"Rachel. Captain Rachel. Can you hear us?"
A faint voice. Blurred images hovering above me. I struggle to open my eyes wider.
A more excited voice, "Dude! She's opening her eyes! She's alright!"
A sneering voice, "Of course. She only got nicked by that bullet. She's supposed to be a wolf-hawk-human mutant, what do you expect?"
I raise my head, groaning as I looked around. "Is-- Is everyone alright?" inwardly berate myself for my weakness . The metallic human bent down with a whirr of mechanics in her knees.
She answers, "No one else was injured, thanks to your efforts. As you can see, the Mafia fled upon your arrival. We are safe for now."
Suddenly, I remember something. "That pup-- I mean, that girl! The one always puffing on those death sticks! With the smell of smoke surrounding her! Where is she?!"
Another human, the one I recall being named Nicole, also bends down to speak to me. "You mean Maria? We don't know, she ran off with Anna somewhere, and they're not back yet. We were looking for them before we ran into those Mafia guys and you saved our butts."
I click my fangs together a few times in thought. That girl... Maria. She was the pup. I am sure of it. The pup I killed all years ago. But... how is she still alive? Throwing aside this puzzling thought for the moment, another conundrum crossed my mind.
The deformed pup Maria had changed a lot. Even deformed, she still had the eyes and wings of our race, but now, she seems entirely humanoid. A voice in my head responds, 'Of course she's changed. It's been over 15 years! She's grown up.' Mulling this thought over, I consider, 'That may just be true. Her eyes are an amber-hazel colour now, compared to the gold colour of our species. Perhaps spending so much time with the humans has dulled their colour?'
And the wings? It makes sense that they did not develop. All our young undergo rigorous training to develop broad, strong wings capable of flight. Pups who do not train have their wing stubs shrink back into the shoulder blades and they never grow. It all makes sense now.
Clearing my thoughts, I get back on my paws, sniffing my bandaged, partially-healed forelimb. The one with the powers, Rosita says, "Sorry it's only partially healed. Sensei hasn't taught me the complete healing arts yet, and I didn't want to cause more damage by taking risks."
I bow my head to her, "Thank you, with this level of healing, the pain is gone and I can use my limb again."
Emily pipes up, "But hey, Rosita, how did you conjure that awesome protective barrier? It was like someone out of an anime! But I thought you didn't have that level of magic yet!"
Rosita responds, "I don't know either. I never learned the barrier spell to that level, and even if I did know how to do it, I haven't developed that level of power yet. How I managed to do it is a mystery, I guess."
Here, Diya reopens her holographic screen, which she seems to be using quite a lot lately. Gotta love technology. "Rosita, I may be able to explain that. Kyna, you should hear this too."
"Quack." Kyna stands on the other side of Diya, staring at the multitude of rows and colomns of numbers scrolling down the screen.
"From these statistics and what you have told me about the energy field fluctuating, I have reached a conclusion," Diya tells the two. Diya turns to Kyna and says, "Kyna, whether you are aware or not, you have been lending a lot of your power to Rosita. Unable to control the combined amount of power, Rosita has been subconciously channeling it into her staff. Overloaded, it cannot transform back into its dormant bracelet form. But even so, the shift in raw power can be read in your auras, which is why we have all been feeling a little uneasy lately."
Nicole, who had been peering over Diya's shoulder at the screen, exclaims, "Whoa, dude! How the heck did you figure that our from those numbers?! That looks worse than our physics labs!"
Diya just shrugs and closes the screen, "That's just how it is."
Rosita turns to Kyna, "You've been giving me your power? Why?"
Kyna waddles from side to side a bit before responding, "I don't know. I didn't even really know I was doing it. I guess... I feel kind of like dead wood, and you can do so much more with your magic than I can."
Rosita looks shocked, "But you can summon ducks! And use their powers too!"
Kyna metaphorically shuffles her feathers, "Yeah, but what good is that in our situation?"
Rosita shakes her head, "No, Kyna, don't think like that. I'm sure your powers will come in handy one day."
Catherine crosses her arms and nods, "Yes, Kyna, consciously make an effort not to lend power to Rosita anymore. You're mucking up the atmosphere."
Wenhao quickly rephrases, "What Catherine means to say is, although your heart's in the right place, it isn't having the desired effect. Let's just go back to the way things used to be."
Catherine immediately snaps back, "Hey! Who told you to step in and misquote me, huh? You miserable, little--"
"Catherine! That's enough! Stop, or I'll sic John on you!" Diya glares.
"And what's that supposed to mean? My Johnny-wonny wouldn't hurt a fly!" Jessica puts her hands on her hips with a frown.
"Oh Jessie-bear, it's ok. Diya just means to say that I'm manly enough to handle Catherine, right Diya? And--" Twin laser beams shooting past John's head is enough to make him shut up.
"Humans! Please! Enough of your foolish quarreling. I thank you for saving me--" I start.
"Oh no no no no, you saved us first," Wenhao interjects, giving a little bow with much twirling of hands.
"--But I must locate Maria," I finish.
"Yeah, we ought to get a move on, guys. Before Anna and Maria get farther away," Nicole adds, settling the conversation.
Reunited with the group of humans, I join them in their search for their missing companions.
---
"Please, consigliere*, forgive the boss's failure," Geno prostrates himself before a masked figure seated confortably in a recliner.
The masked figure snarls, "The boss? You know nothing of the Italian Mafia, you lowly associate. The one you may refer to as the boss is an authority higher than myself! This hulking brute here, he is nothing but a capo." He gets up and kicks the bound man in the side, who keels over, whimpering something through his gag.
The consigliere frowns and kicks him again. "Do not whimper like a whipped cur. It brings shame upon the family." With a rough yank, he rips the gag away. "Now, speak."
"Pl-please sir! It was not our fault! There was a mutant, some sort of cross between a wolf and a hawk and a human! My men saw it too! Come on, tell him!" He looks pleadingly to his men. However, they shrink back from his haggard gaze, afraid to bring the wrath of the consigliere down upon them.
The consigliere barks our a harsh laugh, "It appears that your men saw nothing! You lie, capo."
"No! I swear it! It is all true!" the man cries, desperatly grasping the consigliere's pant leg, earning himself another kick in the face.
The consigliere frowns and sighs. "Today has not been a good day. Not a single deal followed through, so now I need to clean up the job, and now you come along and further tarnish this family's failing reputation. Men!"
"Yessir!"
"Finish this. I'm going for a walk."
"Yessir!"
A round of gunshots is heard as the consigliere walks calmly out of the warehouse with his bodyguards.
"Terrible, terrible," the consigliere mutters to himself, reaching for a cigar.
"Don't dwell on that idiot, Vincenzo," his bodyguard claps a hand on his shoulder.
"No, I'm talking about the failed transactions, you dummy," Vincenzo scoffs, pulling out a lighter. He rolls the cigar around in his fingers and continues walking, deep in thought. Not paying attention to where he was heading, he rounds the corner and immediately almost trips over an outstretched leg.
"Watch where you stick your legs, amico," he snarls, clearly in a bad mood.
The outstretched leg belonged to a emo-looking person, a curtain of black hair hanging over her face.
(Oh wait! Anna, got a haircut (a long time ago >.<) so I can't say that anymore. Scratch that then. )
She makes no motion of even acknowledging his presense. Vincenzo sees this, and is further enraged. "Hey! Look at me when I speak to you, urchin!" He reaches down and grabs her chin, forcing her to look at him.
Recognizing her, he freezes, hand dropping in disbelief. His bodyguard, who had been standing back during the exchange between the two, hesitantly reaches out a hand to tap his statue-still boss. He stops as Vincenzo drops to his knees, cupping both his hands around the girl's face.
"Anna... Anna, can it really be you?" he whispers.
Hearing her name from the lips of this man, she peers closer into his face, trying to match it with a name. "You are... Jimmy?"
Vincenzo almost cried and laughed at the same time, "Yes! It is I, Jimmy Wei! Oh Anna, you remember me!"
Confused, the bodyguard succeeds in tapping his boss's shoulder this time and queries, "Erm, Vincenzo? Who's this? And why does she call you 'Jimmy'?"
"I went by Jimmy** during my time in Canada before I came to Italy. This girl and I met during junior high, and we haven't met since then. Our transactions were completed through middle people, so there hasn't been any contact between the two of us for many years."
"But... what is she to you?"
"She is... that... and much more. Or... at least... she used to be."
Snapping out of his reverie, Vincenzo taps his chin in thought, "But for her to have personally come to Italy, there must be a problem." He uses his thumb to push back her eyelids, revealing the whites of her eyes. He checks her pulse while noting her complexion. Completing his brief examination, he reaches into his trench coat pocket while saying, "Definitely symptoms of withdrawal." Taking out a package of white powder, he administers the drug.
Almost immediately, the light returns to Anna's eyes, and she takes a very deep breath, inhaling deeply through her nose. "Ohhhh... much better. =)"
She looks up, seeing Jimmy for the first time. "Jimmy! What are you doing here, druggie?"
The bodyguard is shocked. "Dare you address my master in such a vulgar way?!"
"No, from her, it's acceptable," Jimmy stops him, offering a hand to help Anna up.
Completely ignoring the hand, Anna leaps up on her own, nearly bashing her head into Jimmy's nose. The bodyguard scratches his head, "So, umm... sir, what exactly is this girl's relationship with you to call you so familiarly?"
Jimmy looks into the setting sun, and replies, "She was my-- "
---
* A consigliere is a higher-up in the Italian Mafia who plays the role of chief advisor to the head boss himself. Very powerful dude. Don't cross him.
**Jimmy is a short form of the English name James, which is derived from the Italian name Vin-CENZ-o.
Anna needs a fellow druggie in the story. As it turns out, he's gone beyond the call of my imagination this time and is now an Italian Mafioso drug lord. As different as he seems from the real Jimmy, the druggie aspect is not the only aspect of his personality that will be carried over into Reimeiki. You'll see =P
Additional Note: This was the first Reimeiki post that I wrote on Word and transferred over. I have no length perception when writing on Word. And formatting gets screwed up. >.< (Fixed now, should be ok. I hope.)
I had been assigned a difficult task. Elder Wenrin instructed me to follow the strange human group, but I must not be detected. In this strange land, it is difficult to remain unnoticed.Elder Wenrin gave me a device that causes me to look like a dog. For the most part, I don't think anyone noticed.
In response, a chorus of guns click and are aimed at his chest. A slight squeal escapes his lips before he faints dead away, falling to a the floor next to where Jessica stands, petrified and oblivious.
The silence is crushing, with only the barely audible whir of Diya's cyborg arm transforming into an ominous-weapon behind her back, as the crowd parts to dramatically emit a tall, plump figure. He steps forward, his blindingly white spats carving a path through the dim light, and opens his mouth-
"DUDE, no way!!!"
Nicole rushes forward, snatching the fedora off of one hit-man's head, examining it, then plunking it onto her own.
"This is the most sickly hardcore hat I have ever seen!" She turns to address the utterly bewildered mafioso, who still has his gun pointed at John's crumpled figure, greasy hair now askew. "Nice taste."
By now, Jessica has realized that her beloved is in a heap on the floor and has dropped to the ground next to him, desperately trying to revive him in a series of disturbingly affectionate ways. Emily is taking infinitesimal steps backwards, trying to edge herself out the door, when she bumps into one of the hulking figures that had moved to secure the doors shut. Eyes wide, a cartoon sweat-drop sliding down the side of her horrified expression, she slowly turns around. The man moves to grab his pistol and aims with lightning precision as Emily meekly shrinks back into the group.
"Scusi," mockingly states the grandiose figure who had stepped into the center of the restaurant before the whole affair had started, "Se avessi potuto intervenire..."
The last was spoken through a thick accent, leaving the group of captives looking at one another quizzically.
"...anyone know what the heck that means?" Kyna quack-whispered, looking at Rosita, who shrugged.
"It means 'Can I speak?' ...I think he wants us to be quiet!" Jessica said, without looking up from her unconscious lover.
Diya, who had imperceptibly moved to search the word on her wrist processor, looks up from the small holographic screen triumphantly. "That's exactly what I got!" Then she frowned. "This probably isn't even the regional dialect of Pisa...it sounds like some lazy person using Google translate."
Somewhere across the world, in a dark closet, someone pushes masses of hanging clothing out of the way to bang her head against the wall.
A menacing "Ahem" brings everyone back to attention.
"Che cosa, mi chiedo..."
Diya types frantically on her keypad. "He says, 'What, I wonder...'"
"Sono tutti voi malandrini fare all'interno del mio ristorante?"
Clicking as hands fly across the keyboard again. "'Are all...crooks you...do in my restaurant'?! What the -"
Jessica sullenly mutters "He probably means to ask what we're all doing in his restaurant." She then bursts into tears, seizing John's lifeless body by the shoulders and shaking it ferociously while sobbing, "CUDDLE BOO, WAKE UP!!!"
Another belligerent sound comes from the impatient-looking mob boss, and Jessica resorts to whimpering, but her desperate attempt to wake John are of an unchanged ferocity. After a few moments of blank stares from both parties, the enormous man sighs, steps aside, and says "Geno?"
A smaller, very nervous man steps forward and mutters in an exasperated tone, "My boss here wants to know what exactly you miscreants think you are doing in his restaurant."
Catherine's expression is unusually antagonistic as she spits at the man, "MISCREANTS? Excuuuuse me, I wouldn't consider myself even close to being as pathetic as you. WE came in here for some food -"
"Catherine," growls Diya warningly, flexing her cyborg arm. This little man - Geno - is already cowering under her death stare.
"How would you expect us to know that this place would be some saloon for idiots dressed like bad actors from the '20s?! We-"
"Catherine..." Rosita clutches her staff behind her back, carefully monitoring the tens of pistols that weren't aimed at John anymore.
"-were just intending to LEAVE, thank you very much. We wouldn't want to spend any more time," she says as she strides past a crouching Emily towards the door guard, "in this rat hole."
A muffled yelp comes from Nicole as the fedora-less hit man finally comes to his senses and grabs her, aiming his pistol at her head. "Non e una mossa piu, o questo ottiene!"
Diya and Rosita simultaneously whip out their weapons, stepping in front of a hysterical Jessica Yoon as Kyna spreads her wings and draws Catherine away from the door guard. Emily, staring intently at the man holding Nicole, is swiftly becoming a comically bright shade of crimson, eyes flashing dangerously. Pistols are aimed everywhere, creating another painfully tense and silent tableau as they await the word from their boss. Again, he opens his mouth, to be interrupted by the back doors bursting open.
A figure leaps into the fray just as the first shot is fired.
End of Arc 2: Lehtrocy
Start of Arc 3: Italy
---
"... Are you telling me... we're in Italy?!?" Emily says, looking around with wide eyes. Really, really wide eyes.
"Yeeeah, no doubt about it," Maria replies, taking a deep drag from her cigarette before jabbing at the Leaning Tower of Pisa with it.
"I'm also positive this is Italy," Kyna points at a family of ducks swimming in a nearby pond. "That breed of duck is native to Italy during this season."
"Ahhh, Italy, ze city of luuuurve," John coos in Jessica's ear.
Jessica giggles, "No, silly, that's Paris. And Italy's not a city, it's a country."
John waves off her comment with a dramatic hand gesture, "No matter! Paris, Italy, Santa's house, as long as there are beds-- Oof!"
John is bowled over by an over-excited Anna. Eyes, shining brightly, she turns around and yips, "Italy! Italy! You know what that means!!"
Nicole scratches her head, "Erm... pizza?"
Maria coughs, "Fancy cigars?"
Catherine mocks, "The Italian Mafia?"
"YES! THE ITALIAN MAFIA!!" Anna trumpets.
Catherine looks entirely nonplussed. "... What?"
"The Italian Mafia is one of the most best organizations in the world at organizing drug trafficking rings! I'm sure we can get some fancy cigars for you too Maria! LET'S GOOOOO!" Anna snatches Maria's hand and zooms off down the street in a cloud of Roadrunner-like smoke.
"Hey! Hey wait! We need to stay together! We don't know where we are!!" hyperventilated Emily, steam shooting out of her cherry red ears.
"Not a problem. We will soon our position triangulated using an advanced GPS system... hold on," Diya rapidly types away on her hidden mini keyboard in her arm, with a holographic screen flickering in front of her face.
"Ok, got it. We are at coordinates Lat. 43.7230, Long. 10.3964, noted. "
"... So... Italy?"
"Confirmed. We are in the city of Pisa, Italy."
"So we have to find Aaron, and that Daakshi captain Rachel, right?" Wenhao inquires.
"Why don't we just leave them and go check out that Italian restaurant over there?" Catherine puts in.
"Wh-what? Just me? And you? Together? At a restaurant?" Wenhao stuttered.
SMACK. "NO, you idiot! Jeez, I meant all of us! I don't know about you guys, but I'm starving."
"Erm, guys, before anything, shouldn't we track down Anna and Maria?" Nicole says.
"Oh right. Them. Tell me, why is it that our adventures always start out with us chasing Anna?" Diya sighs.
"Argh! Someone should put that psychotic creature in a straitjacket!" Catherine strangles the air.
Diya snickers, "Ah, good thing we learned from past experiences. I had a tracking chip installed subcutaneously in Anna's wrist at first chance after her last escape." Diya flips on the holographic display again. "Right, her position is... Hey! Her dot just disappeared from the screen!"
"Ugh! You idiot! Can't you do anything right?!" Catherine whaps Diya on the back of her head.
"Well, before the dot disappeared, it showed that Anna was somewhere really, really close to us, in one of those buildings probably," Diya points down the street.
---
In the meantime, Anna had dragged Maria into a shady looking building, the front lights completely dimmed.
Maria wheezes, not used to this much exercise in one day, "Hey! This isn't the cigar store, why the heck are we here?"
Anna turns, grinning widely, almost insanely. "There's something you should know... Something no one else in that group knows..."
"If it's about all those people you murd--"
"No! It's not about that. Others already know about that. No, this is something far, far worse. A secret I've managed to keep for years, ever since the beginning of everything."
Maria is silent. Half-anticipatory, half-fearful of what Anna was about to reveal.
"I... am a drug addict."
Blink once. Twice. "Wait, that's the big secret? But everybody already knows that Anna."
"No... that's only the first half of the story... I use drugs... To suppress my true nature," Anna rasps, the light from her eyes fading. "It's been... too long... I thought I could hang on until I could contact the Mafia... but it seems I used too much energy to keep up my facade back there... the light... is fading..."
"No! Anna! Don't die!! I don't have any money to buy cigarettes! You still need to lend me $10!" Maria grabs Anna by the shoulders and shakes her.
No response. Then...
Anna slowly looks up, eyes blank and dead-looking. In slow, measured tones, she says, "Who said anything about dying? Though I wish I could. Life is depressing. I could be at home, listening to Gillespie... but no. I'm in Italy. In a dark alley. Surrounded by... darkness."
Maria stumbles backwards, flinging an arm in front of her to try and ward off the dark aura emanating from Anna's soul.
"A-Anna?"
"Just leave me alone. The shadows will keep me company. Until then..." Anna whips out a hidden razor blade.
"No, Anna, don't!"
Anna slashes at her wrist, going a little deeper each time. She hits something hard below the surface. "What the--" She rips out the small square piece of metal from her arm. "Must have been those mental asylum guys. Hm." She looks at the blade, sighs, and throws it away.
"Just go, Maria. Leave me here to rot away. Into nothingness."
Firming her resolve, Maria stands up. "Anna. Don't worry, I'll help you. Just tell me the name of the Mafia member you need to talk to. I'll find this person."
Anna barely raises her gaze and a demented smile appears on her face.
---
The gang was heading down the street. "So guys, should we try that building there?" Nicole points.
"Yes! Yes, we should, that's the restaurant I was referring to earlier," Catherine grabs Nicole's arm. "See? I always get my way."
Diya rolls her eyes, "Whatever you say, Catherine. Come on, let's check it out.
They enter the restaurant. As a unit, the entire clientele turn around to face them, some hands reaching into inner jacket pockets. Everyone in the restaurant was wearing dark sunglasses. Fedoras. Tuxedoes. Polished shoes.
John's eyes widen, for once, completely distracted from Jessica.
He breathes, "The Italian... Mafia."
Rosita was hurled into darkness. Darkness, darkness...She thought she was slipping into the brink of insanity.
"AHHHHH!" Rosita sprang up from her sleep.
"What is it now? You've been restless for the last two days," Kyna complained.
"I tell you, there's something in the air!" Rosita screamed. She took one of Kyna's feathers, which had flitted to the ground. She twirled it around thoughtfully.
"Something about this Elder Wenrin...doesn't seem right. In fact, judging from the mask and all, he's probably hiding something. And what makes those Daakshi listen to him without judgement?" Rosita asked.
"Well, asking me those questions won't help. I'm no Queen of Light or Sensei. I'm going back to sleep," Kyna buried her head in her pillow. "It is three in the morning after all."
X
Diya sighed. What could possibly be happening now? The gang wasn't moving forward. They were stuck inside a dirty, stupid prison.
Anna bounced around the room, now trying to climb onto a bed post. Emiri ran after her, trying to get her to calm down.
Yesterday, Channie had been taken away from this room. He looked back at us, with a solemn expression. Were those mutants going to take everyone else away?
"Haha. I know. You should've seen the mood that Captain Rachel was in yesterday. It was quite horrible. Oh yes. I meant to ask you what happened when Elder Wenrin contacted us yesterday. I was on patrol when the meeting started."
Diya put her ear by the door.
"He said something...uh...I think was he kidnapped that scientist...what was his name again? Chandelier? Channie? ChoChang? Yes, as soon as he tried to get into Cho-whatever's mind to see how the star key worked, his laboratory exploded."
Diya narrowed her eyes. Channie had been kidnapped, and that meant...Elder Wenrin wasn't as innocent as he seemed. He didn't want to help the gang.
"Is that why he put up a notice for everyone to pack up and change base?"
"Indeed. I have already finished organizing my quarter. Go, and deal with yours. I will stand guard here."
A thudding of clinky talons signified one of the guards left.
X
BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP!
"What could that ever be, Johnny-kins?" Jessica clung into John. The ceiling was falling apart.
"ATTENTION. ANNOUNCEMENT TO THE EXTREMELY DANGEROUS HUMAN CAPTIVES. WE ARE CHANGING BASES, AND LEHTROCY WILL BE..BLOWN UP."
Jessica and John started performing a grand last mating ritual, before they died.
"Guys, stop, stop!" Mitchell, aka Captain Kirby stomped the floor. His foot got stuck in the cement ground. "Damn it!"
Mitchell started screaming like a girl, and Jessica and John continued their ritual.
BOOM!
A jet of purple light flashed from outside, and part of the wall collapsed.
"What the hell are you guys still doing here? Evacuate!" Diya screamed.
"POPSICLES!" Anna cackled.
Jessica carried John bridal-style out of the large crater in the wall (and John, who by the way was screaming at the top of his lungs)
"Look! The mutants are leaving over there!" Kyna quacked. She clamped into one of the mutant's wings. The gang huddled together, and they felt themselves being lifted off and thrown headfirst into space.
X
BOOM.
"Elder Wenrin."
The Daakshi bowed.
"Thank you. I have time travelled back into this time, while you have time travelled into your future. This is the place called 'Mr.Ho's room.'" Elder Wenrin stood majestically.
"I had no idea he'd be that tiny," Emily sweatdropped, jesturing to the three-foot dwarf, called Elder Wenrin.
"Now, as for this..." Elder Wenrin whirled a spinny chair around. Channie was strapped onto it. "Wait...I told you hybrids to leave those humans in Lehtrocy! What are they doing here?!"
"Elder Wenrin, they managed to escape, while hanging to us when we were leaving. Are you alright, Elder? You seem...to have a voice change...It seems to be sharper than...normal." Captain Rachel kneeled before Elder Wenrin.
"OMG, IT'S JUSTIN BIEBER! AND HIS HIGH VOICE!" Anna howled. "EW!"
"No, I know nothing of this 'Justin Bieber.' I am not him. I am Elder Wenrin," Elder Wenrin adjusted a switch on his mask, and his voice changed. "Captain Rachel, it was a slight glitch."
The mutants bowed.
"Well, since the humans are here...let us kill them," Elder Wenrin sneered. "We will start with the pyschotic one."
"Not so fast," a booming female voice came from above.
"What is this? You challenge me for authority here?" Elder Wenrin sneered.
"The Queen of Light pwns all. I will not have innocent humans killed." the Queen roared. A force field seperated the mutants and Elder Wenrin from the gang.
"Channie! What happened?" Maria wheezed.
"It's complicated--" Channie whispered, before the winds of the force field blocked out everyone's hearing.
"Channie, we missed you!" Wenhao mouthed.
Elder Wenrin growled. "He will not escape me! My questions have not been answered!" Elder Wenrin, with some invisible force, sucked Channie back into his part of the force field.
The force fields exploded in opposite directions, back into darkness.
X
Catherine glared at her surroundings.
"Where are we, Jessica-bun buns?" John asked.
The gang lay on the ground.
"Dude...that force field thing...was awesome," Nicole smeared some sand off of her mouth with her sleeve.
Some Italian music started to play.
Rosita coughed. "We lost those mutants, Elder Wenrin...and Channie."
"I can't see them anywhere," Diya surveyed the area with her super cyborg vision.
"Don't tell me..." Maria coughed. "Is that the Leaning Tower of Pisa...when it's standing...uh...less tilted?"
Rosita stares pensively through the window, rolling her staff from one hand to the other and trying to make sense of the strange vibrations that it had begun emitting. Suddenly, she hurls it aside onto one of the beds lining the dull grey room. There is a flash of purple light, and an irritated mass of yellow feathers topples onto the floor with an unceremonious "thump".
Without turning around, Rosita sighs and addresses the angry quacks coming from her disgruntled companion.
"Sorry Kyna."
"Sorry?! What made you decide you needed to club me and nearly burn me tail feathers off?!"
It would be best, she decides, to tell Kyna what was going on. Even if she can't sense the presence of power just yet, a fellow practitioner of magic would be the most likely to understand. Nonetheless, Rosita attempts to compose her anxiety before she says anything, trying her best not to sound insane. "...has the air been...telling you anything?"
...Yeah, because that makes her sound perfectly sane.
Kyna simply raises her eyebrow. "Have you been inhaling anything of Anna's lately?"
Tenaciously, Rosita extends her hand towards the crumpled bed in search of her staff, attempting to revert it back into its dormant bracelet form. Instead, the object comes hurtling towards her, striking the bars on the window where her head had been only milliseconds before. Watching as the bars began to dissolve in the trickle of sparks being emitted from the end of her weapon, Rosita crawls across the floor to join Kyna.
The summoner's beak is slightly ajar, eyes wide, with her one eyebrow still comically raised. "You were saying...?!"
"That wasn't me." Rosita moves gingerly and picks up her wand, which had become slightly reduced in size but was still buzzing with a strange, uncontainable energy.
"There's a force in this land. I haven't been able to identify it, but it's the most tempestuous I've ever felt." Shavings of metal, as fine as dust, begin to settle in a heap on the window frame like the grains draining out of a sand timer. "And the most powerful."
Hearing the clang of something striking a barred window, Rachel pauses in before turning the corner and glances back at her appointed guards in exasperation In response, one of them raps his glistening talons sharply across the door containing the duck-human and the robed, potentially dangerous one. There is a stirring of energy, static-y and restless, that causes her feathers to ruffle and stand apprehensively above her skin - regardlessly she away, resuming her journey to her quarters. Again, she paused when a hysterical snickering - no doubt coming from the one called "Anna" in the first room - wafts boisterously down the hallway. Ensuring that she is alone, Rachel exhales a frustrated but inaudible sigh - not because of the distracting ruckus these humans were causing, but because their very presence seemed to be stirring something - an interest - that her kind abhor.
Again, she starts down the dimly lit hallway, breathing aloud in irritation, when she notices a foreign smell coming from further down the hallway. Her keen eyes scan the hall with a precision that leaves no crack in the walls unnoticed, focussing quickly upon a thin trail of smoke slowly spiraling towards the ceiling, suspended by...nothing.
Swiftly, Rachel analyzes the situation and bounds forward, prepared to extinguish the source of the smoke...whatever it may be. But what the heck could it be coming fro - ?!
A human hand had materialized, as if from the smoke itself.
Barely able to contain her surprise, Rachel takes an instantaneous, startled step backwards, all the while being eternally thankful that none of her kind were close enough to witness that...betrayal of weakness. Her apprehension quickly translates into fury, and she creeps as close to the foreign smell as her senses will permit her before spitting belligerently:
"Who are you? Reveal yourself, illusionist, for you are trespassing and are must be punished for it! Is it you, robed one?"
The voice that answers is quiet and raspy, but insultingly familiar.
"My bad." In a fluid motion the wall seems to retract a layer of skin from around the frail form, which is slumped pathetically on the ground but nonetheless bore an utterly amused expression. "Didn't mean to scare you."
Rachel's teeth grind into a vicious snarl at the mention of fear, and she barks through Maria's cacophony of hacking coughs,
"How DARE you insult me? Why aren't you detained?! How did you make it past the security?"
"They just didn't notice me," Maria wheezes, starring down at the tears in her dark jeans and straightening the collar to her black sweater. By far, in the ragtag group of unruly humans that had arrived on the compound, she looked closest to what one would deem "normal"...perhaps too much so. She notices Rachel starring at her attire and murmurs quizzically, "So noticed too, right? How everyone changes clothes when Anna pushed that button, but they all really work with who that person is? Well, you wouldn't really know, but..." She squints up into the dim light to stare momentarily at Rachel's throat. "You're different from all of them."
Rage, confusion, and interest are suddenly colliding in Rachel's mind in a chaos so engrossing she could hardly maintain her composure. Still, rage wins again.
"What do you mean?!" She growls, her subconsciousness practically screaming at her for even conversing with this scornful little human. Still...
"They're all very..." she snorts, looking disgusted with herself. "Departmental."
"What?!"
"Yeah, YOU never had an english teacher that forced you to analyze poems about ants..." Maria takes pensively drags on her cigarette before muttering, "When we went through to this dimension, they all suddenly had some gold thing around their talons, or their throats. Something with a symbol thing on it. And you," she stops to cough "don't have one."
Swallowing the sickened that had leapt into her throat, Rachel lunges forward to snatch Maria off the ground by the collar of her sweater. Her panic at the possible truth of these words - although surely hidden behind her contentious expression - ricochets through her chest, impossible to ignore. Was this a glitch in the star's teleportation? ...Or was it an irrefutable display of disloyalty to Lehtrocy, the thing she had worried about for all this time?
With the ill human dangling from her beak like a dead mouse, Rachel bolts back towards the detainment rooms. The other guards step back respectfully as she unlocks the door to the first room and hurls it open. From within, a loud shriek erupts from a red-eyed, cartoon-like figure. Anna, a bedsheet draped around her shoulders like a cape, is somehow dangling from the ceiling. In a corner, the dark haired figure is snoozing peacefully.
"AAAANNNNAAA!" Bellows the anime figure, smoke pouring from her ears as she continues to berate the oblivious creature.
Rachel heaves Maria onto the floor, where she is promptly squashed by a falling Anna.
"Eee hee hee hee, pancakes!" Anna cackles as she scuttles away from her victim.
Rachel looks upon the scene in cold bemusement, waiting for Maria to peel herself off the ground before slamming and locking the door.
Inside, however, Maria is unfazed. She watches curiously as Anna leaps off the top of a dresser and crashes into the wall in an unsuccessful attempt to get back on top of the lighting fixture. After lying dazed for a few moments, Anna dusts off her black jacket and attempts once more.
Not her straightjacket. Just a jacket.
Elder Wenrin signed off abruptly, as per usual. The scientist Aaron was visibly shaken. Emiri, the short human had a strange symbol floating over her head. I must remember to research what “?” means. Anyways, I attempted to regain order. It would not do to have humans wandering around our base.
“Humans, I shall show you to where you will be staying while you are here. You will not be allowed from that area without an escort, and there will be guards to ensure that there will not be any...wandering.” No one seemed to hear. I fought to keep my fur and feathers flat. Instead, I dug my talons into the floor. I settled my wings, and let out a low growl, summoning two warriors to my side. Quietly, I instructed them to follow my lead.
I grabbed the metallic smelling human, Diya, and my fellows took hold of the scientist and the short human, careful to keep her eyes pointed away from us.
“Follow me.” I growled, leaping over the stunned humans' and gliding towards a small door. My companions spread their wings to herd the humans towards the door to which I was headed. The corridor led to four rooms, each with bars on the windows and doors.
“You are neither prisoners, nor guests in our base. Though, since we cannot trust you to stay in one place, you must stay here where we can keep and eye on you. I then looked at each of them, knowing very well that humans do not like our apparently unnatural eyes. I was met with a variety of expressions: the tall human was contemptuous (I had not seen that expression leave her face since encountering her), the short human was still puzzled; with that strange symbol over her head joined by another “!”, the scientist looked thoughtful, the metallic human looked furious at my disrespect for her person, there was another human who mumbled “cigarettes” again and looked rather ill, the pair that seemingly never separated were engaged in another strange human courtship ritual, the rest of the humans shared the short one's puzzled expression. I watched the pair for a moment, slightly puzzled myself at their actions, and then abruptly pulled them apart.
“This is no place for breeding.” I told them. “We have no human to attend to you if a litter is expected, so I would rather it did not happen while you are here, as you are my responsibility, and I would have to care for you.” My feathers ruffled at the thought.
Smoothing them, I turned to face the others. “As I said before, there will be two or three Daakshi watching you at all times, and you will not be permitted to leave your rooms without an escort. Furthermore-”
“Dash-y?” The human called Anna, who seemed obsessed with shiny things laughed. “You don't look very fast.”
I bared my teeth slightly. “The humans outside our borders identify us as Daakshi. We do not speak our true name to anyone not of our breed.” Apparently the human had heard none of what I had said, as she was staring at my teeth.
“Maria!” She exclaimed. “If you use their toothpaste, you can get the nicotine stains off your teeth!” She gave me a serious look. “Where do you buy your toothpaste?”
“Toothpaste? What is this you speak of?” My teeth were coated to resist stains and breaking. They were the pride of a soldier. When you had nothing else, your teeth were an excellent weapon.
Anna looked disappointed. “Nevermind.”
“ANYWAYS.” The scientist spoke. “Where are we staying?” Apparently, he wasn't paying attention, too deep in thought about his encounter with Elder Wenrin.
“In these four rooms. If you have need to visit the other rooms, a Daakshi guard will unlock your door, and move you to the other room. You may choose who you want to stay with.”
Immediately, Anna and the short one – Emiri, squealed “SLEEPOVER!!!”, rushing into the first room, dragging a dark haired human that I hadn't noticed behind them. “Hurry Nicole! Before all the bunks get taken.” That was Anna again.
The scientist, Aaron carefully placed his black and white device on his bunk in the second room, and the disdainful human, Catherine, the metallic human, Diya, and the strangely enthusiastic Wenhao joined Aaron.
The duck-human, Kyna, and the robed human, Rosita claimed a room, but were unable to keep the giant human, Mitchell from following them. Eventually, they persuaded Mitchell to join the inseparable couple, Jessica and John in the fourth room. I let out an involuntary sigh. Hopefully, the couple would be less likely to perform their rituals in front of someone so large. John and Jessica jumped on the first bed and gave each other looks I did not recognize. Apparently not.
Watching John and Jessica coo to each other gave me a feeling in the tips of my feathers that I did not recognize. I wished I could be accepted. In Lehtrocy, our duties were determined by our pedigree, and no one questioned it. Except for me.
I cursed inwardly. I shouldn't be dwelling on this. I was lucky to be promoted to help lead the pack, especially after the disrespect I had showed Elder Wenrin in questioning his decision about my future.
No. I would show him that I was worthy to hold my prestigious position. My previous ideals were false. Humans could not be allies. They could not be trusted. They most definitely could not coexist with us. This was proved in our histories. This little band of humans needed to be removed, quickly. But how? And how not to disrespect Elder Wenrin again? He had promised to help them. My lips curled from my teeth. I locked the humans' rooms with a snarl and ordered my two companions to guard them until I sent another pair to relieve them.
Now, to plan...
Sometime far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, yet not that far into the future, two devious minds began plotting... Let's start at the beginning of their story, shall we?
"I've done it! Hahaha!" the 11-year-old girl crows, dragging her 15-year-old brother down the stairs into the basement.
Stumbling behind her, having his arm pulled (more like yanked out of its socket) by his sister, the boy sighs, "What did you do this time? Mother would kill you if she found out."The girl gave the boy a scathing glare that would have melted the feathers off a dove. "Don't be stupid."The boy snatches his arm back and shouts, "Shut up, stupid sister! Jeez, I need to go work on my project and if you're just wasting my time here--"
"Ok, ok, calm down! You know, Dad was right when he said you should work on your temper. Go listen to some calming Beethoven or something.""I refuse to listen to a composer who has a dog named after him."
"You're being irrational."
"So what if I am?"
"You know what... never mind."
"No! No, you started saying something so go on and finish it," the boy leaned back against the stair banister and glared at his sister.
Suddenly, a weird purplish glow came from the cracks of closed door right beside them.The boy gives a start, "What was-- Hey! That's your laboratory! I knew it! You're dealing in illicit chemicals!"
"No! Stop jumping to conclusions about my stuff! Come on, I blow up the house just once and everyone's on my case? I was just trying to create a robotic orchestra that could create its own music based on baton movements," the girl snaps back."And you managed to blow up the house... how?" the boy rolls his eyes."You know what-- Never mind. Let me just show you this piece of junk I fixed up," the girl unlocks the door with a retina, fingerprint, and voice scan.
Inside the room, was a giant machine with all sorts of gauges, pipes, tubes, screens, the works."Whoa... where the heck did you dig this up from?!" the boy runs his fingers over a still slightly-rusted pipe, seemingly awestruck.The girl grins triumphantly, folding her arms in a smug manner, "I found it in the third level of our basement, where mom and dad keep their old junk. I hauled it up to my lab and fixed it up. It's really quite interesting.""Ok, sounds good," says the boy, tapping a screen lightly with his fingertip, and adds, "But do you have any idea what this is used for?""Nope, not a clue. All I know is that mom and dad were keeping this in their third floor secured closet, and while I was working on it, I found the initials A.C. were on the back. Probably the initials of the scientist who made this."
The boy gasps, "A.C? That can't be mom's friend, the one who lives in a mental asylum, can it?""No, don't be ridiculous. I remember meeting her once before, when Dad forced you to Carnegie Hall with him. Her name was... Anne, or Annette, or Anana... something like that. I strongly doubt that she was interested in something like this... she looked more interested in the cookies on the table than our paintings on the walls."
"And how do we know this isn't some sort of a giant oven for baking cookies?" the boy counters.
"Oh come on, have you ever seen an oven give off flashes of purple light?" the girl retorts, crossing her arms again."Hey, anything is possible. Just look at our parents."
"True, true..."
"Oh hey, what's this star shaped indent doing on the machine?"
"Ehh, I don't know yet, but I'm working on manufacturing a replacement for it. I believe it's some sort of a key to unlocking the inside of this machine."
At that moment, two voices from upstairs called to the kids:"Dinner! Come eat, you maggots! Before the food gets cold and moldy!"
The girl rolls her eyes, "Tch, Mom. Always so loving."
The boy chuckles a bit and claps her on the shoulder, "Hey, you know that Mother loves us. She's just a bit weird at how she shows it. If she really didn't care, she would have poisoned our food a long time ago just to see the effects of her experiments on live human beings."A slightly higher-pitched voice sing-songs, "Commmmme! Chooose the music toniiight with me, my dear children!"The boy sighs and yells back, "Can't you just choose yourself, Father? We really don't ca-- mmph!"
The girl claps her hand over his mouth, "Shut up! I love choosing music with Dad! I'm heading up."
"Fine, fine! Oy vey... I can't believe you're actually my sister. I can't stand you sometimes."
"And vice versa," came the snappy reply. The two left the lab for dinner.
Midway up the spiral staircase, the boy suddenly remembers something. "Oh uhh, hey, I forgot to do something, tell everyone not to wait for me."
"Wait! Where are you going--" the girl turns around. Too late. Her brother was gone.
She scratches her head, "Sometimes, I just don't understand him. Oh well. More food for me."
In the meantime, the boy had returned to his room via secret passageway. "Damn it! I can't believe she found out about the dimension-travelling machine! I had been working on that for years! It took me months just to figure out what it was! Arrrgh," the boy paces furiously, burning a ring into his carpet. Coming to a sudden halt, he realizes something, "But wait! She can't possibly duplicate the star key, so my secret is safe... But I should not underestimate her... after all, she shares most of my DNA..."
Beep! Beep! Ding! A small red light on a panel flickers on. The boy snaps his head around, "What?! Now?! This is terrible timing! Ugh!" The boy grabs his cloak and his voice-deepener device and slides open a hidden door under his bookshelf. He slips in and closes it behind him leaving nothing out of place.
There is a flash of purple light.----Back at the present time period in the dimension of the human-wolf-hawks, everyone (Emily, Kyna, Nicole, Catherine, Maria, Anna, Diya, Aaron, Jessica and John, Rosita, Mitchell, and Wenhao) had finally arrived at the Sector Base. Rachel invited everyone into the room, and closed the door behind them with a swish of her tail."Now, down to business, I--"
Rachel is interrupted by a deep, gravelly voice."Why are their intruders in the Sector C Base, Squad Leader Rachel?"Rachel gasps and whirls around, startled. "I-I'm sorry, Elder Wenrin, but I deemed the action prudent at the time."Uhh, sorry to interrupt, but who are you talking to?" Nicole scratches her head.
A light turns on overhead, revealing an electronic screen. On it, the image of a cloaked figure, whose face was obscured by the shadows. "She is speaking to me, High Elder of the Pack. I am known as Wenrin the Great!"
"Wenrin? What kind of a stupid name is that? Who in their right mind would name their offspring 'Wenrin'?" Catherine snorts, displaying her usual lack of respect.
Wenrin growls, "I know, I think it's stupid too. My name is supposed to be a portmanteau of my parents' names. My father thought it was cute."
Staring dreamily off into space, Wenhao squeals and says, "That really is so cute! When I have a child, I'm going to name him or her after my beautiful wife and myself." Catherine laughs mockingly, "Oh? And what kind of a fool would EVER marry you?"
Diya steps between them, "Ok guys, stop fighting like a married couple." Catherine punches Diya in the head. Acting as if nothing had happened, Diya goes on, "So, Elder Wenrin, tell us more about this place and how we came to be here." Wenrin scratches his chin. "To tell the truth, I have no idea how you intruders stumbled upon my land either. How about you tell me your story, and I'll try to help you."
Secretly, in his head, Wenrin had his suspicions of the travellers, especially of the three who were just talking. Two of them seemed oddly familiar, and the third, the one who had demanded that he figure out their predicament was slightly scrambling his electronic signals. Perhaps a magnetic resonance field of some sort? Hmm. This calls for further observation.
The person had just finished telling her story when Wenrin tuned in on two key words.He snaps to attention, "Wait, star key? Star key box? Where did you get that?" Aaron steps forward and shows him the box, holding the star pieces in his other hand. "These. I am the scientist who invented this. However, since stepping foot on your land, these mutants have been claiming that the star key belongs to them. I ask you though, how can it? I invented this with my own two hands."
Wenrin frowns. "What is your name, scientist?"
"Aaron. Aaron Chan. You can call me Channie. But why do you care?" With a 'blip' sound effect, the screen went black."What the hell? What was that all about?" Aaron wonders.
---
Wenrin returns from this hidden room, the sound of his own breathing thundering in his ears."Aaron Chan. A.C. I found him... I found the scientist! All my questions will be answered now, once I kidnap that guy!"
A voice interrupts from his doorway. "What's this about kidnapping people? Are you scheming again?"
Wenrin glances up to find his sister leaning on his door frame, with a Cheshire cat grin on her face."Shut up, Cathow. You're stupid."
The land was transforming them—transforming them all. Rosita could feel it. The air seemed to whisper and twine itself around her, telling her to unleash the true magnitude of her power and release her inner form. As she struggled with the presence, she was glad to note that the others remained mostly unaffected so far.
It seemed as if the red sun was too weak, too timid, to shine upon this savage land. As they walked, Catherine could not help admiring the flat dreary terrain, broken here and there by smouldering craters and skeletons of creatures long dead.
“See this?” she slowly turns her head in Wenhao’s direction, but her eyes never left the bleak landscape. “This is what my powerful nation will look like when I am dictator. Except there will be fires raging across the plains as well.” Deep in thought, Catherine fails to see the ash-grey face of Wenhao as he struggles not to aim his bile-induced projectile towards her face.
Seeing his expression, Nicole bursts into harsh laughter and drops to the ground, tears running down her face. In a valiant attempt to get air into her system, she roflhfo…straight into Wenhao’s chemical stew.
Diya, obviously disgusted with the maturity level of the group, threateningly slides her blades out of her arms. The knives seemed to be sharper now, more alert. Rosita, still struggling with the voice, exclaims, “I love cheese!” which in magical terms apparently means “Vomit be gone, Nicole stop laughing, Wenhao turn back to your normal Asian colour”. Because that’s exactly what happens.
Maria starts to cough. “Guys, why are we following Rachel on foot? Who knows how long it’s going to take before we reach her whatever-Quadrant 2 headquarters.”
Rosita, finally relieved she was under control, slaps her forehead. “Oh, stupid me. I apologize.” She makes a broad sweeping gesture with her staff, and a fleet of six hovercanoes materialize.
Emily, with the help of Nicole, barely manages to push Maria into a vehicle. Wheezing from the effort of toppling into the hovercanoe, Maria gives the two a thumbs-up, and they climb in after her. Catherine, still deep in thought, mechanically climbs into the same canoe that Diya’s in, causing a deep whir of resentment from the cyborg’s blades. Johnica climbs into one, of course. Rosita levitates herself into another hovercanoe, and the tired Kyna stops flapping and drops into the back seat. Aaron claims yet another vehicle, and Wenhao, admiring the beautiful keyboard on Aaron’s back, follows him in.
Anna, meanwhile, is motionless on the ground. A deliciously lonely feeling has crept over her, and she thinks, how nice it would be to leave this group behind and wander the wastelands alone…
Aaron turns to reprimand Wenhao for dirtying his precious keyboard with his soiled fingers. In his peripheral vision, he sees Anna standing there with her eyes closed, looking lost in herself.
“Yo! Anna, let’s go! We’re waiting,” he called, and Anna’s eyes fly open in shock.
“What’s happening to me?” she wonders. “I almost wanted to die for a moment there.” Aaron motions for her to join him and Wenhao, but Anna rebelliously climbs into the last hovercanoe. “What am I turning into? Where is my usual psychotic self?” she thinks. “If I don’t find that side of me again, all is lost.”
The poisoned air pursues Rachel and the fleet of hovercanoes. Rosita could sense the coming of war in that toxic wind, whether or not with Rachel and her band, she did not know. What she was aware of, however, was that all members in the fleet would be involved in their own way.
And it was coming soon.
Everybody landed on the ground with a massive thump. (The adjective 'massive' was added thanks to John and his voluptuous (thank you Jessica for that adjective) behind.)
I gasped. Everyone was wearing clothes more...um...suited to their personalities and what they were doing.
Jessica and John were in a classy looking tux and a black lacy dress, respectively.
And again, I looked away in fear of my life as John squealed.
"Ducky, were you following me again?" I turned toward my companion.
She quacked in the affirmative.
"Don't tell me this is another practice misson--
"No, this was not planned. Really, your sensei had already said all her tests were over. Learn to trust her more," Ducky said.
I rolled my eyes. We were transported to different place, but I had a feeling we were in the same time.
I opened the star key box. Mitchell and Wenhao had two pieces, but Aaron and they were huddled in a corner talking about what to do, after Anna had pushed the button.
Everything was in disarray, and nobody really knew what to do.
Get the reinforcements...ah...good...they are here...
Who was thinking this?
Those silly humans, we shall prepare ourselves for battle.
An unidentified nerve twitched inside of me...everyone seemed unaware...
Kill them...now...
"NOOOOOOO!" I screamed, and a bright light exploded from my staff, momentarily shielding everyone from the flaming arrows.
Diya, as quick as lightning, cut the disintegrating tree, revealing a strange group of wolf-bird-like human things falling from the branches. It seemed they had been watching us.
The scientists stopped talking immediately and faced the attack.
"Eeeeeagggghhhh!" Anna screamed, while sitting on Nicole's shoulders.
"Eeewww...they stink! What stinky stinky pets! The pet pet wash shall do you good," Nicole pinched her nose.
"Ahhheugghhhahhh!" Anna picked up one of the spears that fell from the tree, and she pushed yet another shiny button.
A blast of green light surged from the end and hit one of the mutants in the chest.
Maria was setting up a circle of cigarettes in the middle of the clearing. What was she doing? She gave me a thumbs up sign and pointed at her lighter. How very clever...
Anna and Nicole ran into the cigarette circle, luring about five warriors. Maria lit the circle of cigarettes on fire, and the ground went ablaze.
"Human scum," a warrior slapped Jessica.
"Boo-boo!" John screeched, and he used his very large, round, feminine bottom to block a blast of green light from hitting Jessica.
"Oh, my cushioning fat!" John wailed.
"Oh baby!" And...they did some lusty practice, again, which I DID NOT want to see.
Catherine was critqueing the warriors' battle moves. Emily had a fierce struggle of laser-eye...no not surgery, but glaring with a fighter who had an eyepatch.
Ducky snatched another fighter in her talons and swung it in the air.
The mutant that looked like the leader approached me.
"Who are you?" I gripped my staff tightly.
Mitchell was engaging in an arm wrestle with three soldiers, while Aaron was smashing someone with his piano.
Wenhao was screaming his victims to death, as expected.
"I am Rachel. And I am the leader of this regimen of these fine fighters. We are the pride of Lehtrocy, the beautiful country of wolf-bird-hybrids. We have some of the greatest warriors here--
I interrupted her, "Well, apparently, you're not doing very well."
"Rosita, the star-key box!" Aaron yelled at me.
I tossed it to him, and he fit Mitchell's piece inside. Mitchell was currently very busy now, doing a roundhouse move and some stomping.
A faint glow came from the puzzle.
"Ah...the legendary star-key box. It is the property of my race. Give it," Rachel swooped down upon Aaron with incredible speed.
"Wenhao!" I called, and he threw his puzzle piece to Aaron with intense precision.
Aaron with the ultimate velocity of a scientist pushed it in, and the cold air rushed by us. We were rising above the hybrids, and I heard Rachel scream: "That box is ours! We'll come to pursue you!"
And the sky spun around us with a dizzying whoosh, and that must mean that we were journeying to another time.
We were on a routine patrol when I sensed an unfamiliar smell. My wings spread wide, my fur bristled, and I bared my teeth; ready for a fight. Intruders! I left the my two companions to search further. Occasionally someone would cross our borders, thinking that they could overpower us. But they soon learned that we were not as weak as we seemed.
The humans that controlled the land on the other side of our borders thought that we were inferior, a lesser evolved species of human. They saw our half human bodies as grotesque. They assumed that we were animals, only fit for slave work. Therefore, when humans cross our borders, we show them no mercy. My species, a hybrid of human, wolf and hawk, were the chief protectors of our territory.
As I glided over the bleak terrain, I tried to find the scent that had caught my attention. I picked it up near a small wood. I landed in a tree so that I wouldn't catch my feathers on a branch, and paused to identify the smell. My canine nose easily picked up their scent. I recognized human, duck, and a strange metallic smell that reminded me of weapons. An ambush! I moved closer, to make sure of their intent.
What strange creatures they were! At the front of the group, I saw a human wearing some strange black and white device on his back. He seemed very angry with a shorter human, as he kept yelling at her.
“I told you not to push the purple button Anna!”
“BUT IT WAS SO SHINY!!!”
In the middle of the group was a small human, with absurdly large eyes. She also seemed angry at the human named Anna.
“Give me back my hair!” Then red light beams emitted from her eyes. They had advanced weaponry!
There was another human that seemed to be injured. She was curled up on the ground rocking and muttering. I swivelled my pointed ears towards her in order to hear what she was saying. She was muttering something about “cigarettes”. Sitting beside her, was a strange being. It seemed to be part human, and part metal. That explained the metallic smell.
Towards the back of the group stood a tall human, who seemed to view the rest of the group with disdain. She had a feline creature on her shoulder. Beside her sat a human in a flowing robe, carrying a purple stick. She was conversing with a being that looked to be of our kind, part animal and part human. Though I had never seen a duck hybrid before.
My sharp eyes spotted two more humans, hiding underneath a tree. They seemed to be engaged in some sort of romantic ritual.
I leaped off the branch and flew back to my patrol. Even with my advanced senses, I failed to notice an additional human, lurking in the shadows.
“I have located a group of ten intruders. They are armed with advanced weapons.” I quickly relayed the details, and the least experienced fighter left to get reinforcements.
The two of us remaining dived down towards the trees, hoping to shadow the intruders and gain the element of surprise when reinforcements arrived. We crouched on a tree branch, high above the group to observe their movements...
-Summary of Events in Arc 1, between the months of June and October-
-I'm writing this on my itouch so give me a break-
Caught by surprise, the three of them weren't able to react fast enough. The guards, moving much swifter than the guards they met in the castle, shackled the three, rendering them helpless.
Yet more chattering approaches. As the rest of the friends drew closer unsuspecting, one of the guards whipped out with a long vine-like whip. Except this whip was alive. Snaking its way through the group, it curled itself around Rosita in a firm grasp. The other guards proceed to shackle the rest of the shocked group. Furious, Rosita began murmuring. Her eyes rolled back showing only the whites of it. She began shaking violently, then went limp.
Chuckling, the guard holding the whip, explained," Fool! This is an anti-magic whip, used on pathetic witches like yuu! There's no point in using yuur witchery, for it will just cause yuu more pain." Suddenly, Diya exploded. Or rather the chains binding her exploded, for now she was fully charged and had her cyborg strength back. Without hesitation, one of the guards pounced on Diya, forcing a metallic collar on her neck. Immediately, Diya powered down and was re-shackled.
The now arrested group of friends were led forcefully back to the castle, where they were handed back to the real guards of the castles.The group of elite guards turned to leave when the apparent leader of the group turned and said, "My name is Wenhao the Great. We are an elite group of assassins set to protect Our Highness. Do not forget us or yuu'll regret it."
The group, paying attention to his face for the first time, stared in amazement at Wenhao, his face, which was once so innocent, now tarnished with the evidence of evil and serenity. Not allowing a chance to respond, the group was led to their prisons.
Stumbling down the long, winding stairways to the dark dungeon, the group was prodded and shoved. With a hard shove, one of the guards accidentally tipped Anna too far. High off who-knows-what as usual, Anna functions exactly like a cow. When tipped, she is unable to get up again. With a cry, Anna fell the length of the spiraling staircase. Her cry went on for minutes on minutes, fading into the distance. Soon she was so distanced that even her voice disappeared. John started to cry, tentatively snaking his hands towards Maria yet again. Despite being chained up, Jessica managed to round house kick square on John's round feminine butt. Caught off guard by the sudden attack, John fell in the direction Anna had disappeared. If not for Nicole's convenient foot stuck out, John would have joined Anna's eternal tunnelling through the castle's endless stairway. But instead, he fell forward, planting a big smooch on one of the guards.
"Dude, quit feeling up whoever's around yuu," Nicole said cooly as Jessica gave a surprise cry. The guard, furious, turned to John and raised his arm threateningly. Suddenly, the walls around them began to glow with a rainbow of color. A soft eerie tune began to play in the background "... Gee gee gee gee baby baby..." Everyone turned to see Diya glowing with colors. The guard immediately recoiled with horror.
"DUDE! How did yuu do that?!?!" Rosita questioned, as she watched Emily's feet shuffle in time with the time.
"Oh yuu mean my screensaver?" Diya replied, lifting her arm to reveal a bright screen shining with dancing lights," It plays sounds too!"
Diya turned towards the guards. "And yuu should let us go before Rosita burns off yuur most precious posession!"
"WITCH!!" cried the guard, now pressed up against the wall shielding their manhood protectovely with their hands.
"Oh quit with this nonsense, yuu idiots." Everyone turned to the direction of the speaker. From the shadows emerged Mitchell, but enlarged by five times. The soldier's attention automatically focussed on him.
Trembling, they bowed their heads and whispered "Captain Kirby" in unison.
"Pathetic lowlifes... She may be a witch but we are in control of her at the moment. Execute her!"
The guards merely gawked at the enormous man, as if deciding whether they are more scared of their captain or Diya, whose screensaver has taken to illuminated a kirby bouncing back and forth.
"Wimps... I'll deal with yuu guys later," murmured Captain Kirby, as he drew a sword from the sheath strapped to his back. The sword was plain but magnificant. It was twice the size of the wielder with a simple rose design carved upon it.
"Wow...," whispered John, one hand clinging tightly onto Jessica, his other grasping out to Maria. Unfortunately, John's arms were unusually short and all he grasped was Maria's butt. Despite of the situation, Maria turned around, arm raised, and kneed John's family jewels.
"Usually when yuu raise yuur arm we expect yuu to use it to slap him...But that works too," Emily whispered to Maria, as she watched John rolling on the ground in pain as Jessica frantically tried to calm him down and make his "boo boo" feel better.
Captain Kirby, unaffected by what had just happened, picked up Diya and threw her down against a well. Forcing her down in a kneeling position, he raised his giant sword.
Everyone shut their eyes, except for Catherine who was still busy laughing at what happened to John. Everyone grew silent, except for John who was rolling around, whispering, "I want to have babies. Please let me still be able to reproduce."
A gentle breeze filled the room as the sword swung down with great force. (I'll give a cookie to whoever first tell me what is the final velocity of the sword if the initial velocity was 10 m/s and the acceleration was 113 m/s2 for 1.86 s)
The last thing they heard was John's feminine scream before the gentle breeze disappeared and everything went silent.
"Ahhhhhhhhhh-"
"Sigh... I knew I should have programmed in that chip to make yuu obey my every command. Then yuu wouldn't go messing around with my invention."
Everyone opened their eyes slowly, confused how everything disappeared. Instead they were in a small room, alit by a small glowing box located at the corner of room. Beneath them laid a vast dim glowing circle. In the middle of the circle laid Anna, still flailing her arms as if she was falling down an eternal winding staircase.
I stepped from the shadows, amused at everyone's wide shocked eyes. "Quit messing around with my inventions. Don't make me regret fixing yuu up Diya. The least yuu can do for me is to not mess around down here."
"What..? Inventions..? Fixing up Diya..?"
"Yuu might as well know since yuu'v found this place already," I sighed, " well I'm a scientist, if yuu guys haven't already figured out, and this is my underground laboratory. I found this place by chance one day and found it beneficial to me. What yuu guys have just been messing with, is my virtual time traveller. It's in beta mode right now, so whatever yuu guys see when yuu time travel will appear real but really is fake. Yuu guys were in no real danger. But don't look down on this machine, its only in beta mode, but it can time travel for real. It's just far too dangerous right now to do so, for I haven't figured out the real mechanics of it yet. Because of that I gave each of my helpers a piece of the star key that's essential in returning back to our time."
I held up a piece of the shattered stars, as more forms appeared behind me. "Ahh and here are my assistants: Wenhao and Mitchell. Anyways, for Diya, I found her beside my dimensional portal in the other room. She was gravely injured, with missing body parts and everything. Seeing how she didn't have long to live anyways, I decided to try to save her with technology. I fitted her with cyborg parts and placed a cyborg chip in her brain. That's how she's half a cyborg now. And don't bother asking her what happened, her memory was completely erased when I found her."
The group exchanged perplexed glances, clearly shocked and confused by the situation they were in and from what they had just found out.
"So Aaron... Yuu are-"
John was cut of by a squeel of delight from Anna. She has clearly figured that she was no longer falling down a staircase, for she is now busying herself with the small glowing box at the corner of the room.
"DON'T PRESS THE-"
Too late. Anna decided that the tiny violet button was worthy to be pressed. The circle underneath the group began to glow brightly in a rainbow of colors. A sudden flash of white filled the room then everything went black.
Grunting, I propped myself up with my elbow. Looking down myself, I saw that I have transformed. I was wearing a black v-neck shirt, and grey skinny jeans with chains strapped across and about it. I had a black vest and cloak on. Strapped on my back was a piano keyboard surprisingly. I shifted my attention to the rest of the people and their transformation...
"Uhh... so. Where to now, guys?" Nicole asks.