Chapter VIII:
"To Escape"

Raven could sense the uneasiness of the team, but also their peace of mind. They were taking a large risk trusting him, but nonetheless had faith in him; he was grateful for that. They knew nothing about him, were still in grave danger, and thought they may never see their commander again. But they were strong, every one of them; physically, mentally and emotionally. They had an inner strength to draw from, giving them courage and comfort. But this strength did not come from the confidence in their training or knowledge of survival. It came from somewhere else, somewhere deep inside.

They had a great knowledge, they knew something that helped them face fear and death. It amazed Raven that they were concerned more for eachothers feelings and emotional state than dying. He could tell none of them feared death: most other humans did, but not these six. He knew it wasn't becaude of the skills they learned or the training they recieved. He admired them all, and though he did not fear death, for he knew he could not die, he did not have the same peace of mind that surrounded them.

Raven slowed his pace and came to a halt. He knew this was far enough to let them make their own way to the ship. He had to get back to Kerrigan, soon.

"This is where I leave you. You must make the rest of the way back to the ship on your own. This device," he said handing a black wristband to Seamus, "will guide you to your ship. I will go back and do everything in my power to bring him safely to you." He said, meeting the eyes of Bellatrix and the rest of the team.

"Also," Raven pushed back his coat and pulled out two tri-guns that were holstered on his thigh, "Here," He held them out towards Seamus and Dyami, "You may need these."

They both took the weapons and holstered them.

"I bid thee farewell."

"Thanks." Said the Beta, looking up, but he has already gone.

"Whoa," Exclaimed Seamus, looking around, "Where'd he go? He just... vanished. Weird."

Slaine looked at him oddly. "He just completely healed your broken leg in a manner of minutes, and you think vanishing into the forest is.. weird? I'd think the former weirder than the latter. That man is very.. strange." She said thoughtfully.

"Indeed," Said Dyami, "But he seems OK. I mean, he healed you two guys, so he can't be all that bad."

"Well, we still have to be wary. We don't know if he has alternative motives other than helping us. The Regime may have sent him to infiltrate us." Tala said, somewhat shocked by her husband's defense of Raven. She knew Dyami had not liked him, she saw the way he tensed when Raven touched her. She was proud of him.

Bellatrix spoke up, "Tala is right, but he got us out of that place alive, and it looks as if we'll get to the ship, so we should hope for the best. If he isn't any good, then we should have a chance to get to safety before he returns."

The Delta's heart, though heavy, felt a certain responsibility for these people that she had served with. Though it was not her commanded position, she would do her best to keep them out of harm and get them to safety.

"Raven.. odd name. But then again, odd guy. Anyways, he gave me a map that leads to our ship. Let's pray it works." Said Seamus, and with a wide grin he turned and leaded the way. 'Walking was just as hard as the last time.' He thought. But a sense of relief, peace and some worry now filled the foreign air around them. God was with these people as they went about their mission, even on this desolate moon somewhere in the vast universe. He had never left them, and never would.

-

Raven, using his abilities, was able to make his way through the forest and back to the bunker with ease. This was one of the rare times he was thankful for his powers, when he able to help others, it filled his heart with joy. He wished to be a normal human, and live without this burden, but when he could use them to the benefit of others, he was glad he had the ability to do just that.

He came upon the clearing where he had helped the crew escape. The door was still lying in pieces on the ground. Soldiers had discovered the team missing, but they thought they would not make it far in the forest with no equipment or direction. They had orders to search the surrounding area and bring them back. But it did not matter. They already had the man they wanted, and if they could get him to talk, they would have all they need.

Raven immeidiately headed towards the entrance to the bunker. Pulling away the vines, he reached for the lever. The door opened, and he entered unnoticed.

He walked thru the dim hallway, the same one Kerrigan had been led down not long before. He came to the white room, his eyes adjusting immediately to the lighting. Raven approached the elevator, the doors slid open, and allowed him entrance. As they closed behind him, he uttered the words, "Niveau vier," causing the immediate descent into the bunker.

-

The team felt as if they had been walking forever. The excitement of a new mission or the contentment of a successfully one was not present in their hearts. This feeling usually drove away the tediousness of their treks.

"I'm starting to wonder if we're ever going to find the ship." Tala grumbled impatiently, "I bet that guy programmed that doohickey to send us in the wrong direction. I knew he couldn't be trusted."

Bell patted the younger woman's arm, "Now Tala, that's no way to think. We have to have some hope if we're going to get out of this forest and back home."

With a smile, Dyami put his arm around his wife's shoulders, "Yes my dear," he said, his fingers playing with her locks of hair, "you hafta think positive and keep your sprits up."

She gave him an odd look, "Well you're certainly in a good mood." She said grudgingly.

"Aww, well if you're going to be like that, then I'll have to do something about it." He then stopped infront of her and kissed her softly on her nose. It worked, as he knew it would, her lips turning up into a small smile. He chuckled, "I knew that would work."

"Oh, you." Tala said, and teasingly hit him on the chest. They held eachother for a moment, and then departed to continue.

Slaine and Seamus gave eachother a loving smile, their hearts filling with love for the other. They interlocked their fingers, and mouthed the words, "I love you" meaning it with all their heart.

Bell observed both exchanges, and though she felt sadness that her own partner and best friend was not with her, she was happy that the others had someone to comfort them at this time. She took solace in that. She hoped with all her heart that Tala was wrong about Raven. But she and James had lived a long, good life together, and if she never saw him again, she would grieve, very much, but she would be thankful that God had given her such a man to be her companion in life throughout the years.

-

The elevator descended deeper and deeper into the moon's outer crust. Raven stood still as it moved, pondering on what was about to happen, going over in his mind what he would do, reviewing each step of his plan. He always did, he had to. He saw his reflection, the inside was almost like a mirror. For a moment he thought of what he really looked like, far from human, close to alien. And that was what he was: alien. Because of that he always hid behind a mask, or on another world. He closed his eyes, and concentrated, trying to picture the image exactly right. Then he opened them, looked at his reflection: not alien, not human, but cyborg.

The elevator stopped, and the doors opened. He turned, and saw none save a single cyborg guarding one of the last rooms, the room Kerrigan was in. He stepped out, the doors sliding shut behind him, then he walked to that door, looking calm and cold; the monotonous movements of a machine governing his every step. He stopped and stood infront of the guard, examining him for a moment. Raven was taller, but both had the same basic parts: exo-skeleton armor, multi-vision eye, built-in laser cannon, and in randomized areas human flesh peeking through. There was very little distinction between them.

The soldier spoke first, the vocal synthesizer adding an emotionless, metallic monotone to his words, "Dieses ist a retricted Bereich, den Sie nicht innen dort gehen können. [This is a restricted area, you cannot go in there.]" Raven understood him, but it made no difference.

Raven put his left hand on his shoulder, looked into his eyes, and said, "Schlaf. [Sleep]"

Just as he spoke, the cyborg shut down, the glow from its metal eye going out.

-

"Good evening, Mr. Kerrigan." Kerrigan opened his eyes, "I'm so glad you could join us. It is an honour to meet you. I have read much about you. It makes for rather good reading."

The first thing he saw was the floor, white. Then he raised his head to the left and saw the walls, also white, but he saw no door.

'It must be behind me.' He thought.

He turned to the right, and saw a short, bald man in a white suit wiping a syringe.

"Who.. who are you?" Asked Kerrigan, not fully awake.

The Alpha agent saw a metal tray infront of the man. It was hovering off the ground.

The man turned to face him, "The doctor, of course. And you, sir, are my paitient." He smiled evily at his prisoner.

The doctor approached him with a small needle-device. 'A hacker's tool?' Kerrigan thought.

"You'll be glad to know the rest of your team escaped." The doctor said while slightly probing his paitient's right arm.

"What? How?" Kerrigan said with astonishment, and thanked God they got away.

"It seems they had help." The doctor frowned, still probing, "Pity, it would have been much more fun interrogating all of you, but I'll take what I can get." Then the right arm of Kerrigan's suit disappeared, "And you most certainly will be all I need." The doctor then went back to his tray, putting the tool down.

"You obviously know I won't tell you anything." Kerrigan said firmly.

"Oh, not willingly, to be sure." He said, "But you don't have to be willing, just honest."

'Just honest? What's that suposed to mean?' Kerrigan pondered.

The doctor proceeded to clean the syringe, making sure everything was ready.

"How much have you read about me?"

"Enough to know you won't break easily." The doctor smirked, "But you needn't worry, I'm not into torture. I am, after all, a doctor."

"What kind of doctor helps kill people?" Asked Kerrigan, his voice rising.

"Now that's rather harsh, don't you think? It's not as if I planned this, you know. I'm just on the side that will win."

"But you're not on the right side, we are."

"Oh please, do you know how many people have said that? Really, it gets old after the first couple of crusades."

The doctor took a small bottle in his hand, and punctured the seal with the syringe, a transparent, yellow liquid filling its chambers.

"I'll die first before telling you anything." Kerrigan growled, setting his jaw, refusing to say anything else.

"That can be arranged," An evil gleam lit the eyes of the doctor, "But I'm afraid we'll need you alive."

The doctor approached him with the syringe. Kerrigan struggled, hoping to break free, but the restraints held him firmly in place. He tensed as he felt the slight sting in his arm. The doctor walked back and put the now empty syringe on the tray, waiting for the drug to take effect.

Kerrigan's vision began to blur, then he heard the door open behind him, and the heavy, metal footsteps of a cyborg. 'What's one of them doing here?' Thought Kerrigan.

"Ich werde nicht mit ihm noch, was bin es getan? [I'm not done with him yet, what is it?]" The doctor spoke, in German. He waited, but there was no response, "Brunnen? [Well?]"

The cyborg said, "Traurig. [Sorry.]" And a bolt of electricity serged into the man. He fell to the ground, unconscious.

"What the.." Kerrigan whispered under his breath, not believing what he just saw. He heard what sounded like liquid moving, then a tall man, dressed in black, was loosening his restraints.

"Who.." Kerrigan tried to ask, but then the drug took it's full effect, and he could no longer control himself. Raven lifted him from the chair, bent down, and placed him on his back. They walked out and made their way to the elevator. He closed his eyes for a moment, pushed the control panel to open the door, then the alarm went off.

"Eindringling! [Intruder!]" The alarm shouted over and over, and several guards came out of the other rooms just as Raven entered the elevator, and placed Kerrigan on the floor. He then grabbed the elevator doors, and closed them manually, absorbing the enemy fire. He walked to the panel on the side wall, closed his eyes, and the elevator became active again, and started rising to the top.

Raven looked at his wounds, and his suit; both had many bullet holes. He closed his eyes and concentrated for a moment. Kerrigan's vision was still blurry, but he thought he heard the sound of bullets hitting the ground. Before he could think about it, the elevator came to a stop, and the doors opened.

Raven went over to Kerrigan, bent down, placed him on his back again, and carried him out. Raven thought it best to let the drug ware off naturally, 'Perhaps it is better they do not know everything about me just yet.' He thought. They passed through the white room and the dark hallway and out into the open, and made their way back to the ship.

Thus concludes the story so far. It isn't complete, obviously, but I have posted all that was written. In all honestly I doubt whether it will ever be written. After all, I am no writer, at best, a poet, perhaps. Of course if this were ever written what you see here would be drastically changed, perhaps unrecognizably so. Anyways, I thank those who've either read the whole thing or just this chapter, and I appologize to leave you with such a cliffhanger, but like I said, this is incomplete, so you'll just have to live with it.

-j.