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Post by YFWE on Sept 13, 2007 0:44:26 GMT -5
It's finally time for Part 2!! It's currently 1:45 AM here and I can't talk much more. All that I do have to say is that this chapter is a lot of talk, because it is setting the stage for future action-orientated occurrences. So if you're bored, sorry. Well, without any further ado... here it is! The Dragon Chronicles Pt. 2- The Rescue Mission Ch. 1- The Departure “Nightmare, this is crazy! Wait up!” cried Daydream’s voice as she followed close behind her brother, who was in a long gait ahead of her as they raced through the thick, dense forest that was just one of many that were spread throughout Pennsylvania. They weaved in and out and around trees, running along on all fours as their clan, the Quietus Draco clan, was known for. Nightmare said nothing. His red eyes remained transfixed on the white figure in front of him. It was a member of the Reich, and he knew it. The trees soon gave way to a large clearing in the forest. Nightmare stopped in the middle, with Daydream right behind him. The duo stared around, having lost the white-robed figure they had been chasing. There came a loud crash. A tree had fallen behind them. Nightmare and Daydream whirled around, and found the very figure they had been chasing. “Oops, pardon me,” laughed the figure sinisterly. “Had to get your attention somehow…” “Oh, you’ve got my attention, all right,” snarled Nightmare. “And now, for what you did to my brethren, my clansmen, you shall PAY!” Nightmare lunged at the white hooded member of the Reich, but was sent sprawling backwards in mere moments. The figure chuckled malevolently, and he was joined in laughter by four other voices. “Uh… Nightmare, we’ve got a problem,” whispered Daydream as she stared at her surroundings. The bodies belonging to the four other voices had appeared all around the clearing, in a pentagon-like shape… “NO!” screamed Nightmare. The five Reich members’ hands had begun to glow white, and the ground they stood on had taken on the same glow. Desperately, Daydream headed for a clearing that was untouched by the Reich members. But once she hit the boundaries of the white light, she, too, was thrown backwards. The white light brightened, consuming all within its reaches. There came a sound of screaming from within the light—two voices, male and female. “Oh, how I’ve always loved that sound…,” growled the Reich member who had led the two siblings into this trap. There was a final flash of blinding white light that careened through the night. And then… nothing. (End) The news that Raffi and Shade were going out spread rather quickly, which was surprising, considering that the majority of the group had pretty much gone straight to bed as soon as they had returned to their dorms. Still, despite this, everyone seemed to act as if this newly-formed relationship was old news the next morning, as the eight gathered in the long corridor outside of their rooms. Perhaps it was because the bond itself was not all that surprising—they all had seen it coming, especially after the first few days at the academy, what with the constant flirting, the way one would look at the other when the other when the other was not looking, and, most of all, Raffi’s reaction to her being rescued by Shade from impending death during their first official training session. How could it not have happened sooner or later?—it already appeared as if their lives had been intertwined in numerous ways anyway. “Long night, Jay?” Ash asked as Jay stepped groggily from his dorm. He was the last to join them in the hallway. “Oh, you have no idea…,” Jay answered as the group began on their way to breakfast. “I’m thinking I got a total of two hours of sleep last night—I was worried about today and all, you know?” “Worried?” scoffed James. “About what? This is just a rescue mission… all we’ve gotta do is go in there and free us some dragons! What is there to be worried about?” “Come on, James, you can’t honestly think that this is gonna be a walk in the park…,” Kay said calmly. “There are so many things that could go wrong… most notably, in my opinion, the possibility that we could easily get caught and sent to the same confinement as the current captives are already in!” “I know there are risks. I’m just trying to have some faith, y’know?” “Faith is a good thing to have…,” added Shade. “In fact, I couldn’t agree more. But right now, could we not think about the mission? I just want to try and enjoy the last hours we have in this place before we go into mission-mode…” Everyone silently agreed, most simply nodding in approval as they continued down the same hallways that had become a touchstone in their lives at the academy. Often, their walks down these corridors were filled with reflections on either the events that were to occur that day or those that had already occurred. And this particular walk was no different—the students held with them a certain somberness that they had expected since day one—it could be their final journey down these corridors, and furthermore their first great test of their dragon abilities was to come soon. And breakfast was much of the same. In the past the group had been slightly more talkative, but this morning they were much quieter—more determined, as it were. Even Raffi and Shade, mere hours removed from the profession of their affection for each other, did not speak, although they did sit next to each other—something they had not done before. In fact, the only member of the group that made any sort of conversation whatsoever was Kay—and this was because she was getting a final few words with her ‘summer love’ fling, Will. And it was actually somewhat of a depressing conversation anyway, for the two of them were basically speaking of how it was possible that they would not see each other again, should they fail their mission. They knew it would be somewhat difficult, but never did the eight dragon students believe that it would be this hard to leave the academy—that is, until that morning. Finally, it was time to venture outside, to meet with Lao Shi and Atticus Stevenson, and to depart for New York. The group stepped out slowly into the warm rays of sunlight which were splashing down onto the ground, illuminating the surrounding area and emitting a certain sense of joy and hope—as if to say that this day was not a day on which to be unhappy, but a day to be glad, for a new chapter in their lives was about to begin. Just as they had said, Lao Shi, Atticus Stevenson, and seemingly all of Atticus’s associates (including many that they had never seen before) were waiting for them on the front lawn of the academy. Beside them also was the huge bubble-like structure that Atticus had described the night before—and his description was quite accurate; it was basically a large see-through sphere with somewhat of a silvery tint to it, making it visible. James glanced down at his watch. “Five ‘til nine,” he announced, shading his eyes from the bright sun and staring around at the rest of the group. “Master Shi claimed that we were leaving right at nine… so unless we want to be late, we’d better…” “That would be correct,” interrupted Atticus as he strode up to the group. “We’ve got your transportation set to leave exactly at nine and not a moment later. And we wouldn’t want for you all to effectively ‘miss your bus,’ would we?” Thinking this to be a rhetorical question (as many of Atticus’s seemed to be as of late), no one responded in any way verbally or otherwise, which led Atticus to sigh deeply. “The correct response would be “No, Mr. Stevenson, we wouldn’t want that.” What, did you believe me to be asking a rhetorical question?” No one responded again for a few seconds, before Raffi spoke, “Okay… so was that meant to be…” “Yes it was,” answered Atticus. “I am glad to see that we are on the same page now. Let us proceed…” And at this, Atticus turned and began toward the bubble, the students following quickly in tow. A few moments passed before Kennel, the brown-haired associate of Atticus’s, hurried up to him. “Sir, the transportation vehicle is fully prepared,” he said breathlessly. “Very good,” Atticus nodded to him. “Furthermore, sir, Falco is requesting that he provide the children with a quick tour of the vehicle before departure. With your permission…?” “Ah, I don’t see why not. Emerson was the mastermind behind the structure after all, wasn’t he? Tell him that the children shall be joining him momentarily.” Kennel saluted Atticus with his right hand to his forehead, as if he was for a moment emulating a lowly private in the military, and trotted off to the bubble, weaving through an assortment of people, from the familiar black-suited men and women to white-coated scientists or scrappy-looking mechanics carrying around what appeared to be some rather high-tech equipment. If one didn’t know any better, one would believe them to be at a toned-down space shuttle launching. “Well then, best we press on rather quickly, I suppose,” said Atticus hurriedly. “Kindly meet with Master Shi before entering your transportation. I’m sure that he has a few quick words of encouragement before your departure.” At these words, Atticus, too, hurried off, presumably in the direction of Smith, Green, Warburton, and LaGuardia, who were standing in a tightly-knit circle a few paces away.
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Post by YFWE on Sept 13, 2007 0:54:03 GMT -5
Lao Shi was idle in his wheelchair near the ‘entrance’ of the bubble, which was merely a small hatch-like door close to the bottom of the spherical-shaped object. He did not seem to notice them at first, evident when he did not acknowledge the group’s presence when they neared him. “Um… Master Shi?” said Kate cautiously. Lao Shi reacted as if he had snapped out of a deep trance, for he appeared startled when he heard Kate’s voice. “Oh, er, yes, Kate? What do you need?” “Mr. Stevenson sent us… he said you would want to see us before we left.” “And with all due respect, Master Shi,” added James, “could you make your wise words short today? We only have four minutes. So, like, no big words so Ash can understand, and…” “I have eight until nine,” Lao Shi said, staring down at his own watch, “and it is on time with the academy’s clocks. I do recall imploring you, James, to set your watch with the academy’s clocks as well, did I not?” “Well… yeah, but at least I was never late to class, right?” “I suppose so. Ah, but I do not think that it matters much at this moment. And furthermore, eight minutes is still not much time, and you all still need a quick tour of your transportation…” “Right. Falco’s supposed to be showing us around… supposedly he knows a lot about it,” said Shade. “Ah, yes, Atticus said that he might. Well then, I won’t keep you much longer.” Lao Shi stared around at the crowd of men and women, mostly black-suited, surrounding him. “Now, this is what I wanted you all to know. “The eight of you, I must say, have made immeasurable progress throughout the past few weeks. I admit, I was a bit skeptical at first of your abilities, and I was foolish to think this. You children truly are our saviors, and I wish you the best of luck.” “Thank you, Master Shi,” said Ash appreciatively. Everyone followed this with spoken gratitude of their own. “Why, you are very welcome,” replied Lao Shi, his radiant eyes gleaming at them. “And it was my sincere privilege to have mentored all of you. As I once said to my grandson… I am proud to have been your Dragon Master.” At these words, the old man was silent, his gaze seeming to scrutinize the ground before him. He did not mention Jake often—in fact, not in about two weeks—and having brought up the captive American Dragon, he had been rendered speechless. And, as if they, too, could not find the words to say, the eight students stood there silently. They knew that one of them needed to say something—and quick, for the time of their departure was rapidly approaching. Finally, Kay walked over reluctantly to Lao Shi, resting one hand on his arm and the other on the handle of his wheelchair. “Don’t worry, Master Shi,” she said calmly, “we’ll get Jake back. It’s our duty, and you’ve taught us well…” A few moments passed. Lao Shi said nothing, and nor did Kay or any of the students, for that matter. Finally, Lao Shi looked up, and gazed around at each of them separately. He said nothing at first, although his eyes told the story—they seemed to say that he knew that they would free Jake from his unspeakable prison, and he was truly grateful for this. “Ah, look, I’ve kept you long enough,” he said finally. “Look, Falco is waiting for you, so I suggest that you go now. Goodbye, children,” he paused, “…and good luck.” But they had not heard these final words spoken after the pause, as the group had already left quickly on their way to meet Falco. He was standing quietly outside the large bubble, staring straight ahead at the approaching students, having no latent involvement with those around him. If one did not know better, one might describe him as a statue. When they reached Atticus’s most mysterious (and this was saying a lot) associate, he said nothing at first but simply turned and walked inside the small door into the bubble. At this action, the students were stunned. Although the bubble was seemingly transparent, as they had expected it to be, they could not see Falco inside once he entered. It instead retained its transparent state, as if nothing had ever entered or was contained within its boundaries. The students reluctantly followed, knowing not the magic or technology (or both) that was present there. The entrance to the bubble was more of a hatch, as stated earlier, elevated off of the ground by about two feet. The group stepped up into the hatch, having lost sight of Falco momentarily. At first, the inside area was a narrow corridor surrounded on either side by large, metallic walls that were remarkably akin to computer panels. The corridor ended about twenty feet from the entrance, emptying out into a massive opening, a globular room whose arched walls extended all the way up to what seemed to be the top of the bubble. There were medium-sized windows all around the inside (which did not make much sense, considering that the windows showed what was directly outside of the bubble, even though they were twenty feet towards the center of the bubble), and where there were not windows, there were gray carpeted walls on one side, and imposing supercomputers which spat forth tons of somewhat meaningless (to the students) data on the other. There were six chairs positioned at the computers, and in some were seated a few black-suited and white-robed characters, seemingly making their final observations and checks of the computer system before the departure. The center of the room was vastly empty, with only a white marble floor, and this was where Falco stood, facing the group. “Children, behold my most valuable creation,” he began, not seeming to wait for the attentiveness of the dragon students. “Its name is quite long and I dare not want to keep the lot of you waiting much longer (for your departure is now imminent), so in short you may call it the Globe. It is a spectacular structure, if I do say so myself—a crowning achievement in the fields of both technology and modern magic. “As you have likely noticed, the Globe is currently in a transparent state, in which it is visible but its contents cannot be seen. This mode will be deactivated at your departure, however, and the Globe’s abilities of both invisibility and intangibility will take its place. Since the Globe will be in an auto-pilot state during your travel, you need not pilot it nor activate any of its special features. In fact, I recommend that none of you lay even a finger on any of the computers throughout your entire trip. Should there be any alert to safety (although I do not believe it shall come to this, considering that the Globe cannot be picked up on any radar known to man), the Globe will activate its defense system. “Now, are there any quick questions? I am aware that you all have already have been briefed on your mission, so I believe there is nothing more to say on that matter. But, just in case… do you perhaps have a question for me about this wonderful facility?” The group stared around. Truly, they had no further questions, but it could’ve been because of their trepidation of the event that would succeed the moment. Their rescue mission, their first true test, was approaching quickly. “No further questions? Good, then,” in the matter of a few seconds, Falco’s voice had gone from cheerful to grave, mysterious, and full of despair—much like he normally was. “Now, children, before you leave, there is something greatly important I must tell you…” But at these words, a bright red light flashed, and a clear, feminine, robotic voice rang out, “One minute until departure. I repeat, one minute until departure. All personnel please clear the area. I repeat, fifty-five seconds until departure…” The bright red light continued flashing at two second increments, and the associates seated at the computers scattered and hurried to the narrow corridor. Falco was momentarily paralyzed. Judging by his facial expression, he had intended upon relating to the students a very important piece of information, something that would alter their view of their mission. But this momentary lapse did not appear to phase Falco completely, and he attempted to begin again, “What I meant to say was…”
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Post by YFWE on Sept 13, 2007 0:54:23 GMT -5
“…forty-five seconds…” “I have some suspicions about the mission…” “Forty seconds.” Falco was getting panicky. His eyes flickered briefly towards the exit. It was apparent that, for whatever reason, he could not be left aboard at departure. “Thirty seconds.” Finally, the man seemed to give up. He took a few steps in the direction of the corridor exit, before pausing, “Just be careful, okay? I’ll… see you all when you get back.” In mere seconds Falco was gone, having exited the hatch-like door and closing it with approximately twenty seconds remaining. At ten seconds, the countdown reverted to a backwards countdown. “Is this a bad time to mention that I’ve never flown before?” Jay whispered to Laura. She punched him playfully, leading him to give her a stunned look and followed this by saying, “No, really…” At zero, the feminine voice was silenced, and the students felt the sensation of being lifted upwards, similar to that of an ascending elevator. The eight of them rushed over to the windows, staring out at the green landscape that was dotted mostly with black-suited men and women. Atticus Stevenson stood amidst them, flashing a stern grin at them and raising his left arm in farewell. LaGuardia, Kennel, Smith, Green, Warburton, and Falco surrounded the old man, with the latter nodding to each of the dragon students in a manner that seemed to wish them the best of luck. Gone was hus suspicious behavior that had surfaced just a few moments prior. Or, that is, if these deviances were still present, Falco was doing a very good job in curbing them. (It should be noted that, although the Globe was still at this moment transparent, the windows were viewable from the outside if someone appeared in them, so you basically have to imagine seeing eight disembodied heads on the side of the bubble.) Once they looked further beyond Atticus and the other associates, they could see Lao Shi. An associate had wheeled him (and struggled at this task, by the looks of it) back to the pavement of the driveway, and now their Dragon Master stared up at them neutrally, showing no real emotion. It was likely that he was still in thought about his grandson, Jake Long, one of the many dragons they were enlisted to rescue. But none of this neither surprised nor flattered the group more than the sight they saw next. Standing transfixed behind Lao Shi were the other students at the academy! About a hundred of them, even those whom the eight had never met, were waving at them, others shouting out words that were lost in the general din, combined with the fact that it was very hard to hear anything from inside the Globe. The Globe had begun floating in the direction of the school, north, because of its place on the bubble-like aircraft’s flight pattern. As such, the dragons were able to catch a better glimpse of the other academy students. They recognized a few of the students as those who had been present in their various classes at the academy. There was the tall, muscular wizard in their Anatomy class who had passed out at the sight of unicorn blood. And over by the door was the shape shifter who once got stuck in the form of a catfish (and was out of water at the time, I might add) for two days. And look, there was Will Hughes and his friends! Will looked up at Kay, smiled warmly, and blew her a kiss. Kay beamed back, and the two’s eyes seemed to be locked for the next few seconds. The group was still looking out of the window a few minutes later, when merely the academy’s white walls were visible amidst a flurry of trees. It was a sobering few moments, as a few wondered that, should the unthinkable soon happen, would this be the last time they would see the proud school? These thoughts still circulating in their minds, they watched as the white walls became more and more distant, until the school was no longer visible. At this same moment, those remaining at the school had begun to head back inside, as they were still on a rather tight academic schedule that day. Most of the people outside scattered, but there was an exception. Two, actually. Atticus had remained, staring at the Globe, which was now a faint glimmer in the distance (although even this was difficult to see). Falco had remained as well, and after a few moments, spoke to Atticus. “Mr. Stevenson, I’m worried.” Atticus chuckled. “Emerson, I thought we had gotten over this. The children shall be fine.” “Sir, I have no doubt that the children can handle themselves. What I am concerned about is the place they’re going.” “Oh?” said Atticus a bit uninterested. He began walking towards the academy. “Yes, sir. I think that our suspicions may not have been accurate. I’m not so sure that this base is where the captives are truly being held.” “Oh, come now, Emerson, we looked into it ourselves—the captives are there, we just know it.” “I know that, but don’t you think it was a bit strange that this base just popped up on our radars and in our computer system. I’m just concerned… you know, Mr. Stevenson, the Reich could have a spy inside the academy. It’s possible that they planted that base as a trap!” But Atticus, apparently, had not heard this. He instead continued walking, humming a merry little tune to himself as he went, leaving Falco there in silence. The man sighed and took off the sunglasses that he always wore (even in the presence of Atticus) to reveal two brilliant green eyes. He stared off in the distance, towards where the Globe had gone, squinting just in time to see the aircraft fade as the invisibility kicked in, as it disappeared over the horizon.
END CHAPTER
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Post by charles finley. on Sept 13, 2007 1:05:42 GMT -5
Reply is going to be short, cause I've gotta go to bed, so yeah. XD
ANYWAYS ... Yeah, It was good. NOT HORRIBLE, like you said it would be, but really good! Will and Kay = Daw. Shade and Raffi = DAWWWW. xDDD; And you're a f*g, "No big words so Ash can understand" BETCH. XD
... Just promise me this. DON'T TAKE FOREVER TO UPDATE, OK? xDD;
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DarkDragontc
Young Warrior Dragon
Coming back Shortly, Life has been changing a lot for me.
Posts: 1,595
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Post by DarkDragontc on Sept 13, 2007 8:42:03 GMT -5
not bad , i like it so far keep it going, and take ur time with the updates, there is no rush to them XDD.
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Post by Chaos on Sept 13, 2007 19:42:54 GMT -5
^Yes there isssss. ;>
A filler, but a very good filler none-the-less. The thought of that Globe is very interesting, too. It's really funny how you used Kay and Will's love fest into a "summer fling" type of wording. XDD
I'd love to leave more, but homework is killing me, which is why I took this long to reply (right after dinner XP), so just continue sooooon. JUMP TO THE MOON. Well, that's enough.
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Post by ADJLFanatic on Sept 20, 2007 17:35:36 GMT -5
I R sorry for not replying to dear TDC for a longish time-o, Kevo. PUSH ME THE TOILET IF YOU WANT. *hands you plunger* BAD MEEE. OO:< Anywaysums... YES nice "filler," I suppose I could say. Perhaps there seems to be a lot of information about the bubble thing. Bubble trap. Bubble trap. BUBBLE TRAP. BUBBLE TRAP. LAWL. D:
Anyway, wow, that was really interesting. That farewell with Lao Shi was a bit tearful. Then again, I'm very emotional, so shut up. xD And I love how you make the ending make me... think. Like I usually say to Ewan. And it's a very good thing. Cause, thanks to the last few paragraphs, now I'm wondering if it really is true. Also after that fantastic spoiler you gave me and now I can't wait for the next chapter. Whee. I'm very stupid with replies now. You probably hate me more for it. OOO:< Just update soon, okay?!
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dreamcatcher
Young Warrior Dragon
._.[ss:American Dragon | Season 1]
Posts: 1,892
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Post by dreamcatcher on Sept 22, 2007 20:04:29 GMT -5
OMG NIGHTMARE DAYDREAM NOOO!!!!! Dreams is going to be pissed once she finds out XP
ooooooo.......stupid Atticus for not listening!
AWESOME CHAPTER!!!
UPDATE SOON!!!!! WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!
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Post by YFWE on Nov 8, 2007 2:26:12 GMT -5
The Dragon Chronicles Part 2: The Rescue Mission Chapter 2: Changing the World
Sunlight streamed in through the windows of the massive bubble-like structure called the Globe, causing the room which contained the eight dragon students to become brighter than it had been previously. Below them was a thick forest, a sampling of the dense backwoods of Pennsylvania. Beyond them, not visible at this point, was the Stevenson Academy of Excellence, the place from which they had just departed. The Globe was now, as Falco had said it would be, both intangible and invisible, evidenced by the fact that just a few moments prior, the Globe had literally gone through a tree. Thus, the journey was underway. The group was relatively spread evenly throughout the sole room of the Globe. There was a trio in the center of the room, Kate, James, and Kay, who were playfully utilizing their dragon powers on each other—in a minor manner, of course; not nearly enough to hurt one another…more for the shock factor. (Plus, they figured that if anyone was burnt badly, Kate could bestow upon the afflicted her power of healing so that a major injury could be avoided. The flaw in this plan was that Kate had not yet figured out how to use this power, let alone tried to. James found this out the hard way.) Laura and Jay sat nearby on the floor, Laura’s back propped up against Jay’s right shoulder. They sat silently observing the amusing occurrence that had presented itself before them. Ash was alone, transfixed upon the massive supercomputers on the one side of the room. She sat in one of the chairs, mesmerized by the thousands of numbers that fleeted across the screen. She did not touch the computers’ equally large keyboards—Falco had warned against this—but the urge to do so, to see what exactly would happen, was becoming increasingly overwhelming. Shade and Raffi had taken up a spot underneath a window, up against the wall. They were not speaking—in fact, both appeared to be sleeping, seeing that their eyes were closed. If this was the case, they had fallen asleep holding hands. This went on for a good while. The trio on the floor ceased to amuse themselves with their powers thereafter, and thus a blanket of silence fell over the room. It could be inferred that this silence was a direct result of the imminence of their arrival at New York. One hour had passed at this point, and according to a rundown clock on one of the computer screens, there was a mere forty-five minutes remaining. (Given, of course, that it actually was a clock and not something like an accidentally-activated self-destruction countdown.) “So… I guess it’s about time, eh?” spoke Kay finally. James, Kate, and Ash, who had joined their little group, nodded in agreement. The other four were silent, although given the circumstances their outlook on the matter was likely the same. After a few moments of additional silence, Jay said, “Well… we should probably get this whole thing planned out, then.” Everyone turned to Shade expectantly. It was obvious that, once again, they considered him their leader, and thus expected him to administer the talks. Shade sighed, not wanting to give up his spot with Raffi. He stood, and began pacing methodically nearby. “Well, where to begin?” “Atticus said that we were gonna be landing a ways from the actual building,” Kate said. “Do you think that the Reich will be patrolling the area around the building?” “It’s a possibility,” replied Shade thoughtfully. “So we’ll need to proceed stealthily. So maybe we shouldn’t go into our dragon forms immediately—we can hide ourselves easier that way.” “Sounds good, but we would need to find the place first,” Jay added. “Because, unless I missed something, no one indicated which way to go once we exit the Globe. For all we know, we could walk in the wrong direction for miles, and then we’d be lost because we wouldn’t be able to find the Globe because of its invisibility!” “Yeah, that’s true!” said Ash. “I mean, suppose we do go the right way, make it inside, free the dragons, and make it out alive. How will we find the Globe once we leave?” “Falco said that the Globe would revert back to its visible state once we land, guys,” Shade said. “In fact, that’s one of the main reasons we’re landing so far away—so that the Globe can’t be seen. It’d probably be a bit suspicious to the Reich if they found some huge mutant bubble sitting in the middle of the woods, wouldn’t it?—especially if it wasn’t there just five minutes prior.” “I guess that’s what twigs, branches, and leaves are for,” said Raffi. “Maybe we could camouflage it the best we could so that it couldn’t be seen very well but we could still know where it is. That’s all I can really think of…” “Great idea,” nodded Shade. “That’s what we’ll do, then. Everyone be ready when we get off, in that case—we’ll have to make it as quick as possible.” “So then what about finding the Globe?” Kay asked. “Couldn’t one of us go dragon and fly up into the air so that we can find out exactly where the building is? I would think that that would be a bit easier… it’d at least save us the pain of trial and error by searching on the ground.” “Unfortunately, it’s not that easy,” James countered. “The Reich probably will have some sort of monitoring system for the sky. I’m not saying that they will for sure, but we can’t take the chance of someone going up there and maybe getting, you know, shot or something.” “That’s right. I guess then the only way to find the building will be trial and error,” Shade sighed. “That is, unless we can somehow see it as we’re landing, which is dependant on our altitude and where we actually do land.” The group was silent after this, which provoked Shade to, after a few moments, question them, “Is there anything else anyone wants to say?” “I’m not so sure there really is anything else we can plan at this moment,” replied Laura. “I mean, think about it—we don’t know anything else about the place besides the fact that it’s surrounded by a chain-link fence and that the front door is usually locked. Judging by what Atticus said, we should be able to make it over the fence and to the door without a problem; it’s unlocking the door that might be the problem. And then, if we actually do make it inside, we know absolutely nothing about what is inside. It sounds to me like we’re gonna simply have to look at this impulsively and do everything on the fly. We cannot plan for what we do not know.” “Good call,” Shade murmured. “In that case, I guess that’s really it. Should we have some sort of signal in case one of us is in distress?” “Yeah, I’ve got one— “Help me, dammit!”.” said Ash. “I mean, is there any other option? Just scream your brains out until someone finds you.” “I’m liking that idea,” Kay said. “Okay, whatever you think is best,” nodded Shade. “I really hope it doesn’t come to that, though—hopefully we’ll all be able to stay together the whole time. That way, if one of us is in trouble, everyone will know. Everyone got it?” The eight gave words of agreement and comprehension. “Only fifteen minutes ‘til touchdown,” Ash spoke suddenly. “I’m totally feeling a pep talk and group huddle right now. Anyone agree?” “Might as well. It’d get us focused,” agreed Raffi. The rescue cavalry all met together at the center of the room, arms around one another, heads bowed. “I open up the floor for anyone to speak,” Shade said. “And, please, let’s try to keep it encouraging. I know how some of you can be sometimes…” “What, do you think I’m gonna make fun of James and how he got burned already today by Kay even before we go inside?” laughed Kate. “That’s precisely what I meant, yeah.” “I might as well get it out of my system, then. James, don’t hurt yourself, alright?” “I second that,” grinned Ash. “Now, now, Ash,” said James lightly, “I do recall that you’re the only person that ever actually got hurt during one of our training sessions. So, touché.” “Heh, well, as long as there’s no evil little robotic spiders, I should be good,” Ash stated. “Nah. Just ants.” “Well, if you want to get down to it, those things could’ve passed as ants as well.” “They had six legs, though,” Jay said. “Sorry, I make it a point to not study the anatomies of animals,” muttered Ash. “Alright, is the making fun of Ash and James urge out of our systems?” said Shade, annoyed. “I mean, I’d kinda like to get on with this so we’re ready when we touch down.” At first, no one else said anything, possibly somewhat taken aback at the slight reprimanding that Shade had allocated. “Well, I’d like to say something…,” Raffi whispered, raising her hand slightly to get her point across. “Go for it,” Shade said shortly. “Thanks. Guys, I just want to ask you one question,” Raffi paused for a moment after these words, and then began again. “Did you see the look on Master Shi’s face when he told us about his grandson, Jake, being captured? Could you hear the despair in his voice? Master Shi truly cares for this boy, the American Dragon. And somewhere out there, there are others who feel the same way about the ninety other dragons that are being held captive. “Think about it—we have a chance to bring happiness into these people’s lives again! In our hands rests the very threads that are currently holding these families together. Wouldn’t it be amazing if we would be known forever in their lives as the eight kids that saved their son, daughter, or loved one’s life? Wouldn’t it be amazing if we could go on with our lives knowing that we ultimately saved a lot of lives, and possibly the entire magical world?” “She’s right!” Shade continued. “Guys, we have the fate of the entire magical world on our shoulders. If we fail, then we’re just another victory and step forward for the Reich in their conquering of the magical world. But if we succeed, we might just be responsible for the turning point in this undeclared war. If we can free these dragons, and they can in turn go in and defeat the Reich, we will have played a large part in something even larger. When those dragons are up on a majestic platform at the Isle of Draco, being recognized as those who preserved our very existence, they will be able to mention that none of it would have been possible without us! Hell, we might even be able to fight alongside them!” “So, what do you say, guys?” resumed Raffi. “Are you ready to change the world?”
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Post by YFWE on Nov 8, 2007 2:31:22 GMT -5
“World notoriety does sound nice,” Kate said pensively. “Yeah, think of all the benefits and awards we might get!” said James ecstatically. “On this note,” Shade announced, “does anyone else have anything to say?” “Oh, I’ve got something,” yelled Laura. “Let’s kick some white-robed Reich ass!” “And get home before dinner tonight!” Ash interjected. “Is that all you can think about now?” laughed Kay. “It’s totally pizza night. How could I not?!” “You’re right. That does sound good.” “Focus, guys,” Raffi said quietly. “We so need a group name,” Kate piped up. “Yeah! How about the Panda Bears?” Laura said. “Oh yeah, that would certainly strike fear into the hearts of the Reich,” said a sarcastic Jay. “I say we should call ourselves The Essence.” “We don’t want to confuse them,” James countered. “We need something… good.” “Master Shi’s Soldiers?” Kay declared. “I like it!” said Shade. “We could shorten it to the Soldiers for length purposes as well…” “All in favor of Master Shi’s Soldiers?” announced Raffi. It was a unanimous ‘yes.’ “Alright then. Everyone put your hands together,” Shade exclaimed, raising one of his hands into the air above the middle of the circle. The rest of the group followed suit, meeting their hands with his. “Soldiers on three!” “Can’t we do ‘four on three’?” said James. “You know… 1,2,3…4!!” “No.” “Fine.” “1…2…3…” “SOLDIERS!” The group broke apart. It was immediately following this that they separated into smaller groups—talking lightly for the final time, as the landing was imminent. “Be careful, alright?” said Laura to Jay in a concerned manner. “The same to you,” he replied, and kissed her softly on the forehead. “You mean everything to me, babe… I couldn’t stand to lose you.” Kate nodded back. At that moment, there was a quick flash of a different emotion in her eyes, something that seemed to be triggered by Jay, although it could not be pinpointed and was gone within milliseconds. “Good luck, guys,” James said to Kate, Ash, and Kay. “Here’s to hoping that we actually do get back before dinner. Damn, Ash, you made me hungry now…” “Yeah, well, it was the least I could do,” grinned Ash. “Plus, they were gonna have coffee cake tonight, Kay…” “…let’s do this.” “Raffi…,” Shade whispered to his girlfriend a few paces away, “I’m sure you already know what I’m gonna say, eh?” “Be careful?” “Well, that, of course. But then… I’d also like to say that I can’t wait to fight alongside you today.” “We had to in class often, though, remember?” “It didn’t mean anything, though. This does.” Raffi embraced Shade in a tight hug. “Whatever happens, don’t forget this one thing.” “What’s that,” asked Shade. “I love you.”
(End) Down the hall, Lao Shi could see that a large door was open. A door that would pose a difficulty to get past once he reached it. “These kids and their inability to close doors,” the old man sighed. “I will simply have to close it for them, then…” But as he neared the door, one thing became increasingly apparent: “Wait, this is one of those ‘Academy Personnel Only’ doors—the ones that Atticus will not, for some reason, let me into.” He was right. The door had the very phrase Lao Shi had just repeated in black letters at its top. These doors were normally locked. However, this once, as fate would have it, the door was open. Lao Shi wheeled around the door, and then peered into the doorway. It was dark inside, although he could make out a flight of stairs leading downward and what appeared to be an elevator right next to it. “Perhaps Atticus’s office is somewhere down here. I would like to speak with him about a few things, actually.” Thus, he wheeled inside, pressing a button next to the supposed elevator. A door rolled open, and Lao Shi went inside, although not before being courteous enough as to shut the door behind him. “I do wish Atticus had told me about this earlier…,” he said. The elevator door closed.
(End) The landing had occurred. Prior to this, the group had been crowded at the windows of the Globe, trying desperately to spot the building they would be venturing to—although, unfortunately, these attempts had been futile. A few moments after the Globe touched down onto the ground, they could hear the entrance and exit hatch opening. Their time had come. They would have to be quick. “Everyone hurry and get out!” Shade instructed. “Once you’re outside, try and find any large fallen branches with leaves still on them!” They shuffled outside. The Globe had touched down in a small clearing (and by small, I mean just large enough to fit the Globe) in the woods, and thus there were trees all around. It could not be that hard to find some leaves and branches in this case, could it? “Wait, guys,” Kate said as everyone was about to depart to find some camouflage. “What is it?” asked Shade. “I want to try something… it might make our job a lot easier,” she replied. She turned to the Globe and stood completely still. “Dragon up,” she whispered, and her body was covered with the now-familiar green vines. Moments later, they fell away, revealing Kate in her dark-green dragon form. She then put her two arms out in front of her, claws outstretched. She raised her right arm and motioned it inward. As if on cue, a tree that stood to the right of the Globe bent to the left, until it was covering the right side of the Globe. Kate followed suit with a tree on the left side, and seconds later the Globe was barely visible. “Amazing,” said Raffi breathlessly. “Yeah, powers over the earth can come in handy sometimes, I guess,” Kate acknowledged as she turned toward the group and reverted back to human form. “Figured it was the least I could do.” “Great job, Kate,” Shade nodded. “Now we just need to know where to go…” The group looked around. From no direction could they see anything that looked remotely like a building. Just… trees. Suddenly, Jay spoke. “It’s this way, guys,” he said, gesturing to the east. “Jay, how do you know?” asked Laura. Jay did not answer, for he had already begun in the direction of where he had gestured—and rather quickly, I must add. Somewhat reluctantly, the group followed. “Someone make sure that we’re keeping track of where we’re going,” announced Raffi. “We need to know which way to come when we leave.” “I’ve got it,” Kay said, and the group picked up the pace thereafter, as Jay had unexpectedly broken into a slight jog. Minutes later, they could see that Jay had stopped ahead. He was standing at a large fence. Beyond it was a bluish building. This was it; Jay had found the Reich stronghold. “Way to go, Jay,” Shade congratulated him as soon as they reached him, out of breath. “How did you know where to go?” asked Laura as she slumped around his waist. “I just had this feeling, you know? I really don’t know what it was, exactly…” “Well, whatever the case, we’re here now,” James said. “Now, how shall we go about getting over this fence?” “Well, I would imagine that we should fly over…,” Kay said. “Atticus said that the shape shifter that had been assigned to this place had been able to fly all the way to the door without being noticed. Why not us?” “We’re five times larger than a hawk, though,” said Ash. “I don’t really see an alternative,” Shade declared. “Dragon forms, now.” In seconds, eight dragons stood where eight teenagers had stood previously. “Everyone, come quickly!” announced Shade. He leapt into the air, flapped his wings once, and glided all the way to the doorway. “Kay, you can climb on my back if you’d like,” James said after remembering that in her dragon form she did not have wings. “Thanks, I’d appreciate that,” Kay smiled. Soon, all eight dragons, including Kay, were crowded around the doorway. “It’s locked, obviously,” Shade said. “Think we should just break it down and make a grand entrance?” “Or do you mind if I try something else?” spoke up Kate. “Worked last time; why not?” shrugged Shade. They moved away from the door, clearing the way for Kate. She stood with her right claw directly level with the door’s handle. “Focus, Kate,” she told herself, and shut her eyes tightly. A vine suddenly poked from the tip of her index finger, extending itself until it snaked inside of the lock. Kate continued to extend the vine as she stood there in deep concentration. “Ah, I see…,” Laura said in comprehension, “she’s picking the lock with the vine. Great idea!” The lock clicked a few moments later, and Kate’s eyes flew open. “Got it,” she said triumphantly, and put a hand to the door. “May I open it?” “Be my guest,” Shade said. Kate turned the doorknob and slowly pushed the door open. The seven other dragons crowded around her, eager to see what was inside. The door opened fully, and the dragons stumbled inside. “Well… this is anticlimactic,” noted Jay. It was… for there was nothing inside, save for the overhead lights that lit the interior. The concrete floors that they stood on gave way to white, windowless walls, which were completely bare. It could’ve been inferred that the building had once been occupied, but there was not even any indication of anyone or anything ever occupying the place. “Is this even the right place?” Raffi asked. She walked alone over to one of the walls, out of sight from the rest of the group, where she absentmindedly ran her left claw along the wall as she walked along. “It must be. Atticus said that this was the only building in the area, and I don’t think he would lead us astray,” Shade said, bemused. Aside from Raffi, the rest of the group had not left their spots by the door. “I believe in Atticus too, Shade,” said Ash. “But is it possible that they could’ve been wrong? There’s nothing here!” “What about his theory of there being an underground section…?” asked Kay. “Maybe…” She was cut short by a loud bang, a noise that reverberated and echoed throughout the building, magnifying it further. A few of the dragons in the group ducked. Others stared around after a few moments of hesitation, trying to find the culprit of the noise. “What was that?” “It sounded like something shut…” Shade stared around as well, but he was not seeing anything more than the other six… six… wait. “Raffi?” “She’s back th…,” Ash turned to point at the back wall. But it was empty. “RAFFI!” yelled Shade. A sense of confusion and alarm erupted throughout the group. Where was Raffi? She had been walking along the back wall right before the noise had occurred… yet now was nowhere to be seen. The group scattered, a few to the place where Raffi had vanished, others to other parts of the building, trying to find other explanations to both the noise and Raffi’s disappearance. “I don’t get it…,” Laura said. “She was right back here. In fact, I could’ve sworn I saw her out of the corner of my eye right before the bang!” Shade stood up against the wall, putting his ear up to it and feeling around it. There did not appear to be anything amiss with the wall... but if this was so, why did Raffi disappear there? “Guys, I’ve got something!” This statement had come from Jay. Everyone spun around to look at the large red dragon. He was staring at the ground before him… or, at least, what had been the ground prior. Instead, however, there now sat a large hole. “I had barely laid my foot here when, all of a sudden, the ground disappeared and there was… this!” The group rushed over to him and stared down into the hole. Visibly there was a stone stairway which descended into the hole. There was likely a light further down the stairs, evidenced by a faint glow radiating from the hole. “Let me guess,” Kate said. “We’re gonna have to go down there.” Shade nodded quickly. “Yeah. They’ve taken Raffi down here somehow, I’m sure of it.” “But Raffi wasn’t even standing over here, Shade…,” said Laura. “But do we have any other leads?” asked Shade, a hint of concernment in his voice. “We would’ve had to go down here anyway, even if Raffi hadn’t disappeared. Her disappearance makes it all the more inevitable, now. This has got to be where the Reich stronghold is. The real one.” And with this, the blue dragon leapt amorously into the hole, descending the staircase at a rapid pace. The other six dragons followed, knowing not where they were headed or what to expect—simply knowing that the glory and notoriety that they had spoken of earlier was to be achieved now—there was no turning back now. And, to boot, it could be inferred that they had somehow kidnapped Raffi. This was personal.
END CHAPTER
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Post by charles finley. on Nov 8, 2007 2:53:04 GMT -5
Ahhh. Kidnapped Raffi. [mandatory post]OMG OMG OMG NO RAFFI OMG WHY KEVIN WHY[/end] Haha. Had to be said. XD Love the ending line to the chapter! And pizza night. God d*mmit, now I want pizza. d*mn you kevin! XD The soldiers thing reminds me of the D.A from Harry Potter. lawlz. XD; Good chapter, overall. :D
Update soon!
And umm ... HOLY DIVER. xD
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Post by ADJLFanatic on Nov 8, 2007 8:58:27 GMT -5
...It's official; I frickin LOVE YOU. And no, why did YOU end it?!?! THIS IS LIKE BETTER THAN ATN, OKAY?! And ooh, I got kidnappeded, like you says I gonna was. YES! ...I mean... umm, NO!! NOT ME! NOT ME!! XP And hey! That 'Panda Bears' and the 'we need a group name' reference was from the MSN convo! Nahmean? ;] We still need one, by the way. Cos we awesome fanfic writers must reunite! AND OMG. This was so not a filler, Kevin. At least, not to me. Maybe I expected 'one part' to happen (xD), but the rest was all... BOOM CLASH WHOO BOM CHICKA WAHHHH! UN...EX...PECT...ING! Oh, and um, sorry. I'm in a hyper mood cos you updated. I'll be happy the whole day now. XP And yay! Shadey pants is all leader person coolie mah frankenstein weirdo spaghetti le twinkle town fayce (totally random, I swear). I was pretty sure he was going to be it anyway; he has been taking charge a whole lotsss. Which is great. I especially liked how the beginning went off, too. Y'know, you can't expect eight people to start blabbering in nonsense after knowing you're probably going to save the world, right? It should be quiet then a little talking then BAM promise. I LOVE YOU, SHADEEE. I mean... EWAN. UM... both of you. ;] I also liked the middle where everybody lands! And how it crept to the ending with some... ominous new place. Like, everyone's minds could've gone completely astray if I wasn't gone. Cos we were all so convinced that this wasn't the place. WAHAHAHA. Maybe then I'll be knocked out with unconscious drugs... I mean, gas. XP But um... uh, fwa! I LIKED... EVERYTHING... THAT'S AN EASIER WAY TO SAY IT. And you know how this is TRUE? See, I'm supposed to be getting ready for school. I have ten minutes until I have to leave and I'm still in my pajamas. I LOVE IT WHEN YOU MAKE ME DO THAT... well, this is the first time... BUT I DON'T CARE. It'll be worth rushing for. :] Hate to be a 'copy-catter,' but UPDATE SOON!
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Post by Chaos on Nov 8, 2007 19:17:28 GMT -5
Filler? FILLER!? This was an amazingly awesome and perfect chapter, another one that I can't put into words, but one thing's for sure, THAT WAS SOOOOO NOT A FILLER.
I really like Kate's power, forest or grass powers are really fun, or life, whatever you call it. You're great at suspense, much better than me. The ending cliffhanger was so totally awesome and the whole small paragraph with Lao Shi's discovery, very shocking and makes you wonder about Atticus, especially how he said where the Reich Empire's HQ was, while it seems underground. WE HAVE TO BE CAREFUL, GUYS!
And although we only got to see powers from Kate and Jay, kinda, it was really cool how you used them. Shade being a leader was interestingly awesome, especially because people want me to help them during school. I guess I'm smarter than the group of Reich Fighters. DON'T TELL THEM I SAID THAT.
I think it's very odd that everyone always makes it a damsel in distress while I always make Shade the captee. I guess the only reason why I make Shade captured all the time is because people always make his lover captured. OH, THE DRAMA! Either way, my wannabe comment that's supposed to be like Raffi's is done. GO, WORK ON THE NEW CHAPTER.
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dreamcatcher
Young Warrior Dragon
._.[ss:American Dragon | Season 1]
Posts: 1,892
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Post by dreamcatcher on Nov 10, 2007 23:09:33 GMT -5
AWESOME CHAPTER!!! COFFEE CAKE YUM! one thing, Dreams does have wings. UPDATE SOONS
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Post by YFWE on Dec 21, 2007 13:55:41 GMT -5
The Dragon Chronicles Pt. 2- The Rescue Mission Ch. 3- The Descent and the Discovery
Descending the dark, damp stairway brought about a sense of intimidation and of cautiousness to the seven remaining members of the rescue cavalry known now amongst themselves as Master Shi’s Soldiers. They had crawled into the narrow arcade that had appeared suddenly in the floor of the building in which they had been searching for clues as to the Reich’s location with the intent of two things, actually—one, to explore this newly-discovered area of the property, and two, to search for one of their own.
They still knew not how Raffi had disappeared, or why, for that matter. It could be inferred, however, that her disappearance was not only correlated with the loud bang they had heard before noticing her vanishing, but also with the appearance of this hidden stairway that Kay had accidentally stumbled upon. And if the latter assertion was false, then at least the group had discovered what they had been searching for—a sign of the Reich’s occupancy of the facility.
And so they navigated the stairway; all of its twists, turns, and occasional missing steps. The seven dragons had actually stayed in their dragon forms while inside this corridor, forsake of not only descending it as quickly as possible, but also to light the stairway, as there was no light otherwise inside other than a rather distant glow that radiated from the supposed end of the tunnel. Jay led the way, Shade intently at his side. The theoretical leader of the group had for a brief moment stepped aside—at least partially—in order to let Jay lead, as Shade did not have power over fire and thus could not lead the group in its venture downward. Still, it appeared as if Shade was setting the pace by which they traveled, as at times Jay seemed to be struggling to stay two-abreast with the bluish dragon. No one actually did object to that pace, however. They were as mystified at Raffi’s disappearance as Shade had been, and were determined to find her—as well as Jake Long and the other captives. “It feels like we’ve been in here forever,” Ash said finally, after minutes of silence, save for the sounds of their footsteps on the concrete stairs. “How far down is this place?” “Probably as far as they need to go in order to stay undetected by the outside world,” replied James, his dark scales blending into the darkness so that only his dilated red eyes were tangibly visible. “We must be a thousand feet below the ground right now, at least!” “Which’ll make it all the harder to escape from this place…,” growled Laura. “No kidding. But hey, I think we’re almost there,” Kay said. “I think we’re nearing that light at the end of the tunnel… don’t you guys sense it getting brighter in here?” She was right—it was getting brighter. Noting this, Jay extinguished the brilliant flame he had lit at his right claw and drew back, allowing Shade to take the absolute lead. At this, Shade broke into a near-run as they rounded what would prove to be the final twist of the corridor. Suddenly, Shade stopped, setting off a minor pileup behind him as the rest of the group attempted to stop just as abruptly. Once they untangled and brushed off themselves, the other dragons looked up at the reason for Shade’s immediate stop. It was a large wooden door, roughly nine feet high and with a width just wide enough to admit the students in their dragon forms. Four torches, the sources of the light they had viewed further up the stairway, sat juxtaposed along the sides of the door. The now-familiar stone walls that lined the stairway now surrounded the door, and there were random splotches of dirt on them. “It’s almost like no one’s been down here for years…,” said Kate breathlessly. “Would the Reich really be this old-fashioned?” “Either that, or they’re pretty dang smart,” James said. “There’s only one way to find out, though…” As it was, James did not even need to say these words, as Shade had already reached forward and grasped the door handle. “Guys, be ready for anything…,” he whispered calmly. “We cannot know for sure what is behind this door.” “Right…,” Laura added. “For all we know, they might have been watching us the whole time. Feisley or Harrelson or any other Reich member could be right inside…” Shade finally broke the anticipation, after pausing for a few moments, by quickly swinging open the door. Without reluctance he hurried inside, the six others following closely. What presented itself was a long hallway—but much different than the stairway from which they had just came. In opposition, it was scarcely-lit with modern overhead lights built into a white-tiled ceiling. The floors were akin to this—white-tiled, and the walls were white, though lined with, at various points, grayish doors. The corridor seemed to stretch on for a long distance, with simply a white wall at its end. Perhaps, if the lights from overhead could be brightened, more could be seen. “Wow…,” Kate said in awe. “There’s so many of them!” said Ash, referring to the doors. “How on earth are we ever gonna find Raffi down here?” “We must start somewhere,” Shade said shortly, and with this took off into the hallway. “Shade, wait!” Kay called after him. “We need to stay together, not rush off like this!” But Shade, latently blinded by his fervent pursuit of his girlfriend, was already at the closest door. In one quick motion, he swung it open and rushed inside. Knowing not what might happen when he did this, the rest of the group followed quickly. As it turned out, they did not need to worry, for truthfully there was no harm nor danger that presented itself in the room. It was a room much like that of a doctor’s, with a single chair in the corner of one side and a large bedded table, akin to what a patient might lay on, at the other side. The room was as white-walled as the hallway, although slightly more lit. Shade was at the center of the room, his head angled at the ground in frustration. “She’s not here,” he said once he knew they were in the room, “nor do I think she has ever been. We must keep looking.” And at these words, he broke past the group and proceeded down the corridor to the next-nearest room. “We’ll help!” Kay exclaimed, and she and Ash left the room together. Kate and James followed thereafter, and this left Laura and Jay, who did not appear in a hurry to depart. Rather, they seemed to be more engulfed in the room itself. “I don’t get it…,” said Laura as her eyes scanned her redundant surroundings, “what is this place? What is it used for?” “Well, it certainly couldn’t be a doctor’s office,” Jay replied, his left talon resting on the bed-like table. “But that is almost what it appears to be. Or perhaps it’s some sort of ‘crew’s quarters’… maybe this is where the Reich sleeps at night.” “Or keeps its prisoners…,” muttered Laura. “I doubt that. If this is where the prisoners are stowed, wouldn’t they be in here right now? And wouldn’t the doors be slightly more… y’know, sturdy?” Laura sighed. “You’re right. But then, if the Reich slept here, wouldn’t it be a bit more… roomy? I doubt anyone could sleep here…” Jay shrugged. “Given that we don’t have any other leads, I see no obvious alternative…” “Yeah, I know. I just wish there was some way I could figure out what truly happened here…,” she said, and, too, placed her hand on the bed. What followed was an occurrence that is hard to explain, even to the person that has witnessed it. But as soon as Laura touched the table, it was an awakening of sorts, an awakening to a sense that she had not previously known to exist. In front of her eyes, the image of the room and of Jay melted away in a swirl of colors, only to be replaced by another image—one that was quite similar to the one she had just witnessed, although now it was surrounded by a blood-red border. She saw the bed—there was someone on it! But who?—she could not be certain. It was a boy, a boy whom she had never seen before, at least as far as she could remember. The boy had blond hair. His eyes were closed, but he appeared to be awake, as his teeth were gritted and his limbs were continually jolting, as if he was trying to move but couldn’t. And Laura could see why—at his wrists and ankles were large shackles that were connected to chains coming out from the floor. For a short while, this was all Laura witnessed—just this sight, and no sound. But soon after, sound did come—rather suddenly, as a sharp knife cutting her conscious pointedly. The sound, however, was distorted. No, no, perhaps distorted was not the word. It was almost… magnified. It was as if her sense of sound had been sharpened, yet in some way blurred together. She could hear the boy on the table now, but there was more she could hear as well—other voices, perhaps? It was all so bemusing, and Laura was unsure if she liked it. “No…no,” the boy cried softly, his mouth barely moving. “Please… I beg you…” Laura recognized the boy’s voice as having an Australian accent—at least, so she thought, although she was not completely sure, as she had never before met an Australian, let alone anyone from that particular part of the world. The image seemed to speed outward, focusing so that it included more of the room, not simply the table itself. And there they were—the white-robed beings that had been spoken of so prolifically—two of them. They even had the white hoods pulled over their heads. It was the Reich. She was sure of it. “Come now, Mr. Nerk,” spoke a male voice, the robed being by the left side of the table facing the boy. “This will take merely a few seconds. It is for your well-being.” He turned to his accomplice. “You may now administer the serum.” The other Reich member said nothing, but simply leaned over so that it was level with the broad support table that was underneath the bed. Laura realized that under the bed there was a small cabinet, something she had not noticed prior. The figure opened the cabinet door, rummaged around for a few moments, and pulled out a small box. It then opened the box, and took out of it an empty syringe. “Excellent,” said the man, taking the syringe from his accomplice. He reached into a small pocket on the inside of his robe (he reached under the top part of his robe to do this) and produced a tiny vial, which noticeably contained a neon-green liquid. He dipped the syringe into the vial, and the vial filled up with the same liquid. The man handed the syringe back to his accomplice. “It’s ready. Carry on, then.” “Yes sir,” nodded the other Reich member, who also had a masculine tone to his voice. He reached for the boy’s arm, turning it upside down to reveal the under-part of his elbow joint. He exhibited a firm grip on the upper part of his arm, allowing the vein to pop out and be found easier. “No…,” said the boy weakly. “Worry not, Mr. Nerk,” said the first figure. “This shall not hurt.” And at these words, the second figure plunged the syringe’s needle into the boy’s arm. The boy cried out slightly, although not enough to warrant a scream. His entire body gave one large jolt, but soon pacified, as the green liquid emptied itself into his bloodstream. Once the syringe was empty, the robed man removed it, and quickly pulled out another substance, presumably some sort of disinfectant, and began to rub it on the spot where the syringe had entered. At this point, the boy had stopped moving, and appeared to be unconscious. “This went well,” said the first man. “We must move on, though, so we can administer more of the serum before tonight’s activities. Quick, let us hurry. Someone will come along and return him to his quarters a bit later.” As abruptly as it had began, the vision ended at these words. Laura blinked once, and then once more. She thought she heard Jay’s voice, but she could not see him, nor could speak to him. Her sight changed once again, although this time to black. And that was all she remembered. As this had been occurring, the other members of the group had been searching the rest of the floor. However, not much was gathered from this experience, as every room there was all the same—the white rooms, with the table and chair, and no occupants nor any signs of them ever being occupied, at least not in a while. “C’mon, Shade…,” Kay said, irritated, as she followed the leader and most persistent advocate of checking each and every room, “can’t you slow down a bit? We all need to stay together, in case anything comes out at us or something.” “We can’t waste any time,” replied Shade, as he walked in a circle around the final room that had not been checked. “Think of what could happen in the time we waste… think of what could happen to Raffi…” “I think Raffi can fend for herself,” James cut in, having just walked into the room. “She’s a tough girl, and probably one of the better fighters out of all of us.” “I’ve still got to find her,” growled Shade in reply. “It wouldn’t be right of me if I didn’t.” He rushed out of the room, the two others in tow, and paused outside. “Damn, it’s the last room,” he said in disgust. “What now?” “I don’t know, and I wish I did,” said Ash. “But while you three were checking these rooms, Kate and I were checking the hallway over, and it’s all the same!” “Wait, there’s another hallway?!” Shade exclaimed. “Well, yes, but…” “…it’s just like this one, Shade,” Kate said, “and there’s no other area that’s been unchecked.” “But that doesn’t make any sense! Where else could she have gone?” asked Shade rhetorically. It was quite the puzzling affair. Could there have been a clue sometime earlier, like in the stairway, that they had missed? Or could this be a diversion, something to throw them off while Raffi was held elsewhere? Suddenly, there was a loud yelling that was emitted from the opposite side of the corridor. It was Jay, whom the group just realized had been with Laura in the first room the entire time. Why, they did not know. But obviously, something had gone amiss. “Guys, guys, we have a problem,” came Jay’s call as he dashed down the hallway in their direction, all the while pointing behind him at the room he had just exited—and Laura not in tow. “What is it, Jay?” asked James. “It’s Laura. We were looking around in the room, and then all of a sudden she went completely blank! I was trying to talk to her, and then… she passed out, I think.”
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