Hot Wheels Battle Force 5: Ophelia's Reach

Chapter 2

Agura had also retreated to the comfort of her room. Opening the top drawer of her wooden dresser, she pulled out a yellow bikini and held it in front of her. She huffed and rolled her eyes. Not going to give him the satisfaction, she thought, throwing the pieces back into the dresser. Agura then procured a black suit with a v-neck and halter tie. Better, she commented to herself as she slipped it on and a pair of jeans over it. Her favorite green zip-up hoodie completed the simple look and she laid back on her bed to pass the time until they left.

She thought about Zoom's situation... Silver was definitely an interesting person with a complicated past. Whether she shared it with them or not was up to her, but the huntress felt that there was something specific that was keeping her from connecting closely with their scout. He had clearly shown deep care for her, but the alien girl kept shutting down. Agura wanted to know what was holding back her heart…

The hour reached 2300, and the team met in the hub. All the boys wore their swim trunks, including Stanford, with tees and a jacket or hoodie to keep warm. Sage handed the key to Vert and he slapped it on the Saber.

"I have modified the key to take you to South Ponto Beach, California. It's in an underdeveloped area, known for being one of the wilder locations." Sage explained. "the number of tourists should be low to none."

"Perfect," the leader smiled. "thanks, Sage. Zoom, can you carry Silver down?" Vert asked, turning to the scout.

"Sure," he nodded and headed up. Zoom entered the room with caution and knocked softly on the wall to get her attention. Silver popped up out of the water.

"Ready?" Zoom walked up to her, noting she appeared more relaxed than when he had left.

"Yeah," Silver nodded. "I hope this works."

"Me too," he smiled at her and held out a hand. "if you can sit on the edge, I'll carry you down."

The guardian had something else in mind.

"That's ok," she said as she cupped water in her hands. "that won't be necessary." The water glowed and crawled, coating her hands. Silver backed up and began to float upwards. A levitating sheet of ice carried her over the edge and hovered her just high enough so her tail wouldn't scrape the ground. Her hands pressed down into the ice, fueling it directly with magic.

Zoom looked impressed. "That works too," He led the way out the door and down to the hub where everyone waited.

"Looks like we didn't need to send Zoom after all," Vert chuckled. Silver floated over to the Reverb and slid in before releasing the magic into a puddle on the floor. Stanford revved the engine.

"Buckle up, mate," he grinned. "keep your fish fins tucked in."

Seconds later, the team raced over the salt flats of Handler's Corners. Vert opened the portal and they filtered through, one by one. Reverb skidded to a halt in the powdery sand on the southern coast of California. The moon cast a soft light over the ocean as the waves cascaded onto the beach. The cool breeze rolled off the waves and filled the air with the smell of saltwater. Most importantly, there was not a soul to be seen.

"So glad I remembered the surf-board," Zoom unbuckled the pink and yellow board from his bike and stood it up in the sand. "it's been forever since I went night surfing."

Agura dropped down from the Tangler with a deep breath and smile and the rest of the team jumped out with excited thumps.

"I'll find some wood for a fire," Sherman volunteered and sauntered off. Silver tried to pull herself up out of Reverb and even used her tail as a little boost. The seats were deeper-set in the vehicle than she realized. Stanford knelt on the hood and offered his hands to pull her up. She was hesitant but didn't want to offend him, so she grabbed on. From her perch on the top of the car, the guardian breathed in deeply the wild nature of the Pacific Ocean. The raw, clean energy invigorated her blood and sent a shiver through her tail. Silver felt a craving to touch the water and explore its depths and nature.

Stanford sat next to her, his legs and her tail dangling in the car, looking out at the water. "It's much better than Vandal, don't you think?"

"Hah, anything is better than Vandal," she expressed. "but yeah I know what you mean… these waters are actually really beautiful."

"What about Faven's oceans?"

Silver paused as she brought up the memory, trying to find the right word to describe them. "They're… magical," she made a small smile.

"Ready?" Zoom sidled up to her. He had taken his jacket and shirt off, revealing his athletic physique and lean muscle.

"Oh, um – yeah…" she shifted timidly, moving her glowing eyes to her scales, and then back to him. "I thought you were going… surfing – right?"

"You don't know what surfing is, do you?" he realized. "Well – I guess you really wouldn't need to because of your magic…" he drifted off his thought, then shook his head to refocus. "I will, but that's not the mission. We're here to get you back to normal so let's get you in the water." He offered his hand.

"You know I can just…"

Stanford rolled his eyes. "Yes, we know you can use magic to do it yourself – we get it, you're independent," He looked irritated at her then gestured to the scout. "love, just let him help you. Not everything needs to be so dramatic." Stanford grabbed a blanket and slid down to go lay it out in the sand near the fire pit, leaving Silver feeling slightly offended and Zoom not knowing what to do. An ocean breeze ruffled them in their indecisive pause. Their eyes met.

"You can go ahead," Zoom shied back with his hands up in awkward surrender. "I'm cool."

"I'd like some help, please…" she said quietly, hiding behind her long jet-black hair.

"… you sure?"

"Yeah,"

"Ok, then…" Zoom stood close again, noticing she avoided making eye contact, but he didn't ask again. "if you fall back here, I think that would be easiest."

Silver turned and slid back into his strong and ready arms, her tail snaking out of the vehicle and landing gently in the powdery sand. The scout lowered her fully to the ground before repositioning and scooping her up sideways. Something jumped in the guardian as she rested against his bare chest, feeling the rhythm of a heartbeat and warmth of his skin.

"See," he teased. "that wasn't so bad, was it?" She remained quiet. The team ran past them into the water, boys stripping their extra layers as they went. Agura removed her jeans but left the jacket on. She stopped where the waves reached her calves and wished the guardian luck. Stanford, Spinner, and Vert charged wildly.

"Hold on," Zoom braced himself as he waded into the cool water. A sizeable wave rolled toward them. It slapped them backward and the scout almost lost his balance and his grip on the girl. He squinted his eyes shut and spit out saltwater. Silver laughed, pushing her hair back.

"Couldn't you have magicked that away or something?" the scout asked, blinking repeatedly from the water trickling down into his eyes.

"I could have," Silver grinned as he energetically shook the water out of his hair.

"Here comes another one," Zoom smiled, turned, and tucked Silver into him as his back took the impact of the next wave. After the third wave they hadn't gotten much further, so Silver collected herself and drew magic into her hands as the ocean slithered up to embrace her. Zoom let her go, then combed salty hair out of his eyes to see her disappear under the glassy surface. Her tail playfully flicked water in his face before swimming away.

"Hey!" Zoom put his hands up to block the volley of glowing droplets, and then another oncoming wave. Her head bobbed up in the light of the moon reflecting off the water. He dove in with powerful strokes to meet her. The light from her cirri eerily lit the water around them as the scout curiously circled her before stopping to tread water. Her glowing eyes watched his as he did, and when he stopped, it was just the two of them bobbing peacefully with the waves.

He locked eyes with her. "Now what?"

Silver dazedly reached up to feel her pendant in her scales.

"Hey… does it hurt?" he asked with concern.

Silver dropped her hand. "No, it's just – just a habit… I guess…" she was quiet again.

"Are you nervous?"

"What?" She blinked out of her trace. "What – no – no, I'm fine."

"Ok good,"

"Why?" Silver looked confused.

"Because I'm nervous for you,"

Silver didn't really know how to respond, but the splashes of the guys approaching saved her from needing to. Spinner, Vert, and Stanford joined the circle, hair flattened in ways she had never seen before, especially on Spin. Their leader jokingly pushed water towards the two as he sidled up, earning a small smile from the guardian and retaliation of splashes from his scout. Spinner joined in, focusing his attacks on the mermaid, but she ducked under with a mischievous look. They could tell from her glow that she had swum directly underneath, but they couldn't tell what she was doing. The little guy had a moment of oh crap. Suddenly, a rush of her magic glow pushed up, shooting a screaming Cortez into the air off a geyser. The magic died off, water fell, and Silver popped up to see him plummet back to earth and hit the ocean with a satisfying slap. Everyone burst into laughter as Spin resurfaced, sputtering saltwater and paddling sloppily back to the huddle.

"You can't mess with her, mate," Stanford snickered.

"Now that's some serious airtime," Zoom laughed. "That was SICK– any chance I could have a go at it?"

"My life flashed before my eyes," Spinner coughed.

"Maybe another time," she grinned at Zoom. "but now I really should focus. I'm going to try to transform but it might take some time," she bobbed backward as she spoke. "the magic here is different – but it's definitely strong."

"Well, you have until daylight," the leader confirmed.

"Sounds good, I'll see you guys in a bit then."

Zoom smiled. "We'll be waiting,"

"Good luck," Vert nodded.

"We'd better get back to our girl Agura," Stanford noted, winking at the blonde. "she seems a bit lonely on the beach all by herself."

The boys swam back to shore and Silver dipped down into the water, swimming deeper into the ocean's grasp, feeling the currents pulling her under. Earth's water felt much crisper than Vandal's, more breathable, and Silver filled her gills as she surveyed the depths. Her pupils dilated to take in the low light as the tendrils at her sides glowed to help illuminate the waters around her. Small, flatfish darted by, and an occasional crab or small stingray shuffled through the sand, distancing themselves from her. Interesting looking creatures… she thought. She came upon large boulders that pierced through the surface and Silver shot up through the water with the rhythm of the next wave. As she surveyed from her perch, she could see the light of the campfire, casting mini shadows of her friends around it. Zoom was out in the water still, riding his board on the crest of a small wave. Silver now understood why she wouldn't know what 'surfing' was – she could just use magic and walk on water without ever needing a board. There was no point for a favian with her abilities. Still, she admired the strength and bravery it took to face the water without any control over it. Maybe she would try it sometime.

Her eyes shifted to the moon, resting among the stars in the sky. It looked so small compared to Faven's, her mother. Silver wondered if Earth's moon had a name or any significance to the people it watched over while the sun slept. The stars kept it company – little dots on a black canvas making shapes and lines. She wanted to try to wake them with what little she remembered from celestial training but now wasn't the time.

Silver closed her eyes and emptied her mind and used the sixth sense to reach out and feel the magic that ran through the waves… the saltwater… the molecules of their being. It was almost as if something started to pull at her the more she reached. There was something intelligent, alive, powerful, aware of her presence – the guardian took a breath and let go of her body. Maybe you're what I need, her mind echoed into space, wake my stone… transform me… Silver's conscious slipped free and she laid back, limp, and lost from the physical.

"I was only planning on getting my feet wet," Agura said, wading out as Vert came back to the shore.

"Well that's no fun," he teased, splashing water in her direction. "c'mon, Agura, lighten up. Silver is out doing her thing "

Agura turned, unzipped her jacket, tossed it aside, and jogged in before jumping into an oncoming wave. The cool water graced her skin as she went under. Vert followed till they had swum past the turbulent water, then pulled her in by the hand. A strong arm wrapped around the huntress's waist, pulling her slender body up.

"Vert," she smiled with a knowing look. "what are you doing? The others..."

"They can't really see us out here…" Vert chided. He gazed into her deep brown eyes and she relaxed. "This is nice," he commented. "you were right, we needed this."

"I was thinking of the team, too," Agura clarified, then rested her head on Vert's shoulder with a little sigh. "With all the missions we do, we can't forget that in the end, we're just human."

Vert planted a long, gentle kiss on her forehead. "You look beautiful in that suit, by the way. I only ever see you in jeans and long sleeves, and maybe shorts when the temp is close to one hundred." the blonde teased.

"Thanks," Agura laughed and playfully pushed his shoulder. "If you'd grown up in Moroke like me, you'd understand."

"Maybe," he shrugged. They bobbed up and down in silence, watching their distance from the shoreline and the moon's rays on the water, occasionally ducking under a wave and then rejoining in their embrace.

"Zoom really cares about Silver," Agura commented absent-mindedly. "doesn't he?"

"Oh, for sure," Vert nodded vigorously. "I think he's falling for her a little, but he also has that weird thing with Grace going on."

"Do you think Silver cares about him?"

"Silver?" Vert took a moment to think. "She kinda secretive and prefers her space… it's too soon to tell if she cares like he does, but I think she is a little closer with him than the rest of us. She works well with the team in general, except when she – "

"Shuts down?" Agura finished for him. "I think so too… speaking of, have you apologized to her for the night before the mission on Vandal? She was pretty upset with your questions."

"Shoot," Vert combed back his hair as the realization hit him. "no, I haven't. I'll have to do that when she gets back."

"I was just asking," Agura reassured him. "I don't want to tell you what to do."

"You're good," he smiled. "thanks for the reminder. Do you know if Zoom has talked to her about it? I really should stop giving him a hard time, but he makes it so obvious it's hard not to."

"Zoom doesn't hide any emotion," she added. "but I feel he would be more likely to remember something like that, he should be fine. I actually passed him in the hall before we left – he was coming from Silver's room – poor guy is a little frustrated trying to talk to her without pulling any triggers he doesn't know about."

Vert chuckled. "We're ALL trying to NOT push the girl's buttons. Any personal questions about her past are basically a 'NO' – especially about 'Sorren,' whoever that is… seems like there's something she's not telling us."

"Yeah... Do you think we can trust her?"

"Yeah," Vert looked at her with a smile. "I have a good feeling about her even though she and Sage have a history. Hell, she's saved our butts more than once. Whatever she's hiding, I think she'll open up if she sticks around."

"Oh, you're thinking of asking her to stay?"

"If everyone is ok with it, including Sage, then yeah. I think it would be great to have her on the team – besides, if she stays on Faven, Krytus will hunt her now that he knows she's back."

"Girl can hold her own, but she would be safer here," Agura agreed. "I'm sure the others will agree, Zoom especially, but I'm not sure about Sage…"

"Maybe, but we won't know until we ask. I could talk to the team right now,"

"In a minute," she pulled him closer. "let's just stay here a little longer."

He chuckled and looked down at her content expression. Vert studied her face in the dim light of the moon, starting with her temple then moving past her cheekbones. He ran his thumb delicately along her jawline as his eyes came to the lines of her lips – her thick, dark lips. A gentle pull from his hand was all she needed. He kissed her slowly as she wrapped her arms around his neck, one hand combing up through his blonde hair. They released with a happy breath, eyes closed, heads resting against each other.

"Haven't done that in a long time," Vert grinned.

"Mmmm it's been ages," Agura kissed him again, pulling him tighter and pressing her body closer. For once, they could simply be people caught up in each other.

Silver opened her eyes. She was in the ocean again… somewhere deep in a narrow channel. Two walls of rock that stretched higher and longer than possibly visible gave her three directions to swim: forward, backward, or up. The only light at this depth came from the tendrils at the sides of her tail, and they nearly scraped the jagged stones that closed in on either side. Or would they? She couldn't tell if she was physically present, or if this was something of a dream… Silver sensed something nearby, and her chest seized its breath. Closing her eyes, her magic actively reached further than her eyesight, but nothing was there, nothing physically moving through the water…

She opened her eyes again, then jolted back just as quickly. In front of her floated a ghost-like woman with almond-shaped eyes and a slim figure. She looked to be middle-aged and had thick hair that flowed down to the sand, disappearing into it. She had a long skirt on, but no feet peeped out from beneath the hem, and a blouse with sleeves so long they almost reached the ocean floor. The woman smiled warmly at her.

"Who are you? Where did you come from?" an angelic voice bounced off the walls, but the woman's mouth didn't move. Silver looked around nervously.

"I'm… Silver Mayali… from Faven… who are you?"

"I am Pacifia, the spirit of these waters. What brings you here, child? No one has spoken to me in thousands of years." The voice echoed.

"I was trying to meditate – hopefully transform back to my favian body… I felt something and followed it… it must've been you – your magic."

The woman shook her head as her lips remained motionless. "We don't use magic here, we are spirits. We move independently and inhabit Earth as humans do but live in a layer of reality parallel to theirs. It takes a great person, or an insane one, to contact a spirit through the layer. I am pleased to meet you, Silver."

Silver wrinkled her brow, "that's odd… I could've sworn – oh – I'm sorry I didn't mean to bother you,"

"No apology necessary," the voice cooed. "I have met your kind before, and they have always been so respectful of me. I welcome all favians gladly."

"My people have been here before?" she managed to squeak in shock. "When?"

"The last Favian came to my shores about five or six thousand years ago. It has been so long I have forgotten his name… there were others before him though, travelers I think."

"What was he doing on earth?"

"I think he was trying to return home,"

"Are you sure you can't remember his name? Maybe what he looked like?"

The woman's brow wrinkled with deep thought. "I'm not sure... I think his hair was blonde… and he was young… something I hadn't seen done before is he would play with fire on the beach."

"Do you know if he made it back home?"

"He disappeared one day, but again, I do not know. I'm sorry."

The guardian bowed respectfully. "thank you so much for your help, I must return to my friends now. I hope we meet again,"

"Of course, dear." The woman smiled. "Before I release you, I wanted to ask, what is troubling you concerning a transformation?"

"My pendant doesn't seem to be working… I don't feel any magic from it, and I can't seem to jump start it or awaken it."

"The circle in your neck?" Pacifia pointed.

"Yeah," Silver looked at her, surprised. "how'd you know?"

"May I come examine it?" the women drifted forward slightly.

"Sure…" Silver answered hesitantly. The woman floated forward and took a closer look at the pendant lodged between Silver's collar bones.

"I believe you have a piece of a core stone," Pacifia said after peering at it for a while. "these don't wield magic."

"What's a core stone?" Silver asked.

"They are just as they seem," Pacifia looked back at the guardian. "core stones come from the core of a planet. It's a piece of its heart if you will."

"But that doesn't make sense," Silver shook her head. "I've felt my mother's magic come from it, Faven's moon,"

"Whatever gave you the power of transformation, it wasn't your stone," the woman shrugged. "but who am I to say? You may be better off looking for answers where the questions originally come from."

"But Faven is dead, everything is in ruins…" Silver said sadly.

"Your planet still exists, does it not?" Pacifia smiled with a knowing look. "the surface may be destroyed, but the heart is still there. I advise you to find a way home, child."

The guardian bowed gratefully, "Thank you for your help, I will."

"I will release you to return to your friends now," Pacifia's arms reached out, draping the long sleeves off her fingertips. "good luck to you on your journey."

Silver blinked, and it was dark again. She felt her consciousness find her body and settle into her skin like a key fitting into a lock. In the darkness, the guardian twitched her fingertips and felt the muscles awaken in her fins. Sounds of crashing waves reached her ears and the salty air brushed through her hair. Silver's eyes fluttered open to the soft glow of dawn.

Morning? Already? How long was I out? Silver looked around. The team was still parked on the beach and she could see them laying in the sand around the firepit. Zoom's board stood up in the sand by the yellow bike, but the scout was down by the water. He was walking back and forth, grey hood pulled up, looking down at the sand. Silver scooted off the rock gingerly, careful not to scratch off scales on barnacles.

The mermaid made her way over to Zoom and he recognized her tail in the waves immediately. He waded in a little to meet her and Silver slid up with a rush of water.

"You're back," Zoom crouched down with his hands tucked in his hoodie, a relieved expression on his face. "I was getting really worried."

"Sorry," Silver gave him a little smile. "I didn't intend to take that long."

"Still can't transform?" he asked worriedly. Silver shook her head.

"I have to go home," she said. "Pacifia helped me understand what my pendant is now, but I think it will only work if I'm home."

"Who's Pacifia?" Zoom looked extremely confused. "Did you meet some people on a boat or something?"

"A spirit," she answered as if obvious.

"A spirit?"

"Mhm," Silver nodded. "did you know you have spirits here?"

"I mean… kinda?" he stammered. "Except that they normally haunt old houses – abandoned buildings – just hold on…" Zoom stared at her. "you met a GHOST? Where were you? At some sort of shipwreck or something?"

"You're being weird," she said, arching an eyebrow at him.

"Well YEAH," he blurted, throwing his hands out in front of him. "GHOSTS are freaky as hell! What did she look like?

"She was an ocean spirit," Silver corrected. "kinda see-through and I don't think she had feet – her arms were covered in these really long sleeves – "

"That's freaky," Zoom commented, picturing an old woman with sunken eyes, missing teeth, and tattered old clothing made from ship sails. "definitely a ghost."

"Quit being so dramatic," the mermaid huffed. "she was really nice, and she said my pendant is a core stone, but I don't know why I feel my mother's magic from it… apparently it's not magic – all of this doesn't make any sense…"

"So, you want to go home to find out?"

"Yeah," Silver sighed. "I bet Krytus will have some sark there keeping patrol for me now, but it's the only way."

"Well I guess that's where we're headed next," the scout shrugged.

"Where are the others?" Silver asked, looking over at the circled vehicles.

"They fell asleep around the fire on some blankets," Zoom said as he stood. "I'll go wake them up and we can get going."

"That's ok, there's no rush," she said, using her magic to carry her to dry sand, out of reach of the waves. "I wouldn't want to wake them. Plus, this is the first sunrise I've seen on Earth. I kinda want to just watch it..."

Zoom had followed and plopped down next to her with a smile. "it's pretty, isn't it?"

Silver sighed, content with the water, view, and company. "yeah…"

The guardian thought about the sunrises on Faven, how she had been gone for almost a week now.

"I feel bad for having you guys drive me everywhere," she said quietly. "once I'm back home you guys can leave me there and I'll figure out the rest myself. Who knows how long it will take for me to understand this core stone stuff…"

Zoom looked over at the girl, her dark hair cascading down her back and piling in the sand, her eyes ever bright and deep in thought. "C'mon," he chided. "you're talking about Battle Force 5, no one gets left behind. We'll help you figure this out."

"You guys have red sentients and Vandals to deal with. If you guys lose to them you lose your home… I don't want that for anyone. Multiverse comes first." She reminded him. "Besides, there's really nothing you can do. Magic isn't a human thing."

"We'll get you after you change back," Zoom decided, intently locking eyes with her. "And you think you won't have the reds and vandals to deal with too? Krytus will be after you now that he knows you're awake… it will be safer if you stay with us. He won't be able to find you here."

"Oh, so now you're questioning my ability to take care of myself?" she playfully mocked with raised eyebrows. "I have lived longer than you, scout. I have a couple tricks up my sleeve,"

"It's not like that," he grinned, shook his head, and focused back on the ocean. "I just don't like the thought of you being alone again. People need each other, ya know? And…" he elbowed her jokingly. "you were asleep most of your life so that doesn't count. You and I are practically mentally the same age."

"Ugh," Silver rolled her eyes with a smirk and pushed his elbow away. "don't remind me." Zoom chuckled and backed off.

"How long are you going to deny it, huh?"

"Deny what?" she laughed and looked over at him. Their eyes met and her face dropped.

"That you're lonely,"

The guardian hesitated. Taking a shaky breath, the glow in her eyes seemed to dim a little. "I – I never denied it," she uttered. "I just – just got used to it – I'm fine."

"And how long are you going to deny that?"

She tilted her head."What do you – "

Zoom leaned in, keeping his eyes locked on her. "That you're not fine,"

"MOMMY A MERMAID!" a high-pitched voice shouted from somewhere behind them. Zoom and Silver whipped around to see a little girl pulling her mom's sundress and pointing directly at them. Oh crap.