VanDread: Phoenix Flight

By: Blur the Hedgehog

Disclaimer: Blur the Hedgehog does not own VanDread. It belongs to its respective owners and subsidiaries.

Summary: bored and lonely, these two words best describe Kenny. He wishes he had a better life, little does he know how much that wish will bite him in the rear.

Prolog

The sky was dark that night as there were so few stars in the heavens. The ominous clouds in the sky were mercifully scattered dimming the full moon light. The long woodland road was quiet except for a soft breeze blowing in the trees. The rustling of the leaves was slightly eerie but relaxing. The serenity of this scene was rudely interrupted by the sound of a two-stroke engine.

It was a custom chopper designed to look like a firebird. The handlebar and headlight section was shaped like a bird head. The gas tank was painted like a fireball. The seat was leather and had a hotrod flame design stitched into it. The rims of the wheels looked like eagle talons. The exhaust pipes were shaped like folded bird wings. This machines name was phoenix.

This story has more to do with the man riding the bike than the bike itself. He wore black denim pants and brown biker boots. Brown belts with a bird talon buckle adorn his waist. A red cotton t-shirt and a leather jacket rest upon his broad shoulders. He wore a deep blue helmet over his curly brown hair. His blue eyes were reflected on the visor. He was driving home from work.

Why is my life so boring? The rider asked himself. I have the most monotonous life any one could have. I really need to have something happen to get away from melancholy.

Suddenly the clouds started to swirl and lightning cracked across the sky. The rider looked up and felt an odd presence in the air. A huge bolt struck the road and turned into a tornado of energy flowing to the sky. He was being pulled toward it, even though the rider stopped his bike. The vortex moved in his direction. He poured on the gas and drove away from it.

I did not mean that literally! The rider thought looking back. The vortex seemed to be tracking him as he waved back and forth on the road. His bike caught a stone and that was enough to get him airborne and was pulled into the raging wind. Energy surged through his body and a voice boomed in his mind.

"What is the proof of your existence?" the voice demanded in a loud authorative voice.

"I am the one who needs answers pal!" the rider shouted back, "what you're doing is the same as kidnapping. I don't care if you're some kind of god, I'll beat you black and blue if you don't release me this minute."

"You would go against the heavens?" the voice asked.

"Hell yeah I would!" the rider asserted.

"Then it seems it is time for you to go where you are truly needed." The voice stated as another surge of energy pulsed outward.

The rider screamed in agony as his body felt like it was being torn apart at the atomic level. He thought he was being killed and tried to fight back. The strain was too much for him and he blacked out. As he came out of unconsciousness, the first thing he noticed was that he was lying in some kind of bed. It was a lumpy bed at that. The blanket that he was wrapped in was rather itchy. Whatever structure he was in, it was also rather hot. He sat up and saw a dish of weird pellets and a glass of water next to him.

"Oh man that is nasty." The rider stated after he sampled one of the pellets, "Bland and dry like gerbil food."

"That's kind of all there is here on Tarak." A male voice said to his left. He turned to the voice and saw a boy in his mid to late teens. "You're kind of lucky I found you and not one of the higher ups. They might have taken you to a lab and cut you open."

"Well there is a pleasant thought." The rider stated while forcing himself to eat more of the pellets. "So where in Vermont is Tarak?"

"Vermont?" the teen asked tilting his head to the side "Is that even in this galaxy?"

"Wait a second!" the rider stated holding his hands up. "Are you really telling me you have never heard of Vermont?" the teen shook his head. "Or the United states either?" the teen shook his head again. "How about earth, then?"

"Wait you are from earth!" the teen shrieked at this information. "But how come you have those eyes and ears?"

"What?" the rider said. He dumped the food pellets and looked at his reflection. He still had blue eyes but they were now cat-like. He looked at the top of his head and saw a pair of cat ears. Did that energy storm do this to me? Then another thought struck him.

"Where is phoenix?" the rider asked franticly. He tried to get out of the bed only to have a sharp pain flash through his body.

"Take it easy." The teen stated, pushing the rider down. "You took a really nasty fall earlier. You must be blessed by Grand Pa to have survived at all."

"Okay, okay!" the rider stated as he relaxed into the bed again, "However, I still want to know where she is and if she is alright."

"Wait a second," the teen gasped in horror, "phoenix is a woman!"

"She is a custom chopper. She was designed to look like a firebird." The rider explained. The teen relaxed a little after hearing phoenix was a machine. "She is an idea I had given physical form. She is also the closest I have to a daughter."

"Well," the teen said feeling nervous again, "She is down in a rarely used storage locker down by the factory. She is an impressive piece of machinery. I hope you don't get too mad, but I modified her engine and drive system to work with the power cells that are common on Tarak." Every time the teen referred to the bike as a she, he seemed be having a hard time saying it.

"Thank you for doing that." The rider said, as he felt relieved at this. "Could I get the name of my care taker?"

"The name is Hibiki Tokai." The teen stated pounding his chest.

"Kenny Gerald Lamell." The rider stated offering a handshake.

(End Prolog.)