Good for you.
But, because you're not a beastling, you should have turned into ice or something...
E.L.F
Moderator: Moderators
Okay...
Jimmy snapped his pistol out. The hallway was mostly dark, lit only by the grimy, barely functional hallway lights.
├óÔé¼┼ôLeft!├óÔé¼┬Ø Pix shouted. Jimmy snapped the gun to the left and he saw a lithe figure dashing down the hall, holding a second spear. The gun cracked and the figure smashed into the wall, spun, and landed on it's back. Screaming fill the hall and the figure started thrashing.
Jimmy and Pix ran down the corridor, the gun still smoking in Jimmy's hand. He paused, snapping the clip out of the side of the gun. Three bullets.
The figure, now that the two of them were closer, turned out to be a very young girl. Jimmy blinked. She barely looked twelve, her somewhat flat chest bound tight by a cured leather strap. Tribal tattoos covered her arms and sides, spiraling black patterns that blended in with the grimy hallway. Blood dribbled out of the hole in her shoulder. It wasn't that bad of a wound, really. Jimmy had been aiming for the edge of her body.
├óÔé¼┼ôPix,├óÔé¼┬Ø He said, ├óÔé¼┼ôGet a bandage.├óÔé¼┬Ø
The girl stopped screaming at the sound of their voices, her eyes going wider. Jimmy slapped a bandage on the wound and the girl yelped as it tightened on the wound. After a moment the bullet shot out of the wound, smacking Jimmy on the forehead and falling to the ground, rolling away. The bandage sprayed disinfectant on the wound, making the girl's back arch, another scream bursting from her lips.
├óÔé¼┼ôHey, hey,├óÔé¼┬Ø Jimmy said, trying to be comforting. ├óÔé¼┼ôCalm down.├óÔé¼┬Ø
The girl stopped screaming. She stared at Jimmy and Pix. Then she pushed herself backwards, pressing her back against the wall. A stream of surprisingly pretty, fluid sounding language came from her.
├óÔé¼┼ôPix?├óÔé¼┬Ø Jimmy asked. Pix shrugged.
├óÔé¼┼ôIt's pretty though,├óÔé¼┬Ø She said, smiling.
The girl stood, her back still pressed against the wall. She kept blinking, her head moving close enough to a grimy light that allowed Jimmy to see the details. Her eyes were green, striking on a thin, somewhat malnourished face. Another steam of fluid language came from her.
├óÔé¼┼ôWe can't understand you,├óÔé¼┬Ø Pix said, somewhat pointlessly. The girl sighed. Then she stooped over, picked up her dropped spear, and ran down the hall, using a low, loping stride that kept her as small a target as possible. Soon she was gone.
Jimmy glanced at Pix. ├óÔé¼┼ôWell...that's it, I suppose.├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôYeah,├óÔé¼┬Ø Pix said, ├óÔé¼┼ôWant to start walking?├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôWait,├óÔé¼┬Ø Jimmy said. He walked back to where they had...kissed and picked up the phone he had dropped. He set it on his head. ├óÔé¼┼ôFox?├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôYes?├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôYou're still on the line?├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôI'm talking to you, aren't I?├óÔé¼┬Ø Fox's voice sounded like he was smiling.
├óÔé¼┼ôFine, fine,├óÔé¼┬Ø Jimmy said. He glanced at Pix. ├óÔé¼┼ôShow us a way out-├óÔé¼┬Ø
Pix grabbed Jimmy's shoulder, turning him around. Jimmy couldn't believe his eyes.
Anna ran down the corridor, holding a bag in one hand and a laser carbine in the other, her wings folded tightly behind her. She skidded to a halt In front of Jimmy and bowed.
├óÔé¼┼ôAnna Hellborn, civil servant, at your service,├óÔé¼┬Ø She said, dropping the bag at his feet.
Jimmy's smile broadened and he said, ├óÔé¼┼ôFox...go to the tubes.├óÔé¼┬Ø
He took the phone off and folded it, sliding it into his pack. He held his hand out and Anna took it.
├óÔé¼┼ôSo...I thought you were going to check on your gang,├óÔé¼┬Ø Pix said, frowning at Anna. Anna shrugged.
├óÔé¼┼ôWell how could I leave such a handsome young man and his wonderful lady friend in such a nasty place?├óÔé¼┬Ø Anna asked. Jimmy caught a whiff of her pheromones.
Wow...he'd forgotten how...enticing that smell was. Jimmy smiled, then caught Pix's glare at him and he stopped.
├óÔé¼┼ôSo,├óÔé¼┬Ø Anna said, opening the pack and handing out two more laser carbines. ├óÔé¼┼ôWe've got three hundred rounds on these things, enough food to last us two weeks, and a very good looking, very capable winged woman to save the day...any problems anyone can see?├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôWe don't know where we are,├óÔé¼┬Ø Jimmy said.
├óÔé¼┼ôThe Xorquin are trying to kill us,├óÔé¼┬Ø Pix added.
├óÔé¼┼ôAnd I think they can track us with this phone,├óÔé¼┬Ø Jimmy said, pulling out the phone. Anna grabbed it and crushed it under her foot.
├óÔé¼┼ôThat's one problem down. The second problem...well the Xorquin always want to kill us. But the first problem...well...lets see if wandering around can jog some memory.├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôOkay,├óÔé¼┬Ø Jimmy said. He looked at Pix and grinned. ├óÔé¼┼ôAt least now, we have a chance.├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôOkay...can I go to the bathroom?├óÔé¼┬Ø Pix asked.
├óÔé¼┼ôFine,├óÔé¼┬Ø Anna said.
├óÔé¼┼ôJimmy, do you need to go?├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôNot-├óÔé¼┬Ø Jimmy started. Pix fixed her eyes with his and frowned. ├óÔé¼┼ôI couldn't not not go to the bathroom?├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôSo you don't need to go?├óÔé¼┬Ø Anna asked, her brow furrowing.
├óÔé¼┼ôNo...I mean...no, I need to go. Come on Pix,├óÔé¼┬Ø Jimmy said. Pix and him walked off.
Anna waited till they were around the corner. Then she started to laugh, shaking her head to herself. ├óÔé¼┼ôTeenagers,├óÔé¼┬Ø She muttered, kneeling next to her pack. She started by taking out some of her supplies and setting up her broadcaster.
Pix lead Jimmy around a corner, then kissed him again, hard.
├óÔé¼┼ôThanks,├óÔé¼┬Ø Jimmy said, dazed. ├óÔé¼┼ôDid I do something right?├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôI just wanted to say something...some things,├óÔé¼┬Ø Pix said. ├óÔé¼┼ôAnd...├óÔé¼┬Ø She kissed him again.
├óÔé¼┼ôThat's not 'saying' something,├óÔé¼┬Ø Jimmy muttered halfheartedly. ├óÔé¼┼ôNot that I want you to stop, or anything.├óÔé¼┬Ø
Pix grinned and kissed him again, this time going all the way, pressing her tongue into his mouth, grinding her body against his. Jimmy felt his hands moving around her body, first down her back, then back up, then down again.
├óÔé¼┼ôThis is really not the place for this,├óÔé¼┬Ø Jimmy sighed, looking at the grimy wall he was pressed against.
├óÔé¼┼ôI know,├óÔé¼┬Ø Pix said, looking down. ├óÔé¼┼ôBut promise my something Jimmy...when this all over with...please, please, please...├óÔé¼┬Ø
Jimmy put a finger over Pix's lips, shushing her.
├óÔé¼┼ôI'll find the prettiest place on Harbinger,├óÔé¼┬Ø he said. ├óÔé¼┼ôBut it won't be prettier then you.├óÔé¼┬Ø
Pix groaned, rolling her eyes.
Anna coughed, sticking her head around the corner. ├óÔé¼┼ôAre you guys going to grope all day, or are we going to save the world?├óÔé¼┬Ø
-------------
Un and Helen watched as the two human, one E.L.F party moved through the mostly unmapped Forget. As they watched, they listened to the conversation that was piped through their ear's, hooked into the computer systems.
├óÔé¼┼ôWhy do I have to carry this?├óÔé¼┬Ø Jimmy.
├óÔé¼┼ôBecause your a strapping young lad.├óÔé¼┬Ø Anna
├óÔé¼┼ôNa ya na ya na.├óÔé¼┬Ø Jimmy.
├óÔé¼┼ôShe's right about the strapping part.├óÔé¼┬Ø Pix
├óÔé¼┼ôHey, Helen.├óÔé¼┬Ø Anna. ├óÔé¼┼ôAnything on the bio-detectors?├óÔé¼┬Ø
Helen tapped her mic and spoke. ├óÔé¼┼ôNothing on your end. Well...nothing but you three.├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôRight.├óÔé¼┬Ø Jimmy. A grunt came from the speakers. ├óÔé¼┼ôWhy is this friggen thing so heavy?├óÔé¼┬Ø
Neither Un nor Helen bothered to answer that. ├óÔé¼┼ôWait!├óÔé¼┬Ø Un pointed at the screen. ├óÔé¼┼ôOne living blip...about ten meters back from you.├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôIs it coming at us?├óÔé¼┬Ø Anna.
├óÔé¼┼ôNot sure,├óÔé¼┬Ø Un said. ├óÔé¼┼ôKeep advancing.├óÔé¼┬Ø He turned to Helen, putting his hand over the mic. ├óÔé¼┼ôDo we have a better fix on their position?├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôNot yet,├óÔé¼┬Ø Helen whispered. She glanced to the second screen in their little workplace. Projected on that screen was a map of the Forget, as best as people knew it. It was maddeningly vague, but it was still something to project a dot onto, representing the small party. They had started a mile or two back in the forget and were getting closer and closer to the edge. So at least they knew that much.
├óÔé¼┼ôKeep on your course,├óÔé¼┬Ø Un was saying. ├óÔé¼┼ôYou're little more than six, maybe five miles from the edge.├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôYeah, yeah.├óÔé¼┬Ø Anna. ├óÔé¼┼ôFive miles in straight line. Maybe a hundred in all these twisty, windy corridors.├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôSay...I had a thought,├óÔé¼┬Ø Un said, snapping his fingers. ├óÔé¼┼ôJimmy, set your carbine to cut.├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôOkay.├óÔé¼┬Ø Jimmy. ├óÔé¼┼ôDone...now what?├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôKeep walking east until you hit a wall. Then-├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôTry to cut through.├óÔé¼┬Ø Jimmy. A pause. ├óÔé¼┼ôWow...I'd never have thought of that.├óÔé¼┬Ø
A few minutes later and the party hit a wall. The blip behind them had stayed behind them, not moving closer, and not moving father. Anna knew this, but decided that, if it wasn't hurting them, they could not hurt it back.
├óÔé¼┼ôTrying the laser out now.├óÔé¼┬Ø Jimmy. ├óÔé¼┼ôIt's working!├óÔé¼┬Ø
A minute later. ├óÔé¼┼ôOkay, we've got ourselves a hole!├óÔé¼┬Ø Anna. The team moved through.
├óÔé¼┼ôHow many times can we do that?├óÔé¼┬Ø Pix.
├óÔé¼┼ôLets check.├óÔé¼┬Ø Jimmy. ├óÔé¼┼ôThat was a quarter of the battery. How many extra batteries in your pack?├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôOne.├óÔé¼┬Ø Anna said. ├óÔé¼┼ôHell, these things are good for four hundred rounds. I never thought-├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôYou should have.├óÔé¼┬Ø Pix
├óÔé¼┼ôStop arguing,├óÔé¼┬Ø Helen snapped. ├óÔé¼┼ôKeep moving! If each gun can cut through four walls, and we have three guns and one battery left. That's sixteen walls. So keep moving through those walls and you'll be a stone throws from the exit!├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôIf we're lucky.├óÔé¼┬Ø Anna, sarcasm coming through despite the scratchy reception. ├óÔé¼┼ôAnd if we manage to avoid Trials.├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôWe still have three rounds in Jimmy's gun.├óÔé¼┬Ø Pix
├óÔé¼┼ôThree rounds, versus four hundreds? I'll stick with the lasers.├óÔé¼┬Ø Anna.
├óÔé¼┼ôUsually one round will scare the crap out of the Trials.├óÔé¼┬Ø Jimmy.
├óÔé¼┼ôFine, fine,├óÔé¼┬Ø Anna. ├óÔé¼┼ôBut I'm saving the backup cell...just in case.├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôAgreed.├óÔé¼┬Ø Jimmy.
A pause, then they started walking again.
-------
As the three Demons walked, the girl followed. She had been painted with Daemon Hunter paint. If she came back with a head, she'd have the legendary paints tattooed into her forever, making her a warrior worth the tribe. She'd have her best pick of love mates. The best pick of chattel-men.
But the girl was not planning to kill the daemons. She fingered the talisman on her shoulder. Magic...powerful magic. These daemons were strange, dealing death wounds, then healing them. But they were powerful...and if the girl could learn their power, she'd earn tattoos beyond her wildest imagination.
The matriarchs of her tribe would have screamed, ranted and then had her boiled alive, if they had known what she planned. But the girl had already earned two tattoos of the Shadow. Sneaky, clever and...subtle. Some thought the tattoo of the Shadow was a mark of shame.
But Metch didn't. She ran her finger along the first of her Shadow tattoos, one that graced the curve of her neck. The three daemons were talking in their own, bizarre language. Then one of them raised their light sticks and...cut a hole in the world.
Metch stared, almost dropping her spear. The three daemons dissapeared in the hole in the world.
Metch gulped, her throat suddenly going dry. She walked to the door, forgetting her normal hunt stride. The daemons walked down a different part of the world, as if the hole they had cut was a...portal.
They created portals. They had small spears that threw themselves with deadly force. They're matriarch had wings, and her love-mate constantly had weird energy frittering around her strange ears. Even their chattel-man was incredibly strong, carrying their idol without tiring. Metch stepped through the hole, blinking wildly.
Four holes later, and Metch was getting used to the idea of stepping through holes in the world, and of idols that spoke back to the prayers they received.
The fifth hole, however, was when Metch made a mistake. She had gotten closer and closer to the party, more and more curious as she watched their strange dealings.
Metch stepped through the fifth hole...and saw the winged matriarch, aiming her portal gun at Metch. Metch gulped.
The woman said something in a steady, commanding voice.
A moment later, the idol repeated, in it's sexless, toneless voice: ├óÔé¼┼ôDrop the spear, and put your hands on your head.├óÔé¼┬Ø
Metch dropped her spear, staring at the idol. She stood there for a long minute
The matriarch's lips quirked in a smile. She coughed.
Metch hurriedly put her hands on her head.
Jimmy snapped his pistol out. The hallway was mostly dark, lit only by the grimy, barely functional hallway lights.
├óÔé¼┼ôLeft!├óÔé¼┬Ø Pix shouted. Jimmy snapped the gun to the left and he saw a lithe figure dashing down the hall, holding a second spear. The gun cracked and the figure smashed into the wall, spun, and landed on it's back. Screaming fill the hall and the figure started thrashing.
Jimmy and Pix ran down the corridor, the gun still smoking in Jimmy's hand. He paused, snapping the clip out of the side of the gun. Three bullets.
The figure, now that the two of them were closer, turned out to be a very young girl. Jimmy blinked. She barely looked twelve, her somewhat flat chest bound tight by a cured leather strap. Tribal tattoos covered her arms and sides, spiraling black patterns that blended in with the grimy hallway. Blood dribbled out of the hole in her shoulder. It wasn't that bad of a wound, really. Jimmy had been aiming for the edge of her body.
├óÔé¼┼ôPix,├óÔé¼┬Ø He said, ├óÔé¼┼ôGet a bandage.├óÔé¼┬Ø
The girl stopped screaming at the sound of their voices, her eyes going wider. Jimmy slapped a bandage on the wound and the girl yelped as it tightened on the wound. After a moment the bullet shot out of the wound, smacking Jimmy on the forehead and falling to the ground, rolling away. The bandage sprayed disinfectant on the wound, making the girl's back arch, another scream bursting from her lips.
├óÔé¼┼ôHey, hey,├óÔé¼┬Ø Jimmy said, trying to be comforting. ├óÔé¼┼ôCalm down.├óÔé¼┬Ø
The girl stopped screaming. She stared at Jimmy and Pix. Then she pushed herself backwards, pressing her back against the wall. A stream of surprisingly pretty, fluid sounding language came from her.
├óÔé¼┼ôPix?├óÔé¼┬Ø Jimmy asked. Pix shrugged.
├óÔé¼┼ôIt's pretty though,├óÔé¼┬Ø She said, smiling.
The girl stood, her back still pressed against the wall. She kept blinking, her head moving close enough to a grimy light that allowed Jimmy to see the details. Her eyes were green, striking on a thin, somewhat malnourished face. Another steam of fluid language came from her.
├óÔé¼┼ôWe can't understand you,├óÔé¼┬Ø Pix said, somewhat pointlessly. The girl sighed. Then she stooped over, picked up her dropped spear, and ran down the hall, using a low, loping stride that kept her as small a target as possible. Soon she was gone.
Jimmy glanced at Pix. ├óÔé¼┼ôWell...that's it, I suppose.├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôYeah,├óÔé¼┬Ø Pix said, ├óÔé¼┼ôWant to start walking?├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôWait,├óÔé¼┬Ø Jimmy said. He walked back to where they had...kissed and picked up the phone he had dropped. He set it on his head. ├óÔé¼┼ôFox?├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôYes?├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôYou're still on the line?├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôI'm talking to you, aren't I?├óÔé¼┬Ø Fox's voice sounded like he was smiling.
├óÔé¼┼ôFine, fine,├óÔé¼┬Ø Jimmy said. He glanced at Pix. ├óÔé¼┼ôShow us a way out-├óÔé¼┬Ø
Pix grabbed Jimmy's shoulder, turning him around. Jimmy couldn't believe his eyes.
Anna ran down the corridor, holding a bag in one hand and a laser carbine in the other, her wings folded tightly behind her. She skidded to a halt In front of Jimmy and bowed.
├óÔé¼┼ôAnna Hellborn, civil servant, at your service,├óÔé¼┬Ø She said, dropping the bag at his feet.
Jimmy's smile broadened and he said, ├óÔé¼┼ôFox...go to the tubes.├óÔé¼┬Ø
He took the phone off and folded it, sliding it into his pack. He held his hand out and Anna took it.
├óÔé¼┼ôSo...I thought you were going to check on your gang,├óÔé¼┬Ø Pix said, frowning at Anna. Anna shrugged.
├óÔé¼┼ôWell how could I leave such a handsome young man and his wonderful lady friend in such a nasty place?├óÔé¼┬Ø Anna asked. Jimmy caught a whiff of her pheromones.
Wow...he'd forgotten how...enticing that smell was. Jimmy smiled, then caught Pix's glare at him and he stopped.
├óÔé¼┼ôSo,├óÔé¼┬Ø Anna said, opening the pack and handing out two more laser carbines. ├óÔé¼┼ôWe've got three hundred rounds on these things, enough food to last us two weeks, and a very good looking, very capable winged woman to save the day...any problems anyone can see?├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôWe don't know where we are,├óÔé¼┬Ø Jimmy said.
├óÔé¼┼ôThe Xorquin are trying to kill us,├óÔé¼┬Ø Pix added.
├óÔé¼┼ôAnd I think they can track us with this phone,├óÔé¼┬Ø Jimmy said, pulling out the phone. Anna grabbed it and crushed it under her foot.
├óÔé¼┼ôThat's one problem down. The second problem...well the Xorquin always want to kill us. But the first problem...well...lets see if wandering around can jog some memory.├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôOkay,├óÔé¼┬Ø Jimmy said. He looked at Pix and grinned. ├óÔé¼┼ôAt least now, we have a chance.├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôOkay...can I go to the bathroom?├óÔé¼┬Ø Pix asked.
├óÔé¼┼ôFine,├óÔé¼┬Ø Anna said.
├óÔé¼┼ôJimmy, do you need to go?├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôNot-├óÔé¼┬Ø Jimmy started. Pix fixed her eyes with his and frowned. ├óÔé¼┼ôI couldn't not not go to the bathroom?├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôSo you don't need to go?├óÔé¼┬Ø Anna asked, her brow furrowing.
├óÔé¼┼ôNo...I mean...no, I need to go. Come on Pix,├óÔé¼┬Ø Jimmy said. Pix and him walked off.
Anna waited till they were around the corner. Then she started to laugh, shaking her head to herself. ├óÔé¼┼ôTeenagers,├óÔé¼┬Ø She muttered, kneeling next to her pack. She started by taking out some of her supplies and setting up her broadcaster.
Pix lead Jimmy around a corner, then kissed him again, hard.
├óÔé¼┼ôThanks,├óÔé¼┬Ø Jimmy said, dazed. ├óÔé¼┼ôDid I do something right?├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôI just wanted to say something...some things,├óÔé¼┬Ø Pix said. ├óÔé¼┼ôAnd...├óÔé¼┬Ø She kissed him again.
├óÔé¼┼ôThat's not 'saying' something,├óÔé¼┬Ø Jimmy muttered halfheartedly. ├óÔé¼┼ôNot that I want you to stop, or anything.├óÔé¼┬Ø
Pix grinned and kissed him again, this time going all the way, pressing her tongue into his mouth, grinding her body against his. Jimmy felt his hands moving around her body, first down her back, then back up, then down again.
├óÔé¼┼ôThis is really not the place for this,├óÔé¼┬Ø Jimmy sighed, looking at the grimy wall he was pressed against.
├óÔé¼┼ôI know,├óÔé¼┬Ø Pix said, looking down. ├óÔé¼┼ôBut promise my something Jimmy...when this all over with...please, please, please...├óÔé¼┬Ø
Jimmy put a finger over Pix's lips, shushing her.
├óÔé¼┼ôI'll find the prettiest place on Harbinger,├óÔé¼┬Ø he said. ├óÔé¼┼ôBut it won't be prettier then you.├óÔé¼┬Ø
Pix groaned, rolling her eyes.
Anna coughed, sticking her head around the corner. ├óÔé¼┼ôAre you guys going to grope all day, or are we going to save the world?├óÔé¼┬Ø
-------------
Un and Helen watched as the two human, one E.L.F party moved through the mostly unmapped Forget. As they watched, they listened to the conversation that was piped through their ear's, hooked into the computer systems.
├óÔé¼┼ôWhy do I have to carry this?├óÔé¼┬Ø Jimmy.
├óÔé¼┼ôBecause your a strapping young lad.├óÔé¼┬Ø Anna
├óÔé¼┼ôNa ya na ya na.├óÔé¼┬Ø Jimmy.
├óÔé¼┼ôShe's right about the strapping part.├óÔé¼┬Ø Pix
├óÔé¼┼ôHey, Helen.├óÔé¼┬Ø Anna. ├óÔé¼┼ôAnything on the bio-detectors?├óÔé¼┬Ø
Helen tapped her mic and spoke. ├óÔé¼┼ôNothing on your end. Well...nothing but you three.├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôRight.├óÔé¼┬Ø Jimmy. A grunt came from the speakers. ├óÔé¼┼ôWhy is this friggen thing so heavy?├óÔé¼┬Ø
Neither Un nor Helen bothered to answer that. ├óÔé¼┼ôWait!├óÔé¼┬Ø Un pointed at the screen. ├óÔé¼┼ôOne living blip...about ten meters back from you.├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôIs it coming at us?├óÔé¼┬Ø Anna.
├óÔé¼┼ôNot sure,├óÔé¼┬Ø Un said. ├óÔé¼┼ôKeep advancing.├óÔé¼┬Ø He turned to Helen, putting his hand over the mic. ├óÔé¼┼ôDo we have a better fix on their position?├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôNot yet,├óÔé¼┬Ø Helen whispered. She glanced to the second screen in their little workplace. Projected on that screen was a map of the Forget, as best as people knew it. It was maddeningly vague, but it was still something to project a dot onto, representing the small party. They had started a mile or two back in the forget and were getting closer and closer to the edge. So at least they knew that much.
├óÔé¼┼ôKeep on your course,├óÔé¼┬Ø Un was saying. ├óÔé¼┼ôYou're little more than six, maybe five miles from the edge.├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôYeah, yeah.├óÔé¼┬Ø Anna. ├óÔé¼┼ôFive miles in straight line. Maybe a hundred in all these twisty, windy corridors.├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôSay...I had a thought,├óÔé¼┬Ø Un said, snapping his fingers. ├óÔé¼┼ôJimmy, set your carbine to cut.├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôOkay.├óÔé¼┬Ø Jimmy. ├óÔé¼┼ôDone...now what?├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôKeep walking east until you hit a wall. Then-├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôTry to cut through.├óÔé¼┬Ø Jimmy. A pause. ├óÔé¼┼ôWow...I'd never have thought of that.├óÔé¼┬Ø
A few minutes later and the party hit a wall. The blip behind them had stayed behind them, not moving closer, and not moving father. Anna knew this, but decided that, if it wasn't hurting them, they could not hurt it back.
├óÔé¼┼ôTrying the laser out now.├óÔé¼┬Ø Jimmy. ├óÔé¼┼ôIt's working!├óÔé¼┬Ø
A minute later. ├óÔé¼┼ôOkay, we've got ourselves a hole!├óÔé¼┬Ø Anna. The team moved through.
├óÔé¼┼ôHow many times can we do that?├óÔé¼┬Ø Pix.
├óÔé¼┼ôLets check.├óÔé¼┬Ø Jimmy. ├óÔé¼┼ôThat was a quarter of the battery. How many extra batteries in your pack?├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôOne.├óÔé¼┬Ø Anna said. ├óÔé¼┼ôHell, these things are good for four hundred rounds. I never thought-├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôYou should have.├óÔé¼┬Ø Pix
├óÔé¼┼ôStop arguing,├óÔé¼┬Ø Helen snapped. ├óÔé¼┼ôKeep moving! If each gun can cut through four walls, and we have three guns and one battery left. That's sixteen walls. So keep moving through those walls and you'll be a stone throws from the exit!├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôIf we're lucky.├óÔé¼┬Ø Anna, sarcasm coming through despite the scratchy reception. ├óÔé¼┼ôAnd if we manage to avoid Trials.├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôWe still have three rounds in Jimmy's gun.├óÔé¼┬Ø Pix
├óÔé¼┼ôThree rounds, versus four hundreds? I'll stick with the lasers.├óÔé¼┬Ø Anna.
├óÔé¼┼ôUsually one round will scare the crap out of the Trials.├óÔé¼┬Ø Jimmy.
├óÔé¼┼ôFine, fine,├óÔé¼┬Ø Anna. ├óÔé¼┼ôBut I'm saving the backup cell...just in case.├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôAgreed.├óÔé¼┬Ø Jimmy.
A pause, then they started walking again.
-------
As the three Demons walked, the girl followed. She had been painted with Daemon Hunter paint. If she came back with a head, she'd have the legendary paints tattooed into her forever, making her a warrior worth the tribe. She'd have her best pick of love mates. The best pick of chattel-men.
But the girl was not planning to kill the daemons. She fingered the talisman on her shoulder. Magic...powerful magic. These daemons were strange, dealing death wounds, then healing them. But they were powerful...and if the girl could learn their power, she'd earn tattoos beyond her wildest imagination.
The matriarchs of her tribe would have screamed, ranted and then had her boiled alive, if they had known what she planned. But the girl had already earned two tattoos of the Shadow. Sneaky, clever and...subtle. Some thought the tattoo of the Shadow was a mark of shame.
But Metch didn't. She ran her finger along the first of her Shadow tattoos, one that graced the curve of her neck. The three daemons were talking in their own, bizarre language. Then one of them raised their light sticks and...cut a hole in the world.
Metch stared, almost dropping her spear. The three daemons dissapeared in the hole in the world.
Metch gulped, her throat suddenly going dry. She walked to the door, forgetting her normal hunt stride. The daemons walked down a different part of the world, as if the hole they had cut was a...portal.
They created portals. They had small spears that threw themselves with deadly force. They're matriarch had wings, and her love-mate constantly had weird energy frittering around her strange ears. Even their chattel-man was incredibly strong, carrying their idol without tiring. Metch stepped through the hole, blinking wildly.
Four holes later, and Metch was getting used to the idea of stepping through holes in the world, and of idols that spoke back to the prayers they received.
The fifth hole, however, was when Metch made a mistake. She had gotten closer and closer to the party, more and more curious as she watched their strange dealings.
Metch stepped through the fifth hole...and saw the winged matriarch, aiming her portal gun at Metch. Metch gulped.
The woman said something in a steady, commanding voice.
A moment later, the idol repeated, in it's sexless, toneless voice: ├óÔé¼┼ôDrop the spear, and put your hands on your head.├óÔé¼┬Ø
Metch dropped her spear, staring at the idol. She stood there for a long minute
The matriarch's lips quirked in a smile. She coughed.
Metch hurriedly put her hands on her head.
No, CompWiz. The 'better' that you think you are seeing is nothing more than an illusion, created by my massive telepathic powers.
The first thing Metch did after that was shout the traditional surrender speech, bowing her head as she did so.
├óÔé¼┼ôI submit, body, mind and soul to those of more power and strength. May my flesh become yours, my mind become yours and my passion, yours. You own me till I can become, once more, one with my love-mate and my chattel-man, may the day come soon.├óÔé¼┬Ø
The three daemons looked at one another. The idol said, in a different, scratchy voice, ├óÔé¼┼ôFascinating.├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôUh...what is your name?├óÔé¼┬Ø The chattel-man asked. Metch winced, readying herself for the piteous mewling chattel-men always gave when they were beaten.
No beating came. Instead the two women looked at Metch. She gulped, unnerved, and said, ├óÔé¼┼ôMetch of the Shadows, Twice, of the Ducts, once, of the Spear, thrice, of the Bleeding, ten.├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôGood for you,├óÔé¼┬Ø The winged matriarch said. ├óÔé¼┼ôUh...we don't need your flesh, or your passion or whatever else your giving us.├óÔé¼┬Ø She knelt next to Metch. ├óÔé¼┼ôSo why don't you just...skedaddle?├óÔé¼┬Ø
Metch's nostrils flared and she moved her head forward, curious. The winged one smelled as good as she looked it seemed. She shivered and moved her head back, averting her eyes.
├óÔé¼┼ôSo...get up. Go away. Right now!├óÔé¼┬Ø The winged one pointed at the hole in the world.
Metch felt even more unnerved. Daemons weren't completely alien, they were shaped like she was. They had to understand something shouldn't they?
├óÔé¼┼ôBut...you own me,├óÔé¼┬Ø Metch said. ├óÔé¼┼ôI have to either die, be rescued, or become one with your clan!├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôSorry, but we're not a clan. We're not going to stay here for long.├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôThen I shall come with you,├óÔé¼┬Ø Metch declared. ├óÔé¼┼ôI can not return without a daemon's head, and I can not become one of the clanless. Nor can I join the Peaceful ones in the lake land. So what does that leave me with?├óÔé¼┬Ø
The winged one looked shocked and she muttered something under her breath. The idol spoke louder, saying, ├óÔé¼┼ôShe's a smart bugger.├óÔé¼┬Ø
The pink haired one grinned, then laughed.
├óÔé¼┼ôJust because someone lives in the forget doesn't mean they can't argue a good point.├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôI say we take her,├óÔé¼┬Ø The chattel-man said. And, for a second time, he was not beaten. ├óÔé¼┼ôFace it, Anna, we need a guide who actually remembers her last stay here.├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôHey!├óÔé¼┬Ø The winged one, Anna responded.
Metch suddenly hated her surrender vows. These people were just too strange.
├óÔé¼┼ôI agree with Jimmy,├óÔé¼┬Ø the pink haired one said.
├óÔé¼┼ôFine, fine...Metch, can you lead us?├óÔé¼┬Ø The winged one asked, looking at Metch. Once again her scent filled Metch's nostrils and she found herself nodding despite herself.
├óÔé¼┼ôGood,├óÔé¼┬Ø The winged one said. She took Metch's hand and helped her to her feet.
├óÔé¼┼ôBefore I go anywhere,├óÔé¼┬Ø Metch said, averting her eyes. ├óÔé¼┼ôI wish to know, how will we work the mating? I take it that you two-├óÔé¼┬Ø she pointed at the pink haired one and the winged one. ├óÔé¼┼ô-are bonded, and the chattel-man provides for the entertainment. But where will I fit in?├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôExcuse me?├óÔé¼┬Ø The pink haired one had gone very red in the face. The chattel-man almost dropped the idol. He started coughing, as if some spit had gone down the wrong way.
├óÔé¼┼ôI...we're not...bonded or anything like that,├óÔé¼┬Ø The winged one said, gesturing from herself to the pink haired one. ├óÔé¼┼ôIf anything, they're bonded.├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôAnd what the hell is a chattel?├óÔé¼┬Ø The chattel-man asked.
├óÔé¼┼ôA slave,├óÔé¼┬Ø The pink haired one murmured in his ear.
├óÔé¼┼ôI am not a slave!├óÔé¼┬Ø The chattel-man shouted, glaring at Metch. ├óÔé¼┼ôMy name is Jimmy!├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôYou don't have a name!├óÔé¼┬Ø Metch squeaked.
├óÔé¼┼ôYes, I do.├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôNo,├óÔé¼┬Ø Metch said, shaking her head. ├óÔé¼┼ôThat's just silly.├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôI have a tubing name!├óÔé¼┬Ø Jimmy set the idol down, balling his fists.
├óÔé¼┼ôJimmy,├óÔé¼┬Ø The pink haired one said, putting her hand on his shoulder. His face softened as he looked at her.
Now Metch was seriously considering going clanless to avoid these people.
├óÔé¼┼ôOkay,├óÔé¼┬Ø The winged one said, glaring back at the chattel-man. ├óÔé¼┼ôHere is how it's going to work. Metch leads us. Pix and Jimmy snog when they get a chance-├óÔé¼┬Ø The pink haired one blushed ever harder this time. ├óÔé¼┼ô-and we get the tube out of here.├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôBut...I won't have a mate,├óÔé¼┬Ø Metch said.
The winged one shrugged. ├óÔé¼┼ôWell, neither will I. And believe me-├óÔé¼┬Ø her face got dark. ├óÔé¼┼ôI know how it feels. So, at least you have company.├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôWell,├óÔé¼┬Ø Metch said. ├óÔé¼┼ôYou could aways be my mate-├óÔé¼┬Ø
The winged one laughed. ├óÔé¼┼ôGirl, don't you know I'm into reptiles?├óÔé¼┬Ø
-------
├óÔé¼┼ôThis is fascinating!├óÔé¼┬Ø Un said, looking over the transcripts from the recorder. A technician was watching over the party, given the express orders to shout for help if anything weird happened. ├óÔé¼┼ôWe need to get Gary down here. He's been pushing for an expedition to the Forget for years and we've learned more in five minutes then he has in his life.├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôThis is indeed turning out to be an interesting day,├óÔé¼┬Ø Helen said, nodding.
Then. ├óÔé¼┼ôAnd...├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôAnd what?├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôAnd have you thought about my proposal?├óÔé¼┬Ø Helen asked, looking up from her notes.
├óÔé¼┼ôUh,├óÔé¼┬Ø Un muttered. ├óÔé¼┼ôWell...I-├óÔé¼┬Ø
He was saved from having to say that her proposal scared the crap out of him by having the technician stick his head through the door and say, ├óÔé¼┼ôSomething's come up!├óÔé¼┬Ø
Helen and Un walked into the operations room. It had been cluttered up even more by the addition of a bigger map, better speakers, more notes, some extra computers and a cup holder for Un's drink.
And on the bigger map, Helen and Un could see the ten or so blips moving towards the group.
├óÔé¼┼ôThere's an entire war party heading your way,├óÔé¼┬Ø Helen said.
├óÔé¼┼ôWait...├óÔé¼┬Ø Un started adjusting some dials. ├óÔé¼┼ôWe're getting odd bio-signs from those blips.├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôWe're almost done through this wall.├óÔé¼┬Ø Anna.
├óÔé¼┼ôI hear them.├óÔé¼┬Ø Metch. ├óÔé¼┼ôThey're not an enemy clan. Too heavy, odd footfalls...rattling.├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôGot it!├óÔé¼┬Ø Un said, turning away from the computer. ├óÔé¼┼ôThat's ten Xorquin barreling straight at you!'
├óÔé¼┼ôSewage!├óÔé¼┬Ø Jimmy. A clang, as he dropped the Idol. ├óÔé¼┼ôMy guns out.├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôMines at half.├óÔé¼┬Ø Pix.
├óÔé¼┼ôTake this.├óÔé¼┬Ø Anna.
A sound of reloading. A whirring sound as the laser carbine powered up.
├óÔé¼┼ôMetch, go through the hole!├óÔé¼┬Ø Anna.
├óÔé¼┼ôNo!├óÔé¼┬Ø Metch.
├óÔé¼┼ôMetch, come back!├óÔé¼┬Ø Anna.
The sound of gun fire. Return laser fire, crack, crack. Helen and Un watched as one of the Xorquin blips vanished.
├óÔé¼┼ôPix, though the hole. I'll cover you!├óÔé¼┬Ø Jimmy. No argument from Pix, her blip going through the hole.
├óÔé¼┼ôMetch, I'm not joking. Through. The. Tubing. Hole!├óÔé¼┬Ø Anna
Metch's blip went through the hole and the sound of shouting came in over the gun fire. A shout.
├óÔé¼┼ôArgh!├óÔé¼┬Ø Anna.
├óÔé¼┼ôAnna, get through the hole!├óÔé¼┬Ø Jimmy.
Anna's blip went through the hole. The blips started to move down the hall, easily twice as fast as they had before. The Xorquin got to the hole...and didn't go through. They moved around, then moved off the scanner scope.
--------
├óÔé¼┼ôOw, ow, ow, ow!├óÔé¼┬Ø Anna hissed, looking at the perfectly round hole that had shot through her wing.
├óÔé¼┼ôThat looks painful,├óÔé¼┬Ø Pix muttered, rummaging in her pack. She came out with two bandages.
├óÔé¼┼ôNo, don't use those,├óÔé¼┬Ø Anna snapped. ├óÔé¼┼ôI just need...some of that firedrink.├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôYou brought alcohol?├óÔé¼┬Ø Jimmy asked.
├óÔé¼┼ôWell...to be more specific, it's vodka.├óÔé¼┬Ø Anna snapped her fingers. ├óÔé¼┼ôNow gimmi, gimmi, gimmi!├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôIs this it?├óÔé¼┬Ø Metch asked, holding the bottle out to Anna.
├óÔé¼┼ôYes,├óÔé¼┬Ø Anna said, taking the bottle. She downed a large gulp and hissed, closing her eyes as tears leaked from her eyes. She sucked in and blew out a long breath. ├óÔé¼┼ôThat hits the spot.├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôSo...they're gonna find away around that hole,├óÔé¼┬Ø Jimmy said, looking down the hall at the hole. ├óÔé¼┼ôWe have to keep moving.├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôMetch,├óÔé¼┬Ø Anna said, looking at the young tribal. ├óÔé¼┼ôDo you know your way around here?├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôY...yes,├óÔé¼┬Ø Metch said, her lips twitching into a smile. ├óÔé¼┼ôI've been here before...there is a safe home room near here. It's hole was open originally, but we disguised it too look like a wall.├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôExcellent...but I have to ask, why the tubes would you be all the way out here?├óÔé¼┬Ø Anna asked.
├óÔé¼┼ôHunting,├óÔé¼┬Ø Metch said. She grinned. ├óÔé¼┼ôThis is where I earned my first tattoo of the Shadow. I snuck behind the Great Lizard that was hiding in here and I stabbed it through one of it's eyes.├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôGreat Lizard?├óÔé¼┬Ø Pix asked. ├óÔé¼┼ôLike...a Xorquin?├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôYes,├óÔé¼┬Ø Metch nodded. ├óÔé¼┼ôLike one of those that attacked us here, but it fought with hand and claw, not with these...burning balls of light.├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôPlasma,├óÔé¼┬Ø Jimmy snapped. ├óÔé¼┼ôIt's plasma.├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôAs you say,├óÔé¼┬Ø Metch nodded. ├óÔé¼┼ôThe room is...this way.├óÔé¼┬Ø She walked a few steps. ├óÔé¼┼ôNo...this way.├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôDo you actually know which way to go?├óÔé¼┬Ø Jimmy muttered. Metch glared at him, then started to walk again.
After a few minutes of walking, Metch stopped at a wall. She stuck her finger in a hole and jerked on something in the hole. The wall fell open and inside was a surprisingly clean room with a rack of spears on the side and a large, circular mat on the floor. Small pillows sat on the edge of the circle, one every foot or so.
├óÔé¼┼ôAh!├óÔé¼┬Ø Metch grinned, running into the room. ├óÔé¼┼ôWhoever used this last was kind and left us a nice place to stay.├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôWe can't stay long,├óÔé¼┬Ø Anna said.
Helen broke into the conversation, broadcasting through the transmitter that Jimmy still carried. ├óÔé¼┼ôWe would suggest that you stay in the safe room until the Xorquin abandon their search.├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôAnd I am getting tired of lugging this around,├óÔé¼┬Ø Jimmy said. Metch shot a glare at him. Jimmy ignored her and set the translator on the ground. Once everyone was inside, Metch closed the door.
Then she started pulling off her clothes.
├óÔé¼┼ôWhat are you doing?├óÔé¼┬Ø Pix asked, being the first to notice.
├óÔé¼┼ôGetting ready to sleep,├óÔé¼┬Ø Metch said, tossing her shirt-loop into the corner. She took her harness of knives off and then slid her short shorts down and dropped them in the corner. By now everyone was staring at her. Metch ignored them, laying down and rolling onto her side.
After a moment she rolled over and looked at them. ├óÔé¼┼ôAren't you going to join me? We're not gonna stay warm by ourselves.├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôPix and I'll sleep on this side,├óÔé¼┬Ø Jimmy said, taking Pix by the hand. They both settled down on the side of the circle.
Anna sighed. ├óÔé¼┼ôWell...I'm not getting naked.├óÔé¼┬Ø She lay down next to Metch. She didn't snuggle nearly as close as normal.
Metch shrugged. You just can't tell what daemons would do, could you?
A moment later, she was asleep.
----------
├óÔé¼┼ôShe's a tweaked one,├óÔé¼┬Ø Jimmy murmured. Pix nodded, facing him. They're foreheads were almost touching, and their feet were tangled together. Not that Jimmy was complaining.
For a moment he was struck by how distant he was from the nervous, scrawny boy who was embarrassed about thinking what Pix looked like under her shirt.
Now he wasn't embarrassed. He was hungry.
├óÔé¼┼ôNo argument from me,├óÔé¼┬Ø Pix whispered.
├óÔé¼┼ôIt's the Forget...there's something here that makes people crazy.├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôWhat I'm wondering about is why so many of the Forgetters are human,├óÔé¼┬Ø Pix sighed, rolling onto her back. It was getting cold, the lights in the room dimming.
├óÔé¼┼ôI just want to get out,├óÔé¼┬Ø Jimmy said. Pix nodded.
├óÔé¼┼ôNo argument from me.├óÔé¼┬Ø
The first thing Metch did after that was shout the traditional surrender speech, bowing her head as she did so.
├óÔé¼┼ôI submit, body, mind and soul to those of more power and strength. May my flesh become yours, my mind become yours and my passion, yours. You own me till I can become, once more, one with my love-mate and my chattel-man, may the day come soon.├óÔé¼┬Ø
The three daemons looked at one another. The idol said, in a different, scratchy voice, ├óÔé¼┼ôFascinating.├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôUh...what is your name?├óÔé¼┬Ø The chattel-man asked. Metch winced, readying herself for the piteous mewling chattel-men always gave when they were beaten.
No beating came. Instead the two women looked at Metch. She gulped, unnerved, and said, ├óÔé¼┼ôMetch of the Shadows, Twice, of the Ducts, once, of the Spear, thrice, of the Bleeding, ten.├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôGood for you,├óÔé¼┬Ø The winged matriarch said. ├óÔé¼┼ôUh...we don't need your flesh, or your passion or whatever else your giving us.├óÔé¼┬Ø She knelt next to Metch. ├óÔé¼┼ôSo why don't you just...skedaddle?├óÔé¼┬Ø
Metch's nostrils flared and she moved her head forward, curious. The winged one smelled as good as she looked it seemed. She shivered and moved her head back, averting her eyes.
├óÔé¼┼ôSo...get up. Go away. Right now!├óÔé¼┬Ø The winged one pointed at the hole in the world.
Metch felt even more unnerved. Daemons weren't completely alien, they were shaped like she was. They had to understand something shouldn't they?
├óÔé¼┼ôBut...you own me,├óÔé¼┬Ø Metch said. ├óÔé¼┼ôI have to either die, be rescued, or become one with your clan!├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôSorry, but we're not a clan. We're not going to stay here for long.├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôThen I shall come with you,├óÔé¼┬Ø Metch declared. ├óÔé¼┼ôI can not return without a daemon's head, and I can not become one of the clanless. Nor can I join the Peaceful ones in the lake land. So what does that leave me with?├óÔé¼┬Ø
The winged one looked shocked and she muttered something under her breath. The idol spoke louder, saying, ├óÔé¼┼ôShe's a smart bugger.├óÔé¼┬Ø
The pink haired one grinned, then laughed.
├óÔé¼┼ôJust because someone lives in the forget doesn't mean they can't argue a good point.├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôI say we take her,├óÔé¼┬Ø The chattel-man said. And, for a second time, he was not beaten. ├óÔé¼┼ôFace it, Anna, we need a guide who actually remembers her last stay here.├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôHey!├óÔé¼┬Ø The winged one, Anna responded.
Metch suddenly hated her surrender vows. These people were just too strange.
├óÔé¼┼ôI agree with Jimmy,├óÔé¼┬Ø the pink haired one said.
├óÔé¼┼ôFine, fine...Metch, can you lead us?├óÔé¼┬Ø The winged one asked, looking at Metch. Once again her scent filled Metch's nostrils and she found herself nodding despite herself.
├óÔé¼┼ôGood,├óÔé¼┬Ø The winged one said. She took Metch's hand and helped her to her feet.
├óÔé¼┼ôBefore I go anywhere,├óÔé¼┬Ø Metch said, averting her eyes. ├óÔé¼┼ôI wish to know, how will we work the mating? I take it that you two-├óÔé¼┬Ø she pointed at the pink haired one and the winged one. ├óÔé¼┼ô-are bonded, and the chattel-man provides for the entertainment. But where will I fit in?├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôExcuse me?├óÔé¼┬Ø The pink haired one had gone very red in the face. The chattel-man almost dropped the idol. He started coughing, as if some spit had gone down the wrong way.
├óÔé¼┼ôI...we're not...bonded or anything like that,├óÔé¼┬Ø The winged one said, gesturing from herself to the pink haired one. ├óÔé¼┼ôIf anything, they're bonded.├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôAnd what the hell is a chattel?├óÔé¼┬Ø The chattel-man asked.
├óÔé¼┼ôA slave,├óÔé¼┬Ø The pink haired one murmured in his ear.
├óÔé¼┼ôI am not a slave!├óÔé¼┬Ø The chattel-man shouted, glaring at Metch. ├óÔé¼┼ôMy name is Jimmy!├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôYou don't have a name!├óÔé¼┬Ø Metch squeaked.
├óÔé¼┼ôYes, I do.├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôNo,├óÔé¼┬Ø Metch said, shaking her head. ├óÔé¼┼ôThat's just silly.├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôI have a tubing name!├óÔé¼┬Ø Jimmy set the idol down, balling his fists.
├óÔé¼┼ôJimmy,├óÔé¼┬Ø The pink haired one said, putting her hand on his shoulder. His face softened as he looked at her.
Now Metch was seriously considering going clanless to avoid these people.
├óÔé¼┼ôOkay,├óÔé¼┬Ø The winged one said, glaring back at the chattel-man. ├óÔé¼┼ôHere is how it's going to work. Metch leads us. Pix and Jimmy snog when they get a chance-├óÔé¼┬Ø The pink haired one blushed ever harder this time. ├óÔé¼┼ô-and we get the tube out of here.├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôBut...I won't have a mate,├óÔé¼┬Ø Metch said.
The winged one shrugged. ├óÔé¼┼ôWell, neither will I. And believe me-├óÔé¼┬Ø her face got dark. ├óÔé¼┼ôI know how it feels. So, at least you have company.├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôWell,├óÔé¼┬Ø Metch said. ├óÔé¼┼ôYou could aways be my mate-├óÔé¼┬Ø
The winged one laughed. ├óÔé¼┼ôGirl, don't you know I'm into reptiles?├óÔé¼┬Ø
-------
├óÔé¼┼ôThis is fascinating!├óÔé¼┬Ø Un said, looking over the transcripts from the recorder. A technician was watching over the party, given the express orders to shout for help if anything weird happened. ├óÔé¼┼ôWe need to get Gary down here. He's been pushing for an expedition to the Forget for years and we've learned more in five minutes then he has in his life.├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôThis is indeed turning out to be an interesting day,├óÔé¼┬Ø Helen said, nodding.
Then. ├óÔé¼┼ôAnd...├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôAnd what?├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôAnd have you thought about my proposal?├óÔé¼┬Ø Helen asked, looking up from her notes.
├óÔé¼┼ôUh,├óÔé¼┬Ø Un muttered. ├óÔé¼┼ôWell...I-├óÔé¼┬Ø
He was saved from having to say that her proposal scared the crap out of him by having the technician stick his head through the door and say, ├óÔé¼┼ôSomething's come up!├óÔé¼┬Ø
Helen and Un walked into the operations room. It had been cluttered up even more by the addition of a bigger map, better speakers, more notes, some extra computers and a cup holder for Un's drink.
And on the bigger map, Helen and Un could see the ten or so blips moving towards the group.
├óÔé¼┼ôThere's an entire war party heading your way,├óÔé¼┬Ø Helen said.
├óÔé¼┼ôWait...├óÔé¼┬Ø Un started adjusting some dials. ├óÔé¼┼ôWe're getting odd bio-signs from those blips.├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôWe're almost done through this wall.├óÔé¼┬Ø Anna.
├óÔé¼┼ôI hear them.├óÔé¼┬Ø Metch. ├óÔé¼┼ôThey're not an enemy clan. Too heavy, odd footfalls...rattling.├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôGot it!├óÔé¼┬Ø Un said, turning away from the computer. ├óÔé¼┼ôThat's ten Xorquin barreling straight at you!'
├óÔé¼┼ôSewage!├óÔé¼┬Ø Jimmy. A clang, as he dropped the Idol. ├óÔé¼┼ôMy guns out.├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôMines at half.├óÔé¼┬Ø Pix.
├óÔé¼┼ôTake this.├óÔé¼┬Ø Anna.
A sound of reloading. A whirring sound as the laser carbine powered up.
├óÔé¼┼ôMetch, go through the hole!├óÔé¼┬Ø Anna.
├óÔé¼┼ôNo!├óÔé¼┬Ø Metch.
├óÔé¼┼ôMetch, come back!├óÔé¼┬Ø Anna.
The sound of gun fire. Return laser fire, crack, crack. Helen and Un watched as one of the Xorquin blips vanished.
├óÔé¼┼ôPix, though the hole. I'll cover you!├óÔé¼┬Ø Jimmy. No argument from Pix, her blip going through the hole.
├óÔé¼┼ôMetch, I'm not joking. Through. The. Tubing. Hole!├óÔé¼┬Ø Anna
Metch's blip went through the hole and the sound of shouting came in over the gun fire. A shout.
├óÔé¼┼ôArgh!├óÔé¼┬Ø Anna.
├óÔé¼┼ôAnna, get through the hole!├óÔé¼┬Ø Jimmy.
Anna's blip went through the hole. The blips started to move down the hall, easily twice as fast as they had before. The Xorquin got to the hole...and didn't go through. They moved around, then moved off the scanner scope.
--------
├óÔé¼┼ôOw, ow, ow, ow!├óÔé¼┬Ø Anna hissed, looking at the perfectly round hole that had shot through her wing.
├óÔé¼┼ôThat looks painful,├óÔé¼┬Ø Pix muttered, rummaging in her pack. She came out with two bandages.
├óÔé¼┼ôNo, don't use those,├óÔé¼┬Ø Anna snapped. ├óÔé¼┼ôI just need...some of that firedrink.├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôYou brought alcohol?├óÔé¼┬Ø Jimmy asked.
├óÔé¼┼ôWell...to be more specific, it's vodka.├óÔé¼┬Ø Anna snapped her fingers. ├óÔé¼┼ôNow gimmi, gimmi, gimmi!├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôIs this it?├óÔé¼┬Ø Metch asked, holding the bottle out to Anna.
├óÔé¼┼ôYes,├óÔé¼┬Ø Anna said, taking the bottle. She downed a large gulp and hissed, closing her eyes as tears leaked from her eyes. She sucked in and blew out a long breath. ├óÔé¼┼ôThat hits the spot.├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôSo...they're gonna find away around that hole,├óÔé¼┬Ø Jimmy said, looking down the hall at the hole. ├óÔé¼┼ôWe have to keep moving.├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôMetch,├óÔé¼┬Ø Anna said, looking at the young tribal. ├óÔé¼┼ôDo you know your way around here?├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôY...yes,├óÔé¼┬Ø Metch said, her lips twitching into a smile. ├óÔé¼┼ôI've been here before...there is a safe home room near here. It's hole was open originally, but we disguised it too look like a wall.├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôExcellent...but I have to ask, why the tubes would you be all the way out here?├óÔé¼┬Ø Anna asked.
├óÔé¼┼ôHunting,├óÔé¼┬Ø Metch said. She grinned. ├óÔé¼┼ôThis is where I earned my first tattoo of the Shadow. I snuck behind the Great Lizard that was hiding in here and I stabbed it through one of it's eyes.├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôGreat Lizard?├óÔé¼┬Ø Pix asked. ├óÔé¼┼ôLike...a Xorquin?├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôYes,├óÔé¼┬Ø Metch nodded. ├óÔé¼┼ôLike one of those that attacked us here, but it fought with hand and claw, not with these...burning balls of light.├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôPlasma,├óÔé¼┬Ø Jimmy snapped. ├óÔé¼┼ôIt's plasma.├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôAs you say,├óÔé¼┬Ø Metch nodded. ├óÔé¼┼ôThe room is...this way.├óÔé¼┬Ø She walked a few steps. ├óÔé¼┼ôNo...this way.├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôDo you actually know which way to go?├óÔé¼┬Ø Jimmy muttered. Metch glared at him, then started to walk again.
After a few minutes of walking, Metch stopped at a wall. She stuck her finger in a hole and jerked on something in the hole. The wall fell open and inside was a surprisingly clean room with a rack of spears on the side and a large, circular mat on the floor. Small pillows sat on the edge of the circle, one every foot or so.
├óÔé¼┼ôAh!├óÔé¼┬Ø Metch grinned, running into the room. ├óÔé¼┼ôWhoever used this last was kind and left us a nice place to stay.├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôWe can't stay long,├óÔé¼┬Ø Anna said.
Helen broke into the conversation, broadcasting through the transmitter that Jimmy still carried. ├óÔé¼┼ôWe would suggest that you stay in the safe room until the Xorquin abandon their search.├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôAnd I am getting tired of lugging this around,├óÔé¼┬Ø Jimmy said. Metch shot a glare at him. Jimmy ignored her and set the translator on the ground. Once everyone was inside, Metch closed the door.
Then she started pulling off her clothes.
├óÔé¼┼ôWhat are you doing?├óÔé¼┬Ø Pix asked, being the first to notice.
├óÔé¼┼ôGetting ready to sleep,├óÔé¼┬Ø Metch said, tossing her shirt-loop into the corner. She took her harness of knives off and then slid her short shorts down and dropped them in the corner. By now everyone was staring at her. Metch ignored them, laying down and rolling onto her side.
After a moment she rolled over and looked at them. ├óÔé¼┼ôAren't you going to join me? We're not gonna stay warm by ourselves.├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôPix and I'll sleep on this side,├óÔé¼┬Ø Jimmy said, taking Pix by the hand. They both settled down on the side of the circle.
Anna sighed. ├óÔé¼┼ôWell...I'm not getting naked.├óÔé¼┬Ø She lay down next to Metch. She didn't snuggle nearly as close as normal.
Metch shrugged. You just can't tell what daemons would do, could you?
A moment later, she was asleep.
----------
├óÔé¼┼ôShe's a tweaked one,├óÔé¼┬Ø Jimmy murmured. Pix nodded, facing him. They're foreheads were almost touching, and their feet were tangled together. Not that Jimmy was complaining.
For a moment he was struck by how distant he was from the nervous, scrawny boy who was embarrassed about thinking what Pix looked like under her shirt.
Now he wasn't embarrassed. He was hungry.
├óÔé¼┼ôNo argument from me,├óÔé¼┬Ø Pix whispered.
├óÔé¼┼ôIt's the Forget...there's something here that makes people crazy.├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôWhat I'm wondering about is why so many of the Forgetters are human,├óÔé¼┬Ø Pix sighed, rolling onto her back. It was getting cold, the lights in the room dimming.
├óÔé¼┼ôI just want to get out,├óÔé¼┬Ø Jimmy said. Pix nodded.
├óÔé¼┼ôNo argument from me.├óÔé¼┬Ø
Pix comes up with more fun things to do with gravity. Metch is agorophobic. And who knows what will happen next?
Me.
----------
The laser sparked and Jimmy averted his eyes, wincing. This was the...tenth wall. They were running low on laser. But, according to Helen and Un, they were also running low on walls.
├óÔé¼┼ôDone!├óÔé¼┬Ø Anna said. Metch kicked and the sliced section of wall fell inwards. She ducked through, first as always. Anna, Jimmy and Pix followed in no particular order, though Jimmy had to go backwards, forcing the transmitter through the hole.
The last few holes had been unexciting. This one was shaping up to be the same. Until a plasma bolt blew the transmitter in half.
├óÔé¼┼ôOh shit!├óÔé¼┬Ø Jimmy said, looking at the melted hulk of plastic and metal that had been they're one hope.
Metch said something in her language. It sounded unhappy and was completely unintelligible. Jimmy let go of the ruined hulk.
├óÔé¼┼ôTube it,├óÔé¼┬Ø Anna muttered, moving the group away from the hole. A Xorquin arm stuck through and started shooting plasma around, trying to hit the group. Anna ducked behind a corner, dragging the rest with her.
├óÔé¼┼ôWe have to stay oriented,├óÔé¼┬Ø Anna said. She glanced around the corner at the hole. The Xorquin arm had gone and heavy footfalls receded.
├óÔé¼┼ôThey're gonna come after us again,├óÔé¼┬Ø Pix said, grimacing.
├óÔé¼┼ôHow do they find us?├óÔé¼┬Ø Jimmy asked.
├óÔé¼┼ôWho cares?├óÔé¼┬Ø Anna asked. She oriented herself, based off the hole, and started walking along the hallway, looking for a corridor that lead in the right way. She found it and went around the corner. A moment later and the rest followed.
Then, amazingly, the end was in sight. Down a stretch of very long corridor Anna could see a flap of skin covering a door that actually had light coming from the other side.
Metch stood, completely still. She gulped, pointing and saying something in her language.
├óÔé¼┼ôDon't worry,├óÔé¼┬Ø Anna said, taking Metch's hand and dragging her with them. Metch shook out of her grip and started walking ahead of the group.
She got five steps...then stopped, her foot hanging in the air. Jimmy was about to walk past her when she slammed an elbow into his soler plexus. Jimmy fell backwards, gasping for air.
├óÔé¼┼ôWhat the...tubes?├óÔé¼┬Ø He gasped, sitting up.
Metch pointed down, slowly moving her foot back and setting it on the ground behind her. Anna knelt and peered at where Metch was pointing. A thin, almost invisible wire stretched across the hallway.
├óÔé¼┼ôThanks Metch,├óÔé¼┬Ø Anna said, nodding at the tribal. ├óÔé¼┼ôEveryone, back, back, back.├óÔé¼┬Ø
The party moved back a good way. Anna knelt and picked up a bit of metal that was laying on the floor, forgotten for who knows how long.
├óÔé¼┼ôCan't we just step over it?├óÔé¼┬Ø Jimmy asked.
├óÔé¼┼ôNo,├óÔé¼┬Ø Anna grinned. She threw the metal. It clattered down the hallway and broke the trip wire.
Nothing happened.
├óÔé¼┼ôHuh,├óÔé¼┬Ø Anna said, frowning. Pix gasped, then tackled both of them. A huge spike rushed over head, swinging on a pendulum attached to the top of the ceiling. Metch danced out of the way as the spike scythed through the air.
├óÔé¼┼ôGood eye,├óÔé¼┬Ø Anna said to Pix. Pix shrugged.
The group stood and started picking they're way down the corridor, slowly, carefully and with they're eyes on the ground.
Then, amazingly, they reached the door. Anna breathed a sigh of relief and thrust the skin aside. Light, gloriously clean and pure, flooded the hallway.
Metch saw the Main Theater of the armory.
Her eyes rolled back into her head and she collapsed.
---------
Un and Helen sat, chewing they're fingernails. The screen had been dark for quite some time.
├óÔé¼┼ôHow long as it been?├óÔé¼┬Ø Un asked.
├óÔé¼┼ôHalf a day,├óÔé¼┬Ø Helen said.
They both started chewing they're fingernails again. A technician ran into the room, holding a telephone. ├óÔé¼┼ôCall for you,├óÔé¼┬Ø He said, handing the phone to Un.
├óÔé¼┼ôAhoy hoy?├óÔé¼┬Ø Un said.
├óÔé¼┼ôHi Un!├óÔé¼┬Ø
Un jumped out of his chair, smiling his head off. ├óÔé¼┼ôIt's Anna!├óÔé¼┬Ø He said to Helen. ├óÔé¼┼ôWhat happened?├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôSome Xorquin shot up our transmitter. We made it out anyway and right now we're in Tortuga. It hasn't changed much, actually.├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôShould it have?├óÔé¼┬Ø Un asked, groping around for a phone jack. He found one and plugged it into the phone. Anna's voice came through the speakers now.
├óÔé¼┼ôWell we kinda killed Lucky Jack. You'd think a town would change with the death of it's leader...but I suppose Tortuga's not that kind of town.├óÔé¼┬Ø Anna laughed.
├óÔé¼┼ôSo you're out of the Forget?├óÔé¼┬Ø Helen asked.
├óÔé¼┼ôIn one piece too. We even have our little Tribal.├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôHow is she handling it?├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôEr,├óÔé¼┬Ø Anna glanced at Metch. She had been placed in the hotel bed and had instinctively rolled into the smallest ball possible. ├óÔé¼┼ôShe's...sleepy.├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôOkay, okay.├óÔé¼┬Ø Un nodded, still smiling. ├óÔé¼┼ôSay...when do you expect to be back?├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôWithin two days, at most,├óÔé¼┬Ø Anna said. ├óÔé¼┼ôAssuming the Xorquin don't attack us, the ship doesn't explode or anything horrible like that.├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôGood.├óÔé¼┬Ø Helen cut in. ├óÔé¼┼ôSay, once the Tribal wakes up, can she talk to Henry. He's one of our scientists-├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôI'll ask,├óÔé¼┬Ø Anna said. ├óÔé¼┼ôSay, I gotta go.├óÔé¼┬Ø
--------
Metch blinked herself awake. She had had a horrible nightmare about daemons and this hellishly large place...big enough to take your mind away.
Metch's throat went dry when she saw the winged one, standing at the edge of the bed. It was a very odd bed, with a square mat, lots of pillows and a thick, very comfortable blanket.
The winged one tossed something at Metch. Metch caught it and looked at it. It was a neckless, with thin slits on the front and a bulbous part at the back. Metch looked at the winged one and asked, ├óÔé¼┼ôWhat Idol is this?├óÔé¼┬Ø
A moment later and the idol she held spoke in the strange daemon language. Metch suddenly understood.
├óÔé¼┼ôIt's a translator,├óÔé¼┬Ø The winged one said. She tapped her neck. ├óÔé¼┼ôYou put it on here, around the neck.├óÔé¼┬Ø
Metch attached it, tightening it slightly. She grinned. ├óÔé¼┼ôThank you, Winged One.├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôMy name is Anna,├óÔé¼┬Ø Anna said.
├óÔé¼┼ôOf course, Winged One.├óÔé¼┬Ø
Anna sighed, walking out of the room. ├óÔé¼┼ôCome to the lobby when your ready to go.├óÔé¼┬Ø She stopped and stuck her head back into the room. ├óÔé¼┼ôAnd...make it snappy.├óÔé¼┬Ø
Metch nodded. She slid out of the bed and started stretching. Once she was done she felt incredibly good. She glanced back at that bed and smiled, cricking her neck. She'd have to take that back to the village.
Metch walked down the hallway, sticking to the sides. The hallway of this world, this...daemon world, she'd call it, were...well...nice. The metal was painted in muted colors, making it easy on the eyes. And it was completely clear of the grime that covered her world. The doors were in good repair and the lights shone a pleasant yellowy color. Metch's nose quivered as the smells of food and other strange things wafted up from down the corridor. She walked there and glanced around the corner.
Stares lead down into what Anna had called ├óÔé¼┼ôLobby.├óÔé¼┬Ø
It was filled with daemons. Strange spiny, chitinous daemons, four wings sprouting from their thin shoulders, they're long arms trailing on the floor as they walked around. Completely bizarre things that looked like bags of puss sitting in metallic, shining dishes that hovered a few feet above the ground. Great Lizards, the only daemon that Metch recognized, also walked.
And, near the outer corner of this press of daemons, stood Anna, her love-mate and the chattel-man.
No. Metch shook her head. Anna, the pink haired one and...Jimmy. Attaching a name to a man, even a non-chattel man, struck Metch as disturbing. She shook herself and started pushing through the crowd. After a moment her tattoo's of the Shadow spoke to her. Find the path of least resistance. Metch let herself become a shadow and before she knew it, she stood before Anna.
├óÔé¼┼ôHungry?├óÔé¼┬Ø Anna asked, gesturing to a small table that sat near the wall of the lobby. Now that Metch was at the edge of the lobby, she could see that tables ringed it, each one packed with more daemons and some people that looked like Metch...but they wore daemon clothes.
Metch devoured her food in a matter of seconds. She didn't waste time tasting it, just swallowing as fast as possible. The rest of the party stared at her.
├óÔé¼┼ôWhat?├óÔé¼┬Ø Metch asked, wiping her mouth off with the back of her hand. ├óÔé¼┼ôYou're the slow ones.├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôRight,├óÔé¼┬Ø Jimmy said, squaring his shoulders. He started wolfing down his food. Metch had to give him credit; he did get it down very, very fast. Not fast enough, for her. But the others, Anna and the pink haired one, they ate at a glacial pace.
If this had been the real world, they'd been killed by now.
Metch was drumming her fingers on the table, looking at the ceiling by the time the others finished.
├óÔé¼┼ôWe have to make tracks,├óÔé¼┬Ø Jimmy said. ├óÔé¼┼ôThose Xorquin are gonna find us in this city, eventually.├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôI know,├óÔé¼┬Ø Anna murmured. ├óÔé¼┼ôI just...tube it, I hate to think what's happening to my Hellions.├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôDon't worry,├óÔé¼┬Ø The pink haired one said. ├óÔé¼┼ôI'm sure they're fine.├óÔé¼┬Ø
Anna sighed, closing her eyes. Metch caught a flash of pain on her face. It was almost too fast...but Metch saw it despite that.
├óÔé¼┼ôLets go,├óÔé¼┬Ø Anna said, standing. They all walked towards the door, but Metch moved in first.
├óÔé¼┼ôMetch, let me go-├óÔé¼┬Ø Anna started.
Metch yanked the door open.
And space stretched above her. Metch almost threw up, collapsing to her knees. A daemon shouted at her, shaking one of his four fists. Metch looked at the ground, her breath coming short in her lungs.
├óÔé¼┼ôCome on,├óÔé¼┬Ø Anna said, grabbing Metch and hauling her to her feet. ├óÔé¼┼ôJust look at your feet till you get used to it.├óÔé¼┬Ø
------
As Anna and Metch walked ahead, Pix and Jimmy enjoyed walking next to each other.
Jimmy sighed as Pix slipped her hand into his. He looked up at the fifteen Constructs that continued to hang over Tortuga. He had the creepy feeling that they were staring back, so he looked down at Pix. She was much nicer to look at. Pix noticed Jimmy looked at her and blushed.
├óÔé¼┼ôSorry,├óÔé¼┬Ø Jimmy said.
├óÔé¼┼ôNo.├óÔé¼┬Ø Pix shook her head. ├óÔé¼┼ôIt's all right.├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôWell...it's a long way to my father's,├óÔé¼┬Ø Jimmy muttered.
├óÔé¼┼ôBut we'll be together.├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôThere is that.├óÔé¼┬Ø Jimmy grinned.
├óÔé¼┼ôJimmy.├óÔé¼┬Ø Pix's smile became...odd. ├óÔé¼┼ôI had...a naughty idea.├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôWhat?├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôWell...when we reach E.L.F space...we can take a rest, right?├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôYeah.├óÔé¼┬Ø Jimmy's brow furrowed.
├óÔé¼┼ôAnd...you remember that gravity actuator?├óÔé¼┬Ø Pix started blushing.
├óÔé¼┼ôYes.├óÔé¼┬Ø Jimmy gulped, not sure where this was going.
├óÔé¼┼ôIt can negate the gravity...and we could...try it out...together.├óÔé¼┬Ø Her blush went brighter red. ├óÔé¼┼ôYou know.├óÔé¼┬Ø
Jimmy blushed too. Then he leaned in and whispered in Pix's ear. ├óÔé¼┼ôFun with gravity, huh?├óÔé¼┬Ø
Pix didn't stop laughing until they reached the gate.
Me.
----------
The laser sparked and Jimmy averted his eyes, wincing. This was the...tenth wall. They were running low on laser. But, according to Helen and Un, they were also running low on walls.
├óÔé¼┼ôDone!├óÔé¼┬Ø Anna said. Metch kicked and the sliced section of wall fell inwards. She ducked through, first as always. Anna, Jimmy and Pix followed in no particular order, though Jimmy had to go backwards, forcing the transmitter through the hole.
The last few holes had been unexciting. This one was shaping up to be the same. Until a plasma bolt blew the transmitter in half.
├óÔé¼┼ôOh shit!├óÔé¼┬Ø Jimmy said, looking at the melted hulk of plastic and metal that had been they're one hope.
Metch said something in her language. It sounded unhappy and was completely unintelligible. Jimmy let go of the ruined hulk.
├óÔé¼┼ôTube it,├óÔé¼┬Ø Anna muttered, moving the group away from the hole. A Xorquin arm stuck through and started shooting plasma around, trying to hit the group. Anna ducked behind a corner, dragging the rest with her.
├óÔé¼┼ôWe have to stay oriented,├óÔé¼┬Ø Anna said. She glanced around the corner at the hole. The Xorquin arm had gone and heavy footfalls receded.
├óÔé¼┼ôThey're gonna come after us again,├óÔé¼┬Ø Pix said, grimacing.
├óÔé¼┼ôHow do they find us?├óÔé¼┬Ø Jimmy asked.
├óÔé¼┼ôWho cares?├óÔé¼┬Ø Anna asked. She oriented herself, based off the hole, and started walking along the hallway, looking for a corridor that lead in the right way. She found it and went around the corner. A moment later and the rest followed.
Then, amazingly, the end was in sight. Down a stretch of very long corridor Anna could see a flap of skin covering a door that actually had light coming from the other side.
Metch stood, completely still. She gulped, pointing and saying something in her language.
├óÔé¼┼ôDon't worry,├óÔé¼┬Ø Anna said, taking Metch's hand and dragging her with them. Metch shook out of her grip and started walking ahead of the group.
She got five steps...then stopped, her foot hanging in the air. Jimmy was about to walk past her when she slammed an elbow into his soler plexus. Jimmy fell backwards, gasping for air.
├óÔé¼┼ôWhat the...tubes?├óÔé¼┬Ø He gasped, sitting up.
Metch pointed down, slowly moving her foot back and setting it on the ground behind her. Anna knelt and peered at where Metch was pointing. A thin, almost invisible wire stretched across the hallway.
├óÔé¼┼ôThanks Metch,├óÔé¼┬Ø Anna said, nodding at the tribal. ├óÔé¼┼ôEveryone, back, back, back.├óÔé¼┬Ø
The party moved back a good way. Anna knelt and picked up a bit of metal that was laying on the floor, forgotten for who knows how long.
├óÔé¼┼ôCan't we just step over it?├óÔé¼┬Ø Jimmy asked.
├óÔé¼┼ôNo,├óÔé¼┬Ø Anna grinned. She threw the metal. It clattered down the hallway and broke the trip wire.
Nothing happened.
├óÔé¼┼ôHuh,├óÔé¼┬Ø Anna said, frowning. Pix gasped, then tackled both of them. A huge spike rushed over head, swinging on a pendulum attached to the top of the ceiling. Metch danced out of the way as the spike scythed through the air.
├óÔé¼┼ôGood eye,├óÔé¼┬Ø Anna said to Pix. Pix shrugged.
The group stood and started picking they're way down the corridor, slowly, carefully and with they're eyes on the ground.
Then, amazingly, they reached the door. Anna breathed a sigh of relief and thrust the skin aside. Light, gloriously clean and pure, flooded the hallway.
Metch saw the Main Theater of the armory.
Her eyes rolled back into her head and she collapsed.
---------
Un and Helen sat, chewing they're fingernails. The screen had been dark for quite some time.
├óÔé¼┼ôHow long as it been?├óÔé¼┬Ø Un asked.
├óÔé¼┼ôHalf a day,├óÔé¼┬Ø Helen said.
They both started chewing they're fingernails again. A technician ran into the room, holding a telephone. ├óÔé¼┼ôCall for you,├óÔé¼┬Ø He said, handing the phone to Un.
├óÔé¼┼ôAhoy hoy?├óÔé¼┬Ø Un said.
├óÔé¼┼ôHi Un!├óÔé¼┬Ø
Un jumped out of his chair, smiling his head off. ├óÔé¼┼ôIt's Anna!├óÔé¼┬Ø He said to Helen. ├óÔé¼┼ôWhat happened?├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôSome Xorquin shot up our transmitter. We made it out anyway and right now we're in Tortuga. It hasn't changed much, actually.├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôShould it have?├óÔé¼┬Ø Un asked, groping around for a phone jack. He found one and plugged it into the phone. Anna's voice came through the speakers now.
├óÔé¼┼ôWell we kinda killed Lucky Jack. You'd think a town would change with the death of it's leader...but I suppose Tortuga's not that kind of town.├óÔé¼┬Ø Anna laughed.
├óÔé¼┼ôSo you're out of the Forget?├óÔé¼┬Ø Helen asked.
├óÔé¼┼ôIn one piece too. We even have our little Tribal.├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôHow is she handling it?├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôEr,├óÔé¼┬Ø Anna glanced at Metch. She had been placed in the hotel bed and had instinctively rolled into the smallest ball possible. ├óÔé¼┼ôShe's...sleepy.├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôOkay, okay.├óÔé¼┬Ø Un nodded, still smiling. ├óÔé¼┼ôSay...when do you expect to be back?├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôWithin two days, at most,├óÔé¼┬Ø Anna said. ├óÔé¼┼ôAssuming the Xorquin don't attack us, the ship doesn't explode or anything horrible like that.├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôGood.├óÔé¼┬Ø Helen cut in. ├óÔé¼┼ôSay, once the Tribal wakes up, can she talk to Henry. He's one of our scientists-├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôI'll ask,├óÔé¼┬Ø Anna said. ├óÔé¼┼ôSay, I gotta go.├óÔé¼┬Ø
--------
Metch blinked herself awake. She had had a horrible nightmare about daemons and this hellishly large place...big enough to take your mind away.
Metch's throat went dry when she saw the winged one, standing at the edge of the bed. It was a very odd bed, with a square mat, lots of pillows and a thick, very comfortable blanket.
The winged one tossed something at Metch. Metch caught it and looked at it. It was a neckless, with thin slits on the front and a bulbous part at the back. Metch looked at the winged one and asked, ├óÔé¼┼ôWhat Idol is this?├óÔé¼┬Ø
A moment later and the idol she held spoke in the strange daemon language. Metch suddenly understood.
├óÔé¼┼ôIt's a translator,├óÔé¼┬Ø The winged one said. She tapped her neck. ├óÔé¼┼ôYou put it on here, around the neck.├óÔé¼┬Ø
Metch attached it, tightening it slightly. She grinned. ├óÔé¼┼ôThank you, Winged One.├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôMy name is Anna,├óÔé¼┬Ø Anna said.
├óÔé¼┼ôOf course, Winged One.├óÔé¼┬Ø
Anna sighed, walking out of the room. ├óÔé¼┼ôCome to the lobby when your ready to go.├óÔé¼┬Ø She stopped and stuck her head back into the room. ├óÔé¼┼ôAnd...make it snappy.├óÔé¼┬Ø
Metch nodded. She slid out of the bed and started stretching. Once she was done she felt incredibly good. She glanced back at that bed and smiled, cricking her neck. She'd have to take that back to the village.
Metch walked down the hallway, sticking to the sides. The hallway of this world, this...daemon world, she'd call it, were...well...nice. The metal was painted in muted colors, making it easy on the eyes. And it was completely clear of the grime that covered her world. The doors were in good repair and the lights shone a pleasant yellowy color. Metch's nose quivered as the smells of food and other strange things wafted up from down the corridor. She walked there and glanced around the corner.
Stares lead down into what Anna had called ├óÔé¼┼ôLobby.├óÔé¼┬Ø
It was filled with daemons. Strange spiny, chitinous daemons, four wings sprouting from their thin shoulders, they're long arms trailing on the floor as they walked around. Completely bizarre things that looked like bags of puss sitting in metallic, shining dishes that hovered a few feet above the ground. Great Lizards, the only daemon that Metch recognized, also walked.
And, near the outer corner of this press of daemons, stood Anna, her love-mate and the chattel-man.
No. Metch shook her head. Anna, the pink haired one and...Jimmy. Attaching a name to a man, even a non-chattel man, struck Metch as disturbing. She shook herself and started pushing through the crowd. After a moment her tattoo's of the Shadow spoke to her. Find the path of least resistance. Metch let herself become a shadow and before she knew it, she stood before Anna.
├óÔé¼┼ôHungry?├óÔé¼┬Ø Anna asked, gesturing to a small table that sat near the wall of the lobby. Now that Metch was at the edge of the lobby, she could see that tables ringed it, each one packed with more daemons and some people that looked like Metch...but they wore daemon clothes.
Metch devoured her food in a matter of seconds. She didn't waste time tasting it, just swallowing as fast as possible. The rest of the party stared at her.
├óÔé¼┼ôWhat?├óÔé¼┬Ø Metch asked, wiping her mouth off with the back of her hand. ├óÔé¼┼ôYou're the slow ones.├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôRight,├óÔé¼┬Ø Jimmy said, squaring his shoulders. He started wolfing down his food. Metch had to give him credit; he did get it down very, very fast. Not fast enough, for her. But the others, Anna and the pink haired one, they ate at a glacial pace.
If this had been the real world, they'd been killed by now.
Metch was drumming her fingers on the table, looking at the ceiling by the time the others finished.
├óÔé¼┼ôWe have to make tracks,├óÔé¼┬Ø Jimmy said. ├óÔé¼┼ôThose Xorquin are gonna find us in this city, eventually.├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôI know,├óÔé¼┬Ø Anna murmured. ├óÔé¼┼ôI just...tube it, I hate to think what's happening to my Hellions.├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôDon't worry,├óÔé¼┬Ø The pink haired one said. ├óÔé¼┼ôI'm sure they're fine.├óÔé¼┬Ø
Anna sighed, closing her eyes. Metch caught a flash of pain on her face. It was almost too fast...but Metch saw it despite that.
├óÔé¼┼ôLets go,├óÔé¼┬Ø Anna said, standing. They all walked towards the door, but Metch moved in first.
├óÔé¼┼ôMetch, let me go-├óÔé¼┬Ø Anna started.
Metch yanked the door open.
And space stretched above her. Metch almost threw up, collapsing to her knees. A daemon shouted at her, shaking one of his four fists. Metch looked at the ground, her breath coming short in her lungs.
├óÔé¼┼ôCome on,├óÔé¼┬Ø Anna said, grabbing Metch and hauling her to her feet. ├óÔé¼┼ôJust look at your feet till you get used to it.├óÔé¼┬Ø
------
As Anna and Metch walked ahead, Pix and Jimmy enjoyed walking next to each other.
Jimmy sighed as Pix slipped her hand into his. He looked up at the fifteen Constructs that continued to hang over Tortuga. He had the creepy feeling that they were staring back, so he looked down at Pix. She was much nicer to look at. Pix noticed Jimmy looked at her and blushed.
├óÔé¼┼ôSorry,├óÔé¼┬Ø Jimmy said.
├óÔé¼┼ôNo.├óÔé¼┬Ø Pix shook her head. ├óÔé¼┼ôIt's all right.├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôWell...it's a long way to my father's,├óÔé¼┬Ø Jimmy muttered.
├óÔé¼┼ôBut we'll be together.├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôThere is that.├óÔé¼┬Ø Jimmy grinned.
├óÔé¼┼ôJimmy.├óÔé¼┬Ø Pix's smile became...odd. ├óÔé¼┼ôI had...a naughty idea.├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôWhat?├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôWell...when we reach E.L.F space...we can take a rest, right?├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôYeah.├óÔé¼┬Ø Jimmy's brow furrowed.
├óÔé¼┼ôAnd...you remember that gravity actuator?├óÔé¼┬Ø Pix started blushing.
├óÔé¼┼ôYes.├óÔé¼┬Ø Jimmy gulped, not sure where this was going.
├óÔé¼┼ôIt can negate the gravity...and we could...try it out...together.├óÔé¼┬Ø Her blush went brighter red. ├óÔé¼┼ôYou know.├óÔé¼┬Ø
Jimmy blushed too. Then he leaned in and whispered in Pix's ear. ├óÔé¼┼ôFun with gravity, huh?├óÔé¼┬Ø
Pix didn't stop laughing until they reached the gate.
Short, but hopefully consternation causing.
----------
Metch sniffed, still looking at her feet.
├óÔé¼┼ôI don't like this,├óÔé¼┬Ø she muttered.
├óÔé¼┼ôWhat was that?├óÔé¼┬Ø Anna asked, glancing at her. Metch raised her head slightly, looking at Anna.
├óÔé¼┼ôI smell something...funny,├óÔé¼┬Ø Metch said, her eyes narrowing.
Jimmy and Pix walked out of the front gates, Pix still giggling to herself.
├óÔé¼┼ôSo, once again, we're off-├óÔé¼┬Ø Anna started.
Something shifted in the side of Metch's view. She spun and saw a form standing near her. It's skin was shifting color, turning from the ground's gray to a brilliant green. Three yellowy eyes glared at her. The Great Lizard made a jerking motion with it's hand and a net flew through the air. It wrapped around Metch, circling around her and binding her completely. Metch collapsed, hitting the floor hard. Air woofed out of her lungs. She heard three other thumps and managed to roll over, seeing the rest of the group on the ground.
Jimmy strained against the net, gritting his teeth.
├óÔé¼┼ôNeat trick,├óÔé¼┬Ø Anna muttered, surprisingly calm. ├óÔé¼┼ôI can't believe I forgot that.├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôForgot what?├óÔé¼┬Ø Pix gritted her teeth, trying to roll onto her back. One of the Xorquin kicked her onto her back, being helpful in his brutish way.
├óÔé¼┼ôForgot they have that friggen skin thing.├óÔé¼┬Ø Anna folded her wings as tight around her as possible , wincing in pain as the net pinched her.
The five Xorquin, one leading while the rest of them dragged their captured humans, moved away from Tortuga. They didn't talk amongst themselves, but neither did they head straight for the Xorquin area. Instead they pulled off to the side, heading towards the smoking remains of a distant battlefield.
The Slor and the Yetel recognized Tortuga as a valuable neutral area, meaning the battles they fought were kept a good distance away from the city. Eventually they stopped. Jimmy strained, trying to see Pix, or Anna, or something!
He heard a scream. Pix! ├óÔé¼┼ôGet your tubing hands off me!├óÔé¼┬Ø
Jimmy strained till he could see Pix. They had her out of the net. The Xorquin threw her to the ground and two of the Xorquin held her arms down.
├óÔé¼┼ôGet off of her, you bastards,├óÔé¼┬Ø Jimmy shouted, straining against the net. Blood started to dribble from many small cuts as the net sliced into his skin.
The leader Xorquin knelt next to Pix. Then he tore her shirt off. Pix brought her leg up and smashed her foot into his chest. The Xorquin grabbed her leg and forced it down, his eyes narrowing. He slid a long metallic device from his belt pouch. It had a handle, and a long, semi-clear tube stuck from the handle. Pix kept struggling, shouting at the top of her lungs.
Jimmy felt sick. He started scrunching up, then pushing out. That got him half an inch closer to Pix.
The Xorquin took his metallic device, then jammed it into Pix's intake/outtake port. Pix's back arched and her face screwed up, her eyes jamming shut. The device whirred, clicked, and the Xorquin started adjusting it, turning it and pushing it in deeper. Something beeped and the Xorquin jerked out the device. Pix collapsed to the ground, the blood draining from her skin, making her look as white as a sheet. The Xorquin let her go, all of them standing.
The leader looked at the device then nodded, rattling. Metch's translator spoke, ├óÔé¼┼ôGot the data.├óÔé¼┬Ø
Jimmy half thought they'd leave then.
Instead they shoved Pix back into her net and started dragging them again..away from the Xorquin sector.
------------
Eventually, Jimmy fell asleep. It was hard, very hard, his stomach felt like it was bunched into a tight fist. His actual fists were clenched tight enough to draw blood on his palms. But after enough time, after enough miles of the Main Theater, then countless hallways, he fell asleep despite himself.
When he woke up, he was in a room. No net. Jimmy sat up and looked around, frantically. The room had four walls, darkness fading the details from them. The only light came from a single lamp in the ceiling, creating a circle of brightness. At the edge of that brightness...Pix! She lay near the corner of the room, curled into a ball. Her eyes were open and staring, not focused on anything in particular. Anna and Metch were no where to be seen. Jimmy crawled to Pix, panic jolting through his mind.
├óÔé¼┼ôPix,├óÔé¼┬Ø Jimmy whispered, wavering. Should he touch her?
Pix didn't make a sound.
├óÔé¼┼ôPix...can you hear me?├óÔé¼┬Ø
Pix didn't make a sound. Jimmy gently took hold of her shoulders and moved her so she was sitting up. He locked eyes with hers, but Pix just looked through him. Jimmy noticed goosebumps spreading over her skin. Jimmy pulled his shirt off and slid it over Pix. After some work, he got her arms into the right holes. Pix was still staring, not looking at anything.
Jimmy looked down, feeling tears prick at his eyes. ├óÔé¼┼ôPix...├óÔé¼┬Ø he said. ├óÔé¼┼ôI know you probably can't hear me...but, just in case you can, I want you to know that...that...├óÔé¼┬Ø
He trailed off. What could he say?
Pix blinked, slowly and deliberately. Jimmy looked up, hope flaring. But no, Pix's eyes were still unfocused.
├óÔé¼┼ôSo...come back, Pix,├óÔé¼┬Ø Jimmy said, desperation growing in his mind. ├óÔé¼┼ôPlease come back...I don't know what I'd do without you.├óÔé¼┬Ø
Pix didn't make a sound.
Jimmy sobbed, hugging her close, burying his face in her shoulders.
The door to the room opened, spilling new light in. A Xorquin stood in the doorway, with a translator around his neck.
├óÔé¼┼ôHumans are so melodramatic,├óÔé¼┬Ø The Xorquin rattled. ├óÔé¼┼ôHer state is simply a programing fugue. She's trying to recover from the shock of a intensive probe. She'll be fine in a few days.├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôFine?├óÔé¼┬Ø Jimmy asked, his voice low. ├óÔé¼┼ôFine! You-├óÔé¼┬Ø he let out a strangled yell, dashing at the Xorquin.
The next thing Jimmy knew, he was a few inches off the ground, the Xorquin's hand wrapped around his throat.
├óÔé¼┼ôHistrionics will get you no where,├óÔé¼┬Ø The Xorquin's leftmost eye narrowed. ├óÔé¼┼ôAnd, even so, you do not have diplomatic immunity-├óÔé¼┬Ø the Xorquin grinned, ├óÔé¼┼ôbut I do.├óÔé¼┬Ø
Ambassador Jorquin let Jimmy drop to the ground. Jimmy gasped for air, feeling his bruised neck.
├óÔé¼┼ôAnd now that we have the information stolen from us, I can finish this business...personally,├óÔé¼┬Ø Jorquin said. He reached behind his back and slid a long barreled pistol out.
├óÔé¼┼ôLaser pistol,├óÔé¼┬Ø Jorquin said, as if Jimmy wanted to know. ├óÔé¼┼ôA personal favored of mine.├óÔé¼┬Ø
He aimed at Jimmy's head. ├óÔé¼┼ôAny last words, human scum?├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôMy father is going to find you,├óÔé¼┬Ø Jimmy said, wishing he was as brave as his words. In reality he was about to wet his pants. ├óÔé¼┼ôAnd he's going to kill you.├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôNo,├óÔé¼┬Ø Jorquin shook his head. ├óÔé¼┼ôHe won't.├óÔé¼┬Ø
A sharp, short rattle broke into the room. The translator bleeped a moment later. ├óÔé¼┼ôSir! Sir!├óÔé¼┬Ø
Jorquin growled, turning away from Jimmy. ├óÔé¼┼ôWhat!├óÔé¼┬Ø
A Xorquin officer ran up behind Jorquin, holding a phone. ├óÔé¼┼ôCall for you.├óÔé¼┬Ø
Jorquin sighed, taking the phone. He slipped it over his head. After a few moments he started walking down the hall, talking to the phone. He paused, looking over his shoulder.
├óÔé¼┼ôDon't think you're getting off easily, though,├óÔé¼┬Ø Jorquin said. He brought his pistol up and casually shot Jimmy in the head.
----------
Metch sniffed, still looking at her feet.
├óÔé¼┼ôI don't like this,├óÔé¼┬Ø she muttered.
├óÔé¼┼ôWhat was that?├óÔé¼┬Ø Anna asked, glancing at her. Metch raised her head slightly, looking at Anna.
├óÔé¼┼ôI smell something...funny,├óÔé¼┬Ø Metch said, her eyes narrowing.
Jimmy and Pix walked out of the front gates, Pix still giggling to herself.
├óÔé¼┼ôSo, once again, we're off-├óÔé¼┬Ø Anna started.
Something shifted in the side of Metch's view. She spun and saw a form standing near her. It's skin was shifting color, turning from the ground's gray to a brilliant green. Three yellowy eyes glared at her. The Great Lizard made a jerking motion with it's hand and a net flew through the air. It wrapped around Metch, circling around her and binding her completely. Metch collapsed, hitting the floor hard. Air woofed out of her lungs. She heard three other thumps and managed to roll over, seeing the rest of the group on the ground.
Jimmy strained against the net, gritting his teeth.
├óÔé¼┼ôNeat trick,├óÔé¼┬Ø Anna muttered, surprisingly calm. ├óÔé¼┼ôI can't believe I forgot that.├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôForgot what?├óÔé¼┬Ø Pix gritted her teeth, trying to roll onto her back. One of the Xorquin kicked her onto her back, being helpful in his brutish way.
├óÔé¼┼ôForgot they have that friggen skin thing.├óÔé¼┬Ø Anna folded her wings as tight around her as possible , wincing in pain as the net pinched her.
The five Xorquin, one leading while the rest of them dragged their captured humans, moved away from Tortuga. They didn't talk amongst themselves, but neither did they head straight for the Xorquin area. Instead they pulled off to the side, heading towards the smoking remains of a distant battlefield.
The Slor and the Yetel recognized Tortuga as a valuable neutral area, meaning the battles they fought were kept a good distance away from the city. Eventually they stopped. Jimmy strained, trying to see Pix, or Anna, or something!
He heard a scream. Pix! ├óÔé¼┼ôGet your tubing hands off me!├óÔé¼┬Ø
Jimmy strained till he could see Pix. They had her out of the net. The Xorquin threw her to the ground and two of the Xorquin held her arms down.
├óÔé¼┼ôGet off of her, you bastards,├óÔé¼┬Ø Jimmy shouted, straining against the net. Blood started to dribble from many small cuts as the net sliced into his skin.
The leader Xorquin knelt next to Pix. Then he tore her shirt off. Pix brought her leg up and smashed her foot into his chest. The Xorquin grabbed her leg and forced it down, his eyes narrowing. He slid a long metallic device from his belt pouch. It had a handle, and a long, semi-clear tube stuck from the handle. Pix kept struggling, shouting at the top of her lungs.
Jimmy felt sick. He started scrunching up, then pushing out. That got him half an inch closer to Pix.
The Xorquin took his metallic device, then jammed it into Pix's intake/outtake port. Pix's back arched and her face screwed up, her eyes jamming shut. The device whirred, clicked, and the Xorquin started adjusting it, turning it and pushing it in deeper. Something beeped and the Xorquin jerked out the device. Pix collapsed to the ground, the blood draining from her skin, making her look as white as a sheet. The Xorquin let her go, all of them standing.
The leader looked at the device then nodded, rattling. Metch's translator spoke, ├óÔé¼┼ôGot the data.├óÔé¼┬Ø
Jimmy half thought they'd leave then.
Instead they shoved Pix back into her net and started dragging them again..away from the Xorquin sector.
------------
Eventually, Jimmy fell asleep. It was hard, very hard, his stomach felt like it was bunched into a tight fist. His actual fists were clenched tight enough to draw blood on his palms. But after enough time, after enough miles of the Main Theater, then countless hallways, he fell asleep despite himself.
When he woke up, he was in a room. No net. Jimmy sat up and looked around, frantically. The room had four walls, darkness fading the details from them. The only light came from a single lamp in the ceiling, creating a circle of brightness. At the edge of that brightness...Pix! She lay near the corner of the room, curled into a ball. Her eyes were open and staring, not focused on anything in particular. Anna and Metch were no where to be seen. Jimmy crawled to Pix, panic jolting through his mind.
├óÔé¼┼ôPix,├óÔé¼┬Ø Jimmy whispered, wavering. Should he touch her?
Pix didn't make a sound.
├óÔé¼┼ôPix...can you hear me?├óÔé¼┬Ø
Pix didn't make a sound. Jimmy gently took hold of her shoulders and moved her so she was sitting up. He locked eyes with hers, but Pix just looked through him. Jimmy noticed goosebumps spreading over her skin. Jimmy pulled his shirt off and slid it over Pix. After some work, he got her arms into the right holes. Pix was still staring, not looking at anything.
Jimmy looked down, feeling tears prick at his eyes. ├óÔé¼┼ôPix...├óÔé¼┬Ø he said. ├óÔé¼┼ôI know you probably can't hear me...but, just in case you can, I want you to know that...that...├óÔé¼┬Ø
He trailed off. What could he say?
Pix blinked, slowly and deliberately. Jimmy looked up, hope flaring. But no, Pix's eyes were still unfocused.
├óÔé¼┼ôSo...come back, Pix,├óÔé¼┬Ø Jimmy said, desperation growing in his mind. ├óÔé¼┼ôPlease come back...I don't know what I'd do without you.├óÔé¼┬Ø
Pix didn't make a sound.
Jimmy sobbed, hugging her close, burying his face in her shoulders.
The door to the room opened, spilling new light in. A Xorquin stood in the doorway, with a translator around his neck.
├óÔé¼┼ôHumans are so melodramatic,├óÔé¼┬Ø The Xorquin rattled. ├óÔé¼┼ôHer state is simply a programing fugue. She's trying to recover from the shock of a intensive probe. She'll be fine in a few days.├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôFine?├óÔé¼┬Ø Jimmy asked, his voice low. ├óÔé¼┼ôFine! You-├óÔé¼┬Ø he let out a strangled yell, dashing at the Xorquin.
The next thing Jimmy knew, he was a few inches off the ground, the Xorquin's hand wrapped around his throat.
├óÔé¼┼ôHistrionics will get you no where,├óÔé¼┬Ø The Xorquin's leftmost eye narrowed. ├óÔé¼┼ôAnd, even so, you do not have diplomatic immunity-├óÔé¼┬Ø the Xorquin grinned, ├óÔé¼┼ôbut I do.├óÔé¼┬Ø
Ambassador Jorquin let Jimmy drop to the ground. Jimmy gasped for air, feeling his bruised neck.
├óÔé¼┼ôAnd now that we have the information stolen from us, I can finish this business...personally,├óÔé¼┬Ø Jorquin said. He reached behind his back and slid a long barreled pistol out.
├óÔé¼┼ôLaser pistol,├óÔé¼┬Ø Jorquin said, as if Jimmy wanted to know. ├óÔé¼┼ôA personal favored of mine.├óÔé¼┬Ø
He aimed at Jimmy's head. ├óÔé¼┼ôAny last words, human scum?├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôMy father is going to find you,├óÔé¼┬Ø Jimmy said, wishing he was as brave as his words. In reality he was about to wet his pants. ├óÔé¼┼ôAnd he's going to kill you.├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôNo,├óÔé¼┬Ø Jorquin shook his head. ├óÔé¼┼ôHe won't.├óÔé¼┬Ø
A sharp, short rattle broke into the room. The translator bleeped a moment later. ├óÔé¼┼ôSir! Sir!├óÔé¼┬Ø
Jorquin growled, turning away from Jimmy. ├óÔé¼┼ôWhat!├óÔé¼┬Ø
A Xorquin officer ran up behind Jorquin, holding a phone. ├óÔé¼┼ôCall for you.├óÔé¼┬Ø
Jorquin sighed, taking the phone. He slipped it over his head. After a few moments he started walking down the hall, talking to the phone. He paused, looking over his shoulder.
├óÔé¼┼ôDon't think you're getting off easily, though,├óÔé¼┬Ø Jorquin said. He brought his pistol up and casually shot Jimmy in the head.
Chapter Seven: Death
///File A-21
Sys-check. 12% 52% 92% Done
///File F-34
Sys-check. 22% 45% 99% Done
///File Z-91
Sys-check. 1% 73% 93.2% Done
Mmnlock; Disabled.
Checksum 211. \\\
\\\
///
[ii] 21: --me back, P--
[ii]25: -- n't know what I'd do witho├óÔé¼ÔÇØou
[replay] Jorquin (Ambassador, Xorquin), raising a laser pistol (Class Four-F Xorquin Laser Pistol) and snapping a round off. Jimmy toppling backwards, into the darkness-
///Wake up, Pix:
Air rushed into Pix's lungs and her eyes dilated. Light flashed In front of her eyes and Pix cried out, trying to jerk back. She hit a wall, her head cracking hard against the unyielding surface.
Pix blinked stars out of her eyes, groaning as she felt the back of her head. No blood...blood?
Pix saw blood on the floor. Some, not much...just a few, tiny splotches. Pix followed the splotches up, to a form that lay half in, half out of the shadow cast by the ceiling light.
Pix crawled to the body, slowly, carefully. Her heart pounded in her chest, bile rising in her throat. Please...please. Pix saw the familer shape of Jimmy's face. She jerked backwards, feeling as if she'd been slapped in the face. She knew what had happened. Her eyes had recorded it...when she had...she had...
Pix forced herself to reach out, feeling for Jimmy's neck. She found it...and it was cold.
Very cold.
Pix jerked her hand off Jimmy's corpse and stood, walking backwards till she hit the wall. Her lungs weren't quite working quite right.
Somethings wrong with my eyes, Pix thought. Everything was going blurry. Pix slid down the wall and heard someone crying.
It was her. After a long time Pix ran out of tears. A small indicator at the corner of her eye was flashing, telling her as much. An idea occurred to Pix as she looked at her hands. If she could find something sharp, she could slice the carotid artery. Not the worst way to go. Maybe she could-
The door opened. A Xorquin stood there, holding a plasma rifle in it's hands.
├óÔé¼┼ôYou,├óÔé¼┬Ø It said, jerking its thumb over its shoulder. ├óÔé¼┼ôCome with me.├óÔé¼┬Ø
All thoughts of suicide drained out of Pix. She remembered her promise to Hir. I am going to kill you.
Pix nodded, walking to the Xorquin. It stood behind her, pressing the rifle barrel into the small of her back.
He marched her down the hall, past two more blank doors. The hall turned near the end, heading into a small air lock. Inside the airlock, the Xorquin gestured to a skintight space suit.
├óÔé¼┼ôGet into that,├óÔé¼┬Ø It said. Pix hesitated, then pulled the shirt off. She realized it was Jimmy's shirt. A sob tore at her throat. Pix gulped, closing her eyes and letting the shirt drop. She let her pants drop, carefully not looking at the Xorquin. He's an alien, Pix thought. What does he care?
She unzipped the suit and stepped inside. After a bit of jiggling, she got herself fitted in properly, a little annoyed at how the suit chafed at her intake/outtake port. Other than that minor annoyance, the suit was surprisingly comfortable. Pix glanced at the Xorquin. He, Pix was sure it was a he now, had stayed completely impassive for the entire change.
At least he wasn't as bad as Hir, who would have beaten her for hesitating. Pix grinned despite the situation, imagining splattering each of the Xorquin like she had splattered Hir. She slid the helmet for her space suit on and the Xorquin pressed the open button. The doors slid open...and Pix almost fainted like Metch had, seeing the Main Theater.
A impossibly huge wall of grayish metal stretched out below her, interrupted only by the equally gray floor that Pix stood on. After a moment she realized where she was, seeing the blueish green sphere in the distance, hanging between four massive struts that stuck out of the front of Harbinger.
She was outside. That was Earth.
Jimmy never got to see it. Pix realized, making her close her eyes.
├óÔé¼┼ôKeep walking,├óÔé¼┬Ø The Xorquin's voice piped through a speaker near Pix's ears. Pix took a step, then pitched forward as she moved between the gravity zone inside and the lack of gravity outside. She yelped as the Xorquin laughed. She groped around on the suit till she found the magnetic boots. It was too late, she was already drifting away from the ship. The Xorquin walked out, his mag boots engaged. He reached up and grabbed Pix by the leg, hauling her down to the ship. Her boots connected with a thunk she heard through the suit.
├óÔé¼┼ôThanks,├óÔé¼┬Ø Pix muttered.
├óÔé¼┼ôWalk.├óÔé¼┬Ø The Xorquin pointed down the side of the ship.
Pix walked and tried to work out where she was. It wasn't till she looked back at the prison that she understood where she was. And where the prison had come from. The prison was a temporary construct, now that she could see it from the outside. A squat, squarish pre-fab thing. But behind it was a massive column of light. Pix's mind calculated that if she had been a human, she'd have been blinded by the light. The column extended behind the surface she stood on, extended off in an impossibly long beam that faded to nothing who knows how far away.
├óÔé¼┼ôWe're on the engine, aren't we?├óÔé¼┬Ø Pix asked.
├óÔé¼┼ôWalk!├óÔé¼┬Ø
She started walking again, heading to the direction that Xorquin pointed at. The engine curved downwards. Eventually another pre-fab construction rose up In front of Pix. The door to it opened and she was ushered into another airlock. Pix pulled the helmet off and let her antennae spark.
Pix was lead out of the air lock and into a large square room. Consoles and saddle-chairs sat in the middle, Xorquin operators at each one. In the middle of this activity stood Ambassador Jorquin.
It was all Pix could do to not try and strangle him on the spot, gouge his eyes out, tear his throat open with her teeth...Pix grinned again. The idea of revenge felt...good. Very good.
├óÔé¼┼ôAh, the E.L.F,├óÔé¼┬Ø Jorquin said.
├óÔé¼┼ôMy name is Pix, you sewage sucking bastard,├óÔé¼┬Ø Pix said, smiling sweetly. Jorquin paused, his eyes unwavering.
├óÔé¼┼ôPix...do you know where we are?├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôOne of the engine pods,├óÔé¼┬Ø Pix said. ├óÔé¼┼ôMost likely the one near the human space.├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôVery good. Can you guess why we are here?├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôMy best guess,├óÔé¼┬Ø Pix said, stepping forward and running her finger along the side of a console. The Xorquin working there glared at her. ├óÔé¼┼ôWould be that you're planning to do something to the engine, to kill the humans.├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôSomething?├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôBlow it up, or something.├óÔé¼┬Ø
Jorquin laughed. ├óÔé¼┼ôPix, come walk with me.├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôSure, scum sucker.├óÔé¼┬Ø Pix said, still smiling. She followed him to a window in the side of the room. Outside Pix could see the glowing light from the engine, muted by several layers of tinted plastic.
├óÔé¼┼ôSee that?├óÔé¼┬Ø Jorquin asked, pointing.
├óÔé¼┼ôDo I have eyes?├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôThat is enough energy to push Harbinger through the universe for an infinitely long time. There is enough energy store up in these engines, all four of them, to destroy Harbinger completely and utterly, leaving nothing but vapor. We'd have to be insane to think about destroying an engine.├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôYou are insane,├óÔé¼┬Ø Pix said.
├óÔé¼┼ôThank you,├óÔé¼┬Ø Jorquin grinned. ├óÔé¼┼ôBut most of the engine is actually...shielding.├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôFrom what?├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôFrom the engine.├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôThe engine is shielded from the engine?├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôNo, it's to protect the ship from the engine. But if we were to, say, cut a hole in the shielding, aimed at the human section of the ship...we'd release enough gamma ray's to fry your entire, putrid, race.├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôYou'd kill the Arachnos too!├óÔé¼┬Ø Pix said, feeling physically sick.
├óÔé¼┼ôAnd the Urtish. That's almost every single race that's not allied with Xorquin. Meaning we control the ship.├óÔé¼┬Ø
Pix gulped, looking away. ├óÔé¼┼ôThe radiation will hit you too.├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôWe've calculated that we're only letting out enough to go through sixty, maybe seventy decks. It'll stop well, well, before the Armory.├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôYour allies will hate you forever. This...this is genocide!├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôThey can't hate us for something we're not doing,├óÔé¼┬Ø Jorquin said, grinning.
├óÔé¼┼ôBut-├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôEveryone here is a volunteer. I am acting alone, with no aid from my government.├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôThen...how...how did you get these things?├óÔé¼┬Ø Pix asked.
├óÔé¼┼ôFrom a third party. We don't know who, and we don't care.├óÔé¼┬Ø Jorquin glared at Pix. ├óÔé¼┼ôAnyone wanting to help us exterminate you disgusting mammals.├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôThis is all very well and good...but why tell me?├óÔé¼┬Ø Pix crossed her arms over her chest.
├óÔé¼┼ôWe need some last minute checks on the placement calculations for the explosives. These computers are...okay, but your mind is a complex multi-threaded quantum matrix.├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôYou...killed...James Leonite.├óÔé¼┬Ø Pix said, her voice low.
├óÔé¼┼ôI thought you'd say that,├óÔé¼┬Ø Jorquin said, nodding. ├óÔé¼┼ôBut see, we don't need you. We just need your brains.├óÔé¼┬Ø
Pix felt cold. She heard the Xorquin guard move behind her.
├óÔé¼┼ôTake her to the reprogramming center,├óÔé¼┬Ø Jorquin said. ├óÔé¼┼ôDo a complete brain wipe and put in the programs we need.├óÔé¼┬Ø
The Xorquin grabbed Pix around the waist with his arm, dragging her away.
├óÔé¼┼ôNo, wait!├óÔé¼┬Ø Pix said, hating herself. ├óÔé¼┼ôYou didn't let me finish. Do you think I liked Leonite?├óÔé¼┬Ø
Jorquin laughed. ├óÔé¼┼ôYou think that'd work...scum sucker?├óÔé¼┬Ø
Pix hung her head. ├óÔé¼┼ôHir...you know him?├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôHe was a good operative,├óÔé¼┬Ø Jorquin said. ├óÔé¼┼ôWhy?├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôHe beat me...threatened to rape me. And you kidnapped me and stuck that damned probe in me...but James Leonite kept me a slave for eighteen years.├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôSo?├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôSo I want to do the programming as I am. Humanity has kept E.L.F's down for too long.├óÔé¼┬Ø
Jorquin shook his head. ├óÔé¼┼ôYou'll do the mathematics re-programmed as you would now.├óÔé¼┬Ø
Pix sagged, feeling defeated. The Xorquin dragged her out of the room and into the reprogramming center.
-----------
Shows you Fang. Not gonna do something am I?
Hahahahaha! AHAHAHAHA!
///File A-21
Sys-check. 12% 52% 92% Done
///File F-34
Sys-check. 22% 45% 99% Done
///File Z-91
Sys-check. 1% 73% 93.2% Done
Mmnlock; Disabled.
Checksum 211. \\\
\\\
///
[ii] 21: --me back, P--
[ii]25: -- n't know what I'd do witho├óÔé¼ÔÇØou
[replay] Jorquin (Ambassador, Xorquin), raising a laser pistol (Class Four-F Xorquin Laser Pistol) and snapping a round off. Jimmy toppling backwards, into the darkness-
///Wake up, Pix:
Air rushed into Pix's lungs and her eyes dilated. Light flashed In front of her eyes and Pix cried out, trying to jerk back. She hit a wall, her head cracking hard against the unyielding surface.
Pix blinked stars out of her eyes, groaning as she felt the back of her head. No blood...blood?
Pix saw blood on the floor. Some, not much...just a few, tiny splotches. Pix followed the splotches up, to a form that lay half in, half out of the shadow cast by the ceiling light.
Pix crawled to the body, slowly, carefully. Her heart pounded in her chest, bile rising in her throat. Please...please. Pix saw the familer shape of Jimmy's face. She jerked backwards, feeling as if she'd been slapped in the face. She knew what had happened. Her eyes had recorded it...when she had...she had...
Pix forced herself to reach out, feeling for Jimmy's neck. She found it...and it was cold.
Very cold.
Pix jerked her hand off Jimmy's corpse and stood, walking backwards till she hit the wall. Her lungs weren't quite working quite right.
Somethings wrong with my eyes, Pix thought. Everything was going blurry. Pix slid down the wall and heard someone crying.
It was her. After a long time Pix ran out of tears. A small indicator at the corner of her eye was flashing, telling her as much. An idea occurred to Pix as she looked at her hands. If she could find something sharp, she could slice the carotid artery. Not the worst way to go. Maybe she could-
The door opened. A Xorquin stood there, holding a plasma rifle in it's hands.
├óÔé¼┼ôYou,├óÔé¼┬Ø It said, jerking its thumb over its shoulder. ├óÔé¼┼ôCome with me.├óÔé¼┬Ø
All thoughts of suicide drained out of Pix. She remembered her promise to Hir. I am going to kill you.
Pix nodded, walking to the Xorquin. It stood behind her, pressing the rifle barrel into the small of her back.
He marched her down the hall, past two more blank doors. The hall turned near the end, heading into a small air lock. Inside the airlock, the Xorquin gestured to a skintight space suit.
├óÔé¼┼ôGet into that,├óÔé¼┬Ø It said. Pix hesitated, then pulled the shirt off. She realized it was Jimmy's shirt. A sob tore at her throat. Pix gulped, closing her eyes and letting the shirt drop. She let her pants drop, carefully not looking at the Xorquin. He's an alien, Pix thought. What does he care?
She unzipped the suit and stepped inside. After a bit of jiggling, she got herself fitted in properly, a little annoyed at how the suit chafed at her intake/outtake port. Other than that minor annoyance, the suit was surprisingly comfortable. Pix glanced at the Xorquin. He, Pix was sure it was a he now, had stayed completely impassive for the entire change.
At least he wasn't as bad as Hir, who would have beaten her for hesitating. Pix grinned despite the situation, imagining splattering each of the Xorquin like she had splattered Hir. She slid the helmet for her space suit on and the Xorquin pressed the open button. The doors slid open...and Pix almost fainted like Metch had, seeing the Main Theater.
A impossibly huge wall of grayish metal stretched out below her, interrupted only by the equally gray floor that Pix stood on. After a moment she realized where she was, seeing the blueish green sphere in the distance, hanging between four massive struts that stuck out of the front of Harbinger.
She was outside. That was Earth.
Jimmy never got to see it. Pix realized, making her close her eyes.
├óÔé¼┼ôKeep walking,├óÔé¼┬Ø The Xorquin's voice piped through a speaker near Pix's ears. Pix took a step, then pitched forward as she moved between the gravity zone inside and the lack of gravity outside. She yelped as the Xorquin laughed. She groped around on the suit till she found the magnetic boots. It was too late, she was already drifting away from the ship. The Xorquin walked out, his mag boots engaged. He reached up and grabbed Pix by the leg, hauling her down to the ship. Her boots connected with a thunk she heard through the suit.
├óÔé¼┼ôThanks,├óÔé¼┬Ø Pix muttered.
├óÔé¼┼ôWalk.├óÔé¼┬Ø The Xorquin pointed down the side of the ship.
Pix walked and tried to work out where she was. It wasn't till she looked back at the prison that she understood where she was. And where the prison had come from. The prison was a temporary construct, now that she could see it from the outside. A squat, squarish pre-fab thing. But behind it was a massive column of light. Pix's mind calculated that if she had been a human, she'd have been blinded by the light. The column extended behind the surface she stood on, extended off in an impossibly long beam that faded to nothing who knows how far away.
├óÔé¼┼ôWe're on the engine, aren't we?├óÔé¼┬Ø Pix asked.
├óÔé¼┼ôWalk!├óÔé¼┬Ø
She started walking again, heading to the direction that Xorquin pointed at. The engine curved downwards. Eventually another pre-fab construction rose up In front of Pix. The door to it opened and she was ushered into another airlock. Pix pulled the helmet off and let her antennae spark.
Pix was lead out of the air lock and into a large square room. Consoles and saddle-chairs sat in the middle, Xorquin operators at each one. In the middle of this activity stood Ambassador Jorquin.
It was all Pix could do to not try and strangle him on the spot, gouge his eyes out, tear his throat open with her teeth...Pix grinned again. The idea of revenge felt...good. Very good.
├óÔé¼┼ôAh, the E.L.F,├óÔé¼┬Ø Jorquin said.
├óÔé¼┼ôMy name is Pix, you sewage sucking bastard,├óÔé¼┬Ø Pix said, smiling sweetly. Jorquin paused, his eyes unwavering.
├óÔé¼┼ôPix...do you know where we are?├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôOne of the engine pods,├óÔé¼┬Ø Pix said. ├óÔé¼┼ôMost likely the one near the human space.├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôVery good. Can you guess why we are here?├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôMy best guess,├óÔé¼┬Ø Pix said, stepping forward and running her finger along the side of a console. The Xorquin working there glared at her. ├óÔé¼┼ôWould be that you're planning to do something to the engine, to kill the humans.├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôSomething?├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôBlow it up, or something.├óÔé¼┬Ø
Jorquin laughed. ├óÔé¼┼ôPix, come walk with me.├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôSure, scum sucker.├óÔé¼┬Ø Pix said, still smiling. She followed him to a window in the side of the room. Outside Pix could see the glowing light from the engine, muted by several layers of tinted plastic.
├óÔé¼┼ôSee that?├óÔé¼┬Ø Jorquin asked, pointing.
├óÔé¼┼ôDo I have eyes?├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôThat is enough energy to push Harbinger through the universe for an infinitely long time. There is enough energy store up in these engines, all four of them, to destroy Harbinger completely and utterly, leaving nothing but vapor. We'd have to be insane to think about destroying an engine.├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôYou are insane,├óÔé¼┬Ø Pix said.
├óÔé¼┼ôThank you,├óÔé¼┬Ø Jorquin grinned. ├óÔé¼┼ôBut most of the engine is actually...shielding.├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôFrom what?├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôFrom the engine.├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôThe engine is shielded from the engine?├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôNo, it's to protect the ship from the engine. But if we were to, say, cut a hole in the shielding, aimed at the human section of the ship...we'd release enough gamma ray's to fry your entire, putrid, race.├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôYou'd kill the Arachnos too!├óÔé¼┬Ø Pix said, feeling physically sick.
├óÔé¼┼ôAnd the Urtish. That's almost every single race that's not allied with Xorquin. Meaning we control the ship.├óÔé¼┬Ø
Pix gulped, looking away. ├óÔé¼┼ôThe radiation will hit you too.├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôWe've calculated that we're only letting out enough to go through sixty, maybe seventy decks. It'll stop well, well, before the Armory.├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôYour allies will hate you forever. This...this is genocide!├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôThey can't hate us for something we're not doing,├óÔé¼┬Ø Jorquin said, grinning.
├óÔé¼┼ôBut-├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôEveryone here is a volunteer. I am acting alone, with no aid from my government.├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôThen...how...how did you get these things?├óÔé¼┬Ø Pix asked.
├óÔé¼┼ôFrom a third party. We don't know who, and we don't care.├óÔé¼┬Ø Jorquin glared at Pix. ├óÔé¼┼ôAnyone wanting to help us exterminate you disgusting mammals.├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôThis is all very well and good...but why tell me?├óÔé¼┬Ø Pix crossed her arms over her chest.
├óÔé¼┼ôWe need some last minute checks on the placement calculations for the explosives. These computers are...okay, but your mind is a complex multi-threaded quantum matrix.├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôYou...killed...James Leonite.├óÔé¼┬Ø Pix said, her voice low.
├óÔé¼┼ôI thought you'd say that,├óÔé¼┬Ø Jorquin said, nodding. ├óÔé¼┼ôBut see, we don't need you. We just need your brains.├óÔé¼┬Ø
Pix felt cold. She heard the Xorquin guard move behind her.
├óÔé¼┼ôTake her to the reprogramming center,├óÔé¼┬Ø Jorquin said. ├óÔé¼┼ôDo a complete brain wipe and put in the programs we need.├óÔé¼┬Ø
The Xorquin grabbed Pix around the waist with his arm, dragging her away.
├óÔé¼┼ôNo, wait!├óÔé¼┬Ø Pix said, hating herself. ├óÔé¼┼ôYou didn't let me finish. Do you think I liked Leonite?├óÔé¼┬Ø
Jorquin laughed. ├óÔé¼┼ôYou think that'd work...scum sucker?├óÔé¼┬Ø
Pix hung her head. ├óÔé¼┼ôHir...you know him?├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôHe was a good operative,├óÔé¼┬Ø Jorquin said. ├óÔé¼┼ôWhy?├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôHe beat me...threatened to rape me. And you kidnapped me and stuck that damned probe in me...but James Leonite kept me a slave for eighteen years.├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôSo?├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôSo I want to do the programming as I am. Humanity has kept E.L.F's down for too long.├óÔé¼┬Ø
Jorquin shook his head. ├óÔé¼┼ôYou'll do the mathematics re-programmed as you would now.├óÔé¼┬Ø
Pix sagged, feeling defeated. The Xorquin dragged her out of the room and into the reprogramming center.
-----------
Shows you Fang. Not gonna do something am I?
Hahahahaha! AHAHAHAHA!