posted
Rol's memory of their flight and fight with the gene-spliced horrors in the cave led him to where they were now and he now knew why he was suspended as he was; tied to Tre, stuffed into a cage barely bigger than a coffin, suspended over a vat of boiling flesh and blood.
They had obviously reached the place they were meant to be, the place where he had foreseen a duel, James appearing and blood. Lots of blood! He knew now that within an hour this adventure would all be over. In a part of his mind that he was uncomfortable aknowledging he knew that it was only this Seer's assurance that was the only thing that kept him going in anything other than total terror.
Rol took a deep breath and opened his eyes.
-------------------- "Tempus Fugitive" the final part of the Adventures of Dream Boy series, set in the Three-Boot Universe. Read it only in the Bits o' Legionnaire Business Forum.
From: here, more often than not | Registered: Sep 2003
| IP: Logged |
-------------------- "Tempus Fugitive" the final part of the Adventures of Dream Boy series, set in the Three-Boot Universe. Read it only in the Bits o' Legionnaire Business Forum.
From: here, more often than not | Registered: Sep 2003
| IP: Logged |
posted
Rol opened his eys slowly. The light in the cave was not bright but even so his eyes stung. It took him almost ten seconds to focus clearly through the tears that sprung in his eyes.
Ten feet underneath the cage he and Tre had been bundled into while they were unconscious there bubbled a cauldron at least as tall as either man, full of a dark red thick liquid. It was undoubtably blood, the hot rank odour permeated the air around them making the cavern smell like a charnel house in hell. The cavern floor had obviously been levelled out and floored with a tiled ceramic flooring. There was a raised stage at one end with an ornately carved throne and rack of objects on it. Around this stood a crowd of locals, all silent, waiting. Apparently asleep on the throne sat an old man wrapped in a red fur lined cloak. The rest of the cave was empty apart from several large pale green vats that bubbled quietly along one of the walls.Rol was amazed at just how clutter free the floor appeared. Not one speck of blood despite the bubbling cauldron below, no remains, no furniture , no dropped items or casually discarded objects.
"Tre, we're going to have to get out of this cage."
"Yup. " Both had whispered with half an eye on the silent crowd .None of the large group that stood around the throne appeared to be watching Rol and Tre, no-one evenglanced around as the young Amazer struggled with the ropes that bound his and his guides wrists behind their backs.
"We are going to escape aren't we Rol?" Tre's whispered question had a slight ring of hope.
"When we get these ropes undone I want you to take my belt, it has an Amazer flight buckle attached. Go empty the vats Tre, okay? Don't interupt me as I have to deal with our sleeping villain over there. When James arrives you know it's time to leave, okay?"
"Kid Quantum? Here? Wow!"
Rol smiled though wasn't sure if he was happy or not with the new tone of hope in Tre's voice.
-------------------- "Tempus Fugitive" the final part of the Adventures of Dream Boy series, set in the Three-Boot Universe. Read it only in the Bits o' Legionnaire Business Forum.
From: here, more often than not | Registered: Sep 2003
| IP: Logged |
posted
The ropes dug, burned and scraped as they struggled out of them. Both men's arms and faces were striped with red several minutes later when they had finally shrugged them off.
As Rol pulled the last of the rope from them and fed it out of the cage to drop into the vat below Tre uncomfortably pulled on Rol's belt.
"Why don't you give me your flight ring? He angrily asked as he fumbled with the Amazer's buckle.
"Trust me, I need it."
Tre pulled off the buckle, awkwardly crashing into the wooded cage.
Despite all the noise they had made as they struggled free the crowd hardly seemed to stir. On the throne the old man groaned and rubbed his arms over his eyes. The crowd groaned and several of them started to stretch as if wakening.
"Right, think 'FLY!"" and with that Rol kicked heavily against the bottom of the wooded cage, smashing it underneath the two men. Rol clung to the rail as he pushed Tre out. The guide, eager to please and terrified of failing, followed the instructions he had been given and darted out of the cage and shot across the air straight towards he nearest vat.
"Right, time to sort this out!"
And with that Rol dropped out of the cage right into the boiling vat below.
-------------------- "Tempus Fugitive" the final part of the Adventures of Dream Boy series, set in the Three-Boot Universe. Read it only in the Bits o' Legionnaire Business Forum.
From: here, more often than not | Registered: Sep 2003
| IP: Logged |
posted
As Rol had hoped the Legion Flight Ring's auto eco-defensive capacity protected him from the sudden extreme heat and broiling liquid. He reached down and tugged onto the rope he had dropped. Even while struggling to grab it he heard the previously quiet crowd at the throne roar into life.
The young Naltorian knew he had to be quick or Tre would be caught and their chances of escape would be lost. It felt for all the world to Rol as if he were trying to grab onto the slippery rope while immersed in a vat of room temperature custard.
Were it not for the small golden ring his skin would have been sloughed off in the heat in seconds.
..........................
Tre had flown to the nearest vat and crashed shoulder first into the top of it. Flying, he decided, was not as easy as it looked or as much fun. The top of the vat was covered in a thin glassy film and below Tre could see half a dozen people unconscious curled up inside. The lid easily lifted off and he dropped it onto the ground at the side before jumping inside, using the Amazer buckle to arrest his fall before he landed on top of one of the sleeping prisoners.
None of the prisoners stirred and Tre realised that he was beginning to feel very tired too. The air! Tre started to panic, he picked up the nearest person, an man of middle years that he recognised as a merchant from a nearby village, and willed the amazer buckle to lift them out of the vat.
As he landed heavily outside the crowd who had been around the throne turned as one away from the slumped man and roared!
-------------------- "Tempus Fugitive" the final part of the Adventures of Dream Boy series, set in the Three-Boot Universe. Read it only in the Bits o' Legionnaire Business Forum.
From: here, more often than not | Registered: Sep 2003
| IP: Logged |
posted
There were 57 of them and they all roared and ran towards Tre as he flew in and out of the vats carrying the unconscious villagers. All had faces twisted in anger, teeth bared and fists flailing.
And even as they started to charge Dream Boy erupted from the cauldron swinging the rope that had bound him and Tre only minutes before, blood streaming in all directions as it spun around him. He knew that his partner and fellow Xanthu Amazer James Cullin, Kid Quantum, would arrive within minutes but he also knew that he would have to protect his companion until them from this strange and rabid crowd.
Flying as fast as he could towards the crowd he swung the bloody rope into the chests of the front runners. Blood sprayed as the rope slashed across the attacking crowd. The end of the rope whipped up and ripped into the face of a young woman tearing the skin from her face. It froze Rol for a milisecond as he saw that underneath the layer of flesh torn from the woman's face there was no bone, no blood, just a pale blue featureless cypher: blank, emotionless, controlled.
An android!
James would arrive in under a minute but Rol knew if he didn't act now then Tre and the rescue of the princess would be lost.
Trusting his Seer's sense showed him what he had to do.
"Coward! Fight me yourself!" and with that bellowed challenge he flew at the slumped man on the throne over the heads of the charging crowd. Even as he flew the crowd's attention turned away from Tre towards Rol, they reached and lept and turned their synthetic attention towards him.
The man apparently asleep on the throne turned and gave Rol a huge smile.
"Come." It was the crowd that roared this as the man on the throne rose and pulled a sword from the rack at his side.
The crowd stopped trying to grab Rol and instead formed a semi circle of strangely smiling witnesses to the duel that was away to happen.
-------------------- "Tempus Fugitive" the final part of the Adventures of Dream Boy series, set in the Three-Boot Universe. Read it only in the Bits o' Legionnaire Business Forum.
From: here, more often than not | Registered: Sep 2003
| IP: Logged |
posted
Rol pulled his Pre-Commando baton from his belt and with a flick extended it to its full length.
The man before him, sword pointed low, smiled ferociously as Rol approached.
Behind him the crowd whispered "come."
"You are mute, telepathically speaking through your androids." As he said this Rol jumped aside from a sudden thrust of the sword, the rapier blade elegantly spinning as it followed Rols athletic move. Rol flicked the baton at it, catching the sword with a cymbal like crash and kicked out at the man but he had spun away throwing Rol momentarily off balance.
The man struck out with his fist, Rol's precognition almost failing him as the blow sailed by his face missing by a centimetre. Rol struck out, his baton catching the man hard across the shoulder leaving his opponent's sword arm painfully hanging limp.
The crowd started to take a step forward, a moan escaping from them as the pain of the blow reached them through their telepathic link to their creator. Within seconds the anroid crowd would be on him but Rol couldn't turn to face them as the man took the sword in his other hand and struck out.
Yet even as the mob moaned they seemed to come to rest, the air around them sparkling in a mist of purple.
James had arrived, his quantum field had saved Rol's life from the enraged androids.
Now to sort out their crazed creator.
-------------------- "Tempus Fugitive" the final part of the Adventures of Dream Boy series, set in the Three-Boot Universe. Read it only in the Bits o' Legionnaire Business Forum.
From: here, more often than not | Registered: Sep 2003
| IP: Logged |
posted
Harbinger, this is great! I have just started reading with the last 2 pages, great character and story-building at work here....I also really like the way you've captured how effective a power like precognition can be paired with some lateral thinking. The bit with the flight ring and the vat of blood was inspired!
-------------------- Read the alternate adventures of the Legion after Legion of Three Worlds! postlo3w
Registered: Nov 2009
| IP: Logged |
posted
Thanks Razsolo, glad to hear you're enjoying this. have to agree that pre-cognition could be a really affective ability and hopefully I'm using it to full effect.
More coming, thanks again Raz
Cx
-------------------- "Tempus Fugitive" the final part of the Adventures of Dream Boy series, set in the Three-Boot Universe. Read it only in the Bits o' Legionnaire Business Forum.
From: here, more often than not | Registered: Sep 2003
| IP: Logged |
posted
James cullen had been running a tactical training class for recent trainees at the Amazer's Spire headquarters when the alarm had been raised. The bio-sensors in Dream Boy's Amazer Buckle had registered that he had suddenly become unconscious. Something had happened to him and James wasn't about to wait for an exploratory party to get together to join him. Grabbing the two nearest trainees and raced to the Airdeck where the Amazers saucers sat waiting for action.
The AI controller of the Spire had already set their flight path by the time they had reached the saucer. Psyche's questions rang from the internal speaker and james gave concise answers as they flew.
Where, what, how many Amazers would be needed?
The teams empathic co-leader was making arrangements for a larger group to follw behind. The Amazers looked after their own.
In the minutes it took to the Amazer's craft to reach the caves James had downloaded satellite surveilance of the site along with a historic 3-D map ofthe twisting caves, cross referencing with the area where Rol's buckle had send out the alarm. The on-ship AI generated a path from the cave mouth to where Dream Boy may be. After programming the route into his Amazer's buckle James turned to the two trainees.
"Right, tell me you are not claustrophobic or scared of things that go bump in the night?" Even with the smile on his face both trainees knew that he would not accept a wrong answer.
"I can see in the dark." The wiry Talokean said, his accent making his answer sound like a challenge.
"Umm... I'm able to create a phosphorous glow if you like?" The young Trommite seemed a little unsure of herself as she answered but held her chin up as she looked into James' eyes. James expression didn't change as his mind raced. He had brought Shadow Lad and Zero, two trainees who had shown determination and ability to deal with situations as they arose.
"You'll both do great." Both trainees looked grateful to hear this from James though both had unspoken doubts that he was saying it for them rather than genuinely meaning it.
-------------------- "Tempus Fugitive" the final part of the Adventures of Dream Boy series, set in the Three-Boot Universe. Read it only in the Bits o' Legionnaire Business Forum.
From: here, more often than not | Registered: Sep 2003
| IP: Logged |
posted
Finding his lover and teammate in the caves had not been as straight forward as had James expected.
Even using the directions plotted by the Amazer's AI the caves twisted and turned, stalactites, sudden dips in the rough floor and unplotted rockfalls all conspired to delay the team.
The young Talokean had quickly spotted the giant vermin as the beasts skulked around them waiting an opportunity to pounce. James bound the creatures within a quantum pocket as Zero struck with sulfur that stunk and burned the attacking horde. It was Shadow Lads ferocity that worried James though as the Talokean physically tackled the beasts when they tried to pounce on the small team. The giant rats were quickly dispatched despitetheir size and savage hunger.
Even as the team fought their way through the caves James' Buckle directed them with a gentle voice.
Shadow Lad spotted the force field and gave warning before either Zero or Kid Quantum ran unknowingly into it.
It took a frustrating 30 seconds to break through the barrier with James' quantum energy straining to create a bubble that allowed the three to pass unhurt.
A further couple of minutes and they came into the large cavern were Rol and Tre had been held. James immediately flew to Rol's aid while the two trainees quickly ascertained that Tre was rescuing the trapped locals from the vats.
James was surprised that he found it more of a strain holding the large crowd at bay than expected.
He was unaware that the vats that had held the tribesfolk were still producing the gas developed to keep xanthu natives unconscious. Over by the vats Tre had slumped to the floor. Neither of the trainee Amazers had noticed as they were busy tending to the unconscious tribesfolk that they and Tre had rescued from the vats.
Without being consciously aware of it his quantum force sphere was slowly shrinking and the affected androids at the edges of the group were shaking their heads as they came to their senses.
-------------------- "Tempus Fugitive" the final part of the Adventures of Dream Boy series, set in the Three-Boot Universe. Read it only in the Bits o' Legionnaire Business Forum.
From: here, more often than not | Registered: Sep 2003
| IP: Logged |
posted
Outside the caves three Amazer saucers landed. Psyche, Typhoon, Dragonmage, Lamprey and the Monstress climbed out followed by half a dozen trainees. To the Amazer's point of view some of their own were in trouble and they were going to make sure that they did everything in their considerable power to ensure that they got their teammates back.
Psyche arranged the team- Herself, Monstress and Lamprey took three trainees as the Strike team - their role was to act as an attack force, while Typhoon and Dragonmage had the other trainees behind Psyche's group. This secondary group - the Shield Team - were to provide any back up if needed and protect the Strike teams flank.
The giants rats, formally the dominant, fearless occupants of the caves, gave the group a wide berth after their recent losses against the smaller Amazer team. Apart from Psyche broadcasting a low level fear amongst the rats the team had no encounters with them. Their Flight Buckles carrying them in formation safely through the twists and turns, Typhoon and Lamprey generated a crackling electric glow that gave the team enough light to see the giangantic stalagnites that littered the cave like god's own teeth.
Monstress and Lamprey were at the front of the group, they knew about the force field from the auto-report received from Kid Quantum. Monstress smashed her giant invulnerable frame through it knowing that the energy had been disrupted by James Cullin earlier, while Lamprey took a deep breath and nervously reached her hands out preparing to hopefully absorb any residual energy.
It appeared that her massive team mates physical approach had been enough and the team cautiously progressed.
-------------------- "Tempus Fugitive" the final part of the Adventures of Dream Boy series, set in the Three-Boot Universe. Read it only in the Bits o' Legionnaire Business Forum.
From: here, more often than not | Registered: Sep 2003
| IP: Logged |
posted
James collapsed onto his knees, his quantum force bubble finally disappearing releasing the androids from its hold. Rol was aware that his partner was in trouble but as the android creator was showing his ambidexterous swordsmanhip Rol knew he would not be able to save James right now.
Rol knew he would have to pull out all the stops if he was to stop the mad man before him. Drawing on his already dwindling reserves of strength Rol smashed out, his baton catching the swordsman firmly across the brow. The android crowd moaned and clutched their heads in unison. Rol took the opportunity to punch his opponent fully in the gut, knocking the air from his lungs and buckling his knees. Even as he fell the android maker flicked the swords blade out cutting Rol across the shins in an agonising slash, blood immediately seeping down the young man's legs.
As Rol shouted in pain his opponent scrambled back to his feet, a feral grin back on his face as he struck out with suprising quickness. Rol spun out of the way almost crashing into the advancing android group. Using his flight ring to levitate above the horde Rol quickly took stock of the situation.
The two Amazer trainees had released all the trapped natives from the vats but now had their hands full as the almost 30 androids ran at them. Tre was slumped against a vat beside a group of half a dozen or so sleeping Xanthuians.
James Was struggling to fight off half a dozen androids. The android maker was attempting to flee, sprinting towards the back of the cavern with a dozen androids. Rol knew he needed to end this quickly before their opponent escaped or James took any serious injuries. Flying at full speed Rol avoided the androids and crashed heavily into the back of the fleeing android maker. As his opponent fell Rol kicked out and knocked him unconscious, hoping that the androids would stop their ominous advance.
Unfortunately the android maker had pre-programmed his mob to carry on without his telepathic prompting.
-------------------- "Tempus Fugitive" the final part of the Adventures of Dream Boy series, set in the Three-Boot Universe. Read it only in the Bits o' Legionnaire Business Forum.
From: here, more often than not | Registered: Sep 2003
| IP: Logged |
posted
Picking up the unconscious villain and levitating above the grasp of the attacking androids Rol could see his Amazer teammates enter the cavern.
Monstress ran at the attacking group of androids who were charging at the trainees, Lamprey close behind. There were a few traines behind them being given orders from Psyche. Rol willed his Legion Flight Ring onto speaker mode, activating a protocol that Brainiac 5 had programmed for potential crowd control situations. His voce boomed across the cave.
"They are androids, organic skin but unliving underneath. James needs help. Thanks Cassandra you're here, I've got their leader here but I'm going to need meds. I think the vats are producing an anesthetic gas, James is flagging here."
He flew to the end of the cave where his team mates had entered as he spoke.
Landing gracefully he dumped the unconscious man heavily on the floor. Psyche and a red skinned trainee Rol had never met before walked over to join him. Rol could see the pride in Psyche's eyes as she approached. He knew he wouldn't be able stop yet, he was riding on an adrenaline high that would leave him needing a long rest to recharge.
"He telepathically controls the androids so keep an eye on him. I'm going to borrow a saucer as I have some people to reunite, is that okay?" and before he got a reply Rol flew across the cave towards James.
Lamprey, Monstress and a couple of trainees had scattered the attacking crowd and begun seeing to the needs of the unconscious natives taken from the vats. Rol could see the thin trainee lass who had joined James was working her way around the vats, her touch sending a steam from various points. A Trommite, perfect for shorting out the machanism that was producing the knock-out gas. The towns folk were slowly stirring, some seemed overcome by the attention they were receiving from ther planetary champions, several were crying, a few more were looking at the androids - the unliving cyphers wearing their faces! Their shock, disgust and anger were very evident as several townsfolk kicked at the slumped androids.
Several of the townsfolk who had been in the vats were not as lucky, the androids had murdered them when they had attacked despite the best efforts of the Trainees Shadow Lad and Zero. A young woman, Rol noticed, cried out in anguish as she knelt over the obviously dead body of an older man so recently rescued from the vats.
James was sitting upright, the androids he had been struggling with had been smashed by the Monstress and lay sprawled arund, his head was gashed and it was apparent from his heavy breathing that he had taken a serious body blow.
"Hey James, you okay?"
"Never better Dreamy Boyo, never better." His thin smile and obvious happiness to see Rol lit up his battered face.
"Me too Kid." They grinned like fools as they hugged. "I've got a princess to return to her worried mother and a couple of loose ends to tie up. I'll join you at the spire within a couple of hours, I promise!"
-------------------- "Tempus Fugitive" the final part of the Adventures of Dream Boy series, set in the Three-Boot Universe. Read it only in the Bits o' Legionnaire Business Forum.
From: here, more often than not | Registered: Sep 2003
| IP: Logged |
posted
Rol found Tre beside a group who obviously knew him. Tre had found the missing princess and her group.
The Princess was suprisingly humble, Gahald her personal security guard was a stocky man with eyes that missed nothing and jaw so broad it almost made his head look triangular, and the hand maiden Elizabori, a blond woman with a huge bosom and stunning smile, were shocked as Tre explained to them what had happened. Also in the vats were the two guards who the Queen assumed were murdered when the princess was kidnapped.
The security guards had apparently been substituted for androids wearing their clone grown skin and these dopplegangers had brought the princess here. Gahald told Rol and Tre that he had fought and destroyed the two androids but had been overcome by a gas as they fought, his last sight before being overcome by darkness was of townspeople apparently approaching the unconscious princess and handmaiden.
It was the handmaiden who supplied Rol with hs opponents name:" Do you remember," she asked Tre and the princess, "in our history lessons about the android maker who hid out in the caves centuries ago, Tariq Mohamud al-Massol?"
"Tariq the Mute." Princess Rabecka said it quietly but they all heard.
-------------------- "Tempus Fugitive" the final part of the Adventures of Dream Boy series, set in the Three-Boot Universe. Read it only in the Bits o' Legionnaire Business Forum.
From: here, more often than not | Registered: Sep 2003
| IP: Logged |
Hyperpath: Email this page to someone!
Printer-friendly view of this topic | Subscribe To Topic
![[Big Grin]](biggrin.gif)
![[Smile]](smile.gif)
