LAPIS :Chapter 11:

Dreams are absolutely annoying when you have random thoughts going through your head before you pass out. They're even more so when you're trying to focus on keeping your body from rolling off your stiff cot bunk and smacking the concrete ground in pain. So, in spite of trying to find some sane strands of thought to lull me to sleep, my dreams are fabricated by the sheer confusion of my concerns, doubts, and random ideas that came upon me during my first three days down here.

Hell yeah, it's already been three days, and to be perfectly honest, they've been rather uneventful in comparison to day one when I met COBALT and the others. My time has been spent looking around this large space we call our group cell, made from the same stale grey concrete blocks that the rest of this place is built out of. Yet, even though I'm aware that these blocks came from probably the same batch as many of the others, the room seems to have a warmth to it that isn't anywhere else in this place.

When what sunlight does come through the small windows high on the wall parallel my bunk, the room suddenly takes on a new feeling of intimacy I can't exactly describe. It's not romantic intimacy, but it's more along the lines of . . . enlightenment. Lying on this stupid cot after roll call, when I first experienced this revelation, it came about slowly as the sun rose over the high hills surrounding Gelus. The soft light wasn't all that apparent until it must have hit something of a different color outside, as the glow shifted into a lovely blue tint. I turned my head to look at it, but I didn't move any of my body. A sensation of complete calm had come over me, and as I watched it, the fluorescence hit the reflective metal supporting beams of my bunk and set the room in a haze of yellows, pinks, greens, and oranges. It was at this time that I found my mind blank for the first time in my entire time here.

And to think, I'm at my calmest in prison!

I began then to question all I had done here: choosing to accept Kasami's offer, getting involved with Maggie, beginning to have some type of emotional connection to Maggie, going against the status quo and deciding to see Jeweloids as equals, and now allowing myself to become condemned due to Maggie's actions. Looking at it closely, these things became two sets of thought, one being Gelus and the other Jeweloids, Jeweloids having a sub thought of only my interactions with Maggie. In the eyes of a veteran Gelus soldier, I may have only scratched the surface of this place, but still, even to them I have probably seen a good share of drama and debatable decisions.

And that's usually where my dreams get their kick of whatever philosophy they follow. They've gone from wacky dreams where the Commander, Cent, and I are redecorating his office in the colors of his favorite Jeweloids of the month...to tonight's dream, a dream too realisitic to be called a nightmare. My past mixes with the present, and it explodes in violence and a destruction almost apocalyptic. Jeweloids and humans, dead, dying, and struggling to escape a world far more terrible than what it should be. . . .

I see chestnut locks burning, turning a sapphire hue before crumbling away to ashes, blowing off into a vat of more ash, once colors of all kinds, now nothing but a disarray of loss as I hear an eerie melody riding on wind, one of screams and heartache-

"WAKE UP, LANKY ASS!"

"Wh-What the hell?!" I yell, snapping up to a sitting position. My reaction is answered with a punch to the cheek, shocking me as I drop back to the cold concrete, hitting my head with a thud. Around me I hear muddled chatter, telling me that there is more than one person here with me. As I open my eyes to get my first look at my predicament, I'm startled to find myself surrounded by at least ten or fifteen men, ranging from around my age to late 30s, early 40s. Surveying even closer, I find that I'm also no longer in my cell, COBALT, Mally, and the others nowhere in sight. In fact, it looks more like I'm in some type of make-shift fighting ring, the ground lined off with a dusty chalk substitute, sturdy wood planks marking the corners, and rusty chains of all sizes acting as the ropes. I slow my breath as I try to figure out what's happening, "What are you guys doing?"

The man closest to me leans over, sneering as he glares into my eyes. My eyes widen as I make a new discovery; this man is a Jeweloid.

I glance around at the group, and my face begins to pale. These men are all Jeweloids.

Well, shit.

"We're going to have a little . . . 'talk' with ya, if ya don't mind it," the front man says, his eyes burning a neon green much like the radioactive chemicals I've seen in old books, intriguing but dangerous. His voice is just as nerve racking, husky and strong, yet somehow gentleman. I gulp.

"Wh-Why do you want to talk to me?" I stutter. The men chuckle, a few stepping closer as I finally gain enough strength from within myself to stand. My eyes shift through the men, looking for the first sign that I may be struck. Tension is building, the air becoming more electric as the silence draws on. Finally, the man who was sneering before steps close again, getting very close to my face.

"We're gonna talk to ya about what ya did to that Jeweloid gal upstairs," he replies, his ancient accent strong. He's well built, my height, but more muscled. Like the rest of us, he wears something looking more like a regular soldier's sleeping wear; baggy pants, a regular white t-shirt, and no shoes. Yet, even in his nonchalant dress, this Jeweloid is tattooed like crazy. Unlike the other Jeweloids I've seen, he's the first who seems to of been so proud of the new additions to his skin, that he wanted to actually add on to them. His neon green warrior like tattoos run from his cheeks to his neck, and more like them run up and down his arms, maybe even down his back. Suddenly, he brings his fists into my peripheral vision, and I hear a sudden crack. "Boy, you're gonna pay," he comments, gritting his teeth.

"Take him out already, TITANITE!" a bystander screams, putting me further on guard.

"For what?" I ask, becoming increasingly perplexed, "What have I done?"

"You bloody wankar! Don’t pretend like you have no sins for us to count!" another man spits as he breaks from the crowd, his accent very similar to the Veteres dialect I'm well acquainted with, yet different. This man is a bit scrawny in comparison to the other Jeweloid, shorter, and is probably the closest to bleach white that I've seen a man to be. His eyes burn a pale yellow, and what he does have of hair is bright, resembling what color every child makes the sun in their adolescent drawings. He draws just as close as the other, his hook-like tattoos finally visible against his skin, looking at me as if I just murdered someone.

I find that the idea is close to the true reason, as he spats, "I ought to hang you by a string for rapen' that bird!"

A startled gasp escapes my lips, and my heart starts to race. They think I raped a Jeweloid girl?!

"What the hell?! Where'd you hear that bullshit?!" I yell, stepping closer to the original man. I'm stopped abruptly as someone grabs at my forearms, the grip tight and firm as it pulls me back. I look back, seeing two new Jeweloid accomplices glaring me down. A creak tells me someone is stepping closer.

"Time to atone for the sins ya committed against that new gal," TITANITE speaks, his tone hushed, yet the power in his voice could overwhelm the loudest screamer.

I have to explain the truth, or I'm toast.

"Wait, you don't understand! I didn't touch anyone, especially a girl!" I say, looking back as the man begins to position himself in a fighting stance, "And if you're talking about who I think you are, I would never touch Maggie!-"

"Shut it, you Homo shit!" the second man yells, kneeing me right in the gut. I fall back to my knees as I promptly start coughing roughly, the sharp hit causing pain to spread through my chest. He continues to yell at me, "You have no right to say her real name Arse! How can you lie after what you did that bird!"

"Yeah, CITRINE!" the audience yells, supporting his attack on me.

My ability to form any type of speech has been destroyed with his direct blow to my stomach, making me appear belligerent as I can't respond to his accusations. My silence angers him and the first, and together they punch me on both sides of my face. The impact sends me staggering back as the two others release my arms at last second, falling against one of the wood planks with a painful smack. It's now that the initial blow begins to take effect, an intense throbbing ensuing as I try to move my jaw. It appears that something in my face has been fractured, if not broken, but I have so much adrenaline running through my body that I really can't tell. I bring my hand up to my now numb cheek, and I feel some blood. Great.

Looking back up, I see the two men starting at me, their fists ready for another beating. As they come within a foot, I find my instinct to defend myself kick in. At last moment, I dodge under their combo attack, and with what strength I have, I send a direct elbow to TITANITE's ribs. He recoils in shock as I then trip up CITRINE, sending him to the floor. I flip myself back up to my feet, surprising the surrounding Jeweloids who have just been watching. Looking back at a split second glance, I see TITANITE coming at me with another direct punch, allowing me to set a guard before he can land it. When I catch his arm, his expression of anger becomes more puzzled as I counter it with a right hook, landing him right in his own jaw. The blow sends him straight to the ground, a perfect knockout. I pant from exhaustion, hoping that the show maybe caused some of the others to back off.

Though, it doesn't seem to be enough. Turning, I'm suddenly tackled by CITRINE whom I tripped previously, and this time, he's even crazier. Every second, he throws undirected, unguarded, unrelented hits to my face and upper abdomen. Luckily, most of the hits miss major marks, and I'm able to guard them, but the ones he land he lands with excruciating power and damage. I find it nearly impossible to get any blows in myself, but somehow out of sheer luck, I land a harsh hit to his crouch. Instantly, he stops pounding and cringes into a ball, rolling off of me and to the concrete as he grabs at the injured location. Quickly, I get to my feet, trying to use this as an opportunity to get the hell out of this place before anyone else gets ancy enough to throw another hook.

"Hold it punk!"

Before I understand what's happened, I'm whipped back around. The last thing I see is a girl. Yes, a girl. She looks at me as if she had been the victim of my fictitious actions, pure hatred emanating from the depths of her purple eyes. I want to say something, I want to explain my real reasons for being here, but for some reason, my mind now won’t create a thought. Everything slows, strange jolts surging through my head as intense levels that it’s almost torment.

Then, something gets me right in the back of the neck.

The ground is the next thing I see. My vision is blurred yet again, but from what I can sense through the numbness, I'm being pumbled to a pulp. Indistinct shapes pound into my back and chest (I guess I'm lying on my side), the pain so beyond me that it's at the point that I can't even differentiate what is the numbness and what is the stabbing agony. As it drags on, my actual consciousness fades into a misty dimension. My senses are suspended, yet something tells me that I'm no longer lying on the concrete. As what vision I have sparks to life for a mere moment, I find that they're holding my slumped body up, using my flesh as a punching bag. A symphony of muddled laughter lingers in my mind as I return to the darkness that has begun to take over my body. My appendages no longer exist, my body is falling to pieces as I sustain more damage. In this place, I cringe as I think of the agony I'll experience later once they abandon my battered body.

If they leave me alive that is.

"HOLY SHIT!"

A light in the darkness shines weak as the familiar voice echoes through my conscious. Moments later, the drudging symphony is halted by a chorus of different alarms and whistles, and I barely comprehend that I've been released. Before long, more feeling returns as I suddenly realize I'm being shaken.

"Isugoro?! Holy shit, Isugoro, can you hear me?!"

I try to respond, but my voice is none existent as I begin to cough hard, something more than my spit escaping my throat. I make out that I'm now surrounded yet again, though unlike before, the sensation is gentle and seems to be cautious of how it handles me. For the first time in what feels like ages, feeling comes back to my arms and legs, though I wish it hadn't. It's beyond pain, beyond agony, beyond excruciating.

This is pure Hell.

Without notice, my voice cracks back to life, though not in the way I wish. My body unleashes its warped reply to the abuse by releasing one of the most agonized screams I've ever heard, the sound shocking even to me as I feel it resonate off my vocal chords. My eyes flash open, the world abruptly sharp and focused. I see at least ten officers around me, not to mention the familiar faces of Mally, Eriks, and COBALT. Mally's eyes are full of tears, her countenance that of sheer horror, whereas for once, Eriks looks stunned, his usually tanned skin as pale as the Jeweloid who first attacked me. Then . . . there's COBALT. He's fuming, distraught, and in disbelief all at once. His liquid metal irises glow, reflecting his inner turmoil. He whips around, standing as I make out more people running over to me, doctors.

"WHO THE HELL DID THIS?!" he screams, his normally composed and calming baritone now a ferocious uproar of fury. His outrage demands attention from the Jeweloids standing nearby, causing some of those standing out to cringe into the crowd. COBALT glares into the group, and sneers, "What made you think that you should attack him?! What the hell did he do to you?!"

"He raped a Jeweloid!" one brave Jeweloid calls out from the mass. The action causes the rest to start an uproar of their own, berating me.

COBALT walks up to the group, and his countenance calls the Jeweloids to abrupt silence. He snarls.

"What is your proof?" COBALT asks bluntly.

The question causes murmuring amongst the Jeweloids, and before long, most grasp their awful mistake. Some take another look at me, and begin to pale even more than they already are, looking more like apparitions. Obviously the majority was just part of a mindless mob mentality.

"He's here for it! That's proof enough!"

COBALT looks over to see one Jeweloid pull out from the rest; the first Jeweloid who approached me, TITANITE. He walks right over to stare COBALT right in the eyes, fighting his dominating stance. "This bastard is here for raping a girl upstairs!" he argues.

In response, the rest of the Jeweloids begin arguing again, stepping up behind TITANITE as if he were a shield. Hatred rises again in the air, sparking as their eyes once again burn with anger and justification for their actions. Some even spit at us, Mally petrified as she fails to ignore their verbal abuse. Eriks has gone into protective mode, holding Mally’s shoulder gently with one talon as the other is poised aggressively towards the mass. He glares them down with a similar venom, and no one steps forward; no one wants to fight a Nocan.

Without warning, COBALT reclaims everyone’s attention as he takes hold of their leader’s face, startling the group. TITANITE tries to escape, but quickly, he stops, and as the moments continue, his eyes become larger, and his expression becomes more troubled. About twenty seconds later, COBALT releases him, allowing him to stumble back into the group, some catching him.

"What is it?" one of the lone female Jeweloids ask, her candy apple red hair covering her furrowed brow. TITANITE looks up at her, with countenance drained of any of his prior courage.

"We . . . We were . . ." TITANITE trails, his voice feeble, ". . . wrong."

An echo of several gasps fills the room as the other Jeweloids hear his realization. Many retort his words, cursing at him for giving in too easily to lies. Seeing that their shield is breaking, the Jeweloids closest to him start to break away, trying to find security by hurrying to the middle of the horde. "What do you mean?!" CITRINE asks, coming out from the inner part of the mass.

TITANITE turns, looking at the group, before glancing back at COBALT, who still appears stern and unwavering against the crumbling man before him. Knowing this, TITANITE reluctantly slumps, finding that he has lost. "This Jeweloid, he showed me the real reason he's down here . . . ." TITANITE explains, gesturing to COBALT, before his eyes fall on me, “The Human didn't touch a Jeweloid . . . he protected one."

The hearing of this truth causes many of the Jeweloids to fall silent in disbelief, others crying out in guilt. The remaining nay-sayers fall silent. COBALT looks among the group, and shakes his head. "How many here are Jeweloids with the Ability of Mind?" he asks.

Slowly, four or five raise their hands, followed by another two cautious onlookers.

"Why didn't you at least check to see if he was lying? The most inexperienced Jeweloid could of simply looked in his thoughts to see if what you were accusing him of was fact or fiction," COBALT continues, "This . . . This is inexcusable! You all are here for fighting this place, for the Jeweloid cause of equality, right?!"

No one says anything.

"This man . . . he's here because, like this thick skulled idiot said, because he defended one of us! He took punishment in her place for her kissing him! Not only that, he went against superiors and forced his way into the Power Processor to protect her as she was going insane!" he yells, his voice growing more intense with each word that falls from his lips, "If anything, you dumbasses should of thanked him for supporting your ideals! But no, you jumped to the first conclusion you collectively made and decided to jump the guy! Look at him now! How is he supposed to keep his promise and protect her from Gelus now?!"

I lie here in a bit of surprise. How does he know about the promise I made to Maggie before I was shipped down here? Thinking about it, I quickly assume that he must have picked it up when he touched me the first day. Though, I don't really believe that would have caused him to look as shocked as he had. Maybe he saw more?

Pain rises again in my body, and before I can compress any of it, I once again let out a scream, the sound barely any better than the previous. The Jeweloids watch, TITANITE looking utterly speechless, probably replaying his actions in his mind.

"Isugoro, listen to me if you can," I hear Mally say, her voice cracking and coarse as I begin to pant again. My eyes open to see her looking down at me as if I'm her own injured son, an expression of concern and helplessness. "Th-They're gonna take you back up, ok? You're gonna be takin' to the OR, 'cause it looks like your leg and a few ribs are broken, plus some fractures in your face. . . . Oh dear Lord, why'd this happen to you out of all of us?"

My brow furrows. She barely knows me, yet she feels this way. Why, I don't know, but I do know that somehow, she does remind me of my mother. And, in that in mind, the sight of her tears beginning to drip down her cheeks makes me feel awful for her. With what strength I do have, I raise my hand up to try to touch her cheek. Mally watches in amazement, and smiles bitter-sweetly as he takes grasp of my hand, her hold shaky, but warm.

"I'll . . . be a-alright," I somehow gasp, tightening my grip, "I . . . I heal . . . fast."

"G-Good, I bet your Mama will be happy to know you'll be ok," Mally replies through her tears, beginning to become overwhelmed by the situation, "After this, we'll probably never see you around here again. . . . Be a good kid if you can, ok?"

"I'm gonna . . . f-finish my sentence," I stutter, my voice coarser than I've ever heard, "Y-You'll see me again before you . . . k-know it."

Her eyes widen in surprise. Suddenly, the pain revamps, and I squeeze my eyes shut. This is torture, something I'd never wish upon anyone.

"Man, you're crazy to want to come back down here," I hear COBALT comment, apparently done with the other Jeweloids, "After this, I wouldn't come within ten miles within Gelus, I'd leave and never come back."

"Alright, time to raise him," one of the doctors say, looking over to the others, "On three; one, two . . . three!"

A rip of agony fills me as I feel them raise my body onto a levitating cot, a croaking grunt escaping my throat as they secure me. I do all I can to keep myself from tearing up from the pain, holding what composure I have left by gripping at the tight with my free hand, the other still holding tight to Mally's.

"You're ok Isugoro, just stay still," Mally coos, trying to keep me calm, "You'll be feelin' a lot better soon."

My grip tightens on her hand, though it's now that I feel my consciousness beginning to fade. The world around me darkens with each breath, and before long, everything is starting to blur into unrecognizable blobs. I look back at Mally, but now I can't make her out to be who I think she is . . . she morphs and before I realize what is happening, I'm looking up at a face I haven't seen in ages. Chestnut locks frame a rounded face, and pale green eyes look into my soul with a gentle touch that relaxes me. The grip on my hand is nurturing, and I grin on the inside as the sensation fills my body.

"How . . . wonderful. . . ." I trail.

Mally, still in reality, looks perplexed. "Isugoro?" she questions.

Without warning, the familiar being morphs again in my eyes, and to my surprise . . . I see Maggie. She looks scared and worried. The relaxation I felt disappears, and now I'm filled with self-loathing as my awareness goes for a final time.

I promised to protect her . . . and I can't even defend myself. I'm weak.

I don't deserve to call myself a soldier.