Genre: Musical! Drama
Ships?: Hinted Axel/Xion, Bobby/Hala, and Axel/Larxene
→Familyships?: Roxas&Xion
→Friendships?: Axel&Roxas&Xion, Axel&Bobby
Characters: Xion, Axel, Roxas, Larxene, Bobby (OC)
→Mentions: Various extras, a genderbent Zexion, Hala (OC), Repoman!Lexaeus or Vexen, Xemnas
Rating: PG-13
Spoilers: If you haven't watched Repo, then yes.
Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts, Repo! The Genetic Opera, or any related characters. This was written out of enjoyment of the series, and no profit is being made.
Music: Zydrate Anatomy from Repo! The Genetic Opera
Notes:
Incline
In another time, they watch the sun rise over the California coast and smile at each other in different ways. There's him, with his laid back smirk, so confident in himself yet with no true goal to push himself towards. Blind as a bat, he hadn't seen (or perhaps refused to) the way his heart burned up and beat faster at the other man's smile- so small but knowing, like he had all the secrets in the world and he was, even then, contemplating on telling you one. Taking one of his lifelines, he asks, if only because his curiosity is intensified and nonsensical with the alcohol they've drunk, "Where do you want to go?" It doesn't seem at all random to him, and apparently, his partner shares a similar view, because he actually answers.
In this time, Tony finds himself looking upon that answer.
"Prydain," Xandra informs them all crisply, circuit line glowing in her irises. Despite the group gathered in this large meeting room, she doesn't seem at all ruffled. It doesn't matter who she's talking to; SHIELD commanders to talking ducks, Keyblade masters to former Mafia hit men- the crew of Desunt Cetera seems to have a habit of treating no one any better than anyone else. For all that's happened, Tony still finds himself amused sometimes when Xandra tells Fury to 'shut up and ******** off'. "It has a fairly primitive technological level; still uses ditches and stone castles. Magic is used here, but appears in mundane uses. The stronger stuff is often 'feral'. As we've gone over before, the Organization has placed its sixth member, Zexion, in charge of this world. As of the past few months..."
Tony tunes her out at that point. The reason for this isn't because he's a 'slacker b*****d' like lots of people like to think he is (he make an easy scapegoat; who knew? ), but because he's heard this all before. Not that the others know he thinks, holding back a dry smile. No, he hasn't exactly been a good boy. Besides Zexion, Tony has neglected to tell ol' Fury how, for a while now, Blue Bishop has been sending regular updates to JARVAS. The best theory is that has something to do with Ienzo, Zexion's Heartless, who always has this way of making Tony feel awkward without doing anything.
So yeah. He already knows what Xandra is just now informing the rest of the Supers and Restoration committee, like how Zexion has been constantly missing, or has a strange tendency to appear on other worlds, possibly working on a separate agenda than the Organization. He's even gotten Heartless reports, as unreliable as those sound. Nothing sounds good.
So instead of listening to Xandra explain and display information, battle tactics, the like, Tony stays by the windows and looks down onto Prydain from the invisible haven that is Desunt Cetera. Prydain and its notorious castle... A fortified fortress in the middle of a lush forest and a big crater. Some place safe where I could watch life. Amazing how he could remember one little drunken confession... Tony let's his forehead thunk against the glass. Christ, he needs a drink. Temperance is one b***h of a 'virtue' to uphold.
"So there we go, mud-brains. Prydain in a nutshell. Once our sneaky assholes go down and give everything a once-over, you can sign-up for the point and suicide teams. Will the before-mentioned sneaky assholes get up here?" Since that's obviously not a love call for him, Tony's perfectly prepared to just head on out as soon as he gets his helmet from the table, but a pat on his shoulder draws his attention to a familiar red and blue figure.
For wearing a mask, Spiderman is somehow and impossibly expressive. Must be the voice. With a smile evident, the webslinger jokes, "Isn't Xandra just an angel? She's like our own Nurse Barton. Her confidence when she told us not to trip on our own feet while heading down gave me warm fuzzies. No wonder our good doctor Seed is in love with her.
Tony smirks at the little observation. "I've been told love works in weird ways. Now, shouldn't you be talking with our delightful hostess before she decides your chances of dodging a warning shot are higher than 50%?"
"She only shows her love that way with Voxden," Spiderman says dismissively before falling uncharacteristically silent, studying Tony. Before the Stark heir can get too uncomfortable, Spiderman says quietly, "You've been looking a little rough around the edges lately. Whatever's eating you, Stark-"
"I can handle myself, Webhead," Tony reassures him. Turning the other Super around by the shoulder, he shoves him towards the waiting recon group. "Now, you might want to hurry. I think I saw Xandra reach for her gun."
"But I'm so witty and adorable!" he protests, and Tony has tot shake his head, smiling, before he puts his helmet back on. Striding out of the room, he spots a certain trio cornered by one of the X-men, the redhead telepath. It's not that he has anything against Mirage, or even her Organization turncoat boyfriend, but he hadn't missed the looks they'd both sent him when it had been announced Desunt Cetera would be nearing Prydain. While an interrogation session by a psycho mercenary, a member of the notoriously ruthless Organization, and a hot fellow Super sounds lovely, Tony wants to keep certain things to himself. This entire... thing with Zexion is something he's going to take care of on his own, with no backseat drivers. When Deadpool says the wrong thing and ends up drawing Wolverine and Cyclops into the conversation, causing a hold-up, Tony has to resist a triumphant grin as he escapes to the tram station.
Desunt Cetera has only one working tram, but Tony doesn't bother waiting for it. Like more than a few Supers on board, he doesn't waste his ability to fly. He simply hops off of the edge, bursting through the air. Far below him, bright gold glows in the complete darkness which covers the tram tunnel floors. Somehow, Tony manages to ignore them. Months of living on Desunt Cetera have given him something of a resistance to the disconcerting endless stares of the Heartless.
Save for one.
Ienzo is already waiting for him at the tram stop for the Medical Bay.
The differences between the Heartless and Nobody are still something Tony can't get over. Twitchy anxiety to unruffled confidence, unhindered smiles to little smirks, dependence to distance - the list goes on and on. Then Ienzo will smile, slow and dark and satisfied, or he'll tear apart an argument with a witty yet coolly delivered line. That's when the back of Tony's throat burns as if he's downed a drink too strong for him to handle too quickly, and he doesn't know quite what the hell to do.
Fortunately, a certain redheaded schizo of a doctor is never too far from Ienzo's side, discouraging most of the really stupid ideas.
"I imagine you want to go on the ground crew," the Heartless says, cutting straight to the point while his legs dangle over the edge. "You don't have to worry." He shoots a quick, nervous smile to Tony. "I already had Xandra put you down. You've carried the stench of aggravation, worry, and dozens of other such emotions for ages now, and it's only gotten worse since we had to leave Tortuga. I can't help but ponder what happened."
The image of that girl, big blue eyes and dark hair, pleading with him to help Zexion, flashes through his mind. "I met someone," is all Tony says, frowning. He doesn't really like how Ienzo can read him (well, everyone) so easily, but it just comes with being a Heartless, apparently. It's impossible for them to not smell the things the heart gives off, such as emotions or Darkness. Everyone's favorite guy to hate, Xehanort, seems to have the same kind of knack. "Is there anything Xandra thought we 'didn't need to know' about?"
When Ienzo draws his knees to his chest and answers in a softly shaking voice, staring at a wall, Tony is reminded of one other disconcerting similarity between Ienzo and Zexion: they fall apart the same way. When Tony finally takes off for the dormitories to whittle away the hours, the Heartless' words echo in his mind.
I think we're both breaking now.
The sentence haunts him even when they finally land on Prydain. Stepping off of the gummi ship, Tony takes a deep breath to clear away the doubt and looks over the team chosen for this little excursion. Normally, Ienzo would be adamant that Sora not have a chance to be taken out in action, as he's far too valuable, but this time it's necessary. Zexion has apparently put up more defenses than Fort Knox and Sora, wielding the Keyblade, is one of the only people who can unlock all of those obstacles. Christ. He knows there's a war going on, but a part of him doesn't like that a kid is throwing himself into danger. Still, he's capable, and Tony has to keep reminding himself that he's seen more than his fair share of tough teen Supers. The names 'Molly Hayes' and 'Violet Parr' spring to mind...
Off chatting and pointing at their surroundings are the two 'experts' meant to take care of the trouble that is the notorious Black Cauldron, Mexjas and Belle. Really, 'experts' is pushing it, but they're two of the only necromancers on their side. There's on other girl, but after hearing the danger level, Mexjas had insisted she stay on board Desunt Cetera. Now, Mexjas he can understand, being a Nobody, but how does a Princess of Heart get into a dark and morbid practice? Ah well. Dark is not evil, as TV Tropes likes to say.
Following Belle like always is the hulking being known aptly as 'Beast'. Just like the guy on the X-men, Tony knows it can't be his real name. That is a secret only Belle and Jack the Skeleton seem to know. Undoubtedly he's only here because of his pure devotion to Belle, but he'll supply them with much needed muscle.
But.... Heh. Who is he to talk bad about 'pure devotion'?
Tall jagged mountains off in the distance suck in all of his focus, and Tony wonders why he's just standing there. The thin is, while he's done a lot as a Super, this hasn't been on the list. Yes, he's had girlfriends who haven't exactly been nice, and he's had girlfriends who just wanted to steal things from him (like Mirage), but... Dammit, Zexion had slipped right through every little crack to his core. It would just figure the one thing, the one person, that he wanted more than anything else would be one of the things that people would say there's no way in hell he can have.
Just one of the many reasons he hasn't told the others. He's enough of a genius to know that's exactly what they'd say. Well... He's never been one not to get what he wants.
"Alright, team," he finally says. "No use in waiting around. I don't think the castle is going to walk to us." Technically, he's not the real team leader, but everyone follows his lead without complaint. Excellent. At least this is one thing he knows where he's at and what he has to do.
Recon and Xandra both had told them that the forest area around the castle had been relatively safe not to mention filled with happy citizens, and they're proven right. Tony almost isn't surprised; Agrabah had been similar. While some of the Organization like Larxene and Xaldin give less of a damn about their worlds, others are smarter. IT would be more alarming if Prydain was falling apart. Even the castle seems finely built and taken care of. IF they hadn't been briefed beforehand, Tony thinks they could easily have mistaken this as freshly built. Of course, it could all be an illusion, but it's doubtful that Zexion would waste his energy on something so aesthetic.
Sora is up first, with one hand wrapped in Bell's own comforting grip and the other wrapped around the hilt of his weapon. The Keyblade glows for a moment before a concentrated light bursts forth. Tony's visor takes the blunt of the brightness away, but around him, the others shield their eyes. Absorbed into nothing- that he can see- the light fades away and a small but distinct 'click' sounds through the air. Lowering his hand, Sora announces, "That should have done it." To his credit, his voice only wobbles a little, and at the very end.
The thing is, they're not quite sure this will work. Hell, it's one of the reasons Tony isn't exactly fond of this whole 'magic' idea. It's more unpredictable than anything a scientist could think up. He'd say it doesn't even make sense, but DiZ had argued with him in that quiet 'listen to goddamn teacher' tone on that. Anyway, no one's ever tried to unlock magical defenses in this way, at least not on the record. So say their magical experts, Aurora and Rinoa. There's a chance this will work, there's a fairly good chance this will blow up in their faces horribly. Unfortunately, due to the strength of the defenses, it's their best shot for a quiet entrance.
Ain't life grand.
"I could send a skeleton to see if he gets zapped," Mexjas offers with a shrug.
"Do you think it would work?" Belle asks, tapping her frown in thought.
The other necromancer nods his head. "Point. Bunch of skeletons, security might notice a couple more."
Electric yellow warnings pop up like solar flares onto his screen. "Well, figure it out after you two do that voodoo that you do. We have archers watching the bridge." Tony has a feeling a little death isn't going to affect these guys' accuracy much. Just a thought, considering the usual bullshit magic pulls.
Belle obeys quickly, letting her heavy tome fall open in one hand. Fingers deftly flip through the pages with an ease that draws up memories, but Tony ignores them as best he can. He just keeps his attention focused on the sentries on high while the fledgling necromancers' voice murmurs foreign words. Tense silence lays heavily on their shoulders until his raises a hand, fingers gesturing everyone forward. "Clear. Ashes to ashes, and so forth." With Sora leading, they continue on, going across the drawbridge. Once, Tony glances behind him and sees Beast allowing Belle to balance on his arm, a small bit of sweat falling down the side of her face.
It's just the tip of the iceburg.
Each defense, whether a locked door or a shield of magic, is undone, one by one. The same must be done with each patrol they come across; Mexjas and Belle are fairly strong, but not so strong that they can take out the entire castle in one go, especially with the Cauldron's strength. Besides, that would be as subtle as a two by four to the face. So, one by one, step by step. Still, the outer courtyards, while dead and gloomy, are positively chipper compared to the inside. "Man, and I thought London was gloomy," Mexjas comments, tapping his fingers on the handle of his shovel.
"Medieval castles usually are," Tony replies as lines of light run along the inside of his helmet. In an instant, a signal is sent up to the waiting ship high above them. With the outer grounds clear, they can call down the rest of the troops. "Alright, call sent."
Taking a deep breath, Sora readies his keyblade. "Okay, let's go."
After only a minute, however, something is obviously wrong. After the dozens of guards outside, there should at least be just as many inside. From the corner of his eyes, Tony can see Beast's unease in the way his claws flex and his nose flares. So he's not the only one who thinks this whole situation is off. Perhaps three minutes in, and he has to speak up. "It's too quiet. We should have run into guards by now."
"We should go back and wait for the others," Beast rumbles in agreement. "It may be a trap."
"That might be a problem," Mexjas mentions, swinging his shovel down from his shoulder, suddenly worried. "I'm pretty sure the ceiling wasn't under our feet when we passed by." Turning around, Tony sees what he means.
"Damn," the armored Super growls as a chandelier mockingly defies gravity and pulls itself up to the ceiling which, up to a moment ago, had been the floor. "We were expected."
********, ********, [********]. This isn't good, to put it mildly.
Wiping a strand of hair away from her forehead, Belle pulls herself straighter using Beast's arm and points out, "It's undoubtedly an illusion. That is Zexion's specialty, isn't it? Can your invention see through it, Monsieur Stark?"
"Tried it." From inside his helmet, Tony clenches his jaws as static flickers over his eyes before he quickly switches back to the usual view. "Interference has been put up." Of course it has; Tony knows the degree of technical expertise Zexion possesses. The man's a goddamn genius. "I'd have to find the sources and take them out."
"But..." Sora frowns, catching on quickly. "How could you find them if an illusion's been put up?"
"Exactly."
Wouldn't it be nice if they could have a moment to keep from panicking and come up with a plan of some sort? Unfortunately, Zexion isn't the type of villain found in old comic books, doing silly mistakes like that. A rumble reverberates throughout the floor, and they all look up in alarm as a door at the end of the topsy-turvy hall bursts open, a tidal wave of bones and steel pouring through. Beast and Tony are already moving into action, the former snarling viciously as he sweeps Belle up into his arms and unleashes a deadly set of claws. Tony's already firing off a set of repulsor blasts, trying to slow the army which is squeezing through. Quantity beats quality, however, and nothing but busted up white fills his few, and he loses sight of the others. He tries to call to the rest of his group, but something slams into his chest- a shield?- and he falls back into darkness. When he next opens his eyes, he's in an empty room, staring at a solid brick wall. This time, without a child to offend, Tony snarls out a swear, fists clenching. Before he can come to a decision of what to do, such as blast the wall apart (if it even exists), something soft and white drifts down from the ceiling.
It looks like a feather, but as Tony stares at it, the light bounces off of it like sharp crystal. Frowning, he surveys the rest of the room. A trail of paper and those same feathers leads out of an open doorway, twisting through a lit hallway. It could be a trap... But hell, they've already fallen into one. If this is the message he thinks it is....
Wordlessly, Tony follows the trail.
It feels long, but that could just be a side effect of the illusion cast. Every now and then, he thinks he catches a hint of a whisper, a brief flash of something white scuttling along the wall. Whenever he tries to look, however, or listen harder, it's gone. Eventually, he gives up and just keeps watching. Eventually, he reaches his destination.
The room he steps into is enormous, fit for a king; of course it is. This had been, undoubtedly once upon a time, the place where a ruler would sit and watch his subjects gorge themselves on the feasts that had been prepared by laboring servants... He can even see the long tables shoved up against the sides of the walls. Up a few stone steps there is a simple throne, and on it....
Wearily, Tony reaches up and removes his helmet. Holding it loosely in one hand, he stares the King of Prydain right in the eyes and says two words quietly.
"Hello Zexion."
