"I think you already know what I want," Julien's sneer grated on Carmen's ears. Shadows skittered around his feet. His ice cold eyes bore into hers. Swiftshadow gripped the gem tightly in her claws. The tip of her tail twitched agitatedly.
The ACME agents that were conscious immediately took to arms. A burly man commanded, "By the authority of ACME, stand down."
"I'd think not," Shadows painted the walls black. Tendrils shot forth entangling the agents like snares, pinning them to the walls and floor. Shadow-san slashed at one of the tendrils but his katana was as useful as a butter knife in a gunfight. The blade sank into its inky surface and was wrenched out of the man's grip. The shadows reached out and dragged him down to his knees.
Silver flames erupted from Swiftshadow's jaws burning a blazing circle around Carmen, Gray, and herself. The flames seared away the encroaching shadows providing a smouldering barrier.
Hundreds of eyes opened up in the blackened wall. All glittering in various colours. Over a dozen darklings sprouted from the floor.
Fear eked into Carmen's heart. She was barely a match for even one of those things, much less a whole gang of them. She was lucky Swiftshadow had shown up to torch the first darkling. Otherwise she would've been toast.
Hundreds of eyes studied Carmen and Swiftshadow's movements. She couldn't even twitch her nose without those eyes knowing.
"We can either do this the easy way or well…" The Shadows around them rippled as Julien let his words hang.
"That thing…" Gray's face went pale, "It wants to destroy everything,"
Carmen glanced at the gem in Swiftshadow's talons. It sparkled in the silver fires light. Dark inky shadows crept closer as the flames diminished. Carmen didn't have long to figure out a plan. She couldn't let Julien have the gem, yet at the same time she couldn't allow harm come to her friends and the ACME personnel.
She eyed the gem on the boys lapel. If she could get close enough she might be able to swindle it. She reached out a hand and prompted Swiftshadow to give her the gem. Swiftshadow hesitated for a second before complying.
"Okay." Carmen carefully stepped forward, "You can have the gem, but no one gets hurt."
"That's what I want to hear." The boy smirked smugly like he'd already won.
As she walked Carmen carefully slipped a bright bomb into her free hand. She could feel the shadows squirm beneath her feet with every step. Swiftshadow stood over Gray her lips drawn into a snarl, each muscle ready for action. Her bladed tail swished in anticipation.
As Carmen let the gem dangle above Julien's outstretched palm she clicked the bright bombs button and let it drop. The room was engulfed in a brilliant light. The chaos was immediate.
A cacophony of unearthly shrieks filled the air. Carmen grasped blindly for Julien's lapel only for something to gouge her in the shoulder. She opened her eyes to see an inky black spike imbedded into her shoulder of the arm holding the gem. She felt the gem slip out of her grasp as pain sank in.
A draconic roar thundered as Swiftshadow battled the darkling horde. Silver fire ate away at their numbers. But for every darkling destroyed another would take its place.
Julien staggered back with his hands on his face. Carmen fought through the pain and tried to make a move for the gem but a tendril curled around it and wished it out of her reach. Shadows curled around her feet making it impossible to move.
After an agonizing moment that stretched on forever Julien's eyes refocused. He grabbed the gem from a waiting tendril. A shadowy portal opened behind him.
"I think this concludes our business. And dragon girl stay out my way," He said as he stepped through.
As the portal closed the shadows and darklings vanished. Evaporating into nothingness. The only evidence of their existence was carved into memory and flesh.
Carmen sank to her knees. It was over. At least she hoped so. Pain and exhaustion seeped into her bones. "Carmen!" Players voice rang in her ear. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah, I think," She said clutching her shoulder.
"Are you sure about this?" Carmen's question echoed around Swiftshadow's brain.
"I'm sure," In truth Swiftshadow was anything but. An anxious energy seeped in and buzzed around her like an annoying gnat. But more than anything she want her memories back. She wanted to go home to her brother. She was tired. Tired of having to hunt her food. Tired of being caught in life and death situations. Tired of having to continuously look over shoulder.
"I understand wanting your memories back, but there has to be better ways." Gray winced as he rubbed the stitches in his chest. While he did forgive Swiftshadow for biting him, she couldn't help but feel a bit of remorse for having to wound him. Carmen similarly gotten a few stitches in her shoulder and her arm was in a temporary sling.
It had been a day since the Malic Korvoths take over and things have mostly settled. Many of the personnel returned to their jobs filing paperwork and analyzing data. Some remained skittish, eyeing the shadowy corners and jumping at sudden noises. A handful had chosen to take the rest of the week off. Including the scientist who was in charge of operating the neural scanner. Fortunately Wilson was knowledgeable enough in the technology to do the repairs and man it. That alone gave Swiftshadow confidence.
"If there is I certainly don't know about them." Swiftshadow adjusted her backpacks strap. The canned wolf gem made it seem heavier that usual. Team red had decided to let Swiftshadow hold it for now. At least until a more permanent solution could be found. It certainly wasn't going back to the museum. Especially not with Julien looking for it.
The hallway stretched on forever. Eventually they made it to the door to the lab. Swiftshadow secretly hoped it was also the door to her memories as well. The scene that greeted her as she entered the lab was a tad chaotic.
Wilson scurried around making final checks on the equipment and programs. Zack and Ivy helped with moving around the larger pieces of equipment. Chase and Julia sat at a desk filing paperwork and translating the tome. Shadow-san assisted in the translating while keeping a sharp eye on the little robot dinosaur.
"Is everything ready?" Swiftshadow asked as she entered.
"Just gotta make a few minor adjustments," Wilson answered not looking up. His eyes intently focused on his work. He hopped over to a control panel, tweaking a couple of dials and adjusting some settings.
In the centre of the room was Malic's former throne. The silver circlet once more was suspended over it. It was something she wanted yet dreaded. This had to work she told herself, for she had no idea of what she'd do if it didn't.
"How's the translating going?" Swiftshadow Asked Julia as she sat down next to her.
"Quite well," Julia answered, "I have just decoded a passage detailing the fall of The Panther Spirit,"
"Oh?"
"According to this, the panther spirit was among the last to fall. Survived by only The Raven and of course The wolf. It was about this time that the author had designed a spell to put and end to Malic korvoth."
"That's great! so where is this spell?"
"Well, Unfortunately the page containing the spell has been lost, and the passage noted that they had to use a modified version of the spell for reasons I am still unclear on,"
"Damn, that sucks,"
"And while she's having fun with ancient texts, I'm stuck writing the incident reports," Complained Chase.
"Swiftshadow, everything is ready to go," Wilson said from the control panel.
"Alright." Swiftshadow gripped the backpack straps tightly. "Let's do this,"
"Remember if things get too intense, you can back out at any time." Said Wilson. Swiftshadow nodded.
An tense breath escaped her lungs as she approach the chair. Her heartbeat pounding inside her ears. Her stomach felt like it was twisting itself in knots as she seated herself on the chair. She closed her eyes as the device was placed upon her head.
"Activating neural interface," She heard Wilson say. A pressure built up inside her brain. A shower of sparked exploded across her vision. "Tuning receptors,"
Images flickered inside her head. Blurry and incongruent.
"Intensifying emitters,"
Clips of memories played out before her like a poorly edited video. A swing set, a gravestone, a mountain. a violins strings over a meadow. A large metal hand reaching out. A single scarlet eye burrowing its way into her soul. Dark lonely hallways. A cavernous lab filled with the pained screams of death. Burning chemicals forced into her flesh.
"Turn it off! She's panicking!" Someone shouted.
It was too late. Instinct took hold. Run, escape, they commanded. She bolted. Talons dug into the tile. Half formed memories blurred her vision. The people in the hallways were nothing more than shadowy spectres. The wall pressed down and constrained her. She needed out. She needed the open sky.
A window glowed before her. Freedom.
Shards of glass rained down around her. A shard memory flashed. Her mother scolding her after breaking a heirloom vase while running around the house. Wind caught her wings as she tried get airborne. The evening star shone in the fading sunlight. Her brother and her romping around the park as the sun set on the horizon.
Her wings faltered. Dark shingles greeted her as she crashed on a roof.
"What trouble have you caused for yourself," A smooth deep voice said. Through blurred vision Swiftshadow saw a dark figure wreathed in violet. Her brain felt like it was going to explode. "Oh dear. you tried to brute force your memories back, didn't you?"
Swiftshadow tried to focus herself on the man but every little thing kept triggering half baked memories and nightmares.
Crawford tsked, "No matter. Seeing that the dam has already broke might as well go with its flow,"
"Flow?" Swiftshadow said as another memory overtook her. Long walks next to a creek.
"I can not guarantee that this is going to be pleasant but your going to have to face it,"
"Face what?"
"The next memories that comes, hold on to it but let it flow,"
She didn't get a chance to say anything as another series of memories took in Crawford's advice she refused to let it slip away. She plunged herself into it and let it consume her.
Memories flashed inside her mind. Strapped down on a table. Numerous needles buried deep into her soft flesh. Strange liquids pumped into her veins turning them into molten lava while her body felt like it was plunged into a vat of liquid nitrogen. She needed to escape. Run.
"Don't fight it," Crawford's voice whispered, "Let them flow."
Swiftshadow steeled herself. Instead of shutting them out and running from them like she always did before, She stood firm and pushed herself through them. The static inside her head shattered.
"Kelsey Riderman, What's this I hear about you getting detention." Her brother glowered down at her. His blue-green eyes stared pointedly at her as he slapped sheet of paper on the counter top. Tawny hair covered his head and a matching goatee covered his chin.
"Yeah, what about it?" Swiftshadow bit into a leftover burger from the night before. A perfect lunch for a lazy Saturday.
"It says here you got into a fight and in quote 'punched Ashton in the face incurring a bloody nose'."
"The ass deserved it," She said around her mouthful.
"Language and don't talk with your mouth full." The young man scolded.
Swiftshadow swallowed before muttering "Sorry,"
Her brother sighed, "Now tell me what happened,"
"Ashton was picking on Melissa. Pulling on her her hair and messing with her stuff."
"So you punched him,"
"Not yet, I didn't. But I did tell him to knock it off. You know how shy Melissa is. She won't ever stand up for herself and would rather take all of of his pestering. Someone had to tell him off. And well his response didn't thrill me,"
"And that would be?"
"Why don't you go crying to mommy?" Kelsey said in a nasally tone. It had been eight years since their parents deaths and it was still a sore spot. Eight years since a drunkard t-boned them in an intersection on the night of their anniversary. She would give anything to hear her mother play the violin and listen to her father's stories again. She was lucky that her grandfather took on raising her in their stead. At least until a few months ago when he succumbed to a sudden brain aneurysm. By then her brother had set himself up well enough to take her on.
"I see," He said, "I'll be talking to your teachers about this. Regardless your grounded, one week."
"But Todd," Kelsey complained.
A ringing cell phone interrupted Todd's response. He muttered as he answered. "Hello… Yep… Yes… Kay… Yeah I'll be there," Todd stared at her as he hung up. "I'm needed at the wildlife rehab center. When I'm back we're going to have a talk about this, alright?"
"Fine," Kelsey crossed her arms.
Grabbing his keys, Todd pointed at her, "Don't go anywhere, we're not done here,"
"Yeah, yeah, I know," Kelsey sighed as he left the house. She finished the rest of her burger as his truck left the driveway. She waited until the trucks taillights disappeared around the street corner before leaving the house herself. The mountain called.
She made her way to the hiking trails that wound their way around the base of the triple peaked mountain that towered over the small town of Woodstone. Thick alpine forests coated the slopes. Calm, quiet, and private. A perfect place to clear her mind and reflect on her thoughts.
She kicked a pebble as she wandered down the path. Ashton's name was muttered and cursed as she did so. The douche deserved that bloody nose. He should be the one who should be grounded not her.
A mechanical thud broke her from her thoughts. Ahead was something she would've considered straight out of a science fiction movie. A tall dark purple robot stood in the trail staring intently at some kind of handheld device. She froze. A second one emerged from behind a pine.
"Find anything yet," Said the second.
"If there is energon here, Its either buried deep or there are scant quantities," Said the first.
"Megatron has ordered that he wants every last shard." The pair continued walking through the trees.
A part of of Kelsey wanted top turn around and go home. But curiosity took hold. Ducking behind boulders and trees she followed them. They walked down a steep embankment. As she tried to follow them she slipped on the loose gravel. She slid down scraping her knees and palms on the sharp rocks. A metal shin stopped her tumble.
Scarlet visors looked down upon her. The pair of giant glanced at each other before a great hand reached down to grab her. What happened next would forever haunt her nightmares. Dark labs, Needles, and a single scarlet eye.
Swiftshadow gasped as she came back to reality. Memories still swirled in head like ripples on a pond, a far cry from the tidal wave it had once been. She could at least think now.
the first thing she noticed was that Crawford was gone. No raven men graced the darkening skies or sat upon the roofs.
The second thing she noticed was Lockdown on the street below. A twisted grin spread on his lips as he aimed a net launcher at her. Swiftshadow tried to find safety in the skies, but it was too late. Lockdown had the aim of a sniper and the precision of a brain surgeon. The net ensnared her sending her falling to the streets below.