Chapter 5
Delta's Group- 1:00 am
Gigi was seated in the backseat, quite oblivious to the grumbling and exasperated sighing action going on up front. She had insisted upon wearing her 'costume', and bringing her entire Legolas bookmark collection. For the last half an hour, she had been talking excitedly about the precise origin of each one. "You're supposed to be looking," grumbled Delta. "Would you like to get out and walk?" Luke nodded enthusiastically, and slowed the hummer. Gigi shrugged. "Anything to see my pretty one home safely," she breathed. "Yeah, well, we're stopping to eat anyway. Well, unless you want to come with me. Into the woods. To see if there's any trails, and stuff." A devious plan was forming in Delta's mind. Take her deeeeeeep into the wooooooods, and leave her there. Duh. Why hadn't she thought of that before? "Sure!" said Gigi, taking the bait as they always do. "Okay, Luke, pull over in the darkest place you can find. I won't need the flashlight." Luke seemed to have caught on, for he slid the hummer up on the shoulder and grinned evilly. "Everybody out."
Athena- Just Athena
"Vega? Vega, do you copy?" Athena was radioing Vega, just to make sure no one had been saccharine fried or sucked dry or shot by a hunter. "Yeah, I'm here. Would you stop calling, me please? This is the second time in five minutes." "Yeah, well, I dropped Amidala off at the place where everyone else is staying, so I'm solo now." "Yay. Oh, by the way, how much Budweiser does it take to get an elf drunk? I mean, like, severely drunk." "WHAT?! Budweiser? Beer?" "Yeah, I figured. Hey, George, you got any of that tequila left?" Athena sighed and continued to drive up and down the long stretch of abandoned road.
VEGA, with Tequila
"What is it, boy?" Vega and her team were following the beagle, stopping every once in a while to set out drugged cookies, shotglasses of tequila, and sample packets of Herbal Esscenses laced with tranquilizers that would trigger when inhaled. A team of two hunters followed the path of bait, an hour behind, to keep furry woodland creatures away and to make sure the traps were set correctly. And also to call in case one of them actually worked. The hunters with Vega had been following for fifteen minutes when Snoopy the beagle gave a loud, baying wail. Vega quickly ran to see what had excited him. They were close to Frank's post, and a white scrap of paper was on the ground. It was identical to the last one, except the words were in a foreign tongue. "I need a translator!" All the hunters looked at her blankly. "Can anyone here read this?" The scrap of paper was passed around, and heads shook. Where were those blasted fangirls when you needed them? Vega transferred the paper to its own plastic baggie and began to think.
Delta, 1:15 They had been traipsing through the woods for ten minutes. It was very dark, and luckily Delta had her trusty penlight and pocketknife to lead the way. Without letting Gigi see, she carved tiny gouges in the trees that only she would notice, so as to help her find her way back. "Oh, isn't it lovely?" said Gigi, looking quite floaty and rather frightening, her white dress billowing when not being stepped on. "Yep," Delta grinned. They were far enough into the woods now. "Look! Over there!" She pointed and tapped Gigi frantically on the shoulder. "Where?" Gigi whirled around, and Delta deftly snapped off the light, pretending it had gone out. "Damn! Go catch him, Gigi! It won't matter whether we have the light! He's right there! Go, Gigi!" Gigi took off blindly like a shot, into darkness. Delta could hear her crashing and occasionally running into trees, like a maniac chicken with its head cut off. Delta, smug as a cat with cream, flicked the light back on and started back, her footsteps silent on the carpet of fallen leaves. But somewhere she took a wrong turn, and ended up next to an unfamiliar tree and an unfamiliar brook and an unfamiliar honeysuckle vine twined around an unfamiliar birch. "Oh, no." She had stupidly forgotten the walkie- talkie. There was nothing left to do, her hours of studying for the Hunter's Safety Course burned in her skull, telling her to NOT MOVE WHEN LOST IN WOODS. She sighed again, and pulled on the hood of her cloak. She sank down under the honeysuckle vine, and waited. The aroma of the honeysuckle was very strong and perfumy, and she found herself getting drowsier..and drowsier.aaaaaaand.aaannn.aaaa.
Vega
An unnatural shriek rang through the forest. Harold sprinted up to Vega, orange cap flapping. "Max's been taken!" "Taken?" "Yeah! Taken! Oh, God help us." Harold motioned with his arm, apparently wanting Vega to follow. She did, and Harold led her to the back of the troop, where a few stragglers were huddled around a motionless body, presumably Max. Vega shouted at them, "Go back with the group! Stay together! Don't let anyone fall behind!" The hunters scurried to catch up. Vega and Harold knelt over the body, lying prone in the leaves. She flipped him over and checked his pulse. It was so slow.but he would live. She noticed a pinkish spot on his neck, where two small holes had been pierced. "Is Max a diabetic?" "Well, yeah, but he has his insulin and stuff in his pack." "Get him to a hospital. Here's the phone, call 911. His blood sugar's dangerously high." Harold dialed and spoke into the phone, and then hung up. "They're on their way. What.what was it that got him?" "Chibiusa. She injected him with her sugary venom. If you hadn't scared her off, she would have turned him into a wad of cotton candy." Harold paled. Vega was quite serious.
Gigi
"Delta? Deeeellllltaaaaaaa?" Gigi was panicked. She had run aimlessly around like a moron, only to lose herself in the dark. You idiot, she reprimanded herself, always got your head in the clouds. Going off and leaving Delta alone like that.and she hadn't even caught her lovely. Now Delta was probably being gored by some goblins or whatever it was that lived in these woods.and the monster, the Chibiusa that she had overheard the girl on the walkie-talkie talking about.it was out here too. Gigi hugged the nearest tree and began to cry.
Athena, 1:30
"WHAAAAAT?!" Athena was back on the radio, conversing with Vega yet again. "I told you. Luke says Gigi and Delta are missing, and Chibiusa's attacked someone. Nearly put the guy into a coma." Athena's blood ran cold. "Do you want me to come and help?" "No, someone has to patrol the roads. Stay where you are, we're fine. Just don't go out in the woods unless you have to. Tell Luke. Over and out." Athena sighed, as exasperated sighs tend to be a recurring theme, and replied, "Over and out."
Delta
When Delta awoke, she had no clue where she was, and her neck was killing her. Crouched under the honeysuckle, she was invisible to any passersby, and Gigi had actually crossed her but missed her and was wandering around. But Delta didn't know this. She kept her eyes closed for awhile after she awoke, trying to put things in order. The smell of honeysuckle had diminished, or perhaps she had gotten used to it. It was replaced with a different smell, that of burning wood and lilacs. And rain. Rain was in the air. There was the faint crackling sound of a fire.or was it the rain? Something soft brushed her cheek, and Delta closed her eyes tight, and tried not to scream. Timidly she opened them, and again had to resist the urge to scream. Because, right in front of her brown eyes, there was a pair of very blue eyes. Very unfamiliar blue eyes.
Delta's Group- 1:00 am
Gigi was seated in the backseat, quite oblivious to the grumbling and exasperated sighing action going on up front. She had insisted upon wearing her 'costume', and bringing her entire Legolas bookmark collection. For the last half an hour, she had been talking excitedly about the precise origin of each one. "You're supposed to be looking," grumbled Delta. "Would you like to get out and walk?" Luke nodded enthusiastically, and slowed the hummer. Gigi shrugged. "Anything to see my pretty one home safely," she breathed. "Yeah, well, we're stopping to eat anyway. Well, unless you want to come with me. Into the woods. To see if there's any trails, and stuff." A devious plan was forming in Delta's mind. Take her deeeeeeep into the wooooooods, and leave her there. Duh. Why hadn't she thought of that before? "Sure!" said Gigi, taking the bait as they always do. "Okay, Luke, pull over in the darkest place you can find. I won't need the flashlight." Luke seemed to have caught on, for he slid the hummer up on the shoulder and grinned evilly. "Everybody out."
Athena- Just Athena
"Vega? Vega, do you copy?" Athena was radioing Vega, just to make sure no one had been saccharine fried or sucked dry or shot by a hunter. "Yeah, I'm here. Would you stop calling, me please? This is the second time in five minutes." "Yeah, well, I dropped Amidala off at the place where everyone else is staying, so I'm solo now." "Yay. Oh, by the way, how much Budweiser does it take to get an elf drunk? I mean, like, severely drunk." "WHAT?! Budweiser? Beer?" "Yeah, I figured. Hey, George, you got any of that tequila left?" Athena sighed and continued to drive up and down the long stretch of abandoned road.
VEGA, with Tequila
"What is it, boy?" Vega and her team were following the beagle, stopping every once in a while to set out drugged cookies, shotglasses of tequila, and sample packets of Herbal Esscenses laced with tranquilizers that would trigger when inhaled. A team of two hunters followed the path of bait, an hour behind, to keep furry woodland creatures away and to make sure the traps were set correctly. And also to call in case one of them actually worked. The hunters with Vega had been following for fifteen minutes when Snoopy the beagle gave a loud, baying wail. Vega quickly ran to see what had excited him. They were close to Frank's post, and a white scrap of paper was on the ground. It was identical to the last one, except the words were in a foreign tongue. "I need a translator!" All the hunters looked at her blankly. "Can anyone here read this?" The scrap of paper was passed around, and heads shook. Where were those blasted fangirls when you needed them? Vega transferred the paper to its own plastic baggie and began to think.
Delta, 1:15 They had been traipsing through the woods for ten minutes. It was very dark, and luckily Delta had her trusty penlight and pocketknife to lead the way. Without letting Gigi see, she carved tiny gouges in the trees that only she would notice, so as to help her find her way back. "Oh, isn't it lovely?" said Gigi, looking quite floaty and rather frightening, her white dress billowing when not being stepped on. "Yep," Delta grinned. They were far enough into the woods now. "Look! Over there!" She pointed and tapped Gigi frantically on the shoulder. "Where?" Gigi whirled around, and Delta deftly snapped off the light, pretending it had gone out. "Damn! Go catch him, Gigi! It won't matter whether we have the light! He's right there! Go, Gigi!" Gigi took off blindly like a shot, into darkness. Delta could hear her crashing and occasionally running into trees, like a maniac chicken with its head cut off. Delta, smug as a cat with cream, flicked the light back on and started back, her footsteps silent on the carpet of fallen leaves. But somewhere she took a wrong turn, and ended up next to an unfamiliar tree and an unfamiliar brook and an unfamiliar honeysuckle vine twined around an unfamiliar birch. "Oh, no." She had stupidly forgotten the walkie- talkie. There was nothing left to do, her hours of studying for the Hunter's Safety Course burned in her skull, telling her to NOT MOVE WHEN LOST IN WOODS. She sighed again, and pulled on the hood of her cloak. She sank down under the honeysuckle vine, and waited. The aroma of the honeysuckle was very strong and perfumy, and she found herself getting drowsier..and drowsier.aaaaaaand.aaannn.aaaa.
Vega
An unnatural shriek rang through the forest. Harold sprinted up to Vega, orange cap flapping. "Max's been taken!" "Taken?" "Yeah! Taken! Oh, God help us." Harold motioned with his arm, apparently wanting Vega to follow. She did, and Harold led her to the back of the troop, where a few stragglers were huddled around a motionless body, presumably Max. Vega shouted at them, "Go back with the group! Stay together! Don't let anyone fall behind!" The hunters scurried to catch up. Vega and Harold knelt over the body, lying prone in the leaves. She flipped him over and checked his pulse. It was so slow.but he would live. She noticed a pinkish spot on his neck, where two small holes had been pierced. "Is Max a diabetic?" "Well, yeah, but he has his insulin and stuff in his pack." "Get him to a hospital. Here's the phone, call 911. His blood sugar's dangerously high." Harold dialed and spoke into the phone, and then hung up. "They're on their way. What.what was it that got him?" "Chibiusa. She injected him with her sugary venom. If you hadn't scared her off, she would have turned him into a wad of cotton candy." Harold paled. Vega was quite serious.
Gigi
"Delta? Deeeellllltaaaaaaa?" Gigi was panicked. She had run aimlessly around like a moron, only to lose herself in the dark. You idiot, she reprimanded herself, always got your head in the clouds. Going off and leaving Delta alone like that.and she hadn't even caught her lovely. Now Delta was probably being gored by some goblins or whatever it was that lived in these woods.and the monster, the Chibiusa that she had overheard the girl on the walkie-talkie talking about.it was out here too. Gigi hugged the nearest tree and began to cry.
Athena, 1:30
"WHAAAAAT?!" Athena was back on the radio, conversing with Vega yet again. "I told you. Luke says Gigi and Delta are missing, and Chibiusa's attacked someone. Nearly put the guy into a coma." Athena's blood ran cold. "Do you want me to come and help?" "No, someone has to patrol the roads. Stay where you are, we're fine. Just don't go out in the woods unless you have to. Tell Luke. Over and out." Athena sighed, as exasperated sighs tend to be a recurring theme, and replied, "Over and out."
Delta
When Delta awoke, she had no clue where she was, and her neck was killing her. Crouched under the honeysuckle, she was invisible to any passersby, and Gigi had actually crossed her but missed her and was wandering around. But Delta didn't know this. She kept her eyes closed for awhile after she awoke, trying to put things in order. The smell of honeysuckle had diminished, or perhaps she had gotten used to it. It was replaced with a different smell, that of burning wood and lilacs. And rain. Rain was in the air. There was the faint crackling sound of a fire.or was it the rain? Something soft brushed her cheek, and Delta closed her eyes tight, and tried not to scream. Timidly she opened them, and again had to resist the urge to scream. Because, right in front of her brown eyes, there was a pair of very blue eyes. Very unfamiliar blue eyes.