All right, now to have some fun with those four! And Troden makes yet
another appearance. This chapter is devoted to nothing but comedy and a
touch of romance, but mostly hilarity. After all, the past few events have
been far too somber, don't you think? Well, even if you don't think that
this'll a bit of comic relief from the rest of the last 7 chapters. Here it
is. Affinity or Abhorrence?
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- "Scythe!" Troden called, trotting after the much bigger zoid, who stopped and waited for him. The shrunken Shadow Fox slowed down eventually, panting; though as a zoid, he didn't need oxygen. The liger standing over him rolled her eyes and continued on through the park. The fox let out a yelp and followed after her into the meadows, where she finally stopped.
"Slow poke. You need to stop raiding Audrena's cookie dough stores." The German shepherd sized zoid looked horrified. Raw cookie dough was one of Audrena's favorite foods, and eternal damnation would be handed out to anyone who was caught stealing it.
"Don't turn me in! I don't want to become a scrap pile!"
"Fine then. I won't." She muttered, looking a little shifty-eyed. Troden didn't notice.
"So, did you hear anything new about the 'Relationship'?" Troden prodded, hoping for some fresh and juicy rumors. Even Scythe, the base's queen of gossip, was getting irritated.
"Troden, you've been asking me that very same question everyday for the last sixth months. So far, I haven't heard anything." The little black zoid chuckled darkly, eyes glinting strangely. He switched on his hologram, the human projection grinning sagely up at Scythe with dark purple eyes, flaming red hair framing his face. It was the newest fad. Ever since Audrena had come out with those tiny holographic projectors, every zoid in the base had to have one, to become more human, and each zoid's hologram was different, each a human-looking extension reflecting their personalities. Even Nitric had been installed with one, even though he hadn't been too creative with his projection. The dinosaur-like zoid had basically copied Kyle Obscura's features and changed the hair color and eye color. He looked quiet odd with navy blue hair and midnight blue eyes, but Scythe thought it was pretty cute.
"Oh really, you haven't heard what I have then." Scythe's hologram immediately appeared, looking shocked. It looks almost exactly like Mara, except for the constant mischievous smile and laughing green eyes, a darker shade then Mara's used to be.
"Really?! Whatwhatwhatwhatwhatwhat?!" Scythe sputtered, jumping around in her agitation. Troden raised a flaming red eyebrow.
"You've got the new reproductive equipment, didn't you." Scythe stopped jumping around and stared at him suspiciously.
"How'd you know?"
"It causes a personality change for a while." It was in one ear and out the other for Scythe. She wasn't listening anyway.
"I haven't really noticed." Troden sighed, his hologram disappearing. Scythe kept hers out, to the whistling and numerous compliments of various other Ligers that were wandering about. It's not like Scythe's hologram was exceptionally attractive; it's just that there were a very small amount of 'female' zoids that had had the new equipment installed and flaunted their holograms along with it. Almost every zoid that called themselves 'male' had lined up single file in a line that stretched to the 80th floor of the base the minute Audrena had made the announcement about it. Nitric thought it was part of the package deal with the hologram. He had no idea what he was getting into.
Both Troden and Scythe looked up as Nitric went dashing by, screaming for help at the top of his lungs as he went. The biggest group of Genosaurs Troden had ever seen was pursuing the poor Nitric Fury at top speed, their holograms before them as Nitric ran into the woods that rimmed the whole park and town square, his own hologram looking terrified out his mind. Troden and Scythe viewed this procession with bored expressions, watching for a moment before turning back to their conversations.
"So what's the new rumor? Huh?" Scythe withdrew her hologram, much to every male's disappointment. She ignored it as Troden gave her a mischievous smile.
"Well, I heard this from an old friend who heard from another friend, who heard it from his girlfriend-"
"Get to the point!"
"I heard Audrena's going to be demolishing Kyle's bedroom, and there's only one other bedroom in the whole base . . ."
"You mean . . ." Scythe's eyes widened and she grinned wildly. "No way!" Troden grinned as well and nodded prankishly.
"That's what I heard!"
" . . . That can't be true! I know for a fact that Audrena wouldn't touch the guy with a ten foot pole, much less sleep with him!"
"That was 5 months ago. They've gotten 'more in-tune' with each other. Just the other day, I caught them having a food fight." Scythe cocked her head to the side, confused and skeptical.
"Why on earth were they having a food fight?"
"Kyle started it. He followed her down to the kitchens, picked up a handful of mashed potatoes and flung it at her. It went on for about an hour; quite entertaining in my point a view. They ended up chasing each other through the base, throwing Jell-O at one other."
"But that's just good natured fun!"
Troden smiled quirkily, twirling an invisible mustache.
"Not while the looooooooooooove doctor is in!"
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Oblivious to Scythe and Troden's little plan; Audrena was sitting in a tree, high up in the branches, looking out at everything. Even after half a year she couldn't quite get why Kyle even cared about her. She had considered the lusting factor, but cancelled that out quickly. After all, he had never tried to approach her like that. Another thing was the money that this place had, but he never asked her for funds or anything. Or perhaps the sheer amount of zoids here, since there was quite a few. But he seemed very happy with his Nitric Fury, and was very grateful to her about all the upgrades she had installed . . .
The sound of a mob below her shook her from her thoughts. Glancing down, she blinked, watching a massive herd of female Genosaurs go tearing through the underbrush, screeching for some 'Lover-Boy' to come back to them. It was only after she heard whimpering below her that she looked down. There was Nitric's hologram and his mechanical body sitting on the same branch, looking shaken and horrified in the same moment. Audrena didn't even feel the branch sway, so large and thick was the redwood bough (yeah, no fertilizer needed either! Take that Scott's Turf Builder! *Blinks* Err . . . -_-' Don't mind me. Just keep reading.).
"Ah, so it was you they were after!" Audrena called, smiling impishly with a wicked glint in her brown eyes. Nitric glanced over and went wide- eyed, guessing her intentions.
"No! Audrena, please don't! Being the quarry in a boy-toy hunt isn't exactly fun you know!" He hissed, not wanting to attract attention to himself. His pursuers were still out there. Audrena's smile changed to an evil sneer.
"OH GIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIRLS! OVER HERE!" Nitric's midnight blue eyes were as big as dinner plates.
"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" He screeched, turning to leave, but the mob was already under the branch, squealing and jumping for him. The only problem was that the branch he was sitting on was about 20 feet over the head of any of the swarming Genosaurs. Nitric blinked, then grinned, eyeing Audrena with a grateful look.
"I knew this branch was way over their heads from the start, that's why I called them here, so you can taunt them." Nitric blinked.
" . . . I knew that." He said, then glanced back down at the bunch, grinning corruptly. The zoid then started the biggest mocking session since the old earth celebrity roasts. After about 5 minutes, the group became disgusted with the taunting and plodded off, going off to bug and chase another unlucky male. Audrena raised an eyebrow at him playfully.
"You know, I think you and that big green one would make a nice couple." The human burst out laughing at the death glare she got from Nitric. He eventually relaxed and settled back, his eyes twinkling like he knew a secret.
"Bertha? The barkeeper's adopted daughter? Not for me, thank you." He settled back against the trunk with a superior grin and a very fake yawn. "Besides, I've got my eye on an absolutely charming little Liger . . ." He stopped for a moment, thinking a bit. "Ok, she isn't little, because she's almost as big as I am, but still!" He resumed his high-up attitude, smirking at Audrena, who was giving him the most suspicious look he had ever seen.
"Tell me, who is this lucky zoid that's won your fancy?" She said, her voice too sickly sweet. It set off an alarm bell in Nitric's mind, but he continued boldly on anyway.
"You should know her. She's your Liger." Fireworks exploded in Audrena's eyes and the glare she gave the fury almost scared him.
"If you weren't a hologram, I would strange you . . ." She hissed sinisterly. Nitric gulped.
Ok, so maybe dating the base founder's zoid was a bad idea.
He sighed, waiting for the storm. He shut his eyes tightly and leaned away, hunching his shoulders against the expected gale of words. He waited for a while, but none came. Opening an eye cautiously, he then saw why none had come. Audrena was sitting two inches from him, glaring at him with so much venom that he felt as though he had been bitten by cobras and feeling the after effects of the poisons. It was amazing how much she looked like a Saber fang, with her teeth gritted like that.
"Eh-heh," He grinned sheepishly, seriously scared even if he was a zoid. "You have thoroughly excellent teeth."
"DATING MY LIGER ARE YOU?!?" She roared, making the poor hologram cringe. So NOW the hurricane had arrived.
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Blinking, Kyle looked upwards, as did every zoid in the bar floor at that moment, hearing someone being yelled at. The chewing-out session could be heard clearly almost 20 floors down, and every hologram in the place sweatdropped, feeling intense pity for the one on the receiving end. Kyle shook his head, finishing off his glass of Blush. It was pretty good, even after maybe 3000 years. The stuff had been hanging around in its unopened bottle since 1930's on Earth, and it was pretty tart because of it.
"Hey barkeep!" He called, grinning slightly and tossing the empty glass at the hologram's head. 'This'll give the old coot a heads-up.' He though, smirking mischievously with the rims of his eyes gleaming blue as the hologram turned around to see the glass hurtling toward his head. He let out a cry and ducked, but then paused at he didn't see any breaking glass. Looking up, he saw the suspended wine tumbler hanging over his head, and he gave Kyle a very rude look as the other holograms roared in laughter at him.
Barkeep's hologram was of a balding man in his fifties, with snowy white hair and beard, a pot-belly, and strange pink eyes, just the kind of man you'd expect to tend the base's pub. His zoid form was an elephander, but he rarely showed it, preferring his hologram. He used it occasionally; to throw overly stoned zoids who didn't know what 'last call' meant, but otherwise he kept his body out of sight. He was a trickster of a zoid, and would frequently 'spice' drinks with various things. Sometimes catsup, sometimes old engine oil, but usually with human pheromones, which usually drove a human's love-drive depending on how much you added, but made zoids completely insane. So he'd have fun watching various zoids run around with sticks of chewing gum in their nostrils, or hop on one foot around the room and sing the old British national anthem, or attempt to climb the walls like a squirrel with glass jugs in their mouths for nuts.
He had been delighted when Kyle Obscura entered in on the scene, because now he could test his pheromone 'potion'. The only problem was that he had to wait until Audrena and Kyle was far enough into a relationship to properly be able to experiment on specific amounts. Thankfully, he was a patient zoid, and could wait a while. For now, he'd settle with adding old kitchen grease.
"Testing yourself again, Obscura?" He said gruffly, cleaning out the glass with a rag. With special permission from Audrena, he had gained a shield projector with his hologram so that he could clean and keep bar properly. Kyle grinned arrogantly.
"Yep, I've been getting really good with my mental abilities. I've gotten to the point where I can lock in on specific parts of the brain and stimulate or numb them." Barkeep eyed him dryly. He didn't get a word of that.
"Come again?" He drawled crudely. Kyle thought for a while, but the one he first came up with wasn't very appropriate, so he chose to select another part of the brain. He concentrated on not the hologram but the mechanical mind behind it, taking gentle hold over it, his hands radiating a sort of electric blue radiance with concentration.
"Well, it's basically taking control of another person's actions and reactions. Let's say I took over your speech centers. If I numb them," He waved his hand in a sort of sweeping motion, and Barkeep's mouth instantly closed. The other members of the congregation, a Raynos, a Zabat, a Redler, and a Helcat, started sniggering at their server. Kyle grinned widely, thoroughly enjoying this. "You shut up. And if I stimulate them," Kyle's hand made another sweeping motion, this time in the other direction. Barkeep's mouth immediately opened and he began babbling incoherantly without stop. "You never stop verbalizing. Get it?"
"Babadeemoostafu."
"Good!" Kyle raised his right hand and made a fist slowly, releasing the mind he had had control over very gradually as not to cause damage. Barkeep stopped babbling, then whipped the spittle from his face with an embarrassed grin.
"Ah. My old brain understands now."
"You're not old."
"I was one of the prototypes thank you!"
"Alright prototype, you win." He settled back down again, now looking somber and depressed. "Barkeep, give me the strongest stuff you've got behind the counter."
Instant dead silence. No one in this whole time the 20th floor had been in operation had anyone asked for the best they had. All of them shook their heads and went back to their drinks, thinking that Kyle, their biggest hope in taming the wrathful Audrena, had given up on the immense challenge. Kyle blinked, noticing the grave silence of his company, but decided to ignore it. Barkeep stared him as though he was suicidal.
"Are you sure? One shot of this and you'll be having the worst hangover this side of Zi!"
"Then make it a double." Everyone expect Kyle face-vaulted. Now everyone was looking at him as though he was crazy.
"You must be really depressed to ask for the 99 proof." The Helcat purred sympathetically. "You're going to be so drunk you're going to forget your own name." Everyone else nodded in unison. The record for zoid or human was 10 double shots, and that was when Audrena went on a binge because her father had died. They ended up having to treat her in the base's health unit for alcohol poisoning. Barkeep remembered that, and times must be really bad to call for something that strong.
"Yeah," Kyle replied as barkeep poured him the double, staring at him like he was insane. "I just need to be drunk enough not to feel any pain when Audrena kills me when I ask her what I'm about to ask her."
Every zoid in the place winced simultaneously.
"What're you going to ask her that will cause you to drink like this?" The Raynos piped up; looking concerned at his drinking buddy.
"Well, I was going to ask her to-"
"Take you hand?" Someone asked to his left.
"No." Kyle shook his head.
"Marry you?" Another person screeched from the back.
"No way!" He looked quite indignant and thoroughly embarrassed.
"Sleep with you?" Someone suggested from the corner, then he or she hiccuped. Kyle went so red that he looked like a 6-foot grape.
"No!" He shuddered, frightened out of his mind of what would happen if he actually asked Audrena that. "Yeeeesh . . ."
"So what is it?!" Kyle suddenly realized that every zoid in the barroom had circled around him, waiting on his every word.
"Ask her down here for a drink, that's all! And maybe ask her out, but I doubt it. I'd probably get whacked with a armor plate." He sank down to the bar counter, looking miserable. "She'd rather hit me with a two-by-four then speak to me."
"That's why I'm here!" An annoying teen voice from the stool to his left quipped. Troden sat straight up with an impish grin on his zoidian face. He hadn't cared to put up his hologram. Kyle eyed him warily.
"Who do you think you are? An enamoring counselor?" Kyle droned sarcastically, reaching for the glass. Troden was too quick for him. Taking the glass beaker, the zoid downed it in two gulps, oblivious to the wide- eyed stares he was getting from everyone. The shadow fox blinked, looking around at the sudden maniac grins. It was only in the silence did he notice that his internal gears were starting to rumble. Kyle blinked, cocking his head to the side, looking around at everyone. They were all starting intently at the miniaturized zoid, as though waiting for something. The fox's metallic throat suddenly expanded, and Barkeep let out a squeak.
"HIT THE DIRT!" He screeched, hitting the floor along with every other hologram. Kyle blinked, confused.
"But why do we need to-" He was cut off when Troden made a sort of rolling motion with his body and collapsed on the bar counter, letting off a massive belch. That wasn't all he let escape either. Along with the methane came a massive burst of flame, curling up in a mushroom cloud of fire before evaporating. In the process, he had baked the counter top in front of him to a crispy sheen. Everyone got up cautiously after about 5 minutes, peeking out at the scene. Troden gave a weak cough, black and grey ash spewing from his metal snout to land in a small pile in front of him.
" . . . . . . .Ouch . . . . . . ."
"Erm . . . no one told you to drink that, you know." Kyle said in a matter- of-factly voice, poking Troden with a finger. The Shadow Fox eventually snapped out of it, part of his nose slightly melted.
"Remind me never to do that again. Anyway, yes, I am a counselor. And I can help you with this little problem you have!"
"Heh, I don't have any problems." Kyle stated, trying to act rigid. Troden saw right through it.
"Yes you do. I heard the whole conversation." The human glanced at him, irritated. He let out a sigh.
"Fine then." He conceded. "Do your worst. Tell me, what can I do."
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Audrena had long before chewed Nitric out. She had made a very clear point that if he so much as annoyed Scythe in anyway at all, she would literally and personally neuter him. Needless to say, Nitric was much alarmed, and ran off the branch, knocking himself out when he started running in circles and crashed head-first into a tree trunk in his terror of losing his manhood. She quickly left the tree after that, heading towards a park bench, grumbling incoherantly.
She sat down heavily, flopping onto the bench and looking up into the now star-speckled holo-sky. Audrena blinked, surprised.
"Jeez, I've been spouting off for hours? Good god . . . he had better have learned his lesson." The pilot stared up into the starry night sky overhead, naming the various constellations aloft. The whole Town Square was deserted of zoids; the only noise that disturbed the quiet was the sound of the fountain in the center of the circle of benches, much like the one she and Kyle had talked in, only the fountain was much higher and far more elaborate.
'Virgo, Draco, Libra, Hercules . . . wait a second, where's the rest of them?!'
She commended this to the hologram projector controlling the sky hanging over her head. Must be malfunctioning. Even the temperature had dropped from a perfect 75 degrees to about 62 degrees, just a tad bit chilly . . .
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Kyle paused before emerging from the safety of his dark alleyway, staring down at Troden with disbelief.
"Are you sure this'll work?" He whispered fiercely, slightly unbelieving in his 'teacher's tactics.
"Trust me my young padawan," Troden said, trying to sound sagely and Jedi-like. It didn't work very well. "Use the force and you shall prevail!"
"Cut the Star Wars crap Troden!" He hissed, rubbing a temple. The little black shadow fox could see his anxiety.
"Don't worry Kyle, you'll be fine! Remember the fact that she hasn't hit you in the last 6 months!" The human nodded, though that didn't stop his uneasiness. He sighed, sticking his hands in his pockets. Turning, he stepped out into the projected moonlight and tried not run back into the shadows.
"Nice night out huh!" He called as he approached, not wanting to surprise her. Audrena let her head fall over the top rim of the bench, looking at the world behind the bench upside down.
"Isn't it a little late to be out here?" She asked, grinning playfully at him. It was quite amusing to her that Kyle appeared as though he was walking on the ceiling. He chuckled, relieved that she wasn't throwing anything at him.
"Nah," He said, waving it aside with a smile. "Tried to sleep. Couldn't." He sat down on her left side, his grin becoming mischievous. "You know, you're wicked." Audrena grinned crookedly.
"Thanks. I enjoy being called evil." She quipped. Kyle wasn't finished.
"What a wicked thing to do, to make me dream of you . . ." He recited; it was one of Troden's little tips. It was meant to take Audrena off-guard. It succeeded marvelously. She instantly eyed him warily, her mood gone from light and playful to suspicious and cautious in a matter of seconds.
"What KIND of dreams?" She spat, scooting away from him. Kyle expected this and shrugged.
"Just normal things. You know, laughing together, you not hitting me, being on a team, the occasional kiss, no Kyle-bashing, nothing erotic or anything like that . . . Did I mention no hitting?" Audrena couldn't help but chuckle. That was a small relief.
"Yeah, you mentioned the no hitting thing a couple of times . . . I didn't realize I was so violent . . ." She admitted, sounding guilty. "Sorry about that."
"Don't worry. I still love you." The female pilot sighed heavily, shaking her head.
"You're still keeping that up?" Now Kyle was the one confused.
"I can't lie and say I don't love you." He was quickly becoming frustrated. She still didn't believe him. Audrena blinked and shook her head. He just never got it.
"Ok," She started. "This had been bugging me ever since the Mara incident. Here it is, plain and simple. Why on earth do you love me? I mean, how could you?"
A very long pause came from this.
"I can't really answer that, because a question like that would take to long to respond to." That was an acceptable answer. Audrena shrugged, leaning back again.
"You know," She said, staring up into the holographic stars. "I suddenly feel really ordinary." Kyle blinked, a little surprised. That was odd.
"What do you mean by that? You're certainly not the normal every-day pilot as far as I'm concerned."
"I know . . . but if you think about it, I'm just a normal human being, surrounded by people with extraordinary abilities. I mean, take a look at my family. My mother was incredibly strong, my father had mental powers along with teleportation, and my sister had a combination of both. And you too Kyle, you're not exactly the run-of-the-mill pilot either. You've got not only destructive mental powers, but you can bring people back from the dead!" She sighed, now looking a little downtrodden.
"Me on the other hand, I've got the bad draw in the poker game that is the gene pool. I'm just a normal, boring zoid pilot left to wander the world with nothing I can contribute to it." Her tone was even making Kyle depressed. He decided not to say anything, concerned that he might say something wrong.
"And another thing." She started again. Kyle let out a sigh and rolled his eyes. 'Oh boy, here it comes.'
"Tell me," She said, pulling a handful of something from her pocket. Kyle stared at it suspiciously for a moment before looking back up into her eyes. "Are you allergic to chalk dust?" She didn't wait for him to answer, because she threw the stuff in her hand into his face, making him sputter. Leaping up from her seat before he could grab her, Audrena stuck her tongue out at him, sticking her thumbs in her ears and waggling her fingers at him.
"You look like your face has been painted!" She choked. "That's what you get for throwing mashed potatoes at me!" Kyle stood quickly, wiping his face off with his sleeve before glaring at Audrena playfully, an impish smirk playing about his face. He still had white powder in his hair, making his dark brown hair look grey. Knowing what was coming, Audrena let out a giggling yelp and started running across the fields, Kyle in pursuit with a "You little sneak!".
The chase went on, Kyle shouting playful threats with Audrena only stopping to taunt him back. Things continued for another few minutes until Kyle saw his chance. Taking his odds, he made a flying leap, tackling his target in a lunge that would have made a NFL couch proud. Both of them going to the ground, Audrena attempted to roll and get up again, but found Kyle's body blocking her escape.
Under normal circumstances, she would have hit him into next Tuesday, but a strange serenity came out of this, staring up into Obscura's gray eyes like this. The pair just stared at each other for what seemed like an eternity, neither of them really noticing or caring about the normally very embarrassing position. Finally taking a course of action, Kyle supported the back of her head with a gentle hand and kissed her softly, the other hand caressing her jaw line in a very tender motion. The kiss was quite chaste, no tongue included, actually. To Audrena, who had never been kissed in her life, it was quite a shock.
'Wait a second . . . this isn't so bad . . .' In fact, Audrena was actually enjoying this quite a bit, and sank into it greedily. Now it was Kyle's turn to be surprised. He deepened the kiss, still being slightly modest in the approach of it. After breaking contact for breath, he smiled benevolently at her, still running his thumb along her jaw line, soft as silk and warm to the touch.
"I love you . . ." He murmured, staring lovingly into those brown eyes he had come so to care for so much. He saw so much in there. It's why he loved her. She wasn't ditsy and didn't try to act like it; she didn't try to conform to society's idea of what people should be like, she wasn't soft-spoken, she never held her tongue, she had a passion for life, something he couldn't find anywhere else . . .
And the fact that Audrena was all but drop-dead gorgeous helped things along too.
There seemed nothing that could break this moment. It was too perfect. Audrena paused before making her reply, trying to understand the current emotion in her brain. Was it love? Could it be love? With an internal smile, she put that aside for later. What ever it was, she was loving every second of it.
"I know . . ." She whispered back, insinuating another kiss that was nowhere near as modest. Though the affections that evening went no further then kissing, the two quickly became detached from their surroundings, lost in the small bit of heaven they had created . . .
And back in the shadows of the buildings, Troden watched the procession of events, giggling childishly.
"Yes!" He screeched, jumping around in his joy. "Kyle shoots, Kyle scores! Whoo!"
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A pair of purple eyes pulled themselves into a smirk, the man's curly black hair not even moving as he nodded slowly. Leaning back, he sank further into the old leather chair, still gazing at the screen he was watching with a malevolent fondness.
"Two for the price of one?" Malone asked to no one in particular, his youthful 29-year-old face melting fluidly into a crafty grin as he watched Kyle and Audrena out on the second floor from the comfort of his own home. "Excellent, a questionable psychic and a half-saiyan who hasn't even discovered either of the abilities she has. Each a power house of mental and physical energies . . . I'll never go hungry again."
Malone gave a low chuckle, his grin revealing two massive and razor sharp canines. "But what can I say? The more the merrier." He said, tilting his head up to look at a mammoth crystal chandelier, each of the little quartz pieces reflecting the light of a hundred candles. But on closer examination, human forms could be seen through the frosted crystal, all appearing dormant while standing upright, head bowed as though in defeat. Each one of the millions of quartz pieces held a figure, all except two . . .
He glanced back at the screen before turning the hologram projector off and getting out of the ancient leather chair, smirking slightly. His spy had done his job well, and no one suspected the little Shadow fox.
"Good work, my dear Troden . . ."
As he walked through the medieval settings he called home, he passed the countless treasures that lined his halls. The Mona Lisa, Muhammad Ali's favorite boxing gloves, Julius Caesar's gold olive branch crown, Bill Clinton's impeachment form, the original manuscript of War of the Worlds by H.G. Wells, three suits of armor from Queen Elisabeth's time, the spear head that supposedly pierced Jesus Christ's flesh when he was crucified, a piece of the U.S.S. Arizona, the list went on and on. He stopped though, at one particular painting, staring up at it with remembered respect and reverence. This one he didn't have to hijack during the eons that he had been alive, he had been given this one by the very man that was featured in the painting.
Adolph Hitler was the centerpiece of the painting, standing to his full height and decorated with what looked like every metal and award on the planet. His toothbrush mustache was perfectly combed, his hair was impeccably parted and brushed, his uniform was crease-less and perfectly ironed, and behind him was current German flag of the time, featuring the swastika and black eagle. The artist had tried to make him look like some kind of modern god, but to those who knew what that evil man had done, he was anything but godly.
Malone stared up at it, his smirk melting away. Royal purple eyes drifting to the right corner, there was a small message written in German. When translated, it said:
'To my favorite of the Hitler Youths, I hope that you continue to make me proud. Long live the 10th Reich! Signed, Fuerer Adolph.'
An unconscious hand fingered the ancient German Cross that hung on his old uniform, which he still wore and still hadn't outgrown. After all, when one is bitten at the prime of your life, you don't grow very much.
Malone sighed, reaching out to touch the old redwood frame; the brass inlaid into the wood having long before faded with age. He stoked the chassis, going down into his eon's worth of memories, spiraling back to times most had forgotten . . .
Hanging his head, he turned and stalked down his hallway, reminiscences of his past still circulating in his brain. The ancient man still had a card up his sleeve. Now his mind turned back to the images of Kyle and Audrena sharing affection, those two energies Malone desperately needed to survive. Blood wasn't enough anymore. Now he needed life forces.
"Soon . . . soon . . ."
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- *Gulps* Troden's a traitor?! What a little zoidian Benedict Arnold! Uh oh . . . who's this guy?! Find out in chapter 9, Energy Sucker. By the way, I am asking the reader. Should I throw in a chapter of lemon into this? You decide. Anyway, I'll see what this Malone character is up to. *Grabs mallet*
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- "Scythe!" Troden called, trotting after the much bigger zoid, who stopped and waited for him. The shrunken Shadow Fox slowed down eventually, panting; though as a zoid, he didn't need oxygen. The liger standing over him rolled her eyes and continued on through the park. The fox let out a yelp and followed after her into the meadows, where she finally stopped.
"Slow poke. You need to stop raiding Audrena's cookie dough stores." The German shepherd sized zoid looked horrified. Raw cookie dough was one of Audrena's favorite foods, and eternal damnation would be handed out to anyone who was caught stealing it.
"Don't turn me in! I don't want to become a scrap pile!"
"Fine then. I won't." She muttered, looking a little shifty-eyed. Troden didn't notice.
"So, did you hear anything new about the 'Relationship'?" Troden prodded, hoping for some fresh and juicy rumors. Even Scythe, the base's queen of gossip, was getting irritated.
"Troden, you've been asking me that very same question everyday for the last sixth months. So far, I haven't heard anything." The little black zoid chuckled darkly, eyes glinting strangely. He switched on his hologram, the human projection grinning sagely up at Scythe with dark purple eyes, flaming red hair framing his face. It was the newest fad. Ever since Audrena had come out with those tiny holographic projectors, every zoid in the base had to have one, to become more human, and each zoid's hologram was different, each a human-looking extension reflecting their personalities. Even Nitric had been installed with one, even though he hadn't been too creative with his projection. The dinosaur-like zoid had basically copied Kyle Obscura's features and changed the hair color and eye color. He looked quiet odd with navy blue hair and midnight blue eyes, but Scythe thought it was pretty cute.
"Oh really, you haven't heard what I have then." Scythe's hologram immediately appeared, looking shocked. It looks almost exactly like Mara, except for the constant mischievous smile and laughing green eyes, a darker shade then Mara's used to be.
"Really?! Whatwhatwhatwhatwhatwhat?!" Scythe sputtered, jumping around in her agitation. Troden raised a flaming red eyebrow.
"You've got the new reproductive equipment, didn't you." Scythe stopped jumping around and stared at him suspiciously.
"How'd you know?"
"It causes a personality change for a while." It was in one ear and out the other for Scythe. She wasn't listening anyway.
"I haven't really noticed." Troden sighed, his hologram disappearing. Scythe kept hers out, to the whistling and numerous compliments of various other Ligers that were wandering about. It's not like Scythe's hologram was exceptionally attractive; it's just that there were a very small amount of 'female' zoids that had had the new equipment installed and flaunted their holograms along with it. Almost every zoid that called themselves 'male' had lined up single file in a line that stretched to the 80th floor of the base the minute Audrena had made the announcement about it. Nitric thought it was part of the package deal with the hologram. He had no idea what he was getting into.
Both Troden and Scythe looked up as Nitric went dashing by, screaming for help at the top of his lungs as he went. The biggest group of Genosaurs Troden had ever seen was pursuing the poor Nitric Fury at top speed, their holograms before them as Nitric ran into the woods that rimmed the whole park and town square, his own hologram looking terrified out his mind. Troden and Scythe viewed this procession with bored expressions, watching for a moment before turning back to their conversations.
"So what's the new rumor? Huh?" Scythe withdrew her hologram, much to every male's disappointment. She ignored it as Troden gave her a mischievous smile.
"Well, I heard this from an old friend who heard from another friend, who heard it from his girlfriend-"
"Get to the point!"
"I heard Audrena's going to be demolishing Kyle's bedroom, and there's only one other bedroom in the whole base . . ."
"You mean . . ." Scythe's eyes widened and she grinned wildly. "No way!" Troden grinned as well and nodded prankishly.
"That's what I heard!"
" . . . That can't be true! I know for a fact that Audrena wouldn't touch the guy with a ten foot pole, much less sleep with him!"
"That was 5 months ago. They've gotten 'more in-tune' with each other. Just the other day, I caught them having a food fight." Scythe cocked her head to the side, confused and skeptical.
"Why on earth were they having a food fight?"
"Kyle started it. He followed her down to the kitchens, picked up a handful of mashed potatoes and flung it at her. It went on for about an hour; quite entertaining in my point a view. They ended up chasing each other through the base, throwing Jell-O at one other."
"But that's just good natured fun!"
Troden smiled quirkily, twirling an invisible mustache.
"Not while the looooooooooooove doctor is in!"
-
-
Oblivious to Scythe and Troden's little plan; Audrena was sitting in a tree, high up in the branches, looking out at everything. Even after half a year she couldn't quite get why Kyle even cared about her. She had considered the lusting factor, but cancelled that out quickly. After all, he had never tried to approach her like that. Another thing was the money that this place had, but he never asked her for funds or anything. Or perhaps the sheer amount of zoids here, since there was quite a few. But he seemed very happy with his Nitric Fury, and was very grateful to her about all the upgrades she had installed . . .
The sound of a mob below her shook her from her thoughts. Glancing down, she blinked, watching a massive herd of female Genosaurs go tearing through the underbrush, screeching for some 'Lover-Boy' to come back to them. It was only after she heard whimpering below her that she looked down. There was Nitric's hologram and his mechanical body sitting on the same branch, looking shaken and horrified in the same moment. Audrena didn't even feel the branch sway, so large and thick was the redwood bough (yeah, no fertilizer needed either! Take that Scott's Turf Builder! *Blinks* Err . . . -_-' Don't mind me. Just keep reading.).
"Ah, so it was you they were after!" Audrena called, smiling impishly with a wicked glint in her brown eyes. Nitric glanced over and went wide- eyed, guessing her intentions.
"No! Audrena, please don't! Being the quarry in a boy-toy hunt isn't exactly fun you know!" He hissed, not wanting to attract attention to himself. His pursuers were still out there. Audrena's smile changed to an evil sneer.
"OH GIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIRLS! OVER HERE!" Nitric's midnight blue eyes were as big as dinner plates.
"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" He screeched, turning to leave, but the mob was already under the branch, squealing and jumping for him. The only problem was that the branch he was sitting on was about 20 feet over the head of any of the swarming Genosaurs. Nitric blinked, then grinned, eyeing Audrena with a grateful look.
"I knew this branch was way over their heads from the start, that's why I called them here, so you can taunt them." Nitric blinked.
" . . . I knew that." He said, then glanced back down at the bunch, grinning corruptly. The zoid then started the biggest mocking session since the old earth celebrity roasts. After about 5 minutes, the group became disgusted with the taunting and plodded off, going off to bug and chase another unlucky male. Audrena raised an eyebrow at him playfully.
"You know, I think you and that big green one would make a nice couple." The human burst out laughing at the death glare she got from Nitric. He eventually relaxed and settled back, his eyes twinkling like he knew a secret.
"Bertha? The barkeeper's adopted daughter? Not for me, thank you." He settled back against the trunk with a superior grin and a very fake yawn. "Besides, I've got my eye on an absolutely charming little Liger . . ." He stopped for a moment, thinking a bit. "Ok, she isn't little, because she's almost as big as I am, but still!" He resumed his high-up attitude, smirking at Audrena, who was giving him the most suspicious look he had ever seen.
"Tell me, who is this lucky zoid that's won your fancy?" She said, her voice too sickly sweet. It set off an alarm bell in Nitric's mind, but he continued boldly on anyway.
"You should know her. She's your Liger." Fireworks exploded in Audrena's eyes and the glare she gave the fury almost scared him.
"If you weren't a hologram, I would strange you . . ." She hissed sinisterly. Nitric gulped.
Ok, so maybe dating the base founder's zoid was a bad idea.
He sighed, waiting for the storm. He shut his eyes tightly and leaned away, hunching his shoulders against the expected gale of words. He waited for a while, but none came. Opening an eye cautiously, he then saw why none had come. Audrena was sitting two inches from him, glaring at him with so much venom that he felt as though he had been bitten by cobras and feeling the after effects of the poisons. It was amazing how much she looked like a Saber fang, with her teeth gritted like that.
"Eh-heh," He grinned sheepishly, seriously scared even if he was a zoid. "You have thoroughly excellent teeth."
"DATING MY LIGER ARE YOU?!?" She roared, making the poor hologram cringe. So NOW the hurricane had arrived.
-
-
Blinking, Kyle looked upwards, as did every zoid in the bar floor at that moment, hearing someone being yelled at. The chewing-out session could be heard clearly almost 20 floors down, and every hologram in the place sweatdropped, feeling intense pity for the one on the receiving end. Kyle shook his head, finishing off his glass of Blush. It was pretty good, even after maybe 3000 years. The stuff had been hanging around in its unopened bottle since 1930's on Earth, and it was pretty tart because of it.
"Hey barkeep!" He called, grinning slightly and tossing the empty glass at the hologram's head. 'This'll give the old coot a heads-up.' He though, smirking mischievously with the rims of his eyes gleaming blue as the hologram turned around to see the glass hurtling toward his head. He let out a cry and ducked, but then paused at he didn't see any breaking glass. Looking up, he saw the suspended wine tumbler hanging over his head, and he gave Kyle a very rude look as the other holograms roared in laughter at him.
Barkeep's hologram was of a balding man in his fifties, with snowy white hair and beard, a pot-belly, and strange pink eyes, just the kind of man you'd expect to tend the base's pub. His zoid form was an elephander, but he rarely showed it, preferring his hologram. He used it occasionally; to throw overly stoned zoids who didn't know what 'last call' meant, but otherwise he kept his body out of sight. He was a trickster of a zoid, and would frequently 'spice' drinks with various things. Sometimes catsup, sometimes old engine oil, but usually with human pheromones, which usually drove a human's love-drive depending on how much you added, but made zoids completely insane. So he'd have fun watching various zoids run around with sticks of chewing gum in their nostrils, or hop on one foot around the room and sing the old British national anthem, or attempt to climb the walls like a squirrel with glass jugs in their mouths for nuts.
He had been delighted when Kyle Obscura entered in on the scene, because now he could test his pheromone 'potion'. The only problem was that he had to wait until Audrena and Kyle was far enough into a relationship to properly be able to experiment on specific amounts. Thankfully, he was a patient zoid, and could wait a while. For now, he'd settle with adding old kitchen grease.
"Testing yourself again, Obscura?" He said gruffly, cleaning out the glass with a rag. With special permission from Audrena, he had gained a shield projector with his hologram so that he could clean and keep bar properly. Kyle grinned arrogantly.
"Yep, I've been getting really good with my mental abilities. I've gotten to the point where I can lock in on specific parts of the brain and stimulate or numb them." Barkeep eyed him dryly. He didn't get a word of that.
"Come again?" He drawled crudely. Kyle thought for a while, but the one he first came up with wasn't very appropriate, so he chose to select another part of the brain. He concentrated on not the hologram but the mechanical mind behind it, taking gentle hold over it, his hands radiating a sort of electric blue radiance with concentration.
"Well, it's basically taking control of another person's actions and reactions. Let's say I took over your speech centers. If I numb them," He waved his hand in a sort of sweeping motion, and Barkeep's mouth instantly closed. The other members of the congregation, a Raynos, a Zabat, a Redler, and a Helcat, started sniggering at their server. Kyle grinned widely, thoroughly enjoying this. "You shut up. And if I stimulate them," Kyle's hand made another sweeping motion, this time in the other direction. Barkeep's mouth immediately opened and he began babbling incoherantly without stop. "You never stop verbalizing. Get it?"
"Babadeemoostafu."
"Good!" Kyle raised his right hand and made a fist slowly, releasing the mind he had had control over very gradually as not to cause damage. Barkeep stopped babbling, then whipped the spittle from his face with an embarrassed grin.
"Ah. My old brain understands now."
"You're not old."
"I was one of the prototypes thank you!"
"Alright prototype, you win." He settled back down again, now looking somber and depressed. "Barkeep, give me the strongest stuff you've got behind the counter."
Instant dead silence. No one in this whole time the 20th floor had been in operation had anyone asked for the best they had. All of them shook their heads and went back to their drinks, thinking that Kyle, their biggest hope in taming the wrathful Audrena, had given up on the immense challenge. Kyle blinked, noticing the grave silence of his company, but decided to ignore it. Barkeep stared him as though he was suicidal.
"Are you sure? One shot of this and you'll be having the worst hangover this side of Zi!"
"Then make it a double." Everyone expect Kyle face-vaulted. Now everyone was looking at him as though he was crazy.
"You must be really depressed to ask for the 99 proof." The Helcat purred sympathetically. "You're going to be so drunk you're going to forget your own name." Everyone else nodded in unison. The record for zoid or human was 10 double shots, and that was when Audrena went on a binge because her father had died. They ended up having to treat her in the base's health unit for alcohol poisoning. Barkeep remembered that, and times must be really bad to call for something that strong.
"Yeah," Kyle replied as barkeep poured him the double, staring at him like he was insane. "I just need to be drunk enough not to feel any pain when Audrena kills me when I ask her what I'm about to ask her."
Every zoid in the place winced simultaneously.
"What're you going to ask her that will cause you to drink like this?" The Raynos piped up; looking concerned at his drinking buddy.
"Well, I was going to ask her to-"
"Take you hand?" Someone asked to his left.
"No." Kyle shook his head.
"Marry you?" Another person screeched from the back.
"No way!" He looked quite indignant and thoroughly embarrassed.
"Sleep with you?" Someone suggested from the corner, then he or she hiccuped. Kyle went so red that he looked like a 6-foot grape.
"No!" He shuddered, frightened out of his mind of what would happen if he actually asked Audrena that. "Yeeeesh . . ."
"So what is it?!" Kyle suddenly realized that every zoid in the barroom had circled around him, waiting on his every word.
"Ask her down here for a drink, that's all! And maybe ask her out, but I doubt it. I'd probably get whacked with a armor plate." He sank down to the bar counter, looking miserable. "She'd rather hit me with a two-by-four then speak to me."
"That's why I'm here!" An annoying teen voice from the stool to his left quipped. Troden sat straight up with an impish grin on his zoidian face. He hadn't cared to put up his hologram. Kyle eyed him warily.
"Who do you think you are? An enamoring counselor?" Kyle droned sarcastically, reaching for the glass. Troden was too quick for him. Taking the glass beaker, the zoid downed it in two gulps, oblivious to the wide- eyed stares he was getting from everyone. The shadow fox blinked, looking around at the sudden maniac grins. It was only in the silence did he notice that his internal gears were starting to rumble. Kyle blinked, cocking his head to the side, looking around at everyone. They were all starting intently at the miniaturized zoid, as though waiting for something. The fox's metallic throat suddenly expanded, and Barkeep let out a squeak.
"HIT THE DIRT!" He screeched, hitting the floor along with every other hologram. Kyle blinked, confused.
"But why do we need to-" He was cut off when Troden made a sort of rolling motion with his body and collapsed on the bar counter, letting off a massive belch. That wasn't all he let escape either. Along with the methane came a massive burst of flame, curling up in a mushroom cloud of fire before evaporating. In the process, he had baked the counter top in front of him to a crispy sheen. Everyone got up cautiously after about 5 minutes, peeking out at the scene. Troden gave a weak cough, black and grey ash spewing from his metal snout to land in a small pile in front of him.
" . . . . . . .Ouch . . . . . . ."
"Erm . . . no one told you to drink that, you know." Kyle said in a matter- of-factly voice, poking Troden with a finger. The Shadow Fox eventually snapped out of it, part of his nose slightly melted.
"Remind me never to do that again. Anyway, yes, I am a counselor. And I can help you with this little problem you have!"
"Heh, I don't have any problems." Kyle stated, trying to act rigid. Troden saw right through it.
"Yes you do. I heard the whole conversation." The human glanced at him, irritated. He let out a sigh.
"Fine then." He conceded. "Do your worst. Tell me, what can I do."
-
-
Audrena had long before chewed Nitric out. She had made a very clear point that if he so much as annoyed Scythe in anyway at all, she would literally and personally neuter him. Needless to say, Nitric was much alarmed, and ran off the branch, knocking himself out when he started running in circles and crashed head-first into a tree trunk in his terror of losing his manhood. She quickly left the tree after that, heading towards a park bench, grumbling incoherantly.
She sat down heavily, flopping onto the bench and looking up into the now star-speckled holo-sky. Audrena blinked, surprised.
"Jeez, I've been spouting off for hours? Good god . . . he had better have learned his lesson." The pilot stared up into the starry night sky overhead, naming the various constellations aloft. The whole Town Square was deserted of zoids; the only noise that disturbed the quiet was the sound of the fountain in the center of the circle of benches, much like the one she and Kyle had talked in, only the fountain was much higher and far more elaborate.
'Virgo, Draco, Libra, Hercules . . . wait a second, where's the rest of them?!'
She commended this to the hologram projector controlling the sky hanging over her head. Must be malfunctioning. Even the temperature had dropped from a perfect 75 degrees to about 62 degrees, just a tad bit chilly . . .
-
-
Kyle paused before emerging from the safety of his dark alleyway, staring down at Troden with disbelief.
"Are you sure this'll work?" He whispered fiercely, slightly unbelieving in his 'teacher's tactics.
"Trust me my young padawan," Troden said, trying to sound sagely and Jedi-like. It didn't work very well. "Use the force and you shall prevail!"
"Cut the Star Wars crap Troden!" He hissed, rubbing a temple. The little black shadow fox could see his anxiety.
"Don't worry Kyle, you'll be fine! Remember the fact that she hasn't hit you in the last 6 months!" The human nodded, though that didn't stop his uneasiness. He sighed, sticking his hands in his pockets. Turning, he stepped out into the projected moonlight and tried not run back into the shadows.
"Nice night out huh!" He called as he approached, not wanting to surprise her. Audrena let her head fall over the top rim of the bench, looking at the world behind the bench upside down.
"Isn't it a little late to be out here?" She asked, grinning playfully at him. It was quite amusing to her that Kyle appeared as though he was walking on the ceiling. He chuckled, relieved that she wasn't throwing anything at him.
"Nah," He said, waving it aside with a smile. "Tried to sleep. Couldn't." He sat down on her left side, his grin becoming mischievous. "You know, you're wicked." Audrena grinned crookedly.
"Thanks. I enjoy being called evil." She quipped. Kyle wasn't finished.
"What a wicked thing to do, to make me dream of you . . ." He recited; it was one of Troden's little tips. It was meant to take Audrena off-guard. It succeeded marvelously. She instantly eyed him warily, her mood gone from light and playful to suspicious and cautious in a matter of seconds.
"What KIND of dreams?" She spat, scooting away from him. Kyle expected this and shrugged.
"Just normal things. You know, laughing together, you not hitting me, being on a team, the occasional kiss, no Kyle-bashing, nothing erotic or anything like that . . . Did I mention no hitting?" Audrena couldn't help but chuckle. That was a small relief.
"Yeah, you mentioned the no hitting thing a couple of times . . . I didn't realize I was so violent . . ." She admitted, sounding guilty. "Sorry about that."
"Don't worry. I still love you." The female pilot sighed heavily, shaking her head.
"You're still keeping that up?" Now Kyle was the one confused.
"I can't lie and say I don't love you." He was quickly becoming frustrated. She still didn't believe him. Audrena blinked and shook her head. He just never got it.
"Ok," She started. "This had been bugging me ever since the Mara incident. Here it is, plain and simple. Why on earth do you love me? I mean, how could you?"
A very long pause came from this.
"I can't really answer that, because a question like that would take to long to respond to." That was an acceptable answer. Audrena shrugged, leaning back again.
"You know," She said, staring up into the holographic stars. "I suddenly feel really ordinary." Kyle blinked, a little surprised. That was odd.
"What do you mean by that? You're certainly not the normal every-day pilot as far as I'm concerned."
"I know . . . but if you think about it, I'm just a normal human being, surrounded by people with extraordinary abilities. I mean, take a look at my family. My mother was incredibly strong, my father had mental powers along with teleportation, and my sister had a combination of both. And you too Kyle, you're not exactly the run-of-the-mill pilot either. You've got not only destructive mental powers, but you can bring people back from the dead!" She sighed, now looking a little downtrodden.
"Me on the other hand, I've got the bad draw in the poker game that is the gene pool. I'm just a normal, boring zoid pilot left to wander the world with nothing I can contribute to it." Her tone was even making Kyle depressed. He decided not to say anything, concerned that he might say something wrong.
"And another thing." She started again. Kyle let out a sigh and rolled his eyes. 'Oh boy, here it comes.'
"Tell me," She said, pulling a handful of something from her pocket. Kyle stared at it suspiciously for a moment before looking back up into her eyes. "Are you allergic to chalk dust?" She didn't wait for him to answer, because she threw the stuff in her hand into his face, making him sputter. Leaping up from her seat before he could grab her, Audrena stuck her tongue out at him, sticking her thumbs in her ears and waggling her fingers at him.
"You look like your face has been painted!" She choked. "That's what you get for throwing mashed potatoes at me!" Kyle stood quickly, wiping his face off with his sleeve before glaring at Audrena playfully, an impish smirk playing about his face. He still had white powder in his hair, making his dark brown hair look grey. Knowing what was coming, Audrena let out a giggling yelp and started running across the fields, Kyle in pursuit with a "You little sneak!".
The chase went on, Kyle shouting playful threats with Audrena only stopping to taunt him back. Things continued for another few minutes until Kyle saw his chance. Taking his odds, he made a flying leap, tackling his target in a lunge that would have made a NFL couch proud. Both of them going to the ground, Audrena attempted to roll and get up again, but found Kyle's body blocking her escape.
Under normal circumstances, she would have hit him into next Tuesday, but a strange serenity came out of this, staring up into Obscura's gray eyes like this. The pair just stared at each other for what seemed like an eternity, neither of them really noticing or caring about the normally very embarrassing position. Finally taking a course of action, Kyle supported the back of her head with a gentle hand and kissed her softly, the other hand caressing her jaw line in a very tender motion. The kiss was quite chaste, no tongue included, actually. To Audrena, who had never been kissed in her life, it was quite a shock.
'Wait a second . . . this isn't so bad . . .' In fact, Audrena was actually enjoying this quite a bit, and sank into it greedily. Now it was Kyle's turn to be surprised. He deepened the kiss, still being slightly modest in the approach of it. After breaking contact for breath, he smiled benevolently at her, still running his thumb along her jaw line, soft as silk and warm to the touch.
"I love you . . ." He murmured, staring lovingly into those brown eyes he had come so to care for so much. He saw so much in there. It's why he loved her. She wasn't ditsy and didn't try to act like it; she didn't try to conform to society's idea of what people should be like, she wasn't soft-spoken, she never held her tongue, she had a passion for life, something he couldn't find anywhere else . . .
And the fact that Audrena was all but drop-dead gorgeous helped things along too.
There seemed nothing that could break this moment. It was too perfect. Audrena paused before making her reply, trying to understand the current emotion in her brain. Was it love? Could it be love? With an internal smile, she put that aside for later. What ever it was, she was loving every second of it.
"I know . . ." She whispered back, insinuating another kiss that was nowhere near as modest. Though the affections that evening went no further then kissing, the two quickly became detached from their surroundings, lost in the small bit of heaven they had created . . .
And back in the shadows of the buildings, Troden watched the procession of events, giggling childishly.
"Yes!" He screeched, jumping around in his joy. "Kyle shoots, Kyle scores! Whoo!"
-
-
A pair of purple eyes pulled themselves into a smirk, the man's curly black hair not even moving as he nodded slowly. Leaning back, he sank further into the old leather chair, still gazing at the screen he was watching with a malevolent fondness.
"Two for the price of one?" Malone asked to no one in particular, his youthful 29-year-old face melting fluidly into a crafty grin as he watched Kyle and Audrena out on the second floor from the comfort of his own home. "Excellent, a questionable psychic and a half-saiyan who hasn't even discovered either of the abilities she has. Each a power house of mental and physical energies . . . I'll never go hungry again."
Malone gave a low chuckle, his grin revealing two massive and razor sharp canines. "But what can I say? The more the merrier." He said, tilting his head up to look at a mammoth crystal chandelier, each of the little quartz pieces reflecting the light of a hundred candles. But on closer examination, human forms could be seen through the frosted crystal, all appearing dormant while standing upright, head bowed as though in defeat. Each one of the millions of quartz pieces held a figure, all except two . . .
He glanced back at the screen before turning the hologram projector off and getting out of the ancient leather chair, smirking slightly. His spy had done his job well, and no one suspected the little Shadow fox.
"Good work, my dear Troden . . ."
As he walked through the medieval settings he called home, he passed the countless treasures that lined his halls. The Mona Lisa, Muhammad Ali's favorite boxing gloves, Julius Caesar's gold olive branch crown, Bill Clinton's impeachment form, the original manuscript of War of the Worlds by H.G. Wells, three suits of armor from Queen Elisabeth's time, the spear head that supposedly pierced Jesus Christ's flesh when he was crucified, a piece of the U.S.S. Arizona, the list went on and on. He stopped though, at one particular painting, staring up at it with remembered respect and reverence. This one he didn't have to hijack during the eons that he had been alive, he had been given this one by the very man that was featured in the painting.
Adolph Hitler was the centerpiece of the painting, standing to his full height and decorated with what looked like every metal and award on the planet. His toothbrush mustache was perfectly combed, his hair was impeccably parted and brushed, his uniform was crease-less and perfectly ironed, and behind him was current German flag of the time, featuring the swastika and black eagle. The artist had tried to make him look like some kind of modern god, but to those who knew what that evil man had done, he was anything but godly.
Malone stared up at it, his smirk melting away. Royal purple eyes drifting to the right corner, there was a small message written in German. When translated, it said:
'To my favorite of the Hitler Youths, I hope that you continue to make me proud. Long live the 10th Reich! Signed, Fuerer Adolph.'
An unconscious hand fingered the ancient German Cross that hung on his old uniform, which he still wore and still hadn't outgrown. After all, when one is bitten at the prime of your life, you don't grow very much.
Malone sighed, reaching out to touch the old redwood frame; the brass inlaid into the wood having long before faded with age. He stoked the chassis, going down into his eon's worth of memories, spiraling back to times most had forgotten . . .
Hanging his head, he turned and stalked down his hallway, reminiscences of his past still circulating in his brain. The ancient man still had a card up his sleeve. Now his mind turned back to the images of Kyle and Audrena sharing affection, those two energies Malone desperately needed to survive. Blood wasn't enough anymore. Now he needed life forces.
"Soon . . . soon . . ."
-
-
- *Gulps* Troden's a traitor?! What a little zoidian Benedict Arnold! Uh oh . . . who's this guy?! Find out in chapter 9, Energy Sucker. By the way, I am asking the reader. Should I throw in a chapter of lemon into this? You decide. Anyway, I'll see what this Malone character is up to. *Grabs mallet*
