Welcome to the third story in the Caliber series and the sequel to Predicter! :) (If you haven't read that one or Trigger I suggest you hop on over to my profile and read those first so you'll have a good understanding of this one.) Today is a special day! Not only was "Trigger" published one year ago, but this is also the start to a new story of mine, yay!
This one will be written in 3rd person POV because 1) it is done in honor this being the third story in the series ;) and 2) to keep things simple and very un-confusing. I hope you all enjoy this new adventure and hold on to your hats-it's going to be a very crazy ride.
I will not be telling which superhero/action movies inspired this until the end, so nothing can be spoiled. :D And with that, enjoy!
Special thanks to my beta, Two-Ways-Down-None-To-Go, and also ForWhomTheBelleTolls who created the nice cover picture. :)
Rated T for action violence.
Disclaimer: Don't own anything but the plot.
CHAPTER 1
"Collapse on west wing of Gongora Cave. Tunnels leading to rooms cannot be reached from the inside. Rescue parties must enter from the ceilings."
"The cause?"
"Currently unknown and being investigated."
"Is anyone trapped right now?"
"Three tourists and their pet dog are in the process of being rescued."
After turning off the special radio that IQer André Harris had programmed to hack into and read channels from any radio frequency in the world, a gang of seven very talented and unique calibers immediately prepared for travel.
Robbie Shapiro, a twenty-three-year-old with the ability of teleportation, transported everyone to the dark and mysterious world of Gongora Cave, located in the heart of Guatemala.
The group specialized in rescue missions and fighting crimes everywhere in the world that regular humans were to slow to help or too weak to battle with. After spending two weeks establishing a code of ethics, creating matching costumes and picking gear and weapons, the gang of seven calibers was ready to go. They had already been in action for almost a month and were somewhat recognized by the human public as heroes, although now and then came across an overprotective caliber vigilante who insisted they didn't want their help to watch over the citizens in their territory.
The seven superhumans started taking flashlights out of their backpacks as they examined the mossy cave walls and the water that dripped down from the cracked ceiling. The only natural light available came down from the rips in the rocks above them and reflected off the pools of water beneath their feet.
Jade West took a SnapLight out of her pack and handed it to the youngest of the group, Tori Vega, who was without her own backpack. Tori accepted it and bent it with a crack, the object beginning to emit a bright green glow.
"How are we going to get the people out of here?" Beck Oliver—Jade's boyfriend—asked, breaking the silence among them.
"We'll need to locate the area where the current rescue party is gathering," André announced. "Robbie can take them all up there once we've found them, so we'll split up into groups: Jade and Tori, Beck and Cat, and Trina and I. Robbie, you stay here. When we find them, we'll bring them here and then you can get them up and out."
"I have to stay here all by myself?" he whined.
"Suck it up, Shapiro," Jade barked. "At least you won't have to be running through a dark tunnel that could collapse on you at any moment."
"Everything seems pretty stable right now, actually," André interrupted. "But we still have to work fast. Keep in touch through the earpieces and be safe, everyone."
He nodded and they split up, with Robbie staying behind and trying to find a place to sit while he waited for them to return. Eventually he found a relatively clean rock and sat down on it, whipping out his PearPhone and playing Grumpy Gerbils.
Beck had taken Cat Valentine—the tiny, red-headed Predicter—towards the far left tunnel. He held her hand and helped her cross the set of jagged rocks pointed upwards and made sure she didn't slip on the slick surfaces. Jade could hear her giggling about how their touching hands was going to make her jealous and she rolled her eyes at the comment. Their yellow lights became smaller and smaller as they inched forward into the shadows.
André and Trina Vega, Tori's older sister, had their own blue lights and were walking in the direction that faced Robbie's back. Trina began yapping so loudly Jade thought that the sound waves would cause the cave's ceiling to collapse again. Tori poked Jade's shoulder and pointed for them to travel in a direction away from the others'.
They wandered around slowly and examined the fixtures of the cave and its wild plants overtaking the walls and ground. Tori waved around her green light as fast as she could, enjoying the swirling effect that reflected everywhere.
"Stop acting like a little kid," Jade huffed, annoyed with her partner already.
"This is so cool though," Tori replied simply, her mouth hanging open in awe. "Look, when you shine the light on these rocks they turn into a rainbow—"
Suddenly, the earpieces crackled in both of their ears with Beck's voice.
"We've found the little girl and are bringing her back to Robbie. She's got a few bruises from being knocked over when part of the ceiling collapsed near her but is otherwise unhurt." Jade could hear Cat in background comforting the little girl, promising her that they were there to help her.
"Trina found someone stuck under some rocks," André reported. "We're going to get them out right now." His line went dead.
"We'd better get cracking then, kid," Jade said to Tori, who was, once again, not paying attention and busy playing with her SnapLight like it was the first time she'd ever gotten to use one. Slightly ticked off, Jade walked up and snatched the object from her hands, replacing it with the boring flashlight she was holding. Tori pouted like a child but didn't try and take her original light back.
A few minutes later, Beck's voice came back, reporting that the little girl of the family was with Robbie and being taken up above ground. Robbie found the human paramedics and rescuers and handed over the child, brushing off the compliments and only telling them that he would return with the rest of the family before dimensioning away.
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André and Trina were struggling to move the large boulders wedged above the unconscious man. André could see no further than the man's left hand and head, the rest of his body hidden. Trina was actually sweating from her efforts and André was becoming worried that she would give up soon in favor of not ruining her make-up too much.
Sure enough, he was right.
Trina dropped the rock she was currently holding, leaving him to take its full weight. His fingers were inches away from being smashed underneath and his leg muscles strained to keep the mini boulder suspended. Trina was oblivious to his splutters of needed help, instead brushing the dust off his palms and wiping them against her designer jeans.
"Help—me—!" he gasped.
"These pants are giving me a wedgie," she said, completely irrelevant to the situation and adjusting her belt, pulling upwards on the waistband.
"God, Trina!" André yelled.
"Geez, okay, okay, calm down, 'Dre," she muttered, helping him with the large rock and pushing it back where it slid away from them. "See? Was that really so hard for you to do?"
Grumbling and rubbing his forearms, André shined his blue light across the ground where they saw the pale hand sticking out from under several more boulders.
"Let's hurry up and get this all out of the way," he said, bending his knees and pushing strongly against another rock. Trina stood there, watching with her arms crossed. "Excuse me, are you going to help or what?"
"Fine," she huffed, "Why do you expect me to do everything around here?"
That's not what I said, André thought crossly but held his tongue. He should've assigned Trina with someone else. He had forgotten how freakishly annoying and obnoxious she could be.
After moving around several large masses, the two were close enough to slide the man out. André steeled himself and lifted a boulder while Trina reached under him and dragged the man towards her. Dropping the bulky rock, he kneeled down next to them.
The man's left kneecap was twisted awkwardly and there was blood staining his pants. He was deeply unconscious and there was a small cut on his forehead.
"Okay, now we can take him back to Robbie," Trina said, straightening her back and starting to walk away, leaving the man with André.
"Hey, you have to help!"
"I've done my job," she said sassily and waving a hand at them. "But since you insist so much, I guess I will help you out of the goodness of my heart." André rolled his eyes and looked on as Trina whipped out her own blue flashlight and flipped it on. "See? I'll be the guide and you can be the little pack mule."
"What?" André thought he had heard her call him a donkey.
"Hurry up, man!"
André sighed, throwing the man over his shoulder and walking quickly after Trina. She ended up being the worst 'guide' he had ever met unsurprisingly—he almost broke his neck after slipping in an unseen puddle.
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With André and Trina taking their time to bring the father to Robbie, Beck and Cat decided to head out and help search for the last two missing family members. Jade and Tori were now almost a mile away from everyone else, still searching for any signs of life other than the moss on the walls.
"We have to make sure that we find someone," Tori announced to Jade.
"Isn't that what we're doing?" Jade replied, kicking at a small stone.
"Um yes, but I mean that we can't let Beck and Cat find everyone. We need to make our contribution," Tori said determinedly.
Jade rolled her eyes. She had no idea where they were and was surprised that they hadn't reached a dead end yet, considering how far away they were from their starting position. "Do you think the dog might've come all the way out here?" she asked.
"Oh my gosh, yes, let's find the dog!" Tori scampered ahead and out of Jade's sight to the point where Jade could only locate her by the sound of her voice and the flashlight that bobbed up and down in her hand.
"You're as bad as Cat," Jade mumbled to herself, slightly amused.
Eventually either Tori got scared or was too tired to go on by herself and fell back to where Jade was slowly pacing herself. The cave's tunnel was becoming narrower and narrower, and there was hardly any more natural light from the ceiling.
"We should go back now," Jade suggested, bouncing on her legs to see how much longer they could hold out. She would be fine for another few miles thanks to her self-restoring powers, but she doubted Tori would be able to last as long as she could.
"No, I can keep going," Tori puffed, clutching her side and shaking her head.
"Oh, really?" Jade smirked. "Because just by looking at your posture, I can tell you right now that—"
She was interrupted with a loud bark that filled the tunnel.
"The dog!" Tori exclaimed, seeming to have regained her energy. She waved her light around, hoping that it would attract the animal. Jade stood stock-still, her ears straining to listen for the thud of paws crossing slippery rocks.
Finally, Tori's light found the canine, a rather large Labrador mix with dark golden fur streaked with mud, standing a dozen feet away. Shifting on its big feet, the dog's tail wagged back and forth tersely. Jade saw its eyes, noting that they were an unusual glassy green. It gave another bark before charging towards Jade like a bullet.
"Uhm, slow down, buddy—" The dog collided with her and they fell backwards onto the pointed stones. Jade's own flashlight slipped from her hand as the dog chomped its strong jaws around her wrist.
"AUGH!" Jade screamed, using her other hand to wrestle with the animal in the dark. "OW! God, stupid mutt, let go, let go, LET GO! Holy chiz! Tori! Freaking help me out here!" Jade could feel her blood dripping down her fingers as she tried to pull away from the insanely tight grip. The dog merely growled, curling its lip and sinking its sharp teeth further into her flesh.
Tori didn't even have to think twice before springing to help her friend. She used her Kinecter powers and pushed the dog away. It gave a small yelp when its incisors unhooked out of Jade, and it bounced farther from her, staggering on its paws from the force before collapsing on its side, stunned and confused.
"Ouch, ow, ow, ow!" Jade winced, sitting up and wrapping her good hand around the bloody wound. The flow was already starting to ease and she could feel her skin beginning to heal. "Freakin' dog."
Tori stood between the dog and Jade, watching it carefully. The animal's body seized up as it panted hard, and she thought for a moment that the creature had gone rabid and she'd need to make Jade see a doctor after being bitten. But then it went still. After another few tense seconds, the dog pushed itself up and faced Tori. She saw that its eyes were now soft brown rather than the icy blue it had been earlier. It was probably just the lighting of the cave.
The Labrador mix trotted forward, mouth opening in a goofy smile. Tori lifted her hand and held it out hesitantly as the dog nosed her fingers and licked her palm. Its tail wagged back and forth happily as she scratched under its chin.
"Good boy," she said.
"You know, I'm starting to think that all animals in general just hate me," Jade groused, struggling to stand up. Her backpack slipped off as she grabbed nearby rocks for support. Tori walked over and helped steady her.
"I'm sure that's not necessarily the case," Tori comforted. She approached the dog and looped her fingers in his green collar, tugging him forward. He nudged her side before bounding off, following the light Tori emitted from her flashlight.
Jade sullenly picked her backpack off the ground as she dusted off her shirt, failing to notice the new addition of ugly white goo clinging to the bottom of the bag that suddenly glowed and turned an ominous black.
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The creature slid out of the two rock halves, feeling hot sunlight burn into its back. Knowing that it needed to find safety in the underground or somewhere cool and damp, it crawled across the warm ground, locating a large crack nearby that was probably caused when it first crash-landed on this new planet.
Lowering itself into the fracture, the creature could not find any footing and promptly fell straight through, landing in a dusty heap of pale white, gelatinous goo. Remaining in its natural form, it could pick up the noises of things screaming for help as the ceiling rumbled slightly and rocks began showering down.
Bunching and curling up its body, the puddle of a creature inched forward like a slug. The air was comforting and familiar to it, and it was not bright enough to affect the creature's sensitive vision. Even with its recognizable surroundings, the creature still needed a host to live off of if it wanted to live. Not being on its original planet meant that the chances of survival were slim until it could find something to feed on.
The sounds of a living, breathing animal echoed in the creature's ears. It dragged its heavy body towards the noise, finding a large wolf-related animal sniffing the ground, its pelt covered in dust and dirt.
Without warning, the creature launched itself at the dog. Its white, shapeless body stitched itself together around the terrified animal, covering it entirely and injecting the venom into its system to establish the controlling bond.
The creature took over the dog, now being able to move faster with actual legs. It leaped across the ground, romping back and forth, using its enhanced sense of smell to locate another living being. After a while, another voice echoed out against the cave's walls, high-pitched and feminine.
Interested, the creature approached the source of the noise. There was a small figure perched on some rocks, waving around a green light and another figure next to them, taller and more menacing looking. Immediately, the creature could feel the powerful aura radiating from the tall figure. It was drawn to the dominance decided to make them its next target.
The creature ran head-first at the stronger body, clamping its jaws around the wrist, enjoying the feeling of its teeth sinking through soft flesh. It could identify this new 'animal' as what was called a human being. This confused the creature, as humans were generally very weak animals, having to rely on technology to give them any advantage over others. But the atmosphere this being was emitting was full of authority and strength.
The human shrieked and desperately tried to pull away. Eventually the smaller being pushed the creature back with an invisible force. But it was already too late, as the creature had already made its decision.
Landing several yards away, the creature severed the bond with the dog and unwrapped itself from its body. Disappearing into the shadows and away from the bright lights, the creature watched as the animal got up, unshaken by the attack and straight away went towards the small human.
The creature moved in its puddle-like form to where the strong human was, hunched over and clutching a bloody appendage in an odd-looking paw. There was a pack sitting on the ground next to them. Going to investigate, the human began to pick it up and sling it over its back. Seizing the opportunity, the creature pushed off the ground and latched onto the bottom of the bag, sticking on tightly and unnoticed.
As the tall human began walking after the animal and smaller friend, the creature felt a jolt of excitement and achievement run through its formless body.
It was one step closer.
Ta-da! I hope you liked it so far. ;)
So the gang is now an official group of rescuing crime-fighters, yay!
What's up with that weird creature at the end? I wonder exactly what it is...
I would really love hearing some feedback on how things are going so far for everyone, even though it's just the beginning. I think you can tell who the main focus of the story is going to be from the title? Right? :D
Okay. I will be seeing you all with the next chapter very soon. Take care! ;)
