posted
“We’re going to need to leave Sakkim, and soon” said Jacquie. “We can’t stay here, with the Dark Circle gathering before us.”
“So, we’ll keep going as planned,” said Dirk. “Tenz is going over to see that Marla Latham guy today, and I think Maziah and I are going with him. We can leave tomorrow. You should go with us today Jacquie.”
She was quiet for a minute. “No, I think I’ll stay here and see if anything happens. Hasim said he’d stick around too,” she finished, going back and looking out the window.
“Ooookay,” said Dirk, purposely being sarcastic, and walking out the door. Blok was there.
“He spends an awful lot of time around her, don’t you think?” said the young man.
“Does this bother you?” said Blok.
Dirk gave him a sly look. “You know it does. You know what?” he added, whispering, “I don’t know if I entirely trust him. Something seems off about him.”
“Indeed? One might say that about all of us, I suppose…still, it is good you are on your guard.” Blok continued on towards Jacquie.
Dirk walked on. “And yet, I didn’t find out if he agreed with me or not…” he thought, ready to throw his hands into the air.
------------------------------
Mon flew up the stairs at top speed, letting loose for a quick moment before having to turn the power back off. He’d felt a bit confined lately, not using his powers to their full potential. Still, zipping around a posh hotel wasn’t exactly the type of practice he was looking for.
“Tatiana,” he said, louder than he wanted to. Her door was closed. “Tatiana, most of the others have left for awhile and I’m getting antsy…” he went to open the door, and it was locked.
“Mon, I’m not feeling well,” he heard through the door. She sounded upset. “I don’t really feel like doing much of anything at all today.”
“Tatiana…” he said, this time softer, “what’s the matter? Are you alright?”
“I’m fine. I just don’t feel up to going out at all. I-I’ll see you later.”
“Tatiana. This is about your skin color. The blue skin. Which, apparently, no one seems to be asking you about. It’s definitely a side effect of your powers…the darkness effecting the pigment of your skin…”
“Please go away.” This time, she sounded more firm.
“I don’t mind it at all,” he said, in a voice that found its footing—soft, but firm too. “You have nothing to be ashamed of.”
“Please Mon, go away. You have no idea what I’m feeling.”
“Tatiana, I’ve been different than everyone all my life. I know exactly what you’re feeling—and yet, here you are with seven companions as equally different as any you’ve ever met face to face. Please open the door.”
“I don’t know who you think you are,” she said suddenly in a rage, “but I can feel whatever I want without you putting in. I’m not opening the door.”
“Fine,” said Mon.
BAM.
Quite easily, the broken door creaked open, wooden shards falling to the ground. She looked at him in utter shock, dry tears around her eyes, sitting in her nightgown. Her skin was a pale light blue, and her raven hair made it only stand out even more.
He could feel it. The rage was about to explode on him. A wide grin forced its way onto his face. She was making her way across the room, and suddenly he felt as if the whole armies of Persia were outflanking him. She opened her mouth to yell…
“I think you’re beautiful. The most beautiful girl I’ve ever seen.”
In one of those rare instances where you often try everything in your power to remember every millisecond of something but can only remember glimpses and half-memories, the next few moments happened.
Her arms around his neck, her body in his arms, and a deep, passionate kiss.
From: If you don't want my peaches, honey... | Registered: Sep 2003
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posted
“Now tell me, my young friends,” said Marla as he poured them all tea, “what do you know about worldly events?”
Dirk raised an eyebrow at Maziah, but she was too fascinated by their host. Tenz and Backsheesh seemed to be eating up his every word, and had been that way for the good part of an hour already.
“Only what we hear on the news,” said Tenz.
“Hm. The news. Here in India? Or when you were in Southeast Asia? That hardly seems a good avenue to learn about things happening on a much bigger stage. In my opinion, no real avenue exists for the real ‘big picture’ to be scene as it is. Not here, not even in New York.”
“What is happening in the news, Mr. Latham?” asked Backsheesh.
“Well, and now we get to the point. It’s a question of what’s happening in the news and what is not happening in the news.”
“Ok, now I’m confused,” said Dirk. “You mean what’s not being reported.”
“Correct. Such as your group, traveling through Europe. Surely events are playing out here that directly relate to that much bigger stage I was just referring to.”
“Just how much do you know about us, sir?” said Maziah. She had been relatively quiet until then.
“Not nearly as much as I would like. But in a rather less than subtle way of dodging that question, let me go back to the other side of the coin. Do you know what else is happening on the world stage that is being reported?”
“What, you mean the stuff in Khunda?”
“No, no, Tenz, you’re still only focusing on the obvious. I mean the Legion of Super-Heroes. Have you heard of them yet?”
“Y-yes,” said Maziah, suddenly interesting. “Do you know them?”
“I haven’t met them yet, I’m afraid, but I will. And their importance is almost so obvious that many are missing it. A grand, unifying force for this planet. Young, optimistic and eager. A veritable Legion, in the sense that already they number above a dozen, and super in the sense that each one can do things I can only dream of. I would think that you all would have a much keener interest in such a group.”
“Wow, we really haven’t been that secret at all,” said Dirk.
“No, I’m afraid you haven’t in terms of all the people who have ways of finding things out. But consider what could be accomplished by such a unified force, who so specifically believe in ideals no less than super-heroic.”
“Advocates of peace,” said Tenz. “We could fight things people only dream of fighting.”
“Exactly. And unfortunately, advocates of war,” said Marla, turning to Maziah. “Do not forget your sister, Maziah, and that you have friends you have still yet to meet.”
They were all silent. Marla smiled. He stood up. “And that, my young friends, is the end of my afternoon,” he smiled. “Remember the Legionnaires.”
From: If you don't want my peaches, honey... | Registered: Sep 2003
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posted
There are times when events have moved at a steady pace—not slow, but not fast by any means—and then they suddenly quicken to such a fast pace that its hard to process all of the information as it happens. The next hour of Dirk Morgna’s life would always be remembered by him in such a way.
“Come on,” he said to Tenz, Backsheesh and Maziah. “Let’s get back to Jacquie and Hasim. Just to make sure their alright,” he added.
“Dirk, I’m sure they’re alright,” said Maziah.
“I know Hasim’s a jerk,” said Tenz, “but you can cut him a break just a little you know…”
Dirk ignored the comment as Backsheesh looked on in wonder. He saw no reason to tell ‘Kid Psycho’ about his distaste for their Turkish ‘friend’.
“Its hard to tell when Dirk likes a girl,” said Maziah to Backsheesh suddenly, “because we’re not sure if he just flirts a lot or actually likes every girl,” she said smiling. Tenz started to laugh. Dirk shook his head, but couldn’t help but smile.
Suddenly they came to a dead stop.
Up ahead of them, around a bend, stood the man they saw the night before. Hidden in the shadows, almost possible to see. His upper faced was covered in shadow, but they knew it was him. An intense feeling surrounded him, as if all the air around him was hot but the rest of the air was cold. A distorted sense, as if pure negative energy poured from him. Lord Vykros.
“Out for some air?” he said, a slight Eastern European accent noticeable. “Surely you realize that its almost dusk.”
“Vykros…” said Maziah, about to say something, but not finding the courage to continue.
“Lady Maziah,” he said, a smile coming over his face. Only his teeth were visible in the darkness. The street suddenly seemed empty and long on both sides. “It is time for you to come home. It will be my pleasure to escort you there.”
“I-I-I’m not going a-anywhere,” she said, trembling.
“You are,” replied Vykros, opening up his smile wider, so that two teeth became more visible—they appeared to be fangs.
“What the hell--?” said Dirk. “Tenz, Backsheesh, run…run!” he said, and he turned to put his arms on Maziah. The sun seemed to be going down much quicker than it should have been.
“No hurry…” he said, as the four teenagers ran away.
One street over became two, and then five. The four said nothing, dashing around town as quick as possible. Dirk turned. Maziah screamed ‘no!’, and pulled him on. She began to chant and to hymn, and a light began surrounding her hands, as she rubbed them together. She was casting a spell of some sort.
“Let’s just get home,” said Tenz, turning the corner. “We can---“
He had Ten Zil by the throat in mere seconds, and hurled him across the alley. Backsheesh immediately ran to Tenz, as Dirk and Maziah saw that Vykros had cut them off. “It’s too late!” yelled the Vampire, “you must realized I planned for this,” he said softer.
Maziah let out a blast, knocking him backwards, and Dirk realized the Vampire was much stronger than they knew if he could survive that. He survived it, and recovered faster than Maziah had expected. He leapt at them, and now Dirk fired his sun blasts at him, which seemed to have an effect. They scrambled more.
“I’m here,” said a voice, which they realized was Blok. He materialized out of the ground, and ran at Vykros. “Undead abomination,” he roared, “you will terrorize no young girl tonight.” He blows were thunderous and echoed throughout the street. Vykros pounded back, equally as hard.
Dirk ran on, lost in the fray, and realized Tenz was by his side. They were near their hotel now, and burst through the door. They ran up through the lobby, not looking back, into their room, to see Jacquie and Hasim, oblivious, watching the television. “Run!” yelled Tenz, in a panic.
“What--?”
“What’s going on?” said Jacquie.
“We have to leave,” said Dirk. “We were attacked by that Lord Vykros person…Blok is fighting him…where are Mon and Tatiana?...” Dirk was turning around frantic. He was terrified. The Vampire must have some kind of ability to inspire fear, because he could see Tenz obviously felt the same feeling of complete and utter terror.
“Calm down, calm down” said Jacquie. She was suddenly next to him and holding him close, whispering to try and calm him down. He was sweating and his heart was pounding. “We’ll go,” she whispered and then raised her voice to Hasim and Tenz. “Let’s get our stuff. Only the bear essentials like when we came here. Where is Backsheesh and Maziah?” she asked.
“I-I thought they were with us…” whispered Dirk back.
----------------- Blok and Vykros pounded on one another, as the sun truly was setting now. Blok hurled him into an old wall, which instantly was destroyed by the force applied. Vykros leapt back, landing a horrendous blow across Blok’s chest, causing rubble and dust to fall off the massive creature’s frame.
“You’ve long been a thorn to my master old one,” said Vykros, “and it will give me the greatest pleasure to be the one to finally destroy you,” he smiled. Another terrible blow knocked Blok backwards and when the creature arose, he saw his left arm was no longer there.
“NO!” came a girl’s voice and Blok knew Maziah had not left. “Leave him alone!” she screamed, once more sending a potent blast of pure magical energy at Vykros, which charged threw him, almost destroying him.
----------------------- Jacquie, Dirk, Hasim and Tenz ran out of the hotel, and Hasim loudly let out a “Thanks Heavens” when Mon and Tatiana were coming up. Jacquie caught them before they could say anything. “We’re being attacked and need to leave immediately. Blok and Maziah are battling him. Its that Vykros man.”
“I’m going,” said Mon, turning.
“Go,” said Jacquie, knowing it was a good move and not worth arguing. Mon was off.
“Where to now?” said Tatiana, obviously confused by the sudden turn of events. “The boats?”
“I…” Jacquie seemed unsure. “Yes, we’ll go to the boats. This way,” she said, leading them on. They saw some people in the streets, who looked at them funny, seeing how much of a rush the kids were in. Then, up ahead, they saw Amarjeet, the essential prefect of the city.
“Mr. Amarjeet!” said Tenz running to him. “Can you help us, please? We…We need to get out of the city.”
Amarjeet looked at them with a scandalized face, but it quickly faded and he nodded. He seemed confused. “Of course, of course. Follow me, and we will have you safely out of here.” He looked around, unsure of what to do next. “It’s very dark right now for such an early hour in the evening” he said out loud quizzically.
Amarjeet led them through an old building in what they thought was the center of town, but apparently was not. “This is one of the many secrets of the city. It’s an old building that leads out into the mountain side in a small pass through a tunnel. It should help you. But, what about the rest of your friends?” he asked.
“We’ll find way to get word,” said Dirk, now regaining his composure.
“Thank you for helping us,” said Tatiana, “but, may I ask, why are you doing it?”
Amarjeet stopped and thought for a minute. “Quite simply children,” he said, “I’m not. I’m helping them.”
Out of the shadows, they suddenly realized they were completely surrounded by members of the Dark Circle.
From: If you don't want my peaches, honey... | Registered: Sep 2003
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posted
“Leave him alone!” yelled Maziah, as she blasted Vykros. The creature fell.
“Y-your…m-mother,” he said quietly. She stopped, shocked.
“What? My mother, what do you--?”
It was all the time he needed. He gazed directly into her eyes with his own and his eyes went completely red. His voice was different, edgier, razor sharp. “Do nothing. Follow me. Join me to return to your father. Do as I say, ask no questions.” The words were poison coming from his mouth.
“NO!” said Blok, running forward and pummeling a blow into him. “You will not use your vampiric mind on her. I will not allow it!” Blok’s anger was furious and righteous. Maziah meaned so much to him…so much to the world. It could not end here.”
“But I have!” yelled Vykros back. The Vampire had lost his composure and was now completely caught up in the moment. Savagely he pounded back, each blow gaining more and more power until Blok fell backwards. “We have won old fool, beaten you before you could even begin. It is over.” Blok looked up, as Vykros continued to pound on him repeatedly, blow after blow. At last he walked away. I only regret you have no blood for me to feast on this eve. Quietly, he walked off with Maziah.
---------------------
Mon flew around the city looking for where they could possibly be. Up ahead, he spotted something, and saw it was Backsheesh. He scooped him up before the boy could say anything. The young boy, only thirteen years old, was frightened beyond all belief. “I ran…” he whispered again and again, “I ran…”
“Its OK Backsheesh,” said Mon, cursing the fact that he had little bedside manner. “But you need to help me now. Where are they? Where is Maziah and Blok. Backsheesh!” he yelled, and the little boy jumped. “Take me there. Please.”
--------------------
The Dirk Circle were all over them, and a mass of hands were grabbing them, choking them, punching them and pushing them to the floor. They felt immediately violated and abused, tricked and betrayed and led strait into an ambush. Jacquie heard the familiar voice of Tsuysoshi, their leader.
“We do not have the White Witch,” he said and she knew he was smiling, “but we have all of you, and that will be enough!” he said with a laugh. “Keep them on the ground and get them all unconscious as soon as possible. We’ll bring them to the trucks and get them out of India into Russia as quickly as we can. Let the icey cold Siberian weather feel good on their backs as we trek them through the hills.”
Jacquie continued to struggle and she could hear Hasim fighting with all his might. His abilities were incredible, but she remembered his one great weakness, that they only worked so well against one, single opponent. She concentrated hard, as hard as she could. She felt a man’s hand whack her in the head, and it stung terribly. She just concentrated on her not being there. That she, herself, was not there, despite everything else happening. Only the floor. No young girl. No regal Princess, young woman of great character and valor. No young leader, friend to these diverse and strange individuals. No scared young lady, lonely and terrified, lost and afraid. A tear rolled down her cheek.
Things moved so fast. The others were being dragged away. There was at least twenty, no twenty-five, members of the Dark Circle there. They had knocked out Dirk, she heard it, and Tatiana and Tenz were captured too. Hasim fell. Tsuyoshi was gone, they all were. They paid Amarjeet.
More minutes passed. NO. NO! NO!!! Get up! She rose. She ran towards the doors. Gone. They were all gone.
From: If you don't want my peaches, honey... | Registered: Sep 2003
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posted
Mon-El flew down with Backsheesh, and saw the crumbled remains of Blok scattered in the alley. The wise creature was gone. Destroyed and dead.
Or was he?
“I am here Mon,” said a voice and they could see a flicker in the almost life-less husk. “Things have gone terribly but there is still hope. Lord Vykros has taken Maziah, and if she is returned to Mordru, all of this has been for nothing. You must stop him, and you must do it immediately. That is the most important task.”
“Blok, are you…dying?” asked Mon.
“I am not dying, although Vkros destroyed this shell. I must create another. I am the product of this planet, and I have a mission. My mission is not done, and thus I am not done. But I will need to regain my strength before I join you anew. Join you I shall, but you must not let time eclipse us now. Race against it and save what chance we have. I will join you when I can. Go now, my friend, and be the hero you have always been. Find out why you have re-awoken two thousand years later to be one of the greatest heroes of this age.”
Mon-El stood before him, as Blok’s flicker began to fade away. “I will Blok, and I will see you soon.”
----------------
Jacquie ran outside into the beautiful town of Gangtok, to see the dark evening sky. People passed through the streets, and it was an epicenter of cultural activity. It felt clean, fresh, and smelt like cinnamon and tea.
Cold sweat ran down her nose, and her anger was suddenly beaten back by a cold, harsh calm. Up ahead, she thought she saw Amarjeet. She ran after him. No use, he was too far ahead. She ran farther. He was surrounded by people. She wanted her revenge so badly. Her father first. Her country. Her best friends.
He seemed to be walking away, turning down a new street.
What he saw down the corner would haunt him for the rest of his life. All her anger. All her frustration. One illusion. One horrifying, terrifying illusion. They would talk about his scream for many years to come in Gangtok.
Moments later, she was figuring out what to do next when Mon-El flew down with Backsheesh. He looked like she felt and vice versa.
“They’ve all been taken. Taken by the damn Dark Circle. We have to go after them.”
He looked bleak. “We will. But we need to get Maziah first. She’s on her way to her father’s. Blok is…gone. But he’ll return. I’ll explain on the way. We need to get Maziah first.”
“Are you sure?” asked Jacquie.
Mon thought about Tatiana. The kiss. The embrace. Dammnit. “Yes, I am.”
She nodded, and turned to Backsheesh. He seemed overwhelmed. She gave him a smile, and shocked herself by doing it. “It’s going to be alright Backsheesh,” she said. “You’ve been a great friend to us. I promise we’ll return some time and visit. Thanks for everything.” She gave him a hug.
“I’m sorry for everything,” he said, shell-shocked. He felt like he should be crying, but he was being strong. “Be careful. I’ll miss you guys.”
“We’ll miss you too,” said Mon-El with nod. He meant it. “Take care of Gangtok for us,” he added.
“I will,” whispered Backsheesh as they flew away, adding “you can always count on Kid Psycho…”
Mon flew off with Jacquie in his arms. They were deadly serious. “Enough is enough” said Jacquie. “First Maziah, then the rest. It’s time to fight back.”
From: If you don't want my peaches, honey... | Registered: Sep 2003
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"I'm going to kill them!" yelled Gene--no, screamed Gene. "What in the hell were they thinking?!!"
Outside of Rex's office, Nura and Lyle looked at one another with squinted eyes, trying not to cringe any further when Gene yelled.
"I don't know Gene," they heard him say, "and I'm not happy about it either. But maybe we should at least hear them out a little...?"
"No, I don't think we should. They went way beyond protocol and organized a Legion mission, with four Legionnaires now missing from the roster. Who knows what danger they're in? I expect this from Norga, since he obviously has no respect for any kind of authority, but the girl too? I don't even know why she's on this team...what can she even do?"
"Now Gene, I know your mad, but take it easy. The last time you made a statement like that you hurt someone's feelings and I talked to you about it. Besides, you know RJ likes that Nura is on this team and thinks its a good idea."
"He does?" whispered Nura to Lyle outside the office.
Lyle shrugged. "News to me."
They started to giggle. "He's so mad..." whispered Nura.
"Cos, four Legionnaires missing. On some mission in another country. We've been spending weeks, actually months, getting our shit strait--getting UN clearance, US government clearence, Health Inspectors regulating the flight rings, telling us not to use the Star Gate techonology, trying to get special citizenship classes for various Legionnaires..."
"I know. And they'd all go crazy if they found out four of us snuck off somewhere on some secret mission. But maybe that's the point Gene. We've spent too much time 'fixing' this minor buerocratic problems when there are other things going on. Maybe Lyle and Nura taking some iniatitive is a little reminder that the reason we're all doing this is more than just a public show of force and unity. There is an important mission at hand."
Gene looked at him. He wasn't convinced.
"Its her sister Gene. And she's been up front with us now that they're gone. Let's figure something out. We can always point fingers later..."
"Better stop giggling..." whispered Lyle to Nura.
"I like Cos..." she said.
"Cute too, isn't he?" said Lyle back.
End Interlude
From: If you don't want my peaches, honey... | Registered: Sep 2003
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posted
This chapter does not occur within a week of the above chapter. We can sort out whether it's before or after later
Punch. Kick. Uppercut. Trinity swirled, her opponent momentarily stunned, giving her time to split without leaving herself vulnerable for the moment it took, then the three of her worked in perfect synchronisation, information on each of their positions and movements travelling instantly between her heads as the three of her moved in perfect synchonisation to finish her opponent off.
"I yield, I YIELD!" Shifter shouted, leading her to stand back.
"Toldya," Purple grinned a moment before she remerged, while Shifter picked himself up and the dents and bruises in his surface rippled and vanished.
"Good sparring," Trinity said as she offered Shifter a hand.
"For you, perhaps," he grumbled - the physical marks of his working-over were gone, but the pains would take a few minutes to fade, "I still can't fight for toffee like this."
"Ah, we'll get you there, even if Val doesn't reappear from wherever he vanished to. This time, I just needed to know where you're at - we'll start properly next time. Now c'mon, I need something to eat and I'd guess you do to."
"You're not wrong," Shifter replied, before adding in an undertone, "although where I put it..." ___________________
"Still not happy then?" Trinity asked before taking a bite of salad.
"Well, hair's hard to do,..."
"You couldn't just be bald? I mean, you've got tentacles on your head!"
"There is no way on Earth, here, now, past, present or future I am ever going to go around with a shiny orange egg for a head."
"Okaaay..."
"And once I'm asleep, I...well, that is,...I turn to gloop," his bright eyes momentarily went black and his expressive face made an expression of disgust. Clearly, he was still adjusting.
"Irma ever tell you about how she found me, the morning after I got my powers?" When Reed shook his head she continued," I was a complete basket case, fit only for a room with rubber wallpaper. My mind had been ripped in three then put back together again - badly - after I made an offhanded wish that there were three of me to do all my work while holding my new oil lamp."
"Oil lamp?"
"You know - Arabian Nights, Aladdin, the type of lamp the genie was kept in? I collect them."
Shifter laughed, making ripples shudder over his whole body, "You found a real genie?"
"Seemed like that - I've still got that lamp, although I haven't actually touched it since..."
"Can I have it?"
"I wouldn't risk giving it to anyone - djinns were malevolent things bound up in lamps to keep them out of mischief in the stories, and I think I got a real mischief maker - one that follows the letter of your command but not the way you wanted, so if you wished yourself back to human form, it'd probably make you a baby or an old man or something. Anyway, can I finish?"
"All right..."
"Anyway, it took Irma hours to piece my mind back together properly, and nearly a week to train me to split without ripping my mind apart again. So don't give up with the training before I've even started.
"Am I right in thinking that if it hadn't been for Irma before, you'd be in an asylum or somesuch?"
"Yes..."
"So why have you not let her help you since you were kidnapped?"
He'd telegraphed the punch, but that didn't mean it hadn't stung all the same - not least since she didn't have an answer as she sat in silence.
Reed decided, after a minute of silence, to drop the subject since he didn't know her well enough to push it - maybe she'd had a falling-out with Irma he didn't know about. But Lorna's problems since her kidnapping were an open secret about the team, and if he could prod her into getting help, so much the better. "Anyway, so how'd you meet Brande? He's not your real dad, is he?"
"Oh no. My real dad was a drunken bastard who made my life hell for ten years until his liver finally gave out."
"Ah. Sorry."
"Don't be, R. J.'s ten times the dad he ever was. The only member of my family I knew and miss is my gran - she was great. Whenever my dad went on one of his tirades, I went and stayed with her, and lived with her after my dad died until..." Reed could see her eyes welling up and went to put his arm around her, but she shooed him off, "No, no, I'm okay. Anyway, I'd just turned fifteen, and I walked home from school to find the house empty and closed, which never happened, and then when I let myself in, there was a note to call the hospital. When I called, I found out she'd had a heart attack while I'd been walking home, managed to call the hospital, but was 'DOA'. That was what the insensitive... person... said, just Dee-Oh-Ay. Then, I just ran. I bundled some clothes and a few other things into my bag and went off before they came back to put me in an orphanage. Long story short, the next day I got sick and collapsed in Brande's stables, and he found me, paid for the hospital treatment, and before I knew it I had a real dad for the first time. What about you, what's your 'Secret Origin'? You sound kind of English, but not quite"
"Not as eventful as yours, I'm afraid. My mum was English and my dad American. When my dad married my mum, he moved to Oxford in England to be with her and I lived the first twelve years of my life there."
"What was it like."
"I liked it, mostly, although I hated prep school even though I didn't have to board..."
"...wait, wait. Prep School? Little Lord Fauntleroy stuff?"
"Well, I can't lie - there were a few of them, but they weren't the majority by any means. Anyway, I finished there when I was twelve, and then they moved here to be close to my dad's family, since my grandmother was ill. My mother opened a costume shop which I became obsessed with and worked in part-time, and used stuff from to stow away with the Legion on your first mission. The rest you know - the odd bomb, and I woke up like this."
"I'll never forget your arms coming out of that goop, pulling yourself out of the bucket and sneezing all over Lyle. You nearly gave him and Sally heart attacks!" she smirked.
"Heh... I don't remember that. I don't remember much from that first week or two after the thing"
"Well, it's true, and I have witnesses who can vouch for me!"
"I shall take your word for it," Shifter grinned for a second more before becoming solemn, "Did you hear about Rex's grandmother?"
"No," Lorna's face fell, "I was wondering why I hadn't seen him today - what happened?"
"He got a call a couple of hours ago. They found her in her house after a fall, and they think she might have had a stroke."
"Poor Cos... I really know what he's going through. Do you know where he is?"
"I think he was trying to get hold of Paul, then he was going to see R.J. for help in getting back to Braydon to see her."
"I'd better go and find him," Trinity said, before draining the remainder of her glass of lemonade. "I'll see you Friday if not before, okay?"
"Of course," Reed said, staying to finish his orange juice as Lorna hurried out.
-------------------- My views are my own and do not reflect those of everyone else... and I wouldn't have it any other way.
posted
The feeling was not slow, but gradual. If Blok were to explain it, most people would think it was painful, but it was quite the opposite. As if the time he spent as a 'being' caused all the pain in the world to cease, and his thoughts became purely thoughts again--with no awkwardness or prodding from the outside.
Once more, as he had done countless times, Blok entered the Earthly realm that was the realm known as, well, the Earth. His body destroyed by Vykros (but not destroyed like when he transfers himself to another point on the globe--this was far worse, it was actually destroyed as a part of him was destroyed). Thus, he sank back to where he began, in the center of the Planet, the living, breathing stream of collective life that ensured more life could exist on it.
And he remembered.
The planet lived peacefully and serene for as long as memory could envision, even memory as exponential as that of a Planet itself. Pure, unimbided chaos grow on the surface, which pleased the planet--for chaos such as this caused the chaotic fires of creation, truly nature's (the Planet's) most beloved idea. Out of creation and chaos rose life, and out of life rose creation and chaos, and out of all of this rose civilation. The greatest civilization was the Ancient Kingdom, the era of purity and no limitations, the Empire of Creative Expansion, Ekron.
Ekron, the great Kingdom. Long did it exist, so that it too stretched back beyond the bounds of memory. Surely the chaos of Ekron and the chaos of planetary life somehow ironically formed the positive force known as order.
Then came the day when Mordru sought to put true order on the world and hold it underneath his heel. And by snuffing the chaos of creation and free thought, he thus destoyed the order and the balance.
Civil War.
And Ekron was completely destroyed. Few artificats, less beings and even less histories lived on, and the world changed for the worse. The worst of this worse was that Mordru the Merciless, the destroyer of the Planet's greatest age, was not himself destroyed, and only needed to be reawakened to being anew in his quest to control all that is.
The Planet was almost destroyed itself. A great era of darkness ensued and not only did the natural calamities of such an event hurt the Planet's core, but the consequences on civilization were far worse. The peril it faced then did not abate, and has remained since. For when Mordru betrayed his fellows, he betrayed the sacred order between man and planet, and thus has kept the Planet itself in constant peril ever since.
But the Planet is a living, breathing thing. And it, at that point in time, produced its greatest son to live and die for it, to rise up and carry on its own sacred mission. Nameless, he came into existence to serve the planet and restore the sacred order, by destroying Mordru the most orderly and returning the Planet to a time when it no longer lived in such peril. Nameless, he fought against Mordru for countless Millenia, although often his allies preferred to bestow upon him some moniker. Most recently, they have chosen 'Blok'.
But a name means little to Blok, when his mission is the true definition of what he is. When Civil War broke out in Ekron, it almost destroyed mankind, and most certainly lessened the power that man once had. Gone was the rabid expansin of ideas and creation and the mastery of the limitations of the world. When the Civil War broke out in Ekron, Mordru betrayed the Ekronese and betrayed Mother Terra itself, threatening to destroy its very core, for life cannot live under the boot heel of one man, and without life on the outside of it, there is no life within.
So Mordru must be stopped, somehow, someway. For the Planet and for life. That evening as the Planet revolved around the sun and placed Mordru in the shade, it placed a new creative force in the dawn, and gave the world Blok, a champion for the Planet, and a champion for life.
Once more, Blok returned to the soil, and rose forth into the air. Once more, Blok begins his quest anew.
From: If you don't want my peaches, honey... | Registered: Sep 2003
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posted
Mon flew down to the ground at a strong speed, but not so fast as to cause the wind to cut into Jacquie's face. Mon had put on his dark blue cloak/cape and it was billowing in the wind. He held her effortlessly in his arms, and she realized all at once that despite being taller than most girls, she was very small compared to someone of Mon's stature. She held onto all of their stuff--the eight of theirs- that she could carry. She did not want to lose even one item, and she hoped that the Dark Circle had taken the rest of it when they captured her friends. She tried not to think about it. They were here to save Maziah, and that was what was important. The reason Maziah was even there in the first place was because of Jacquie, and the two had a bond that most seldom would ever understand.
"Here. His carriage should be approaching this way, and I've gotten far enough ahead of him. It's still night, so evidently this is when he's strongest."
"Yes, a strigoi. Or Vampire, as the more western of our group would call him. Here we stand, the last remaining force between Mordru and his daughter Maziah, the White Witch."
"The White Witch? I thought only the Dark Circle called her that?"
"She told me awhile ago that people have been calling her that on and off since she was little. She actually doesn't mind it too bad, since its not anything resembling 'the Dark Witch' or the 'Black witch'."
Mon smiled.
Jacquie noticed. "She's simple like that sometimes. She's very aware of who her father is and her and Nura leaving her father was a major step for them. It took fifteen years worth of courage to do that. We can't let her go back."
"We won't Jacquie. I promise."
With that, Mon flew off into the sky, out of Jacquie's sight. As if on cue, a carriage appeared on the dark horizon, the only light letting her see coming from the stars. It was being pulled by two horses and at once she knew they were magical. She concentrated and hoped it would have an effect. Her power was her birthright, but it was magic based. Maybe that would help. She concentrated and thought of serpents and snakes. For some reason, she thought of asps. And if anyone were to view the area around her suddenly, they would see hundreds--perhaps thousands--of asps on the ground. She concentrated hard. She wanted to spook the two horses, magical or not. She, herself, created a massive illusion, and turned into a giant snake. The thought seemed ridiculous and outrageous, a giant snake super-heroine illusionist, but she had to force back inane thoughts at this hour. The pressure of the world was weighing down on her and making her loopy.
She heard a horse buckle back in fear, and it threw the whole cart into dissaray. The harness snapped and the two horses reared in terror at the sight of all the snakes.
Vykros was out of the carriage in an instant, aware that only an enemy could cause the carriage to be disrupted so. He leapt into the sandy terrain and looked around immediately. Jacquie held back a choke. His senses were too strong. Her illusions had no effect on him.
"I see you young princess and I recognize the scent of your kind immediately," he said leaping at her. He was more terrifying than she remebered. His sunglasses were gone and bright red eyes shown, sickly in their lusty color. His white teeth were long and sharp and two larger fangs stood on either side of his mouth. He was on her before she could react, pinning her to the ground. She felt immense, complete fear.
BAM!!!
Mon-El rained down on him with a blow to the back of the head with all the might he could muster with one punch. He said nothing and was all business. This Vampire came close to destroying the wisest creature he had ever met, the one creature Mon felt he could entrust his life to. Only someone with strength equal to Mon could do that. The Vampire fell backward and Jacquie could see in horror that the blow was so sharp that Vykros' left ear had come flying off. Lord Vykros immediately regained his footing.
On the sandy plains seperating India from Pakistan, cold as the night sky, Jacquie stood in horror and Mon-El and Lord Vykros went blow for blow, hammering away at each other. Like some warrior prince, Mon hammered away defiantly, his cape billowing in the wind. Vykros hit back just as hard. The horror wanted to speak, she could tell, but Mon's blows to its faced destroyed the ability to do so. She understood for some reason that it needed to feast on people like Mon and her, to gain their super-human energies to grow itself back to normal.
She was running to the carriage. She ripped open the back to see Maziah, sitting there with a dazed, terrified look on her face. 'Maziah!' she called to no avail and repeated it. 'MAZIAH!" she yelled again. Nothing. She ran out of options. SMACK! she let loose a slap across her face. That snapped her out of it. "What? How dare you--? Jacqie...oh it was horrible...it was..." She stopped. 'Stand back.'
Mon-El and Lord Vykros hammered away blow after blow. Unbeknown to Mon, the great creature known as Blok had arisen from the dirt and watched, preparing to enter the fray himself. "No Blok," said Jacquie. "Stand back."
"Vykros," said Maziah, stepping forward. "You have followed the orders of my father, your Lord Mordru, with great loyalty. In doing so, you have made an enemy of Maziah, the White Witch and my companions. For that, your time is over."
Vykros gave a howl, unable to talk. It sounded like blood churtling in his throat. He had lost all sense of self at this point. He served Mordru no more. He simply wanted to drink the blood from this young female. He leapt at her. She let loose a cascade of pure white light--energy as pure as the sun's own. It ripped through the Vampire. This Vampire, who was hundreds of years old, who had outlived his enemies for centuries, laughing at their mortality. This Vampire, who was now ash, killed during the middle of the night, at the hour he was strongest.
Maziah stood her ground, her clothes torn and her heart pumping. Blok carried Mon-El over, Jacquie notcing his distinctly different looking new form. Jacquie put her hand on Maziah's shoulder.
"He will know now," said Blok to Maziah. "Mordru will realize this is no common enemy he faces any longer. This is his daughter. This is the one he should fear most."
[ January 17, 2006, 08:30 AM: Message edited by: Cobalt Kid ]
From: If you don't want my peaches, honey... | Registered: Sep 2003
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Hauled into the back of big pick-up trucks, he remembers the cold cutting into their backs. It doesn't matter that they had clothes on--they were naked on the freezing trip into Russia. He specifically remembered thinking 'so this must be Siberia'. Dark Circle members sat in the back with them, M-16's in hand, yelling at him if he lifted his head to see where they were. Hasim was bloody, having been beaten viciously for trying to fight back. Dirk and Tatiana were chloroformed, in a ball in the corner of the pick-up, and he felt a sudden great fear for Tatiana and wanted to do nothing more than protect her above all. The ride was long, a hell-frozen journey that he knew gave him frostbite all over his body, in places he never knew could hurt. When they arrived, he couldn't get up. So they hurled him off the truck, and his face hit the rock-hard ice, cutting open his lips. He remembers that was the first warm thing he felt in a long time--his own blood.
Tortured again. They'd come so far, and he'd be tortured again. He knew it. Like the Persuader of Seoul, this was forever going to be his hell.
It was dark and musty, and the concrete was how everything was, very cold. He faded in and out but remembered fighting to stay somewhat conscious, to try and make sure the others ended up somewhere safe. Hasim was hurled into some rat-infested cell, and he remembers there being a large pool of water at the bottom of it. They took both Tatiana and him and put them in the same cell, and once again he was thankful for that--he'd protect her, even if he was so scared right now he just secretly wanted her to protect him. The slapped him around for being awake and kicked Tatiana to the ground hard. He didn't understand a word they said and couldn't tell if it was Japanese, Russian, Chinese, something else or all of those. They worked for awhile on a special cell for Dirk, and he knew it was because they knew about his powers. Up until now Tenz had hoped when Dirk woke up he'd set the whole place on fire and burn them all to hell, but now that didn't look like it was going to happen.
Still, he kept up hope. Because when you're being tortured or imprisoned, that's what they are trying to do to you. Break down your hope, your sense of self. You had to stay hopeful, had to have a plan, no matter how outrageous it was, and if it failed, create a new plan.
Still, it was so cold. All he could think about was the cold.
----------------------------
"Tenz?" she whispered, after what seemed like hours.
"Ssh," he whispered back. "I'm here Tatiana." Her face was covered in dirt and some blood. His was too. She could barely stand up.
"Where have they taken us?"
"I don't know. Siberia, I think. It's so cold, it has to be." She was trying to lean forward, but couldn't. He moved next to her and brought her against him in the corner of their grimy cell. She leaned on his shoulder. She was freezing.
"Where are the others?"
"Hasim hasn't said a word. He's in that cell over there. Dirk's in that special one. He hasn't woken up either. They knocked you and him out."
The heard a large door open, creaking in the night. Rusty metal, and then the sound of boots marching along the floor. The voice of Tsuyoshi, the Dark Circle leader, spoke.
"Are they awake?"
"The Vietnamese one is. He won't fall asleep. The others are still out," replied a guard they didn't reailze was there.
"Very well, perhaps they will enjoy meeting their new master."
Anger flushed through Tenz's face. He couldn't control it. How dare they? "You'll never get me to say that, pig!" he yelled, jumping up with energy he didn't realize he had.
Tsuyoshi walked over smiling. "You misunderstand child," he said calmly. "I dont mean myself. I mean the Warden of this great prison. Allow me to introduce you to the KBG's legendary jailer."
A man stepped forward, in a crisp military uniform, complete with striking hat and baton. His face was dark red--he obviously had been burned badly before in his life. His eye was cut deeply from some sort of knife wound in the past--so bad in fact, that it seemed misplaced on his face, more to the center than it should have been.
"Allow me to introduce Nardo," finished Tsuyoshi.
Nardo smiled. In clear, crisp English he said "Get the hoses and wash them down. They stink. Make sure its extra cold," he finished and began putting on black gloves. "The Dark Circle may be less formal than I like," he said with a hint of a Russian accent, "but you can call me Warden," he added, reaching throw the cell towards Tenz with his baton. Whack! He cracked him across the collar bone with it and Tenz fell. "Welcome to your final resting place."
From: If you don't want my peaches, honey... | Registered: Sep 2003
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"You realize," said Nardo to Tenz, who was strapped into the seat in front of him. "That your father's death was his own fault. He was weak and did not deserve to survive. Nature has a way of weeding out those who do not have the courage to live, and rewards them with death. Had your father simply shown the fortitude to overcome his aggressors and himself become the aggressor he could have saved his family and thus saved you."
Tenz said nothing and turned away.
"He failed you," said Nardo, leaning in close. The hideous red face was inches away. He could feel it breathing on his neck. Closer. "I could bit a piece of your face right off, you realize. Maybe if you looked more like me, you would look at me more, no? We shall see."
Tenz trembled. He couldn't help it. He was scared to death.
"Ha! Very well, not today."
Day 4
"Why won't they speak near or go near Dirk's cell?" said Tatiana.
"What do you mean?" said Tenz. He was exhausted. He couldn't even open his eyes. When he did, he saw she looked ragged.
"Four days."
"Its been four days?"
"I've been keeping count. They haven't gone near Dirk's cell. They can't just be trying to starve him, because they're doing that to us too. They won't even let him see them."
"They're trying to keep him isolated from us. He can't hear us either, because of how his cell is designed. He probably has no idea that we're here. He probably thinks he's in some hole somewhere and no one is around. Oh God...he has no idea what's going on. He must be going crazy."
Day 6
"Get up," said a guard to the lump on the ground that was Hasim. Hasim laid their in a pool of infected water, ankle deep in his cell. "Nardo would like to see you now."
"Please help me," muttered Hasim, unable to stand.
"Helpless animal. You cannot even get yourself to stand up? Very well," added the guard, coming over to roughly hall him to his feet. He had his hands on him for two seconds. Crack! Hasim reached around and broke the man's neck right there, twisting it brutally to the left. He pulled the guards wooden stick and ran at the other guard. Crack! Instantly the guard caught it in the neck.
It was no use. Four guards ran forward, then four more. They were all over him, beating him and wailing on him. It was no use. He almost made it. But it was no use.
Day 7
"By this time, young Ten Zil," said Nardo to Tenz, "you must be wondering why we have not taken the girl to my chambers and given her the same treatment we have given you. Surely you are wondering why she is not tortured?"
Tenz said nothing.
"Is it because you think we are honorable men and do not make war on women? That we would never harm a girl?"
Still nothing.
"Because we are not. In fact, in the middle of Siberia, we are lonely men. And her pale blue skin is very beautiful to us. Surely you know how men are? Surely you realize the lust each man feels for the girl. Surely you realize what is going to happen to her--and happen soon.
A tear rolled down Tenz's cheek.
"I will be first. Then the rest."
Tenz started to weep openly.
"But you can stop it all. You can stop the beatings on your friend Hasim. You can save the girl Tatiana and make sure the soldiers do not have her. You can even save yourself."
Tenz looked directly into Nardo's eyes. "How?"
"Tell me everything I want to know about the girl you know as Maziah. Everything. And if you leave anything out, I will know. And your friends will pay."
[ January 17, 2006, 07:14 AM: Message edited by: Cobalt Kid ]
From: If you don't want my peaches, honey... | Registered: Sep 2003
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posted
It was the ninth day, after Ten Zil decided he'd tell them anything he could if it meant they'd stop hurting Tatiana, Hasim and Dirk, that he realized something very different was happening.
"What do you mean there are no more open cells? This hell hole is vast! There should be hundreds of them." It was the familiar voice of Tsuyoshi
"Yes, there are," said a high ranking guard, "but most are flooded beyond our control. The ice long ago penetrated inside here--don't you wonder why its so cold? Its constantly melting and flooding the whole bunker. It doesn't matter. Nardo said to throw them in with the others. They'll give a brief moment of optimism to them only to later have it squashed."
"This is all a little experiment to him. How did Nardo come to work with us, the great Dark Circle, I wonder?" Tsuyoshi's questions went un-answered. "Very well, then in the with other prisoners they'll have to go"
Now both Tatiana and Tenz tried to position themselves so they could see out their cells. Tatiana noticed Ten Zil had heavy lacerations on his back that he previously had not let her see. Ten Zil noticed that she seemed infinately smaller--as if these last few days had literally sucked some of the weight off their bones. 9 days it had been. Then shockingly, they saw what it was: two young teeange boys, no older than themselves, being pushed through the prison walk-way. One had a green costume on, the other some sort of ninja/samuri get-up (Tatiana wasn't exactly sure what to call it). They looked like boy super-heroes.
"It looks like you all have some new friends," said a guard. The first looked to be Latin-American (or just American?) with jet black hair. He had a bruise over his right eye where he'd been hit. The other was Asian American with short brown hair. He did not look hurt at all. In fact, Tenz couldn't help wondering why they weren't resisting, but realized it was probably the sight of two healthy teenagers in relation to their raggedness that made him feel that way.
They opened up Hasim's door. Hasim looked up, a look of pure hatred on his face. They pushed the first boy in so hard he almost fell into Hasim. "Nardo will want to meet you both soon". Then the second boy, although he barely budged. The guard then whacked the second boy in the back. Apparently, that had gone too far. The boy turned around and grabbed the gun out of his hand, swung it up high and then brought it down hard upon his head. More guards rushed forward.
The Asian-American rushed back out of the cell, chopping and dropping men. Crack. Two more guards down. Tenz's hopes shot up high suddenly. Bam. Another guard. Whack. Another. Hasim was now sitting upright. Suddenly a taser blasted forward and Nardo's voice could be heard loud and clear.
"Stupid, stupid, stupid. Use your weapons you fools. Obviously this boy is extraordinary like the rest. We'll learn why soon enough." The boy was on the ground, shaken from the taser blast. Nardo blasted him again. He kicked him into the cell. "Get the hoses" he said, walking away.
"Val, couldn't you just wait a sec longer...?" said the first boy.
"...no." replied Val.
"Who the hell are you two?" said Hasim.
"I'm Condo," replied the first boy, "and this is Val. We're here to help you."
"Huh. Good luck then."
"You can call us by our other names if you want too. Catalyst and Valor. We're Legionnaires."
From: If you don't want my peaches, honey... | Registered: Sep 2003
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posted
"The place is huge Vi, but a lot of it is uninhabited. Still, don't bother going near the soldier's quarters--its disgusting. These men are pigs."
Vi nodded, preferring not to reply to that one. Her imagination already envisioned horrible things being referred to, things she'd rather not think about.
"Tina, what if they saw you?" whispered Vi.
"They didn't," said Tina with a smile. "You know I'm too careful for that. I know you're nervous Sally, but Val and Condo are smart and know the risks. Its the only way we could figure getting them out past these guards while still allowing you and me to sneak around. You know, what we do best," she added wtih a wider smile. She was such a strong-willed girl, thought Sally. She wished she was more like her in so many ways. Smart, pretty, confident.
"What did you find?" said Spirit, looking at the papers Vi was going through. The two were in an unused office. Not Nardo's, but definately one of the Dark Circle's higher-ups. Up until now, they'd deduced that this was a major Dark Circle headquarters, somewhere in the middle of Nowehere, Siberia, Russia. It was a prison, and had been in use by the KBG and then Dark Circle for some time. This 'Nardo' was not a Dark Circle operative, but worked with them. The arrived a day earlier and quickly reconned the whole prison, to discover in horror the four captvies. None were Nura's sister Maziah, but they felt it couldn't be too much of a coincidence. Thankfully, Val had some contacts in Osaka that helped them pick up a trail, after weeks of finding nothing. But luck was on their side, and they stumbled to Sakkim upon hearing rumors of the local prefect having a near heart attack for no reason, and pieced together what they could from there. Then Val came up with the plan to let Condo and himself get 'caught' and taken prisoner, to try and help from the outside. Sally was against it immediately and Tina agreed with her. It seemed overly risky and cut off two great resources. But Val was adamant.
"Look at this," said Vi to Tina. "A strange document. Something about an experiment 25 years ago...science and 'magic' working together in unison. That's weird. They outright admit they believe in magic."
"Let me see..." said Tina, interested. She read more. "A major project that took them over ten years to accomplish. Apparently, this Dark Circle is very mystical (or is that 'magical') in nature. So they enlisted the help of some other super-secret group of scientists...the Dominion?...to crack some sort of spell? A spell? Not sure what this means."
"No, you're reading it right," said Vi with some confidence. "Magic and science combined to crack an 'ages old spell to kick-start human evolution.' And then a long list of living metahumans in the last 25 years."
"Wait, wait, wait. Maybe I'm not getting this all right away. Supposedly, some spell was broken twenty five years ago by the Dark Circle and this 'Dominion' to allow human beings to evolve 'naturally'--and so all these metahumans came into being. All of us Legionnaires are in here too. We'll have to talk to Lyle and Brainy about this, I think."
Vi giggled at the sound of 'Brainy'. Spirit giggled too with an 'I know' face.
"This Dark Circle is into some bad stuff," said Vi finally. "They seem really interested in Nura's family."
"Maybe they're all as 'well-endowed' as Nura?" joked Tina
"Well, its her sister especially. This is some weird stuff Tina."
Spirit leaned over and looked at the files. "White Witch? Mordru? Maybe some of these imprisoned teens can shed some light on this..."
They suddenly heard foot-steps and a door creaking. Immediately Spirit went immaterial and fell through the floor, cursing their carelessness and hoping no one was in the room below to see her phase downwards. Shrinking Violet was already small and ran behind the documents, trying to make her way to the edge of the table, so she could leave.
"Why are you so concerned?" said a Dark Circle soldier, apparently to their leader, a Japanese business-man.
"Two teenage super-heroes found wandering way out here in Siberia? Don't be stupid. This is obviosly a set-up. From the report it seems they were caught far too easily. Something's off here. They must be a rescue team."
"Rescue team? But sir, we knew of no previous connection between this group of powered teenagers and the Legion. Why would they now be concerned about each other?"
"There are tons of reasons. Think for a minute. The sister, Nura, is with the Legion. It could be that or many other things. It doens't matter. We've caught two of them, and I'm not convinced there isn't more."
"He's right," said another man. Vi peered around the corner. This man was hideous. His face dark crimson, with burn marks all over Horribly disfigured in a way where he almost looked cartoonish. He was disguting. And he had an air about him that was truly villainous. He stood like an old Nazi. "But its no matter. We shall capture them too and add more to our growing community of super-powered teenage prisoners," he said with a laugh. "Look here. The files are all thrown about. Up until now, this room has hardly been used in weeks. Evidently, someone has gone snooping through here."
Vi choked back a 'damn'.
"What? How?" said Tsuyoshi. "Soldier?"
"Sir, we've seen no one at all in the halls, coming in or out of this wing of the stalag."
"You're not thinking about our opponents," said Nardo, as he began to pick up the documents and sort through them. He seemed to be scanning the room. "One can shoot fire from his hands and the other can digest solid metal. So far, two of them have shown enough strength to kill guards on will. They are far different than any of you." He seemed sharp, moving about the room.
Vi made her way around a bookcase, and hopped down on a chair, then to the floor. Tsuyoshi and the other guard stood in the doorway. It would be too hard to sneak out now. She needed to find a place to hide and wait it out. Then suddenly, Nardo turned around and walked out of the room.
There was a silence. Vi climbed back up to a shelf on the bookcase and moved between two books. No one was looking at her. She moved a paper-weight in front of her and hid. She heard the other two talking. "I do not like this Nardo," said Tsuyoshi. "He's too much of an X-factor." The soldier said nothing. Vi wondered where the soldier's loyalty lied. "But we all have our orders..."
Suddenly Nardo burst back into the room carrying something. Vi hid her head and hoped to God he didn't see her. She felt some shifting around. She felt him hovering near. "See gentleman," she heard Nardo say, "you need to think like our enemies." She suddenly felt the paper-weight shift and looked up to see Nardo looking right at her. In his hand was a can of raid. He blasted it at her, the poision flooding her little lungs. She fell to the ground coughing, vomit soon to be coming up. She heard Nardo laughing, and laughing loudly.
"A mini-Super-Heroine! Beautiful. This may be my favorite one so far." He picked her up, and a plethora of colors and images went past her eyes.
From: If you don't want my peaches, honey... | Registered: Sep 2003
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"What do we do with this one?" said a guard, walking past the prison cells. Tenz and Tatiana, starving, cold, wet and exhausted noticed the two newcomers in Hasim's cell spring to life and move towards the bars of their cell to see what was happening.
"We'll have to put her in with the fire one. Which is too bad. I'm considering killing her outright." Nardo's voice was logical and clinical. He was obviously weighing his options. "Up until now, my experiment on the Morgna boy was to use pure silence to see if I could crack him. I thought for sure it would have worked by now. This will ruin it...but I'm not entirely sure I want to kill this little speciman outright. She could be a small doll for my offices!" he added with a 'Haha!'. The two Dark Circle members looked at him funny which he didn't notice. "Through her in with the fire one."
They watched as Dirk's cell began to open. No noise came out and it was pitch black in that corner of the hallway still. Tenz hoped Dirk would rip fire out of the doorway and fry them all, but it didn't happen. One guard hurled Vi into the cell, to which Nardo said "not too hard you idiot."
They walked back and Nardo noticed how close Val was to the bars. "You. You apparently are as healthy as the day you came out of whatever whore of a mother you had." Val said nothing. "Yes, a hero. Hero's are the most fun to break." There was something in Nardo's voice that was different. Pure hate. He looked at Condo. "We'll get to you too." Nardo turned back to the soldiers. "In this cell, we have not one, but two prisoners who have fought back against the Dark Circle and have taken down your peers. Surely these are the two you hate the most?" The guards nodded in agreement, but had no idea where Nardo was going with this. "I propose a fight to the death then. For the amusement of the guards. This one here," he said pointing at Val, "against this one here," he added, pointing at Hasim, who sat in the back of the cell, ragged and peering out through the shadows. "The loser, of course, dies, and the winner will get better lodgings in the officers quarters with a full dinner for himself and two friends of his choosing. Yes, I think this will be a good idea. See to setting it up."
Nardo and the guards walked out. Tenz and Tatiana tried to hear what was happening. Condo looked at Val and Hasim. "This could be our chance. This could be what we're waiting for."
"They've got Vi," said Val. "We need to move quick. What do you say?" said Val to Hasim.
Hasim peered over his knees at Val. He seemed angry beyond belief. Furious in his silence. They couldn't help wondering if he had broke. Hasim said nothing. "I'll do whatever it takes to get out of this hell," he said flatly.
Tatiana looked at Tenz and the two had the same strange look. "This is what Dirk needs" she said hoarsely. She looked at the bars to her cell. In the left corner she had been using her powers to create a darker shadow there, so no one could see in. There, Tenz had chewed through a hole small enough for Tatiana to escape. She looked tired but she smiled at Ten Zil. Her skin was now completely ligh-blue. She looked beautiful with her raven colored hair. "It took me a few days, because I kept thinking Mon or Blok would come free us," she said to Tenz, putting her hand on his shoulder. "But it'll be up to us. And we can do it."
From: If you don't want my peaches, honey... | Registered: Sep 2003
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Dirk saw the light come shining in as the door opened. The guards expected him to cringe at the light, but he didn't--he'd been using his powers on and off to make sure he remembered what light was. Such was Dirk Morgna, the Sun Boy.
They threw in a tiny girl, the size of his hand. Now, he knew, he truly had gone crazy. It was almost comical. How long had he been here? Who knew? No one spoke to him in days. (Weeks? Years? No, it couldn't have been). He thought about a lot of things. About his life. About the surrealistic life of a male super-model. How drab that compared to this new life. About how nice Bruce Wayne had been to him and virtually changed his life three years ago. About the current life he ws living with these strange, but wonderful people. Then he thought about movies. And music. And football (soccer to his American friends). Then, for no reason, he recited to himself the entire history of Prague, Bohemia, the Czechs, and then Germany, the Holy Roman Empire and the Catholic Church, and then on and on and on and on and on...
Now, a tiny girl. Yup, he'd lost his mind. She was coughing. No, she was dying. Poisioned. (In his madness he must have gained medical expertise he thought). Should he talk to her? Would that be like admitting he was mad? Or would it be funny, and thus a way for him to beat his madness. She was kinda cute in a six inches kinda way.
He picked her up. "There, there now," he said. "You need to open your lungs. If you were my height, this wouldn't be a problem. Then it would barely phase you." She looked right at him, tears running down her face. The coughing continued. And then quite suddenly, she grew.
Seconds later, Dirk had a full-grown teenage girl (in a very flattering purple costume) on his lap. She had her hands on his shoulders and was breathing as hard as she could, sucking in clean air. She was trying to speak. "...*cough*...panicked...should have grown to normal size...*cough*...too scared...*hack*...almost died until you said *cough* that...lungs are much bigger, able to survive...oh God..."
Dirk, when he realized this should have been the exact minute he really fell over the edge, really lost his mind, really went totally loopy, suddenly felt calm and at ease. "Shh," he said. "Don't talk. Breathe for a minute. Let the air in. You're OK now."
"Thank you," she whispered, still breathing hard. She leanred forward and put her arms around his neck, and her head on his shoulder. "Thank you," she repeated. The hug felt amazing. He didn't realize it yet, but he needed it more than she did.
---------------------------------
A brief time later, she sat next to him.
"So, the Legion of Super-Heroes. A very grand name."
"Yes...it is," she said. She seemed a little embarrassed by her earlier willingness to hug him while sitting on his lap. "You've been in here for a long time."
"Only days I hope." He seemed concerned about this.
"Yes, or you would have starved. That reminds me! I have a granola bar in my pouch. You can have it," she added, giving it to him.
His hunger hit him all at once like a ton of bricks. "Violet, I could kiss you," he said. She seemed even shyer at that comment. He couldn't help but like that. "I still might" he said with a bite.
"We're going to get out of here. Valor has a plan, and he and Catalyst are in the cell with your friend Hasim. Spirit is still out there too, she hasn't been caught yet. This is a tougher situation than we planned for (we're all still kind of new at this), but we'll make it out."
"Good. My friends...I can only imagine what terrible things they've done to them. Bastards."
"They're alright, but its only going to get worse. They've been through some terrible things, but I don't think Nardo has progressed to the truly horrendous yet. He builds to it...its part of his torture techniques. I'm...worried. I want to get out of here. My being caught wasn't part of the plan. What if it doesn't work."
"Violet, you just told me we'll make it out. I believed you. Now you're doubting yourself. I think I believe what you said before. We will make it out. I know it."
"I know, I know..." she faded off. "Torture. What a terrible thing. What a terrible world..." she seemed to be a bit in shock over being poisioned still.
"Yes. But people like you are changing that. I know you're worried. Believe me, I know."
"Sorry," she said with a smile. "I've been here thirty minutes and you over a week, and I'm the one freaking out. I just...just want to make sure it doesn't end here. Not now. There's still so much to do in life."
"Like what?" said Dirk. He was enjoying this conversation. It was his first in a long time.
"I don't know...see the Cubs win a World Series. I need to read books I've kept putting off. I...I've never even kissed a boy." She had no idea why she was being so open.
"No?" said Dirk, quizzically. He looked at her strait in the eyes. "Violet, look at me. We're going to make it out of here, ok?" His face was right near hers. He could feel her warmth. "Ok," she whispered. "You can read those books and watch the Cubs..." he whispered back. "Ok," she said. "And..." he faded off. And then he kissed her, slow and softly.
From: If you don't want my peaches, honey... | Registered: Sep 2003
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