DISCLAIMER: *gulps* ummm…hehehe, sorry?  I SWEAR I never thought it would take THIS long to get One chapter out!!  Thanks to everyone who reviewed last time!!! (two more reviews and I get seventy! Yeah!!)  I’m so glad you all are so incredibly patient! School and life (what life?!?! It’s all school!!) are taking up more time then I have to give, *sob* I have so many ideas, I wish I could write them all down!!! *hic* ^__^ I really really hope this chapter is good enough! (though it hasn’t been beta read yet and to me seems ridiculously jumpy).  Hehe, thanks again for reading and reviewing!!! Oh! Oh!!  And thanks to Anne!! For the title!!

‘bold’ indicates the Darkness is speaking.

‘italics’ indicates thought-speak.  I really need to find I better word for this.

Joy to My Life

Chapter 7: Riddles Answered, the Enemy is Revealed.

By: J.B. Santiago

   - Luxemburg, Earth - Real Time -

"Bzzzzz…" Whirred the dull orange glow of the emergency lights.  Hilde let out the breath she was holding.  Sally, Wufei and herself were now standing at the entrance of another control room.  The wall-to-wall screens weren't showing anything and the control panels weren't active.

"An emergency control room?" Sally muttered more to herself than anyone else.

Wufei walked slowly around the room, almost expecting something to jump out at him.  "The equipment looks outdated."

Hilde and Sally walked up to a different part of the control panels.  On closer inspection you could see the differences in the make of the panels.  It was like comparing the cockpit of a Leo to Wing Zero's cockpit. 

"If this is an older version of the control room we were just in…do you think this one would be able to open the portal to Subspace?" asked Hilde as she scanned the panel for that elusive green 'On' switch.

"Maybe."  Wufei turned to head towards Sally when a slight rumbling was heard and the trio froze, Wufei glanced down at his hand that was holding a lever.  He had pulled it?  He glared at his treacherous hand as the room shook for a few moments.  It stopped shaking almost as soon as it had started.  The sounds of creaking gears emanated from the room and three panels popped out from the sides of the main control panels. 

Sally stared at the new panel curiously, as the other two did the same.  There were five points on the panel.  'A pentagon.' Sally thought, as she traced the shape with her forefinger.  The inside of the pentagon was big enough to fit a hand in there.  Almost in a trance, she delicately placed her hand inside the pentagon.  A gasp escaped her lips as each of the five points lit up in a different colour.  Red, Blue, Gold, Green and the last point stayed Black.  Not taking her hand off the panel she exclaimed, "I think I found the On switch!  Place your hand on the panel, inside the five points!"

Hilde and Wufei nodded and placed their hands inside their panels, the same thing happening to them.

"Now what?" Hilde asked anxiously.

Sally frowned she had thought if all three of them had lit up each of the panels, the main control panels and screens would turn on.  She was about to suggest something when her hand sunk into the panel like a plaster cast.  The five points slightly rose, a circle forming inside of the pentagon.  Sally tried to lift her hand but found she couldn't move it.  Mildly panicking, she tried moving it to the right, finding it moved quite freely.  She did a 90degree turn and the colour her middle finger was directly pointing at started to glow.  "It's like a key!" Sally sighed happily, "You need to turn it, like a key!"

"Which way!?"

"What's the balance of Gold?" Wufei looked at the five coloured points, his mind working overtime. 

"What?!"

"Look!  The first colour we're pointing at is Gold.  What is the colour it balances?"

Hilde shut her eyes tightly, trying to remember that fateful night when Bethany and Dorothy had told them of the Darkness, the Greater Council, this whole bloody mess!  Her eye opened wide as the answer came to her.  "Black!"  With that she turned the circle inside the pentagon, towards the Black point.  Now Gold and Black slowly sunk back into the panel, glowing their respective colours. 

"Blue and Green!"  Sally yelled as she first pointed at Blue then Green.  Those two points began to glow sinking back into their original place.

The only one left was the Red point.  The three of them simultaneously held their breaths as they turned 180degrees until their middle finger was pointing directly at the Red point.  It began to glow, a red pulsing light igniting all the panels.  Sally wrenched her hand away from the panel taking a step back from the red lights.  The screens crackled back to life, the main panels joining them.  The red light subsided and the room became operational again.

"Yes!"  Hilde pumped her hand in the air.  "Back in business!"  She gave hurried hugs to Wufei and Sally before rushing to one side of the panel, that in the other control room had opened the portal to Subspace.  Typing quickly and signalling the other two to head to their stations, she sent out a silent prayer to whichever deity would listen as she pulled the lever.  A tense few silent moments passed as nothing happened.  Then one of the screens slid downwards and the portal opened up.

Yells of relief and joy flooded the room.  Hilde did a little jig while Wufei lifted a laughing Sally up and semi-twirled her around the room. 

"How did you know which way to turn the panel like that, Wufei?"  Sally asked after the euphoria died down and they started to set up the monitoring systems on Subspace.

Wufei just shook his head and gave her an enigmatic smile.  Truth be told he didn't know why he had pulled that lever or how he knew how to turn that coloured panel.  A colour emitted suddenly in the portal for a nanosecond.  The three of them missed a slight blimp on the radar as it disappeared as quickly as it had come.

            *********************************

  - Subspace - Real Time -    

Warmth.  She felt safe and warm.  Like a cocoon of impenetrable golden thread was wrapped around her, keeping the pain and the hurt far away…

"Midii…" A soft voice floated other ears.

She snuggled closer in her cocoon, not wanting to leave its safe haven.

"Midii…please wake up…" That voice again.  Her cozy little world was slowly slipping away from her.  She knew that voice…Midii drowsily shook her head, clinging to the safety of her golden wonderland.

"Midii…"
A face formulated in her mind to accommodate the voice.  A small smile tugged at the corners of her face as she breathed out the name of the invader, letting go of her golden cocoon.  "Trowa…"

Trowa returned Midii's smile with one of his own, as she whispered his name, her eyes fluttering open.

"Sleeping beauty awakes!  And you didn't even need to kiss her, Trowa.  Awww shucks."  Bethany lightly teased, offering a hand to Midii as Trowa helped her to her feet.  Trowa's face remained expressionless but he could feel heat building around his face.

"Midii!"  She turned to her right, in shock at who was in front of her.  Catherine rushed up to Midii and hugged her fiercely.  "I'm so glad you're ok!"

"Cathie…?"  Tears tumbled freely down her cheeks as Midii hugged Catherine back with as much intensity.  Catherine was alive! "You're alive!"  She sobbed out, exhausted and overjoyed all at once.

"Thanks to you, Midii, thanks to you." Catherine sniffled happily, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand while still hugging her.  Midii was about mumble something back when Catherine abruptly stopped hugging her, remembering a more pressing matter, to hold her at arms length.  "We need to get out of here." She pointed to the prone body on the floor.  "This place is killing him.  We need to get him out of here."

The golden room grew brighter as Midii realised that is was Alessio, anger building up in her until she glowed with the room.  Catherine grabbed onto Midii's shoulders and shook her lightly.  "No Midii!  Stop!  You're hurting him!"

The room didn't dim but Midii stared at Catherine surprised.  "Cathie, that's Alessio!  He locked us up in this God forsaken place!"

"He also beat me to a pulp." Bethany chipped in, as the other three standing turned towards her, like they had forgotten she was there.  "Midii, I already tried reasoning with her but she's adamant that, that scum should be kept alive."

Catherine looked around desperately at the three unforgiving faces.  She shook her head.  "No.  I don't think he's bad.  Someone put him in here before I was here.  I know Midii couldn't have done it because she didn't have the power until we were thrown in the Pool.  He DID save us from the Darkness.  I'm not going to leave him here!"

"Argh!  He's from the Black Council!  He helped blow up the Greater Council so they could take over the world!  He kidnaps not one but THREE of us!  He forfeited the right to be saved a long time ago.  He deserves to die in this Gold powered…" Bethany stopped her angry tirade short, blinking a few times, quizzically looking at Catherine then at Midii then at Alessio than back at Catherine again.  "Did you say he was here before you?"

Catherine nodded eagerly.  "I tripped over him.  I thought he was dead when I first saw him."

"What is it, Bethany?"  Trowa asked the blonde who was now frowning thoughtfully, biting her fingernails on her left hand, her right hand propping up her left elbow.

"…Midii teleported Catherine here when she realised that Mario was about to hit Cathie…" Bethany started to pace back and forth from Trowa and Midii to Catherine and Alessio.  "…But Midii didn't make this place because it would have been magically impossible for her to create this Gold binding room and imprison Alessio before she entered the Pool…" She stopped in front of Alessio and kneeled beside him. She grabbed his shoulders and shook him slightly awake.  "Who put you in here?!"

Alessio gave no response, just looking at her pitifully with half-lidded eyes.  "Bethany, don't!" Catherine kneeled beside him as well, removing Bethany's grasp on his shoulders.

Bethany shook her head and stood up looking confused.  "I don't get it…How can there be a Gold binding room in the middle of a fortress made by the Black Council?  Why would you have a place that could neutralise your powers?  It doesn't make sense!  How could they have done it…?"Her eyes widened in revelation, "Oh my God!  Mario!  The time machine!  He's going to kill his own son!" Bethany smiled triumphantly at figuring out what was going on, however morbid it was.

"Bethany, what are you talking about? What time machine?" Midii could feel herself getting stronger in this Gold 'binding' room, as Bethany had called it.

"He's going to throw Alessio into one of the Pods!  Like what he was going to do to you two, only he didn't expect you to have the Gold Power when he threw you into the Pool!" Bethany said excitedly.  Seeing their even more confused faces, she continued, "The Pods are connected to the time machine.  There's three of them and it's the power source but the only thing that could safely power the time machine is the old power and the soul of that someone who could wield the old power."  She pointed to Catherine and Midii, "Like a Council member or a Gatekeeper with the old power absorbed in you." 

"He would kill his own son for a machine??" Catherine asked incredulously, cradling Alessio's sleeping form.

Bethany blinked in surprise. She had never known the Black Council very well, hadn't wanted to know them…but they were a tight knit group.  Would Mario really sacrifice his only son?  But then who else could have teleported Alessio here?  It WAS a Gold binding room.  It would have hurt Mario just to teleport someone in here, even without going there…She let out an annoyed growl.  "I don't know!  I don't know how a Gold binding room could be here!  I don't know if Mario could be evil enough to kill his own son!  I don't know who put Alessio here!  I don't know!  I don't know!"  Bethany let out an exhausted sigh, before sinking to the floor, her hands balled into angry fists.

Midii placed a comforting hand on the younger girl's shoulder.  "It's ok Bethany…If you're right - " Midii held up a hand to stop Bethany's protest.  "If you think Mario put Alessio here to kill him later, than we should probably get out of here."

Giving a short nod and accepting Midii's hand, Bethany looked at Alessio's sleeping form and Catherine holding him determinedly.  "If you're going to teleport all of us out of here, I don't think you should focus on Alessio.  It might kill him." Bethany acknowledged the small smile of thanks Catherine gave her before going to he and helping her left Alessio up to his feet.

A strong, gentle hand squeezed her left shoulder.  Midii turned to look up at Trowa's profile only to find him leaning closer to her face than either of them realised.  His face hidden by those bangs could not hide the concern.  "Are you sure you'll be strong enough to teleport all of us?"

Her heart flipped as his hot breath caressed her face.  'Pull yourself together, Midii!' Mentally berating herself before nodding more confidently than she felt.  "This room has increased my strength.  I'll be able to do it."

Trowa didn't say anything but he held her hand as they walked towards the other three.  He placed an arm around his sister's shoulders as Midii held onto Bethany's hand creating a circle of sorts.  Midii closed her eyes and felt the Gold Power surge in her, like it had a mind of its own.  The room brightened to an almost blinding intensity and began to tremor. She focused on Trowa first, then Cathie, then Bethany before briefly focusing on Alessio.  The tremors increased violently as the Gold Power flowed out of and around Midii until everything stopped.  Silence ensued in the now empty, dimming room.

"I know…"

Heero raised an eyebrow, peering curiously at Relena who had suddenly woken up.  Her eyes were wide and alert.  "What Relena?"

"Put me down."  Heero complied with Relena's wishes although he still had a protective arm around her waist.

"What is it ojousan?" Duo walked closer to the couple, casually glancing around the dark hallway for any signs of danger.

"The enemy!  We're not fighting the Black Council!" Relena exclaimed, wildly flailing her arms around.  Ever since she had woken up, the headaches were gone, her mind clear and calm.

Heero gently pressed his palm onto her forehead.  "Relena you're burning up - "

She glared back at him before removing his hand from her forehead.  "I'm fine Heero.  I'm trying to tell you that you don't know who you're fighting!"

"Relena!"  The trio turned to see an out of breath Quatre and Dorothy run up to them.

"Relena…Next time you decide to do something…stupid…tell us beforehand!" huffed out Dorothy, her tone of voice irritated but the relief in her eyes, she couldn't hide.

"Are you guys ok?" asked the ever-thoughtful Quatre.

"Yeah, fine 'cept for a sore shoulder, a grumpy perfect soldier and ojousan losing it." Supplied Duo with a lopsided grin.

"Hey!" Relena exclaimed while Heero merely grunted.

Duo quickly continued on, "So why are you two in such a rush?" he stared suspiciously down the dark corridor where Dorothy and Quatre had just come from, only to see the walls shift into a dead end.

The two looked at each other and Duo sighed exasperated.  "Hey! Try not to talk in your minds!  Not everyone here is a mind reader."

Quatre apologised while Dorothy frowned - probably at both of them.

"We found an exact replica of Bethany's lab.  It had these three containers…They looked like upright coffins…" Quatre trailed off as Dorothy closed her eyes as if in pain.

Duo gesticulated with his hand, "And?"

"Anyway.  It was connected to this contraption that looked like a seat with a screen, keyboard and about a hundred wires sticking out of it.” Quatre said describing the time machine, but he didn’t know that.  “We were looking around and then one of the Black Council members -"

"Nicholas Saladino." Dorothy interjected softly.

Quatre gave a short nod before continuing, "Nicholas Saladino materialised in front of us and hit me with the Black Power, I guess…"

"He knocked Quatre unconscious and tried to do the same thing to me but I somehow shot Red Power at him and he…fell."  Dorothy rubbed the bridge of her nose with her thumb and forefinger, staring at the ground.

"He fell?  That's why you two were running like hell was after you?"  Duo raised an eyebrow in disbelief.

Dorothy rolled her eyes impatiently, sighing angrily.  "He fell into one of the containers."

"So." Heero glared at Dorothy but his mind still on what Relena had said earlier.

"I'm getting there." Dorothy gritted out.  "When he fell into the container it automatically shut and…the Black power was sucked out of him."

Really?  Great then!  There is a way to defeat them after all…Right?" Duo didn't like the pained expression on Dorothy and Quatre's faces.  "What?"

"It took his soul as well…then what it was attached to switched on and now there's a portal open in the lab."  Quatre finished.

"Portal?  I'm guessing this is a bad thing…Oh great, just great!" Duo stared up at the ceiling in a mock gesture of 'why me?'

A sudden flash of light alerted the group to the end of the ever-changing corridors.  Heero and Duo readied their weapons at the light, now dimming rapidly.  Dorothy started to glow a soft red while Quatre stood in a defensive position and Relena momentarily forgot what she had wanted to tell everyone.  They walked slowly towards the end of the corridor, the light almost completely gone.

Relena let out a surprised gasp at the sight before her.  Two men, sprawled on the floor with what could only be described as Gold lightening running through them.  Before Heero could react to Relena, she had already knelt down next to one of them, pressing two fingers into the crook of the neck, searching for a pulse.  The Gold power not affecting her, as she felt a dull beat then another come from the unconscious man. 

"Relena."  Heero grabbed her arm and pulled her to her feet, all the while pointing his gun at the comatose man.

"He's alive."

"So is the other one." Quatre said from his position next to the prone man.  Quatre looked at Dorothy silently communicating with her.

“Its James and Lucas Di Cartelli.” Quatre spoke again, reaching out to hold Dorothy’s hand, to get up.

“What happened to them?” asked Duo eyeing the twitching bodies with morbid curiosity.

‘The Gold Power…But how?  From whom?’ Dorothy relayed her thoughts to Quatre who didn’t answer straight away, bewilderment etched all over his face.

“Well?  Hey blondie!  What’s going on?!” Duo asked again, his hand tightening around the gun, instinctively.

Dorothy didn’t seem to hear what he had said but she answered his question, in a confused tone.  “It’s the Gold power…?”

Duo was now officially freaking out, not that he would show it but when was the last time Dorothy was confused?  He gulped involuntarily, wishing with all his soul to be with Hilde now, holding her close.

“The Gold power?” Heero asked, still cold and calculating except that he was holding Relena close to him and away from the comatose bodies of the Di Cartelli’s.

“The Gold Power is the balance to the Black Power.  It really all depends on who hits the other first.  Whoever gets hit first will have their power neutralised.  They’ll be completely ineffective unless they are healed by...I don’t know how but I know they can be healed.” Dorothy motioned to the bodies on the floor.  “Someone with the Gold Power hit them first…but that would mean the Gold Council hadn’t been destroyed in the explosion at Luxemburg.  Well, maybe at least one Gold Council member survived and found their way here…maybe they’re the ones were supposed to be fighting…” Dorothy’s face mirrored Quatre’s both unsure what was happening.

Before Heero could ask any more questions Relena spoke up for the first time since Dorothy and Quatre had arrived.  “No.  It’s not the Gold Council.”

Four heads turned to look at Relena’s deadly serious expression.  “It not the Gold Council.”  She repeated again.

Dorothy opened her mouth to rebut but Relena didn’t let her. “We’re not even fighting the Black Council.  Not really anyway.”  She had everyone’s attention now, everyone not noticing the walls close around them, giving them only one way out.  “No, no we’re not fighting them.  It’s the Green Council.”

Mario looked through the small window at the dead body of Nicholas Saladino, slumped forward in one of the Pods.  Blank eyes stared back at him.  A smirk crawled over his face as he stared in wonder at the whirling portal open before him.  Two more Pods to be filled and he would be able to travel through time safely.  He walked right up to the time machine and set the co-ordinates the voices told him to set.  He gave each little key a hearty push.  He almost felt like humming, almost.  He closed his eyes for a moment, mentally probing where all his little pawns were positioned.  A cruel smile replaced his smirk as his eyes snapped open in satisfaction, everything was going as planne –

“AAHHH!”  Mario convulsed violently forward, as he lost himself for a moment, his features completely changing for a millisecond before his features returned to normal.  The power surged all around him, sensing the change in its inhabitant.  Sweat beads ran down his forehead as he staggered backwards from the time machine.  That, that bitch knew!  He could feel the power seeping from him; he could feel her channel his power.  He needed to get out of there.  Closing his eyes again, he teleported using all his strength, to the Pool room and fell into the Pool.  In here, she could not tap into his power without overdosing on the old power.  He was safe again.

Alessio’s eyes snapped open.  The pain of the Gold Power wasn’t all around him anymore.  How had he teleported away from, from that prison?  Even with his eyes wide open, he couldn’t see anything but dark and light spots.  Sounds of voices slowly infiltrated his ears and he numbly felt someone holding him close to their body.  He blinked numerous times but his eyesight didn’t get any better, however his hearing did.

“…Ssio, can you..ear…me?” The voice seemed distant and disjointed but Alessio tried to answer by nodding his head silently.

“Hey! You big lug! Get up!” Another voice, louder this time…or maybe it was screaming at him…

More voices talking invaded his ears as he desperately tried to see clearly.  The person holding him seemed extremely bright in his eyes, as he tried to get a better look at them.  He felt the Black Power slowly strengthen in him, his vision getting better while his hearing returning to normal.

“Oh my God!  Cathie!” He heard the voice that had yelled at him exclaim.  Rough hands pushed him away from the person that was holding him and he fell back, hitting his head on the hard floor.

He blinked a few more times; his eyes now back to normal.  Slowly getting up from his lying position he came face to face with the barrel of a gun.

“What did you do to her?”

Alessio’s eyes travelled from the gun to the arm of the person holding it before finally meeting eye to eye with the person.  One very angry green eye glared down at him.  ‘It was that clown.  What was his name?  Barton.  Trowa Barton’ he dimly thought.  The gun’s safety lock clicked off and Alessio knew he was still too weak to put up a shield or to knock Trowa down.  Neither moved from their position.

“Trowa…don’t.  He didn’t mean it.” 

Alessio dared to look away from Trowa and at the voice of that had just stood up for him.  Catherine Bloom leaned tiredly against Bethany and Midii who wasn’t looking too well either.  Memories of what had happened in that Gold room rushed back to him and the realisation hit him like a tonne of cement.  His father had thrown him in the Gold room.  His father had the Darkness in him.  Catherine had tried to save him…no HAD saved him, if he was now out of the Gold room.  Why did she do that?  He had kidnapped her, in the first place! Was it because she was repaying him for saving her life from the Darkness…He had only been following Trowa, he hadn’t really no intention of saving any of the Gatekeepers, only to stop the Darkness.  Alessio frowned, she wouldn’t have done it because she cared, did she? So many conflicting questions and emotions ran around his mind, not noticing Trowa lower his gun as he just stood there staring at Catherine in doubt.

“Trowa, here.  Help me with your sister.” Bethany motioned with her head, signalling to Trowa to come and hold his sister up.  Trowa obliged hugging Catherine’s side allowing Midii to sit down and rest.

Alessio didn’t move when Bethany walked up to him and slapped him hard across the face.  “That’s for kidnapping me.”  She glared at him but it didn’t last for very long.  She let out an annoyed sigh and plonked herself down next to him.  “I’m not like you to kick a wounded animal.” She said with a huff. “I know you’re incredibly weak right now, even though you’re not in the Gold binding room anymore.  So be like a good hostage and just sit there and answer my questions.” 

Alessio sneered at her.  “I’ll never help you.”

Bethany’s eyes grew wide in outrageous, her hand balling into a fist about to smash into his face…then she unclenched her hand and gave him a glare that could only be achieved with forked eyebrows.  She pointed to where Catherine was being held by Trowa and Midii who was leaning against a wall, exhausted.  “See that woman over there.” Her voice growing harder, “Catherine found you in that Gold room and she’s the only reason you are alive right now.  She gave you some of the old power that is stored inside of her.  She kept Trowa from pumping you full of lead.  She convinced Midii – who could have easily killed you with the Gold power - to not leave you rotting in that Gold room.  You owe her your pathetic excuse of a life.” With that, Bethany moved closer to Alessio until their faces were only an inch apart.  “You WILL answer my questions.”

Alessio sat dumbfounded and just a little bit scared at the person so close to him.  She was right.  He owed Catherine and the three of them, his life.  He barely nodded to Bethany as he felt weird emotions running amuck inside him.

She moved away from his face and nodded back.  “Good.  First question: Who put you in the Gold room, anyway?”

The question barely registered in his mind as memories – not all too pleasant came back to life in his mind.  When was the last time anyone had cared that much about him?  He hadn’t known his mother, she had died giving birth to him.  One of the many reasons his father had always been severe to him.  His older brother had always taken his father’s side.  Mario Jr had never really stood up for Alessio, even though Alessio had always taken the blame for him whenever he was in trouble.  He loved his family.  No one had really cared too much for him, though.  He thought he preferred it that way.  All those years and only now did he realise he was hiding under that tough bully façade he put out.  He had hurt them, her Catherine but then why did she - nearly complete stranger care so much to save his life?  A dam inside of him, holding back years of tumultuous emotions broke. He felt his eyes water and a sob escaped from his lips.

Bethany looked at him surprised.  Was this a trick?  She watched shocked as Alessio covered his eyes with his hands and started to cry.  No.  This wasn’t a trick, he really was crying.  “Hey…Alessio…c’mon.  The question wasn’t that bad was it?” A nervous sigh escaped her lips as she awkwardly put an arm around Alessio’s shoulders and patted his side.  “umm…there, there?”

Alessio looked at Bethany with dark eyes, then he looked at Catherine again before turning back to look at Bethany.  “My father…My father put me in that room.” His voice didn’t falter once.

‘Augustus.’  Yelled Mario as he floated inside of the Pool.

‘What is it, Mario?’ Augustus Saladino Jr telepathically replied.  He was currently in the SeekerSystem control room trying to track down where everyone was except there seemed to be a problem with the System.  He had already channelled a vast amount of Black power into it but the viewing screens were showing either broken or no images at all.  He didn’t like this at all.

‘Dorothy has killed your nephew.’

Augustus felt himself go cold inside, his eyes turning completely black as the old power flowed in him. ‘What?!’

Mario didn’t allow him to rant, continuing in an authoritative tone. ‘Go to the lab.  Bring your sons; she’s there with those pathetic humans.  Kill them all.’

Augustus didn’t need to hear the last part as murderous thoughts ran around his head.  He vanished in a shroud of Black, not thinking twice that his old friend, Mario Luciano was lying to him.

Mario smirked, he was back in control again.  The time is now.  Mario closed his eyes and nodded.  He would kill what remained of Black Council – using their power and souls to power the machine before destroying Dorothy and her pathetic little friends.  Not even that simpering fool, Relena, could stop him now.

‘Why…?’ Bethany’s mind was going into overdrive.  Everything Alessio had told her didn’t clear up anything.  She felt like screaming in frustration.  It just didn’t make sense!  How could Mario, someone who had the Black power be immune to a Gold binding room? Even if the Darkness was in him, the Black power would become useless…unless…unless Mario wasn’t who they thought he was.  Then he could he be?  If there was a Gold binding room made, then did that mean they were really fighting the Gold Council?  But hadn’t Alessio said his father had told him that Giovanni Andretti (Head of the Gold Council) had been tricked into building it…but that didn’t make sense either!  Bethany rubbed her temple with her thumbs.  Why would Giovanni Andretti agree with Mario Luciano?  They were from opposing Councils and had never gotten along.  Why, why, WHY?

“This is so annoying - ” The rest of what she was going to say was lost as a Black energy ball was blasted in their direction. Five bodies flew in the air and landed with a sickening thud against the opposite wall.  Alessio felt the Black power seep into his skin as he eyed who had hit them.  Two men stood a few metres away from them.  The Saladino brothers. 

“Alessio?”  Caesar Saladino said agape.

Alessio glanced at the fallen bodies of his companions.  Quickly assessing that Catherine was unconscious but breathing, as was Bethany while Trowa was conscious but not trying to move, protectively hiding an awake Midii.  Good.  He needed that girl to be awake.  Silent communication passed between the three that were awake.  He knew what to do.

Standing up, surprisingly not shaking at all.  He spoke in his most threatening voice.  “You idiots!  You’re supposed to be hurting them, not me!”

Augustus Jr and Caesar looked sheepishly at him before Caesar spoke up again.  “Father called us to the lab.  He said they - ” he pointed to the fallen bodies, “ - were in the lab and that we were to kill them all.”

“They killed Nicholas.” Added Augustus menacingly.

Alessio nodded gravely.  Before carefully picking up Catherine.  “MY father said to bring them into the lab and kill them there.  We need their energy.”  He motioned to Augustus to carry the unconscious Bethany.

“Aw, why do I have to carry the guy?” whined Caesar as they walked towards the fallen bodies.  He bent down to grab Trowa by the arm, when suddenly, Trowa swivelled and high-kicked him in the face, breaking his nose.  “Argh!”  Before he could say another word Trowa punched him in the solar plexus knocking him out.

Augustus made a move to his brother’s side about to slam Trowa with the Black power when he was struck head on with a blast of the Gold power, courtesy of Midii.  The bright Gold power emanated outwards and ebbed away slowly, making Alessio feel weak but he steadied still holding onto Catherine.  He watched as Augustus fall to his knees then land on his face, comatose as the Gold power surged in his veins.

“Ooooh…” Bethany blinked, feeling her bruises begin to heal slowly.  She surveyed the battle that she had just slept through.  “I do not want to know…” She muttered as she got to her feet.  ‘The walls are changing again,’ she mused, ‘if this situation wasn’t so horribly bad, I’d think I was in an amusement park.’

Midii slumped forward, her hands resting on her knees.  She didn’t think she could handle another fight without collapsing.

“Midii, are you alright?” Trowa asked her after he had checked his sister.

She merely nodded, knowing full well her voice wasn’t going to sound ‘alright’.  Trowa frowned but didn’t say anything.  What was he going to say?  He offered her his hand and she gladly took it.

“The lab…” Alessio shifted Catherine’s weight in his arms as he pointed to where the walls had led to.

“Oh no…” Bethany stared at the light purplish-grey light radiating from the entrance to the lab.  That light could only mean one thing.  “The time machine is working.”

Augustus Sr couldn’t look at where his nephew had died.  He had been a military general in so many wars through the years.  He had seen death and had looked at it straight in the face and laughed…but he had never seen this before.  His nephew, Nicholas, was staring at him with sightless eyes from the viewing window in that, that coffin he was placed in.  He had tried to blast it apart with the Black power when he first saw it but it didn’t even budge.  All it did do was cause this weird portal to fluctuate in size.  His blood was boiling.  Where were those humans that had done this to his flesh and blood?!  Where was that murderous she-devil?!  He wanted to tear Dorothy limb from limb.  He wanted her to suffer.  He felt the Black Power feed on his rage.  A hand lightly tapped him on his shoulder.  Quickly turning around he came face to face with a smiling Mario.

“Your anger is clouding your ability to see, my old friend.”

Augustus didn’t hear the insincerity in Mario’s words, or he would have noticed the slight change in his eyes, however, all he could think about was what he would do to those snivelling humans.

Mario laughed, snapping Augustus out of his train of thought for a moment.  “What can be so funny, Mario?!  Where are they?!  I’m going to kill them all!”

Mario just laughed again, walking away from him and towards the weird looking portal.  “You know, that’s why I never liked the Black Council so much.  Too impulsive.  Never did think things out clearly.  But you were excellent pawns.”

“WHAT are you talking about, Mario?!”

He didn’t get to answer as a blast from the entrance rocked the lab.  Five people tumbled into the lab, dodging a Black energy ball.  Augustus stared in anger as Alessio, Bethany, the two Gatekeepers and another man stumbled towards the middle of the lab.  He barely registered that Alessio seemed to be helping one of the Gatekeepers, as he gathered Black energy around his hands to throw at them when he felt a different power invade his being.  “What…?”  He felt cold and hot all of a sudden, he felt as if millions of needles were trying to break out of him.  He stared in shock at Mario who just smiled at him and then a sudden rush of power pushed him backwards, his head banging against the smooth metal interior of one of the containers and just before his power and soul was ripped from him, he saw through the small viewing window, his two sons, Augustus Jr leaning heavily against Caesar who had a Black energy ball dissipating in his hand as he stared at his helpless father.

“One more to go.” Mario said in a sing-song voice.

“I don’t think so, Emeline.” 

The fear that crossed Mario’s face left as quickly as it had come.  He spun around to face Dorothy, Relena and the three remaining Gundam pilots.  “Too late, my dear.” Before Dorothy could hit her with the Red power, Mario jumped into the darkening portal.

“No!”  Dorothy was about to leap into the portal after him when Quatre tackled her.  “No, Dorothy!”

Another scream of ‘no’ came from the room, as Bethany ran towards where Dorothy was.  “Dorothy!”

Momentarily forgetting about the unstable time portal open in front of them, the two cousins hugged fiercely.  “Bethany…you’re alright…”

“Father…” Caesar stared in his father’s sightless eyes.  Anger boiled up in him.  His leader had just killed his father.  Holding up his older brother, he turned to the large group now in the lab.  An animalistic yell sounded in the room as Caesar dropped his brother to the floor and rushed towards Dorothy and Bethany, a huge energy blast gathering in his hands.  Pushing Bethany away from her, Dorothy felt the flow of Red shoot outwards at Caesar but it was too little too late, as the Black power engulfed her…She felt a sudden push from her side as Quatre shoved her sideways taking the brunt of the blow.  “NO!”  Her nerves felt like they were on fire as she felt Quatre’s pain.  Through half-lidded eyes she saw Midii glow Gold before shooting it at Caesar who slammed against the container that had his father before landing on the floor next to his brother.  Midii collapsed, Trowa catching her before she could reach the ground.

“Quatre…Quatre, please wake up.” Dorothy whispered, placing her aching hands gently on his face, wincing slightly as she felt the Red power flow from her to him, healing his wounds.

“Dorothy…” Quatre opened his eyes slowly, giving her a tiny smile of assurance.

She gave him a watery smile, hugging him to her. “Don’t ever, ever do that again.” 

“Alessio, what are you doing?”  Everyone else turned to Catherine who spoke.  She was standing next to Alessio who was examining the portal that was alternating from a light violet to dark purple to light grey.

“I’m going to go find my father.”

Bethany vigorously shook her head.  “Your father jumped through an unstable portal.  He would have made the jump but if you go through, you’re not going to make it.  There’s not enough power.  Besides - ” She stopped short, her eyes widening as she stared at her cousin.  “Dory, why’d you call Mario, Emeline?”  Even as she said it, all the pieces were falling into place.

“That isn’t Mario Luciano.  It’s Emeline Noventa.  The Green power is the second most powerful power, aside from Red.  She could take the form of anyone and change someone else’s form.  A chameleon.”  Relena supplied.

“No, that’s not possible.  That was my father!” Alessio eyed Relena in disbelief.  “No, that’s not possible!”

“It makes sense…but how did you find out, Relena?” Bethany looked encouragingly at her.

“My headaches.  My dreams.  They were from Myra Noventa.” Relena looked at the incredulous faces on the people she hadn’t told yet.  It had taken some time convincing Heero, Duo, Quatre and Dorothy but they believed her. 

“Myra Noventa?  But she should have been in the explosion at Luxemburg Hall!”

Relena nodded.  “Yes, except only a day before Emeline had told her of her plan to disguise herself as Mario Luciano because there were more Black Council members.  She needed a ready army.” Taking a deep breath she continued, “When Myra said she thought she was crazy for doing this and that she would tell the rest of the Council, Emeline made sure she wouldn’t be able to do that.”

“She killed her own granddaughter?!” Bethany had a hard time swallowing that since she had been raised by her grandparents.

“No, but she is in a coma at a hospital in Luxemburg.  She was communicating to me through her dreams with the Green power.  But the only way I could see what she wanted me to see was if I was asleep as well.” Relena shook her head and said gently,  “I know it’s hard to believe but, Alessio, that isn’t your father.   Your father was probably in the explosion at Luxemburg.”

Alessio looked dumbfounded at Relena.  He turned away from her, gazing at the portal open in front of him.  “What’s it going to take to get Emeline?”

“The portal is too unstable.  If someone goes through it now, they’re not going to make it.”  All the jumbled thoughts had straightened themselves out in Bethany’s mind.  Emeline was of Green…no wonder the Gold binding room didn’t affect her.  No wonder, there WAS a Gold binding room.  Giovanni would have listened to Emeline and made it.  Emeline Noventa was behind it all.  She shook her head in amazement.

“Alessio, no!”

The shout broke Bethany’s reverie as she watched Catherine grab onto Alessio’s arm as he headed toward the last Pod.  “Alessio what do you think you’re doing!?”  She rushed up to him, blocking him from the Pod.  “Do you have a death wish?!”

He ignored Catherine and stared at Dorothy.  “I saw the Darkness in Emeline.  You’re the only one I know who fought the Darkness and survived.”

Dorothy nodded to him, knowing in an instant what he was going to do.

“Bethany hurry up and connect this thing to the machine.” He stepped into the Pod, which didn’t close automatically since it wasn’t connected yet.

“No, Bethany.” Catherine looked angrily at Alessio.  “What are you doing?!”

“Something right for once.”

“No!” Catherine placed herself in the entrance of the Pod.  “You don’t need to do this.  There has to be another way!”

Alessio just shook his head sadly. “There isn’t another way.  Dorothy needs to go through that portal and save the world from the Darkness.  She can’t do that with an unstable portal.  I’m doing this. Bethany connect the damn thing already!”

“Alessio!  Please, don’t do this.”  Catherine looked around helplessly at everyone in the room.  Her brother was holding a sleeping Midii, Dorothy was staring at the portal, Quatre was watching her, Relena’s features were unreadable while Duo and Heero stood nearby the prone bodies of the two Black Council members.  An unknown emotion passed through Alessio as he gave Catherine a small smile, leaned close to her face and kissed her gently on the lips.  Catherine didn’t respond, surprised by the action.

“Thank you, Catherine.  Thank you for caring.” He whispered to her before he bodily pushed her away from the Pod, yelling, ‘now!’ to Bethany who hesitated, before pushing the connector plug into the socket causing the Pod to automatically close.  As his power and soul began to seep out of him, a peaceful smile dawned on his face as he closed his eyes.  The last thing he saw was Catherine’s face through the viewing window.

The time portal stabilized and became a deep purple colour of a rippling water-like quality.  “Here goes nothing.” Dorothy muttered as she stepped towards the portal.

‘I’m going with you.’ She felt Quatre grip her hand and she shook her head.

‘No Quatre.  I need you alive here.  I need to know that you’re safe.  Please, I want to come back to you.’

Quatre sighed angrily.  “Dorothy - ”

“I love you.”  With that she sat in the chair surrounded by a screen, wires and a keyboard.  Pressing the big red button, a howling wind resounded around the lab, knocking people off their feet. 

“DOROTHY!!”  Quatre tried to rush towards her but the wind was like a tornado, keeping him from moving.  Then it died down, all that was left were the three Pods and an after image of red.  The portal had closed and the time machine was gone.

   ************************

  - Unknown Place – Unknown Time -

“Did you feel that?” Lavirea put down the scrolls she was reading and looked over to her younger sister who was putting the finishing touches to her make-up.

“Feel what, Lavi?”  Keioa checked her profile in the viewing pool.  She couldn’t wait to see Beijn again and this party the younger members of the Gold Council was throwing sounded like too much fun!

“Do you think of anything but partying, Keioa?”  Lavirea said with disdain.  She had never enjoyed the Council parties, so decadent. 

“Yes, I do.  Like Beijn.”  She giggled at that and her red eyes sparkled with mirth.  “Bye, Lavi!  Try not to bore yourself to death!”  With that Keioa disappeared in a cloud of red dust.

Lavirea rolled her eyes.  Her sister could be so, so light-headed!  She tried to shake the feeling of dread that had crept up on her.  The Elders did say there were signs of imbalances in the powers.  To be expected they said.  Nothing to worry about; Earth and Joir were safe from harm.  “Let it go, Lavi.  You’re just being over sensitive.”  Even with that thought in mind she decided to speak to her mother about it.  If there were one person who could sense something wrong it would be her mother, the Head of the Red Council.

   **********************

Person who is still being incredibly slack:

*sob* I can’t stop my slackness!!  Stupid school!! *sob* Stupid time! O_O  ummm…I don’t get myself sometimes, either!  So what did you guys think?  Did everyone see that coming a mile away?  For anyone wondering why I made the Green Council (or more specifically Emeline Noventa) the bad guy, its because I like surprises in my stories and well, JA’s (annoying, evil little sister’s) favourite Colour Council was Green. ^__^ hehehe.  Just a little question, do people want Alessio dead?  I mean he IS dead but does anyone feel sorry for him? Just a question!!  Anyway, so come on peoples! FLAME ME!!! Heh ^__~ R&R and C&C too! E-mail is nice as well!! When will I write Chapter 8?  Dear Ping! I’m not going to jinx myself!!! Hehehehehehe…^__^