A/N: Hi. I've been hoping to see some new TZP stories, or a continuation of some of the unfinished ones… (pretty please?). This is my first story post. Hope you like it. :)
P.S. – you never know what to expect…
Disclaimer: I do not own TZP, which was a great show. See the disclaimer on my bio for more info.
INVISIBLE CAGE
Chapter 1
Unsuspected Peril
Thousands of tiny, twinkling stars studded the deep, dark sky. Small, puffy clouds drifted lazily across the gloom. Even though the crescent moon was bright, it didn't do much to illuminate the scenery below, Ro observed.
She removed her gaze from the night sky to look over at Zee, who was behind the wheel. "How much longer till we reach the next town?" she asked. It was a cool night and the wind felt good on her face, but it made her hair fly wildly and it blocked her sight. She pushed her hair out of her face.
"Judging from our current speed and the lack of traffic, we'll reach the next town in thirty-four minutes," Zee replied.
"Just how big is this town, anyway?" Ro asked, as she locked her hands behind her head and leaned back, anxious to get herself into a nice hotel.
"The town is called Lockset. It's not very big. Unfortunately, I don't think we'll be able to find any luxury hotels there," Zee said, knowing why Ro had asked.
"Go figure," Ro huffed.
Zee looked at her with his holographic, navy-blue eyes. He was about to say something when, suddenly, a loud, thundering rumble and a large ball of flames made them look up to the sky.
As they watched, the fiery ball streaked across the dark sky and came crashing down behind a tree line not so far away with a loud explosion that shook the earth.
"A meteor?" Ro said.
Zee slowed the car and then made a U-turn.
"Zee, what are you doing?" Ro asked.
"We have to go see if anyone was hurt," Zee replied.
"But you said the next town is half an hour away. Why would there be anyone living out here, in the middle of nowhere?" Ro said, not looking too happy about it.
"We have to know for sure, Ro. There could be someone living out there. Perhaps in a cottage, or on a small farm. We have to check," Zee said.
Ro sank into her seat and crossed her arms over her chest. She was overcome with fatigue and the only thought in her mind was to find a warm, comfortable bed to sleep in. "Fine," she said. "But you're getting out of the car. I'm staying right here."
o—o—o
Eight minutes later, Ro found herself following Zee, as they trudged down a small but steep hill in the densely-forested area. They'd left the car because it was impossible to drive it through the rough terrain.
Ro couldn't see where she was going. She was practically taking blind steps. But Zee's vision allowed him to see in the dark without a problem as he led them toward the crash site.
"Zee, could you—" Ro managed to say, before slipping on a rather smooth rock and falling forward.
Zee turned around and caught her.
As she regained her balance, Ro said, "Do you think you could light the way? I can't see where I'm going."
Zee apologized, and then dropped his hologram. The image of a young, dark-haired man was replaced by a tall, metallic robot. He opened his chest compartments and activated his internal light sources, which gave out extremely powerful beams of light. "Is this better?" Zee asked.
"Aah!" Ro cringed before him as she shut her eyes and threw her arm in front of her face. "Thanks, Zee. But now I'm blind!" she said.
Zee would have grinned if he'd still been in his holographic human form. He took hold of her free arm, drawing her close, and they continued to make their way toward the site of the crash.
A few minutes later, they found it.
"You see? There's no one around here," Ro said, observing the crater and the surrounding area.
Zee stepped closer to the crater, lighting it. There was a round, black sphere in the middle of it, which seemed charred. Smoke was still coming out of it.
"What is it?" Ro asked, stepping close to Zee.
"I don't know," Zee said. "But it looks man-made."
"It looks like a giant bowling ball," Ro said.
"It looks like it's made of metal. I would say it resembles a cannonball," Zee said.
"A what?" Ro looked at him strangely.
"In ancient times, when there was a battle at sea, ships would be equipped with large, tubular firing mechanisms called cannons that, when activated, would launch large balls of metal, much like that one," he said, pointing at the black ball, "into enemy ships or lands to cause destruction."
"How crude," Ro said. "Well, thanks for the history lesson, tin-man, but we're nowhere near the ocean, so that doesn't explain what this thing could possibly be."
Zee looked at the black, metal ball. "I believe cannons were also used in land wars."
As Ro scrutinized the heavy-looking black ball, her curiosity got the better of her, and she decided to have a closer look.
Zee looked on as she stepped into the crater. He scanned the sphere, observing that it was not hot. "That's strange," Zee said to himself. If he could have shown it, he would have frowned as he reviewed the logic that told him that the ball should have been searing hot.
Something shiny caught Ro's eye. She crouched as she continued to look at it. Suddenly, something moved. Her eyes widened. Her sight was glued to the black sphere. Had it been just a trick of the light…?
Zee's logic didn't concur with the information his scanners were providing him. He wasn't malfunctioning, and there wasn't any error in his logic. The black sphere should have been scorching hot, yet…
Ro made a small, choked sound. Her mouth gaped open.
"Ro?" Zee said. Apprehension was beginning to grip at his sensors.
"Zee… there's something moving here…" Ro said, her eyes wide, her throat tight.
Warning bells went off in Zee's head. /Danger!/ his logic cried out.
He dashed forward and caught Ro by the waist, lifting her and hoisting her away from the crater and the black sphere.
He ran a short distance away before slowing down and releasing Ro. He turned her in his arms and looked at her face. The girl's expression was blank and unresponsive.
"Ro," Zee said. "Ro!" He gently shook her to bring her out of her stupor.
The girl blinked and looked at the synthoid's eyes, confusion evident in her face.
"What just happened?" she said.
"Something's not right, Ro," Zee said. "That sphere should be very hot, but my scanners indicate that its temperature was at only seventy-six degrees Fahrenheit."
"But how? It had been on fire," Ro said.
"What did you see, Ro?" Zee asked.
"I… I don't know. There was something shining, and it moved. I don't know what happened after that," Ro said.
Zee looked at her. His robotic facial features didn't give Ro much of a clue as to what he could have been thinking. But, either way, she had a bad feeling brewing in the pit of her stomach.
Right then, a loud rumbling made them turn and look in the direction of the crater. A yellow light was coming from the crater, and it was increasingly becoming brighter by the second. The earth shook beneath their feet.
"Zee, what's going on?" Ro said, a hint of fear and worry in her voice.
Zee grasped her hand. "Ro," he said. "Run!"
The ground rumbled and the trees shook all around them.
Zee tugged Ro into a hurried pace as they ran away from the crater, jumping over tree roots and rocks, making their way uphill in the direction of their car.
Ro chanced a glance behind her. What she saw terrified her. "ZEE! HURRY!" she screamed.
Somehow, the light had become brighter, and it was engulfing the forest behind them. The source of light was following them, slithering like some sort of monster through the forest floor, and it was about to reach them at a frightening speed.
Ro felt its presence dangerously close behind her. In a heartbeat, the light engulfed them as the creature closed in on both of them.
o—o—o
To be continued...
A/N: I'm not sure when I'll be able to update. Hopefully soon. Please review and tell me what you think, but please be gentle; I'm not very experienced. Thanks. :)