It was a long, hot journey, and poor Ariel suffered the worst. Not accustomed to the heat, and every step a sharp knife through the foot, Jack and Ashi kept offering to carry her. But she was fine. At least she had shoes – simple dark flats, it was one of the things they had gotten at the store. And the bottles of healing water helped to keep her and the others from passing out.
Eventually, they came to an oasis, where Jack and Ashi eagerly bent over to gulp up handfuls of water. Ariel put her aching feet and stiff legs into the water. As she did, her hairpin glowed purple, and the whole oasis water glowed bright white. And stayed that way, and would for years to come, not that they knew it.
Ariel was relieved when the healing water made her pain go away, and she eagerly refilled her bottles. And she splashed Ashi with some water playfully, inciting a harmless game of splashing. The two then took a brief nap in the shade of the giant palm tree, as they did Jack made some traditional Japanese sun hats out of the tree's leaves and bark.
No more than an hour later after leaving the oasis the trio find themselves caught up in a sandstorm.
"We have to find shelter!" Jack shouted to be heard over the howling wind.
"Where?" Ashi called.
They lost their sunhats to the gale.
~I see something up ahead!~ Ariel pointed.
Jack and Ashi joined her.
"What is that?" Jack wondered, shielding his eyes from the sand. "There!"
They spotted a tear in a massive, rectangular edifice and jumped in. They looked around warily, no telling what else they might find within.
Ariel stared. She'd been to one of the cities' in the past yet never recalled anything like this.
The trio looked around the metallic hallway in trepidation, the lights were blue, flickering eerily as they walked through it.
"What is this place?" Ashi asked in confusion.
They traversed the hallways, and soon came through a better lit up place, and glanced around.
"Look up!" Ashi stated.
They looked up, and saw the glass enclosure, with a sink, shower, toilets, and tally-marks on the wall.
"Very confined space." Ashi remarked.
~A prison of some sorts.~ Ariel remarked in worry.
"Prison?" Ashi asked.
Jack looked down, and realized they were standing on the glass door of another prison cell, and like all the others, there was a hole in it. Like something punched out, or in.
"You're right, Ariel. But where are its prisoners?" Jack asked in tense growing alarm.
~Good question.~
ZAP!
Everyone jumped, startled when Ariel's hairpin suddenly glowed bright purple, and shot lightning bolts out.
"Ariel, are you alright!?" Jack asked, grabbing her hands and looking her over for injuries.
~I'm fine.~ Ariel said swallowing to let the tightening of her throat go away.
"Why did the hair-pin do that?" Jack asked in worry.
"Jack. Ariel, look..."
The gang turned to Ashi, who pointed to the floor, there on the floor was a smoldering, withering leech. A very large one with green mucus oozing out of the creature.
"Oh my..." Ashi gagged. "I think - I think that THING was about to latch onto Ariel!"
"What?" Jack looked at the leech closer, and nodded in agreement.
"Yes, it would appear so." Jack looked up at Ariel, who was finger the pin in her hair with a look of astonishment.
"It seems the Dark Spectre Queen's gifts have added bonuses to them." Jack remarked.
"Like protection against surprise attacks." Ashi said stroking her chin with her finger as she stared at the hair pin.
~It certainly does look that way~ Ariel stated.
"We should leave." Jack said grimly.
Just then they heard a chilling screech somewhere in the hall behind them. The three decided they were better off braving the sandstorm outside than whatever may be lurking in the prison. But soon they find themselves lost in a technological built maze around them.
"What madness is this?!" Jack exclaimed
~Whoever built this must've wanted to make doubly certain no one would be getting out.~
"I choose this over whatever might be chasing us." Ashi declared leaping onto a catwalk.
More than obvious they were lost, but they had to keep moving. Eventually they find themselves in a large chamber containing a huge glass prison cell, broken open.
"Another prison cell." Ashi gaped.
"Yes, a very BIG one." Jack scowled.
They were all thinking the same thing: it was definitely meant to hold something lethal. Once more they heard the screeching behind them.
"I'm afraid it's occupant has returned." Jack stated, unsheathing his sword.
Ariel pulled out her hairpin and it became a trident. Ashi took a defensive stance, the three of them ready to face whatever would come out of the dark tunnel behind them.
The trio watched in agitation, worry and utter horror as a moving mass came toward them, it slid into the room. And was revealed to be a huge mass of leeches, like the one that tried to latch onto Ariel. It moved like it had a single mind, and gathered close together to form a type of body, growling at the three.
The trio gasped at the makeshift face it created with some of the leeches.
It loomed over them, and slowly made it's way toward the trio. It stopped and let out another roar, it shot out several leeches at them.
Jack ran forward, and sliced the leeches as they came at him.
It roared in agitation.
"Ashi, Ariel, look out!" Jack warned, and it was a good call.
For the creatures spat out even more leeches, and a bunch slithered on the ground from the mass towards the two girls. Ashi quickly jumped from the catwalk to the ground, causing the leeches to go after her and not Ariel.
Ashi landed on the ground near a pile of broken glass that came from the prison, and picked it up. As the leeches came at her, she expertly threw the shards like shurikens at the leeches. She was all out quickly, but before the leeches could lunge at her, a blast of purple energy struck them, incinerating all of the leeches in front of Ashi.
The younger woman looked up at Ariel, holding her purple glowing trident which still hummed.
"Thank you, Ariel!" Ashi waved.
Ashi quickly climbed back up to the catwalk, where Ariel and Jack fended off the leeches with his sword and scabbard, and her energy blasts.
"We need to get out of here!" Ashi declared.
"Agreed." Jack concurred, Ariel nodded.
Jack struck the floor hitting a ventilation line causing steam to flow out giving them time to get away.
In their flight, the trio find themselves at a door which, after scanning to make sure they are not prisoners, lets them in. The room as it turned out was the place's armory.
"Multiple prison cell breach detected. Containment protocol initiated." the cool computer voice announced.
Jack approached a computer panel with a glass bubble on top, as Ariel and Ashi looked the various weapons kept on the wall with curiosity.
"Quadrant B. Breech detected." The computer produced a hologram of the creature they'd just encountered.
"Prisoner Lazarus-92. Extremely Dangerous, multiple-regenerating organisms" The computer droned on.
"Emergency Protocol instructions." The Computer produced a picture of a round disc item. "Neutralizing Weapon model, X-49. Once Lazarus-92 has entered the weapons vicinity. Weapons initiating sequences follow, step one - "
A loud blast caused Jack to turn in shock, seeing Ashi holding a large blaster, and a melted hole in the wall near Ariel, who covered her head as she nearly been hit.
"Sorry!" Ashi put down the gun, and rushed to Ariel's side apologizing. Though Ariel smiled, and her gold words seemed to suggest she didn't hold a grudge.
Jack turned back to the machine.
"And only after that proper weapon initializing sequence can Lazarus-92 be terminated."
"Wait, what?" Jack gasped. He'd missed the important part of the instructions.
"Lazarus protocol concluded." And the hologram vanished.
"No, wait I -" Jack tapped the machine once only for a circular flat panel to come out. This had to be the X29 weapon the computer mentioned. He looked it over, "But how does one initiate it?"
Ashi armed herself with a double-bladed spear and a shield. "I am ready."
~Likewise.~ Ariel nodded.
"As am I." Jack said holding the weapon in his hands.
~What is that?~ Ariel asked pointing to the disc.
"A device intended to specifically kill the creature." Jack nervously answered, worried as he never heard the finishing instructions.
"Excellent!" Ashi declared.
"Yes..." Jack slowly drawled, not feeling the 'excellent.'
They venture forth through the hall with Jack still trying to figure out the right sequence. The leeches that compose the dangerous creature Lazarus-92 crawled out from the tunnels.
But Jack is unable to figure out the initiation sequence. Ashi offers to try and he tosses the weapon to her while he and Ariel hold off the monster. However, a swarm of the leeches outflank them and attack Ashi.
She is able to fend them off, but not before they eat away her leafy clothing, leaving her naked, much to the other two's embarrassment.
"Ashi, you're naked!" Jack cried.
Not comprehending their mortification. "So?"
"Well, men and women are different- and private things are personal!" a flushing Jack stammered even as he tried to concentrate.
~You could catch your death of cold this way!~ Ariel cried pulling off her kimono and covering the younger woman in it... Only to remember that she was only wearing her purple seashell bikini and a green mid-length sarong.
Oops.
"Ariel!" Jack exclaimed, eyes unable to look away from her body. "I...uh...wow..."
~Jack, please, is now the time to be...~ Ariel jumps when Jack hurriedly takes off his Gi, and drapes it over her.
"What's that supposed to do?" Ashi asked with a frown.
"Well, it's to offer her protection from the creature." Jack said blushing at the image of near naked Ariel.
"And your robe is better than her kimono?" Ashi asked.
"It's a GI actually." Jack said.
Jack, Ariel and Ashi fight on, but are soon surrounded.
"Cover me for as long as you can!" Jack urged them.
The leeches begin overwhelming them just as Jack manages to figure out the initiation sequence.
"Sequence initiated."
The three of them were literally up to their neck in the horrible little things. The three burst out calling out each other's name in pain and fear as they struggled.
~Jack! Ashi!~ Ariel's fearful words glowed.
"Jack! Ariel!" Ashi wailed.
"Ariel! Ashi!"
They screamed, poor Ariel being without a voice, could only open her mouth in silent agony.
While covered by the alien worms, the weapon activates and electrocutes the leeches, killing them all simultaneously. As the creatures die, the infection in their wounds is also neutralized.
The trio gasped as the pain and terror of near death slowly faded from their body and mind. Ashi completely laid down on the floor, face resting on her arms as she panted. Ariel and Jack wavered in place, and Jack quickly rushed to Ariel's side, taking her into his arms. He kept his arms on her, rubbing his arms up and down her sides.
She took the comfort, and as she finally caught her own breath, she looked up at Jack with her deep, shimmering blue eyes, strands of red hair loose in front of her face. And Jack's few strands loose from his hair bun, all muddy, and yet so desirable. And so, the two immediately wrapped their arms around each other's necks, and started to deeply kiss.
Ashi managed to push herself to her feet, only to stumble when she saw Ariel and Jack passionately kissing each other. She blushed and looked away, though she felt overjoyed for the two.
Meanwhile
In her undersea lair, The Dark Spectre Queen Vanessa startled, as she heard a loud shattered sound. When she turned, she saw her glass music box completely shattered, and the golden orb that was Ariel's voice rising out of the remains. The gold mist trailed behind it, as it slowly rose up through the water.
"Damn it. And I only had it for 3 months!" Vanessa frowned as she crossed her scaly arms.
Oh well, it might be a while before the voice returns to it's rightful owner.
To be continued...