Did you like the last chapter? Did the end freak you out? TOO BAD! You
wanted them together, they're together, simple as that. In any case, this
chapter should be interesting. You already know where they're heading, of
course. I changed my mind about Egypt. We're going somewhere else instead.
I think you'll enjoy it.
Disclaimer: Why must you question me constantly?! Leave me alone!!!!
Scales woke up, finding Arik lying next to her, still asleep. "Well, that was the most incredible thing I've ever done." She murmured softly, not wanting to wake Arik up. She leaned over and gave him a kiss on the cheek. "You're the most wonderful man I've ever known." She got out of the nest carefully, moving silently so as not to disturb the male raptor. She headed to the bathroom and started up a bath. Back in the nest, a feather displaced from a pillow due to the night of rampant lovemaking drifted through the air, landing on Arik's face and tickling his nose. He sneezed and woke up, a bit dazed. "What happened? I vaguely recall something...oh right, I just experienced possibly the greatest moment of my life to date. Nothing big." He looked around the nest. "Where's Scales?" He crawled out of the nest, feeling strangely invigorated by what happened the night before. He heard running water, and went to the bathroom, accidentally walking in as Scales was taking her bath. He yelped and started to turn around. "No, don't go!" protested Scales. Arik hesitated. "Um, are you sure? I don't want to invade on your privacy." She snorted. "Privacy? We just had sex! Privacy in the bathroom is a thing of the past for both of us from now on! You can get in if you like, the water's nice." Arik still didn't turn around to face her. "I just don't think it's decent, that's all." Scales chuckled. "Decent, eh? You weren't acting very decent last night when you (censored) my (censored). Get in already!" Arik hesitated a moment longer, then gave in and jumped into the tub, splashing water all over the room and on Scales. "Hey! Is that any way to treat a lady?" "I expect it's the right way to treat this lady." Said Arik, pecking her on the cheek. "Got that right." She said, pulling him underwater. (Um, let's leave them alone for a little while.)
After they 'played' around a little in the tub, they headed downstairs for breakfast. As they were eating, Scales struck up an interesting question. "So when do we get married?" Arik blinked. "Scales, aren't you jumping the gun a little? We haven't even beaten Sauron yet, and I'm still a mortal!" Scales smiled. "I know that, but we're going to win, aren't we? I just wanted to know how far in the future we were going to do it. I don't want to have to wait too long, you know." Arik shook his head, smirking. "Tell you what, how about we wait until we actually get all seven Rubies before having this discussion, okay?" Scales sighed. "Okay." "Besides, I don't have a ring yet. Even my kind use the time-honored tradition of engagement with a ring." Arik added. "Well, maybe you'll see a good one in our next time period. Where are we going, anyway?" asked Scales. Arik finished his breakfast of Compsognathus. "Let's see." He pulled out the Master Ruby and gazed into its depths. The spinning Earth appeared, as usual. It stopped spinning, and zoomed in on the West Coast of North America. An X appeared very close to the edge and the numbers 2251 appeared. Arik looked surprised. "That's the exact year I found you in!" "So we're going back to the present?" asked Scales. "More than that, we're going to San Francisco! Why, we don't even need to go through the Time Stream for this, we just have to warp right from this spot!" said Arik. "Well, let's get going, I'm sure my family is worried about me." Said Scales. "Actually, we'll be arriving only a second after I picked you up, so it'll be like you never left home at all. Are you ready?" he asked. Scales got up and took his hand. "Ready." "In that case, Chronos Control!" They vanished in a flash of light.
They reappeared at the top of San Francisco's tallest building, right where they had left it. Scales let go of Arik's hand and took a few steps towards the edge, looking around in excitement. "Oh man, I don't believe it! I'm home! It feels like it's been a million years since I was last here!" "A little over sixty five million, to be precise." Quipped Arik. "Who cares about being precise, I'm home! God, I missed this place." She took in a deep breath of slightly polluted city air. "Oh yeah, it smells just the way I left it, nice and modern! So, where do we go now?" Arik shrugged. "Search me. You live here, any idea where the Ruby might be?" Scales scratched her head, thinking about it. "Well, I doubt it would be in a jewelry store, it's much too big to be sold as a decorative ornament. The best place I would guess it's in is a museum. The Museum of Natural History would be our best bet." "Well, let's go then!" said Arik. "I assume you'll be leading. This is your home, after all." "Yep. Come on, I'll warp us down to the street." Said Scales. "Can't you just warp us right to the museum?" asked Arik. "I've never actually been there, but I know it's around this city somewhere and has an exhibit on geology and gemstones. Besides, it'll give us a little time to relax and maybe see the sights of San Francisco." Said Scales. "Shouldn't we try and get the Ruby as soon as possible?" asked Arik. "I mean, what if Sauron gets there first?" Scales waved it off. "Don't worry about it. This is the twenty-third century. Sure, one supposedly extinct velociraptor walking down the streets could go unnoticed, but a whole bunch of them like Sauron and his gang appearing in one place? The police force'll arrest them. And those goons will have to deal with modern weaponry, which could probably make mincemeat out of even Sauron. And even if he does get the Ruby, it's his two to our six. We can just storm his hideout and get them back. We were going to have to do that anyway, weren't we?" "Well, yeah I guess." Arik relented. "I guess you know more about this place than I do. You lead the way." Scales grabbed Arik's hand. "Okay, here we go! Chaos Control!" In a flash, they warped down from the skyscraper to a back alley, startling a hobo. "Aaaaaiiiieeeee! Demons!" wailed the hobo, running out from his cardboard box and dashing out into the street, causing a large car pileup as he ran around, flailing his arms and ranting about how they were after his soul. Scales and Arik blinked. "Did that seem strangely familiar to you?" she asked. "I think so." He said. "Should we be worried about that man?" Scales shook her head. "Nah, he'll be fine. They'll just put him in a homeless shelter for a few weeks, then release him back into his native habitat here in the city streets until he causes another pileup." When Arik stared at her like she was crazy, she said, "That's the way nature works around here. Really." "If you say so." Said Arik dubiously. "Shall we get a move on?" "Yeah, sure. Just follow me." Said Scales, walking out of the alley. True to Scales' predictions, not many people noticed Arik as anything out of the ordinary. Many recognized her for what she was and gave a little wave, but that's about it. Arik had not been to many cities in this time period, and was a little surprised at how many people could be so oblivious to what was going on around them. After a few blocks, Arik thought of something. "Scales, do you know where you're going?" he asked. She stopped. "Well, not exactly." She admitted. "Then how do you know we're heading in the right direction?" demanded Arik. "I don't." she said. "Well, why don't we ask for directions like you did in Tenochtitlan?" he asked. "Because nobody will pay attention. A lot of the people in this time period are pretty rude. Hell, I've saved their butts a few times and many of them still won't give me the time of day!" Scales said. "Then how are we going to get to the museum?" asked Arik. "If we walk around long enough, we'll either find a map or by random chance stumble onto wherever it is. Until then, we just keep going." She said. "Well, isn't there some other way we can get there?" Arik asked. Scales thought a moment. "Well, we could take the metro." "Metro?" asked Arik, puzzled. "What's a metro?" "You'll see." She said, grinning. She led the way to a large staircase going into the ground. Scales went down the steps, followed by Arik. They went through a wide tunnel, bumping past other humans and anthropomorphs. They came out into a huge underground chamber. (Those of you who have ridden metros know what it's like, so there's no real need to describe it, is there?) As Arik looked around in awe, Scales went over to a ticket dispenser and map to figure out where they were going. After quickly determining the location of the museum on the map, the closest station to it, and the fastest route to get there, Scales fed the machine some cash and received a pair of fare cards. She walked back over to Arik and handed him one. "Here, follow my lead." She said. She went over to one of the large automated fair gates and waved the fare card over the machine's scanner eye. The metal barriers blocking the way through the gate opened, allowing passage. She went through, and they closed. A little unsure, Arik walked up to the gate and tried the same thing. The gates opened, and he went through. However, before he was completely through the gate thought he had passed and closed on his tail tip. "Ow!" he said. "Scales, I think my tail's caught! Get this thing to let me go!" Scales came over. "Okay, don't panic, I'll get you out of there." She looked over the machine, then pushed her claws into the crack between the metal doors and pried it open a tiny bit, just enough to free Arik. She quickly let go, allowing the gates to close completely. "There, all better?" Arik looked over his tail. "It's a little sore, but I'll be fine. Thanks, Scales." "No problem. Now come on, we don't want to miss our transport." She took Arik over to the escalator and started down. Arik had a bit of trouble fitting, since his tail kept making problems for people behind him. He also kept having trouble balancing himself, and almost fell. They got off the escalator before the raptor could do so, and headed over to the side of a track to wait for the next transport. As lights on the edges of the track started blinking, a hover-train roared out of the tunnel, coming to a stop and opening its numerous doors. People came out of the train, and other people, including our heroes, got on. Arik found the train a little too small for his liking. "I don't like being crowded with lots of people." He muttered. "Sorry, but this is the quickest way I could think of to get to the museum. We could have tried a taxi, but I think you'd have liked one of those even less than this thing." She reached up and grabbed a metal ring. "Okay, grab a ring and hang on until I tell you we're getting off. From there, just stick close to me." "Okay." He said. Even though he was holding onto a ring, Arik almost fell off his feet when the train lurched into motion, shooting down the tracks. The frequent stops also nearly caused the poor raptor to unbalance. He really wasn't used to this kind of transportation. After about a dozen sudden stops, Arik was starting to feel a little sick. Fortunately for him, the next stop was the last one. When the train stopped, Scales pulled a slightly green Arik from the train. "Are you okay?" she asked. "I don't think I like the metro." He said. She patted him on the back. "Ah, it's no big deal. I almost got sick on my first time in the ARK's monorail system. You get used to it." "If you say so." He said, starting to recover. "So where do we go now?" "I memorized the map at the station we started at, we're only a block or so away from the museum. Follow me." Scales headed towards the escalator. After Arik nearly caused some more turmoil on the escalator, they went towards another ticket gate. Scales flashed her fare card over the scanner, and the gate let her through. Remembering what happened last time, Arik swiped the card over the scanner then ran as fast as he could through the gate. To his bad fortune, it closed right over his tail tip, again. "Ow! Scales, it happened again!" he moaned. Scales frowned. "Again? Damn sensors." She walked over and pried the gate open, letting Arik out. "Let's hope it doesn't get caught again, I don't want any part of your handsome body hurt." She said. He blinked. "Uh, thank you. Shall we proceed?" She nodded. "Yeah, this way." She walked towards the tunnel leading out of the subway system. Arik ran after her. One walk up a staircase later, and they were back in the city streets. Scales briskly headed down the sidewalk, rounding the corner and crossing the street at the intersection. The next block was a large grass-covered area with a large cool-looking building on it, the museum. Arik caught up and looked at her questioningly. "Yeah, this is the place. Ready to go in?" "Okay. I hope we can find the Ruby here, I don't want to have to ride the metro again." He said. "And I don't want your tail getting crushed." She said. "I imagine I would be more unhappy than you would if my tail were crushed. Come on, let's go in." Arik started walking towards the museum entrance. As Scales followed, he went up the stairs and through the sliding doors. To his misfortune, the doors closed on his tail as he stepped off the motion-sensor pad. The doors opened an inch, then closed again. They opened, and closed again, opened, and closed again, (sort of like that episode of The Simpsons where Homer had to get two jobs to support Lisa's horse and barely got any sleep and fell asleep right in the doors of the Quick-E-Mart.) and repeated. He never had time to pull his tail out, the doors kept closing too quickly to pull through. "Scales, help!" wailed Arik. Scales stepped towards the door, activating the motion sensors and opening it fully. Arik slipped free and Scales entered without mishap. "Gee, it really isn't your day is it?" she asked, feeling sorry for her boyfriend. Arik pouted and looked at his tail, which was starting to show a little wear. "I fear my tip will never be the same again." He said sadly. "Don't worry, I'm sure it'll heal some day." She said reassuringly. "Come now, let's see if we can find what we're looking for." They headed for the front desk. Scales purchased two tickets and they went through a large archway into the museum proper. (Now, I've never been to San Francisco or the museum there, so I'm just making stuff up here, okay?) The grand hall that connected many of the exhibits was a three-story cylindrical chamber with a T-Rex skeleton standing in the center, looking haunting and fearsome. As Arik looked up admiringly at it, she jokingly asked, "Somebody you knew?" Arik frowned at her. "No, I believe this one was around after my time. I was just admiring it, you see. The Tyrannosaurus Rex, or Redeye as we Saurians call them, are the most formidable predators ever to walk this Earth. Only a few other creatures in my time period could stand up to the might of these awesome carnivores. Good thing the Predator's Code keeps the carnivorous Redeyes from eating anything but omnivores, less intelligent dinosaurs and bark. Why, omnivorous Redeyes were considered an even greater challenge than carnivorous ones! To slay an omnivorous Redeye is truly a feat of legend and a mark of a great warrior." "How many have done so?" Scales asked out of curiosity. "A very, very small amount. Only half a dozen or so. Slashfang was one of those, you know." Said Arik, pride in his voice. "I'm not surprised. He sounds sort of like a Saurian Hercules." Said Scales. "Yeah, he was an amazing raptor." He said. "Think you could take on one of these guys?" Scales asked. Arik looked at her in shock. "Scales, don't joke about something like that! I'm not half the hero my ancestor was, I could never take down a full- grown omnivore Redeye!" Scales rolled her eyes. "If you say so. But I think you're putting yourself down, lover. In my opinion, you could take on one of these things and win." "Yeah, right." Said Arik. "Can we get back to our Ruby hunt please?" "Okay. There should be a map around here somewhere." Said Scales. They looked around the large room, passing visitors and finding a map behind the T-Rex skeleton. "Now, where do we find the Ruby?" asked Arik. "Let me take a look." She perused the map. "The geology exhibit is on the third floor. We can get there quickly by taking the elevators over there." Arik looked at where Scales was pointing at as a large group of people squeezed into a waiting elevator. "No, I don't believe I could fit in there." "True. Let's take the stairs then." Amended Scales. She headed to the stairs through an arch in the wall and started up. A few flights later, they reached the top floor. Scales looked around and saw a doorway with a large rock embossed over it. "There it is! Come on!" They walked around the room and got to the doorway. They entered, and found themselves in the middle of a tour group listening to an incredibly boring guide talking about the composition of rocks. "...and so shale is made up of clay and wet stone. As for marble, it..." As the guide went on and on, Scales and Arik squeezed past the crowd of people, who were too bored from the guide's droning to pay any attention to their surroundings. After passing by several pretty crystalline formations and large rocks, they came to the jewelry section of the exhibit. "Okay, if the Ruby is anywhere it's in there." Said Scales, pointing to the door leading to the cut gemstones. "Then let's see if it's here!" Arik went through the door, finding himself in a medium-sized room surrounded with all sorts of gems in different colors and shapes. His senses immediately homed in on one large orange jewel in particular. "There it is! The Chronos Ruby!" said Arik, pointing to the orange diamond-shaped stone in a prominent case. "Let's get it!" "Um, I'm afraid we can't." said Scales. "Why not?" asked Arik. Scales started ticking off the reasons why on her claws. "One, there are security cameras mounted on the ceiling. Two, the cases are most likely rigged with alarms. Three, there are security guards everywhere who will catch us before we can get out of the museum. Four, it's illegal. Five-" "Okay, okay, enough! However, you're forgetting a few very important details." Said Arik. "Oh?" She asked. "Yes. One, we can freeze time so the cameras and alarms won't be able to alert the guards before we make our escape. Two, you can warp us out of the museum or I could time warp us out of this century to avoid the security guards. Three, this is a matter of universal importance, so we must break the law just this once." Said Arik. "Besides, stealing didn't seem to bother you when we were in Tenochtitlan." Scales frowned. "Huh, you're right. Well then, let's get the Ruby and get out of here! Chaos Control!" "Chronos Control!" he said at the same time. The time freeze went into effect. "Quickly, get the case open!" Scales looked all over the case. "There's no latch. Of course, there is a better way to open it." She smashed the glass case to pieces with her tail, then grabbed the Ruby from its setting. "Perfect!" "Hurry, get over here before the time freeze-" Arik started. The retro tint vanished and extremely loud alarms started blaring. "-Wears off." He finished lamely. Scales grabbed his arm. "Hold on! Chaos Control!" They warped away in a flash of light just as some heavily-armed security guards barged in, puzzled to find nobody to apprehend.
Our heroes reappeared on top of the tallest skyscraper in the city, where they had started. Scales hugged Arik. "We did it!" Arik grinned and hugged her back. "We have seven of the Rubies. We only need to get Sauron's, and we'll be together forever!" "I can't wait. Wow, that was a lot easier than our last several trips. I'm kind of surprised we didn't have to do anything difficult like riding a fragile flower through tunnels of thorns or battling a huge flame- throwing stone beast." Said Scales. "Or fighting a mutated skeleton or a giant gold thing with bug antenna." Added Arik. "I guess we deserved a rest after all those hard missions. Ready to go home for lunch?" "Am I!" said Scales eagerly. "And maybe we can have a little 'extra' celebration'." She added seductively. Arik licked his lips. "Sounds extraordinary to me. Shall we?" Scales took his arm. "Let's." "Chronos Control!" They vanished in a flash of light, moving over sixty-five million years into the past.
They reappeared in the hut. The first thing they noticed was that the place had been ransacked. The second thing they noticed was that they were surrounded by dozens of raptor and Massopondylus soldiers all pointing the sharp ends of spears only inches from their bodies. The third thing they noticed was Sauron lounging on the table, grinning evilly. "It's about time you two got back, we were getting bored." Said Sauron. "Give me the Chronos Rubies!"
TO BE CONTINUED...
Ha! How's THAT for a cliffhanger, huh? Bet you didn't see that coming! Scales: So what's going to happen to us now? Me: You'll see next chapter, I assure you. I won't bother with truly interviewing you right now, the hostages have been getting on my nerves and I'm in a bad mood. Scales: (Narrows eyes.) What hostages?
Me: (nervously) Uh...AMNESIA DUST! (Throws memory-erasing dust at Scales, making her forget the last few seconds.) Okay, let's see what our fans have for us today! Scales: Goody! By the way, aren't you supposed to be asking me questions? Me: I don't feel like it. Anyway, first we have some stuff from our newest fan, HobbesKnux. First of all, he's perfected his hologram projector for you. Here it is. (Hands it to her.) Scales: Great! I can't wait to use it properly. Me: Neither can I. He also sent two gift baskets with all of the stuff he sent before in it, one for you, one for Arik. He also sent over this strange disk that you're not supposed to crush. I can't imagine why. Scales: (Takes gift baskets and disk.) Well, I'm sure there's a reason. In any case, I bet Arik will love his gift basket. Me: More than he loves you? Scales: (Shocked.) Of course not! Me: (Muttering.) Damn, there goes one hope. (Out loud.) That's all our favorite Echidna-tiger (whatever the hell that is) sent us. Now for one of our oldest fans, Ultrafan X!
Scales: What did he send now?
Me: He and his Digimon Camomon have sent you two things. First, there's this incredibly huge diamond ring. (Takes out ring with diamond the size of a computer.) Scales: (Eyes it warily.) How am I supposed to wear something that big? Me: How should I know? Just break it down to smaller pieces or something, see if I care! Scales: Fine, I'll take the ring. (Takes it.) What else did they send? Me: Ultrafan also created a very special gift for you. (Takes out golden Chao egg.) This here is a one-of-a-kind gold Scales Chao. When it hatches, it will look like a chibi, adorable golden version of you. It will also be as strong and probably live as long as an immortal Chaos Chao. Scales: (Eyes widen.) Wow! Thanks Ultrafan and Camomon! (Takes egg.) Oh, but I already have Stripes, and he only has eyes for Nightshade. I know! I'll give her to Arik! Assuming it's a she, of course. I'm sure he'll love taking care of a Chao. Oh, and I actually read your latest review Ultrafan. I think it's cute that your Digimon wants a girlfriend. Why don't you make him one? I'm sure he'd appreciate the gesture. Me: Bah, love, Chao, Digimon, who needs them? Scales: (Gasps, probably along with all of the readers.) But Pi2, I thought you loved getting your characters into romantic situations, Chao, and Digimon! Me: (Suddenly realizes what he just said.) Er, Amnesia Dust! (Sprinkles dust everywhere to erase memories.) As I was saying, I quite agree with Scales. Give that mangy-I mean lovable dog of yours a girlfriend. (Thinking to self.) Woo, that was close. Better not make too many more slip-ups, this Amnesia Dust stuff isn't cheap. Don't want them finding out who I really am. (Out loud.) Well, that's all the time we have for today. See you next chapter! Scales: Bye everyone! Don't forget to review!
Scales woke up, finding Arik lying next to her, still asleep. "Well, that was the most incredible thing I've ever done." She murmured softly, not wanting to wake Arik up. She leaned over and gave him a kiss on the cheek. "You're the most wonderful man I've ever known." She got out of the nest carefully, moving silently so as not to disturb the male raptor. She headed to the bathroom and started up a bath. Back in the nest, a feather displaced from a pillow due to the night of rampant lovemaking drifted through the air, landing on Arik's face and tickling his nose. He sneezed and woke up, a bit dazed. "What happened? I vaguely recall something...oh right, I just experienced possibly the greatest moment of my life to date. Nothing big." He looked around the nest. "Where's Scales?" He crawled out of the nest, feeling strangely invigorated by what happened the night before. He heard running water, and went to the bathroom, accidentally walking in as Scales was taking her bath. He yelped and started to turn around. "No, don't go!" protested Scales. Arik hesitated. "Um, are you sure? I don't want to invade on your privacy." She snorted. "Privacy? We just had sex! Privacy in the bathroom is a thing of the past for both of us from now on! You can get in if you like, the water's nice." Arik still didn't turn around to face her. "I just don't think it's decent, that's all." Scales chuckled. "Decent, eh? You weren't acting very decent last night when you (censored) my (censored). Get in already!" Arik hesitated a moment longer, then gave in and jumped into the tub, splashing water all over the room and on Scales. "Hey! Is that any way to treat a lady?" "I expect it's the right way to treat this lady." Said Arik, pecking her on the cheek. "Got that right." She said, pulling him underwater. (Um, let's leave them alone for a little while.)
After they 'played' around a little in the tub, they headed downstairs for breakfast. As they were eating, Scales struck up an interesting question. "So when do we get married?" Arik blinked. "Scales, aren't you jumping the gun a little? We haven't even beaten Sauron yet, and I'm still a mortal!" Scales smiled. "I know that, but we're going to win, aren't we? I just wanted to know how far in the future we were going to do it. I don't want to have to wait too long, you know." Arik shook his head, smirking. "Tell you what, how about we wait until we actually get all seven Rubies before having this discussion, okay?" Scales sighed. "Okay." "Besides, I don't have a ring yet. Even my kind use the time-honored tradition of engagement with a ring." Arik added. "Well, maybe you'll see a good one in our next time period. Where are we going, anyway?" asked Scales. Arik finished his breakfast of Compsognathus. "Let's see." He pulled out the Master Ruby and gazed into its depths. The spinning Earth appeared, as usual. It stopped spinning, and zoomed in on the West Coast of North America. An X appeared very close to the edge and the numbers 2251 appeared. Arik looked surprised. "That's the exact year I found you in!" "So we're going back to the present?" asked Scales. "More than that, we're going to San Francisco! Why, we don't even need to go through the Time Stream for this, we just have to warp right from this spot!" said Arik. "Well, let's get going, I'm sure my family is worried about me." Said Scales. "Actually, we'll be arriving only a second after I picked you up, so it'll be like you never left home at all. Are you ready?" he asked. Scales got up and took his hand. "Ready." "In that case, Chronos Control!" They vanished in a flash of light.
They reappeared at the top of San Francisco's tallest building, right where they had left it. Scales let go of Arik's hand and took a few steps towards the edge, looking around in excitement. "Oh man, I don't believe it! I'm home! It feels like it's been a million years since I was last here!" "A little over sixty five million, to be precise." Quipped Arik. "Who cares about being precise, I'm home! God, I missed this place." She took in a deep breath of slightly polluted city air. "Oh yeah, it smells just the way I left it, nice and modern! So, where do we go now?" Arik shrugged. "Search me. You live here, any idea where the Ruby might be?" Scales scratched her head, thinking about it. "Well, I doubt it would be in a jewelry store, it's much too big to be sold as a decorative ornament. The best place I would guess it's in is a museum. The Museum of Natural History would be our best bet." "Well, let's go then!" said Arik. "I assume you'll be leading. This is your home, after all." "Yep. Come on, I'll warp us down to the street." Said Scales. "Can't you just warp us right to the museum?" asked Arik. "I've never actually been there, but I know it's around this city somewhere and has an exhibit on geology and gemstones. Besides, it'll give us a little time to relax and maybe see the sights of San Francisco." Said Scales. "Shouldn't we try and get the Ruby as soon as possible?" asked Arik. "I mean, what if Sauron gets there first?" Scales waved it off. "Don't worry about it. This is the twenty-third century. Sure, one supposedly extinct velociraptor walking down the streets could go unnoticed, but a whole bunch of them like Sauron and his gang appearing in one place? The police force'll arrest them. And those goons will have to deal with modern weaponry, which could probably make mincemeat out of even Sauron. And even if he does get the Ruby, it's his two to our six. We can just storm his hideout and get them back. We were going to have to do that anyway, weren't we?" "Well, yeah I guess." Arik relented. "I guess you know more about this place than I do. You lead the way." Scales grabbed Arik's hand. "Okay, here we go! Chaos Control!" In a flash, they warped down from the skyscraper to a back alley, startling a hobo. "Aaaaaiiiieeeee! Demons!" wailed the hobo, running out from his cardboard box and dashing out into the street, causing a large car pileup as he ran around, flailing his arms and ranting about how they were after his soul. Scales and Arik blinked. "Did that seem strangely familiar to you?" she asked. "I think so." He said. "Should we be worried about that man?" Scales shook her head. "Nah, he'll be fine. They'll just put him in a homeless shelter for a few weeks, then release him back into his native habitat here in the city streets until he causes another pileup." When Arik stared at her like she was crazy, she said, "That's the way nature works around here. Really." "If you say so." Said Arik dubiously. "Shall we get a move on?" "Yeah, sure. Just follow me." Said Scales, walking out of the alley. True to Scales' predictions, not many people noticed Arik as anything out of the ordinary. Many recognized her for what she was and gave a little wave, but that's about it. Arik had not been to many cities in this time period, and was a little surprised at how many people could be so oblivious to what was going on around them. After a few blocks, Arik thought of something. "Scales, do you know where you're going?" he asked. She stopped. "Well, not exactly." She admitted. "Then how do you know we're heading in the right direction?" demanded Arik. "I don't." she said. "Well, why don't we ask for directions like you did in Tenochtitlan?" he asked. "Because nobody will pay attention. A lot of the people in this time period are pretty rude. Hell, I've saved their butts a few times and many of them still won't give me the time of day!" Scales said. "Then how are we going to get to the museum?" asked Arik. "If we walk around long enough, we'll either find a map or by random chance stumble onto wherever it is. Until then, we just keep going." She said. "Well, isn't there some other way we can get there?" Arik asked. Scales thought a moment. "Well, we could take the metro." "Metro?" asked Arik, puzzled. "What's a metro?" "You'll see." She said, grinning. She led the way to a large staircase going into the ground. Scales went down the steps, followed by Arik. They went through a wide tunnel, bumping past other humans and anthropomorphs. They came out into a huge underground chamber. (Those of you who have ridden metros know what it's like, so there's no real need to describe it, is there?) As Arik looked around in awe, Scales went over to a ticket dispenser and map to figure out where they were going. After quickly determining the location of the museum on the map, the closest station to it, and the fastest route to get there, Scales fed the machine some cash and received a pair of fare cards. She walked back over to Arik and handed him one. "Here, follow my lead." She said. She went over to one of the large automated fair gates and waved the fare card over the machine's scanner eye. The metal barriers blocking the way through the gate opened, allowing passage. She went through, and they closed. A little unsure, Arik walked up to the gate and tried the same thing. The gates opened, and he went through. However, before he was completely through the gate thought he had passed and closed on his tail tip. "Ow!" he said. "Scales, I think my tail's caught! Get this thing to let me go!" Scales came over. "Okay, don't panic, I'll get you out of there." She looked over the machine, then pushed her claws into the crack between the metal doors and pried it open a tiny bit, just enough to free Arik. She quickly let go, allowing the gates to close completely. "There, all better?" Arik looked over his tail. "It's a little sore, but I'll be fine. Thanks, Scales." "No problem. Now come on, we don't want to miss our transport." She took Arik over to the escalator and started down. Arik had a bit of trouble fitting, since his tail kept making problems for people behind him. He also kept having trouble balancing himself, and almost fell. They got off the escalator before the raptor could do so, and headed over to the side of a track to wait for the next transport. As lights on the edges of the track started blinking, a hover-train roared out of the tunnel, coming to a stop and opening its numerous doors. People came out of the train, and other people, including our heroes, got on. Arik found the train a little too small for his liking. "I don't like being crowded with lots of people." He muttered. "Sorry, but this is the quickest way I could think of to get to the museum. We could have tried a taxi, but I think you'd have liked one of those even less than this thing." She reached up and grabbed a metal ring. "Okay, grab a ring and hang on until I tell you we're getting off. From there, just stick close to me." "Okay." He said. Even though he was holding onto a ring, Arik almost fell off his feet when the train lurched into motion, shooting down the tracks. The frequent stops also nearly caused the poor raptor to unbalance. He really wasn't used to this kind of transportation. After about a dozen sudden stops, Arik was starting to feel a little sick. Fortunately for him, the next stop was the last one. When the train stopped, Scales pulled a slightly green Arik from the train. "Are you okay?" she asked. "I don't think I like the metro." He said. She patted him on the back. "Ah, it's no big deal. I almost got sick on my first time in the ARK's monorail system. You get used to it." "If you say so." He said, starting to recover. "So where do we go now?" "I memorized the map at the station we started at, we're only a block or so away from the museum. Follow me." Scales headed towards the escalator. After Arik nearly caused some more turmoil on the escalator, they went towards another ticket gate. Scales flashed her fare card over the scanner, and the gate let her through. Remembering what happened last time, Arik swiped the card over the scanner then ran as fast as he could through the gate. To his bad fortune, it closed right over his tail tip, again. "Ow! Scales, it happened again!" he moaned. Scales frowned. "Again? Damn sensors." She walked over and pried the gate open, letting Arik out. "Let's hope it doesn't get caught again, I don't want any part of your handsome body hurt." She said. He blinked. "Uh, thank you. Shall we proceed?" She nodded. "Yeah, this way." She walked towards the tunnel leading out of the subway system. Arik ran after her. One walk up a staircase later, and they were back in the city streets. Scales briskly headed down the sidewalk, rounding the corner and crossing the street at the intersection. The next block was a large grass-covered area with a large cool-looking building on it, the museum. Arik caught up and looked at her questioningly. "Yeah, this is the place. Ready to go in?" "Okay. I hope we can find the Ruby here, I don't want to have to ride the metro again." He said. "And I don't want your tail getting crushed." She said. "I imagine I would be more unhappy than you would if my tail were crushed. Come on, let's go in." Arik started walking towards the museum entrance. As Scales followed, he went up the stairs and through the sliding doors. To his misfortune, the doors closed on his tail as he stepped off the motion-sensor pad. The doors opened an inch, then closed again. They opened, and closed again, opened, and closed again, (sort of like that episode of The Simpsons where Homer had to get two jobs to support Lisa's horse and barely got any sleep and fell asleep right in the doors of the Quick-E-Mart.) and repeated. He never had time to pull his tail out, the doors kept closing too quickly to pull through. "Scales, help!" wailed Arik. Scales stepped towards the door, activating the motion sensors and opening it fully. Arik slipped free and Scales entered without mishap. "Gee, it really isn't your day is it?" she asked, feeling sorry for her boyfriend. Arik pouted and looked at his tail, which was starting to show a little wear. "I fear my tip will never be the same again." He said sadly. "Don't worry, I'm sure it'll heal some day." She said reassuringly. "Come now, let's see if we can find what we're looking for." They headed for the front desk. Scales purchased two tickets and they went through a large archway into the museum proper. (Now, I've never been to San Francisco or the museum there, so I'm just making stuff up here, okay?) The grand hall that connected many of the exhibits was a three-story cylindrical chamber with a T-Rex skeleton standing in the center, looking haunting and fearsome. As Arik looked up admiringly at it, she jokingly asked, "Somebody you knew?" Arik frowned at her. "No, I believe this one was around after my time. I was just admiring it, you see. The Tyrannosaurus Rex, or Redeye as we Saurians call them, are the most formidable predators ever to walk this Earth. Only a few other creatures in my time period could stand up to the might of these awesome carnivores. Good thing the Predator's Code keeps the carnivorous Redeyes from eating anything but omnivores, less intelligent dinosaurs and bark. Why, omnivorous Redeyes were considered an even greater challenge than carnivorous ones! To slay an omnivorous Redeye is truly a feat of legend and a mark of a great warrior." "How many have done so?" Scales asked out of curiosity. "A very, very small amount. Only half a dozen or so. Slashfang was one of those, you know." Said Arik, pride in his voice. "I'm not surprised. He sounds sort of like a Saurian Hercules." Said Scales. "Yeah, he was an amazing raptor." He said. "Think you could take on one of these guys?" Scales asked. Arik looked at her in shock. "Scales, don't joke about something like that! I'm not half the hero my ancestor was, I could never take down a full- grown omnivore Redeye!" Scales rolled her eyes. "If you say so. But I think you're putting yourself down, lover. In my opinion, you could take on one of these things and win." "Yeah, right." Said Arik. "Can we get back to our Ruby hunt please?" "Okay. There should be a map around here somewhere." Said Scales. They looked around the large room, passing visitors and finding a map behind the T-Rex skeleton. "Now, where do we find the Ruby?" asked Arik. "Let me take a look." She perused the map. "The geology exhibit is on the third floor. We can get there quickly by taking the elevators over there." Arik looked at where Scales was pointing at as a large group of people squeezed into a waiting elevator. "No, I don't believe I could fit in there." "True. Let's take the stairs then." Amended Scales. She headed to the stairs through an arch in the wall and started up. A few flights later, they reached the top floor. Scales looked around and saw a doorway with a large rock embossed over it. "There it is! Come on!" They walked around the room and got to the doorway. They entered, and found themselves in the middle of a tour group listening to an incredibly boring guide talking about the composition of rocks. "...and so shale is made up of clay and wet stone. As for marble, it..." As the guide went on and on, Scales and Arik squeezed past the crowd of people, who were too bored from the guide's droning to pay any attention to their surroundings. After passing by several pretty crystalline formations and large rocks, they came to the jewelry section of the exhibit. "Okay, if the Ruby is anywhere it's in there." Said Scales, pointing to the door leading to the cut gemstones. "Then let's see if it's here!" Arik went through the door, finding himself in a medium-sized room surrounded with all sorts of gems in different colors and shapes. His senses immediately homed in on one large orange jewel in particular. "There it is! The Chronos Ruby!" said Arik, pointing to the orange diamond-shaped stone in a prominent case. "Let's get it!" "Um, I'm afraid we can't." said Scales. "Why not?" asked Arik. Scales started ticking off the reasons why on her claws. "One, there are security cameras mounted on the ceiling. Two, the cases are most likely rigged with alarms. Three, there are security guards everywhere who will catch us before we can get out of the museum. Four, it's illegal. Five-" "Okay, okay, enough! However, you're forgetting a few very important details." Said Arik. "Oh?" She asked. "Yes. One, we can freeze time so the cameras and alarms won't be able to alert the guards before we make our escape. Two, you can warp us out of the museum or I could time warp us out of this century to avoid the security guards. Three, this is a matter of universal importance, so we must break the law just this once." Said Arik. "Besides, stealing didn't seem to bother you when we were in Tenochtitlan." Scales frowned. "Huh, you're right. Well then, let's get the Ruby and get out of here! Chaos Control!" "Chronos Control!" he said at the same time. The time freeze went into effect. "Quickly, get the case open!" Scales looked all over the case. "There's no latch. Of course, there is a better way to open it." She smashed the glass case to pieces with her tail, then grabbed the Ruby from its setting. "Perfect!" "Hurry, get over here before the time freeze-" Arik started. The retro tint vanished and extremely loud alarms started blaring. "-Wears off." He finished lamely. Scales grabbed his arm. "Hold on! Chaos Control!" They warped away in a flash of light just as some heavily-armed security guards barged in, puzzled to find nobody to apprehend.
Our heroes reappeared on top of the tallest skyscraper in the city, where they had started. Scales hugged Arik. "We did it!" Arik grinned and hugged her back. "We have seven of the Rubies. We only need to get Sauron's, and we'll be together forever!" "I can't wait. Wow, that was a lot easier than our last several trips. I'm kind of surprised we didn't have to do anything difficult like riding a fragile flower through tunnels of thorns or battling a huge flame- throwing stone beast." Said Scales. "Or fighting a mutated skeleton or a giant gold thing with bug antenna." Added Arik. "I guess we deserved a rest after all those hard missions. Ready to go home for lunch?" "Am I!" said Scales eagerly. "And maybe we can have a little 'extra' celebration'." She added seductively. Arik licked his lips. "Sounds extraordinary to me. Shall we?" Scales took his arm. "Let's." "Chronos Control!" They vanished in a flash of light, moving over sixty-five million years into the past.
They reappeared in the hut. The first thing they noticed was that the place had been ransacked. The second thing they noticed was that they were surrounded by dozens of raptor and Massopondylus soldiers all pointing the sharp ends of spears only inches from their bodies. The third thing they noticed was Sauron lounging on the table, grinning evilly. "It's about time you two got back, we were getting bored." Said Sauron. "Give me the Chronos Rubies!"
TO BE CONTINUED...
Ha! How's THAT for a cliffhanger, huh? Bet you didn't see that coming! Scales: So what's going to happen to us now? Me: You'll see next chapter, I assure you. I won't bother with truly interviewing you right now, the hostages have been getting on my nerves and I'm in a bad mood. Scales: (Narrows eyes.) What hostages?
Me: (nervously) Uh...AMNESIA DUST! (Throws memory-erasing dust at Scales, making her forget the last few seconds.) Okay, let's see what our fans have for us today! Scales: Goody! By the way, aren't you supposed to be asking me questions? Me: I don't feel like it. Anyway, first we have some stuff from our newest fan, HobbesKnux. First of all, he's perfected his hologram projector for you. Here it is. (Hands it to her.) Scales: Great! I can't wait to use it properly. Me: Neither can I. He also sent two gift baskets with all of the stuff he sent before in it, one for you, one for Arik. He also sent over this strange disk that you're not supposed to crush. I can't imagine why. Scales: (Takes gift baskets and disk.) Well, I'm sure there's a reason. In any case, I bet Arik will love his gift basket. Me: More than he loves you? Scales: (Shocked.) Of course not! Me: (Muttering.) Damn, there goes one hope. (Out loud.) That's all our favorite Echidna-tiger (whatever the hell that is) sent us. Now for one of our oldest fans, Ultrafan X!
Scales: What did he send now?
Me: He and his Digimon Camomon have sent you two things. First, there's this incredibly huge diamond ring. (Takes out ring with diamond the size of a computer.) Scales: (Eyes it warily.) How am I supposed to wear something that big? Me: How should I know? Just break it down to smaller pieces or something, see if I care! Scales: Fine, I'll take the ring. (Takes it.) What else did they send? Me: Ultrafan also created a very special gift for you. (Takes out golden Chao egg.) This here is a one-of-a-kind gold Scales Chao. When it hatches, it will look like a chibi, adorable golden version of you. It will also be as strong and probably live as long as an immortal Chaos Chao. Scales: (Eyes widen.) Wow! Thanks Ultrafan and Camomon! (Takes egg.) Oh, but I already have Stripes, and he only has eyes for Nightshade. I know! I'll give her to Arik! Assuming it's a she, of course. I'm sure he'll love taking care of a Chao. Oh, and I actually read your latest review Ultrafan. I think it's cute that your Digimon wants a girlfriend. Why don't you make him one? I'm sure he'd appreciate the gesture. Me: Bah, love, Chao, Digimon, who needs them? Scales: (Gasps, probably along with all of the readers.) But Pi2, I thought you loved getting your characters into romantic situations, Chao, and Digimon! Me: (Suddenly realizes what he just said.) Er, Amnesia Dust! (Sprinkles dust everywhere to erase memories.) As I was saying, I quite agree with Scales. Give that mangy-I mean lovable dog of yours a girlfriend. (Thinking to self.) Woo, that was close. Better not make too many more slip-ups, this Amnesia Dust stuff isn't cheap. Don't want them finding out who I really am. (Out loud.) Well, that's all the time we have for today. See you next chapter! Scales: Bye everyone! Don't forget to review!