Words between ~ ~ are telepathic thoughts. Don't look
at me like that, we've got a psychic pokemon in the gang! It's not my fault
I tell you!
SMACK! "Ugh! I hate mosquitoes!!"
"They're not bothering me."
Duncan looked at her curiously. "Why not?"
"It's an Elven thing," she grinned as she pushed a few low hanging vines aside and ducked under a branch.
He grumbled and immediately tripped over a tree root. It simply amazed him that while he was fighting his way through the dense bushes and vines and who-knew-what, she was strolling ahead of him like she was walking through a park. "I hate how you do that."
"Do what?"
"Move through the jungle like that. You haven't tripped once. Look at me! I'm scratched, hot, the bugs are eating me alive, and I've tripped at least nine times in the past ten minutes!"
"Eleven times actually," she smirked. "And you seem to forget that I'm an Elf. The forests are my home."
"You could at least stop snickering at your guests then."
"Sorry. Here." She walked back to him and helped him through the tangle of vines he had gotten himself in, weaving a Healing spell on him as she did so. "That should help a little. And stay close to me, you'll escape the bugs that way."
"Uh....thanks."
"No prob. It beats having to listen to you bitch for another half hour," she smiled as she pulled him along. "Besides, we have to get under thick cover before Optimus sees us."
"He's here? Where? Damn, I wish I had my katana...."
"I can hear the engine on that hoverboard of his. And yeah, I could use a weapon or two. Hell, I'd settle for a baseball bat."
He shivered. He had seen what she had done to the fridge. Immortal or no, he'd be insane to invoke that kind of rage from her. "So. What's the plan?"
"Plan? I'm supposed to have a plan?"
"Pretend."
She sighed and rolled her eyes. "Find the Pred base, sneak in, get Telca's clone--"
"Whoa! Telca has a clone?!"
"Shh! Not so loud with the screaming!" Lashana hissed, smacking him upside the head for good measure before quickly outlining what she, Mewtwo and Kenshin had discovered. "That's why we're here. To rescue her clone."
"In the name of all that's Holy....why?!!" he cried. "We have enough trouble with one Telca. You think we can survive two of them?!"
She shrugged. "Mewtwo guilt-tripped me into this. Blame him. I just want to get this done and go home!" She paused and looked down at her watch, paling. "Shit! Blacky must be going nuts! I was supposed to go watch a movie with him five hours ago!"
"He'll be fine. Knowing him he probably fell asleep on the couch again," Duncan offered, trying to calm her down.
"No. He was waiting for me.... dammit! If only Zel hadn't--" she paused in mid-step and looked back the way they had come, frowning for a moment before grabbing Duncan's arm and leaping into a huge tree.
"What-?"
"Shh! Someone's coming," she whispered as she pulled him up onto a thick branch next to her, both of them crouching as they stared down at the ground below. All those times of trying to avoid Xellos must be paying off. I heard Dinobot coming before he even saw us, and he's the one of the best trackers I know. Other than Malcho that is.
Duncan tapped her arm lightly and pointed to the raptor that emerged from the ferns, seeing Lashana nod before a sphere of light appeared in her right hand. "What are you going to do?"
She grinned and placed her left index finger over her lips, signaling for him to be quiet as she looked down at the Maximal below. Once he had passed the tree they were hiding in, she silently dropped down to the ground and crept around the tree before launching the spell. This ought to be good....
A soft chuckle escaped her as the sphere sped forward to circle the startled Dinobot a few times before bouncing off his head and returning to hover over her outstretched left palm. When she looked up, she was greeted with the sight of a rather pissed raptor, and she couldn't help but snicker at the sight. "You make too much noise."
"You dare to--"
"Save it," she sighed, a quick gesture obliterating the light sphere. "I don't care. Why are you stalking us?"
"Lashana!!"
CRACK!
She yelped and lept backwards, barely avoiding Duncan as he fell out of the tree and slammed face first into the ground. "Oy.... Duncan? You okay?"
He rose his head and spat out a fern leaf. "What do you think?"
"That it's a miracle you've survived this long," Dinobot rumbled, elicting a snicker from the Elf.
"Yeah I know. He makes more noise than you do," she muttered as she rose a hand to rub at her aching temple.
"Optimus wants to speak with you."
She groaned. "Look. I already told you why I'm here. What more do you want from me?"
The beast-moded raptor shook his head. "The jungle's edge is just ahead. He's going to meet us there."
She growled under her breath and hauled Duncan to his feet, waiting until the immortal had finished brushing dirt off of himself before heading for the supposed clearing.
"You're not going to kill them, are you?" Duncan murmured to her, trying not to be overheard by the following Maximal.
"I'll try to warn you before I start throwing fireballs," she grumbled irritably, slowing so he'd be able to keep pace with her as they walked through some dense underbrush. "I just want to find the others and go home. That's not supposed to be a difficult thing to do!"
"It could be worse," he offered, drawing her curious gaze. "Xellos could be with us."
A shudder went through her at the thought. "Point." She paused as the jungle tapered off into sparse vegetation and looked around warily before leaving the safety of the shadowed trees. "If I remember correctly, the Pred base is thatta way. You up for a flight, Duncan? Or would you rather I just knock you senseless and carry you there unconscious?"
"I think I've been spending too much time being unconscious during this little fiasco," he grumbled, glaring at the ground for a moment before sighing. "Alright."
"Kewl! RAYWING!!" She grabbed his arm and lifted him into the air with her, looking at Dinobot apologetically. "We don't have time to waste. If you and Optimus still insist on talking to me then y'all can pile onto that hoverboard of his and fly with us. Otherwise...." she shrugged and flew higher, "we gotta go. Smack Rattrap around a few times for me!"
"Who's 'Rattrap'?" Duncan asked as she headed for what seemed to be a barren lava filled wasteland.
"Think of him as a male version of Telca. Always a pain in the neck and proud of it."
Duncan shuddered.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Zelgadis sighed heavily and rubbed at his tired eyes. He wanted so much to sleep. But there was something he was forgetting....what was it? If I had a cup of coffee I'd be able to remember. Dammit.... what's so important that it's keeping me awake? He sighed again and shrugged. Whatever it is can't be too important if I can't remember it.
"Why hello up there! Are you new here?"
He blinked at the cheerful voice and moved closer to the bars of his cage, blinking many more times as he stared at the female form on the platform across from him. Why does she look so familiar?
"Would you like some muffins? I made them myself!" the woman was saying.
Zelgadis frowned and peered at her. She was definately human... or at least humanoid. Her burgundy hair was done up in curls that looked like Shirley Temple's worst nightmare, and the smile on her face was just too sugar-sweet for words. Add to that the pink and white maid's outfit she was wearing and Zelgadis was developing a twitch from just looking at her.
But it was what she said next that jogged his memory into full panic, reminding him of something Lashana had said when they had been fighting over the talisman, making him shriek in horror and retreat to the far corner of his cage.
"By the way! I'm Telcatwo!"
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"Was that Zel?" Duncan frowned as he tilted his head back to look up at Lashana curiously.
"Dunno. I've never heard anyone shriek like that. Sounds like a canary being shoved into a rusty meat grinder."
"That's sick."
"Cope," the Elf muttered as she slowed to hover in the air, looking around at the desolate surroundings. "Ick. Martha Stewart would have a heart-attack at the sight of this dump."
"You say that like it's a bad thing," Duncan snickered. A low whine made him twist around in her grasp to look over at the oncoming Maximal. "We've got company."
"No shit!" she yelled as she banked sharply, a blaster shot managing to graze her left shoulder before she twisted in mid-air, narrowly avoiding dozens of others. "Try to roll when you land!"
"WHAT?!?!" He never got a chance to object as she dove downwards until she was a few feet from the ground, releasing him as she flew upwards again. The impact drove the breath from his lungs, and he felt something in his arm snap before his brain overrided his body's desire to panic, making him turn his dangerous cartwheel into a controlled roll that sent him up onto his feet. Thank the Gods for karate lessons....
Lashana threw herself sideways to avoid another shot and cursed when the ribbon holding her hair in place snapped, momentarily blinding her with her own hair. A glimpse through the curtain of white showed her the perfect landing spot, and she hasitly dove to land on top of a tall stalactite, automaticly raising a shield around herself as she looked for the source of the attacks.
"Are you insane?! Get down from there!"
She blinked and looked down at a familiar raptor, watching as he transformed into a tall warrior robot. "Where are they?"
"Didn't you hear me?! Get down!"
Fine! Don't listen to me! An impact on her shield made her glance towards an outcropping of rock almost thirty meters ahead, and she couldn't quite stop a crazed grin from spreading over her lips. Finally! "Duncan!! Fire in the hole!!"
Not waiting for a reply, she lowered her shield and rose her hands, dimly aware that a battle aura had flared up around her as a newly born breath of wind lifted her hair off her shoulders. "Darkness beyond twilight! Crimson beyond blood that flows, buried in the flow of time! In thy great name I pledge myself to darkness! Let all the fools who stand before us be destroyed by the power you and I possess!! DRAGON SLAVE!!!!!!"
It was ten minutes before the debris and dust settled enough for her to be able to see the ground at the base of the spire she was perched on, and she smirked at the sight of a gaping Dinobot. Grinning manicly, she casually wove her flight spell and floated down to land next to him, stretching contentedly once she was on firm ground. "Ahhh! Man that felt good!"
He turned from his catatonic staring of the large crater in front of them and looked at her in shock. "By the Pit....how did you--?"
"You just had to do it, didn't you?" Duncan laughed as he approached them unknowingly cutting Dinobot off. "No minor spells for you, no way, you have to use one of the most powerful ones and obliterate most of the landscape!"
"Of course! It's my calling card!" she beamed happily. "That and it's a great stress reliever!"
"You could have just knocked them out with a sleep spell."
"Awww. But where's the fun in that?!"
Duncan chuckled at her pouting whine and shook his head. "You're insane."
"Why do people keep saying that like it's a bad thing?" she frowned, crossing her arms over her chest as she leaned back against a boulder and glared over at Duncan.
"Because it is. Or at least it's supposed to be."
"Hmpft." She looked away from the immortal and gazed over at the decimated looking ship nearby. "Well.... I suppose we should go see if we can rescue the clone..."
"Do we have to?" Duncan asked with a shiver. "Isn't one of Telca enough?"
Lashana shrugged and reached out to smack Dinobot's left arm. "Close your mouth. Yer catchin flies." Ignoring the stunned look he gave her, she retied her hair and scrambled up onto the top of a large rock. "Okay.... You wanna stay here Duncan or are you coming with?"
"I'll take my chances with the twitching robot," the immortal said quickly. "You fly like a maniac."
Why, oh why, do people keep saying that like it's a bad thing?! She sighed and wove her flight spell, smiling as she lept into the air. "Suit yourself, Duncan. I'll be back soon. Oh, and someone wanna go pry Optimus out from under that rock? I think he got too close to the blast zone."
Dinobot blinked and followed her pointing finger over to where a single leg could be seen spasming from it's half-buried position under a boulder, staring at the sight for a moment before growling. "Slag."