A Daniel X Fanfic

by Sakura Martinez

Author's Notes:

This is going to be a pretty short chapter. That's the "bad" news. The "good" news is that we're nearing the end. Only a couple of chapters (and by a couple, I mean less than ten) left before we conclude this fanfic. So, um, hope you guys enjoy this chapter and don't forget to review, okay? Thanks!

Disclaimer:

I do not own Daniel X, or the characters in that story. James Patterson own the rights for them. What I do own is the idea for the fanfic and this fanfic itself.

Summary:

After surviving Void's Game, being reunited with his drang, and learning the truth about Void, Daniel X leaves with Khadagh to prepare for the imminent battle between Number One and Two. But when both Daniel and Khadagh disappears, The Prayer begins his revenge, seeking the aid of a mysterious group. Now, it's a race against time our heroes to put a stop to The Prayer's latest scheme before it's too late and it will take everything in their power to do so.

Daniel X: Out of Time

Chapter Twenty-Four

Our Target: Undinogh!

The plan came together quite unexpectedly as the days went by.

While Daniel and Emma went to meet with the Varjian elders, the rest of us decided to resume our training putting to mind what our training regimens were before. I had told them, the morning after Maerwen and I had our little discussion, what my mentor told me and they have all agreed to call their own mentors and speak to them, promising to train while we wait for our time to strike. Their mentors were not as happy as mine. All them were in agreement that what we were doing was foolish.

Windsor and Graciella—Willy and Emma's parents—though happy to hear that all of us were alright, shared the same sentiment as our mentors with regards to staging an attack against the two most dangerous aliens in the known universe. They instructed us to wait for them; to not do anything until they have met up with us. Though we promised we wouldn't, we knew that we didn't really mean it.

I can see how bored Joe was. Willy, on the other hand, merely looked like it didn't matter to him as he trained with his weapons. I tried to keep my mind blank and meditate, but I was too distracted. We didn't know what sort of news Daniel and Emma would bring. I hated the wait.

I could have went along with them, but I didn't think I would be able to sit still there while they deliberate. I was also still a bit freaked out by what the Varjians could do and I liked to keep my distance from them, if possible.

But I didn't have much choice but to wait. Time seemed to slow down, though, and my poor attempt at meditating did nothing to make me feel that that wasn't the case. The day wore on and it was only during sunset that Daniel and Emma returned. No Varjians were with them, which made me wonder if the meeting went bad.

I rushed to Daniel as Willie and Joe both dusted their pants and walked towards Daniel and Emma as well. We couldn't wait for much longer to hear the news and we couldn't place the expression on both Daniel and Emma's faces to get an idea on how it went.

"How did it go?" I asked, even before I reached them.

Daniel and Emma looked at each other, a look passed between the two of them before Emma started, "Well..."

Daniel and Emma narrated what happened during the meeting, although they didn't mention anything big until all of us were gathered in the living room, a sandstorm raging outside.

Both of our friends told us how the meeting could have ended much earlier, with the Varjians and Emma coming to a compromise (the Varjians will not force everyone to fight. As per their agreement, the young and the elderly of their people would stay behind). However, the Varjian scouts whom the elders have placed in the surrounding area caught a signal and, using one of Joe's gadgets, managed to hack the signal and the message that it contained.

Lord Undinogh will be riding in a small fleet to meet with potential allies.

That was what part of the message said.

"Part?" Joe asked, "You mean there's more?"

Daniel nodded, "The Varjians are working hard on it with the decrypter they said you lent them. We may need you to help them to speed it up."

Joe would have headed out then and there but the sandstorm stopped him and, instead, he promised to head there as soon as the storm lessens.

"Daniel and the Varjian Chieftain came up with a plan because of that message," Emma told us. "We're sure that when the encryption for the rest of the message has been cracked, that we will find the location where Undinogh is supposed to meet their allies. Once we have that location, we can stage an ambush on him. Taking Undinogh down will make it easier for us to fight The Prayer in the future. The attack will also deal a massive blow to their morale and their forces...if we're successful."

"Wouldn't they be suspecting something like that?" Willy asked.

"Maybe," Daniel admitted. "But Undinogh seems to be someone who's very sure of himself and his abilities. He's over-confident, thinking that he can take on anything that comes at him and I am willing to bet that his hubris has doubled ever since he met his alternate future self."

"How can you be sure of that?" I asked. I didn't want us making plans just because of Daniel's assumptions and gut-feelings...even though that had served him alright before.

"The part of the message that we have deciphered says it," Emma shrugged. "Undinogh is riding a small fleet to meet with their allies. That shows his over-confidence."

"And we can bet that he's not doing it because he doesn't want to intimidate those potential allies of theirs," Daniel added. "That's just not the way Undinogh and The Prayer roll. They want to flaunt their strength and power whenever they can."

That did make sense and that did sound like what The Prayer that we all know and hate would do. I couldn't say the same for Undinogh. Unlike Daniel, who had probably learned everything there was to know about the second most dangerous alien in the universe, I didn't have any knowledge regarding him.

I guess that was the reason why, after telling us all about the message, Daniel took from his pocket The List and laid it down in front of us with Undinogh's details listed, though those details didn't offer much. It didn't tell us what his weakness was, which was what was most important.

Of course, I should have known we didn't need to worry. Daniel told us what Khadagh—who had fought with Undinogh before—had told him.

"We all know that his impervious to attacks that are in the form of water," Daniel began. "Using any water-based attack on him would be useless, and also trying to out-gun him."

To that Willy complained. He was our gunner, of course.

"Sorry, Willy, but that's just how Undinogh is." Daniel said, though he really didn't need to apologize. "When Khadagh fought with him, before he met us and even during The Game, Khadagh told me that he didn't resort to creating a weapon that can shoot projectiles. He told me that it wasn't going to do him good to fight it out with Undinogh using guns since Undinogh was one of the few aliens who can out-gun him. He said Undinogh's accuracy when it comes to long-ranged weapons can even out-rank yours, Willy. So, no. No long-ranged weapons when we fight him."

"So, no guns and projectiles. What else do we need to know about him?" I asked. I didn't want to complain the way Willy did, even though it also meant that I would, most likely, not be firing away anything at Undinogh. I didn't like it but it allowed me to focus on keeping my drang safe under a barrier.

Daniel nodded and went on sharing with us what he knew, "Since he came from a planet that is ninety-percent water, he isn't used to solid ground and he can easily be unbalanced as long as he isn't suspecting it. He's also not very good with hand-to-hand combat. And we're talking about kicks and punches here. An outright brawl. Khadagh said he fights dirty, and he could spit poisonous ink on your eyes if you give him the chance."

"Poisonous ink?" Emma asked, her voice trembling. I don't know if it was because of the ink poisonous or because she could imagine it, as I did—that saliva-like, black liquid shooting out of Undinogh's mouth. Maybe it was both.

"That's what Khadagh said," Daniel thought for a moment, before adding. "Though, he said he such an attack hadn't been used on him yet. The only reason he knows of Undinogh's 'spitting habit' was because he saw it."

"Is there an antidote for the poison? How powerful is the poison anyway?" Joe asked, even as he began typing away on his Symbiote computer, probably looking into the whole poison-spit-thing.

"I think so. Khadagh didn't seem bothered by it when he told me." Daniel said, then he shrugged.

"Alright," Joe said. "I'll look into that." Then he turned towards Emma and said, "I'll need your help making the antidote if I do find anything about it."

Emma nodded. It wasn't like she was going to pass up any chance to be with Joe. Willy didn't seem to like that his sister and Joe had something to work together on. I forced myself not to laugh at that. I didn't want Willy to go crazy, after all. I wasn't the only one who had begun to notice that Emma and Joe had long discarded the subtlety of whatever relationship going on between them.

I have yet to know from Emma what really is going on between them, though.

Of course, now was not the time for that.

"So, from what you said about the brawl, we wouldn't be needing weapons then?" Willy asked.

"Against Undinogh? No. Swords aren't an option, too." Daniel replied, looking apologetic again. "But, when we're trying to take over their ship? We're going to need all the powerful weapons that we can get our hands on."

The briefing on Undinogh's abilities and his vulnerabilities lasted well into the night and by the time it ended, we were all so sleepy and tired that none of us bothered to even take a bath, change our clothes, and go to our own rooms. We just let ourselves fall asleep in the living room.

Daniel and Joe left early the next morning to help with the decryption.

The idiot didn't even bothered to wake me up before he left.