Shadow Raiders - Episode 3.3:

HIDE AND SEEK

By: Elektra

BEAST PLANET

Lamprey knelt before Voyd, "I will find the planet cluster! I will then hand feed all the planets to the BEAST! Tell it that. I will not let it down like Blokk did!"

Voyd said nothing, and disappeared.

Lamprey stood up and looked at the star map on the screen in front of her, "I will find them!" she began, "I only need to home in on one person! The one that I can still sense in my mind! The one that enters my dreams and haunt my nightmares. Tekla! You will die with your alliance friends!" Lamprey sat down on the seat in front of the console and set about her task.

She concentrated and reached out with her mind.

***

PLANET ICE

Tekla quickly looked up from her work, "Hello?" she called out to the empty room. No answer. She expected none, but could not ignore the strange sensation that she was not alone. "Perhaps I need to recharge..." she said.

"Energy levels normal," Vox replied.

"Thank you, Vox..." Tekla answered, then furrowed her brow, "But why do I still have this strange feeling that I am not alone?!" She shook her head, and turned back to the mess of wires and metal on the table before her.

"Tekla..."

Tekla jumped up, "Who is there?!" she called out. Silence. She put a hand to her head, "Vox! Full diagnostic!"

Vox beeped for a few moments, "Energy levels normal. Temperature normal. Strength normal---"

"Is there anything NOT normal?!" Tekla interrupted.

"All Princess Tekla's systems functioning within normal parameters." Vox answered.

"I'm starting to wonder about my mental capacity..." Tekla muttered.

"Mental capacity normal..."

"Thank you, Vox! You can stop now." Tekla shook her head, "I need a break..." and with that, she walked out.

***

PLANET ROCK

"Hello, Jade. How are you?" Tekla asked the ruler of Planet Rock. She had decided to pay a visit to the not-so-busy ruler.

"All is fine here..." Jade replied, then sighed.

"You sound distressed, Jade. What is wrong? The Planet cluster is at peace!" Tekla answered.

"Yes. Peace." Jade shook her head, "It is boring..."

"Surely you would not wish war again!" Tekla began.

"NO! I am glad our planets are at peace... but as ruler of Planet Rock, there is really not much else to do except pass new by-laws about things I have no interest in."

Tekla let out a small laugh, "Understandable. If you wish, I can tell you about the new device I'm building..." Tekla began.

"I have no interest in that either..." Jade replied.

"Sorry... I---" Tekla stopped, and turned around. She looked behind her... then turned back to Jade, confused.

"Tekla? What's wrong?"

"I don't know. I just felt that someone was..." she shook her head, "Perhaps I DO need to recharge...."

"Princess Tekla's energy levels normal..." Vox reminded her.

Tekla shook her head, "They may be Vox, but... I am not feeling well..."

"Princess Tekla's systems functioning within normal parameters," Vox repeated.

"I don't CARE! I AM NOT WELL!" Tekla snapped, and was shocked to find herself losing her temper at Vox.

Jade looked at Tekla, "Perhaps you SHOULD rest. You're acting strange..."

"Forgive me, Jade...!" Tekla looked at Jade's uniform, "Or should I say LADY Jade."

Jade furrowed her brow, "Since when do you address me by my full rank?"

Tekla shook her head, "I don't know... I just..." she stopped, "I must go. Good bye..." and with that, Tekla left.

***

BEAST PLANET

"Lady Jade!" Lamprey began, "Where are you, Lady Jade? Where are you, so I can lead the Beast to you!" Lamprey smiled, "Soon you will feel the wrath of the Beast. It was a good trick the alliance played on us with the Prison Planet... but it was all for naught! That planet is part of us now! The Beast enjoyed devouring it!"

Lamprey scanned a few different star systems, "Now, Alliance... come out come out wherever you are...!"

***

PLANET ICE

Tekla made herself comfortable on the couch in the Ice Palace lounge. She closed her eyes and rested. She still felt another presence.

"Hey, babe! Mind if I join ya?" a voice began.

Tekla threw her eyes open, and saw Femur, "What are you doing here, Femur?" she asked.

Femur shrugged, "It's an open room, toots. If you wanted to be alone, why didn't you go to your quarters.

"Why aren't you on Planet Bone?" she asked.

"Because... Sternum is there..." Femur began, and shivered.

"You're afraid of your own brother?" Tekla asked.

"Hey! You never know! He could kill me at a moment's notice!" Then he frowned, "And I'm sure Pelvus would help him!" He looked at Tekla, "You look stressed, babe. Wanna tell me the story?" he asked. Tekla sat up, and Femur quickly made himself comfortable beside her, "Go on, I'm listening..." he said, and smiled.

Tekla sighed, and explained, "Lately, I have been feeling that someone is watching me..."

Femur raised his eyebrows, "You got a loose wire somewhere, toots?" he asked.

"No, Femur. I do not!" She shook her head, "Never mind. I will go to my quarters and rest there..."

***

Tekla made herself comfortable in her stasis pod, and closed eyes. She let her mind wander. It wandered far out into space. Stars began to take form. She was floating. She felt herself being pulled farther and farther away.

Tekla saw the Planet Cluster before her from the outer regions of space. She looked at the stars and constellations.

"Tekla..." A voice whispered. She spun towards the voice in her dream, and came face to face with her worst enemy.

Tekla bolted upright in her stasis pod, "LAMPREY!"

***

BEAST PLANET

Lamprey's eyes opened, and she smiled. Her eyes focused on the star map in front of her... at a specific section of space. Lamprey smiled, "Thank you, Tekla! The Beast will be there soon!!"

***

PLANET ICE

Tekla ran to King Cryos's throne room, "Gather everyone together!! It's coming!"

Cryos looked at her, confused, "Coming? Who is coming!?"

"The BEAST planet! It's coming!"

"Calm down, Tekla! The Beast planet is gone!" Cryos explained.

"No it's not! They found us! LAMPREY found us!"

"How could Lamprey find us?!" Cryos asked.

"Through ME! We are still connected! She found me... and found the Alliance!"

"The Beast Planet was teleported away by the Prison Planet! Who knows where they are now!"

Tekla went up to him, "Don't you understand? They found us!! They're on their way!! King Cryos, you MUST listen to me!!"

"Calm, Princess. I will gather the others. We will discuss the matter,"

***

"And you say she entered your mind? You saw her?" Graveheart asked.

"Yes... and now Lamprey knows where we are. Soon the Beast will come!" Tekla answered.

"Quick! We have to gather our forces!" Graveheart commanded.

"Wait... Tekla... do you know WHEN it is coming?" Cryos asked.

"No. I don't know how far away they are!"

"Is there a way you can find out? If Lamprey could find OUR location, surely you can find HERS!"

"I will try, Cryos. But I must be at rest to do so..." With that, Tekla left the room and headed to her quarters.

***

Tekla closed her eyes, and thought of Lamprey. Again, she felt as if she were floating. "Where are you, Lamprey?" Tekla saw the stars and constellations from the outer regions of space. There, in the middle of a star cluster, stood the Beast Planet.

Lamprey... I found you...

***

BEAST PLANET

Lamprey opened her eyes quickly, "Tekla!! NO!" She stood up. "She found us! She knows where we are!" She collapsed to her knees, "The Beast will punish me for this!"

***

PLANET ICE

"I know where they are!" Tekla said as she came upon the rest of the alliance. "At their current speed, the Beast will arrive in 3 months."

"Is there any way to stop it?" Jade asked. "Throw it off course?"

Tekla shook her head, "It knows where we are. Even if we bring the world engines online at maximum speed, we would not be able to out run it,"

"Then... it is inevitable. We will meet up the Beast once more..." Cryos began, "But this time, we will be ready for it! We will no longer be food to a hungry predator! It is time to end it, once and for all!"

EPISODE FOUR

Go back to the fanfic page