A/N: Thanks for reading and reviewing!
Chapter Two – Still The Wind
"There're still protesters at the park gate, Mr Plunder, but they wont get in the way of your new mall. I've shown the police the planning permission and they've promised to take care of it." The strange man had kept his word and Wheeler was enjoying his new job.
The American didn't understand why so many people would protest against progress, as he and Plunder had explained, the development would bring new jobs to the area and the children could always play in the street, the way Wheeler and his friends had.
The Eco-Villain clapped the red headed child on the shoulder. "Well done, my boy, you'll make a fine business man when you're older. Now tell the foreman to go ahead."
The boy smiled up at him like he was going to burst with pride at the simple praise, and then ran off to do the man's biding.
Plunder sneered as his partner joined him. "It's pathetic just how needy that kid is, he doesn't even care about being paid as long as I tell him he's doing a good job."
"He is doing a good job, he's the best henchman you've ever had." Blight smirked and continued. "You can teach him to worry about the money later, he'll listen because you're being the father he's always wanted, one that will trust him and be proud of him."
The polluter complained. "You're making me feel sick."
"You don't have to care Looten, you just have to make him think you do." She ran a proprietary hand over the fur of his collar. "His story has already faded from the biography, by the time we get back to the present he'll be more dangerous than Verminous Skumm."
"Just as long as he doesn't smell as bad." Plunder grabbed her roughly and pulled her to him for a kiss, his hands groping whatever they found.
Blight submitted to the treatment for a few moments but then pushed him away. "I'm going to get the Ruskie one, I'll be back in a few hours."
"Do we really need to collect all of them?" He moaned. "Won't the kid be enough to stop the Planeteers from forming?"
"Probably." The glint in the doctor's eye was positively evil. "But I want them all under my thumb, and then I want to see Gaia's face when she realises her goody goodies are on our side."
Ever the businessman, Plunder was considering the situation from all sides. "What if she just picks someone else?"
The blond hair in the peek-a-boo-bang shook just enough to reveal the disfigured skin beneath it, making Plunder shiver with revulsion - he was always careful not to dislodge her hair - "I don't think she can, something to do with the rings biological coding… I was able to corrupt it in the duplicate rings, when I created Captain Pollution, but I couldn't alter the originals and I don't think Gaia can either."
Plunder looked dubious but he shrugged. "Whatever. Go and get your little blond protégé then, I have concrete to lay."
"Alina thinks she's sooo much smarter than us." The dark haired girl sneered and yanked her victim's long blond hair. "Teacher's pet!"
"No, please?" The petite blonds eyes filled with tears. "I did not mean to..."
"You didn't mean to?" The third girl, another brunette, pushed her hard causing her to fall down. "The test was hard, so either you're a swat or a cheat, either way you made us look bad!"
The first girl moved to stand over her. "She's a brain! Didn't your mother ever tell you it's rude to show off? Oh right, you don't have one!"
She sneered again making her otherwise pretty face hideous, and then both girls burst out laughing as their prey's tears spilled down her face.
The nine year old scrambled to her feet and ran, darting between the other children in the playground so that the bullies wouldn't be able to catch her, and finally slipping into the computer lab.
The children weren't really allowed in there at lunchtime, but the teachers didn't mind if Alina Orlova used them, they knew they could trust her. They also knew she understood them better than they did and relied on her to fix them when something went wrong.
Taking her favourite seat at the back of the class, the frightened young girl tried to dry her eyes. She really didn't mean to stand out but she couldn't seem to help it. She was brighter than most of her peers and she was getting to an age when not having a mother was beginning to bother her, though her grandmother did her best. Alina had been close to her father when she was younger but they didn't seem to have much in common with each other any more and even her brother seemed to have little time for a baby sister. She was very lonely.
"Don't cry, Alina Orlova." The crisp clear voice seemed to come from right in front of her and she yelped in surprise. As she looked up the computer monitor turned from a plain black screen with a flashing command prompt to an almost alive face in vivid green. "My name's Mal, and you and I are going to be good friends."
Fascination overcoming fear, the Russian girl began checking the computer to see if it was some kind of trick, a recording meant to catch her out and possibly humiliate her. At last she said. "What are you?"
Her English was heavily accented but clear, it was another subject she excelled in, much to her classmates dismay.
"I am a highly advanced computer program." Mal replied. "And I've come here to find a special little girl and make her life better."
She looked openly suspicious. "That is not possible."
"Oh but it is." His rich voice broke into resounding laughter and then dropped back into a conversational tone. "Do you like to play… chess?"
Despite the strange circumstances, the young girl's face broke into a smile and she nodded. She'd finally found a friend… it would be her secret.
"Great work Mal Baby!" The doctor crowed. "You've got that blond eco-brat eating out of your hand."
"Actually Doctor, Linka is a very intelligent young girl." The digital image replied. "I find playing chess with her quite refreshing."
Blight glared at him. "Don't get carried away. According to her biography she's a lonely nerd who needs a friend, your only job is to get her to trust you so that I can grab her."
"Understood Doctor." There was something in his voice that bordered on insolence, but you could never tell with Mal and the mad scientist dismissed it, she'd programmed him after all."
"Anyway, I don't trust Plunder not to mess things up with the boy, we need to get back as soon as we can." She brought the Russian school up on the view screen. "Why couldn't you get her to sneak out?"
Mal laughed. The jets at the side of his monitor fired and he disengaged from the metal arm that he used to move around the ship. "Get a geek to cut school? Doctor, please! Class will be out in less than an hour and she promised to return to the computer room to meet me for a rematch."
"Just get a move on." Blight sulked.
The floating screen headed out of the craft and kept low as he made his way to the school building, to hide in a bush until the bell rang. Once the computer lab was empty, he rose up and used his pincers to open the window before slipping inside and finding somewhere to keep out of sight.
He didn't have to wait long. A much happier looking Linka ran into the room and called out. "Mal? Are you here? I came back."
"Very good, Alina." The green face rose from below the desk and elicited a startled noise from the child. "I thought we could go for a little walk."
"What are you?" She asked insistently, her eyes wide.
Mal's image smiled. "You know what I am Alina, a friend. You understand computers, you're not afraid of me are you?"
Linka shook her head.
"Good." Mal moved over to the open window. "Then come with me."
The young Russian was a smart girl but her experience of the world was limited to her family, her teachers and her school fellows. Aside from the odd bully, she really had no reason to distrust anyone that was being nice to her, and so of course, she went with him.
The Geo-cruiser rose into the air and headed for the vortex Gaia had created.
Linka sat at the back and looked at the empty space opposite her. Please be okay Yankee…
She was so caught up in her feelings for her missing team-mate, and the journey through the portal, it wasn't until they landed again that she realised there was more wrong with her.
"Kwame." She said weakly. "I am not feeling very well, I think I am going to be next."
The African moved quickly to her side and lay a hand on her arm. "I can still see you, let us go and find Gaia, maybe she can help."
Linka nodded and followed the others out onto a rather empty looking island. Only the Crystal Chamber was there.
"Where is everything?" Ma-Ti asked, clearly dismayed.
Gi put a reassuring hand on the young man's shoulder. "This is before it was built Ma-Ti, but don't worry, Gaia will be here."
"I am not so sure." Linka replied weakly as they walked into their leaders hut. "She has always said that she called us after she awoke from a long sleep… I am not sure she will hear us."
Her worry was reflected in all their eyes and as Kwame called several times for the Earth Spirit, without success, their worst fears were confirmed. "We are alone here."