So here I am again, writing a chapter, hoping that someone besides my good friend and reviewer Master of the Blood Wolves will leave a review. I'm not gonna stop for reviews, that would be cruel to my characters, suspended in time until someone fulfills my arbitrary number of reviews for a certain chapter…besides, it's not fair to those who do review. So, I write again. But I warn you, those of you who bookmarked me, and alerted me, and favorited me, I hate moochers. It could be argued that I'm mooching by using someone else's toys, but at least I'm writing out the movies that play in my head at night. Besides, I have no monetary gain whatsoever, and I don't think it counts much for school.
Ajax's POV: We all piled into a van that looked like it had seen better days. It reeked of take-out, and I nearly turned over when I saw the three week old McDonald's food on the seat beside me. I felt pressure in my skull, and I probed, knowing Angel was a class four telepath. Finding her probe, I decided to turn up my iPod all the way up, clearing my mind of anything less loud. She winced, and left, unable to withstand the current of DragonForce I was submitting my eardrums and mind to. "Burning fires, lost lives on the long distant roads Through the lost mountains endless so far away from home." I turned it down, not willing to leave it up so loud with everyone staring at me. The drive went by quickly, mainly because I was asleep. When we stopped, someone tapped me on the shoulder, and I thanked the driver, getting out as I did so. I turned off the iPod, and pulled out my earbuds, dangling the cord around my neck, and tucking the jack and the buds inside my shirt. With everyone out and the doors closed, the van pulled away, and I twisted, popping my back, and multiple points in my neck. It felt good to release all that tension. I ran a mental sweep, searching for the points of blind rage that could indicate Eraser presence. Pulling out my massive wallet, I handed everyone twenty bucks, and pointed at the Juicenet Café. "Have fun." I said. As soon as they were gone, I walked down to the docks, and was pacing back and forth when I saw one of the three I was looking for. Without alerting her to the fact that I knew she was watching me, I finally sat down on the dock, and gestured at the water. A two inch thick column of water came up, and I stopped it when it was on eye level with where I was sitting. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw her eyes widen quite a bit. Then, she gestured at the column, and I let it go. The column was hit less than a microsecond after I let go. Turning towards her I said "The black moon approaches. I know for a fact that it is deadly to mermaids not in the moonpool."
"How do you know about the moonpool?" She said. Her voice was quiet, but accusing.
Refusing to rise to the challenge I easily replied "I make it my business to know things. I know a lot about mermaid lore, most of it true. And I know of Mako island, your moonpool."
"What do you want?"
"I want to be allowed access to Mako. Specifically, the caves inside."
"Why? What do you intend to do?"
"Help Mako restore herself. I know of the damage done to Mako by those who didn't know of the magical nature of those crystals. All they knew was that they could turn magic into energy. Or at least, the thought they could. I'm not sure if they managed it or not. The point is, I know how to heal Mako. I also know that it is the only safe place for you and your friends on the day of the black moon. I've got to go, or I will be missed, and the secret will be out. That is the last thing I want for Mako."
"Fine, I trust you. But. If you break your word, I and my friends will hold you underwater until you drown. Do you understand?"
"Yes, I would expect no less if I were an honorless cur."
"Honor?"
"Yeah, the part of you that wants to do what's right, no matter the consequences. Honor keeps it's promises, obeys the law, and is well liked by everyone who has dealt with honor before."
"I see. What is the 'black moon', anyway?"
"Normal people refer to it as the solar eclipse."
"That's tomorrow!"
"Yeah, high noon, local time, if memory serves."
"I have to tell the others." She dashed off.
Standing up, I decided to chill in my hammock. But where would be acceptable? Oh.
Collecting the others, I filled them in on what was going down, and we took off, headed for Mako, with our gear (such as it was) in a Kodiak. After setting up camp in the cave system, I pulled out Sheppard's 'War and Peace', as well as my hammock, setting it up in on of the nearby trees. "Being a shape-shifter helps." I thought to myself, absorbing my wings. When they were gone, I laid down in the hammock, and began reading, half expecting Sheppard to boot me out of my hammock for stealing his book. Oh, well. I doubted he would miss it. As night fell, I rolled out, and packed the book away, pulling out a summer weight sleeping bag. It was all the way unzipped, and I carefully got back in my hammock before I zipped my sleeping bag around the strings at the bottom of the hammock. I slept like I had never slept before. Tonight, there were no dreams of war, blood, pain, gunfire, more pain, laboratories, more pain, hospitals, more pain, and lastly a dark, silent grave, and a cessation of pain. There was none of that tonight. I slept til about ten the next morning, at which point I hauled my lazy carcass out of bed. Packing everything up, I put it all in the cave so nothing would be lost. Around eleven, I heard over the hydrophones what sounded like torpedoes. A moment later, three mermaids drifted in on their momentum. I came down out of the adjoining cave, making my presence known. Three sets of eyes shifted towards me.
"Hello. Time is about to prove me right on what I told you last night. By the way, I never heard your names."
"I'm Cleo, she's Nikki, and she's Emma."
The other to nodded politely in turn.
"Who are you?"
"If you are looking for my true name, know this, names have great power, magically speaking. I'll not tell you my true name, mainly because I don't even know it yet, but also because it is rare for people to hand out true names upon greeting someone for the first time. Just sayin'. If you need something to call me by though," I said, noting their disappointed looks "you can call me Ajax. Everyone else does."
They appeared satisfied.
"So, what is it exactly that happens during the black moon?" Emma asked.
"Mermaids with evil in their heart outside of the moonpool will die. This applies to ex-mermaids as well. Mermaids with evil in their heart inside the moonpool will be stripped of the evil. Actually, and merm. In the moonpool will be stripped of evil, and moral purity will literally be seared into their minds and hearts. In addition, the mermaids exposed to the black moon while in the moopool become immortal with two exeptions, both on the blue moon. Those two exceptions are, the merm can commit suicide in the moonpool on the night of the blue moon, or, another merm can kill an immortal mermwhile in the moonpool on the night of the blue moon. Abilities with water are enhanced, and if you only posses one of the abilities with water, such as kinesis, the other two are added to you. You will be able to shape-shift, even in the water, but it won't last for much more than an hour before you revert to your own form." I fell silent, trying to remember everything I had read on the subject. "You will be able to fight, even kill, while you are pure, but only if the side you are fighting for/with is the side you believe is right. Magic cannot influence this. You will be able to stay underwater indefinitely, and you won't need to sleep or eat. You will still be able to, but it will no longer be necessary. You will gain the ability of telepathy, and will be able to communicate among yourselves over vast distances this way. You will be able to use magic in ways that would kill most elves, and you won't feel the worse for it. As for Mako herself, the moon will heal the scars made by the greed of outsiders, and refill her magical batteries, so to speak. There is something else, though. Mako island swaps with her counterpart in a different galaxy during the black moon. The culture there is different. You will encounter humans, but they will see you as creatures of magic, and not to be trifled with. You will encounter elves. It's doubtful that you will ever know whether you've fathomed the full import of what they say, even in the ancient language. They hold that they never lie, but they've turned saying one thing and meaning another into an art. Be wary of them. Urgals are just a war-like people that usually stink to high heaven. Think Klingons, and you'll be about right. Dwarves are short, and hold that they were created out of stone, by a deity they refer to as 'Helzvog' or some such. It is as easy to defeat a dwarf as it is to move a mountain. They are a generally good people, and treat guests better than royalty. There is a city, designed and built by a very old race of people, known as the Lanteans, or sometimes called the Ancients. The name of the city is Atlantis, and it is capable of floating on the water, submerging for safety over long periods of time, flying through space, or sitting on/under the land itself. Atlantis has advanced medical care, and is about three clicks from the Mako island equivalent there. It won't be hard to get there right after breakfast, and be back to the city by 7:30 A.M. That's assuming you eat around 6:00."
"Hour and a half, that's a forty-five minute trip, one way."
"Yeah, assuming you go at the pace of a Kodiak at quarter throttle. With your hyper speed, you should be able to do it in about five, round trip."
The island began to shake, and I pulled out my iPod to check the time. "It begins." I said, jumping in. From where I now stood, looking straight up, I was able to see the moon finish covering the sun. End Ajax's POV. The water roiled with magic, and the entire island began to shake as the full effect of the moon's magic was felt. Ajax hadn't told anyone else what he knew about the moonpool, but Angel had figured it out, and had jumped in before Ajax had. The island itself began to sing, covering the sound of an ex-mermaid screaming. It was a song that spoke of magic, and traditions so long ago that they had been lost to time. The scars caused by the greed of outsiders healed quickly, leaving no trace of the damage that had been done. The island stopped shaking, and everything was quiet for several tense moments. Power flooded through the water in the moonpool, and Nikki would have screamed if she hadn't been dealing with odd stuff happening most of the time. Emma seemed to be enjoying it, and Cleo seemed awed by the whole thing. Ajax seemed to be at peace, and Angel was treating the whole thing like an exceptional roller coaster, sans screaming. Cleo noted in a detached sort of way the fact that her tail has disappeared. The island began shaking again, and then all was quiet, and light began to flood into the moonpool once again. Ajax gone out, and with a wry smile, spread his fingers in a swift movement. The water that was flooding his clothes and shoes flew away from him as he exercised his new ability. Steam began to wisp from him as the remaining water was vaporized from his hair and clothing.
"Well, that was…different." Ajax remarked. "I hadn't been fully prepared for the power of the whole thing."
"Now you know how we felt about it when we first had an encounter in the moonpool." Emma stated.
"Well, it seems that we are fully and completely here, but I smell something I didn't smell before when I was here." Ajax made as if to walk off without explaining himself, when Cleo said, "Smell what?"
"You don't smell it?" Ajax whirled around, incredulous. "It's the smell of tyranny augmented with magic. Not a good sniff, if you catch my drift."
"So that's what that icky-stinky smell is."
"Yeah. The only way to get rid of it is to destroy the source, and that may take some doing."
"Why? We're immortal, right?"
"Yeah, but you can still die, albeit very briefly. All your systems shut down, and then restart, and broken bones begin to mend, muscles reattach themselves, it's all rather disgusting if you've been blasted into several tiny bits. I saw it happen to someone else, it was…disturbing. Anyway, I'm gonna get my stuff, and refill the Kodiak's air banks. Comin?"
"No, we're going to stay here for a bit, talk among ourselves in the solitude of the moonpool and all that crap. Right guys?" "Yeah" "Sure…"
"Alright, I'll leave you in peace, then." Ajax walked out of the cave, presumably to pack his gear, and prepare the Kodiak for launch. Meanwhile, the girls chatted.
"Did either of you notice that our tails disappeared during the whole power-thing that was happening?" Cleo asked.
Emma responded with, "No, I was too busy enjoying the feeling of power running through my body. You?"
"No, I was kinda busy trying hard not to be scared." Nikki said.
"Why would you be scared?"
"Oh, I don't know, maybe because we are heaven only knows how far from home, suddenly, if this Ajax is completely accurate, we are immortal, then there the whole complete and total banishing of evil from our souls. Oh, then there's the whole magic thing. I don't even know how to use magic! Well, I mean aside from our water magic. But that's different, and even that got changed. Now, we have all the different water abilities. I'm freaked, and I want to go home."
"Maybe the Atlantis-city that he talked about holds the key to that."
"hmm, on the other hand, he said that this 'Atlantis' has advanced medical facilities."
Ajax walked back in. "I've got the Kody all ready to go." he announced. "I don't know about you, but I'm going to live on Atlantis. I've been with the people there, and I trust them. They're like people that you can tell anything to, and they won't judge you for it. Well, actually, they might judge you if you say, killed a million people in their sleep or something, but they've seen my wings, and the doctor there didn't try to get a sample from me or dissect me, or anything. You'll be safe there, and it will be somewhat closer to home in certain aspects. Stay, or go, it's your choice. I won't make you do anything." So saying, he fished up his earbuds, and plugged them into his iPod, turning it on as he did so. After that, he slid into the water, his skin turning black as he did so. Moments later, an attack submarine of American make and model sat in the water. It was a miniature sub, approximately 1:16 scale, and as it slid under the surface of the water, the sonar arrays began pulsing with the sounds of Nighwish music. Other than the music, the sub made no disturbance as it slid out of the moonpool at four knots. Once outside, the sub surfaced, and several miniature crew members began 'fishing' for the rope that was tied to the Kodiak. As soon as they caught it, the ran the rope through a pair of rings in the deck just aft of the fairsail. The rope was made secure, then several floats were attached to make sure that the rope would not interfere with the propeller. The sub dove again, taking a bearing for Atlantis, some twelve miles north and west of Nia, the island that had swapped with Mako. Once his bearing was true, the Ajax-sub picked up the speed, running at a total speed of just over twenty knots.
On Atlantis: "I have gotten the sonar systems back on-line. One of the drawbacks of interstellar travel is that most systems not needed to ensure the well being of the people on board get shut down. Anyway…whoa, what's this?" McKay had found a very interesting sonar signature.
"Can you put it on audio so I know what I'm seeing, McKay?" asked the slightly clueless CO.
"Yeah…there." The distinctive sounds of a miniature submarine towing a large object couldn't be missed, but the part that had drawn McKay's attention was the music that the sub was emitting. When John Sheppard heard it, his first thought was "What the heck is that", and his second was, "I hope the bad guy doesn't have some high powered technology that can blow us out of the water" and his third thought was "would Teyla like this kind of music?". His musing were cut short when McKay spoke again, jolting him out of his thoughts.
"The miniature submarine seems to be very close; about two miles out. I doubt it's a threat, but you can still check it out. Whatever it's towing is floating on the surface, so you should be able to find it easily."
"Yeah, I'll check it out, and see what I can figure out. Hey, have you seen my book?"
"Book?"
"Yeah, War and Peace, by Leo Tolstoy?"
"I can't say that I have. Is it missing?"
"Yeah, but I bet I know who has it." Sheppard strode out of the room without a second glance.
This seems like a good place to stop this chapter, but don't worry, that's only so I can write another one after posting this one. In other news, I'm a pragmatist. In other words, I have accepted that it's possible to get five reviews for a chapter, but that it's probable that I'll only get one. One of you people following me: REVIEW ALREADY! I KNOW YOU'RE TRACKING ME, BECAUSE I SAW THE EMAIL THAT SAID THAT I HAD BEEN ADDED TO AN ALERT LIST. SO, REVIEW! Or I might stop posting…now there's a cliffhanger! (Will he post? Maybe he won't. Oh, the suspense is killing me!)
Answers to Readers: Master of the Blood Wolves: The above rant was not directed at you, because you do your part and review faithfully. I thank you for it. I'm glad you like the NCIS joke, it just popped into my head, and I used it. You're right. The customs agents would have been more touchy about all that. On the other hand, consider this: Nobody from the plane was acting hostile, and Gazzy didn't seem like he had the heart to blow up his lil bombs, probably because of Max. Also, the pilot ID'd himself as a federal agent for the SGC. You're right about the Territories/Territory issue, I had been in a rush when writing that one. Overall, I'm glad you liked it.
SPOILERS, Read at your own risk: Ajax finds the third egg, and it hatches. Include what you think the name, color and gender of the dragon will be in your review. If I like it, I might change to follow that.
'Til next time,
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