Chapter 6

            "Isn't this just great!" Dylan exclaimed.  "We came here in hopes that the chancellor wanted to join the Commonwealth when all he really wanted was you."

"Some things don't always turn out the way that we plan," Rommie replied while examining the gate to their cell.

"We need to warn Tyr, I'm sure that Rycar will be making preparations to go seize Andromeda."

Rommie nodded and closed her eyes.

Back on the Andromeda, Rommie's voice came over the communication system.

"Tyr, we sort of have a problem."

Tyr was standing in the command deck when he heard her voice.

"So do I.  I can't find Beka or the little man.  Even Trance is missing.  I'm assuming that they somehow got down to the surface," Tyr responded, quite unhappily.

"We're already aware of that," she quickly replied.

"What?  How do you…?"

"That's not important," Rommie cut him off.  "Dylan and I have been taken captive by Chancellor Rycar and he'll soon be making his way to take over…well…me."

"See what happens when you try to be nice to such uncivilized people?  Oh never mind."

"Do your best at protecting the ship, and see if there is any way that you can somehow get in contact with Beka and the others.  I'll see if I can get us out of here."

"I'll see what I can do," Tyr replied as Rommie cut off.

Rommie opened her eyes and looked at Dylan.

"Okay, Tyr has been notified of the situation and I told him to try to get in contact with the others…if they're still okay…" Rommie trailed off.

"I'm sure they'll be fine," Dylan replied comfortingly.  "However, how do you propose we get out of here?  My force lance could probably cut through these bars but…"

"Here," Rommie said, pulling a force lance out of somewhere on her body and extended it to Dylan.

"Since when did you come with storage compartments?"

"Since Harper installed one."

Dylan shook his head, taking the force lance.  Setting it to a high level, he aimed and pointed it at the lock on the door and fired.  The lock was no longer a lock, as it had been transformed into a large hole in the door.

Rommie quickly walked over to the door and threw it open.

"I'm assuming that there's going to be a large number of guards roaming the area," Dylan said, cautiously walking into the narrow corridor.

"The exit is that way," Rommie said, pointing to her right.  "There are two guards there and a few more outside," she stated, scanning the proximity.  "We may be able to get past the ones outside without being noticed, more than likely their just students, however we'll more than likely have to fight the two guarding the door."

"Well, may we make our way?"

The two of them quietly crept down the short hallway, stopping by the door.  Dylan looked at Rommie and nodded, she nodded in response.

The avatar kicked the door open with powerful force.  The guards on the other side, surprised by the sudden noise were unprepared when Dylan charged one and knocked him to the ground.  Rommie, without wasting anytime, swiftly knocked the other guard into the wall, knocking him unconscious.

Quickly looking around their surroundings, they found they were near the edge of the Academy.  The setting sun could barely be seen behind a canopy of trees that were to their left.

Without any other consideration, Dylan and Rommie quickly ran for the forest, hoping to find some cover, leaving behind a group of academy students looking at them.

~~~~***~~~~

Trance was wrapping Jessea's with Beka looking on while Harper was trying to get information out of Kael.

"One reason I try not to use physical force," Kael mused, looking at the guard Harper had shot only minutes ago.

"What the Hell was that!?" Harper asked. "How the Hell did you do that?  You just…raised your hand and the ray just bounced in another direction?  I mean…" Kael raised his hand to stop him.

"I'm sorry Mr. Harper but I really don't have the time to explain right now."  He turned away from a baffled Harper to focus his attention on Jessea.

"I am so sorry about that Jessea," he said, while walking over to her. "I really didn't have the time to deflect it correctly.  I just should have stopped it."

"Don't worry about it," she replied, wincing in pain as Trance finished wrapping the wound.  "Better it hit my arm than you in the chest.  Thank you Trance," Jessea said smiling at her and getting herself to her feet.

"I'm glad I could be of some help, but, what happened?" Trance asked confused.  "I had closed my eyes and I missed everything."

"Kael deflected the shot and it came at me.  I wasn't quick enough to dodge it," Jessea said.

"Yeah, but how?" Harper asked again, trying to get into the conversation.

"Please Mr. Harper, not right now.  We need to find a safe place until we know that the Academy won't be sending any more troops out for you," Kael replied forcefully yet with some compassion.  "I'll try to answer any questions that you may have at that time, however, that doesn't mean that you'll understand them.  Miss Gemini, Miss Valentine, are you ready?"

"I suppose so…" Trance said vaguely.  "I'm still really confused."

"You're not the only one," Harper scoffed.

"So, shall we walk, or do you want to get us there a faster way Kael?" Jessea asked, raising an eyebrow.

"It's getting late," he replied, looking at the sky. "It'll be dark soon.  I suppose that I could just teleport us there," he said rather absent-mindedly.

"What?" Harper shouted.  "Teleportation?  This is getting freakier by the moment…"

"Yes Mr. Harper, teleportation," Kael replied with a smile.  "Now, if all you will please get in a circle and hold hands…"

"First," Beka interrupted, "where are you taking us?"

"We're going into the city," Jessea answered.  "It's unlikely that the Academy will send in a search squad to that location."

"Okay…" Beka said, as they formed the circle.

Kael closed his eyes and concentrated, attempting to fold time and space around the group.

"What's with the whole peace, love, prosperity thing?" Harper said casually about them all having to hold hands.

"Mr. Harper!" Kael snapped, opening his eyes and looking at Harper.  "Unless you would like us to end as a tangled mess of atoms when I'm done with this, I would suggest to be quite!" He closed his eyes again.

Harper began to say something but thought better of it; he didn't want to find out what would happen if something would go wrong.

As they stood there, the surroundings around them seem to ripple, then dissipate.

Trance, finding herself feeling sick, closed her eyes.  When she opened them again, she found that they were standing in a small room with some furniture scattered about it.

I miss everything, she thought to herself.