Authors Note/Disclaimer: I don't own Alter Code F; it belongs to Media Vision and Sony. Agetec can go blow it out their collective corporate ear. So there.
I don't really remember where this idea came from, but I know I will never be able to present it in the form I envision it as. Me no animator. Ah well. But it just makes sense to me, agree with me or not, I don't care. Here it be and now you can read it if you wish. Hee hee hee…
"Untitled So Far"
By Skylark Starflower
Started January 29th, 2006Prologue
The town was in ruins, smoke and dust filling the air, fire and blood filling the streets. Berserk had done his job well, there was not one human left standing. No one has survived the brutal attack, not one man, woman or child.
Or so he'd thought.
It was Shuvoh's job to sort through the mess, to see if there was anything remaining that the demons could use, or perhaps just something for Alhazad to play with. He'd found nothing so far, but his sharp ears were now beginning to pick up a faint scuffling sound, something out of tune with the other sounds of destruction. He sniffed, but could smell nothing past the acrid scent of human blood. He turned, tracking the sound.
The heat haze made it difficult to tell what was moving and what was not, so he relied mostly on his ears to track whatever was making the noise. They led him to the edge of the ruined town. Here the devastation was less, the shimmering heat not so much of a problem. He did not expect what he found.
A small human child was standing amidst the wreckage. His clothes were torn and bloodstained, but he appeared unhurt. The boy started up at him, his golden eyes unblinking. The child, he figured, could be no more than a year old, barely able to stand, unable to talk. What use could he be? Leave him here.
Shuvoh turned to leave, and was a couple steps away when something caught at his scarf tail. He stopped and turned around.
The boy had caught the cloth when a draft had blown it to him, and now he held on with an iron grip. He looked up at the demon again and broke into a smile. He gave the scarf a tug and giggled.
Expressionlessly, the demon pulled his scarf out of the boy's grip, causing the child to lose his balance and tip over. The boy stared up at him again, his face a picture of surprise before it scrunched up and he began to wail.
Shuvoh cocked his head, laying his ears back flat to his skull. He hadn't had much experience with young humans, and most of his encounters with adults ended quickly in their deaths. He knelt down and poked a clawed finger at the child, puzzled by its strange behavior.
The infant stopped crying, giving him another curious look and grabbed onto his finger, giggling once more. Startled, Shuvoh pulled back, and the child was lifted from the ground, so tight was his grip. He took a closer look at the boy as it dangled from his hand. It smiled at him.
It was rather cute, in a humanish sort of way. It would make a good pet. Prying it from his hand, he held it aloft.
"You need a name. What shall I call you?"
The boy squealed in laughter. He liked being picked up. The demon carried him off, away from the burnt out village and in the direction of the demons' lair. After a moment, he smiled and nodded to himself.
"I know. I shall call you Zed."