A formiliar stranger
Notes: The groups vocabulary has exceded expectations. Beta 1 is the most disciplined of the entire group, next to Alpha 1. The group has also began reading at an early stage.
Although we have not set the squad official ranks, they've seen to have developed there own form of anarchy. Alpha 1 being the strongest has become obvious leader of the infants, Beta 1 has become second, but is more favourable to the rest of the future squad. But there has been severe rivalery between Alpha 1 and Beta 1. Should this continue we will have no choice but to resort to disciplinary actions.
These would either in volve shock treatment or extended excersize sessions.
End of report'
Beta sat on his bed, reading a paper. The title said: Rules for Life.
1. Strict obedience to orders 5. Destroy all enemies
2. Never question authority. 6. Search and eliminate
3. Winning is everything 7. Show no mercy
4. Strength beats knowledge 8. WEAKNESS = DEATH
They were at the suburbs of Darwin, but they had run out of water.
The 'savages' were having something of a barbeque in the front garden.
"How the hell am I gonna do that?" Lex said surprised. Hood just shrugged.
"Be creative." A smirk appeared on Lex's face. Hood dissapeared to behind the house.
Lex picked up a small stone and threw it at one of the teenagers who was cooking. In shock he turned around to his 'associates'.
"Alright! Who did that?" he demanded, holding a fork in his hand. The others merely shrugged. Trying to forget the throbbing pain in the back off his head he continued cooking. Thud! Another pebble.
He turned around and launched on the nearest teenager, thinking it was him.
"It wasn't me!" He tried to say to the cook. But his shouts were useless as more teenagers 'threw pebbles at each other', causing more fights between them.
And before you could say sh!t on a stick, they were all at each others throats. Lex smirked as he saw the fighting. His nose how ever was being distracted by the aroma of the cooking chicken on the barbeque.
Hood quickly ran into the back door, holding his Adamantium sword in his right hand. He entered a kitchen.
Well, it could have been mistaken for a waste dump. On the sink were piles of dirty dishes, with flies zooming around them.
From upstairs there was suddenly loud thumping. It sounded like someone storming out of a room.
Hood could hear someone come down the stairs, and quickly hid behind a fridge. It was another one of the savage teenagers. He was grumbling.
"Stupid girl!" he shouted up the stairs. As he walked, Hood noticed that he had his hands over his crutch, and was trying to scream out in pain. The beast like teenager walked out of the house, into the front garden.
Where he was greeted by a flying rock.
Hood opened the fridge door, to reveal about a dozen or so bottles of water and beer. He quickly grabbed as much beer and water and stuffed them into his back pack. He was on the brink of leaving the house, when he someone upstairs. The warrior then remembered that the occupant of the house said something about a girl.
Deciding to investigate, he climbed up the stairs. He checked several rooms before finding a girl, blind folded and tied up on a bed. Hood rolled his eyes behind the black shades. he couldn't let this girl be raped by these thugs.
Hood took the blindfold off the girl. She looked at him, first frightened, then abit more trusting.
"You're not a Beast. Who are you?" She asked, still rather nervous. Hood started untieing her from the bed.
"I'm the guy that's saving your butt." He couldn't undo the final rope tied to her hand and the bed.
The warrior took his sword from his back, and prepared to cut the rope.
"Umm.. wait..wait..WAIT!" But it was too late. He had already thrown the sword foward. Luckily for her, Hood was a good shot. He hlped her off the bed and threw the house.
"What's your name?" Hood asked, taking the girl down the stairs.
"My names Theta." The girl answered. He halted right in front of her.
'Theta?' He thought 'Where have I heard that name before?'
"I'd like to get outta here." Theta said as she pushed Hood along. He snapped out of his thoughts, and began to walk out of the back.
As soon as they were clear from the house they stopped.
"There's an office down the road and to the right. You'll be safe there." Hood said, pointing in one direction and going another. Theta looked confused.
"You're not coming?" She asked. Hood just shook his head.
"Why?" He said, although he did not stop.
"Because you're the guy, that save my but and my virginity." At this last remark he raised an eyebrow beneath the rim of his hat. He was surprised that a well-endowed girl like Theta was still a virgin.
"I've got somewhere else to go." Hood began walking again. The girl just threw her hads in the air.
"Fine, be like that." The two teenagers walked off in oppesite directions.
"Diner is served." He said as he sat down next to Ebony and Cesca. He placed the chicken on a plastic plate.
Hood threw him a bottle a beer. He was gratefull. Lex hadn't had a drip of alcohol since he left the mall-rats.
"There isn't anything like a chicken and beer. Reminds me of my first honeymoon." Ebony smirked.
She felt sympathy for Zandra, who had to endure the fool known as Lex.
Hood started eating a leg. He turned to the others as they sat around a campfire.
"It'll take us a day to get to the airport. If negotations fail, you know what to do." He said, taking a bite out of the leg. Ebony face turned a strange paleness.
"Airport? As in we're flying to Indonesia?" She nearly choked on a piece of meat.
"Yeah. You don't have a problem with that do you?" Hood asked, pretending that he didn't know, of her fear of flying. "No! Of course. The only thing I'm affraid off, is if Lex belches and breaths over me."
Lex gave a sarcastic look at her. They were definitly not getting along.
A couple of hours passed as the four travellers talked about what it would be like in China. As far as any of them could remember, none of them ahad been. And it would be difficult to communicate with the local tribes.
"Ya think we'll meet any of Tai-sans relatives?" Ebony wondered. Lex began to wonder about that question. In all the time he had spent with her, she had never told any of the Mall-Rats about her past.
"She has no family. Except for Chi-Lang, who was her grand father." Hood solemly answered, bowing his head to the ground. The camp was now overweld by a silence.
"I dunno about you lot. But I could use some sleep." Lex said as he unrolled a sleeping bag and crawled in.
"I'd like a 12 a'clock wake up call please." Cesca said in a posh voice as she snuggled into her bag.
Hood thought that Ebony had also fallen alseep, so he sat down a bit further from the group and opened the laptop. He began reading the documents once more.
Notes: Fighting excersizes have been suspended for today, because of an unexpected event previously.
Alpha 1 and Beta 1 have conflicted with each other, for leadership of the squad. Security camera's show that Alpha had begun the conflict, by pushing Beta. This turned into a brawl and the squad circled around the two subjects. It seemed that Alpha 1 was superior in strength, though Beta 1 was superior in Agility and Persistence. We decided not to intervene in this conflict as it would re-structure the squad and we wanted to see what the rest of the squads atitude would have been to the victor and the loser.
What was unexpected was the fact that Beta 1 was victorious, and had killed Alpha 1 with his bare hands.
He also continued punching Alpha 1, though he was already dead. This event triggered a re-srtucturing of the group and they have chosen beta as their new squad leader.
We have decided to re-classifie the groups designations, by making Beta 1, Alpha 1, Gamma 1 will become Beta 1, and so on. There is now a total of 9 children in the squad. We have high anticipations of Beta.'
He quickly stood up and started walking back to the campfire. Ebony followed.
"I'm sorry. Didn't mean to scare you." She tried to apolagise. Hood put his hand to his head.
"You didn't scare me. I just don't want anyone to know about my past." He sat down on a log. Ebony beside him. "Why? It couldn't be that bad." Ebony showed a smile, but it dissapeared when Hood looked abit angry.
"Guess I could be wrong." She turned away. Hood layed down on his sleeping bag.
"Well since you're up anyway. You might as well take over guard duty." Hood said as moved his hat over his face, though not taking his shades off. Ebony shook her head. She fell straight for that one.
Things you don't want know about a Pilots closet
"You don't get it! You ain't got nothing to trade for tickets, and there is no plane here that'll go that far."
The group were inside an office at the passenger terminal. They were trying to negotiate some tickets to China. For once Lex was keeping his mouth shut as Hood tried to talk their way into a cheap flight.
"Well, what about Vietnam?" Hood tried, though the pilot shook his head.
Lex looked around. He noticed Cesca taking a peek into a closet. Probably just the pilots clothes.
There was suddenly a large smile on Cescas face as she stopped looking in the closet and walked over to Hood, saying she'd take it from here.
She put her hand on the pilots shoulder and walked him away from the group. They started whispering.
Suddenly, the young pilots face changed colour and quickly hurried to Hood.
"Very well, your friend has convinced me. You can take a small plane to the Philippines. Someone there can take it back. From there you take a merchant ship to China." He said to the Warrior. He noticed though that the young pilot was in a hurry to get them away from the airport.
As he lead the four to their plane, Hood walked to Cesca.
"What exactely did you say to him, that convinced him?" He asked. A mischivious look appear on her face.
"I said, that if he didn't give us a plane, I'd tell the mechanics in the hangar about the pink too-too dress with the thong, he has in his closet." Hood smiled at the sneakiness of Cesca.
Lex, Ebony and Hood climbed into the twin engine plane. Though as Cesca climbed in, the pilot held her arm for a second. She sympathecily looked at him, and reassured the young pilot.
"Don't worry, I wasn't planning on telling your collegueas anyway." The pilot frowned as the girl closed the hatch to the airplane. Hood and Lex took the pilots seats, as Ebony and Cesca climbed into the passenger section. Lex looked confused at all the dials and levers. He turned to Hood.
"You do know how to fly this thing?" he asked, slightly nervous. Hood reassured him.
"Piece of cake. Maverick taught me all about twin engine planes." Though he was lying partially.
He had only learned how to take off and fly it.
Cesca and ebony sat beside each other. Ebony looked nervously out of the window. Cesca noticed.
Ebonys hand was trembling, but stopped abit when Cesca held it. Ebony turned to her, as she gave a trusting look to the former Loco Queen.
"Here we go." Hood flipped several switches and pushed a lever forward slowly.
Ebony pushed herself onto the seat as the engines made the plane tremble.
The plane began to move slowly onto the runway. The pilot rapidly made his way up the stair case and joined two others in the controlle tower. He turned a microphone on.
"Hood, runway three is clear for your departure. Oh and one more thing. Make sure it comes back in one piece." Hood smiled as he heard the last statement. He the got a devilish idea and reached for a cd in his black raincoat. He then slide it into the cd player, which was an extra accersoire to the plane.
Suddeny the speakers in the controlle tower was overwelmed by the sound of heavy rock music, coming from the radio. The music could also be heard in the plane itself, though less loud.
It was Hoods favorite song. it belonged to a movie called Top Gun.
The sound blasted as he lead the plane on to the runway and began it's take off.
"I'm really hoping you know what you're doing!" Lex shouted over the music.
"So do I!" Hood laughed as the plane started to tilt upwards. Lex suddenly realised what he said and rapped the safety belt around himself.
Ebony was squeezing Cescas hand so tight that it began to hurt.
The teenagers in the controlle tower watched as one of their best airplanes went up with a couple of unexperienced travellers, all because their leader said so. At least the pilots secret would be safe.
Well. Untill someone goes through his closet.
The airplane was really gaining altitude now. Hood though this should be high enough, and began levelling the plane out. He looked at the compass and adjusted the planes course to the Philippines.
Lex and Ebony now relaxed, as the plane stopped trembling. Cesca let go of Ebonys hand.
"Now that wasn't too bad now was it?" She said smiling. Though Ebony took a quick look out of the plane and shot back to her seat. Cesca got up and shook her head as she made her way to the cockpit.
She watched Hood handle the plane as well as he could, which was pretty good. He had learnt well from Maverick. Cesca then looked at Lex, who seemed to be still baffled by all the dials.
"Right, Lex. I'm gonna give you a crash course in piloting an airplane." Lex looked at him nervously.
'CRASH course?' he thought. Hood started pointing several things out.
"Okay, this lever controlles who has controlle of the plane. This dial shows how high we are, and that's the compass." Hood turned to see if he was understanding.
"You lost me after you said 'Okay'." He sighed. This was gonna be tougher then he thought.
"What do you know about the radio?" Hood asked. "I know how that works." Lex said sarcasticly.
"Right. If anything comes up tell me." He pushed to buttons and pulled a lever.
"What did you just do?" Lex asked, slightly concerned as he saw Hood stand up.
"Auto-pilot." He said. Lex looked confused. "It's like cruise controlle for planes."
"Well where are you going?"
"Just because I'm a warrior, doesn't mean I don't have to go to bog." he gave Cesca a quick kiss as he made his way to the back of the plane. Cesca took Hoods seat at the cockpit, and started chatting with lex, although he wasn't the best conversionalist in the world.
The warrior, just looked into those beautiful eyes. He could lose himself in them forever. He ran his hands through her dark purple and blue hair. He moved closer and kissed her again. She had the most unbelievable lips. They were so soft, yet so firm. Unfortunately, they could not stay like this forever.
"Umm. Hood?" Lex's voice called from the cockpit. Hood rolled his eyes.
"I'm kinda busy now." Cesca smiled.
"Hood, get your butt in here NOW!" Ebony ordered, seeing if she had any controlle over him. Relucantly Hood let go off Cesca and walked to the cockpit.
"This had better be important. Now what is it?" he said, leaning against the side.
"See for yourself." Lex pointed in front of them. About a mile from the plane, straight ahead of them was a massive storm cloud. Hood had never seen anything like it in his life before.
It was the biggest, darkest, most fearfull storm they had ever seen. Hood could see that there was lightning and winds strong enough the destroy farm.
Ebony got out of the pilots seat and ran to the back and joined Cesca. Hood sat down, and dis-engaged the auto-pilot.
"What do we do?" Lex asked, strapping himself in.
"I'm gonna try and get us over it." Hood said, and pulled the joy-stick backwards. The plane suddenly made 45 degree angle upwards. The storm was getting closer. It seemed as if there was no end to the size of the storm. As the plane continued to gain altitude, it began to shake more and more.
Hood decided it couldn't take any more and leveled the plane out. This was as high as they were gonna get.
"Girls, hold on tight." Lex shouted to them. He was right to warn, because as the plane entered the storm cloud it was hard to keep it stable. The winds forced them to nearly make 90 degree dive, straight down.
Lightning began to flash right beside the left wing. It nearly was hit. Ebony screamed. She was in way over her head. Cesca held her hand tightly, now they were both affraid.
"You think we'll make it?" Cesca asked her.
"If he doesn't get us through, I am gonna do some ass kicking." Ebony tried to sound confident, but the tears were a dead give away of her fear.
"How long till reach Manila?" Lex asked. Manilla was the capital of the Philippines.
"About half an hour." Hood answered, as he struggeled with the joystick. The wind was playing with the plane like it was a leaf in the wind.
"Ain't nothing like a storm to get you on your toes." Hood shouted, and did a barrel role with the plane. the girls screams of fear, were warning enough that if he should do that again, he'd have better chances with the storm then them.
Suddenly another light flash exploded on the right wing. Lex looked through the window.
"The engine's on fire." He warned, though the flashing lights were warning enough.
"The sprinklers ain't working." Hood responded. Then he got an idea. He jolted the plane directly upwards.
"What are you doing man!?" Lex shouted.
"I saw this in a movie." He answered. "Yeah? What happend?"
"They tried take the plane so high there wasn't enough oxygen for the flames. One problem though."
"What was that then?"
"They didn't have a chance and they went the oppisite direction." That really scared lex.
Although it was working. The plane might have been shaking like hell, the flames dissapeared.
Hood suddenly noticed that there was little air in the cockpit, and plunged the plane straight downwards.
The cockpit returned to normal pressure. Lex looked at the burnt out engine, no chance in hell to get that thing working.
"YES!" Lex suddenly turned towards Hood. "What?"
"There. Manila!" He was right. in front of them was the city. It was pretty big, though it was also being raviged by the storm. Though Hood was looking worried. Lex saw this.
"What's wrong?" "This is gonna be a problem."
"I thought you said you could fly this thing!?!" Lex began to shout over the storm.
"Fly? YES! Land? NO!" Lex was really terrified now.
"I got an idea." Hood said. He then jolted the plane to the east of the city. He then got out of his seat and told Lex to do the same. Lex told the girls to get up, as Hood handed the three of them their back packs and another kinda of packs.
"What's this?" Ebony asked, holding the extra back pack. Hood and Lex were already putting theirs on.
"Put it on now! You're getting your first sky diving lesson." With this last remark, she hurriedly put it as well as Cesca.
The plane was getting nearer to the city. It was now flying over a open meadows. Hood kicked open the hatch off the plane, though as he heard he some thumping from some where in the plane.
He told the others to jump out, though he stayed to look in the baggage compartment.
To Hoods surprise, he found a red haired girl he'd seen before.
"You again?" Hood shouted. Theta nodded. He grabbed her hand and lifted her out.
He then quickly grabbed the carrier bag with his latop in it, and his past.
"What's going on?" She asked in a hurry. Hood embraced her suddenly.
"Don't take this the wrong way." He said, and held her tight as he dragged themselves out of the plane.
Theta screamed as they plummeted out of the plane. Theta rapped her legs around Hood, to hold tighter.
She suddenly felt they fell slower. She opened her eyes and looked the bright red parachute above her.
Even though the weight was more than the chute was supposed to handle, it still worked.
Faster then she had expected Theta felt the hard ground beneath her back. Hood was laying right above.
"You know. If I wasn't so religious, I'd take advantage of this position." She tried to kiss Hood, but he was fast to react and left a gape of air where his lips were.
"I already got a girl." He said as he climbed off the stow away. He adjusted his shades and hat, and saw the air plane still going. Though there was an immense sky scrapper in it's way. The explosion light the sky up above the city of Manila. Hood tisked himself. 'Locals aren't gonna like this.' He thought to himself.
A house, an initation and a field test
Hood packed the parachute up as far as he could and put it back into the back pack. He then quickly through in some shrubs. Theta looked confused.
"What you throw it away from? It could us dry." She furrowed her brow. Her red hair was getting wetter with every second they stood there.
"Precautoins. If anyone saw us jump out of the plane, and see us with the chutes, they would no doubtely like to thank us for blowing up one of their sky scrappers." Hood began to walk over the meadow.
"You know, that's twice you saved me." A smile appeared on her face.
"Don't get used to it. You're not coming with us." Hood didn't look at her, though it was hard with all the rain. Just as he adjusted his black hat, Theta so the chance to give him a kiss on the lips.
Although there was no reaction.
"And don't get used to that either! As I said, I already got a girl." Hood made his way, over the muddy meadow, keeping an eye on the stow away just in case she'd try it again.
The rain was lightening up when they found the others. As the five travellers traveled to the city, Lex saw his oppertunity to find out more about the new girl.
"So who's this?" He asked Hood. "This is the girl I saved when we stole the beer and chicken. She decided to stow away with us." He moved towards Cesc and held his raincoat over her. She put her hand around him, glad to see him again. Lex moved towards Theta.
"I'd offer you my rain coat, but I don't have one." Theta just kept staring at Hood, as if they had met before.
"Well if you get bored of him, just give me a holler." Lex got a dirty look as reply.
The five travellers walked towards the city. There wasn't much point in running, they'd get wet either way
The group found themselves in the rather large hallway of the house. It was eerie.
Hood noticed something that the others didn't. He kept still as the others looked around. Cesca looked at the warrior, staring at the hallway.
"What's wrong?" She asked. "Look." Hood said. She turned to see what he was looking, but saw nothing but a small dresser. "Well?" She asked, still not knowing the reason.
"Dust. Everywhere. Spider webs. And look at the ornaments." He walked to a small candler holder, rather gold shiny. He polished the dust off with his gloved hands.
"Gold." He knocked it against the dresser. "Well? What about it?" Cesca asked.
"Pure gold. This place hasn't been looted." Hood finally explained.
"So some people missed this place. It means we might be able to find something to trade with." She answered. Hood agreed. He ran his finger of the two and a half year old dust.
Lex threw the last log into the fire place. He picked up a bottle of beer and took a sip. He then threw the rest onto the logs and then light a match. FOOSH! The beer on the logs instantely took the flames.
"Aahh. Fire." he said as he raised his hands to catcht he warmth. Ebony just watched him from the couch.
"Watch as the primitive caveman is amazed by the flames of the fire." She said with a sarcastic smirk.
Lex gave a grumph and sat down on a large armchair close to the fireplace.
Theta walked in from the kitchen holding several cans.
"All the canned food is still here. We got beans, sausages and canned potatoe." She held the cans up.
"I'd say it's time for diner." Cesca said as she plunked herself down next to ebony on the couch.
"I'm not cooking." Lex quickly said as he noticed Ebony staring at him after Cescas last comment.
"I say we let the new girl cook." Cesca said. Theta looked slightly annoyed.
"Think of it as an initation to our group." Sighing she walked back into the kitchen, deciding to make a querky comment later.
Notes: Alpha 1 is performing excellent as leader of the squad. All 9 subjects have shown excellent judge of character, and are strong. Each member of the squad have their own specialities besides being a soldier.
For example. Delta is making good progress in communications. Gamma has shown a definite interest in explosives, although there was an incident involving the laboratory earlier this week.
Though I fear that this operation may soon be terminated. The council want to see results soon.
Next week the Council will be witnessing the filed test of our squad. Then they will decide if this experiment should be continued, or liquadated including personal as with previous operations.
What worries me the most is that the council wasn't in favor of this from the beginning.
Even if Moondust succeeds in the field tests, it might not be enough to keep the operation going.
End of report'
"Zeta, Eta and Iota. Continue sweep of perimeter." A young boy spoke into a headset. He was dressed in a black uniform, holding a smaller version of the M16. Together with him were several other children, roughly twelve, each. They walked over ruins of houses. It looked like a warzone.
"Beta, Gamma, Delta. Search the buildins. Kill on sight any hostiles." The boy said again. Three boys from the group spread through the buildings.
"Epsilon and Theta. With me." A boy and girl joined the leading boy.
Suddenly to figures appeared from around a corner. They were adults, wearing masks and holding rifles.
They were slow to react to the three children, not knowing if they had the guts to kill the kids. But the three had no hesitation in elimaniting their enemies. The bodies fell to the ground, blood pouring from them.
"Remember, no one should be here. Anyone who is, is considered a hostile." The leading boy spoke into the headset. Upon hearing this the others agreed.
The smog was all around them, the smog of war. As they continued searching they found more bodies. Some of them were men, some of them were soldiers sent before the squad.
A man suddenly appeared in a doorway. He held a woman in front of him as a human shield.
For a moment the three hesitated, but then opened fire on both of the people, who they considered hostile.
"It seems that you're squad is doing excellent. Though what of this woman." A man smoked a cigar. His face concealed by the shadows of the bunker. Another man spoke, also his face is hiden.
"We will tell them she died in the line of fire."
"We still have our doubts about this. Though as far as we are concerned, they have passed the tests."
They walked over the middle of the street, surrounded by shops and offices. It was quiet, Hood thought, too quiet. All the shops had closed their doors.
A tumble weed was thrown about over the street by the wind.
"This place is kinda creepy." Cesca said, looking around.
"The docks are about a mile further down. The pilot said we'd be able to find a merchant ship there." Hood said looking at a map of the city. He folded it up and put it in his back pack.
"You guys noticed something?" Ebony asked the others.
"What? The fact that there's no one here, or that there aren't any signs that people were here to begin with." Lex answered. He was right. No where was any grafitti on the walls. Those would have been the sign that teenagers had taken over. But all there was, were burnt out cars, thrown about shopping trolleys and decaying buildings.
"I got a bad feeling about this." Theta said nervously.
They turned a corner. Just another street, but it was occupied by a large gang. The group stood still looking at the gang. They turned there attention from the teenager they were beating up to them.
There were about 20 of them. Enough for a small tribe. Each of them was massive, wearing leather jackets with the sleaves ripped off, their arms bursting with muscles. For a moment they stood staring at each other. Then the gang seperated, making an opening. A tall but slim person appeared from behind them. He also wore a leather jacket, but with sleaves, this time. He took the shades he was wearing off and turned to Hood. He analyzed the warrior, then the rest of the group. As he put his shades back on he took a deep breath and shouted. "GET 'EM!!!" The gang suddenly plunged after the group.
"What now?" Lex asked. Hood turned around. "Running would be a good idea." He was quickly followed by the group. They ran down the street, the Rampage gang hot on their heels.
First people they meet in a new town, and they're already on their death-wish-list.
"This way." Hood shouted to the others, and ran into an alley. The ran down it untill they met with a wooden fence. Hood help the others over it first. Lex was the last to jump over before Hood. Though just before Lex dissapeared over the fence, Hood grabbed him.
"Just forget about pulling the same stunt you pulled with Glen." Lex raised an eyebrow, surprised he knew about that. Hood quickly jumped over the fence, just before one of the gang tried to grab him. On the otherside the rest of the group was waiting for him.
"Don't just stand there, run!" They didn't think twice and began running again.
'This is gonna be one of those days' Hood thought too himself. He was right.
The Good, The Bad and a Cannon ball
"And you've always been a pesimist?" Theta asked sarcasticly, having a dirty look as reply.
Hood took out his folded crossbow. The arms unfolded, loading it instantely.
"I don't want to be caught unarmed with those guys again." He said, putting it in his pocket.
Ebony looked around, to where they had arived. She smiled when she realised they were where they wanted to be. The docks. The others also noticed the sound of the waves crashing against the pillars of the piers.
"You guys hear something?" Theta asked. She was right. There was the faint sound of music coming from one end of the docks. Lex stood up straight, and put his jacket on straight.
"Sounds like my kinda scene." He started walked down the pier to where they pressumed a bar was.
As they started walking Hood loaded the magnum Dr. Zachary gave to him. Cesca saw this, and was slightly scared.
"Do you think we'll need that?" She asked in a nervous tone. Hood put in a holster under his raincoat.
"With Lex's luck, yes."
Another was trying to make a tower of domino stones, though it fell to pieces when a stripper started dancing on his table.
Lex sat down at the bar, slammed his fist on it, trying to get the bartenders attention. With succes.
"What do you want?" He asked. He was muscular, hadn't shaven for a whiile, with greasy hair.
"A bottle of whisky and five glasses." The bartender promptly put them on the bar.
"You got any food?" Lex asked. "Best in Darwin." The bartender smiled.
"Somehow I doubt that." Lex replied with a sneer. "Send a waitress to our table."
Lex lead the others to table. He pushed an unconscious drinker from a chair onto the ground.
They sat down. Ebony looked at Lex as he poured a glass for himself. "You must feel at home here."
He handed a glass to her. "Could be worse. Lips, Teeth and Dimples could be singing."
That lastn remark brought a smile to her face. Though he was right. There was a rock band playing behind the stripper at the bar. None of them looking the type of musicians you'd ask for an autograph.
A waitress arrived to their table. She had bright blue hair, wearing a pair of hotpants and a tight t-shirt Lex kept staring at. She asked them in a squeeky high voice.
"What can I get you?" She asked. Seeing that Lex was busy staring, Hood answered.
"Some info." The waitress put her notepad. "What you need to know?"
"We heard there's a merchant ship here. When does it get here?" The waitress looked a bit worried. She took a seat and sat down with them.
"They should have been back a week ago. There's a rumour been going around that they got them."
"They?" Cesca asked, having a good idea who it might be.
"Pirates. They've been sailing around here for a while, praying on unsuspecting ships." Lex stopped staring at her breast long enough to notice she was a bit nervous. "What's wrong?" He asked, trying to sound caring.
"My boyfriend is captain of the merchant ship. I think he's dead." A tear ran down her cheek.
At this point the doors opened. The shady character the group met earlier walked in followed by two bodyguards. Hood asked the waitress. "Who's that then?"
"That's Shain. He's leader of Rampage. They're in the protection racket. The usuall, pay or be unprotected. You've don't want to meet up with these guys." Lex and Hood looked at each other then simultanously said.
"Too late." Shain turned around from the bar and saw the group at the table. He signaled his underlings outside to come in. They surrounded the table. Hood and Lex stood up, but were pushed back down by two larger guys. Shain walked to the table.
"It's a small town afterall." He said. His voice was dry and had an American accent. "I suppose our lovely Diana has already explained our business." Hood adjusted his hat slightly.
"Since you're new in town, I guess we can give you an opening discount." Some of the guys laughed.
But as a bolt of lightning, Hood took the crosbow from his coat and had it a millimeter from Shain's head.
"I don't like insurance salesmen." He said with a grin. They held that position for several minutes, but to Shain it seem like hours. It came to a halt though, when a whistling sound could be heard. It went from high to low slowly, as if something was falling.
A sudden crash in the roof dropped a piece of cement from the ceiling on to Shain, killing him instantly.
With their leader dead, the Rampage ran out of the bar, followed by everyone else, though the group was the last to leave.
"Great. Now what?" Hood asked as he got outside. Everyone else had run away upon seeing the sight they feared, even the rampage was affraid.
Another shot was launched and landed in the building next to the bar.
The large ship arrived at the pier and a rope ladder was dropped from the side onto the wooden floor.
Several guys climbed from the side of the ship onto the pier, followed by a black teenager with an old captains hat.
The group quickly ran and hide behind some oil drums. The pirates hadn't seen them as they walked straight into the bar. Several minutes later there was shouting as they came out again. A glass was thrown through the air into the sea.
"Who here said that these guys had the best milkshakes?" The captain shouted at the others.
"Sorry, Captain. Must be new managment." One of the younger pirates apologised.
"There's another town I know with great banana splits." Another pirate said. The Captain seemed pleased by that. Hood looked at the captain. He looked at him closely at first and smiled when he realised who it was.
Bluntly he stood up. Theta tried to get him back down put he said it was okay.
"Ahoy, captain." Hood said smiling. The captain suddenly turned to him. The Pirates were about the raise their daggers to hood put the Captain stopped them. "Hood?" He said. He walked over to the warrior and shook his hand.
"Mike, man. how ya doin?" Hood asked. "Okay. Thought I'd try a new line of work." He explained his new job. The rest of the group came from behind the drums and walked to Hood.
"Who's this then?" Ebony asked, looking the captain up and down.
"I'm Captain Mike ma'am. Leader of the Pirates." Lex rolled his eyes. "No du'h."
"Hood what are you doing here?" Mike asked turning to him.
"We're globe trotting. We're trying to get to Hong Kong." Hood explained.
"Why H.K.? ohh right. You got a girl there?" Mike asked winking. Cesca put her arm around Hoods.
"No, he has a girl here." She said.
"No, we're just travelling." Hood explained. He turned around and saw the waitress still with them.
"Hey you wouldn't have boarded a merchant last week?" He asked, looking at the large yacht.
"As a matter of fact we're dropping it's crew off here. There captain said something about his girl being pregnant." A group of people came from the yacht. One began to run as he saw Diana, who ran to him.
As soon as they were together they started kissing, happy to see each other.
"Hey, we're heading to H.K. You need a ride?" Mike asked, inviting his friend. Hood agreed.
"Come aboard." Mike said as the climbed up the rope ladder.
The yacht look bigger on the inside then it did on the outside. Then again it looked extremely big on the outside. Captain Mike lead them into the living room. It was covered with silk sheets, cushions. There was a smalll bar on board. At the back was a jacuzzi consealed behind a sheet.
Lex and Ebony flopped down onto a large bed, but quickly moved once they found out they were sitting so close to each other. Mike went behind the bar and started making a couple of drinks.
"You still make my favorite?" Hood asked, leaning against the bar. He knodded.
"Vodka Martini, shaken, not stirn." Mike answered in a Sean Connery voice. Theta looked around, pretty luxures for a pirate.
"So what, this is your entire tribe?" Cesca asked, sitting down next to Hood. Mike laughed.
"Hell no. This is just my boat, my tribes ship is at sea at the mo. I'm just here for dumping the captives off."
He started throwing a cocktail shaker through the air. "We might be pirates, but we don't kill our prisoners, at first they just sold them as slaves, but when I came along I convinced them to let them go free."
Hood looked suspicous as he was handed his drink.
"Don't tell me. A lucky punch?" He asked. Again the captain of what he considered a small boat laughed.
"No nothing that complicated. My girlfriend is the leader, I'm second in command."
One of the Pirates stuck his head through a portal, upside down.
"Cap'n, ready to leave." Mike smilled. "Head for the Atlantis Full speed." The pirate dissapeared to set course for home. "Atlantis?" Theta asked, still being eyed up by Lex.
"Our home, it's like a massive fort at sea. You remember the movie Waterworld?" The group nodded. "Well Atlantis is the place they filmed it. That's our home now. Enough room for up to 500 people."
The engines began to roar, the yacht trembled for a moment before dissapearing from the pier and setting sail to Atlantis. Diana and her boyfriend waved from the pier as the Pirates dissapeared into the horizon.
An invitation to the past
Sometimes, while he was reading he had flashes of memories he didn't know he had.
He had learnt that he was part of a group of teenagers, born to kill, literally. His entire existence was for killing and keeping order. That was what he was created to do.
Though they had only been out in the field for several weeks, they helped with wars around the world, without the fighting governments knowing. Their orders were always the same, either secure certain buildings or terminate any hostile, that last one usually included anyone who wasn't meant to be there.
The people they killed was countless, so many, and all were for the sack of an experiment. To see if someone could be actually created and controlle, like a machine.
Notes: Today is a sad day indeed. We have been informed that project Moondust will be terminated.
The council has agreed that breeding soldiers like these would not be cost effective, although the results were better then expected. As I am writing this last report, all personell and subjects have been locked up in our base. We are awaiting the inevitable. Soon in one for or another we will all be, terminated.
The Moondust squad has also been locked up in here. I fear for them. In the last couple of months I have grown closer with them, become more personal with them. I can surely say that I consider them as my own children now. They do know why they have been locked in here for, but they have been disciplined so well that they do not fear death. I have never seen anyone stay so calm like them.
My hands are trembling with fear. I wish they would just get it over with. As they say, it's not the result that kills you, it's the anticipation of it that kills you. Soon, it will come, in what ever form, it will kill us all.
End of Report'
"Alpha. Get you're group ready." A scientist said. The boy stood still, looking puzzled.
"Sir, it is your superiors wishes that we should be terminated. We have been taught to obey the highest authority." His voice so mono, like there was no soul in him. The scientist held his shoulder.
"This is the most important thing you will ever learn, Michael. Whatever happens from now, be an individual, you may get orders from others, but think for yourself. Survival is the most important of them all. Do me proud. Survive." After a slight time of thinking, Michael nodded and walked away.
"Moondust, prepare for departure." He stood in a room, where other children were, all in black uniforms.
A red haired girl stood up. "Sir, we have been ordered to stay." Her voice as mono as her commanders.
He had already started packing his backpack. "I have been taught something new."
"What is that, sir?" Delta asked. "Think for myself." He answered, but there was something different in his voice. The other members of Moondust started to pack their bags and put their full uniforms on.
Once they were all done, they lined up and awaited their orders from their C.O.
Michael stood in front of them.
"Forget everything you have been taught. These are your new rules for life. Remember them."
Some of the squad looked puzzled at him as he handed out new papers. They read them intensely.
'Rule 1: Think for yourself. Rule 4: Love is a part of life.
Rule 2: Consider others. Rule 5: Death is not to be feared.
Rule 3: Do not harm, unless neccersary. Rule 6: SURVIVAL = LIFE'
"Sometimes you learn things that can't be taught. Like individuality." Alpha folded the paper up and put it in his back pack. "Moondust Squad. Begin evac." He lead the eight twelve year olds out of their barracks to where the scientist was. He stood waiting for them at a waste disposal chute, waiting for his creations.
"Is everyone here?" He asked, looking around. "All are present sir." Alpha answered, standing as straight as possible. He looked at the scientist.
He took a grenade from under his lab coat and took the pin out. He then lifted the lid to the chute up and threw the grenade in. They all ducked for a moment as a short explosion of flames burst from it.
"That should have destroyed the lock in grid. Once you are clear of the chute, vacate the compound and leave this place. Find new lives." The scientist looked at his children. His army had changed before him into children, his legacy. "Escape."
One by one the squad jumped into the chute and slide down to their freedom. Alpha was the last to go, but just before he dove into the chute, the scientist grabbed his arm.
"Alpha. You are their leader. You have all become like my children. You're like a son to me." Alpha looked at him. A tear ran down the scientists cheek, into the stubble around his chin from not shaving for a while.
"I'll take care of them." Alpha put his hand on the scientists shoulder. "Goodbye...father."
Before the scientist could say a word, Alpha dissapeared into the chute, following the others.
The scientist looked around at the air vents. A smoke began to come from them, pouring into the laboratories. It was suffocating the scientists.
"You'll never take my children." Those were the last words the scientist spoke before dying from the lack of oxygen.
Alpha felt the coldness of the metal through his clothes. Beneath him he saw a light, and before he knew it, he fell onto a pile of labcoats. He stood up. He noticed that the others were laying on the gruond, unconcious. He then noticed several soldiers in black standing around him, with M16's aimed at him.
A man in white suddenly appeared from behind him and pushed a syringe into his neck. A few seconds after he felt the jab, his eyes rolled up as he felt his mind echo and falling onto the pile of children.
There was a moment of silence, but Hood decided to break it, going on a suspicion.
"Where did you live Theta? I mean, before the virus." He didn't turn to her, but just stared out.
"I lived in Australia. Thought I told you." Her voice was calm. There was something different.
"Do you remember..." He thought of a way to ask without raising suspicions. "your first day at school?"
Theta looked slightly puzzled. She didn't expect a question like that, and it caught her off guard.
"No. Not really."
"What about you're 10th birthday?" He looked at the red head. Her hair curled to her shoulders.
"Umm. No. That was a long time ago." She was wondering what Hood was getting at.
"Tell me. Do you remember anything before 1996?" There was a long pause. After a while she answered.
"No." Hood suddenly got an idea. If she was who he thought she was, she answered immediately.
"Rule 6!" Without realising she answered.
"Survival is LIFE!" She looked at him suddenly after she spoke. How did he do that? What did she say?
This was all getting to weird for her. She stood up and was gonna walk away, but Hood stopped her by grabbing her arm. She turned to him.
"Theta." For the first time in months, he took off his shades, revealing his Adamantium red eyes. The white had turned black, and the iris was red. Looking at them gave an eerie feeling but seemed to be honest as he spoke. "It's me...Alpha."
For a moment she thought of what he was talking about. But that name. It was so formiliar.
"Hood. Do you think?" She asked him, sitting back down on the crate of explosives.
"I don't think. I KNOW." He opened the laptop, the Pandorax and Moondust logos flashing.
After opening a file, one different from the one he was reading. It had a different title to his. He handed it to Theta. She began reading. After about fourty minutes her mouth had dropped open, but she continued reading it, like a book you can't put down once you've begun reading. The only difference was that this was part of her life, not fiction.
The light from the screen iluminated her face as the darkness in the sky set in. Suddenly the top off the portable computer closed, Hood's had resting on it. He had put his shades back on and stared at her.
"You see now, that we do have a past." He picked up the laptop and put it back in it's bag.
"Remember, nothing of what you have read must ever leave your lips. If anyone discovered who we were, and what we did..." He paused, he didn't have to finish that sentence.
He was right. They did not know who or where they killed, and should they be discovered as the deadly squad who murdered in cold blood, just for the sake of an experiment. Their lives would become severely more difficult to life.
The two sat there, still staring at the ocean ahead, as the yacht cut through the water. The stars shined brightly in the sky. The moon reflected off the still water.
"What do we do?" Theta asked, not moving.
"We find the others. There are seven others." There was and eerie silence.
"What?" Theta asked, as she noticed Hood had gone quiet
"After Moondust, our memories were whiped, we were put in different families. I was in England, you in the Philipines. The others could be scatered across the globe. It will take a lifetime to find them."
Theta looked down as she heard that last sentence. He was right again. He suddenly stood up and walked back into the yacht. As he walked away he said over his shoulder.
"Get some sleep. We've got a long time untill we find anyone else." He dissapeared into the living, where he and the others had decided to spend the night. Theta quickly followed him and layed down on a couch. She pulled the blanket over her, feeling a breaze come through an open portal.
Hood layed down in a quickly hung hamec. He put his raincoat over him as a blanket, and adjusted his ink black cowboy hat over his face, quickly going to sleep.
First come, first with warm water.
"Right, take us in." Mike ordered as he climbed out of his sleeping quarters, with a milkshake in his hand.
Ebony, Lex and Theta sat in the living room, playing poker. A considerable amount of chips lay before Theta. Lex had met his match, as he folded his hand once more.
Hood sat at the front of the boat, again. Looking at the waves crash against the front of the yacht.
His thoughts were not at the long journey that lay before him, but the ones that lay behind him.
And the people with those journeys. He had enough of getting close to people and then losing them. It happend with the Raiders. It happend to Amazon. Now it was Cara, although he didn't feel anything for her, she cared about him, and still got hurt. Now he had Cesca. No doubtly she would be hurt as well, in one way or another. Hood knew that he had no other choice. It would be his destiny, to continue his life, with no true love. He was a heartbreaker.
His thoughts were suddenly disturbed by the sound of footsteps behind him. He turned around to see Cesca sitting down beside of him. Hood knew that this was the best time probably to do this. He looked at her through his black shades. At the same time they spoke the same sentence nearly.
"Listen Hood." "Listen Cesca." They smiled when they realised what they just said.
"Go ahead." She said. Hood shook his head. "Ladies first."
She looked down first and held his hand. Then she spoke.
"I don't think we should go on like this." He tilted his head slightly in confusion. "I don't know about you, but I've realised that I've been kidding myself, thinking that I love you."
Hood suddenly realised that this would probably be easier then he originaly thought.
"I just think it would be better for both of us that we stopped seeing each other, and..."
"And..what?" He asked, curious to how she would finish her sentence.
"And I want to go back. I've only just realised how much I miss my friends. Dru, Louise, Donna. Everyone."
Hood forced a smile. He decided not to tell her about the curse that hung over the ones before her.
"I understand."
"You sure?" "Don't worry. I'll be alright." Cesca smiled a final time before standing and leaving. But just before she did she turned to him.
"Ohh, what was it you were gonna say?" Another forced smile appeared on the warriors face.
"Nevermind. It's nothing." With a final glimpse of eyecontact Cesca walked into one of the cabins of the yacht. Hood stared back at the ocean. "It's nothing."
Inside there were several other yachts, though outside were massive tankers.
Mikes yacht pulled up side to a jeti. A couple of Pirate looking guys on it caught the ropes and tied it off.
A gang plank was set to the ship and Captain Mike was the first off it.
"All a shore who's going A'shore!!" He shouted to the others as they climbed off the yacht.
"Pretty fancy shin dig ya got here cap." Lex said, as he imagend all the people he could scam.
"Ohh it ain't mine. It's hers." Mike pointed at a girl walking down the jeti to them. Her brown hair was in knots, and she had mainly blue clothes on. The girl walked up to Mike and quickly planted a kiss on him.
To everyones surprise she slapped him afterwards. Mikes didn't expect that.
"I can understand the kiss, but what was the slap for?" He rubbed his hand against the red cheek.
"For taking so dam long in getting back." Denise said with a mischivious smile.
Her eyes then rested on the others who she did not know. "Who are they?" She asked.
"Well, that's Hood, Theta, Cesca, Lex and Ebony. I told you about Hood." He pointed him out.
Denise looked him up and down. From the black army boots to the inky black cowboy hat.
Hood noticed her staring. He didn't like people staring at him to much.
"Finished your analysis?" He asked. Admiral Denise snapped out of her trance and then looked at Mike.
"Ohh, and Cesca here would like a ride down toAustralia." He quickly said.
"If it's not too much trouble." Cesca quickly added. Denise nodded.
"There's a catamarang going that way tomorrow. Gues there's not harm in letting you hop along for the trip." Cesca thanked her.
Denise and Mike lead the group of the jeti and through the complex. Mike was explaining most of the place.
"We got 2 cafe's on the top. One trading market on level 2. Most of the rooms we got have working plumbing. We've got three filter systems, but before you ask, we don't do roomservice."
A grunt came from Lex, dissapointed he wouldn't be getting breakfast in bed. Ebony just smirked.
Denise quickly continued what else Atlantis had to offer.
"We've got four showers at the moment. One of which is mine, so don't even think of using it."
They arrived at a large corridor. It was quite long, with dozens of doors. Each with their own number, like a hotel or something. Mike pointed out several open doors.
"Ebony, Cesca, and Theta, you three can share 283. Lex and Hood. You two can share 285." Hood was not showing much appreciation for being stuck with Lex as roommate.
The five walked into their rooms. Though Hood quickly stuck his head around the corner, calling Mike.
"You guys got hot water, in those showers?" Mike nodded. He then whispered something.
"If I was you, I'd get there first. It's on level 3, third corridor." Hood thanked him. Then the others stuck their heads from their rooms.
"Hey, Mike. Where's the showers?" Mike smiled as Lex asked.
"Level 2, fourth corridor. Can't miss it." After hearing this they ran into their rooms each getting some clean clothes and a towel ready. But Hood, knowing where the showers really were, took his time and watched as the four others rushed off.
As he walked down the corridor, he started humming a song he'd nearly forgotten.
"When I look over my shoulder... what do ya think I see..."
"Theta and Cesca look harmless. Lex and Ebony look slightly suspicous." Denise opened the door to the sea room and looked at the dozens of maps of sea's and currents laying around the place.
"Someone should cleans this place up. It looks like a disaster area." She rolled up a small map.
"What do you think of Hood?" She hesitated a bit. She hadn't really given the warrior much thought.
"He looks like he can be trusted. He'd make a great captain."
"I get the feeling there's a but here somewhere."
Giving an agreeing expression she answered. "But he looks like he isn't the one to stick around long."
Mike agreed. "He isn't. But he's a good friend. I'd trust him with my life."
Apart from the black shades and the black towel rapped around his waist he didn't have anything else on.
He walked to a mirror and looked for a comb, to straighten out his dark hair which hadn't seen light since it's imprisonment beneath the inky black cowboy hat, which now hung from a hook along with the rest of Hoods clothes. He couldn't find a comb.
He ran some cold water in the sink and wiped the mirror with his hand. The cold water felt good as he cupped his hands to catch it and then washed his face with it. He then moved his hands through the dark hair.
Hood then stared at the mirror, looking at himself. Slowly, he reached his hands to the shades and slid them of his face. It seemed like hours he stared at the inky black and red that was his eyes.
For some reason, the Adamantium had done this to him, along with replacing his bones. For some reason there was something else in those eyes that was different, and it wasn't just the colour.
It was like he was looking into his own soul, trying to find himself. All he did was stare.
"Who are you?" He find himself asking, as he realised that the shower room had cooled off, and felt the coldness on his bare skin.
"Who do you think you are?" A voice said. Rapidly, Hood put the shades back on and turned around, looking at the person who had entered the supposedly locked room.
He couldn't see anyone. It was like the owner of the voice was never there. No one.
There was no where for them to hide. And if someone had entered through the door he would have heard, seeing that the door always made a creaking sound when it opened and closed.
He waited, and stopped breathing, to listen if he could hear anyone else. After a while he breathed the oxygen again, not hearing any one else in the room.
He began to run things through his mind. First he talks to himself while being surrounded by Wolves.
Then he stands across from a monk who stabbs his ex, then he discovers his son has psychic powers and now he's hearing voices? He rinced his face once more with the icy cold water and then looked at himself once more in the mirror.
"The mind boggles." He said too himself.
After getting dressed, and leaving the shower room he greeted Lex who walked in to shower room, who sneered at him for playing such a dirty trick on him. Hoods only reply was a raised eyebrow and a smirk.
He then walked up one of the stairs up to one of the 30 levels, namely level 2, where the trading market was.
It was as busy aas Hood had expected. It looked like the Mall-Rats' market, except it wasn't just food and batteries being traded here. He walked passed several stalls.
The smell of fish broke through Hoods nose. Definitly not the most fresh. He then passed a stall, offering all kinds of weapons. There was definite a fortune to be made in that business. But Hood already all the weapons he needed. A pocket crossbow, daggers, a magnum .45, and of course his Adamantium sword.
He noticed then that the girl at the next stall was selling neckalces with peace symbols and posters.
Hood walked out of the large market hall and up some stairs again to the top level. He found himself in a cafe. Nothing big, just the normal kind. The warrior sat down at a single table.
To his surprise, and young waitress arrived, with paper and pen in hand.
"So what do you want?" She asked, her mouth smacking the chewing gum within.
"Some herbal and berry tea." Hood said distracted as he looked at the surroundings of the cafe. The sun shined brightly in the sky.
"You're the second person to have asked today." The young waitress said. Hood suddenly looked at her. He wouldn't have expected anyone to like that kinda tea but him, for as far as he knew, everyone hated the taste of his favorite tea. Except for the person that gave the recipe to him. "We don't have any herbal tea."
"What a minute, who was the first person to have ordered that?" The waitress just looked around acting dumb. "Don't know." Knowing what she meant Hood got two batteries out of his pocket and handed them to her.
"Hopefully this will help jog your memory." He said, a smile appeared on the waitress, she took the batteries from him, and put them in her pocket.
"A chinese girl, she got in yesterday. I don't know where she is now though." Hood stood up.
"Thank you." He said with a friendly smile and walked away.
"So I take it ya don't want the tea." The waitress shouted, but Hood had already dissappeared.
She didn't say anything as she walked past him, though when she did, her left elbow suddenly slipped and 'Accidentaly' hit Lex in the gut. For a short moment he was winded, and decided that it would be healthier for himself that he should shut his mouth.
A life, before one and after another
Once she had done that she light a match and lighted them.
She then blew the match out and threw through the window, and then sat down in front of the bed on a couple of cushions. As she folded her legs, she did not realise the door opening, and a figure standing in the doorway. The Shaman closed her eyes.
He walked infront of her and sat down, in the same position oppisite of her. It was unbelievable how he could hide the smile he had brewing inside. For several minutes they sat there, the shaman not knowing that one of her oldest friends was sitting right before her.
It was only when she heard a seperate breathing patern, from her own, when she opened her eyes. At the same time Hood did.
"Hood?" Tai-San asked, trying to believe her eyes. He finally released the smile on his face and greeted her.
"Hey there. What's up?" Tai-San leaned over and hugged her dearest of friends. Finally, to Hoods relief, she let go. Still smiling Hood helped her up from the ground.
"Guess I win the bet."
"What bet?"
"When I left, we bet that I could never sneak up on you, without you knowing."
"Then what did we bet with?"
"At the time, if I won, you'd do the washing up. But seeing there ain't any dishes, I'll let it slide."
Hood felt her embrace him one more time, making sure it was him.
"So what are you doing here?" He asked, sitting down on the bed.
She began to tell him of the spiritual journey she had began oh so long ago from the Raiders fort. Life in the city was pretty good, since Zoot was banished. But later she was getting some strange feelings and she started her spiritual journey, leaving the Shadow Raiders.
Tai-San then told Hood that she also wanted to visite some of her family, back in Hong Kong. It had been a long time since she had been there. She hadn't heard from them in a long while.
Hood then realised they were going the same way.
"We're going the same way. You want to join us?" He asked. Tai-san looked slightly confused.
"Us? Who else is with you then?" She asked.
"Theta, Ebony, Cesca but she's going back to Australia today, and Lex." Her smile suddenly dissapeared, when she heard that name. The name from so long ago.
"Lex? And Ebony?" She looked surprised that those two hadn't killed each other yet.
"Yeah, I know that you left him a long time ago, but he's changed. So has Ebony."
Tai-San was still uncomfortable with the fact that she had left Lex, it was so unlike her. But now she had her chance to make up, what she had done wrong that time.
After much consideration she finally decided to join Hood and the others.
"I will join you." She said, although her voice was a bit nervous.
Hood nodded, and told her that they were gonna have dinner at the Buckeneer, one of the cafes on Atlantis.
She hugged him one more time. It had been so long since she had seen him, one of her best friends in the world.
But as he closed the door behind him, her thoughts did not think of the night before her, but the life behind her. The one she had left behind, and not the one with the mall-rats or the shadow raiders, but of the life before the virus, before tribeworld.
It overlooked a large city, busy with city life. A life that the old man did not want or believed in.
The two children sat on the grass, in a deep meditation. The girl was asian, with long black hair.
The setting sun combined with the blacknes of her hair and seemed to radiate a bueatiful glow around her.
The boy, sitting beside the girl, also was in meditation. He was was white, and had dark hair as well. Though what different was the fact he wore sunglasses. They didn't let a single ray of light from the orange sun to his eyes, but it wouldn't have mattered in this state of meditation.
Chi-Lang sat down beside the two children and took the same position.
For these three people, it was like there was no world around them. It had all dissapeared. All that existed was the mind and the heart. The thoughts, the memories and the spirits that wandered endlesly through them.
But it wasn't too last long. Their peacefull meditation was disturbed by voices.
Michael was the first too hear them. He came out of his meditative state but didn't move, giving the impression he was still in his own thoughts.
The voices were coming closer. He shut all his other senses except for his hearing.
Two, no, three men. Each in their early thirties. They were talking about measurements.
"Listen. You set it up about 10 meters in that direction. I'll tell you where to move." It was a deep voice.
"One sec." The voice told the other two men. "Who are they?"
Michael knew he was refering to them. He said something to his sencee.
"Nevermind. Looks like they're asleep." Another voice said.
The two men in bright orange jackets walked to where they were sitting.
Tai-San opened her eyes in shock when she heard a voice speak, right in front of her. It was even more shocking to see a large red and white pole being stabbed into the ground before her, about a meter.
"Excuse me, little girl. Would you mind moving?" The man in orange said, leaning on the pole. He seemed irritated that the two children and the old man were sitting there.
She lifted her head to the freshly shaven man.
"Yes, I do mind." The still learning shaman said, and closed her eyes. The man seemed even more annoyed now. Tai-San could sense it, and inside her mind a smirk grew.
"Listen. You're in the way. So move." The irritated man said. Michael had gotten just about enough of this guy and stood up.
"Yeah, and she said she minded. So go and stick poles in the ground somewhere else." He said, looking through the eerie black sunglasses at the builder.
"Maybe you haven't heard lately, but you're on private property. So move!" The man pointed at the ground beneath them. Tai-San stood up as well now.
"How can you own a mountain?" She asked, trying to put the builder to shame.
"Yeah, and last time I checked, Eagle Mountain was public property!" Michael raised his voice. He was getting annoyed with this guy who wouldn't take a hint. No one disturbs him while he's meditating.
"Then you must have checked before yesterday, because this mountain is the property of Pandorax!"
Chi-Lang stood up. He had only just become aware of what was going on. It might be easy for the children to awaken from their meditation, but when you get older, things take longer.
"If it's private property you have to put signs up at EVERY acces point, last time I CHECKED there weren't any." The builders face was turning red, and had to keep his urges down for hitting the young boy with the measuring pole he held in his left hand.
"Get off, or I'll have to call the proper authorities."
Chi-Lang put his hand on Michaels shoulder, in a way telling him to turn his back on the fight that was brewing. Eventhough the shade wearing boy did not like it, he had to do what his sencee asked.
The three of them got their coats that they were sitting on, and began walking down the long path to the valley beneath them, where there home was.
The builder stabbed the measuring pole into the ground and smirked at his victory. His walkie talkie sounded.
"What was that all about?" His superior asked from a distance.
"Just a couple of nuts, trying to get in the way of building a observatory."
The metal of the railing was cold. He felt it resembled his mind at times.
Memories were beginning to return to him. Memories which he was never supposed to have and were replaced with false ones. But the truth will always surface, one way or another.
Everything. Everything before his 12th birthday was fake. It was all a lie. His parents were a lie, his friends, his life. Everything untill that day he moved to New Zealand was fake. His mother, his grandmother sick.
But now the true memories began to return. Those memories he thought that were dreams, that those were the lies, but now...now his had discovered them. And he was a warrior, but a warrior of death.
A killer. Truely born to kill. Born to be a soldier, to follow orders his entire life.
And now, another puzzle was in his mind. He was obviously a tube baby, geneticely engineered. Designed to be the best at what he was made to be.
His thoughts were shattered by the sound of footsteps nearing from behind him. They were light.
Swift as lightning he reached for his crossbow, turned on the person behind him and as he aimed the crossbow at them it unfolded its arms and automaticly loaded itself. But it was unnecersary though.
He lowered the crossbow as he recognised the person as Theta.
"I wont bite." She said with a smile. But Hood didn't smile. It was the same cold expression that he had gotten used to. He put the crossbow back in his black raincoat and faced the sea once more.
Theta walked too the warrior and stood next to him.
"I suppose you've finished reading the documents." He said. Theta knodded, but the smile that previously occupied her face had dissapeared. for a while there was only the sound of teenagers working throughout the sea fortress and the waves crashing against the large cement walls of the fortress.
Theta decided to break the silence between them.
"What do we do?" She looked at him, but he didn't answer.
"Alpha, answer me. What do we do now?" Hood furiously turned to her.
"Don't you ever, ever call me that name. Alpha is some one else, a completly different person. I am not him. He is not me. He faught for no reason, I fight for justice."
Theta lowered her head down to the sea. A single tear ran down her cheeck. Hood saw this and backed off, and returned to his previous position.
"I'm...I'm sorry. I didn't mean to shout. It's just..." He didn't know exactely how to finish that sentence.
"It's just the fact that we killed innocent people, and never felt guilt for it till now." Theta finished it for him.
She was right though.
Another deafening silence occured between the two of them.
"We find them." Hood finally answered the question. "We find the rest of our squad." Theta faced him once again. In a way she was glad that he broke the silence instead of herself.
"But there's still something I have to do." Now she looked puzzled at him. What could he still have to do?
"What do you mean?" She asked.
Hood returned to staring at the setting sun before him. He watched as the last glimpse of the sun set at the horizon. Dissapearing into the water. The orange glow still boiled in the sky, but darkness began to set in.
"I've got a score to settle with Dr. Zachary. When I meet him again, and I know I will, he'll regret the day he gave me this Adamantium skeleton."
Theta turned and leaned with her back to the railing of the fort, but still looking at Hood. She could see the warrior, so intently gazing at the gone sun. It was like she could read his mind, but all she could see, was anger, hate and destruction boiling beneath the calm surface. His face clearly showed what he was intending to do with Zachary when he would get his hands on him.
"Goodnight Alph....Hood." Hood turned his face sideways to the ground, as if to bottling up even more rage now. Theta nearly made the fatal mistake of calling him by the name he had been designated so long ago.
She turned away and walked over one of the catwalks of the fort, passing to boys who were just reeling in their last catch of the day.
But Hood stayed. He just kept watching the ocean. Those endless waves upon waves flowing on the surface, with a completly different world beneath. But that wasn't what he wanted. He didn't want another world.
In this world, he could face his fears, monsters and truth alone, and not have the constant intference of friends, family, parents, teachers or anyone. He could do what he wanted, when he wanted.
But now he had a duty, an obligation even, to find his first true family, and avenge the death of his creators, killed by the ones who thought that the project called Moondust wouldn't be cost effective.
A single punch is a fight?
"Take care, Cesca." Hood waved to her as she waved back from the yacht. She was on her way back to Australia, to the people she loved, and missed for such a long time.
It was only a week before that she had broken up with Hood. She didn't mean to hurt, and let him down as gently as she could, but she couldn't get over the fact he took it a bit too easily.
What she did not know is that when she was breaking up with him, was that Hood was about to break up with her.
Lex, Ebony, Theta, Mike, Tai-San and Hood watched as the small yacht sailed out to the horizon, with their friend on board. They'd probably never see her again, maybe they would. Who was to say?
After the yacht had left their sights, the group started to walk down the pier back into the massive sea fortess. Hood walked along side with Mike.
"Your ship leaves tommorow. It's going straight to Hong Kong." Mike said as he put his hands in his pockets. Hood could easily the grey cloud hanging above him. He could already imagen the thunder hitten his friend.
"Woman trouble?" Hood asked his friend. Mike nodded. Hood was an good people reader, or it might be the fact that he was practiclly an open book.
"Me and Denise had a row last night, I endt up sleeping in one of the empty barracks. She said that I was too soft to be a pirate, and if I was to soft to be a pirate, then I was too soft for her."
Hood looked at him and patted him on the shoulder and tisked.
"Dude, want am I to do? She means so much to me. Now, I can understand why I got kicked out of the Wolves, but when it comes to women, I'm hopeless."
Mike suddenly stopped and turned to Hood. A sudden smile appeared on his face.
"H! You can help me." Hood was suddenly surprised by Mikes change of attitude in less then a second.
"What do you mean?" He asked, trying to evade what ever plan was brewing in the captains mind.
"Don't play stupid, you've had tons of girlfriends. You've never had trouble with them."
Hood gave a chuckle at that last comment, especially after what happend last week, when he broke up with Cesca. Although they both wanted to break up.
"Umm, well." He tried to give him a different impression, not wanting to dive into his past love life, which in one way or another kept changing on him, which was too say the least annoying.
"Come on Hood, you've got to help me. Denise is everything to me." Hood sighed.
"She really means all that to you?" Mike nodded violently, if it wasn't for his neck, his head would most likely fall off his shoulders into the water.
He sighed once more.
"Okay," Hood started. Mike was immediatly happy with his desicion. "but on one condition."
Mike awaited his terms. "That what it happens my way, and that it's only between you, me and Denise. understood?" Again Mike nodded violently.
"Okay, I'll tell Denise to meet us up in your office at noon, and meet me there half an hour before that."
Mike ran off as fast as his legs could take him. Hood sighed too himself.
"How do I get my self talked into these things?" He shrugged his shoulders and continued to walk down the pier, back inside of the sea fortess Atlantis, already regretting what he was about to do.
Hood was standing in front of Mike as he sat at his desk.
"It's this dweeb you've got for a boyfriend!" Hood shouted, leaning on his knuckles on Mikes desk.
"Ex-boyfriend!" Mike shouted back at him. Denise looked surprised at him.
"He told me that the ship taking me and my friends to Hong Kong wont leave untill saturday. Not surprised that you broke up with this poor excuse for a pirate." Hoods voice even made Denise tremble a bit.
Mike rise to his feet now, throwing the magazine he was reading to a deserted corner of the office.
"Well what do you want me here for?" Denise asked them both.
"You're his superior, tell this maggot that the ship is leaving tommorow!" He shouted. Mikes face was turning red.
"That ship ain't going nowhere till saturday, coward!" Mike began to pull his fist backwards, and then flew through the air with force towards Hoods face, smashing into his cheek.
Although he didn't feel much of the pain, Hood decided this was as good as time as any to fly backwards onto the ground. "And that's for calling me a maggot."
Denises eyes lit up as she looked at Hood laying on the floor, rubbing his cheek, looking at Mike.
He mouthed the word 'sorry', he had not intended to actually hit his cheek hard enough for a bruise to turn up. But at soon as Denise turned back to him, his face quickly turned to an angry one.
"Mike, that ship leaves tomorrow." She said in soft and surprised voice. "And see me later tonight, okay?"
As soon as she winked at a still raging Mike, she turned around and walked out of the office.
When the door slammed shut Hood stood up. He walked over to Mike and grabbed his head and rubbed his
knuckle over his head. he then let go with a smile.
"Now that's for calling me a coward." Luckily Mike was able to laugh it off.
"Hood, thanks so much." Mike thanked his friend. "And sorry about the cheek. No hard feelings?"
"No feeling at all actually." Hood joked with him, rubbing his cheek a bit.
He then left the office, now that Captain Mike had not only retained his rank but also his girlfriend.
As he walked down the corridor he adjusted the black cowboy hat and thought to himself.
'Things people do for love'
Love returns
Lex wanted to know why. Why she had suddenly left the Mall-Rats, and him.
"Tai-San, we have to talk. Please" He continued, speaking through the small crack in the door.
She paused for a moment, thinking it all over. If she really wanted to talk to him again, even take the chance that they would get back together, like before she left the Mall-Rats. Finally, she took the chain out of it's look on the door, and opened it, allowing her old friend inside.
He stood there for a moment in the doorway, looking at her. She had her short satin night gown on.
The same she had when she went to bed with him, back at the mall, so very long ago.
He still remembered those words afterwards.
"It was for the good of the Tribe." He didn't believe that she was telling the truth, and for all he knew, she wasn't. But it still was different when they were together. And just after Zoot returned from the death, she left.
But now, she was here, he was here.
"Why?" He asked. Tai-San brushed a stray strand of hair behind her ear.
"Why what?" She asked innoncently, as if she didn't know what he meant. But she did. She knew perfectely well what he meant.
"San. I'm sorry, for what ever I did. I don't know why you left. And now we're here, and I needed to know."
He looked at those eyes. They were bueatiful. Never had he seen such eyes, never had wanted to see any other eyes. Just hers. The eyes that could took every breath away from him, and only these eyes could return that to him.
"You really don't know do you?" She looked at him. Why did he have to do that to her?
She could remember it so clearly now, even if it was nearly a year ago. That night, before the dawn of Zoot which they had nicknamed the day that Zoot returned to the city, back from the dead.
That new girl. Who had only just joined the Mall-Rats the day before. May.
Tai-San wanted to say goodnight, just before she went to bed. That's all she wanted to do.
But instead, she witnessed something that sparked her reason for leaving.
Standing across from the shop, where Lex slept. But he wasn't sleeping. Far from it.
She remembered those words that May uttered as she put on her jacket when leaving his room.
'Goodnight lover.' It still sends shivers down her spine whenever she heard those words.
"The night before the dawn. When May walked out of your room! Do you remember that?" Her eyes began to fill up with tears. But she held them back. She didn't want to cry. Didn't want to show that there was still a part of her missing since that night.
"May? Is that what this is about?" He looked towards those eyes. The moonlight shined in from the small portal behind her, making her long dark hair illuminate before him. He could see the tears forming, so decided to try and not blow his top, like he did the last time. Although they then fell into each others arms.
"That didn't happen. I never slept with May, that night." He walked towards her, though Tai-san turned her face away from him.
"What did she mean then, with Lover huh? Can you honestly tell me that you never slept with her?"
The tears were getting stronger, but so was her anger. She turned back to him now.
"I made a mistake in the past. But nothing happend that night. She wanted to have some fun, but I didn't. I didn't want her. I never wanted her."
"But then why did you sleep with her before then?"
"That was before I discovered these feelings for you. And I still have those feelings."
"How can I know that, Lex? How can I ever trust, that you're telling the truth."
Lex looked at her for a moment. She turned her sight away from him. Not letting the pain show.
Slowly he moved his hand to her cheek, touching it, then moving her face slowly towards his.
"Look me in the eyes, and you can see that I am not lieing. You can see between truth and lie. That's who you are. And now I am asking you, look at me, and see who I am."
It was quiet. Tai-san did what he asked. She looked at those dark eyes of his, that once seemed so angry and hatefull. But now seemed to take her breath away. Then, she saw it.
"I love you, Tai-san." Lex said quietely. Slowly her eyes began to overwhelm and the tears flooded past her eyes. He meant it. He did love her, after all this time, he still loved her.
"I love you too." She was finally able to mutter. Slowly she moved her hand over his face, not feeling the rough skin, but feeling his soft soul. What lied beneath the exterior of the streetfighter.
Their lips touched each other. First, barely moving, to explore if they should continue in what they were about to do. Then, her hands closed around him, as did his around her.
They continued to kiss, each second becoming more passionate than the one before, each more truthfull.
He watched the sun rise in all it's glory, like an angel slowly awakening from their deep sleep.
It glistend over the water, as it shined it's light onto the dark warrior.
Although he prefered the night to the day, he nearly always watched the sun rise and the sun set. It was something that he had to do, he made the promise to her.
'Each morning and night, I'll watch the sun awaken and sleep, knowing that she is you'
It was that night, when they awoke together, taking a break from the city life and stayed in the forest for the night. Together they watched the stars burn in the sky, each one a chance of life.
The sun was now high above the horizon. Though, from behind the deep black sunglasses, from the red eyes, a tear pushed itself away, and down the warriors cheek. Remembering her.
"I believe we were planning on going to Hong Kong?" She shouted. He turned around now.
How long had he been standing there?
It did not matter. All that mattered to him at this point was to find his squad. To find the team that he had lived with for twelve years of his life. Twelve lost years, that he was planning to take back.
All that mattered now, was one thing, one thing in the whole world.
Moondust.
Time to reflect
Although one would not have imagined that they would had come this far. They had had a long voyage behind them, but for Hood and Theta an even longer one awaited them.
He had to definitely figure out the pattern that Pandorax had, when they dissabled the Moondust squad and where they had put them over the world. Presumming that there even was a pattern to it all.
Hood himself was placed in England and had been inserted with the false memories that he had lived mainly in Europe. Theta had been placed in Australia, also with the memories of living there.
It would truelly take months, if not years, before he would be able to get the rest of the squad back together. That assuming that there even was a rest of the squad. What was there to say, that only Theta and Hood were lucky, and the rest had been liquidated?
'No,' he thought to himself. That wouldn't make any sense. Pandorax wouldn't work in random, it left to many pissibilties and unneccersary risks, and being a high status company at the time that would just be unacceptable.
One thing kept puzzeling Hood as he sat at the front of the catamaran heading towards Hong Kong.
If all the records and notes of Moondust were supposedely destroyed with the base, how did Dr. Zachary's lab technician get a hold of them? And how did Zachary have a file about him?
Joe had given him all the information on Moondust that he was able to get, just before the lab exploded, but he had already plowed through all the information.
Field reports, foot notes, graphs, status reports, even the specific DNA structuring that each member of Moondust had. His spine ran cold at the last comment. It made his soul turn colder, and harder.
That fact would always remain within him. He was created. Created by endless amounts of needles and DNA sequencers. Created in a lab.
Hell, Hood didn't even know who his biological mother or father were. Although, it didn't matter know. He had a mission now. To find his squad.
But how would he be able to find seven teenagers in a world with millions of teenagers.
He paused for moment to think of it. There not a possible chance to find them all.
Unless.
'No, that would be to insane to even think about' but still he thought about it. He had to come to terms with it. Only they would know. He'd have to talk about it with Theta first. She would probabely agree, but the others, they aren't even supposed to know about Moondust, Not even Tai-San, Hoods best friend. They would have to dump them, some where along the journey.
He felt uncomfortable thinking about that. Leaving his friends, even Tai-San, like they were just pets to be left tied at a tree along side the road. No, he couldn't.
Hood paused once more and looked at the sea before him. The catamaran cut through the water, like a knife through air. How the water seemed so alive.
It was probably the most care free substance on the planet, especially since the last two and a half years. Being rid of all the adults who polluted it. Now there would be less then a hand full of humans to harm its bueatiful life on the earth.
Then, he had decided. Tai-San would would be able to take care of them there. She would know where to live and sleep there, she lived in Hong Kong herself for most of her life.
Hood was suddenly pulled back from his deep thoughts, in his mind by a fomiliar voice he knew.
"Hey stranger, come here often?" Theta sat down next to him. Her bright red hair flared in the wind.
She looked bueatiful like this. He was reminded of a movie he had once seen, of a ship taken to the deep bowls of the sea, and two lovers who met each other on the doomed cruise liner.
Hood didn't want that though. He didn't feel anything for Theta but friendship. Nothing more, nothing less, and there would never be more than that. He didn't want to.
"Just when I'm hunting a mad scientist, replacing my body with an indestructible steel. How about you?"
He was able to joke about the fact his bones had been changed into Adamantium steel. Although he was still going to have his revenge on the scientist that had done this too him.
"Listen, Theta. There's only one way we can find the others." She looked puzzled at his comment.
Although she didn't think often about finding the rest of the squad, she still felt an obligation in reuniting with her true family.
"How's that?" She asked, feeling the water rush beneath her bare feet.
"Find a pandorax building, and if we're lucky, hack into what is left of their mainframe." Hood said this, as he knew that since Pandorax was a global company they would most definitely have a base in Hong Kong.
"What if we find Zachary there as well?" She sounded uncertain about is name at first, only knowing what she knew about this so called scientist from what he had told her.
"That's an added bonus then."
Time to say goodbye
The captain of the catarmaran stood at the back, at the ships wheel. His controlle of the ship was only abit better then his controlle of his voice.
He locked the wheel down, and flopped backwards sitting next to Ebony, trying to get over her sense of nausia from travelling on the ocean.
It wasn't to bad when she travelled to Australia on the large freight ship, but you could feel the waves rocking the catarmaran more now, and it made her stomach uneasy.
"So uhh, Ebony is it? What ya gonna do in HK when you get there?" He asked, noticing Ebonies pale skin colour.
"Don't really know. Don't really care. All I want to...do..." Her stomach was churning her breakfast now.
She quickly turned behind her and released her stomach into the raging waters of the ocean. Slowly she returned to her seat, still with the same pale colour on her cheeks. "..is die." She finally finished her sentence.
"You never were one to keep your stomach." Lex commented from the cabin. He climbed up the stairs and was nearly hit by Ebonys high heeled boots. As soon as he had cleared the stairs, Tai-San climbed out.
Ebony looked in surprise at this. She hadn't figure they would get back together that fast.
"Seeking spiritual guidance below deck are we?" She said in a smirk. Tai-San simply ignored her, thinking a comment about her throwing up would be too easy.
Lex looked at Hood and Theta, still sitting at the front of the ship. Puzzled he asked Ebony.
"What's with those two then?" Ebony and Captain Pike shrugged.
"You think he's gonna get it on with her?" Pike asked. Tai-San looked in disgust at him
"He broke up with Francesca last week. Anyway, there's something different about her."
"Yeah, she's a red head." Lex laughed, though his enthusiasm was shortely lived, due to Tai-Sans elbow hitting him in the stomach. He had forgotten about the way she could easily wind him.
Even after the virus, there were still hundreds of small house boats dotted around the harbor. And at the various warehouses along the docks, their was obviously still trading taking place.
"Tai-San, got any details on your relatives?" Hood asked, as they stood on the pier, ready to imbark on their journey through one of the busiest cities on earth.
"They're called Whu-Lang and Lan Lo. They used to live in one of the housing complexes, but they'll be somewhere else." She answered, looking at the immense city that lay before them.
"Pike gave us a map, would you be able to find them with it?" Theta asked, handing her the map. But she gave it back to her.
"I'd be able to find them with my eyes shut." She answered in full confidence.
"I'm going to keep you to that." Ebony sneered. Lex couldn't help but chuckle.
Again, he felt the full force of a girls elbow in his stomach, catching him off guard.
"Tai-San? Can I talk to you for a moment?" Hood asked, walking away, just out of hearing range from the others. She quickly followed, puzzled to why he was being so secretive.
"What is it?" She asked her best friend. It wasn't easy for Hood. To find his best friend but to have to leave her again so soon. He had no choice. He vowed to find the others, and that was what he was going to do.
"Take Lex and Ebony to your friends. Theta and me aren't coming." Tai-San look perplexed.
"Why? What do you mean?"
"I can't tell you. It's something you best not know about. It's something we have to do. I'm sorry."
Hood hated goodbyes. It was the one thing that just kept occuring with him.
"I understand. Follow the path that fate has layed out for you." With this a slight smile appeared on Hoods usually dark face.
"You know I make my own paths." He said. She smiled back. But now it was time to leave. Time to say goodbye, but he didn't.
"One more thing. You know Hong Kong pretty good uh?" He asked her. Tai-San simply nodded.
"We need to find a company building. Pandorax." With these words she looked straight into Hoods eyes, past the eerie black sunglasses. She knew now what he was going to do. "I don't have a choice San."
She understood how ever. Hood kept his promises, no matter what.
Although she didn't want to. She gave him the location of the company, which had also created the virus. She knew all to well about it. But that was another story, a long time ago.
"What's going on?" Lex asked as Tai-San returned to them. Theta joined Hood as they started walking.
"They're leaving." She said non chalantly, trying not to make a big deal out of it.
"No kidding." Ebony sneered back at her.
"It's something they have to do. It's a promise. And it's best we aren't involved."
With that Lex and Ebony accepted that Hood was really leaving. There was no point in trying to change his mind. They would probably never see them again.
But Lex couldn't help but notice Hoods behaviour since they arrived in Australia, and the night that he had encountered Dr. Zachary. There was something he wasn't telling them.
He had no choice but to let it go, as they started walking through the maze of buildings and markets finding Tai-Sans family.
Another laboratory, same memories.
"So how long till we're there?" She asked, looking at Hood, who was just looking around at the buildings.
"We're there." He answered bluntly, standing before a sky scraper, that could have reached the clouds.
Without realising it, they had walked right in front of the Pandorax building.
"Oh." Theta answered, not being impressed.
The building must have been the tallest in the antire area. Completly covered in glass. The entrance was covered in graffiti though, and the company logo, which stood outside was smashed by the local vandals.
"So now what?" Theta asked. Though Hood had already given the answer, by walking straight to the entrance.
It was completly barred up. Steel re-inforcements to keep anyone from getting in.
"Must be pretty strong stuff if it can stand up to two and a half years of the virus." Hood said, ratteling on the bars. "Let's see how strong it really is."
With that he pulled the Adamantium sword from his back. It reflected some of the sunlight on to the door behind the bars.
In one clean sweep, Hood had hit the bars, not feeling much in the way of resistance. For a moment, the two just stared at the steel bars. Theta smiled at Hood.
"So that sword of yours can't cut through anything after all." She mocked. She then leaned against one of the bars. A smirk appeared on Hoods face as the bar she leaned on, fell off it's frame. Then followed by the rest. Theta looked wide eyed at what just occured.
"Ladies first." Hood said, smiling at Theta, who just walked to the door. Not surprisingly, it was locked.
Hood was ready to take another cut at the door, but Theta thought otherwise and stopped him. She then pulled a hair pin out of her hair and started jiggeling the lock.
With succes.
The door slowly opened with a loud creeck. Hood and Theta stood in the doorway for a moment, before a gust of stall air ran past them. The stench was unbearable.
"What is that smell?" Theta asked, holding her hand over her mouth and nose. They both slowly entered.
"That's the smell of old air and corpses, which have been imprisoned for two and a half years." He answered, looking at the dark lobby. Theta looked surprised at him.
"How do you that there are corpses here?" She asked disbelievingly. Hood reached inside his raincoat and withdrew a pocket light. He then shined it on the front desk.
There, sitting on the chair, was a skeleton wearing old clothes which had began to wither away as well.
"Again, oh." Theta answered. She then returned to gazing around the lobby.
It was immense. 'Must have cost thousands to have it decorated.' she thought looking at the chandeliers.
"This way." Hood ordered. He read a layout of the building. Every floor allowed acces to the public, but the basements were restricted. That was where their reason for seeking out the Pandorax building lay.
"Aye aye." Theta sarcasticly answered.
He opened a door that lead to a stairwell. It was completly black. No light whatso ever shined into the stairwell that lead to their destination. The only light that did shine was from the torch, which seemed to be but a mere spek in the entire darkness.
It did not take long before they had reached the bottom. There, was a steel re inforced door, guarded by to lights, which had turn dark without power.
"Doubt your sword would be able to get us through that one." She said, while knocking hard on the door.
"Actually, you're right, it is." Hood agreed, much to Theta's surprise. "But I know something else that'll get through it." A wicked smile appeared on Hoods face as he turned back to the stairs. Theta looked puzzled, as she watched him stand just out of sight from the door. His head suddenly popped from the side of the wall. "Theta, you definitely don't want to be there when I throw this." He held up a small canaster, which looked suspicously like a grenade, but as no other that she had seen.
Quickly she ran up to Hood, standing behind him.
When she was out of the way, he pulled the pin from the canaster, and rolled it towards the door.
Without hesitating he pushed Theta further back behind the wall, not knowing the strength of the concrete wall itself and the grenade.
Suddenly, an immense explosion shook the ground that they stood on. Hood saw sparks fly before him as they passed the wall. But it didn't last longer then a second.
He stood up and walked to the door, or what was left of it. A hole had been blown into te door, the edge still burning brightly.
"What the hell was that?" Theta asked, still a bit shaky from the explosion.
"Betomite. Burns through steel." He answered, still smiling. But his expression changed back as soon as he saw what lay hidden behind the steel door.
Behind it was a huge underground cave. It seemed surprising how it could be supporting the intense weight of the building above, but if Pandorax could create a man souly to kill, then this would be but a mere triumph. Across the cave were several catwalks, splitting to different doors on the other side of the cave.
Hood suddenly remembered the last laboratory that he was in. He didn't like it at all.
If Dr. Zachary was here now, he would know of Hoods presence and would have taking elimatory actions by now. But the two had no set backs as yet, so he couldn't have been here.
Or was he?
Awakening life
He looked at the lighting against the walls of the cavern, at the cris-cross of all the catwalks, and then another steel door, leading to their goal. The Pandorax mainframe.
He had pondered nights about if he would ever meet Dr. Zachary again, or if he had been killed in the explosion. If he had, Cara's death would have been in vain. But he could be almost certain that, that weasel had survived.
It didn't matter to him at this point. Just the completion of his goal. Finding Moondust.
They walked to the end of the catwalk, where another steel door awaited them.
"You're not gonna use that bedomighty again are you?" Theta asked, curious to if he would.
"No, two reasons. One that was my last canaster, two there a controlle panel." He pointed at a small access panel beside the door. He took the hatch off and looked at the keypad.
Without hesitation, he grabbed a dagger from within his coat and smashed it into the pad.
After the sparks and flown, it started beeping.
Theta jolted when the large door began to move while she was still leaning against it.
As soon as they had entered, lights came on, computers starts rattling and beeping. It was like the entire lab was alive and just had just awoken from a long slumber.
The same.
Exactely the same as the one he had encountered in Australia. The endless computers against the walls, the main acces screen at the back, tubes running all over the ceiling and the stasis tubes at the right.
He scanned the lab for any signs of life. But there wasn't.
"Now this, is impressive." Theta said, again looking at everything she could look at. All the bright lights and computer screens. She then turned to Hood.
"You think we can play Doom on these things?" She said while pointing at one of the computers. But he wasn't listening. Instead he was staring.
Staring at the stasis tubes the back of the lab.
'Three? There are usually jsut two.' He couldn't understand it. He had gone over the files in the laptop he had received. The specifications for a lab like this would always have two tubes, no more, no less.
He quickly walked over to them.
The lights on one of the tubes was flashing red. It also had the eerie flatline tone that belonged in a hospital, with the patients who weren't able to survive.
He then looked at the second. It was empty. Apparently it hadn't been used at all.
Then he saw the third. The light at the head was green, and there was a healthy beeping sound being emited from the heart monitor.
The glass around the tube had been covered in ice crystals, preventing anyone from seeing who or even what the occupants of the cryogenic tube was. But he felt he had to know.
If it was Dr. Zachary regenerating, he would be terminated immediately. Should it not be his arch rival, then he would let them live, untill they did him wrong.
"So who's sleeping bueaty?" Theta asking, suddenly appearing behind Hoods shoulder.
"Let's find out." He answered over his shoulder.
There was an eerie tingle going through his spine as he moved towards the controlle panel of the stasis tube.
Should he release it's sleepy captive, he was not to know if they had been put in there for a purpose. Maybe they would be a physical form of the virus, being hidden away till it's destructive powers could be unleashed upon the earth, by Dr. Zachary's hand. Perhaps it was another one of Pandorax's victims, plucked from the streets and tested upon against will.
One more option flashed through his mind as he entered several commands that he had learned from the laptop given to him by Joe the Lab tech.
Perhaps it was one of his men. Someone from the Moondust squad they were searching for.
Now he was more determined then ever to find out the identity of the frozen person, held in their icy prison.
He entered the final commands into the computer.
Theta watched eagerly over his shoulder. Never had she seen someone be brought back from the near death like this.
Without warning, lights began flashing around the 9 foot tube. Theta and Hood stepped back as the front panel began to open.
A cold mist came from the tube, covering the floor around them and sending chills up Theta's spine. Hood had felt colder, so did not shiver what so ever.
Now the panel had opened entirely. Only a mist still hide the face of the occupant of the stasis tube, soon to be returned to the world of the conscious.
"Who is it?" Theta asked, finding herself suddenly clamping onto Hoods arm. She was nervous, wether the frozen human would be friend or foe.
Finally the vapours dissapeared from the tube. The occupant finally revealed to the people who had awoken her. She lay there. Her lips were as blue as the covers she lay on.
Her hair with red, orange and yellow streaks ran down to her side, laying there, motionless.
Then, at long last her lips moved, breathing in the cold air around her. Feeling the oxygen fill her lungs and spread through her body. Her fingertips, just moving.
"She's alive. SHE'S ALIVE!!!" Hood stared at Theta who raised her hands to the ceiling, and he raised an eyebrow. "Sorry, I always wanted to do that."
Then, her eyelids opened, revealing her bueatiful eyes. Emerald coloured, so big and wide.
First they just tried to focus before her, but then looked at the ceiling, seeing the green liquid travel through the many pipes and tubes above her. Then, she looked slightly downwards at the other occupants of the room. Her lips parted, not to breath this time, but to speak.
"Where am I?"
Pandorax: Surprises Unlimited.
Her voice was so faint. Yet they heard it.
She leaned forward from the tube, with was slightly tilted against the wall. Her hand rushed to her head as she felt an immense sensation of nausia and dizzyness overwhelme her.
"Here, let me help." Theta quickly rushed over to the girl. She gave her a hand as she slowly stepped away from the stasis tube.
"Who are you? And where am I?" She still wanted answers to those questions. But she didn't get them as yet. Hood examined her from top to bottom.
She was about his height, about 5"8, very slim, but well developed for someone who had been stuck in that tube for so long. He guessed her also for around his age, close 18. But all she wore, was a silk night gown, barely reaching her knees.
The girl slowly leaned more onto Theta, as the nausia intensified.
"This way Theta." He said as he helped her carry the girl to the examination bed in the middle of the lab.
Carefully they layed here on it.
The colour in her cheeks were slowly turning from the cold grey to a bright red, being warmed by the heat from the lab. It was so much different from inside the tube.
"Please, tell me. Where am I and who are you?" Again she asked. Hood decided she best needed these answers should they want to get some information from her.
"You are in Hong Kong, in a Pandorax building, well beneath ground level. This is Theta, and I am Hood."
The girl looked straight at Hood as he spoke. That voice. That face. She remembered it so well.
Then she whispered the name she remembered like it was yesterday that they had been captured.
"Alpha?"
Hoods eyes widened as he heard that name. That name which he hated ever since he discovered his origin.
The name that had killed dozens of lives without feeling any remorse for the dead.
Finally, he decided that he would have to know her name before admitting to anything.
"What is your designation?" He asked. He didn't know why he didn't just say 'what is your name'.
"Zeta, sir. Zeta 1." Her voice whispered.
"H. She's one of us." Theta stared at Hood. He just looked at the girl.
He didn't imagine it this easy to find one of his squad. Surely it must be harder to find the others.
"Tell me Zeta, what day is it?" Hood asked her. She looked at him. Confused.
"It's the 16th of december, 1996." She looked at him, questioning herself if she was wrong.
"She doesn't know, does she?" Theta asked Hood, but she knew the answer.
Zeta did not know about the virus, about tribeworld, about anything.
"Theta, you tell her." Hood finally responded after several moments of silence.
He did not wont to recap the last 5 years. Especially the years he spent in Tribeworld.
Slowly he walked away from the two girls, and made his way to the main computer screen at the back.
"Why? What's wrong?" Zeta asked, looking first at Hood as he solemly walked away, but then turned to Theta who held the answers.
"First of all. It's the 16th of july, 2001. You've been asleep for over 5 years, Zeta."
At this she looked horified. How could it be?
She has been here, locked up tightly for the last five years? This could not be, but she knew in her heart, that Theta did not lie. She couldn't lie to her.
Zeta calmed down, then looked at Theta once more, awaiting what she had to tell her.
"Let's start with the seperation of Moondust......"
Finally he had found them. It had taken days, of none stop code cracking, hacking and reading to finally find the rest of his squad. The remaining six.
Before him, on the screen, was amap of the Earth. And six dots slowly moved around on it.
But two, stayed absolutely still. Their colours were different as well. The rest were red, but the two, standing still were black.
Hood knew all to well what that meant. He would not need to search for them. They had found their peace.
The remaining dots were spread around the globe. Four.
North America, South America, Holland and the Arctic.
He imagined finding them all. It would proove a near impossible task. But he had no choice. He had vowed to re unite his squad and that was what he was planning to do, no matter what.
He listened to the girls behind them. Zeta had been telling Theta about those four extra days that she got.
Instead of being immediately shipped off and given false memories and lives, she was returned to the labs. From what she was able to gather they wanted to run some tests on their new cryogenic chamber. Pitty they did not live long enough to discover that it was a succes.
An image appeared on the laptop Hood had connected to the computer. 'Download complete'
Now he would be able to acces any of the information available in the Pandorax Mainframe, from anywhere on the planet. Satelites in orbit would provide him acces to the mainframe.
"Theta, Zeta. We've got to leave." He spoke to the girls. Zeta and Theta looked impressive in her new armor she had been able to gather from around the laboratory, clothing used by Pandorax's private army.
Hood however had his armor, on the inside as well as the outside, courtesy of Zachary.
As they walked towards the stairwell, leading back to the surface. Zeta stopped suddenly.
She remembered something that the scientists used before she was put in the stasis tube.
"Hood. I think you'd rather go this way." Hood questioned her look as she walked over a different cat walk, to another laboratory. They followed.
"Why?" He asked, as they entered a smaller lab. It wasn't even a lab. It looked more like a waiting room.
There was a seperate part, with six seats behind a glass wall. It was on a completly different platform.
"SSAT." Zeta stated as she walked to the seperate room.
"Doesn't ring a bell." Theta said, following her. She opened an acces panel.
"Sonic Sub Acces Tube. Hood, what's the coordinates of Eta." She asked looking at her commander.
"She's at 60 west, 5 south." He responded, looking at his laptop.
Quickly Zeta typed in the coordinates into the computer. A red light started to flash above the compartment.
She stepped inside and sat down and waited for the other two. Theta and Hood looked suspicous at it.
"Hurry up." Zeta ordered them. This shocked Theta but she entered the compartment and was followed by Hood, who was not as trustworthy of it.
As soon as the warrior had entered, the door closed behind him.
"Sit down." Zeta said and she strapped a belt around herself.
And it was a good thing as well, because only when Hood had sat down, did the entire compartment first shake.
Suddenly without warning it began to move. A meter at first, but then it speeded up.
Hood and Theta fell from the seats.
"Oh and you might want to buckle up as well." She sniggered. Hood gave a grunt and slowly sat back down and fastened himself to the seat.
He looked through the glass. Outside it was dark, except for a long beam of lights. But once he looked closer it seemed that they were tiny lights, which were seperated by a about a meter each.
The entire compartment suddenly felt a shock together with a deafening boom.
"What was that?" Theta asked. Zeta just looked calmly at her.
"Just the sound barrier."
"Pandorax is just full of surprises." Theta said, as the compartment began to speed up.
"From what I've learnt, they got these kinda tunnels all around the planet. They lead to every laboratory that Pandorax has, helped them when working on large projects." Zeta explained.
"How long till we're there?" Theta asked. Zeta simply shrugged not knowing how fast they were going exactely.
"About two hours." Hood answered, as he read the specifications on his laptop.
Without the others noticing he had pulled up an entire list of what the SSAT had.
"But the G force would be too much at this speed. What keeps us from having our bones crushed?" Theta suddenly asked, she was feeling very nervous, not knowing what was happening.
"Let's just say that not only did Pandorax break Mach 5 with these things, but they also discovered anti gravity and artificial gravity." Hood continued to explained once more.
Theta slumped back down on her seat.
"Just full of surprises." And folded her arms.
A challenge
"What a ride." Theta said as she got out of the shuttle like compartment.
Together, the three soldiers stepped out of it and onto a rather station like platform. Though it was more of a research bay, with glass tubes and pipes leading from boilers and other equipment. But none of them were working at the time.
"So we're exactely were Eta is?" Theta asked the others. Zeto shook her head.
"No, the SSAT took us to the nearest laboratory to her. Now it's just down to luck and a lot of searching."
She explained and started walking to a steel staircase, going up in a spiral.
"You do know, that the co-ordinates I gave, pointed to the most dense part of the Amazon?" Hood asked her. She stopped.
"As I said. A lot of luck and a lot of searching." Zeta was about to go above ground, when Theta found something that might help them.
"Guys, what is a GPS Tracking System?" She asked, holding up a small computer, the size of her hand.
Hood smiled beneath the black cowboy hat.
"It's our ticket to finding the others faster." He said, and looked at the device.
With it, they would be able to track their long lost comerade to a cm.
"Let us begin." Hood said, and followed Zeta up the stairs, to the surface.
Their search, was only just beginning.
They had travelled from the city of Manaus into the jungle.
She looked up at the sky, night had fallen. They had decided to camp out for the evening.
Zeta sat down beside of Theta at the great tree, which reach so high into the sky. She handed her a canteen of water. The campfire burned before them.
"You know, we're going to have to give you a name." Theta said after she drunk the last drops of water.
"I've got a name, you know that." Zeta answered, a bit insulted. Theta rolled her eyes.
"Yes but we can't keep calling you Zeta. Alpha has a different name, the others probably will as well."
"You've still got your designation."
"That's because my fake parents couldn't decide on a real name."
"Well okay, but nothing complicated."
"Let's see, what could we call you? Hood, what do you think?"
He looked unconcerned at the two girls. For a moment he stared at Zeta, thinking of what to call her.
He then noticed the bueatiful emerald eyes that she had.
"What about Emerald Eyes?" Hood asked. Theta shook her head, but Zeta thought about it.
"Yeah, sounds nice."
"Okay. But I'm just gonna call you Eyes. Emerald Eyes is just a mouthfull for me."
Zeta laughed.
"You two rest. I'll stand guard tonight." Hood volunteered. He stood beside another tree.
"You sure about that?" Emerald asked. She didn't know much about him, especially since she had missed the last five years, and did not what had happend.
"Sure. Now get some sleep. That's an order," He said that last with a small grin on his face.
Zeta and Theta understood. They layed down on the dry moss they had gather for beds and fell asleep quickly.
Hood watched them as they lay there sleeping.
They were his responsibility now. He had to take care of them, and the others once he had found them. He was there commanding officier. Not only would Hood have to care for them, but he would have to lead them as well.
But then he remembered, what had happened to the Raiders. He lead them to a bloody lose, that day on the beach. They were no match against the Chosen without him. They were all slaughtered.
If only he had been there. If he had only gotten there on time.
There was no point. It was useless thinking about if only's.
But it was true. He was cursed. Every person he cared about, he helped, or even loved would leave him or get hurt one way or another. Kari, Amazon, Cara, The Raiders, Desert Rats.
Maybe it was because, they weren't the people he belonged with. Maybe it was because he belonged with Moondust. He was created to lead them. But also to kill and destroy.
Then he remembered what he would do when they would be all together. It would be their first and best mission ever.
To have revenge on Pandorax, and his revenge on his mortal enemy. You couldn't really call him that. Hood wasn't even sure if Dr. Zachary was mortal, he was sure that he had escaped the explosion in Australia.
If Hood had survived, then Zachary would have definitely. There was no doubt about that.
How peacefull it looked. Out there, there was no chaos. Maybe some, but only in the way the stars had been placed. Or was there a plan to that as well?
Were the stars put there for a reason, or was it just a simple random occurence released by the big bang?
Hood enjoyed this, philosophying about the universe. Trying to unravel the mysteries of the cosmos. But he knew that they were not meant to be unraveled, they couldn't be.
The adults did not know that. Each time they finished a puzzle, they always found another.
As the found in the molecule the atom, and within that the electron, and within that the quark.
A puzzle, within a puzzle, within a puzzle.
He smiled at the fact that they never could reveal the face of god either. Perhaps there wasn't even a God.
Only just was he able to return to reality, from these distant thoughts.
This was triggered by the sound of a twig snapping.
That was the only sign Hood needed to stand up and go for his sword. But instead of reaching for his sword, he took the GPS tracking device. With the flick of a switch, the screen turned on.
The red x. It was only a few yards from him. He changed the settings to infra red, and the device began to receive images from the satelites orbiting.
There was not just one person hiding, but twelve. He put the device away and now did go for his sword.
"Girls. Awaken, we have company." Hood whispered to the girls. Slowly they stood up, still a bit drowzy from being awoken in the middle of the night.
"What's up, Hood?" Theta asked as she stood up and stretched her arms.
"They are." He pointed at the twelve figures that had surrounded them. Each of them hidden in the shadows.
One of them stepped forward, holding a large wooden staff in her hands.
She wore a large tribal mask. Hood recognised the tribe.
They were not a tribe of tribeworld. But a jungle like tribe. They were Amazons.
He had heard tales of women who lived in the jungle as warriors. One tale also suggested that they killed men for fun. But first they would detache their manly-hood. For a moment he though about it.
"Who are you strangers? And what do you seak on our grounds?" The leader asked, as she moved the staff to Hoods throat.
He did not move, because he knew that would be a sign of weakness.
"We are travellers, searching for a lost friend." Hood said. Emerald and Theta had fully woken up by now, and were being held by four of the female warriors.
"Leave this place. We don't look kindly upon strangers in our jungle." She was ready to kill him.
"We shall not." Theta suddenly argued. One of the amazons walked to her and held a dagger to her throat.
"You dare speak to our queen in that manner, little girl?" Her mask was the head of a wolf.
"We have travelled far, and we are not leaving till we find our friend." Hood felt the staff grind against his adams apple.
The Amazon queen looked at him from behind her mask, which was a falcon heads. Some how, he seemed so formiliar, yet she had never seen him before.
"You've got guts small man. I wonder what they look like."
That was when Hood decided to do one of the more foolish things he had done in his life. In the blink of an eye, he grabbed the staff, and tackled the queen. She fell to the ground facedown.
Then he grabbed her arm and tightened it behind her back. She did not cringe and did not move.
"So you think you're tough?" The Amazon Queen sneered.
Two of the other warriors, ran to Theta and Emerald Eyes. Putting their daggers to their throats.
"Release our queen, before blood is shed." One of them shouted.
Reluctantly Hood let go of the queen. But a nano second later he regretted it.
Her foot kicked him away, and onto the ground on his back. Now it was her turn, and placed her staff at his throat, and put one foot on his chest.
She then removed the mask from her face, revealing an brown haired girl, with blue eyes. She smiled as the throat pushed closer onto it's victim.
Hood found it harder to breath.
"You're not affraid to attack a woman." She said. "I like that. Tell me, who are you?"
He only responded by tapping his hand on the staff, which was still pressed against his throat.
"Oh of course." The Amazon Queen said, slightly embarrased, and removed the staff from it's hold over him.
He regained enough air to stand up with, and dusted himself of. The he turned to the amazons who still held Theta and Emerald. The pulled the daggers away.
"This is Theta and Emerald Eyes." He paused for a moment, looking at the Queen. He knew it. It was Eta.
"But I asked who you are, not who your friends are." She demanded impatientely.
"I am known as The Hood. I am a lone warrior."
"A warrior you say? You do know now that you have to proove that to us."
"Suspected as much." Hood sighed. But he did expect he would have to proove himself, this would give him the chance to talk to her alone.
Still, telling a girl, who would love tos ee you dead, that she was actually geneticly engineered and that he was her superior in an elite commando unit could cause another fight.
"Take them to the village. His challenge will begin at dawn." The Amazon Queen ordered the others.
"I have told you who I am. Now you must tell me your identity." Hood suddenly asked her.
She smiled as she looked at her opponent.
"That's the nice thing of being queen. You don't have to answer to anyone." She smiled to him once more before hiding her face behind the falcon mask.
The First Challenge
The only way she responded was a grunt.
Reluctantely, after not being able to go back to sleep, Theta opened her eyes, looking at Emerald.
"What is it?" She asked, her eyes having difficulty staying open.
"Nevermind, it's not important." Theta sighed in annoyance.
"I'm awake now, so you might as well ask me what ever you were going to ask."
There was only a glimpse of light, coming from the small hole in the top of the straw tent. The moon only just sending it's light through.
"What is Alpha planning on doing once we're all together?" She pushed a streak of blond back behind her ear. They were the only ones in the tent, and Hood had chosen to sleep outside for the rest of the evening.
"First of all, you should never call him Alpha. He hates it."
She paused for a moment, trying to think why they were trying to get Moondust back together.
"I think he's planning on taking revenge on Pandorax." Emerald looked puzzled at her for a moment.
"But if all the adults are dead, how can he?"
"He thinks, if Dr. Zachary was able to survive the virus, the people who wanted to get rid of us must have also survived."
Theta turned and layed on her back, staring up at the straw ceiling. Watching the stars through the hole.
"What if he was the only one that survived?" Emerald asked.
All Theta could do was shrugg, which was answer enough for Emerald Eyes.
Several moments passed. Emerald was thinking of what Hood would do, should there not be any one else left from Pandorax.
'He's so intent having revenge. More than finding the others.' She thought 'He really is a warrior'
He was reading it all, as fast as he could. Searching for any information that would be usefull.
Usefull in finding the others, and Pandorax.
As he read the endless amount of files, he could feel them. Feel the scientists, Dr. Zachary and their experiments.
He could feel, the indestructible steel within his body. His DNA, had been arranged, and wasn't random in any way. There was no way, he could get rid of it.
He was Pandorax. And he hated every second he lived.
All of those scientists, working on creating the most destructive weapons and creations ever.
All but one. The one that had cared for him, for them. The one that had been there, patching them up after every experiment and every new challenge that had been thrown at them.
Quickly, he decided to find out more about this man.
The one that he once called father.
In an instant, he had returned to the Moondust documents, and was reading up on the scientists that were involved. He read their names, duties, and reports. But he wasn't there.
He then stared at the last name on the list. It didn't seem right.
Only one name.
F.A.T.H.E.R.
"Bingo." Hood thought too himself.
But his quest for information was cut short, as the sun began to rise above the horizon.
Slowly, he adjusted his sunglasses and hat and put the laptop back in it's bag.
It was dawn, and time to see what challenges the amazon Queen had planned for him.
And he was. She had imagined him for the one that sleeps in. She was wrong.
This Hood person was a strange one, but she did not hate him. He wasn't sexist to not attack a woman, like herself. He was a warrior in deed, not affraid of the opposite sex.
There he stood, surrounded by her loyal subjects. But she noticed the sunglasses, he had them on the whole time she had seen him, never taking them off. Indeed a strange one.
"Tell me Hood, why do you wear sunglasses during the night and day?" She asked him.
"I don't like being stared at." He said honest.
Soba looked confused, not knowing why people would stare at him, except for the black clothes and hat.
She stopped thinking of it and began the challenges for him.
"Well, Hood, it is time for your tests of three." She guided him followed by the rest of the Amazons out of the tent and to the center of the village.
There was path, about 4 meters long. But, and not to Hoods surprise, made of earth.
Instead it was of glowing coals. Again, something he had expected.
"You can guess what you need to do. First test. Endurance." Soba said, and watched the so called warrior take of his army boots and socks. He then rolled up his black jeans.
"Hope you don't get a sprained ankled." Soba smiled, and the Amazons laughed as Hood stood at the beginning of the path of fire.
Theta and Emerald Eyes watched from the sides. They did not expect him to go on with this.
Theta thought it was madness.
But she watched as he put that first foot forward.
He could feel the heat beneath his foot grow hotter.
He ran over the reasons why the hell he was doing this stunt. Not to impress the girls, but to proove to Soba the Amazon queen that he was what he said he was.
A warrior.
The Second Challenge
He had succesfully finished the pathway of hot coals. His feet were still burning, and he still smelt the scent of burning flesh.
Only just was he able to finish it, but he would regret it for the next week or so.
"Don't worry, the next test wont require your feet." Soba walked out of the tent, leaving him Emerald and Theta alone. They quickly moved beside him.
"Are you sure you're alright?" Emerald asked. She'd been asking for the last coulpe of minutes.
"Don't worry about it. I'll be fine." Hood convinced her.
"Are you sure she's Eta? For a Moondust member she's pretty evil." Theta asked.
"Yes, I still recognise her. She is Eta. Pandorax didn't hide my memories unlike yours." Emerald answered,
He finished rapping his feet and carefully placed them back into his boots.
Slowly he stood up.
Hood felt the pain in his lower limbs, but still stood.
"Let's see what else she's got for me."
Outside, Soba sat on her throne, awaiting the challenger.
He had ambition, she couldn't deny him that. No one in the entire Amazon village would have gone willing through with the walk of fire, and yet he did.
"Well then. Let us begin the second test. Intelligence." An Amazon handed her a scroll, and unraveld it.
'Let's see if this guy has brains as well.' She thought and began reading out the riddles he would have to answer, should he want to continue.
"You will have three riddles, which you must answer."
Hood awaited the riddle.
Mindgames, that was what Eta had been trained in. Phsychological warfare even.
He could tell the way in which she was pausing, and reading the scroll, that this would be difficult.
"This you should be able to answer, so simple. It stands on four legs at dawn, two in the afternoon, and three in the evening."
He recognised this one immediatly as an old Egyptian riddle he had heard before. It was a simple riddle.
"Man. In the morning he walks like a baby on all fours, in the afternoon stands straight as a young man, and with a cane in the evening as an old man."
Soba looked at him.
She was not surprised that he was able to get that one, it's the easiest. She read out the next riddle.
"I have a neck, but no head. I have two arms, but no hands. I have no legs, yet I stand."
Hood had to think about this one for a moment.
'No head, no hands, no legs. Has a neck......got it.'
He gave a smile to Soba, who just looked slightly worried.
"It's a vase. It has a neck, arms to hold it by and it can stand."
She tilted her head in acknowledgement. He was good. Too good.
But this one should shut him up, and she began reading the next and final riddle.
"I am everything, yet I am nothing. I've created everything, yet I destroy everything. Everyone fears me, yet they don't. I am immortal, yet I life not. Who am I?"
She watched as the Hood stood there, staring back at her through those eerie black sunglasses.
It seemed an eternity untill he finally answered the solution to the riddle that countless had failed before him.
"I am God."
An immense explosion of whispering had fallen upon the Amazon warriors who had been waiting for him to answer.
The queen herself stared blankly at the warrior before her, who had solved the riddle.
She had never come across anyone who had solved that riddle before.
For a long time she paused, looking at the warrior who had travelled so far. He was definitely determined to succeed in these challenges.
The Amazon warriors awaited their queens decision. All of them waited to see wether or not, she would allow this stranger to continue.
But after an eternity, she finally acknowledged him.
Emerald and Theta walked over to him, to help him back to his tent.
And as they three walked away, Soba stood up and shouted to him.
"Do not forget stranger, your greatest challenge awaits you in the morning."
"Looking forward to it."
The Third Challenge
He did not question why they had healed so fast in such a short time given, for he already knew the answer and it was the answer he hated most.
While he was captured by dr. Zachary he had been injected with all kinds of liquids.
Most likely some of them were to increase the healing process in his body.
Apparently they hadn't worn off yet.
Now he could feel his was back at full strength, ready for what ever the queen of the Amazons could throw at him.
Theta and Emerald followed Hood to a hut, which was as tall as a house. They too were curious to the following challenge. But hoping to have their curiousity fade as they entered the large hut, instead it grew as they saw dozens of thick poles close to each other in the center of the hut.
Each Amazon held a staff in their hands.
"So what do you want him to do? Chop 'em down?" Theta asked, trying to make a joke. But no one laughed. Soba simply ignored her and walked to Hood.
"We fight."
That was all the Hood needed to hear. He now understood completly the task.
One of the two Amazons standing beside Soba handed Hood one of the staffs, as the other handed on to Soba.
"Shall we?" She smiled as she walked away from the poles to the end of the room.
The Queen then ran from there, and used her staff to jump up onto the poles. There she awaited for her opponent.
The warrior did the same, and landed with both feet on seperate poles.
As soon as he had landed they began their fight.
Soba took the offensive immediatley, and began her assault on her opponent.
It seemed for a moment that Hood was struggling, trying to focus on where he was standing and fighting at the same time. But as they continued, he became more confident and focused his skills on fighting.
Fighting him seemed wrong in some way. It was like he was meant to win.
Like he was her superior.
But Soba was not going to let that happen. She was Queen of the Amazons, and had to win, no matter the cost, even if it was her life.
This Hood was definitely getting better everytime he was pushed back. Everytime she was able to get a blow, he increased his strength.
Now she was getting angry. She couldn't get a good hit on him, and she became reckless.
In an instant he ducked away from a blow to his head and sweept her feet from beneath her.
Before she knew what happened, she fell of the poles and landed on the hard ground beneath.
For several moments she layed there, staring at him, still standing on the poles. He had won.
He had defeated her, something that never should have occured. Not that she was defeated by someone else, but by a man. Amazons would have rather died then be defeated by the opposite sex.
She stared at those black sunglasses, trying to see the eyes hidden behind them. But she couldn't see them.
Finally she looked at the hand, that offered it's help.
She had no choice, and reached for his hand. He quickly pulled her back upstraight.
"Congratulations. You've defeated me." She said calmly, trying to sound like a good sport.
But she knew the consequences if she lost, and she had.
An Amazon must never lose a fight. Ever!
Hood, Emerald and Theta watched has she left the hut, this time unaccompanied by the two Amazons who had entered with her. They just watched disgusted as she walked away.
"Great, you've won. Now, who's going to tell her?" Emerald asked the other two.
Theta just looked at Hood, who was still staring at the door where Soba had left through.
She picked up the mask, which she had worn with pride in every battle.
The Queens mask, worn by so many Queens before her, who had all died in battle or of old age. The last one to have worn it, died of the mysterious virus, which had killed every adult Amazon.
Now she would have to choose another, to take her place.
'A Queen may never be defeated, if she does, she will banished for all eternity.'
She rememered those words so clearly, which her mother had told hre so long ago, who was also a queen.
Soba suddenly felt the presence of another person in her hut. She turned around, to see it was her defeater.
"Why are you still here? Shouldn't you be finding your friend?" She asked sarcasticly.
"I've already found her." Hood said, staring at her. "Only she doesn't know it yet."
"If you're talking about one of these Amazons, they'll never leave with you."
She put the mask back, and continued putting her other clothes in a leather bag.
Then she felt a hand placed on her shoulder.
"It's not them...it's you." His voice sounded so different now.
"I've never met you before. I don't even know you." She said, trying to shake the thought that she did away.
But she couldn't, and in some way, she knew that she had.
"Are you sure of that?" He asked. Now she could tell that there was something hidden in that voice.
For a moment she stared at the clothes she was packing, and thinking of the question.
"No." She finally admitted.
A small smile appeared on Hoods face as she turned around to finally talk to him.
"Let me tell you a story, Soba."
They sat down together on the straw bed, and Hood began the long story he had experienced mostly.
"About 18 years ago, a man called Dr. Light......"
Her story
It was a stupid thing to do.
He loved her. He loved her with everything he had within his soul.
And she loved him. He was the only person in the entire world that she could believe, that she could trust.
There was an unbreakable connection between them. She could still feel it, and yet she still said no.
But she had no choice.
They called her.
They had called upon her to return. Back to where she belonged.
But in her heart, she knew that she belonged with him. And that was where she wanted to be.
And she had watched him, fall for others, but she could feel it. In his heart, he was never happy.
What ever they said, it would happen. And it was them, that had cursed him.
She had hated them for it, but she had no choice but to comply.
The Eternals didn't care. They just did what they wanted to.
They controlled the befores, the nows and the thens. Should something else happen, they would just take it out on some poor mortal.
And yet...she was one of them and had chosen to stay on the earth.
So much, that she left the Temple and lived for the following millenia among the mortals.
Karen had experienced it all. The discoveries of the metals. The wars between the mortals, the advanced civilisation of Atlantis, who had uncovered her identity, and then met their demise.
She had also met the Shadow Warriors. A race that didn't belong to the Earth, a race that came from another planet, another galaxy. The knew of the Eternals, and respected them.
They were a species that knew of great technologies, and held great powers within, but their own fighting brought them to their own demise. Only three were able to escape the final war, and landed on the Earth.
Here the Shadow Warriors, could continue their training, which increased their strength, untill nature went it's own way and the last of the Shadows died.
Then there were the more recent events, which had changed her life entirely.
She had met this strange individual. There was something about him.
It was like he was meant for her. He knew exactely what to do, what to say.
And she felt so much better around him, she could forget about her life and just be held by him.
Feeling the warmth from his heart. They belonged together.
she could feel the true happiness that had elways escaped from their grasp.
They made her return, and stay with them. If she did not, they would kill him.
She had no other choice but to return. But her love for him still lived on. And it always would.
Watching the suffering he had to endure.
Karen loved him, and she knew that Hood loved her.
All she could do, was stay in the Realm of the Eternals, untill they would finally give up and let her have her life back. Let her return to the Earth, where she wanted to be, where she could be with him.
She was only just able to be in a dream once in a while.
That was the only way she could be with him.
If only he knew, that the dreams weren't just thoughts of the subconscious, but that they were real in the Dream Realm, the place where she loved to be.
The other Eternals also knew of that realm, and enjoyed creating nightmares once in a while.
She hated them, they hated her. If it wasn't for vow of life, they would have drained her of her powers and left her to rot on the mortal world.
"I'll return, Michael. One day, I will return, and we can be together again, and no one will be keep us aprt again." She spoke too herself, as she looked through the Eye.
"I love you..."
Come together
In these two weeks, they had quickly travelled to the two other members of the Moondust squad.
This was thanks to the SSAT, courtesy of Pandorax.
It was diffcult to convince Soba that she was part of this team of geneticly engineered soldiers, but after all the facts fitted, she had no choice but to join them in the search for the others.
Shortly after returning to the SSAT, they travelled to the next Moondust soldier, Delta.
It didn't take long in finding him.
He lived in Texas, and lived on a horse ranch with several others.
The Texas cowboy was easier to convince then the others, due to his below average IQ.
His name on the other hand, was Felix, not Delta.
The next soldier on the list was Beta. According to the Pandorax mainframe, he lived in the Netherlands.
Now, Beta was more diffcult to convince.
He lived in the city that was basicly a giant market, where everyone traded something, should it be valuable batteries, or just tale tales.
From what they heard, they gathered that he was the best trader in Rotterdam, and was called Chapman.
Soon after using the mainframe, to locate his exact location they were able to talk to him.
His english was remarkably good, and eventhough he prefered talking Dutch, Hood was a good translator.
Soon after he was convinced and also joined forces with the rest of the group they returned to the Pandorax building in Rotterdam.
"I trade batteries, water umm....and how do you say? Oh yes. Mushrooms." He answered in his Dutch accent. felix looked slightly confused.
He did not understand that mushrooms was a very common drug used through out Holland. Though Theta wasn't really surprised.
"Why would anyone wanna buy mushierooms?" Felix whispered to Theta, she just had to giggle at him.
He just didn't understand.
"So umm.... Hood? Where are we going?" Chapman asked, catching up with him.
"The North pole." He stated.
"Why?"
"That's where Epsilon is. He's the last member of the squad." Hood remembered reading the report on him.
He was in a storage bay right beneath the north pole, buried beneath the snow and ice.
Soon.
Soon they would be able to be re-united with the final member. And when they did, they would be able to have their revenge on Pandorax, or at least on Dr. Zachary.
When they arrived at the docking station within the complex, they could feel that the electricity had been turned off, due to the fact that it was absolutely freezing.
"How cold does it get here, ya think?" Felix asked, as he wrapped his jacket tighter around himself.
"At nights it can get as cold as minus 40." Hood said, who coldly walked to an acces panel.
He ripped the panel off an noticed that the circuit weren't frozen. They were still working.
With a couple of snips and twists, the lights began to fllicker and the ventilation system began to work.
"Bingo." Chapman said, and looked around the small docking room.
"What is this bingo?" Soba asked. She didn't know about slang. She had been in the Amazons all her life, well as far as she could remember.
"Nevermind that, lookie what I found." Theta said, as she rubbed the snow off a door.
'Storage chamber' was printed on the front.
"One sec." Emerald walked to another acces panel and began typing codes. Within a minute, the doors slide open.
A gust of cold air rushed into the small room, sending shivers up everyones spines, except for Hood.
"Let us go shopping?" Chapman asked in approvement from Hood.
He nodded, and followed the others into the chamber.
But as he entered he noticed it wasn't a small chamber. If anything it was the size of a cargo ship, with thousands of shelves, holding tens of thousands of crates and boxes.
The light inside were only just beginning to flicker and then turned completly on.
The squad stared at the vastness of the warehouse.
"How are we going to get through all of this?" Theta asked staring at the immense storag facility.
Zeta was already working on it.
She found a computer, linked to what seemed a tram system. She was entering command after command, and then was faced with a small flickering word.
"Acces to Pandorax storage chamber approved, have a nice day." A friendly female voice spoke from the speakers. Chapman was definitely impressed.
A large list appeared on the screen.
"So what do you guys want?" Emerald Eyes asked as she took a chair and sat at the keyboard.
The group thought about this.
'What would a advanced technological company like Pandorax have to offer?'
'What wouldn't it?' would have been a better question.
"First of all, see if there's anything about cryogenic tubes in that database." Hood ordered.
Emerald followed orders and typed in the commands.
The entire list was reduced to one sentence.
'Cryogenic tube 0531, active, occupant stable.' was written on the screen.
"Now what?" Soba asked, still a bit dazed with the amount of technology around her.
"We ask it to come here." Emerald Eyes said.
Felix, Chapman and Soba looked very confused at their friend.
She keyed in several more commands, and suddenly the sound of a motor system could be heard.
Within instants a small cart arrived on the rail tracks, leading down the long corridors of shelves.
On the cart, was a stasis tube. Ice covered the glass housing, keeping anyone from viewing the occupant.
They watched in amazment as Hood walked over to the cart and began to enter a code into a small dial panel. He had had much experience when it came to stasis tubes like this.
He remembered all too well.
The slumber ends
Slowly the front slide open, revealing a mist of cryogenic vapours leaving the tube.
The Moondust squad watched in anticipation, as the mist began to lessen and revealed the sleeping occupant.
Within moments, the vapours had dissapeared, revealing a black male, with eerie white hair.
Hood leaned over him. He noticed that Epsilon, wore the army uniform, which had been given to him by Pandorax.
He then held his hand above his face and then snapped his fingers.
The sound awakened the sleeping soldier. His eyes opened, revealing the icy white pupils.
He stared directely at the man before him, wearing black sunglasses.
"Who the hell are you?" He shouted as he sat up straight.
He then noticed the others behind Hood. Quickly, he took a glance at his surroundings, looking in amazment at the large warehouse.
"Nevermind that, where am I?" He demanded from his awakener.
"Yep. That's Epy." Zeta remembered clearly the memories off him waking up every morning.
"Still the same charming morning attitude." She had to smile. Nearly every morning at the Moondust base, she remembered him waking up, demanding his breakfast.
"Zeta?" Epsilon suddenly asked as he recognised the girl. "What's going on here?"
He returned his gaze to Hood, who was staring back at him.
"Welcome to the conscious world buddy." Felix said as he dragged Epsilon out of the tube.
He quickly pushed Felix away from himself and stood up himself.
"Who are you people?" He demanded from them again.
"Don't you recognise us?" Theta asked.
"Rule 6!" Hood shouted, remembering how he made Theta remember the past.
"Survival is LIFE!" Epsilon shouted, as he stood straight.
He then shook his head and stared back at Hood.
"Alpha?" He asked, unbelievingly.
"It's Hood now, actually." He commented, and gave a slight smile to his friend.
"Yeah, sure. And you guys? The rest of Moondust?" Epsilon asked.
"I'm still getting over the shock myself." Chapman noted as he shrugged at Epsilon.
"Beta? Delta? Zeta, Theta and Eta?" He looked at the others.
They all nodded back at him.
For a moment he smiled. Then he noticed two others missing from the group.
"Where are Gamma and Iota?" These two he considered his best friend, and were nicknamed the terrorsome trio.
Hood shook his head.
"They didn't make it." He said calmly. His voice was slightly dry.
"They're gone?" Epsilon said, still trying get over the shock of meeting his squad again.
"Theta can fill you in." He said, and pointed to her. He then lingered away, through another door. 'Lab 216'
Epsilon walked to her. Then noticed the computer that Zeta was sitting at.
"How...how long have I been in there?" He asked her.
Theta looked at him, and then told him that he had been asleep for that last five years.
It came a great shock to him.
Theta then began the long story, of what had happend to the earth, and to the adults.
He listened, still trying to comprehend everything that had happend, while he was in a deep deep slumber.
She found him leaning against one of the computers.
"Hood? What's wrong?"
He continued to stand like that, not saying a word.
"Nothing. Just thinking." He finally answered.
"Why don't I believe that?" She asked, folding her arms, and appearing infront of Hood.
"I realise now, that it might be impossible to do what I set out to do months back."
He paused for minute, the walked over to controlle chair and sat down.
"When I began to read the documents on Moondust, I was still recovering from being resurrected. I wanted to have my revenge on Pandorax and Dr. Zachary so much, that I didn't realise that it would probably be impossible to find him again, or even the council."
"The council?" Emerald wondered, as she sat down in front of her commander.
"The council, they were the once that ordered our creation.....and our liquidation. But when we escaped from the laboratory which was about to explode, they decided to test out their new memory implants.
That is why we were scattered around the earth, to make sure we'd never meet and trigger our old memories to return to us."
Emerald Eyes finally could comprehend how badly Hood wanted to have his revenge.
He wanted revenge on Dr. Zachary, for killing the mother to his son, for giving him an Adamantium skeleton, on Pandorax, for even creating him, because he knew he was created for one purpose.
To Kill.
The search nears it's end.
Their commander, Hood, had travelled four continents to find them all.
Initially, he should have found eight, but the warrior had discovered that the two missing soldiers, Gamma and Iota, were dead, killed by the virus, unable to get any of the antidote.
But that did not mean that weren't alive.
Yes, they were alive, but only in the hearts of the rest of the squad
They would always remember them, but they would also remember the mission they had before them.
First they would have to find their original headquarters, then to find the council, or Dr. Zachary, which ever came first.
Though Hood had vowed too himself he would find him, and when he did, he would show no mercy, just like Dr. Zachary, when he used innoncent humans and animals as kamikaze creatures and when he gave Hood a gift as well as a painfull memory for the rest of his life, and Adamantium skeleton.
Pandorax was a company of unbelievably intelligent scientists, as well as ruthless and evil corporate executives. Within the storage facility were machines and devices that could only be dreamed up by comic book artists and sci-fi writers.
Millions of documents, programs, projects, and files.
His eyes then fell upon a document. It was dated from before Moondusts creation.
It might have shown the details on the Moondust base, or maybe even the location.
As he read through the document, the rest of the squad was still going through the database holding all of the entries that were withing the massive warehouse.
"Very bad ass kicker." Epsilon answered has he shined up his army boots.
"Oh." Chapman only just understood what he had just said.
Theta unpacked another one of the crates that the cart had returned.
She held up a very strange looking rifle. Although she was going through the machines, she was still talking to the others.
"You know, I think you need a different name." She said to Epsilon, as she practised aiming the rifle.
"I like my name as it is." He said, in his brute tone.
"Yeah, but Epsilon is such a mouth full. Sounds like something from outerspace."
"It is. It's a constellation." He answered back.
Theta pulled the trigger on the riffle as she aimed it down the long hallway of shelves.
It emmited a quick red beam from the front, which travelled instantly to the other end of the warehouse, three miles away. That was how large this warehouse was.
She smiled at the rifle.
"Cool." She then swung into around her shoulder. "What about Jason?"
"Bad name." Chapman answered, as he continued to stare at the computer screen.
"Okay, how about....Drake?" She wondered.
"Even worse then Jason." Soba said as she lifted several weights. She liked to train, no matter where she was.
"Hummm.....I know. How about Draigh?"
"That's even worse then Drake and Jason." Felix laughed as he sat against the wall, chewing on some chewing gum.
"I like it." Epsilon said. "It means Dragon." He added, and looked up at Theta.
"See! I am of some use." She spoke sarcasticly at Emerald.
"Well, since you're a dragon, I think you should have this." Emerald said as she opened a crate.
She handed Epsilon, now known as Draigh, a backpack, holding two large canisters.
Then she gave him a hose to go with it.
Draigh put it together and then put it on. He lifted the hose towards a couple empty barrels along side of the wall. There was a small flash around the end of the hose, before it emitted a huge green flame, flying towards the barrels. Within instants they began to melt.
Emerald Eyes looked unbelievingly at what happend.
"That shouldn't be possible! Metal can't melt that easily, this thing must use plasma instead of petrol."
Draigh looked pleased at the former steel barrrels and turned the flame thrower off.
"Nice."
he had found what had been looking for, since he started two days ago.
The location of the Moondust squad. The place where they were created, and the place where they were supposed to be killed.
And as unlikely as it might have seemed, he knew that the base was not where they would have expected it to be, some mountain deep in a jungle hidden away from society. Instead it was somewhere else.
Some where no one would have thought to look, or even been able to reach them.
It was exactely as the name had suggested, the name of the squad.
Moondust.
That was where they were from, where they had been created.
On the Moon.
Bang! Zoom! Straight to the Moon.
"There is no way you are getting me in there!" Felix added.
Hood had informed the others that the base was located on the earths moon, hense the name Moondust.
At first they believed that it would just end there, seeing no possible way to get to the base.
Though Emerald Eyes, while plowing through the warehouse database, found a vehicle that would be able to get them to the moon.
The squad had jumped on the cart and travelled to the furthest part of the warehouse, where a tall
triangle shaped shuttle awaited them.
"If Pandorax can hide this beneath the ice, I just wonder how big our base really is." Draigh wondered as he walked around the space shuttle.
"Guys, are we sure we wont to get into this thing? Hell, we don't even know how to drive it." Felix noted to the others, most of them agreed, except for Emerald and Hood.
Emerald, who was the only one that had kept her memories longer then anyone else, was the also the only one who knew about every technology in the Pandorax warehouse.
"Umm, Felix, hate to dissapoint you, but I do." She admitted to the texas cowboy.
He just rolled his eyes, being not really surprised.
Soba looked at the huge spacecraft. She had never even heard about electricity and the solar system before Hood came along. Now she was going to fly among her gods?
"I don't know, Hood. It doesn't look that advanced for Pandorax technology." Theta looked at the materials used for making the outer shell. "It looks like it built by americans."
Felix gave a sarcastic look towards Theta, who quickly apologised.
"Hood should decide, he is the leuitenant of the squad." Chapman intervened.
That was the excuse Draigh had been waiting for.
"Just because he is our so called leader, doesn't mean that he can decide for us. I say we vote on it."
He towered above Chapman, who quickly moved away from the tall white haired boy.
"Hood was made our leader for a reason. He was the one that brought us all together, remember?" Theta defended.
Although she knew she'd never have a chance at Hood, she was still his friend.
"Okay, all in favor of leaving the planet and possibly being blown to pieces in the proces?" Draigh asked everyone. Slowly, Theta, Emerald Eyes, Chapman raised their hands, though Chapman was still abit affraid of Draigh. "And who's in favor of using their lungs on this planet?" Draigh, Soba and felix raised there hands.
Now, all eyes were aimed at Hood, who didn't seem to be listening since they arrived at the spacecraft.
"Boss? It's all down to you." Theta asked, trying to see if he was listening.
He suddenly turned around and began walking towards a large tower, beside of the shuttle.
There standing at a lift he waited for the others.
"Guess that settles it." Emerald grinned at Draigh who just sneered back, and reluctantly followed the others to the lift.
There they awaited the lift to open and take them to the top, but Hood paused before push the lift button.
"Before we go, does anyone need to use the little soldiers room?" For a moment they all stared in disbelief at the warrior, before Felix, Soba, Theta, Chapman and Emerald Eyes dissapeared to the nearest toilets they could find, leaving Hood and Draigh alone.
For several moments they just ignored eachother, not looking at each other.
Then Draigh broke the silence that seemed to be dominating.
"Why? Why did you gather us?" He asked, his ice white eyes staring at the perfect black sunglasses.
"You know perfectly well why." Hoods voice was cold. Colder then the icy warehouse they were in.
"What? Moondust? That's not the real reason is it? Tell me, Alpha, you never told me what that Zachary did to you. What was it that you could not tell anyone? Only Theta."
Hood heard his name, and tried to block it. He could tell that Epsilon now called Draigh did not like him, and as he was being to honest too himself, he did not like him either.
"You don't need to know. I trust her." Hood turned away from Draigh, awaiting the lift to arrive from the top of the launch tower. Draigh grabbed his wrist and pulled him back.
"So is that it? You don't trust me? Or the rest of the squad?" As Draigh held Hoods wrist, he could feel something. Not what he would have expected.
Instead of the warm feeling of a bone beneath his skin, he could feel a smooth cold object. He then realised what Hood had been hiding. And now he knew he let go of him.
"You truelly are a loner aren't you? And you enjoy it." Draigh stared at his commanding officer.
"I might be a loner Draigh, but it's because I have no other choice." He was going to add more to that, but he heard the sound of the cart returning, with the rest of the squad on it.
They quickly ran back to Hood and Draigh, feeling much more refreshed.
"So? Are we ready for this trip or what?" Theta rubbed her hands together, as at the exact same time the lift arrived and opening the doors the Moondust squad, ready to embark on a travel no other teenager had been on before.
"Sure. I was always one step ahead of the simulator."
"Well we only get one chance at this, remember that." Hood noted to her, as he was also inserting several commands at much slower speed, still remembering the sequences Emerald had told him to enter.
All the time they were doing this, they were sitting with their backs horizontal, ready for the immense increase of gravity when the space craft would take off.
The others were strapped in their seats tightly behind Hood, Draigh and Emerald.
Each of them, looking paler then usual, and a whole lot more nervous.
Once the roof of the immense warehouse would open, pushing the snow away, the space shuttle would be ready for it's first take off in years. Read for a three day journey to the moon.
"Opening bay doors." Emerald said as they watched the roof before them open up, and saw the northern lights in the evening sky above. The watched in awe as the lights made bueatiful colours and shapes in the northern sky.
"They're bueatiful." Theta said, staring at the combination of colours before them.
"They're about to get a whole lot bigger." Emerald smiled as she began the ignition sequence.
As the sound of the plasma engines beneath them began to fill the space in the warehouse, the launch tower beside of the shuttle began to move away, allowing a clear path into the heavens above.
"Umm, guys, you do realise that we are sitting on five thousand gallons of highly explosive plasma fuel, in a spacecraft built by the worlds lowest bidder, built three years ago and about to be flung into outer space?"
Chapman said as he felt the shuttle begin to tremble.
"What is a bidder?" Soba asked coolly, only being able to understand that.
"Umm, that's going to be the least of your worries at this point queenie." Felix nervously said as he felt the shaking of the shuttle increase.
"Beginning final countdown." Emerald announced to the already terrified squad.
"10....9...8...7...6...5...4...3...2...1...0...TAKE OFF!"
The Moondust were flung back into their seats as the gravity slowly began to increase.
Then in an immense blaze of glory, the space craft lifted off from the earth below and clear the ware house, in which all of the machines and advanced technology was being burnt by the heat of the plasma engines coming from the shuttle.
"YEaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhh haaaaaa!" Felix shouted as the he watched the northern sky being flung towards them.
Now, now it would not be soon untill they would be the first human teenagers in space.
Hood watched as the northern lights came closer, and could feel it in his metalic bones that they were being pushed into the magnetic field of the earth.
Soon.
Soon he would be able to have his revenge on Dr. Zachary, giving him this painfull memory and killing Cara.
A hooded monk watched the computer screen. On it, he saw the space shuttle leave the ware house.
It then switched to the internal camera of the shuttle, which was aimed exactely at man who had stabbed him and left him to burn on a campfire so long ago.
This monk, wearing a glittering white robe watched in anticipation as his killer would be nearing his own death. All that we were able to see of this persons face was an evil shark like grin.
And around his neck, a medallion was held by a chain. On it, was the sign of his god.
The god he worshipped.
The sign was carved out of the bone of his gods brother, and filled with his blood.
It was a simple letter, the letter of the name of his god.
Z.
Death returns
They were on the way to the place, they used to call 'home'.
And now they were nearing the end of the three day journey to the dark side of the moon.
The space shuttle in which they were travelling was one of the Americans prototypes which Pandorax was able to get their hands on.
Hood sat in the cock pit, watching the stars before him as they travelled through space.
The shuttle hadn't been fitted with the artificial gravity Pandorax had created so the other soldiers of Moondust were floating around in the spacecraft.
It was his turn to keep watch on the computers as the ship quided itself to the moon.
He watched the stars glitter in the endless reaches of space.
His gaze never ended as he saw the constellations, the galaxies beyond.
Perhaps, perhaps there was something out there.
Hood flipped a switch and on a computer screen was the rear camera, focused on the Earth.
Somewhere, down there, was the girl he remembered the most, the girl he felt the only true connection with he ever did. She had to be down there, but why couldn't he ever find her?
It was like she left the planet, like she never really existed.
He checked the status and then looked through the window.
There it was.
The moonbase, hidden on the darkside of the moon.
"We there already?" Emerald asked as she climbed into her seat in the cockpit.
"Yeah, you know the docking procedures for this thing?" Hood asked as he took manual controlle of the ship.
"Yeah, gimme controlle when you got us right above it." She turned her computer console on and monitored Hoods first spacelanding. As she did, the others quickly gathered in to their seats, reading for docking at the so called secret Moondust base.
"It's massive!" Felix said as he gazed at the moonbase. It had to be at least five miles wide.
There was one main dome, with long pipes and buildings reaching over the surface of the moon.
Beside of the main dome was a smaller one, with flashing lights and open bay doors.
According to Emerald they would automaticly open when ever a spacecraft would be detected.
Hood positioned the ship straight above the docking dome.
"She's all yours." He said as he switch the controlles to Emerald Eyes.
"Going down." She said and began the descent towards their home.
The door of the space shuttle opened, together with a ladder leading down to the steel floor.
Hood was the first to climb down the stairs. He was shortly followed by the others.
The all stood there, awaiting their commander to give the all clear.
Eventhough the moonbase was supposed to be deserted, the squad held tightly on to their weapons.
Hood of course held his sword, ready for anything.
"Looks like no one's here to welcome us." Felix spoke freely, taking a gander around him at the docking bay. Eventhough he was one of the first teenagers to ever set foot on the moon, he was pretty relaxed.
"Don't be so sure of that." A voice spoke.
Moondust was suddenly in action mode, as they saw several speakers dotted around the hangar bay.
"Don't be affraid. Please, follow the green lights." The male voice continued.
A series of green lights lit the a hallway to a pair of sliding doors.
"What do ya say boss?" Theta asked, her finger on the M16's trigger.
"I'd say I've heard that voice before." He said, as he began walking through the hallway.
He was right. He had heard that voice before, and he didn't like it. The voice was cool and calm, almost dead like. But even if the voice scared him a bit, he wasn't going to be put off his mission.
They arrived at the slide doors, but when Emerald tried to open them, they wouldn't.
A few moments later though, they opened.
What Hood saw then, made his blood boil.
In front of him, stood a figure. But not just any figure to Hood. It was the one he had known of so long ago.
There he stood, before his killer. Dressed in the same kind of white robe he was killed in.
In his right hand, he held his staff, with a steel Z on the top.
His face was hidden behind the hood he was wearing.
"Who are you?" Chapman asked, his rifle aimed at the mysterious figure.
"Your leader here knows who I am." The mans voice was eeriely calm.
Theta turned to Hood.
"Who is he?" She asked.
But Hood just stared at the robed person before him, his stare seemed to penitrate the hood he was wearing and aimed directly at his eyes.
Finally after several moments he spoke. His voice as cold as ever.
"The Guardian."
History repeats itself.
There was a long silence which seemed to be deafening.
As he stood there, ready for an attack, he looked at the man before him.
It was him, he could feel it. He was sure that this one wasn't a clone. He was the real mcCoy.
And here he stood, his face consealed.
Slowly, his hands moved to his hood and revealed his face.
His face, it had been horribly scorn. Scars across one half, and a metalic like skin on the other half.
There were only a few stranes of hair left on his head, and even those were grey.
He looked like a phantom of the opera.
Emerald and Theta couldn't bare to look at his face and turned away.
"Don't be affraid. Though, if you were wondering how this happend, I shall tell you." The priest spoke.
Draigh, the only one of the group nodded.
"You see, it was your leader here had done this to me, first stabbing me, then burning me alive."
The others then stared at Hood. Theta put her hand on his shoulder, still standing ready for an attack.
"Is...is this true?" She asked, her voice scared of the fact that her friend could have done this.
"Yes. I did do this. But it was nothing compared to what this monster did. He slaughtered dozens of innoncent people, including my tribe. He lead a tribe of monks, who worshipped a dead guy."
Draigh had heared enough and held his flame thrower tightly, ready to engulf this guardian guy in a spiral of flames.
"Yes, that is true as well. I killed them. Just like I am about to do to you."
Within an instant he stepped backwards and the doors closed tightly. Hood was only just able to stick his sword in between the doors to keep them from closing entirely.
"Hood! Behind us!" Soba shouted as she ran towards the doors behind them which were closing as well.
They were trapped, withing a corridor, without a single ray of light.
Unable to reopen the doors, Hood pulled the sword back.
"Umm, if you haven't noticed yet, the oxygen is slowly being drained out of the hallway." The guardians voice spoke from a loud speaker in a corner.
He was right. They could feel the air slowly being sucked out of the room.
Slowly killing them.
"Alpha, get out of the way." Draigh shouted, as he prepared to fire the flamethrower at the door.
Eventhough he had warned him to move, he already pulled the trigger, and a spiral of green flames flew through the corridor.
Hood was only jsut able to duck away from the flames being fired from Draigh's weapon.
"It's working!" Chapman shouted as he saw the steel door begin to melt.
Immediately they could feel the oxygen returning to the corridor.
Draigh turned his weapon off, and saw the glowing steel melt away to the ground.
"Let's get him!" Soba shouted as she leaped over the melted steel.
"He's gonna pay for this one!" Felix and the others followed.
They entered another chamber. It was more or less dominated by crates and barrels.
"Wait!" Hood shouted. The rest fo the squad stop dead in their tracks.
"What?" Draigh shouted back at him. "He tried to kill us!"
Hood walked up to him.
"No, he tried to kill me. It's me he wants." He heard the sound of a slide door closing.
"And it's me he's going to get!" Hood ran away from the group and headed towards the door that just closed. In seconds he smashed the controlle panel and the door opened.
H ran through another corridor, where he saw the tail end of Jaffa's robe dissapear around a corridor.
The Guardian had walked into a dead end corridor.
There he stood against the wall and finally faced Hood.
"You're probably wondering why I'm still alive aren't you?" Jaffa said coldly, as he stared at Hood.
"Not really. Dr. Zachary probably just put you on one of his regeneration chambers."
"Looks like you've met him as well."
"Well it wasn't much fun." Hood said. He was growing tired of the conversation.
He reached for the crossbow in his raincoat. As it unfolded and was aimed at Jaffa it loaded itself.
"An arrow? I'll just come back, you do know that?"
In an instant the arrow flew from the crossbow and nailed Jaffas hand to the wall.
He screamed a moment of pain. The pirest screamed once more when another arrow nailed his other hand to the wall. He awaited the final arrow which would probably be aimed at his head.
"Don't you think it's strange? After nearly two years, I'm brought back from the dead, while you were resurrected in two days. Isn't that strange...Alpha?"
Hood paused, as he realised that Jaffa knew his true name.
How could he? Not even Hood knew of that name untill several monhs ago.
"Don't you realise it yet? I was brought back for a reason. You know what that reason is?"
He allowed Hood to figure it out himself. And he did.
Then he realised why. He knew why this person in particular was brought back from the dead.
"You're a decoy. You know I would keep my squad behind to keep them from any more dangers."
"You see now Alpha? He's here. And the Moondust squad are being killed as we speak. Just like the Raiders were killed that day on the beach."
He lowered the crossbow as he tried to realise what was happening. As he did Jaffa began to laugh.
But his cackle was being drowned out by the sound of screams coming from the corridors Hood had just gone through. They grew louder, as the slaughter happend.
Within an instant, the last arrow was shot, and ended Jaffa's cackling for ever as it struck his skull and killed him instantly.
He threw the crossbow away as he ran back, back through the corridors.
He was hoping, hoping that some way or another it wasn't true.
That the friends, the family he had finally rebuilt were not slaughtered like the day at the beach two years ago, when the Raiders were killed by the Chosen.
And Hood wasn't able to stop it.
But as turned the corner from serval stacked boxes, noticed he was standing in liquid.
He stared down to his feet as he saw the pool of blood surround his boots.
Slowly he walked to the clearing that the rest of the squad was and as his eyes set upon his friends he could feel the rage build up within him.
They layed there, lifeless on the steel ground. Their bodies pierced with countless bullet holes.
Blood pouring from his friends lifeless bodies.
He then saw it, the flashes.
The bodies on the beach, blood seeping into the sands. The bodies cut to ribbons.
He fell to his knees as looked at their bodies.
Emerald, Soba, Chapman, Felix, Draigh.
He lowered his head and stared for a moment.
Then he growled. His throat dry. The growl slowly turned to deafening roar as he roared into the air above.
His voice was extra ordinairy as it could have been heard well outside in space.
It had happend again.
He had vowed never to let it happen and yet it did. He could have stopped it.
I've he hadn't have gone after Jaffa he might have been able to save them.
It was a girl. The girl that wasn't among the bodies.
Hood turned to a crate, where the crying seemed to be coming from.
With a swift kick the lid of the crate was open, revealing a crying Theta. Her face was bright red as she continued to cry.
"Noooo! Don't please!" She screamed, not looking at Hood. He reached for her and lifted her out of the crate. She was still crying, and even more when she saw the bodies laying on the ground.
He held her tight, as did she. Not wanting to let go of him.
Of the only friend she still had alive. She never wanted to let go, but eventually she had to.
"Theta, it's me...Hood!" He tried to shake some sense into his friend, it worked and she looked at him, past the shades, straight into his cold eyes.
"He came so fast, I was..was only able to hide...he killed them all...he...it was horrible."
Her voice stuttered as she continued to cry. She embraced Hood once more, making sure he was real.
He held her tight.
"Don't worry. I'm here now. And I'm not going to let you leave my sight." Hood comforted her.
But in his mind he had already left, in search of the man who had killed them.
The man who had destroyed his past, and had tormented him for so long.
Zachary.
The Darkest Hour
Theta was only able to nod, though tears will still streaming from her eyes, they were lessening.
She had hid while her friends, her family was savagly murdered by a mad man.
And all she could do, was hide.
Hood stood in front of her, making sure she was okay.
Theta was his last link to the past, his last friend from the past. He felt like a big brother to her now, and he had no choice but to protect her, no matter what the cost, even with his life.
He looked around the chamber, seeing where the ruthless killer came from.
He saw the melted steel door, where they had come from, together.
He then saw the door from which he had come from, after he had swiftly killed Jaffa.
Then there was the third and final door, where no doubtly he was hiding.
"What are we going to do? We can't leave in the ship, Zeta was the only one who knew how to pilot it."
She was right, and now her best friend was dead.
"We'll cross that bridge when we come to it." Hood said, staring at the door.
"You mean we're not leaving?" She said, now even more affraid.
"I'm not leaving untill Zachary is colder then his heart." Hood was determined to kill him.
The man that had tormented him for so long. And now he finally would have his sweet revenge.
It meant so much to him. He would cause Zachary the same pain he felt.
"Come." Hood ordered Theta who slowly followed him to the door.
The door where Dr. Zachary was hiding, where he was cowering, or gloating in his easy murders.
As they walked together, Hood put his left hand into his pocket, where he pulled the pin out of a Betomite grenade. He had merely let go and within five seconds it would explode.
It seemed like miles, but they arrived at the door.
With the bottom of his sword, he smashed the controlle panel, making it short circuiting.
Within several seconds the door opened, revealing a small control center, the nerve center of the entire moonbase.
He gazed around the room, noticing it looked much like a star ships bridge. There was a large glass window in the roof, allowing the now dead officers of the base to gaze up at the stars.
But he did not come to stare at stars, but to kill his mortal enemy, but at times he could swear that this man was immortal.
Then, he saw him. Sitting at a computer console at the farside from the center.
He had been staring at Hood ever since he entered the control center. His shark like grin, smeered over his face.
"Welcome Home Alpha." He finally announced. His voice sent shivers up Hoods spine.
That was not the voice of a human, but that of a psychotic murderer.
Hood gazed through his black shades at the man which had caused him the most pain of all.
How could this man live with himself, knowing he had killed dozens, if not hundreds of innoncent men, women and children. How?
But as he thought about this, he noticed that Dr. Zachary lifted his hand slightly and held a gun in it.
It had a laser sight on it, and the dot was aimed exactely at Hoods heart.
All this time, Theta stayed behind Hood. Hoping in some way it would all end as it should, the bad guys dead, and the good guys lived happily ever after, but she knew that Hood would probably know true happines.
"Isn't this the part where you tell me your diabolical plan?" Hood asked, seeing if he could by some more time.
"Aren't you the stereotypical hero. Well, since you're not even going to leave this place alive, or even dead for that matter. My plan is relatively simple. I kill you, and I continue my experiments on earth."
"Tell me one thing, Zachary. Who donated their genetic coding to us?"
"Don't you know yet? Haven't you discovered." Dr. Zachary stared in disbelief as the man he ahd faught a couple of months ago still had no clue of his true origin.
"Don't you see it? You and that girl were the only ones who were able to survive everything we've put you through. You have surpassed even the strongest adult men on this earth.
Stupid little boy. You're not even human. You were copied. We found the remains of some alien bodies, and we used them as a template for you and that girl."
As he talked he walked closer to Hood, still keeping the laser dot focused on his heart.
"Kinda cliche ain't it?" Hood asked, and saw it.
His chance. His chance to kill him. To be rid of the man he had hated for so long.
"I know. But unlike you, I am an alien, so good bye." But before he could pull the trigger, Hood threw his hand into the air, releasing a small canister which flew through the air.
It flew towards the glass ceiling, right above of Zachary.
When it hit the glass, it immediately exploded. A spray of silver like material which seemed to burn exploded against the ceiling and sprayed down upon Zachary.
Instantly when it hit his skin, it burnt straight through.
The glass shatters though, didn't fall down wards, pulled down by the artificial gravity.
Instead they were sucked out by the vacuum into the airless space.
The decrease in pressure within the control center set of dozens of alarms. The vacuum began to pull on everything that was lose. Chairs, papers, books, piece of metak began to fly upwards through the broken window in to the reaches of space.
Hood and Theta held onto the door as the air was trying to pull them away.
Together, they slowly were able to climb around the door, as it began to close.
Dr. Zachary was still beneath the window. His magnetic boots kept a tight grip on the floor beneath him,
but he could still feel the betomite burn through him, disintergrating his cells.
He screamed of pain and agony as he felt his life being burnt away.
The scientist watched as Hood dissapeared through the closing door, sealing any chance of his survival.
As he was being burnt, he suddenly felt the floor beneath him tremble.
The steel plate floor he was clamped to through the boots was beginning to buckle, the metal slowly began to bend, and the bolts holding it to it's foundations sudden jumped off and were sucked through the vacuum.
When this happend, Zachary was pulled through the broken window, whatever flesh that hadn't been burnt by the betomite was shredded by the jagged glass fragments on the edges of the broken window.
His body was thrown into the cold vacuum of space, his blood being suck out of his body together with any of the oxygen within him, making his body a lifeless corpse that began a long journey though space.
They appreciated every molecule that entered their lungs and their blood.
Finally, after so long he could rest. His enemy had been defeated, and there was no way he would be able to return from the dead this time.
He could feel the rage slowly dissapear from within him, the anger gone, the hate evaporating.
There was no more fighting now, just rest.
For a moment he smiled, he had finally done what he had set out to do so long ago.
He was finally rid of the pain, of the horror and the anger.
"Hood?" Theta moved him slightly, trying to get him to come out of his daze.
"Yes Theta?" He asked.
"Can we go now?"
"We've got one more thing to do."
A cryogenic mist covered the floor as the last of it leaked from the open hatches which now closed.
Inside the capsules, lay five bodies.
"Goodnight guys, see ya in a couple of years." Hood spoke as he saluted his former squad members.
He watched as the platform holding the tubes began to move into a small chamber within the walls of the complex, and the doors sliding closed. Within several years their bodies would have completly regenerated and he would return for them.
"Now we can leave." He spoke and walked with Theta to the landing bay.
There awaited the rough ride back home.
But there was something in his mind now that he could not let go of.
If what Dr. Zachary had said was true, then it wouldn't be their real home. It would be just a planet which the three aliens had found to escape from self annihilation.
He knew it to be true, and he knew another cycle had just ended, but this time a different cycle would begin.
Another journey lay before him, and now he would face the truth.