Hot Wheels Battle Force 5: Ophelia's Reach

Chapter 3

"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 to them. The woman's complexion was slightly tan, and she wore bright blush and a red lip to draw attention to her luscious features. Silver thought the strawberry blonde hair was her most interesting characteristic. She was locked in a conversation with her husband, a fair-skinned man with brown hair and dressed in a Hawaiian shirt, to consider re-doing the cabinets in the kitchen.

"Hold on honey," the mother absent-mindedly pet the small child's brown hair. "the grown-ups are talking."

Zoom didn't know what to do. If he carried her to the Reverb or back to the water, they for sure would notice Silver's long black tail, and using her magic was out of the question. At any moment now they could look up… Zoom unzipped his hoodie and threw it around Silver's shoulders hiding her gills and back fin.

"Put this on," he said in a low voice. "and don't move your tail."

Silver listened without hesitation. As soon as she had it on, Zoom whipped the hood up and put an arm around her shoulder as the family approached, in tow of the little girl.

"Zoom," Silver whispered. "what are you doing?"

"Just let me do the talking," he whispered back. "and keep your head down or they'll see your eyes."

"SEE MOMMY?" the little girl smiled bigger as they walked over the sandbank.

"Hush Anna," the mother scolded. "It's not polite to point."

"But there is one!" Anna stopped tugging at mom's dress and looked up at her father instead. "Daddy, don't you see?"

"I see, half-pint," the father patted the child on the head. "you can say hello if you want."

Zoom and Silver heard the woman hiss at her husband in disbelief. "Richard!"

"Relax, honey," he said calmly. "I'm sure they're just performers from Disney or something."

The little girl ran up, then cautiously walked around to be next to Silver. Squatting next to her, her large brown eyes peered up at her face. Zoom held his breath in a cautious smile. The child seemed to be unphased by the glowing eyes that stared back.

"Are you a mermaid princess?" Anna asked innocently. Silver glanced at Zoom for help.

"Yes," Zoom butted in. "but a sea witch stole her voice so she can't talk." Silver nodded in clueless agreement.

"You're like Arielle!" Anna exclaimed happily, then stopped smiling and looked very concerned. "But where are her legs? She traded her voice for legs, didn't she?"

Uh…" Zoom fumbled for an answer. "The sea witch tricked her, and now we have to go fight her for her voice and her legs!"

Little Anna looked horrified at such a cruel fate. "Are you waiting here for the witch?" she whispered with wide eyes. Silver shook her head 'no,' not wanting to scare the child. The little girl seemed to have a different realization and made a small gasp, then looked over at Zoom.

"Are you the prince?"

"Why? Do I look like a prince?" he asked humorously. Anna looked at the biker in his white tee, yellow swim trunks, and messy, black, sand-filled hair.

"No, I guess not," she tilted her head. "princes wear nice clothes."

"Touché," Zoom nodded. Silver tried not to chuckle at her wit.

"But your face looks nice so I guess if you changed you could look like a prince," Anna commented. "You look like you really like her, so you must be him. Only princes marry princesses."

Silver felt her face flush and she blinked, staring down at her scales. She was suddenly extremely aware of Zoom's arm holding her close. Anna covered her mouth from Silver's view.

"I think she likes you too," she whispered to Zoom with a little nod. Zoom playfully covered his mouth.

"You think so?" he whispered back, smiling.

"Anna!" the father, Richard, called as he and his wife started to walk away down the beach.

"Coming!" Anna called back and started towards her parents but stopped to pat Zoom's shoulder. "if you protect her from the witch, she has to kiss you, and then you'll live happily ever after! Good luck!" Then Anna ran after her parents.

"Cute kid," Zoom chuckled, then looked over at Silver. "you good? That was close…" he asked, lifting the edge of the hood a little. She felt his breath on her skin. Silver tugged it down.

"Yeah I'm good," she replied. "can I hold onto this until I'm in the car?"

"Sure," he grinned. "looks better on you anyway."

"Uh, Zoom," Silver shifted uneasily. "could you… move your arm please…?" She wiggled her shoulders a little.

"Oh, right. Sorry."

"It's fine." She tucked her chin to her chest and pulled the hood down more. "Thanks for the save."

"No problem," he shrugged, then heard some whispers behind them. Zoom turned around. The whole team was up and watching. "How long have you guys been standing there?"

"Long enough," Vert called back. Sherman and Spinner were chuckling to themselves and Stanford had a smug look. Zoom turned back to the ocean with a groan as Spinner walked up to assess the situation.

"So," he paused and looked down at the black scales. "it looks like meditation didn't work."

Silver shook her head silently.

"You sure you didn't need, oh I don't know…" Spin gave Zoom a smug look with a wink. "Zoom's help? I bet he's a great kis– "

"Oh my gosh, Spinner," Zooms eyes just about popped out of his head. "shut the hell up and lay off already."

"What a dumb idea," Silver snapped at Spinner. She wished she had legs to get up and walk away. After quickly checking around the beach for any more bystanders and making sure the family was turned away, she reached out her hand and summoned a wave to snake up the beach and carry her to Stanford's car. Zoom stood up and glared at the Cortez.

"Did you get sand in your brain? Stop saying stuff when you know nothing is going on."

"Keep telling yourself that, little buddy." Spinner waggled his eyebrows as he strutted away. Zoom slapped his forehead in frustration.

"Just shut up, Spin!" He fumed, walking back to the others. Strapping his board to Chopper, Zoom glanced over to see Vert talking to Silver. He figured she was catching their leader up on what happened while she was meditating, or swimming, or whatever she had been doing to meet the ocean spirit. He couldn't see her, but he knew she was probably short in her conversation and maybe a bit snappy, the way she normally gets when she's pissed. They were having such a nice 'moment' too, as Vert would call it. A thought popped into his head as he replayed the memory. He pushed it out.

Agura nudged the scout. "You good?"

"Yeah," he sighed. "I'm good. Spinner can be such an idiot though. I can't believe he suggested that – the little kid we met gave him the perfect ammo, too – it's so stupid. Silver is just a friend."

"One of these days, he'll get what's coming to him."

"You mean my fist in his face? Hell yeah, he'll get it."

Everyone waited for Vert to finish talking with the guardian. This brief conversation gave them enough time to shake out the sand from their clothes and blankets. They all knew the mission was a bust, but they were in high spirits anyway. On the way back, Stanford proposed they stop at Zeke's for breakfast, which was met with hearty concurrence.

"Right, mates, anyone in the mood for waffles?"

"What are waffles?" Silver looked confused.

"Stanford, I'll take your order and we'll bring it back to you at the hub. Silver shouldn't be left in the car in the dry heat, I don't think she can take it in this form." Vert decided. "Plus, we don't need another nosy kid looking in the windows or poking at the key."

Stanford agreed as the key was passed over to Reverb. "I'll take the usual, mate. Grace knows it if you can't remember."

"What are waffles?" Silver asked again. "You guys eat from this place so much they know what you want already?"

"Don't worry, princess," Spinner winked. "Zoom's got you covered, don't ya buddy? See you back at the hub!"

Silver and Zoom cursed under their breath, and even Sherman reached back to slap him. They heard a small yelp, and it made them feel a little better.

The four vehicles changed course and Reverb continued home. Silver stared out the window at the dry earth, watching for an occasional cactus. She was still irritated with Spinner and his antics.

"So," Stanford smiled over at his passenger. "you and Zoom seemed to be getting cozy back there."

Silver grunted with annoyance. "He was giving me cover from the people who showed up, just being a friend and watching my back."

"The little girl was a cutie… glad the parents didn't figure you out. But you're still wearing his jacket?"

"Didn't get a chance to hand it back. Spinner was being annoying."

"Ah," the brit rolled his eyes in sarcasm. "shocking." He sighed and continued. "It's probably better anyway. Zoom's been seeing Grace on and off for a while now. Last thing our guy needs is more women confusion."

"There's nothing to be confused about." Silver grumbled.

"Having friends again must feel new, eh?"

This was met with silence, which Stanford took as her request to drop the subject.

"Morning!" Grace greeted cheerily. "You guys are up unusually early. What's with the swim trunks?"

Vert sat at one of the vintage barstools. "We went to the pool."

"But the pool isn't open until noon…"

Sherman swooped in for the save. "What Vert meant is we were at the resort the next town over. There was a Spectra Motors conference."

"In the middle of the week? That's odd."

Zoom laughed nervously as he took the seat next to Vert. "Yeah, weird timing, right?"

"Oh, Zoom, I have your yellow hoodie in my car," Grace remembered. "I'll get it for you before you guys leave."

"Thanks, Grace," he smiled. "how about we do something again this coming weekend?"

"Sounds fun," she blushed. "sure you can actually make it work though? Spectra seems to be hounding you guys lately."

"I'm sure I can make something work," he winked.

"We'll be doing a to-go order if that's ok." Vert interrupted.

"Of course! List em' and I'll get those going." The waitress whipped out her pad and pen. Everyone listed off their cravings and then Vert made sure to give Stanford's order. Grace already knew though and had it scribbled before he could get the word 'usual' out.

"Oh, Grace, actually could you double that?" Spinner interjected.

"Sure," she nodded, scribbling it down. "our favorite royal extra hungry today? Where is he anyway?"

"He's taking a friend of ours back to the garage, the order is for her."

Grace arched an eyebrow and grinned. "So, he finally found a girl who isn't bothered by his ego? Didn't see that coming,"

"It's not like that," Agura laughed. "she's a just a new driver."

"Cool, maybe I'll see her around. We need more females to balance out the raging testosterone around here."

"YES girl," Agura wholeheartedly agreed.

After about fifteen minutes, Zeke had all the orders bagged and lined up on the counter. The team enthusiastically thanked them before heading out. Zoom was the last to leave as he waited a moment for Grace to retrieve his favorite jacket.

"Here," she handed it to him with a cute smile. "thanks for letting me borrow it. So… I'll see you again this weekend, then?"

"I mean… if you really want," Zoom played coy. "I have nothing going on tonight…"

"Zoom," Vert called from the doorway. "let's go."

"I'll text you," the scout shrugged on his jacket and walked out. Vert gave him a look on his way out.

"What?" Zoom put his arms out in mock innocence. The blonde rolled his eyes. They filed out of Zeke's parking lot as the rumble of their engines rattled the silverware in the diner. Zeke prattled on about crazy kids and their fancy toys after that, and Grace tuned out a lecture she'd heard at least fifty times before. Damn, that boy could be such a smooth flirt sometimes. It was actually kinda hot.

The team pulled into the hub where Sage was working on a new project, as usual.

"Silver and Stanford are upstairs," she closed her computer, turning her attention to them. "I'm sorry the trip was unsuccessful, but it seems Silver knows what to do next. I've already modified the key to take you to Faven when you're ready. I recommend a small party so as not to attract attention."

"Good idea. Thanks, Sage," Vert waved as he passed. "on top of it as usual. Can we talk after breakfast? There's something I wanted to discuss with you."

"Of course," the sentient nodded. The Cortez brothers were the first on the elevator and waited impatiently for the rest to mozy on. Contrary to his own recommendation, Vert had not taken a nap before leaving. Agura noticed his motions starting to slow from sleep deprivation. Granted, their sleep schedules were never regular due to the unpredictability of storm shocks. They always kept energy drinks stocked, but there was only so much caffeine could do.

Agura brought Silver her breakfast in the 'fish room', as Stanford started to call it. Hopefully, they wouldn't need it much longer. The others went to the rec room as usual. When she entered, Silver was laying on her side on the floor of the tank. Zoom's jacket that she had been borrowing was draped on the chair in the corner where her sword remained propped up. Silver turned upon hearing Agura's footsteps. The mermaid smiled at her friend and swam up to greet her.

"We got you the same thing Stanford orders, thought you might like it."

"Waffles?" Silver perked up with curiosity as she reached out to accept the bag. The water dripping from her hands magically cleared off, and her now dry hands opened the bag gingerly. Silver took out a Styrofoam box. "you guys eat this? It looks so plain…" This looked much different from pizza, it was dry and colorless. The surface of the water turned to thick, rough ice, and Silver put the bag down with the box on top like a tray table set.

Agura laughed and pressed on the tab to opened it. "No, we eat what's inside. That's just the to-go box."

Silver made an embarrassed 'oh' as she looked at the actual food. Three flat squares were stacked inside the box with a round container of brown goo on the side and a shiny cube-like thing with it. She assumed you ate it with your fingers like pizza, so she picked up a corner of one of the waffles.

"Hold on, girl," Agura stopped her, an amused expression on her face. "let me show you how it's done. You're lucky the boys aren't here they'd just let you keep on stuffing your face. Did you use utensils on Faven?" she took the bag and pulled out a little white plastic fork and knife. Silver felt awkwardly babied as Agura opened the shiny cube and scooped the stuff inside it onto the waffles. It mostly collected in the square-shaped craters. Agura threw the empty butter cube away and opened the container of syrup. Silver made a face as she poured the brown liquid.

"Don't judge it till you try it," Agura chuckled. "It's really sweet. Here, use this instead of your fingers."

"Thanks," Silver took the fork and stabbed a waffle. A few bites into her meal, she looked very pleased with the flavor.

Agura grinned. "Knew you'd like it. Want me to stay and eat with you?"

"Thanks, Agura, but I'll be fine here. Go ahead and eat with your team."

The huntress could tell that she was content. "Ok, just yell if you need us, although technically I guess you can get out if you need to."

"I'll be good," Silver insisted. "go be with the others."

Agura obliged and left. She started to notice the sand in her clothes and how grimy her skin felt as she walked to the rec room. When she entered, the energy felt low and everyone was eating in silence. Looks like no one got the sleep Vert recommended before the mission. They finished quietly and cleaned up without their usual banter and jokes. Agura came up to Vert after the rest had left for their rooms.

"You should rest and talk to Sage later. You look like you're about to drop to the floor."

"I'm ok," he insisted.

"You won't be able to think straight in a serious talk."

Vert gave her a reassuring squeeze on the shoulder before heading out. Agura sighed and wiped down the table before heading to her room for a much-needed shower.

Vert was on his way to the hub, where Sage was normally working, passing the door to the 'fish room' when he paused on hearing voices. It sounded like… Sage. He leaned against the wall next to the door to avoid opening it. He knew eavesdropping wasn't exactly ethical, but technically, he could say he was listening for Sage's safety. Silver hadn't done anything yet, but her moods could be unpredictable and dangerous for the blue sentient's case. He leaned in a little more to make out their words.

"You were correct earlier, I want peace, my brother desires conquest… I will be honest with you I had not considered Faven in the balance until I met you. Sentients are beings of logic and science, but we have hearts that can feel as well. After being with you, I know that Faven must be included in the peace and balance of the multiverse…" Sage was saying.

"Why?"

"Because for all the questions that we cannot answer, Faven can. I was wrong to fear what I cannot understand, but I have learned to accept it, and strangely admire the beauty and mystery in your abilities. Though magic cannot be read, seen, or felt by outsiders, it's real and alive. If peace is to ever come to the multiverse, I must accept all different kinds of life."

"So, you accept my people as they were now that you have no other choice? Because I helped you?"

"I am taking the second chance the multiverse has given me. I have opened my heart and my mind to see you as you are. You represent your people, and I learned you are brave, defiant, open-minded, and caring. You have more wisdom in your thousands of years than I have in a millennium. Sentients need your people, and when the day comes when both our civilizations are revived, together we can help them see that."

"If they are ever revived... but… I believe you. I can sense it – your sincerity,"

"Thank you. I'll admit it's been hard to process so much in so few days, but as I said, I believe fate brought you here."

"I guess it did… and thank you too…"

Vert stepped away with a smile. He figured now was too soon to talk about bringing Silver on the team, but this meant he could take the time to shower. He headed to his room and washed off all the sand and sweat. Throwing on a clean tee and boxers, he flopped into his fluffy comforter and immediately fell asleep.

Zoom was the first to wake up from his nap. He peeped as his clock flashing twelve forty in red digital numbers. Pulling his phone off its charger, he checked for texts. There was one from Grace from about five minutes ago. He swiped to open it: 'Hey! I'm on a break but get off work at five. what were you thinking about tonight?'

Zoom went through his options of what they could do tonight. They were featuring a new movie at the drive-in theatre, or there was always the option of going stargazing out on the flats. No, that's too… romantic.

"what are you in the mood for" he texted. That seemed like a safe response. The bubble with three dots popped up as Grace texted her response.

"idk. wanna come over for a movie?"

Zoom thought about it. I guess that's fine. It's a way to keep things chill. She lives with her parents anyway.

"cool. I'll bring popcorn," He responded. That was easy. He clicked his phone off and thought he should check on Silver. She took his hoodie, a good enough excuse to stop by, maybe even apologize on behalf of Spinner for earlier... although it really should be Spinner apologizing to the both of them. He wondered if Vert had talked to Sage yet about asking Silver to stay with them once her transformation problem was solved…

The leader had brought it up when they were back in California, warming up around the fire while Silver had been gone for almost three hours. The first complication of the favian that was brought to attention was her occasional lack of communication. Everyone agreed she could be difficult to get through to once something seemed to seriously bother her. Agura made sure to also be mindful of the fact that Silver was alone on Faven before being captured by Tors Ten and held prisoner for a year, so she had good reason to act the way she does. Surprisingly, Stanford was the one who pointed out that despite all that she deals with, she's very strong and should be given a chance and they were the ones who could help her learn and trust again. The team agreed and voted unanimously to bring her on. Now, they just had to get it past Sage, hoping that the enemy of their enemy would become an ally for the sake of the war.

Zoom arrived and walked into the room where Silver was staying. Normally the lights would flick on at his motion, but they remained off. The glow of Silver's tendrils showed her floating on the surface of the water on her back as the end of her tail drooped down and her hair swirled around her head. Her hands rested peacefully on her stomach and her eyes were closed. Not wanting to disturb her, Zoom tiptoed to the chair where he spotted his hoodie. After retrieving it, he started to walk out but paused to look at the mermaid. Her sleeping expression seemed, troubled… Silver started to moan and mumble a little. Bad dreams, Zoom thought. She stopped and was quiet again. He wondered what she was dreaming about. He wondered how long she had been having bad dreams and how often. What was she not telling them? The scout walked back to his room and threw the hoodie in the hamper. Ok, now what…

Weirdly, he heard a muffled crash. Not a minute later, Sage's voice was urgently calling them to Silver's room. Zoom rushed down the hall with Vert and Sherman, the others tailing right behind them. Sage waited for them at the doorway with a worried expression. Vert instructed her to stay out here where it was safe. As they approached the door, they had to be careful to not slip in the enormous puddle in the hallway. They knew where it came from. The boys caught their breath as the door slid open. In the back of the room, the tank was shattered with only the metal frame left standing, and a couple jagged edges of glass stuck to it. Zoom's chest froze. Silver was sprawled on the wet floor, face wretched in pain, shards scattered around her.