03-10-2009, 11:26 PM
Szar, still weary with sedation and melting from the intense desert heat, slumped back in his seat. The world was a sandy mess, and Szar loathed it. There was a reason Changelings were raised on planets with bitter cold climates: their bodies were designed for it. As such, the polar opposite was having an extreme effect on the Icer. His body was dripping sweat, and his ability to focus was wavering. Nausea had set in even before the car crash, and had only worsened since then. However, despite all of this, Szar was elated. He’d escaped Trisha’s clutches, for the most part, unscathed. Piper had too. And, to make things even better, they’d stolen the car she’d been driving in. The music she’d been blaring had immediately been turned off, and the car rumbled over the dunes in silence. Well, Piper and Kaden might have been talking, but Szar hadn’t noticed.
Suddenly, the ground beneath the SUV began to shift. Jerking upright, the Icer immediately was punched in the face by inertia. Resting his head on his knees, he tried to keep from vomiting. Piper turned from the driver’s seat and looked him over.
“My diagnosis is…you look like shit.” She joked, quite uncharacteristically, before turning back to the road. Had she not noticed the tremor that had rocked the makeshift convertible? Turning to Kaden, Szar noticed that his expression was that of complacency. Either Szar was insane, or his companions were too out of it to notice the earth shaking. The former was most likely, but given the current state of things, the latter was equally likely. Too tired to waste energy thinking that he could use to sleep, Szar let his eyes close and submitted himself to slumber. It set in quickly and the Changeling began to snore.
“…Can’t stop…this is bat country.” Szar droned drearily, still asleep. Kaden raised an eyebrow, and shrugged his shoulders when Piper turned to him for answers. Stifling a laugh, she turned her eyes back to the road. There was something dotting the horizon, a trio of black dots. Squinting to make them out, the redhead sighed angrily when she determined what they were.
“We have company!” she roared, jerking the wheel to the left. Kaden braced himself and Szar grunted sleepily. The car jerked to the left, and Piper floored it, kicking up a cloud of sand as she pressed back in the direction they’d come from. Kaden craned his neck and strained his eyes, trying to see what Piper had. When normal vision proved inadequate, he let his second-sight kick in, and he spotted them. There were three, large concentrations of light trailing them, the one in the center shining the brightest.
“It’s never easy, is it?” Kaden complained to Piper. She didn’t respond verbally, but her shoulders were visibly tense. Turning to Szar, the courier found him sleeping soundly, oblivious to everything. For a moment, Kaden thought of waking him, but he decided against it. The lights weren’t too bright, meaning their sources weren’t all that much of a threat. Igniting his hands with an orb of ki, Kaden lobbed it behind him. The blast rocketed towards the row of SUVs, its target being the middle car. The driver proved his mettle by swerving to avoid it, and it shot past, erupting in a burst of fire and glass, as the sand was superheated. Clicking his tongue, the blond loosed a second orb, followed immediately by a third. The second one struck the ground in front of the SUV at the left of the group. Turning the wheel too late, the car and its contents flipped into the air, before crashing to the ground, upside-down. The third slammed into the hood of the middle car, igniting the engine in a surge of fire. The remaining SUV began to swerve to and fro, hoping to avoid the fate of the other cars. Kaden was beginning to tire, the desert heat and the stress of the situation made concentrating on his ki a difficult task. To worsen matters, the sun was at their back, and it was shining right into his eyes. Turning his attention to Szar, he found something curious. The light that had been dulled by what Piper had revealed to him as tranquilizers was now glowing as sharply as ever. Gripping the Icer tightly by the shoulders, he shook him awake.
The visions of snow-covered gumdrops faded from view as Szar was rustled awake by an exasperated Kaden. Yawning, he gave the human an angry glower.
“What was that for?” Szar grumbled, cranky from being forced awake.
“That,” Kaden wheezed, pointing to the approaching SUV. Following the courier’s finger, the Icer realized what was going on. His mind clicked into full alert, and all signs that he’d been sleeping left him. Staring at the car, he reached out of instinct to his hip, but gripped only air. Remembering that his gun had been lost in the scuffle at the mansion, he bit his lip. Quickly he formed an alternative plan. Straightening his arm, he faced his palm in the car’s direction. An orb of cyan fire bubbled to life in his hand, and he hurriedly flung it at the car. Its small size made it impossible for Kai’s henchmen’s untrained eyes to follow, and it pounded through the windshield, striking the driver in the chest.
With the threat dealt with, Szar sat back in his seat, falling back asleep almost instantly.
Suddenly, the ground beneath the SUV began to shift. Jerking upright, the Icer immediately was punched in the face by inertia. Resting his head on his knees, he tried to keep from vomiting. Piper turned from the driver’s seat and looked him over.
“My diagnosis is…you look like shit.” She joked, quite uncharacteristically, before turning back to the road. Had she not noticed the tremor that had rocked the makeshift convertible? Turning to Kaden, Szar noticed that his expression was that of complacency. Either Szar was insane, or his companions were too out of it to notice the earth shaking. The former was most likely, but given the current state of things, the latter was equally likely. Too tired to waste energy thinking that he could use to sleep, Szar let his eyes close and submitted himself to slumber. It set in quickly and the Changeling began to snore.
“…Can’t stop…this is bat country.” Szar droned drearily, still asleep. Kaden raised an eyebrow, and shrugged his shoulders when Piper turned to him for answers. Stifling a laugh, she turned her eyes back to the road. There was something dotting the horizon, a trio of black dots. Squinting to make them out, the redhead sighed angrily when she determined what they were.
“We have company!” she roared, jerking the wheel to the left. Kaden braced himself and Szar grunted sleepily. The car jerked to the left, and Piper floored it, kicking up a cloud of sand as she pressed back in the direction they’d come from. Kaden craned his neck and strained his eyes, trying to see what Piper had. When normal vision proved inadequate, he let his second-sight kick in, and he spotted them. There were three, large concentrations of light trailing them, the one in the center shining the brightest.
“It’s never easy, is it?” Kaden complained to Piper. She didn’t respond verbally, but her shoulders were visibly tense. Turning to Szar, the courier found him sleeping soundly, oblivious to everything. For a moment, Kaden thought of waking him, but he decided against it. The lights weren’t too bright, meaning their sources weren’t all that much of a threat. Igniting his hands with an orb of ki, Kaden lobbed it behind him. The blast rocketed towards the row of SUVs, its target being the middle car. The driver proved his mettle by swerving to avoid it, and it shot past, erupting in a burst of fire and glass, as the sand was superheated. Clicking his tongue, the blond loosed a second orb, followed immediately by a third. The second one struck the ground in front of the SUV at the left of the group. Turning the wheel too late, the car and its contents flipped into the air, before crashing to the ground, upside-down. The third slammed into the hood of the middle car, igniting the engine in a surge of fire. The remaining SUV began to swerve to and fro, hoping to avoid the fate of the other cars. Kaden was beginning to tire, the desert heat and the stress of the situation made concentrating on his ki a difficult task. To worsen matters, the sun was at their back, and it was shining right into his eyes. Turning his attention to Szar, he found something curious. The light that had been dulled by what Piper had revealed to him as tranquilizers was now glowing as sharply as ever. Gripping the Icer tightly by the shoulders, he shook him awake.
The visions of snow-covered gumdrops faded from view as Szar was rustled awake by an exasperated Kaden. Yawning, he gave the human an angry glower.
“What was that for?” Szar grumbled, cranky from being forced awake.
“That,” Kaden wheezed, pointing to the approaching SUV. Following the courier’s finger, the Icer realized what was going on. His mind clicked into full alert, and all signs that he’d been sleeping left him. Staring at the car, he reached out of instinct to his hip, but gripped only air. Remembering that his gun had been lost in the scuffle at the mansion, he bit his lip. Quickly he formed an alternative plan. Straightening his arm, he faced his palm in the car’s direction. An orb of cyan fire bubbled to life in his hand, and he hurriedly flung it at the car. Its small size made it impossible for Kai’s henchmen’s untrained eyes to follow, and it pounded through the windshield, striking the driver in the chest.
With the threat dealt with, Szar sat back in his seat, falling back asleep almost instantly.