Chapter 8: Truth
By: Kerro Starbane
New Berge UK. was like any other UK town: small, and a major feel of old fashion. There were little houses everywhere, quaint little huts all along the hills, and valleys. The main street was good ole fashioned cobble stone road, running from one end to another, with little shops all along the sides. Quaint, simple, and technologically advanced. That was all thanks to Dr. X, and the Council of Doom, even though that was currently just Tempest and Asazi.
Locals say that Dr. X offered them technology they couldn't get from the big cities, if they provided him with supplies. The people rightly agreed, and began storing stuff just for X, who came once a year.
Her mind reeled with this information. To think X had a little town devoted to him, where the people didn't exactly praise him, but respected him.
All this information had come from Asazi, who, it seemed, liked to talk just as much as she like to shoot things, and kill people, and blow things up. Dr. X had made Tempest remain on the Airship, making sure that things were loaded properly onto the ship. Everything seemed to have an orderly fashion to it. An orderly fashion that was constantly disrupted by the most outlandish things; little children, flat tires, and the all annoying things that had to be repaired by X, such as the lift for the supplies.
~~~
Fidget sat in a small coffee shop, the hood of her cape pushed back. She had left the ship a little while ago, deciding that solid ground was better than turbulent air. There truly was no difference between Big Air and The Airship, well. maybe that one was bigger than the other, and faster, and carried a helluva lot of weapons.
She sipped her latté, watching as very few people entered the establishment. It seemed that only Old Ladies, and giggly teenaged girls entered, then left quickly upon catching site of her. Maybe because she was part of the Council-no she wasn't! Tempest said she had to do something to earn her way onto the Council.
That sparked her memory of checking her email. It was loaded with little notes from Rikki, and with every new mail, they got shorter and shorted, until the latest one read "Are you there?" She couldn't respond to them, having seen the news report and hearing it straight from his mouth that she was dead. But she chose one, and responded to it. She gave enough to prove that she was alive and living well. Maybe that would surprise him.
"Fidget?"
She looked up, and saw Tempest looking down on her, a black leather jacket hanging on his buff shoulders.
"Want me to break my neck? Sit down." She replied, motioning for him to take a seat, which he did.
He regarded her for a moment, seemingly losing all arrogant persona, and egotistical feeling about him, becoming someone almost normal-if she counted shooting lightning bolts from his body 'normal.'
"I wanted to ask you. are you feeling all right? You seem. I don't know. distracted, since practice." He asked, looking over the rim of his sun glasses at her.
She sighed, looking out the shop window. She hadn't seen him since they finished practice. well, once when she was with him on the lift, directing some youths as they took care of supplies. She didn't get a chance to talk to him then. "Well. I've had a lot on my mind. Considering what my future might be like and all."
Tempest nods, ordering a soda to drink. "I think Dr. X might accept you, since he doesn't object to you being on the Airship."
"I know he doesn't object, or wouldn't he have kicked me off by now?"
"Not necessarily. He is more inclined to quietly remove you, and then something horrible happens. Like what happened to Quake. Dr. X was getting annoyed with the fat-ass, as was everyone else. so he was quietly removed from the ship. then out of nowhere. where he had been dropped off at, the entire place caught fire. and the jerk died." Tempest replied, showing little emotion as he told the story.
"I remember that. InterCEPT had called us, wondering if we could check that out. The fire crews had already gotten there, and said that there had only been one casualty." She replied. "What ever happened to Gangrene?"
The teenager shrugged. "He vanished. We had landed in a forest for repairs, and the guy just disappeared. We didn't bother looking for him; he wasn't on the ship, so he was left behind. We couldn't raise him on the radio either. Oh well, leaves more room for other people." He chuckled, sipping at his drink.
She sipped at her latte, watching as a truck went from a warehouse, to the Airship and back again.
Something caught her eye, a flag was being sent up a flag pole in the town square. The wind caught it, and the violet flag burst into life. A globe with a green X through it waved on the purple background.
"What's that flag for?" she asked, looking to the younger man.
Tempest looked at the flag, and shrugged. "No idea. perhaps some of the old farts got creative?"
She giggled, the laughed. "Right. and when the old farts get creative, it leaves the young ones nothing to do."
Tempest snorted. "Yeah right."
They watched the flag flap for a little bit, as fluffy white clouds floated by.
"Peaceful." she commented, finishing off her drink.
"Yeah, and to think that one day peace may not exist." He regarded her for a moment. "He will create the Neo-Humans, and there is nothing Action Jock or his team can do about it."
He struck a buried nerve pertaining to her half brothers. "Why do you call him 'Action Jock' all the time? It's not nice, or appropriate."
Tempest condescended upon her. "He is a jock, as in, sporting fanatic. And he is always being a pain in the ass, like a jock. Overblown ego if you ask me."
Her temper raised, little sparks flaring from her hair. "Alex does not, and will not have an 'overblown ego' as you put it! You don't even know him. You are the one with an ego!" She got up and stormed from the shop, leaving a shocked Tempest behind.
She walked down the main road for a little while, scowling. People moved out of her way, looking over their shoulders at her, then letting it go.
She was severely pissed. Tempest had just insulted one of the people that had been her friends for a long time, and had given her a job on Team Extreme.
She stopped when she realized that her bit of reminiscing and anger had taken her out into the woods. Her rage had built up to be almost unbearable, and sparks were flying from the tips of her cape. None were shocking her, which was a plus from that morning.
She pulled out her lightning rods, and aimed them at a tree, making sure no one was around to see her. She brings up a charge, the rods crackling. There was a blinding flash, and the cracking of wood as the tree fell towards her.
She ducked, and rolled out of the way, feeling the shockwave as the tree hit the ground.
"Whoa. if I could do that to a tree, think of what I could do to a person." She stared at the woods around her, wondering where that idea came from exactly. Looking back to the fallen pine tree, she sighed and built up another charge, trying not to use her emotions as triggers. She could feel a sizable charge on the ends of the rods.
She planted her feet, and carefully took aim at the next tree. She unleashed the bolt, which deflected from the tree. And came back at her, stopping at her lightning rods, and then formed into a ball, hovering between the tips.
'Wha? Does lightning normally do this?' Fidget still stared, watching as the lightning ball dissipated. She dropped her arms to her sides, and stared at the empty woods around her.
'Why did I defend Alex when I haven't seen him in two months? How do I know that since then he hasn't gotten an ego? Why have I stayed on the Airship with people that were once enemies?'
She looked back to the town, and sighed, wondering if she could just run away. All those nights of dreaming that Alex would come and rescue her had gone, leaving behind the feelings of dread and sadness, feelings of never being rescued.
She had been protective of him in the past, but where was he when she needed to be protected? Where was he that he couldn't rescue her?
She headed back to the town, slipping the rods back to their holsters on her back. She couldn't run away, she would just be a ghost to everyone. So her remaining option was to remain on the Airship.
~~~ A few days later, Big Air ~~~
They had just finished planning their 'attack' on X's airship. Darla had wanted to get in on it, and with her in Grinder's presence, she miraculously shut up. They decided that Alex and Rikki would go in, and look around for any sign of Fidget. What they would do if she was alive they didn't plan for, everyone (except Rikki) believed she was dead.
The Team manager brought up the subject of the email he received from Fidget, showing that she was still alive and well. They still didn't believe him.
'Why should they; they have never believed me in the past, even when I was right.' He thought, walking down the corridor to get ready for their 'attack'.
Why was he going on this when Grinder would be better suited? Because, he originally brought up the idea of going to see if Fidget was all right in the first place, that's why.
He put on the suit that each member had: a skin tight white, grey and blue colored suit. The logo was stamped on each arm, and on the front. He hated skin tight things, they looked good on Fidget, and maybe a few other women he had seen, but skin tight was defiantly meant for women, not him, especially not him.
He stepped out of the room to see Alex standing there, slinging the BSU onto his back. The taller man was dressed in normal blue and gold. 'He at least has a choice between baggy or tight. Damn him.'
"Ready to go Rikki?"
"Yeah.. Let's go see if Fidget is all right." He said, following Alex to Little Air.
'Here it goes, we fly to find out whether or not she is all right. I believe her email, but nothing beats the real truth.' He thought, watching Big Air disappear behind them.
By: Kerro Starbane
New Berge UK. was like any other UK town: small, and a major feel of old fashion. There were little houses everywhere, quaint little huts all along the hills, and valleys. The main street was good ole fashioned cobble stone road, running from one end to another, with little shops all along the sides. Quaint, simple, and technologically advanced. That was all thanks to Dr. X, and the Council of Doom, even though that was currently just Tempest and Asazi.
Locals say that Dr. X offered them technology they couldn't get from the big cities, if they provided him with supplies. The people rightly agreed, and began storing stuff just for X, who came once a year.
Her mind reeled with this information. To think X had a little town devoted to him, where the people didn't exactly praise him, but respected him.
All this information had come from Asazi, who, it seemed, liked to talk just as much as she like to shoot things, and kill people, and blow things up. Dr. X had made Tempest remain on the Airship, making sure that things were loaded properly onto the ship. Everything seemed to have an orderly fashion to it. An orderly fashion that was constantly disrupted by the most outlandish things; little children, flat tires, and the all annoying things that had to be repaired by X, such as the lift for the supplies.
~~~
Fidget sat in a small coffee shop, the hood of her cape pushed back. She had left the ship a little while ago, deciding that solid ground was better than turbulent air. There truly was no difference between Big Air and The Airship, well. maybe that one was bigger than the other, and faster, and carried a helluva lot of weapons.
She sipped her latté, watching as very few people entered the establishment. It seemed that only Old Ladies, and giggly teenaged girls entered, then left quickly upon catching site of her. Maybe because she was part of the Council-no she wasn't! Tempest said she had to do something to earn her way onto the Council.
That sparked her memory of checking her email. It was loaded with little notes from Rikki, and with every new mail, they got shorter and shorted, until the latest one read "Are you there?" She couldn't respond to them, having seen the news report and hearing it straight from his mouth that she was dead. But she chose one, and responded to it. She gave enough to prove that she was alive and living well. Maybe that would surprise him.
"Fidget?"
She looked up, and saw Tempest looking down on her, a black leather jacket hanging on his buff shoulders.
"Want me to break my neck? Sit down." She replied, motioning for him to take a seat, which he did.
He regarded her for a moment, seemingly losing all arrogant persona, and egotistical feeling about him, becoming someone almost normal-if she counted shooting lightning bolts from his body 'normal.'
"I wanted to ask you. are you feeling all right? You seem. I don't know. distracted, since practice." He asked, looking over the rim of his sun glasses at her.
She sighed, looking out the shop window. She hadn't seen him since they finished practice. well, once when she was with him on the lift, directing some youths as they took care of supplies. She didn't get a chance to talk to him then. "Well. I've had a lot on my mind. Considering what my future might be like and all."
Tempest nods, ordering a soda to drink. "I think Dr. X might accept you, since he doesn't object to you being on the Airship."
"I know he doesn't object, or wouldn't he have kicked me off by now?"
"Not necessarily. He is more inclined to quietly remove you, and then something horrible happens. Like what happened to Quake. Dr. X was getting annoyed with the fat-ass, as was everyone else. so he was quietly removed from the ship. then out of nowhere. where he had been dropped off at, the entire place caught fire. and the jerk died." Tempest replied, showing little emotion as he told the story.
"I remember that. InterCEPT had called us, wondering if we could check that out. The fire crews had already gotten there, and said that there had only been one casualty." She replied. "What ever happened to Gangrene?"
The teenager shrugged. "He vanished. We had landed in a forest for repairs, and the guy just disappeared. We didn't bother looking for him; he wasn't on the ship, so he was left behind. We couldn't raise him on the radio either. Oh well, leaves more room for other people." He chuckled, sipping at his drink.
She sipped at her latte, watching as a truck went from a warehouse, to the Airship and back again.
Something caught her eye, a flag was being sent up a flag pole in the town square. The wind caught it, and the violet flag burst into life. A globe with a green X through it waved on the purple background.
"What's that flag for?" she asked, looking to the younger man.
Tempest looked at the flag, and shrugged. "No idea. perhaps some of the old farts got creative?"
She giggled, the laughed. "Right. and when the old farts get creative, it leaves the young ones nothing to do."
Tempest snorted. "Yeah right."
They watched the flag flap for a little bit, as fluffy white clouds floated by.
"Peaceful." she commented, finishing off her drink.
"Yeah, and to think that one day peace may not exist." He regarded her for a moment. "He will create the Neo-Humans, and there is nothing Action Jock or his team can do about it."
He struck a buried nerve pertaining to her half brothers. "Why do you call him 'Action Jock' all the time? It's not nice, or appropriate."
Tempest condescended upon her. "He is a jock, as in, sporting fanatic. And he is always being a pain in the ass, like a jock. Overblown ego if you ask me."
Her temper raised, little sparks flaring from her hair. "Alex does not, and will not have an 'overblown ego' as you put it! You don't even know him. You are the one with an ego!" She got up and stormed from the shop, leaving a shocked Tempest behind.
She walked down the main road for a little while, scowling. People moved out of her way, looking over their shoulders at her, then letting it go.
She was severely pissed. Tempest had just insulted one of the people that had been her friends for a long time, and had given her a job on Team Extreme.
She stopped when she realized that her bit of reminiscing and anger had taken her out into the woods. Her rage had built up to be almost unbearable, and sparks were flying from the tips of her cape. None were shocking her, which was a plus from that morning.
She pulled out her lightning rods, and aimed them at a tree, making sure no one was around to see her. She brings up a charge, the rods crackling. There was a blinding flash, and the cracking of wood as the tree fell towards her.
She ducked, and rolled out of the way, feeling the shockwave as the tree hit the ground.
"Whoa. if I could do that to a tree, think of what I could do to a person." She stared at the woods around her, wondering where that idea came from exactly. Looking back to the fallen pine tree, she sighed and built up another charge, trying not to use her emotions as triggers. She could feel a sizable charge on the ends of the rods.
She planted her feet, and carefully took aim at the next tree. She unleashed the bolt, which deflected from the tree. And came back at her, stopping at her lightning rods, and then formed into a ball, hovering between the tips.
'Wha? Does lightning normally do this?' Fidget still stared, watching as the lightning ball dissipated. She dropped her arms to her sides, and stared at the empty woods around her.
'Why did I defend Alex when I haven't seen him in two months? How do I know that since then he hasn't gotten an ego? Why have I stayed on the Airship with people that were once enemies?'
She looked back to the town, and sighed, wondering if she could just run away. All those nights of dreaming that Alex would come and rescue her had gone, leaving behind the feelings of dread and sadness, feelings of never being rescued.
She had been protective of him in the past, but where was he when she needed to be protected? Where was he that he couldn't rescue her?
She headed back to the town, slipping the rods back to their holsters on her back. She couldn't run away, she would just be a ghost to everyone. So her remaining option was to remain on the Airship.
~~~ A few days later, Big Air ~~~
They had just finished planning their 'attack' on X's airship. Darla had wanted to get in on it, and with her in Grinder's presence, she miraculously shut up. They decided that Alex and Rikki would go in, and look around for any sign of Fidget. What they would do if she was alive they didn't plan for, everyone (except Rikki) believed she was dead.
The Team manager brought up the subject of the email he received from Fidget, showing that she was still alive and well. They still didn't believe him.
'Why should they; they have never believed me in the past, even when I was right.' He thought, walking down the corridor to get ready for their 'attack'.
Why was he going on this when Grinder would be better suited? Because, he originally brought up the idea of going to see if Fidget was all right in the first place, that's why.
He put on the suit that each member had: a skin tight white, grey and blue colored suit. The logo was stamped on each arm, and on the front. He hated skin tight things, they looked good on Fidget, and maybe a few other women he had seen, but skin tight was defiantly meant for women, not him, especially not him.
He stepped out of the room to see Alex standing there, slinging the BSU onto his back. The taller man was dressed in normal blue and gold. 'He at least has a choice between baggy or tight. Damn him.'
"Ready to go Rikki?"
"Yeah.. Let's go see if Fidget is all right." He said, following Alex to Little Air.
'Here it goes, we fly to find out whether or not she is all right. I believe her email, but nothing beats the real truth.' He thought, watching Big Air disappear behind them.