Day 22
Sabre's P.O.V.
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"What do you mean lockdown? How did that stupid robot put us on lockdown! Come on, come on! Why isn't the code working?"
I grumble in my sleep, my brain stalling as it tries to fit the frantic whispering into my dream. I try shifting to a more comfortable position.
That's when my entire body realizes that it's been sleeping on a concrete floor.
Aches shoot up my limbs, and I wince, grabbing at my legs, which have pins and needles running through them. My head slips off of Green's mattress, and I wake with a start.
The room is dark. Being fifty blocks underground, there isn't even moonlight here. The only reason I can see is that Green acts as something of a living nightlight, making the room look like I'm wearing night vision goggles.
Soft breathing fills the room, accompanied by the whir of machines in other parts of the lab. It's soothing, and I feel my eyelids start to droop closed again. That's when I see a tiny shoot of green.
My stiff fingers close around the plant, and I turn, staring at the frail leaves. When did this get here? I follow the stem up to the side of the bed.
Green grew a vine.
Excitement shoots through me, and I prop myself up on my knees, gently shaking the sleeping steve's shoulders.
"Green, are you awake?" I ask in a whisper, waiting for his eyes to open.
Nothing happens. He remains limp, eyes closed, face pale.
So he didn't wake up. I feel my heart drop. Steves don't usually use their powers in their sleep, not unless the powers are new, or were recently boosted. And only one thing could have made Green's powers stronger.
The sickness is getting worse.
Emotions battle within me. It's scary to think his time is running out, and so much worse to see the effects in person. The only bright side is that he can't hurt the other steves if he remains asleep. Maybe he doesn't even feel the fever that is burning across his skin.
A loud metal clang reverberates around the room, breaking me from my thoughts and making me jump. I land quite painfully on my knees.
The Red Steves are also up in an instant, looking scared. Scarlet light overtakes the room as the Red Leader prepares a fireball.
"Apologies, Professor!" A familiar voice drones. I clutch my chest as the rapid pulse begins to slow. Professor Red rubs at his eyes, frowning.
"Assistant Steve, I told you not to roll down the stairs! You'll get dented!" he groans.
"It's faster!" insists the robot as he wheels into view. I do notice a slight dent on one of his arms. I feel suddenly relieved that he didn't fall while carrying me down the stairs.
"So you fixed the core?" I ask groggily. "That's great. Professor Red thought it would take all night." The scientist winces, while the robot rolls his mechanical eyes.
"Moron, it took me two nights." He corrects scathingly. "You've been sleeping like the dead."
A fresh wave of panic jolts through me.
"Wait, WHAT?"
The vine forgotten, I scramble to my feet, ignoring the soreness in my legs. I rush toward the door.
"Hold on, Sabre-" The Professor begins.
"Light and the Leaders will be looking for me!" I try the door, only to find it locked.
"Assistant Steve, disable lockdown." Professor Red instructs, and the robot grudgingly fiddles with a little keypad. A soft click sounds, and I open the door in a hurry.
"Professor, keep checking on Green." I instruct. "I have to go." Without another word, I bolt out of the room, leaving the door to lock behind me.
As my body wakes up, I realize I'm full of energy. I guess the sleep really did me well, even if I was out for a little over a day. I didn't realize that was possible. Before long, the path starts to slope upward, right below the Leader's house. But the entrance to the passage is closed.
"M! M?" I call, wondering if he's even awake. Apparently so, because he opens up the passage, peering down with a confused expression. He's already dressed in pajamas.
"Sabre? It's the middle of the night." He protests. "Can't we wait 'til morning?"
"I'm so sorry, M, but we have to go now!" I clamber out of the tunnel and onto the carpet. "If the leaders have noticed I'm gone, putting it off will only make it worse." M frowns, but quickly nods.
"I can't do it in the middle of the night, though. Half the kingdom will be irritated with me."
"Maybe we can silently teleport away?" I suggest.
It isn't long before we are back at the Abandoned Library. I give M my thanks as I step out into a peaceful moonlit night. The gates to the Rainbow Kingdom cast a long shadow over me as I step closer, noticing two platinum figures moving frantically on top of it. One disappears from sight while the other struggles to open the gates on his own.
"Sabre! You're back!" the remaining guard huffs. "Thank goodness. Are you okay?" A slow, agonizing creak sounds as the gate inches open, finally picking up speed just to show a certain friend of mine on the other side.
"Yes, I'm okay!" I respond to the guard, backing up as I see the furious glint in Light Steve's eyes.
"You. Were gone. For two days." He marches forward, finger pointed accusingly.
"One and a half." I correct, my voice rising to a squeak.
"I had search parties looking for you!" Something streaks down his face, and I realize he's crying.
"I'm sorry!" I say quickly. "I didn't mean to be gone for so long."
"You didn't tell anyone where you went! Not even the guards."
"They didn't ask this time!" I defend. I might be well-rested for once, but the stress still has me high strung. Light isn't backing down, though.
"That's not an excuse! You could have been hurt!"
"I can take care of myself."
"You don't-" The Captain of the Colorless Guard is abruptly pushed to the side, cutting him off.
"Oh my gosh you're back!" I let out a tiny yelp as electricity runs through me.
"Yellow Leader?" I ask, confused. Usually the Yellow Leader is really strict and haughty. He isn't one for hugs. Yet here he is, slowly suffocating me in a bear hug.
"Oh thank Origin." Apparently there's more than one royal up tonight, because Green Leader quickly follows him outside the gates. They're still dressed in fancy leader clothes, and I wonder how long they've been waiting by the gates, hoping for news.
"Make sure he gets to his house." Light instructs the Green Steve. "And you might want to alert the others that he's okay." He swipes some of his tears away and turns on his heel.
"Where are you going?" Green Leader calls after him.
"I'm calling off the search parties!" he replies bitterly.
"Yep, I'm in for it." I mutter. I won't be spared from Light's ranting for long.
"If I find out you've injured yourself, Light's not the only one you'll be dealing with." Green Leader replies. "Alright, Yellow, let go." The grip around me releases, and I drop to the ground. I run my hands through my hair, trying to stop it from standing on end.
The Green Steve gets closer, frowning in concentration as he checks for injuries. Finally, his posture relaxes, his face brightening.
"Uninjured." he informs the Yellow Leader. "And better rested, too!"
"That's good!" The Yellow Steve turns toward the citadel. "How about I go tell the others, and you take Sabre back to his house?" He barely waits for Green Leader's nod before racing back down the street, disappearing into the citadel.
"Why is he cooperative the second I leave?" I joke, following at a slower pace.
"He was really worried." Green Leader scolds. "And he wasn't the only one. Orange was ready to tear half the kingdom apart looking for you."
"Again, I was gone a day and a half!" I plead. I've been gone for longer than that before without anyone noticing! Unfortunately, the Green Leader is no more receptive than Light. Instead of responding, he turns toward the night guards with a wave. All four of them wave back. They remain silent, but their postures straighten when they see me. Green follows me all the way to the porch.
"For the love of Origin, do not come out of that house until morning." I am nudged toward my house, which I realize has probably been searched for clues. It doesn't look any different, but the thought makes me squirm anyway. I brush those feelings aside. It's not like someone trashed the place or left me hate mail. It isn't like before. I shut the door behind me and go upstairs to the attic. Now that I'm awake, I might as well continue my research.
I pull out my new book and frown, knowing now that the potions are useless against the sickness. At least that's one cure ruled out. But traditional healing methods with entire books written on them would have been a nice solution. I set the book aside with a sigh.
I guess it's time to brainstorm.
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Day 22
Light Steve's P.O.V.
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"LC!" I knock on my friend's door, waiting impatiently. I know he just worked the day shift, but I'm going to need the help of my Elite to get everyone calmed down. Thankfully, LC never takes long.
"Hey Light." LC is already taking out his armor as he opens the door. "I assume there's news?"
"Sabre's back." I report. "He's alright, although I didn't get the chance to ask where he went." I huff a little, remembering Yellow Leader brushing me aside. "Can you help me round up the search parties?"
LC shuts the door in a flash, and is back within seconds, fully armored. I smile. This is why I always come to him first. His head tilts to the side.
"Are you okay, Light?" I frown, confused.
"Why do you ask?"
"Your face, its- um- never mind." We stand in silence for a few seconds, before I shake myself out of it. We have business to attend to, for Origin's sake!
"Hey, after we round up the other guards, can you meet me in my office? I'll need to reposition them for a while, and you're better at schedules than I am." I say quickly.
"Wait, why do you need to reposition them?" LC stops in his tracks. "What's wrong with their current system? We've been using it since the Corrected Sun."
"I told you this earlier!" I remind him. "We're running short on guards. Whatever those first two caught is apparently going around. Thankfully they're fine now, so it should be gone in a few weeks, but I don't want anything to happen while my guard's down." Obviously, there had been a slip up in security. We shouldn't have had to worry about people going missing. I will definitely have to talk to those guards at the gates.
LC stops me seconds before I knock on the door of another Elite.
"What?"
"Don't take this the wrong way, but you look exhausted. I can take care of this on my own if you need some rest. I know you worked a double shift today." I turn away, rapping loudly on the door.
"I'll be fine." I assure him. "It's just been a long day, and I swear Sabre's giving me a migraine."
"I can tell. Your face is pink."
"What? No it isn't?" But when I turn to him, I can see the color reflected in his armor. "Oh, yikes." He laughs a little. If possible, my face grows even warmer.
"Yes Li- Oh." The Violet Elite freezes at the look on my face, glancing between me and LC. I glare at him pointedly, and he covers his mouth, hiding a grin. Why do Violet Steves have to be like this? "Uhm, yes, Captain? What do you need?"
"We're rounding up everyone. Sabre's back." LC takes over the conversation, leaving me to move on to the next house. Why did I put all the Elites on the day shift, again? It makes it kind of inconvenient when something happens during the night.
I knock.
No response.
"Hey, are you up?" I call, trying to knock a little louder without breaking down the door. The doorknob turns, and I'm met with the sickly face of my Elite. He's slouched over, arms curled around his body. I can practically feel the fever from here.
"Um, Captain-" he croaks, but I wave it off. The message is loud and clear.
"It's alright, get some rest." I instruct. "I'll send the Green Leader soon, hopefully tomorrow." The steve smiles weakly, closing the door with a raspy 'thank you'. I groan quietly.
Great. Just great.
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Word Count: 2,077