Episode One: Wake Up
Time and space tumbled as a black void of random memories and incoherent thought engulfed Marcus. Amongst the chaos and din, a deep lamenting voice emerged, whose sorrow and regret consumed him. Suddenly, a light shown in the darkness, from which female voices came forth.
"Pulse: fifty-six and rising," called one voice.
"Respiratory increasing from fourteen to seventeen," informed another.
"I think he's waking up," concluded another, "Quickly, get Dr. Egan!"
Marcus slowly opened his eyes. A blurry white ceiling greeted him, followed quickly by four inquisitive faces. Squinting from the bright lighting above, he tried to focus his vision. Above him stood four petite girls, whom were just beginning to blossom into womanhood. They wore white blouses with frilled chests, accented by a large baby-blue bow, matching pants with frilled ends, and shoes with small blue bows. A pounding headache throbbed and making all manner of thought painful for him. Stiff from his slumber, Marcus tried to flex his limbs. While he did, another girl in the same garments ran in and joined them. She had platinum-blonde hair with olive-green eyes and pale skin.
"Dr. Egan will be here momentarily," she announced, "Please stay still."
On a whim, Marcus tried to sit up but failed after several seconds.
"You need to stay down and rest," explained the lightly tanned girl with light brown hair and hazel-pink eyes, "Dr. Egan will be with you shortly."
Now very annoyed, Marcus lurched up; pulling on the wired sensors attached to his body. They yanked on the tethered monitoring equipment, which lunged towards him.
"No really, you need to lie down," reemphasized the dull brown skinned girl with steel blue-gray eyes, dark gray hair, and a tilaka, "You have yet to fully recover."
Marcus groaned and cradled his head in his hands while the girls checked the equipment.
"Good to see you're finally awake," said a male voice, walking in.
Marcus looked over and strained to see a rather large stout man with bold red hair, resembling a stout Mohawk, who wore glasses standing next to him in a white lab suit holding a clipboard.
"I'm Dr. Greg Egan," introduced the man, "You can call me Dr. Bear. You are Marcus, correct?"
Marcus slowly nodded. The girls offered Dr. Egan a seat next to the bed then quietly stood about the two as Marcus collected himself.
"Crikey, Doc, you catch the number of the road-train what whacked me?" mumbled Marcus.
"Sorry to say but you're the one who knocked yourself out," replied Dr. Egan.
"Figures," chuckled Marcus with some effort, "Hey Doc, ya ever have one of those dreams where you lived in a world where everything seemed absolutely real but nothin' like you remembered?"
"No, can't say that I have," replied Dr. Egan, "Care to share?"
"I awoke to world completely foreign where giant machines surfed the skies alongside humans," recounted Marcus, "All the towns were new and nothin' like I'd seen before. I awoke on an isle below the surface of the Earth. I had only an odd board and me bluey. Everything was strange and new yet I took it all in stride. I just did what came natural; I surfed the skies on rainbow auroras; I trekked across the bush above the cavern, discoverin' new places, meetin' new faces; and all without a care in the world. It seemed a whole year went by like this. No responsibilities, no destination, just a bushie of the sky I was. Then I had a hankerin' to return home; but I couldn't find it. Desperate, I returned to the spot I first woke up. There I met a queer couple who didn't fancy me one bit; bloke even pulled a shooter on me! His spunk Sheila was quite breathtaking, though she had a strange metallic thingo under her chin... and her eyes, not human yet strangely beautiful! They panicked when they saw me peepers. When I got a good squizz at 'em, they were like hers! The rest is a blur; then I woke up here."
"Hmm, sounds like Dominic's account," thought Dr. Egan aloud, "So likely no permanent damage."
Marcus stared at him with shock and concern, "You just say Dominic, Doc?"
"Yes, I did," confirmed Dr. Egan, "Look, there's no easy way to break this to you so... you were not dreaming. Everything you just recounted was real. You are indeed a long way from home."
"You're shittin' me, right?" gasped Marcus as his hands began to shake, "Pig's arse! Ha-ha! You're just pullin' me leg! Nice one, Doc, you really had me there for a tick; but its all furphy rubbish, yeah?"
"I'm afraid not," replied Dr. Egan, "Everything you remember from that first day was indeed real."
"I'll be stuffed," sighed Marcus, falling back onto the medical bed, "Wait a tick, but then that means..."
"Yes, you're eyes are not as you think," confirmed Dr. Egan, "They are what we call, Coralian."
"Corinthians?" repeated Marcus, "Bloody A... could one of you loves 'and me a mirror."
The girl with auburn-brown hair and eyes with fare skin acquired him one. His eyes grew wide as he stared at a reflection he could no longer recognize. What hope remained in his eyes quickly faded.
Tears soon streamed down his face as he closed his eyes, "Mother, Father, Sis... why?"
Silence befell the others as he covered his face and quietly wept. Moments passed.
"Tell me, if you would, what year is this?" asked Dr. Egan while Marcus dried his eyes.
"Bloody hell if I know anymore," grumbled Marcus crossly, flinging the mirror onto a nearby table.
"Look, I may have an answer for you but first I need to know what time period you last recall," explained Dr. Egan, "I know it's hard but you must help me help you. Please trust me."
"Last time I checked it was the year Two-Thousand 'nd bloody Six," growled Marcus begrudgingly.
"Just as I thought," sighed Dr. Egan, looking to the girls.
"So, what's it then?" asked Marcus haphazardly, "Was I snoozin' for a thousand years or somethin'?"
"About ten-thousand," corrected Dr. Egan, "Today is May sixth, Twelve-Thousand Six."
"Bloody sav," sighed Marcus, "But how? Why? What's happened to me, Doc?"
"According to your blood work, you are seventy-five percent Coralian," informed Dr. Egan, "Coralians are a species of coral-like creatures called scub coral that absorb things they encounter in order to survive and evolve. They have many forms but the one you most resemble is the humanoid variety."
"Wait a... so that means the coral-thingo that destroyed Adelaide... was this Coralian junk?" thought Marcus out loud, "But how could... it just don't..."
"Your time-frame matches the first known human encounters with the scub coral," affirmed Dr. Egan.
Marcus sat back up, his eyes filled with shock and wonder as he tried to assimilate all he heard.
"Does this mean he was assimilated by the scub coral and then expelled after the Second Summer of Love?" hypothesized the golden-blonde haired girl with fare skin and amber eyes.
"It has a high probability if his story holds true," replied the platinum-blonde haired girl, "And that means he could be one of the archetypes for the humanoid Coralians!"
"An interesting hypothesis," agreed Dr. Egan, "But we'll never know for certain without a full D.N.A. comparison with Eureka; at any rate, such information would be trivial at best."
"Hold up, Doc; I'm still part-human, yeah?" inquired Marcus.
"Yes," replied Dr. Egan, "The remaining percentage is fully human. Interestingly enough, most of your physical traits derive themselves from that twenty-five percent. The only sign that you're part-Coralian are your eyes. Otherwise, the Coralian D.N.A. is just filler; most likely due to a degradation or complete loss of your original D.N.A. structure."
"So... that's it, then?" asked Marcus, with a crazed smile, "This is my reality in a nutshell?"
"Yes," answered Dr. Egan, slightly perplexed by Marcus' odd expression, "I know this is all rather sudden. Just try to take it in slowly."
Marcus lay back in his bed and began to laugh jovially, "Heh, it's like some bad cartoon and what not. Holy dooley, the fates really outdid themselves this round! Ha-ha!"
"Should we sedate him?" asked the dark gray haired girl.
"No, this is either just denial or acceptance," explained Dr. Egan, "I doubt he's lost his sanity. Still, we do need to watch him for the time being. I'll trust you girl are up for the task?"
"She'll be right," smiled Marcus, sitting back up, "So besides the spot of coral in me system, I'm fit as a fiddle; right, Doc?"
"Indeed," confirmed Dr. Egan, "I'd like to run more tests to be sure but for now you are healthy enough to explore the complex if you wish; but I suggest catching up on your history before departing."
"Certainly, Doc," nodded Marcus, "Always been a worm for all that; plus I can finally learn something 'new' for a change. Fancy that!"
"I don't get it," remarked the girl with light brown hair, "Your reaction is quite opposite of what we expected. Do you not wish to grieve for your family?"
"I'll give you the drum, love," smiled Marcus with a wink, "I've always been one to just accept change and move on proper like. Guess that's why when I first woke up, I went about my merry way. I'm sure I'll grieve and lament in due time but for now, I just have to keep on movin' forward. Savvy?"
"Interesting," remarked the golden-blonde haired girl, looking to the others, "This should be fun."
"Say, you lasses have names?" asked Marcus as he began removing the sensors from his body.
"I'm Valkyrie," smiled the platinum-blonde girl.
"I am Columbia," bowed the light brown haired girl.
"I'm Bharat," nodded the dark gray haired girl.
"I am Britannia," smirked the golden-blonde haired girl.
"And I'm Lattonia," beamed the auburn-brown haired girl.
"Together, we are the Moonlight Swallowtails," announced Valkyrie.
"Pleasure to meet ya," smiled Marcus, dangling his legs over the floor, "Any of you seen me gear?"
Britannia and Lattonia brought him his backpack and shoes. His refboard sat on the ground against the wall opposite him near the door. Marcus was otherwise still clothed in his usual attire.
"You girls sure Captain Jürgens wants you using that title?" questioned Dr. Egan.
"Father Jürgens prefers its use over Ageha," explained Columbia.
"Hmm, I see," thought Dr. Egan aloud, "Very well then."
"So, where the bloody hell am I, anyway?" inquired Marcus as he got ready, "Not in Kansas, I should say; and it ain't good ol' Adelaide, I'll tell you straight."
"You are in the infirmary of the Tresor Technical Research Institute," answered Bharat.
"Heh, now I know how the Area Fifty-One aliens felt," chuckled Marcus.
Standing up, he stretched and yawned before dawning his sunglasses and backpack, and collected his refboard while the girls watched and Dr. Egan reviewed his notes.
"Hmm, doesn't quite seem real bein' here with all this now," remarked Marcus with a sigh, "But part of me is happy about it. So I'm really free to shoot through?"
"If you truly wanted to," confirmed Dr. Egan, "Though with the current socio-political and cultural instability, I would advise against it. Sadly, being Coralian can be a liability in certain regions."
"Never really encountered much bad mojo in me journeys," recalled Marcus, "But knowin' what I do now, guess I should start being a bit more careful. Say, where's that couple, Dominic and... Anemone, was it? Should thank 'em proper like for gettin' me 'ere."
"Anemone has a qualifying test flight for the typeB303 that should be starting shortly," answered Dr. Egan, looking at a wall clock, "You could go watch her perform."
"I got nowhere to be, you lasses wanna join me?" asked Marcus, "Mainly because I don't have a clue how to find me way outta 'ere."
"We will be escorting you around until we determine you're mentally stable enough to be on your own," informed Valkyrie, "But we should have no problem taking you to the evaluation."
Marcus chuckled, "Well, ya might be here a spell then; but come on, lead the way!"
Meanwhile, on the opposite side of the complex, Dominic, wearing the vanilla Tresor technician jumpsuit, and Dr. Morita finished a pre-flight inspection around the Terminus typeB303 spec2 as it sat in the main development hanger. The spec2 was a rebuild with A.T.A. batteries about the cockpit, large twin beam cannons, two large forearm knives, and a split refboard with twin mini-cannons fore and aft. Two remote energy shields housed under the batteries supplemented reinforced armor plating.
"Flight check complete," announced Dominic over his wireless headset, "How's your end, Anemone?"
"All I'll say is I'm glad they upgraded and updated this thing after retrieving it from the Ginga," remarked Anemone, wearing a modified Compac Feedback head-unit and dressed in her flight suit, "Don't think I could stand black and white screens."
"Hey, they always worked just fine for me," interjected Holland over the intercom.
"That's because you're use to utilizing old outdated technology," smirked Anemone, looking at Holland though a video feed.
"Hey, I'm not that old," Holland chuckled, who now had light gray hairs mixing with his natural color, "Gray hair just runs in the family."
"So I've noticed," Anemone playfully sassed, "So, you ready to get your ass kicked?"
"Just try not to kill me in the process," Holland joked, wearing a similar C.F.S. head-unit.
"You're no fun," huffed Anemone, "Dominic, what's our status?"
"Gekko and Izumo report ready status," replied Dominic, "You can launch anytime."
"Finally," smiled Anemone before taking a moment to close her eyes and meditate.
Now focused, her eyes filled with expectation and anticipation. Slowly standing the L.F.O up, she maneuvered the typeB303 out of the hanger. Assembling the refboard, Anemone used her rocket boosters to launch off the tarmac. Landing on her refboard, she took off down the runway and climbed skyward. As she flew across the landing strip, she passed over a small personal transport. On board where the Swallowtails, Dr. Egan, and Marcus, who literally stood in awe of the typeB303.
"Crikey!" yelled Marcus, who wore a standard wireless headset, "What a beaut! Ripper!"
"You have seen K.L.F.'s before, correct?" asked Valkyrie, who also wore one along with her sisters.
"Yeah, but never this close and not since my little epiphany," explained Marcus, "It's like everything's new again, love! I feel like a shark biscuit catchin' his first wave!"
"If you switch your headsets to the Tresor testing frequency, you should be able to hear their conversation," informed Dr. Egan, who had already acquired the desired frequency.
"Alright, here's the plan," announced Holland as the group tuned in, "We'll only be using energy-based weapons running at thirty-percent power. Anemone's objective is to disable us by successfully hitting preselected areas on each L.F.O. Our goal is the same. Readouts will log damage and inform pilots when they need to fall out. Energy-shields are also restricted. Everyone got that?"
"Right!" confirmed the other L.F.O. pilots.
"Okay then," smiled Holland, "Let's get this party started!"
As he spoke, the personal transport arrived at the hanger. The group disembarked while Dominic and the other Tresor technicians readied two huge blue L.F.O. retrieval vehicles, which had large flat cargo beds and dual hydraulic cranes at each end. They moved on twin Caterpillar tread. Once operational, the two massive machines were moved to the hanger entrance.
Dominic climbed down the closest vehicle before noticing Dr. Egan's group, "Dr. Egan, this is an unexpected surprise. What brings you out here?"
"I wanted to see how Anemone will perform in a different L.F.O. environment," explained Dr. Egan, "Plus I have a guest who wishes to see her as well."
It was then Dominic caught sight of Marcus, "So, I see you're finally awake. Feeling better?"
"Fit as a Mallee bull, mate; thanks to the good Doc," smiled Marcus as he walked over, "Now that I got me head on straight, I was hopin' we could get off to a better start, you and I. Cobbers?"
"As you'll come to understand, I have very good reasons for keeping my guard up with her," smiled Dominic as they shook hands, "But no harm done, though you had us worried there for a while."
"No doubts to that," chuckled Marcus, following Dominic around the recovery units, "She's a spry spunk, she is. Na, I'm built like a brick shithouse; hard headed, too. So, what's she surfin' today?"
"That's classified," smiled Dominic, "The spec2 is a redesign of the original Terminus typeB303, archetype of the series. Salvaged from the Ginga and converted to a heavy-assault K.L.F. it features new A.T.A. batteries, larger twin beam cannons, upgraded homing lasers, dual assault knives, and an upgraded split-design refboard with twin mini-cannons. Two remote energy shields, also recovered from the Ginga, supplement its upgraded reinforced armor plating. It also has the latest Compac Feedback System, still in testing. In short, it is once again one of the most advanced K.L.F.s to date."
"Sounds ace, mate," chuckled Marcus nervously, "You mind takin' it from the top?"
Dominic smiled and explained the back history of the typeB303 while the Swallowtails, Dr. Egan, and Dr. Morita joined them up front. Above, the evaluation began. Matthieu and Stoner, who had both grown out their goatees, flew their yellow-orange Terminus typeR606, equipped with a large energy-beam cannon. Hilda piloted her blue Terminus typeR808. Both launched from the Gekko as it flew over the group of onlookers. Anemone was a couple hundred meters away and just above their altitude. Without hesitation, she immediately set course to intercept them. Hilda provided cover-fire as Matthieu and Stoner went in. Anemone easily dodged the attacks and returned fire. Matthieu began circling her and sprayed a line of shots about her right flank.
Anemone rotated around and fired while maintaining her trajectory towards Hilda, who took advantage of this and placed several shots onto the assigned areas of the typeB303. Using this as her cue, Anemone turned back around and leveled off her assent, which brought her directly under Hilda. After taking a couple pot shots, she launched herself towards the ground. Matthieu and Hilda formed up and followed her lead as she banked sharply right and gained needed speed. Ascending once more, Anemone leveled off and waited for her opponents to make the next move. Hilda now took the lead and began weaving back and forth. Matthieu followed suit. After passing the other, both would fire a volley. This kept a steady stream of fire hurled towards their target.
Taking several hits on her refboard, Amenone was otherwise unfazed as she ascended. Circling skywards like skyfish on thermals, Matthieu retook the lead and fired another volley with Hilda. When she had reached a suitable height, Anemone preformed an inverted cutback drop-turn and raced towards the ground headfirst. She began to spin and split her refboard, using the halves to extend the typeB303's reach. This forced Hilda and Matthieu to expand their arcs. Anemone then fired the mini-cannons, causing minor damage to both. When the three passed, she reassembled the refboard, righted herself, and fired her boosters. While the others did similar stall moves to reposition themselves, Anemone opened fire and brought both down below half their hit points, while she was down a third.
"Nice work, kid," chuckled Holland over the intercom.
"I'm not a kid," rebuffed Anemone.
"We'll find out soon enough," replied Holland.