**Hey, guys! Welcome back to The Time for Ten! If you have not read my short-story series, I highly recommend you do before starting Part Two of this story. The short-stories contain background info on this story's characters. Anyway, if you're ready to read, please enjoy Part Two: The Unleash of Fury!
THE TIME FOR TEN - PART TWO - THE UNLEASH OF FURY
The Time for Ten - Chapter 13
It's been two days since the battle in Paradise. The ten of us who are still grouped together have settled in a suburb in Iowa for the time being. I have communicated with Two, and she claims to be on a flight to us at the moment and that everything is going fine. Kal and James had an emotional reunion when he brought him and Three back to life. Three has shown amazing talent with his legacies, including enhanced everything, color control, and control of the speed of time. During training matches, it usually comes down to him and Six, and the winner flops back and forth. Using the new device I found in Malcolm's hideout, I've located Ella and Marina to be in the Mog base in Washington D.C. That is our next stop. We are mainly resting here to build strength and to wait for Two. Once we do these two things, off to the nation's capital we go.
Sam has been acting different lately, along with Adam and Six. They sat me down the night we got here and told me the truth about Sarah's death. She committed suicide because of all the love and war stress. Oddly, I got over it rather quickly, and since then have become a stronger fighter and am able to concentrate more on what we have in store. Without Sarah, I can be a proper leader. After I climbed up the well, without Sarah, I felt a new energy running though me, one that I hadn't felt in a long time, determination. I was officially ready to win this war.
xxxxx
Sam, Six and I are sitting in a clearing in a forest we found. It feels good to have just the original three of the group together by themselves. We have been talking about the newcomers, Kal and James, and about who they possibly could be and why they are on Earth. They also told me that Five had disappeared during the fight in Paradise, and nobody say where he went. I had a recent meeting with Pittacus in my dreams again. He explained that only nine of the ten Elders came to Earth, and seven of which became the seven sages of Greece. After the Greece era ended, the Elders split up for safety purposes. Pittacus had ended up in Paradise, Ohio. He never told me the true names of the other Elders or where they hid, but he did tell me that Loridas stayed behind on Lorien and casted the charm to keep the Garde safe. I also tell Sam and Six about the special weapons hidden with each Garde's elder, and about either Marina or me being Pittacus reborn.
"Have you gotten any more details on who is Pittacus and what the talisman does?" Six asks me.
I shake my head. "I've told you everything I know, sorry."
"There's something missing, and I feel like it's one small thing." Sam tells us. "I think if we find whatever that key is, then we can figure out who is who resurrected, and where the Elders are."
"I agree with Sam here. We need to figure out what the mystery is, that way we can solve it." Six adds.
"Maybe the mystery lies in Washington." I start. "I mean, if anybody has the clue it's probably the Mogs."
Eight then teleports to us.
"Two's here!" He says happily and we all connect to be teleported back to the lean-to's we created for a temporary shelter.
When we get there, Two is being surrounded by all seven of the group members already there. We join the huddle.
"Guys, calm down, calm down! It's just me." Two says, obviously slightly embarrassed. She has a look on her face, as if she's hiding something. She then sees James and Three. "You guys are alive!" She yells happily.
By this time it is late in the day, so we decide to call it a night to let ourselves relax.
Six, One and Two share a lean-to, and Nine, Eight and I share another. Sam, Adam, Gregor and Three have a third, while James and Kal share a fourth.
"So who else is pumped to see the Washington babes?" Nine asks.
"You obviously don't have enough dignity to be even near them." I answer.
"Well you're still getting over your-" Nine starts but quickly shuts up, realizing he hit a sore spot.
I freeze in my spot and take a deep breath, and then return to my changing into pajamas. I sense Nine un-tense and I take off my shirt, as does Eight. Nine already had his off, like normal. Eight and I crawl into our sleeping bags we bought from the local store.
"If any of you draw a mustache on my face, you will regret it." I say before we go silent.
"Damn it." Nine mutters for laughs, which he gets from Eight.
The three of us fall asleep to the chirping of crickets and the occasional twig snap. Wait, that isn't a casually snap, somebody is stepping on them. I then hear a gun click outside of the lean-to.
"John Smith, I know you're in there. Don't you dare move."
xxxxx
It has been a day since my capture. They placed me in a cell with Ella, unchained and everything. Lots of noise comes from just down the hall, it sounds like two girls arguing. I feel like I should call out to them, but the Mogs would just shut us up anyway.
Now it has been three days. Ella and I have bonded even more after being locked in the cell together. The noise from down the hall still goes on, as if they never stop talking. I finally decide to say something.
"Who is in the cell down there?" I yell from my spot.
Silence. Then their talk slowly starts up again. They are far enough away that I can't understand them. Luckily, Ella can rake their minds with telepathy. She gets a hold of them to learn that they're names are Hayley and Jaime, but that is soon cut off by a Mog who notices our concentration, so no more talking with those girls.
Five days have now passed. Ella and I are singing a new song we wrote when the stone wall behind us begins to rumble.
On the other side is Setråkus Ra holding a tall, brown haired girl. Her hair goes just past her shoulders and she has strong cheekbones. She is slightly tan with blue eyes, and she looks worried. In the corner opposite us, another girl is being held by two Mogs. She is a little shorter then the first girl, and has blond hair and dark blue eyes. She is very tan and has a rounded face. Both girls are skinny from not enough food and look as though they haven't slept for days.
"Meet Seven and Ten." Ra says while pointing at us.
I instinctively push Ella behind me a little. "Who are they?" I ask strongly.
"This is Fourteen here," Ra says and raises the girl in his hand, "and that's Fifteen." He says and points in the other girl's direction. "They've been saving Garde for a long time now, and it's time for one of them to die. Then maybe they'll spill on where your friends are." Ra spits at us, but we just stare back defiantly.
Ra turns back to the girl he's holding and says something. Then he raises his sword.
I don't know what to do. I don't know whether to trust that they're Garde and attempt to save Fourteen, or if I should let him kill her to prove a point.
Fourteen whips out a vial, apparently using her mind, and breathes into it. She then tosses it to me before Ra can do anything.
"Don't lose that. Hayley will help you." She says strongly.
I pick it up and shove it in my pocket, never keeping my eyes off the situation. Fifteen's, or Hayley's, mouth is slightly open, like she knows what's happening.
Ra puts the sword to Fourteen's neck, and she looks at Hayley. They seem to be silently talking. Then the sword goes through her neck, and she falls to the ground like a rag-doll. Hayley is released, and all the Mogs leave the room. Now it is just us four Garde.
Hayley runs and knee slides up to Fourteen, and then cradles her in her own arms.
"Jaime... Please, don't go. Jaime, Jaime!" Hayley begins to say more loud. She sniffs and a tear falls to the ground.
Fourteen's, or Jaime's, head looks up for a final time.
"I promise." Hayley says.
Then Jaime goes limp. Hayley carefully places her down, and then starts crying on the ground next to her.
Ella and I stand frozen in place, shocked in horror at what just happened. Another Garde has died. She may not have been part of the prophecy, but she was one of the few of our kind still alive.
I slowly walk out to Hayley and crouch down next to her, my hand on her back.
"I-I'm sorry." I say sincerely.
She looks up at me. "She was like a sister." Is all she can manage to choke out.
"It's all right." I say comfortingly, and help her walk back to the cell.
When we all enter, we turn around to see Jaime's limp body on the ground.
Hayley sniffs. "I'll never forget." She says as the wall slides back into place. She takes a deep breath, and then spins around to us. "So... You're part of the prophecy?" She asks, trying to change the subject.
xxxxx
Five is standing in front of me. I'm bound to the wall behind me, and he is holding a needle.
"So, Marina, how would you feel about coming to the Mog side?" He asks me, twirling the needle in his hands.
"I would never." I hiss back.
He takes a step toward me, our faces almost touching. "Well, you will if we want you to." He says and jabs the needle into my side.
I feel my body start to shudder, and everything has gone ice cold, not in my power's type of way. Five cuts my bindings and I fall to the ground where I curl up into a ball. The pain is unbearable, just about as bad as the scars undoing themselves, but this time it's all over my body.
Hayley and Ella escaped a couple hours ago, but I didn't make it through the door in time. Five had tackled me from behind. Now I'm here, writhing on the ground from a stupid shot. All I can hope is that they'll come back for me. They know they need me, and I know Eight is waiting. Eight is waiting to make his revenge.
xxxxx
Setråkus Ra, Five and I are sitting at a round table. We are discussing matters about how to find and kill of the Garde. Ra gets up and leaves, leaving just Five and I.
"You know... You're actually kinda cute." He tells me.
I scoot my chair back. "I don't date coworkers." I answer.
"Don't turn this into a sitcom." Five starts. He gets up and then sits down next to me. "We can have a family, live in a mansion with Setråkus, and live a long and happy life together." He touches my hand and I pull away.
"Thanks, but no thanks." I say with the 'awkward smile.' I stand up, and he does the same.
"At least think on it?" He asks, clearly desperate.
"Sure." I say, even though it is truly a no. Five doesn't seem like my type of guy.
Setråkus Ra walks back into the room again. "It's time for you two to train again." He grunts.
"All right, we will be right there." I respond and turn back to Five. "Listen, something about all this killing seems a little off. Why do we need to kill all of these Loric people you keep mentioning?"
A look of fear flashes through Five's eyes, but it quickly disappears. "Don't worry about it, we have it all under control. Lets go train." He says and walks out of the room, leaving just me.
Something, just something, doesn't seem right about killing them. A thought passes through my head, but I quickly throw it out.
Five, Setråkus and I are just a new breed of Mogadorian.
xxxxx
I slowly look up to see a female human with long, brown hair and purple eyes holding a gun toward my head.
"Who the hell do you think you are?" Nine butts in. "Just coming into a guys lean-to in the middle of the night? The nerve of some people..."
"Shut the fuck up." She says strongly. I give her mental credit for saying that to a Garde.
"What do you want?" I ask her.
"I want to sleep." Eight answers.
I give him a glare, then look back the girl and raise my eyebrows.
"I am Agent Jackie Topman, here with my assistant, Agent Tania Klade. We don't want to hurt you, and we also don't want you to hurt us. We want to help the cause for Lorien." Agent Topman tells us.
Tania has extremely long, black hair pulled into a ponytail down to her mid-back. Her eyes are green and her bone structure is very defined.
I stand up, her gun still pointed at my head. "All right, Agent Topman, why should we trust you?" I ask.
"I haven't killed any of you, nor have I forced you to come with us. We want to give you the option to come with us to our base in California where you can eat, train, sleep, and everything you could imagine. If you accept, we can take you there now, if you decline, we will leave and give you your space. Feel free to take time to answer, we don't want to force the issue. Either way, we are still going to fight Mogs, on your side or not." Agent Topman finishes strongly.
I look back at Eight and Nine, who both shrug and keep looking toward Agent Klade, who I'm guessing they think is hot.
"We need time. We have plans to save our fellow Garde in Washington. We will get back to you afterward." I answer.
"Okay, fair enough." Topman starts. She scribbles something down on a piece of paper and hands it to me. "Here's my number, call when you get the chance. Oh, and call me Jackie." She finishes as she backs out of the lean-to.
I follow her out to see about fifty men and women dressed in the black and grey camouflage suits that the Agents were wearing. They all listen to Jackie say something, and then all of them turn around and leave. Jackie gives a last little wave, and then they are gone.
"How did she have purple eyes?" I hear Nine ask Eight.
"Probably contacts." Eight responds.
"Wasn't Tania hot? I call dibs." Nine adds quickly.
Eight laughs and I walk back into the lean-to.
"Hey, Johnny-boy, I already got dibs on Tania." Nine tells me.
"I know, I heard, I'm not deaf." I respond.
"Way to be, Mr. Sassy-Pants." Eight says with a smile.
"Oh, shut up." I say.
The three of us crawl back into bed and lay quietly, now only the chirping of crickets making sound.
After I'm sure Nine and Eight have fallen asleep, I quietly get out of my sleeping bag and walk outside. On the outskirts of the camp is a giant rock, flat enough to lay on. I do so and look up at the stars.
One of those up there is Lorien. I am possibly the most important Loric left, because apparently either Marina or I have Pittacus' powers. I hear another twig snap next to me. I look over to see Two standing there, hands behind her back.
"There's something I have to tell you." She says.
I sit up and motion for her to sit next to me. She does so and we both lay down again.
"Five... The bracelet and brainwashing never worked. Five is still on the Mogs side." She explains.
I jolt upright. "That means he's the one who took Marina? And never took off the bugs on Gregor either... Shit." I say louder than expected.
I race over to Gregor's lean-to and look inside.
"Gregor!" I whisper, and he jolts upright. I motion for him to come out.
I'm about to pat him down when I hear a familiar and chilling sound. A Mogadorian spacecraft sound. We have maybe one minute tops.
I race around yelling out names and tossing people weapons that Two and Gregor have collected. Soon, all the Garde are arranged back-to-back in the middle of camp.
This time, we are prepared to fight.
We are Lorien's Legacies, all together, fighting this war to the bitter end.
And I will stop at nothing to finish the Mogadorians off completely.
I am Number Four, and I am here to win.
**Hey, guys! So I hope this first chapter was good! I was hoping it would sum up what happened after the battle in Paradise, and it was not meant to pull the plot along too much more. Please review, they are always lovely and they really help to lift my mood! Next chapter, I promise there will be more action AND a special guest!
-Chase
p.s.: The next short story will be about Jackie and Tania (pronounced tawn-nya), and then after that a short story about Marina and Eight when Eight is revived!