AN : Hey Guys!
First off, a big APOLOGY for the longer break between updates, for some reason I've been having trouble writing this chapter, or this story rather. I've just been writing oneshots for a while, just so I'm doing something, but then I got some really awesome reviews and got inspired.
Hope you guys like this chapter, goes into a bit of backstory in a few characters.
Big thanks to 'AllShamNoWow' for your idea!
ATHENS - GREECE
"Training!"
Damien's authorative voice interrupts all of our conversations, and I stand at attention as he walks up to me. Looking to my side, I can see Ben, Kayla and Six standing very much the same. By the house, sitting out on the back porch, Sarah and Sam both watch on. She smiles as I catch her eye. We'd been at this new place for two days, settling in. I liked being in a house again, and this one was pretty nice. There were 4 rooms, Damien took one, Six and Kayla were sharing another, and Ben and Sam arm-wrestled for the third, Ben's idea, so Sam was crashing on the couch. Which left the last room for Sarah and I. Yeah; it definitely had its perks.
"You're days of slacking off are over," the Cepan paces back and forth in front of us, addressing us like a drill sergeant to his army, until Six finally cuts him off.
"Is this really necessary?"
"I know. I feel like I'm in boot camp or something," Ben complains.
Damien laughs, "I'm just messing with you. But seriously now, we're going to have to knuckle down and get back into our training if we want to defeat the Mogs. Don't get big heads just because we've taken down a Mogadorian settlement.."
"That was pretty impressive," Ben cracks his knuckles.
"And the Ryion," Kayla smiles over as they both remember fighting the beast.
"It's all childs play if you compare it to some of the other things the Mogadorians have up their sleeves. Remember, they overtook our entire planet, defeated members of the Garde like they were nothing. Ryion's are nothing compared to some of the other creatures under the Mogs control."
"Way to build confidence, Damien." That was Ben again.
"Don't get my wrong, you guys have the potential to win this war. All of you have amazing legacies, each of you are the offspring of some of the most powerful members of the Garde. Your powers are weapons, a tool to wield, but just like any weapon, you need to train yourself to wield it. You won't be winning anything if you just coast by on your skills now. You're powerful, but with the right training, with focus, you'll all be unstoppable. Now," he claps his hands together, making his way up to me. "You're a powerful fighter John, you're fast and a far better strategist then Ben."
"Hey!"
"But more important than your fighting abilities, is your Lumen legacy," he holds my hand up by the wrist, and I power up my Lumen with ease. Even in sunlight, the blue light is visible, humming softly. "I'm sure you recognized how much of an asset it is when the Seer was going through your mind.."
"I know. I thought it was a lightning strike," Six becomes animated as she recaps on the fight. "All I saw was you lift into the air and become this ball of light, and then you went off, like a bomb or something."
"Self-defense," Damien nods his head. "You had no control over it, I presume."
"I just wanted the Seer to stop, I barely remember what happened."
"Sometimes in a battle, you need people out in the field that will give up some of their own power and energy to help others, boost up their fighters. Since you have Lumen, your endurance should be a lot larger then the others. One thing about your Lumen is if you fire it on another Lorien for long enough, they can tap into abilities far stronger then if they were going at it alone."
"So you want me to stand back and let the others fight, fire at them every so often?" Everyone out there could tell I'm pissed.
"Not at all. Just remember that you're the only one out there on the battlefield that can strengthen the others. They'll tire where you won't."
I nod my head rather reluctantly, and see Sam give me the thumbs up with a goofy grin, and Sarah laughing. "I got it," I mumble finally.
"Good." He walks to Kayla at my side. "You're legacy is about as common as invisibility back on Lorien, there is not a lot I know about it. How many people can you trick at one time?"
She shrugs. "I couldn't tell you. When Allison was training me, we got up to four or five humans, and that was a struggle. But when my life was in danger, I forced an illusion on nine Mogadorians."
"And it was hard?"
Kayla nodded. "But I held it for about 3 minutes, managed to get away. With the right training, I'm sure I can get it to the point where it's not so much of a struggle."
"And what about the Ryion?"
The Ryion... I think back to the night of the attack. My memories after the Seer attack were hazy at best, but I can recall seeing Kayla standing before me, hand outstretched at the immense beast, stopping it in it's tracks.
"That has hard, like trying to break through a brick wall," she admits. "I didn't do an illusion, I more just scrambled with its mind."
"Confused it?" Damien pressed on, his eyes almost burning in curiosity.
"Yeah, I guess."
"And you can do this with every subject? Is confusing it easier than creating an illusion?"
Kayla nods her head once. "Not nearly as effective, though. If anything, it'll just buy as time."
"Time can be the difference between a win and a defeat."
"Man," Ben sighs aloud, folding his arms. "You are full of fortune cookie sayings this morning, aren't you Damien?" He gets a smack up the head, but Ben just laughs. I have a feeling he was pretty used to the feeling by now.
"You, I can just skip right passed."
"Because I'm so impressive already," he tenses his arm.
"If I'd known you'd grow up to be so cocky, Ben," Damien shakes his head, "I'd have let the Mog's get you years ago."
"Please, you love me."
"Not nearly enough to put up with your attitude," Damien jokes kind-heartedly. "You're the muscle, the grunt. All I need you to do is fight."
"I have a question!" We all turn to look at Sam, who has his arm raised up like a school kid. "I'm no expert on Lorien-ism or anything, but aside from telekinesis, you all have two legacies, right?"
"Yeah, what's your point?" Six calls back.
"Well, if Ben's super strong, what's his second legacy?"
I turn back to Ben, wondering why the hell I hadn't thought about that in the first place.
"My charm and good looks," he gives a half-shrug, and Six punches him in the arm as soon as the words leave his mouth. "Owe!"
"What is your other legacy, Benjamin?" Kayla asks, hands on her hips and head tilted to the side.
Ben shrugs. "Nothing so far."
"My first legacy was animal telepathy," I say. "I had it for ages and didn't even know it."
"Well, I haven't heard any birds talking if that's what you mean."
Six rolls her eyes. "I think John means maybe you have your Legacy and you don't even know it."
Damien shrugs. "If he does, it's damn elusive, that's for sure." He shakes his head, walking back to his spot in front of us. "As it is, we're going to work with what we've been given. This legacy might appear when we most need it." He walks over, stopping finally in front of Six. "You're an amazing worrier."
"Clearly the teachers pet," Ben mumbles under his breath, and I laugh. Six was the best fighter though; there was no point in denying it, or getting envious either. I thank my lucky stars Six is as good as she is, otherwise I'd be dead a hundred times over.
"Don't be jealous now," Kayla nudges Ben in the ribs with her elbow.
"I know what I need to do," Six says, lifting her chin high. "You don't need to worry about me, Damien."
"I worry about you the most," he says right back.
"Well don't." She folds her arms, successfully ending the conversation. "Now, if we're done talking, can we get to training now."
Ben nods his head enthusiastically. "Yeah, Gossip Girl's on in an hour, Six can't miss it."
I can see Six giving Sam the death stare, and I just laugh. We were a good group, all of us together, different personalities, each one, but somehow we all meshed together, like a whacky family you'd see on some reality TV program. I stand back and watch as Ben starts lifting rocks with his telekinesis. Man, this would be one hell of a weird TV show!
On the deck, the two humans watch the training session with interest. "Hey Sarah?"
"Uh huh?"
"I have a question… one that may be incredibly awkward for you to answer, and one that will probably spoil our happy little friendship we have got going on," Sam motions between himself and an amused Sarah, who nods her head.
"Go on."
"Alright," Sam slaps his hands together. "So, John and I are good buddies, you know, we tell each other stuff about, um, each other, and he uh," Sam feels a blush creep into his cheeks, his face feeling a lot warmer.
Sarah quickly cottons on to what he was eluding to, and drops her head slightly. "You mean John told you about the visions I get," she finishes for him. Sam nods his head in relief. "And I'm guessing he told you how I get them?"
"In so many words," Sam mumbles quickly. "It's just, and I mean this in the most non-perverted way, Sarah, but how do you feel, you know, right before it happens?"
"Oh…" she clears her throat, shifting a little on the deck chair. "You know, you were right, this is incredibly awkward."
"I know, I'm sorry… but it's just, can you keep a secret?"
"A lot better then John can, apparently."
"Well, Six and I have taken another step into our strange yet lovable relationship."
"You mean you've started having sex."
"Okay, not that big of a step, more like a shuffle, but we've kissed and stuff… it's just, I've never had a vision or anything like that, not even come close I think." Sarah looks over to him, it was clear that he was bothered by it.
"Well.. I'm sure it doesn't mean anything, Sam."
"That's what I keep telling myself, but I overheard," not eavesdropped, "a conversation between John and Damien, and Damien was saying that having visions happens when the two are really close, you know, truly close, and I have to wonder whether Six even wants me to know her like that. I just kind of wish that we had what you and John have." He falls silent, looking out at the group before them, his eyes falling onto the feisty blonde in an almost painful way.
Sarah can relate, she had often looked at John the same way back in Paradise, when he had been ignoring her over the whole Mark thing. She knew what it felt like to want someone so much it hurt. "I don't really know Six that well," she starts, taking a breath. "But she just kind of comes across as someone who needs a little longer to deal with their emotions, just give her time, Sam."
To be perfectly honest, she had no idea whether or not Six loved Sam. It was hard for her to imagine Six loving anyone outwardly. Her and John were polar opposites in that area, Sarah's boyfriend had no problem showing affection, and he wore his heart on his sleeve. It was one of the many reasons why she had fallen for him in the first place.
Back on the field, Damien watches as his four students run through their paces, tennis balls and wooden blocks flying this way and that through the air, figures leaping in an elaborate dance. Back on Lorien, any one student like them would have been assigned 3 different trainers, along with one full time Cepan. Having four under his care was exhausting, and not very effective for any of them.
He needed another Cepan with him.
"""""
CENTRE AIRQUARTERS – LORIEN
0249 hours
"We don't have a moment to spare! Hurry!" Brandon tries not to roll his eyes. The Lorien Elders were sure good at stating the obvious. He knew there was a reason they were around. He knew he could be killed for thinking what he was now, but he didn't care.
This whole damn planet was under attack, and the Lorien people were unprepared for it. Partly, due to the Elder's stupidity! He recalls all the council meetings now, the words thrown around. 'We are indestructible! Our Lorien Garde has never been stronger! Let the Mogadorians come, we shall wipe the ground with them!' Bet they hadn't thought that one of their own would turn on them.
Now they were nothing but a quivering mess, standing in the cargo bay as the people they were charged to protect were burning around them. Some of the more selfish members had even tried to negotiate passage to earth. The Cepan's would have none of it. Brandon looks across the room to some of the other protectors around, holding their charges close.
Beneath his arm, the young boy clutched to his side, looking up at him. He had been his protector for a few years now, cared for him like he'd imagine a father cared for his son. Not that he would know.
"Gather the children, we must do the charm, before it is too late," a soldier came and dragged my charge away, I could just catch sight of his desperate look at me before he disappears into a room, the door shutting behind them.
"What do you think they're doing in there?" Emily appears at my side, her dark hair tied back, the scar above her eyebrow visible.
"I know what they're supposed to be doing," Brandon folds his arms. "Some protective charm over them. Notice how they leave us legacy-free members of society out of it."
"Like most things," she gives me a small smile.
One of the other Cepan's, Damien, walks over, standing at Emily's side. "This better not take too damn long. The Elder's only seem to work on their schedule, even during war."
The Mogadorians will still a while away, but none of the Cepan's wanted stick around on this planet any longer then needed. By now, any loved ones will have been captured, or dead if they were lucky. Brandon watches as Emily slips her hand through Damiens, eyes fixed to the door.
It opens after a while, and all the children file out, white faces and pale. "They have been numbered, one through to nine. Their identities must be kept safe, use only fake names from now on! Keep them safe, they are our hope!" He calls out the numbers, and when Four is called, Brandon's charge walks forward, blonde hair in disarray. Brandon takes his hand, looking across to see the others doing much the same.
"Let's go."
""""""
EAST 123rd SECTOR – LORIEN
0301 hours
"Come on, we don't have a bloody second to waste!" Malcolm Goode speaks in a harsh tone at the two figures before him. He was right, however.
The Mogadorians were relentlessly smashing a path through the Lorien Garde, destroying everyone and thing that got it their way. Malcolm had a pistol; he doubted it would be much use. Even those with the strongest legacies he'd seen were falling. He was a man with a gun.
He has to wonder how he gets himself into this mess. Please, God, don't let Sam have inherited his stupidity.
"How can we trust you?" the elderly woman asks, shielding the young girl behind her.
Malcolm didn't have time for this crap. "I'm getting the hell off this planet," he jerks a finger to his ship, sitting idle outside. "With or without her. You're most welcome to take your chances here, but I doubt you'll have any friends left, with your own race or with theirs. You and I both know the only chance she's got is with me." Frankly, Malcolm wasn't even sure if he gave a damn about them. They deserved whatever came their way. But the girl… she wasn't at fault. "I'm giving her a chance at a normal life… you and I both know that no matter what the outcome of the war is, she will never have that here."
The woman finally falters. "Take her with you, Malcolm Goode. Keep her safe."
He nods his head, purposely ignoring the consequences of what he was about to do.
He'd been called a lot of things since arriving on this planet, 'Alien, Stranger, Recluse,' he supposes adding 'Traitor' to the list wouldn't hurt.
The woman drops to her knees and pulls the young girl into her embrace. She's barely five years old, and the look of confusion on her face just deepens the empty pit in Malcolm's chest.
"I need you to be strong, Evelyn, my mira," she presses a kiss to her forehead.
That's when the banging starts. The Mog's had come.
She gets to her feet, turning to Malcolm. "Go, Malcolm Goode! I will hold them off for as long as I can. You must hurry." Her eyes blaze alight as burning hot flames erupt on her hands.
As Malcolm bends down and scoops the girl into his arms, he hears the woman mumbling something in Lorien, before she continues in English, "May the skies and great space prove clear, may your journey prove safe.
Malcolm runs outside to his ship. Further down, he can see the other vessel, carrying the Lorien Nine and their Cepans. Their ship made his look like a clunky misshapen brick in comparison.
Further away, all around him, fires raged on, beast and man cried alike in the horrible chorus of war. Inside, he straps the girl into a seat, vaulting to his own chair and running through his take off procedure roughly. He hears screams coming from inside the house, and tries not to picture what is happening to the woman he was just talking to.
As his ship takes to the air, he spares a glance at his only passenger. "What's you're name?" he asks in a gruff voice. She does not reply, so he presses on. "You grandmother called you Evelyn, is that your name?" She gives a small nod. Sitting there, blue eyes glistening, bottom lip trembling slightly, he knows why he felt such a need to save this girl.
It was a simple, undeniable truth.
She reminded him of her…
"""""
MUNICH – GERMANY
He had told her the story of her rescue time and again as she grew up. It never made her feel any better about being alive.
Malcolm had been a… well, she wouldn't go as far to say 'good', more an 'adequate' caregiver over the past 11 years.
As the stowaway child of a traitorous family, she hadn't been afforded the same luxuries as her fellow Loriens. There had been no bag of jewels to be used for funds, no knowledgeable Lorien protector, and certainly no mythical protective charm over her.
She supposed she didn't need one. To her knowledge, neither the Mog's nor the surviving Loriens knew she even existed.
"Can I help you, miss?"
She looks over to the voice that spoke, a rather nervous looking waitress who held her notepad before her with a shaky hand. She doesn't know why people get nervous around her, but they do. Another fact of life.
"I'm fine," she waves the girl away, content to pick at the huge dark slice of chocolate cake on the table in front of her. She hadn't actually taken a bite of it yet.
It had been 3 days since she left Mexico and Malcolm behind, and that waitress was the first person she had spoken to. Maybe she had been too rash in packing up and leaving, maybe she hadn't thought it through enough? She huffs, another family trait no doubt. She tended to blame anything bad about herself on her parents and grandparents before her. It was easy, they couldn't say anything back.
She didn't have a plan, just a goal. Find the others. She would deal with the consequences when they came.
And she had picked up a possible lead. It was sheer luck to found it at all. It was a small blurb in the newspaper about an old power station in Athens, Greece going up in flames for no apparent reason. There had been massive amounts of damage, concrete blocks ground to dust, and firefighters had no idea what the cause was. It was been put down to one of the old reactors malfunctioning, however implausible that would be.
She'd experienced the Mogadorians first hand, and she'd heard all the war stories from Malcolm. Mog's dwelt in old places like that, almost hiding in plain sight. Which meant, if she were correct, someone had brought the fight to them instead of the other way around.
She had booked a ticket to Athens straight away, her plane didn't leave until 8 pm, and so she had a few hours to kill. She'd figure out the rest of her plan when she landed.
A few minutes on, she stands and leaves the table without eating the cake at all, pulling on her jacket and walking down the road.
"""""
Training lasts until sundown, nothing too spectacular. I hate to admit it, but we had become a little rusty after the prolonged period of rest we'd had. I was struggling with my telekinesis; even the tennis ball exercise had me sweating. Henri would be kicking my ass if he were alive. I take Bernie for a sprint through the immense backyard we had, racing him through an unbeaten track, pushing myself until my lungs were burning.
Damien wanted to stay put in this house until we had all gotten back into shape. Then we would move to the offensive. Basically, we would start our search for the Mogadorians, and kill them. The thought brought a smile to my face. The hunted became the hunters.
Tired, John? How on earth could a Beagle be so sarcastic… maybe because he wasn't from earth.
I laugh, "Not even close." We run for a good hour, and I'm a little smug to see my Chimera's tongue drooping from its mouth. I open the back door and slip inside, unzipping my grey sweater and tossing it aside. There are pizza boxes strewn over the kitchen table, and I grab two slices, tossing one to Bernie and taking a huge bite of my own.
"Hey John, we found a bunch of movies in the cupboard," Sam appears almost out of nowhere, holding up a cover.
"It's a video-tape," I raise my eyebrow.
"I know! And there was a VCR hooked up to the television."
"You mean you're so desperate to watch a movie, you'll resort to videotape quality?" I put a hand over my mouth in shock.
"Desperate times," Sam shrugs. "We're going to watch Jurassic Park. Damien picked it because, and I quote, 'it reminds him of the animals back on Lorien."
I take a look at Bernie, who's chomping away at his pizza. I've seen my Chimera in his other form, Damien was not exaggerating. I look around the lounge, to Six sitting on the couch, eyes pointed at the static on the TV screen, Kayla and Ben playing cards on the floor, and Damien crouching before the VCR player, muttering under his breath as he tried to get the thing going again. "Where's Sarah?"
"I think she's in the shower," Sam replies, vaulting over the couch and landing beside Six.
I go to my bedroom, opening the door and finding it empty. I pull my tee shirt over my head and toss it into the corner, taking a seat on the end of the bed and reaching for my notebook.
The whole notebook thing had been Sarah's idea, actually. She told me that I should write down everything I remember about Lorien, draw the visions in my head, write down the dreams I had, everything I remember about my grandparents, Henri, and Bernie, even my experience with the Seer, document everything to help me process it. And it worked. Seeing it on paper before me kind of helped in a small way. My nightmares of the Seer had stopped.
And the visions Sarah got had somewhat lessened as well. They came far more infrequently now, compared to when she had first come on the run with me. Sometimes, we would just be lying side by side, and I'd reach over and touch her face, triggering another vision.
I open my book to the world map cut out, where I had marked the location of the remaining Loriens. I start scribbling, Number Five found in London, Number Nine found in Greece, Number Seven… Taking a breath, I push myself to continue, Number Seven deceased. Number Eight last position, Russia. There was no telling whether they were still there or not. The only thing I was sure of was that they were still alive. My hand goes to my calf muscle, fingers running over the scars slowly, painful reminders of the dangers that lay ahead. And then there was Number Ten. Damien refused to talk about them, for whatever reason. But I had grown to trust the Cepan like I had with Henri, and I knew Damien would have a good reason to be acting the way he was about this particular Lorien.
The bedroom door swings open, but I don't look up until Sarah speaks. "I've been thinking…"
I put the notebook to the side and fold my arms. "Should I be worried?"
"Hmm?"
"Well, in all the movies I've watched, when a girl says they've been thinking, it usually means trouble for the guy."
She smiles, shaking her head and walking into our shared room, the door swinging to a shut behind her. "I've been thinking, and I think we should have sex." I, then, successfully manage to choke on nothing, spluttering in breath. Was I hallucinating again? I thought I got over that, apparently not. It could be a dream; it wouldn't have been the first time this happened… "Well, don't you want to?"
I finally pull myself together enough to speak. "Is that supposed to be a trick question?" Pushing up from the bed to my feet, I walk over to her. "You can just assume any guy who looks at you wants to sleep with you, Sarah." I put a hand to her cheek and lean in to kiss her, because it seems like the right thing to do at the time, but she puts her hand to my mouth, effectively stopping my embrace. "What?" I mumble against her palm.
"You didn't answer my question?"
I pull her hand from my mouth. "Of course I want to sleep with you."
"So…"
"So… can I ask you a question?" She nods her head. "What's brought this on?"
"Just something Sam said to me this afternoon."
I make a mental note to thank Sam next time I see him. "So…" I swallow, "I'll schedule it in?" I offer.
Sarah grins, pushing a chaste kiss to my lips. "Good," she slips out of the room, leaving me pretty confused as to what exactly just happened…
AN : What do you guys think? Good, Crap?
Hit me with any ideas too, love them all.
Thanks!