Right then, Luna’s only world was the three of them, Raymond, Juliette and herself, in a cavern that was intent on swallowing them whole. She would get the two to safety, she needed to make sure that she did. Helping people was what she did, and Luna would give her life for another's. She didn’t know where she’d end up, if she fell into that abyss, but she wasn’t afraid of death. No, there was no point in fearing what was, and would always be. As Raymond encouraged her to go ahead, she only did so because he scooped juliette into his arms. She let the way, shouting here and there about a crack, or some rubble, or anything that might cause him to fall, making sure she wasn’t getting too far from him.

She looked back, refusing to let her fear overrule her. She had people to look after, and she was damn well going to make sure she did. She figured she’d always be at odds with Constance, the girl that would never admit that she was wrong, or not the best and despite Edward’s words, she knew that there would never be any reconciliation with Constance. The woman was stuck up, and set in her ways. She would never change, and Luna could be nice to her all she wanted, and nothing would change between them. Constance would continue to think of her as she did. So Luna was the better person. She was willing to try. And she had already risked her life for Constance, had treated her. Just because Constance wasn’t a good person didn’t mean that Luna wouldn’t protect her either.

She looked ahead, making sure the others were safe, before looking back, making sure that Raymond and Juliette were okay, slowly so that she could go after them up the stairs. She was leaving no one behind, and she watched them, making sure that their path was clear, that nothing was about to fall on them. ”just a little bit longer! Come on, Raymond!”

How were they going to get out? Her mind went there, but she had no answer. Maybe this was a test, of some kind... She didn't know, she didn't know what was going to happen, and she wished for the first time she had something more than her wits, more than just her hands. She wanted answers, she just didn't know how to get them.

"nearly there"

The situation continued to worse. Ed glanced over his shoulder and his heart leapt in his chest: the very stone itself was peeling away, and it was obvious to see now that they were floating. Not just floating, but rising. Rapidly. He slammed into the wall with an unexpecting "oof!". It had surprised him, since he'd been busy being terrified of the impending doom.

The staircase was just a few steps away. Edward swallowed his mounting terror and leapt for the stairs. They were massive up close, with each one being as tall as his ears. What kind of madmen had built this place? There was no way this could be natural.

The world shook again, and his terror granted him supernatural strength. He scrambled up the first step and reached down for Collin. The man took his hand and clambered up. "No need to help me, Edward-sha", said the man. He moved beside Edward and waited for the others. It wasn't good: the ground was tearing away behind the running adventurers, and Edward worried that they weren't going to make it.

"Come on!" he shouted, his anxiety overcoming his calm. "Faster!"

"Calm, Edward!" Collin hissed to him. "By shouting you risk stressing them further. Look: Constance is nearly here! The others are close behind. Take a breath. We shall need the calm."

Edward tried. Collin was right: panic wouldn't serve there here. Then Raymond stumbled, dropping to one knee. He shouted in panic, desperately holding Juliette off the floor as the floor slowly dropped away. He growled in protest at the stress and lifted himself to his feet again.

"Go!" he shouted to Luna. "I have her!" He pushed on, just barely staying ahead of the empty air. "Help me get her up there!" he shouted to the rest of them.

Edward reached out to pull her up, but he couldn't do it alone. The step was too high; it was a cliff, really. They'd all have to help get Juliette up, but they had very little time.

And they seemed to climb higher with every second. Beneath them, it looked to Edward as if more and more pieces of the ground below were breaking free to float into the air. What had they done?

Luna didn't let fear rule her. She knew if she did, then that would be it. She wouldn't be able to continue, and she wouldn't be able to get Raymond and Juliette to safety. And it was that, beyond anything else, that kept er going, even as the room seemed to want to destroy them. She kept her gaze on the stairs and the others, keeping her breathing even, her mind focused on the one goal she had: Get to safety, and make sure everyone was okay. That was it. That was all she had to do.

Even if it seemed impossible, she was going to do it. If she didn’t survive… then so be it. She wasn’t in this to be a hero, she just wanted to make sure everyone else was safe, before she worried about herself. It was simply how Luna was. And nothing was going to change that. She was just too stubborn. As she continued to run, Luna watched Edward reach the stairs, help Collin up. "we're going to make it" She called to Edward, promising him, "It's going to be okay" her voice was calm, and clear, knowing that she needed to be, to help Edward calm himself, to keep Raymond calm, to give Juliette some semblance of security, and to keep Constance going.

And strangely enough, she was calm. The fear she thought was there, wasn’t. They would die, or they wouldn’t. Nothing would change it, but she could go to her death with dignity, instead of being afraid, and dying in fear. With that settled, Luna continued on towards the stairs, a small smile crossing her features.

She wouldn’t die alone, at least.

When Raymond stumbled, instead of continuing, like he told her to, Luna turned around, making sure he got back to his feet, she waited for him to catch up, before matching her stride to his. She was damn well going to make sure that he and Juliette got to relative safety. She judged the distance, and how high the step was, and she propelled herself into the air, gripping the stair edge, and without stopping to think, she pulled herself up, rolling over the edge, where she panted for a few seconds, before she scrambled to help get Juliette up.

She very nearly laughed, saying to Edward, “At least this time it’s not you we have to lift up, nor are we covered in water, and there’s no fire” She said, amusement dancing in her voice, as she reached for Juliette, “Come on Raymond, we have her, get up, and help us!” she said, wanting to make sure he got up as well.

The tower soared into the sky, rising further with each passing second. Rocks which once made up the floor tumbled through the air. The festivities ground to a halt as more and more Ghalari looked up from their drinks and revelry. At first, sheer shock rendered them all speechless. Then the falling rocks of the tower's floor slowed, eventually stopping in midair. They, too, began to rise, albeit slowly.

The first scream broke out among the grounded Ghalari. Then another, as more pieces of earth began to break free of the ground, the panic grew. Larger and larger pieces tore free of the area surrounding the tower. The citizens watched as their land floated away, carrying dirt, trees, and terrified animals.

Several of the Ghalari pointed in horror at the horizon. As if ye-Kambha'le had found righteous fury in chaos, stormy clouds gathered on the horizon. The storms seemed frozen a certain distance from the tower, as if forming a ring around ye-la'spiekr.

Amidst the chaos, a series of primitive looking aircraft launched from the ground, little flies amidst what could only be the wrath of gods. Joining the birds was the almost magical aircraft which launched vertically: the vehicle of the interlopers. It joined the squad of vehicles which steered toward the floating tower.

Guardian Imroham looked down at his clasped hands, and prayed.

---

GRAVILYFT SYSTEM, TEN PERCENT COMPLETION. ALLIFAX STORM DEFENSE CHARGING. HARLMON SPACE DEFENSE CHARGING. ALL SYSTEMS FUNCTIONING. GRAVITON EXCITER FUNCTIONING. STORM GATHER FUNCTIONING. GUARDIANS FUNCTIONING. ASCEND TO PREVIOUSLY DETERMINED SAFE ZONES. SHUT OFF TIME REMAINING: TEN MINUTES.

The words were not in Isle Common, nor Ghalari, but somehow Edward understood them anyway. They were musical, as if spoken through a hundred different languages. He heard them in his mind more than his ears, as if they were spoken directly into his soul. "Did you all hear that?" he shouted, but his words were lost by the shaking.

Collin nodded grimly, finally heaving them all up the first step. Not a moment too soon, as the ground floor fell totally away. "Plummet," Edward mumbled. A massive cliff face stretched out beneath them, and now it appeared that more and more pieces of the ground were rising after them.



Noise below them seemed to cut through the rumbling above. Was that...airplanes? The sound of roaring motors filled the cavern, and the Endurance slowly rose up through into the tower. It barely filled half of the massive room. Edward laughed out loud; the utter madness of it all made him lightheaded.

Who of all people would be at the helm of the bird but Vernon Conway himself. Edward had no idea how on earth the man had made it to them, but he wasn't about to ask. He couldn't hear Conway's words, but he managed to read the lips. "How in the eighty gods of the sea's guts do we turn this thing off?"

It was a valid question. Edward wished that he could answer it. Something in his mind told him that he should be able to, but he couldn't place it. And, obviously, they were running out of time. "How do we shut it off?" He shouted to the others. They were close enough to hear him, he hoped.

Luna lay back on the step panting a moment, the run, the climb, the sheer exertion of it all making her breathless, and she closed her eyes. The numerous scratches and scrapes along her body ached, but she didn’t focus on them as she gained her breath once more, quickly searching to make sure that her companions were alright, the sheer destruction around them going, for the moment, unnoticed by Luna. Everyone seemed okay, and that was what was important to Luna.

Finally, she looked around, the destruction immense, yet she couldn’t deny the beauty in it, as the cliff face was revealed and the land was spread out before them, albeit it in a long, deadly drop. ”Oh, wow” She breathed, totally impressed, and for a moment she wished she had a way of recording this amazing, wondrous view. The world was so much larger than she ever knew, and Luna’s mind stretched to what other wonders they might see. Was it possible that this ancient technology, that seemed apart of what they were experiencing, was from a ancient civilisation?

Or…. maybe different life forms? They certainly couldn’t be the only beings out there, and for a moment, Luna was transfixed with that idea. Her gaze was taking to the skies, and she wondered. If the world was bigger than she knew, then she thought, was it possible that the universe was bigger than anyone thought? That thought was too large, for the moment, and she brought her attention back to what was going on, right now.

The words seemed important, and Leela focused on them a moment. Defense was used a lot, and for a second or two, Luna wondered what they had done to trigger this ancient system, dolice for 100 plus years. Shut off time... ten minutes... That grabbed Luna's attention, and she held onto it. Ten minutes to stop this, ten minutes to figure it all out, ten minutes before it was too late… She swallowed, thinking that that was nearly impossible. She closed her eyes once more, drawing in a deep breath. Everything they had done on this journey could be considered impossible, and yet, they had done it.

Her eyes snapped open, and she gazed around. As the Endurance rose, Luna sighed in relief. It looked like the plane had gotten away, with Conway. Was he trying to get them loaded? It didn't seem possible right then, at least not while this... protocol was going off. At least they were all okay, if only for now, for the net then minutes. She figured that Conway had found them by simply looking for the centre of destruction. It seemed a reasonable assumption to assume that they’d be there. She sighed, looking about for a way to turn whatever was happening off.

She couldn’t see anything, couldn’t see anyway the thing was controlled. ”I don’t know… but there has to be a control somewhere.” She looked up, anywhere she could. There were few options she could see right then… ”Do you think we can get onto the Endurance?” She asked, a decision forming in her mind. Luna was going to do whatever she could to stop this, as she suspected it was going to destroy the island, and take the people with it. She wasn’t going to see that happen.

And then suddenly something came to mind, and she turned to Edward, saying to him loudly, through all the noise, ”The cube, Edward! It started this, it must be able to turn it off, or at least control it!”

Constance let out a nervous little titter as they all made it to relative safety as the bizarre announcement rang throughout the air, snippets of the words standing out to her as she backed away from the edge. She wrapped her arms around herself defensively, snapping her head back and forth to see if anybody appeared as if they knew what was going on and finding only other looks of confusion in return. As the engine of the Endurance filled the room, wind whipping around from its rotors and from their own ascension, Constance reached up to grab her hat to prevent it from blowing away only to find that it had been lost in the panic. For a moment she could channel all of her frustration on that fact and ignore the fearing for her life, her pettiness providing her with enough clarity to hear what Edward and Luna were shouting about.

Wait, seriously?

They wanted to stop this? Hadn’t they been listening?

“Oh, sure, the cube! Yeah, we’ll just somehow figure out how to pilot a buncha islands through some stupid little map box. Ho! Brilliant plan. Excuse me, but did you not hear that announcement?” snapped Constance, her voice booming to carry over all of the noise as she stepped up towards Luna. She stared down her nose at the other woman, her words dripping off of her tongue like venom. “Sorry, sweetie. We don’t have time to try and play hero anymore. Let’s be realistic for once.”

She turned to Edward, knowing that trying to convince Luna would be an impossibility—that woman would argue with her about what two plus two equals just for the sake of starting more shit. She tried to sound calm and collected as she stated her case but, since it was so damn noisy, her words still came out as hoarse shouts.

“Eddy, between that announcement and the fact that we are fucking floating up into the sky I think it’s safe to assume that we’re witnessing the start of another Ring of Thunder. If we don’t leave before those ten minutes are up then we will be trapped on these new floating islands for who know how long. I don’t know about you, but I didn’t sign up for this voyage just so I could get stuck on a slightly shittier version of our own home.”

She held up a finger behind her as if to shush Luna before she even started talking as she continued, “Plus, we know for certain that these people will be okay. After all, our ancestors managed to survive something like this. What we don’t know is what will happen to any vessels in the neighboring waters that happen to be a bit too close such as, oh, I don’t know, the Garrloch. If we don’t get in the Endurance and radio them to set sail then they might not make it. Would you really take that gamble?”

She cast a cold look over at their guides, and then looked dead into Edward’s eyes. “You know I’m right. We need to get on the Endurance right now and leave.”

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Raymond wasn’t sure if they’d be able to make it, and when they did, it seemed an almost impossible task getting to the relative safety of the stairs, climbing up the, what might as well be, gigantic steps. When they did, when it seemed like they were safe, if only for now, Raymond didn’t waste anytime on making sure that Juliette was okay. Then things seemed to go from bad to worse, as it was soon revealed that they were… floating. Raymond had no idea what was going on, and he held Juliette as he tried to figure it out.

The presence of the plane threw him off for a moment, the object foreign to him, he wasn’t too sure if it was friendly… or not. And given everything that had happened, Raymond was going to go with the feeling that it was suspicious, until Edward yelled rather happily at the flying craft, though he didn’t feel a lot of hope- what would the thing be able to do for them..?

He didn’t feel the need to participate in the conversation, what did he know of any of this..? He turned his attention to Juliette, “Are you okay..?” He asked her concernedly in their native tongue so that she could understand.

She could hear his voice… he was concerned for her, and it was that very knowledge that made her tightened her arms further around the back of his neck, holding herself ever closer against his body as the situation they had found themselves in grew graver by the moment. Shutting her eyes tightly, Juliette dropped her head down, taking a few moments to bury it into the crook of his neck as she sought for comfort… for reassurance that this wasn’t the end… that they were all going to be okay…

“..I-I-... w-what is going on..?” Her voice soft, muffled as she spoke against the soft flesh of his neck in the native tongue of their people, Juliette let out a soft and almost inaudible yelp as the sound of more rock shifting before cracking away hit her ears, causing another ripple of terror to spread throughout her body, “..I-I’m scared, Raymond…”

Raymond didn’t even know how to begin to answer her- it simply wasn’t something he could understand, let alone explain. “Uh… we’re kind of… floating… some ancient thing… I don’t know, it's doing something… “ he said, more than a little lamely, knowing he couldn’t explain it properly. He held her tighter, wanting to reassure her even as he knew it wasn’t possible. He didn’t know if they were going to live or not, but he’d make damn sure to try his best to make sure Juliette did.

He looked about, as if that would help make sense of things; the others in their group seeming ready to tackle whatever it was, or at least they seemed to understand it…

“I think they are… trying to figure out what to do...” Uncertainty still filled his voice, and he stepped back carefully when it seemed a small argument would break out.

"You know nothing!" Collin erupted at Constance's words. "My people have been given no warning! No chance to prepare. Look!" He bellowed, pointing down to the world below. The landscape below them was fragmenting as it rose, a far cry from the huge landmasses they were familiar with. "Down there is family! Friends! People, with lives of their own!"

It was like having a devil and an angel on his shoulders, but Edward didn't know which was which. Constance wanted to bail, but Luna insisted they didn't. Edward had never planned for this to happen when he'd left the U.I. It was stupidly overdramatic, more like an adventure novel than something he wanted to be a part of. "We can't just abandon them," he shouted over the noise.

He looked over at Conway, still hovering at their level. "We should get off the tower! Jump to the Endurance!"

"How?" asked Raymond. "You're expecting Juliette to jump?" Edward hissed in irritation. Plummet. The man was right, but that didn't make it any easier. They wouldn't all fit in one trip, anyway.

"Well we can't climb the rest of these steps in ten minutes!" Edward replied. "Someone has to try and get up there and turn it off, one way or another! I--"

"OI!" A very thin voice cut through the conversation. Edward stopped, looking around to see Conway waving his shirt over his head. The man's impressive vocals were cutting through all of the sounds. "GRAB THE ROPE!" Now Edward saw that he had a co-pilot with him: Krauss, by the look of it. Edward hadn't seen the man in a while.

For the first time, Edward noticed the rope ladder trailing beneath the Endurance. It was battered by the wind, whirling every which-way, but it looked solid. And reachable, to most of them. Edward waved his arm to get the captain's attention, and then pointed to Juliette. He mimed being blind by holding a hand over his eyes and stumbling about.

"JUMP WITH HER!" roared Conway, pointing to Raymond. Was Conway insane? Empty space yawned open beneath them, and he wanted them to jump? He shook his head, holding up three fingers, and pointing to the seats. Only three of them could fit in the Endurance besides Conway, and that was cramming it.

Conway pointed down, and a moment later a pair of aircraft zoomed past. "JUMP!" he insisted. "LAND ON THE PLANES!" He pointed at Edward, Constance, and Luna. The three people on his crew.

Wait what? Edward's face turned bone white. No, no. Of course he was telling them to risk their lives more than anyone else. He shook his head violently, pointing at Collin and Raymond.

"NOT THE DEAL!" shouted Conway again. Edward looked desperately back at the others. Surely they were seeing what Conway was saying as well. "He wants us to jump and try and land on those other planes?" He saw Raymond mumbling to Juliette, maybe translating? "What in the Hell is he playing at?"

"You can do whatever you like, Constance, but unlike you, some of us aren't selfish and actually think about other people! Go, run, be a coward, it's all your good for anyway!" Luna shouted at Constance, finally having enough of the other girls utter disrespect and disregard for anyone that wasn't her. ”"How the hell do you think we are going to get out of here, if it is another ring of thunder? In case you don't know, the last one wasn't so grand, so we may as well try and figure out how to stop it, but I wouldn't expect you to understand that, you don't think much beyond ME, ME, ME", by the end Luna was more than just yelling, she was absolutely furious, and she was nearly screaming.

She turned her whole anger, and fury onto Constance, finally not holding back, finally just letting everything out, ”Why did you sign up, Constance? What the hell are you running from that made you leave your pampered little life to be here, in dangerous situations, where you RUN at the first sign of having to think about something other than yourself? Oh, wait, maybe we shouldn’t be standing around talking about you, although I know how much you love that! You do whatever it is you want to do, whatever thoughts pop into that pretty little head of yours, I want nothing to do with!” She turned away from Constance, and in that moment, as far as she was concerned, Constance didn’t exist. Constance was a problem for another time, and right now, Luna was going to deal with whatever the fuck was going on right now.

She was going to stop this, and maybe figure out what the hell had happened, so many years ago, to cause what home was like. Maybe then, they could fix things. She sure as hell wasn’t going to stand around while people were in trouble, and it wasn’t just her people she was worried about. How many people would die today, if they didn’t do anything? Pleased that not only Colin, but Edward agreed with her, Luna looked over to them both.

She listened as the plan to jump was laid out, and Edwards attempt to get the others off as well was thrown aside. Luna wasn’t having that. Beyond the fact that it didn’t seem possible to jump with a blind girl, Luna knew they wouldn’t all make it, they wouldn’t all have the time to jump, to jump without killing themselves at least, and she shook her head. ”You guys go, you figure out how to get on the planes, how to get to relative safety, because we are not leaving anyone beyond” This she shouted loudly, her tone one that could not be refused. Colin, Raymond and Juliette didn’t need to suffer because they had come with them, and trouble always seem to find them. The deserved the chance to live.

”And I’ll go up the stairs, I’ll figure out how to stop this. You’re going to report all this, one day, Ed… you’re going to be an amazing writer… “ and no one would care she was gone, unlike Constance,except for her father. If she had to sacrifice herself, so that the others might live… then that was what she would do. She wouldn’t walk away from this and wonder what if, what if she could have done something? She’d walk away knowing that she had done all that she could ”I’ll be okay. Give me the cube, Ed. I can run faster. Find a way to get Juliette and Raymond to safety, okay? If i can’t find an answer in a few moments, I’ll run back down. Make sure there’s a way I can get off, okay?” She was now ignoring the Endurance, just looking to Edward, and giving him a small smile.

”Get to safety, Eddie”

"Plummet, Luna! Stop trying to be a hero on your own!" Edward stomped on the ground, his voice barely cutting above the rotor blades. "We're in this damned thing together, and I'm not about to leave you in this stupid place by yourself so you can get yourself killed doing some stupid act of bravery!" He glared at Constance, who appeared shocked into silence. Whether from Luna's words, or Constance's offense to Luna's words, the woman wasn't speaking either way.

"We all have two options," Edward continued. "We can either climb up this giant staircase and try to get to the top, or we can leap into open space, casting safety to the wind, and try to grab a rope ladder fluttering out in empty space. I'm going up. And I know Luna is coming as well. Follow if you want, or don't."

"I shan't!" Blustered Constance. She turned to Collin, batting eyes of innocence. "Won't you come with me...ah...Collin? Help me to get to the Endurance?"

Collin glanced at Edward, then at Raymond. "I think I'll stay."

"W-what?" Constance said, before sharply bringing her incredulity under control. "You'll stay on a floating tower with no means of escape, willingly? Am I the only sane person here?" She raised her hands above her head as if calling to some primordial being.

"Go with her," Raymond said suddenly. Collin turned to glance at him sharply. "I will look after Juliette," he said, somewhat defensively. "If this woman leaps and falls to her death, the Holloway matriarch..." he trailed off, but Collin seemed to understand.

"Gods above," he mumbled, but Edward was able to read the words on his lips somehow. He nodded slowly, then inhaled deeply, and took off at a sprint toward the edge. Edward shouted in alarm, but Collin had already launched free of solid ground, soaring toward the rope ladder. His freewheeling arms managed to grab a rung, and for a heartstopping moment he swung by one arm above the abyss.

Then he caught on with his other arm, and began descending the ladder. Why was he going down? Edward tilted his head without realizing it, still stunned by the insane display in front of him. Collin heaved his body weight back and forth, slowly getting the rope ladder to swing like a pendulum. Over and over he swung, until the rope nearly touched the side where they stood. "Jump!" he roared at Constance.

Constance's face turned bone white, but she set her face firm, and turned to Edward. She pointedly ignored Luna. "If we never meet again, just know that I think you're an utter fool." Then she turned and sprinted for the edge, jumping desperately as the ladder swung back her way. Polite to the end, that one. She landed above Collin and immediately began scrambling up to the Endurance, where she slid into the back with a heaving chest. Collin followed soon after.

Edward breathed out in relief, but his calm didn't last long. NINE MINUTES UNTIL IRREVERSIBILITYLY OF GRAVILYFT, PHASE ONE. The voice surprised him again, and reawakened the urgency inside him. Had it really only been one minute of all that? Perhaps. He patted his back, assuring himself that the cube was still there. Thankfully for them, it was.

He turned to Luna, Raymond, and Juliette with a stern gaze. "We have work to do." Or try to do, but he wasn't about to say that to them. He turned to the staircase. Was it just him, or did it seem like the next step up was a little shorter than the one they had climbed before? "Luna, give me a boost!" he shouted, running up to the step.

”Can’t” Luna replied to Edward, ”its how I was raised” she said simply, which was the truth, her father had given up everything to save her, to raise her, and he would always be her hero. He taught her to sacrifice everything for anyone, because you never knew what someone was going through, and if you could make things a little better, then it was worth it. ”you really think I want to get myself killed, Ed? Far from it. But I know I could easily die anywhere, so why not do some good before I do?” she sighed and shook her head, she wanted to simply have everyone be safe,and if there was some way she could snap her fingers and make it happen… she would.

As Constance once more choose the selfish option, and tried to get others to go with her, Luna rolled her eyes, just over the girl, well and truly ”And who is to say that getting onto a plane would mean being safe? Have fun” she said and laughed at Constance’s words, ”I thought you were a fool the moment I met you, sweetie. Don’t think i give a damn what you think about me.” she said, turning her back on Constance, not even caring if the woman made it to the plane, already looking back up the staircase.

Without Constance, Luna figured they had a pretty damn good chance at figuring this out. Edward and herself had done so much already, that doing this…. Was just another story in this crazy adventure. She turned to Edward, frowning slightly, but nodded at his words, getting ready to boost him up, wondering how she had become the one to do such physical tasks. She supposed it was only natural… she had held him on a tilting ship in a storm… and dragged Constance’s ass out of that cave… and leaped up to the step before… had she ever wondered just how physical she was? Or did she never thought about it before?

Judging Edward’s speed, Luna got ready, stepped back slightly, and crouching a bit, holding out her hands in a basket like hold, ready to heave Edward up when he stepped into it. [b]”Okay, ready”[/color]

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It was loud… deafening. The deep rolling voice shouting out to them every few moments, along with the roar of the beating wings that belonged to the planes causing her to cower further into Raymond’s chest, seeking desperately the comfort that he offered to her whenever she seemed to need it the most as she lifted her arms up, pressing them hard over her ears.

It was loud… so very, very loud…

The ringing in her ears; was that normal..? Her body being forced to shift slightly against his as Raymond’s hold over her changed, Juliette pressed herself even closer into him, her heart fluttering with a slight panic as she felt the backs of her legs brushing up against what she knew was the cold and rough surface of stone, “..n-no-...”

“It’s okay, Julie- I’m still here.” Cutting her off before she could speak any more than she already had, Raymond made sure that she was sat comfortably and safely upon the stone step before he lifted his hand, his palm pressing against her cheek so that he could run his thumb comfortingly back and forth over the skin just under her eye… She was scared- he couldn’t blame her for that. Truth be told; he’d be more worried himself if she wasn’t showing any fear for their situation, “..I promise you; I’m not going anywhere. But I need you to be brave okay..? You have to help me… these steps… they’re too big for me to carry you up; I’m sorry…”

Lifting her hand up, Juliette closed her eyes, her palm resting lightly over his as she turned her head, leaning it further into his touch as she listened to what he was saying- he was still here; he wasn’t going anywhere… he had promised.

“..o-okay; I-... I-I will try…” Nodding her head lightly against the palm of his hand, Juliette lifted her head up so that her ever unseeing eyes were looking in the direction that his voice was coming from, her soft pink lips parting ever so slightly from one another, “..I will try…”

Smiling softly as he managed to catch a glimpse of her bright blue eyes, Raymond reached out with his other hand, gently brushing some stray strands of her long blonde locks back and off her face, neatly tucking them behind her ear before he leant in, pressing a soft lingering kiss upon her lips, allowing the moment to last what felt like a lifetime before he (reluctantly) pulled away, his gaze flicking over to the other two to see if they had started the perilous climb up the steps yet or not.

Edward stepped back a few paces before jogging forward toward Luna's waiting hands. "One, two, threeee...hup!" He put a foot on her hand and heaved himself up, his fingers just cresting the top of the step. His legs came forward, feet pushing against the wall, and he heaved up. It was a surprisingly smooth motion for him, and he rolled to his back at the step above.

"Okay," he grunted, and turned back to the others. He dropped down his hand. "Come on, Luna!" He glanced at Raymond and Juliette, who were kissing despite the madness of their situation. Despite himself, he rolled his eyes. "Time enough for that later, Ray! Send Juliette up after Luna. No time to waste!"

He looked up to the next step. No, he wasn't crazy: the stairs seemed to shrink as they ascended. Maybe what they were climbing now had never meant to be climbed. Perhaps whatever had been here before had rotted away due to time or neglect.

Luna grimaced as Edward leaped up, keeping her fingers together so her hands wouldn't fly apart and send him falling on top of her, and tumbling to the ground. She shook her hands out, before taking a small leap herself and grabbing Edwards hand, using her feet to propel herself up, and pulling on Edward, making sure she wasn't going to topple him over, and rolling over the edge of the stair top.

She lay there a moment, gaining her breath, having not realised she had been holding it, before she wriggled to the edge, holding out her hand to help Juliette up as well, smiling brightly, and pushing away her body's weariness. It had been a bit of an exhausting few moments, running from certain death.

"Come on, We have like, what, eight minutes? You'll have plenty of time to kiss later" she said with confidence, grining widely, trying to show she wasn't concerned at all. They'd figure this out. They just had to get a move on. If she let herself think that maybe they wouldn't be okay, that this was death... she didn't know what she would do.

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A grunt slipping out through his lips, Raymond ran the few steps forward towards the large step as the other two cleared it, the muscles in his arms and stomach tightening, and his face scrunching up in pure concentration as he used his upper body strength to lift himself up and over the ledge, his body rolling over the stone to lay behind Juliette as he took a moment to catch his breath…

By the Gods, could things get any worse..? No… No, he shouldn’t think such things in risk that they might prove to be true…

Shoving the thought out of his mind, Raymond turned over, lifting himself back to his feet before he reached forward, giving a nod towards Luna to let her know that he had this as he took a gentle hold over Juliette’s hand, giving it a soft and comforting squeeze as he encouraged her to stand up, his eyes never once leaving her figure, wanting to make sure that she was okay, and away from the crumbling ledge before he moved his hands back to her hips, holding on once more as he carefully lifted her up and onto the next step, starting the process all over again.

“..come on Julie… we can do this…”

The higher they climbed, the easier it got. The next few stairs weren't nearly as steep. They were about waist height, which was still tall, but easily managed in comparison to the titanic cliffs below them. These steps in turn gave way to shorter ones, until Edward was able to simply run up the stairs. Desperation took hold of him, and he accidentally left the others behind without realizing it.

FIVE MINUTES UNTIL IRREVERSIBILITYLY OF GRAVILYFT, PHASE ONE. BAY DOORS CLOSING IN THIRTY SECONDS. IF YOU HAVE NOT YET ENTERED A SAFE ZONE, PLEASE MOVE WITH HASTE. A great shuddering vibration echoed down the stairs. Edward felt it in his feet more than he heard it. He looked up, and to his horror, saw plates of metal sliding out of the walls. The walls did not seem nearly thick enough to conceal such plates, but none of this made any sense to begin with. All that mattered was that their way up was sealing shut, and he was still too far down to do anything about it.

He ran faster, but it was no use. The upper part of the tower was sealed shut long before he reached it. "Damn it!" he roared, punching the metal. It stung, but he didn't care. ERROR: SAFETY LOCK ENGAGED. PLEASE INSERT MANUAL OVERRIDE TO CONTINUE.

Had they failed? Had it all been for nothing?

Luna watched, but she was ready to help if Raymond needed it, suddenly wishing that they'd had more time to talk- she had no idea how much
Raymond understood of Edward's and her own language... Why had Edward sent Collin away? It suddenly seemed important to have some ability to communicate with the other two. She just hoped they could do okay without an interpreter. Keeping an eye on them as they climbed, Luna followed Edward up, climbing the steps as smoothly as she could.

How long had they been doing this? It felt like it had been forever, and Luna was sure that they weren't going to make it... they weren't going to make it, before the top closed on them... it all felt like for nothing, even as the announcement told them they still had five minutes. Maybe they could make it... glancing back to make sure that Raymond and Juliette were still following, that they weren't having any trouble, she increased her speed, trying to get to the goal before it was snatched away.

She knew it was hopeless, but she still tried.

As Edward punched the door, Luna closed her eyes, sighing and breathing in deeply to try and catch her breath. Manual Override? What the hell was th- "EDWARD" she just about shouted his name, not sure if it was to be heard, or if it just burst out her throat with desperate need, "The cube!" It was the only thing they had, the only option that they had, it had to be it... she didn't know what they were going to do if it wasn't, but she didn't let her mind go there, didn't let it even consider the possibility that this wasn't the answer.

Even as she had this idea, she turned around, towards Raymond and Juliette, "Are you guys okay?" The need to make sure everyone was okay was ingrained into her, and she hoped her concern would be enough to convey her message, if they didn't understand her. She wanted to make sure they were all here, before Edward tried anything... just in case it split everything else from them.

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It was a slow climb. Taking it one step at a time, her hand never once leaving his, Juliette stumbled her way up the stairs, the gentle pressure of Raymond’s hand resting against her lower back helping to keep her steady as they continued to ascend. It was long… tedious… but she knew that as long as Raymond was at her side, there was no reason she wouldn’t be able to do it.

“..almost there, Julie…”

The sound of his gentle and encouraging voice hitting her ears, she lifted her head, her soft pink lips parting ever slightly from one another as she allowed her attention to fall completely to him, barely seeming to give it a second thought as she pressed closer, her body resting against his side as they maintained the pace they had set; the loud and rather ominous voice keeping them well aware of the situation they had landed in.

Her head turning on a swivel at the sound of another’s voice calling out to them, she curled her fingers, the very tips of her nails dragging lightly over the stone beside her as they moved; the two of them eventually coming to a stop behind the others, giving her a chance to catch her breath from travelling the unfamiliar terrain, “..Raymond… what-... what did she say..?”

“It’s alright, Julie… she just wants to know if we’re okay…” His hand brushing comfortingly up and down over the small of her back a couple of times, Raymond turned his gaze back to the woman addressing them, a small though weary smile playing over his lips as he nodded his head lightly in answer, “..yeah; we’re fine… but I want to get her out of here as soon as possible…”

The cube! Edward nearly smacked himself in the head. Of course! How could he have forgotten? "Luna, you genius, you beautiful soul!" He cackled as he fumbled for the cube. It came easily to his hands, as if wanting to be used, as if calling to him. It glowed as he held it up to the closed doors, brighter and brighter. Beams of light erupted from the cube and traveled across the surface above him, and the metal above his head vanished with a sizzle.

A hole the size of a human opened above them. "Yes!" Edward crowed, stomping the stone below him with triumph. He leapt up through the hole, rolling sideways onto the floor above. The vast plate which had blocked them in was now the floor, stretching out across the tower like a pale grey ocean. The stairs continued unbroken around the outside edge of the room, ending only a few stories above them at one last door.

He set off at a sprint, trusting the others to keep pace with him as they went. They'd stayed with him so far, so he knew they'd be okay. Up and up he ran, first lightly, then gasping, and then limping, as his lungs and muscles began protesting in unison. "This is not what I wanted to be doing today!" he growled, forcing himself to make one step after another up the stairs.

At the top, his foot gave out, and he fell to his knees briefly. "Come on Ed, don't be a quitter now," he breathed. "Plummet, I'm out of shape."

THREE MINUTES UNTIL IRREVERSIBILITYLY OF GRAVILYFT, PHASE ONE.

That gave him the energy he needed. He shouted as he forced his tired legs under him, tripping forward step by step to reach the door. The cube glowed bright, and the door opened. How convenient, as he forced himself inside.

And stopped.



He wanted to stop, to stare. He should have, and in the past, he would have. But the reporter inside him who valued answers over all else had been silenced, at least temporarily, by the thing he'd never expected, by the strange new feeling: heroism? The desire to save the world?

"WHERE DO I GO TO TURN OFF THE THING?" He shouted. It was like nothing he'd ever seen, and he had no idea where to even begin going.

LANGUAGE NOT RECOGNIZED. HELP ROUTINE ACTIVATED. LIST OF OPTIONS: A. CALL CUSTOMER SUPPORT. B. MANUAL OVERRIIII -- È̔-̧ÈRR̐̋͛ͬ̊͂Ǫͭ̅Rͧ̑͟, CODEKEY^TM MUST BE PLACED IN RECEIVER ON CONSOLE. PLEASE INSERT CODEKEY^TM, THEN FLIP ALL OVERRIIDE SWITCHES TOOO-OO THE O͏̝̝F͏̣̱͖͉͔F̱͕̗̳̦͚͘ͅ ̭P̢O͖S̠̭̩̕Į͍̰̤̯͍T͉̯̬͍̥̭̪͡I̼̳͕͈O̦̤N͍̰̜̳̱͖ͅ TO CONTINUE.

As if by the grace of God itself, a crevice on the wall lit up with flashing red and green lights. Edward glanced at the space for a second before his body lurched into action, running in a wildly unflattering way to the crevice, where he all but slammed the cube in place. It disappeared into the wall, covered once again by smooth, white material.

Switches popped out of the wall, all twisting to an upright position. TWO MINUTES UNTIL IRREVERSIBILITYLY OF GRAVILYFT, PHASE ONE. He screeched in an almost inhuman fashion as he slammed all the switches down. The rumbling stopped. Had it worked? They didn't seem to be moving any longer. "I think it worked!" He shouted to the others. He hoped they could hear him. "It worked!"

Then they began to fall.

”i know. We will get you both out safely” she promised Raymond, giving him a smile, hoping it was reassuring, and glancing to Edward.

”No, I just think well under pressure is all” Luna said, grinning wildly. If you couldn’t grin in bad times, when could you smile, and truly mean it? She watched as he fumbled with the cube, glowing as he held it to the doors, holding her breath, hoping that she guess correctly, waiting for an error, for something that would tell them that they were screwed, but an opening formed, and she let out the breath in a woosh of air.

Luna followed Edward through the hole, stopping only long enough to help Raymond and Juliette through, before she followed after Edward, glad she was relatively fit. You couldn’t nurse if you were breathless every five minutes, after all. She caught up with Edward, grinning at him, "When this is over, maybe you should do some training with me, seems we keep ending up in trouble" She said, her breathing slightly hard. but stopped, looking about them, at the room they were looking at, totally awed. She had never seen anything quite like it... the sheer technology of it all seemed more then foreign, it seemed positively alien. Just how far progressed had their long long long lost ancestors been? Something had to have happened to cause their civilisation to die out, and the current one to be born. But what, with the sheer… awe-inspiring craftsmanship?

She tried to imagine what this place would have been used for. Some sort of controls, but for what? Luna wasn’t sure. It all seemed strange, and she knew she should expect the unexpected, but there was expecting it and being ready for it. It seemed that each new thing they saw, there was something even more amazing behind it, waiting to be seen, to be lived through once more. She would never grow tired of this, never think it was old. Instead, her mind leapt with possibilities. What else would they find, and could it totally revolutionise the way they lived? Was there medical advancements that would change how they treated people? Could they save more people?

She was jolted out of her thoughts but Edward’s shouts, and realised she had been stationary thinking for a few moments. Blushing with embarrassment, she glanced about, trying to figure out what to do, but for once, she was at a total loss for answer. She followed him towards the cervice in the wall, watching what he was doing, and as they began to fall, she cursed, looking about wildly for something that they could use to protect themselves, even as she lunged towards Edward, “Ed!” She tried to see if they could get to Juliette and Raymond.