It was a beautiful night in the great forests of Ircandesta; the sky was clear, the moons were bright, and the air was cool and dry. The wind whispered softly as it wove through the folded leaves of the massive chronoan trees surrounding Yuna Lake.

A young tigreth woman stepped hesitantly from the cover of the trees, her folded clothes clutched to her naked bosom. Although the color of her fur was hard to make out, the light of the moons caught on the white patch of fur that ran from her stomach, across her chest, and just over her nose.

Her cat-like ears twitched as she listened intently for something beyond the normal sounds of the forest. Hearing nothing out of the ordinary, she set her clothes on a smooth rock near the edge of the lake. With a final glance at the forest behind her, she stepped into the tranquil water.

"Thank the Creator." she breathed as the cool liquid washed over her road-worn body, "I feel like I haven't had a bath in ages."

The young tigreth maiden waded into the lake until the water came up to her stomach. She hummed softly as she cleaned herself in the cool water.

As she started to wash her hair, her ears twitched. She froze for a moment before looking around only to find the lake as empty as ever.

The tigreth maiden let out a light-hearted laugh and resumed washing only to stop a few seconds later. This time she was certain she had heard something … no, she was hearing something.

After a few moments of looking around only to find herself alone, she looked up at the night sky. The stars were shining brightly, as were the three of Vinta's moons that were currently visible. After a few seconds, however, it was clear that one of the stars was much brighter than the others. In fact, it was growing brighter by the second.

The tigreth maiden stared at the star a few moments, her ears continuing to twitch as the subtle whine in the air grew louder and louder. She wanted to run, but her innate curiousity made it impossible to tear her gaze away from the falling object.

A strange wind began to blow around the lake. It started as a whisper, but in a matter of moments grew into a gust that shook the limbs of all the trees.

A particularly old limb was blown free and hit the ground with a crash that brought her back to her senses. Finally tearing her eyes away from the shining light, the tigreth maiden moved toward the shore. The wind stirred up the water of the lake, making it hard to keep her footing. Desperation on her face, the tigreth maiden fought through the rippling water and rushing wind.

The brilliant light slammed into the lake just as the girl leapt from the edge of the lake and landed with feline precision behind the rock where her clothes lay. The impact sent water in all directions; fortunately, the girl had the forethought to grab her clothes before they were soaked.

As the wind died down and the surface of the lake began to calm, the tigreth maiden stepped tentatively out from behind the rock. She clutched her clothes to her chest as she approached the edge of the lake, her eyes searching for whatever had just interrupted her bath.

Something broke through the surface of the lake. After a few moments, it became clear that it wasn't something; it was someone. By the light of the moons, she could make out the smooth-skinned face of a young Galden man, apparently unconscious.

Dropping her clothes, Teria rushed into the lake and swam toward the still figure as fast as she could. She grabbed his arms, but abruptly let go when her hands touched metal.

"He's a scrap." She whispered, looking with interest at the young man's metal encased arms.

Shaking her head, she grabbed him under his shoulders and dragged him to the shore of the lake.

She pressed an ear to his chest and listened for sounds of breathing. Hearing none, she put both hands on his chest and pushed hard once … twice … three times. Tilting his head back, she put her mouth to his and blew as hard as she could.

He still wasn't breathing. Worried, the tigreth started to blow another breath into the boy when he coughed right into her open mouth.

"Ew!" She fell back, wiping her mouth as the boy sputtered back to life.

He pushed himself over and promptly retched lake water. The tigreth maiden patted him on the back as he fought to regain his breath.

"Thank you." he breathed once he got the water out of his lungs. As he looked up at his savior, his cheeks went bright red. "I-I … I …."

"What?" Looking down, she realized that in her hurry to help the boy, she had forgotten that she was still naked.

With a yelp, she darted back behind the rock and started clawing around for where she had set her clothes.

The young man picked her clothes off the ground and approached the tigreth maiden slowly, careful to keep the rock between them. His eyes averted and his cheeks crimson, he held the clothes out to her. "Are these yours?"

She kept her eyes on his as she stepped out from behind the rock and snatched the clothes from his grasp. Once she had darted back behind the rock, she said, "Thanks. What's your name, anyway?"

"My name is …" The boy's face fell. He ran a metal hand through his long unkempt hair, looking pained.

Slipping her shirt on over her damp fur, she asked, "What's a matter? Don't tell me you have amnesia."

The boy shook his head. "It's not that. I just …"

She gave an impatient snort as she tied her shirt into a makeshift top. "Do you know who you are or not?"

"I'm Glen Gineros."

"Your name's Gineros? You a sentient or something?"

"What's a sentient?" Glen asked, looking perplexed.

"How could you not know what a sentient is? Are you from another planet or something?"

Hearing nothing but silence, the tigreth gave an exasperated snort and stepped out from behind the rock to get a look at the young man.

He was looking at Everblue, an odd look of wonder on his face.

"What?" She asked, looking up at the moon, "What's wrong with you?"

"I think you're right."

"Of course I'm right. Wait, what was I right about?"

"I think I'm from another planet."

The girl didn't seem perturbed by this, small surprise seeing as she had witnessed his unusual arrival. She sighed and rubbed her eyes. "Great. I got peeped by an alien."

"I'm not a … I didn't …" the boy flushed. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to-"

"To fall out of the sky into the lake so that I had to haul your butt out and give you mouth-to-mouth?" A grin slid across her face. "So, how was it anyway?'

"How was what?"

"Your first kiss."

"I …" the boy's whole face went red. Coughing, he asked, "So what planet is this, anyway?"

"Vinta. It's a nice place." Her face fell. "Well, usually. It kinda sucks when your parents are on your case, y'know?"

"I never knew my parents." The boy said, sounding a little sad. "The closest thing I ever had to a family was my team, but I guess that doesn't matter anymore."

Teria leaned toward him, her hands behind her back as she peered at up at his downcast face. "You wanna talk about it?"

"Not really."

After a few moments, she kissed him on the cheek.

He looked up with surprise in his eyes.

"Life can suck sometimes," She said kindly, "but you can't let it keep you down."

"You're right," the boy admitted, "but-"

"But? But? There's no but. You just got kissed by a beautiful lady twice; isn't that enough to cheer you up?"

The boy let out a light-hearted chuckle. Rubbing his spiky hair with a metal hand, he said, "I guess the only thing to do is to start over again."

"That's the spirit!" The girl gave the boy a hearty smack on his back. "And you can start by being my protector."

The boy gave her an incredulous look. "Excuse me?"

"My protector. You know, my bodyguard. I don't need one, mind you, but out here in the wild, I might just need someone to watch my back." Her eyes narrowed. "Or were you just gonna abandon me out here?"

"O-of course not, but I don't even know your name."

"Easily fixed." She thrust her hand at him. "Teria Celes Myssohn."

"Call me Glen," He said as he shook her hand.

She gave him a crooked grin. "Glen, huh? Strange name, but it's got a good sound to it."

The world began to blur. The night sky melted away into the beautiful twilight of the dream realm. The lake vanished, replaced with the edges of the floating island. The Chronoan trees faded until one remained, which slowly shrank into a single oak tree.

One sat up suddenly, accidentally knocking Nixil off his lap in the process.

"Gyaah!" Nixil bounced off the ground like a small rubber ball. After recovering from the initial shock, he flew up to One's face, bat-like wings flapping angrily. "Hey! What's the big idea?"

"Sorry, Nixil." One said apologetically, "I was having a strange dream."

"Of course you were dreaming! This is the dream realm! Just being here is technically dreaming, you moron!" With an angry snort, Nixil flew off toward the Solarius, the distant sun that hung in the very center of the dream realm.

Sighing, One fell back against the trunk of his oak tree. The dream … no, the memory had played out in his eyes like a reel from a movie. He was regaining his memories, but how? Luck had the ring; was she doing this for some reason?

He had vaguely remembered falling into a lake during his first visit to Vinta, but he didn't remember it actually being Yuna Lake. He certainly hadn't remembered that Teria had been there to fish him out.

Just thinking about their first encounter brought a chuckle to his lips; she hadn't changed a bit since then, at least not personality-wise.

"I wonder if she's okay." One mused.

"What about Luck?"

"I like her. I like her a lot, but …" One stopped abruptly and turned to see to whom he was speaking.

A black-robed figure stepped out from the shadows cast by the oak tree. One was on his feet in an instant, Headache materializing on his arms.

The figure lowered his gaze to the units encasing One's arms. "Ah, One's infamous Headache. The grapple beam still giving you problems?"

"Who are you?" One demanded.

"Forgive me; I am told that I have something of an unsettling manner." The figure pulled off its hood, revealing a surprisingly youthful face and a head of long, white hair. "As you can see, I am unarmed."

"That doesn't mean much in the dream realm."

The robed boy let out a laugh. "True enough. However, I give you my word I'm not here to give you any trouble."

Lowering Headache slightly, One asked, "How did you get to my nexus point?"

"You invited me. Indirectly, of course. You can call me Mixe, by the way." Mixe bowed to One. "And you are the Dreamer known as Narrator Number One."

"Are you a Dreamer?" One asked.

Mixe shrugged, but said nothing.

Chuckling, One lowered Headache. "I thought I was supposed to be the cryptic one."

"Actually, you've always struck me as rather straight-forward." Mixe sat down and rested his back against the tree. "You see a problem, and you hit it dead on, no delay. I know some consider it a flaw, but I've always believed it your greatest strength."

One wasn't sure what to say to that, so he just sat down beside Mixe.

After a few moments, the boy said, "The dream realm is as lovely as ever, I see. I've always loved the perpetual twilight."

When One didn't respond, Mixe chuckled. "Now, now; it's not like you to be so quiet."

"No one was supposed to know where I was. Even if they did, I don't let just anyone into my nexus point."

The boy raised his eyebrows. "Really? Then I guess I'm flattered. I love what you've done with the tree."

One opened his mouth to deliver an annoyed response, but Mixe quickly raised his hand. "I'm not here to bother you; I just thought you might appreciate a friendly ear, especially after what happened with Luck.

"How do you know about Luck?"

"Ukaroh."

A pang shot through One's heart at the mention of his ex-girlfriend. "Ukaroh? You've seen her?"

"Indeed. She didn't recognize me either, but that's hardly a surprise. She's still keeping tabs on you, y'know."

"How …"

"How is she?" Mixe asked, raising an eyebrow.

One nodded silently.

Mixe considered a moment. "She's definitely gotten better at guitar. She dyed her hair blue; now she looks like someone out of one of Wong's anime shows. Oh, and she's still upgrading that old motorcycle of hers with any technology she thinks will make it faster … or more dangerous. It's hard to tell with Ukaroh."

"It always is. I'm glad to hear she's doing well." One said, but it sounded forced even to him. When he had refused to leave the Elsewhere with her, she had left him without a second glance; even after a few decades, it still stung.

They watched the clouds in silence for a few moments.

One let out a sigh. "What should I do?"

"About Luck? To be honest, I'm not sure. Your situation is … complicated."

When it became clear that Mixe wasn't going to continue, One let out a snort. "Thanks for that, Mixe. Here I was getting worried."

"It is a rather personal affair." Mixe said in mild tones, "If Luck doesn't want to be found, let's face it; you aren't going to find her. If you can't find her, there's not much of a relationship going on, is there?"

"So, what?" One asked, "Do I just sit around and wait for her to come to me?"

Mixe simply shrugged.

Shaking his head, One said, "Something about the Breath of Fire scared her, but why?"

"Maybe it just scared her. It is an intimidating machine."

"Pssh. Luck's faced worse things than that."

"Perhaps it wasn't the Breath of Fire that scared her, but rather what the Breath of Fire represents."

One glanced at Mixe curiously. "And what does the Breath of Fire represent?"

"What indeed." After a few moments of silence, Mixe stood up. "Well, I'd better be on my way."

"Wait a sec!" One scrambled to his feet. "If you know something about this, just tell me already!"

"It's not for me to tell, One. Don't worry, though; I'm sure you'll figure it out eventually." With a final bow, Mixe vanished.

2: Chapter 2 - Medical Matey

One stared glumly at the space where Mixe had been standing. Something about the young man seemed oddly familiar, though he couldn't quite place it.

"Well," he muttered, turning back at his tree, "I'm not getting any rest until I get this settled, and I won't get it settled until Luck resurfaces."

The Breath of Fire crossed his mind. It was badly in need of repair after the thrashing he had given it during his last assignment, and the Final Fantasy probably needed a little repair work as well. They could make for a nice distraction.

One shifted out of the Dream Realm, appearing directly inside his personal workshop. His teleportation was perfect … well, almost. He hopped off the workbench and started walking to the back of the workshop where his two dreadnaughts silently awaited his arrival. The Final Fantasy stood silently in the bay on the right, while the dragon-esque Breath of Fire lay in the other, its dismembered wings lying nearby.

"Armor plating on the chest and arms is gonna need replacing." One said aloud as he surveyed the Final Fantasy for damage. "Other than that, she held up pretty well."

As he strapped on his tek-boots, his mind turned to Mikaen, the wayward knight who had literally dropped out of the sky while One was taking a nap on the world of Vinta. The poor guy had been on the edge: no family, only a few friends, no place to truly call his own. Worst of all, Mikaen's fiancée had died some months previous, leaving the knight reckless to the point of suicidal.

Of course, that was before One started poking around. Now Mikaen had a nice home in Homestead, a whole slew of friends, and a pretty, kind, and strong tigreth girlfriend.

"Or have you proposed yet?" One mused to himself.

A hologram of a young girl appeared, a look of curiosity evident on her translucent face. "Are you talking to me?"

"Just thinking out loud, Rebecca. I was wondering if Mikaen and Tirinia are engaged yet."

She shrugged indifferently. "Meh. I never was much for the wetware concept of romance. You need a hand?"

"Nah, I got it." Rebecca's skrievers could repair the dreadnaughts in less than an hour, but One preferred to do the work himself, much to Rebecca's chagrin.

"Hmpf. Fine; I guess I'll just activate the platforms and let you get to it then." Her hologram vanished, a distinctly annoyed look on her face.

One locked the last strap of his tek-boots as the lowest platform rose into place. Hopping on, he began a more thorough examination of his dreadnaught's damage.

He ran a metal hand along one of several gashes in the right leg of the Final Fantasy. "Ouch. Still, easy enough to fix, I suppose."

While helping Mikaen, One and the young knight had come across the Breath of Fire, a combat-model dreadnaught from Earth's recent past. Although the Final Fantasy wasn't a combat model, One had been victorious. Of course, that meant he now had two giant machines to maintain.

The plating on the chest of the Final Fantasy had taken the brunt of the damage. After shearing off the rivet heads with Headache's fusion cutter, One pried one of the chest plates off and let it fall to the floor with a loud clang.

He was just starting on the next plate when the door to the main part of One's floor burst open. Two rushed through the doorway, a croquet mallet in one hand and a bottle of booze in the other.

He walked unsteadily toward the dreadnaught bays, mallet at the ready. "Come out of there, Wong! There's no use hiding!"

"Nice mallet." One called out, smirking. "Very intimidating."

Two peered at him; even from a distance, One could see that his friend's eyes were bloodshot. "Oh. It's just you."

One hopped off the platform and approached his best friend. "What's going on, man?"

"It's Wong. He keeps messing around with the Breath of Fire; I've had to chase him out of here three times today." Shaking his head, Two asked, "What about you? I figured you were gone for at least a year."

"How long was I away?" One asked curiously.

"About two months. I started to go looking for you, but I figured you wanted some alone time. Besides, I'm sure you didn't want to deal with my protégé."

Two continued to complain, but One wasn't listening. As he returned to his repair work, his mind was on Luck. Teach had promised to tell Luck where One was hiding, and the elder Dreamer was usually reliable in such things. One had left his nexus point open for her, which on reflection was probably how Mixe got there. Two months was a long time for her not to have joined him.

One's gaze fell on the Breath of Fire. Mixe suggested that the Breath of Fire could have represented something, but what? It was a broken dreadnaught that looked a lot like a dragon. It could symbolize the Rangers who built it, or Earth on a very basic level, but One couldn't see how either of those would make Luck run off on him.

"… and in the shower, no less! Fate's got enough reasons to beat the crap outta me without Wong playing the instigator! I …" Two paused, his eyes narrowing. "One? One, are you even listening to me?"

One shook his head to clear his thoughts. "Sorry. You were saying something about instigating something between Fate and Wong?"

Two rolled his eyes. "Ah, forget it."

"I'm sorry, Two." One sighed. "I'm guess I'm still a little distracted."

"I can tell. You just removed a perfectly good sheet of armor plating."

One's eyes darted up to the plate he had just pried off. Sure enough, it was undamaged. Rubbing his temples, he muttered, "Nice. Good job, One."

A mischievous smile crossed Two's face. "This distraction wouldn't have anything to do with the Lady Luck, would it?"

"Have you seen her?"

"You mean you haven't?" Two looked genuinely surprised. "I figured she was with you. Sorry, man; I haven't seen her since before you left."

One sighed. "Maybe Teach or Karma has-"

A loud clang shot from the direction of the Final Fantasy. Two slapped One on the arm. "See? See what I'm talkin' about? I bet Wong's over there trying to install an arcade cabinet into the cockpit or something."

One and Two ran toward the direction of the noise. Sure enough, they found Wong standing near the Breath of Fire.

Two brandished his mallet as though to hit Wong, but One caught his arm. "Wait, Two! Look at his face!"

Wong's face was pale as a sheet. There was no trace of his usual, fool-hardy smile either; he looked positively spooked.

The reason was obvious a few moments later. An overpowering acrid stench issued forth from the mass of bones and charred flesh that occupied the pilot's chair of the Breath of Fire's open cockpit.

"Ugh!" One covered his mouth with the sleeve of his shirt to block out the foul smell, "What the hell?"

"It wasn't me!" Wong said, his voice a high-pitched squeak, "I just wanted to look at the control panel, so I sorta hacked into the Dreadnaught's systems and opened the cockpit, and there was totally a melted guy there!"

"A likely story!" Two moved to grab the young Dreamer, but One stopped him.

"He didn't do this." One told them.

Wong and Two looked at him, equally surprised.

Still covering his face, One peered at the body. There were dozens of small holes in the body, each barely a millimeter in diameter. His suspicions were concerned when he found a wire leading from the console jabbed into what had been the pilot's neck.

"Impulse control system." Glancing at his fellow Dreamers, One said, "The computer tried to create a neural link with the pilot. Without the right equipment or a datajack, it essentially ripped out his nervous system."

"And that melted his body?" Two asked incredulously.

"No, but with no life signs in the cockpit, the Breath of Fire shut off all the shielding to preserve power, including the heat shield that protects the pilot from the power core. Do you know how much heat the generator that powers this thing puts off?"

Two winced. "Ugh. Sucks to be him. Hey, wait! If the pilot was fried, how was the Breath of Fire still able to function?"

"Like I said, it assimilated his nervous system, including his brain." One gestured to the body of the Breath of Fire. "It basically pulled out his brain in data format and tried to overlay it in the Breath of Fire's artificial brain."

"That thing has a brain?" Wong shuddered. "Eww!"

"It's artificial, Wong … like a computer, though the base imprint was programmed using the imprint taken from an actual dragon." Tapping the datajack on the side of his neck, One continued, "The ICS is supposed to bridge with the pilot's mind, creating a constant stream of data between the pilot and the dreadnaught."

Looking back at the pilot's remains, One said, "It's not made to hold the entire contents of someone's mind, though. No wonder the Breath of Fire went berserk; the pain of the extraction coupled with the compression to fit inside the artificial brain would drive anyone nuts."

One tapped the blackened console thoughtfully. It was impossible to determine the race of the pilot; what was left of the corpse was blackened beyond recognition, its clothes crumbled to ash.

There was no real reason to look into it. After all, One knew it was most likely a member of either the Ronisgald Security Force or the Celestial Cathedral. Still, there was something about the body that struck One as suspect. Though he couldn't put his finger on what, he knew someone who could.

Turning back to his friends, One asked, "Where's Captain Morgan these days?"

The Dreamer known as Captain Morgan is a bit of an odd duck, so to speak. He may not be as weird as Wong Fo-lee, but he's definitely one of the stranger inhabitants of the Elsewhere Mansion. He is also happens to be the Elsewhere's resident doctor and biologist.

When he was just a Sleeper, Captain Morgan (or rather, Morgan Nathaniel Upshire) was groomed for the medical profession from the moment he first learned to read. Private schools, special tutors, and endless tomes dominated his childhood. He grew up far too quickly and settled into the life that had been orchestrated for him.

His lost childhood always bothered him, and naturally manifested in his hobbies. Once his practice had netted him a sizeable bank account, he used a large chunk of his money to build an authentic Spanish Galleon which he named 'The Popehat' for reasons known only to himself. On the outside, it was a faithful and sea-worthy replica of an ancient pirate vessel. On the inside, it was a technological marvel, both for medicine and for sailing.

As his obsession grew, he moved his offices inside the ship. The children loved him. The parents shook their heads at the childishness of it all.

Then Morgan became a Dreamer. For some, it is a solemn moment. For others, it is more like an epiphany. For Morgan, it was as though his childhood had been given a second chance. One day, as the last few families left his office and headed to their cars, Morgan and the Popehat weighed anchor and set sail into the Atlantic Ocean. This was quite a feat for a clinic that was based in the suburbs of Salina, Kansas.

The Popehat appeared inside the Elsewhere Mansion a few weeks later, sailing on an endless sea located in one of the Elsewhere's many gray rooms. Since then, the Popehat and Captain Morgan have been a part of the Elsewhere Incorporate.

One took a moment to get his sea-legs after walking onto the deck of the Popehat; stepping out from a structurally sound hallway onto a gently rocking ship can be a little disorienting.

He glanced around for Captain Morgan, but the nautical Dreamer was nowhere to be seen.

"Probably up in the crow's nest." One muttered, peering up the ship's mast.

The door to the captain's cabin burst open. Out strode a boy no older than eight years old, dressed in full pirate regalia including a hook and a peg-leg. All that was missing was a parrot; instead of the traditional avian companion, Captain Morgan had a black and white cat perched on his shoulder.

"Arg!" The boy shouted, "It's a landlubber!"

One rubbed his eyes, muttering, "Oh, lord."

"Lay your booty on the deck, you scurvy dog!" The boy pulled a wobbly old cutlass from its battered sheath and took a few wild swings in One's general direction.

"Yes, yes, scurvy dog." The cat said with an air of resignation. "I'm sorry, One, but he's in one of his moods again."

"It's cool, Simon." One lifted one Headache-encased arm and smacked the weapon from the would-be pirate's hand. It flew through the air in a wide arc and hit the deck point first.

Captain Morgan pouted. "Oh, come on! You're such a damp cloth."

"We can cross swords later, Captain. I've got a bit of a mystery on my hands that I'd like your help with … if you're not too busy, that is."

"Aha! Another grand adventure, filled with treasure and wenches, no doubt!" Captain Morgan said, letting out a loud triumphant laugh. "The Popehat is ready to set sail the moment you give the word!"

"Or, y'know, don't." Simon leapt from Captain Morgan's shoulder and landed easily on the deck. After pausing to stretch his paws and yawn, he said, "We could just stay here. Nice day for a nap."

The head of a brown cat poked out of a coil of rope. "Did someone say nap?"

"Like you ever do anything else, Wash." Simon sat up straight, looking strangely respectable for a cat. "I'm not saying it's a bad idea, mind you."

Sighing, One said, "Look, I'm sorry, but I really need you in doctor mode right now."

"Of course!" Captain Morgan snapped his fingers. In a matter of moments, he went from a boy-pirate to a boy in a white lab-coat with a pair of spectacles on the tip of his nose … and a jaunty pirate hat on his head.

Sighing again, One asked, "Is the hat really necessary?"

"No time for questions! Quick, to my office!"

One followed Captain Morgan into the cabin. The moment he passed through the doorway, One found himself standing in a pristine medical facility. Everything was clean and shiny; the exact opposite of what you'd expect after long-term exposure to the salt air.

Taking another moment to adjust to the change (the medical bay was well insulated from the movement of the ship), One hurried over to where Captain Morgan was preparing.

"Is my patient here yet?" he asked, pulling on a set of rubber gloves.

"One moment." One waved his hand at the nearest bed, the burnt corpse of the dreadnaught pilot appearing there a moment later.

"My lad, " Morgan said, putting an arm around One's shoulder, "I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but there's nothing I can do; he is, as we say in the medical profession, dead as a dodo."

"I know he's dead." One replied, suppressing a laugh, "I just need to know what he was."

"Fair enough. Let's see here …" Captain Morgan looked at the corpse, his interest renewed. "Given the bone and teeth structures, I'm guessing he's human, Galden, or Tylaen. This basic form's quite common, isn't it? Of course, with this much tissue damage, I'm not jumping to any conclusions."

He picked up a scalpel from an instrument tray and started poking at the remains.

Feeling suddenly sick, One turned around, One said, "Will this take awhile?"

Ripping out a burnt chunk of flesh with a horrible squelching noise, Captain Morgan said, "Hmm. Could be a lung. Could be a liver. Yeah, this will definitely take awhile."

"I'll stop by later, then. I've got someone I want to check up on anyway."

3: Chapter 3 - The Joys of Politics

Teria awoke with a start as Kajex slammed his fist against the table.

"We can't just let this slide!" the sentient prince shouted, his eyes literally red. "Ronisgald must answer for this affront to us all!"

Sighing, Jyle replied for the fourth time, "We have no way of knowing whether or not the actions taken by the Galden Security Force were sanctioned by their government."

Teria let out a snort and laid her head back on her folded arms; she had heard this argument three times already: someone would say that Ronisgald should be held accountable, to which someone would quote some obscure passage of the All Nations Alliance Charter. The two would go back and forth until most of the council on their feet and screaming at each other. Jyle would regain order, bringing them right back to the beginning of the cycle.

There was no argument that Galdens were responsible for the incident at the ravine, nor that Ronisgald owed the rest of Vinta an explanation (especially seeing as they didn't bother sending a delegation for the Council), but no one seemed to be able to decide what they should do about it.

Kajex suggested nothing less than all-out war, while Counciller Dreas of the Cleftan Region was in favor of a more economic punishment; embargoes and the like. King Iniagus of Wenapaj felt that since no harm had come to those kidnapped, everything was fine. Shae, the delegate from Rimstak who had been captured by the Galden force, didn't want to act at all until it was discovered whether the Galdens encountered at the ravine were acting as part of Ronisgald or as a rogue group.

Teria's attention started wandering during the second cycle of this argument. She was about as interested in politics as a durien was in table manners.

From the looks of it, she wasn't the only one who felt that way; Mikaen and Tirinia had stopped paying attention to the proceedings, though Teria suspected this had more to do with their recent engagement than the boring nature of politics. They sat close, their whispers barely audible. Every so often, Tirinia would blush and let out a hushed giggle.

It was so good to see Tirinia happy. For awhile there, Teria thought her sister would be too shy to ever even try to find a mate. Her eyes caught momentarily on the engagement pendant Mikaen had given Tirinia; a crystalline seed from the chronoan tree that housed Muonsol's royalty.

Councilor Dreas hit the table hard, jarring Teria from her thoughts. She wasn't terribly familiar with the Cleftan Region but she was always tickled by the way Cleftans dressed. Both representatives were covered head to toe with all manner of clothing so that not even an inch of skin was visible. They even wore tinted goggles to cover their eyes.

Dreas rose to his feet, the colorful plumage of his turban bobbing with every movement of his head. "Enough of this pointless debate! Even if the Galden government wasn't behind the attack, there were Galden soldiers involved. In the very least, President Jures should apologize for his rogue soldiers."

"Triumvate Dreas, " Jyle said, massaging his temples, "By no means am I trying to trivialize the actions of the Galden nation; the kidnapping of the Council members was an attack on us all … or perhaps you didn't know that my daughter had been taken as well?"

Dreas was silent for a moment. Teria wondered if he (or she ... it was hard to tell with Cleftans) was too stunned to speak.

Eventually Dreas sat back down. "My apologies."

"Look," Jyle said, rubbing his temples, "I want answers as much as the rest of you. However, blithely accusing another nation of deliberate sabotage is no small matter. As all of you are undoubtedly aware-"

Tirinia let out a giggle loud enough to draw the attention of the other delegates. She blushed crimson in the ensuing silence while Mikaen did his best to look innocent.

Jyle frowned at the both of them. "As all of you who've been paying attention are undoubtedly aware, relations with Ronisgald have been strained for awhile now. We have to handle this situation very delicately."

Teria yawned loud enough to catch everyone's gaze. Letting her head rest on her arms, she asked, "Are we done yet?"

Flushing, Jyle said, "This is not a laughing matter."

"The whole kidnapping thing? No, I agree it's not a laughing matter. The endless rounds of arguing and bickering about treaties and honor? It isn't funny, but it's definitely boring." Teria glanced around the room, particularly at Dreas and Kajex. Even Dreas managed to look a little offended, no small feat considering his face was completely covered.

"Do you have a suggestion?" Jyle asked, glaring at Teria.

"Well, like Shae said, we need more information."

"What are you being of suggestion?" Shae asked, fully aware of Teria's penchant for causing trouble.

"Simple. We send someone to go check out what's going on over there … subvertly, of course. Sneak in, get information, and get out. If nothing's going on, then we're in the clear. If it's something else, knowing their plan would give us a definite edge."

"Spying on another country?" said King Iniagus, his magnificent red mustache quivering at the very thought. "My dear kitten, that would be a clear violation of section 3, article 2 of the All Nations Alliance Charter."

"Well, what would you suggest?" Teria asked, bristling slightly over being called 'kitten', "Sit here on our collective asses and wait for them to try something else?"

Shaking his head, Jyle said, "Without clear evidence that the Ronisgald Government was behind the kidnapping-"

"Here we go again." Shaking her head, Teria stood and headed for the door. "I'm gonna go get lunch."

Jyle stammered, "Wait! You can't just-"

Opening the door, Teria glanced back at him over her shoulder. "If you manage to quit squabbling long enough to actually decide something, send someone to find me, 'kay? Thanks."

She walked through the door and slammed it behind her before the Cygros could her head, Teria set off down the corridor.

Councils, delegates, Galden soldiers digging up dreadnaughts: she was starting to miss the good old days where her biggest worry was preparing for the Longshore Brawl.

Mikaen and Tirinia caught up with Teria a few minutes later.

"I was wondering when you were gonna get sick of it." Teria commented with her arms behind her head as they approached.

"They called a recess." said Mikaen, his arm around Tirinia's shoulder. "Nice exit, by the way."

"Yeah, well … politics aren't my thing. Give me a few soldiers that need a good smack upside the head, and I'm set. All that page thirteen, sub-paragraph bureaucratic bullcrap bores the hell outta me." Teria shrugged, smiling. "At least you two seemed to be enjoying yourselves."

"Mikaen was telling me some stories about his friends in the Knights of the Star." Tirinia said, "Mostly about Jyle and one of his old girlfriends."

Mikaen smiled. "Jade Siercka. Jade and Jyle were always a good conversation topic at the Knight's Headquarters back in Misakren. They were always breaking up … very loudly, I might add."

"I can believe it." Teria replied, glancing back in the general direction of the Council chamber.

"We were gonna get some lunch in the marketplace." Tirinia said, "You wanna come with?"

Teria shook her head, a crooked grin on her face. "Ah, you two go on ahead. I'd just get in the way."

"Come on, Teria." Mikaen persisted, "It's my treat. Besides, I'm sure you have a few stories about your sister that I'd just love to hear."

"Well, there was that time during the Solstice festival-" Teria said, her grin spreading across her face.

Tirinia's cheeks burned red through her almost-white fur. She quickly grabbed Mikaen's hand and pulled him away. Teria chuckled to herself as they disappeared down the hallway.

"What's the joke?"

She turned to see Maxim Windstar. He was accompanied this time by his wife, Lya Saetras.

Lya was a typical Vyan; blue skin, beautiful masses of hair flowing from her head and the back of her arms and legs, and gills; her gills, however, were cybernetic. Teria didn't know the details of her augmentation, but she did know that Maxim and Lya had met while having their cybernetics upgraded.

"I was just embarrassing my sister in front of her beau." Teria replied. "What are you two up to?"

"We were going to go check on Tyrn and Rydiana." Maxim said, slipping his real arm around Lya's shoulders.

"Huh. I'd let 'em be for now," Teria said, "Still in the honeymoon period, y'know. Wouldn't want to walk in on anything."

Lya's cheeks tinged purple. "I didn't think about that."

"Speaking of avoiding people," Maxim began, "I'd steer clear of Kajex and King Iniagus; they're still in there arguing."

"Iniagus." Teria said contemptuously, "You'd swear that whack-job swallowed the entire friggin alliance treaty the way he keeps quoting it."

"Well," Lya began, sounding uncomfortable, "He does have a point."

"Having a point's fine, but he didn't bother to suggest a solution. No harm, no foul's not a good foreign policy, even if it does work in Wenapaj." Teria stopped and laughed at herself. "Listen to me; I've been in the Council chamber for a few hours, and suddenly I'm acting like I know something."

Maxim chuckled appreciatively. "I'm sure we'll come up with a plan."

"I just hope we do it before something else happens," Teria said, expressing a concern she had kept quiet until now, "I'd hate to be caught off-guard if another one of those dreadnaughts shows up."

Shaking her head, she said, "Anyway, I'll see ya'll later, okay?"

As Lya and Maxim walked off, Teria let out a sigh. She hesitated as she passed by the doors that lead to the palace gardens. She was hungry, but she found herself pushing the door open and walking out into the cool air outside.

The palace gardens were well maintained. The winter flowers had begun to bloom, filling the gardens with blooms of purple, blue and white. The massive chronoan tree was unaffected by the weather, but its crystalline blue bark made it look like a giant icicle with branches and leaves.

After fifteen minutes of wandering, Teria came to a halt right next to the garden's only oak tree. Instantly, her thoughts turned to Narrator Number One. She'd seen neither hide nor hair of her old friend since the day after the kidnapping incident. It still burned her that he had forgotten her, but now that the brunt of the anger had passed, she found herself missing her old friend.

"Glen, Glen, Glen." She whispered, laying her palm against the oak tree's trunk. "What mischief are you up to?"

After a few moments, she sighed again and turned to walk away. She stopped instantly, her jaw dropping. Narrator Number One was there, in the Royal Garden, walking toward her!

Teria rushed over to him and gave him a bear of a hug. "Glen! I was just thinking about you!"

"It's good to see you again." he whispered in her ear as he returned her embrace. It may have been her imagination, but it seemed like more than the sort of hug given to a friend.

She let him go and punched him in the arm, demanding, "What in Nocturnes took you so long?"

"I just had some things I wanted to sort out-" His eyes narrowed. "Hey, wait a minute! I didn't say I'd be coming back! In fact, I'm pretty sure I made it clear I was heading out for good."

She held her hands behind her back, twisting back and forth slightly with her most innocent expression on her face.

One let out a sigh. "I was sleeping."

"Sleeping?" she said incredulously, dropping her cute act, "It's been two months!"

"It's hard to keep track of the passage of time in the Dream Realm. Besides, that's nothing. Jay's been asleep for years." Sighing, One added, "Anyway, I came here to talk to you."

"Of course!" Teria felt her heart leap as she sat down beneath the tree, One sitting beside her a moment later.

After a few minutes of silence, Teria asked, "So, you wanted to talk about …?"

"To be honest, I'm not sure myself. I was sleeping in the Dream Realm, just drifting really when I had an urge to come back here and check on you and the others. How is Mikaen?"

"Fine. Winged. Engaged to my sister."

"I had a feeling he'd have proposed by now." He glanced at her. "You doin' okay?"

Teria put her hands behind her head. "I'm me, same as ever. I missed you, though. It seemed like you were always just around the corner, and suddenly you weren't there anymore."

"I'm sorry."

"It's okay; I know you're a Dreamer and everything. It's not a problem."

They sat back against the tree in silence for a few moments before Teria asked, "So … you remember any more yet?"

"Not much." One confessed. "I remember I landed in Yuna Lake while you were taking a bath, and that you bullied me into travelling with you."

"I didn't bully you, I manipulated you. It's totally different." She met his gaze with a grin. "So, did we reach Transpere yet?"

"Transpere?" One asked, sounding intruiged. "That's near the Cleftan Region isn't it? Why were we going there?"

As she opened her mouth to answer him, an idestan messenger approached, saying, "Ah, Daughter Teria. The Council is about to reconvene."

"Thank you." Her polite demeanor dropped in an instant. "Now go away."

"Council?" One hit his head as the messenger scurried off. "Right, the Council. Duh. How's that going anyway?"

She blew a raspberry at him as he helped her to her feet. "I'd say we're going nowhere, but that would kinda imply that we might get there at some point. Iniagus keeps quoting treaty, Kajex is on the war path, and Jyle is trying so hard to mediate that we keep going in circles."

"Hmm." One scratched his head. "Maybe I could help."

Teria's ears twitched at the prospect. "What, with the Council? Isn't that a bit much, even for you?"

"Very funny. Look, Two and I were poking around with the Breath of Fire, and we found the pilot still in the cockpit."

Teria's eyes went wide. "He was in there for two months?"

"From the smell of it, yes."

Teria wrinkled her nose in disgust. "Yech. Glad I wasn't there. Was he Galden?"

"Not sure yet. There wasn't much left. I left the body with a doctor friend of mine." Grimacing, he added, "I should go see if he's found anything yet. I could prepare a statement or something for the Council, if you think it might help."

"By the Creator, yes, please. Anything to get this Council over with a little faster."

"I'll see what I can come up with." With a grin, One headed toward a door that had just appeared in a nearby hedge.

"One!" Teria called out as One's hand closed on the door handle.

When he turned, she felt her cheeks grow hot as she said, "Look, I was kinda mean to you after you told me about … y'know, the memory loss thing."

"You chased me through the Elsewhere." One said, looking amused.

"I know, I know. I just … I'm sorry, okay? And thanks for still, y'know, being my friend after I treated you like crap."

She was sure he'd make a joke to lighten the mood. As such, she was surprised when he said quite somberly, "Thank you for giving me another chance. For what it's worth, I'm glad I was able to see you again so soon."

With a final nod, he exited via the CPD. The door vanished moments later, leaving the hedge whole once more.

She stared at the hedge, lost in thought until she heard Tirinia's voice ask, "Teria?"

Teria turned to see Mikaen and Tirinia approaching. She considered telling them about One's appearance, but decided to simply wave and say, "Heya. What's up?"

Mikaen asked, "You ready for another round of politics?"

Teria glanced back at the hedge where One had vanished. Smiling, she walked past Mikaen and Tirinia. "We'll see."

They were the first to return to the chamber. Teria took her seat beside Tirinia and Shae and waited as the rest of the delegates filed inside the chamber.

Once everyone was seated, Jyle coughed and said, "We'll resume … that is, if it's okay with you, Teria."

Teria waved her hand in a bored kind of way.

Rolling his eyes, Jyle said, "The next order of business for the Council is-"

"Hold up a sec!" Kajex said, standing, "We haven't finished with the last issue yet. What are we going to do about the Galdens?"

"Here we go." Teria muttered.

Kajex had just opened his mouth to continue when the chamber doors burst open. Narrator Number One strode through the open doors. Teria started to greet him but stopped when she saw his unusually serious expression.

As Teria straightened in her chair, Jyle asked, "Narrator Number One? What in the name of the …"

"I know who was behind the attack."

Everyone watched as One tossed a bloody metal pin onto the table. It bounced and clattered across the table, stopping just short of Jyle.

Teria didn't recognize the symbol on the pin, but Jyle apparently did; the sight of it made the Cygros's face go as pale as a sheet in a heartbeat.

One nodded, his face grim. "The Revs."

4: Chapter 4 - Lucky

Mikaen was on his feet in an instant. "The Revs?"

"The person piloting the Breath of Fire wasn't Galden." One said, "He was human. A little poking around, and I found his insignia pin. The Revs were behind the attack."

"The Revs are on Vinta?" It was Jyle who spoke, having finally found his voice, "How? When?"

"I don't know," One said, "But I think it's safe to say they're the ones who've been masquerading as monks."

"No wonder they were so interested in the Breath of Fire," Mikaen said, "A combat dreadnaught would give them a major edge on Earth and Vinta."

Jyle took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "This … this changes everything."

"I am not understanding," said Shae, no doubt confused by the reactions of the Earthlings, "What are these Revs being, and also what is the extent of the impaction due to their involvement?"

"Revs view humans as the only pure race. They've killed millions of non-humans and magi back on earth. Mikaen and Jyle will back me up on that." One nodded at them both.

"Do you know why they're here?" Mikaen asked.

"Not yet, but a friend of mine's working on scanning what's left of the pilot's gray matter." One made a face. "It's fried as the rest of him, but we might manage to get a little useful information."

"In the meantime," said Jyle, addressing the council, "I move that we take Daughter Myssohn's suggestion and send a small team to infiltrate Ronisgald in a non-aggressive manner, for the purpose of discovering the nature of the connection between the Ronisgald Government and the Restored Earth Alliance. All in favor?"

Most of the room signaled agreement, even if it was a bit reluctant in some cases.

Iniagus let out a sigh before finally relenting. "Oh, very well. We will go with the majority."

"Then we are all agreed." Jyle said, "Given the urgency of this matter, the rest of the Council will be postponed until we have the appropriate information necessary to make proper judgment."

As everyone got up to leave, Teria caught Jyle mouthing the words 'stay here' to Mikaen.

She bumped her sister's arm, whispering, "Ten to one he asks Mikaen to head the team and tries to make us stay here."

When the other delegates had left, Jyle sighed. "Tirinia, would you mind stepping out for a few minutes?"

Mikaen said, "Let her stay. I'm just gonna tell her about it later anyway."

Jyle frowned. "Fine. Teria?"

"Don't waste your breath." She said, picking at one of her claws.

Sighing, Jyle said, "I suppose you have a right to be here, seeing as the four of you snuck into the Galden camp in the dead of night and managed to sneak off with the prisoners."

"Four of us?" said One, "I didn't sneak into the camp until later."

"I know." Jyle said, "Mikaen, Teria, Tirinia … and Jeronem."

Mikaen smirked at the empty chair beside his. "Nice try."

Jeronem popped back into existence, pouting. "That's not fair! If you can be here, then so can I!"

"Fine. Everyone can stay. It's probably better that you all hear this anyway. I'm going to be assembling a team to investigate what's been going on at Ronisgald. Mikaen, I realize this is asking a lot, but I'd like you to head the team."

"I'm going too." Tirinia said immediately.

"I go where Tirinia goes." said Teria.

Jeronem waved his hand. "Don't forget about me!"

"No, no, No, NO!" Jyle frowned at them. "I can't send out a bunch of Council delegates on what is clearly going to be a dangerous mission!"

"Oh really?" Teria put a hand on her hip. "You didn't seem to mind when your daughter was concerned."

"I asked you to make sure she didn't get into trouble, not to actually go rescue her if she did."

Mikaen held up a hand. "Hang on a moment. If we hadn't gone to save your daughter and the other captives, they would have died before your troops got there."

"I'm not questioning any of your abilities." said Jyle, holding a hand to his head, "Far from it; I am grateful for what you did, but Ronisgald isn't a little camp in the forest; it's one of the biggest countries on Vinta, filled with the latest security technology. The entire country is built inside hundreds of subterranean enclosures, the smallest of which is easily the same size as Muonsol, not to mention Angela."

"Who's Angela?" Mikaen asked.

"Angela's the artificial intelligence that runs Ronisgald. She's pretty advanced too; caught me hacking into her systems a few months ago." Teria paused a moment and rubbed her neck. "Just thinking about it makes my datajack sting."

"This isn't just about getting inside the city and sneaking around." continued Jyle, "We need to know how deeply the Revs have infiltrated the government of Ronisgald. I hope to the Creator this hasn't gone as far as the Triumvates."

Teria snorted. "Seeing as the Revs had a contingent of the Galden Security Force with them, I'm guessing they're pretty well in."

"That doesn't necessarily mean the government knew they were Revs." One told her. "They were in disguise, after all."

Teria rolled her eyes at him. "Riiiight. Seriously, don't you think someone in the chain of command would be a bit curious about a bunch of priests and monks wanting to excavate a giant robot?"

Jyle cut in before One could respond. "So I'm sure we can all agree that we should send a team of trained professionals. As such, I want Mikaen to lead the group."

After a moment of silence, Mikaen said, "I don't have a problem with leading a group, but wouldn't I do better with a group whose abilities I'm already familiar with? I mean, Ronisgald isn't just Galdens, is it?"

"Well, no." Jyle admitted, "It's a melting pot culture; pretty much a little of everyone there, though it is mostly Galdens."

"Then what's the problem? We can gear up and be on our way by the end of the day." Mikaen looked to the others, who nodded in agreement.

"That's not the point. Tirinia and Teria are Daughters of Longshore, and Jeronem's the son of the vuestan Elder."

"Oh, so you're saying I'm more expendable?" Mikaen said, crossing his arms.

"Of course not!" Jyle said, "But you are more experienced. If the Revs are really up to something, who would be more qualified to go than you?"

It was a good point, and Mikaen knew it. Sighing, he said, "Fine. You win, Jyle. I'll head your little team."

Teria and Jeronem looked at Mikaen, both clearly disappointed. Tirinia didn't respond at all, which struck Teria as vaguely suspicious.

Jyle gave Mikaen a long, hard look. "Well, I'm glad you're willing to listen to reason for a change. I'll have the rest of the team ready tomorrow morning."

Looking at Tirinia, Jyle said, "Don't worry, Tirinia; I'm sending him in with my best. He'll get home all right."

Tirinia nodded silently, a strangely calm look on her face.

With a final nod to One, Jyle left the chamber.

"What in Nocturnes is this crap?" Teria said, once Jyle was gone, "We can't go because we're Daughters? What kind of bullshit is that?"

"Yeah! What gives?" Jeronem's voice squeaked in the head of everyone present.

Mikaen didn't reply. About that time, Teria realized that he and Tirinia were counting silently on their fingers.

Once they reached the count of ten, Mikaen clapped his hands together. "Okay, he should be out of hearing range. Here's the plan: we'll meet up in the stables at midnight, hijack a few mounts, and head out before morning."

Teria's mouth hung open for a few moments before she let out a laugh. "Cute. Real cute."

"Ooh! Come with us, One! That would be awesome!" Jeronem looked eagerly at the Dreamer.

One opened his mouth to reply when the chamber doors slammed open, revealing two men. Thinking it would be Jyle, Teria was surprised to recognize the perpetually slouching Narrator Number Two (mostly from that tasteless hat with the feather). The angry man with the spectacles was unfamiliar … and a little frightening.

"One!" The bespectacled man barked, "Back to the Elsewhere, now!"

"What's wrong?" One asked, sounding genuinely startled.

"Not here. Get back to the-"

"What in Nocturnes is your problem?" Teria interrupted, quickly stepping between the two, "You just barge in and-"

"Stay out of this, norm. It doesn't concern you." said Teach, not even looking at her as he spoke.

"Hey!" Now it was One who sounded angry, "Don't talk to her like that! Y'know what? Teria's right; what the hell is your issue, Teach?"

"We can discuss my 'issue' back at the Elsewhere."

"Fine, I'll head back when I'm done here."

"NOW!"

A tense silence fell between One and Teach. Even Two shrank back from the two Dreamers. Teria wasn't sure what to think; she had witnessed first-hand what a Dreamer could do, and didn't want to think what would happen if two of them started fighting.

"Come on, One." Two said, glancing worriedly between One and Teach, "Just cool down, both of you; we'll get this cleared up back home."

One glared at Teach for a moment longer before nodding. "Fine."

An angry look on his face, One walked briskly across the room, making a point to brush past Teach. Two followed shortly after, leaving Teach.

"I apologize to all of you for this interruption," Teach said in a much calmer manner, bowing slightly, "Please, bear it no further thought."

Without another word, Teach strode across the room, presumably following after One and Two.

As the chamber doors closed, Teria looked at her sister and Mikaen and asked the question on everyone's mind. "What in Nocturnes was that all about?"

5: Chapter 5 - Oops

Teach rounded on One the moment they were both back in the Library. "You have no idea how massively you just managed to screw up. I expect this sort of thing from Two or Wong, but you, One?"

"Hey!" One and Two objected simultaneously.

"Shut up! I don't want to hear a word, not from either of you!"

Two said, "Look, maybe if you actually told us what the hell-"

Teach reached up and tore Two's mouth from his face as though it were a sticker. The now blank skin above Two's jaw bulged several times before he finally gave up and extended his middle finger at Teach.

"I need a moment to think." Teach sat down, his favorite chair appearing moments before he would have fallen to the ground.

With a worried glance at his mouthless partner, One asked, "What did I do wrong? I mean, Mikaen was bound to have found out sooner or later that the Revs were on Vinta, right?"

"Yes, but later could have meant years, maybe even decades. He'd be married then, he and Tirinia would have children and a life in Homestead, things to keep Mikaen rooted here, but you've changed all of that now."

One looked blankly at Teach.

Sighing, Teach said, "Mikaen's a Knight, but he'd never abandon his responsibilities as a father and a husband, not to mention his duties to Homestead as Jeronem's advisor."

"Abandon? You mean that there's a way back to Earth in Ronisgald?"

Teach nodded. "And now, when he finds it, he'll probably go through."

Two managed to snatch his lips back from Teach. Smacking them back on his face, he asked, "So what's the big deal? The norm's a sentient. He can make a portal anytime he wants, right?"

"Creating portals isn't as simple as just waving your hand in the air. It takes years of practice and an enormous amount of energy." Teach let out another sigh. "Look, I'm not angry, One. In fact, I should have expected this. You were just trying to help out, and that is what you do best. Still, you should have checked in with me before trying anything in the mainstream. Now, we'll need a new strategy."

"I don't know, Teach; I find it hard to believe that Mikaen would just leave his fiancée." One said, shaking his head.

"He wouldn't; he'd take Tirinia with him." Seeing One's questioning look, Teach added, "Like I said, it's complicated."

"Fine. So why don't I just make sure he doesn't go back? I mean, we're talking about a portal or something, right? I'll go to Ronisgald and shut it down, just like that." One wiped his hands, adding, "No fuss, no muss."

"And what if the Galdens have some way of keeping the portal open, or re-opening it?"

One snorted. "Then I'll trash their lab. Y'know, make it look like an accident."

"And how do you propose to do that?"

"Well, I was thinking about sending Wong."

Two let out a snort of laughter. "Yeah, that'd do it."

Teach shook his head. "I'll need some time to think about the appropriate course of action. Until then, I need you to stay in the Elsewhere. Please, One; trust me that this is important."

With a sigh of his own, One said, "Fine. I promise I'll stay in the Elsewhere … but I'm not gonna just sit in the Library."

"Thank you. I'll let you know the moment I come up with a working plan."

As soon as the door to the Library closed behind them, Two said, "Look, I don't want to sound like I'm on that idiot's side, but I have to agree with him on this one. I've got a bad feeling about her … this."

"Her? Wait a sec; are you saying this is about Teria?" One fixed his partner with an angry glare. "What does Teria have to do with any of this? She's just a friend!"

"One, do you know how strong the tigreth mating instinct is?"

"Not really, no." One put his hands on his hips. "Do you?"

Two narrowed his eyes. "Nine out of ten tigreth bonds result in marriage. The other ten percent usually end up together anyway, and you can't tell me that freaky soul-joining crap doesn't have something to do with it."

"You've got nothing to worry about. I'm not bonded to her."

"That's not the point. She's got you marked, and if you keep hanging around her, she's gonna find a way to get you back. I tell ya, the sneaky ones are the absolute worst."

"That's just because in your experience, the sneaky girls catch you cheating." One sighed exasperatedly as he continued up the stairs. "Come on, Two, is that really the best you can come up with?"

Two hurried after One, continuing, "I've read her mental profile; she'll try to get you back if there's even a smidgen of a chance, and I don't want to see you lose Luck because of some bizarre psychic pheromone response."

"Let's talk about Luck for a second." said One as he opened the door to his floor, "After years of her flirting and provocative advances on her part, I finally feel like I can have a relationship with her, but the day I tell her, she runs off on me."

"So she was a little unnerved at your change of heart." As they neared the massive television on the back of One's floor, Two plopped down on the couch, "What did you expect? Like you said, she's been throwing out signs for years, and you're suddenly interested now? Hell, even I'd be suspicious."

"You'd have your pants around your ankles in a second."

"Well, yeah." Two admitted, "But in a cautious kinda way."

One leaned against the side of his chair, rubbing his forehead. His day had started out so peaceful; what had happened? What was up with Teach and Two? Where was Luck, and why had she acted the way she did when he admitted his feelings?

CRASH!

What was that noise that just came from the dreadnaught bay?

One rushed to the dreadnaught bay door, Two following right behind him. Throwing open the door, One's jaw dropped.

The Breath of Fire was in almost perfect repair; the damaged scales and plating had been replaced, the wings had been reattached, and the drones restocked. That shock was nothing in comparison to what One felt when he saw who was doing the repairs.

Luck glanced over at them, wearing a dirty pair of coveralls and a black halter-top. When she saw One, she accidentally dropped the energy reservoir she had been carrying.

"One! I-I didn't realize you were back!" She said, sliding Headache off her arms.

One replied somewhat hazily, "I had something I wanted to check out."

Luck followed his gaze, and blushed. Holding out her arms and spinning around, she asked, "You like? It's not my usual style, but I kinda like the feel of these clothes."

"You look adorable." He heard himself say, his cheeks beginning to feel hot.

"Thank you!" Glancing at Two, Luck asked, "And what mischief are you and your apprentice up to today?"

"I'm not up to anything." Two said, sounding annoyed. "As for that spastic little twerp, I haven't seen him for a few hours, thank god."

A smile slipping across her smudged face, Luck called out, "Wong! Your buddy is here!"

A cry of joy erupted from somewhere near the Breath of Fire's head. Moments later, Wong hopped on one of the dragon's horns. "Two! My chum! My buddy! My comrade!"

Two took a few steps back, looking more than a little alarmed.

Wong leapt from his perch and landed with barely a thump a few feet from One and Two. He was wearing the same outfit as Luck (including the halter-top, oddly enough) but his overalls were a rather revolting shade of bright orange.

"Oh, Two! It's you, you old sardine! Sorry I haven't been around for your sagacity, but I was a bit freaked after that burned up body and stuff, and then Luck needed help with the Breath of Fire and I've been wanting to get a good look at it 'cause robots are cool, and oh! Did you hear the good news? Teach told me I'm fully trained and can do pretty much what I want. Two? Guess what I'm gonna do!"

Two had developed a small facial tic. He looked like he wanted to run away, but was too concerned with his image to let One and Luck see him break.

Wong held out his arms, saying, "I'm gonna spend more time with you!"

The crack in Two's defenses was audible. His eyes went wide. "No! No, no, no!"

"Yes! I figure now that I'm ready, I can be your new partner, I can call myself Two-And-A-Half, we'll be so close … if Ichi-san doesn't mind, that is."

Two looked at One with pleading eyes. Unfortunately for him, One's sympathy was in low supply at the moment.

"That sounds like an excellent idea, Wong." One said, smiling widely.

Clapping his hands together excitedly, Wong turned to Two. "Then it's settled! Now for the companionable hug of friendship and joy!"

"No! No hugging!" Two barked, backing away.

Wong held out his arms, chanting, "Hug! Hug! Hug!"

"Get away from me!" Two screamed before turning tail and sprinting out the door. Wong followed close behind with his arms outstretched, still chanting "Hug! Hug!"

Luck and One looked at each other a moment before bursting into laughter.

"He's a sweet kid," said Luck, shaking her head, "Strange, but sweet."

One smiled at her. "I know, and I think Two knows it too. He'd never admit it, of course."

"Of course."

After a moment of uneasy silence, Luck said, "Well, I'd better get back to work."

"Luck, wait." One took her hand in both of his before she could turn away.

She blushed at his touch. "I'm sorry, One. I didn't mean to just run away. It's just-"

One nodded. "I know it was sudden, but my feelings haven't changed."

"Really?" She asked, looking up at him hopefully.

Pulling her close, One said, "Really."

As One moved his face closer to hers, she shied away, "I'm covered in grease."

He gently ran a finger across a grease smear on her cheek and smudged it on the tip of his nose. "There. Better?"

Luck giggled, unable to contain her smile as she wrapped her arms around him. "Better."

Their lips met. As with any even long anticipated, there were small measures of nervousness and awkwardness at first, followed by a large measure of eagerness from both parties.

"One! Where is that … oh!"

One and Luck broke away reluctantly to see a dripping wet Fate, wearing only a towel. She was looking at them with no small measure of surprise.

Luck and One quickly let go of each other, both blushing slightly. Clearing his throat, One said in as nonchalant a voice as he could manage, "Hey there, Fate! How's it going?"

Blushing slightly herself, Fate tugged her towel a little more tightly around her chest. "I didn't know you two were … I mean, I didn't mean-"

Luck slid her hand into One's. "It's okay, sis. What's wrong?"

Recomposing herself quickly, Fate held out a butchered rubber duck, in the center of which was a small camera. "I found this in my shower. I didn't think anything of it until it occurred to me that I don't own a rubber duck."

"Two." One said in realization.

Fate nodded, a look of anger seeping into her eyes. "I traced the camera feed to the computer somewhere on his floor."

One put a hand to his head, muttering, "Oh, lord."

Reducing the duck, camera and all, to a handful of ash, Fate said pointedly, "If either of you see that pervert, you tell him that he's next." She flashed her sister a quick smile before disappearing.

One shook his head and muttered, "Wouldn't want to be Two anytime soon."

Luck squeezed his hand, asking sweetly, "You want to double check my work?"

Glad for the distraction, One smiled and nodded. As Luck led him closer to the Breath of Fire, he commented, "I didn't realize you knew how to use Headache."

"Well, it's just a modified UBT, right?" Luck tossed him the right-hand unit, donning the left hand unit herself.

"Right, but if memory serves, there was a security feature I added that should have broken the arms of anyone who isn't me. I'm glad it didn't go off, but still."

"Ah," Luck said, flexing the metallic fingers of the Headache Unit as it clamped around her shoulder, "But genetic security is only a problem to a norm who can't alter her DNA."

One slid the other unit over his arm, nodding. "Good point. Still, you seem to know how to use it pretty well."

She shrugged, but didn't reply. Her work was exemplary, however. She did as good a job on the repairs as One would have had he done them himself, if not better.

"You sure you weren't in the Rangers?" One asked as he examined the completely restored cockpit.

"I take it you find the quality of my work satisfactory." She clasped her hands behind her back and batting her eyes demurely. The effect wasn't quite the same with her in overalls, but One thought she looked sweet nonetheless.

"More than satisfactory." He kissed her on the cheek. Her grease-spotted cheeks turned red.

One sat down in the pilot chair. It wasn't as comfortable as the Final Fantasy's pilot chair. "Not sure what I'm gonna do with her yet." he muttered, trying to get comfortable.

"Well, at least it's not in some power-hungry norm's hands. Oops!" Luck started toying with a display panel that was flickering. "Musta messed up something in the circuitry."

After working on it for a few moments, she asked off-handedly, "By the way, what was Teach yelling about?"

"You heard that?"

"You kidding? I wouldn't be surprised if Atraius heard that. I couldn't make out more than your name, but he didn't sound happy."

One let out a sigh. "Remember that assignment I had?"

"Hmm. Something about some sentient named Mikean or something, right?"

Grinning, One said, "Mikaen. Well, something about it's been bugging me since I was last there, so I dropped in to see him. He was in that Council thing they have on Vinta; they were arguing about the whole incident with the Breath of Fire and the Revs."

"The Council always was a bunch of bull-crap bureaucracy. What were they talking about … ouch!"

Luck snatched her hand back, a faint wisp of smoke rising from the panel.

One hopped out of the chair, concerned. "You okay?'

She nodded, sucking her burnt fingertip.

"Must be a bad capacitor. I'll check it." He knelt beside the console so he could get a better look at the innards.

"What did you do?" Luck asked, the burn on her finger healing in a matter of moments.

"I walked into the Council, told them the Revs were involved, and got them to send a small team to Ronisgald. Of course, Mikaen's gonna sneak out with Tirinia and probably Jeronem and Teria."

"Wow, that's kinda cliché, isn't it? I mean, it's normal for Mikaen and all to do knight stuff, but aren't Teria and Tirinia technically princesses or something? Do you think they can handle it?"

One shrugged. "They're more than capable. Besides, Teria's going with them, and she'll definitely keep an eye on the rest, especially Tirinia and Mikaen. There's nothing to worry about."

"So why did Teach get so mad?"

"He thinks that knowing that the Revs are behind whatever's going on will make him want to go back to Earth and investigate." One closed the panel. Everything inside looked fine, but the light was still flickering. With a grunt, he banged his unprotected fist on the panel. After a few hits, it stopped flickering.

"Was he right?" Luck asked as she and One left the cockpit.

The cockpit slid shut with a mechanical whir behind them. One hopped down to the floor beneath the Breath of Fire's head, and caught Luck as she jumped after him.

Setting her down, but leaving his arm around her shoulders, One said, "I don't know. Honestly, I don't think so. There's a chance I guess, but there's always a chance."

Luck hugged One as they walked to the doors of the workshop. "S'okay. Teach is just more strategically minded. That's a good thing though; sometimes crashing through a problem isn't the best way to do things."

They turned back to look at the Breath of Fire. From their distance, it looked like a slumbering dragon.

"Luck," One said uncertainly after a moment, "Do you want the Breath of Fire?"

Luck looked at him with surprise in her eyes. "You'd just give me a Dreadnaught?"

One nodded. Luck considered it a moment, then shook her head. "It's not exactly the most romantic thing I've ever been offered, but it's cool. Still …" She looked at the Breath of Fire, frowning. "It just isn't my style. I'm not really into dragons. I had a bad experience back when I wasn't a Dreamer."

"Oh." One wasn't sure what to say.

Luck hugged his arm to her chest. "Of course, if you'd make a brand new one, just for me …"

One perked up instantly. "What kind would you like? Flying? Racing?"

Luck shrugged. "Make one you think I'd like. I'm sure it'll be fine … just, one thing though."

She stepped in front of One and made him look at her. "Don't paint it pink."

They laughed together for a moment, and then fell into silence as they each stared into the other's eyes.

"Glen, are you sure you want this?" Luck asked, looking slightly worried.

Rubbing her smeared cheek, One smiled at her. "I'm sure."

"Really sure?" She asked insistently.

"Really sure."

They kissed again, still shyly, but longer than the first time.

The bay door slammed open. "One, we need to go before-"

One and Luck turned to see Two holding the door to the main section of One's floor closed. His hair was askew, and his shirt was partially hanging out of his baggy pants.

"Oh …" he began awkwardly, "Sorry. Is this a bad time?"

"You have to go now?" Luck asked, giving One her best puppy dog eyes.

One started to shake his head, but Two had already grabbed his free hand and started dragging him toward the exit. "Yes he does. We have to go see, er … Alan Tryth! Right, we need to go see Alan right now."

One dug his feet into the ground, stopping Two in his tracks. "Why are you so eager to leave?"

As if to answer his question, the door suddenly shook on its hinges.

Wong's high pitched, singsong voice rang out from the other side. "Ni-san! Isn't it time for an exciting adventure where we grow closer as friends as we solve a problem with the power of teamwork and friendship and love?"

Panic spread through Two like the plague. He vanished with a shriek, and not a moment too soon. The door flew open, revealing Wong in full (but mismatched) armor and a gigantic katana strapped to his back.

Flipping up his visor, he called out, "Twwwwoooo! Where are yooooouuuu?"

"Sorry Wong." One said, snapping his fingers. "You just missed him."

Luck added, "He said he was going to see Alan about something. If you hurry, you might catch him."

"Alan Tryth? Oh, I like him! He listens to everything I say, even when I don't know what I'm saying myself!" Wong clapped his metal clad hands together, and bolted for the nearest door, shouting, "To the Office!"

One took off his Headache unit. "I'd better go warn Alan about those two."

Halfway to the door, One suddenly stopped and turned around. "You wanna meet me for lunch? There's a cute little Wenapaj restaurant in the Muonsol Shopping District."

A smile stole across Luck's face. "I'll meet you there at noon, Elsewhere time."

They sealed the date with a kiss.

6: Chapter 6 - Slamm

After lunch, Tirinia, Mikaen, and Jeronem headed toward the arena in the west wing of the palace. As they neared the entrance, Tirinia asked, "So you and the Cygros started this game on Earth?"

"Kind of," replied Mikaen, raising his voice to be heard over the crowd, "It was more of a training exercise."

"I've never seen a Slamm game before." Jeronem yawned again; he had been sound asleep through most of the Council. "Not live, anyway."

"I have." Tirinia said, her voice charged with excitement, "My mother played on the Akxeliv Alliance when Teria and I were little. She always thought I'd make a good blader, but dad thought I'd be great as guardian."

"I bet so." said Mikaen, eyeing her well-developed calf and arm muscles.

She blushed, no doubt sensing the direction his thoughts lay. There was something else, though; something that had been bothering her since he picked her up to go to the game. He didn't know if it was an effect of the bond between them or just his intuition, but he was pretty sure whatever it was concerned her sister and One.

Tirinia pursed her lips. "It's fine. I'm fine. Teria just needed to rest, that's all."

"I didn't say-"

Tirinia gave him a peck on the cheek. "You didn't have to. Don't worry, love; she'll get it worked out."

As they neared one of the ticket stall, the idestan vendor smiled at them. "Greetings, honored Council representatives. How can I help you?"

"How much for three tickets?" Mikaen asked, digging in his pocket for some shards.

The ticket-tender shook her head. "No charge. You'll be sitting in the Royal Box." She spun on her chair and pointed to the doors of a nearby lift, saying, "Go to the fifth floor, go right, and take the fifth door on the left. It's the one with the guards, so it'll be hard to miss."

"Thank you." Mikaen said politely.

Once they were in the elevator, Jeronem nudged Mikaen in the waist. "She was checkin' you out, Mikey."

Mikaen bristled. "Don't call me that."

"Why not? You were just thinking about it."

"He was just thinking about Maria." Tirinia told Jeronem. "That's what she used to call him. Besides, Mikaen's engaged." she grabbed Mikaen's arm and hugged it tightly to her chest.

Jeronem gave her an apologetic look. "Sorry about that, Tirinia, but didn't his old boss call him 'Mikey' too?"

"Syrin only called him that when they were in private, and only because they were close friends."

Jeronem crossed his arms, an offended look on his face. "So I'm not a friend now?"

"Of course you are, Jeronem. I'm just saying that-"

Mikaen let out a sigh. "I remember when I used to be involved in my own conversations."

Tirinia blushed. "Oh! I'm sorry, sweetie."

"Hey." He told her, rubbing her cheek. "You can call me Mikey if you really want … just not around the kid."

"Hey!" Jeronem's furry ears bristled as they kissed.

As they walked out of the lift into a lavishly decorated corridor, Mikaen asked, "So, how exactly is slamm played anyway?"

Tirinia gave him an odd look. "Don't you know? I thought you and Jyle invented the sport."

"We invented the training exercise, not the game," he reminded her, "Back home, we had a game called football that originated from soldiers kicking around a severed head on the battlefield."

Jeronem's eyes went wide. "Awesome!"

Tirinia, on the other hand, looked a little disturbed.

"Centuries ago." he assured her, "We didn't come up with that one."

"Oh." Looking a little relieved, she said, "Anyway, there are two teams, each team with at least ten members: typically three tekkers, four bladers, a guardian, and two watchers. The object of the game is to get one of the kyon into the opponents headquarters. Points are given depending who gets the kyon into the opposing team's HQ: bladers get three points, watchers seven, tekkers four, and guardians twenty."

"Twenty?" Mikaen let out a whistle. "I guess it would be pretty hard for the goalie to score."

Tirinia nodded. "Bigger arenas naturally call for bigger teams, usually more tekkers and bladers, though more guardians are called in for arenas with multiple scoring areas. More kyons too; it can get pretty hectic."

Mikaen nodded. "Except for the point system, that's pretty much the same way we played it."

The royal box was a large covered balcony. As it was meant for royalty and VIPs, it was well furnished: lush, comfortable chairs, a full bar loaded with drinks of all hues, and large viewing panels set into the walls that currently were displaying 'The Muonsol Marauders' and 'The Balis Brigade'. There was also a large console with several headsets, presumably for the announcers. Given the extravagance of the seats in front of the console, Mikaen guessed that Jyle would be barking the match.

Letting Tirinia and Jeronem enter first, Mikaen said, "Still, I bet the arenas aren't the same as simplistic as-"

As he stepped closer to the edge of the balcony, his jaw dropped. He grabbed the balcony with both hands, not believing what he was seeing. Beneath them stood the town of Bridges; every dilapidated building, every ruined street sign, every detail of the city where Mikaen had first awoken after the Devastation had been perfectly reconstructed, right down to the unevenly placed streetlights.

He jumped as Tirinia touched his hand.

"Are you okay?" She asked, sounding worried.

"Tirinia," he said, putting his arm around her shoulder and pointing at the city with his other hand, "This is a recreation of Bridges. I woke up here after the Devastation."

Now it was Tirinia and Jeronem who were staring eagerly at the city. In the center of the 'town' was the enormous Rip where he had awoken, his clothes in tatters and his past a mystery. Not too far away was the retail outlet that had been his home for almost a year.. Even the small gazebo where Mikaen had proposed to Maria had been replicated perfectly.

A surge of homesickness washed over Mikaen. He wanted to go back; he wanted to be at the real Bridges, or back in Misakren, or even at that old supply station where he had caught Echu sleepwalking. For the first time in months, his desire to return was just as strong as his desire to stay.

He looked at Tirinia, who was still looking with interest at the arena. The chronoan seed pendant he had given her shone ever so slightly. His hand went to a lump beneath his shirt, where the pendant she had given him rested: an intricate bit of metalwork designed to look like feathers surrounding an orb of azure and jade that looked a little like a miniature Earth. It was all well and good to say he'd come back, but even the best plans sometimes went awry. What if it was years before he returned? Could he really put Tirinia through that?

He heard the door slide open behind him. "Ah, fine day, isn't it?"

Mikaen turned to see Jyle and King Iniagus. It was hard not to stare; for reasons best known to the Wenapaj King, Iniagus was now wearing a toga that appeared to have been tie-dyed, and his hair was sticking out wildly in all directions from beneath and above his crown. The more Mikaen looked at it, however, the more he realized that the hair had been set that way purposefully. It was Iniagus's magnificent red mustache that caught Mikaen's eyes the most, however.

"It is indeed a fine day, my friendly friend." said Iniagus, the tips of his mustache wiggling as he spoke, "Tell me, is it always this nice here in Ircandesta?"

"Usually," replied Jyle.

"Splendid. I'd like to arrange a trade for some of these nice days. Wenapaj is absolutely frightful this time of year. All that rain and muck … so unpleasant. I sent a letter to the Creator, you know, telling him how inconvenient the rain is, but the chap hasn't bothered to reply. I mean, really! After all the trouble I took chiseling the letter on a sixteen-foot slab of marble then blasting it into outer space." Iniagus giggled in a most un-regal manner before adding, "Spectaculous! Simply spectaculous."

"Say, Mikaen, what's that building right there?" Jeronem asked, not noting the arrival of Jyle and Iniagus.

Mikaen glanced where Jeronem was pointing. "Hmm? Oh, that's the old school. I went there a few times while I lived in Bridges. Good place to hide from looters and wild animals."

"Ah, yes," said Jyle, glancing over at them, "Today's match will be in the Bridges arena. I thought you'd appreciate that, Mikaen."

Jeronem's grin quickly turned to a look of horror when he noticed Jyle's companion. "Ah! King Iniagus!"

Iniagus spun about, pointing at Jeronem. "Ah! Jeronem!"

With a yelp, Jeronem ran for the door. "Not the ears! Not the ears!"

Iniagus chased after Jeronem, shouting delightedly, "Of course, of course! Today is a perfectly perfect day for a rousing game of tag!"

Once they had both disappeared back inside the palace, Jyle started laughing.

Shaking his head, Mikaen asked, "Is he always that strange?"

"Iniagus? Yeah, never a dull moment around him. Don't worry; his wife, at least, takes her position seriously." Jyle looked out over the field, a satisfied smile on his face. "Nice job on the recreation, isn't? Took me months to get it right."

Glancing at Mikaen, he added, "It's only a holographic simulation, or course. We used this same space as a ballroom when Julia and I were married. Today's match is at the school, but it can technically be held anywhere in town. We even had a city-wide match once … twenty players for each team."

"Really?" Mikaen looked back over the recreated city. "Wish I could have seen that."

As the players began to walk onto the field, the crowd roared loud enough to make the glass rattle in the windows of the royal box.

Mikaen watched the players with interest; in addition to what he recognized as tek-boots, the players were wearing sleek, brightly colored protective gear, a far-cry from Mikaen's crude plate armor.

Jyle gave him a sly grin. "Ah, you like the armor, eh? I designed the basic slamm suit myself; the plating is lighter and harder than steel, and contains portable shield emitters to boot."

Even as he spoke, glowing fields sprang to life around each player.

In addition to their unique armor, each player wore a pair of gauntlets. Some were bulky and reminded Mikaen of One's Headache while others were little more than elbow-length gloves.

"Tek gloves." Jyle said in answer to Mikaen's unasked question, "I made those too. See, when I started trying to spread the word about this game, I came under attack from about a dozen different agencies." He let out a snort. "Some nonsense about safety concerns."

"Yeah, well it was a training exercise for knights." Mikaen reminded his friend, "We both got our lumps back home."

Jyle rubbed the back of his neck. "Yeah, I remember. Anyway, I put some thought into it and came out with the Impact series slamm gear."

He pointed to a red player taking position on the top floor of a three-story apartment. "See that tekker? His gauntlets are little more than arm-mounted cannons … surprisingly accurate, too. The skinny kid next to him is one of the Jenkins twins; he's a watcher. Each of his gauntlets can produce a low frequency energy blade. It's not very powerful, but it is strong enough to knock the kyon out of another player without seriously harming them."

At that moment, Jenkin's gloves both produced a blade of energy about two feet long. He took a few warm-up swings before deactivating them and scratching his nose with the back of his glove.

"Bladers have one of those, and one 'force glove' which lets them absorb and pass the kyon."

"What do you use for a kyon?" Mikaen asked curiously.

The crowd fell silent as two similarly armored men, one wearing black and the other white, walked out onto the field, each carrying a glowing orb in a see-through canister.

"Super-charged stream plasma. It's harmless to hold, but it saps energy from any technology that uses stream energy." Jyle brushed off his shoulder, saying nonchalantly, "A particularly ingenious idea of mine."

"I don't understand."

"The energy fields of the armor operate off lifestream energy. When you're holding the kyon, your armor's shielding doesn't work and your tek-boots only have partial functionality. The armor's padded and all, but you're still vulnerable, especially if someone pegs you with the other kyon."

A large, semi-translucent rectangle appeared in midair over the replica town. The screen flared to life showing feeds from numerous cameras that were apparently zooming around the arena.

"If you'll excuse me," said Jyle, rubbing his hands together, "It's time to start the game."

He sat down in front of the console and grabbed a headset from the front of the panel. After clearing his throat, he called out, "Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome to the first match of the Slamm Championship Tourney!"

The crowd roared in reply. It was loud inside the royal box; it must have been deafening outside.

"After a grueling season, it's all down to two teams: the Balis Brigade!" Blue flags and emblems waved from all over the stadium. "and the Muonsol Marauders!" Considerably more red flags waved in response.

"Knights!" Jyle called out, "Present the kyons!"

The men in the black and white armor each activated their canisters. Immediately, the balls of energy ballooned to three times their original size and shot toward a glowing circle in a walkway located roughly in the middle of the school grounds.

The crowd fell silent as two bladers from each team approached the circle. The Black Knight and the White Knight took up posts on either side of the glowing field. Slowly, they raised their arms to the sky.

All players around the field seemed to prepare themselves. The tension was so thick that Mikaen nearly jumped from his chair when Tirinia slipped her hand in his.

Two bursts of light shot from the hands of the referees. Instantly, all four bladers shot toward the kyons, energy blades swinging as they tried to knock the other players away.

One of the Marauder bladers got the left kyon first. A Brigade blader took a swing at him, but the Marauder was already airborne, kicking off a nearby bench and landing on the roof of the school, his tek-boots leaving glowing trails in his wake.

The other Brigade blader managed to get to the other kyon before his opponent. He batted a Marauder aside and quickly shot toward the Rip in the center of the town.

Jyle was already in full announcing mode. "Merko and Sylva in possession, Sylva passes to Yenk, Merko … ooh, that's gotta hurt! Well, he'll walk it off. Yenk and Travers in possession, Yenk to Tryan, Tryan to Sylva … nice rebound off the road sign … Genel intercepts to Senestra, Travers hits it to Haley, Haley to … no, Leeroy intercepts from Haley, sends it to Leeroy, Leeroy's powering up, powering up, it's off, and …"

Mikaen had a hard time following Jyle; keeping an eye of both kyons was hard, even with multiple video feeds.

The Brigade's guardian made a dive at the kyon, but the energy ball whizzed by him and into the concession stand at the far end of the football field.

The crowd went wild as Jyle shouted, "SCORE! A great shot by Leeroy Jenkins! Score is zero to one, Marauders in the lead."

The bladers were a rowdy bunch, always knocking opposing players off buildings, smashing them into cars, and occasionally just flat-out decking them. If the energy blades had been weapon-grade, both teams would have been sliced to ribbons within minutes.

The watchers darted into the fray very selectively, a good idea considering their light armor. They couldn't hold kyons, but they could sure give them a good whack, usually to a waiting tekker who would blast it toward the goal.

The two kyons seemed to have a lot of force behind them. Mikaen saw a Brigade tekker shoot a kyon at the Marauder blader Jyle identified as Shelle. The shot blasted her into one of the cars hard enough to make the car skid back a few feet.

"Don't worry, Mikaen." Jyle whispered, shielding the microphone on his headset, "The armor's designed to handle just that kind of impact."

Sure enough, she got up a moment later, looking a little dazed but unharmed.

It may have been rough, but the players all seemed to be having a good time. The two watchers for the Marauders, Leeroy and Trevor, were particularly rambunctious, often bouncing off walls and seemingly coming out of nowhere to intercept kyons. They weren't shy about taunting the much larger players of the Balis Brigade either. Fortunately, they were fast enough to avoid injury. Energy shields or no, a gauntlet to the face had to hurt.

After watching the game for a few minutes, it was obvious that the Marauders were more familiar with the arena. They even knew about a few of the shortcuts Mikaen himself had used back in the day, small surprise seeing as they were the Ircandestan team.

Covering his microphone again, Jyle asked, "Good, huh? See that shot Jek just blocked?"

Mikaen glanced at the Marauder's guardian. He was standing in front of a partially collapsed house at the edge of the Rip, guarding the double garage door. His headgear covered his eyes, but Mikaen still recognized Jyle's son, Jek. After all, the young man was the spitting image of his father, albeit with his mother's dark skin.

"Your son's the Marauder guardian?"

Jyle thumped himself in the chest. "Yup. I naturally wanted him to be a tekker, but I can deal with him being one of the best guardians in the league. He coordinates the entire team. Oh, there he goes again!"

Jek dove at an incoming kyon, catching the energy ball between his gauntleted hands. Without hesitation, he shot the kyon at the Brigade blader with enough force to knock him across the street, where one of the Marauders was waiting to gain possession.

"Whoa!" Mikaen exclaimed, "We never did that."

He glanced at Tirinia only to see her smiling at him. "You're really into this, aren't you?"

"You kidding? After the Council?" He looked back over the city, continuing, "Peace is nice, don't get me wrong, but I do miss the action."

The crowd roared again as the Marauder blader Sylvia tossed her kyon in the air and smacked it with her saber into the Brigand HQ. As the kyon shot past the Brigade guardian, two of the Brigand players came out of nowhere and hit her in the same leg simultaneously. She fell to the ground instantly, her leg obviously broken.

"Foul! Foul!" shouted Tirinia, pointing angrily at the screen displaying the injured player.

Apparently she was correct; the knight-referees ran out onto the field moments later, whistles blowing. As the white knight helped Sylvia walk off the field, the black knight and the brigand blader started shouting at each other.

"And that's a penalty for the Brigands, deliberate assault. Five minutes penalty for Merko." said Jyle, a hint of anger in his voice. "Yenk takes the kyon, nice speed up to the HQ … and he puts it away easily!"

Jek shot a flare from one of his gauntlets. Nodding, Jyle tapped his earpiece and said, "Time out for the Marauders!"

As the knights brought the kyons back to the center of the field, Mikaen asked, "What's wrong?"

"The Marauders have a problem. Could you and Tirinia come with me for a moment?"

The three of them left the royal box and headed for the lift.

Tirinia was still bristling over the foul. "I can't believe they deliberately attacked her like that!"

"Yeah, well, that's the Brigade for you. They set the record for most penalties last season."

"In a game, or for the season?" Mikaen asked.

"Both."

The lift doors opened at the bottom floor. Jyle, Mikaen, and Tirinia walked down the hall to a large golden archway that opened out into the arena. Jek was waiting for them, his helmet in his hands. He looked worried.

"Dad," He said as they drew near, "we don't have a substitute blader."

"What? What about Sahara and that Bennon kid?"

"Out for injuries."

Jyle snorted. "Injuries my foot; they're just fooling around somewhere. Isn't there anyone else?"

"Nope. We're gonna have to forfeit the match." Jek's eyes darted toward Mikaen. "Unless …"

"Unless what?" Mikaen asked cautiously.

"Well, you are a blader."

Jyle snapped his fingers, "That's a thought."

Mikaen was struck speechless for a moment. "Wha … you can't be serious, Jyle! Slamm may be based off our old training exercises, but it's a completely different game! I don't know any of the rules or penalties … besides, I've got wings now! How the heck am I supposed to cover that?"

"I'm sure we can find a set of armor that'll work … and don't worry about penalties. Don't deliberately try to cause an injury, and avoid using magic, and you'll be fine."

"I'm not from Muonsol!" Mikaen protested, "I mean, is this even legal?"

"Teams can draft on the spot if needed. I put the rule in myself."

Snorting, Mikaen said, "You put it in so you could play tekker every once in awhile."

Jyle put his hands on Mikaen's shoulders, the same pleading look he used to give Mikaen just before getting both of them into trouble on his face. "We just need another player out there, or the Marauders will be disqualified. You and Tirinia are the best possible replacements on such a short notice, and Tirinia's out of the question."

"What? Why?"

Jyle looked at Tirinia expectantly. Blushing beneath her pale fur, she said, "Because I'm first guardian for the Axeliv Alliance and the winner of this game goes against us next week."

"Oh." Mikaen said, feeling sheepish. Tirinia had mentioned she was a member of Longshore's slamm team several times.

Jek glanced from Mikaen to Jyle expectantly.

"Come on, Mikaen." Tirinia coaxed Mikaen, rubbing his arm. "I'd like to see how you play."

The eagerness in her eyes cinched it. With a sigh, Mikaen said, "Okay, I'll play."

Clapping his old buddy on the arms, Jyle said, "Jek, show him to the locker room and get him into gear. Nine minutes!"

As Jyle ran off (probably wanting to get away before Mikaen could try and object again), Jek gave Mikaen an apologetic smile. "Sorry about this, but we really do need your help."

"Yeah, yeah. Just show me to the locker room."

7: Chapter 7 - Rookie of the Year

When they arrived at the locker room, there was a fresh set of blader gear sitting next to an empty locker. The breastplate had large holes in the back for his wings.

"Wow, a suit of blader gear made for sentients," Mikaen said, picking up the breastplate, "and what do you know? It just happens to be my size. How convenient."

There was a sudden flush in Jek's cheeks, telling Mikaen everything he needed to know.

Mikaen wasn't really surprised; he had suspected that Jyle was probably going to spring this on him at half-time; probably trump up some injury or another to make it look like an emergency and play on Mikaen's desire to help people. The impending Ronisgald mission aside, Jyle had been eager to help Mikaen find something non-combative to do with his life.

"So," said Jek as Tirinia helped Mikaen strap on his armor, "I hear you're leading a group of shadows to Ronisgald."

Tirinia flashed Mikaen awarning glance. Mikaen gave her a subtle nod; no one had said anything to him about needing to keep Council information secret, but it still seemed somewhat questionable.

"Don't worry," said Jek with a laugh, "I already know about your plan. I hacked into the intercom before the Council started."

Mikaen stared at him for a long moment before asking, "Did you tell your father?"

"Nope. For one, I'd have to admit I was listening in on the Council." Chuckling, he added, "Second, I'd have to admit I stole his cyberdeck to do it."

A smile crept across Mikaen's face. "You're definitely your father's son."

"Yeah well, I was thinking-"

"Okay, slamm fans! Grab your snacks and get back to your seats; the match will continue in two minutes!" Jyle's magnified voice reverberated through the locker room.

Nodding, Jek looked at Mikaen. "Ready?"

"Almost." Tirinia held the blader gauntlets out to Mikaen. As he slid his arms into the gauntlets, she slipped between his arms and gave him a kiss. "Be careful … but have fun too, okay?"

"I'll do my best, Tyr."

With a final smile, Tirinia slipped out of his arms and left the locker room.

As Mikaen stretched a little to make sure he had a good range of movement, Jek suddenly blurted, "I want to come with you to Ronisgald. You said you needed a tekker, right? I'm every bit as good as my father, probably better."

Before Mikaen could object, Jek added, "You don't have to answer right now; just think about it during the match, okay?"

Mikaen grinned despite himself. "Okay, but you should know that I don't impress easily."

"Right." Jek nodded. "We'd better get out to the field."

They were almost out to the field when Jek suddenly stopped Mikaen. "Oh, I forgot to tell you: no magic."

"I beg your pardon?"

"Pretty much anything's fair game, short of deliberately causing injury, but you can't use any kind of magic. Only matches in the Center League sanction lifestream manipulation."

"Yeah, Jyle said something about that. No magic; got it."

As the doors opened onto the field, everything went silent. No cheering crowds, no Jyle announcing, not a peep other than the sound of the occasional bird. Mikaen looked around, but couldn't see a trace of the arena aside from the door.

The other members of the Muonsol Marauders were waiting for them near an abandoned gas station.

"That's Leeroy and Travers Jenkins," said Jek as they approached, "Don't bother trying to figure out which is which, they both look and act the same. Those guys leaning on the gas pump are our bladers, Yenk and Tryan. Jacob and Lenne are our tekkers, and the pretty redhead sitting on the trash can across from them is Shelle. She's a blader too, one of the best in the league."

"You found another blader!" said Leeroy or Travers (Jek was right; they both looked the same), "Whoa! He's got wings too! Most excellent!"

"Is he any good?" asked Shelle.

"Everyone, this is Mikaen." Jek said, "He's an old friend of my father."

"Mikaen? The sentient dude who took on the Galden Security Force and that dragon mech?" Yenk shook his butter-blonde head. "By the Creator, Jek! You weren't kidding about getting backup, were you?"

"Combat's one thing," Lenne said, scratching her chin, "Is he a good blader is what I want to know."

"One of the best." Jek assured her

"Then why ain't he on a team?" asked Shelle, putting her gauntleted hands on her hips.

A little miffed, Mikaen started to reply but was cut off by Jek. "Not the time, guys. We got about a minute left. Helmets on!"

As everyone put on their headgear, Jek continued, "We're doin' great so far, but be careful; we can't afford another player loss."

"Still not sure if we could afford this one." Shelle muttered just loud enough for Mikaen to hear.

"Shelle, Yenk, you're on point. Tryan and Mikaen, stay on guard. Everyone else, just keep up the good work, okay?"

As they broke, Yenk and Tryan flanked Mikaen on both sides.

"Been playing long?" Yenk asked casually as they skimmed across the ground.

"All my life." replied Mikaen, grinning. "Though our equipment wasn't quite as good as this."

They took up their positions: Yenk and Shelle standing close to where the kyons were hovering while Tryan and Mikaen stood a good distance behind them.

As they waited, Mikaen glanced around the area. It had been a little while since his last visit, but he still remembered Bridges like the back of his hand: they were standing in a court in the center of the school, half way between the teams' respective headquarters.

The kyons began to glow brightly. Jyle's voice came through a speaker in Mikaen's helmet, saying, "Everyone ready? 3 … 2 … 1 … GO!"

The kyons flew into the air. Every blader rushed forward, save Mikaen. In his experience, it was better to tag one of the people who grabbed a kyon and wait for an opportunity to steal it.

Seeing a heavily-built Brigade blader grab the kyon on the right, Mikaen quickly rushed after him. After a few seconds of sprinting, the overdrive function of the tek-boots kicked in, allowing him to skim across the ground.

The heavy-set blader rushed toward the old band hall, stopping once to bat aside Yenk. Mikaen stayed behind him, his eyes glued to the kyon. As they neared the building, Mikaen quickly shot ahead of the brigade blader and swung around on a pole that had once held a canopy over the walkway. With a bat of his energy blade, he knocked the Brigade blader off balance and snagged the kyon.

It was a strange sensation; Mikaen couldn't tell he was holding anything, but at the same time, he could feel the strangest tingling sensation spreading throughout his whole body.

Shelle came from nowhere and deflected an energy burst that would have hit Mikaen had she not been there.

Spinning about, she shouted, "What're you standing around for? Head for their HQ before one of their damn tekkers pings you!"

"Right." Shaking his head, Mikaen moved toward the football field.

By the time he reached the edge of the football field, the large blader was hot on his trail. Mikaen wasn't surprised; in fact, he was counting on the blader's pursuit.

As they started down the track that encircled the football field, Mikaen curled into a ball and rolled through a hole in the chain link fence. The metal edges scraped against his armor, but he managed to pass through without injury.

The big blader was so close behind him that he had no choice but to try and duck through the hole as well. Perhaps realizing that he'd never fit through the hold, he tried to jump over the fence a moment too late. One of his boots caught on the railing, sending the massive blader smashing into the ground.

Grinning, Mikaen continued along the bleachers toward the Brigade's HQ. Stopping the blader was one thing, but he knew he it would be foolish to think that was all that stood between him and the Brigade guardian.

As he suspected, a watcher emerged from the stands the moment Mikaen leapt back on the track. Unencumbered by a kyon, the watcher moved toward him at an alarming speed.

Mikaen may have been inexperienced in the game of slamm that Jyle had invented, but he knew plenty about the old training exercise; when an opponent is faster than you, the key was to outmaneuver him.

Mikaen headed straight for the nearest rail, the watcher following closely behind. As the watcher raised a bladed hand to take him out, Mikaen tossed the kyon high in the air and skidded to a halt

The watcher's swing bounced off Mikaen's instantly recharged energy shield. With a backhand of his energy blade, Mikaen sent the watcher hurtling toward the rail. Unable to stop, the watcher crashed into the railing.

Kicking off the rail just inches from the watcher's head, Mikaen leapt at the falling kyon. Once it was within range, he gave it a whack toward the concession stand.

The Brigade's guardian didn't move quite fast enough. As the kyon soared past him into the goal area, a loud siren shot through the air.

Mikaen felt a surge of satisfaction at his score. He knew wouldn't get away with that tactic again, but he had more tricks up his sleeve.

His knowledge of the city proved most useful as he popped in and out of hidden tunnels in the school and the surrounding grounds. Sometimes he was followed, but many of the tunnels were apparently unknown, small surprise seeing as no one on Vinta or Earth had spent as much time in Bridges as Mikaen and Jyle.

Jek proved to be an excellent team leader; when he wasn't calling out orders, he was giving away the positions of the Brigade from the roof of the Marauders' HQ. His aim was exceptional; he once pegged a Brigade blader between the shoulder blades from across the school grounds.

It was a hectic match, but the Brigade was pulling just a bit ahead. The score indicator in Mikaen's helmet read that the Brigade was in the lead by eleven points.

A little after the third quarter, Mikaen was on top of the old gym when he spotted a Brigade blader circling around the stadium, one of the Jenkins boys closing in fast from behind.

Rushing over to where the two would pass, Mikaen boosted up into the rafters beneath the bleachers and waited for the pair.

Whichever Jenkins it was managed to clip the blader's leg, tripping him and sending the kyon shooting into the air.

Mikaen quickly grabbed it and slipped away before the Brigade blader could rise.

As he rushed toward the enemy HQ, feeling confident that he had a clear shot, a blue burst of energy missed him by a hair. He quickly hid behind an old ticket stand, glancing around to see where the shot had originated.

Something hit him in the back, knocking him forward. The Brigade watcher who had been hiding behind the stands skated past Mikaen, bouncing the kyon in the air between his sabers.

Quickly picking himself up, Mikaen hurried to reclaim the kyon. The watcher was technically faster, but couldn't move at top speed as she didn't have a reserve gauntlet to hold the kyon; she could only bounce it between her blades. Mikaen stayed on her as she rushed down the football field on a path straight to the band hall.

Mikaen was just barely able to reach out with his saber and smack the kyon back at himself while it was in midair. Catching it in his gauntlet as it fell, Mikaen made a run for the the Brigade HQ.

Hearing the slightly higher-pitched hum of the watcher's tek-boots uncomfortably close, Mikaen decided to risk a shot. He blasted the kyon at the concession stand, though he could tell by the rate of deceleration that it would be easy to block. Sure enough, the Brigade guardian caught it easily and shot it back.

Mikaen made a dive, as did the Brigade watcher, but Jenkins who got there first. He swatted the kyon toward his twin, who had just emerged from the stands and heading toward the Brigand's HQ. The other Jenkins brother easily knocked it past the confused guardian.

"Nice!" Mikaen called after them as they skated away. Behind him, the guardian shouted something in another language that sounded impolite.

"Mikaen," said Jek's voice through his helmet earpiece, "Get to the cafeteria and give Yenk a hand; he's getting blitzed."

"On my way."

The cafeteria was near the middle of the high school campus, just in front of the kyons' starting point. Most of the entrances had long since rusted shut, but the main doors were mostly glass that had long since shattered.

As Mikaen drew near the walkway that led to the starting circle and the cafeteria, it suddenly occurred to him that he had met no resistance. If they were blitzing Yenk to get the kyon, they probably had someone watching to keep out any backup, probably a tekker.

He was so intent on keeping an eye out for trouble that he bumped into Shelle.

"Watch it, scrub!" She snapped, steadying herself on a nearby bench.

Mikaen bristled; scrub was the term used for a knight-in-training. "What's the situation?"

She gave him a look that he could feel it through her face mask. "What's our situation? Yenk's getting pounded, that's the situation."

He stopped her as she moved to go around him. "Wait! They might have a tekker waiting to snipe us."

She shook off his grip. "Yenk's in trouble, and Tryan's already getting dogged near our HQ. We need to move, now!"

He tried to stop her again, but she tore free from his grasp and dashed toward the cafeteria.

A few moments later, Shelle came hurtling back around the corner, hit the side of a building, and fell to the ground.

"You okay?" He asked; shield or not, being thrown into a brick wall had to hurt.

"I'll live." she grumbled as she got to her feet.

Mikaen peeked around the corner for the smallest second.

"Yeah, that's what I thought." he said as the inevitable kinetic blast broke what was left of a nearby window. "They've got a tekker at the other end of the walkway."

"Let's rush him; he can't get both of us."

"Nice strategy. I guess that means you'll take point?"

Shelle glared at him. "Okay, hotshot; do you have a better idea?"

Mikaen pointed to the walkway cover above them. "This extends down the entire length of the central walkway. If we're quiet, we should be able to get close without being noticed."

A sly grin spread across her face. "The stealthy approach. Not bad. Not bad at all … but how are we going to get through the doors?"

"Forget the doors. I know another way in."

They both boosted up to the top of the metal over the walkway. He hoped the tekker hadn't heard the wobble of the sheet metal from their landing.

They moved as quickly along the support struts as they could; to Mikaen's relief, there was no sign of the Brigade tekker.

"Okay, so how are we getting in?" She whispered.

Mikaen moved over to a large wood-carved emblem of a cardinal that hung on the side of the building. The emblem swung aside at Mikaen's touch, revealing a hidden entrance.

"I've never seen that before. How did you figure that out?" asked Shelle, sounding both impressed and annoyed.

"Long story."

The inside passage was cramped, but there was enough room for them to get through … barely. Moving as quickly as they could, they followed the passage through the now-defunct air conditioning system until they were standing on a lighting platform above the cafeteria stage.

They carefully went down the rickety old ladder and slowly moved to the edge of the curtain. Peeking into the cafetieria, they saw Yenk, looking desperate as he moved toward the stage. The two Brigade bladers were advancing from the aisles of the cafeteria, effectively blocking off any possible escape routes.

Taking up positions on either side of the stage, Mikaen and Shelle waited until they could hear the bladers jeering at Yenk.

Nodding at Shelle, Mikaen slid under the curtain and shot toward the nearest blader as fast as his tek-boots could take him.

As the tekker guarding the door let loose a burst of shots from his gauntlet, Mikaen quickly dove behind the enemy blader. The tekker was so intent on Mikaen that he accidentally blasted his own blader, knocking the large fellow across the room into an old chalkboard that still displayed the last meal that had been served.

Shelle slid beneath a table, came up behind the last blader, and sent him flying into the old snack bar. Mikaen grabbed a hanging loop of leather and pulled a steel shutter down over the snack bar, trapping the blader inside.

Shelle took possession of the kyon from Yenk. "I'm sure you won't mind if I take this off your hands."

"No problem." He said before another kinetic blast sent him diving for cover.

Mikaen rushed at the door, activating his energy saber as he made for the tekker.

The tekker took a shot, but Mikaen deflected it toward a Brigade watcher who had just tried to get inside the cafeteria. The blast hit him full in the chest, sending him flying. Left alone with three Marauder bladers running straight at him, the enemy tekker turned tail and fled.

"Support to HQ!" Jek's called through the intercom, "We need some defense over here!"

"I got it," Mikaen told Shelle, "You go with Yenk."

"Yeah. Good luck." The two hurried off toward the stadium as Mikaen started toward the old band hall.

Even from a distance, Mikaen could make out the figures of Jek fending off the other two Brigade bladers and a watcher. The kyon bounced off Jek's twin gauntlets like a pong pellet. The bladers were relentless, however; no matter how Jek tried to angle it, they always managed to intercept the kyon and fire it back.

As he drew nearer, Shelle's voice said, "Yo, Mikaen! The other kyon is heading your way!"

Mikaen turned just in time to see the plasma ball rocketing through the sky toward the HQ. He leapt in the air to intercept, forgetting that the slamm kyons were not the rubber balls they had used as kyons back on Earth.

The kyon blasted him back, past the Brigade players and mere inches away from the HQ.

It took a second for the enemy bladers to realize what had happened, but when they did, they both started for Mikaen, only to suddenly get knocked aside by energy bursts from the approaching Marauder tekkers.

"Mikaen!" said Jek, "Toss it here!"

"Sure thing."

Jek took the two kyons and slammed them together; they merged to form one massive kyon.

"Attack run!" He shouted before starting forward as fast as his tek-boots could carry him. Mikaen followed, not exactly sure what was happening.

"Bladers incoming!" Shelle shouted through the headpiece.

Sure enough two bladers rounded opposite corners of the old gym and headed toward Jek to intercept.

Mikaen skimmed by Jek and headed toward the first. The Brigade blader took a swing, but Mikaen ducked the blade and shoulder checked the guy through a nearby car window. He turned to deal with the next, only to see Jek leap over the fellow, spinning with a grace Mikaen could not help but envy. The blader's blade came within inches of the Muonsol guardian, but Jek managed to twist around just enough to avoid the glowing weapon.

Jek landed neatly against the side of the building before kicking off into mid-air and landing neatly on the now-confused blader's head. Another kick, and he was rushing forward again.

Mikaen moved to follow, but felt the hit of tekker-fire. His shield protected him from most of the impact, but there was surely more to follow. Fortunately, Jek seemed to have been expecting this, as he was now heading toward the bleachers. It gave them cover from the energy fire, but not from the two Brigade watchers now heading their way. The bladers had regrouped as well, and were catching up with them.

And then they were gone, knocked aside by Tekker fire. Mikaen could barely make out the form of one of the Marauder tekkers on the roof of the cafeteria.

Mikaen rushed the remaining Brigade watchers, his sudden charge making one slip and crash against the door of an old restroom. The other ducked around, only to get batted aside by Shelle.

"We're clear!" She told them as they rounded the last of the bleachers and approached the concession stand. "Take the shot!"

"Got it!" When Jek brought his gloves together, the kyons seemed to merge together into a larger kyon. The Brigade guardian dove aside as Jek fired the combined blast with enough force to blast clear through the other side of the stand. The kyon hit the concession stand, blasting through the old building hard enough to shatter what windows remained.

"Nice!" Mikaen said as the rest of the Marauders turned to head back to base.

Jek froze abruptly in the middle of his victory jig. "What?!" he asked suddenly, putting one of his gauntleted hands to the side of his helmet.

Mikaen asked, "What? What is it?"

"The match's over." He pulled off his helmet and said, "We won by disqualification."

"Disqualification?" Mikaen said, surprised. "What did they do?"

"the Brigade had split screens in their headgear. Dad just intercepted the frequency."

Everyone seemed angered by this, none more so than Shelle. She threw down one of her gauntlets, "Son of a bitch! I knew something was going on."

"I don't understand." Mikaen said, lifting off his own helmet and following the other.

Leeroy asked, "Ever play a first-person shooter?"

"You mean like a video game, right?"

"Yeah, well, ever play a death match on a split screen?"

"A few times, but wasn't very good at it. Jyle kept looking at my screen …" Mikaen stopped, suddenly understanding their meaning. "Ah, I get it. How could they do that?"

Travers thumped Mikaen's helmet. "Hidden mini-screen in their headgear."

Leeroy chuckled. "Didn't help them much, did it? I mean, we still whooped their sad scrub butts!"

He and his brother started taking swats at each other. They were still at it when the group reached the entrance. Jyle was waiting for them, looking a little disappointed.

"Great match, Marauders," Jyle said, clapping his hands, "Sorry it had to end like that. Still, Mikaen did pretty good though, eh?"

"You kidding?" Yenk slapped Mikaen on the shoulderpad, saying, "The guy's a natural!"

Shelle shrugged. "He's okay, I guess."

"Okay? Just okay? The dude threw Yasik. The guy's a friggin troll!"

As the two bladers continued arguing, Mikaen slowed down so he was walking in stride with Jek.

He glanced at Jyle, who was clapping the other members of the team on the back as they walked past him out of the arena. Shelle gave the Cygros a sharp glare that made him opt to just give her an encouraging smile.

"Well?" Jek asked in a low tone. "Good enough?"

"All right, I'm impressed. You managed the team well, and bouncing off that guy's head was a pretty slick move."

"So I can come along?"

Mikaen sighed. "Fine. You'd probably just follow us anyway. Meet us at the stables tonight."

In a low tone, Jek replied, "No good; dad's already started posting guards there … but I think I might have another way."

Narrowing his eyes at the young idestan, Mikaen asked, "And when were you planning on warning us about this?"

Jek grinned back at him. "As soon as you let me join your group. Oh, don't give me that look; I was going to catch you and the others before you reached the stables."

"I'm seeing more of Jyle in you all the time." Mikaen shook his head, unable to suppress a smile. "Okay, fine. What's the plan?"

"Meet me at midnight in the royal garden, underneath the oak tree."

Mikaen wanted more information, but seeing Jyle approaching, he said, "We'll be there."

"So, Mikaen!" Jyle asked, "How was your first official game?"

"Short. Fun, though." Mikaen replied.

"It's sad that people cheat. Still, it would be more unfair if we just let them continue as though nothing had happened." Jyle paused for a moment before saying, "Say, you did great out there. I was wondering if …"

"Let me guess; you want me to be on the Muonsol Slamm team."

"No, I want you to form your own team in Homestead. After this business with Ronisgald, of course."

"You've gotta be kidding." Even as the words escaped his lips, he nevertheless found himself sizing up some of his friends in Homestead for positions. The vuestan were smaller than most humanoids, but they were also much faster and more agile.

"Homestead's wanted to join the Slamm League for ages, but every time they assemble a team, they get crushed. You know the game-"

"Not really," said Mikaen.

Jyle amended, "You know enough about the game. You can help them play their strengths. I know they'd make a good team if they just had a good leader."

"Can't say I'd look forward to playing against you." Jek admitted, "But it would be fun to have a new team in the league.

The idea had definite appeal; playing slamm was closest Mikaen had felt to being back on Earth since he first arrived on Vinta. The name 'Homestead Heroes' floated innocently across his mind.

Mikaen was distracted from his current train of thought as Tirinia approached in guardian slamm gear. Without warning, she gave him a kiss that made the Marauders start whooping.

His face burning, Mikaen said, "So I did okay then."

"Yeah, good enough." She said, giving him a teasing smile. "I was hoping you'd show me around a little. You must know all sorts of shortcuts in this arena. Besides, I'd love to see if you could get a kyon past me."

Jyle shook his head, smiling. "Well, you two have fun. I've got some things to attend to."

"Come on," Tirinia pressed, grabbing Mikaen's arm and pulling him toward the city, "Show me everything."

"Hey, wait up!"

Jek and his team approached, still in their gear.

"What's up?" asked Mikaen as they skated closer.

Jek shrugged, "Well, we're all in gear, and with Tornado Tyr, we have enough for two small teams. We figured we'd keep playing for a bit."

Still a little red, Tirinia pulled her helmet on, saying, "Fine, but I'm on Mikaen's team. You scrubs better give me a challenge." Without another word, she rushed off into the city.

"Tornado Tyr, huh?" Mikaen asked, his eyes on Tirinia as she zoomed away.

"Yeah." Jek rubbed the back of his head. "During her first year, she pulled off thirty-seven attack runs, eleven of which were unguarded. Just smashed through everyone in her way."

Mikaen smiled as he pulled on his helmet. "Well, this should be interesting."

8: Chapter 8 - The New Plan

Glancing at where his watch would have been had he worn one, Narrator Number One asked, "How much longer do you think he'll make us wait?"

Two let out a sigh. "I didn't know the last eighteen times, One. What makes you think I know now?"

One and Two were sitting at one of the massive oak tables in the Library, waiting more or less patiently for Teach to return. Of course, as they have already been waiting for more than three hours, One's patience was starting to wear a little thin.

Two glanced over at his partner. "You're awfully antsy. What's up?"

"I just want to get this over with."

Two shrugged and continued messing around with his phone.

Fidgeting in his seat, One said, "The last thing I need is for Luck to think I stood her up."

Two looked over at him. "Wait, Luck? Oh, I get it; you have a date, and Teach's slow ass is-"

The main door to the library opened abruptly, cutting off Two in mid-sentence. Teach strode through, a black leather-bound book tucked neatly under his right arm.

"Gentlemen. I apologize for the wait, but I had to check on a few things with Alan to determine the best course of action." Teach's seat pulled out automatically as he moved to sit down across from One and Two.

"Thank you." Teach said absently, opening the book and pulling out a few sheets of paper covered in scribbles.

One clapped his hands together, saying, "So, what's the plan, Teach?"

"Well, I've consulted with Atraius and Alan Tryth, and ran a few simulations in the Workshop-"

One waved him off. "Yeah, yeah; what's the plan?"

Looking a little put out, Teach glanced at his list for a moment before saying, "The best course of action would be for you to accompany Mikaen and personally ensure that he does not go back to Earth."

"That's it?" One looked at Two, who looked equally as mystified. "You want me to actually go with Mikaen's group?"

"If you work directly with Mikaen, you'll be in the best position to gage his willingness to go home and act accordingly."

"No sneaking around or anything?" One persisted, "I mean, I'm really just gonna join up with his team?"

"That's correct."

One stared at Teach. "And you're okay with that?"

Teach let out a light laugh. "I know this is a little unorthodox, One. I'm only suggesting this because you and Mikaen already have a mutual respect for each other. Believe it or not as you will, but he has come to trust you. When the time comes, you may very well be able to talk him out of going home. If not, I can't think of anyone better to make sure whatever's making the portal suffers a mechanical malfunction."

Still feeling a bit strange, One said, "Yeah, I'm sure I'll think of something."

"Very well. Now as I understand it, you have a date to get to."

"How did you know?"

Teach raised an eyebrow at him. "You're going out with my wife's sister, One. Look, you need to get moving, or Luck's going to take it out on both of us."

Shaking his head, One hurried out of the nearest door.

After waiting a few seconds to see if One would come back, Two let out a snort and started to follow.

"One moment," Teach called out.

With an annoyed sigh, Two plopped back down in his seat.

"Now Two, I know you don't approve of this-" began Teach.

Two snorted again. "How long has Luck been after One? I mean, centuries, right? He finally grows a pair and starts a relationship, and now you're gonna go and screw it up just so some stupid norm doesn't go to Earth. Well, if you think I'm just gonna sit around while that cat girl gets her claws into One, you've got another-"

"I want you to sabotage Mikaen's trust of One."

Two fell silent, his finger still pointing at Teach.

"If Mikaen doesn't trust One, One's presence will no longer be required. I've already taken care of the portal in Ronisgald; all that's left is to fully separate One from Mikaen. With that accomplished, things should resolve themselves properly."

Two stared at Teach, his mouth hanging open.

After glancing around the Library for signs of anyone else who might be listening, Teach leaned forward so that only Two could hear him. "Look, I was hoping to get through this without explaining the whole situation, but I don't see that I have any other choice. This assignment has nothing to do with Mikaen."

"Then who-" Two's mouth fell open again the moment he realized who Teach was talking about.

"I'm not going to go into great detail. It's a long story, and I'm sure you wouldn't remember everything anyway. To make it simple, it isn't Mikaen who I'm trying to keep from returning to Earth, but One."

"Wait just a damn second," said Two, rising to his feet, "One could go back to Earth anytime he feels like it!"

"True enough. Of course, he could go to Algos as well. He could travel to Viridia, or spend another few months in the Dream Realm. Unfortunately, the moment he first encountered Mikaen, he was drawn into a series of events that will lead him back to Earth."

Two shook his head. "Wait just a second; One was trying to have a vacation. You were the one who pressed him to take the assignment in the first place!"

"You know One better than anyone. How long would it have taken for him to start feeling guilty about leaving Mikaen? I mean, sure, he gave Mikaen directions to Homestead and led him to people who were able to help, but the fact remains that One is, as you so often label me, a 'goody two-shoes'. It wouldn't have taken too long for him to get curious. At least this way, I can keep an eye on him."

"So what? What's the big deal about him going back to Earth?"

Teach let out a sigh. "Like I said, I don't want to go into all the details; there are too many variables that even I don't fully understand. All I do know is that if One stays with Mikaen, he'll be in grave danger."

Two blew a raspberry at Teach. "What the hell could possibly hurt a Dreamer?"

"I'm more concerned with what could hurt him if he's not a Dreamer."

Two fell silent for a moment at the implication of Teach's words.

Teach continued, "One already thinks of Mikaen as a friend, and you of all people know just how far One will go to protect his friends."

"How could you know about all this?" Two asked, "I mean, you're talking some pretty big specifics here. Just how could you know all this would happen for sure?"

Teach didn't reply.

Two let out an exasperated breath. "Oh, back to the 'I have my sources' crap again, huh?"

"It's the truth." Teach said quietly. "Will you help?"

Two sighed. "Ugh … fine. But let's get one thing straight here; the only reason I'm helping is because One's my friend. It may sound sappy, but I want him and Luck to at least have a chance at being happy together."

"Then we both work toward the same goal, I promise you that." There was a twinkle in Teach's eye. "My word. Beneath all of the posturing and the chauvinism, you're really a romantic, aren't you?"

Rolling his eyes, Two said, "Whatever. So, all I gotta do is make Mikaen not trust One, right? Any restrictions?"

"Only that you do it from behind the scenes; if One finds out either of us were involved-"

"Yeah, yeah." Two waved his hand, "I've seen what he can do to a person with Headache."

Teach nodded. "Very good. If I were you, I'd think about-"

Two cut him off with an impatient wave. "I don't need YOUR help, thank you very much."

"Of course. Good luck, Two."

As soon as Two left the Library, he called out, "Wong? I know you're listening!"

To Two's complete lack of surprise, Wong popped into existence right in front of him. With a wild salute, he shouted, "Sir, yes sir! I await your order! I anticipate your whim! I prognosticate the desires of your …"

"Shut up." Two said abruptly.

Wong's mouth closed with a click.

"You want to do me a favor?"

Wong nodded eagerly.
"You want to help out One and prove that you're ready to be a full member of the Elsewhere Incorporate?"

Wong nodded even more eagerly, his pupils bouncing around in his eyes like a particularly violent game of Pong.

"Then tail him when he goes to Ronisgald and help him with the whole Mikaen thing."

Wong saluted again. "Yessir!"

As Wong's body vanished from sight, Two clapped his hands together. "Well, that takes care of that."

One and Luck sat quietly in the corner booth of the Malboro cafe, waiting for their food to arrive. From the moment they sat down, an awkward silence had descended between them.

"Is something wrong?" Luck asked, looking a little worried.

One shook his head. "No. It's just … I'm not sure what to say."

Squeezing his hand, Luck asked, "What did you and Ukaroh talk about when you first met?"

"We didn't talk; we argued. I was trying to fix the Final Fantasy, when she just burst into the hanger and starts telling me what to do without so much a hello. I didn't even know who she was. Hell, I didn't even know she was a Dreamer."

"Did you take her advice?"

"Not quite. I think my exact words were, 'Get the hell off my floor.'"

Luck laughed. "Was she right? About the Final Fantasy?"

"Of course." One smiled. "She was always right, especially when it annoyed me. It's strange, but I think that's part of why I liked her so much."

He blushed. "I'm sorry; you probably don't want to hear about my old girlfriend."

"Of course I do. I wasn't around then, but everyone tells me that you were inseparable. Melody and Karma both said that they were surprised you didn't go with her."

"They told you about that, huh?" One sighed.

Perhaps it was all that had happened recently, but he found himself wondering if he should've taken his ex up on her offer. For a Dreamer, nothing could be more sacred, more special than choosing to spend the rest of eternity with another Dreamer.

Looking up into Luck's smiling face, however, dispelled his doubts. "I couldn't leave the Elsewhere. To be honest, I don't really mind the assignments. Besides, if I left, I wouldn't have met you."

Luck blushed. "You were the first Dreamer I met. I guess it's just natural that we became friends … but to be honest, even then I had a crush on you."

"I think I did too. I wanted to sulk on my floor, but you kept dragging me out." He squeezed her hand. "Thanks for that."

"Anytime." She replied quietly, a small smile on her face.

Further conversation was cut off as their server brought them some drinks and two steaming dishes of pasta.

After thanking the server, Luck said, "You know, you've always reminded me of my ex."

One raised an eyebrow. "Really. Anyone I know?"

"I doubt it. His name was Glen too, y'know."

"Hmm." One picked at the little blue things in his pasta. They looked kind of like diced tomatoes, but tasted saltier.

"Yup. He was so much like you; he had the same need to help people. No matter how bad things got, I could always rely on him to do the right thing."

"Sounds like someone I'd like."

Luck laughed. "Yeah, I think you would. He was always throwing himself headfirst into danger without a care in the world. It usually worked out for the best, except …"

One looked up, knowing all too well the meaning of her sudden silence. "I'm sorry. How did it happen?"

"He sacrificed himself to save us … to save all of us." She lowered her gaze. "I never quite forgave him for that."

"Was there no other way?" One asked.

Luck shook her head.

After a moment of silence, she laughed, saying dismissively, "But that was ages ago. I know he did the right thing. I just kinda wished I could have made things turn out differently."

A long moment passed with only the sound of silverware clinkin against plates to break it.

Feeling as though he should say something, One let out a polite cough and asked, "So how about you?"

"What about me?" She asked, grinning.

"What was your life before becoming a Dreamer?"

She considered this for a long moment before saying, "Not that different, actually. I mean, the stakes are bigger, yes, but they were pretty big before too. There were more responsibilities too, but I had kind of a government job." She paused a moment to take a sip of her drink. "Responsibilities come with the territory."

"Government work, huh? My condolences."

"Watch it, you." Luck punched him playfully in the arm. "Anyway, what about you?"

"What about me?"

"You were a Builder in the Rangers." Luck said, putting her elbows on the table so she could rest her head in her hands. "What was that like?"

One leaned back in his chair as he thought back to his Ranger days. "Fun. Chaotic. Insane, really. Crash was one hell of a Builder; he could turn a pile of scrap into a weapon in five minutes, a sturdy one too. He liked to give me a pile of broken parts and a problem, then leave me to figure out what to build to get past it."

"Wow. Rough, huh?"

"You kidding? It was fantastic. It taught me to improvise, and to work with what I had rather than wish I had something better." One allowed himself a chuckle. "It's strange, really; the things I learned from him helped me just as much in the Elsewhere as they did in the Rangers, maybe even more so."

"What about before the Devastation? I've never had the chance to see Earth before the bombs fell and magic was reborn. What was that like?"

One had scarcely opened his mouth to reply when a familiar tune rang through the air. Luck dug in her pocket and pulled out a cellphone.

"That works in the Elsewhere?" One asked, bemused. "I can only imagine the bill."

Luck's face fell, wiping the smile from One's face.

"What's wrong?" He asked her.

When she looked at him, he saw it again; that strange look of fear she had in her eyes when she saw the Breath of Fire. It was there and gone in an instant, so quick in fact that One wondered if he had seen it at all.

"I have to go." Luck said as she rose from the table.

One quickly stood up as well. "Is something wrong? Did something happen?"

She turned. Much to One's relief, she was smiling.

She gave him a kiss on the cheek and whispered, "I just remembered a few things I need to take care of. I'll see you later, okay?"

He smiled back. "Yeah. I gotta go check in with Teach, but I'll be on my floor getting ready after that."

"See you there." With that, Luck vanished.

His appetite gone, One left some money on the table and headed for the CPD as it appeared in a nearby tree.

9: Chapter 9 - Heading Out

Two was sleeping blissfully on the couch when One fell from the ceiling and hit the floor with a loud thump. Two jumped off the couch, still half-asleep. "Whazzat?"

"Go back to sleep, Two." One muttered, pushing himself off the floor. He glared up at the CPD on the ceiling as the door slowly closed in spite of gravity.

Two grabbed a small piece of paper off of one of the coffee tables, crumpled it up, and tossed it at One. "Instructions from Teach."

One caught it and unfolded it. After reading it for a few moments, he commented "Info on hacking Ronisgald's security net. Some of these programming instructions are pretty complex."

Two let out an exaggerated snore. One shook his head, muttering, "Like you'd help anyway."

Just looking at the instructions made One's head hurt. "I'm gonna get a drink from the Bar."

Not bothering to open his eyes, Two waved a hand weakly. "Later, man."

One opted for the elevator rather than try the doors leading out of his floor; the last thing he needed was to get stuck in the hedge maze or the tubes.

Two's bartender glanced up as One entered the Bar. "One! We haven't seen much of you lately."

"Hey, Sam." One said, making his favorite armchair appear at the bar, "I've been working a lot lately. Could you bring me something to drink? Some of that crystallic stuff if you have any."

"One crystallic cider with just a little bit of ice, coming up."

As he poured the drink, One began reading the instructions word for word. The writing was very small, however, so after a moment, he summoned his glasses.

Sam set One's drink down. "So, you still on that Mikaen case?"

"Yeah. Apparently, I have to hack through several layers of security subroutines just to get inside Ronisgald." One pulled off his glasses and rubbed his eyes. "Ugh. This is giving me a headache already."

"Well, I'll leave you to it then. I've gotta get ready; the regulars will be coming in an hour or so, and I need to get some of my stock refilled. Anyway, I hope you find what you're looking for." With a slight bow, Sam disappeared down the hidden staircase beneath the bar.

One read the instructions slowly, but he really wasn't much for programming. He considered hacking into the system via datajack, but there was no way to be sure that the Earth-hardware was compatible with Ronisgald-Tek. The last thing he needed was to have to spend hours pulling strands of his consciousness out of the weave.

He had spent about fifteen minutes working his way through Teach's notes when a familiar voice broke through the cloud of his thoughts.

"One?"

One glanced up, his glasses perched on the end of his nose. He smiled when he saw Luck looking back at him. "Hi, Luck."

"Two told me I'd find you here." Sitting beside One, she pulled off his glasses and peered through them. "I didn't know you wore glasses."

"Only when I read. I could have Captain Morgan fix my eyes, but to be honest, I kind of like wearing the glasses from time to time."

She put the glasses back over One's eyes and looked at him with an appraising eye. "If your hair was different and your face was thinner, you'd almost look like Teach. No offense."

He smiled at her, but something of what he was feeling must have leaked into his expression because she took his hand and squeezed it gently. "What's wrong?"

"Stupid Galden programming language." he said, tossing the list down on the bar. "This assignment's already giving me a headache."

"Aww! Poor One." Luck pulled her stool behind him and put her hands to his shoulders. "I can make you feel better."

He let out a sigh of relief as Luck worked some of the tension from his back.

She continued, "You've got a jack, right? Why not direct connect? I mean, Angela shouldn't give you any problem seeing as you're Rebecca's Inheritor."

"I'm not sure if my jack would be compatible with Vintan technology."

"Of course it will! Here, let me show you."

Her hand moved like a flash, sliding a cable through his datajack without warning. In an instant, his mind was awash with information about Vinta's weave; how to navigate modules, bypassing firewalls, and even a few tips for how to make a system think the hacker was simply a diagnostic program running on auto. It wasn't everything he'd need, but the extra information certainly would help.

He let out a breath as the cable slid out of his jack. "Thanks … but please, a little warning next time, Luck."

As he turned, he saw her pull the other end of the jack from the port on the back of her neck. "Oh! I didn't know you had a jack. You're a hacker?"

"Was." Luck's cheeks turned pink as she continued, "Say, One … when this whole Mikaen thing is over, what do you say we go somewhere together? Isn't that Rimstakken race starting in a few months in Wenapaj?"

"The Glyche Summit?" One asked, intrigued.

"Mmmhmm."

"I dunno. I'll have to give it some thought."

The door that currently led to the Bar slammed open, revealing a very angry Two.

"You okay?" One asked, quickly pulling his glasses off.

"He won't leave me alone!" Two exclaimed, throwing his hands in the air. "It doesn't matter what I'm doing, or what I try, Wong just keeps finding me!"

"How about a guard?" Luck suggested.

Two scoffed. "Already tried that, and he still managed to get through, be damned if I know how. I've done everything short of going to Teach."

"Why haven't you?" asked Luck, once again slipping her arms around One's chest.

"Because he's Teach. The man defines the term 'unhelpful', and god help you if you're expecting an explanation."

"Oh, come on, Two," One said, rubbing Luck's arm, "Wong's not that bad."

"Oh, really? I'd like to see how you'd deal with waking up and seeing his goofy face every morning for a week."

Luck started giggling uncontrollably. One had a hard time not doing the same.

Glowering at both of them, Two said, "That's not what I'm talking about, and you both know it."

"We do?" One looked at Luck, asking, "What did that sound like to you?"

Barely unable to keep herself from laughing, Luck said, "Sounds like he's sleeping with Wong."

Two glared at both of them before taking his usual seat. "I hate you both. You know that, right?"

One commented, "This from the guy who spent three years on a flick assignment because he kept getting bored and going into bars."

Two waved a finger at One, warning, "Don't even start."

"Hey, Two!" The door to the bar opened, revealing some of Two's norm cronies.

Two rose and approached them, saying, "Hey, guys! How's it going!"

As the Bar started to fill up, One said, "Well, I'd better get going."

He hadn't rose half way when Luck leapt into his lap. He fell back into his chair with a thump as Luck wrapped her arms around his neck. "Why rush? Stay a bit longer?"

One sighed. He wanted to stay; his relationship with Luck aside, it was nice to simply sit around the Elsewhere. Here things stayed more or less in control. Still, he had a job to do.

"Why not come with?" One asked, picking her up. She gave a shriek of laughter as he slung her over his shoulder and started walking toward the nearest door.

He was just reaching for the doorhandle when Luck started tickling One. He made about three more steps before collapsing into laughter. Luck leapt onto his chest and continued her fierce attack on the helpless Dreamer.

The nearest door swung open, making Luck (who was straddled on top of One, tickling his stomach) and One look up.

Captain Morgan was standing in the doorway in full pirate regalia, a rubber chicken in one young hand and a computer mouse with a broken cord in the other. First Mate Simon was with him, his eyes as impassive as ever.

"Look away, Captain." Simon said, tilting his head to the side. "You're too young to see this kind of thing."

Luck hopped off One and hoisted him to his feet. "We were just playing around." She leaned close to One's ear, and whispered, "I'll catch you later, love."

Giving him a parting kiss, Luck skipped over to the sliding pole in the gray room behind Captain Morgan and slid out of sight.

One started to follow when Captain Morgan grabbed his arm."

"Just a second." Captain Morgan said, but he was interrupted when Two flew through a nearby door, shattering the woodwork.

Two stood up shakily and turned back to the parlor where a tremendous brawl was going on, shouting. "Cheap shot!"

As Two ran back into the brawl, Captain Morgan said, "I finished the analysis of the human we found in the Breath of Fire. His gray matter was pretty much toast, but I was able to confirm that he was a Rev recently stationed somewhere in Nevada."

"So that pretty much confirms some kind of portal or teleportation device." One said, not really surprised.

"There's something else." Captain Morgan hesitated for a moment. "I'm not sure what it means, but the Rev knew about you."

Slightly taken aback, One asked, "Me? You mean me as a Builder, right?"

"No, as a Dreamer. I was able to extract a few snippets of memory; his commander warned the entire troop to pull out of Ircandesta if, and I'm quoting, a Galden wearing a green-striped shirt and blue jeans showed up."

"Well, that could be anyone." Simon said, sarcasm practically dripping from his voice.

One thought about it a moment, but all he came up with was a slight headache. "I wonder what that's about. I thought I was doin' a good job of keeping a low profile this time."

"It's probably nothing." Captain Morgan assured him, "More than likely, there's a spy within the royal palace. They could have heard Mikaen talking about you, or caught you on the palace's security cameras. Still, I thought it best to let you know."

One gave Captain Morgan a friendly pat on the shoulder. "Thanks. I'll keep my ear to the ground."

"You do that." All seriousness gone, Captain Morgan flourished his stylish cape, saying, "And with that, I bid you good day."

He took a few steps before snapping his fingers. Turning back to One, he said, "I just remembered; Wong was looking for you. He said he'd be waiting on his floor."

"Thanks." No sooner than One had spoken, Two came hurtling out of a nearby room. He flew into the counter, landing face first on the ground.

Pushing himself up, Two said, "Whew! Hey, One, we got a good little fight going. Wanna join in?"

One pretended to consider. "Mmm … maybe next time."

With a final rude gesture at the door he had just flown through, Two followed One to the nearest floor exit. "So, I take it that things are going well with Luck?"

One felt his cheeks start to heat up. "Um, yeah."

"It's okay if you don't wanna talk about it."

"Thanks, Two."

"Loverboy."

One glared at his friend before opening the door. The gray room beyond was a simple hallway lined with doors of many makes and sizes. None of the doors led anywhere, save the one identical to the door One and Two had just passed through. After a moment, One spotted the matching door and headed toward it.

Two had to rush to keep up. Putting his hand on One's shoulder, he said, "I'm glad to see you two get together, really."

One didn't reply. After a few minutes of silence, Two asked, "So, where are we going anyway?"

"The Arcade. The good captain said Wong was waiting for us."

"Oh. Well, I'll just catch you later."

One caught Two by the collar. "I don't even think so."

One pushed open the brightly lit doors and dragged Two inside. The floor was empty, but that wasn't to say it was quiet. Wong was hopping around on the dance machine, the volume of which was so loud that it felt as though the entire floor was trying to thump itself out of the Elsewhere.

Wong barely spared them a glance. "Oh! Hi guys! Have a seat!"

Two chairs sprang into existence behind the Narrators. Exchanging glances, One and Two sat down.

Out of nowhere came a muffled clucking sound. Looking around for the source of the noise, Two asked, "What was that?"

Wong said distractedly, "What was what?"

Two listened a moment more and shrugged, shaking his head. "Ah, nothing. Must be my imagination."

Moments later, a loud cluck sounded behind Two.

One grinned slyly. "My, your imagination's loud today."

"You heard it too? It sounded like something clucking."

Wong asked, "Like Mom?"

"No, like a chicken!" snapped Two.

While doing an incredible mid-air spin, Wong suggested, "A rubber chicken?"

"A proper chicken! You know, bawk bagawk?"

Wong scoffed at Two. "There aren't any chickens here."

As One leaned back in his chair, a loud "BKAW!" shot through the air only slightly faster than One himself.

Clutching his now-pounding chest, One stammered, "What the hell?"

Wong said innocently, "I didn't hear any chickens."

Two insisted, "That was a chicken!"

Wong finished the song with what must have seemed to him like a cool pose before turning to face them. "Do I look like the sort of chap who'd keep livestock on his floor?"

One heard a whishing sound behind him as something brushed past his back with another loud 'BKAW'. He turned to see a single chicken feather floating in the air.

Two pointed the feather, demanding, "What's this?"

Wong looked sheepish. "Um … I'm molting?"

"Molting?" Two said incredulously, "You haven't got any feathers!"

"See? They already all gone! All molted away."

Two grabbed the feather and held it up to Wong's face. "Look you little twit, it's a chicken feather!"

"That's not a chicken feather!" said Wong, "That's a tennis racket!"

Opening his mouth to argue, Two looked back at the feather to find out he was indeed holding a tennis racket. One was impressed; he hadn't noticed the change until Wong mentioned it.

Dropping the racket to the floor with a sigh, he asked, "What was it you wanted to see us about?"

Wong clapped his hands together. "Oh splendiforous! Give me a sec, okay?"

As Wong began running round his floor, One leaned close to Two's ear and asked, "You've spent more time around him than anyone; is this normal?"

Two rolled his eyes. "This is downright tranquility. Believe me, you haven't even seen strange yet."

Another loud cluck made One and Two jump. Exchanging glances, they started checking under the couch cushions, in the trays of the snacks and drink machines, and anywhere else that could be hiding chickens.

Wong came back with about a dozen various jars and bags in his arms. As he set some down, he asked, "What are you two doing?"

"Nothing" One and Two, sitting down simultaneously.

Wong nodded. "Nothings, eh? I think I have a bit of an infection of them on my floor."

Two corrected, "That's infestation."

"So's yer mum. Anyway, I got the things you needed."

One and Two exchanged confused glances.

"Those things you told me you needed?" Wong reminded them, "It took a bit of searching, not to mention three snow cones, a toaster pastry and a pleasant chat from the abominable snowman. You know, he's really a nice guy. I can't see what's so abominable about him. Anyway, here you go."

He set item after item in their stunned hands, naming them off as he went. "Four leaf clover, alligator hair, hen's teeth, toenail clippings from a yeti … I know I said this before but the yeti's a pretty decent fellow if you take time to listen to him … Nessie's scales, rooster egg … oh, and Two's virginity. On a completely related note, you wouldn't believe how hard it is to get into the Vatican these days."

Two's face went bright red as Wong held out a jar of what looked like blueberry jelly mixed with peanut butter.

"You might want to refrigerate that unless you're using it soon." advised Wong.

Two snatched the jar from Wong and shoved it in his pocket, his face bright red.

Wong snapped his fingers and dashed madly around the arcade cabinets. Two took the opportunity to glare at One, who was trying his best to keep a straight face.

Two scowled but before he was able to say anything, Wong ran back with a burlap sack and handed it to Two. As soon as it was in Two's possession, whatever was inside began to thrash about violently.

Wong commented, "I'm glad you gave me the proper bag. That bandersnatch would surely have torn through any regular one."

Two gulped. "You … you actually caught a bandersnatch."

Wong nodded, saying, "Why yes! In fact, I made a point to find the most frumious bandersnatch that could be found. It wasn't easy to catch, what with the long claws and sharp teeth. Damn, is it scary as hell to look at … but I did not shun it! I caught it, just for you guys, just because you said it was so important."

Wong turned away, continuing, "You're like the bastard brothers papa always told me never existed!"

As he paused to wipe away an imaginary tear, Two tried to give the bag to One. One, on the other hand, wanted nothing to do with the bandersnatch no matter how frumious it was. The creature inside's breathing was deep and raspy, and One had the feeling it was a lot bigger and nastier than he had imagined from the old poem.

Wong sighed and turned back to face One and Two. "Well, I'm just glad I could help out."

"Uh, thanks, Wong." said One, still pointedly ignoring the bandersnatch bag as Two's attempts to pass it off grew more desperate.

"So!" said Wong, rubbing his hands together, "Do you need more help? 'Cause I'm more than ready. Just say the word, and I'm there."

"Actually," Two said quickly, "One really needs to get going and I need to go and … uh … help."

"Yeah, I guess you're right." One turned to Wong. "Thank you for your assistance, Wong."

"No problem, buddy!" Wong gave One a friendly hug.

"Stay away from me." Two warned as Wong came near, arms outstretched.

"A hug for my mentor!" Wong proclaimed, still moving forward.

With a shriek, Two dropped everything ran to the nearest door. Wong followed close behind, chanting, "Hug! Hug! Hug!"

As the door slammed shut, One looked at the bandersnatch bag. Whatever was inside had stopped fighting to get out. Now, it simply sat there, its rasping breath the only sign that it was still in there. One had the strangest feeling that it was listening.

One stood up and tiptoed toward the nearest wall, where a CPD was already forming. Throwing the door open, he tossed the bandersnatch bag through the doorway without bothering to look what was on the other side.

As the CPD vanished, One muttered. "Omnipotence is over-rated."

10: Chapter 10 - Preparations

Teria drummed her hand against the ivy-covered stone wall. Glancing at the oak tree where her sister and Mikaen were talking in low tones, she asked, "So, did Jek say anything about what time he'd get his scrawny elf ass here?"

"He said to meet him by the oak tree in the Royal Garden at midnight." Mikaen glanced up at the glowing limbs of the crystal chronoan tree. "Should be any minute now."

Jeronem snored softly, his face hidden beneath a rather tacky-looking pointed hat.

Teria glanced at him for a moment before asking, "Mikaen, I like the little guy as much as anybody, but are you sure we should be bringing him with us? He's just a kid, for Creator's sake."

"He's technically an adult by vuestan law. Besides, he'd only follow us anyway." Mikaen chuckled. "Kid's got the instincts of a shadow. Trust me; he'll come in handy when we reach Ronisgald.

"If you say so."

After a few more moments of silence, Teria snorted. "Jek …"

Seeing Mikaen's curious glance, she said, "Let's just say he's had a history of not showing."

"She used to date Jek." Tirinia explained.

"It was one date!" Quickly lowering her voice, Teria said, "I went out with him once just to get him to shut up, and the punk didn't even show up. Turns out he already had a date before he even asked me; apparently, I was his backup plan."

"Actually, the other date was arranged by my father."

"That's beside the-" Teria's head whisked around to see Jek approaching, clad in his slamm gear and carrying a pack over his shoulder. He nodded to Mikaen and Tirinia as he drew near.

"Dad tried to set me up with one of Lady Catharine's daughters. Pretty girl, but she was a complete air-head, and a rotten date."

Teria glared at him. "Then why are you smiling?"

Jek coughed. "Er … I'm not smiling."

"Well then," said Mikaen, hefting his gear, "Are we ready to go?"

Jeronem popped up like a jack-in-the-box. "Ready and able! Oh, and by the way," he poked a finger against Teria's stomach. "I'm not a kid!"

Teria put her hands up, saying, "My bad. I just don't want Killer Katy after me because her precious little angel got hurt, that's all."

Jeronem bristled, but didn't say anything.

"So," Mikaen said, cutting in before his young friend could respond, "What's the plan?"

"Follow me." Without another word, Jek started down the garden path, heading straight for the base of the crystalline tree.

"Uh, why are we going to the royal tower?" Teria asked, her hands on her hips.

"No time to explain; come on!"

Sighing, Teria muttered, "If this doesn't work, I'm going to put you through some serious pain. You know that, right?"

"You'll go on another date with me?"

"Watch it, elf."

Jek led the group all the way to the front entrance of the crystalline tree. There were no guards, not surprising seeing as this was the center of Muonsol Palace.

"Stop me if I'm wrong, but isn't going through the Cygros's tower an easy way to get us caught?" asked Teria. "No guards are one thing, but your father is in there."

"Would you quit worrying about it already? Don't worry; I've got it covered." Jek flashed a smile at her, a gesture which she did not return.

As they crept through the silent halls, Teria expected the Cygros and half of his Celestial Knights to leap out from every corner.

"We're almost there," Jek said after about ten minutes of slow progress.

That was when Princess Meryl walked around the corner.

Everyone froze … everyone except the young princess, that is. She walked past them, her eyes squinted almost shut as she dragged a large stuffed animal behind her.

Once he was a sufficient distance away, Jek let out a sigh of relief. "Thank the Creator."

"What the hell was that?" Teria hissed at Jek, "I thought you had everything under control?"

"Meryl sleepwalks sometimes, okay? Don't worry; she won't remember anything. Come on! We're almost there."

The group hurried through the hallways, eventually stopping at a large circular room with an armor-clad dummy resting squarely in the center.

Mikaen approached the armor, a smile stealing across his face. "Jyle's gear from the Knights of the Star."

"Yep." Jek removed the right gauntlet of the armor from the dummy and slipped it on over his own hand before sliding one of his slamm gauntlets back on the dummy's arm.

As he tightened the straps of Jyle's gauntlet, Mikaen asked, "You know how to use that, right?"

Jek clenched his fist; instantly, the gauntlet reconfigured into a scoped energy weapon, then back to a gauntlet again. "Answer your question?"

He approached the far wall of the chamber and placed his gauntlet-clad hand on a certain spot.

Almost immediately, the outline of a door appeared on the far wall.

"Shoulda figured Jyle would a have made a secret room somewhere." Mikaen muttered, grinning.

"I caught him sneaking in here once when I was eight." Jek explained, "At the time, I had no idea what the room was for. Naturally, I snuck in here at night while dad was away and had a look for myself.

The moment Jek took a step into the hidden room, a flood of lights activated.

Teria let out a whistle. "Nice…"

Jyle's hidden room looked to have been packed with more technology than the rest of the palace put together. Work tables were loaded with half-finished inventions and tools, computer panels were running diagnostics on a dozen different devices placed around the room.

Most impressive, however, were the seven chasers arranged in a semicircle in what looked to be an elevator.

"Way to go, Jek!" said Teria as she hopped onto the nearest chaser. The vehicle activated immediately, hovering a foot off the ground.

"They're called chasers." Tirinia explained to Mikaen, who looked confused, "Single-person transports. We had one when we were kids until someone used it to run away from home."

Teria snorted. "I brought it back, didn't I?"

Someone snorted. "Yeah, after you nearly got us both sacrificed to the demon."

"Okay, first off, that was-" Teria stopped when she realized that it was One who had spoken.

Hopping off the table, One approached Mikaen. "They handle kinda like motorcycles back home, 'cept chasers have a few different configurations you can use. Don't worry; I'm sure Tirinia and I can walk you through it."

Jek blinked. "You're coming with us?"

"If it's not a problem." Despite the fact that he was speaking to Mikaen, Teria had the feeling that he was directing the question to her.

"Sounds cool." she said, trying not to sound excited, "The more the merrier, right?"

Mikaen looked at One suspiciously. "Are you really going to help us, or are you going disappear when the going gets tough?"

"Mikaen!" Tirinia admonished, but One held up a hand to stop her.

"It's okay, Tirinia. It's a valid question. Dreamers typically don't get involved like this." One walked back to where he had been sitting and picked up two devices that Teria recognized as Headache.

Sliding his hands into the weapons, he turned to face Mikaen, saying, "I may not be able to promise much as a Dreamer, but I can promise to aid you as a Builder of the Ranger's Collective."

A smile stealing across his face, Mikaen held out a hand, saying, "Welcome aboard, One."

One shook his hand. "Thanks."

Glancing between the two of them, Jek said, "No disrespect to One or anything, but we really should get moving."

Nodding, Mikaen said, "Okay, everyone pick a chaser."

One shouldered his backpack and chose the chaser next to Teria. Turning to Mikaen, he said, "Okay, quick chaser lesson. Grab the handles and push 'em forward with your whole body until you're lying on your stomach."

As Mikaen leaned forward, the forward panel of the car extended over his back.

One continued, "Okay, speedometer's on your right, status screen's on your left, and that little circle on the top is your radar. The screen in front of your face is just the view ahead, but it'll automatically compensate for a rise or drop in light. Night vision, sun shades … yadda, yadda, yadda."

"How can I communicate with the others?" Mikaen asked.

"There's a small radio transmitter that stays on as long as the chaser's in motion. We'll check when we get moving, but I'm guessing we can just talk normally. Keep in mind that anything you say, the rest of us can hear."

"Okay," said Jek as he leaned into his chaser. "Everyone get ready."

Once everyone was safely integrated into their respective chasers, Jek said, "Opening hatch."

Jeronem's mental voice squeaked, "Hatch? What do you mean 'hatch'? I thought this was a lift!"

The floor abruptly opened, revealing a gaping chasm. After a moment's hesitation, each of the mounted cycles slid over the curved lip of the chasm.

Despite the mental scream of terror from Jeronem, Teria enjoyed the rush of adrenaline as her chaser built up speed, easily passing the others.

As the floor arched, the chasers fell into line; Teria in the front, followed by Tirinia, Mikaen, Jeronem, One, and Jek.

The tunnel ended abruptly, the concealed entrance lifting so the chasers could pass into the moonlit forest.

Teria's on-board map screen blinked to life. "All right," she said, turning her chaser, "Last one to Ronisgald buys dinner!"

Mikaen picked up piloting the chaser fairly quickly. The others seemed to have no problem as the group sped from the Ircandesta Forest, gliding around the trees with ease.

Jek led the way, making a point to hit every natural ramp with a loud whoop that pounded through the communications channel. Jeronem, Teria and One followed behind him, obviously enjoying themselves. Tirinia and Mikaen hung back a bit from the group.

The group reached the edge of Ircandesta as the sun began to rise. The trees became few and far between as their path lead them through a series of deep, rolling hills.

"There should be a town near here," Jek told them, "Altier. Nice place, if a bit rural. I snuck there a few times after I first found dad's secret room."

"Ooh!" Jeronem glanced at Mikaen. "Can we check it out?"

"Probably a bad idea." Mikaen replied. "We need to get as far as we can before Jyle realizes we're gone."

"Hey, Jek;" Teria said, an unpleasant thought coming to mind, "You don't suppose your father had some sort of recall or override security device on the chasers."

"He did." One told her. "Nothing I couldn't handle."

Teria grinned at him through her windshield. "Nice."

As the sun set, Mikaen noticed a town on the horizon. "That's not Ronisgald, right?"

One moved to Mikaen's side. "Hang on; that's Altier. A buddy of mine lives there. Hey, we should stop in and say hi."

"We're on a time table, One."

"Yeah, like Ronisgald knows that."

"Mikaen?" asked Tirinia, her voice sounding tired. "I could really use a break."

Sensing an opportunity, Teria chimed in, "Yeah, I'm getting a bit stiff too."

"Me too." said Jek. "How 'bout you, little guy?"

After a moment of silence, Mikaen asked, "Jeronem?"

Jeronem had been lagging just behind the others for about an hour. Moving beside him, Mikaen glanced over only to discover that the young vuestan was sound asleep.

One moved on Jeronem's other side. "Jyle must've rigged an automatic autopilot. Nice. Kinda makes me wonder what he was doing with 'em, though."

"Will he stop when we do?" Mikaen asked.

One tried his best to shrug. "I think so. Only one way to find out."

As they neared the town, the group began to slow down. Jeronem's chaser matched their speed and came to a stop just behind the rest.

Releasing his handles and sitting up, Mikaen stretched his back and wings, his joints popping loudly. A chorus of pops echoed around him as the rest of the group dismounted.

"Ugh." Teria groaned, climbing stiffly off her chaser, "I'm gonna be sore in the morning."

"Well, look on the bright side; another run like that, and we'll be there." Jek said, hopping easily off his chaser.

Mikaen walked over to Jeronem's chaser, which had already released him from the restraints, and tapped him on the shoulder.

Jeronem roused and sat up, rubbing his eyes. "Wha … we there yet?"

"Not yet. We're gonna stop for tonight."

"Oh."

As Mikaen helped Jeronem out of his chaser, Jek called out, "Heads up; someone's coming."

Teria turned to see two people approaching, a little girl with blonde hair and a man who appeared to be in his early thirties. They both appeared to be Galden, but Teria had learned not to assume anything based on appearance.

"It looks like we've got a few visitors." The man looked at each member of the group. "Let's see here: Jeronem Thistlethorn of Homestead, Jek Cressia of Muonsol, Sir Mikaen of the Knights of the Star …"

He smiled when he came to Tirinia and Teria. "Tirinia and Teria Myssohn, though I doubt they'd remember me."

Tirinia and Teria both gave him a hug, Teria saying, "Of course we remember you, Uncle Alex."

As they stepped back, Alex turned to One. "And if it isn't Narrator Number One! I see Teach is still pushing you around."

"You don't know the half of it." Grinning, One shook Alex's hand and gave the little girl a hug.

"How is it you know who we are?" Mikaen asked.

"He's a Dreamer." Teria said, recognizing the Anti-ka Maru only too well. "He put me and One up a few times back in the old days. Remember, One?"

"Er, not really." One smiled apologetically at Alex. "Sorry, man."

"It's okay, One. I know the problems with storing memories better than most.

Shaking his head, Alex turned back to Mikaen. "Ah, but I forget myself. My name is Alex Terabin, though I'm known at the Elsewhere as the Toymaker. This is my daughter, Maya."

Maya was looking up at Tirinia. "You're pretty." She said shyly.

Tirinia knelt beside her, smiling. "I think you're very pretty too."

Maya giggled and ran to her father. Within the span of a few short seconds, she had changed from a Galden into a tigreth.

"She's a shapeshifter." Alex explained unnecessarily, rubbing his daughter's blonde hair.

"Because you're a Dreamer?" Mikaen asked.

Alex laughed. "Unlike the shapeshifting talent, which Maya inherited from her grandmother, Dreamer abilities aren't hereditary."

"Emeryl still running the Merryweather Inn?" Teria asked, rubbing her neck. "We're gonna need a few rooms for the night."

"That's not necessary; you and your friends are more than welcome to spend the night at my home."

"We don't want to intrude …" Mikaen began.

Alex waved him off. "Why pay shards for a room at the Merryweather when you can stay at my place for free? You know we've got more than enough room. Besides, Lauren's been cooking for hours. I know I'm not going to eat all that food."

"You knew we were coming?" Mikaen asked, surprised.

"She knew someone was coming, though she wasn't sure who. She's a good mystic, but I'm afraid she's a bit out of practice. Come on; I'll introduce you to her."

He hoisted his daughter over his neck, and started walking through the city, the rest of the group following close behind.

It was a nice town: simple, but full of life. The population was surprisingly diverse; Galdens, tigreth, sourian, idestan … Teria even spotted a Cleftan chatting with a fional near an old well. The buildings were more like cottages, with wood-shingle roofs and simple but functional designs. There were a few streetlights, a sign that technology had not completely passed over the village, but that seemed the limit of the town's tech.

"Altier's been here since the time of the Calliban Crusades." Alex told them as they walked through the town." The original residents deserted his army, feeling that his campaign was madness."

"Yeah, I read about this place." Jek said, waving cheerily at several passersby, "Musicians, painters, story makers … a town of dreamers."

"Sleepers," One corrected.

"Whats the difference?" Teria asked curiously.

Maya recited, "A Sleeper is a dream-capable being who has a high probability of becoming a Dreamer."

"Very good, Maya." Alex said, tickling his daughter.

Giggling, the little girl quickly slipped from Alex's grasp and landed with a cat's grace beside Jeronem. As she stood straight, Mikaen noticed that Maya's ears and tail were now distinctly vuestan, though she kept a tigreth's fur coat. From the look on his face, Jeronem did not find this amusing.

They eventually stopped in front of a grand house that seemed ancient, but well cared for.

"Victorian. I know it's an old style and a bit out of place on Vinta, but I find it comforting." Alex opened the door and gestured inside the house. "Make sure to wipe your feet on the mat. Lauren just cleaned the carpet, and she's very particular about the state of the house."

The inside of the house was just as comfortable as the outside. The furniture was a mismatched yet well-kept assortment of chairs, tables, and sofas.

Teria and Tirinia wiped their feet on the mat and stepped inside. Jeronem and Mikaen instinctively removed their footwear. One and Jek glanced at them curiously a moment before doing the same.

Alex watched them all with a look of mild amusement. "Well, that'll work too. Come on; I'll introduce you to Lauren."

They followed Alex into what was obviously the kitchen. The cookware aside, the room was filled with a jumble of smells that made Mikaen's stomach rumble.

Tirinia giggled at him. "Hungry, love?"

Alex looked at them in surprise. "Oh, you two are a couple? Ah, engaged, I see. I didn't know."

Mikaen blushed as he put his arm around Tirinia's shoulder and drew her close.

Alex shrugged and turned his gaze back to the kitchen. "Well, I thought Lauren was in here-"

"DADDY!" Everyone turned as a boy no older than six ran into the room and hid behind Alex.

Moments later, a teenage girl stomped into the kitchen, looking daggers at the boy. The boy huddled behind Alex's legs, shouting "Alyssa burned me again!"

"He was looking at my diary!" She said, her hair literally fuming.

"These are my other children. This," Alex gave the boy a sharp rap on the head, "Is my son, Alundra. That's Alyssa, who I've told hundreds of times to mind her manners when I have company."

Alyssa turned bright red. "I'm sorry, but he-"

Alex held up a hand. "I'll deal with him later. Uncle One is here, so I expect you to be on your best behavior."

The boy stuck his tongue out at the girl before skipping over to Jeronem and staring at him like he was a strange animal in a zoo.

Trying not to smile as Jeronem glared darkly at the young Alundra, Mikaen asked, "So your youngest is a shape shifter, your eldest is a fire witch. What's your boy?"

"A pain in the-" Alyssa began, only to be silenced by a look from her father.

A woman with long, gleaming white hair and kind eyes entered the room. She was so involved in cleaning a small porcaline ornament of what appeared to be an Alcian-tribe sentient that she bumped into One.

"Oh!"

One deftly caught the ornament and handed it back to her, saying, "Hello, Lauren. Daydreaming as always, I see."

"One! Thank you." She set the knickknack on a nearby shelf, continuing, "Thank you! I've been so clumsy lately."

Her gaze fell on Teria and Tirinia. Beaming, she brushed past One and gave them both a big hug.

"Hi, Auntie Lauren." Tirinia said, smiling.

"I knew we haven't been to Longshore in awhile, but I didn't know it had been that long. Look at you two, all grown up!" Lauren stopped suddenly and looked from Tirinia to Mikaen. A broad smile spreading across her face, she continued, "Oh, I'm so happy for you, Tirinia! Your parents have wondered if you'd ever find someone!"

"Auntie!" said Tirinia, blushing.

With a mischievous smile, Mikaen gave her a big kiss on the cheek and hugged her close.

"Mike!" Tirinia slapped his arm playfully, but didn't pull away.

Chuckling, Alex asked his wife, "How's dinner coming along, honey?"

"It'll be done in at least an hour or two, given how many guests we have. Why not take some time to clean up a bit?"

"If it's okay," Tirinia said, slipping from Mikaen's arm, "I'd like to talk to Auntie Lauren for awhile."

"Of course. Alyssa, would you show everyone to the guest rooms?"

Alyssa rolled her eyes, and strode out of the side door. As most of the group followed, Alex stopped Teria and Mikaen, whispering, "Hang back a moment, if you don't mind."

Teria's ears twitched, but she said nothing. She wondered what it was that needed the two of them specifically.

"You need me for anything?" One asked.

Alex shook his head. "I doubt you'd be interested; I was going to give them a little briefing on Ronisgald. You're more than welcome, though."

"Huh. Well, no offense, but I've had enough of work today." One smacked Alundra playfully on the shoulder. "Come on, squirt. Let's go play some video games."

As the two hurried upstairs, Alex chuckled. "Ah, my good friend One. Ever the child at heart."

It was just Mikaen, Alex, and Teria now. They all took seats; Alex and Mikaen took armchairs while Teria stretched out on a couch.

Coughing, Alex asked, "So, how has One been doing? Word in the Elsewhere is that you two are closer to him than anyone … well, aside from Luck. Besides, last time I heard from him, he was stopping a meteor from destroying Algos."

"He seems fine," replied Mikaen. "though I'm a little surprised to have him actually travelling with us."

"Yeah." Teria added, "Especially after Teach blew up on him."

"Excuse me?"

"After the Council, Narrator Number Two and some guy One called Teach showed up and started yelling at One. It was kinda scary." Teria rubbed her arms, a slight chill running through her at the memory.

"Understandably so." said Alex, looking unusually grave. "You don't know how strange it is for Teach to act like that. Sure, he's always liked to pretend he's the leader, but I've never heard of him getting legitimately angry before."

"What do you think it means?" Mikaen asked.

Alex regarded Mikaen intently. "Honestly, I don't know. Still, if Teach is that upset, I have to wonder if something much bigger than your life is on the line."

Teria put a hand to her head. "You think it might have something to do with that dragon machine One found?"

"I seriously doubt it, but it's probably worth checking out. I'll see if I can't dig something up before you leave tomorrow." Alex rose from his chair, shaking his head. "For the time being, allow me to show you to your rooms."

As they started up the stairwell, Alex asked, "Will Tirinia be sleeping in the same room as you, Mikaen?"

"We're not married just yet."

Teria snorted. "Who do you think you're fooling? You two've kept me up for the last three weeks with your 'talking'."

Alex laughed kindly as Mikaen's cheeks went red. "There's nothing wrong with that; as I recall, the wedding ceremony is just a formality in tigreth culture. Right, Teria?"

"Yup." Teria clapped a hand on Mikaen's shoulder. "You two were mates the moment the bond formed, Mikaen … bro."

"Oh boy." Mikaen replied in a deadpan tone, "I always wanted a sister."

Chuckling again, Alex opened the door for Mikaen, saying, "Well, if you do want separate rooms, just ask me after dinner, okay?"

"Thanks, Alex." Mikaen let out a yawn. "I think I might catch a nap in the meantime."

"I will let you know when dinner is ready." Alex bowed his head respectfully as he closed the door.

As he and Teria continued walking, he said, "You've been quite the topic in the Elsewhere as of late."

"Huh?" Teria said, startled at the idea of being a point of interest for a bunch of Dreamers.

"You and One had some history together. It's not uncommon; I met my wife on an assignment. What has everyone confused is why he stored the memories of you away when he obviously still cares a great deal for you."

"He what?" She asked, her cheeks feeling warm.

Alex smiled at her. "He was really torn when he remembered your past together. He's liked Luck for ages, but everyone knows you two would've ended up together if your father hadn't been so … well, anti-Galden."

"Oh. Well." Grateful that her dark fur obscured her blush, she said, "Well, things probably turned out for the best. I mean, he doesn't even remember half of what we went through. Could be worse, I suppose; we're still friends, even after I decked him."

Alex chuckled. "I heard about that. You know, that bar brawl you started is still going."

"Really?" Teria asked, unable to suppress the disbelief in her voice. "It's been months since our little spat."

"Well, it's not in the Bar anymore; a big brawl like that tends to move around. Fortunately, they seem to be sticking to the gray rooms at the moment." Alex stopped and gestured to the door. "Ah, here we are. Go ahead and take a nap if you want; I'll send one of the kids up to let you know when dinner's ready."

As she closed the door behind her. Her eyes darted around the room, taking note of small pieces of furniture, fragile knickknacks, and the like. With an annoyed grunt, she threw herself onto the bed.

"Impressive show of self-restraint, Miss Myssohn."

She was on her feet in an instant, her eyes darting around the room. "Who said that?"

A boy in a black robe stepped from the closet. His hair was white, but his face was strangely familiar.

"Who …"

"I'm unimportant, but you can call me Mixe if you want." He strolled around the bed, Teria's eyes following him with every step. "Are you going to do something about it?"

"About what?"

"About why you just resisted the urge to break things."

"How …" She stopped abruptly, her eyes narrowing. "You're a Dreamer too, aren't you?"

"Technically speaking, though I'm not of the Elsewhere. You didn't answer my question, by the way."

She glared at the boy. "What business is it of yours?"

Mixe gave her a carefree shrug. "Just looking after the interests of an old friend. I know you still care about him, so let me ask again; are you going to do something about it? You don't strike me as the kind of woman who would let something or someone she cares about slip between her fingers."

Sighing, she sat back on her bed. "Luck likes him hard enough to put up a fight. He cares about her enough to ask me for advice. Doesn't sound like there's any room for me there, does it?"

"Don't sell yourself short, Teria." Mixe said, his voice quiet. "He values your advice quite highly."

"He … he does?"

"Indeed." Mixe let out a tired sigh and shook his head. "Talking relationships is so quaint, isn't it? I mean, you stole away with Mikaen and company and are on your way to infiltrate Ronisgald, and yet here we are talking about Glen's relationship status."

Teria chuckled alond with Mixe for a few moments. "You're right. Mom would go ballistic if she heard me wringing my hands like some idestan drama queen."

"My suggestion is to not think about it." Mixe advised. "Focus on the mission, and keep your eyes open. Who knows? Maybe it'll help you decide what action to take … if any. Good day, Miss Myssohn."

With that, Mixe disappeared, leaving Teria alone with her thoughts.

11: Chapter 11 - Strategy

Mikaen let himself fall back onto the bed with a sigh; he only felt a little sore now, but he knew from experience that he'd feel a lot worse in the morning.

Flipping over, he glanced around the room. The chair was well-worn, the dresser's varnish had begun to fade, and the carpeting was growing a little thin in places. It may have not been very formal or ritzy, but there was definitely an air of comfort in the room.

He started to turn again when a glint of metal caught his eye from beneath the armchair.

Hopping out of bed and kneeling, Mikaen peered beneath the chair.

An old notebook with a black leather cover and tarnished copper edges was sitting beneath the chair, collecting dust.

Mikaen pulled the book out from under the chair and carried it back to the bed.

He wiped the dust from the cover, but there were no markings of any kind on the outer surface. Opening up the notebook, Mikaen read the title aloud, "All in a Day's Work."

There were spelling errors, and a few typos, but the book told an interesting story about a young boy from pre-Devastation Earth and some of his friends who fought against a mysterious organization that was trying to take over the world.

He read on, fascinated by the tale. The boy and his friends had discovered a plot against their nation, and after pulling a few strings, found themselves caught in a much deeper plot involving magic and prophesies and the legendary sword, Excalibur.

The story wasn't perfect; every here and there, the story branched off onto long subplots regarding the side characters and their past. Although they could easily have been omitted, or grouped into a collection of short stories, Mikaen nevertheless found himself enjoying the book.

He was halfway through a sub-plot regarding one of the main character's friends and a genie when he heard a knock on the door.

"Come in." He said, continuing to read.

"Hungry yet?" asked Tirinia as she walked into his room.

Mikaen glanced up, startled. "But it's only been …"

He stopped when he saw the clock by his bed. Three hours had passed.

She sat down beside him, and looked curiously at what he was reading. "You've been reading for three hours?"

"Yeah," Mikaen said, his gaze inexorably drawn back to the hand-written pages, "It's just a story, but some of this information about pre-Devastation Earth is very accurate. Y'know, I think One wrote this."

"What makes you think that?"

"One of main characters is a young man who likes wearing a green-and-gray striped shirt."

Laughing, Tirinia said, "That sounds like One, all right. I can't see him sitting down long enough to write, though."

"Hmm." He ran a finger along a split in the old black leather. "Tirinia, why did Teria run away?"

"Mum, mostly. She wanted Teria to go to the Center, and Teria wanted to do whatever she wanted to do." A smile crossed Tirinia's face. "I think she had her eye on the Longshore Melee even then. She certainly started enough fights. My fault."

"Your fault? How?"

Sighing, Tirinia lay back in the bed. Mikaen followed suite a moment later.

"I had trouble fitting in when I was young. While most of my peers were starting fights or pulling pranks, I …"

"Go on." He prodded.

"I …" Blushing, she said, "I wanted to paint. I love to draw, even now. It was considered … well, kind of a boy thing to do."

"A boy thing to do." Mikaen repeated.

"Yeah. Like writing or cooking, or cleaning."

She glanced at Mikaen, who was looking at her with a raised eyebrow. "What?"

"I'm sorry." He said, shaking his head. "It's just … that's the exact opposite of how it was back on Earth. You'd think the Devastation would've helped bring about the idea of gender equality, but you'd be surprised how many times I ran into that wall. Be a man! Don't cry like a girl!"

She laughed. "Mom told me not to act like a boy, but I just … I didn't want to fight. I just wanted to paint in peace. Teria was the only one who stood up for me, usually with her fists. She taught me how to put up a fight as well."

Mikaen thought to what he knew of Teria. "Yeah, that sounds about right."

"Mom was harder on her, believe it or not. Kept telling her not to pick fights, to focus more on her studies. Then we graduated from intermediary school. Teria was all set to go to the Karrek Academy to learn how to fight better. Mom had … different ideas."

"Center of Knowledge?" Mikaen asked.

Tirinia nodded. "I had already signed up; my art studies helped me get a scholarship. Mom wanted me to go to Karrek, but dad convinced her it'd be better if the future leader of the tigreth was more than just punches and claws. I guess that's why it was such a surprise when Mum told Teria no on Karrek."

Tirinia sat up and rested her elbows on her knees. "Next week, Teria was gone. I was terrified, of course; she protected me since I started school. Over time, however, I remembered what she taught me and learned to stand up for myself. Almost a year and a half later, she shows up with Glen. I'll admit, I was just glad to have my sister back."

Mikaen opened his mouth to ask another question when Jeronm poked his head through their door. "Hey, you guys hungry or what?"

Lauren had prepared a small feast for them. While they ate, Alex told them the story about how he met his wife and killed the dream demon that had been slaughtering the villagers of Altier.

The meal ended with a tasty cake and funny stories about the Elsewhere Incorporate, told by One and Alex. Mikaen offered to help clean up after dinner was over, but Lauren would have none of it. Excusing himself from the others, Mikaen hurried back upstairs to his room, eager to resume reading the book.

He opened the door to his room to find Tirinia already sitting on the bed, her eyes poring over the old notebook.

With a sigh, Mikaen sat behind, her, saying, "Piqued your interest, love?"

She purred softly, taking her eyes from the book long enough to give Mikaen a tender kiss.

Mikaen read over her shoulder, his arms around her as they both were absorbed into the story.

Neither of them heard the knocks on the door until Alex called out, "Now come on; I know you're both in there."

Mikaen glanced up as Alex entered the room. When the Dreamer saw what they were doing, he shook his head, smiling. "You found that old thing, huh?"

"Mmmhmm." Tirinia mumbled, not looking up.

Alex beckoned to Mikaen. "Can I have your ear for a minute?"

Mikaen nodded, hopping off the bed.

As he closed the door behind him, Alex said, "Jek brought me up to speed on the Galdens and the Revs. I'm a little embarrassed, honestly. I knew something was up when Triumvate Jures was ousted; I just didn't think it was due to Liegan's plotting."

"Liegan?" Mikaen asked, startled. "You mean Liegan, leader of the Revs? The guy who single-handedly started the genocide against the phreacs? He's here on Vinta?"

"I'm afraid so."

"Oh, no; that's great. If he's here, then I can finish some Knights of the Star business." Mikaen couldn't help but grin at the thought of settling scores with the man who was responsible for so many innocent deaths. "First things first, though; we need to make sure that the Galden government hasn't been compromised by the Revs."

"Indeed. Follow me, please."

He led Mikaen downstairs into a large study filled with books neatly arranged in bookcases. A large monitor with what looked like some kind of virtual reality suit occupied almost half of the room.

"What is that for?" Mikaen asked curiously.

"Full-body weave interface. It lets a user take complete control of an avatar without the need for cybernetics. Let's face it; why use a keyboard to navigate the weave when you can soar through the digital skies like a vagrant A.I.?"

Mikaen wasn't sure what to say that. Fortunately, Alex didn't seem to expect a response.

"So," Alex said, gesturing at an empty chair, "what's your plan of entry?"

"Not sure yet. Normally, when infiltrating a Rev base, the strategy is to analyze possible entry points and make a decision based on the highest probability of success."

"I see. Well, seeing as you're One's friend, let me give you a little advice; the vent shafts that lead into the main complex are heavily guarded with state-of-the-art security. Laser grids, heat sensors, the whole works."

Feeling a little daunted, Mikaen said, "That's … certainly good to know."

Alex tapped a button on a console at his desk. A hologram emitter beneath the desk activated, displaying seven spheres of varying sizes arranged in a circle. A series of web-like threads connected all of the spheres to a central disk, in the center of which was a small sphere with a glowing red dot inside it.

"This is a fairly precise replica of Ronisgald. The spheres on the outside are the subterranean biospheres where most of the population lives; the disk in the center is the Hub, which is where all environmental systems and communications networks are controlled. The center sphere is the Central Core, the heart of the Ronisgald information net."

Alex pointed to the series of shafts that extended upwards from the Central Hub. "As the ventilation system is damn near impossible to infiltrate, I've concluded that the only way into Ronisgald is one of the main elevator shafts."

"The elevators aren't protected?"

"Ronisgald is one of the most technologically advanced nations on Vinta. Naturally, they are a little over-confident. Although the ventilation security is top notch, the security in the main elevator shafts that lead to the biospheres and the Central Hub are in relatively poor condition. With the right access codes and a little luck, I'm sure you'll have no problem circumventing any security that is still functioning. Still, security in the biospheres has been on alert, so I would recommend bypassing them altogether by entering Ronisgald through the Hub elevator."

"Why would they beef up security in the ventilation, but not in the elevators, especially the elevator at this lift?" Mikaen asked as a red blip appeared on the holographic model.

"Because only an idiot would try to break into Ronisgald via the front door."

"Well, that would be us." Mikaen rolled his eyes.

Alex smiled. "Hypothetically speaking, of course. Now, watch this."

The center sphere magnified. A small sphere surrounded by a series of rotating rings was suspended in the center of the chamber.

"This is the Central Core." Alex tapped his finger on the center orb. "The computer is directed by a Core Intelligence Construct known as Angela. She's been controlling the Ronisgald systems for well over a millennium. Although it isn't commonly known, she has been subtly influencing the country's movements since the banishment of Lucaius Calliban. Some even think it was her actions that led to his fall."

Alex deactivated the holo-emitter. "In addition to her connection with the weave, Angela is completely integrated into every piece of hardware in Ronisgald. If anyone knows what the Revs are up to, it's her. She should also be able to provide proof of the Revs activities, provided you conduct yourself in a respectful manner."

"Thanks," Mikaen said, a little surprised at Alex's helpfulness, "But why go to all this length to help us?"

"I'm not sure." He replied with a shrug, "Maybe it's because you're One's friend … or maybe because you make my niece happy. You just seem like a nice guy, and I want to help. Besides, that's what Dreamers are supposed to do."

"Whatever the reason, I appreciate your advice." Mikaen shook Alex's hand. "I'll tell the others the plan tomorrow."

As Mikaen reached for the door handle, Alex called out, "One more thing … a small favor, if you will."

"Sure. What's the favor?"

"I have the feeling that One might be in danger."

"One?" Mikaen said incredulously, "I'd think he'd be the last person I'd have to worry about."

"All I ask is that if he does get into trouble, look after him."

"I don't know what help I'd be against something that could endanger a Dreamer."

"I know, just … promise you'll try."

Mikaen solemnly bowed his head. "I promise."

"That's good enough for me. Goodnight, Mikaen."

Once Mikaen left the study, Alex stood and approached the closet door.

"Did you get all of that?" He asked, not unkindly.

Teria opened the door, a worried expression on her face. "Is One really in danger?"

"As I told Mikaen, I'm not sure. Even Dreamers can't foresee the future. Nevertheless, I am worried about him. He is a close friend mine, after all … of both of us, if I'm not mistaken."

When she didn't answer, Alex told her, "Mikaen is an accomplished knight, but he cannot be everywhere at once, which is why I want you to go with One should your team split up."

"That's fine, but Mikaen's right; what can I do against something that would threaten a Dreamer?"

"Simply being there may be enough. You'd be surprised how often a friendly face can change the entire dynamic of a situation. If it isn't, I'd recommend a two-by-four to the base of the skull. It should knock him out long enough to drag him to safety, but not cause any lasting physical damage."

"I think I understand." She said, smiling a little.

"I think you do." Alex said again, guiding her to the chamber door, "And now, I think it is time for you to get some rest. I still have some work to do."

Teria gave him a hug. "Thanks, Uncle Alex."

Her hand paused as it touched the door handle. "Uncle Alex, do you know of a Dreamer who calls himself Mixe?"

"Mixe." Alex repeated. After a moment, he shook his head. "Doesn't ring a bell. Could be a rogue Dreamer, of course; not every Dreamer is part of the Elsewhere. Is this Mixe a friend of yours?"

"I'm not sure." Shaking her head, she said, "It's not really important anyway. Goodnight, Uncle."

As she sauntered off, Alex let out a deep breath of relief. "Glad I'm listed as inactive these days."

12: Chapter 12 - Plan B

Alex walked the group to the edge of town, where their chasers were waiting for them.

"I've taken the liberty of recharging you chasers, and my lovely wife packed away last night's leftovers for you. A damn sight better than rations, I'd wager. I also checked the Ronisgald weave for any signs that they know you're coming, and came up clean. You shouldn't have any problems, but if you do … well, I'd imagine between One and Teria, you should be able to get out of it."

"Thanks, Alex." said Mikaen, shaking the Dreamer's hand, "You've been a great help."

Alex waved him off. "You don't have to thank me. Just remember what I said, okay?"

Turning to One, Alex said, "You and Mikaen take care of my nieces now, y'hear?"

"Got it." One jokingly saluted his brother Dreamer.

Leaning into the seat, Mikaen said, "Let's get going. We should try to reach Ronisgald before night falls."

As they sped off, Mikaen heard Alex's voice in his head. "Make sure you stop by again, okay? I'd like to hear how this turns out."

They crossed into Ronisgald proper as the evening fell. The Galden moved most of their country underground centuries ago, during which time, the forests had retaken much of the continent. The trees weren't anywhere near as massive as chronoan trees of Ircandesta, but they still towered over the chasers.

In fact, the trees were all anyone could see. After a few hours seeing nothing but greenery, Teria asked, "This is Ronisgald, right? The technological superpower?"

"Most of Ronisgald is underground, sis." Tirinia told her sister. "The only remains of above-ground settlements date back to Pre-Calliban days, and are probably overgrown."

"Yeah, most of it, not all of it. I mean, we haven't seen so much as a paved road!"

Jek snorted over the intercom. "Ronisgald hasn't used wheeled vehicles in over a century."

Teria rolled her eyes, even though no one could possibly see her while she was encased in the chaser. "Fine, but shouldn't there be some sign of ... I don't know, something other than trees?"

"Like those blips that just showed up on the scanners?" One suggested innocently.

Teria glanced down at the control panel. Sure enough, there were several blips on the edge of the scanning screen. Even as she watched, more blips appeared behind the others, moving rapidly toward her group.

"Heads up, everyone." she said in a grim tone. "We've got company."

"Hmm. Jyle's shadows coming to catch us, maybe?" Mikaen muttered.

"I doubt it." replied Jek. "We wouldn't be detecting them."

"Meh." One's chaser began to gather more speed, "Let's leave 'em in the dust."

As the group accelerated, the blips on the radar fell back and eventually vanished altogether.

"All right!" Jek said, "Ronisgald, here we come!"

Teria opened her mouth to reply when the blips reappeared on the scanner. They weren't closing in on the group particularly quickly, but they were definitely getting closer. "Maybe not."

"Hoo-boy." One said, "Definitely not Jyle's boys."

"What makes you say that?" Teria asked.

"Do you think that Jyle would build his personal chasers to be slower than the regular ones?"

"Probably some sort of booster." Jek reasoned. "They can't keep it up forever."

The dots continued to grow closer, slowly but surely. They weren't within sight yet, but it was only a matter of time.

"I knew I shoulda brought the Final Fantasy." One muttered. "I don't suppose these things have weapons."

Tirinia moved alongside Teria. "You thinkin' what I'm thinkin', sis?"

Teria grinned. "Sounds like a plan to me."

Teria gripped her controls and pulled them toward her chest. Instantly, the chaser's form shifted: the canopy angled up to act as a windshield, the seat moved forward so that Teria could sit up, and the display screens raised so that she could still read them. The chaser's riding form wasn't as fast as the streamline form, but it did allow for better maneuverability.

"What the … how did you …" Mikaen stuttered.

"Don't worry." Tirinia said, as her chaser reconfigured itself the same way, "We can take care of the border patrol."

"Just a minute!"

She leaned over and kissed his canopy. "Trust me, love. We'll draw them away and meet back up with you at the rendezvous point."

He started to argue, but One cut him off. "Don't worry about it, Mikaen. The border patrols aren't usually more than five or six riders. Teria and Tirinia could ride circles around them."

Mikaen's sigh could be heard through the intercom. "Fine … but please be careful, Tirinia."

Teria snorted. "Don't worry; WE will."

The Myssohn sisters quickly spun about and headed straight toward the approaching border patrol.

As they sped back the way they came, Teria chuckled. "I guess you're ready for a little action too, huh?"

Tirinia smiled at her sister.

The chasers couldn't move quite as fast in upright mode, but they were much more maneuverable. Still, it didn't take them long to spot the approaching Galden.

"Yeah, that's what I thought: the Galden Security Force's Border Patrol." Teria let out a snort. "Oh, look; they're on spinners."

The Syntek R-9K4 light chaser, commonly referred to as the 'Spinner', was the standard vehicle of the Ronisgald Border Patrol as well as several minor gangs on the nearby strands. What it lacked in maneuverability, it made up for in speed, pickup, and an excellent booster system that allowed the spinners to move twice as fast on straight-aways.

Spinners served as an excellent military asset to the Ronisgald Military Force during several skirmishes with Longshore… that is, until the tigreth found out how spinners had earned their nicknames. The casing on the sides of either of the two drive units is quite thin. If one of the drive units is damaged, the other will make the unit spin wildly out of control until the rider is thrown off of the spinner or the spinner crashes into something.

The radio crackled for a moment. "You are trespassing in Ronisgald territory without permission. Bring your vehicles to a halt immediately."

"Yeah, like that's going to happen." Teria said, either forgetting or not caring that her chaser's intercom was still broadcasting.

"I repeat, bring your vehicles to a halt immediately. Failure to reply will be interpreted as an act of aggression."

Teria and Tirinia exchanged glances before bursting into laughter.

Clearly annoyed, the voice said, "This is not a game; if you do not stop your vehicles, we will open fire."

Still chuckling, Teria tapped the button that she felt reasonably sure would activate the weapon controls. To her surprise, a set of thrusters extended from the rear drive assembly.

Teria barely had enough time to tighten her grip before the boost thrusters blasted her chaser forward at an alarming speed. She passed right through the center of the Galden patrol, winging a spinner in the right turbine as she passed. The Galden soldier fought to regain control, but crashed into another spinner in the process, taking both of them down.

The boost fizzled out, giving Teria a chance to recover. Turning her chaser around, she saw several of the Galden were now heading her way.

She shot toward the nearest Galden as fast as her chaser could take her. To his credit, the soldier she had targeted did not deviate in his course in the slightest.

Grinning wider, Teria muttered, "This should be interesting."

Only a dozen feet or so away, Teria leapt off the chaser, flying over the Galden's head. The Galden swerved, narrowly missing the chaser as it zoomed ahead, sans rider.

Teria hit the ground rolling and sprang toward the stalled spinner, catching the rider completely off-guard. With a well-placed jump-kick, she knocked the Galden clear off his vehicle. She climbed on the spinner before he could so much as push himself off the ground and quickly left him in the dust.

After a quick search, she found the Galden's pulse rifle in a holster on the side of the spinner. Drawing the weapon and disengaging the safety, she blasted a few shots at the nearest spinners.

She managed to send one into a spin before the remaining Galden managed to regroup. Order restored, the Galden Security rushed toward Teria as one.

That was when Tirinia sped through the group from behind, Justice in hand. With a few well-placed jabs, she managed to disable another two spinners before stopping just behind Teria.

As the remaining spinners regrouped, Teria hopped off the spinner onto Tirinia's chaser, wrapping an arm around her sister's waist as she continued firing her stolen weapon.

Revving the engine loudly, Tirinia shot into the group again amidst a hail of energy fire, damaging a few of the enemy spinners but not disabling any. Of course, as Teria suspected, that wasn't her goal.

Zooming past the spinners, Tirinia guided the chaser into the deeper part of the forest, Teria's chaser automatically following shortly behind thanks to Jyle's programming. The entire group followed as well, which meant Mikaen and the rest of the group were in the clear.

Teria hopped onto her chaser and pulled up beside her sister. "Let's see if we can't separate them a bit."

Teria veered away from Tirinia's path, leaning forward. As the safety harness reengaged, the chaser's speed increased greatly.

From the blips on the radar, the spinners were miraculously keeping up. No doubt they had activated their boost systems to avoid losing her.

"Yeah?" said Teria, "Well, let's see how you like this!"

Lifting her chaser's front hover array, Teria drove up the trunk of a fallen tree. Using it as a natural ramp, she flew through the air, and soared straight through a small opening in a dense cluster of tree branches.

As she suspected, her pursuers followed her up the ramp. Four of the three made the jump, but the last clipped thick branches around the opening and crashed into a nearby stream.

Sitting up again, Teria fired the energy rifle behind her blindly until the ammo cell was depleted and tossed the now-useless weapon away. Although she didn't hit any of the spinners with the energy blasts, the thrown weapon hit one of the Galden in the face and made him veer into the spinner beside him.

The final spinner swerved around the other two and sped forward. Apparently, whatever procedure had been restraining them so far had just given out; he drew his rifle and opened fire.

A stray blast caught Teria's chaser in the side thruster. Although the other thrusters automatically compensated for the lost speed (Teria thanked the Creator that Jyle had been more careful designing his chasers than the Galden), she slowed considerably … so abruptly, in fact, that the final spinner zoomed ahead of her. As it fell back, Teria leapt from the chaser and tackled the rider.

Teria and the Galden fought furiously for control of the spinner, but their strength was evenly matched.

"Let go, you stupid cat!" the Galden shouted, still struggling to remain in his seat.

Teria opened her mouth to retort when she noticed a large stump directly ahead. Without another word, she leapt free and hit the ground rolling.

The spinner hit the stump with an ugly crunching sound and fell to the ground. The soldier, on the other hand, kept going for about twenty feet before falling to the ground and eventually smashing into a tree hard enough to make Teria wince.

Teria stood up and brushed the leaves off out of her fur, muttering, "You win, big guy."

Her ears twitched as she heard the approach of another spinner. She quickly hid behind a tree and waited until she saw the glimmer of the suns reflecting off his front panel.

With what she hoped was an intimidating war cry, she leapt out from the tree, hit the rider full in his chest, and tackled him off his vehicle to the ground.

"Agh! Teria?! Do you mind?"

Teria's eyes went wide. She had just tackled One.

She leapt to her feet and helped him up. "Sorry, 'bout that, One. I thought you were a Galden."

"Yeah, I get that a lot." One brushed the dirt from his clothes. "You okay?"

Teria shrugged. "Do I look like I'm in trouble?"

One glanced back at the column of smoke rising from the wreckage of the spinner, then turned his gaze on the damaged turbine of Teria's chaser idling nearby. "You want an honest answer?"

Teria pursed her lips and put her hands on her hips. "Yeah, well, I stopped 'em, didn't I?"

The unconscious Galden let out a groan, as if to answer her. One raised an eyebrow at Teria.

"Ah, don't worry; he'll be back on his feet in no time." Teria waving off-handedly at the fallen pilot.

"And Tirinia?"

Teria snapped her fingers, and ran to where her chaser was idling. One followed, and after a moment, began poking around the damaged thruster with Headache.

"Tirinia?" Teria asked through the intercom, "You okay?"

"Just shook the last one; he's going to be stuck for at least an hour. You?"

"My last admirer just made out with a tree." Teria glanced over to see One's response, but he was still tinkering with the thruster.

"Damn idestan tech." He muttered. "I don't know if I can fix this."

"Can't you just make the parts …" She waved her hand around for a moment. "… coalesce or appear or something?"

"Not if I don't understand how the part is built. At best, the part wouldn't work."

"And the worst?"

"The incomplete part could make the chaser explode. Like I said, idestan technology isn't exactly my forte." One sat back, scratching his head with a metal hand. "Probably shoulda done some research on that, now that I think about it."

"Teria?" Tirinia asked from the chaser's intercom. Teria hurried over to respond.

"My chaser got damaged," Teria glanced at One, an idea popping into her head. "Go ahead and regroup with Mikaen. One and I'll find another way in."

One looked at her sharply.

"Are you sure?" Tirinia asked.

"Yeah, I'm sure; I'll just slow the rest of the group down. Don't worry; we'll meet up inside Ronisgald."

"Okay, Teria. Be careful … and One?"

"I'm here." One said, flashing an annoyed glare at Teria.

"Take care of my sister, okay?"

"Don't worry about it."

"Promise."

One let out a resigned sigh. "I promise I'll take care of Teria … now get moving before you get Mikaen worried."

Teria put her hands back on her hips as One shut off the radio. "Shall we?"

"Shall we what?" One asked, his eyes narrowing.

"Well, I don't know how to get into Ronisgald so you're gonna have to bring me along with you. You did promise, after all."

"I promised to keep you safe, and sneaking through the air ducts isn't even close to safe." One crossed his arms, a stubborn look in his eye.

She put her hands on her hips. "Oh, so you'd just leave me here to get caught and tortured by the Galden? Gee, some protector you are." As One opened his mouth to object, she turned away. "No, that's okay. I understand. I'm sure you've got more important things to do … like your new girlfriend."

Glancing back, she felt a twinge of satisfaction at the sudden look of guilt on his face.

"We haven't … I've only gone out with her once." he said, his cheeks quickly turning red.

"Sure." Teria said, deliberately elongating the one syllable word.

His cheeks quite red, One let out an exasperated sigh. "Fine. I was going to split from the group when we got inside the Hub anyway. You can tag along."

She leaned toward him and asked, "See? That wasn't so hard."

The kiss was automatic. On his cheek, of course; still, she couldn't help but feel a little boost of happiness at the slight smile he was failing to keep off of his face.

Teria started to get back on her chaser, but One stopped her. With a wave of his hand, the chaser revved up and shot back toward Ircandesta.

"Just in case any more Galden are following us." One started toward his chaser, but Teria beat him to it.

She hopped on and revved the engine for a few seconds before looking back at him. "I'm driving. You sit behind me."

She could tell he was considering it. Muttering something beneath his breath about power conservation, he gingerly sat behind Teria.

"You're going to fall off if you don't grab something. Put your arms around my stomach."

A sly smile crossed her lips at One's telltale hesitation. She put the chaser in reverse and made it jump backwards. As One fell forward, he reflexively latched his arms around Teria's bare stomach.

Before he could let go, Teria hit the accelerator. One held his grip, but Teria could feel his skin grow hot. Grinning ever wider, she said, "This is gonna be just like old times!"

"I'll have to take your word for it." One replied through clenched teeth.

13: Chapter 13 - The Front Door

Privates Biggs and Wedge stood guard over the main lift to the Ronisgald Hub. Well, one of them was standing guard; Biggs stood straight and at attention, his eyes open for any signs of unusual activity. Wedge, on the other hand, was leaning against the side of the elevator, his arms crossed and his weapon hanging around his neck.

"Nice of General Darcones to let us have this post, huh?" said Wedge, his usual cheerful grin plastered to his face.

Biggs snorted. "I'm just grateful he didn't have us both shot when we showed up in our underwear."

"Are you kidding? Didn't you see him laughing? You worry too much!" Wedge slapped Biggs on the shoulder.

Startled, Biggs jumped, throwing his energy rifle in the air reflexively. Wedge laughed as his brother struggled to catch his weapon.

From behind a nearby brush, Mikaen whispered, "I don't believe it. It's Biggs and Wedge!"

"You're kidding!" Jeronem peeked over the bushes. "Wow! It is them! What are the odds?"

Seeing everyone else's blank stare, Mikaen added, "They were the guards we knocked out at the edge of the ravine. It's the same two guys, I'm sure of it."

They watched as Wedge used the hilt of his energy saber to scratch his back while continuing to bicker with Biggs. Mikaen knew he could take them both out easily from where they stood, but somehow, he just couldn't bring himself to hurt them; they reminded him of a couple of rascally knight scrubs back home.

His gaze fell to Tirinia. He knew she was still worried about her sister. Mikaen wanted nothing more than to comfort her, but now wasn't the time.

"I'm fine." She said in response to his thoughts. "One promised, and he's never broken a promise."

Mikaen squeezed her hand and gave her a reassuring smile. "I'm sure you're right."

"Mikaen!"

Mikaen winced at the loudness of Jeronem's mental voice. He knew the young vuestan was only speaking to them, but it still made him feel uneasy to hear someone talking at a normal volume when there were guards nearby.

"Check it out!" Jeronem was hunched over one of the nearby tree's root, where a series of vines covered with small red flowers grew.

Mikaen knelt down and moved to pick one, but Jeronem stopped him. "Watch it! One whiff and you'll be out for an hour!"

"Sleep dusters." Mikaen whispered.

Jeronem nodded. "Indeed. I saw a few sprigs here and there on the way, growing like weeds. Just as well; I was kinda wanting to replace what we used back at the ravine."

"Careful!" Tirinia warned as Jeronem reached for one, his other hand clamped over his nose.

Mikaen glanced over the plant and spotted a couple seed pods that looked ripe. "Say, Jeronem; you any good at druidic magic?"

"I was 'good' at it when I was eight. Now I'm fantastic. Why?"

"I think I have an idea."

"Say, Biggs … you remember the Enya sisters, right?"

"Do I remember the only other two kids in our neighborhood besides us? Of course I remember them. We grew up together."

Wedge continued, "Jasmine has a crush on you, you know."

Biggs let out an exasperated sigh. "Don't start. I have enough on my mind right now. Besides, I know you and Heather are already close."

Wedge closed his eyes and sighed happily. "Yeah, I guess we are … but you know how it is; she won't go anywhere without her sister, which means I need another guy to go out with us."

Biggs didn't reply. He looked annoyed.

Shrugging, Wedge said off-handedly, "Of course, you don't like girls from Longshore, so …"

"I never said that." said Biggs indignantly.

"Then it's because she's fional."

"Of course not!"

"Then why not?"

"I just-"

"-just don't like her? C'mon, man, I've saw you looking at her before we left. What's the real reason?"

Biggs didn't reply. After a few moments, Wedge shrugged and said, "Fine. You don't like her. I get it."

A few more moments passed before Biggs finally admitted, "I do like her. I have since school, you know that. It's just, you know, with this whole army thing …"

"Hmm?" Wedge looked at his brother expectantly.

Sighing, Biggs asked, "What if something happens to us? I can't even begin to imagine how it feels for a bonded Shoran to lose a mate. I don't …"

"You don't what?" Wedge pressed.

"I don't want to make Jasmine cry." Biggs answered, his cheeks red. "There, I said it."

"Is that all? You big softie!" Wedge laughed, drawing a dark look from Biggs. "Come on, man! Nothing's gonna happen to us. I mean, what are the chances that someone will try to break into this lift? There hundreds of other lifts spread out all over the continent, not to mention all the ventilation ducts. I mean, if you were sneaking in, you'd use one of those, right?"

"I suppose you're right." Biggs admitted.

"Tell you what. Darcones said he'd give us some leave in a few weeks. How about we go back to Altier and take Heather and Jasmine out on a date. Nothing serious!" he added quickly, "No soul-bonding or whatever it's called … just a nice night on the town. How about that?"

Biggs lowered his rifle. "Are you sure they'd be up for it? I was kind of dismissive to Jasmine last time I was home."

"Ah, I already told her you were stodgy. Heather told me Jasmine's been talking about you since we left."

"Really?" There was a definite hopeful note in Biggs's voice.

Wedge held out his arm. "Look for yourself."

Biggs took a hold of his arm, and read the screen embedded in his brother's gauntlet. When he looked up, his cheeks were slightly red.

"So? Can I tell the Enyas that there's a double date in their future?" Wedge asked, smirking.

Biggs opened his mouth to reply when something started moving through the bushes.

Biggs and Wedge had their rifles trained on him instantly. "Halt!"

A soldier of the Security Force Border Patrol rushed through the brush, his uniform smeared badly with dirt and his helmet cracked. The recognition software in Biggs's and Wedge's helmets informed the two guards that the soldier was Lieutenant Carmine Alder of the Ronisgald Border Control.

Biggs and Wedge lowered their weapons and saluted. "Lieutenant Alder!"

"What? Nevermind … I need to get through immediately."

Biggs moved to help him, but Alder shoved his arm away, saying, "Look, six chasers just mowed down my entire team! I think that sentient guy from Ircandesta was leading them!"

"Mikaen?" said Biggs disbelievingly, "Did you see which way he was heading?"

"Straight here!"

Wedge scoffed. "Here? This is one of the main entrances to Ronisgald! You'd have to be some kinda idiot to-"

Alder grabbed Wedge by the front of his uniform. "He's on the way right now!"

Biggs, momentarily at a loss of how to separate a superior soldier from his brother, pushed the two apart.

Letting out a deep breath, Wedge activated the lift doors. "Go on ahead. Biggs and I will keep an eye out until backup gets here."

"Thank you." Alder gave the brothers a weak salute as the elevator doors opened.

Within moments, tiny vines began poking from the seeds Lieutenant Alder had dropped at their feet.

Biggs was the first to notice what was going on, but by then it was too late. The vines shot up both of their bodies, binding their arms and legs to their sides and effectively gagging them. As Wedge fell against the wall and Biggs hit the ground with a plop, tiny red blooms appeared all over the vines.

With a soft popping sound, the blooms burst open, each flower releasing a puff of sleep-inducing pollen. Biggs and Wedge struggled for a few more seconds before their muffled yells became snores. The vines released their prisoners, and settled on the ground, digging roots under and around the sleeping Biggs and Wedge.

Lieutenant Alder poked his head back out of the elevator. "Huh. It worked!"

Mikaen stepped out from behind the nearby thick bushes. "You sound surprised."

"Well, maybe not surprised. I am impressed though." As the illusion surrounding Jek vanished, he turned to Jeronem and gave his hair a good tousle. "Not bad, little guy!"

Jeronem scowled. "Stop calling me little!"

Mikaen knelt by the sleeping soldiers to relieve them of their equipment, taking care not to disturb the sleep dusters. As he knelt by Biggs, he whispered, "For what it's worth, I hope it works out with Jasmine."

14: Chapter 14 - Technobabble

Private Vicks of the Ronisgald Security Force was beginning to wonder if he was losing his mind.

Vicks was a bright young soldier who had recently been transferred to Hub security. It was an easy job, if a bit hard on the feet; Vicks's route alone took well over six hours on foot. Still, Vicks had heard stories: stories about guards going crazy from lack of stimulus, stories about guards being dragged to the bowels of the Central Core by machines, and most horrifying of all, guards being ambushed by superiors checking to see if the new guy was following procedure.

Vicks was sure the more experienced soldiers were just messing with him; he had finished his basic training a full year earlier than most of his classmates, and was already in line for a promotion. He knew that some members of the Security Force thought he was just a know-it-all brat, which was exactly why he had accepted the transfer to the Hub in the first place. He wanted to prove he could handle anything. Now, however, he was beginning to wonder if he had been a bit fool-hardy.

There it was again! It sounded like footsteps, but from where? He ran up and down the corridor at least a dozen times already, but the only thing he ever found was one of the little robots that seemed to live in the Hub. That little machine's tiny pincer legs couldn't possibly have made the footsteps he was hearing.

Private Vicks clutched his rifle nervously. The idea of an invasion of Ronisgald was ludicrous, what with all the security fields and safety measures and the armed security force at every possible entrance, not to mention the surface patrols.

The footsteps started again, much closer this time. Perhaps it was the reverberation off the metal corridors of the wall, but it sounded like there was more than one source.

"Stay focused." Vicks breathed, "It's all in your head."

This time, however, the footsteps didn't stop; they grew closer and closer, louder and louder until it sounded as if a whole army was approaching.

"S-stay …" Vicks's mind went blank with terror.

The footsteps abruptly stopped. Vicks waited a few moments before wiping the sweat from his brow. Just as he chalked it up to nerves, something hit the ceiling panel directly above him with enough force to make the metal bulge toward him.

What little courage Vicks still possessed fled like a frightened mouse confronted with a tiger; with a wild scream, he legged it down the corridor as fast as his legs could carry him.

Moments later, the ceiling panel was knocked from its moorings. One hopped through the opening, his boots hitting the damaged ceiling plate with a harsh clang.

Glancing around for a moment, he looked up through the hole he had made and said, "See? I told you there wasn't anything down here."

He caught Teria easily as she leapt from the duct. As he set her down, she muttered, "I'm sure I heard someone."

"Nervous, perhaps?"

Teria replied with a dismissive snort. "Yeah, right."

Still, as One hammered the plate back into the ceiling as best as he could, Teria couldn't help but feel a surge of excitement; they had slipped past the supposedly advanced security of Ronisgald. She couldn't wait to get back home and brag about it to her hacker friends.

Stepping back, One asked, "You think anyone will notice?"

Teria glanced up at the ceiling panel. The center still bulged inward from One's repeated kicks, and the edges all looked as though someone had knocked the panel back into place with a sledge hammer.

Glancing at One, Teria asked, "Can't you Dreamer it back to the way it was?"

"Eh, I suppose." With a wave of his hand, the plate returned to its original condition with a loud wobble.

Cocking her head to the side as she looked at the repaired plate, Teria commented, "Somehow I expected it to be flashier."

"It takes more power to make it flashy. There's not much of a point, if you ask me. I'd rather save the strength for something big." Glancing at the display on one of his Headache units, One pointed down the right corridor, saying, "This way."

As they started walking, Teria asked, "Y'know, I think that's the first time I've seen you use your Dreamer magic."

"It's not magic," One replied, keeping his eyes on the corridor ahead, "Our abilities are linked to the dream realm. There's the flashy stuff, sure, but for the most part it's perspective kinda stuff."

"Perspective kinda stuff?" said Teria with a laugh, "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Perspective is pretty much what makes the Dream realm, there are dozens, hundreds, even thousands of different perceptions for everything. That's why cities that were destroyed or renovated still exist as they were concurrently in the dream realm."

"Huh?"

One stopped and scratched his head for a minute. "Say there's a town called Blue from my time that was destroyed and rebuilt as the city of Green when you were born. If I was a dreaming norm, I'd see the town as Blue, while you'd see the town as Green."

"Actually, I see the town as being a white or brown." said Teria, smirking.

One chuckled. "Cute. You get the idea though."

"I guess, but what's that got to do with Dreamer ma … er, abilities?"

"Well, with practice, anyone can use their perception to alter their dreams. Lucid dreaming, they call it. Dreamers like me have the ability to do the same thing in the mainstream. I want an apple, I imagine having it, and bam! There it is. I have to be careful, though; sometimes the results can be hard to predict. I might end up with a rotten or unripe apple if I'm not careful. Two once ended up with a handful of applesauce, though I'm not sure he wasn't just goofing around."

"I think I get what you're saying. Are there any limits?"

One slowed his pace. "Well … yes. You're not going to tell Tirinia this, right?"

"Of course not." Teria said honestly.

""Cause if this ends up on the weave, I'm gonna be upset. Unless she says it came from Narrator Number Two."

"Cross my heart, hope to die. C'mon Glen, tell me!"

One stopped walking and turned to Teria. "Our powers need dreams, specifically energy from the dream realm. Using dreamer abilities essentially creates a small hole in the barrier between the dream realm and the mainstream. The bigger the change in the mainstream, the more dream energy we need to pull it off. Pull too much, and the hole gets harder to close. Pull way too much, and it might even cause a breach … and trust me, you don't want the Dream Realm to start leaking into the mainstream; it gets messy."

"It sounds messy." Teria admitted as they continued walking. "How do you fix it?"

"Constantly. All of my ability to alter the dream realm goes to fixing the hole. It's an automatic thing, we're not sure why. Unfortunately, if it's something really big, fixing the breach can keep them from doing anything else for days, months, years even depending on the triggering effect. We call it being 'normed'."

"Has that ever happened to you?" Teria asked curiously.

"A few times." One admitted. "Usually heat of the moment kind of things. I got stranded on a world called Illyanda for forty years once."

"Forty years?!"

"Don't remind me." Shaking his head, One said, "That's why I really don't like to use my Dreamer abilities unless I just have to. Getting dependant on something like that's nothing but trouble."

He stopped abruptly. "Sometimes, though, there isn't much of a choice."

"Halt!"

Teria turned to see three Galden guards staring at her and One through the sights of their energy rifles. She started to hold her hands up when One said, "Hand me an electro-spanner, sis."

She turned, and that was when she realized her tail was gone. She brushed her hand against her backside and felt rough denim. A quick glance down showed her that she was now Galden and wearing a green tube top and a set of overalls.

"Sis?" One, now wearing a red shirt and overalls, was poking around inside an open wall panel. He glanced at her curiously, saying, "The electro- … oh. Hello there officers."

"Show me your identification!" The lead soldier barked.

One tossed two laminated cards to the soldiers, saying, "Glen and Tia Gineros, IT Support and Maintenance."

While the guards looked over the cards for a moment, Teria crossed her bare arms over her chest. Despite her clothing, she felt oddly naked without her fur.

The guard eventually nodded and handed the cards back. "Identification verified. What are you working on, Tech?"

"I got reports that some of the Hub-to-Surface lifts are randomly going up and down since the last thunderstorm. I'd have been on it sooner, but someone thought it'd be fun to screw around with the traffic systems in the Kelshira District."

"Understood. Our border patrols have sighted possible spies heading toward Ronisgald. Just to be safe, I'm going to leave a security soldier to ensure your safety."

"That won't be necessary, sir," One said nonchalantly, "I'm almost done here."

"I'd rather not take the chance." The leader nodded toward a rather shaken-looking Galden. "Private Vicks, stay with them and make sure they get home once they've finished their work.

"Y-yes sir!" Private Vicks replied, sounding as though the very idea terrified him.

As the group left, Teria asked, "Now what?"

"Now will you please hand me that Electro-spanner? I'd like to get this fixed and get back to Kelshira before we're invaded or whatever." One gave her a wink, pointing at the tool specified.

She picked it up and handed it to him, snickering. "Whatever you say, bro."

"Will this take long?" asked Private Vicks once the other soldiers were out of earshot.

"Nah, not really." One replied, "You in a hurry or somethin'?"

"Aren't you worried about the invaders?"

"Not particularly." One twisted the last wire of the console into place, linking it with Headache. The display screen flipped out, showing a map of Ronisgald. "Check this out."

Teria and Vicks both leaned toward him as he continued, "Internal map of the Hub. See, we're right here. Now watch this;"

He tapped a few of the buttons on the screen. Instantly, a series of dots appeared all over the map. Most were green with small bits of writing saying who they were: technicians and soldiers mostly. A small group of dots, however, were bright red. They were labeled, "Unable to identify".

"See?" One said, "The intruders are on the other side of the Hub, well away from us."

Vick's face went pale. "We need to report … wait, what about these two?"

He pointed at the map, apparently unaware that the point indicated was right where he was standing.

"Eh, I wouldn't worry about them. Teria?"

Teria gave the soldier a sharp rap in the helmet with a large wrench. He fell to the floor instantly.

Hefting the wrench, Teria asked, "What do you use a wrench this big for, anyway?"

"Comic relief, mostly." He glanced down at the display. "Huh. They're splitting up."

"What?" Teria grabbed his arm and pulled it so that she could see the display. "Why are they splitting up?"

"I have no idea. Maybe something came up. Still, if we can sense them, so can anyone else who's looking." He tapped on Headache's control panel for a few seconds. The red dots promptly vanished from the map display. "There; that should keep 'em safe for a bit. Let's get this guy into a supply closet or something."

They found a maintenance closet not too far away, filled with brooms, mops, and the faint smell of industrial cleaning chemicals.

"Will he be okay in here?" Teria asked.

One grinned at her. "You're worried about a Galden?" Seeing her scowl, he laughed. "I'm kidding; he'll be fine."

As the door slid shut, One smashed the control panel with a heavy fist, rendering it useless.

"There. That should keep him stuck for a few hours."

Teria looked at One curiously. "How do you know he won't be there for days?"

"Ronisgald maintenance is pretty quick; there's probably a horde of skrievers heading this way right now. Hold still for a sec, and I'll get you back to normal."

With a wave of his hand, Teria's form returned to normal. She swished her tail around a few seconds, relieved to have her own body back.

"Okay, " He said, his clothing turning back into his usual blue jeans and green-and-gray striped shirt, "Next stop; Kelshira district."

He had barely taken a few steps before Teria grabbed his shoulder. "Kelshira? We aren't meeting back up with Mikaen?"

One regarded her with a raised eyebrow. "Awfully inquisitive today, aren't you?"

"You want me to hit you again?" She gave him a smile that she hoped indicated she was only slightly kidding.

"We're going to the Kelshira District so we can hack into the mainframe at the Security Force's HQ and figure out what the Revs are up to, just in case Angela proves to be less than helpful."

Teria nodded approvingly. "Good thinking."

"Besides, I have to find the portal device the Revs used to get here. There should be some record of it in the Security Force's Mainframe."

They continued walking for a few moments before One's words made it through Teria's brain. She stopped immediately and grabbed his arm. "Wait, what was that about a portal?"

"Mikaen's portal." One said, "It's how the Revs got here. My guess is Mikaen made it too close to a Rip and now the magical energy is keeping it open. Look, I'll explain along the way."

"You'll explain now!" She said, anger seeping into her voice, "I'm not going to let Tirinia lose her one good chance at being with one of her own kind on a Dreamer's whim!"

"Her own kind? I thought she was tigreth."

She stared at him a moment. "How could you not know?"

"Not know what?" One asked, looking legitametly perplexed.

"Tirinia's not tigreth."

One's eyes widened. "What?!"

Teria nodded. "We overheard our parents talking about it when we were young. I'm their only real daughter; Tirinia was left in their care as a baby. They said she was a sentient."

"Beratian, I'm guessing." One said, feeling a bit dazed. "Explains why she looks tigreth. She having wing pains yet?"

"She hasn't said anything yet, but her twenty-third birthday is next month."

"Gineros hits between twenty and twenty-five years depending on the tribe." Shaking his head, One said, "Look, I'm here to destroy the portal device … you know, to keep him from going through? The Elsewhere doesn't have a record of where the damn thing is, so I need to get to the Security Force HQ to find it. While we're there, we can look for info on the Revs. C'mon. We need to keep moving."

Neither spoke for the entire trip. When they reached the elevator, Teria strode inside without as much as a backwards glance.

"This shouldn't take long." One told her.

Teria was very careful not to give any sign she was listening: no twitch of an ear, no audible reaction, not even the barest of glances. She knew One; this 'silent treatment' would bug the heck out of him until he finally told her everything.

She was right.

"Look, I'm sorry I didn't tell you." One said, apparently unable to take the silence anymore, "I just didn't want you to get all worried. I know you've been concerned for Tirinia. I really intended to pull the plug on the machine then move straight on to finding out about the Revs."

"Okay."

The look on One's face made it clear that wasn't the answer he expected. Teria had to make a real effort to keep herself from smiling as One fidgeted awkwardly for the rest of the ride.

When she wasn't able to resist the urge to chuckle, One asked, "What?"

"Just thinking about the old days. You really haven't changed a bit, you know."

The doors chose that moment to open, and Teria took the opportunity to walk past the flustered One.

15: Chapter 15 - The Kelshira District

Teria let out a low whistle. "Damn … now that's impressive."

The Kelshira District, the second largest biosphere of Ronisgald, lay before them. Smooth skyscrapers and brightly-lit roads covered the ground, curved up against the natural curve of the biosphere, and lined the distant ceiling, hazy from the vast distance but still faintly visible. Floaters were flying almost everywhere, giving the city a strange metropolitan feel.

The light of the city came from a strange orb that hovered near the center, radiating both light and darkness. At the moment the entrance of the city was bathed in daylight, but the light was already beginning to wane.

Looking around, One said, "Strange. I know Ronisgald thinks it's all big and bad, but you'd think they'd have a few guards at the entrance."

"They probably don't think intruders could get this far. Security watches the simmersill bays, sure, the direct lifts for the most part, but if you come from the Hub-"

"-it's pretty much assumed you're supposed to be here. Gotcha."

Teria rubbed her hands together, "Okay, so where to first?"

One checked Headache and pointed almost straight up. "See that big building right there?"

Teria strained her neck and squinted. "The one with the saucer on the top?"

"Yup. After you."

The lift doors slid shut behind them. Deciding it would be in their best interest to not hang around, they started toward the distant building.

"Should we get a taxi?" Teria asked as they started walking down to street level.

"Do you have any shards?"

"That'd get me there, but what about you?"

One made a face at her. "Funny."

"No, funny is making you carry me." She leaned against him and batted her eyes at him. "Please?"

"Get off." He said, pushing her away playfully. He tried to hide his smile, but Teria's eyes were faster.

The crowd was mostly Galden and Shoran, with the occasional idestan and Cleftan. Most people didn't even give One and Teria a second glance, even with Headache still on One's arms.

"I thought your people hated each other." One asked as they walked along a busy road.

"Nowadays, it's mostly just the older people and impressionable youngsters." She told him. "I mean, look at that." She pointed to a Galden man walking hand in hand with bunny-eared woman. "The Galden nearly wiped out the fional during their initial assault on Longshore. Doesn't seem to be bothering them too much, does it? In fact, it apparently didn't bother her parents either."

"I don't understand."

She gestured at the couple again, saying, "Look at her ears; see how they're long and floppy? Galden genes. She's part Galden."

"I thought Shoran genetics were always dominant."

"Oh, she's fional. Her kids and her kids' kids will still retain most fional traits, even if she dumps him for another fional."

"Huh. I didn't know that."

Teria snorted. "Everyone thinks all Shorans are the same. We let 'em, seeing as that means they think they're all like the tigreth or the lupere."

One had dealt with the lupere before. Evolved from ancient canines, the lupere were known for their strength and skill. They made up the brunt of the Shoran army, and weren't shy about reminding people about it.

Teria suddenly made a beeline for a nearby store window. Seeing her tail start swishing, One muttered, "You've gotta be kidding me. Teria!"

"In a minute." She was looking at a set of clothes in the store window. Glancing down at her own clothes, she said, "Shoran style kinda stands out, don't you think? I need some new threads."

"We don't really have the time to-" One said, but she was already halfway through the door.

"I'll be back in a second." She promised before the door shut behind her.

Sighing, One shook his head, muttering, "Figures."

"Excuse me?"

One turned to see Luck glaring at him, her hands on her hips.

"I, uh … I just …"

Her face broke into a smile. She threw her arms around him and gave him a kiss. "Just kidding, sweetie. Whatcha up to?"

One gestured at the store. "Well, we were on our way to hack into the security mainframe, but Teria decided that she wanted to go shopping instead."

"Ah, everyone likes to go shopping now and then. It's not just a girl thing either, no matter what Two says, and shame on you for thinking so. You could use some new threads yourself."

"What?" One replied in a tone of mock horror, "And lose the stylish combination of green and gray? That's where I get my strength!"

Luck giggled, running her hand along one of the green stripes across One's chest. "Yeah, you're right. I probably wouldn't even recognize you in a different shirt."

Breaking away reluctantly, she said, "I wish I could stay, but I'm in the middle of something myself."

"An assignment?" One asked, intrigued.

"Nah, more of a babysitting thing. Speaking of which, I'd better get back." She gave his hand a squeeze. "I'll catch up with you at the Elsewhere later, okay?"

As she started to turn, One picked her up and gave her a bear of a hug. "What? No kiss goodbye?"

Smiling, she wrapped her arms around his neck and gave him a long, passionate kiss.

"Ahem."

One and Luck turned to see Teria glaring at them. She now wore a sky-blue halter-top with a silk overshirt and a pair of loose-fitting dark red pants.

One set Luck down, whispering, "I'll see you later."

She gave him a final kiss on the forehead before vanishing.

Feeling a bit embarrassed, One let out a polite cough and said, "So, ready to move on?"

On the other side of the district, Tirinia, Jek, and Lieutenant Rena Sakamota were walking through a nice suburban neighborhood. The residential section had a much more comfortable feel to it than the urban mess Teria and One were passing through. Although there was the occasional apartment complex, most of the buildings were simple one or two-story homes with wide grass lawns.

"Reminds me of home." Tirinia said, feeling a little homesick.

Rena glanced at her. "You originally from Longshore?"

Tirinia nodded before she remembered herself. Fortunately, Rena didn't seem bothered by it.

"I hear it's nice there. I'm originally from Wenapaj myself. It's a nice enough place, but King Iniagus …" Rena chuckled. "I suppose I don't have to say anything else, huh?"

Several children ran up to them as they walked through the area, mostly just to gawk at them. A little girl with blond pigtails ran up to Tirinia and started walking along.

"Where ya goin'?" she asked, peering up at Tirinia's face.

"Official Security Force business." Tirinia replied, ruffling the little girl's hair.

"Kyrie!"

The little girl turned toward a nearby house, where a Galden woman was waving. Seeing Tirinia looking back, the woman's face went pale. "Kyrie, come inside this minute!"

"Okay, mom!" Turning back to Tirinia, the girl said, "I gotta go. Good luck, miss!"

"They're afraid of us." Tirinia said, her keen eyes seeing every worried line of the woman's face as the girl ran into the house.

Rena let out a sigh. "Everyone thinks the General kicked Triumvate Jures out of office to give the military more power."

"Did we?" Jek asked.

Tirinia surreptitiously punched Jek in the ribs, but Rena didn't pay them any attention.

"I honestly don't know. A few months ago, I wouldn't have thought it possible, but …" Glancing around, Rena asked, "Did you hear about the incident in Ircandesta?"

"No. What happened?"

"An entire division was sent over here to acquire some kind of ancient technology. Sounds like something out of the Calliban Chronicles, doesn't it?" Rena shook her head. "I've been a loyal member of the force for almost five years; I'm due to be promoted in a month's time. I've trusted General Darcones's judgment up to now, but even I'm starting to wonder what's really going on."

Shaking her head again, Rena said, "Bah. Don't listen to me; my husband, Hugh, he's a scientist when he's not spewing out conspiracy theories. I guess I've picked up a few bad habits. I hate to see how our children will turn out." With a sigh, she added, "If we ever have any."

Tirinia naturally wanted to ask what was wrong, but one look at Rena's face made it clear that it was a personal matter she did not wish to discuss.

"How about you?" Rena said as they continued toward the power plant, "You're a pretty young thing; I bet you drive the boys wild."

"I have a fiancé." She said, thinking of Mikaen. The gentle pulse of his thoughts comforted her.

Jek sighed. "I don't. Weird, huh? You'd think with my grace and charm the ladies would be lining up."

Rena let out a good-natured laugh. "I pretty much thought I'd end up an old maid before I met my husband, in a Glyche ruin, no less. Trust me; you may not see it coming, but sooner or later you'll find your soul mate."

Conversation came to a halt as they drew near the power station. It stood out starkly against the rest of the district; a massive building that would've looked more at home in the urban area of the district.

As they neared the entrance, the doors opened revealing a large Galden whose face seemed strangely familiar.

"Sergeant Jures." Rena saluted. "Lieutenant Sakamota, reporting for duty with Private Soleil and Private Biggs."

Tirinia and Jek saluted as well. The man returned the salute, his gaze stopping on her for just a moment. Tirinia recognized him after a few moments, though the relevation was a bit of a shock; he had led the remnants of the Galden troops after the Breath of Fire's activation.

"Glad you could make it." Sergeant Jures said at last. "Come on in and join the party. You lot can help protect the core."

He pushed the doors to the plant open and waited for them to enter. Careful to keep her eyes straight ahead, Tirinia walked past with Jek behind her.

The outside of the power station was impressive, but it was nothing compared to what was within. Glowing lines of energy covered the walls and floor, pulsing gently every few seconds. Technicians worked silently on glowing diagnostic panels that sprang to life at their approach.

Most impressive of all, however, was the power generator in the center of the facility. Machinery of the like Tirinia had never seen before surrounded a massive orb of finely polished crystallic, lifestream energy radiating from the smooth surface like steam from a hot pan. Each time the stream radiating from the orb reached a certain density, a metal arm would sweep by, pulling the excess energy into itself. At any given time, this 'harvesting' was being done in at least a dozen spots around the giant orb.

Rena smiled at her. "First time here, eh?"

Tirinia swallowed and nodded. The heartstone known as 'The Eye of the Solarion' provided power to her hometown of Rhyios, arguably the largest city in Longshore, and it was scarcely the size of a kyon. She could only imagine how much power the Galden power core could produce.

"Well, don't worry." Rena continued, "There hasn't been an incident of stream poisoning in years."

Snorting, Jek muttered, "That makes me feel MUCH better."

As they drew near the core, Tirinia noticed the energy shield. The slight tint in the air was barely perceptible; she doubted that a Galden would even have noticed.

"Okay," Rena tapped the side of her helmet, saying, "We've reached the Core, sir."

"Good." Tirinia jumped at Kevin's voice coming through the earpiece in her helmet. "Okay everyone, we've got every entrance to the power core covered. That, coupled with me and my team guarding the outside, should prevent any more incidents. Stay sharp, and we can prevent any more accidents."

"Accidents?" Jek asked as Rena lowered her hand.

"Yes, accidents." replied Kevin's voice, obviously startling the idestan prince, "Like part of the power grid overloading and causing explosions throughout the city. Yesterday, it was Henning's street in the Nelsin district. Fortunately; most of the residents were at work or school."

"Most?" Jek asked.

"Best not to dwell on it, soldier."

"Sir!" Tirinia asked, trying to push her growing concerns aside, "Do we know anything about who's been attacking the facility?"

"I'm sorry, who is this?"

"Private Maria Soleil, sir."

There was an uncomfortable moment of silence. Tirinia winced, almost certain that she and Jek had been discovered.

"Well, Private Soleil, so far whoever's been screwing with the power stations has managed to stay out of sight of the security cameras. All we know is that whoever it is has the ability to siphon off some pretty impressive amounts of stream."

"Sir," Rena began, biting her lip, "They say Blue Impulse-"

"Blue Impulse is one of the good guys." Sergeant Jures said sharply, "He wouldn't do anything that would result in the deaths of innocents."

"Yes sir. I'm sorry, sir."

"We don't know what we're up against, so everyone stay sharp just in case."

They took up positions around the core and began to wait. Her and Jek's investigation halted, Tirinia turned her thoughts to Mikaen and the others.

"Stay safe, sweetie." She whispered, clutching her rifle a little tighter.

16: Chapter 16 - Cheers

Narrator Number Two tapped his glass impatiently. It was still too soon for Wong to return to brag about how he had 'helped' One, but Two couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong.

"Somethin' bugging you, pal?" Sam asked, polishing a glass with a clean towel.

Two snorted. "He's an idiot."

"Beg your pardon?"

"One. He's my friend and all, but when you really come down to it, he's just as much of a goody two-shoes as Teach."

Sam chuckled. "Worried about him?"

"Teach can go stuff himself."

"No, I mean about One. You've been partners for what? Four-hundred years?"

"Five-hundred and twenty-three years, ever since I brought him to the Elsewhere." Two took a deep pull from his tankard. "We've done some good work together. Granted, he did more than I, but still …"

"What's got you worried?" Sam asked, leaning against the bar. "I mean, if anyone can take care of himself, it's One, right?"

"Yeah, I suppose so."

"Then there's nothing to worry about!" Sam nodded at Two's glass. "Hang on a sec; I'll fill 'er up."

Two shook his head and began to ease himself off the bar seat. "No thanks, Sam. I think I'm gonna go watch a movie or somethin' to get my mind off this mess."

Shrugging, Sam said, "Suit yourself, you're worrying about nothing. One'll come through; he always does."

"I suppose so." Two started to walk away when an odd thought floated to the surface of his mind. He stumbled back to the bar and asked, "Say, Sam, you know Alan, right?"

"Alan Tryth? Of course. He stops by every now and then."

"D'yknow his middle name starts with a 'T'?"

Sam shook his head. "Can't say I did. What's it stand for?"

"Dunno. Hoped you did."

"Sorry."

Shaking his head, Two took the nearest door, which at that time lead to an escalator. That was good, as Two's vision was a bit blurry at the moment from Sam's potent ale. Two didn't have to experience intoxication being a Dreamer and all, but sometimes the world looked better when it was just a bit fuzzy.

One was always sticking his neck out and being a hero, even when he was supposed to be sticking to the sidelines and leave it to the norms. Two couldn't see how One did it; he supposed there was some absurd pleasure in helping others, but working just to feel that cathartic release … wasn't it still a bit selfish? And what the heck was Alan's middle name?"

"Tyson?" suggested a voice.

Two shook his head. "Nah, Alan's not a Tyson kinda guy. Maybe Trevor, or …"

A few of Two's brain cells managed to bang together loud enough to divert his attention to the fact he was no longer alone. He turned his blurred vision to the boy behind him and asked, "Why the hell're you?"

"I'm an old friend of One … and of you. Call me Mixe."

Two couldn't remember having a friend named Mixe, but he was far too tipsy to admit it. "Ah, good ol' Mixe! What're you up to these days?"

"Oh, not much. One still doing the good-guy thing, eh?"

Snorting, Two said, "Yeah, same as ever. Can't say I understand why; I mean, it's not like he's winning a prize or somethin'."

"Oh, come now, Two. Deep inside, you know as well as I do that he's just that kinda guy."

"What kinda guy?"

"A good guy. The kind of guy who helps people, not 'cause he has to but because he wants to make the mainstream a better place."

Two snorted. "Waste of time. Mainstream's just a buncha crap anyway."

Mixe shrugged his thin shoulders. "Perhaps, but wouldn't it be a worse place without him?'

"Yeah. I'd miss the sap if he got himself offed." Two sniffed. "Poor One."

Mixe hopped off the rail. "If you want to go help One, why don't you go have a talk with Mister Alan T. Tryth?"

"Alan? Alan Tryth? What's he got to do with all this?"

"He keeps a record of everything. Surely there's something that'll help in his archives, right?"

"Hey, yeah! Thassa great idea!"

"Excellent." Mixe hopped over the escalator rail and began riding it back toward the Bar. Before he vanished from sight, he called out, "Tyrone?"

"Not a chance." Two called back, grinning.

By the time Two reached the top of the escalator, he had managed to quell his inebriation. Unfortunately, that meant he was able to see the door to the Arcade in all its neon glory.

He considered going back down the escalator, but that meant another five minutes back to the Bar and however long it would take to find a detour … and that's if he didn't end up in one of the bad gray rooms.

Then he remembered that he had sent Wong to 'help' One. Seeing as Two, Wong's 'bestest' friend in the world, had asked Wong a favor, the excitable fellow was no doubt fast at work on 'helping' One and therefore not at home.

A loud victorious shout from within the Arcade quelled Two's hopes in an instant. With a sigh, he pushed the doors open and walked into the Arcade.

Wong was in his face in an instant. "Two! Come see!"

Wong grabbed Two's hand with a surprisingly iron grip for such a thin fellow. Before Two could even think to respond, Wong was tugging him through the Arcade.

The young Dreamer had excellent hand-to-eye coordination, not surprising seeing as he was a gamer. He could squeeze through the smallest gaps between the machines and turned corners that most people wouldn't have even noticed. Unfortunately, he forgot to take the somewhat larger Two into account. Oh, Two made it through the same gaps and turns, but where Wong made it through without so much as touching the walls or arcade cabinets, Two felt as though his entire body had been squeezed, crushed, and compacted.

When they finally stopped, Two tore his hand away from the Wong and leaned heavily against a nearby arcade cabinet as he caught his breath.

Wong pointed to the screen, saying, "See? See that? Isn't that awesome?"

Two peered blearily at the screen of the arcade machine. "That's it? You dragged me over here because you got a high score?"

Wong goggled at him. "What do you mean 'that's it'? This is King of Fighters. This game's harder than hard is on a hard day in January when the ground's iced over and all hard and stuff."

"All right, all right." Two said. "It's very impressive. Did you go screw up One's assignment yet?"

Wong gave him a quizzical look. "I thought you wanted me to help him?"

"Oh, right. So did you finish helping him already?"

"Well …"

Interpreting his response correctly as 'No, not at all', Two groaned. "Damn it, Wong! I thought you wanted to prove yourself!"

"But I do! I really do! I went down there to help, but Luck told me she had everything in hand."

Two gave him an odd look. "Luck's down there?"

"Yeah. She said something about making sure Mikaen got sent home I think."

Anything further from Wong was lost as Two grabbed him by his shirt collar and shouted, "WHAT?"

"R … hu … guh …"

"Mikaen can't go home!" Two shouted, oblivious to the fact that he was effectively cutting off Wong's ability to speak. "If Mikaen goes home, One's going to follow him, and if One follows him, Teach is going to kill me!"

Dropping Wong to the floor, Two ran a hand through his hair, his mind working overtime.

"Tryth…" he said to himself, "Alan will know what to do."

As he rushed toward the nearest cluster of doors, Wong pulled himself from the ground and hurried after, calling out, "Wait for me, Ni-san!"

Two's mind raced as he found a door he was pretty sure lead to the Office. Teach had said that One would be in danger if he went back to Earth; if keeping Mikaen home was the key, why was Luck now trying to send him home? Did she know something that Teach didn't?

He scaled the spiral staircase with record time … well, record time for Two, anyway. As he stood in front of the door at the very top of the stairs, a small pang of fear shot through his heart: he might be too late.

He slammed open the simple oak door and shouted, "Alan!"

I looked up from my desk, startled by Two's loud arrival. It had been ages since anyone had come to visit me on my floor, and to my knowledge, Two had never even been to the Office previously.

He rushed toward my desk, saying, "Al, I need help; Teach says One's in trouble and-"

Two, so intent upon reaching me, had neglected to look where he was going and tripped over a massive stack of paper filled with information regarding Max's work on the world of Illysia.

"I just finished sorting those!" I said irritably, waving my hand at the mess. The papers formed a neat stack behind Two. They were unsorted, but at least they weren't all over the place.

There are stacks of papers all over the Office: hand-written notes, diaries, journals, a few history books I borrowed from Teach, printed out text files, non-printed out text files (the sight of glowing computer icons amid the stacks has always been disconcerting; I'll have to ask Max how to make a folder some day), and more. All are important, and are exactly where I need them to be. Every desk, every table, and almost every chair (I have to sit somewhere) is covered with my work.

Setting my pen down, I hurried toward Two and helped him to his feet. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah. Sorry about your stuff, but it's important. It's about …"

"Hi! I'm Wong!"

I glanced interestedly at the young Dreamer. Actually, that's not really a true statement, as Wong was quite old at the time.

Extending my hand, I said, "Wong Fo-lee, isn't it? I just finished the draft of your back-story."

Wong cocked his head to the side as he shook my hand. "Back-story?"

"That's what Dreamers call what we did before we were Dreamers. I must confess, I found your history quite the interesting read, if a bit hard to uncover."

"His history?" asked Two, looking perplexed, "You mean we didn't just pick him up out of some asylum?"

I chuckled, shaking my head. "This is Wong Fo-lee, the man who saved time."

"I took a bus." Wong added, grinning wide.

I chuckled again. "Very true. However, I'm pretty sure that's not why you came to see me. What's this about One?"

"He's in trouble … I mean, I think he is. Teach said he was in trouble. Apparently, if One and Mikaen go back to Earth, One's gonna …"

"Whoa, whoa, WHOA!" I said, holding up my hands, "Back up for a moment! This Mikaen wouldn't happen to be Sir Mikaen of the Knights of the Star, would he?"

Two smacked Wong in the arm. "I told you he'd know something!"

"I'm helping!" Wong said cheerily.

Shaking my head, I muttered, "Here we go."

"What?" Two asked, raising an eyebrow at me.

"It's not important. Please, follow me." I started walking, motioning for my two visitors to follow.

As I said before, there is organization to the mess that is my floor. How could there not be? Every pile, every stack, every crowded bookcase represented considerable dedication on my part. Unlike my brother Dreamers Teach and One, however, the books on my floor cover a very specific subject: the Elsewhere Incorporate. On my floor, you can find out anything about any Dreamer if you know where to look. In One's case, this was in and around an old gerbil cage, the previous resident having vacated some decades ago.

"Okay," I said, sifting through the pages, "I know it's here somewhere."

I could feel both of their eyes on me as I dug through the mess and eventually procured a large unmarked tome.

Two eyed the massive book suspiciously. "What is that?"

"Active manuscript." I told him, "It's the continuing story of One … not only what's happening, but what's going to happen. It updates in real time so any changes are shown instantly. It only goes a few weeks either way, of course, and lacks the personality of my work, but it's a good reference."

"Well, what I'm looking for is why Luck is involved."

I laughed. "I hardly need a book for that; she's his girlfriend. Of course she's involved."

"But Teach said sending Mikaen home would eventually get One killed!"

I gave him a look of mild curiosity. "Since when have you listened to Teach?"

Two's mouth hung open.

I peered through the book for a few moments, reading up on what was to come. "According to this, Mikaen isn't going home anyway."

"Let me see that!" Two grabbed part of the book and peered at the pages.

I snatched the book back. "Don't rough up my work! I can't speak for Teach, but I tell the truth. Besides, you don't need to read it to know One's going to live."

I flipped to the end of the book, where a half-finished page was writing itself. "If he was truly going to be killed, which I remind you is a near-impossibility for a Dreamer, the text would not continue writing."

Two let out a sigh of relief. "That makes me feel much better. Thanks Alan."

Wong peered over the edge of the page. "Can I see?"

"Certainly not." I told him, closing the book and putting it back in the stack, "We are all entitled to our privacy."

"That didn't stop you from reading it a moment ago." Wong chimed in.

"Only a small bit," I said calmly, "and only because One's safety was concerned. Now, unless there was something else you needed, I really need to get back to my work."

"Thanks, Alan." Two grabbed Wong by the back of his shirt, saying, "Say goodbye, Wong."

"Goodbye, Wong!" Wong called out as Two dragged him from the Office.

Chuckling at the inanity of the newest member of the Elsewhere, I headed back to my desk … well, the desk I had been working at before Two and Wong had arrived.

I stared at what I had been working on: a brief account of the events stemming from Fate's quick stop at the world of Glathos. It's an interesting little story, but ultimately irrelevant to this tale. With a wave of my hand, I sent the entire stack flying through the air to rest on the top of an inactive computer monitor.

Creating a fresh stack of paper with one hand and calling One's active manuscript to me from the pile, I muttered "I'd better go ahead and get started."

17: Chapter 17 - Villainy

After about an hour of walking through the Kelshira District, One and Teria stopped at a small fast-food restaurant called Iniagusburger. They had considered taking a taxi, but the taxi service required Ronisgald IDs that neither of them possessed.

"I'm not sure if I'm in the mood for Wenapaj food." Teria said skeptically as they sat down at one of the cafe tables.

One shook his head, looking a bit winded. "I just need a sec to rest."

"Nocturnes, you really are tired, aren't you?" Teria tutted at him. "That's what you get for goofing off in the Elsewhere Mansion for so long."

"Yeah, I guess you're right." One admitted. "I keep meaning to get some exercise, but ..."

One stopped talking as a serving lady wearing a royal purple robe and an obviously fake red mustache approached them. "Can I help you?"

"Sure." Teria fished out a few shards and handed them to the waitress. "A couple of Iggy-colas?"

The serving lady stuck the shards in her mustache, which quickly absorbed them. "I'll be back in a moment."

Once the lady was gone, Teria suggested, "I could try to hotwire a floater."

One waved her off. "The last thing we need is more attention."

"You make it sound like I was gonna screw up." Teria pouted.

The server returned with their drinks. "If you want anything else, just give a shout, okay?"

As she walked away, Teria and One sat on the bench, their eyes on the street as they sipped and gulped at their drinks respectively.

"Y'know," She commented, leaning back and kicking out her legs, "This place ain't as bad as I thought it'd be."

"How so?" One asked.

"I dunno. I guess I grew up thinking that Ronisgald was nothing but technology. I thought the whole nation would be just like the Hub, but just look at this place. It just seems so peaceful." Teria took another sip of her drink and let out a sigh.

One abruptly straightened, his eyes catching on something. "Maybe not."

Teria set down her drink. "What is it?"

"Straight across the road, third alley to the right."

Teria's eyes darted to the street he had indicated. A kid no older than thirteen was walking toward an alleyway, unaware that within waited two shady men who looked ready to pounce.

One stood up, calling out, "Hey, kid!"

The kid stopped, mere feet away from the alleyway.

"Yeah, you! Come here a sec!"

The boy immediately bolted down the street, the two shady men following moments later.

"Son of a …" One readied Headache and rose to his feet.

Teria grabbed his arm, hissing, "What are you doing?"

"I can't just sit here while that kid gets jumped." One replied as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

She started to argue, but One was already running after the boy and the muggers. Sighing, she muttered, "Great."

Teria quickly caught up with One as they continued closing the distance between themselves and the shady men chasing the boy. As the boy and the men ducked into an alley, Teria knew they didn't have much time to waste and sprinted past One.

She turned the corner just in time to see the larger thug grab the kid by the throat and lift him off the ground.

"Sorry, kid." The other thug said, grinning, "Our orders were quite specific about what to do if we found anyone poking around. No hard feelings."

"Head's up!"

Teria's foot caught the thug in the back of the head, startling him enough to make him drop the boy. Before the thug could recover, Teria slammed a fist into his solar plexus with enough force to raise the poor fellow off of the ground. As he gasped for air, the other thug approached Teria from behind, brandishing a knife.

Teria caught the thug's hand and gave it a sharp twist. With a cry of pain, the thug dropped the knife to the ground. The thug tore away from Teria's grasp and came about swinging. Teria batted his flailing fists aside with ease and countered with a solid punch that sent the thug flying into a nearby garbage can.

The first thug was back on his feet. Roaring like a wounded lion, he rushed at Teria with murder in his eyes.

Teria leapt over the man's hulking form, pausing only to kick off of the fellow's head. By the time he turned around, Teria was already airborne. Her foot smashed into the man's face with a painful-sounding crunch that sent the thug reeling backwards. With a final, well-aimed jab to the chin, the large thug fell to the ground in a daze.

Something hit the wall behind her with enough force to send bits of plaster flying. She turned to see One with his Headache-clad arm aimed at the second thug, who was still looking at his hand confusedly. A small energy pistol was pinned to the nearby wall with a thick metal rivet.

"Now, now." One said, his eyes glinting dangerously. "Let's keep this civil, shall we?"

The man reached into his coat pocket, but soon found Teria's claws at his throat.

"I wouldn't try that if I were you." She hissed in his ear.

"This doesn't concern you." The thug said, his eyes darting to the prone body of his partner.

"Yeah, I get that a lot." One approached the remaining thug, Headache still at the ready. "Now are you going to take your friend here and get lost, or am I gonna have to do some persuading here?"

"You're bluffing!" despite his words, there was a definite note of panic in the thug's voice.

Almost lazily, One ripped a brick from the nearby wall and crumbled it to dust with one metallic hand. He flicked the remaining thumbnail-sized piece at the thug, hitting the fellow square in the nose.

"I have orders!" The thug said, clearly shaken.

"Orders?" Teria asked, surprised, "Who orders a thug around?"

"A bigger thug." One's narrowed. "You're with the Revs, aren't you?"

"I ain't no Rev!" the thug squealed, "I just work for 'em!"

"Yeah, I know a goon when I see one." One continued to approach the thug until he was mere inches away. Resting the exposed muzzle of the rivet driver on the thug's head, One said, "I'm gonna give you some advice; the Revs are nothing but trouble; stay far away or you'll get crushed with them. Understand?"

The thug nodded quickly, though he probably would have nodded if One had asked him if he were Cleftan.

"Good. Now take your friend and get lost."

Teria released the thug, who quickly grabbed the arm of his dazed friend and pulled the stumbling fellow out of the alleyway.

"By the Creator, you hammed that up." Snorting, Teria turned to One. "Overacting much?"

"Just trying to give him a good scare. It worked, didn't it?"

Shaking her head, Teria walked over to where the boy had been hiding during the fight and hauled him to his feet. "You okay, kid?"

He tore away from her grasp, not surprising considering what had happened to the last person Teria touched. "Who in Noxturnes are you people?"

"I'm Narra-" One stopped abruptly as Teria's elbow dug into his right side. "Er, Glen. I'm Glen. This is my sister, Tia."

Staring at the guy, he asked, "Your sister's tigreth?"

One and Teria exchanged glances.

"Would you believe I'm adopted?" One asked, a sheepish grin on his face.

His fear fading fast, the kid replied, "Not really."

Letting out a sigh, One said, "I'm a Dreamer of the Elsewhere Incorporate, and this is Daughter Teria Myssohn of Longshore."

The kid looked at the both of them for a long moment before bursting out into laughter.

"Hey!" One and Teria objected immediately.

The kid shook his head, still laughing. "Next time, just stick with the adoption thing."

Rolling his eyes, Teria said. "We don't have time for this, One. The kid's safe. Let's get back on track."

"Yeah, I guess you're right." Turning back to the kid, the man said, "Take it easy and avoid alleyways, kid."

The kid grabbed One's metal hand. "Hang on! You knew about the Revs! How?"

One raised his eyebrows at the kid. "It's a long story. Then again, I'm a Dreamer; it's always a long story with me. Question is, how do you know about the Revs?"

"Look, my name's Cid Hacker. I'm a tech by trade, but I specialize in debugging software and cleaning up computer networks."

"You found out about the Revs while troubleshooting computers?" Teria asked, raising an eyebrow at the boy.

"No. Sorry; in my free time, I'm a freelance hacker."

'Cid Hacker the hacker." One said, shaking his head. "Cute."

Cid continued, "I've been doing some digging for a buddy of mine. Someone's been stealing from every bank and credit union in the district. It's always small amounts; a few shards here, a couple there … most people thought they were careless with their finances. Well, I did a trace on all the funds, and found they were being funnelled to one of the accounts held by the-"

"Let me guess;" Teria said wryly, "The Celestial Cathedral."

Cid looked at the Teria suspiciously. "How in Nocturnes do you know that?"

"Did a little digging myself." Teria turned her head, revealing a shiny datajack on the back of her neck.

"Oh, you're a hacker too!" Cid said with obvious relief. "Well, I dug around in the Church servers for a bit, and that's when I found …"

"… that a mysterious group of off-worlders calling themselves 'Revs' are masquerading as monks and priests of the Celestial Cathedral." One said matter-of-factly.

Cid's mouth fell open.

One chuckled and clapped Cid on the back. "Relax, kid; they're why we're here."

"But how do you know about them?" Cid asked, "I've got a first class avatar on the weave, and I was barely able to hack the church's server!"

"I have my sources." One said mysteriously.

Snorting, Teria said, "Don't mind him; he's a Dreamer. We know about the Revs because the dolt who tried to pilot that dragon-mech in Ircandesta was wearing a Rev insignia pin."

"The dragon-mech?" Cid asked, still looking a little suspicious. You mean the Breath of Fire, right?"

"Yeah, the Breath of Fire." One said "We're here to find some definite proof that the Revs are behind the accident in Ircandesta."

"Proof? What kind of proof?" Cid asked, suddenly excited.

One shrugged, "Validated video files, a few snapshots of the jerks dressed as monks, that sort of thing. We need proof that the Revs are here before the Council can do anything."

Cid looked at the two of them for a long moment before finally nodding. "They have another dreadnaught."

One stared at Cid. "Another one? And you've seen it?"

"I found a few pictures in the database; it looks like a big white wolf."

"With flame markings, right?" When Cid nodded, One let out a sharp laugh. "Hot damn, it's the Okami!"

Without waiting for a response, One turned to Teria. "This is perfect, Teria! If we grab the Okami and bring it back to Muonsol, I can prove it's from Earth-"

"-and the Council will have proof it needs to act!" Teria finished excitedly. "It's perfect, but what about the portal and Mikaen?"

"Damn. I forgot about that." Glancing at Cid, One asked, "Have you found anything about how the Revs got here in the first place?"

Cid shook his head.

"Cyber-cripes." One muttered, scratching his head. "I can't be in two places at once."

He looked at Teria. "What do you think? The proof or the portal?"

To say Teria seemed surprised would be an understatement. "Wha … me? You're the Dreamer!"

"You wanted me to involve you more. Well, consider yourself involved."

Teria appeared to think about it. "We don't have any idea where the portal is or where to look for it, other than the Headquarters of the Security Force. Of course, we don't know where the Okami is either."

She glanced curiously at Cid. "Do we?"

Perking up, Cid said "I didn't have a chance to finish decrypting the information yet, but if I had access to the computer core in the Security Force HQ, I think I'd be able to break through the encrypted data."

One and Teria exchanged glances.

"It's too convenient." he said, shaking his head.

She punched him playfully in the arm, saying, "Oh, come on! We were gonna sneak in anyway. This way we can get the info we need and still have time to snatch up the Okami. Hey, it couldn't be any harder than the time we snuck into the Junkyard."

"I guess not, but I doubt Riike'll just look the other way after what happened last time." A sharp pang in his head made One stop short. "Rikke, galden living in Ronisgald, had a weird thing about spoons."

"You remember?" Teria asked, tentatively touching his arm.

"We built a glider for the Glyche Circuit." One said as old memories slid back into place. "But we never got to race; we used the glider to save …"

"Yes?" Teria pressed.

Sighing, One shook his head. "I'm sorry."

Cid looked between the two of them with a cautious expression. "Is everything okay?"

"It's fine." Shaking his head, One asked, "So you need the Security Force's mainframe. Do you have a way into their headquarters?"

"You kidding?" replied Cid, "Who do you think they get to run maintenance on their systems every week?"

One, Teria, and their new friend Cid started toward the Galden Security Force Headquarters just as Mikaen and Jade passed from the Hub into the Central Core corridors.

Every now and then, a skriever or two would pass them, chittering softly. Jade assured Mikaen that they were harmless, but Mikaen couldn't help but be apprehensive; the sound of the pincers running across the metal floor was unsettling.

He knew it wasn't the skrievers that had him on edge; he was anxious about meeting Angela. Back on Earth, the idea of a fully intelligent artificial life form was just a pipe dream, the leftover whisperings of pre-Devastation technology. The most advanced A.I. he had ever encountered had been in an old video game. The way both Alex and Jade spoke of Angela sounded almost reverent. Mikaen wonder just what kind of a machine … no, what kind of a person she would be.

Jade glanced back at him. "You've been awfully quiet."

"Just thinking." Mikaen replied, smiling at her. "All this advanced technology almost makes me wish for the good old days."

She chuckled. "Yeah, right. Running from the Revs, fighting off creatures from the Rips, Jyle chasing a new girl every week, and you and Maria fighting one minute and acting like a pair of love-birds the next … er, no offense."

"None taken."

"The good old days." She breathed wistfully. "I miss it too sometimes. Ronisgald is nice, but I miss Nevada."

"I miss Syrin too." Mikaen said, understanding what she meant. "I hope she's doing okay."

Shaking his head, Mikaen chuckled. "Can you imagine how she'd react to what's become of all of us? I mean, me a sentient, Jyle the leader of an entire country. Heck, all three of us happily married or close to it."

She didn't respond.

Feeling awkward, Mikaen let out an awkward cough. "I'm sorry."

"No, it's okay." Jade let out a sigh. "I just wish he'd be a little more serious."

"You want to talk about it?" Mikaen asked gently.

She waved it off. "It's nothing. I just …"

Mikaen waited patiently for her to continue.

Letting out a frustrated sigh, Jade turned around to face Mikaen. "I mean, he disappears from Ronisgald for weeks, then just shows up out of the blue as though nothing happened. I asked him about it, but all he tells me is that some dragon went on a rampage. I know Kevin's a child at heart; that's part of why I married him. Still, he's always worrying me like that ... okay, well maybe not exactly like that, but you get the idea."

"This Kevin," Mikaen began, a sinking feeling growing in his chest, "He wouldn't happen to be part of the Security Force, would he?"

"Yeah, he's a sergeant. You'd think that'd make him a bit more responsible. I mean, seriously … a dragon? This isn't Earth! There aren't dragons flying all over the place."

"Oh, lord." Mikaen muttered.

Given the chaos surrounding the incident with the Breath of Fire, it was unlikely that Kevin would recognize Tirinia … at least, Mikaen hoped it was unlikely. Kevin had seemed a nice enough guy, but he was still a member of the Galden Security Force.

He was still thinking about it as they turned a corner and walked straight into a small detachment of the Security Force.

For a long moment, both groups looked at each other in silence. Mikaen had just enough time to wonder if he could attempt some kind of deception before one of the soldiers shouted, "There he is! Get him!"

"Uh, Jade?" Mikaen glanced aside only to find her gone.

His hand inching toward Truth, he muttered, "Figures."

Two of the soldiers heads were suddenly smacked together hard enough to make Mikaen wince.

As they fell to the ground, the third soldier whirled around and shouted, "Halt!"

Mikaen clubbed him in the head with the flat of Truth. As the soldier fell to the ground with his compatriots, Jade reappeared in front of Mikaen, hands on her hips.

"Figures?" She asked, giving him a sharp look.

Mikaen shook his head. "Sorry. Too many Dreamers in my life."

"Dreamers?" She shook her head. "Nevermind; let's hurry to Angela before we run into another patrol. We're not far now."

They hurried down the corridors. The Security Force patrol hadn't presented much of a problem, but there were plenty more out there.

Jade stopped abruptly in the middle of a corridor. "We're here."

As Mikaen opened his mouth to ask where 'here' was, the wall began to move. What was once a perfectly smooth wall began reshaping itself into a massive door. It wasn't like the lifting of illusion from the Seed's office; this was literally the wall becoming a door.

"Jade," Mikaen asked, watching as a long crack appeared in the center of the door, "Just how advanced is Angela?"

The door slid open. Jade stepped aside, saying, "Why don't you ask her yourself?"

Mikaen's jaw dropped as he stepped into the room. He now stood in a massive chamber, much larger than even the Cygros's throne room; ten Breath of Fires could fit in the room easily and still have room left for a Final Fantasy or two.

It wasn't the size of the room that stunned him; rather, it was what was floating in the center of the room: a massive orb of shining metal and glowing leylines. At least ten rings of increasing size spun around the orb, some moving so fast they were little more than a blur, others barely moving at all.

The core was surrounded by a glowing blue platform that extended straight from several outer points, presumably more possible doors. Beneath the translucent platform, Mikaen could see the sloping metal floor of the room leading to a large hole directly beneath the Core.

Mikaen tapped his foot on the glowing platform hesitantly; he wasn't sure what was beneath that hole, but he definitely didn't want to find out the hard way.

Jade brushed by him. "Quit being a baby, Mikaen."

Shaking his head, Mikaen followed Jade across the platform. To his immense relief, the platform was as solid.

"Angela," said Jade when they were standing on the edge of the platform directly in front of the core, "This is Sir Mikaen of the Knights of the Star."

A beam of light shot from the core and engulfed Mikaen. He tried to grab Truth, but his body moved at a snail's pace.

"Interesting." A woman's voice whispered in his ear, "You've a strong will, my new friend. Your alarm is unwarranted; I mean no harm."

"Then … why?"Mikaen managed, his mouth moving as slowly as the rest of him.

"I have to take precautions. I watch over millions of lives, not unlike this 'Syrin' you regard so highly. Relax your mind, and I promise to make this as brief as possible."

"It's okay, Mikaen." Jade told him. "She can be trusted."

Jade's trust was not won easily, that much Mikaen knew first hand. With a mental sigh, he stopped resisting. Images began flashing across his mind: his adventures on Vinta, his time with the Knights (a brief image of Maria brought with it a pang of remembered loss), and those first confused moments after he woke up in bridges.

The memories didn't stop, however; a jumble of images rushed over him: a city beneath the ocean, a sentient couple that he had never seen before standing over him, a woman in a black cloak picking him up.

As Angela's beam released him, he let out a gasp, his mind awash with pain.

Jade was at his side in an instant. "Mikaen! What's wrong?"

"I-I don't …" He clutched his head. "I saw something from before Bridges."

"You mean before the Devastation?" Jade's eyes went wide.

"I don't know." Mikaen slowly stood, his head still throbbing but at least manageable. "Nelva told me there was nothing to remember, but … I think I just saw my parents."

He tried to picture their faces again, but the images had already slipped from his mind.

A glowing hand touched Mikaen shoulder, distracting him from his thoughts. Mikaen looked up to see a pretty woman in her mid-thirties smiling kindly at him. Her entire body was as translucent as the floor, though tinted purple instead of blue.

"Hello, Mikaen. It's nice to finally meet you. I'm Angela."

18: Chapter 18 - Blackal Suon

"Anyone else bored?" Jek asked, having apparently grown tired of twirling his energy pistol like a gunslinger.

Tirinia, perched up on the top of a nearby console, let out a sigh. "Me."

"Me too." replied Rena as she spun idly in her chair. "They say it's the waiting that'll kill ya."

Glancing at Jek, Tirinia considered just incapacitating Rena and continuing on their mission. As much as she wanted to finish their mission, she couldn't bring herself to do it; Rena seemed nice, and if she were injured because Jek and Tirinia had knocked her out, Tirinia would've felt horribly guilty.

Tirinia swung her legs over the side of the console. "This isn't exactly how I pictured spending my time as a member of the Security Force."

"It can't all be combat and honor." Rena laughed. "I know it's got to be tough, being a tigreth and all."

"And what's that supposed to mean?" Tirinia asked, a bit ruffled.

Rena replied, "I'm just saying that tigreth are a lot more active than the Galden, that's all."

"Longshore's a big place." Tirinia said defensively. "I mean, there's all the other tribes: fional, lupere, tauren, the sourian-"

"You know," Jek commented idly, "There's a theory out there that Shorans are the only species truly native to Vinta."

Now it was Rena who was bristling. "What about the Galden? For that matter, what about idestans?

"Well, according to the theory, the idestan and the vuestan peoples were both descended from the elvari, who were brought here by the sentient tribes. The Galden, on the other hand, are supposedly descendants of the Glyche, and-"

"We are NOT descended from the Glyche!" Rena snapped, angrily.

Tirinia couldn't blame her for responding with anger; the Glyche had caused quite a bit of chaos thousands of years in Vinta's past. Although pretty much all Vintan technology was based on what the Glyche left behind, the Corruption was definitely a dark period in Vinta's history that no one was likely to forget anytime soon.

Jek raised his hands, saying defensively, "Hey, I didn't say it was MY theory. My dad was talking about it with Seed Gelanis the other day."

"Jek!" Tirinia said before she could stop herself.

Before Rena could respond, a shudder ran through the facility.

"What in Nocturnes?" Jek said aloud.

Rena activated her radio and asked, "Is everything all right, sergeant?"

When the radio responded, the sound of laser blasts made it hard for Kevin's voice to break through. "It's not terrorists! It's not …"

"Sir!" Rena said after the static broke, "What's attacking the facility?"

"Blackal Suon."

Tirinia thought it just a garbled communication, but Rena's face went as white as a sheet.

"Ready your weapons!" She said, quickly moving behind a console, "Take up flanking positions, but stay out of sight! If he sees us, we won't have a chance!"

Tirinia looked at her rifle a moment; much like Mikaen, she was more accustomed to one-on-one fighting than projectiles.

Rena looked at her as though she were mad. "Didn't you hear Kevin? Blackal Suon's heading this way!"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Jek interrupted. "You can't be serious. Blackal Suon? The comic book character?"

Rena stared at the two of them open-mouthed for a moment. Tirinia had the distinct impression that their cover had been blown. Fortunately (or rather, unfortunately), any further conversation was cut off as the doors to the facility were blasted open. Tirinia, Jek, and Rena leapt for cover as the metal door came hurtling along the floor of the facility, smashing through consoles as it came.

A man floated through the now open doorway, black tendrils of energy whipped around his floating figure as his arms hanging limply at his sides. His eyes were solid black, and his skin was covered with numerous cracks that revealed nothing but more darkness within his body. Just looking at the man-made Tirinia's fur stand on end.

Fortunately, the man didn't seem to notice them. It floated by the three of them without so much as a word, the black holes that were its eyes focused on the glowing power core.

After it passed, Rena stood up from behind her console and opened fire. Her aim was true; the energy burst hit the man right between the shoulders to absolutely no effect. With a wave of the man's hand, a tendril of dark energy shot forward and grabbed Rena by the waist. It lifted her clear from the ground and drew her closer until she was only a few feet away from the man, struggling in vain.

Then the man spoke, his voice a horrible whisper that seemed to pierce the air as though it were a scream. "Did you really think we could be brought down so easily?"

The black tendril slipped around her, binding her hands and legs until she couldn't move.

"Oh well …" The man sighed, a sound somehow worse than that of his voice, "The energy from you and your child will be an appetizer to the feast I shall have on this power core."

Rena's eyes went wide. "M-my child?"

The tendril around her constricted, covering her completely with the same dark energy as the creature. She let out a scream that made Tirinia's hair stand on end.

Tirinia looked at the rifle and saber. Energy weapons weren't going to work against that thing; it would just absorb the plasma energy. Fortunately, she had something else.

Tearing a gash in the side of her uniform with her claws, Tirinia drew Mikaen's Justice. The synchrome blade extended the moment her hands gripped the hilt.

Leaping off the machinery with a grace only a tigreth can possess, Tirinia shot between Rena and the creature and severed the dark tendril with a single swing. As the rest of the dark energy surrounding dissappated, Rena's body fell to Jek's waiting arms.

Tendrils of dark energy raced after Tirinia, but by the time the black strands smashed through the machinery where she had been standing, she was already airborne again.

Years of training with the Muonsol Marauders slipped seamlessly into place as she flew through the air. Dark tendrils continued to shoot toward her, only to get slashed and batted aside as though they were errant kyons. Try as he might, the darkling couldn't get even the quickest tendril past her defense.

Leaping and bounding over the consoles, Tirinia concentrated her energy into Justice like her combat instructor had taught her. As she swung Mikaen's sword, an arc of light burst from Justice and sped toward the dark figure. The beam hit her foe dead center, tearing across his chest and sending him hurtling across the facility. Tirinia hit the ground running, Justice ready to strike the final blow.

A blast of dark energy rocketed from where the figure had landed, narrowly missing Tirinia. Leaping aside, Tirinia landed gently on top of another console, Justice poised at the ready.

"You have strength." said the dark figure, the deep tear in its chest healing before her eyes, "But not nearly enough."

At once, the darkness crawling over the figure began to concentrate over his arm. From its hand erupted a long metal blade covered in runes that emanated an even darker energy.

The effort seemed to drain most of the darkness from the figure, now quite clearly a man. He collapsed, the blade fused to his hand by the emanating darkness.

Realizing that she had only moments to act, Tirinia leapt forward with a swing that would take the man's head off. The man's blade came up as though of its own will, blocking Tirinia's killing stroke.

Before her eyes, the dark energy began to seep back into the man. "Oh, no; I'm not going to make it that easy for you." With a flick of his massive blade, he sent her flying across the chamber.

She caught herself on another console and ran toward the man again. Their weapons met with a mighty clash, sparks flying in every direction.

"What in Nocturnes are you?" Tirinia hissed, the man's weapon edging uncomfortably close.

"I am the darkness that lives in the heart of every being. I am the corruption of spirit! I am Blackal Suon!"

He pulled his blade back for a fraction of a second before swinging again, black energy surging through the blade. As the blades met, Justice seemed to explode, sending Tirinia flying across the room again.

Blinded by the burst of light, Tirinia managed a rather ugly landing and staggered backwards against a machine, her hand still tightly wrapped around the hilt of what remained of Justice.

Blackal Suon was on her in a second, his blade held to her throat. Tirinia's eyes darted to what was left of Justice; her hand was still gripped to the hilt, but whatever Blackal Suon did had left only a foot of blade.

Blackal Suon followed Tirinia's gaze. His eyes narrowing, he said, "Not a chance. No Streamer technique from that sword could possibly hurt me."

He lifted his sword to prepare for the final plunge. That was all Tirinia was waiting for. Rolling aside, she shot another energy blast from the broken blade of Justice. As Blackal Suon had said, no streamer technique from a broken blade could possibly do any damage ... but that didn't mean it was totally ineffective.

The blast engulfed Blackal Suon, knocking him back with the force of a small tornado and giving Tirinia ample time to get back to her feet.

Dropping the broken sword, Tirinia leapt toward Blackal Suon before he could recover. Landing over his recumbent body, she dug her claws into the villain, tearing deeply through cloth and flesh.

The massive blade lashed out toward her, but Tirinia was airborne in an instant, somersaulting through the air and landing gracefully a safe distance away.

Breathing heavily, Blackal Suon said, "You put up a good fight, tigreth. Tell me, what is your name?"

"Maria Soleil." Tirinia replied.

To her surprise, Blackal Suon laughed. It was a horrible sound, especially to a tigreth's sensitive hearing. Tirinia stumbled backwards, clutching her ears. A dark tendril shot through the air and caught her tightly before she could recover.

"Don't lie to me, girl." snarled Blackal Suon, "The good general keeps his beloved quite safe from such as myself."

Tirinia's eyes went wide, mostly because the tendril was constricting around her chest and making it difficult to breath.

As her vision began to fade, she heard someone shout, "Eat this, freak!"

Tirinia heard a shot ring through the air. Her eyes caught on the passing projectile, a spinning disc with a bar in the center. It zoomed past her in a blur of light, followed a moment later by a scream of pain from Blackal Suon. Without further warning, Tirinia was falling through the air, too startled to even flip around.

Someone caught her before she hit the ground. Opening her eyes, Tirinia found herself in the arms of a man whose skin and armor were covered by a series of blue leylines that pulsed in time with those of the facility.

"Who …"

"No time for that now, Miss." He set her down and turned to Blackal Suon. Was it Tirinia's imagination, or did the villain actually hesitate?

"Blackal Suon. I see you've found another host." said the blue man.

Blackal Suon laughed, the sound making Tirinia's ears twitch in pain. "You're starting to get a bit slow. Perhaps your new costume takes longer to don."

The blue man shot forward, little more than a blue blur in the air. With a single swing, he sent the dark villain crashing through a row of consoles.

Blackal Suon pushed himself up, coughing out dark blood. "You've become stronger. Excellent! Perhaps now you'll actually be a challenge!"

The sword dissolved into black energy that quickly rejoined with its host body, cloaking Blackal Suon once again in darkness.

"Come then, hero!" he said, motioning the blue man to attack. "Let's see your new-found strength."

Beams of energy emerged from the blue man's hands as he took a defensive position between Blackal Suon and Tirinia. "Get moving! I'll cover you!"

Without waiting for a response, the blue man forward, blades at the ready.

"Tirinia!" Jek shouted, limping toward the nearest door with Rena in tow. "A little help?"

Tirinia hurried over to him and helped him carry Rena. She was still unconscious, and though she was breathing, her dark skin felt clammy to the touch.

"She's breathing … barely." Jek said, looking worried. "You don't think ... what he said about her child …"

Tirinia and Jek jumped as a burst of dark energy smashed a nearby console into rubble. The fight between Blackal Suon and the blue man was getting fiercer by the second.

"Come on!" Tirinia shouted over the sounds of battle.

As they rushed out of the facility with Rena in tow, Tirinia couldn't help but take a final glance at the blue man and Blackal Suon as they fought in front of the massive power core. Shaking her head, she followed Jek toward the entrance of the facility.

19: Chapter 19 - It Hits the Fan

Back in the Kelshira District, One, Teria, and Cid Hacker were drawing near the Security Force Headquarters.

One was starting to feel really self-conscious about Headache. Although he was used to wearing the modified UBTs for extended periods, the units were a bit on the bulky side. One wondered if he should send the equipment back to the Elsewhere.

He needn't have bothered; as they walked up the steps to the entrance to the Security Force Headquarters, they passed a man with cybernetic arms that stood out more than Headache.

"Yeah," Cid commented, following his gaze, "Ya get a lot of scraps around here since they lowered the price on synium. I thought about it getting an arm or leg upgrade myself, but the jack's enough for me. Where'd you get your arms done, anyway?"

"My arms? Oh, Headache's not cybernetic. See?" The shoulder grip detached, allowing One to remove a Headache unit. He put it back on almost immediately; it felt strange to only be wearing one of them.

Cid seemed impressed. "Exterior augmentation, eh? Made it yourself?"

"Yup." One said with a touch of pride. "I call it Headache."

"Y'know, I've always wondered," Teria asked, her arms stretched behind her head as she walked, "Why Headache?"

"I was trying to cram a fusion unit, a bolt-driver, a magnetic grapple, extensor arms, and strength augmentation into a single unit for working on large-scale projects."

"Like what?" Cid asked curiously.

"Dreadnaughts, space stations, airships, that kind of thing."

Cid snorted. "Airships, huh? Haven't heard someone say airship since my high school class on post-Calliban history."

"I like tinkering with old designs." One said a little defensively.

"Ever work on an airship with an old sailing-vessel's hull?" Cid asked, smirking.

Glaring at him, One continued, "Anyway, I was trying to make a multi-purpose tool for large-scale building. Due to a some faulty wiring and a little impatience on my part, when I activated the prototype, all of the systems just started randomly activating. I tried to disengage the unit, but the locking clamps were stuck. It was a nightmare; for days, I had to deal with enhanced strength randomly kicking in or the fusion cutter slicing whatever I was working on in half. I almost blasted a few cadets when the rivet drivers started acting up. Finally, my best friend, Monkey …"

A sudden spike of pain shot through One's head. It wasn't debilitating, but it was definitely enough to make him stop walking.

Looking worried, Teria asked, "Are you okay, One?"

Nodding, One said, "Yeah, I'm good. Anyway, Monkey finally offered to help me dismantle the thing. Unfortunately, when he started to remove the casing on the power core, the extensor arms activated and sent him flying. I started to help him, but the magnetic grapple activated and caught on the side of the Dream Chaser, another project I had been working on. The electric pulse ran along the wire and jump-started it. It started flying out of the workshop with me still attached."

Teria had to cover her mouth to stop laughing.

One nodded, a dour look on his face. "Yeah, that's just what Monkey said. It took them three hours to catch the Dream Chaser, another two to pry the magnetic grapple off. As if that wasn't enough, when I finally did manage to get the unit off, the extensors activated again, hitting me square in the jaw and giving me a minor concussion."

"Thus the name 'Headache'." Cid said, grinning.

"You got it. Ah, we're here!"

They were now just outside a line of glass doors that lead inside the building.

"Okay," One said as the three of them stared at the doors. "What's the plan?"

"We go in, head up to archives, and use the computer." Without another word, Cid opened the door and went inside.

One glanced at Teria, who simply shrugged. Shaking his head, he opened the door for Teria and followed her inside.

The lobby of the Security Force Headquarters was pristine and orderly. Dark walls blended metal supports, creating an overwhelming sensation of authority to the place. Of course, this was no doubt what the designers intended.

One and Teria caught up with Cid just as he neared the front desk, a gleaming marble slab emblazoned with the insignia of the Ronisgald Security Force. A middle-aged galden woman sat behind the desk, a cluster of screens surrounding her as she typed away at her keyboard.

"Name?" She asked, not bothering to look at them.

"Come on, Barbara! It's me, Cid!"

The screens deactivated instantly. She looked down at Cid, smiling. "Ah, the young Mr. Hacker. Is it time for another system flush already?"

"I had a slot open, figured I'd go ahead and knock it out while I was thinking about it." Glancing back at Teria and One, he added, "Oh, these are my apprentices; Glen and Tia Gineros."

The woman behind the counter beamed at them. "Ah. Married?"

One opened his mouth to answer, but Teria was just a bit faster; she put an arm around One and drew him close. "Just recently. We're very happy, aren't we honeybuns?"

One nodded as best as he could with Teria practically choking him.

The woman chuckled. "All right, you two; save it for your bedroom."

As the woman brought up another console, he managed to wheeze, "Air …"

Teria released her grip a little. "Sorry."

The woman behind the desk handed ID cards to each of them. "Here are your identification cards."

One glanced at his picture on the card. As usual, he was blinking. He looked up to see the woman looking at him, or more precisely, his arms.

"Sir, are those combat-capable?" The clerk asked.

"They've got a few construction tools." One replied instantly, "I'm sure if used improperly they could be used for bad things, but that's not what they were designed for."

"I understand. Still, I have to ask you to turn over your power cores. Security Force policy, I'm afraid."

Cid started to argue, but One cut him off. "No problem; the internal power's enough for this kind of work."

He tapped the sides of Headache together. Instantly, two small capsules filled with blue liquid emerged from the twin units.

One pulled the capsules out and set them on the desk. "Keep 'em safe, okay?"

"Of course sir." She carefully set them inside an insulated container inside a small pneumatic tube system, where they were quickly whisked away.

She handed him a receipt, saying, "Don't forget to stop by before you leave to retrieve your power units, sir."

"Come on." Cid said, motioning for One and Teria to follow, "Let's get to work."

As they walked away, Teria hissed, "What if we run into trouble?"

"If we run into trouble, I'm sure two canisters of crystallic cider won't make much of a difference, though Sam's probably gonna be sore at me."

"Who's Sam?"

"Nevermind."

A nearby elevator opened to reveal several soldiers and a celestial monk. One instinctively started to raise Headache, but Teria stopped him.

"Low profile." She hissed through her teeth, forcing a smile as the group stepped out of the lift.

Neither the soldiers nor the monk paid them any attention. Breathing a sigh of relief, One followed Cid and Teria into the lift.

As the doors closed, Teria let out her breath. "So the Revs are just walking around with the Security Force HQ, huh? I shoulda snapped a couple of pictures with my cell phone."

She took out her phone and stared at it contemplatively.

"Don't think about it." Cid warned, "Every transmission in this building is monitored."

"I know. I'm just worried about sis." Teria slipped her phone back in her pocket.

"Relax, Teria." One said, "Tirinia's most likely still with Mikaen, and you know he won't let anything happen to her."

"Yeah, you're right." Despite her words, Teria let out a sigh. She couldn't help but worry about her sister; One didn't need any Dreamer abilities to know that. He had seen it when they travelled together as teenagers.

"Say, Teria," One said, hoping to get some conversation going. Unfortunately, nothing else came to mind. He wracked his mind for something to talk about, but came up completely blank.

Teria patted him on the arm. "It's okay, One. We all do that from time to time."

Cid started tapping his foot impatiently. "Man, the lifts are slow today. We should've been there by now."

One glanced through the clear elevator walls. Sure enough, the lift was barely past the fourth floor.

Teria pointed at the other elevator as it whizzed through the next tube. "Doesn't seem to be bothering that one."

"Weight limit, maybe?" One wondered aloud.

Cid tapped the 'nearest floor' button. Nothing happened.

"I swear," He muttered, kneeling down beside the control panel, "This system was programmed by a bunch of apes."

One winced as Cid slid a long probe into the datajack on the back of his neck.

His hands worked the console with the skill of an accomplished pianist, his fingers moving so fast that they were little more than a blur. The door slid open in a matter of moments, halfway betwee the fourth and fifth floor.

As Cid unhooked himself from the controls, he said, "There we go. We can hop out when we reach the next floor."

When the floor was level with the elevator, the three of them quickly got out.

One watched the elevator as it continued its slow climb without them. "I wonder what that was about?"

Cid waved it off. "Programmers on government wages. Come on, let's take the other elevator."

As the lift neared them, One commented, "Let's hope this one-"

The lift doors opened, revealing at least ten security force soldiers.

Both groups stared at each other for a long moment.

"Well? Going up?" One of the soldiers asked, sounding impatient.

"Er …" One glanced at the others who nodded. "Yeah."

"Then get onboard. Some of us are on a time table."

Trying to not let his alarm show, One motioned for Teria and Cid to follow and stepped inside the lift.

"What floor?" asked the soldier near the control pad.

"Thirty-four." Cid replied instantly.

With a press of the button, the lift doors closed and they once again traveled upward.

Each lift in the Security Force Headquarters is designed for six people to stand comfortably or ten people efficiently. With fourteen passengers, things were a little cramped.

Whether through design or chance, Teria ended up pressed against One. It was more than a little awkward, as they were literally chest to chest, staring at each other. One could tell from the mischevious look in her eyes that he was in trouble.

"So," she said after a time, "We still going out after work?"

One of the soldiers leered at her. "Dump the scrap, babe. Let a real man take care of you."

"Stuff it, Gal-" she began.

Reacting quickly, One kissed her, cutting off the rest of the word 'Galden'. Her eyes opened wide, but she played along … at least, One hoped she was just playing along.

"Looks like she's already got a real man." One of the soldier's friends said while several other soldiers laughed at their embarrassed compatriot.

The elevator stopped moments later. Thankfully, the soldiers left the lift. As the doors began to close, the soldier who had teased his friend poked his head around the corner, grinning. "Get a room, you two!"

Teria and One released, One's face flushed.

"Thanks for that." Teria said, her eyes darting over his embarassed face.

"Anytime." One said before he could stop himself.

"Oh? Are you sure? I might take you up on that." Teria's hand paused just an inch from his cheek before she pulled it back with a laugh.

As she sauntered out of the elevator, Cid asked, "Does she have a kid sister?"

One pushed Cid out of the elevator. "Just keep walking, Cid."

The hallways of the thirty-fourth floor were typically institutional. White walls, black tile floor, and the occasional artificial plant, all impeccably clean.

A few clerks were walking around busily, barely taking notice of One and the others. A few gave half-hearted waves to Cid, but most just ignored the group altogether.

As they reached a rather nondescript door with a keypad access, Cid pulled out his interface cable. "Keep an eye out for a sec."

As Cid's eyes glazed over, One whispered, "Hey, Teria."

"Yes, dear?" She batted her eyes at him, drawing an annoyed look from the Dreamer.

"Could you focus for a sec? I mean, doesn't this seem a bit too easy?"

Red lights and sirens suddenly filled the corridor.

Teria glared at him. "Nice going, One!"

"I didn't-" he began to protest, only to be interrupted as a group of office workers rushed around the corner.

One and Teria blocked Cid from view as best as they could, but the office workers didn't pay any attention to them; they seemed to be making a run for the exits.

One kept his eyes open for any members of the Galden Security Force, but it seemed like the entire floor was completely vacant.

"I don't like this." One muttered, his metal hands clenching. "Cid, you almost there?"

"Just a sec!" Moments later, the door slid open.

Cid jerked the interface cable out of the door console. "I'm sure I didn't trip anything. Something else tripped the alarm."

"Something else?" asked Teria, her keen eyes darting at every corner.

Cid shook his head. "I don't know. Whatever it is, it's going to make our job easier. Come on; let's get what we came for."

As they walked into the room, Teria put a hand on One's arm.

"Maybe I should go check it out." she suggested quietly.

One raised an eyebrow at her. "Tired of me already, huh?"

A pang of pain shot through his head, making him wince.

The playful smile vanished from Teria's face. "Are you okay?"

He nodded with a little difficulty. "Yeah; sorry. Just had a bit of a headache, that's all. Are you gonna be okay on your own?"

"Never stopped me before." She paused, a slight look of guilt on her face. "I didn't mean …"

"I know." He sighed and nodded. "Go ahead. Just … be careful, all right?"

"Always."

Tirinia watched for any sign of the super-beings as she and Jek carried Rena through the power facility. The entire place seemed to be falling to pieces around them as Blackal Suon and the blue hero fought. It seemed as though the two super-beings were following the three of them.

Tirinia quickly punched the emergency bulkhead release as they passed into one of the corridors leading out of the facility.. As two massive slabs of metal sealed off the way they had come, Tirinia let out a breath and rested against the wall. She was only slightly winded thanks to her tigreth genetics, but her confrontation with Blackal Suon had her heart beating madly against her chest.

Jek fell to his knees, barely able to hold on to Rena.

"Thank the Creator," he wheezed, "I feel like my arms are about to fall off."

Tirinia helped him set Rena down. She looked in bad shape; her face was contorted in pain, and she kept clutching her stomach.

Remembering Blackal Suon's words, Tirinia was worried for both Rena and her unborn child. She only hoped they'd be able to get help in time.

"Who the heck was that?" Tirinia asked when she found her voice.

"Blackal Suon. By the Creator, I can't believe he's real!"

"And the blue man?"

"Blue Impulse. He's one of the good guys." Jek shook his head, muttering, "At least, according to the comics."

"Comics?"

"Yeah. Blackal Suon, Blue Impulse, Ricochet … they have comic books in Longshore, right?"

"Yes, but-"

Something smashed into the bulkhead doors.

"Break's over!" Tirinia shouted, picking up Rena's limp body.

They rushed down the corridor, and not a moment too soon. Blackal Suon smashed through the metal doors moments later, dark energy streaming around him.

As he shot a burst of dark energy toward them, Jek suddenly spun around and caught the dark blast with his guardian gauntled as though it were a kyon. With a flick of his wrist, he sent the energy surging back toward Blackal.

The dark energy caught Blackal Suon full in the chest, knocking him back just as the blue burst of energy that was Blue Impulse shot through the hole in the bulkhead doors. A stream of blue energy shot from the glowing superhero's hands, wrapping around the body of Blackal Suon.

"Let them go!" Blue Impulse hissed through his teeth before jerking the dark villain back. "It's me you want!"

"Why settle for dinner when I could have a feast?" Blackal spun in midair, trying to catch Blue Impulse off guard, but he simply wasn't as fast. Like a burst of light, Blue Impulse leapt over the blow and managed to strike a glancing blow against Blackal's shoulder.

Dark energy spewing from the wound, Blackal said, "Very well, hero. Let us settle this … but first …"

A surge of black energy shot toward Tirinia with frightening speed. Even with her naturally enhanced reflexes, she couldn't react fast enough.

Suddenly the floor beneath them tore apart. The metal plating was tossed aside as thick vines ripped through the floor and blocked Tirinia from the blast.

A white-haired, green-skinned woman dressed in modestly placed leaves rose through the dirt beneath the floor just in front of Tirinia

"Clover!" hissed Blackal Suon, "Ever the saint."

Clover gestured to the blocked exit. In an instant, dozens of thick vines shot through the floor and blasted through the debris, knocking the door clear off its automatic hinges.

"Go now!" Clover said, her startlingly-blue eyes on Rena.

Nodding, Tirinia rushed out of the building with Rena in tow, Jek close behind. As they exited the power plant, a dozen security force soldiers swarmed around them.

"Quiet!" Seargant Jures shouted, pushing through the pack. His eyes fell on Rena.

"It was that guy, Blackal Suon." Tirinia said quickly, "He did something to her."

Quickly taking her from Tirinia, Kevin said, "We'll let the medics figure it out. Maria, Biggs, get Lieutenant Sakamota into Rover. Everyone else backup the Eternians and try to keep the damage contained."

Rover was a six-wheeled vehicle that looked like it could've tackled a mountain with ease. Tirinia and Jek climbed inside as Kevin set Rena in the passenger seat. Once Rena was secure, Kevin took the drivers seat and activated the vehicle, saying, "Hang on! This may get a bit wild!"

Tirinia and Jek exchanged alarmed looks moments before being flung back in their seats as the rover shot forward.

Rover shot through the streets like a jet-fighter with wheels instead of wings and a stuck turbo mechanism. Blasting easily past several floaters, Kevin said, "Don't worry; we're almost at the waypoint. Thank the Creator someone was smart enough to build the hospital right next to the Security Force Headquarters."

Jek made the mistake of glancing out the back window just in time to see black burst firing toward them.

"By the … INCOMING!"

Kevin glanced back and immediatly made the rover swerve, tossing Tirinia and Jek against the side of the cabin as Rover made a sharp turn and shot through a massive metal gate. The moment they passed beneath the gate, a bright light surrounded them, only to fade almost immediately to reveal they were in the urban part of Kelshira.

Kevin's skill at the wheel could only be described as psychotic; he drove Rover with reckless abandon through three dimensions of traffic: ducking, weaving , and jumping past hundreds of floaters, some missing the rover by mere inches. It was an impressive performance for a wheeled vehicle. Despite his skill, however, Tirinia could still see the swirling energy of Blackal Suon in the distance.

"Why's he chasing us?" Jek shouted over the blaring of horns and the screeching of metal. "I thought he wanted the power station?"

Kevin shook his head, but didn't respond. It was just as well, Tirinia thought; he needed his concentration on where he was flying.

Tirinia's cell phone went off abruptly, filling the car with a gentle melody that clashed oddly with the situation.

Recognizing the song, Tirinia pulled the phone out of her pocket and flipped it open. "Teria?"

"Who's Teria?" Kevin asked, narrowly avoiding a neon fast-food sign as he rushed toward the ground.

Tirinia shook her head, straining to listen to her sister over the noise from the rover's motor and the honking of other floaters.

"… in the Security Force HQ. One thinks … Okami or something … you okay?"

"We're on our way to the hospital right next to the Security Force HQ. We're being chased by some freak called Blackal Suon."

"The comic book character?"

"I don't know; what I fought definitely wasn't a cartoon." Tirinia glanced up. The Security Force Headquarters lay before them, the white pillars and gleaming marble of the Revahn-Eld Hospital almost directly beside it.

"Hang on, we're almost there." Tirinia said before closing her phone.

Something hit the back of the rover hard. Kevin jerked too hard on the controls and accidentally ramped off another vehicle.

"Dammit!" He shouted, fighting to maintain control, "Everyone, brace yourselves! This one's gonna be rough!"

20: Chapter 20 - Dreams of Darkness

One paced back and forth in front of the computer console where Cid was working. "I should go check on her."

"Relax, One." Cid said, his eyes still glazed from his connection, "She's fine. I'm keeping an eye on her through the security system."

"Still …"

"Look, do you want this information or do you want to go see your sweetheart?"

"She's not my sweetheart!" One sighed, realizing how pathetic that sounded. "She's an old friend. We used to be closer, but …"

One fell silent, not sure how to explain without a protracted discussion. "Besides, I have a girlfriend."

"So you wouldn't mind if I made a move on Teria?"

One glared at the back of Cid's head. "Just find the Okami."

Cid started to let out a snicker, but it died in his throat. "Aha! So that's where you've been hiding!"

One walked up behind him. "You found it?"

"I think so. Give me a sec to verify."

At that moment, the power went out; every light, every screen, and every server died instantly.

"What happened?" Mikaen asked, wishing he had brought his combat visor; nightvision gave him a headache, but it was better than fumbling in the dark.

Fortunately, emergency lighting kicked in a few moments later. As Mikaen's eyes adjusted to the dim lighting, he asked, "That wasn't you, right?"

When he got no response, he glanced back at Cid only to find the young hacker limp in his chair, his eyes dull and vacant.

"Cid! Come on! Snap out of it!" One shook Cid by the shoulder for a moment. When that didn't provoke any change, he checked to make sure Cid was still among the living. The boy's pulse was weak and his breathing was shallow, but he still seemed to be alive, if only barely.

One wondered if something had happened inside the system; if the power died when One was hacking, it just kicked him out. His datajack wasn't as sophisticated as Cid's, though. When it came down to it, One just didn't know enough about the technology to even guess what the power loss might have done.

"Hang on, bud," One muttered as he carefully disconnected Cid from the console and lifted him from the chair, "I'll get you to someone who'll help."

The office hallways were completely vacant. It bothered One, but he had enough on his mind as it was. Careful to keep an eye out for security, One hurried to the nearest stairwell and started the long descent.

After carrying the recumbent hacker down what felt like an endless amount of stairs, One finally opened the door to the lobby.

He set Cid down on a bench for a moment so he could take a quick breath. "Ugh. I hate stairs."

A quick glance around the lobby found that it was similarly abandoned; the earlier alarm must've been some kind of fire alarm or emergency evacuation signal. Barbara was still at her desk, her face glued to her many displays.

"Hey!" He called out, running up to the desk, "Miss Barbara! I need help! Cid's-"

He stopped abruptly; it was clear from the look in her wide eyes that she hadn't heard a word he said. Slapping the bell on her desk a few times, he said, "Hey! Are you listening to me? Something's wrong with Cid! He needs medical attention!"

With a shriek, Barbara threw herself under the desk.

"What in the-" One felt the hairs on the back of his neck tingle. He turned around to see Rover's front grill outside the building.

One had barely enough time to bring his hands up before the rover crashed through the glass wall. Headache's grappling beams caught Rover and brought it to an immediate halt mere inches away from One.

Kevin and One stared at each other through the windshield, the shock of the moment catching them both off guard. One hadn't meant to activate the grapples, and was stunned that they had completely stopped all of Rover's forward momentum. Some detached part of his mind made a note to check the hand-movement activation systems in case there was a programming glitch.

Quickly recovering, One set the vehicle down and disengaged his grapple. Kevin was out of the car in a second, his hands going for his weapons as two other soldiers exited the now inactive rover carrying the unconscious form of another.

"That's gratitude for you." One muttered, readying Headache in case Kevin attacked, but Kevin immediately turned and aimed at Blackal Suon as the dark being floated through the broken window.

Like most of the other active Dreamer, One had dealt with superheroes and super-villains during past assignments. When a world-threatening problem popped up, more often than not the super-caste was involved, be it hero or villain. While One had never seen anything quite like Blackal Suon, he knew a villain when he saw one.

He quickly stepped between Kevin's group and the dark villain. As he held out his hands, the air in front of him began to shimmer slightly.

"A protective barrier." Blackal laughed. "How quaint."

A rush of dark energy hit the dream-powered shield with enough force to knock One back. More annoyed than anything, One pushed with all his mental might. The air between them pulsed, sending Blackal flying back through the window.

One glanced back at Kevin and jerked a metal thumb at Cid. "Grab that kid on the bench and get the hell outta here; I'll take care of the bigby."

"Bigby?"

"Big Bad. Now get goin'!"

Kevin nodded, his expression making it clear that he was only too glad to leave Blackal Suon to the Dreamer. "Biggs! Grab the kid. Maria, you guard him and meet me in the Revahn-Ald Hospital next door."

One turned away as Kevin pulled the wounded Rena out of Rover and hurried back through the Hole of the Security Force Headquarters entrance. Blackal sent a tendril of energy toward the one Kevin had called Maria, but One leapt in the dark energy's path and deflected the attack.

Seeing the soldier lift her weapon, One said, "I've got this; you take care of the kid."

"But-"

Blackal floated toward One, the injuries he had sustained from the fall already fully healed. His eyes traveled between One and the soldier.

"Get moving!" Without another word, One leapt toward Blackal Suon, who quickly floated back out of reach.

"Strange." Blackal said softly. "She is a veritable spring of flux, but you are something more."

"Flattery will get you nowhere." One fired a volley of rivets at Blackal. To his surprise, Blackal made no attempt to dodge; the rivets punched into his chest, knocking him back onto the lobby floor.

One kept a close eye on Blackal's body as the Galden soldiers grabbed Cid and carried him out of the building. Once they were gone, he focused his attention back on Blackal Suon.

After a few moments, One said, "Look, I know you're just playing dead so I'll turn my back. Could we move this along?"

Blackal rose from the floor, rage in the darkling's eyes. "So you aren't that much of a fool … or could it be you don't know who I am?"

"Well, go ahead." One said, hands on his hips, "I know you're just dying to spit out some kind of dramatic monologue, whoever you are."

"You dare to mock me, impudent wretch? I am Blackal Suon! I am the darkness of man, the corruption of the soul, the ichor of evil that hides in the shadows of the universe!"

Out of the corner of his eye, One noticed Teria on the second floor landing. She was watching him, waiting to see what he'd do. A rush of bold recklessness ran through One; if Blackal wanted a fight, he was going to get a fight that neither he nor Teria would ever forget.

" … the scourge of souls! I feast upon th-"

"Blah, blah, blah." said One, making a flapping-mouth gesture with a mechanical hand, "You wanna talk or you wanna fight?"

His eyes flaring with black energy, Blackal Suon shot hundreds of dark tendrils at the Dreamer. One leapt clear, his tek-boots propelling his ascent so that not even the most remote tendril even came close to hitting him.

Blackal Suon flew backwards moments before One landed, Headache smashing into the floor with enough force to send bits of tile and stone flying.

Without a moment's hesitation, One shot forward and slammed Headache into Blackal, sending the darkling hurtling into a marble pillar hard enough to crack the white stone.

A normal person would've been knocked out cold or worse, but Blackal was anything but normal. As Blackal rose from the cracked pillar One turned away to wink at Teria. She pointed behind Teria, shouting, "Behind you!" One didn't bother turning; he knew Blackal was rushing toward him. As Blackal moved to hit the Dreamer with a fist surging with dark energy, One raised his arms and activated Headache's feedback release. A burst of super-heated stream-steam shot from the Headache's rear vents and caught Blackal in the face, sending the dark being reeling.

One grabbed Blackal while he was still stunned and hurled him across the lobby into one of the decorative fountains. Pressing his advantage, One leapt at the recumbent villain, Headache's strength augments at full power.

Unfortunately, Blackal Suon wasn't as stunned as One thought; Blackal caught the end of Headache with a single hand, stopping One's forward motion instantly.

"Not bad, mortal." He hissed begrudgingly in the Dreamer's face. "Let's see how you handle this!"

A burst of black energy blasted the Dreamer across the lobby as though he were a plush toy. One's metal hands tore lines of tile from the floor as he tried to slow his momentum. When he finally managed to stop, he looked up just in time to see Blackal Suon rushing in for the kill.

One leapt backward, his tek-boots sending him flying back safely out of Blackal's immediate reach. He crouched for a fraction of a second against the wall before leaping toward inner edge of the second floor. Pausing only a moment to get his bearings, One quickly leapt aside moments before a stream of dark energy blasted a hole in the ground where he had been standing.

Lost memories flooded through One's mind as he leapt from wall to platform avoiding Blackal's assault: a mammoth Lovecraftian horror flailing its massive tentacles at him as he bounced around the room like an excited superball, distracting the horror while Teria snuck up on the Sorceress Ackibar. The memory brought no pain or headache, only memories of exhilaration.

"This was what it feels like to be alive!" He thought as he flipped around three dark tendrils. "This is what it means to be a Dreamer! Not hanging around in a stodgy mansion, but being out in the mainstream, fighting against baddies … that was the way it should be, Teach be damned!"

"All right." One said, standing up straight on the third floor landing. "Time to up the game."

Blackal shot another spread of dark energy at the Dreamer, but One abruptly vanished. Moments later, he appeared on the stairwell railing right behind the super villain and sent him flying with a well-placed punch.

Suppressing the urge to make a snarky comment, especially after managing a perfect teleport, One returned to the first floor via grinding the rail, pausing only to give Teria another wink as he passed her.

"Quit showboating!" She called after him, the cross look in her eyes belied by her grin.

The dark being was waiting at the bottom of the stairs, but One was ready for him. Although he didn't move, the floor in front of him abruptly shot into the air, blocking Blackal and boosting the Dreamer into the air.

One caught the edge of the second floor railing and quickly pulled himself over. He didn't have time to pat himself on the back, though; Blackal burst through the floor, his black eyes focused on the Dreamer.

Holding out his hands, Blackal shouted, "Let's see how you deal with this!"

At least a dozen dark tendrils shot from the villain's hand toward the falling Dreamer.

Grabbing the very fabric of reality, One stopped his fall and shot upwards. As the tendrils swerved in midair and honed back in on him, he grabbed another handful of reality and gave it a good shake, as though he were trying to untangle a power cord.

The effect was surprising; the black tendrils instantly veered off in different directions, none even close to One. The dark bursts smashed through the walls of the building crumbling at their touch.

One ran toward Blackal Suon, translucent steps appearing beneath the Dreamer's feet with every step. He could feel his Anti-ka Maru surging with repressed power, and from the hungry look in Blackal's eyes, he wasn't the only one who felt it.

Dodging back as One took another swing at him, Blackal hissed, "You're no ordinary Galden."

"Gee, y'think?"

Snarling with frustration, Blackal shot a thick beam of dark energy at One, who simply grabbed it.

Blackal's eyes went wide; One had grabbed a beam of dark energy like it was a mere rope. "That's not possible!"

"Maybe." One conceded, "But that's never stopped me before."

One yanked on the energy, pulling Blackal forward where Headache was charged and waiting. With a single punch, One sent the villain careening into the third floor.

As Blackal rose from what had been a potted plant on the third floor landing, One shot a burst of rivets at the villains extremities in hopes of pinning him to the ground.

Dodging aside at the last moment, the dark villain sent another burst of tendrils at the windows behind One. The glass panels behind One shattered, sending a shower of razor-sharp shards flying through the air toward the Dreamer.

With a wave of his hand, One made the glass shards join together in a massive blade. He grabbed the makeshift weapon as he flew by and immediately swung it at Blackal.

This time, Blackal wasn't quite fast enough. He turned to retreat, but the glass sword cut deeply into his arm with little effort.

Seeing the dark energy creeping over his makeshift sword, One tossed the glass blade onto the nearest landing before continuing his assault. The blade shattered upon contact, the dark energy dissipating instantly.

Blackal Suon, however, had evidently had enough. Clutching his injured arm, he flew out of One's reach and up the central shaft of the building.

One pursued the villain, leaping off the elevator shaft, floor railings, and pretty much anything he could set his feet against for purchase. His eyes remained fixed on Blackal Suon, his mind singularly charged with bringing the super villain down.

The ascent became narrower as they rose through the office floors. One was definitely gaining on Blackal, who seemed to be recovering from his injury enough to blast a few tendrils of dark energy One's way.

As he dodged the blasts, he considered teleportation but immediately dismissed it. His earlier rush was beginning to wane, and he could feel the strain on reality nearing the breaking point. The last thing he needed was to get normed while fighting a super-villain.

He was mere inches away from Blackal when something bright and blue tackled him out of the air. One and whatever had managed to catch him off-guard crashed through the wall and into an office, where a pair of partially clothed Galden were engaging in highly inappropriate workplace conduct.

Staring up at the blonde woman, One commented, "Huh. I always wondered if the whole 'carpet matching the drapes' thing was true."

As she and her beau hurried away, a pair of hands covered with glowing blue lines hauled One up from the floor toward a similarly decorated face.

For a moment, One and the hero known as Blue Impulse just stared at each other … or rather, One stared at Blue Impulse, whose visor covered his eyes.

"You're not Blackal Suon!" Blue Impulse said, sounding genuinely surprised.

"Damn. I worked so hard on the costume too. Get off me!"

Dark energy suddenly rocketed through the hole in the wall, narrowly missing them both.

As Blue Impulse and One took up positions on either side of the wall, Blackal called out, "Come out, heroes … come out and face me!"

One glanced at Blue Impulse, one fist raised. "Match you for it?"

"What?" Blue Impulse asked as another burst of energy blasted a hole in the wall on the other side of One.

"Rock, paper … ah, forget it." One twisted his wrist in a particular way, allowing a small can to fall into his hand.

Blue Impulse frowned at the Dreamer. "Is this really the time for a drink?"

One shook the can up, popped the top, and lugged straight at Blackal Suon, who naturally took a swing at it. The explosion that followed was deafening, surprisingly colorful, and effective; Blackal was knocked back by the blast.

One and Blue Impulse rushed out of the office, but Blackal Suon was nowhere to be seen.

"Huh." One muttered, scratching his head, "It was just compressed stream energy. It shouldn't have vaporized him."

Blue Impulse tackled One to the side moments before an immense burst of dark energy blasted clear through the floor where he had been standing.

Blackal hovered above them, now bearing the dark blade he had used while fighting Tirinia. "I'm through playing games with the both of you."

"Then let's settle this once and for all." Blue said, two glowing blades extending from the superhero's arms.

One stepped forward, but Blue Impulse stopped him. "I appreciate your assistance, but this is my responsibility."

"You sure?" One asked, eyeing Blackal. If anything, he appeared far more intimidating while single-handedly wielding the massive dark blade.

"My father always taught me to clean up my own messes." Glancing briefly at One, Blue Impulse said, "If I fail, I'm trusting you to stop him."

"No problem." One stepped back, respecting the superhero's space. "Just say the word if you change your mind."

One barely had time to blink before Blue Impulse and Blackal Suon collided in a surge of blue and black energy.

He watched in fascination as the two super-beings battled. Blackal's blade would have snapped the wrists of anyone else trying to wield it, and yet he swung it as though it weighed nothing. Blue Impulse's blades were shorter, but he easily held his ground, occasionally tossing what appeared to be glowing blue discs.

The fight was still pretty close, but Blue Impulse was just a little faster; soon, he had left several searing scars across Blackal Suon that glowed with residual energy from the hero's blades.

One took the opportunity to check the power levels on his equipment. Headache was still okay, but his tek-boots were almost drained from all the bouncing around. Reality still felt a little tense, but he went ahead and recharged the units. To his relief, his powers held.

One glanced back up to see Blackal flying straight toward him. With a yelp, he threw himself out of the way moments before the dark being slammed into the floor.

Blue Impulse landed close by and kicked the blade from the man's hand. The blade spun across the floor and came to a stop not far from One.

As the Dreamer reached for it, Blue Impulse shouted, "NO!"

One's hand paused, mere inches from the weapon's hilt. "I wasn't going to steal it."

"Blackal Suon can possess the strongest of beings at a mere touch."

"I thought he was Blackal Suon." One jerked a thumb at the prone body of Blackal. Was it his imagination, or was the darkness around the man beginning to fade?

"Blackal Suon's the sword; this poor fellow was merely possessed by the dark spirit the sword houses. I've seen it take men in a matter of seconds, so for the love of the Creator, don't touch it!"

One sincerely doubted that it would do anything to a full-fledged Dreamer, especially seeing as he wouldn't really be touching it while he wore Headache. Still, there was no reason to test that assumption.

As One stepped away from the blade, Blue Impulse asked, "Who are you, anyway?"

"Narrator Number One of the Elsewhere Incorporate. You?"

"They call me Blue Impulse."

They looked at the man lying in a heap of rubble. When the man began to stir, One readied Headache.

Blue Impulse put a hand on his arm, saying, "He's no danger to us anymore. Without the blade's influence, he'll return to who the man he was."

The man sat up, looking more than a little dazed. "Ugh." He groaned, holding his head as though it pained him. "What in the name of the Creator happened?"

Blue Impulse replied, "You were possessed by a kindred artifact. What do you remember?"

The man put a hand to his head, muttering, "I-I don't know."

"Try to think." Blue Impulse pressed. "Blackal Suon was sealed in a security vault. Are you a thief?"

"No!" The man exclaimed, "I'm a priest of the Celestial Cathedral!"

His expression darkened. "The outsiders … they did this to me!"

"The outsiders?" One asked, suddenly very interested. "Did they call themselves 'Revs'?"

The man nodded, still looking a little dazed. "The chaotics called them that, but I don't know what it means. They thought that as a priest, I'd be able to wield the power of Blackal Suon without becoming corrupted." He bowed his head. "I guess there's more darkness in me than I care to admit."

"It only takes a little with Blackal Suon." Blue Impulse said kindly. "Don't dwell on it, Father."

"Besides." One told the priest, "The Revs have done worse things, believe it or not."

Blue Impulse asked, "Just who are these Revs?"

"Baddies from another world. Nothing like Blackal, of course." One grinned. "Don't worry about it, Blue. The Elsewhere's on the case."

Blue nodded at him. "I will take your word for it."

"ONE!"

The shout came from a lower floor. One could hear a tone of panic in the voice.

"Ugh … now what?" Without waiting for a response, One leapt over the railing.

As he sped downwards, One saw that the lobby was in shambles; apparently, the collateral damage from the fight was worse than he thought. He noticed a crowd around the first floor stairwell landing as he landed on the roof of the rover. A few people pointed at him, but most of the attention was directed at the ruined stairwell.

"Move it or lose it," One said, shoving his way past and looking for Teria for an explanation. He knew they needed to get moving before more Security Force showed up and started asking questions.

In the center of the crowd, several soldiers were trying in vain to lift a large chunk of the second floor off of the Lobby Floor. As One approached to lend a hand, he spotted Teria's body lying beneath the rubble.

21: Chapter 21 - Anti-ka Maru

Time seemed to freeze; for a long moment. There Teria was, pinned to the ground by a chunk of debris. His mind instantly flashed back to a similar time, to a younger Teria pinned beneath the claw of an eldritch abomination. A feeling of absolute terror flooded through him, just as it had back then.

One shoved the soldiers out of the way, shouting, "MOVE!"

The Galden quickly backed away, all too happy to get out of the way of the man who had just matched strength with one of Ronisgald's most infamous super-villains. One grabbed the immense hunk of metal girders, support beams, and flooring. Headache's strength augments strained to their limits as the Dreamer raised the chunk of rubble with a roar.

The soldiers quickly pulled Teria from beneath the debris. She was a bloody mess; her legs and at least one of her arms were broken in multiple places. Most frightening of all, One saw a trail of blood running from her mouth.

Dropping the debris with a thud that rattled what was left of the windows, One knelt at her side. "Teria! Teria, can you hear me?!"

Glancing up at the nearest soldier, One asked, "What the hell happened? What did this?"

"Some kind of dark energy from above." The soldier said, looking justifiably worried, "It must've come from Blackal Suon. It was raining down everywhere. She managed to dodge it, but when the landing collapsed."

One felt a surge of guilt. He had been showboating; deflecting Blackal's shots, dodging others. It should've occurred to him that all those blasts had to hit something.

"Glen …" Teria whispered, her eyes still shut.

One pushed back his emotions; there would be plenty of time to berate himself later. "It's okay, Teria. We got the bastard, and now I'm gonna get you to a hospital, okay?"

She nodded weakly.

"Is moving her a good idea?" The soldier asked as One started to pick her up.

"I don't know." One confessed. "I'm not a doctor; all I know is that she's hurt and she may not have time for us to wait for help."

A blue burst of light shot past the group. One found himself once again looking at the superhero known as Blue Impulse.

"Don't move the woman. Clover's on the way."

"Clover?" One asked moments before she hurried through the crowd.

As she settled next to One, she gave the Dreamer a curious look, probably because he was staring at her. Something about her tugged at his memory, but he couldn't put his finger on what.

"Is something wrong?"

One shook his head. "It's not important. We need to get Teria to the hospital."

A series of vines broke through the ground and stretched beneath Teria, effectively applying splints to her arm and legs, as well as keeping the rest of her body immobile.

"The hospital is next door." Clover said.

Nodding thankfully to the woman, One picked Teria up easily and rushed down the stairs as fast as he could without jostling her too much.

Hearing Teria gasp with every bump, One said, "I'm sorry. Just hold on for a little bit longer, okay?"

There was a massive crowd outside the Security Force Headquarters at that point. Reporters rushed toward One like a swarm of flies the moment he stepped out of the building. One teleported past them, stumbling slightly as he appeared just a little above the ground near the entrance of the Revahn-Eld Hospital.

The doors burst open at One's approach. He rushed into the lobby and shouted, "I need a doctor, NOW!"

The nurse on duty behind the admission counter took one look at Teria and went pale. Grabbing the intercom, she said, "We need emergency care to the lobby immediately."

"No time!" With a gesture, he made a nearby stretcher come rushing toward him. As he set Teria on the stretcher, she let out a cough that left a spatter of blood on One's shirt.

"Straight through the doors!" The nurse said, pointing, "The doctor will meet you on the way."

One carefully cut the makeshift splints from Teria's body and tossed them aside, saying, "Teria, we're in the hospital now. They're gonna fix you up, okay?"

"One …"

"You're gonna get better." He said, pushing her through the doors and rushed down the hallway. "Then we'll go find the Okami."

"One …"

"We'll find the proof and be back in Muonsol before-"

"Glen!"

The sound of his real name brought his mind to a halt.

Her hand reached up and weakly rubbed his cheek, making him fall silent instantly. "I've got to tell you something, so shut up a sec."

He allowed her to pull him closer until her face was only inches from his own.

"I always knew you'd come back." She whispered. "I knew because you promised."

"I didn't keep my promise Teria; I didn't make a name for myself; I gave up the only one I had. I'm not a hero. If I was, this would never have happened."

"You came back … and that's all I ever wanted." Her voice barely audible, she breathed, "I love you, Glen."

Tears in his eyes, One let her pull him closer. As their lips met, the bittersweet memory of their first kiss before his departure all those years ago rushed through his mind. A flood of memories rushed through him, of the years they travelled together: the snide comments, the bickering, and even the occasional fight, all to hide the fact that somewhere along the way, they had become more than just friends.

Teria's hand fell limply to her chest, jarring him from his thoughts. One looked up, startled.

"Teria?"

She wasn't breathing. "Teria?" He said again, panic in his voice.

When she didn't respond, One shook her by the shoulders and shouted, "Wake up, dammit! You can't die now!"

You failed her.

The headache hit One like a truck to the head.

Her blood is on your hands, One.

One shook his head, muttering, "Shut up!"

Just like your friends, just like the Rangers … just like your brother and sister. You let them all down.

Guilt flowed through him, overwhelming his mind with the knowledge that deep down he knew that the voice was right.

It doesn't matter what power you have, what toys you make; everyone you ever cared about died, and it's all because of you!

"SHUT UP!" he screamed, clutching his pounding head.

A door opened behind him. "Is that … One?" asked a vaguely familiar voice asked. "One, what happened?"

"I'm not losing her!" One shouted, ignoring whoever it was, ignoring everything else but Teria. "I'm not losing anyone else!"

Holding his rune hand above her heart, One shouted, "ANTI-KA MARU!"

The effect was immediate; reality seemed to swell around him. The electrical lights in the hallway shorted out as the effect reached them, bulbs shattering as massive waves of dream energy swarmed around the rune on One's hand, igniting the lines in a blinding blur of light that quickly spread to the rest of the Dreamer's body, his skin seemingly cracking from the strain of holding in the energy. The power nearly overwhelmed One, but he managed to focus it all into a single purpose, a single thought held firmly in his mind: heal.

Light burst from his hands, encompassing Teria's body and lifting it clear from the gurney. The energy didn't stop there, however; it shot forward in waves from the Dreamer, pulsing through the hallway, through Kevin, through the two nurses who had just rushed through the door behind him, and beyond. Not even the walls could hinder the healing light as it flooded through the hospital.

With a final burst, the energy left One. He collapsed over the stretcher, panting for breath.

It's hard to explain the sensation a Dreamer feels when being normed; Two once said it felt like being smacked in the back of the head with a shovel, but most Dreamers describe it as an acute sense of vertigo coupled with a feeling of disconnection. One thing everyone can agree on is that it is not a pleasant experience.

Nausea and disorientation swept over One, but both sensations faded at another; that of a hand running gently through his hair.

"S'okay, Glen." Teria said sleepily, no hint of any pain in her voice. "Jus' a bad dream."

One managed to push himself up. Teria was fine; there was no sign of her earlier injuries, and her breathing was even and steady. Putting his hand to the side of her neck, he could feel her pulse was strong.

She nestled against his hand as he started to pull away, murmuring, "Don't go, Glen. S'too early to get up anyway. We'll head back to Diaagal tomorrow."

All around the hallway, doors began to open and people began to shuffle out. At first, One was worried that the shorting out electronics might have caused injury, but no one seemed to be injured. Realization dawned over him after a moment; most of them were in hospital garb, yet none of them appeared sick or injured in any way.

A group of Security Force soldiers ran around the corner. As soon as they spotted One, they took aim. "Halt, or we'll open fire!"

He was trapped. No teleportation, no dreamer tricks; all he had was Headache, and both of them were still drained from the recent fight with Blackal Suon. Still, he raised his arms and prepared for the fight that might very well be his last.

"Stop!"

One turned to see Rena Sakamota sitting on the hospital bed, a shocked Kevin standing close by. Rena was sitting up, staring into a screen beside her that was scanning her abdominal region. One had no idea why she seemed surprised; according to the scan, her unborn child seemed perfectly healthy.

The doctor at her side was staring too. "All vital signs are normal." He murmured, his gaze turning to the Dreamer.

"By the Creator." Kevin whispered.

He stepped out of the room and stood between One and the Security Force patrol. "Stand down."

"But sir!" the leader of the group said, "We have specific orders to capture this man!"

"Private Skylad, I gave you an order to stand down. "

"But sir, we-"

Kevin rounded on the soldier. "You are not to impede this man or his companions in any way. Have I made myself clear?"

All the other soldiers instantly lowered their weapons and saluted, as did a terrified Private Skylad several moments later.

Turning to One, Kevin said, "You'll find the rear exit if you keep going straight. I'd recommend moving fast before more troops show up."

One bowed his head in gratitude. "Thanks."

"I owed you one." He grinned. "Still do, for the dragon and all. Maybe I'll get the chance to pay you back later, eh?"

With a final glance at Rena, One picked up Teria's sleeping form and quickly ran down the corridor. The Galden troop remained in the hallway, the recently healed patients

As he disappeared out the door, Teria nestled against him for warmth.

"Everything's going to be fine." he whispered to her, secretly hoping he was right.