Hunted
"Take them out!"
A hoarse voice echoed throughout the walls of the canyon. In response, a stampede of hyena mechas reverberated as slugs and ghouls flew all over the place. There was a jungle next to the canyon as weird as it was but then, what was ever normal in Slugterra.
The Darkbain kept on barking orders below them. He gestured frantically to the boulders on the other end of the canyon.
"Eli! We are trapped!" A navy-haired teenage girl shrieked when a Hop Jack narrowly missed her head.
A molenoid glanced around, "Pronto suggests we make a run for it towards that cave!"
"Good idea. Step on it!" Eli Shane shouted to his teammates.
Kord and Trixie followed the trio on their mechas. There were outslugged and they were almost out of ammunition. As humiliating as it was to retreat, their lives meant more to them than mere honour.
The Shane slowed down his mecha and fired Burpy.
Very predictable. A tall woman leaned on a large mushroom at the highest side of the canyon. It gave her a perfect view of the events below. Nicole shook her head as she watched the infurnus form a firewall that momentarily stopped the goons. Her conscience gnawed and almost weakened her resolve but with an iron will she thwarted it.
"Show time!" She mumbled as she put on her mask that completed the usual Blakk Industries uniform. So far everything was going according to plan.
Diablos Nachos and a couple of other goons slugged several Darkbeeks which extinguished the fire in no time. They resumed their pursuit. Nicole headed in the opposite direction, hoping that they had considered all the possible variables.
In the cave...
"It's ok, Elina. We've been in tougher situations, right Burpy?" Eli attempted to comfort his girlfriend. His slug's small flame illuminated the dark cavern. Danger seemed to loom in every corner.
"Guys we have to go back! We are not safe here," Kord whispered.
Pronto's teeth were chattering, "Yes! This place is cursed!"
Eli laughed, "Come on guys. There is nothing like that. Last time you said there were ghosts but..."
Trixie interjected, "Eli, no one has ever left this cavern alive."
Their slugs chirped in fear and they were huddled together.
"There is a legend that if you want to leave it alive, you have to go through a maze of some sort...or face your worst fears.." Kord spoke in a hushed voice.
"And if you lose, a monster from the deepest pits of the Deep Caverns will destroy you!" Elina finished off.
The Shane folded his hands, "I still don't buy it. It's just a legend. Besides, we will be out of here in no time."
Pronto jerked his head, "Pronto does not want to die!"
"Shhh! Listen!" Everyone froze. There were footsteps approaching them and they seemed to be in a hurry.
There was a blinding flash of light and the Shane gang gasped in shock as the attempted to cover their eyes.
There was a whirl and then pitch black darkness.
"RUN FOR IT!" Eli shouted.
"OUR MECHAS AREN'T WORKING!" Their Cave troll panicked. The gang got off their mechas and sprinted towards an opening.
Diablos smirked. Although the electromagnetic wave had temporarily rendered all of their machines useless, the Shane gang was still alive. The best way to defeat them was to separate them.
"Drive them out!" He ordered. Some of the goons charged into the cave.
"Elina! Come on!" Eli coerced her to follow him.
"We are running out of time!" the redhead shouted at her.
Elina glared at them defiantly, "Guys. I can slow them down."
"No way we are going to split up like this. We must always stick together," their huge mechanic paused in his tracks. Kord was always the voice of reason to their gang.
The molenoid walked back to Elina, "Pronto doesn't like the sound of that."
"Guys, I will be ok. All I am asking is for you to trust me on this," Elina persuaded them. "If you stay, I might hurt you guys too."
The Shane walked up to her and hugged her tightly, "We will be waiting for you at the end of the cave."
His girlfriend gazed into his baby blue eyes with tearful , "I will come to you guys once I am done."
Eli reluctantly let her go, "Be careful."
With one final glance at the rest of the Shane gang, Elina strode off towards the sound of the advancing goons. When she was satisfied that they were out of her sight, she prepared herself for combat.
"I hope this works," she mumbled to herself. All of her slugs were now with Eli. Taking a deep breath, Elina focused her mind and siphoned the slug energy from the environment to boost up her energy levels.
Diablos followed his associates into the cavern. "I will grant you a quick demise Elina Shane!" He squinted his eyes as if that was going to help him see.
The slug expert had to restrain herself from correcting the monster's mistake. She clenched her fists and she could feel her nails forming welts on her palms. Elina had the advantage since she was veiled completely by the thick darkness.
Calm down! You will blow your cover! She shouted at herself. Ignoring all the distractions, she commanded her energy to flow simultaneously into her arms. Small flames which grew in size lit up the cavern momentarily.
"There!" Diablos could only hope that his companions could see him pointing towards the only source of light in the cavern.
The goons yelled and charged towards the flames.
A female figure lifted her arms a bit higher, illuminating her pretty features. "Looking for me?!"
"Get her!" One of the goons yelled, his voice filled with renewed hope.
The navy-haired girl shook her head, "Let's see about that!"
A red and yellow fireball lit up the cavern, its trajectory in perfect line with the Darkbain.
"What?!" Diablos gasped in complete surprise. Even though he tried to cover his body, the impact of the fiery missile threw him off-balance. Elina smirked when she heard a loud thump on the adjacent cavern wall followed by a loud groan.
This is going to be easier than I thought! She smiled inwardly as she continued to hurl fireballs towards Blakk's employees, taking care not to hurt them, much.
After about fifteen minutes, the miniature army was defeated. When the fire on her hands sizzled into nothing, Elina rubbed them together.
"I would love to stay, but I am afraid I have to leave you boys," she felt good about herself. A chorus of groans protested weakly. That should teach them not to mess with Elina Shae.
There was a rustle in the bushes. Nicole froze.
Not good. She activated the camouflage mode on her slugslinging outfit. Working for Blakk Industries had its perks. There were plenty of resources she could use for her own benefits. She stealthily walked towards the origin of the sounds.
Parting the thick foliage with the stealth of a jaguar, she was a bit intrigued to find two girls chatting to each other in hushed tones.
"Angelina, we should go and help Diablos!" The woman whispered to her companion. She brushed her long black hair back, probably exasperated.
The blond girl named Angelina shrugged her shoulders, "He will be fine. Trust me. Besides, he is super tough!"
Nicole face-palmed. Rosella Garcia, of course. The latest recruit of Doctor Blakk. Rosella and her friend had slugs and she knew this wasn't a good sign, for that time anyway. Ghouls were a big sellout and she didn't want any extra trouble.
She blocked out their on-going argument and continued on her mission. Another rustle in the bushes on her left.
Definitely not those two. Taking care not to step on dry twigs, she loaded an Amperling. Whatever it was, it was leading her away from her target. Curbing her curiosity, she just switched on her proximity detector. Surprise attacks were never good, especially in unfamiliar territory.
"All clear," she commented and she headed towards the far edge of the jungle.
Eli glanced nervously at his watch. "Maybe we should go back and look for her."
His redheaded friend placed her hand on Eli's shoulder, "Don't worry, Eli. She can take care of herself."
"I have a bad fee..." Kord was cut short by an elbow on his ribs. "Ow.." The mechanic glared at Trixie who smiled at him innocently.
The molenoid's stomach rumbled and the rest of the Shane gang glared at him, or down at him.
"Sorry but Pronto is famished. My expert opinion is that Elina will be able to reach the hideout long before us." He prayed that his friends would believe him so that he could go back to the hideout and sate his empty stomach.
Burpy and the rest of the slugs chirped in their slug containers. Trixie analysed them for a while.
"They look as if they are worried," she commented.
So maybe it was true. Elina must somehow have a very strong connection to slugs. The hero twiddled his thumbs nervously.
"...what I am saying is she'll be fine." Pronto seemed to be concluding his speech, which was being ignored.
Kord, always the voice of reason of the group, suggested, "Bro, I know you are worried about her but getting lost in this maze won't solve anything."
The Shane brightened up instantly. "Pronto, can you lead us out of here?"
"Pronto the Magnificent will gladly lead you out. Follow me!" The short molenoid marched forward, with all the swagger he could muster, if had any of it in the first place.
Trixie rolled her eyes at the molenoid. She hoped her best friend was going to be alright. In mere moments, there were out of the oppressing cave.
The blue pure slug energy flowed around them. Eli checked his blaster and smiled. "Our blasters are now working!" He announced happily.
"Finally!" Kord and Trixie were relieved.
Nicole studied the Shane gang. Only one member was missing.
So far so good. She surveyed her surroundings and chose a spot which was about a hundred metres from the gang. The foliage was the thickest there and was quite desirable considering the camouflage suit might fail. Although she had taken care of some of the bugs, there was no guarantee it was perfect.
Making herself as comfortable as she could, she switched on a lappad she had "borrowed" from Kaiya's workshop. She hoped she was going to be able to return it before she noticed it was missing. Besides, she had been sent on a mission which definitely involved blowing up stuff.
Her friend had developed some kind of software that could imitate any living individual's voice, and Elina's was not an exception.
After rechecking her proximity detector, she resumed her task.
"Isolate her, then do your job," Doctor Blakk had emphasized on that like a hundred times.
Easier said than done. Kaiya don't fail me now!
Blending in the shadows, she made her way across the jungle. Her pursuer seemed to have given up. She smiled triumphantly. Her head pounded and her body felt as if she was having acupunture with thorns. The amount of ghoul energy sickened her. Bending over, she threw up her breakfast.
Leaning on the mushroom for support, Genki Fawn cursed whatever being made her. She staggered forward, determined to find whoever was carrying these ghouls and make them pay. Her legs caved out because of her weakness and she fell down.
It was hopeless. Genki did not attempt to get up. Closing her eyes, she prayed for sweet oblivion. The ghoul energy seemed to overpower the last of her good energy and she gave in to the enticing oblivion.
The cave rumbled, or was it her imagination? Elina trudged onwards searching frantically for an exit. The darkness gave way to light, but only for a split-second. Her hope was diminishing with every passing second, not to mention her slug energy.
She sighed heavily.
"I am going in circles!" She groaned as she noticed that she was back where she started, the exit of the cavern which was still filled with the unconscious bodies of Blakk's associates.
They should be up by now. Elina speculated. She had a sudden dizzy spell and she groaned.
Time was running out.
Taping on her earpiece, she attempted to contact Eli.
"Hello?! Eli!" Nothing but static. "Floppers!"
The electromagnetic pulse's effects had dissipated, but not before it had messed up with her earpiece. In her frustration, she took it out and stepped on it.
This is bad! Trying as hard as she could, the slug expert calmed herself down. For some reason, she felt as if her energy was being sucked out of her gradually. Her eyelids felt heavy and her body longed for some rest.
Her life flashed before her eyes. "A good way to die. At least I still have good memories."
Stop that! Eli would have wanted you to live!You can do it! Fighting to stay awake, Elina clawed her back into consciousness. Her blaster glowed faintly.
"Good! Blaster is working." Instinctively, she reached for her ammunition on her bandolier. Nothing. Elina groaned. Eli had her slugs.
Drawing out the small amount of slug energy in her blaster, she recharged herself.
That will have to do. She clenched her fists and marched onwards.
Longing for the light and the refreshing burst of slug energy, Elina ambled into one of the tunnels.
Eli's earpiece buzzed. He jumped in surprise. "Hello?!"
"Hello Eli. I hope you are fine. "
The Shane sighed in relief, "Elina! Are you ok? Where are you?"
"Yeah, I am. I couldn't find you guys at the hideout. Where are you anyway?"
"We are on our way! Love you" Eli exclaimed.
Nicole mentally gagged, "Love you more."
"Love you most," the Shane whispered.
The Shane gang mounted their mechas, which had been retrieved with the help of their tracker, and headed off to their hideout.
Elina Shae is going to be his downfall. Nicole shook her head. The proximity device beeped. There was a small red dot, slowly making its progress away from her.
"Game on," she packed her devices and followed the dot.
Stumbling into the light, Elina thanked whatever deity was looking after her. The slug energy surged into her, rejuvenating her being. She felt invincible. With a smile, she hoped that her boyfriend was still waiting for her. Blushing furiously, she replayed the scenes of how they fell in love. The rough undergrowth scratched her fair skin but she was oblivious to the pain. Her love of Eli was an anaethestic.
With a dreamy look, she brushed aside the overhanging creepers. Some of the light of the lumino ores filtered through the mushrooms clustered together. She stepped on something warm and tripped. Fortunately, she regained her balance. Elina scrutinised the jungle floor in search of the object.
"Help me," a feeble whisper which originated from below her startled her. Elina's heart twisted at the sight of a girl, who was barely conscious. She was ghostly pale.
The slug expert knelt beside her body, "Oh my goodness! Are you ok?"
"Please give me one of your slugs," she begged. Her brown hair with blue streaks was pasted on her ashen face.
"I don't have any slugs, but I know a way," Elina siphoned extra energy before converting it to healing powers, simulating the Boon Doc. She controlled the bright green energy to flow into the body of the sick stranger.
Within mere moments, the girl gasped and sat up. "Thank you."
"You are welcome." the slug expert smiled warmly at her patient.
"I am Genki Fawn by the way," the girl smiled back at her.
"Elina Shae not Shane," the slug expert introduced herself.
"Nice to meet you, Elina. Wait! Wait! You know Eli?!" Genki inquired animatedly.
Elina blushed and nodded.
"O.M.G! Tell me about him. He is just awesome. Those baby blue eyes and.." her new friend froze. "I am sorry about that." She blushed.
Elina smiled at her, "You like him, right?"
Genki looked downwards.
"Awkward!" A silky voice interjected.
Both girls gasped and jerked their heads in the direction of the voice. Nicole had them at point blank range. "Make a move and I will send you to the Deep Caverns." The Tempesto growled in her blaster.
Elina glared at her, "You will never take me alive, Nicole!"
"Suuuure! Elina SHANE and the fan girl," Her voice drooled with poison. Genki Fawn winced. Nicole smirked because she knew she had struck a nerve.
The navy-haired girl groaned, "It's Shae for crying out loud!"
Genki glared at her, "You work for Blakk!"
"Of course I do! And I know it's Shae," Nicole replied enthusiastically. "Come with me and I won't hurt you, much!"
"Never!" Both girls shouted simultaneously.
Genki disappeared in a swirl of green and black light.
"No way!" Nicole grunted in shock. Genki materialised behind Nicole and kicked her before disappearing into the shadows again.
This just became a challenge. As soon as Nicole regained her balance, she referred to the proximity monitor strapped on her wrist. She smirked. Cartwheeling backwards, Nicole smiled as she made contact with invisible flesh.
Genki rematerialised involuntarily and groaned. "What do you want?"
Nicole remained silent. She reflexively dodged a bolt of lightning, barely. Her mistake was momentarily forgetting Elina's slug powers.
"I will deal with you later," Nicole charged at her oponent. At close proximity, Nicole noticed that Genki was being weakened by the ghoul energy.
"No way to run, Shadow girl!" Nicole taunted her.
The brown-haired girl dematerialised and reappeared next to Elina. "We have to go!"
Elina nodded and they immediately disappeared.
Nicole groaned in annoyance. "This didn't turn out well." She couldn't fail, she had never been defeated as easily as this. She ground her teeth and hoped for a rematch.
Angelina and Rosella finally agreed to go and look for Diablos when he didn't emerge from the cavern.
"You owe me!" Angelina fumed as she stomped towards the foreboding entrance.
Rosella smirked, "Yeah right! I have lost count of how much I have saved your sorry butt! It's not my fault you like the blue guy from the Shane gang!"
Kord Zane. Angelina corrected her mentally. She could feel blood rush into her cheeks. They usually had arguments and she knew her silence was the solution. Ignoring her, Angelina slugged her phosphoro upwards, "Light it up! Dusty!"
As soon as her slug reached one hundred miles per hour, it metamorphed into a bright light.
The pair walked in total silence.
"There he is!" Rosella pointed to a heap of ghostly white skin.
His girlfriend ran over to the Darkbain, "Diablos?! You okay?"
The creature sat up and groaned.
"Lying on the job, are we?" Angelina smirked. Diablos glared at her.
"I am glad you are ok," Rosella hugged and then they kissed.
Angelina shivered. What did she see in him anyway? "Love is blind."
The pair glared at her and Angelina raised her hands in mock defense.
The rest of Blakk's goons woke up.
"What happened?" One goon inquired, completely dazed.
The trio shrugged their shoulders.
Diablos stood up. "Move out!" He ordered them, hoping that the whole mission was a success.
Elina and Genki rematerialised at the edge of the cliff.
"Whoah! Thanks for saving me," the navy-haired girl smiled at her.
Genki stretched herself, "No problemo! I was just returning the favour."
"It's just that I have never met anyone who has Shadow Clan powers. I bet it's awesome," Elina mused.
Genki shrugged her shoulders, "Not awesome if you get sick in presence of ghouls. Your powers are cooler."
The ground rumbled below them.
"Did you feel that?" Genki inquired and her new friend nodded.
There was a silence as if all animals were hiding this new kind of evil.
"We have to go!" Elina panicked. Without any further delay, both girls sprinted from the edge of the cliff. A colourless being swooped down on them.
"Watch out!" The brown-haired girl dived down and avoided an invisible tentacle.
Unfortunately, Elina did not get the warning in time. Indescribable pain shot through her left leg as one of the creature's limbs wrapped around it, instantly drawing blood.
An ear-splitting scream shattered the fragile silence. Elina was bit surprised it was hers. The creature flew off with her.
"Elina!" Genki called after her.
Nicole was still bitter about her defeat. A blood-curdling scream startled her. Her monitor beeped louder. When she checked it, she frowned. Something big was coming towards her.
Arming herself with an Amperling, she waited for it.
Sure enough, an invisible creature swooped on top of her. Following the diffraction of the light caused by its almost invisible body, Nicole was able to locate it. She trunkrolled and smirked when the monster her. She slugged the ghoul at it and a surge of lightning momentarily electrocuted it.
"Not helping!" Elina also suffered the same fate, unfortunately.
Looks like I am still in the business. Nicole smirked, "My bad!"
"Look who is flailing around like a flopper," she mocked the teen.
"Just help me already," a very disgruntled Elina shouted.
She slugged a ghouled Arachnet at her and grinned like a Cheshire cat, satisfied when her enemy thumped onto the ground. The monster disappeared momentarily, no doubt preparing for another attack.
"Thanks for saving me," Elina smiled.
"Don't! "
"Why?" she was obviously taken aback.
Nicole smirked, "Because I was saving you for myself."
Elina tried to get up but failed. When she looked at her left leg, she instantly paled. Blood oozed out of her wound.
Elina attempted to stop the blood but in vain.
Nicole felt her conscience overpowering her steel resolve. If this kid did not get immediate medical attention, she was a goner.
"Ugh! The heck!" She exclaimed as she stomped over to the teen.
"Don't hurt me! Please!" Elina looked straight into her pursuer's eyes. At the sight of her blue, tear-filled eyes, Nicole's heart melted.
She sighed, "For the love of..!"
Focusing her energy, Nicole hit her with a burst of pure silver energy.
Elina gasped and closed her eyes. When she opened them, the wound was gone.
"Feeling better?" Nicole inquired.
"But I thought you were gonna.." Elina could not hide her surprise.
Nicole looked heavenwards sarcastically, "Yeah! Don't make me wish I had done that. Let's get out of here."
"No argument here," Elina got up.
After five minutes of walking in uncomfortable silence, Elina finally spoke up.
"You know, you are not such a bad person."
Nicole glanced at her but remained silent. She now understood why Eli loved her. She was sincere, honest and gentle; everything she wasn't.
The navy-haired girl rubbed her neck nervously.
"It's complicated," Nicole shrugged her shoulders. She hoped that Elina would stop asking her questions. When her temporary ally did not say anything, she was relieved. Nothing compared to the amount of guilt she was feeling at that moment.
"It's back!" Nicole yelled as she loaded more ghouls into her blaster.
"Don't! This thing sucks the energy from the slugs," Elina raised her hands and hurled fireballs at the creature.
Nicole frowned. "So how do we beat it?"
"Give it your energy! When it gains its full form, then we can beat it!" Elina suggested.
"You are insane! If this doesn't work I will ghoul you! Oh and I have an insane idea. Have you ever tried a fusion move?"
"What do you mean? I don't have a double-barrelled blaster like Eli!" she inquired, dodging one of the creature's tentacles.
"You have slug powers. Figure that out for yourself!" Nicole shouted back, getting exhausted by the minute.
"Please! That's how Eli defeated it." the teen begged.
Nicole sighed, "Here goes nothing!" She charged towards it. The creature turned towards its opponent. She refrained from dodging the tentacles.
Sacrificing myself? What the heck am I doing? Before Nicole could change her mind, two of the tentacles gripped her.
The pain! Nicole gritted her teeth as the creature shrieked as it absorbed the large amount of energy. There was no way she was going to scream in the presence of her enemy. She was losing consciousness, gradually. Nicole spared some energy and used it to give Elina a final piercing glare. When the teen shuddered, she smiled in satisfaction.
As soon as Nicole's unconscious body plopped on the ground, the creature turned at Elina for its next meal.
You are next! It seemed to say as it swooped towards her. The creature had completely materialised and its "skin" emitted an eerie copper glow. Elina dodged the attacks with the fluidity of her movements that rivalled the Jackson actor.
It's now or never. Elina focused all of her energy. On one hand, a ball of lightning sparked into life. On the other was a fireball.
What do you know!? It worked! She almost danced around in celebration if she was not perched precariously on the top of the tree. When the creature charged at her, she put her hands together and then threw the missile of fire and lightning towards it.
The photophobic creature shrieked and then dissipated into a blinding burst of white and silver light that lit up half of the jungle.
"Yes! It worked!" Elina did a mini-dance.
"What worked?"
Elina froze and sprinted to her boyfriend.
"There she is! I told you she will be perfectly fine," the molenoid stated bluntly.
"Dude, I am so glad you are ok. Loverboy was worried sick about you. I thought you said you were at the hideout," Kord looked relieved. Eli and Elina blushed furiously.
Elina glared at the molenoid, "You have no idea what I went through. Guys I know you will not believe me. This..will..blow..your...minds!"
The redhead smiled at her best friend, "I am all ears."
"Guys, I can now do a fusion move with my powers!" the navy-haired girl explained animatedly.
"What?!"
"How!"
The rest of the gang looked at her skeptically.
"We were fighting the monster similar to the one you defeated. The High Plains Monster?!" Elina tried to explain. Only her boyfriend was buying it.
Eli interjected, "Listen to her. She has never lied to us."
When no one protested, his girlfriend resumed her speech. "I had a little help of course."
"Who helped you?" Pronto inquired.
Elina gestured at the space behind her. "Nicole. She's..gone!?"
"Last time I checked, she works for Blakk," Trixie stated and Kord nodded in agreement.
"I know. But she was the one who gave me the idea of the fusion move. Look!" Elina sensed her friends did not believe her. Focusing her energy, she channelled two separate kinds of energy into her hands. The navy-haired girl's efforts were successful.
In one hand there was a yellow flame which contrasted with the blue energy of lighting in the other. The gang gasped in shock.
"This is awesome!" Kord gasped. Eli and Trixie stared at her slackjawed.
"Pronto find all of this very moving, but we should probably start making our way back to the hideout. It's almost nightfall." The molenoid glanced around nervously.
"You are just scared Pronto," Trixie stated bluntly.
Kord shivered, "Good point. This place creeps me out."
"You can tell us everything on the way to our hideout," Eli suggested as he revved up his mecha.
The rest of the gang followed him out of the jungle.
Nicole watched the gang leave. Where is the Shadow girl anyway?
Thecamouflageoutfit was still fully functional and had shielded her from her "enemies".
Her phone vibrated. She sweatdropped when she saw that her boss obviously wanted to know the status of the mission. Taking a deep breath, she ignored it. She relaxed when it stopped vibrating.
The phone vibrated again but this time it was Kaiya, obviously fuming about her stolen gadget.
Looks like everyone wants to tear me apart. Her heart was filled with dread as she made her way to Blakk Industries.
Author's Note(duh!)
I don't know what came over me but I typed this fic in four hours. I tried my best to fit in the OCs and awesomize them. Forgive me for using so many lines. I recently fell in love with them. I feel as if they demarcate the story effectively. ;)
Elina Shae belongs to Jackie Winters.
Kaiya belongs to Hills-to-Sky.
Angelina Montez and Rosella Garcia belong to Jazliy ( ) or Jazliz (dA)
Genki Fawn belongs to Garvandragon (dA)
Thank you talented peeps for allowing me to incorporate your OCs into my fic.
The rest belong to Nerd Corps Entertainment.
PS: Happy birthday, Jazliy. Have an awesome day.
Nicoleblakk