Chapter 12

Flanking

A/N: Due to issues (Namely my education), my recent updates have been falling short of length. I will continue to update regularly and normally, every Sunday until the story is complete. In the mean time I intend to create a sweeping, novel length epic.

And if Lilit's a lesbian, Dylan can get a yaoi kiss. So says the law of Wester.

And some dirty swearing this chapter. Just a warning, kay.

Orion forced himself into the space behind the small back seat in the Endeavor. Verne climbed into the seat in front, holding Dylan's body. Jules was quick to get in, after running a few tests on the hull and wings, and looked glad to be gone. The wings of the Endeavor blazed to glory and Orion, ever the quixotic knight, decided to ask; "Have you ever seen a dragon. You seem endowed with a breadth of vision that would grant such a sight." Artemis non-verbally groaned at Orion's grammar. Jules shrugged.

"I've only been travelling for three years. I haven't seen anything like that."

"Three years then. Then that would mean you're, at most, twenty, right?" Orion had put two and two together with Artemis. Any information on Jules was good information.

"Nope." Jules popped the 'p'. "I'm thirty three." Orion gave a start. Jules didn't look a day over nineteen!

"That's a long life." Artemis wanted information, and he would stop at nothing to get it, even if that meant trying to take control of Orion's mouth. "Surely there must have been some interesting events throughout it. You must have done something to get by." Not as direct as an interrogation, not as louse as idle conversation. Perfect for gathering knowledge in this situation.

"I worked as an airman, as a reserve soldier for the air force. My wife was the stepdaughter of an old factory runner, so we were well off. My children never had anything to worry about."

'Note: Ex-soldier with wife and kids.' "Anything for a hobby?"

Jules coughed into his fist and then looked back. His lone right black eye met with Orion's sapphire blue eyes, the one hazel now hidden from the world. If only for a moment, every single one of his thirty three years showed through his face. "I did a fair bit, thank you." Jules ended the conversation by slamming the cover of the cockpit closed and gunning the wings. The pale white fire went electric blue, sending the Endeavor into a fast vertical climb. The occupants were forced into their seats (Orion into the hard metal) before Jules pulled the throttles forward and leveled out. The Endeavor was back in the air.

"Cold plasma wings. The technology required must have set you back years. Unless you found it somewhere else." Artemis was fighting for control. In minutes he would retake his body if Orion didn't try to fight back. He just needed some time…

"That's it. As you know, plasma is magnetic. I just run current along the wires and they generate lift. I can alter the shape, producing wings and other shapes. It also dispels electrical charges really well."

Jules flipped a few switches, shrouding the ship with green light. "That's the energy field. It acts as a shield and cloak. Foolproof and bloody effective." Artemis noted that Jules didn't take down the field. Orion verbalized the question. Jules just pointed.

An metal spider was pumping lightning into the sky ahead of them.

…

Opal wondered when it all went straight to hell.

It had been a simple plan; sneak into the portal while Short and the mudmen were busy, find some powerful minions, put the under the Mesmer, and lead them back and kill everyone. Granted she and her past self, who now called herself simply Koboi, had planned out several more steps and fallback plans, but that was the gist of the whole.

They had not planned for Opal to be kidnapped by angry Germans, but she could improvise if something like that came up. All it would have taken was a few well-placed Mesmer's and bam, instant control. The soldiers had other plans though. Having gone willingly, Opal totally expected to be treated like a prisoner of war, meaning she could easily gain access to the captain. But the Geneva conventions were yet to come, and Opal was strapped onto the bow of the ship, chained up by copper wires like a figurehead, and forced to pump her magic into the wires to power and enormous Tesla cannon before she could say D'arvit.

So between plotting gruesome revenge and admiring the human that managed to construct the cannon, Opal was drained of all her magical power. It also hurt that she had only gotten the power a few days ago.

Opal examined the device. It was circular, with a blue core and rounded sides. A wrist band sat on its back. She held it up to her savior, cocking an eyebrow ironically. "This is going to make me magical again?"

Koboi sighed exasperated from her work table, carefully manipulating a ring of platinum into the other battery. "It should work, though it needs to be tested first. You're being our crash test dummy." She ignored the fact that Opal's eyebrow was cocked again- perhaps because her back was turned- and steadily lowered the ring into the battery. Closing the case, Koboi picked up the magical battery in both hands, as gently as if it were a newborn child, triumphant.

Opal crept up behind her time traveling younger self and using her advantage in height, plucked the battery out of her hands. Koboi groaned and set back to work on completing a modified shimmer suit that would allow both her and her companion to enter the time stream unharmed. Opal watched out of the corner of her eye. Her younger self was so much smarter the she gave herself credit for, but wasn't nearly as intelligent as herself. Or less naïve. Such was the nature of time travelers, always so sure of themselves, always the first to try and take risks. Such fools.

But Opal still had to admire her younger ingenuity. She wouldn't have considered placing some of her own considerable magic into a lithium battery and strapping it onto her hands. But after years without magic, she would need to practice.

Opal exited the small hut that she and herself called home. The morning air fogged a little, but Russia was meant to be cold. The Tsar should not have pissed of that demon warlock 3000 years ago. Opal adjusted the second battery on her hand and flipped it into her palm. Stretching her fingers she waited for the familiar power to flow down her arms.

Sparks danced off of her hands, reaching up to her shoulders. Opal breathed in the sweet scent of magic. It was like nothing else, and certainly nothing you could find in prison. Opal began manipulating the magical flow, repelling off the earth's magnetic field. She was airborne again.

Opal felt joy for maybe three seconds. Then she began to wonder how she would land.

Opal circled upward, trying to determine how she had landed before. It wasn't like she could just shut off her magic, she'd break her neck! But if she just kept climbing, then she'd eventually die of decompression sickness. Such was the nature of space when one was not wearing a spacesuit.

"Slacken off the power and angle your arms back. Bend and brace your legs." Opal glanced down. Koboi was standing below her, hands on her hips, disdain on her face. Opal mimicked the stated action, and was suddenly back flipping in air. She tried to level out, and only succeeded in landing on her face. Opal pulled herself up on her hands and knees and glared at Koboi, whose lips quirked in the odd fashion that meant she was holding back hysterical laughter. She failed spectacularly when Opal managed to get to her feet and flip her off.

"Just practice some more and you have the landing down pat." Koboi beamed at her fuming future self. She so loved tormenting her. But two could play that game.

Opal quietly nodded at her, then mused aloud "Oh, the duel dex wing set seems to need some new upgrades. Should I hack Foaly's database again?" Opal felt some karmic vengeance for the look of horror that spread over her younger self's face.

"You wouldn't."

"Try me."

Koboi glared at Opal, who activated the batteries and ascended, laughing all the way.

Opal gripped the batteries harder, threatening their structural integrity. She was being used as a human – okay pixie- conduit, pumping the massive reserves of magic into the cannon. The Germans seemed to think that all they needed was to bombard the portal she had fallen so fortunately fallen out of. As if. Mudmen were such idiots. Opal glared up at the observing soldiers, who looked glumly back at her. If she wasn't gagged, she would have had them strangle each other. Or maybe she would mesmerize half of them and have them hunt down the rest. Perhaps she would have them through themselves off the ship, and then haul themselves back up to do it again.

Opal was mid-silent-rant when she noticed something. A thousand tiny pings across the Herkules resounded against her. Then the copper wires began to pull on her arms. They were going up.

…

Jules brought the Endeavor into the time stream, totally focused. They couldn't risk landing anywhere other than directly on top of the Leviathan. He only had so many tries with the temporal crystal. But they were already in trouble before they had even entered the stream. The Herkules had been beneath portal and was now hot on their heels. Not that they knew that, but it was definitely bad. Know the clankers would be attracted to their own time, and land on top of the Darwinians. Hopefully though, he might have time to get the Leviathan and Minotaur out of the general area before they arrived.

Entry into the Russian night was smooth though, a good sign. Jules wonder for a moment, whether or not he should throw Artemis into the time stream and just save himself the trouble. In the end though, he needed Artemis's brains. There was too much of a risk for something to go wrong. He had had that sort of luck when he was fifteen and now he had it when he was thirty three. Dealing with it was just peachy.

The turbulence Jules had become accustomed to greeted him and his passengers at the other end of the portal. Bringing up a screen Verne ran some calculations and put them in front of Jules, who nodded in the quiet. Artemis chose that moment to speak.

"Well, I must apologize for my other half's actions. He is quite insane." Artemis sounded a little sheepish. Jules didn't blame him.

"I would know. Now when to -" Jules's musings were cut short by captain Short. Ironic.

"Attention all aboard unidentified aircraft, you have ten seconds to exit the area. Your countdown started nine seconds ago." A missile streaked passed. "That was your warning shot."

Jules grabbed the comm. "Holly, do not fire. Artemis is on board." Any further fire was halted, though Holly wasn't convinced.

"Put me on with him." Jules handed the comm to Artemis.

"Holly, I'm here."

"Arty, are you all right." Artemis gave almost nothing away, but Jules could see the slight quirks that hinted he was both irritated and pleased to hear Holly call him by his pet name. 'It was so obvious.'

"No frankly I'm not," irritation winning out. "I've been kidnapped, dropped, been forced to hike several miles, and stuck in my own mind during the whole ordeal. So no, I'm not okay. Is Butler their?"

"Artemis," Butlers deeper voice boomed from the speakers. "It's good to hear you, though we need to meet face to face." Nothing seemed to crack the bodyguard's professionalism. Jules admired him for that.

Taking back the comm, Jules relayed a quick plan. "My ship generates a buffering energy field that should keep the heat off of the ship's back. Land on the one you're currently circling. It's the Leviathan."

The Endeavor set down first, the energy field spreading out to blanket the area. The shuttle landed next. The legs strained the shield, but nothing went up in flames, so Jules decided it was safe to exit. The two groups disembarked swiftly, with Artemis trying to walk over to Butler, but stopped by Jules.

"I still need you Artemis. You need to come with me, Holly and N`1 as well." Jules gestured them over. N`1 skipped over and stuck out his hand. Jules took it happily, glad to see the little demon.

Holly was far more cautious. Her hand on the neutrino's holster, she quietly inserted herself next to Artemis. "Nice to have you back Mud boy." Holly's tone was playful, but she kept her eyes locked on Jules, ready to attack if he would hurt Artemis. Jules suddenly wondered if this was the best time to reveal who he and Verne really were. But that had to wait.

"It is imperative that we establish contact with the captain. We spotted a hostile frigate coming through the portal after us. Opal Koboi was strapped up as the figurehead." Jules ignored the looks of annoyed slowness that crossed Butler's and Holly's faces. "If we work fast we'll be able to force both the Leviathan and the Minotaur out of the region. Any objections. And we'll just field wipe the captain when we're done." He said in response to Holly's open mouth. "Let's go."

The group moved slowly down the ship's spine, Jules leading, Verne carrying Deryn's body and Artemis bringing everyone up to speed. Butler couldn't follow them into the ship when they found the access hatch. In minutes the group was in the gondola.

"Be careful here, anyone could hear us and think we're intruders." Jules didn't lack for the obvious, though Holly took his statement most literally, and took rear guard, neutrino drawn. The five (six if you count Deryn's body) moved as stealthily as Artemis's clumsiness could allow. They were just level with the middle of the ship when Jules put his shoulder against a door.

"What is it?" Holly slipped up next to him, charging a shot on the neutrino five hundred.

"I'm not sure." Jules stared at the door. "I thought I heard someone in there moan. You don't think that they're in pain?" They waited, and then heard the moan again. Holly and Jules shared a look, then kicked down the door.

…

When they saw what was in front of them, everyone had a few thoughts.

Holly: I've seen weirder.

Jules: Must control paternal instinct. Must not kill Alek.

Artemis: Oookay.

Verne: Deryn's going to kill him.

N`1: Why are those boys kissing? Are they practicing?

Deryn's body: AWWWWWW

The particular scene turned out to be Dylan, shirt askew, having wrapped his arms around Alek and furiously kissing him. Alek, to his credit, was stunned into submission by the boy and hadn't managed to pull him off. Jules coughed quietly.

Dylan looked sideways off Alek and nearly fell out of bed. Alek did, the kiss having short circuited his brain. "Hello." Dylan was probably the only person who could be interrupted trying to have sex and reply as normally as he did. It spoke volumes for his psychological health.

Deryn's body acted on its own, disentangling itself from Verne and charging Dylan. Dylan's face barely had time to morph into its customary hateful scowl before Deryn's body had hit him, and locked it's lips on his.

…

Deryn was trying defiantly to get Dylan to kick himself and was shocked when Artemis, Holly and N`1, along with two others she didn't know but guessed were the Jules and Verne that Alek had told Dylan about.

And she was further shocked when her body charged Dylan and kissed him.

Deryn felt herself being dragged at high speed, held up only by some strange force.

She was getting her body back.

…

Deryn and Dylan stood, locked in their embrace for several moments. Then, almost in slow motion, they separated, falling backwards from one another. Jules was at Deryn's side before she could hit the ground.

"Deryn, wake up Deryn. We need you, come on." Jules gave the girl a little shake, which seemed to rouse her. Deryn blinked her eyes, their regular sapphire blue reasserting themselves over the gray symbol, and coughed a little. That little cough turned into a hacking one, with Deryn convulsing with each breath. Holly placed her palm on her, blue sparks weaving in and out of Deryn's chest. For a few moments Deryn's coughs doubled in strength before dropping off. She rubbed her raw throat.

"Barking spiders that stings. Last time I ask for directions from split personalities."

Jules guided her to her feet, gently steading her. "Are you all right? Nothing broken, everything intact, how much is eight by seven and a half?" Jules waited patiently as Deryn gave him a look, before realizing that he wanted an answer.

"I'm alright, but who are you? Are you that Jules guy Alek was talking about?" Jules nodded once, content to give nothing else away. Artemis though seemed to have noticed something else.

"Holly, get over here now." Artemis had his hand on Dylan's throat, the boy rigid and still, his lips turning blue, his hazel eyes rolled up into his head. Holly dropped to her knees next to him, but had barely touched him when she recoiled. She cast a dark look at Artemis before announcing,

"He's dead."

"Good riddance." Jules shocked Verne with his quiet hate, but she should have expected it. After what Dylan had done to Deryn…

"He was the worst kind of person, the kind of person who wouldn't go out and work for his life, who wouldn't have dressed up, worked on his lines and try to woo a nice girl, but someone who would just fuck a cow." He slid up to Dylan's body and gave it a little kick, while Artemis tried to work out where the hate had come from, N`1 tried to figure out how Dylan had died, and Alek wondering if he had just been compared to a cow. Deryn took one look at him and Dylan and couldn't have agreed more. Dylan really was that messed up.

Verne made to exit the room and gesture the rest out, when she stopped at the edge of the room, disbelieving the sight in front of her. When she did communicate it was in a high, cracked voice. "Artemis, Jules, get out here." The two boys pushed past her, and saw what was outside the Leviathan.

They had run out of time. The Herkules had arrived.

Deryn shoved her way to the window, staring out at the frigate. The clankers where here again. But now they had nothing to stop them. No portal to drag them through. No quick escape to be made.

The Tesla cannon pivoted, blue sparks racing up the cables to the forward batteries. Jules pulled out his telescope, looking for the source of the power. His eyes alighted on Opal, her screams of rage inaudible from the distance. 'She has truly gone mad' was the last thought through Jules mind before he started screaming.

The cannon loosed the built up charge of magic laced lightning onto the Minotaur. Electricity danced upon the skin, before flaring. Deryn screamed in fear for her brother. Jules screamed too. The Minotaur began to really burn, hydrogen flaring in white and red bursts. Explosions racked the flank, fires spread like disease. Man and beast vanished in the pyre the ship provided.

The Herkules began the slow retreat west, intent on returning with greater forces. It would not return for now, but the Darwinians would now know that the clankers could not be crossed.

Jules watched as the Minotaur fell from the sky. Then, without thinking, he sprinted down the corridor, dodging and weaving past the airmen that came out of their rooms, rudely awakened and gawking at the sight of the Minotaur, burning on the ground in the night. Verne called out from behind him, trying to stop him and make him see sense. But Jules wouldn't hear it. One thought, one voice, dominated him.

'I won't let Jaspert die like I did.'

A/N: In celebration of completing this chapter and finally getting my buffer up, I will be releasing this chapter on a Saturday.

Woohoo.

To anyone that doesn't read UnknownUnseenUnheard; Why? Oh and I'll be doing a crossover with him, so there's that. I hope that this chapter is as interesting as the others. See you next wee