Cross' Second Pupil

Chapter 54: Coming Back

Inside the Ark

"A mission...?!" Allen says.

"I'm sure you already know why I came here." Cross says.

"To destroy the Akuma 'Plant'...!" Alice says.

"Is the Plant inside the Ark?!" Leenalee asks.

"The room is still in here. Take us to the Plant, Tim." Cross says and Timcanpy flaps his wings.

"Tim...?! Huh...?" Allen says and a bright list behind cross transports them to the Akuma Plant room. Once the light dies down, Allen, Alice, and Leenalee look around and see bodies lying around the room. "Th-this place... aren't these... bodies...?!"

"This room... These are the 'guards' of the Plant." Cross says.

"The Plant?! It's in here?" Allen asks as Alice turns around.

"Allen, behind you!" Alice tells him and Allen turns around and sees a huge orb that shapes like an egg.

"That huge orb is an 'egg' for the bodies used in the Earl's Akuma creating rituals. I'd like to destroy it, but it's surrounded by a barrier and we don't have time to remove it."

"It's breathing? No way...!" Allen thought.

"Look up." Cross says and they look up as they see the egg is about to disappear. "This is the last room in the Ark to be downloaded. Once the egg is completely transferred, the Ark will be gone and us along with it."

Suddenly, the floor starts to break up.

"A–H!" Leenalee shouts.

"Wh-what do we do, Master?!" Allen asks.

"We've got to stop it of course." Cross replies.

"Huh?"

"All we need to do is to steal the 'egg'. If we start up the Ark and stop the download the 'egg' will never make it into the new Ark."

"How do we stop the Ark?! We know nothing about it!"

"General... do you know something? About how to control the Ark...?" Leenalee asks.

"I'm not going to do it. You are, Allen." Cross says and puts his middle and index finger out. "On. Abata. Ura. Masatarakato. Baru!" Symbols appear around the egg preventing to disappear. "I'm using my abilities to interfere with the download. It's not much, but it will delay the transfer a little... Now make this ark move, Allen! Hurry up, it's about to break down!"

What?! Wait a minute, I have no idea what you're talking about, Master!" Allen exclaims.

"I'll open up the final room. Just go with Tim." Cross says as Tim flies towards Allen as a portal is around his tail. 'You'll get it soon enough."

"Why do I...?!" Allen exclaims before he and Timcanpy goes through the portal.

"Allen-kun/Allen!" Leenalee and Alice shouts.

"It's because you're the only one who can do it... idiot apprentice."

Just then the floor breaks even more.

"Only me...?" Allen thought and he wakes up on a couch and he sees he is in a white room as he sits up.

"This is... Master? Alice? Leenalee?" Allen calls and he gets off the couch. "Am I still inside the Ark...?"

"Even Millennium Count does not know of this place. It is the secret room of the 'fourteenth'." On the window, instead of Allen's reflection a man speaks. Allen looks at the mirror and sees him.