Destiny (Anime Style)

Chapter 22: Black Market

After quite a long time traveling through space. The guardian duo and their ghosts were finally coming out of hyperspace.

"Amazing!" Ravi claimed as he and Leah immediately gasped in shock at the view.

The edge of the Solar System was very different than anywhere else they've ever been. It was a total vacuum illuminated by an intense purple/violet light that seemed to come out of nowhere. Such space was filled with lots of nebulae and asteroids, and as they went deeper and deeper, they noticed there weren't just asteroids around them. There were also giant pieces of junk... Junk that seemed to once have been part of many different machines: spaceships, armament, satellites, etc.

"It's almost like a... ship graveyard" Wire said a bit weirded out.

"This is kind of scary" Cybel added in the same manner.

Some time later, 2 ships who were hiding among the junk started following Ravi and Leah closely while trying to make contact with them.

"Attention! Unknown ship!" A firm female voice began talking through the ship's intercom. "You are entering the Reef territory"

"Oh no" Leah muttered with concern.

"Identify yourselves and state your business"

"Now what?"

"Well, It would be better to play along with their game for now" Ravi replied, after which he pressed the intercom button to let his voice go through. "We are voyagers from planet Earth, and we are here to meet the queen of the awoken"

There was no reply for several seconds, and tension invaded both guardians and ghosts as they were sweating and getting ready to escape in case it got to that. But then...

"Very well, follow us and don't deviate from course" the unknown female voice said through the intercom, surprising everyone as they sighed in relief at the fact that they weren't blown up immediately, which was a good start.

After this brief exchange of words, they followed the 2 other ships to what seemed to be a hangar inside a very... VERY big asteroid. The whole place had a really weird and junky theme. The walls were from a dark purple and black rusty color and it was also quite a mess inside. After landing and coming out of their ship, they were escorted by a pair of female Awoken guards through a long tunnel that was at one side. And at the very end of such tunnel, there was a pair of worn out curtains covering something.

"Not many outsiders are allowed here" one of the female guards said, coldly. "You should consider yourselves lucky" the guard opened the curtains revealing an extremely wide area.

The huge asteroid in which they were was in fact more like a gigantic cavern the size of an entire city. And the extremely wide area in which they were now was the inner part of such cavern. One would think that there would be no illumination, but that wasn't the case at all. There were several HUGE holes, each with the size of a skyscraper, from which the purple light from space could come in. Also, many of those same holes served as entrances for many cargo ships. But that wasn't all... The place was one giant outpost filled with many different stands: food stands and bars, rare material stores, unique weapon shops.

It was then that Wire and Cybel finally realized the true nature of that scary place. "It's... a black market!" Both ghosts claimed in disbelief.

The female guards chuckled a bit at the droids' innocence. "Not just any black market" one of the guards said. "Welcome... to the Vestian Outpost"

'The Vestian... Outpost?' Ravi thought without a clue of what that was. As they kept on following the guards from behind, he began asking questions about such place. "Hey, Leah... Have you learned something about this place in class?"

"Not at all" She bluntly replied. "Idus was right when he said that the Vanguard doesn't really show interest in the Reef"

Ravi turned around to face his ghost. "What about you, Wire?"

"Well, there were always rumors about a secret black market somewhere in the system" the tiny droid answered. "I have no idea if this is such place, but still, if there is one thing I'm sure about..." Wire looked all around with suspicion. "...is that this place is not a pretty one"

"Wire is right" Cybel added. "We should get done with what we've come to do here and leave immediately"

While moving through the crowded and messy market, Ravi and Leah noticed almost everyone around was awoken, and many of them were dressed in really threatening ways.

"There's no doubt about it" Wire began again. Most people here are mercenaries and scavengers"

"It's definitely fitting for people like that to be here" Cybel added in a way that no one around them could hear.

Just then, Ravi also noticed there weren't just awoken there... There were also robots, exos... and even...

"What the...?" the blue-haired boy claimed in shock. "Are those...?"

"Fallen!" Leah added as both she and Ravi stared at a group of sinister fallen just sitting on a table near one of the stands. The guardian duo immediately felt the urge to get ready to fight.

"Do not dare attack them!" one of the Reef guards said after she noticed their intentions. "Contrary to what you may belief, this fallen are not your enemy. Well, at least not here" she finally stated, leaving Ravi and Leah speechless.

The fallen, who were looking at both guardians with a menacing look, had also gotten ready to attack... However, thanks to the guards, a huge fight was prevented from happening.

After that, they kept on walking through the long, but tight streets. The whole zone was extremely rugged and it also had many levels and stairs. And a while later, Ravi unfortunately didn't pay attention to the way he was walking through... and accidentally bumped into an old awoken passerby. "Oh, sorry" the bluenette muttered as he turned around to apologize to whoever he hit by accident.

Nonetheless, the other old man wasn't in a good mood at all. "Ehh? You think an apology is enough, kid?" this mysterious person replied with a menacing tone, after which Leah herself had to intervene in order to get Ravi out of that situation.

"P-please... excuse my silly friend" the young girl said all nervous while fake smiling. "He can be an i***t sometimes"

"Hey!" Ravi replied, a bit salty.

"I'm truly sorry, but I can assure you it won't happen again... hehehe..."

"I don't care if it happens again or not you stupid girl!" the old geezer replied irritated.

"HUH?!" Leah also felt annoyed due to his comment.

"You heard me! Your friend should've seen were he was going!" The awoken geezer approached the guardian boy and stared at him with an angry look. "What if I had ended up hurt because of your mistake?! What if I had tripped over, hit my head and dies because of it, eh?!"

"W-well... In that case..." Ravi added, only to be interrupted some moments later.

"This just can't go without retribution!" the old geezer finally claimed while trying to scare and blackmail the warlock in some way.

Still, this last one didn't really get the threat... Not in the slightest. "Well, if you had ended up hurt because of me, I would've done all I could to help" Ravi answered with an innocent grin as Leah sweat-dropped from that answer. "Though, I barely even touched you. So, I really doubt you would've ended up injured in any way"

"I don't care if you barely touched me! The danger was still there! So, you must pay! I won't be satisfied until I get what I deserve!"

"And how am I suppose to pay you?" Ravi replied with innocence once more as he scratched his head.

Just then, the female awoken guards finally realized what was happening. "What is going on here?!" they both asked while approaching.

"Well, this old man says I need to pay him for bumping into him by accident"

The guards stared at the geezer, and this last one's expression changed completely. He was terrified now that he knew that Ravi and company were being escorted by the queen's guards themselves. "Wh-what the hell are you saying kid?!" the old man asked with fear. "I wasn't asking anything out of you!"

"Eh?"

"Y-you... You heard me! I... I accept your apology! So, goodbye!" the old man claimed as he finally left in a hurry, leaving Ravi and Leah without words and more than just puzzled.

"What... What was that?"

"Don't pay attention to people like that man" one of the female guards claimed. "They'll try whatever they can to get their hands in some income"

"You mean... people here are scammers?" Cybel asked the guard.

"For the most part. But, don't let yourselves get fooled. Just as there are bad people, there are also good people around here. They are just a lot harder to find"

Ravi and Leah found themselves puzzled at the female guard's words. They couldn't really see her face since she was wearing a helmet, but she said that in such a way that it sounded almost... nostalgic.

After this, they kept on moving a bit longer. Nonetheless, they didn't realize that the old geezer from before never truly left. He had actually called 2 of his personal bounty hunters, a man and a woman, and followed them all the way to wherever the guardians were being taken over.

"This is it" one of the female guards said. They were at what seemed to be a... hostel... A really big one, but dirty one as well. "The queen is busy today. So, if you wanna talk to her, you'll have to spend the night here and wait till tomorrow"

"Tomorrow?!" Ravi and Leah both asked in surprise.

"Yeah... Is there a problem with that?" the other guard added.

"N-no... not at all" the warlock replied with a fake smile. "Let's go, Leah" The human girl hesitated, but then ended up nodding and entering the hostel too.

After that, they all got registered and gathered at Leah's room in order to discuss the situation at hand.

"What are we supposed to do now?" Leah asked as she laid on the bed with a concerned face. "I don't like this place at all. It's dirty and... messy. I prefer my own bedroom"

"We are already here" Ravi replied. "So, let's just finish this. Besides, it's just one night. It can't be that bad, can it?"

"I hope you are right"

"Either way, there are other things we must discuss" Cybel intervened.

"Like what?" Ravi replied once more.

"Like what you are gonna do once you meet the queen" Ravi and Leah startled since they haven't really thought about that at all. "I mean... you can't just ask her to tell you were the Black Garden is, can you? If she really does know what it is and where to find it, she might ask you why you want that info"

"Well, if it comes to that, I suppose the best thing would be to find a credible excuse"

"Are you really planning to lie to the queen?" Wire asked.

"I'm not sure" Ravi replied while scratching the back of his head. "We almost screwed up with Idus, so I'm not so sure about lying either"

Leah took a long sigh. "Oh jeez... What have I gotten myself into?"

Both trainees and ghosts kept on discussing a bit longer before finally going to sleep. Luckily, they didn't need to worry about the academy, since they didn't have classes tomorrow. From afar however, there was another problem waiting for them: they were still being watched by that none other than old geezer from before and his malicious bounty hunters.

"So, those are the ones you want dead?" the male mercenary asked.

"Not necessarily dead" the old man replied. "I just want their droids"

"The droids?" the other female mercenary asked in confusion. "Why would you want those pieces of junk?"

"Those aren't junk. They are clearly ghosts, and they are extremely valuable"

"Ghosts? You mean like the ones those guardians use"

"That's right"

"I see..." the man replied this time. "Still, you never told us it was guardians who we were dealing with

"That's right... That will certainly cost you a bit extra" the woman added.

"Yeah... Yeah... Whatever... I'll pay whatever I need, just do your job" the old man replied with confidence.

And so, the pair of bounty hunters stared at each other and nodded. However, just before heading to fulfill their mission, the old man realized he had one more thing to ask of them.

"Wait a sec, you two!"

"What is it now?" the male bounty hunter asked, slightly annoyed.

There's one more thing I want" the geezer added with a devilish smirk, after which both mercenaries remained silent while waiting for that old man to complete his request. Though in reality, they already had an idea of what he was going to ask.

"Bring me the girl too... hehe...

...

...

...

Later that night...

Both Leah, Ravi and their ghosts were sleeping on their own rooms; or at least that's what the 2 awoken bounty hunters who were after them thought. Their objective was clear: they had to get both ghosts, and Leah in order to receive their payment. However, this last one wasn't really asleep. She of course changed her clothes into a tank-top shirt and some comfortable shorts, which Cybel had stored for her; she also entered her bed and even covered herself with every blanket she had around. Nonetheless, she just couldn't close her eyes at all, and she spent almost the entire night like that because of the dangerous place in which she was.

...

...

...

It was almost morning, and as Leah was still covered in sheets while trying her best to rest even a bit, she took finally took a long sigh of tiredness. "Damn you, Ravi" she muttered to no one in particular with concern and annoyance. "If I had known we would end up in this situation, I would've thought twice before coming here"

"Once again, you are speaking alone" Cybel intervened out of nowhere.

"What the...? You are still awake?"

"It's almost 8am, Leah. Did you really had no sleep at all?"

"Of course I couldn't sleep! I mean... look at this place! Once this is over, I'll have a lot of things to say to that i***t" the human girl added with annoyance once more as her ghost stared at her without saying a thing. "Is something wrong?" she asked after noticing how quiet the tiny droid was.

"Oh, nothing"

"Come on... If you wanna say something, then just do it"

"Well, you said you would've thought twice before accompanying him here... but that's a lie, isn't it?"

"Huh?" Leah widened her eyes. "Wh-what do you mean?"

"I'm saying that you would've followed him anyway"

Leah startled a bit. "Well... yeah... you are right" she replied with a bit of embarrassment. "But it's only cause that i***t can run into trouble whenever his alone! Of course I must be by his side!"

"I wonder if that's the only reason" Cybel then added in a mischievous tone.

"Wh-what are you implying?"

"What I'm saying is that you..."

Before Cybel could finish however, an electric shockwave suddenly rushed through the whole hotel an its surrounding areas. Both Leah and Cybel felt it. However, this last one was actually the only truly affected by it.

"What the hell was that?!" Leah asked as she took a seat on her bed immediately.

"L-Leah..."

The female trainee turned around and saw her ghost struggling to keep herself on. "Cybel! What's wrong?!"

"I think... that was... and EMP..."

"EMP?!"

"You must... escape... someone is coming..." Cybel finally said with a voice full of interference as she finally lost all power and turned herself off. Leah caught her mid-air before hitting the floor and immediately stood up. However, just as she did that, 2 small metal spheres entered her room through the window.

Before she could even think of what to do, both spheres opened up. Turns out one was a flash grenade, and the other was a smoke grenade. As she struggled to open her eyes and keep her breath, she tripped over while hearing to someone entering the room through the window as well. "Who is it?! What's going on?!"

"Well, this is surprising" the mysterious person said. "I thought you were asleep. I suppose I underestimated you" It was the female bounty hunter from before. She was there to retrieve both Cybel and Leah.

Nonetheless, this last one still couldn't see a single thing. "Who the hell are you?!"

The woman grabbed Cybel and then took a firm grip of Leah's wrists. "You'll both be coming with me. It's useless to fight" Right after that, she restrained the human girl's hands behind her back with a pair of SPECIAL handcuffs. Then, she wasted no time and carried the Leah by force with one hand while holding Cybel on her other, and ran away jumping from building to building.

At this point, Leah's vision had slightly returned, and the first thing she saw after opening her eyes again was the hostel quickly falling behind as she was being carried away by force. "HEY! YOU i***t! LET ME GO!" she yelled with anger while trying to free herself. "IF YOU DON'T... THEN I WILL...!" Just then, she tried desperately to use her lightning in order to fight, but surprisingly, nothing came out of her hands. 'What is... going on? My powers! They are gone!' she thought in disbelief.

"It's useless... Here in this part of the system, we know how to deal with people like you. Those handcuffs are specially designed to block your so called... light"

Leah widened her eyes in shock at the fact that the woman knew she was a guardian. "S-still... that doesn't matter!" the girl then replied. "Ravi will surely found me and then...!"

"Oh... you mean your friend?" the woman mercenary asked with sarcasm. "Well, about him..."

At that moment, a huge explosion took place and could be heard from the distance, catching Leah's attention. Then, she faced straight and widened her eyes after noticing from afar that the hostel had been blown up completely. "It... It can't be..." she muttered while in shock.

There was no way for her to know if Ravi had survived or not, or if he'd be able to find her if he did in fact was still alive. And what's worse... No way to to know what was expecting her later, wherever she was being taken.