Again we reach for the stars [P for High]

[High's .Valentine.]

[Way to tell me you're done editing. D<]

“The elevator better be working.”

It was stupid of course. When the hell did elevators ever work in an emergency? And certainly not during a heartless invasion. Running down the hallway, Cid switched hand so that Shera was now the one leading the way while he turned and stabbed at the heartless that got a bit too close. And there were one too many. From his own shadow, thanks to the lone light bulbs strung along the hallway, Cid could see many more darker shapes convulsed and break off, mutating the dark silhouette so that his burly figure looked like some kind of chewed up mutant toy.

Ew.

Minutes literally passed before he saw the end of the hallway. By now, with the speed they were running at, who knew if Shera could go anymore. If Cid could work her for hours non-stop except for a small water or bathroom break though, the woman can run the length of the hallway several times over at an even higher speed. Working for the mechanic was something similar to a military boot camp in some instances. Cid definitely was not the kindest employer in Radiant Garden. The thought that maybe Shera had just returned from the dead didn’t cross his mind. Not now at least, when his one-track mind was simply running on adrenaline and survival needs.

The elevator wasn’t beautiful when they reached it.

Cid pushed the button back into its original hole and tried to punch it, cussing non-stop as expected. The elevator button fell through the hole, gone down into a tangled mess of ripped wires.

Cid cussed some more.

“Stairs, we have to take the stairs. Tell me it’s close, Shera…”

[/blockquote]

[Beaver Dude]

There was a momentary pause before Shera started trying to fix the control panel instead of swearing at the shoddy workmanship that four hours of sleep and cobbled together dollar store parts got you. The stairs were a death trap – they’d been designed that way. Invading forces were dangerous, right? As you went down the stairs you got closer to alcoves, false walls and pressure plates that’d trigger the simplest of rigged traps. After ten years it was impossible to say what would work and what wouldn’t, but at the same time Shera couldn’t say for sure that she’d remember every stupid little-

But then the choice was taken out of her hands as a skeletal, nightsky hand came directly out of the control panel blindly grasping.

Later, she’d reflect that instead of heading to her it went straight for Cid. While it was true that strong hearts attracted Heartless that much more easily, it was nigh unheard of for the Heartless to go after a heart that was within easy grasp to head for one that was significantly farther off. It wasn’t like they thought of hearts in a rational, cost-benefits way – hearts were their drug, their fix, their one and only desire. It shouldn’t have just ignored her like that.

But it did. And she’d reflect on it. But only… later. Later when she’d have the time, the resources and the guts to start asking some important questions as well as performing some… risky experiments.

Without Cid’s knowledge. But he’d only get in the way of that sort of thing. He was predictable, in that Shera looking for Heartless just to see if they were attracted to her would be kind of the thing that he’d frown upon. But that would be, as was already mentioned, later.

Cid dragged her out of the elevator as the heartless started to reveal more than just a hand.

“Captain,” Shera said breathlessly. “Listen to me. The way down is full of traps. Step exactly where I step and don’t touch the walls.”

“And please don’t...” but she couldn’t finish the thought. And besides, it wasn’t time for mucky emotions. Not with the Heartless crawling at their backs.

Please don’t die.

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