Valkyrie Smash

Keven's eyes snapped open at the feeling of a swaying floor. For a moment he believed it was an earthquake, but one look at his surroundings told him otherwise. Sharp pain assaulted his head, chasing away the sleepiness. Waiting until it faded a little, he looked around again and tried to guess what was happening.

'This is… it's moving?'

That was the only sensation he experienced. He was in pitch-black darkness, one that didn't allow him to see his hands when they were in front of his face. It reminded him of the cold winter nights when the power was suddenly lost, leaving them blind until someone brought a flashlight.

This time, however, they weren't in the sealed attic of the abandoned building they called home, and when he patted his pockets he didn't sense his phone. Thinking he had dropped it somewhere nearby he started feeling around and almost jumped away when his hand brushed against something. The scare stirred his memories and he remembered how he ended up passing out.

The moment that happened he reached for whatever he had just touched and began shaking it.

"Wake up!" He yelled as quietly as he could.

It took a few more attempts before he heard faint murmurs and a deep yawn.

"What's up… so dark…"

"Keep your voice down!" Keven said, realizing it was Kai from his voice. "Help me wake the others."

After Rollo disappeared with the two Valkyries, the older kids couldn't bring themselves to sleep. The girls cried some more while the boys discussed what they were going to do if their leader didn't return. Of course just mentioning the possibility led to a fight, though before any blows were exchanged a they noticed a strange stench in the air.

Next thing they knew they were inside that unfamiliar dark place.

'Damn it…' Keven balled his fists. 'Can't you be wrong at least once?'

He remembered the warning Rollo had given them the day before. Their computer-obsessed eldest suspected that there would be a rise in child kidnappings and told them to be careful. As orphans with no one to look after them, they had always been targets so it didn't sound like anything out of the ordinary, but according to him, things were going to be different in the future.

Rollo explained that it had to do with the video released by the Resistance lately.

Since it came out that children are the only ones who can gain the powers of Valkyries safely, it was guaranteed that there would be those who would want that power for themselves without having to answer to the Resistance, and what better way to get it than to gather unregistered children who didn't exist as far as the law was concerned?

"Why's it so dark?" The trembling voice belonged to Runa. The girl was barely five and couldn't control her fear. "Rollo?"

Hearing her call his name, Keven felt great pain in his chest. The young ones still didn't know that their leader was gone, and hearing his name in that situation reminded him how much they relied on him.

"It's alright." He said, talking to himself more than the others. "Everything is okay…"

"Keven?" The little one asked when he pulled her into a hug. "Where is Rollo?"

"He went to check the lights." He replied. "Don't worry, go back to sleep."

It was only then that he began to realize that waking everyone up was a big mistake.

'Damn it…' He gritted his teeth. 'I just had to mess up from the start…'

A couple of minutes later silence returned to the dark room, which was a relief that only lasted for a few seconds. Keven realized that everyone falling asleep again might not be such a good idea, but there was nothing he could do about it. Most of them were children below the age of ten.

Staying awake at night wasn't something they were used to, and the lingering effects of the sleeping gas only made things worse.

"We need to figure out where we are," Keven suggested, doing his best to remain calm.

"How the hell are we going to do that?" Saif, on the other hand, was on the verge of losing it. "I can barely see anything!"

"We're inside a truck," Kai said. "The road is smooth so it's already left the old city. We are a little fast so it's on a highway. Also, it's either night or we're outside the settlement."

"Whoa, slow down Sherlock. Where did you get all of that?" Saif asked.

"Whoever got us, they weren't messing around this time." Kai ignored the question. "Sleeping gas isn't something an average gang would use to kidnap a bunch of children. They also took our phones and removed our backups."

"You serious?"

Those still awake began searching their clothes, the fear they felt escalating as they realized the burner phones they were supposed to keep under them so it would be possible to track them under such a situation.

There were a few seconds of silence before Kai spoke again.

"They also know about our shoes…"

Just then, Keven seemed to notice that he was barefoot.

"Huh? Wai- what do you mean shoes?"

Kai didn't answer right away, sighing after a while.

"Rollo hid trackers in the soles of our shoes." He said. "Ever wonder why he taught us to never take them off while outside?"

"I thought he was afraid we would lose them…"

Keven never even suspected there was such a reason, but he found it easy to believe that their tech-savvy leader would be so thorough. There was always the chance of their backup phones being taken, but no one would suspect a tracker small enough to fit in the soles of their shoes.

"W-what are we going to do now?" Setsuna asked.

"Nothing," Kai replied. "Like I said, whoever caught us, they aren't messing around."

Even in the darkness of their moving prison, Keven could still feel the mood dropping. Their situation was hopeless, to say the least. Just when they got the news that their future might not be as bleak anymore, their leader was taken away and now the same was happening today.

'If Rollo was here…' Frustration burned in Keven's heart. Even though he was the oldest, he felt completely inadequate to lead the others. As he wished their older brother was there with them, he suddenly came to the realization.

"Rollo isn't here…" Although he couldn't see their faces, Keven felt their confusion and quickly explained. "Rollo isn't here with us. He isn't trapped in a dark place with no exits!"

Kai was the first to understand.

"But… They removed all out trackers…"

"Rollo will find a way!" Keven said. "If anyone can do it ten it's Rollo!"

"What are you talking about?" Saif was unconvinced. "The Valkyries took him, remember? There is no way he would be-"

"Exactly!" Keven interjected. "Since he was taken by the Valkyries, that means he's dealing with some really important people. Once he notices that we're missing, he can relay the information to the big shots directly!"

"Yeah!" Effy jumped in, sounding quite furious. "Rollo didn't do anything wrong! The Valkyries will definitively realize that!"

Their words were merely wishful thinking. Still, even the most skeptical among them soon became convinced that Rollo would come to their rescue. He was always there whenever they got in trouble, and this time wasn't going to be any different. Even if Valkyries stood in his way, Rollo would find a way.

It was something they all chose to believe in, and that gave them a hope not even the darkness of their prison could extinguish.