Kingdom Hearts: Heart and Soul, chapter 26

Chapter 26: Jailbreak!

    “Right, I just updated the others on our current situation.” Jade snapped her fingers and the Mirror Me Dream Eater vanished in a puff of pink smoke. “We are to proceed with our rescue operation, liberate Salem, and then meet back up with the others.”
    “And you’re talking like that why?” Vanitas deadpanned at what seemed like Jade’s impression of an army general.
    “Because I can, you bloody sod!”
    “Why you…!”
    “And you warned them about Karin and Lexsam?” Tegan’s fingers gripped tightly around Saving Grace’s shaft. Since learning that there were two Boss-level Heartless loose inside the castle, she had been keeping her halberd on hand. Never know when you might need to take a blade to some Heartless hide.
    Jade started, turning away from Vanitas to look at Tegan. “I told them to keep their eyes open. Alice is going after the Vorpal Blade, so the others are on protection detail.”
    “Then we have the rest of tonight to find Salem and get out of here.” Tegan nodded, leaning back. That wasn’t a lot of time.
    “Well, what are we waiting for?” Ventus asked. “Let’s get going!”
    “Do any of you even know how to get to the West Dungeon?” Vanitas snapped. “Because we don’t have all night to wander around like a bunch of lost little kids.”
    Tegan frowned. Vanitas did have a point. Even if she were her normal height, she would have needed a compass to find her way around this crazy castle. Hallways twisted and turned like a maze. And as far as she knew, finding a dungeon meant going down to the lower floors. And if there was a West dungeon, that implied that there was more than one, right? So who’s to say that they’d even find the right dungeon the first time around?
    “I’ve got an idea.” All eyes turned to Jade, who was once again shuffling around in her bag. “Vanitas, would it be safe to assume that Heartless and Nobodies have a ‘kill or be killed’ attitude towards each other? Or perhaps that they behave similarly to animals hunting each other in the wild?”
    Vanitas blinked. “Uh…Sure?”
    “Right. Well, I’ve got a working theory. What if, like most predators in the wild, Heartless could hunt down wounded Nobodies like prey, and vice versa? If Salem’s Heartless counterpart really does hate him as you say, I’d think it’s safe to assume that Salem’s been injured to some extent, correct?”
    Tegan exchanged a glance with Vanitas and Ventus. Where was Jade going with this?
    “So what? You’re saying we might be able to track the moron down by using Heartless?” Vanitas scoffed. “Give me a break!”
    “Do you have a better idea?” Vanitas said nothing and much to his anger, the auburnette smirked triumphantly. “Then we try my idea.”
    Jade pulled her hand from her bag and tossed the card between her fingers up in the air. Just like before, the card burst into black and white light and out came a dog-shaped Heartless, a Rabid Dog. This Card Heartless had purple skin instead of blue, and an orange collar instead of red. But it looked close enough to the original. Jade grinned.
    “What say you? Up for a little Nobody hunting?”
    “How nice,” Tegan snickered. “A ‘Cardless’ bloodhound!”
    Using Jade’s “Cardless” (the Brit decided to humor Tegan and now that was the official term for the card-copy Heartless), the teens were able to navigate through the castle with more ease than rafter-jumping. By hiding under and in the wide collar of the Rabid Dog, they were able to stay out of sight as the Heartless impostor trotted down the halls, obediently listening to Jade’s every command. Every so often they would encounter real Heartless, but Jade managed to steer her minion (another of Tegan’s bad jokes and/or puns) away from the real ones before they were found out. Tegan had no idea if the Heartless could tell the card impostors from the real ones, but she wasn’t keen on finding out.
    “So this Lexsam guy…” Tegan fidgeted nervously. “What do you suppose he’s like?”
    Next to her, Vanitas stiffened, his face clouding over. He knew. Thanks to his time working for Xemnas, Vanitas had seen personally what the Heartless was capable of.
    “Ruthless. Extremely violent. He’s not someone you want to get into a fight with even if your life depended on it. Almost everyone one is an enemy in his mind, and when it comes to enemies, he has no problem with ripping them to shreds. In fact, I think it’s his favorite hobby…”
    Tegan gulped. Sounded like a couple of guys she used to see fight back in her world. She’d never made the mistake of getting into fights with those guys before, but she had seen a couple of them and it never turned out good. For anyone involved.
    “Sounds lovely.” Jade remarked, voice dripping with sarcasm. “Besides being a cut-throat sadist, what else can you tell us about him?”
    “Well, he pretty damned sexist, has an easily triggered temper, hates Nobodies—Salem in particular—and oh yeah, he makes me seem like Ventus. The stronger you are, the more he’ll want to destroy you; he doesn’t, or won’t, care about anything else. Basically he’s the opposite of Salem. I’ve never actually seen him fight with a weapon, but he’s plenty brutal with his bare hands alone.”
    “And he’s Salem’s Heartless?” Ventus folded his arms across his chest and sighed worriedly. “Who would have thought? I mean, Salem—the Nobody Salem—is a nice guy…”
    “Yes, well, this pitiful bastard is the Heartless of that purple-haired twit,” Jade shrugged. “No one is a ‘nice guy’. That’s sentimental nonsense; everyone has a dark side. everyone has at least one skeleton in their closet. I’d wager Salem had plenty of anger bubbling away at him before he lost his heart…”
    “Wow Jade,” Vanitas sneered. “Who would have known you were so Jade-d.”
    “It’s called being realistic, stuck-up bastard. You you’re no better.”
    Tegan frowned. From the looks of it, Jade had slipped into a pessimistic mood more often than not. The guards were back up around her, her gray eyes locked ahead of her. But Tegan didn’t think for a second that the other girl was paying any attention to what was in front of her. Jade’s eyes had a far-away look, like she was remembering a past event that she didn’t want to remember. When she had spoken, her voice had been tinged with sadness and for some reason, a little bit of anger. Tegan wondered why.
    I don’t get this girl at all. One minute, she’s formulating strategies like some sort of General, the next she’s either not all here, or she’s about to rip someone’s head off. And no matter what, she always has some sort of wall up between her and everybody else. That isn’t good; I know that for sure…
    Tegan had a feeling that Jade wasn’t going to open up to any of them if she could help it. Hell, the girl was more focused on getting her answers and going back to their world than anything else. Nothing else seemed to matter. Tegan wanted to get to know her, be her friend. But there was something strange about Jade, something Tegan didn’t really understand. It was this weird feeling, one of Tegan’s hunches.
    Jade had some part in all of this. That’s what Tegan’s instincts were telling her. And even though Jade wanted to go home, Tegan was afraid of what might happen if her hunch was correct. If they needed Jade, for whatever reason, and she wasn’t there, what would they do?
    I want her to stay, but dammit, that’s not my decision! It’s not like we can force her to come with us. Besides, she’s probably got people back on our world who’re gonna worry about her. Friends. Family…
    Being someone who had none, Tegan didn’t want to pull someone away from their family and their home. It wasn’t right. She left Earth willingly, but Jade had been forced by the Organization, who clearly had some sort of intent for her. And that didn’t sit right with Tegan. It only strengthened the idea that Jade had some role to play in all of this. A methodical, strategic guy like Xehanort would never send his goons to pick up some random stranger from a random world just to deliver Tegan a message. No, Jade came from the same world as Tegan. She knew and played the same games. She knows (at least Tegan hoped so) everything Tegan knows about the Kingdom hearts series. This was planned.
    “I’m sure of it…”
    “What?” Tegan looked up hastily, unaware that she had spoken out loud. Laughing nervously, she brushed off Vanitas’ golden stare.
    “N-Nothing, nothing!” She could tell that he didn’t believe her, but Vanitas either didn’t care or just let it slide, because he dropped the subject and pointed ahead.
    “Good, ‘cause we’re here.”
    Jade’s Rabid Dog stood in front of a massive pair of wooden doors, held together by the biggest iron studs and bands Tegan had ever seen. By normal standards, they had to be at least twenty feet tall, ten feet wide, and looked like it had taken forever to make them. The wood was worn but sturdy and peppered with inch-wide metal studs running up and down the doors from floor to the top of its iron frame. Heavy chains hung across the two doors, forming an “X”. A massive padlock sat in the middle, looking in desperate need of an oiling.
    “You’re sure this is the right place?” Vanitas asked, his shoulders tense. With Lexsam loose in the castle, he didn’t want to take any chances. Jade nodded.
    “Have a look for yourself, mate.” Backing up, Jade pointed to a stone carving just above the door. No one had seen it at first, but when they moved back a foot or so, they saw it was a sign that read “West Dungeon”, clear as day over the door. Tegan groaned.
    “Only in Wonderland…Van, get the door, would you?”
    Jade returned her Cardless to its card form as Vanitas unlocked the doors. Tegan pulled her Wayfinder out, lengthened the metal chain, and slipped it over her neck. She figured that even though it made for outrageous-looking neck-wear, it was easier in battle to keep the charm around her neck where she could keep an eye on it, rather than having it dangle by her side.
    “Alright, let’s go.” The chains fell to the sides with dull clangs, and Vanitas held Void Gear by his side, eyeing the entrance to the dungeons warily. Working together, he, Tegan, and Jade managed to nudge one of the heavy doors (Jade grumbled and compared it to shoving a bus) open enough for them to slip in.
    The first thing Tegan noticed about the dungeons was the smell. The air was damp and musty, like rotted plants and swampy water. It was pretty nasty. Maybe if she had been her normal size, it wouldn’t have been so bad, but being as tiny as she was, Tegan got a full blast of the dank air when she stepped inside first, and got hit by a wave of nausea. It was so bad that her stomach churned and did flips. She gagged for a second, lurching back before steadying herself.
    Oh no. No way in HELL am I going to pass out! I will NOT be the cheesy horror film heroine that faints!
    The next thing she noticed was the small amount of light illuminating the entrance. The entire place was made of some sort of dark gray stone, cracked and pitted from who knows how many years of abuse. The dungeon was actually just one really long hallway with a line of cells on each side. Each cell was about six foot square, with metal bars in the front to keep the prisoners inside. In the distance, Tegan could hear the “drip drop” sound of water, like a pipe had been broken. And oddly enough, it looked like the cells were empty.
    It was dead silent. No moans, no whimpers or groans or begs for mercy. Didn’t the Queen say that Salem was taking up too much room in this place? Tegan started to grumble under her breath, muttering about big-headed idiot Queens who had no clear concept of space whatsoever.
    “Well, isn’t this just lovely?” Jade had the collar of her T-shirt pulled up over her nose, so her voice came out a little muffled. From the looks of it, the Brit didn’t enjoy the smell either.
    “Come on, let’s find Salem and get the hell outta here.” Vanitas pushed past the two girls, creeping to one of the walls. “I don’t like this. It’s too quiet…”
    “Yeah,” Ventus agreed, blue eyes gleaming unusually suspicious. “Too quiet for a dungeon…”
    “Come on, let’s find Salem!” Tegan started forward, but a hand snatched her arm and jerked her back. Tegan let out a grunt as she crashed into someone’s chest, and she glared up at the passive face of Vanitas.
    “Tegan, you and Jade stay behind me.” His voice was extremely low, and the intensity of it made her flinch. His eyes were as hard as stone, glaring out at the shadows of the dungeon. It was almost like he was expecting something—or someone—to jump out and attack them at any second.
    “What is it?” Jade asked, glancing around coolly. The place was making her tense too.
    “There’s one other thing about Lexsam. He’s not like Salem when it comes to women…If he sees either of you, run. Just run away…as fast as you can. Don’t let him catch you.”
    “I’m not running away!” Jade snapped indignantly. “I will not!”
    “Just shut up, will you?!? If Lexsam sees you two, he’s going to rip you to shreds just because he can, and just so he can stick it to Salem!” Both girls froze, eyes wide as Vanitas’ voice boomed through the dungeon.
    “It doesn’t matter who you are, Lexsam will only see you as two things: friends of Salem and helpless, weak little girls! It doesn’t matter how strong you are, all females are weak and a waste of space, and there’s nothing he loves more than obliterating anything inferior to him. He’ll cause as much pain as possible, torture and torment until you beg for mercy. And then he’ll rip the heart right out of your chest. And because we’re trying to help Salem, Lexsam will show no mercy. So if you like staying alive, I suggest you shut up and listen to me!!!”
    Tegan felt a flicker of fear build up in her chest while listening to Vanitas talking. No matter how brave you think you are, thinking about someone who enjoyed hurting others, because they could, was a bone-chilling thought. And to know that the person had any connection to a friend, in this case being part of the same person, was horrible. And it scared her.
    When Jade didn’t respond, Vanitas started down the dungeon hallway. Tegan trailed not close behind him and dragging Jade along anxiously. Jade stayed silent, simply letting the other girl pull her along and watching the hand clasped around her wrist tremble slightly.
    As they crept by empty cell after empty cell, Tegan noticed a single door at the end of the hallway. It was the size of a normal door, not giant like the dungeon entrance, and had seen better days. The boards were beyond worn and cracked in several places. Iron nails had been hammered sloppily in random places. And there was a small gap between the bottom of the door and the floor, just enough room for a mouse to squeeze under. Or any of them, in their case.
    “H-Hey,” she whispered. “Do you think he’s in there?”
    Vanitas looked around. “Maybe.”
    “I’ll take a look.” Before anyone could stop her, Jade started crawling under the gap, leaving Vanitas and Tegan alone in the hallway. Tegan took a deep, slightly shaken breath and clutched Saving Grace closer. She felt like a spring, tensed and ready to spring from the tension building up.
    “…You’re going to be alright, you know.” Tegan jumped from Vanitas suddenly, and quietly, speaking. Whirling around, Tegan locked eyes with the dark-haired teen. Vanitas stared blankly back at her.
    “O-of course, I’ll be alright! Why wouldn’t I?” He rolled her eyes at Tegan’s feeble attempt at a confident smile. Tegan opened her mouth to defend herself but was cut off by Vanitas dropping his hand on top of her head, mussing her hair. Tegan let out an indignant grumble.
    “It’s hard to believe that when you’re shaking so badly that the charm around your neck is clanking like a heavy chain.”
    “Well…It’s kind of your fault, going on like that…” Tegan muttered, knocking his hand away and fixing her hair. “Honestly, do you even realize how freaking scary this is?! I mean, if we can’t save Salem, and if we get caught…”
    “That’s what I’m here for,” Vanitas interrupted. “Worst comes to worst, I’ll be there to give you the chance you need to run. I won’t let the bastard get ya…”  
    “…Thanks, Vanitas.”
    “Oi! You might want to come and see this!” Jade stuck her head back under the door and hissed. “Coast is clear, but get a leg on!”
    Jade voice was pitchy and filled with worry, and the two hurried under the door, wincing as their hair and clothes caught on nails and cracks. Luckily, they managed to avoid getting choked by necklaces or bald spots and were on the other side in a matter of moments. Tegan picked splinters out of her jacket as she stood up. Looking up, her breath caught n her throat.
    “Salem!”
    Slumped on his knees in the middle of the tiny, round cell, Salem had his hands chained together and held above his head by a pair of manacles connected to a chain tethered to the ceiling. His signature sweatshirt was missing, as well as both of his knife bags. The sleeveless purple shirt he wore under his red sweatshirt had ragged tears in it and was stained rust-red in some areas. His hair had come loose and looked like a big purple bird’s nest around his head. His bangs fell over his eyes, but from Tegan’s angle she could see the makings of a magnificent black eye. His face was bruised and cut up, along with jagged claw marks across his arms and torso where his shirt had been ripped.
    All in all, the poor Nobody was a mess.
    “Salem, wake up!” Tegan rushed over and shoved his leg as hard as she could. She wasn’t sure if he was unconscious of not, but she hoped it was that and not something worse. “Wake up!”
    “Salem, you damned pansy!” Vanitas bellowed, jabbing his friend in the side with the blunt  end of his Keyblade. “Get off your lazy ass! Move it, Alexsm!”
    Salem twitched and a low groan passed his lips. Tegan backed up as the injured mage started to shift. His eyes slowly blinked open, but they were dull and hazy. His mouth twisted in a pained grimace.
    “Back again…bastard?” Salem’s voice was thick and slurred. “I told you, I’m not telling you anything…”
    “Who do you think you are talking to?! It’s us, you bloody twit!” Jade slammed her hand down on Salem’s knee.
    “Who’re you calling…a ‘twit’ you…” Salem blinked, eyes adjusting to the poor light as he became more aware of his surroundings. He had thought that Lexsam was back for another round of wailing on Salem the Punching bag. But Lexsam’s voice wasn’t that high pitched. And he certainly didn’t have a British accent…
    “Salem, it’s us. Tegan, Jade, and Vanitas!” Tegan climbed up onto his shoulder and yanked on a lock of hair. “We’re here to rescue you.”
    Salem’s head swerved lazily to the side, and his eyes cleared slightly. A jolt of pain coursed through him however, and Tegan went tumbling off his shoulder. Jade caught the redhead before she could hit the cold stone as Salem coughed hoarsely.
    “What…What are you…doing here?!?” he demanded between gasps. “It…It’s too d-dangerous!”
    “Did you really think we were going to let you rot in some cell, or let your head roll?” Jade shot the Nobody a glare and kicked an uninjured part of his leg. “Bloody arse!”
    “We couldn’t just leave you and the Hatter here, Salem!” Tegan cried. “You’re our friend!”
    “You don’t understand!” Salem protested, his coughing and groaning becoming more erratic. “It’s not safe! G-get out of here, before…before he comes back!”
    “We’ll do that, but first we’re dragging your ass out of here!” Vanitas had made his way up to Salem’s shackles. Void Gear made quick work of the metal cuffs and Salem fell forward, swearing heatedly as his face smashed against the ground. Vanitas whistled as he swung from the dangling chain.
    “Nice form. 10 out of 10.”
    “Vanitas, shut up,” Salem grumbled. “I could squash you like a bug, you know…”
    “But you won’t.” He turned towards the girls. “Get him patched up. I’m going to check the area.”
    Tegan turned to Jade. “Do you have a Cure card strong enough for him?”
    “Let me see.” Snapping her fingers, Jade called the Mirror Me bird out and handed it to Tegan. “Call the others, tell them we found him.”
    While Jade shuffled around for a high level card, Tegan connected her Dream Eater to Angelique’s. The mirror on the bird Spirit’s stomach glowed as the little creature gave off a squawk that sounded more like a cell phone ringing than a bird call. An image formed over the mirror’s surface, resembling the back of the white-haired witch’s head. The image was shaky, and there was a lot of background noise that sounded like the clank of metal and shouting.
    “Angie! Come in, Angie!” Tegan shouted. Were they being chased by something? Had they been found out?!
    Angelique’s Mirror Me bird must have moved, because the image swerved as her face came into view. Angelique’s cheeks were slightly flushed, from running no doubt, and her hair hung in messy wisps around her face. The witch’s red eyes were bright from excitement and nervous worry, but they brightened as she saw Tegan’s face on the other end of the Spirit call.
    “Tegan! Good news, we found ze Vorpal Sword!” Angelique exclaimed breathlessly. “Only, we are being chased now! The castle guards and ’eartless are on our tail; we are making our way to ze castle gates! Did you find Salem?!”
    Tegan nodded quickly. “He’s pretty banged up, but alright! We’ll meet you on the outside, be careful!”
    “Oui! My Spirits are clearing a path. See you soon, mon amie!”
    The image disappeared abruptly, with a loud shout cutting off in the background. Tegan let out an anxious whine. Time had flown by quicker than she thought. Alice had the sword, but the charade’s up. They needed to get Salem out quick!
    “Wh-what’s going…on?” Salem asked weakly. Tegan and Jade filled him in on the details of their rescue operation. When he heard about the other members of their group and their current predicament, his face turned grim. Grunting, he pushed himself up with shaky limbs.
    “Oi, what the hell do you think you’re doing?!” Jade shouted. It was clear that whatever they had been doing to Salem, it had drained him of a good deal of his energy.
    “The others…are in trouble,” Salem panted. “My spell…I need to…cancel it out…”
    Both Jade and Tegan could see the strain on Salem. But before they could stop him, the mage clapped his hands together and bright circles of light appeared around the girls’ bodies. There was a flash of light, a ringing sound, and Tegan felt her body stretch until she was back to her normal size again. Salem let out a final groan and slumped forward again, his breathing shallow and ragged.
    “S-See?” he mumbled hoarsely. “N-No harm—uhg—done…”
    The door to Salem’s cell creaked open, and Vanitas poked his head inside. Seeing Salem sprawled out on the floor, he rolled his eyes and sighed in irritation.
    “I take it he’s to thank for my sudden growth spurt? Fine, let’s get him up and get out of here.”
    “And how do you plan on doing that?” Jade asked sharply, hefting one of the weakened Nobody’s arms over her shoulder. Tegan looked around and grinned.
    “I’ve got an idea, and with any luck, it will get us to the others in no time!” Tegan turned to Jade. “Do you have anything in your cards that will get you airborne?”
    Perplexed by the sudden question, Jade simply shrugged. “A few Heartless cards, I suppose. But why? What’s the plan?”
    Tegan shoved the others out of the small room and back into the hallway. Smirking, she tossed her summon stone in the air and slashed through it with her halberd. Bahamut roared as he appeared next to his summoner. Tegan smiled, patting the dragon on the head gently. The redhead jumped up on the back of the metal dragon and grinned a Cheshire Cat-worthy grin.
    “Time for a jailbreak guys!” Pointing at the tiny cell, the other began to get the idea of what she was planning. “Use Megaflare!”
    Tegan let loose a semi-psychotic laugh (done just for the hell of it) as Vanitas yanked Jade and Salem back, Bahamut’s Megaflare ripping a hole through the back wall of the cell Salem was previously chained in. Tegan had never really been one for destroying other people’s property (unless it was in video games), but she couldn’t deny the slight feeling of excitement as mortar and stone went flying, kicking up clouds of dust and sprays of water everywhere. Maybe it was just that she liked controlled chaos? Yeah, she’d go with that…
    “Jade, haul Witchman up here and let’s get this show on the road!” Tegan yelled. The whole castle probably heard that explosion and if things went according to her plan, guards would be diverted to come and check out what happened, which would mean less interference as they made their grand getaway. So if they were going, it had to be now.
    Vanitas helped Jade get Salem up on Bahamut, the purple-haired Nobody hanging loosely onto Tegan for support. The dark-haired teen summoned his Glider as Jade tossed a card into the air, summoning a Wyvern Cardless. The auburnette climbed onto the Heartless copy’s back and the four rushed out of the hole Tegan had blown in the wall.
    “Oh good, it did lead outside!” Vanitas shot the redhead a furious scowl.
    “You mean we might have turned into stains on another wall?! What the hell, Tegan?!?”
    “Save the fighting for later,” Jade ordered, pulling out some cards. “We’ve got company!”
    As the teens raced out in the open air, a swarm of aerial Heartless swooped down over them, Aerial Thrusters, real Wyverns, and Air Pirates. Tegan held out her hand and shot one out of the skies with a Soul Flare while Jade turned around on her Wyverns, card in hand and glowing. A flash of light later and she had a pair of Xigbar’s Arrowguns locked and loaded in her grasp.
    “Oh bloody hell,” she muttered. “So I can summon Heartless and Nobody weapons, but a Keyblade is too hard? Bollocks!!!”
    “Just shoot, Jade!” Tegan held Salem’s arm tight as Bahamut maneuvered out of an Air Pirate’s attack range to blow it to smithereens with Megaflare. Jade nodded and took aim, missing the first few shots before she was able to get used to aiming with the bizarre guns.
    I suppose those paintball lessons with Lottie were worth the time after all. Jade felt her heart clench at the thought of her late best friend and took aim at a pair of Aerial Thrusters who decided to come in close for an attack. Miraculously, both shots went right through the little Heartless bodies and they disappeared in puffs of black smoke, captive hearts floating away.
    When she saw another Heartless making a beeline for the back of Vanitas’ head, Jade felt her arm move on impulse, pulling the trigger. The glowing shard-like bullet blasted right through the Wyvern’s right wing and the monster plummeted in a downward spiral, disappearing somewhere along the towers of the castle. Vanitas must have heard the noise, because as soon as he watched the Heartless vanish from sight, he looked back and gave Jade a slight nod. The girl nodded back as Tegan cried out.
    “Look down there!”
    The group had made it to the other side of the castle, where some big commotion was going down in the courtyard. Jade saw a mass of glinting red (the armor of the Card Soldiers) surrounding a group of teens. In the middle, a blonde-haired girl carrying a silver sword hopped onto the back of a giant furry animal with white, black-spotted fur that looked like a mix of bear and leopard.
    Alice led the way as the Bandersnatch smashed its way through the soldiers as if they were only playing cards. Behind her were Sora, Kairi, and Riku on their Gliders, knocking soldiers around to cause more confusion. And in the rear were Angelique and her Dream Eaters, bright spots of color mixed into the dulled, blood-red and black.
    The teens on the ground pushed their way out of the castle gates as the group on the air went down to meet them, making sure to put plenty of distance between them and the Red Queen’s castle before meeting their friends in stride.
    “Special delivery!” Tegan cried. “One used, knife-crazy Nobody!”
    “Salem!”
    “Are you alright?”
    “What happened?!”
    “Guys please!” Salem moaned, holding his hands over his ears. “It feels like someone’s doing the tango on top of my brain. Not so loud, I beg of you!”
    “You look terrible,” Alice observed. “Hopefully when we get to Malmorial, the White Queen can help you.”
    “Me too, Alice my dear,” Salem agreed. “I now have a whole new appreciation for dead batteries, I think I—ow!” A force slammed into Salem’s back, pushing him forward. His skull collided with the back of Tegan’s and, despite the airbag that was Scottish hair, his head was ringing like a gong. Red dots danced across his eyes as he felt like passing out. He felt a thin pair of arms wrap around his torso and the Nobody leaned back, catching nothing but white in his peripheral vision.
    “Wow, I must be dead,” Salem slurred. “Does anyone else see the angel…?”
    Angelique let out an unamused huff as she pressed her face into his shoulder. When she had seen Tegan come down from the sky on Bahamut, he eyes had been drawn immediately to the scraggly mop of purple hair. Angelique had wanted to cry and scream, seeing Salem a bruised, battered, and bloody mess.
    “You idiot,” she mumbled, hugging him tight. “I was so worried about you. I thought zey were going to kill you…” Pulling back, she glared into Salem’s glazed blue eyes. “If you ever do anything like zat again, Salem Kurokami, so ’elp me, I will beat you with a stick and…and I will never speak to you again!”
    Salem looked back at the frazzled snowette behind him and felt a pang of shame. It was stupid of him to go off like that. He had wanted to keep an eye on the Hatter, but he also had a hunch and the opportunity had presented itself. Of course, that hunch turned out correct when—low and behold—his evil “twin” showed up on the doorstep of his cell, looking at Salem like he was some disgusting vermin.
    Leaning back, Salem tilted his head so his cheek rested against the top of Angelique’s. He was sure that he was going to pass out any minute now. Lexsam’s torture had left him weakened and almost completely drained of mana. Using up the last drips of his energy to reverse his Shrink spell could have dangerous consequences, but he was too tired to care.
    “Sorry, Angel. Promise I won’t do it again…” As Salem slipped into a peaceful sleep, he was aware of a faint floral scent coming from Angelique that reminded him of home. And he had to admit, it was pretty nice…
    With Salem asleep between Angelique and Tegan, the others began to discuss everything that had happened since parting. As it turned out, besides that one time for Tegan’s group, no one had seen neither hide nor hair of the two Heartless Organization members around the castle. And yet they had run into plenty of Heartless, especially during the escape.
    “If I had to guess,” Vanitas was saying. “Karin’s reining Lexsam in for some reason. I’ve seen those two a few times, and Karin’s the only one who can keep Lex in line.”
    “Why didn’t they show up while we we’re trying to escape?” Sora asked.
    “Yeah, they just sent to Heartless out.” Kairi frowned. “It seemed like as good a time as any to show up…”
    “I think they chose to hang back,” Tegan threw in her two cents. “I mean, some Heartless and Card Soldiers? Too easy. They did it on purpose; you know, let us go.”
    “I couldn’t agree more.” Jade twirled her wrench as the gears in her mind went to work. “The question is: why?”
…
…
    High on the rooftops of the Red Queen’s castle, two figures watched the intruders fade into the distance. One sat calmly on the tiled roof, sipping tea leisurely. The other growled and swore, pacing around like a frustrated wild animal.
    “What the hell, you bitch?!?” he spat. “I wanted to waste that poor waste-of-space worm, Alexsm!” Venting his frustrations on a window nearby, the ten smashed his muscled arm through the glass pane, shard flying and getting caught in his wild, jet-black hair. His gold eyes raged with unbridled fury.
    Karin simply sighed; speaking to her partner slowly, like one would to someone with a mental disability.
    “Now is not the time, Lexsam,” she chided. “And you know that just as well as I do. The time will come when you may destroy the filthy Nobody, but it is not today.”
    “Well, why the hell did we just let them walk away?!? We look like weakling cowards!!!”
    “All in good time, my war-mongering imbecile partner. All in good time…”