Taking Fantasia : A Disney Fanfiction

Chapter 115: Where is She?

Chapter 115: Where is She?

Spark!

Jim jolted awake. Sparks popped into his eyes and sizzled across the floor. Jim grabbed his bangs. Panicked for nodding off, he raced for Silver's vitals gauge.

Mid-stride he stopped. Silver's gears were roaring. The internal mechanisms purred as the cyborg's robotic side recalibrated with the biological.

For a second Jim stared. Had it worked? Was the cyborg…repaired? Jim did not breath. His hands hovered. His fingers vibrated with the humming mechanisms. Then, when Silver released a soft breath, Jim slowly lowered onto his knees.

"…done."

Silver did not move. But the kitchen hummed with beautiful, metrical vitality of flowing machinery.

Wordlessly, Jim left. Once, he thought he heard a glitch. He paused. Without turning, he listened. Then, with a sputter, the circuits revved back into circulation.

Jim closed his eyes. He breathed. Then, he continued out the door, leaving B.E.N. to slumber, Morph to float dreamily, and Silver to revitalize.

As he left, the cyborg sighed.

Jim trudged up the stairwell. Feet dragging and eyes limp, he strayed though the dark hallway, too tired to find his way. Vaguely he remembered Dr. Sweet wanting him back in the Nurse's Office, but the idea was laughable. The wounds across his head and stomach would eventually heal. And his right hand was cursed, damaged beyond repair. Sighing, Jim knuckled the right hand against his chest. Pain seared across it as he thought of Wendy, Peter, and Silver all at once. Then…he thought of Ariel.

Ariel. Jim rubbed his chest, harder. Ariel. Was she even alive? Had she survived? And if she had, so what? Their futures were still two separate lines without any sign of converging. Ariel was still the dazzling, intense daughter of ancient mer parentage. And Jim was still the streak of grease on Admiral Triton's boot.

Jim faltered. He squeezed his right fist, trying to hide the scar. But the red hot reminder burned up his wrist.

Jim clenched his teeth. Abruptly, he turned. The ambiguity was killing him. He had to find her. Whether she was alive, dead, in love, or full of hate, he had to find Ariel. Now.

"Whoa!"

"—oh!"

"Aiya!"

"Who's that?"

"Step lightly! Lightly now! Good lord! Who –" Jim tripped, catching himself as a hand full of sharp nails caught him. He could not see, but recognized Captain Amelia's voice immediately. "What imbecilic fool runs around in the dark and ice at such early morning hours? Are you daft? Tis not even dawn and – oh this is a desultory round about! Captain Shang! The light if you please!"

Jim heard a click. A flashlight blared into his eyes. Arms raised, he waited for it to lower before squinting at the people before him. There were five. Captain Amelia. Captain Shang. Mulan. Ariel's older sister, Attina. And Admiral Triton.

"Hawkins? Hawkins!" Mulan's smile was starkly displaced against the frowns. Heedless, she hugged Jim, breaking through the officers like sun through the rain.

"Well. Victor's embrace. Very nice." Captain Amelia cleared her throat. She turned her eyes respectfully as Shang silently fumed. "Give them the moment, Captain Shang. Very clearly Captain Fa has not seen her comrades since the battle's after math."

Jim looked up. Beside Captain Amelia, Shang looked ready to commit murder. Not wanting to give Shang more incentive, Jim avoid eye contact. Admiral Triton caught it. Triton was cast in shadow, but his eyes glowed with undersea luminescence. He was staring at Jim's hand.