Tsukasa-Magic- Wow, big review. Hmm, you didn't have any questions, so that's gonna make it difficult to give you an equally big answer. We'll do this by paragraph. Ok, glad you like the plot(s). Can't have a story without a plot. And several back-plots in case that gets boring. And, of course, all plots need to have solid relationships throughout. As for the characters, I'm often surprised by them myself. I once read somewhere that the best stories are written by the characters themselves, which is what I try to do. Don't force someone to do something they wouldn't. And my OCs just sort of evolved on their own. I'm not sure when, say, Takin became a meek, shy fish, but she did somehow. They've all simply developed their own unique personas without my help. Finally, Grammar. I've run into the same thing you have, all across the board. Can't stand it. A good story, without good grammar and spelling, ceases to be a good story. Ben/Gwen... (shudder). Thanks for the great review.
Armored Soul- Crazy indeed. And it only gets crazier.
Evil Genius of the COCA- Wow, you sure sniped that one between the eyes from four-hundred yards.
Vampire Jazzy- Glad ya like it. Continuing... Now.
Chappa.
Chapter Twenty-One: Who's Capturing Whom?
A strange, white-haired girl was standing with her back to them, her outstretched palm holding the wolf at bay.
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"She seems to be doing pretty well, surprisingly." Meex whispered, watching Seven stand her ground against the wolf. "I'm amazed the thing hasn't eaten her."
"Give it time." Morrigan whispered back, sliding his mask up. "That dog won't be intimidated for long; Though, Ah don't see why it's intimidated ta begin with."
"It's probably never seen an albino human before." The Mikarin speculated. "When do we move?"
"Wait 'til it takes a bite outta the girl; when the children get panicked, we go in." Morrigan slid his mask back down. "Just make sure ta keep 'em off mah tail, Ah want ta get Ben back ta Mertak in one piece, an' before he wakes up." The reptile shook his head. "Heaven help us if he wakes up before he's secure..."
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"How're the prisoners?" Garen sat on the top Takin's computer in the Main Hub, rocking back and forth slightly, glancing at his hand-com every few seconds. Takin, whom had just walked into the room with Veltran, whilst simultaneously scratching the Hounin behind the 'ears', let out a small "eep!" and blushed at being caught in what she considered an intimate moment with the Janitor. Her paws flew away from Veltran, busying themselves with straightening her already perfectly straight uniform.
"Th- They're fine, sir." She stuttered, not actually thinking about the question she had been asked. "N- Never better." she attempted to look at everything and anything besides her Boss and her Boyfriend. Garen raised an eyebrow, smirking slightly.
"They're 'fine'?" he asked teasingly. "'Never better'?" He raised a hand to his chin, trying to look as though he were pondering a theological question. "I suppose our holding cells are quite nice," he leaned back a bit, gazing at the ceiling. "Though, the free buffet might be a tad superfluous."
"Uh, sir?" Takin blinked, raising a claw in question.
"And I guess they don't need the premium television package¼.." Garen continued on like he hadn't heard her.
"Sir?" The Tophgler looked to Veltran for help. He just shrugged.
"But, we certainly can't do away with the in-between interrogations back massages." He tapped a finger against his chin, before shrugging his shoulders nonchalantly. "Oh well, thanks for the update. Good to know the prisoners are 'fine'." Takin looked at the floor, clasping her paws behind her back.
"S-Sorry, sir." The fishy alien apologized like a child in the principal's office. "Both Prisoners are secure and have been put in separate cells." She reported in a small voice. "The Repromag has been stripped of her cybernetic enhancements, which pretty much nullifies her as a threat, and they're being analyzed by Miskin as we speak. The Gypin is still unconscious, but we've put him in a pair of Energy Relapse Cuffs for when he wakes up. Also, we searched Daverik's cell like you ordered and found a hidden compartment, which had a crude transmitter in it. We think he put it there himself before he was caught as a back-up plan; We found similar compartments in several other cells."
"Good, good." Garen stood up, glancing at his hand-com again. "Make sure to get some ERCs on the Repromag as well, to be on the safe side." Takin nodded in response, before tilting her head to the side.
"Waiting for a call, sir?" She gestured to his hand-com, referencing the way he'd been glancing at it.
"Gwendolyn's late to check in." He answered, shaking his head, before sticking the com back in his pocket. "I know it's probably nothing, she probably just had more trouble finding Yii than anticipated, but it still makes me nervous." He sighed. "She didn't leave her homeworld under the best of circumstances; Going back was a big risk." He hopped down from the monitor to the desk.
"I'm sure she's fine, sir." Takin nudged Veltran with her elbow. "Right, Vel?" Veltran, who hadn't really been paying attention, jumped in surprise and nodded vigorously, growling in affirmation.
"Yeah, yeah," Garen hopped across the gap between Takin's desk and Glint's. "I'm sure she is, too." Veltran lowered his head, allowing the Binarai to hop onto him. "I just wish she'd-" Garen stopped mid-sentence as his hand-com went off. He flipped it out in a flurry of motion. "Gwendolyn?!?"
"Uh... No." the face, or, rather, mask on the screen belonged to Jero. (1) "It's me, sir."
"Oh," Garen coughed awkwardly, scratching the back of his neck. "Of course. What s it?"
"We're being hailed, sir." Jero looked off-screen, probably at some of his scanners. "By another Prison Transport. I've checked the scanners, twice; This one's real."
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"One more inch," Seven threatened the wolf, her hand still outstretched. "And you'll get what's coming to you." Her expression was no nonsense. The wolf growled in response, back arched, teeth bared, but did not move closer.
"Talk about no fear..." Gwen whispered, pulling herself onto her knees. "Who is this girl?"
"Calls herself Seven." Penelope whispered back, one arm around Ben, holding him up, as she knelt beside the cousins. "She's lived down 'ere for years, far as I can tell, with her little brother; We were lookin' for 'im when we saw you and Sir Barksalot over there." Gwen got onto her feet, but stayed crouched to avoid bringing attention to herself.
"These people are under my protection!" Seven declared to the wolf, lowering her hand and placing it on her hip. "You got that?" The wolf snarled angrily at her, barking twice. Seven didn't flinch.
"Geez," Gwen placed one of Ben's arms around her shoulder, helping to hold him. "She's really got guts. How's she doing that?" Pen shrugged, placing Ben's other arm over her own shoulder, careful not to hurt her injured one.
"Maybe it's just like an overgrown dog." She guessed. "You just need to show it who's in charge." Her theory went out the window as the 'dog' suddenly lunged forward, stopping just a few scant inches from Seven. The Albino took a step back in surprise, raising her right arm in a defensive posture. That was all the incentive the wolf needed. It lunged forward once more, it's jaws closing around Seven's upper arm. She let out a scream, though it wasn't clear if it was from surprise or pain, or a mixture of both, as it lifted her into the air. Penelope and Gwen shot to their feet, ready to run.
"PUT ME DOWN!" Seven yelled angrily, shaking her free fist at the wolf. And then, it did. Though, not voluntarily. Actually, the wolf letting Seven go was merely a side-effect of the wolf opening its in pain as it yelped, which was in itself a by-product of being rammed in the ribcage by a giant woman made of blue crystal.
"What the…." Gwen took a step back, mouth hanging open. Seven slowly sat up from where she had fallen, rubbing her head. The blue woman continued to fight the wolf, allowing it to try to bite her before hitting it again, knocking it against the tunnel wall. Before it could recover, the crystal being placed her hands against the ground, giant spikes of the same blue crystal she was made of jutting out of the concrete in front of her, pinning the wolf. Then, the woman tuned and looked right at Gwen, before sneezing.
"Diamond Head….." The black-haired girl's brow wrinkled in confusion. "As a girl?" She suddenly gasped as memory, and realization, dawned on her. She took another step back, turning to Penelope with frightened eyes. "We've got to get out of here," she didn't bother keeping her voice down. "Now!"
"Wot?" Pen blinked, scared that Gwen was scared. "But, she just saved us."
"SHE'S WORKING WITH OUR GRANDPA!" Gwen shouted, tugging on Ben to get the Brit to follow her. "SHE'S AFTER-!" The girls suddenly found themselves knocked to either side by a flash of motion. Gwen only just managed to see the blur scoop up her cousin before it disappeared down the tunnel. "BEN!" She reached out a hand after him, though I didn't do any good. She almost didn't hear Penelope's shout.
"Gwen, look out!" Gwen turned around just in time to have the Meex seize her by the front of her shirt, holding her up in front of herself. In her other hand she held Penelope, who was struggling like a girl possessed to get free while she cursed at the alien. For her own part, Gwen was too frightened to do anything but stare into the Mikarin's glowing yellow eyes.
Meex opened her mouth to say something, only to be kicked in the face by Pen. Though she didn't even flinch, the alien appeared to grow annoyed with the writhing child.
"Project FEATHERSTEP Audio Command:" She said, looking directly at Penelope, who had suddenly become still, her eyes wide .
"P-Pen?" Gwen stared in horror at the Brit. Pen seemed to be completely under Meex's control.
"Mental Shutdown." The alien commanded. Penelope's eyes became vacant as her body went limp. Meex dropped her. She hit the ground with a soft thud, landing on her side without so much as a gasp of pain, her eyes still wide and empty.
"Wh- What did you do?!?" Gwen suddenly began struggling, kick wildly as she kept her frantic eyes on Penelope's unmoving body. She looked…… dead. "Pen! PEN!" The Brit didn't respond.
"You know," Meex spoke evenly, as though nothing had happened. "Your grandfather has been worried sick over you and Ben." Gwen's attention was brought rocketing back to the alien. "Why don't I take you to see him?"
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"Garen? Jarat? Veltran?" Morrigan stood in a small clearing in a tiny woods near the city, trying, and failing, to hail Mertak Station with his Com. "This is Commander Morrigan, is anyone readin' me?" He shook the com, before trying again. "Repeat, this is Commander Morrigan. Ah've got Ben and Ah need evac ASAP." He slid his mask up, using his free claw to hit the com. "Hello? Anybody hearin' me?" After a few more moments of silence, he stuck the com back on his belt and sighed, looking up at the still-cloudy sky. "Maybe all this cloud-cover's interferin' with the signal." He knew that wasn't the case. The coms were designed to broadcast through entire planets without trouble; clouds, no matter how thick, wouldn't so much as cause a little static. A dark, sinister chuckle slowly came into existence behind him, indicating that someone else knew that, too.
"Having a little communications problem, Captain?" Ben chuckled, smirking condescendingly. "Or is it 'Commander' now?"
"Awake already?" Morrigan turned around, facing the bound child. "And you remember me? Ah'm flattered." He slid his mask back down. "Go back to sleep, 'Thirteen. Ah wanna talk ta Ben." (2) EP-713 just chuckled again.
"I'm afraid the boy is indisposed at the moment." He purred. "He's gone and tuckered himself out channeling my power." The restraints around 'Ben' consisted of thick metal bands that traveled up and down his legs, all of them connected to each other by some kind of blue energy. Every few seconds or so the energy would flare brightly, almost turning white.
"No point strugglin' with those." Morrigan indicated the restraints. "Those're Energy Relapse Cuffs; I'm sure you remember 'em." He folded his arms across his chest.
"Oh, I do." EP-713 looked down at the cuffs, disgust obvious on his face. "The more energy I use trying to break them, the more they draw from me." He lifted his gaze back up to Morrigan, irritation written all over his features. "Practically unbreakable, and certainly the only thing in this pathetic dimension that can hold me; I simply must sever Garen's head from his body to show my appreciation." The Commander snorted.
"Ya aren't gonna be decapitatin' anyone anymore." The Repromag leaned in close, sliding his mask back up so EP-713 could see the hate in his eyes. "And, when it comes time ta end yer miserable existence, Ah'm gonna make it long and painful." He stood straight once more, his mask sliding back down. "You can count on that." 'Ben' grinned wickedly in response.
"Wonderful." His smile showed pointed teeth. "To kill me would be a grand accomplishment." His eyes widened, giving him a deranged look. "I look forward to it." Suddenly, the smile dropped from his face and his eyes grew panicked.
"No!" EP-713 screeched, sounding scared. "Don't kill me!" He pleaded. "Please, don't kill me!"
"What the?" Morrigan blinked. "Ben, is that-"
"SHUT UP!" EP-713 shouted, breathing hard as the restraints flared a blinding white. After a moment, he regained his composure and the cuffs faded back to blue. "Heh." he chuckled. "Don't you just hate it when children speak out of turn?"
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"Hello, Garen." Garen's monitor showed a relatively humanoid alien with a long, flat nose and three tiny eyes. Its long, purple hair was pushed back behind its tiny ears and it smiled politely exposing large, flat, tooth-like plates. "It has been too long."
"In'O!" Garen greeted with a short laugh. "I didn't know you were in this quadrant. I thought you were still on escort duty for the supply runs in the Ordraught galaxy."
"I was." In'O nodded, still smiling. "But, when I returned from my most recent escort, I heard there was a transport going to your station." She shrugged, laughing with her next words. "I immediately volunteered to command the ship, only to find it was a prison transport, much to my surprise." she smiled politely again, her eyes closing as she did. "Naturally, my curiosity gave me no choice but to accept the mission and come out here."
"Thought I'd gotten myself into trouble?" Garen teased. In'O's smile quirked.
"I admit, it did cross my thoughts." She confessed. "Though, when they told me I was to retrieve Daverik, I was equally surprised. I had known he was reckless, yes, but I had not pegged him for a traitor."
"Neither did we." Garen rolled his eyes. "I won't hold you up, but I do have some unfortunate news."
"Oh?" the humanoid's head cocked to the side. "What is it?"
"It seems Daverik had some supporters; They attacked not long ago in an attempt to free him." He continued before she could ask the obvious next question. "Before you ask, yes, we managed to catch them. A Gypin and a Repromag. Think you can take them along with Daverik?"
"Of course." In'O nodded. "Please open your docking bay and we'll retrieve them."
"That's another thing." Garen rubbed the back of his neck. "I'm afraid our docking bay is out of commission for the time being; Daverik's supporters made a bit of a mess before we apprehended them. I assume you have teleportation capabilities?"
"Yes." She nodded again, before looking off screen. "Ornit, open a teleporter channel." She turned back to Garen. "Would you like me to leave a team to assist with the cleanup?"
"That's alright." Garen waved his hand dismissively. "No point in making you came back for them. The prisoners are all in the prison block, 'port them up at will."
"Thank you, Garen." In'O bowed. "It was good to see you again." The screen went black as she signed off.
"You too." Garen told the blank screen. "You too."
A few moments later, the prisoners were reported to have been 'ported to the Prison Transport. Thirty seconds after that, Glint suddenly called Garen, yelling that Miskin had been 'ported up without warning. And instant after that, Arlune activated her final augment as the Prison Transport jumped to hyperspace. And that's when an explosion rocked the Station.
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Gwen let out an 'oof!' as she hit the ground, her bum, luckily, absorbing most of the impact. At the very least, it kept her from hitting her head again. She crawled over to Pen, who still hadn't moved an inch, and placed her ear above the Brit's mouth. At first, she didn't hear anything, but, after a few moments, the parka-girl exhaled ever so lightly. Gwen, encouraged by this, grabbed Pen's wrist, checking for a pulse. Sure enough, it was there; It was slow, very slow, but it was steady and it was there.
The sound of Meex's voice brought Gwen's attention back to her. Meex stood stock-still, the arm that had been holding the black-haired child still outstretched and her eyes flickering between their original yellow and a soft purple. The alien was talking. Not to Gwen, or, even, to herself, but just talking. Random clumps of words without context fell from her mouth as her voice traveled up and down in both pitch and speed. If she looked closely, Gwen could see what looked like black electricity crackling over the Mikarin's skin.
"They aren't even human." Meex suddenly said something clear and definite. She appeared to talking to someone who wasn't there. "Why risk another uprising?" her other hand, the one that wasn't outstretched, raised up in a half-shrug, the one that had held Gwen falling to her side. "Inhumane?" She snorted. "We both know that doesn't apply. The Projects aren't real people, they don't have souls." She folded her arms across her chest. "As if. They're constructs, nothing but weapons. They don't 'feel' anything." She placed her hands on her hips. "I don't care how many failsafes you have in place, Garen, they should be destroyed." She paused. "So what if I don't know anything about science? I'm a soldier, I know weapons. No matter how much you've dressed them up, that's all they are. Little more than automated guns. Only these guns can pick their own targets, and it won't be long before they pick you." She turned to Gwen, her angry tone becoming a tentative one. "What about Max? I know we can't afford to let the two of them live, but Max will never allow us to harm his grandkids. We can't keep him in the dark forever."
"Grandpa…" Gwen whispered, tears appearing in the corners of her eyes. "Is on our side?" It was then that Seven appeared from behind Meex, trailing an ungloved hand along the alien's arm. Her eyes had turned purple.
"So it would seem, little sister." Meex spoke in perfect unison with the teen. "So it would seem."
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(1)- Jero, if you recall, is the Repromag in charge of the docking bay.
(2)- EP-713 is a bit of a mouthful to say in a conversation.
Well, this certainly an interesting development. Meex doesn't have the friendliest view on the Projects, does she? Come to think of it, what are the projects, anyway?