-Catgirl-of-Bavaria-: Woo, just barely made it a week after my last update! I just wrapped this one up, I have officially caught up with my self in terms of what I have posted and what I have written. I'm gonna have to work hard on the story this week, I prefer to be at least a chapter ahead of myself…Anyway, I' have been busy with other internet ventures, such as Deviant Art, and my newfound mission on GaiaOnline to create an Oban guild! Any Gaians lurking around here? So, yeah, I've been hoarding gold on that site so I can create a little guild for Oban nuts like us. Interested, just say so and I'll make a note of it and keep you posted. Keep in mind though, I'm still poor compared to the total I'm trying to collect. It may be a couple of months or so until I can establish the guild.
I also noticed another brain fart in my last chapter, I said somewhere that Janni was 'her sister's brother'….0o I honestly don't know where that one came from, and I humbly apologize…Like I said, I'm a major klutz…and I ran into a wall this morning. I was sleep-deprived, dang it!! I blame the government. XD
So, this chapter is pretty eventful, we start with Rick discovering something, and Janni takes charge X3 And of course, how is Aikka planning to protect Molly with Crogs flying all about? We'll see after I write to all of my wonderful, loved reviewers:heart:
Spellcaster Hikaru: Yep, I love the idea of Jordan in pink (then again, I'm just evil like that sometimes!) If you've seen that picture I have on DeviantArt, then that proves my point! That scene was actually inspired by that drawing .:grins evilly while Jordy glares at me:. And I wouldn't put it past the government to be that caring, especially not with Mcmillan in charge. Tattoos are totally awesome, I commend Molly for getting some on her face, and I commend the person who did it for her for doing such a good job XD And I hate needles too! Oo but I still want a tattoo…See, what I'd probably end up doing with the star racer is what Jordan did to it in episode 3(?). I'd probably be very bad luck for it….:cries:. I do want to join back up with the martial arts, as well as swimming, and soccer…Then I'd probably drive myself to an early grave, and I'd never have any fanfiction done! I do think that someday I'll get back into martial arts, though. I'm a Japanophile, so it may be some un publisized, unheard of type dojo that I join XD I just remembered how mad I was when I figured out that my school taught Korean rather than Japanese karate! Lol…that was back when I was still a blossoming otaku XD Anyway, I'll see what I come up with for Toros, and if I don't, I'll come to you, Hikaru-chan X3 And I'm glad you liked the magical sight trick I gave Aikka, I actually kind of got it from the show(the last episode) It looked to be what he was doing, so….:shrugs:. And yes! The president should be impeached for ignoring intelligence!! Aikka is quite reliable intelligence! X3 And I don't mind your long reviews, I find them quite entertaining! .:glomps Hikaru-chan:. X3
Crazyvegimab: Canaan is partially done and still lurking about in my sketchbook .:shifty eyes:. He needs color… Anyway! Thank you for your review, and I'm pleased that my characters are coming off as real! As to Molly's feelings, like I said, I was speculating. It's how I saw them during the show…I'm totally Aikka-biased, so maybe it's just me! O.o lol
Shrouded View: .:laughs maniacally:. Cliffhangers are so much fun to do, how can I resist? And yes, on the writer's side of things, cliffhangers are great tools for building suspense and all those good things X3 I agree, the president needs impeachment! There's gonna be a scandal about this attack at the white house, I can feel it!! XD Meanwhile I will force McMillan to eat his shoe. Glad you like! .:Glomps:.
Marinademix: Squee! I'm glad my story made your day! That's awesome! .:glomps with joy and love:. Yes, it's time for Aikka to belt out some more mad Crog-ass-kicking Nourasian magic! We'll see what he does, shall we? ;)
APurpleAvacado: Poor Janni, finding out her brother has to wear pink…XD Sorry, I guess I just can't leave it alone!
RedMageSalyre: Yep, as I said to Shrouded, the president's gonna be eating his shoe, whilst being questioned for ignoring warnings about an attack! Oh, poor Don Wei, ye have so little faith in him? XD We'll see what he does. And you share my exact sentiments on the whole Aikka/Molly situation! .:glomps:. Yeah, to me, that kiss did seem like it was more Jordan kissing her, and her just standing there stunned, allowing him to show her how much he loved her…Gawd, it's still sad! Ack…And I couldn't really tell if it was just a peck on the cheek or an actual kiss either… O.o the way Savin drew it, it kind of left it in a way to the imagination…
Sekai Nerah: I'm glad I pulled off the talk and that it's actually your favorite part:) So you type in the closet on your laptop? That is so cool! I wish I had a laptop so I could sit somewhere comfy and type this stuff out instead of on my silly little folding chair. But I could see me sitting in a closet typing on a laptop, it's totally something I'd do! 'Course, my closet currently has my bed in it, so…
Thechickenlittle: I'd have a protector-complex in his situation too, especially if I had all the spiffy weaponry and magic he's got… Oo …sparkly…I'd have a fun little Crog shoot-out, I would! XD Thanks for the reviews! .:huggles:.
Isabella of the Night: hee hee, I love being evil…Poor Don Wei, he doesn't seem to be getting that much love this time around, does he? Lol We'll see how he handles things, I definitely addressed it :)
Frubaforever: I love Satis, I could never bring myself to leave that kitty in a Crog infested house! I adore cats, really, which is probably why Satis exists in this story:) You have 4 cats? You lucky person you O.o I only have one. I love her though! .:glomps her kitty:. Ooh, Yaoi! It's shiny…Anyway, enjoy the update! X3
A13Van: Alas, I've hit the 8-day mark again! (I do this late at night, so it's 12:30 in the morning right now) Sorry to take 8 days again, I'll get on writing the next chapter tomorrow! Enjoy!
Dolphingurl08: Thanks for the review, and here's the next one!
Fushica: Yeah, the house is pretty much gone, but Satis lives on! Thanks for the reviews:)
Crystal Persian: Heh, thanks! Here's another update for ya,
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-Chapter 12-
The Beginning of War
--
Rick Thunderbolt smiled to himself as he pulled into his office on the upper floor of the Wei hangar. Events outside were getting rather exciting, now that they had Jordan's livewire of a sister there. It was all he could hope for that she didn't get too trigger happy and actually shoot something in the garage with the turret guns. She really was her brother's sister.
Though with a sigh, he realized that today was doing wonders in bringing him back to that fact that he was barred from racing. Seeing Eva race, though enjoyable, usually left him with a vague remnant of that initial solemnity that he couldn't find himself in a racer again. Then there was the newest 'little mouse,' bringing him back to his first race with the other gunner, the thrill of a race with a risk of death and destruction.
Scratching the back of his head under the mass of black hair, he wondered over to the couch in his dark room of an office, deciding for the moment to leave the lights off. He had come in here on the purpose of finishing up some paperwork for the upcoming Grand Prix -something that could actually be done, now that they had a decided-upon racer- but he decided he could procrastinate a little longer.
So, he flopped onto the couch, not bothering to take off his shades. Laying back on the armrest, he searched the coffee table for the remote control to the television. Flipping through the stations for a while, he found, unsurprisingly, nothing to be on. Rolling his eyes behind his shades, he gave a little grumble.
"The end of the twenty-first century and we still haven't mastered the art of good daytime television." He sighed after discovering probably the fifth station that was airing a soap opera. "You'd think we'd done away with this garbage by now…"
Standing up to the purpose of retrieving his work from his desk, Rick made to turn off the TV, when the screen suddenly changed in the middle of a show. His thumb hovered in mid-air over the 'power' button as he saw what looked to be a news bulletin came up. An urgent one at that.
"Breaking news," some woman reporter began, a slight hint of panic in her voice. "Reports say that there have been sightings of Crog ships throughout the regions of…"
Rick's mouth fell open, hardly daring to believe that he'd just heard this region as the first listed on the woman's report. The voice of the reporter continued, though the screen was now showing pictures, professional and witness, that contained what he knew were the vessels known as Crog tridents, the same that Eva had raced and defeated on Alwas. He saw familiar angles of the city they were now in, which only led his heart to race faster.
"There has been word of an attack on one of the most equipped military bases, but cities have also been reportedly attacked as well. No word on a cause of this sudden development, but civilians are all advised to take to the shelters of your houses or businesses while military action is taken…"
The woman continued to warn the people of Earth, but Rick could only hear the beat of his heart. He could feel his hands just beginning to shake. Letting the remote slip from his hand with a clatter, the man then stormed for the door.
"Don! Where's Eva!?" Rick's voice boomed through the garage, as he gripped the metal railing to try to keep his nerves from getting out of control. Not only Don, but the entire group turned to look up at the former pilot, expressions of bewilderment on their faces. Janni looked at him with particular interest.
"She went with the prince to get her homework, Rick," Don looked quizzically at his practically panicking assistant, noting with a certain degree of worry that the younger man's hands were shaking; not a good sign. At Don's response, Rick seemed to freeze, as if paralyzed by the elder's very words.
"You've got to be kidding me!" he shouted, banging a fist onto the railing now. Janni suddenly became all the more worried.
"What's this about, Rick?" she asked seriously, looking up at him.
"We've got company. All of Earth's got company." Rick murmured. That was all the others needed. Don's eyes widened as he let out a gasp, and he pelted up the stairs. Stan and Koji exchanged pained looks, and Janni grabbed a gun and some ammunition out of her bag. It didn't take but seconds for them to all be collected in the dark of Rick's office, viewing more pictures of the Crogs' invasion.
Regions that had already been attacked ran along the bottom of the screen, while pictures of destruction and sightings played on the rest of the screen, all the while the woman reporter continued reporting what she knew.
Don watched, with hollow eyes, as everything happened on screen. He'd never forgive himself if he'd sent his daughter off to be killed in this attack…Why had he sent her off like that? And with only one to protect her?
Stan and Koji stood behind the manager, thunderstruck, and Janni stood with her hand cannon at the ready, staring at the screen and taking in the information. Her dark eyes were narrowed as she read every bit of information and perked her ears to all that was said as well.
Rick felt his hands still shaking at his sides, and though he willed it not to happen, his vision was starting to haze a little. Every image taunted him, it was as if he wanted to see if anything was hitting close to Eva, but at the same time, he couldn't bear to see for fear of the worst.
"Jordan was right, it looks like they must be focusing on getting Eva," Janni observed quietly. Stan looked at her curiously.
"What do you mean by that? How can you tell?" Janni pointed towards the screen.
"You see the banner of regions that have been attacked? They're all around this region, this city. Aside from the attack on the major military bases, the Crogs are focusing in on this area. They obviously know where Eva is." She explained, feeling a chill run up her spine at the thought of them being so knowledgeable. "They don't want our military getting involved, either. That's obviously why they've attacked our major bases. It'll put our military even lower on resources…Mr. Wei, where is it you and Eva live?"
Don turned his head slightly to look at her, but it took a few seconds for him to find words to place in his mouth.
"Just east of here, in the countryside," He murmured. Janni nodded.
"Rick, I'm gonna use your computer for a second." Janni said before hurrying over to the desk and activating the computer, making a laptop screen rise up from the surface of the desk. Her fingers flew across the plain that was the keypad, and the screen soon displayed the database for her academy. Typing her code in with all the speed of a lightning bolt, she felt the presence of Stan and Koji beside her.
"This should show a map of the area, and if it's really meant to do what they planned, it'll show all foreign vessels in the region," She explained as her fingers worked the name of the region into the search template. Hitting the confirm button, Janni waited as the page processed and surveyed the satellites, as how it was said to work. "It was developed a few years ago, but since there hasn't been any invasion to test it out on, it's only a prototype,"
The screen showed up as green, similar to Stan and Koji's own computers, and showed a virtual map of the downtown area. Leaning forward in her seat, Janni surveyed the page.
"It looks like there are some in the city itself…We'd better be ready," Janni observed, finding a few red dots roaming about in the streets, as it appeared.
Tapping a button a few times, the image scanned to progressively move to the right, or eastward, as it were in real life. Don just came up behind the two mechanics, staring blankly at the screen as it moved east. Further and further, it approached the home he had shared with his only daughter for the past year.
There was a sudden flash of the word 'warning,' coming over the image of the map, and Don snapped back to reality, and he looked to Janni.
"What does that warning mean?" he demanded, before the building began to vibrate under their feet. It felt as if the place were taking fire. If Rick had to guess by the direction of the sound, he'd say that the high rise section of Wei Enterprises was getting a makeover. He held a fist in his hand as he leaned against a wall to stable himself. What a fantastic time to have an attack…
"My guess is that it was sensing a Crog ship very close to the vicinity of the computer," Koji analyzed quickly, saving Janni the interruption. Janni nodded without taking her concentration from the screen as it began moving east again. Her brown eyes then found something. It wasn't anything good, but it was still something.
"Here," She said, pointing to the screen. "There's a group of two, around this structure…" She said grimly. Don threw himself to look at the display, his eyes shutting from the sheer injustice of it as he confirmed his fears.
"Eva…" He muttered, pulling himself off of the desk, unable to keep his fists from quivering. Why did he have to send her out of his sight? He may've just sent her and the prince to their deaths…
"Don, where are you going?" Rick managed in a low growl as he caught sight of the manager heading for the door of the office.
"I'm going to go get my daughter. I made the mistake of abandoning her once, I'm not letting it happen again." Don said fiercely. Janni suddenly leapt from her seat.
"We have to stay here, if any of us go out there we run the risk of them taking us out," She told him bluntly, managing to stick herself between the man and the garage floor by way of the stairs.
"That is a risk I am willing to take, young lady," Don told her roughly, his dark eyes boring into hers. "Are you or are you not a guardian of my daughter?"
"I am, but so is Aikka!" Janni threw back, her temper proving to be a good match for the man's. "Aikka is with her, and he will defend her to the death if he has to! Even my brother knows that!"
"It doesn't matter who is with her, I am not losing my only daughter again!!" Don retorted, now trying to maneuver the girl to the side.
"You go out there, then they're going to come back here and she will have lost her only father. Again!" Janni yelled. "Believe me, Aikka will bring her back here as soon as the Crogs so much as look at her, he isn't an idiot! And if any one of us isn't here when she gets back, it'll break Eva! Is that really what you want?"
Before the dumbstruck Don could say anything, another vibration shook the garage, this one with more fury than before, as loose laser fire seemed to assault the roof of the place as some ships passed outside. G'dar was heard in the background, shrieking at both the attack and the absence of his master.
Another wave of vibrations was sent through the structure, this time more powerful than the first two, as if the side of the wall next to them were being hammered. All of the crew grabbed for the metal railing to keep their balance, but the newest bout managed in knocking Don Wei off of one stair, causing him to roughly land on one below, and not with his foot in the most optimal position. Growling at the sound of a pop, the man fell forward.
"Sir!" Janni cried, doing all she could to keep him from falling, while the two mechanics rushed up from behind, grabbing the old man by the arms. Pulling him into a seat on the stairs, the three took to examining his ankle.
"It's fine, I just twisted it," Don told them dismissively, trying to push himself up, though his own face was betraying him in the lie.
"I heard the pop just as well as you, sir, you did more than twisting it," Janni told him, looking the injury over. "It's starting to swell…You definitely sprained it…Is there any ice lying around this garage?" She asked the boys next to her.
"I think there's some in the break room," Koji offered. Janni nodded.
"You two get him to the shelter room-this place does have one, right?" A nod from Don confirmed her question. "Right. And I'll go get some ice. And don't move your ankle or put any weight on it!" Janni instructed firmly, earning a defeated nod from Don, who found himself in an ironic situation of having a teenager boss him around. Koji and Stan hoisted the manager onto their shoulders and helped him limp off to safety, while Janni headed up the stairs.
"Rick, you should go down there too," she told the man gently, knowing that his condition was trying to overpower him. He smiled brokenly at her.
"Thanks little gunner. I've never seen anyone boss the old man around so easily, good job." Janni smiled slyly at him.
"Yeah just get down there and make sure he doesn't make a run for it, alright?" Rick smiled smugly.
"Wouldn't dream of it. You sure you know what you're doing?" He asked, starting down the stairs in the light of the place that was now flickering with the stress the city was being put under.
"I'm just trusting my gut." Janni said, starting on the upper level for the break room. "They don't teach us nothing in military academy."
Rick gave her a nod, feeling the strain that this condition was putting on his body. He started down the stairs before another assault would lead him to be the second injured of the group, and made quickly for the shelter that lay under the offices. Janni stole into the break room in question, heading straight for the refrigerator. Grabbing the cold icepack there along with a cloth to wrap it in, she sent her concerns to Aikka.
"Come on, Pretty Boy, just don't make me a liar. Bring her back…"
--
Things were suddenly calmed, but Aikka doubted it would last long. It was the eye of the storm, as the human saying went, and there was only a little time before something started up again.
Supported by his elbows, he lifted himself slightly, feeling wreckage slide off of his back as he rose. Finding Eva's face, he saw that she was tightly shutting everything out, fear written all over her tattooed face. He brought the arm that had supported her shoulders out from under her, and brought his hand to stroke some tiny bits of wreckage off of her face.
"Molly, are you hurt?" he asked her quietly and urgently.
Finally her crimson eyes opened narrowly and looked at him. She shook her head, and he lifted himself up further, keeping his senses attune for anything at all that would herald danger. Satis, who finally had room to breathe, squirmed in Eva's arms, though she refused to let him go. As Aikka silently pulled his bow off his shoulder and plucked an arrow from his quiver, Eva sat up just as quietly, restraining Satis with one arm and taking off her back pack with the other. Dumping out her laptop, she silently argued with Satis, trying to make him get into the bag; the only means of getting the animal safely out of the house, as Eva saw it.
Aikka listened to the surroundings as he stripped himself of Rick's warm, yet cumbersome trench coat, certain that his performance would be better if not hindered by the over supply of material. Surveying the surroundings, he found that the Crog trident had lodged itself well into the house, providing them with no pathway back to the stairs.
Suddenly, he finally heard signs of the enemy, from within the remains of Eva's room, the sound of a great foot crunching over pieces of wood and glass.
"Oh great winner of Oban, where are you?" The Crog's voice came as a sort of malicious sing-song tone, "My dear General would like a word with you!" At this, Aikka stiffened, knowing the Crog's real purpose with Eva
Aikka lifted himself nimbly from the floor and helped Eva to her feet, dragging her down the rest of the hallway. Crouching and shielding her behind a hall table.
"We must get out of here, they wish to retrieve you alive, which can only mean a worse fate when met with Kross…" He muttered into her ear as he crouched to surround the girl with his arms. He turned a look of determination at her, "Is there any other way out?"
Eva nodded and tugged him towards the other door that was just feet away from them.
"My dad's room has a terrace," She explained, leading him through the door and into her father's master bedroom. Aikka suddenly stopped her, and he motioned for her to get down. Obeying and holding the Satis bearing back pack to her as she sank to a crouch at the foot of the bed, she watched the prince approach the sliding door, an arrow set on the string of his bow. Noises from outside the room suggested to her that the Crog in the house was hacking at the door frame of her bedroom to try to get admittance for his great form into the hallway. She looked urgently to the prince, finding him muttering an incantation next to the open glass door.
Leaping in front of the door now, he shot off a luminescent arrow, and she felt it collide with the Crog ship outside more than she heard it. It seemed to have been a powerful magic that created some sort of wave, from what Eva could tell without a visual. And as much as she could focus on it, now with the sound of hacking being traded for large footsteps outside in the hallway.
Aikka motioned for her to come to him, and she readily obeyed. Taking her by the waist and guiding her out into the increasing rain, Eva saw that there was a crashed trident sitting in her back yard, blue threads of electricity flashing around it every once and a while. Her eyes widened at this, but she had little time to dwell on it. Aikka was meanwhile inspecting for a way down, and he could only come to one possible conclusion; jumping.
"Molly, come here," He beckoned her, hearing the footsteps of the Crog approaching through the master bedroom. Setting his bow back on to his shoulder, he grabbed Eva, taking her into her arms as if she were his bride. This earned a confused look from Eva, but the girl wrapped her arms around his neck as he hopped with ease onto the railing of the balcony.
"Aikka, are you sure you can…?" Eva wondered aloud, before the Nourasian leapt just as the Crog joined them on the deck with a swinging grab for the human. Aikka landed a little roughly on the grass, but it didn't affect him for long. He gave her a quick smile as he set her down and grabbed his bow again, setting an arrow to the string.
"We're going back to your father and the others, so make for your rocket seat!" he told her, retrieving his bow and setting an arrow in one swift move. Aiming for the Crog above on the balcony they'd just leapt from, the arrow began glowing blue. The look she gave him then, however was one of slight fear and surprise.
"Go, I'll be right behind you!" he demanded her almost desperately, knowing their window for escape was closing with every second.
Eva nodded, though she hated the idea of wondering off by herself, and turned for the gate that was just yards away. She heard the arrow behind her whiz through the air, followed by a sound that she could only think was the Crog getting hit with whatever magic Aikka had enchanted his shot with. It was just seconds after that, as she opened the gate a crack, that she felt the prince standing protectively behind her. A quick survey of the area by way of one of his telepathic sweeps told him that their path to the rocket seat would be clear, if they moved quickly.
"Come," He said, pressing her through the gate and running with her in a slouch. They were just feet away now, and somehow the bike hadn't been assaulted by the Crogs in the attack.
Tossing her back pack on, equipping it to her chest rather than her back, Eva leapt on her bike, jamming her foot onto the pedal and twisting the handlebar all at once. Aikka grabbed another arrow and set it to the string, and sat on the extended part of the seat, holding on to the vehicle with his legs rather than holding to Eva.
Once the machine hummed into life, Eva wasted no time in tearing down the driveway that would lead them back to the road to town. Aikka, meanwhile, kept his arcane eye on things behind them, certain that they'd soon be pursued.
Eva managed a look back to her house, finding the poor, decimated condition it was in. Even though the trident had lodged itself essentially into her room, it seemed to have affected the rest of the place as well, seeing as how the house wasn't exactly that large to begin with. She'd spent the entire year living there, redoing her life with her father and now it was destroyed. The life she'd rebuilt through the events on Oban was in that house. Oh, the Crogs would pay for this one.
Aikka suddenly pivoted in his seat, aiming his glowing arrow now behind them, just as one of the tridents made an attempt at catching up.
"Un sekai narama tera ubara!" Eva heard him shout, as there was an eruption of blue light behind them. The Crog ship seemed perturbed, but not by enough to knock him out of the duel.
"Do not interfere, young prince, your time with the mighty winner of Oban is up!" Aikka heard the voice appear in his head as Kross's had during the races, dripping with sarcasm at the address of Eva. Aikka growled at the fact that this was the same ship that had plowed into Eva's room in the first place, the same Crog he'd shot at. "I've come to retrieve the little brat, and you shall not stand in my way!"
With that, lasers began to fire through the mist and haze of rain, aiming not to take out both riders, but the Nourasian on the back. Eva, catching on to the danger quickly, weaved just in time out of some fire. Weaving back and forth on the street, she somehow managed to blindly avoid the shots for the both of them. Their luck only lasted so long before one of the volleys grazed Aikka's arm, however.
Growling as he leant into Eva's back, Aikka clutched at his upper arm, cursing under his breath. He willed himself to still hang on to his bow, to remain upright in the seat. Eva was still weaving, and she turned sharply onto a side street of the city, where it'd be harder for the armed Crog trident to follow.
"Aikka, are you alright?" She cried behind her as she felt him tremble a little against her back.
"Just keep going, Molly, do not fret over me," Aikka managed, pressing onto the wound, feeling blood seeping through his fingers and mixing with the precipitation that rained down upon them.
Eva could see damage around them as they passed through the city, places where it was vividly clear that the Crogs had already hit. There was no one in the streets, at least no one living. The thought made the girl somewhat nauseas as she passed by soaked rubble and glass, so she decided to keep her eyes strictly in front of her.
Her hand twisted the accelerator to its maximum, and she could suddenly hear the sound of destruction behind them, obviously a sign that the Crog that was pursuing them was still bent on retrieving her.
Luckily, she could see the building with the words "Wei Enterprises" on it…though it seemed to have been claimed by the Crogs as well.
"No, please don't tell me they've destroyed the hangar!" She cried, trying to press the rocket seat farther. Aikka looked up with strain, squinting over her shoulder and through the storm, finding the object of Eva's stress. The high rise marking the location of the hangar seemed to have been fairly well shot out, there was even smoke emitting from it in places.
The prince then nuzzled his face into the crook of Eva's shoulder, trying to comfort the girl without the use of his hands. The thought that they may come back to a destroyed hangar was dismal and heartbreaking even to him. He wouldn't know how he'd comfort her if she were to lose everyone like this. Some wounds just could not be mended.
Their panicked thoughts of what could lay ahead were interrupted by the entrance of a Crog trident in front of them, a different one, Aikka guessed, as he made little hesitation to lift his injured arm to take aim. With more effort than normal, he steadied his bow and sent another enchanted arrow flying towards the new obstacle, straight between the three dots of yellow that served as the Crog's means of laser cannons. The trident still hovered in the air ahead of them, perturbed but not bested, so Eva decided that it would be a good time to find a different route to the race track, weaving down another decimated street.
Aikka took again to holding his arm, finding it protesting his sudden use of it, and at the same time hoping he'd not have to use it again. He fell against Eva again as he battled the burnt wound, still holding tight to his bow.
Eva's heart raced almost as fast as her as she entered the race arena, finding the place still standing, for the most part. As she sped towards the hangar at the end, she noticed a few Crog ships flying around over head, as if searching for something to destroy. Luckily they didn't seem to notice their presence.
Meanwhile Aikka was plotting their next course of action, once they would reach the garage. Already he could hear G'dar's cries from within, so that gave him a good feeling that there was still life there. But if they stayed around here, there wouldn't be for long…
Eva drove her rocket seat completely into the garage before stopping somewhere near the Phantom. Puddles of water and glass littered the floor from broken parts of the sky light, but aside from that, the hangar seemed to be in rather good condition. The other members of the party, however were nowhere in sight as the lights above them flickered, trying to decide whether or not to stay lit.
Wringing out some of her sopping hair, Eva heaved herself off of the bike. Aikka tried to regain his perfect composure as he slid off the thing and gave a shiver for his injury and the chill of his soaked clothing clinging to his body.
"Dad!?" Eva called loudly, now hugging the captive Satis to her again. G'dar found his way over, his wings having a time of deciding whether they wanted to stay out or not. "Dad, where are you??"
Aikka looked at his insect companion as he leaned on him for support. Just then, over head some tridents scourged the skies, sending some vibrations into the place. This place wasn't safe, it would only be a little time until they were found…
"Eva!" Janni's voice called from the doorway just under the floor of offices. "Over here, in the shelter room!"
"Janni!" Eva cried, thankful that the other girl was still alive. Before she could run over, though, Aikka's hand grabbed her.
"Molly, we cannot stay here, Earth is no longer safe," he told her through the pain. With a little thought and a glance to the Phantom, he concocted a plan. The craft was strong enough to withhold attacks, to an extent. It could provide his human friends with protection, while giving him time to take some action… Janni joined them just in time to hear Aikka laying out his idea. "Get everyone into the Phantom, we're getting out of here."
"What are you planning, Aikka?" Janni asked from the other side of Eva, her eyebrow cocked slightly.
"The Crogs will be in this place soon, we cannot stay here, if I don't use a portal spell to get all of us out, then we may as well consider ourselves as forfeit!" Aikka told her fiercely; every second they spent here was another second that the Crogs had available to initiate an invasion.
"Alright, so where are we gonna go?" Janni asked him quizzically.
"Just trust me, we haven't the time for bickering!" Aikka retorted. "Just get everyone into the Phantom, I will take care of the rest!"
Eva dragged Janni away before she had a chance to rebuke the prince's command, and Aikka leapt aboard G'dar. Swirling his hand over the white shell, he tried to calm the immense creature down. Eva was meanwhile running with all she had for the shelter, for the father she couldn't bear to lose again.
"Eva?" Don Wei's voice met Eva as she entered the sound structure of the shelter room, and she found her father sitting with the ice pack still on his ankle.
"Dad! What happened?" Eva cried, rushing into her father's arms.
"Nevermind that, it's just a sprain, I'll be fine…" Don said, stroking the wet tresses of his daughter's dyed hair. "I was so worried about you…I never should have sent you off like that, not with times like this…" He held her close to him, grateful that she hadn't been stolen from him after all.
More vibrations of the building told Eva it was time for them to set Aikka's plan into action. So, pulling away from her father and turning to the rest of the group, she told them all.
"Guys, we need to get into the Phantom," They looked puzzled at her, but Janni intervened quickly.
"Just do it, Aikka's got a plan to get us out of here before the Crogs bust their ways in." Grabbing her duffle bag, she led the way. "Remember the time you all piled into the Arrow when Canaletto was taking over? Well, it's like that, so get a move on." With that, Stan and Koji stood, ready to aid Don on his way out while Eva grabbed the bag of ice for future use. Turning to the door, she suddenly noticed the slouched form of Rick in the corner. She couldn't tell, but perhaps he was unconscious…perhaps he had an attack during the raid…
"Rick? Wake up, Rick," she knelt next to him, placing a hand on his shoulder. He shifted slightly, but then smiled at her, truly glad to see her.
"Hey, Little Mouse. Nice day, isn't it?" He grinned at her. She grinned back at his remark, but stood back up.
"Yeah, fantastic. Rick, we gotta get out of here, everyone's headed for the Phantom already," she explained to him as he tugged himself up. He still looked a bit shaky on his feet, so Eva didn't stray any farther than a few feet from him.
"So, the Phantom? Why, we bustin' outta here on it or something?" Rick asked her curiously as they came out of the room.
"In a way…Aikka's getting us out of here." Eva explained briefly, as she caught sight of Janni waiting at the door to the vehicle, with Stan and Koji's portable computers in an arm. Aikka sat on G'dar off to the side, making sure everyone was safely on board before he took action. He held his bow with a poised arrow at the ready despite whatever shaking his arm was exhibiting. Rick, even with his still somewhat hazy vision, could see that the prince had been injured.
The Crogs chose this time to begin their assault on the hangar, as lasers fired inside through the glass roof, creating a downpour of crystal shards over various parts of the garage. Where Aikka was seated was no exception, and as glass and laser fire rained down, G'dar panicked, raising his wings and slightly off-setting the prince. Aikka now took to shielding himself from the falling glass as well as keeping to his seat.
"Aikka," Eva gasped at the sight, before Rick grabbed both her shoulders and pushed her the rest of the way to the door before the Crogs would decide to give them a little shower of their own. They were both herded in by Janni, the last one in.
Leaning inward to latch the door, Janni then headed straight to the gunner's turret. Rick settled on the rounded wall of metal, feeling the stress start to build again. Near the two mechanics sat Don Wei, pressing the icepack into his ankle, pretending that it wasn't the least bit painful for him.
Over the sounds of Janni firing back at the Crogs above, Eva forced her way through the door between the chamber and the cockpit. Through the tinted glass, she saw Aikka guide his mount directly over the Phantom. The racer lurched slightly as the weight of G'dar settled down above it.
Meanwhile, Aikka ignored the shards of glass as he held his arms out again, preparing himself for the next world jump. He put his trust in Janni to cover him while he muttered his incantation, picturing his exact destination in mind. It took less time for the ring to show itself, this time an enormous one, meant to allow the entirety of G'dar and the Phantom through.
He tried not to pay too much attention to the shattering glass above him, as one of the tridents finally breeched the roof. It wouldn't matter whether they made it into the garage in a matter of seconds, so he steeled his concentration against the distraction.
"Aikka…" Eva murmured, watching the rain of glass around them, not being able to see the source, but knowing something was happening. She could only hope that Aikka was safe above her…
Eva watched all this from her cockpit, as she absently allowed Satis out of her back pack. The cat looked quite disheveled, with his fur standing on end, and glaring yellow eyes, still exhibiting the creature's feelings about having been cooped up in the sack. Eva hadn't the time to notice her disgruntled cat, for she was now watching the world she knew disappear into a wide spectrum of colors.
Janni, meanwhile, ran out of Crogs to shoot at with the sudden change of scenery, and sank back into her seat with a sigh. Pressing a button on her keypad, the turret swiveled back into its default position, aimed straight out. Well, this was certainly more exciting than sitting through school…She had a sudden thought though, and her mind wandered back to her own house. She wondered if her parents had been spared in the invasion. She desperately hoped they had been. Losing her brother had been bad enough.
G'dar gave Aikka a knowing shriek, as soon as he could tell the end was near. Aikka smiled at the sharpness of his beetle mount, and only uttered more into the spell to ensure safe passage through the end of the tunnel of a portal. On the other side, he hoped he would be greeted without threat of more attacks, though he also hoped he wouldn't be inserted into the air this time, as the Phantom didn't have wings as G'dar did that could catch itself in the air so easily…
Janni sat, staring, as the scenery again began to shift. The array of colors was fading, to be left with some outlines of architecture, but it was unlike she'd ever seen before. Stan and Koji, seeming to sense there was something up since the sounds of Crog's attacking had disappeared, came behind her turret, looking out through the blue glass at the architecture that was gradually taking more dominance in their vision.
Eva couldn't help but notice the change, and immediately found the architecture welcoming. It seemed they were materializing in a structure that almost reminded her of an old European cathedral in size, though the décor was strikingly different.
Instead of pointed arches and gothic trimming, or flashy gold and white adornments as she had many times seen in her studies, the stone above and around them was carved in such a way it looked to be a flowing, swirling form. There was amazing attention to detail on every inch of the place, even the circular windows high above seemed to be placed just right to let sunlight in at perfect angles. And in the designs of stone, at the very top of the few columns that supported the cavern, were etched beetles, if she wasn't mistaken, and winking blue stones.
Aikka took one look around, and sighed with heavy relief. At least the place was still standing. With a few words to G'dar, the Phantom was released from the weight of the beetle, and Janni grabbed her hand cannon, ready for scouting the area.
She hopped out of the Phantom's back hatch just as Aikka landed beside G'dar. The prince looked at her suspicious glances to every side and readied his own weapon.
"Princey, where'd you take us?" Janni asked the Nourasian skeptically as they met somewhere in the middle of the distance between them glancing around and listening for any enemies. Aikka simply looked at her with a quizzical face.
"I would think it'd be obvious," He was interrupted by the sound of Eva's sneakers connecting with the stone floor. The two guardians looked back to the rear of the Phantom, to find the girl having just leapt out of the hatch, to come to stare at the new world around her.
"Molly, wait, we don't know if it's safe yet!" Aikka told her hastily, leaving Janni's side to come to meet the other human girl.
"What do you mean, it might not be safe, you brought us somewhere dangerous? What was the point of that?" Janni asked loudly. Aikka turned, not bothering that his look was slightly indignant. It turned out that she really was Jordan's sister; she was just as ready as he to trust him. "Where exactly are we, anyway?" she sighed exasperatedly. Aikka opened his mouth to respond, but Eva's soft voice came first.
"We're in Nourasia," she said in awe, not taking her eyes off of the beauty above. The slight smile Aikka saw on her lips made him instantly less tense. It was obvious by that smile and the look in her eyes that she was that happy to be there. And this was only the stable where G'dar stayed.
His argument with Janni was immediately forgotten, his tense look traded for a smile.
-Catgirl-of-Bavaria- : Huzzah, I get to write about Nourasia now! OMG, squee! Little change of scenery will do me good. BTW, am I the only one who noticed and/or is kinda miffed that Jetix completely skipped the last three episodes of OSR and went back to the first?? Wtf…
Next chapter!! The Earth team now find themselves on another planet…again. Will their welcome be a warm one, and will the Nourasians do a better job of protecting the threatened than their own planet did? Besides all that, what is the situation of Nourasia versus the Crogs?
