Downtown Los Angeles: working a late shift at a Fast Food Restaurant, Maggie Campbell was tasked with putting the rubbish out into the large dumpster around the back. As she lifted the lid and heaved the black bag of used disposable cutlery and cups up into the dumpster, she heard a strange noise from the alleyway next to the Restaurant. Dropping the bag and letting go of the lid, Maggie stuck her head around the corner of the bin storage area and looked up the alleyway, and saw something very strange…a large blueish glowing circle of energy floating inches above the floor. She pulls her head back in enough to not be noticed, but to continue watching. A tall, pale Blue individual, who looked very Alien, stepped through the portal and emerged into the alleyway. It stood there for a few seconds, then touched something on its wrist and it transformed from an alien creature into a normal looking Human being. Maggie gasped, then had to pull herself back into the bin store, as her gasp had made the creature look around to see where that noise had come from. Maggie peered through a small gap in the bin store wooden surround, and saw the creature start to walk away from the glowing circle…which then vanished.
Maggie turned around and stood there with her back towards the wooden wall, with panicked breathing, trying to figure out what she had just witnessed, when she heard someone shout her name.
"MAGGIE! GET BACK IN HERE…STOP USING DOING THE BINS AS AN EXCUSE FOR AN EXTRA BREAK" it went. Maggie came out from the bin area and saw her line manager standing in the doorway "Mr Rodriguez…i just saw something strange up the alleyway…" she started, but was cut off by Mr Rodriguez
"This is Los Angeles, Maggie…Strange is normal here…now get back in here and finish cleaning up the front of house…"
"Yes sir…" Maggie replied, as she walked past him, picked up a long handled brush and pan, and headed out front to clean up…
—-
2 days later, Maggie stopped by the local Police precinct whilst on her way into work. She walked in and approached the front desk, and looked up at the officer in charge of the desk.
"Umm, hello…?" she went, as the officer raised his gaze up from the paperwork he was doing
"I'd like to report…something" she went. The officer looked at her and went "Take a seat, i'll send someone to come talk to you"
About 20 minutes later, a female uniformed officer approached her and said "Hi…you wanted to report something?" she went, then added "follow me, please"
Maggie followed the officer into a small interview room, asked her to sit down and tell her what she was reporting.
"That's the thing…i don't know what i'm reporting" Maggie went "2 nights ago, in the back alleyway behind where i work, i was putting trash in the dumpster, when i heard a strange noise. I took a look at what it was, and saw some giant floating circular thing which an alien looking creature stepped out of…"
"Let me stop you there…" the officer went "do you know how many reports we get each day of people seeing 'strange things' in alleyways, or out in the scrublands? If we had to investigate every single report we got, we'd be forever chasing ghosts…or whatever it is that you claimed to see" the officer went
"But i'm telling you i REALLY saw something in that alleyway" Maggie replied
"FINE…i'll take your name and contact details and if we come up with anything…" the officer went…
Maggie breathed a small sigh, and went "Thank you" and then wrote her name and contact details on the officers pad. The officer looked at the details and replied "Thank you, Maggie Campbell…we'll let you know if anything else get reported"
With that, the officer got up from her chair, opened the interview room door and held it open for Maggie, who left quickly.
Outside the station, Maggie was scolding herself whilst walking "way to go, Campbell…you must look like a nut job now…" as she walked along the sidewalk…she then kicked a can lying on the ground…just as a police cruiser went past her. The cruiser stopped, and the two officers got out, and arrested her for littering, even though she had not dropped it…they dragged her to their car, cuffed her,and took her back into the station, all the time she was screaming "IT'S NOT MINE! THIS IS UNFAIR! I DIDN'T DO ANYTHING!"
Several hours later, handcuffed to a table in a different interview room,Maggie saw a tall, dark bald headed man in a flamboyant Pink suit come in the door, followed by a younger lady assistant.
"Good Evening, Miss Campbell" the man went, then pulled the chair away from the table and sat down facing her..
she looked up at him and asked "Are you my court appointed Lawyer…because it wasn't mine…they're just picking on me because of what i reported earlier"
The man goes "Jenny…take care of the camera feeds please, audio and visual"
With that instruction, the lady now identified as Jenny pulled out a mini tablet computer from inside her jacket pocket, pressed a few buttons, then nodded towards the man in the pink suit.
"My name is Mr X…and I believe you tried to report a possible alien sighting, but the police didn't believe you…?" he went
Maggie sat upright as much as she could with her hands secured to the table "How did you…?" she started to ask, but Mr X put his finger to his lips and went " this is not the place to discuss this" he then looked over at Jenny, nodded at her, and she approached Maggie, and pulled a handcuff key out of her pocket. Jenny undid one wrist and removed the cuffs from the ring on the table, but looked at Maggie and went quietly "sorry" as she resecured her free hand back in the cuff.
Mr X then looked at Jenny and went "go take care of the necessary paperwork, please and thank you" as he then stood up and went "Follow me please, Ms Campbell"
Mr X stood up, and held the interview room door open for Maggie. As they were leaving, one of the senior officers saw him escorting their arrest away. "Hey…stop right there" the Lieutenant went and tried to stand in front of him. Mr X sighed, then pulled out his FBI badge.
"This is now my jurisdiction,officer…please step out of the way" he went, as the officer saw the badge and stepped aside to let them pass…
They step outside, and Mr X guides Maggie towards a large, black armored vehicle. He helps her up into the rear seats, then climbs in himself.
"Home, James…" he goes to the driver, as they drive off .
Part 2
H.A.C.K.E.R.S HQ
The black armored car pulled up outside a roller shutter door in a warehouse. The door raised itself as they approached, then drove in. Mr X got out when stopped, and opened the rear door for Maggie. He helped her down, then pulled another handcuff key from one of his pockets and went "We don't need these now…" as he unlocked her hands, then passed the cuffs to the driver of the armored car. Maggie rubbed her wrists, trying to bring feeling back into them after being secured for so long.
"Where…are we?" Maggie asked as she looked around
"You're in my house now…figuratively…" Mr X went, then added "this way please, Maggie" as he led her through a door and into a lounge area, with comfy sofas and chairs, a large TV, computer terminals and a small kitchen. Mr X went over to the fridge, opened it and pulled out 2 sodas, passed one to Maggie, then went and sat down on one of the chairs.
"Who are you?" she asked "you can't be FBI…"
"Oh my dear Maggie…we are so much more than the FBI…welcome to H.A.C.K.E.R.S we deal with the unexplained, the alien, and everything else that falls on my desk" Mr X goes "Much like your arrest report did"
"But…i didn't do anything…i just kicked a random can on the sidewalk…" Maggie blurted out
"AHH…but…" Mr X went on "you had literally just been in the police station and tried to report…and i quote ' a strange noise, and a floating circle, an Alien which emerged from the circle, then changed from Alien to Human'"
"Yeah…so what?" Maggie replied "they didn't believe me…"
"But I believe you…" Mr X went "it's part of my job… H.A.C.K.E.R.S…the Human Alien Communication, Knowledge and Engagement Response Squad"
Maggie looked dumbfounded at Mr X "now…i believe you because what you described sounds very much like a Dimensional Gateway being opened without authorisation from us…which is worrying because that means we have unregistered Offworlders here on Earth…and that's not a good thing" he went
"So…it WAS an alien I saw?" Maggie asked. Mr X nodded, then a loud siren went off, and Dr Jan's voice came over the tannoy system "Gateway activation…authorized codes used…Team Calamity incoming"
"What's that?" Maggie asked as she heard the announcement. Mr X stood up and said "If you follow me, you can see for yourself…"
Mr X led Maggie out of a different door, into a corridor, stopped by an eye scanner, which opened a door into a large room filled with computers, terminals, superconductors, and a large raised platform with 4 metallic arms pointed at a circular metallic disc. The 4 arms shootout four beams towards the metal disc, intersecting and creating a portal at its center. Then 3 people are seen on the other side, wearing strange armor and carrying medieval style weapons…they step through the glowing portal and appear in the room. The portal shuts down behind them, and the individuals press a button on the sides of their helmets, making them retract into Tiara style Headpieces. The leader, a Brunette with long frizzy hair,shakes her hair back into shape, the second, a Blonde, presses the button and her helmet disappears, and flicks her hair back. The third girl had short Black hair. Maggie had a massive look of shock on her face…as she recognised the three of them…
"BOOBCHUY!?" Maggie went with shock at the first girl. The first girl suddenly looked at who insulted her name, then got a look of shock on her face as well.
"WHAT THE HELL?" Anne went, as Sasha and Marcy also got shocked looks on their faces.
"What's she doing here, X?" Sasha went as she walked forward towards Maggie, then she pulled her flame sword out from its sheath and pointed it towards her. It burst into flames as she approached her, but Mr X stepped in front of the sword and went "STAND DOWN, SASHA…THAT'S AN ORDER"
Sasha looked at Mr X, and his unwavering look at her. Sasha backed down, and resheathed the Sword.
Mr X then went and regained his composure, then asked "You know each other?"
"Yeah…we know her…" Anne went as she approached Mr X. "she used to bully me and Marcy back in high school, until Sasha put a stop to it…"
"Yeah…" Marcy replied "she was a major pain in everyones ass back then…"
"They work for YOU?" Maggie asked. Mr X nodded "They are my Primary Contact team" he went
"You still haven't answered Sash's question, Mr X" Marcy went. Mr X replied "She's here…because of something she has seen. So she's my guest here, and I expect you to treat her as such…"
"Not until she apologizes for all the trouble she used to cause us…" Anne went, not breaking eye contact with Maggie
"You wouldn't get it…Boonchuy" Maggie replied,as she dropped her head and shook it.
"Try me…" Anne replied
Maggie lifted her head slightly and started "I…i thought you'd be an easy target, you and Marcy, because…well, because of your Heritage…but Sasha told me straight not to pick on you,because you are her friends. My parents knew Sasha's parents before they broke up, so i knew her, i knew picking on you two was wrong…but i was sick of the one being bullied myself because of my Irish heritage, so i thought if i bullied others, the bullies would leave me alone, as they'd see me as one of them…I'm…Sorry" Maggie went "then, when i saw you fighting that giant robot above Los Angeles 10 years ago, i knew that you were the bigger person, fighting for everyone else, while all i could do was stand there and watch…"
"Wait…YOU saw that?" Anne said
"Yeah…" Maggie replied "I thought you were cool…all glowing and anime superhero like…"
"Wow…" Anne replied "so you thought that if you picked on me and Marcy… you wouldn't be picked on by others?"
Maggie nodded "It's not easy being of Irish descent…especially when you fit the trope perfectly" she added "I mean…come on…Ginger hair, freckles, slight twang in my voice…i'm only third generation American Irish, so it's still there slightly. They kept asking me about Potatoes, and Lucky Charms…god it's stupid" she went
Sasha looks at Maggie, and goes "putting on my Counselor's hat for a second…Maggie, i think you just made a breakthrough…you should have done this years ago…"
"What, with my meager wage? I can barely afford rent, let alone money to eat…I rely on leftovers being thrown out at work…and that's after working nearly 60 hours a week" Maggie went. The three girls look at Maggie with mixed looks "but it looks like you three are doing ok…"
Marcy went "this isn't even our main job…" she added "Anne's a respected Herpetologist, Sasha's a Youth Counselor and Therapist with a Doctorate, and I design Role Playing Games and run a Web comic…"
"Wow…you guys are really lucky…i work at a Fast Food restaurant…" Maggie went "I didn't leave school with much"
Mr X goes "AHEM…" then every one of the group turns to look at him "as cleansing as this is for the soul, we need to go to the briefing room. Jenny has found out something interesting about your Statement,Maggie…it corroborates it"
Part 3
Girls night
Mr X leads the four girls to the briefing room, where Jenny is already waiting, with the big viewscreen behind her as they enter.
"Jenny…why don't you take the lead on this one?" Mr X goes, as he sits down on a chair to Jenny's Right.
Jenny stood there in front of the screen, looked down at her pad, and flicked her finger over to the left. An image then appeared on the screen, showing CCTV footage from a camera behind a different shop's rear door camera. It shows Maggie coming out of the rear door of the Restaurant with a bag of rubbish, going into the bin store, then it shows her ducking back in as she starts to come out because of a strange, glowing portal that appears from nowhere. The camera then shows an unidentified Alien step out of the portal,presses a device on their wrist that transforms them into a Human, which looks around after hearing something. It then walks away, and the portal shuts down and disappears. It then shows a man come out of the restaurant and start shouting, Maggie coming out from the bin store, then looking thoroughly dejected as she walks back into the rear door. The clip ends as soon as Maggie goes inside.
Jenny then looks up, and looks at Mr X.
"Thank you, Jenny. As you can see…we had an unauthorized Offworld Portal open up in downtown Los Angeles. What makes it even more interesting is that they had access to technology that can disguise them as Human, so that creature could be anywhere or anyone at this moment. I'm going to have to ask you three to make finding this creature your top priority, as we have no idea what their motivation is, if they come in peace, or have other intentions.i am also activating Team B to assist in locating the alien. Jenny will see to your work commitments and provide you with a cover story for them…and seeing as Maggie was a witness to this, I'm going to have to insist that she joins you three…" Mr X went
"But…Mr X…" Anne starts, then Mr X holds his hand up in the air and holds his palm out flat towards her.
"Anne, i know what you are about to say…but i insist you work through your problems with each other like adults and gel as a team. Maggie has first hand knowledge of what the alien looked like, so use it…we'll enhance the image as much as we can and send each of you a copy of the image to your Phones"
Sasha looked over to Maggie, and went "then let me be the first to welcome you to Team Calamity…" she said, then got up and walked over to her and held out her was hesitant about taking Sasha's hand, but she stood up, and gently grabbed it and shook it. Anne and Marcy both got up and offered their hands in friendship. Anne shook her hand and went "You've still got to earn my trust, Mags…but i'm willing to forgive…if you prove yourself"
"Me too…" Marcy went as she shook Maggie's hand last "after all…second chances is what this team is all about…"
"Glad that's settled" Mr X went, "now get changed and go home for a 12 hour rest…come back tomorrow and begin the search starting from the alleyway behind the Restaurant…"
—-
The three girls leave the changing room, gone was their armor, replaced with casual clothing. Anne had a tie dye baggy T-shirt, Hippy flared cotton trousers with elasticated waist and cuffed ankles, and Birkenstock style sandals, Sasha wore her glasses,a White blouse,Pink knee length skirt, Dr Martens boots and her leather Jacket with her dueling swords patch on the sleeve over the blouse, Marcy came out wearing a Gamer T-Shirt, ripped Jeans, flat soled sneakers and a light green jacket over the T-shirt. Maggie looked at them as they came out.
"Wow, you guys clean up well…" she went. Anne gave her a stern look
"Better than double Denim…" she replied, looking at Maggie, who had faded and ripped Jeans, a Red Polo Shirt embroidered with the company logo, with a denim jacket on top, along with a faded pair of black trainers…
"Hey…I haven't been home in a few days since that night…plus I was arrested on my way to work…" Maggie went back.
Sasha pulled her glasses forwards and looked over the top of them "i think we need to give her a makeover…"
Anne and marcy looked at each other and went "GIRLS NIGHT!" together.
"Wha…what are you planning?" Maggie went, as the three of them corralled her towards Sasha's Red BMW Convertible…
25 minutes later, the Red Convertible pulled up outside a well presented house in the suburbs of LA, Sasha turning the car up the driveway, and the garage door opening automatically as she approached. The car drove into the Garage, and the door started closing on its own. The four of them got out of the car, walked past a Motorcycle, and Sasha went and unlocked the door leading into the kitchen. As she entered, she pulled off her boots and dropped them by the door. Anne and Marcy left their shoes in the same place, but Maggie was hesitant…
"I've not got any socks on…" she went. Marcy replied "Neither have we…" as she walked into the living room and dropped on Sasha's sofa
"I LOVE your place, Sash…" Marcy went as she sprawled out, then pressed the button on the TV remote, turning it on…it was tuned to one of the local news channels, which she changed to a channel playing Cartoons.
Maggie took off her shoes and entered the living room, it was huge, with a massive TV mounted above a fireplace, a U shaped sofa surrounding a large coffee table, littered with Journals about Science, Technology, Psychology and Counseling, some notepads with things written on, which Marcy placed her feet up on. Sasha comes out of the bedroom dressed in a loose Red nightie, see's Marcy like that from up on the landing, and comes down and pushes her feet off. "Mar-Mar…that's my work you're resting on…"
"Sorry Sash…" Marcy goes, as she sits back up on the sofa. Maggie is looking around and see's loads of trinkets, Toad statues, Swords mounted on the walls, some cheerleading trophies from School, Sasha's Valedictorian Diploma from School, her Doctorate framed and hanging up, and lots of pictures of the three of them taken at different locations…but a few pictures that only had Sasha and Anne in, and some single pictures of Sasha on her own, most notably Sasha in her Graduation robes, holding her Doctorate…and no pictures of her divorced Parent's
"Wow, Sasha…you really changed…" Maggie went, looking at the pictures " and in a good way"
"Thanks Mags…" Sasha replied, as she pulled out a big box containing make-up, lipsticks, eye shadows…and everything else a girly night needed. Anne emerged from the bedroom and came downstairs in a set of Blue silk Pajamas.
"So…no pictures of a boyfriend?" Maggie asked
Sasha looked at Maggie and went "I don't have a boyfriend at the moment…besides, im Bi"
Maggie looked surprised "I had no idea…" she went
"Yeah well…some things you only share with close friends…" Sasha replied, then glanced at Maggie, who looked hurt by the comment.
"I'm sorry…" Maggie went "i know i was a tool in school, but i thought we were still friends, Sasha"
"Maybe not 'close' friends, Mags…but i still did think of you as a friend, but i just didn't like it when you started picking on Mar-mar and Anne…they are my best friends, even when we started to drift apart, we found our way back to each other" Sasha replied "that's true friendship"
Maggie wandered over to the large sofa, and sat on the Right of Sasha and Marcy, as Anne came down and sat on the left.
"You three have everything I ever wanted…real Friendship, good jobs, a nice house…but I know it's my fault for not 'applying myself' as Ms Kitchner used to say" Maggie started "I entered the world of work at 18, and went to look for a job. Where I am now isn't great…but it's better than some of the other jobs I had."
Sasha nodded her head, and picked up a pair of Glasses from her case on the table, put them on, picked up a notepad and pencil, then leant back on the sofa "I usually charge by the hour for this…" she joked, and then went "Go on, Margret"
"Hey…only my Parents call me that…" Maggie replied, then she saw Sasha had a big cheesy smirk on her face, and was biting on her pencil. "You did that deliberately, didn't you?" Maggie asked.
"I wanted to see how you reacted, yes" Sasha went "sometimes our bodies, our facial expressions, they tell more about us than our words ever could"
"You're psychoanalyzing me right now, aren't you?" Maggie looked at Sasha with intent
"I'm just doing what I'm good at…which is getting to know someone and helping them to heal" Sasha replied.
Anne looked over at Maggie, and went "if Sash's offering you help, Mags…take it. talking about what happened to you can really help"
"Uh huh…" Marcy interjected "with everything we went through, you could write a scientific paper on it…"
"And I did…" Sasha replied…Anne and Marcy both looked at Sasha…who then went "I'M KIDDING! You don't think I'd honestly do that to you now, do you?"
Suddenly, Anne grabbed a pillow next to her and threw it at Sasha. Marcy grabbed another pillow and shouted "PILLOW FIGHT!" and they all started hitting each other with pillows, and laughing like maniacs. After a few minutes of ruckus, the 4 girls settled back down, each one with hair everywhere, and aching ribs from all the was the first to speak after all the nonsense
"You know…i've missed things like this…spending time with people…i mean, with friends"
Sasha Looked at Maggie, and stood up, then walked over and sat down next to her
"And we still haven't even started the night properly yet…"
Marcy and Anne both look at Maggie with small smiles on their faces…
"Ummm…" Maggie goes
Sasha then drops onto Maggie's waist and arms, holding her down and says "Get her…"
With that,Maggie goes "what are you doing? Stop it!" as Anne grabs her arms and pulls off the denim Jacket and then the Polo shirt, whilst Marcy grabs her Jeans and pulls them off her, leaving Maggie sat in just her underwear. Sasha gets back up…"Makeover time…" she goes, and the three of them grab Maggie and carry her upstairs to the bedroom and bathroom wriggling and squirming and protesting.
An hour and a half later, Maggie comes downstairs, looking very different to when she was carried upstairs. She was showered, given brand new, clean underwear and a spare set of Yellow Pajamas, and had her hair and nails done by the three of them. Gone were the twin pigtails, and her hair had been brushed and styled into a shoulder length bob with an undercurl. Anne, Sasha and Marcy all come down behind her. Marcy had a set of Green pattern pajamas she kept in the second bedroom and had also changed into them. Maggie went and looked in Sasha's full length mirror by the front door and saw herself and how different she looked, and felt good.
"I…don't know how to thank you…" Maggie went as she looked at herself "I haven't felt this good in ages" she went, as the three of them come and stand around her and are all looking in the mirror.
"Don't…just be here right now" Sasha replied, then went "Mar…grab my camera…lets get a group photo"
"YAY PHOTO!" Marcy went, as she went and grabbed Sasha's Digital SLR camera from her side desk, set it up on the dining table, and activated the timer.
"Get in quick!" Marcy went, as the other three joined her.
"Say games…" Marcy went. "GAMES" the four of them went, and the camera caught them all making a smiley face. Marcy went and picked the camera back up and bought the picture up and showed everyone…
"That's a keeper" she went…
Part 4
The Girls bond…
The next morning, the four girls arrive back at the inconspicuous warehouse that was the home of the H.A.C.K.E.R.S base. Sasha's Red Convertible pulled up at the roller door, which opened up and Sasha drove them in. The four girls got out, and headed towards the door that led into the base. Mr X was waiting in the communal area, having a large cup of coffee as they entered. Sitting opposite him was Jenny, who was working away on her tablet computer, Terri and Dr Jan were standing near to the kettle, each holding a cup and taking the occasional sip in between their conversation. There was no sign of Ally and Jess.
"Good morning, Girls…I trust you had a good night?" Mr X asked as they entered. Sasha headed straight for the kettle and switched it back on…
"Ughh…Coffee…now" she went, as she grabbed her mug from the cabinet, added her milk sugar and coffee and was waiting for the kettle to boil.
Anne shook her head and went quietly "Sasha didn't get much sleep…restless night"
Marcy and Maggie went and sat on the sofa. Anne went to the fridge and pulled a bottle of Orange juice out, grabbed a glass and poured herself some. Mr X took a sip of his coffee and went "When you're ready, will you go and join Ally and Jess in the field. They are already on scene examining where it happened, in a bid to see if the gateway frequencies match any known allies or enemies"
Sasha poured her coffee, and took a long, fast swig…even though the kettle had literally just boiled and she had just poured it. She leant against the kitchen work surface and said "anything from them yet?"
"Nothing as of yet" Mr X replied "but go incognito…the last thing we need is the general public seeing you out and about in your offworld armor, we all remember how much trouble that caused 10 years ago…and don't forget your security clearances and I.D badges as well"
"What about Team B?" Anne asked
"Your Parents have been activated. They are handling the investigation from another angle…Word on the street" Mr X replied, then added "the Armordillo is at your disposal"
"Good" Sasha went "unless you want to pay fuel expenses…" as she then downed the rest of her coffee quickly "Let's go, Girls"
"We've only just sat down, Sash"…Marcy went, as she took a gulp of her energy drink
"It's to go…" Sasha replied, as Anne poured her juice into a travel cup and closed the lid, shrugged her shoulders and followed her out to the vehicle bay. Maggie and Marcy got up and followed behind.
"So…who's driving?" Anne asked Sasha
"Who else…unless you passed your car test without telling me…" Sasha responded. Anne looked at her and replied "Drive a Car, in this City? You have to be crazy…"
"Call me crazy then…" Sasha went, as she opened the drivers door on the Armordillo and pulled herself in, and slammed the heavy door shut.
Marcy and Maggie opened the back doors and climbed in, Anne opened the passenger door and hauled herself up and in.
"Why does this thing have to be so tall?" She went as she closed the door, as Sasha fired up the Hydrogen hybrid recharge engine for the batteries. The dashboard lit up like a christmas tree, showing all kinds of information on it's digital dashboard, a centrally mounted touch screen that displayed and controlled the Armordillo onboard computer system, currently showing it's GPS locator, and street map.
"Because it's an awesome piece of go anywhere Military equipment…" Sasha went,rubbing her hand together in glee, then grabbing the steering wheel, wrung her hands around it, and she then slammed her foot on the accelerator, making the 4 wheels spin under the power supplied by the 4 electric motors boosted by the engine. It headed towards the roller shutter door quickly. Anne in the passenger seat went "Sasha, the door" she then repeated herself a little louder…"Sasha…OPEN THE DOOR!" she went as they were rapidly approaching it. The door Flew up quickly and the Armordillo hit the streets of Los Angeles.
—-
Maggie was looking out of the blackened windows in the back of the Armordillo. She turned to Marcy and said "The last time i was in this thing, i was still handcuffed"
Marcy looked at Maggie, and replied "Mr X probably did that because he just removed you from Police custody, so had to make it look real"
"Certainly felt real…" Maggie went "My wrists are still sore from being stuck at a desk in them for 6 hours at the station, due to the lack of a spare cell, not to mention i got a numb bum from it"
Anne, up front, looked in the rear mirror at Maggie "so…you actually saw that thing?" she asked
"I didn't get a good look at it…it was dark, so I could only make out a shape. It was tall…over 6 feet tall. And when it turned human…it became like a basketball player, all skinny and defined"
"So….we look for basketball players?" Marcy asked
"I doubt it's that easy, Mar-mar" Anne went "besides, all the Lakers players and staff are accounted for"
"Approaching destination" the computer's voice went, and Sasha slowed down and turned into the alleyway….
The Armordillo stopped behind the second vehicle in the alleyway…an all Black Box Body Truck, Ally and Jess' Mobile Lab. Sasha switched the Armordillo off, and opened her door and got out, and walked towards Ally and Jess, who were scanning the alleyway with a few strange looking scanner devices. The rest of the girls climbed out of the Armordillo and approached them as well.
"Hi, you two…" Sasha went as she approached.
"Good…you're here" Ally went, then passed her a measuring tape and went "Stand there…"
Ally started walking away, rolling out the tape, stopped, took a reading, then went "You can let go now…"
"Any luck, Jess?" Anne asked as she approached. Jess shook her head "I'm picking up a residual energy trace, but I can't pinpoint the point of origin. whatever this was, has technology far superior to what we've developed"
The back door to the Restaurant that Maggie worked at suddenly opens, and Mr Rodriguez comes out with a bag of rubbish. He looks up the alleyway quickly at what is going on, but notices Maggie standing there next to another Girl with Dark hair.
"Maggie? Why aren't you at work? We're short staffed, and i tried to get hold of you, but your phones going straight to answerphone" he started
Anne walked up towards him and pulled out the ID badge given to them from her ladies suit trouser pocket.
"She's with us, Sir. she's helping with an investigation"
Mr Rodriguez looked at the badge and ID "I ain't never heard of ISC before" he went
"We're a not very well advertised agency, we protect the World from stuff…" Anne went. Mr Rodriguez looked at her, then turned and went back in and closed the door. Sasha walked over to Anne and went "we protect the World from stuff… smooth" She went.
Anne turned to her and went "Hey…i was put on the spot, OK?"
—-
30 minutes later, they were all in the back of the Mobile Lab. Ally was uploading and corroborating the data, Jess was writing down her figures and doing calculations. A viewscreen comes on in the back of the Lab, and Mr X is shown sitting behind a desk.
"Anything to report,ladies?" he asked
Ally spoke first "we've taken loads of readings across all possible spectrums. We seem to be dealing with an unknown Alien. Its technology far exceeds ours. The portal has an indistinguishable point of origin. Best guess is somewhere in the Srevas System…as its yet to be explored or made official contact with"
"My calculations suggest that the portal was 10x the power of 260 Gigawatts potential energy" Jess went…"That's hellish powerful"
Maggie whispered to Marcy "What's a Gigawatt?"
Marcy looked at her with surprise "Haven't you ever seen Back to the Future?"
Maggie shook her head. Marcy replied "when we get back home,I'm going to educate you on classic sci-fi movies…"
Mr X went "So, that definitely puts them well outside the known range of our portal then…any idea if they are friend or foe yet?"
"Still working on it, sir…" Jess replied
"All of you, get back to base asap, please and thank you" Mr X went, then the screen shut off.
—-
The Mobile Lab and the Armordillo enter the loading bay of the secret HQ. their occupants all disembark and head into the recreation room. Anne, Sasha, Marcy and Maggie head in, while Ally and Jess head back out a different door and into the Gateway Room.
Marcy went over to the fridge, and grabbed another energy drink.
"I worry about you,Mar-mar…you drink too much of that stuff, it can't be good for you" Anne said as Marcy went past her and plopped down on the sofa.
"Hey, i get my stamina in a can, not a coffee Cup, A-B" Marcy replied, then cracked the can open and took a gulp
"Who's A-B?" Maggie asked
"Anna Banana…A-B for short" Marcy answered
"Do you all have nicknames for each other?" Maggie inquired
"Pretty much…" Sasha went, as she sat down with another cup of Coffee ``i'm either Sash, or Sashy…Marcy's always been known as Mar-mar, and Anne was given her nickname as a child by Marcy"
"It was ONE TIME, OK?" Anne went "And you still haven't let me live it down"
Maggie looked curiously at Marcy "Is there a story behind it?"
Marcy grinned, as she loved to tell the story "Well…we all first met in Kindergarten…and on the first day that her Mum dropped her off, as it was raining heavy, Anne was wearing a long, Yellow Macintosh, hat and matching wellies…i went over to greet her and said 'what's your name?' to her…she replied 'im Anne'... and i said 'you look like a giant Banana' the class started laughing, and the name stuck…Anna Banana…"
"That story's going to haunt me for the rest of my life…" Anne went, as she shook her head.
"Wow…i didn't know you guys knew each other from that far back" Maggie went "no wonder Sasha stood up for you…"
"Guilty as…" Sasha went, then took a slurp of her coffee " we did drift apart a bit as we got older, got other friend groups, but we never really lost touch. We stayed friends…we reconnected a few years back, when Marcy moved back to LA…she's staying with us"
"No wonder i didn't see you in High School" Maggie went,as she looked over at Marcy "if i could go back and start over, knowing what i know about you all now, i'd have probably wanted to have good friends like you to keep me out of trouble,instead of the losers i hung out with"
"What happened in High School, Mags?" Anne asked " we saw you around, but you kept your distance after Sasha 'had a word'"
Maggie sighed "I hung out with the school dropouts…who liked to party and drink and do other stuff.i was on my own after i turned 16, parents didn't help me after they found out what happened to me, plus my 'friends' all abandoned me…all because of what they made me do with them"
The three of them looked at Maggie, and Anne asked "what happened?"
"They liked to steal stuff…they got me to try and steal a bottle of Vodka from a liquor store for them. I got caught by the owner, and they ran away and left me on my own. I was arrested, charged with theft, the owner wanted to prosecute, but because of my age, i was sent to a Juvenile Detention Center, where i finished off my last years of schooling…which is why i haven't been able to get any good jobs…that record follows me, so everyone i've worked for is always suspicious of me, and i've never been allowed to work Front of House,except in a cleaning role, you know…in case i get tempted to 'steal' from the till" Maggie recounted her story. The three girls all looked at each other, and then towards Maggie.
"Wow…you had a rough time" Anne went
"That's why i guess they picked on me for that Can i kicked…must've run my name and date of birth, and it brought up my Juvy record" Maggie replied
Anne, Sasha and Marcy all get up, put down their respective drinks, and go over to Maggie, Anne pulls her up by her hand, and gives Maggie a Hug, then Sasha and Marcy come in and surround her in a hug
"What's…whats this for?" Maggie asked as she was surrounded and being group hugged
"To let you know you do have friends…" Anne went "we forgive you, Maggie"
Sasha went "Maybe I was a bit too hard on you…maybe we should have tried harder"
Marcy leant over and put her head on Maggie's shoulder "let's start over…" she went, as she then let go and turned to face her "Hi…i'm Marcy…it's nice to meet you"
"Hi…I'm Maggie…" she went, and took hold of Marcy's hand. Marcy smiled and went "no…you're Mags…"
"So, my nickname I gave her is now official?" Sasha asked
"Guess so…" Marcy replied "welcome to our group…Mags"
Maggie looked at the three girls, and a small smile crept onto her face…
"Thank you" she replied
Part 5
Away team mission
Whilst the girls were enjoying a brief bonding moment, the voice of Mr X came over the internal comm system
"Team Calamity, please report to the briefing room"
"That's us…" Marcy went, and they all broke and headed towards the briefing room.
The 4 girls entered the briefing room, and sat down on some chairs. Mr X was sitting at the head of the table, with Jenny standing next to him, doing some work on her tablet.
"Good afternoon, ladies. I hope you are ready for a Planet jump?" he asked
Sasha and Anne looked at each other, then Anne asked "I thought that Ally and Jess didn't know where the point of origin was?"
"Ally and Jess have pooled their results, and located a Planet within the range of our portal that they think was used as either a waypoint, or was the point of Origin. I need you to suit up, and investigate" X went
Sasha smiled "I love jumping to somewhere new…" she said, then asked "what about Maggie?"
"Take her with you…i have a feeling it would be a good experience for her" X replied "there's a spare basic armor in the Armory, it will mold to fit whoever wears it" he added.
"Let's go, Team…" Anne went, slipping back into mission leader mode. The girls all get up, and follow Anne to the Armory, where their 3 lockers containing their Armor were kept.
Anne, Sasha and Marcy opened up their lockers with their names on them, and started to pull the armor out piece by piece, until the undersuit was revealed. They started to strip out of their clothes and slipped the undersuit on, then started to attach the various pieces to it. Maggie opened the last locker with no name on it, and looked at it. There were White and Gold shoulder pieces, a Gold chest plate, armored leg pieces, Boots, Gauntlets that controlled the offworld armor functions and ancillaries, a large clip-on White skirt and an unknown rifle…that all slipped over an all black undersuit.
The other three were almost ready, when Anne went "Go on, Mags…that suit won't fit over your clothes" as Maggie was being hesitant whilst staring at the suit.
"I'm sorry…" she went, as she then started to take off her Top, then pulled her jeans down "being sent to Juvy hall has made me nervous of getting changed around others"
"We're all Girls here" Sasha replied, as she attached her breast plate to the undersuit
"That's not why I'm nervous…" she replied, as she pulled off her top and revealed a few scars across her stomach that they didn't notice before. The other 3 stopped and looked.
"See why I'm nervous…? I was attacked in Juvy, and the guards did nothing" she went. Sasha undid the breast plate again and pulled up the undersuit, turned around and showed off the massive scar on her back.
"We've all got scars…" Sasha went,as Maggie looked at the scar on Sasha's back "I've had this bad boy since i was 14…got it in a sword fight"
Marcy was next. She rolled up her undersuit and showed the scar that ran from her back to her front "Also from a Sword" she went
"I got a few as well…not to mention all the scars from that boss battle you saw…" Anne went
Maggie looked dumbstruck "H…HOW?" she asked
"Another planet…" Anne replied, as Marcy and Sasha nodded. They then pulled their undersuits down and continued to attach the armor. Now Maggie had seen their marks, she wasn't so nervous about showing off the scars she had from her time in Juvie Hall…
Around 15 minutes later, 4 girls, dressed in armor, emerged from the connecting hallway and into the Gateway room. Mr X was standing there with a clipboard in his hand, which he then passes to Dr Jan, who takes it and goes over to the Harmonic Frequency Destination programmer.
"Mm mm mm, don't you 4 look fabulous" he goes as they enter.
"So where are we jumping to?" Anne asks, as she slips her Tiara on, then presses the button to turn it into her mission helmet.
"Evisehda 4" Dr Jan replies, "it's the furthest point we can take our gate to within its power range"
"And you think we'll find something there?" Sasha asks as she adjusts her helmet after activating it.
"At the very least…a waypoint. That is why Jess is joining you" Mr X responds "Maggie, you are Jess' bodyguard, the other three are able to take care of themselves" Jess then emerges from the same corridor, wearing an all White with Blue trim version of the form fitting undersuit and boots, but no armor, just an oversized backpack, and remote controlling a 6 wheeled ATV carrier vehicle with other equipment on, via her gauntlet.
"I hope there won't be any trouble…" Jess goes "this is my first time through the gate…"
"Relax…" Marcy goes "you remember my first time?"
Jess chuckled as she put on her helmet "You squealed…"
"I was unexpectedly pulled…" Marcy replied, side eyeing Sasha.
"I promise…i won't pull you through, Jess…" Sasha goes
Ally responds "If she doesn't go through…i'll push her through to you…it's what friends do"
"Ha ha, Ally" Jess replied
"Dr Jan…will you start the machine, please?" Mr X commands. Dr Jan turns the power dial to maximum, and the room is filled with a loud but low hum. She then pushes the activation lever up to its maximum setting. The 4 metal arms suddenly shoot out their energy beams and intersect in the metal disc, forming a portal that gradually increases in size, until it is big enough to see through, and walk pulls out her Flame Sword and steps through the portal, Anne and Marcy follow her through. Jess steps up to the threshold and looks nervously into it, she then looks back at Maggie, who was standing behind her
"It's my first time too…" Maggie goes, then offers Jess her hand. Jess gently reaches back and takes her hand. Maggie steps up and stands next to Jess. She turns her head and looks at her.
"We'll go on three…" Jess nods. "1…2…3" Maggie goes, and steps forward into the portal, followed by a nervous Jess, who closed her eyes and let herself be led. Jess opens her eyes and finds herself standing on the surface of an alien Planet, Millions of Light Years from home, with Maggie stood next to her, and the Calamity Trio, and an ATV loaded with equipment
"Good luck, Girls" Mr X goes as the portal shrinks "We'll keep it in standby mode, in case of an emergency"
The portal blinks out of existence, and the five of them look around at the planet's surface. There were rocks and boulders everywhere, a few strange coloured and odd looking trees covered in an Orange moss, lots of puddles of rainbow coloured water, and 3 suns in the sky, 1 Orange gas giant, and two smaller, Cold Stars
Jess pulls out a scanner from her mission bag, and takes a reading
"To coin a Star Trek phrase…this planet is Class M, very Earth-like…suitable for life" she goes, then lifts up the glass front of her helmet, it slides inside, opening up the face. The others see her do that, and press the buttons on theirs, turning them back into Tiara's.
"Any idea what kind of Life, Jess?" Sasha asks, putting away her Sword.
"None whatsoever…but i'm guessing a bipedal type lifeform" Jess replies, as she kneels down and looks at a strange,Two-toed footprint in the sandy surface "this wasn't made by any of us…"
"Whatever it is…I hope it's friendly…" Maggie goes as she slides her Visor up inside her helmet "I've never fired a gun before"
"So do i…" Jess replied, as she then pulled out a spectrometer from her mission bag and started taking readings of the ground and the footprint. Anne, Sasha and Marcy start to spread out and look around.
Unseen by the group, a tall,blue skinned creature was watching from behind the Orange moss covered trees, it started clicking to another creature. Anne heard the clicking and went "You guys hear that?"
Sasha tilted her head and concentrated on the sound "it's like a clicking, or ticking sound"
Marcy disabled the safety on her Bolt Bowcaster "It sounds like it's coming from all around…"
Maggie went "How do I use this thing?" she asked, as she was fiddling with the pulse rifle, trying to disable the safety to arm it.
Suddenly, emerging from the large puddles, creatures that stood over 6 feet tall started to rise up. The girls found themselves surrounded. Sasha was the first to try and draw her weapon, but the creature closest to her already had their weapon out… a long, glowing Whip that they flung towards Sasha, it wrapped itself around her before she had a chance to draw her sword, it then sent an electric shock down the whip, making Sasha cry out in pain, and slump to the floor unconscious. Anne used Sasha's downfall to her advantage, getting her Sword out from its holder on her back. Another of the creatures tried to whip Anne, but it wrapped around the sword instead, and the whip discharged into the sword, making it glow Blue. Marcy tried to aim her Bowcaster at another of the creatures, but one emerged from a puddle behind her and grabbed her around her arms, making her kick out and scream. Two others appeared near Jess and Maggie. Jess looked terrified, so she put her hands straight up and went "Please…don't hurt us!"
Maggie looks at the creatures facing them, and goes "I'm putting it down…" she says, as she places the gun on the ground and puts her hands up as well.
Anne was the only one left who was fighting back. She used her sword as leverage to pull the whip out of the hands of the creature attacking her. She then swings the Kinetium Blade and it hits a large boulder near to the first creature, shattering the stone in 2. The creatures start clicking quickly, and further creatures start appearing. One of them had a strange looking gun, which they aimed at Anne. it fired a charged Net with spikes on the corners, which grabbed her and pushed her down towards the ground with force. The spikes dug into the ground and pinned her down, it then shocked her…
—-
Several hours later, Anne and Sasha started to come around. They found themselves in what looked like a Dungeon cell.
"Hey…you're finally awake…" Marcy went as she looked at them.
"Was that a…video game reference?" Maggie asked her
Anne opened her eyes and saw that Marcy, Maggie, Jess, Sasha and herself had been relieved of all their equipment, and were sporting some unflattering chains…one set linking all the girls together by their right ankles, and another set of short chains on their wrists.
"Great…" Anne went "just great…"
Sasha lifted her hands and went and tried to break the chains "If only we still had our powers…" she went "i'd show them not to mess with Sasha…"
"We're only in this predicament because you two fought them…" Jess went "me and Maggie surrendered peacefully, and were not treated roughly, nor shocked, although I can't say I blame them for chaining us up…"
"Who…or what are they?" Anne asked
"From what i gather, they are a race called the Y'rots. Those clicks are how they communicate with each other'' Jess went "we were bought in conscious, so we got to hear some of their language…it's quite interesting"
"I'm so glad you find this interesting, Jess…but how does it help us?" Anne asked
Marcy replied "if you know your enemy, you can learn how to beat them"
A noise came from the doorway, and a large heavy door began opening up. One of the creatures entered the room and looked at them with curiosity
"What are you staring at, bug eyes?" Sasha went, trying to act tough in a helpless situation
The creature clicked a few times, then the clicks started to take on a human sounding voice
"CLICk Click…Cli… Bug…eyes?" it went
"You speak English?" Jess asks
"I…can…now, after listening…to..you speak" it goes
Jess scrambles to her feet, but can only move so far, so she asks the creature "can you help us?"
"I…am afraid…i cannot…you are…invaders to our world" it went
Maggie jumped up and went angrily "Invaders? US? YOU came to our planet FIRST"
"We…are explorers." it went "we only…seek…peaceful contact"
"So your idea of peaceful contact is to show up unannounced on an alien planet and…oh"
Marcy started, raised her hands and covered her mouth, as she then realized what she was about to say
She then stood up and looked at the others "we're the ones who showed up unannounced, armed with weapons…they were defending themselves"
"But Marcy…" Maggie went "I SAW them…one of them appeared from a portal outside my work…they came to our planet first"
The Alien creature nodded its head "Yes…we came to your planet. We were seeking out…contact"
"Great…Bug eyes says they're peaceful, yet we get attacked and chained up like animals" Sasha retorts
"The chains…are necessary…for our safety. You fought with us" it replied
"Only because YOU…ROSE UP…FROM PUDDLES…like from some old horror story, no words, no communication, just click click CLICK!" Sasha responded angrily
"We are…sorry." it went "but you…also did not…talk …to us"
"How were we supposed to?" Anne asked "we don't speak your language, and you only just learned to speak ours"
"This is…bad on all…fronts. Mistakes have been…made. Battles fought…where there was…no need" it said "i am…sorry"
"Is there anything we can do to rectify the situation?" Jess asked "maybe speak to a leader, or something?"
"That is…why…i…am here" it replied "I…am tasked…with taking you…to our…Counsel of elders"
"So we get to see the men in charge, huh?" Sasha goes "that could work"
"Depends on if they are reasonable or not…" Anne answered
"One way to find out, I guess," Marcy replied…
Part 6
Meet the Y'rots
The Y'rot came into the cell, undid the chain connecting the five girls together by their ankles from the wall, and went "Please…follow me" in broken English. It then led them out of the cell and along a corridor, up a set of stairs.
Jess, being the First in the Chain, went and asked "Do you have a name? I'm Jess" she went.
"Kramirp" it went "my name is Kramirp"
"Nice to meet you, Kramirp '' Jess replied, as Kramirp opened a door at the top of the stairs and held it open for them. The five girls emerged, one by one…Jess first, then Maggie, Marcy, Sasha and Anne, who had the extra bit of chain dragging behind her. Once inside the large room, they were told to move forwards towards a raised platform, with a large, semi circular desk on top, and with 4 Y'rots sat around it. Kramirp guided the Girls to a circle on the floor, then picked up the trailing chain behind Anne, and fastened it to a loop set into the floor.
One of the Y'rots sat at the table, picked up a metal ball, and slammed it down on a metal disc, sparking as it did so.
*Y'rot speech is in italic,translated into English*
"So these are the intruders, Kramirp?" the one who had slammed the metal ball down Clicked.
Kramirp replied "Yes, supreme counselor" he clicked back
"What do they have to say for their crime?" The Supreme Counselor asked
Kramirp turned to the girls and spoke in English "the Supreme Counselor asks…how you plead to your crime"
"We didn't commit a crime, we were following an unknown Gateway path that led to here" Anne protested
"What is this? A Kangaroo Court?" Sasha asked "tried and convicted without giving our side of the story?"
Krimarp translated their words to the counsel. The Supreme Counselor banged her metal ball again and clicked "let us hear their story, before we decide their fate" she went
Kramirp went "The Supreme Counselor…wishes to…hear your story" he translated for them
The five girls go into a huddle. Anne went "We're only going to get one shot at convincing them of the truth…Jess, you seem to be the one that Kramirp respects, so maybe you should tell them what happened…see if we can get out of this mess"
Jess nodded.
The girls broke the huddle, and Jess stepped forward as far as the chain would allow her.
"Your Honors, what happened was a mistake on both sides." she started, while Kramirp translated her words to Y'rot clicks.
"My name is Jess, and I am a researcher from Planet Earth, located in the Milky Way galaxy. I am part of a team that makes primary contact with other species on behalf of our Planet's leaders. A few days ago, we had a report of a Dimensional Gateway being opened on Earth that had not been seen before. Normally, we make contact with the indigenous species, and we begin peaceful negotiations for coexistence, but because we were not expecting to make contact with another species, and also that your portal opened up in a very public space, which could have endangered both your race and ours…we had to investigate further. Our equipment, and our calculations, told us that this would probably be either the source of the gateway, or a waypoint, so we opened our gateway and came to your planet in the hopes of finding someone who we could establish contact with. We never came to your planet with hostile intentions, we merely came prepared for a situation that could arise. Unfortunately, it seems both our sides misread each other's intentions and conflict ensued, which resulted in the situation we currently find ourselves in. we had no hostile intent…we merely tried to defend ourselves when you also defended your planet from unknown entities…us" Jess went
Anne looked at Jess and went "Well put…"
Kramirp finished translating Jess' story to the Counsel, who then turned to each other and began clicking at each other. Once finished, the Supreme Counselor banged her metal ball again, and began to click.
"It seems that this situation was a misinterpretation of each other's intent" she started "it is the ruling of this counsel that the human's be spared , and released to a degree. No weapons shall be returned, and they shall each be shackled, but they may be freed from their hand chains and given the chance to see our society. We shall recall our scout and get their reports on what they have witnessed, and shall await their reports before deciding on what we do next" she then banged her metal ball again, and the 4 members of the counsel got up and left.
Kramirp finished translating what was said to them. "So does that mean we are free?" Maggie asks
"To a…point" Kramirp went, as he then went and undid the hand shackles from the 5 girls, while 5 other guards approached them with a second set of shackles, which they placed around their free ankle, undid the other connected one, then attached the other part back around their now free-for-a-moment ankles.
"This is…the condition…you are free…to explore, but you…are not free…to leave…until we have …reports on your Planet…from our scout" Kramirp said
"Better than nothing, i suppose" went Marcy, as she looked down at the new addition to their undersuit outfits.
Anne shook her head, and said "You did your best, Jess…as Marcy said…it's better than nothing. At least we can 'walk' about…" she said, then checked the length of the chain between the shackles.
Maggie looked down and went "more comfortable than the Police ones at least…"
"Please…follow me…to your…rooms" Kramirp went, and led them back out the door and upstairs to other rooms.
Kramirp stopped on a landing, with 5 doors set into a Tower "These…are your…rooms whilst you are…our guests here"
"If we were your 'guests', we wouldn't be wearing chains…" Sasha went as she clanked past him and pushed the first door open. The room was a good size, with a bed in the middle, a bowl and mirror for washing, another smaller room containing a toilet, and a wardrobe with some clothing choices. The others also chose a room that was similarly set up.
Kramirp went "I will…fetch you later…when it…is time to eat. We have studied…your earth dishes…and can make anything…that you wish. But please…feel welcome to…change your skins"
The five girls look at each other. Anne goes "this isn't our skin…this…is an undersuit, which our armor you took fits onto"
"Apologies, Anne of Earth…but our counsel…instructed that no weapon…be returned to you, until we know more"
"S'pose that's fair" Anne replied, as she entered the room she chose.
After Kramirp left them, the 5 girls went and met up in one room to discuss things.
"So…" Anne went "Options?"
"Well, running isn't one of them" Marcy went, kicking her legs against the edge of the bed she was sitting on and making the chains clank.
"Agreed" Anne replied "and calling for backup is also a non option, seeing as they took our armor with the recall devices and communicators in them"
"So…we just have to go along with what they want for the moment" Jess went "no other choice…but it could be a good thing…how often do you get to learn about a new species by being amongst them?"
"About as often as us getting captured" Sasha sarcastically went
"How often is that, Sash?" Maggie asked. Sasha turned and glared at Maggie
"NEVER OK…this is the first…and only time this has happened" she went
"Geez, Sasha…calm down…i was only asking…this is my first time for a lot of things, granted being taken prisoner by an Alien species wasn't on my list of firsts i wanted…" Maggie went.
Anne looked at Sasha and shook her head "are you forgetting about Amphibia…? Didn't you end up in Grime's dungeon before you convinced him to let you help him, or the time Andrias caught you and Grime when we entered Newtopia for the first time, and don't forget the time when you purposely let yourself be captured to free the others?"
Sasha crossed her arms and huffed "so it's happened a few times…but not when we were on missions like this"
"So…it's agreed with Jess's suggestion…we play along with them, learn what we can…but I propose a secondary mission. We find out where our armor and weapons are, and try to contact Earth…let them know about the Y'rots and what has happened." Anne went
The other 4 girls nodded in agreement
Part 7
Dinner, in chains
A few hours later, Kramirp came up to the rooms where the girls were staying, and knocked on each door. Each girl opened their door and saw him stood there, dressed in a smart uniform
"The Council of Elders…request your presence…for dinner" he went.
"Give us a few minutes, please Kramirp" Anne went.
"Of course…" he replied, then went and stood by the stairwell. Anne and the other girls went looking through the selection of clothing provided by the Y'rots, each one picking something that was easily slipped on. Anne chose a long, blue dress that she could step into, Sasha put on a skirt and a Red top, Marcy chose a green step in dress, Maggie found a leather skirt and a white blouse, while Jess didn't bother to put anything on over the Undersuit bottoms, just a cream top over her top half. The five girls exited their rooms and followed Kramirp down the stairs to the hall where they had their judgment earlier on.
The hall was different now to how it had been earlier on, tables were everywhere, each laden with food, some were recognised as Earth dishes, others were hard to identify, but were clearly Y'rot in origin.
"Please…this way" Kramirp went as he led them in. sat at a high table, where the council of elders preceded dinner. The first elder stood up and clicked at first, then managed to speak an English word…"Welcome"
The five girls were taken back by the elder speaking to them.
"Thank you" Anne replied, as the group shuffled over towards the assigned table.
The elder gestured towards a smaller table, with 5 chairs set at it to the Elders right
"Please…sit" the Elder then went,in english for a second time
Anne sat, then looked up at the Elder, and asked "How are you speaking English?"
"Because of…our scout on…Earth. They assimilated your…language construct and passed it…to us" she replied, in a broken English
"So, do you have a name?" Anne asked, then went "my name is Anne, mission leader…this is Sasha, second in command, that is Marcy sat next to her…the last two are not normally on our team, but because of the circumstances, they were deemed as necessary. The girl in white is called Jess, and she is a researcher and specialist in alien technologies, and the girl on the end is Maggie…her bodyguard"
"It is…nice to meet…you all. I am…Sedra, of the Elders" the elder replied
"Normally, this is how a first contact would be established…" Anne said "but obviously, the situation is different here…" she went, as she uncrossed her legs and the chains clanked as she did.
"Our…apologies…but they…are for our…safety." Sedra replied, then added "you were quite…formidable, so our patrol said"
"Still got it…" Sasha went quietly, as she picked up a leg of an unknown creature, and bit into it, ripping the meat off. Sasha nodded and went "This is good…"
"Ahh, you are…a Human with taste" Sedra went as she saw Sasha devouring the leg "that is a leg…off a Timbulan, a creature we rear as a…food source"
"It's good…" Sasha replied,as she took another bite "very juicy, and tender"
Maggie and Jess were less adventurous with their food choices…they took some of the human looking food, whilst Anne, Marcy and Sasha were trying some of the Y'rot food.
"You are…not afraid of…our food choices?" Sedra asked them.
"We spent a year on an alien planet inhabited by Amphibious creatures, like Frogs, Toads, Newts, Lizards, Salamanders…" Marcy replied "it was either eat their food, which was mainly bugs and other stuff…or starve"
"Some of it looked weird, but wasn't bad tasting" Anne went
"You should have seen some of the stuff we ate in Toad Tower…you don't want to know where we had to hunt it…" Sasha added
Anne looked at Sasha "where…?"
"The Bog of Spalpeen" Sasha replied "that place STUNK!"
Anne suddenly gulped the bit of food she had in her mouth down and went "Thanks, Sash…"
Sedra looked at the reaction, and started to laugh, then went "We have…a similar…place here…the hunting…is good there
A smaller Y'rot approached the table of Elders, and clicked something to Sedra. Sedra replied in clicks, then spoke in English ``Our scout…has returned" she went, then clicked a few clicks, and the door at the far end of the hall opened, and a Human looking person walked up the hallway towards the elders. As he walked past the girls, Maggie went "That's him! That's the guy that stepped out of that portal!"
"Are you sure, Maggie?" Marcy asked her
"Positive" Maggie replied.
That unidentified Human went and stood in front of the table of Elders, and turned a dial on a device on his wrist, then his human form disappeared and was replaced with a Y'rot form.
"Orbmu, report" Sedra went
"Oh, great elders. That planet is filled with many things, both of consequence and inconsequence. They are fairly advanced for lower life forms, and i saw no reason that they are a threat to anyone" Orbmu went
Sedra asked "are they a peaceful life form?"
"From my time on Earth, I saw that they fight amongst themselves, over trivial things like Land, or religious politics. I do not think that they are ready to meet us" Orbmu went
Anne coughed, then stood up. Both Sedra and Orbmu turned to look at her. Orbmu had a slightly shocked look on his features
"But…how…?" he asked
Anne stood up "I'm Anne Boonchuy, leader of Team Calamity. It's our job to investigate strange worlds and make first contact. We only found out about your visit because you were SEEN…" she went.
Orbmu went "The alleyway" Anne nodded, then went "you use Dimensional technology…so do we"
"But I saw no evidence of this…" Orbmu replied
"That's because we are an agency that is not public knowledge" Anne answered, then walked around the table and towards Orbmu, dragging the shackles chain behind her over the ground
"Sometimes it is best to keep certain things from the public, in case it causes confusion, heightened tension, or mass panic" Anne said as she stood alongside Orbmu "your 'little trip' to Earth could have caused mass panic."
"We…did not think about the reaction" Orbmu replied as he looked at Anne
"Your entrance to our world was witnessed by that member of our team" Anne went, and pointed at Maggie "luckily, she found us before others found her, or you"
Maggie stood up and went "I saw your portal open up in the alleyway, i saw you transform…it was me that you heard gasping that night"
Orbmu turned to look at Maggie "i thought it was a lower form of life on your planet…a…pet, or other Animal"
"Great…so i'm a pet now…is that why we are really chained up, to keep us as pets for your own curiosity? What's next…put us in a freakshow?" Maggie asked, then looked around as she said that. The various Y'rots started clicking between themselves, until Sedra raised her hand and the room went quiet.
"The young Human is right. They are not lower life forms, they are intelligent creatures, and as much as we are curious about them,they are curious about us as well, they are not Animals to be kept and studied"
Sedra signaled to some of the guards in the room. They approached the girls, knelt down and started to unlock the shackles. Once unlocked, they went back to their positions in the back of the room.
"Thank you, Sedra" Anne went, as she watched the guard carry her shackles away.
"But it still leaves us with a situation, which can be resolved one of two ways…either by a peaceful meeting, or by all of us walking away, and closing the dimensional gateway leading to our respective worlds forever"
Sedra nodded, and replied "Anne of the Planet Earth, you are correct. We do not wish to close off our world to others. We are peaceful explorers, using an ancient technology that has been around for Eon's. We will return your equipment to you, so you may contact your planet and return with Orbmu as our emissary"
Anne gave a small Thai bow to Sedra, and went "Khob khun, Sedra"
Sedra then declared "This is now a welcoming banquet…for our new friends!"
Part 9
Return to Earth
The next morning, the five girls were greeted by warm sunshine from the Orange giant. They all left their rooms and went back down to the hall, and were directed down another flight of stairs to a Kitchen, where various foods were being prepared for Breakfast.
Sasha asked the lady Y'rot in charge if they had any coffee. She smiled, and passed Sasha a small steaming cup of a dark brown liquid.
"Please…drink" she went. Sasha took a sniff and wasn't impressed by the smell, but she took a sip out of respect, pulled it back and had a look of shock on her face
"It's delicious!" she went, then started drinking it down
The others were directed to help themselves to food, all kinds of things were laid out, from strange shaped pastries, to bowls of the Orange moss that grew on the trees.
After having something to eat, Kramirp came down to the kitchen with Orbmu, carrying the girls armor and Jess' backpack with her equipment in.
Jess picked her backpack off Kramirp's back and went looking for something…she pulled out a small cereal bar and went and opened it, and started eating
"No disrespect…" Jess went "But i have certain dietary requirements…"
The cook nodded her understanding, and offered Jess a glass of a clear liquid to wash it down with, which Jess accepted.
After food, the five girls, now redressed into their armor, head back to the main hall with Kramirp and Orbmu, where their ATV with its equipment on, was waiting for them. Anne looks around the group, and asks…"Ready?"
Sasha, Marcy, Jess and Maggie all nod. Anne presses her communicator on the Gauntlet, and sends out an access code. A few minutes later, just in front of them, a portal starts to open, getting larger in size until the other side can be seen. Mr X and Jenny were standing on the other side.
"Here's our ride…" Anne went, then added "Sasha, take them home…i'll be behind you"
Sasha nodded, then went "let's go team" as she steps through, followed by the others and the ATV.
Anne looked at Kramirp and Orbmu and asked "Are you ready to make first official contact?"
They nod, and Kramirp goes "our fate is now in your hands, Anne of Planet Earth"
"There is no fate, only friendship" Anne replies, as she steps through, followed by Kramirp and Orbmu
On the other side, Anne was waiting for them to emerge from the portal.
"Anne…i was starting to get worried when you didn't check in for a few days" Mr X went
"Mr X…i'd like to introduce you to representatives of the Y'rots. Kramirp and Orbmu" she went, then added "Kramirp, Orbmu, i'd like to introduce you to Mr X, Head of Offworld Operations"
"A pleasure to meet you…" X goes, then leads them to the briefing room so they can begin their talk.
Jess was over talking to Ally about what had happened to them
"OHMYGOD…" Ally went "you were really captured?"
"Yes…" Jess goes "a weird experience"
"I'm sorta used to it…" Maggie went "Been arrested more than once…and at least their chains didn't chafe"
"So… what did you guys think of your first mission?" Anne asked
"From now on, I'll stick to local fieldwork…" Jess replied
"Good call!" Ally went
"Wasn't as much fun as some of our other missions…" Sasha replied "but a good result, even if it was in a roundabout way"
"That's for sure…" Marcy added "that was a first for me…being chained hand and foot in an actual dungeon. I can now use that experience to make better RPG's…"
"Oh Mar-mar…" Anne went, as she gently slapped her on her back, whilst Sasha put her in a headlock and gave her a playful noogie…whilst they all walked back to the locker room to get changed
Anne, Sasha and Marcy were the first to get changed, but Marcy noticed that Maggie was slow in changing out of the suit. She placed her hands on Sasha's and Anne's back and whispered "You guys go on…I'll catch up"
With that, Marcy went and sat back down next to Maggie "You OK?" she asked
Maggie looked at the helmet she was holding in her hands "i feel like I messed up…" she started "I was sent as Jess' bodyguard, but i didn't do a good job. I couldn't work that gun, and got Jess and myself captured, not to mention you 3…" she went solemnly "also, i'm afraid that, when i put this back, that's it…game over, end of adventure…time to return to my dull, unfulfilling life of domestic servitude in the fast food sector"
Marcy turned to look at Maggie "You did what anyone would do in a situation like that, you chose a safer option than fighting, and neither you nor Jess were hurt as a result…and as for returning to a normal life…" Marcy started "if i'm honest, Mr X would probably offer you a choice…work for him, doing this…or…"
Maggie looked at Marcy "Or what?" she asked
Marcy smiled, and got up, and started to walk away "MARCY!...OR WHAT? TELL ME!"
"Well, I hear the local nuthouse has spaces…" Marcy jokes, as Maggie started chasing her…
Mr X, Jenny, Orbmu and Kramirp emerge from the briefing room, just as Marcy and Maggie go running past them. Mr X calls out "MAGGIE…A WORD PLEASE" as she goes past him.
Maggie comes screeching to a halt, and looks back at him nervously "Me, sir?" she asks. He nods, then goes, "in the briefing room please". Maggie turns around and enters the briefing room, and sits down on a chair. Mr X says to Jenny "Escort our guests back to the Gateway room, and see that they have a safe trip back,please and thank you" Jenny nods, and leads them back to the Gateway room, while Mr X re-enters the briefing room and sits down.
"Well, Ms Campbell…" he starts "that was quite a mission from what has been reported to me"
Maggie looks at him and goes "It wasn't my fault…you never showed me how to work that gun, and i panicked…" she starts. But Mr X holds his flat palm out towards her, and she immediately goes quiet.
"From what I've been told by Jess…you followed her lead, which, even though it led to your capture, it saved the two of you from being hurt in any serious way. Anne's mission log also backs that up.
Now…i do seem to have a bit of a dilemma…" he goes "And that is what i do next?"
Maggie's face goes flush white "Oh, please please please don't send me to an asylum, or kill me, or bury me deep in the system so I never see the light of day again…!" she blurts out.
Mr X looks at Maggie with raised eyebrows "who told you that?" he asked
"Marcy…" Maggie goes. Mr X's usually serious expression on his face suddenly cracks, and he starts to laugh. After a few moments, X wipes some tears away from his face with a handkerchief and goes "Marcy has such an imagination…" he replies "No, I'm not going to do any of those things to you…unless you feel that you need me too…?"
Maggie shakes her head vigorously "Oh god no…" she replies
"Good…" X starts "because I want to offer you a Job…it's not much, but you'll become a part of Team B, who will train you and teach you everything you might need to know, go on missions with them, help out around here…Jess told me you were quite adept at using some of her equipment"
"A job…REALLY?" Maggie asks, then suddenly jumps up and shouts "YES,YES, A MILLION TIMES YES!" She then did something that X wasn't expecting…Maggie Hugged him and gave him a Kiss
X regained his composure, and looked at Maggie, then pressed a button on his desk, and Jenny re-entered the room.
"Jenny…will you take care of Ms Campbells arrangements, please and thank you" Mr X went, then shook his head and playfully said "I like how you thought killing you was a better option than deep stating you…you'll get on well here, Maggie"
The end…for now