Hot Wheels Battle Force 5: Ophelia's Reach

Chapter 5

ON EARTH

Zoom's eyes groggily opened and peered at the digital red clock at his bedside flashing 10:39. Thank god there weren't any storm shock alerts last night. Last night… Grace was definitely mad at him. Clicking his phone on, he checked for any new messages. Nothing. She would be at the diner already, too. He sighed and laid in bed for another ten minutes, mulling over their interaction the night before. This girl was actually into him, but now he didn't know how he felt about going all the way or what to do about it. Vert was right, he should've quit flirting after their first date. Grace was great but whether or not she could handle the truth of their work was best left unknown. It was safer and better for everyone if the public didn't know, even if it was only the waitress at a small diner in a small town in the middle of nowhere.

Zoom rolled over and hoisted himself out of bed. Maybe Vert would know what to do… but this was almost too embarrassing to talk about. A shower and fresh change of clothes helped him clear his head, but now there was a craving for fruit loops. He headed down to the rec room/kitchen and fixed himself a bowl before plopping next to Spin on the couch playing Slugbots. The disheveled hair and boxer underwear told Zoom the guy had just rolled out of bed and probably hadn't even brushed his teeth yet.

"Morning," Zoom mumbled before taking a spoonful of the colorful cereal circles.

"Hey Zoom," his morning voice croaked and he glanced briefly at his friend. Zoom watched his thumbs and trigger fingers jammed the buttons and whipped the joysticks around, creating fancy combos for his avatar on the large tv screen. For a while, there were just the sounds of clinking of the spoon and clicking of the controller. "Someth'n happen last night?" Spinner asked suddenly.

"Uh – no, why?"

"You're eating fruit loops,"

"I like fruit loops – I always have fruit loops," he defended, slurping the milk off his spoon.

Spinner arched his eyebrow. "You eat fruit loops when you're too stressed to make an omelet, buddy,"

Then Vert shuffled into the kitchen, dark circles under his eyes. His hair was sticking in every direction and he combed it back with his fingers in an effort to unify the trajectory of his locks. It didn't work. He picked up the cereal box and tipped it into an empty bowl.

"Hey, who finished all the fruit loops?" he groaned, shaking the box. The last of the pebbles and crumbs piled onto the nine little loops in his bowl.

Zoom turned to hide his bowl and stopped eating. Whoops.

"Spinner?" the blonde called.

"For once would you believe it's not me?" Spinner kept his eyes forward, an unphased focus on his game.

"You always eat everything,"

"Zoom's eating them right now – he's bummed Silver didn't come back,"

The scout made a face at the Cortez and kicked his leg before sheepishly turning to Vert. "Hehe, sorry… I'll go grab more later."

"Make me an omelet and we'll call it even," he sighed, pushing a chair out of the kitchen table and sinking onto it. "so, still bothered about her staying on Faven?"

"I know she can take care of herself," Zoom assured, got up, and rinsed out his bowl at the sink before grabbing some ingredients from the fridge. Vert noticed his mind seemed preoccupied as he got the stove going and sliced up some tomatoes, mushrooms, and scallops.

"How was last night with Grace?"

His knife hesitated for a second. "Uh… it was ok. I'm surprised you kinda encouraged me to go,"

Vert chuckled. "You needed a distraction other than fixing a bike that wasn't broken,"

Zoom whisked two eggs in a bowl. "She uh… yeah – she invited me to sleep with her… last night,"

Spinner paused his game, a rare occurrence, and flipped around with his mouth gaping. Vert nearly spit out his first swig of orange juice. "GRACE?"

"Then what THE HECK are you doing here?" Spinner waved the controller.

The scout finished putting everything into the pan and turned to his friends. Leaning back against the counter, arms crossed, he furrowed his brow. "I… kinda said no,"

"You said NO to the girl you've been flirting with the past four months at least?"

"Dude, I'm kind of proud of you, aaaannnddd just as confused as Spin," Vert shook his head. "why?"

He was quiet for a moment as he thought. He turned back to the omelet and added the cheese. Spinner and Vert exchanged looks.

"I'm not ready, I guess," Zoom shrugged. "I don't know what I want."

"So… did you guys break up? Were you even officially together?" Spinner hopped over the couch and swiped the OJ carton to finish the last of the juice. Vert waved a hand over his nose. "Dude go brush your teeth your morning breath wreaks – I can smell it from here,"

"OJ and toothpaste?!" the little guy looked disgusted. "Not a good combo,"

Zoom chuckled. "No, we never made it official, just hung out a bunch. I only took her on that one date when you guys went to that junkyard battlezone. She's cool and all, but I don't know… I don't think I like her that way – she's just a cute friend,"

"So you're telling me that with all those looks you gave her, you never once thought about… you know, doing it?" Spin swiped his arm across his mouth.

"It crossed my mind, but no, not really," Zoom shrugged. "It's not that she's not attractive or anything, I just don't really see it going very far – I would want to do that with someone I know I can commit to. Plus, you're always telling me, Vert, that we should keep civilians out of this and dating her would eventually get her involved somehow,"

Vert raised both eyebrows. "I'm surprised you were listening,"

"Haha, we can't take our responsibilities lightly, right?" Zoom served up the omelet. The blonde saluted him with the fork.

"Right," Vert smiled. "and thanks."

"Wow," Spinner sat, slightly dazed. "you turned down probably the hottest chick in Handler Corners… Grace must be pissed,"

Zoom nodded, staring into the table's reflective metal surface.

"Well, as long as Krytus doesn't catch her, there's Silver," the Cortez remarked with a smart-ass grin. Zoom angrily whipped him with the hand towel that had been draped over his shoulder, earning a high-pitched yelp. Vert also looked at him with disdain as he shoveled the omelet into his mouth, a little warm tomato juice dripping lazily down his chin.

"She's also just a FRIEND," Zoom said forcefully. "And dude, seriously, go brush your teeth or have a mint or something," The Cortez chuckled and grabbed a stick of gum from a cabinet drawer. He returned to his game and Zoom cleaned up the kitchen. Vert added his plate and utensils to the dishwasher before turning to his scout.

Zoom sighed. "Man, I don't know what to do now… I want to stay friends. Is that even possible?"

"I don't know," Vert replied. "can you quite flirting? At any rate, you should definitely talk to her,"

Zoom groaned. "I want to, but I also don't want to. Does that make sense?"

"Believe me, I get it," he chuckled with a roll of his eyes. "you have no idea,"

Agura came in wearing socks, sweats, and a fitted long-sleeve black shirt. She looked awake and fresh in energy but was hungry and hunting down breakfast. Vert tensed and looked at her as she walked in and Zoom tried to push down the grin pulling at his face.

She stopped at the fridge and returned the stare. "What…?"

"Nothing," Vert said quickly. "just guy stuff."

"Uh-huh…" Agura slowly retrieved the jug of milk, keeping her eyes on the boys questioningly. She grabbed a glass and poured the remainder out. "OKAY, who left basically a THIMBLE of milk in the jug?"

"Ugh," Zoom lolled his head to the side. "I'll go to the store right noooowwwww," he moaned and walked out.

Agura turned to Vert with a grin and gulped down what little milk she had poured. "He had fruit loops for breakfast, didn't he?"

"His prime stress food – yeah," Vert laughed and kissed her on the forehead. "Good morning, beautiful." He whispered so Spinner couldn't hear.

Silver and Ophelia

"Mother…" Silver lowered the stone and cupped it to her chest, her face streaming with silent tears. "for so long I've been trying to hear your voice… why now? Why say something now?"

"As they raised you, there were too many other voices in your ears – I tried, but the distractions of your world drowned out MY voice…"

"Then, is that what this is for?" *she looked at the stone wonderingly* "I always felt that it was related to you, somehow…"

"I sent with you a piece of my heart – a beacon, of sorts, or syphon – that I may see you wherever you go, but the multiverse stretches further than my vision… you disappeared for some time… where had you gone?"

"To earth… with Battle Force Five – I was stuck in the alternative form. They call me a 'mermaid',"

"You were beyond my vision and stepped out of the range of my power, my magic could not transform you… but something else seems to be troubling you…"

"Many things trouble me… but one in particular plagues my dreams…"

"Tell me…"

"Mother, do you… know… what happened to Sorren?"

"…"

"Please, I have to know… you must have seen everything from the sky… what happened after he saved me?"

"After he hid you in Faven, he disappeared with a small band through a portal. To where, I don't know, and neither does Faven."

"He survived the war?"

"Quite possibly… he and twelve more or so escaped off-world…"

"To earth… they must've escaped to earth…"

"What makes you believe this?"

"I met an ocean spirit on earth who said she'd met other Favians – the last one to ever come to see her held fire… it must've been him…"

"If this is true, then there is hope for Faven… for the rebirth of all our children… all our stewards… you must find them, daughter…"

"But I can't do it without you… I need your help…"

"I will be with you – there is a way for me to extend my vision to earth, listen closely…"

2 MONTHS LATER

Tez flipped through the schematics of Splitwire, always looking for a way that he could upgrade, revise, improve the efficiency or ability of his ride for battle. Suddenly, Sage's computer popped open with a blip on the map of the multiverse. The Sentient floated over to it and expanded the image for the details.

"A beacon?" Tez asked. "From Faven? That planet is uninhabited. A mess of storms and ruins."

"Faven?" Sherman stopped working on Buster and sidled up to them. "Is it…?"

Spinner, who had been sitting on the hood of the enormous tank, looked up from his handheld game.

Sage smiled as she pulled up the coordinates. "Seems that someone wants to rendezvous,"

"Looks like a trap from Krytus." The Russian crossed his arms.

"Not a trap," Sherman winked at his skeptical friend. "magic."

"Was that a joke? I am not laughing."

Sage called the team to the hub as she reprogrammed a battle key. Sherman had left with a big grin on his face, excited to tell Zoom his girl was finally making contact. Well, not with that phrasing, but still, they all knew he would be the most excited.

The team sometimes caught their scout zoning out after someone had simply mentioned Faven or Silver, and he would occasionally check the map for any wandering signals that might give away her position. He had stopped seeing Grace, and missions seemed to be the only thing that kept him fully present and focused. Sherman couldn't help but feel sorry for him and couldn't wait to see his face when he shared the news. Tez watched the big guy lumber off and then turned back to Sage.

"That was a joke, right?"

"No way," Spinner jumped down excitedly. "it's really her? She's coming back?"

Sage smiled and nodded. "It's possible – but she may just need help with a matter,"

"Who?" Tez asked.

Spinner patted his tall friend on the back with a mischievous smile before following his brother. "Magic, Tez… Geez, Zoom is going to flip when he hears this!"

"Magic is not real." Tez scoffed and waved his gloved hand around as he spoke. "There is only science that cannot yet be explained. Why are they so smiley? Why is Zoom flipping? Who is this beacon from?"

"I assure you, Tez, though it is hard to believe, magic is real," Sage paused her work to open a screen with her limited information on the planet. "The beacon is from a friend, the Guardian of Faven. We had returned her to her homeworld shortly before meeting you. I gave her a gauntlet to send us a signal in case of emergency."

"So, this is a rescue?" Tez scrolled through the file, hand cupped underneath his chin in thought.

"No, it's not a distress signal, just a homing beacon,"

"This file looks like children's stories and folk tales." He remarked arrogantly. He glanced at Sage, still judging whether this was just an elaborate prank. The team filtered into the room, but Zoom practically sprinted in.

"Sherman said we got a beacon coming from Faven," the scout said rapidly before pausing to catch his breath. "is it Silver?"

"It is," she nodded. "I'm almost done reprogramming the key to take you to her coordinates."

Vert clapped his friend on the back with a grin. "Sheesh, Zoom, I know it's been a couple months but don't look so excited you're making it too obvious."

Zoom rolled his eyes but kept the smile. "Hey, you're happy to hear from her too," he elbowed.

"We all are," Agura chuckled.

Sage finished her work and handed the key over. "To avoid attention, I would like to send a small group again. We don't know what she needs. It's not an emergency signal, so it could simply be a message."

"Vert and I will go," Zoom immediately suggested, earning a smug smile from Spin and even Sherman.

"Ok, ok," Vert chuckled. "We'll take the fuser in case we run into any trouble, but we'll keep it stealthy and quick – get in and out before Krytus even knows we were there."

The sentient nodded. "Very well."

"Vert, are you sure about this?" Agura asked worriedly.

"We'll be fine," he assured and squeezed her shoulder.

"Alright," she relaxed into a hopeful smile. "then go get her, boys. Bring our girl back,"

"Oh, believe me," Vert grinned as he hopped into Saber's cockpit. "I don't think Zoom will give her a choice,"

"Dude, that's so not true," the scout retorted, faking a nonchalant attitude.

"Ehhh," Stanford teetered out his hand as if weighing the chances and the team laughed, except for Tez of course, who was curious as to who they were talking about. He'd never read about the civilization that used to inhabit Faven… this was new and definitely not sentient based. A new culture… maybe he should study it too…

"Well for our sake, I hope she decides to come back," Agura crossed her arms, a teasing tone in her voice. "I don't think we can stand another week of you hogging the computers to check for signals or missing entire conversations cause you're zoning out."

"I don't hog the computers," Zoom mumbled as he popped on his helmet.

"Um, that's FALSE," Spinner taunted, pulling up the nearest screen. "according to the records, there has been a forty-seven percent increase in YOUR computer activity over the past seventy-three days."

Sherman smirked. "The data doesn't lie – you've been looking for her,"

Zoom obnoxiously revved Chopper's engine. "SORRY CAN'T HEAR YOU," he shouted over the roar. "OPEN TRACK IS CALLING MY NAME," he switched gear and shot out the hub. Vert laughed and followed shortly after.

"Are we sure it's not his balls that are calling her name?" Spinner giggled.

"Ok," Agura shook her head. "that was too far,"

"That's what she said," Sherman mumbled to his brother and they both tittered as Agura scoffed at their immaturity. Thank god she was raised with so many brothers or she would have gone insane by now.

Chopper and Saber shot out the garage and raced through the salt flats. The anticipation of seeing their friend again pushed them faster as Vert launched the key, opening the portal to Faven. They immerged in a low forest on the outskirts of the ruins of a large city with the storms rumbling overhead. The rain seemed contained to the city area. Ahead of them, the sky cleared a little, revealing a single large sun that warmed the air.

"Hold up," Vert eased to a stop. "looks like we're not alone."

A floating sark with its red bug-eye lens and two drivers zoomed across their path ahead, then disappeared behind the brush. The two didn't advance until the whir died off.

"Krytus sent scouts to look for her," the scout clenched his teeth and squeezed the handlebar. "I told her this would happen…"

"The sooner we find Silver, the better, but we'd better keep our eyes peeled. We don't know how many sark are here and we don't have the muscle for a big smackdown."

Zoom nodded. "Stealth mode – my specialty,"

The beacon popped up on their computer screens and they cautiously advanced through the brush. As they traveled deeper in, the trees grew noticeably taller, and underbrush thicker. Occasionally, they would hear the high-pitched buzz of sark engines in the distance, but their drive was uninterrupted. The boys looked around at the foliage and nature that framed their path. Much like how earth was known as the 'green planet', Faven could've been nicknamed the 'purple planet'. Much of the tall shrubbery was soft and feathery with a lavender tint to its deep hue. Occasionally, Zoom would catch a glimpse of an enormous white blooming flower, hiding at the tops of the trees. As light passed through the petals, they cast a soft, dreamy hue in the space beneath it, mimicking the effect of a fog machine.

"Check it out," Vert pointed out a low-sitting patch of pinkish-red flowers. Their petals were thick and individually cupped like spoons, each about the size of a hand. Seven petals met in the middle but never touched. They remained suspended in the air over a bowl-like stem that trailed to the ground, connecting to a network of other stems of the mysterious flowers. As they passed, a small pebble of light jumped from one of the stems, up through the circle of petals, and shot across the patch to another flower and dropped into it.

"Woah," Zoom watched closely as the little light jumped up and into another flower. "trippy… what do you think it is?"

"Dude, I have no idea." Vert refocused on the road ahead and checked the map for the distance to the beacon. "We didn't pass through this way last time, so be careful. Any one of these things could be deadly."

"I wonder which one of these plants have pips." Zooms eyes darted about at the mystifying trees, some of which had golden flecks peeking through their scaly plum-colored surface.

"Uh - what?"

"A pip," Zoom repeated. "it's a food that they take from the root of the plant, kinda like a fruit… but it lowkey looks like an alien egg."

"Weird," Vert frowned.

"Yeah, she offered for me to try some, but the inside was red and gooey, and it sounded so gross when she drank it."

"Nasty."

"Yeah – was not about to die from that."

A couple winding turns later, the map led them off-road to a small clearing in the trees, and the two slid to a stop at the edge of a deep crater. A chunk of earth broke off near Chopper's tire and splashed down into the pool of water. The ripples it made disrupted the glittery film that coated its surface, lapping it up the sides a little. It wasn't the kind of crater that you could climb down into. The water had eroded away the walls, extending a couple feet of a lip to dive off, if you dared. They backed away in case the ledge broke under their weight.

"Well, we're here," Vert announced.

"I don't see her," Zoom leaned over, nervously peering in the water and then analyzing the ring of trees around the crater. "shit, maybe Krytus got her – should we try radioing?"

A familiar airy voice echoed in the crater below, accompanied by a light splash of her tail. "No need, I'm right here." Silver surfaced on the opposite side of the pool under the ledge. Her glowing tendrils lit the water below her, showing that the hole plummeted deeper than the boys originally thought. She waved and smiled up at them, eyes glowing their milky blue hue. "Have a little faith in a guardian, would ya?"

"Hey! Silver!" Zoom brightened immediately, relieved to find her okay.

"I'm glad Sage's beacon worked,"

"Like a charm," Vert popped open the cockpit and hopped out. "We're glad to see you. Uh… you're not stuck again, are you?"

"No, I'm not stuck," Silver laughed a little as she summoned the water to hoist her up to a ledge near the boys. The glittery film coated her long black hair and scales. "I just needed to lay low and hide… the sark have been all over the city and sometimes in the forest. It's been making my recent excursions... challenging. I found that some secret archives in The Order's library have somehow survived – I've been trying to recover the records… almost got caught a couple times,"

"That city back there was your old crib?" Zoom asked, removing his helmet and sliding off his bike to meet her. Silver took a moment to transform back into her normal body. The boys had to squint against the light as the magic swirled around her. When they looked again, she sat with her legs and bare feet dangling over the edge. She wore black leggings and a thin grey tunic, but they were entirely soaked.

"I'm not sure why you would relate a city to a baby's bed, but I guess, yeah." The guardian remarked, a little confused. "Those are the remains of Takesh, once a grand city and the capital of this region," Using her magic as she spoke, she drew the glittery water out of her clothes and long hair, and let it fall into the pool below in a soft rain. Every movement and act seemed so natural for her, but the guys had forgotten how fascinating it was to watch.

"So, you want us to help you get into the library – get the last of the records?" Vert asked.

"No," Silver looked shocked and shook her head as she stood. "that would be suicidal. They've figured out what I've been doing. Kyburi set traps and increased the number of patrols. They're not too hard to handle but they definitely slow me down. The more I've slipped through, the angrier she's been getting…" The guardian walked over to a nearby tree with a smooth surface. Its skin was light purple with black specks, much like how a chicken's egg can come speckled.

"So let's go to a different city," Zoom suggested as he resisted the urge to step forward and wrap her in a hug. "check around for other… secret… libraries… uh… Silver – what are you doing?"

Silver had randomly started tracing her fingertip on the tree in lines, dashes, and swirls. Her eyes gleamed with the last stroke as she chanted, "coma-une, sera say almeel, brekish… KEE." A dull slash whipped down the trunk and its skin peeled back. She reached inside the foggy hollow and pulled out a pair of laced shoes, her sword, cloak, and a knapsack.

"Grabbing my things," she looked over and couldn't help but laugh a little at their astonished faces. "prism magic – a common spell for storing things in living beings,"

"Uh… open sesame…?" Vert joked, shaking off his slight disturbance at the concept.

"You don't do it in people," Silver assured them. "it's forbidden is really painful if not done correctly."

"Oh good," Zoom released the breath he'd been holding. "I was going to say that sounds not ok."

"It's normally in plants because they don't have nerves to feel physical pain, at least most of them. But in the older days, the more skilled prism masters were able to stash valuables in their creatures while traveling."

The tree's skin sealed together again, and Silver removed the line that was left by simply wiping it down with her hand, almost like using a paper towel. The tree was left unscathed. Silver kissed it, thanked it, then knocked on it like a door, and something fell from the branches into her outstretched hand. She packed the gauntlet away and shouldered her gear.

"So that was where the beacon was coming from," Vert pointed up at the canopy in disbelief. "in the tree?"

"Yeah," Silver slipped on her boots before straightening up and facing them. "if I had hidden it in the pocket, I don't think the signal would have made it through. Prism pockets hold things in another dimension overlapping our own."

"This just keeps getting weirder and weirder," Zoom shook his head. "so, about those records…?"

Silver stopped him. "I want to help in the war against Krytus… Faven is my home and I want to protect it, but Kyburi is hunting me and the sark are becoming too much for me to handle…" she sighed. "Zoom, I hate to say it but you were right – I can't stay here alone anymore. Sooner or later they'll catch me, and then Faven will truly fall… this my war too."

"We'd appreciate any help we can get," Vert smiled. "and we had already been thinking about asking you on the team, but it seemed that earlier wasn't the best timing."

Silver shifted uneasily. "Yeah… sorry about that…"

"It's alright, you don't have to apologize. You had stuff to figure out and that's totally fine, but if we're going to be working together, we need you to trust us. That does not mean you have to tell us everything, but be open to talk about stuff,"

The scout spoke in a gentle tone, "Remember what I told you on the beach back on earth?"

"Ghosts are freaky as hell?"

Vert looked at his scout, confused but amused.

"What? No," Zoom waved his hands and shook his head. "no – not that. After that,"

She hesitated, looked down at the ground, and then back at him shyly. "People need each other..."

"Right," he grinned, "we need each other, Silver… it was about time you signaled us," He gestured to his ride. "let's go."

"Just so we're clear, you guys really don't need me – but thank you,"

"Hah! – uh, yeah we do," Vert insisted and pointed to his scout. "even if it's just to stop him from worrying about where you are. He's been checking the screens at least every day, forty-something percent increase – or whatever Spin said,"

"Veeeerrrrtttt," he hissed.

"What?" the blonde winked. "it's what good friends do, watch out for each other and stuff,"

"I told you, I can take care of myself," the guardian reminded as she followed Zoom to his bike.

"I know you can," he turned to her, a little bit of a pink tinge to his cheeks. "but that doesn't mean I don't worry." He pulled on his helmet and mounted Chopper. Silver slid into her spot behind the scout and squeezed him, pressing all the air out of his lungs.

"OOF," Zoom gasped. "you have a freaking STRONG HOLD, mind letting a guy breathe? We won't make it if you're gonna suffoca– "

"I can stay behind if that's better – follow on a wave," she teased, releasing the hug entirely.

"Well… no,"

"What I meant was thank you," Silver smiled, wrapping her arms around him again, long black hair falling over her face as she leaned forward, her chin propped upon his shoulder.

"I know," he grinned.

"Alright," Vert chuckled. "let's go."

Carefully, they turned around and headed back towards the portal zone near the ruins of Takesh. The guys pointed out a couple things in the forest and asked what they were, and Silver would try her best to recall their names and what they did, but she didn't know most of them.

"The rule of thumb around here is that if it's mostly green, it's probably dangerous," She explained.

"Back on earth it's almost the exact opposite rule," Vert replied.

"But nothing is green where you live,"

"Well we live in a desert where it's actually too dry for anything to grow, but most of Earth is really green, or blue from the oceans."

"Interesting…"

"Did you figure out what the deal was with your stone?" Zoom inquired.

"You're not going to believe what… I… uh…" her words inadvertently drifted off as she peered intensely at the right bend in the road ahead.

Zoom glanced back at her. "Silver, what is it?"

"Kyburi… she's waiting for us."

"How can you tell?"

"I can just feel it…"

"Can you sense how many sark she has with her?" Vert asked urgently.

"No, they don't have life-forces – they're just machines."

"Ok, then we'll assume she has a lot. I don't suppose there's another way to get to the city?"

"Not unless you want to go through the fvirose's ritual grounds and have your privates cut off,"

"WHAT," Zoom made a face and shuddered. "you know what – I don't even want to know right now,"

"Then we push through Kyburi," The blonde grit his teeth with determination.

"I have an idea," Silver offered. "Zoom take the front and hug the right side, and on my word, gas it and turn, but not until I say so."

"We can't take a turn that sharp at full speed," Vert cautioned.

"I'll help,"

"How?"

"Just trust me," she encouraged, her rainbow eyes changing to their magical glow. "here we go..."