All through the night various shifts of yellow agents watched over Luna Inverse. And all through the night her condition remained the same. No one made many comments it was mostly silent. Perhaps a lot were still in shock and maybe others worried but still they worked hoping to find the answers to the mysteries that had been set before them.
No one made any comment to those who stayed and watched the yellow agents work through the glass. Blitz himself had been there but even he had to leave to retire to his bed. But one man stayed hour after hour and did not leave. Not like he needed sleep anyway. Some had thought it that he should be told to go home and rest, but no one had the heart to tell him to leave. He was a nervous wreck his normally blue green hair that been held back in a neat small ponytail was loose and messy and his brilliant blue green eyes looked hollow and worried. So he watched, waiting for something to happen all through the night.
At the Inverse household things were quiet too. Everyone was worried and shaken up. No one said nor ate much at dinner. They all just did their business and went to their rooms. Lina sat on her bed looking up at the ceiling. She knew that she should be sleeping but she couldn't sleep. I'm pretty sure I'm not the only one. Lina turned on a lamp and looked around the room for something to do but she couldn't think of anything. That is till her eyes locked on her phone. She picked it up without knowing who to call. Lina went over to her bag and pulled out a rumpled piece of paper with a few phone numbers written on it. Hmm... I guess I could call him but would he still be up? Or would this be too late? After a few minutes of thought wrestling she eventually dialed up a number.
Zelgadis was just about to fall asleep when the phone rang.
"Now who could that be?" He mused rubbing his eyes as he went to pick up the phone.
Lina waited another ring. Maybe this is a bad idea, he's probably sleeping. Lina was just about to hang up the phone when someone answered.
"Hello?"
"Um, hi Zel it's Lina." Lina nervously fiddled with the phone cord.
(short silence) "Hi Lina. This is a surprise."
"I didn't wake you did I?"
"Oh no I hadn't fallen asleep." Yet. But I'm not going to tell her that.
"Oh." Lina paused and there was silence over the phone.
"Lina? Are you still there?"
"Um yeah I am."
"You know the thought just occurred to me. How did you get my phone number? I didn't exactly tell you it." There was a slight mischievous tone to his voice or at least that's what it sounded like to Lina. Am I hearing things right? Could it be that little shy Zel is flirting with me? Lina smiled at that thought.
"Well a magician never reveals her secrets."
"And since when have you been a magician. Hmm?"
Lina just laughed softly. But she couldn't help but think back to her sister. Her laughed died out leaving another lapse of silence.
"Lina what's wrong?"
Lina didn't answer him.
"Lina?"
"I guess I'm just a little unnerved about what happened to my sister."
"Yeah I guess it was quite a shock wasn't it. STF is supposed to be the one of the safest most highly secure places, to think that someone could get in so easily."
"Well it's not really that actually. I never really thought that STF was so impenetrable as everyone made it out to be. I don't know I guess it's because of Luna."
"Oh."
"You know when I was little me, Gavin and Lev always depended on each other. But Luna was always the independent one. She never needed anyone; she was always so smart and strong. No one could beat her. I guess me like a lot of people just started thinking of her as some sort of superhuman that could never be brought down."
"And since all this you've come to realize that she's normal just like everyone else."
"I've also come to realize that things aren't always as safe as they seem. That anyone can be in danger."
"And it's causing you have trouble sleeping?"
"Yup."
"So why call me?"
"Because I had your phone number and I thought it would be nice to call you."
"And just how many phone numbers have you 'acquired' recently?"
"I don't know. Hey Zel?"
"Hmm?"
"You want to come over?"
Silence over the phone yet again.
"Zelgadis?"
"Um when?"
"I don't know, sometime maybe another day down the road..." Lina smiled. Zelgadis didn't say anything but she could have sworn he sighed in relief.
"Sure I guess..."
"Well I guess I should let you go. You need your sleep for the level two examinations tomorrow."
"Ah yeah um I'll see you tomorrow?"
"Yup. Goodnight Zelgadis..."
"Ah, um goodnight to you too Lina."
(Click)
Lina smiled as she put down the phone. She felt much better and she snuggled in her bed as the sweetness of slumber overtook her.
Zelgadis on the other was wide-eye and staring at the phone. He eventually shook himself out of it and put the phone down. Sitting on his bed he realized that chances are he wouldn't be able to sleep. He was now wide awake and still trying to contemplate on how exactly did Lina 'acquire' his phone number. It's not like she could just look up in the phone directory, I have an unlisted number. Long ago Zelgadis had realized that it would be safer for his well being if kept his number unlisted and address not known to the public. Being a police officer was not always the safest of jobs but also having a father whom people were quite willing to murder, taught Zelgadis that he should be cautious. Oh well however she did it that really doesn't matter right now. What matters is how am I going to fall asleep? Zelgadis mused as he walked over to his kitchen.
Lina was walking in the hallways of STF headquarters only something wasn't right. The lights were all darken like as if there had been a power outage. Also the place was completely deserted.
"Hello? Anyone here?" Lina's voice echoed through the halls, but with no answer to return her question, everything was silent.
What was also weird is that Lina was exactly sure where in STF she was. She knew practically every inch of the building, floors, rooms, hallways, but not here. She didn't recognize the hall she was in. To most all the halls look the same but for someone like Lina, she could tell the differences in them. Like the one she was in now had dark colored strip on the bottom of the wall where the edge met the floor. Because it was dark she could make out what color it was but normally the color strips were at the top edge of the wall. The shapes of the doors also weren't right. The were wider then usual and shorter too. She could also she weird markings on them of symbols that she didn't know the meaning of. One door had a triangle on it, another a square. Some had circles while others had ‘x's. Lina was getting more and more confused the farther she walked into the hallway.
"Hello? Hello?!" But again no answer. Lina looked around the empty hallway then she noticed something she didn't see before. The hallway ended at a single door that was very large. The hallways never ended at a room, they always connected to another hallway, an elevator or stairway. When Lina approached the door she could see more of those symbols only a little more elaborate. A very large circle was in the middle but it had no inside. It was just an outline of a circle. And in the circle was a square and inside the square was a star. And outside the circle there were triangles around it.
First Lina wasn't sure on what to do. Then she decided to knock. She did a light knock, and got no answer. Then she tied knocking harder, still nothing. Then she tried pounding on the door and still no answer.
"Well then I guess I'll just try and open it then." And did try, but it was locked. Beside the door was a little scanner where you swipe a card through. The door was obviously card key locked. But what was strange is that there wasn't a button panel. Just a thing for swiping the cards. Which was strange because all the doors in STF that have card key locks required to punch in a password after the card is swiped through. They had been like that for many years. It was almost as if this door was out of date in technology.
"What the hell am I supposed to do? I don't have a damn key card!" Lina fumed until she noticed that she did have something in her pocket. She pulled it out and it was a strange looking key card. It was an STF key card, that much Lina could tell by the STF insignia on it, but it also had the same symbols on it that were on the door. She tried swiping the card through and oddly enough the door unlocked and opened.
"Now how did I get this...?" Lina whispered to herself but went into the room.
An odd thing happened as she walked into the room. Before when she was in the hallway, though it was dark she could still see some color. But when she walked in the mystery room everyone lost its color. Even her. Everything was shades of black, gray and white like a really old movie. Lina stared blankly at her arm for a moment till she heard a sound from further in the room. That brought her back to reality and glanced around at what she could see of the room. It was dimly lit but she could see various beakers, test tubes, books, papers and computers. It was obviously a laboratory of some sort. Then she heard the noise again. It was coming from a small room that was attached to this one at the far corner.
"Hello? Whose there?!" Lina yelled to the dark little room that she couldn't see properly, but whomever was in that room either didn't hear her or wish to answer. She proceeded very slowly to the room trying not to move anything. Once she had made her way to the other room what she saw was a man working on some sort of experiment. He was absorbed with his work and was somehow unable. The appeared to be in his late teens or early twenties and she felt that he looked familiar somehow but she couldn't place her finger on who.
"Hello can you hear me? Where are we? What is this place?" Lina asked him stepping into the room. But the man didn't hear her. He continued with his work not even noticing that Lina was there. It was almost as if Lina were a ghost or something. Lina was just about to leave when the man suddenly turned his head sharply and glared at Lina. She was shocked because now she could recognize him. It was Elbor Vernas. Lina was frozen in spot and couldn't move. She couldn't move even when Vernas came charging at her with a knife and tore it through her stomach. She tried to scream in pain but her voice was gone.
Lina screamed very loud when she work up in her bed. She was shaking with cold sweat plastering her clothes to her like a second skin.
"Lina are you alright?" Blitz put his hands on his daughter's shoulders. When Blitz, Faithe, Gavin, Leviathan and Devon had heard Lina's streaming they ran into her room right away.
"It-it-it w-w-was a-a-a dream?" Lina stuttered out in a weak voice.
"Yes Lina it was a dream. A very bad dream." Faithe reassured her. "Come on dear maybe I should go downstairs to the kitchen and we'll make you up some tea or soup or something."
Lina nodded weakly.
Hours later at STF headquarters Lina was thinking very hard sitting in the indoor gardens. Her family had advised her not to go to work today but Lina had insisted because Zel, Martina, Zangulus and Gourry were taking their next evaluations today and she needed to be there. But she came early partly because she couldn't figure out what to do.
What she was thinking about was her dream. What did it mean? Was there a reason for it? Why did she have it? But the biggest question to her was Vernas. Why was Vernas in STF? And why did he appear to be in his late teens or early twenties? He's over forty years old. "Doesn't make sense..." Lina mumbled.
"What doesn't make sense?" De Tanga appeared next to her and sat down.
"De Tanga you look like a mess!" Lina exclaimed at the usually neat monster.
"Thanks. You don't look so good either." De Tanga said in a dry tone. But he was right Lina didn't look her best either. "So what doesn't make sense?"
"A dream I had last night... Hey De Tanga how long have you been working here?"
"Um, well as long as your family has been working here. Why do you ask?"
"Do you remember people who have worked here in the past?" Lina had a brainstorm developing in her head.
"Only people I've taught. But you could go see someone in the main computer room. They have records of every person whose ever worked at STF."
"Thanks De Tanga!" Lina sped off very fast.
De Tanga just stared at her as she ran off a bit confused. He didn't know exactly what she was up too.