amber. Come with me. You'll be welcome there."

"A...all right. But you'll help me find my friend first, right?"

"No, we must go now. Right now." He grabbed her hand tightly. "Come."

"Avery...what's wrong with you?" She grasped her forehead with her free hand. "I...I feel dizzy...what's happening?" Her vision began to blur, and she felt woozy, but her brother continued to smile. Then she suddenly began to feel tired, so very tired...

"It's all right, Amber. Just go to sleep. I'll take you up to Heaven with me. When you wake up, you'll be in Heaven..."

Amber couldn't help it; her brother's voice was just too soothing. She could feel her eyes drooping, and she felt peaceful. Yeah...when she woke up, she'd be with Avery for eternity...

She felt a sudden sharp pain in the side of her head. This was followed by another. And another. Soon, the light began to subside, and Avery was gone. She was on the ground, and Axel was stooped over her, striking the side of her head with the side of his hand repeatedly. Wincing, she came to her senses and grabbed his wrist, stopping him from yet another blow. She sat up and blinked a few times.

Wait. She was on the ground? When...?

Axel sighed a breath of relief. "I thought you were a goner, kid. Those Nameless Ones ain't harmless, you know. You have to know how to defend yourself."

"Nameless Ones?"

"I dunno what they are. No one knows. They showed up only a few centuries ago. I think they're in Heaven too. What they do is, they draw your soul out of your body. Then they rip you open and eat your heart. They leave the rest, but for some reason, they want the little muscle. I've seen it happen to one of my best friends. After her heart was eaten, I could see the thing a bit more clearly. There are some that walk around plain as day, and some you can't see at all. It seems that when they feed, they become more visible to the eyes. But you can always sense them. You get this chill, and then you see what you desire most. It's almost impossible to get out while you're alone. The only reason I recognized what was happening to you in time was because I witnessed it that first time. And that first time, I had no idea what was happening. I was scared...couldn't help her..."

Tears brimmed Amber's eyes. She was truly fooled by this terrible thing, and it hurt, coming back to reality. So painful that she wouldn't have minded being eaten by a creepy specter of some sort, if it meant somehow being able to be with her brother.

Axel didn't speak for quite some time, a distant look in his eyes and a frown on his face. They trudged down the dark tunnel for what seemed like hours longer, until they reached a fork in their path. Amber immediately sat down to rest her now swollen feet, but Axel didn't stop to relax just yet. The older demon, without much hesitation, suddenly leapt toward the ceiling- a good fifteen feet, at least- and grabbed hold of two bars adjacent on either side to a hole in the roof. He hoisted himself up and into the mini tunnel, and disappeared out of sight. The younger peered up and into the gap in the ceiling, but her eyes didn't suit her enough to see it too clearly.

Well, if she was ever going to get to where she and Axel were headed, Amber needed to follow the best she could. Taking a few big steps back, she dashed forward and sprung upward with the strength her new body had endowed her. She just barely reached the top of the tunnel, but she was able to grab onto the bars that had supported Axel, and managed to push herself up a little bit. There was another surface just above the small hole, and Amber let herself hang limply before gathering the energy to hoist her body up and out of the hole. Grasping onto the surface just above, she scrambled up and lay on the ground panting. Her arms hurt, but it'd go away soon enough.

"Next time, how about we hurry it up a little? They're not going to hold Damien's trial while you get used to your new body, sorry to say."

"Just shut up." Amber stretched her stiffening arms out and reluctantly stood, her body taking to the sitting position after having walked for so long. They were in a smaller tunnel, but this one had more winding pathways from the looks of it. Too many turns, too many ways to get lost. She hoped like nothing else that Axel knew where he was going.

"So...where's this going to take us, exactly?"

"Last time I explored here, I found openings to several of the court rooms. I know for a fact that because of Damien's social status, they're holding him in Room 6, the biggest one. It's where the most prioritized cases are held. Normally, members of the Brotherhood aren't even truly tried; they just go through the formalities, but Damien didn't have his proof with him."

"I have one question. If Damien's found guilty...what'll be his sentence? Since killing is against the Code?"

"First, he'll be stripped of all his power. Back to the bottom of the social ladder. They'll keep him retained for the rest of his life here in Hell, somewhere far off where no one will be able to reach him, and he won't be able to escape. I don't know what'll happen from there...there isn't much you can do to Chaos that'll prove effective, that's for sure. I wonder what they'll do... They'll probably resort to merciless torture."

Amber shuddered. She had to get him out of this; it was her fault, anyway. Feeling the badge with the tips of her fingers in her pocket, Amber sighed and looked around. Now that her eyes had adjusted to the dark in the least, she could see a bit more clearly. Axel didn't hesitate in starting down the pathway; it was like he'd forgotten Amber was following already. A tad bit annoyed, the girl stood and began walking as well, but didn't bother to catch up beside the older demon, a pout planted across her face. It looked as if they weren't exactly going to be the best of friends, but Amber still needed him to help Luther- Damien, whoever the hell she was following at this point. She really didn't know anymore.

Axel didn't speak to her after that; it seemed as if he was feeling the same way about their new "friendship." Ah, well. Amber didn't care. For all she was convinced, they were business partners and nothing more. They just had a common friend. The other demon seemed to know exactly where he was going, as if this were an old neighborhood from his childhood. He'd probably had this planned out for the worst, and Amber had to admit it was pretty smart of him. Every twist and turn...it was like he had a mental map of the place. Perhaps demons' brains were enhanced as well. Amber hadn't really had the time to test that part of her out yet. She'd have to make a mental note of that.

"Now..." Well, at least Axel was speaking now. "When we get there, there'll be no barging in, waving the badge back and forth. No, that'll only get us thrown in the slammer, too. See that hatch up there?" Axel gestured to a series of cracks of light in the ceiling, in the shape of a rectangle. "There's one like that in the court room Damien's being held in. We're going to sneak up through there and straight into the jury. We'll blend in; they're all common folk, no matter who the defendant. We'll wait for the opportune moment to show our proof, so be patient. We'll get Damien out of this by using our heads. All right?"

Amber nodded. She had plenty ideas of her own, but being obedient would have the most pleasant outcomes at this time.

They walked on for about fifteen more minutes- or twenty, or thirty- did time even move in Hell? If not, Amber would probably lose that sense within the first couple of days. Axel stopped them when they reached the previously noted hatch, and silenced her with his hand. Not that she was talking to begin with, but for good measure anyway. He peered up at the cracks in the ceiling, listening intently. All Amber could hear was maybe a few mutters from the jury, which was probably standing right above them, and some frustrated sighs from further away. This would be a rather embarrassing story to explain to Damein.

"Okay...now. Let's go. I'll help you up."