The chatter was low-level and non-stop when they entered, and would slowly grow louder and louder as the night when on, and then die down again and restart the cycle. The café gave the sense of a lot of room with high ceilings and mini-hallways everywhere connecting a maze of rooms together, each one slightly above or below the others, so no one forgot the fact that the café was brilliantly placed to fit in with the mountainside. The air was warm and breezy but every so often a cool wind would cut through the café and send a shiver down everyone’s spine.
The place was packed. There were businessman, there were professors and academics. There were young college kids, enjoying the atmosphere and discussing important topics that ranged from economic problems of the European Union to the importance of Blondie in terms of the punk movement of the late 1970’s. There were people dressed casually and some dressed nicely, and then there were people dressed like they were directly out of an old movie from the nineteen forties, in formal dinner attire and classic dresses.
Jazz music played throughout the café and permeated into every room, although it became harder to tell what direction it was coming from. Drinks were being constantly served and it was no problem for the traveling band of youths to get them if they desired. Different smoky aromas passed them by, as various tobaccos and other products were readily available. The mountain air seemed to blend nicely with them, as did the incredible array of food being served in certain sections of the café.
Some rooms gave the sense that important deals were being made. Some rooms had outright gambling, with roulette and craps tables and other things.
“Amazing,” said Mon staring ahead.
“Tell me about it,” said Dirk. “I’ve never been anywhere like this in my life, and I’ve been all over. I don’t know whether to sit and relax or explore.”
“Mm?” said Mon, not listening. He was looking ahead. Tatiana was standing with Maziah, neither aware Mon was looking in their direction. She had on a dark blue/black dress that revealed her shoulders and fit her slender, young figure, running down to her knees then slitting on the side. Maziah looked equally as beautiful in a white dress with arm length sleeves, which was not as tight fitting as Tatiana’s, and flowed below her waste.
“I see what you mean,” said Dirk with a wolf-ish grin, to which Tenz shook his head.
“It’ll never stop with you, will?” he replied
“I hope not…” smiled Dirk, and they continued on. Dirk was in a red corduroy jacket with a yellow button down shirt underneath that plainly told everyone that he was a kid who knew how to dress and knew how to look good. Tenz was in a green silk but in the fashion of traditional Vietnamese attire. Amarjeet had given them credit to buy clothes for tonight, once again showing great generosity.
A bit off, Jacquie felt herself relaxing despite herself, and drank up the energetic atmosphere of the infamous Sky Café. She smiled, and turned to see Hasim joining her. “I love it here!” she couldn’t help but say.
“I think we all do,” he replied. “it certainly is a popular place to be. Every room is as crowded as this one.” He moved a little closer to her, but she didn’t seem to notice.
“Are the rumors true?” they suddenly heard a voice say. “Has a Royal Princess paid the Sky Café a visit tonight? We are greatly honored!”
“Are you the owner of this Café, sir?” said Jacquie, suddenly quite hesitant. This man was booming with confidence. Most likely in his early forties, tall, thin and fiilled with energy.
“I am. I am Khat Dharampal, and I bid you welcome to our fine Café. I can say, without any arrogance, that it is one of the finest cafes you will ever visit.”
”Thank you sir,” said Jacquie.
“Please, it’s Dharampal,” he replied, “and please, enjoy a drink for yourselves courtesy of the house.”
“Thank you,” said Hasim, “but we won’t need any special treatment,” he added.
Dharampal smiled. “I am glad, because you would not receive any. We treat any number of wealthy patrons, but to us, they are simply patrons. The less we know of them, the better. Please, enjoy,” he finished, moving on.
---------------------
“Come here,” said Tatiana to Mon and Tenz suddenly, pulling Mon along by the hand. Mon and Tenz could sense a surge of energy coming from the room Tatiana was pulling them in. “This is exciting!” she yelled back, and both the young men were glad that she was feeling better.
“This boy, they say he has extraordinary abilities,” she started, “but I’m not sure if its just parlor tricks. Backsheesh is his name.” The moved to the front of the crow and saw a boy with his legs crossed, who had a turban on his head that appeared to be hiding the fact that he had a larger than average sized head. “He says he can block any type of force thrown his way, without moving a muscle. It won’t even hit his body.”
“Is it a trick, Tatiana? Or can he do things? You know, like…”
“Like us?” said Mon. “Want me to test it?” he smiled.
“Well, sure, I mean, if you want to,” she smiled back, obviously nudging him along. Mon stepped forward, and the crowd cheered. He walked up to the boy, who looked at him strangely. The boy, it seemed could sense there was more to him. “Hello,” said Mon.
“Greetings. I’m Backsheesh,” said the boy, who Mon estimated to be around thirteen.
“You can call me Mon. Shall I test it?”
“Go ahead,” said Backsheesh. With that, Mon cocked his arm back and lightly punched into the air in front of him Backsheesh, and surprisingly felt a strong force bounce his hand back! It felt like hard concrete. Mon focused his eyes on the area. His vision was legendary in Ancient Rome—he could pinpoint things far away, and seemed to be able to see directly through stone at times. He did this now, and saw a distinct difference in the air he was looking at and the air to the sides.
“A shield of some sort…” whispered Mon to himself. “A shield of solid air…” Now, Backsheesh seemed to take notice, and actually seemed very surprised. Mon cocked his fist back again, and this time punched HARD.
*BOOM*
The noise echoed and people screamed. Backsheesh felt his body fall back a little, although the shield held up. He was more shocked than anything. Mon was smiling and laughed a little. He extended his hand and pulled the little boy up.
“How on Earth?” said the boy. “No one has ever done that…”
“I’m not like everyone else, just as you are,” said Mon. “You can call me Mon-El.”
“I’m Backsheesh, as I said,” replied the boy. “But when I perform this act, they sometimes call me ‘Kid Psycho’.” --------------------
“Looks like it’s just you and me,” said Dirk smiling to Maziah, as he took a puff from the pipe in front of him. He offered it to Maziah. She shook her head a little.
“I thought you had a thing for Jacquie?” said Maziah.
“No, not really. Jacquie is beautiful and she’s great, but I don’t think I’m ready for a girlfriend. I’m only kidding with you anyway,” he smiled. “You know, you’d think I’d be more nervous around you now that I know about your dad, but to be honest, now I feel more at ease,” he added, flashing that smile one more time, which seemed to have the effect he wanted whenever he did so. He put his arm around her for a quick half-hug.
Now she smiled, widely. “Thanks,” she said. Then she followed, “oh, what the hell. I’ll take a puff.”
“Tell me,” he said. “what do you think about Hasim?”
“Hasim? Why do you ask? He seems rough around the edges, but nice enough”
“It’s just, we know so little about him,” replied Dirk. “I don’t know…I can’t quite say what I mean.”
“I wonder if Blok is outside like he said?” she then asked, taking another puff while Dirk sipped a martini. “Lets check!”
“Blok? You’re ditching this chill session for gloom and doom?” he laughed. “Fine, fine…” he replied as she gave him a look.
----------------------
“Kid Psycho?” said Mon. “You like that name? Anyway, this is Tenz, and this is Tatiana. This is Backsheesh, although I think you can call him Kid Psycho too.”
“How do you do,” said Tatiana, adding, “so how do you do it?”
“My theory is telekinetic forcefields that you can project, which are impenetrable. A mind over matter thing.”
“…um, that’s exactly what I believe it is,” said Backsheesh.
Tatiana and Mon looked at Tenz with a half-grin, eye-brow raised look
“What? That seemed like a cool super-power…”
“What are you all doing in Sakkim?” asked the boy.
“Just passing through mainly,” said Tatiana, who admist talking to Backsheesh realized she had gotten incredibly close to Mon. She could feel his breath over neck and realized she was close in on his chest. Suddenly she became anxious and nervous, and thought about the blue pigment in her skin for the first time that night. “Why are-are you here?” she got out, kicking herself for being so hopeless.
“I live here,” he smiled. “With my father, who—ah…here he is,” finished Backsheesh, as Khat Dharampal walked by.
“More of the Princess’s friends? Great, great. I see you’ve met my son. He also appears to be different from most people,” smiled the Café-owner, obviously taking pride in this.
“I’m not sure what you mean?” said Ten Zil, trying to play that comment off.
“Sure you’re not,” replied Dharampal with a smile. “Enjoy your night Backsheesh,” he finished, moving on with vigor and energy.
“Your father knows about us?” said Tatiana.
“I’m not sure,” replied Backsheesh, oblivious to that. “He’s never mentioned it before…”
-------------------------
Hasim and Jacquie turned the corner, to see Maziah and Dirk on their way out to see if Blok was outside.
“There you guys are,” said Jacquie, “you can lost in this place!”
“Care for a drink Maziah?” said Hasim.
“Jacquie, I think these boys are trying to get us drunk,” said Maziah smiling.
“Get you drunk?” said Dirk. “Just ourselves really…”
“Is Blok out there—“ Jacquie suddenly cut her words off and looked ahead.
A crowd was dispersing as crowds tend to do, revealing a man standing to the side of the room they were in, sipping a cocktail of some kind, dressed in a full black business suit. He was Japanese, older and looked very serious and determined. They had seen him before.
“Hello children,” he said. “I had wondered where you’d gotten off to.”
It was the leader of those men in Japan. The Dark Circle.
From: If you don't want my peaches, honey... | Registered: Sep 2003
| IP: Logged |
Andromeda heat-visioned her alarm clock into oblivion, then looked at her watch to check the time. Reluctantly pulling herself out of bed (for someone who technically didn't need to sleep, she liked her eight hours a bit too much), she yawned, got another alarm clock from the bottom of her wardrobe and set the time and alarm, then went for a shower. As she was testing the water's temperature for comfort - she preferred it somewhat hotter than a "normal" person could stand - she thought about the significance of the date for her. The years had seemed a blur to her, since her parents died. She'd actually managed to get permission to visit the site herself later in the day, after the new member had turned up and been introduced. Her head drooped into the water.
Spark fried her alarm clock into oblivion, then looked at her watch to check the time. Jumping out of bed, she quickly swapped her nightshirt for T-shirt and shorts, and headed to the gym for her early morning excercise before a shower and breakfast. As she was leaving her room, she checked the date again. It was a week since Ultraboy's injuries, and he remained in a coma, and probably would for some time. They were due to be introduced to his replacement later in the day. She wondered idly what they would be like.
------------------
"Yesterday, all my troubles seemed so far a..."
Polarity slapped his radio-alarm off, and blinked at it as he tried to check the time. Great, he thought, and stumbled across to his bathroom to splash some water in his face, stared himself in the mirror and tried to tell himself it would be a good day, didn't believe it as he hadn't for the past week and a half, and pushed himself into the shower.
Reflecto slept right through his alarm call, as usual, woke ten minutes before he needed to be moving and had to use an electric shaver in each hand to get his face and head clean, set the shower to "Scald" and "Painfully fierce flow" to sandblast the sweat off his body, got dressed quickly and was out the door in 9 minutes 59 seconds as usual.
------------------
""
Dragonmage woke precisely on time without the need for an alarm, stared at the perfect visage in the mirror for a few moments, muttered a few words and was clean and dressed without the need for a shower before heading out the door.
------------------
"dum-dum-ih-de-de-de-de-de-de-de-dum-dum-dum..."
Enrapture awoke, left the music on, walked to the bathroom and poured a hot bath, which she added various oils to before slipping in. Once in, she thought about a replacement for Ultraboy... damn the rabbitman. Still, she had a replacement in mind.... _________________________________
Trinity awoke with a groan to a pounding headache, which her reflexive splitting only made three times worse. T-Neutral blinked at the clock - she should have been up hours before, and she remerged to take an asprin before splitting again to take showers. Bad start to the day. _________________________________
"So team, today we begin 'Operation: Animal Rights,'" Mano opened
"So team, today we begin 'Operation: Gut the fuzzylovers'!" Micro parroted. In response to Mano's blank stare - did he have any other expression? - he added, "Come on - you know that's exactly what it is, so why bother with the straight back and pointy stick?" Then he had a thought, "No offence Wolf." Wolf just sighed.
"As you may know," Mano continued, "last week a member of our sister team, Ultraboy, was shot on their training ground by a member of the group in question. Our Overlord, knowing the bullets were originally intended for himself,..." Mano paused for a moment to savour the idea, "has thus ordered us to wipe the group from the face of the Earth. Any questions?"
"Yeah, can I kill them with a walk in their brain this time? You never let me do that!"
"Any other questions before I continue?"
"Just one," Wolf's gruff voice piped up, "Four of us against how many?"
"I will be coming to that. Tellus, do you have anything to add?"
"Why would I at this point?" Tellus didn't speak, but his words rang through their heads.
More routine training, Spark sighed as she looked at the schedule over. Ever since Ultraboy had been shot, their public appearances had been cut down, partially in an attempt to cut speculation on José's whereabouts.
The first to arrive, she saw the others come down one-by-one, with Polarity second-last.
Talking to Enrapture.
Spark blinked. Enrapture had never spoken more than two words to Paul before now. What the hell...? _________________________________
Trinity sat eating alone. Cos had left a note saying the group had been called to something somewhere or other, and they'd tried to wake her but couldn't. Since Cos had written it, it was probably true. It still hurt though - surely they could have tried harder? _________________________________
Spark was trying to have a word with Polarity as they waited in the rec room for their new teammate to arrive, but he seemed to be avoiding her. Granted, the two had been a bit... awkward... around each other since Hallowe'en, but even now this wasn't like him. Was something going on with him and Enra...
McCauley himself walked in and called them to attention at that moment.
"As you know," he began, "since the... unfortunate incident with Ultraboy last week, we have been searching the lists of those previously considered in the event a replacement was needed. Given that there appears to be no chance of recovery within a reasonable timeframe, I have therefore decided to activate a replacement. I therefore introduce Inferno."
A girl, about Spark's height and age, with short blonde hair and dressed in a Workforce uniform with outlined white flame logo walked in on cue.
"Hi." From her pose and tone, Spark almost felt she had a sort of... nervous arrogance... to her, if that made any sense.
"I shall leave you to get aquainted for now," McCauley said, "the press confrence is scheduled to begin in one hour." So they had half an hour, Spark thought, as Andromeda was the first to walk up and say hello to her new teammate. _________________________________
Tikhik woke up and groaned, lying on his bed. He had to be gone that morning, he knew. He'd decided a week before that This Was The Day, although he still had to break it to the Kallors, including Tom. Grateful as he was for the hospitality, especially when so few would have extended it, he had to be gone sometime if he was to ever expose McCauley, and today was his deadline. He knew he couldn't do it in one leap, what he didn't know was exactly how many leaps he would need and how long he'd need between each leap to recover. He walked through a gate into the hall and headed for the kitchen. _________________________________
"And finally, the McCauley Industries Workforce group today unveiled a new member. Martin Gray reports;"
----
"All smiles today at Workforce HQ, but rumours over the fate of José Rimbaud, known as Ultraboy, are unlikely to be settled by the announcement today that he was being replaced 'on a temporary basis' in the team."
(Caption - Graham Adams | McCauley Industries Spokesman) "I want to take this opportunity to deny that Ultraboy has been sacked for any reason whatsoever, and to say that the baseless reporting to that effect by several disreputable newspapers is completely without foundation."
(question from the floor) "Can you confirm what actually happened then?"
"All I can say for the moment is that he is still under contract to the Workforce. I have no further comment on this matter at this time."
"And indeed he did not. The replacement, 'Inferno', (picture on-screen) is joining the team with immediate effect, and it remains to be seen whether we will be given any more information on 'Ultraboy's' current situation. Martin Gray, ITV News." _________________________________
Trinity was sitting playing a three-player Mario Kart game in the rec room when the others returned, and continued playing even as many of them filed in.
Cos walked over to her, "Hi."
Keeping her eyes on the screen, T-Neutral said, "Anything interesting?"
"Not really - landslide. We were asked to help shore it up and search for survivors."
"Ah."
"Okay, what is it?"
"Don't know what you mean," T-Purple said that, so any lingering doubt vanished.
"It's about not getting you up, isn't it?"
"I was sleeping," T-Orange shrugged.
"You're annoyed I didn't break your door down and drag you out with us, right?"
"Yes." T-Neutral left it at the single word.
"Come on - what could I do? Everyone else was up and most were in costume. I went up and banged your door as loud as I could, but even then you'd have been fifteen minutes at least getting ready. I couldn't wait Lu - I wanted to, but lives might have been on the line."
Trinity hated when he had a valid point like that. _________________________________
"You're going?" Tom sounded shocked.
"Tom, you've known for ages I needed to go, and I've waited too long as it is. I'm more grateful than you could know for what you and your family have done for me, but if I don't go soon it'll be too late to save everyone else who didn't escape McCauley's clutches."
Tom swallowed, "Then I'm coming with you."
Tikhik's beak dropped open, "You don't mean that. You're just saying that because I'm saying I'm going. If you come, you'll wish you hadn't. Besides, your mother will never allow it."
"Maybe. But if I don't come, I'll worry about you the whole time." He forced a grin, "Damned if I do and damned if I don't."
"Tom, think about it. I might be on the move for a day or a month. I don't know how far I can reliably leap or how long I'll need to rest for before making another long leap. If I need to wait, I don't know where I'll sleep, whether I'll even be able to speak to anyone - indeed, I might be killed on the way by people scared of a giant insect."
"And more guilt for me. I can't let you go on your own... it... it just wouldn't be right."
Tikhik paused. "Let's speak to your parents about this." _________________________________
Trinity slipped into her oversized bath, trying to relax. She knew her place on the team would have to be under threat if this kept up. She looked at each other, thinking that they would have to do something soon. Something felt wrong in her mind, something was there that she couldn't see but could feel.
What was she going to do, she wondered? _________________________________
Andromeda, dressed all in black against the night sky, approached Rock Reef Point. She looked around the site. It was her first visit since That Day - she saw how it had been fixed up since she'd hit the self-destruct to stop the White Triangle, when new goverment contractors had come back to keep trying for the ore used in intertron-making. It galled her to think how her parents had died for nothing - there was none of the ore here after all, and never had been.
She floated over to one specific corner of the outpost, and laid flowers on her parents' graves. At that moment, she felt alone in the world. _________________________________
Elsewhere:
In Hong Kong, someone was going about her daily grind, trying hard not to scream at her boring life, when she could do so much more.
In Japan, someone was trying to think through her power enough to eat.
In Venezula, someone heard from afar the death of her parent, and kept the children's kites aloft through her tears.
In Canada, someone was enjoying himself, tinkering.
In England, someone exploded
In Massachusetts, someones exploded through the air, trying to focus himselves together
In India, someone showed off his forcefield to tourists
In Madagascar, someone crawled through the undergrowth at speed, laughing
In the US, below a desert, many could do nothing at all.
And so it went on, all around the world, few, scattered, isolated, untutored, never meeting others like themselves...
-------------------- My views are my own and do not reflect those of everyone else... and I wouldn't have it any other way.
posted
Inferno flopped down on her bed and juggled a few fireballs. God, not having control of her powers had sucked. She didn't remember too much of that period, but why would she want to? All that time in a dark, cold room just to avoid burning the place down... sure as hell she never wanted to go through that again. Anyway, it was all a blur and all in the past now, and that was where it was going to stay.
There was a knock at her door, "Yeah?" she called.
Spark poked her head around the door. "Me and you are due to leave for something in Texas in five minutes. Makeup en route. Are you ready?"
"Sure." Inferno sighed. Downside of fame, she supposed.
-------------------- My views are my own and do not reflect those of everyone else... and I wouldn't have it any other way.
posted
Polarity's hands slid over the metal. Working it, shaping it with his power. He didn't know what it was going to look like yet, but his shelves were littered with beautiful, yet abstract works.
"Hey." Spark knocked at his open door. "How are you? Haven't seen you around today."
"I'm okay. I just felt like some time alone."
"Well, I was going to go ice-skating and I wondered if you wanted to..."
"No. I'm okay."
"Is this about Hallowe'en?"
"No, no, honest. I just... don't feel like going out today."
Spark didn't believe him for a second. "Okaaay. If you change your mind, you've got ten minutes before I'm off."
"See ya."
---
The blades on Spark's feet slid across the ice smoothly, but for the girl above them, things felt less smooth. She still hadn't really talked to Garth since the incident over a month before, and the only time he'd tried to talk to her was late on at the party when she was completely wiped for other reasons. Ever since she'd said no to Paul at the same party, he'd been weird around her, and Enrapture had taken to hanging around him since Ultraboy got shot, and she'd already seen Meta eat him alive before that. And of course she'd seen Ultraboy get shot four times and fall twenty feet with a crack. And now, on top of all that, she'd heard her parents might be splitting up and she had. no. one. to. talk. to.
At that moment, she thrust too hard in the wrong way on the ice and fell. Great. She usually had perfect balance on the ice.
She really needed to talk to someone at that moment.
---
Spark was tired and bruised when she walked into the canteen, and her mood wasn't improved when she saw Enrapture with her arm around Paul.
Physically, she could see what could attract people to Meta, but she couldn't believe that anyone who'd spent months on the same team as her would want to stick their neck out for her to drain dry. Was she playing with his mind, she wondered?
---
"Paul - you're nuts. META?!"
Polarity sighed. "And what's wrong with Meta?"
"Something that rhymes with 'Scartless titch' maybe? You saw what she did to José."
"Funny, I thought that was an animal rights lunatic."
"Not... you know what I mean. José was a toy to her, a bit of gum to chew the heck out of until all his flavour was gone. And you could see him getting more clingy, less interested in other stuff as time went by."
"Maybe it's called 'love.' You should try it some time."
"Paul..."
"Ella. I wanted you. Okay, you don't want me, that's fine..."
"That's not fair."
"...but that doesn't give you a veto over anyone else I see. Now excuse me, please."
He half-walked, half-ran out of the room. Spark just slumped down. Great, another perfect day in Perfectland.
-------------------- My views are my own and do not reflect those of everyone else... and I wouldn't have it any other way.
posted
"A couple of obvious questions first - your suit is fully flame-proofed, isn't it?"
"Obviously."
"And have you done any flying before?"
"Never."
"Right..." Andromeda paused for a moment.
"What's flying like?" Inferno asked before Andromeda could continue.
"For me, flying feels like..." Laurel struggled to find the words... "you know when you're in the water, and you're bobbing on the surface?"
"Yeah."
"Well, when I'm just hovering like this, it's like that. And when I'm flying, properly, it's like swimming with little jets all over my body. But it's different for everyone - Dragonmage says he feels like he's riding some great beast. You'll see in a moment what it's like for you"
"Okaay," Inferno was nervous, tried not to show it, and utterly failed.
"Anyway, as I was about to say, just try taking off now and we'll see how it goes."
"Just like that?!"
"Just like that," Andromeda smiled. "If you get too high and fall, I'll catch you. Now, come on..."
Inferno concentrated. She knew what she had to do roughly - just create a big jet of flame underneath herself, but...
Andromeda saw her nerves, "What's wrong?"
"Nothing." Inferno answered too quickly.
Laurel sighed, and thought for a moment. "Okay, hands in front of you, make a ball of flame about the size of a football."
Inferno did so, a slightly puzzled look on her face.
"Now, keep it going, and trap it between your legs." When Inferno obeyed, she continued, "Now, expand it all around your legs, from your knees to your waist - not down to your feet, you'll have no stability and won't be able to turn." Inferno began to get it and shut her eyes. "Now, turn the flame up and push until your feet feel like they're almost, but not quite, pulling away from the ground. Ready?" Inferno nodded. "Now push!"
Inferno shot up into the sky at a tremendous rate. "Oh no," Andromeda whispered and shot up in hot pursuit.
By the time she caught up with Inferno, Sandy was well above the Workforce building, 40 or 50 stories high, and was showing no sign of stopping. "SLOW DOWN!!!" Andromeda yelled though the roaring wind as she saw that Inferno still hadn't opened her eyes. She grabbed Inferno's shoulders and started trying to hold her back a bit. The feeling made Sandy open her eyes.
"DON'T LOOK DOWN!" Andromeda was still struggling to be heard over the wind and flame. "JUST SLOW DOWN!" Unfortunately, Inferno chose that moment to look down, and her flame died. Andromeda caught her before she fell.
"I think we need to work on your control of speed a bit first," she said dryly.
-------------------- My views are my own and do not reflect those of everyone else... and I wouldn't have it any other way.
posted
"WHOO-HOO!" Live Wire twisted his jetski in a circle, soaking Tela in the process, and was five metres ahead by the time Irma had stopped spluttering and recovered. In response, she leant down and barrelled after him at top speed.
Ever since the Legion had formed, the jetskiing business, based on an artifical lake built for the purpose some way up the coast from New York City, had seen many of the Legionnaires become frequent customers. Today, however, there were only two of them visiting, but they had certainly been going at it. Rumours had been flying in the press about a relationship between the two, and as they took their jetskis back to the mooring point, the hands that joined did nothing to disprove the tittle-tattle.
-------------------- My views are my own and do not reflect those of everyone else... and I wouldn't have it any other way.
quote:Previously: "You're going?" Tom sounded shocked.
"Tom, you've known for ages I needed to go, and I've waited too long as it is. I'm more grateful than you could know for what you and your family have done for me, but if I don't go soon it'll be too late to save everyone else who didn't escape McCauley's clutches."
Tom swallowed, "Then I'm coming with you."
Tikhik's beak dropped open, "You don't mean that. You're just saying that because I'm saying I'm going. If you come, you'll wish you hadn't. Besides, your mother will never allow it."
"Maybe. But if I don't come, I'll worry about you the whole time." He forced a grin, "Damned if I do and damned if I don't."
"Tom, think about it. I might be on the move for a day or a month. I don't know how far I can reliably leap or how long I'll need to rest for before making another long leap. If I need to wait, I don't know where I'll sleep, whether I'll even be able to speak to anyone - indeed, I might be killed on the way by people scared of a giant insect."
"And more guilt for me. I can't let you go on your own... it... it just wouldn't be right."
And now....
There was silence in the place.
Suddenly, a round, green portal appeared, and from it, there came a cry.
"Wahoo! Step aboard the Gates/Starboy World Tou..." exiting the portal, be stopped abruptly. As did his companion, a large, black insect.
Two human skulls, bullet holes in the centre of their foreheads, were poking through the earth in front of them. _______________________
"...in the end, I can't stop you going, but please promise me you'll be careful" Myra Kallor's eyes filled with tears as she hugged her son tightly.
"Don't worry mum, I will," Tom said in a hoarse voice, and hugged his dad too after his mum finally broke the hug, then hoisted his rucksack onto his broad shoulders as the green portal opened. "Bye..." his voice trailed off as he stepped through... into Sydney City Centre. "Tik... wha?"
"I think you need some time to compose yourself," he said quite simply, and it was a couple of hours before they set off for real. _______________________
"My..."
"Tom, what did you expect?" Tikhik sounded calm, but depressed as he continued, "All the time, the whole world over, people are being tortured, raped, killed."
"I-- I know, b-but..."
"...but you didn't expect to come across this, I know."
Tom slumped down on a nearby rock, and Tikhik came and gently clasped his shoulder with his claw, "Tom, this is why I didn't want you to come. I didn't know exactly what I'd find on my way, but my... experience of human nature... said most of it wouldn't be good."
They sat for a few minutes in silence before Tom spoke up, "I wish I could find them... th... the people who did this, and..."
"...and what Tom? Put holes in their heads in revenge? How do you know that wasn't why these two were killed? And if you did that, wouldn't the people who found their bodies have a right to kill you in revenge?"
Tom's shoulders slumped, "Well, what then? Don't tell me you don't want to kill McCauley, or turn him into a bug or something."
"Sometimes," Tikhik's voice dropped, "sometimes, when I'm feeling low and weak, yes, yes I do. That's why I don't want to be the one to judge him Tom - I'd be scared of what I'd do. It's not just me - he killed fifty people I knew, including some good friends of mine, in the same experiments. Plus all the others he's killed, and experimented on, and brainwashed."
"And you don't think he should die?"
"I don't think anyone has the right to condemn another living, thinking person to death. No-one. Maybe some people deserve to die, but if people who deserve to live die in their stead, you can't undo that mistake."
"'Let those who are without sin', huh?"
"In a way. It's moronic how much effort humans put into killing each other, and if I had my way, I'd teleport every missile, every tank, every gun, every bullet, every mould for a bullet, into the sun and be rid of them."
"You know it'd just slow them down?"
"Too well..."
They both sat for some time after that, lost in thought.
Eventually, Tikhik spoke up "Now come on..."
"Eh? I thought you needed rest."
"I left it so I could manage one more jump today if I needed to. This looks unpromising enough to qualify."
-------------------- My views are my own and do not reflect those of everyone else... and I wouldn't have it any other way.
posted
Something caught the corner of her eye. She looked round and stared with her enhanced vision. A green hole opened in mid air and a man and a bug walked out. Not something you saw every day. She checked to see if anyone else had seen it, but no-one had. She had to know.
Quickly, she jumped high, onto the street lights, leaping from one to one, ending up on the wall above their heads, where she held on tightly and paused... _____________________
As Tikhik and Tom exited the gate, which quickly closed behind him, Tikhik slumped down
"Are you okay?"
Tikhik looked at Tom for a few moments before answering, "I've just teleported us a massive distance in two jumps, what do you think?"
Tom looked around for a few moments at the dark alley in which they'd landed - "any idea where we are at least?"
"Looks like a city," Tikhik groused. ______________________
She'd heard and seen enough. She dropped to the ground lightly, and said "hi." The big guy instantly headed the other way, tossing and tumbling up ten stories before he caught himself.
Tikhik thought for a moment, shrugged and said, "Hello, I'm Tikhik Miraz and my friend-" he indicated with one of his pincers the guy who was now trying to control his descent "-is Tom Kallor."
"Ming Sul, pleased to meet a couple of fellow warpies."
Tikhik decided to let the 'warpies' bit go, and besides, she had dropped a long way to land as safely as she had... "Could you please tell me where we are?"
"How specific do you want it? District? Street?"
"Just the country will do for now."
"Hong Kong."
Tikhik looked genuinely surprised, as Tom finally landed with a mild thump.
Acting on reflex, Ming said at that, "Look, if you really don't have anywhere to go, you could come to my place if you promise to explain why you're going through green holes so you don't even know what country you're in!"
Tom blushed at the suggestion, and Tikhik, noting this, quickly accepted. ______________________
"It's not much, but it's where I'm stuck for now, so I guess it counts as 'home'," Ming said as she flicked a light switch in the tiny one-bed apartment.
Almost instantly she flopped down on the couch that was the only piece of furniture in the room, muttering something about how she didn't know how waitresses without super-powers coped. Tom gingerly sat beside her while Tikhik leaned back onto the rug that was the only other significant break on the bare floorboards.
"So let me get this straight," she spoke up again after a couple of minutes, "...this guy turned you..." - she gestured at Tikhik - "...into a bug, killed a lot of people and brainwashed another lot and you want everyone to know about it. And you're..." - she looked at Tom - "...going along to help him because you won't let him go alone."
"Essentially," said Tikhik.
"Then I'm coming too."
"Are you mad?" spluttered Tom
"Oh, and why do you do it, huh? Right now, I'm stuck in this craphole of an apartment in the most tightly infested rathole on the planet in a dead-end job with No. Way. Out. When I saw you this afternoon, I was only interested in meeting the first other super-wotsits I've ever seen. Now, I want to help, especially if it means a way out, and if it means I have to do a few things on reflex like risking this McCauley transplanting my head onto my bunghole, it's worth the risk."
"Better pack plenty of warm clothes and blankets," said Tikhik as Tom looked shocked, "we're going to end up in Siberia or Alaska or both before we reach our destination."
-------------------- My views are my own and do not reflect those of everyone else... and I wouldn't have it any other way.
As Tom awoke, he stretched out as best he could on the small couch to counter the crick in his neck. Looking down at his watch, he saw it said 10am, which meant noon for him. Spinning around into a sitting position, he rubbed his face in his hands and muttered "Brilliant" before standing and heading for the shower room/toilet.
A quarter of an hour later, he had showered and was sitting alone in the small and empty flat wondering where Tikhik and Ming had got to. Ming's flip-down bed was up against the wall, and he was going to get a drink of water when he heard the door unlocking.
Ming walked in, carrying huge bagfuls of stuff. He quickly offered to take some of it, and she assented. It was almost too heavy for him, but even if he didn't have real super-strength like her, he could and did fake it by making the stuff lighter.
"What IS all this?"
"Tent; sleeping bags; couple of big rucksacks; lots of food, mostly tinned; four extra can-openers for obvious reasons; camping stove; gas; emmm... oh, and some warm clothes for me for when we get to Siberia."
"Tik said he thought we'd be another week getting there, not six months!"
"Uh-huh. And we'll live on fresh air and in top hotels in America, huh? You've never lived on your own before, have you?"
"That's not the point..."
"Sure..." and with that she gave a little smirk.
"Why are you coming again? You could just..."
"Grow old in this shoebox? No thank you. 'Sides, it's done. I quit my job last night and handed in my notice for this place this morning and used next month's rent money to get all this."
"Just like that? Come on... at least if this all goes pear-shaped I've got somewhere to go back to."
"IF you can get back. Have you thought what you'll do if this McCauley guy manages to get a bullet through our insect friend before he manages to tell all? Can you fly from Australia to the USA under your own steam? I already got the lecture on not wanting to risk airline security these days by stowing away on a plane - and that's WITH a teleporter."
"Okay, okay. You're right."
"Course I am," she smirked again, "anyway were you going to stand around all morning or help pack this stuff up before our friend gets back."
"Where is he anyway?"
"Dunno, he just said something about needing time alone before we went."
"He'll be at the harbour then. He always likes looking out to sea..." _____________________
Tikhik had been sitting on top of a skyscraper for hours, watching Victoria harbour as the sky grew brighter under its' blanket of cloud and haze.
He thought he had the measure now. Given perfect direction, he could just about make it in three jumps; but since Hong Kong was quite a bit off the ideal way, he obviously couldn't direct himself accurately over the sort of distances in question. Still, think five he told himself - bear north-east or so, he might even manage to make South-Eastern Russia in one jump. Another jump would hit the eastern edge of Siberia, then though Canada in one jump, then the North-Eastern USA or at worst SE Canada, then a relatively short jump to New York, which all appearances said was where he needed to be to make his voice heard and begin bringing McCauley down. A solid plan, with room for going a bit off-course and still keeping to the general route. And surely, one look at him would be all that would be needed. Surely... it had to work.... _____________________
1pm (HK time):
Tom placed a Jack of Hearts on the pile, "Jack it back, last card, and..." added a Three of Hearts to the pile. Ming made a face and gathered the cards up again.
"How long does he take with these sorts of things."
"Depends," Tom was trying to hide his own nerves and not doing a very good job of it, "but once he stayed out for 10 hours solid - and then I went to get him."
"But he IS coming back for us, right?" Ming asked as she dealt the cards again
"Hey, he could have dumped me back in Australia, and he didn't."
Ming noticed that that wasn't exactly a "no," but left it at that. _____________________
1:10pm:
As Tikhik opened the portal back, he was almost knocked back by the "FINALLY!" that came from Tom and Ming through it.
"You're ready then?"
"An hour and a half ago," Ming said as she pocketed the cards and her and Tom grabbed their comically-large backpacks and proceeded to strap a plastic-wrapped bedroll to Tikhik's own back.
"Is that strictly necessary?"
"Yes."
"Fine..." all things considered, it wasn't too heavy or limiting. "Ready."
"YES!" both almost shouted.
"Fine then..."
The portal opened.
-------------------- My views are my own and do not reflect those of everyone else... and I wouldn't have it any other way.
posted
Jazmin double-checked her knapsack for the third time since leaving her room. She satisfied herself that everything was complete, then headed up to the roof. She didn't want anything going wrong now and ruining her and Jenni's plans.
*************************************************
Jenni ran through the streets of New York, enjoying the feel of the wind in her face. Soon, she and Jaz would see their business done. Soon, she'd be free.
*************************************************
Zoe bit her lip as she looked at the monitor screen. She could see that the others in the room were a bit worried too. Maybe more than a bit. Sally had been right, but now Sally was off on a mission somewhere. She'd told her as much as she could, which wasn't a whole lot, actally. Not even Sally seemed to know exactly what she'd be doing. She just knew that it was important.
Irma's voice broke through her thoughts. "Jazmin's heading for the roof, and Jenni's headed out the front door. We have no way to track them from here on. I guess they left separately so they wouldn't be noticed."
"Then we'd better leave immediately." Chuck's voice sounded like he could be discussing what plans to make for the weekend. Zoe knew he was nervous too, but she also knew that no matter what his feelings he'd do what needed doing. That's why he was here right now, in fact. Sally hadn't wanted to tell anyone about Jenni and Jaz, but Zoe had convinced her that the matter was too big to keep to themselves.
Gene was never up for consideration. He'd likely have exploded and gone to confront Jenni and Jaz, and Zoe could see no way that would turn out well. Rex had too much on his plate right now; he'd have known what to do but Zoe didn't want to add to his troubles anymore. Chuck, on the other hand, knew how to deal with stuff like this. And Zoe and Sally both felt they could trust him.
They were right. Chuck didn't think approaching Jenni and Jaz about this was a good idea either, so he'd suggested telling Irma. With Irma came Garth, and the five of them had decided on the best course of action. Talking to Jenni or Jaz was out of the question. You couldn't just ask someone if they were planning to go and... Zoe couldn't bring herself to think about it.
Irma had "read" the two to help the decide. She was loathe to enter their minds without permission, of course, but scanning their sirface emotions wasn't a violation of privacy. She said that Jenni had seemed... dreadfully eager was the only phrase for it. Eager to get the task done, but afraid of what might happen. Jaz had seemed more determined, but there was also a touch of anxiety at what exactly they would do. Irma had been sure that they'd been working mostly on emotion, and that they needed to go through with this for their piece of mind. Garth, of course, had agreed, and so had Chuck.
With Irma against entering their minds, they had done a bit of detective work. They already knew about Jenni's mother and Jaz's brother, and it had been only a little dificult to scan the mission monitor board records for the Arctic base. The tickets to Norway linked everything together.
That last was why Brock was here as well. His knowledge of the Artcic north would come in handy for their plan, which was to follow their teammates up north, and... they hadn't gotten that far. Irma was sure neither of the two would do anything that drastic, but you never knew. But she, Chuck, Garth and Brock would follow and watch, and step in if they needed to. Irma would stay and cover for them, and keep the four in telepathic contact while monitoring Jaz's and Jenni's states. It was the best they could hope for. Brock had been hesitant at first, but Chuck had convinced him to help.
"Everything all set?" Chuck had stepped into a leadership role early on, though he was too nice to actually command. He lead out of respect though, and that was more effective. "Okay, you know the drill. Zoe, good luck."
Zoe nodded, and psychokinetically altered her costume and hair. It was important that Jenni and Jaz not recognize her. She hoped all would go well.
posted
Berta did not expect that her plans would lead her to this much trouble. She didn't expect that the UN wouldn't have pu a temporary ban on new recruits for the Legion while they "got things in order". She didn't expect that her mother would be forced to leave her alone in New York for a few days while she went home to take care of business that couldn't wait. She didn't expect that she'd be spending most of her time in the square in front of Legion headquarters, hoping that she'd be able to introduce herself to a Legionnaire.
She sighed. It had been three days since she first had that idea, but it hadn't panned out. Only a few Legionnaires ever left their HQ on foot. She'd seen Jenni Ogants, but she doubted Jenni had seen her. Sometimes Irma Ardeen and Garth Raines would pass by, but one look at the two of them together told her it was best not to disturb them.
She'd debated whether she should fly up to the roof and hopefully intercept one of the Legionnaires. On one hand, it was better than rotting down her. On the other hand, it wouldn't make for a good first impression if she'd be mistaken as a spy or assailant.
She was just about to give up when she saw what could only have been Zoe Saunders fly from the roof. She squinted. The girl looked nothing like Zoe, but she had the same green glow. A disguise, then.
At the same instant, she overheard three voices.
"Is it a good idea to let Zoe go by herself? I do not wish her to come to harm."
"Brock, we've gone over this. We'd be too obvious if we all went on the same flight Jenni and Jaz took. Irma will keep us in telepathic contact, and besides, it's not like they'll attack Zoe."
"Besides, we'll meet up in Norway and follow them together. ome un, let's hustle."
Berta peeked around the corner and recognized the three Legionnaires. It only took her three seconds to decide to follow them.
posted
Jazmin buckled herself into her seat and smiled at Jenni. "This is it."
Jenni nodded, though the beginnings of a frown creased her face. "I'm sure all will go well."
Jaz nodded back. "It will. We'll bring Chu to justice and everything will turn out all right. I bet even Gene will forgive us for sneaking out like that if we succeed."
Jenni closed her eyes and smiled. "I wish I could be that optimistic." Jazmin wanted to ask what exactly she wanted to be more optimistic about, but thought against it. No sense putting more pressure on either of them. She opened her mouth to reassure Jenni, but the other girl spoke first.
"I'm gonna get some shuteye. Wake me when they serve lunch."
Jaz tried to laugh, to ease the tension Jenni was feeling, but she couldn't do it. She was afraid herself. "You got it."
*************************************************
Zoe leafed through the pages of the magazine, but the words failed to interest her. She kept glancing at Jenni and Jazmin, who were about four seats in front of her. She wished she could just go over and talk to them, ask them what was wrong, but of course she couldn't.
She sat back with a sigh, checking to see if her wig was straight. Jenni and Jazmin were not as close as Sally was, of course, or even Chuck, but they were still her friends. She hoped that what she was doing was still being a good friend to them.
************************************************* Chuck frowned to himself as he boarded their plane. They would land only 15 minutes after Zoe's plane would, but it was enough for their plan to go terribly wrong. What if they couldn't find each other in time, or what if Jenni and Jazmin left and they couldn't tail them? He had rehearsed several scenarios in his mind, and planned for them all, but it still worried him. He wasn't a pessimist by nature, but he did worry far too much. He was just glad that Garth and Brock were with him. At least he didn't have to face things alone. ************************************************ Brock grimaced as he thought about Zoe. It wasn't right that she should go alone. he understood the others' reasoning, but he still felt that there was some danger. oe had volunteered, but it still didn't feel right. And he worried for her. He didn't want to think about what might happen. ************************************************ Berta hurriedly went to her seat on the plane. Luckily, she had been able to buy a ticket with the credit card her mom had left her. Her aunt had also been at work so she was able to pack everything she might need up north. She would have missed the plane had she not flown faster and harder than she'd ever flown before.
She clasped her hands and closed her eyes, saying a little prayer for safety. If all worked out well she'd impress the six Legionnaires. And if not... Risks had to be taken, but Berta hoped that this risk was worth taking.
"None. His wounds were mortal, and only the Elen preserves him now for his last task."
"Very well." The man left the doctors' tent, and entered the deep blue tent beyond.
Inside, a young woman sat crosslegged upon a woollen mat which was laid upon the ground. At the sound of entry, she visibly tensed and opened her eyes, her hand upon Calíburn, her sword. She relaxed only slightly when she saw who it was.
"What news?" she asked.
"As feared, his wounds are mortal." He would have continued, but she knew perfectly well what it meant, and stood and walked to the entrance of the tent, Calíburn in her hand.
She entered the tent thereafter and bade to be left alone with her father, then spoke with him at length for the last time.
Thereafter, she called from inside the tent and had two men carry him out, placing him upon a bench. He looked up at her and nodded, weakly.
"Goodbye father," she whispered, and brought Calíburn down, cleaving his head from his body.
As soon as life left his body, the Elen - a glowing artefact that none but Tazmin could gaze upon - left too, sitting atop his corpse. The fact that she could was sign that it had accepted her as its' new host.
She took it in her hands, and thrust it into her torso, where it vanished.
Michael Tomas, Arren of the Táloc, was dead. Long reign Tazmin Tomas, Arra of the Táloc.
Tazmin looked at her hand and a sword of purest light appeared within it. She wished for Calíburn, her true sword, but it was forbade her until she had a full mastery of the Elén. The lack of mass of the sword of light disturbed her, though she knew it to be stronger than any steel. Nonetheless, she hefted the sword, manifested a shield of the same ether upon her other arm and prepared to strike at her target.
~~~~~~~~~~~
"She will lead us to disaster."
"How so?"
"She is a capable warrior, but her youth and her battle-yearning mean she has not the wisdom to lead."
"Does the Elén not grant wisdom?"
"It contains wisdom, but also folly. It holds all the knowledge of the previous Arrens to carry it within them, but gives only that knowledge that is asked of it. Michael, Allheart take his soul, knew this and balanced what it whispered to him with his own wisdom. Tazmin, thirty seasons younger than Michael when he received it and more desirous of glory on the field, will ask it of great battles and doughty fighters and not seek to check this with thoughts of our present-day capabilities. I tell you most solemnly that I fear she will take us to a battle we cannot win."
"But she is Arra, the wielder of the Elén! Could you gaze upon it when it left Michael?"
"No," his friend admitted, "But the Elén has a will of its' own, and though Tazmin is strong-willed, if its' views align with hers she will follow it - and the Elén would know that."
~~~~~~~~~~~~
She felt the siren cry of battle as she trained, her sweat of liquid light rather than water as she hit every target without fail on the first move, ending with a light dagger shot from her finger to the centre of her final target. The Elén told her she was worthy, and that they could end the corruption of this decadent world as long as she had the strength of mind to do it...
Andromeda sighed, trying and failing to keep her mind blank as she watched the DVD. It had been a bad day.
Firstly, had been breakfast. Which, with Spark and Polarity not talking, had been a nervous affair. Not through choice, she'd heard their whole argument of a couple of days back and tried to have a word with each of them today to little effect. Spark wasn't showing much of her name, and Laurel could tell she wasn't dealing with her rough patch too well but didn't know how to help her. Polarity, on the other hand, was being very defensive and wholly unlike himself when asked about Spark and his relationship with Enrapture, leaving Laurel wondering how to approach Meta about the subject, something she hadn't had time to see about the rest of the day.
After breakfast and the following attempts to get blood from a pair of stones, it had in theory been a fairly conventional day. Meaning lots of makeup, smiling as if she meant it, breathing in other people's smoke and putting up with Reflecto. Fun.
She tried to settle back again to watch the rest of the film. When the cheesy closing muzak stopped though, she felt nervous for some reason. She took the TV remote and flicked to a news channel,
"...tt I-Mart was devastated today by a what was initially thought to be a tornado. However, in the aftermath of the seeming freak event, the police apprehended Walter Barrett's daught..."
She turned it off again, not wanting to hear more about superhuman this or metahuman that. The bottom line was, she was tired. Tired of being a leader who wasn't allowed to lead but had to pay attention to every little fissure in the team all the same.
Tired of saying "how high" when she was told to jump.
The photoshoot was still preying on her mind too, with publication less than a month away now. She'd been given a picture of the cover mocked up - not for approval or anything of the sort, she wasn't sure why - with one of the two nude poses she'd done to make her feel "better" still, only her crossed legs and long, curly blonde hair sparing her blushes completely. She dug it out and looked herself in the eye. The photog had thought she was just pouting, when she was livid and not allowed to say so.
She threw the picture across the room, turned the light off and got into bed properly. Why the hell had she gotten herself into this mess? HOW the hell had she gotten herself into this mess?
-------------------- My views are my own and do not reflect those of everyone else... and I wouldn't have it any other way.
posted
“Hello children,” said the man, “I’d wondered where you’d gotten off to.”
Before Hasim, Dirk, Maziah and Jacquie stood the leader of the Dark Circle, the group of men who had attacked them in Osaka, Japan.
“You won’t be wondering much for long,” said Hasim, stepping forward.
“Hasim, wait—“ said Jacquie, as Dirk broke her off.
“Hasim’s right for once Jacquie,” he said, fury coming across his face. “This guy has it coming and you know it!”
“Such anger, such violence,” replied the man, calm and collected. “You’re doing a fine job of making a scene.”
“And they’ll stop right here,” said a voice and they saw it was Dharampal. “There’s no violence in the café children. If you’ve got political problems, it happens outside the bar. That rule applies to everyone. Even those as unwelcome as Tsuyoshi.”
Jacquie spoke up. “Do as he said,” she said to her friends, “we’re in his house.”
Dharampal nodded to her and she nodded back. An uneasy air existed between Dharampal and the leader of the Dark Circle, whose first name was apparently Tsuyoshi.
“Yes children,” said the older Japanese man, “we’ll see each other soon enough. Some of you,” he continued looking directly at Maziah, “more than others.” She turned away in disgust and Tsuyoshi walked away.
“Great…” said Dirk, “…what are we going to do about this? How’d they know to find us here? I thought we were so secret…”
“We’ll do like we planned,” said Jacquie, “but we need to be more careful. All of us. Maybe we should stay in groups.”
Maziah turned away, obviously displeased. “I’m going to see Blok.”
Jacquie looked tired suddenly, and Dirk saw that being the leader wore her down more than she let on. “I’ll go after her Jacquie,” he whispered, following her outside.
Hasim put his hand on Jacquie’s shoulder. “I’ll stay with you Jac,” he said.
----------------------------
“This is a beautiful community you live in,” said Tenz to Backsheeh. “Is it just you and your father?”
“Yes,” replied the boy, “my mother passed away a few years ago.” He did not seem upset at all. Tatiana looked at Mon though, knowing Ten Zil’s father still weighed down on him.
“I recently lost my father,” said Tenz. “I think about him every day.”
Without saying a word, Tatiana put her arms around Tenz’ arm and held him close. “Funny,” thought Mon, “how close we’re all becoming when we’ve only known each other such a short time.”
“I’m more interested in your story,” said Backsheesh. “Such a strange group of people to be traveling together, and even though you’re all older than me, you’re all still young…”
“Exactly the thing I was thinking of!” said a voice and they turned to see Amarjeet, the man who pretty much ran the city. “I’m pleased to see you found it here,” he said to them. “Marla, this is all they were talking about all day when they arrived.”
They turned to see who he was talking to, to see a handsome man with light gray (almost white) hair. He was thin and looked to be very healthy and looked to be American…another foreigner here. “Allow me to introduce Marla Latham, one of Sakkim’s favorite American patrons.”
“The pleasure is all mine,” said Marla with a half smile, extending his hand, which came into contact with Mon’s first. “Amarjeet was just telling me of you when we spotted you. He said you’re traveling with the Moldavian Princess.”
Tenz noticed that as they were talking, Tatiana was moving further away, almost hiding. It took him a second to realize that it was her skin, which he further realized was a very firm light blue. It was making her uncomfortable and uneasy. Strange, he thought, that no one was mentioning it.
“And I see you’ve met the infamous son of the Sky Café,” said Marla Latham, looking down at Backsheesh.
“Hello Mr. Latham,” said the boy, a little shyer in his voice.
“You’re American sir?” said Tenz. “We’re traveling with an American too.”
“I know,” said Marla, “Amarjeet didn’t realize who it was. Famous boy male model, the youngest in the history of the industry. Fascinating that you’re all together. I’m pretty sure he’s Czech though…” There was something about Marla’s interest in them that didn’t seem right to Tatiana, and she could tell Mon felt it too. But there was something innately likeable about the man.
“See! I told you they were interesting. Now let’s get a drink…I think I see Tsuyoshi over there…” Amarjeet, however, was definitively unlikable.
“Come by and see me sometime in the next day or so,” said Marla, looking more at Tenz and Backsheesh. “I’d love to have a chance to talk to you young men and women while you’re around. Unfortunately, boring businessmen are forcing me to spend what should be my quiet time, talking about business as boring as themselves.” The two men walked off.
They were quiet for a minute. “This place definitely has a strange clientele,” said Tatiana.
“Lots of people here don’t seem right, I agree,” said Mon.
“Here we go,” said Tenz to Backsheesh, referring to Tatiana and Mon, “this is where they get all serious and stop enjoying the night…”
---------------------
Maziah walked outside, Dirk still a bit behind her. It was a lovely garden along the mountainside, and she got the sense that it was constructed to make one feel as if they were standing on a diagonal slope. The wind was crisper out here.
“Blok?” she said softly.
“I am here Maziah,” she heard a reply. “Thank you for coming out to see me.” She turned to see him in the shadows long the cliff, blending in with the other rocky terrain.
“The Dark Circle is here,” she said. “But you probably already knew that…”
“I did not,” he replied, “but I suspected they would come. They will always be coming now, child. There is nothing either of us can do about that.”
She was quiet.
“Do you eat or drink, Blok?” she asked suddenly.
For a second, she could almost feel him smile. “No, I do not. I do not sleep either.”
“Do you sing?” she asked.
“Sing? I…I…no, I do not. I have never given it much thought.”
“That is too bad,” she said. “because it is one of the finer things we do.”
“Then Maziah,” replied Blok, “I am glad you have not forgotten it, in light of our enemies arriving at our every location. I would like to hear this singing some day, perhaps.”
“Then it’s a deal. I will continue to enjoy the pleasures of song, as long as you promise to start enjoying them.” She was smiling widely now.
In the doorway, a small distance away, Dirk was watching and smiling.
“I’m scared Blok,” said Maziah after a long silence.
“I know Maziah,” said the large creature, this time much softer than Dirk ever thought possible for Blok.
Dirk turned away, not wanting to create an embarrassing situation. Again he saw the man named Tsuyoshi. He was talking to Amarjeet and a white-haired businessman, who was either Northern European or American. Tsuyoshi broke away and walked towards Dirk.
“What do you want now?” said Dirk rudely.
“I want to be frank with you Mr. Morgna,” said the businessman. “You know who I am and who I work with, though you know very little about either. We have an interest in your little group and in the White Witch you travel with. There does not need to be violence like in Osaka.”
“No? Then why the kidnapping? Why the attack and the games? I know a crook when I see one, and we want nothing to do with you.”
“That’s too bad, I’m afraid. Too bad for you and your friends.” He walked away again.
---------
“Monsieur Amarjeet,” Hasim heard in a French accent suddenly, as he turned to see the prefect talking to what looked to Hasim to be an undercover officer of some sort. “Another guest has arrived and you will have to handle this one personally, sir. He is making his way here now,” finished the man. Amarjeet walked off.
“What is that about?” wondered Hasim, as Mon, Tatiana, Backsheesh and Tenz walked over.
“I believe someone else is arriving,” said Tatiana answering Hasim’s unspoken question. They looked at the doorway, and saw a man dressed in black attire, almost from a century ago. Shadows seemed to cloud his face, when the light should not have created them in such a way.
Terror struck. None of the children knew why, but they felt it. Raw terror. The man had an air about him, something terrible. He was incredibly handsome, with black hair slicked backwards, but loosely done. He shook Amarjeet’s hand. Amarjeet trembled despite himself.
The man looked around. He seemed to look right through Jacquie, and then Tatiana. The whole room seemed captured by his presence.
“Lord Vykros,” said Amarjeet, “I had no idea you were arriving today. You’re early. Would you care for some wine?”
“I’m precisely on time,” said Vykros, not even looking at the prefect. And I’ve brought my own drink.”
------------------------
“Dirk,” said Blok, surprising him so that he jumped. “We need to leave now. A man has just entered the Café, and he is a terrible man.”
Dirk turned around to see Maziah and Blok. Maziah looked like she was shivering.
“Maziah? What’s wrong? Are you cold?”
“I feel him here. Vykros. He’s come for me. Oh no…” she whispered, “…you’re all in terrible danger.”
“Dirk, take her away from here, right now. The others will meet us back home. I will meet you there too.”
---------------------------
Dharampal stormed past the chidren. He stopped. “Backsheesh, the night is over. I want you to go to bed. I have to take care of our guests.”
“But father—“
“Don’t argue with me.”
“Well,” said the boy turning to the others, “I guess I have to go.”
“Maybe we should too…” said Mon, looking ahead at Vykros, who was talking to Amarjeet and Dharampal.
“Well, I’m sorry to see you leave then,” said Marla Latham, who they saw had come back over to them. “I have to say I’m intrigued by this little band. Would you care to come and visit me tomorrow for tea? I shall be here for the next few days on business.”
Tatiana snuck a glance at Mon to see he was doing the same to her. Jacquie prepared to talk, when Tenz intertupted her.
“I would like that,” said Ten Zil, “maybe Backsheesh can come too?”
“I’d be delighted,” said Marla, and Backsheesh agreed.
“Stop by sometime tomorrow,” said Marla, and Tenz was obviously happy about his. Marla Latham had something paternal about him—something warming. Jacquie looked taken aback, and Tatiana did too—she obviously didn’t trust him. Hasim and Mon watched the man known as Vyrkos.
“Let’s go,” said Jacquie. They all started to try and slip out the door.
“Good night children,” said Amarjeet who was suddenly on them.
“Yes…goodnight,” said Tsuyoshi. The feeling that they were being closed in by more and more people was becoming more apparent.
“Goodnight.”
The group of teenagers made their way home, the whole time worried they would be attacked in the streets. After what seemed like an eternity, they made it to their rooms. None of them could really sleep. A deep loathing had set in, after a day that started off so nicely with the crisp mountain air.
From: If you don't want my peaches, honey... | Registered: Sep 2003
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