[M][Earth] Of the People

[Chubbs Story Account]

The world keeps spinning.

[Sigfried Hunin]

Jarka had long since left the area when Victoria came tramping in through the doorway. The young woman seemed utterly shredded, inside and out. She was practically naked, and it seemed like she’d been out there all day. Soaked and generally miserable looking, she began to trudge through the room, and he called out to her. “Vic.” He actually meant well, if it was hard to believe that.

She looked up to him, revealing massive black pools in her eyes, dilated pupils that came so readily with the use of psychedelics. He didn’t want to judge her, poor thing’s life love just got a sizable hole shot in his head. “Fearless leader,” she uttered in a weary tone. He wasn’t entirely sure if she was making fun of him, if she was just saying things or if she actually meant it.

He tilted his head to the side, curious if he could pry anything out of her in her state as it was. He did feel a bit guilty to proceed in that way, but one more thing to add to the stack couldn’t hurt. “What?” It was a simple question. The best kind.

“Roy’s dead…” She barely uttered the thing. He wondered if she was just raving. “Rank structure dictates that you're now the leader.” Well, she knew that much at least. She might have been from the government, but most likely she would have put a stop to things by now if she was. Maybe she was like Jarka, too wrapped in everything to leave. “No point in keeping secrets now. Point, and I'll kill. But I'm tired. Goodnight.” She ended the conversation quickly. She wasn’t in the mood for Sigfried at the moment, and for that he couldn’t blame her. He was hardly in the mood for himself.

“Victoria, wait, about tha-“ She made it clear that she was done when the closed and locked behind her. In “Roy’s” old room. Roy had never slept there. Roy never slept. Roy went away every night so that Sigfried could think and feel what he was thinking and feeling. Most of it sickened him. Still though, Roy had spent a good amount of time in that room, laying on that bed over the sheets to think. It was like a ritual. He’d wake up in the morning and go think for a while. He was probably trying to remember what had happened the night before, in the nights when he wasn’t there, in the nights when he stopped existing.

Lucky bastard never had to comb his perfect hair or brush his perfect teeth. He just seemed to wake up halfway through his day, able to do whatever it was that he felt like. Then again, Sigfried had given those things up a while ago anyways. He had all but forgotten that he was once a boy that had to eat or drink or brush his teeth or go to the bathroom. Those weren’t things he had to do if he changed into a version of himself that didn’t require those chores. He still had to sleep though. No matter how many times he had changed he had always remembered what it was like to be tired. And hungry. He didn’t really have to eat, but he still felt hungry now and again. It was a reassuring feeling. It made him feel more human, he guessed.

Also, he figured he liked cooking. Whoever didn’t like cooking was retarded in his mind. It was just fun to make something out of random ingredients. You know, sorta like making new people. Skoll and Hati had come accidentally. They just showed up one day, with their own little lives and personalities. Skoll lived in the dorms of all places and Hati had his own damned apartment. It was bigger than Sigfried’s. He didn’t even know he had powers at that point. What a hell of a battle it was to figure that fucking conundrum out.

Speaking of the duo, he knew they had been standing outside for a while now, but he figured they were just shooting the shit. “Hey guys, come on in, huh?” He beckoned their attention by cracking the door and looking out into the hallway. Sure enough, they sat on either side of the doorway with plastic bags in either hand like some kind of homeless vanguard. “Sup.”

The two looked up at him, and Hati grinned. “So is shit going better than it was, like, twenty minutes ago?” Sigfried sort of shrugged and looked up to the ceiling as though to refer to the fact that he guessed so. “Sweet.” The two shambled up quickly off of the ground and stalked into the basement.

Skoll let the bag will a row of those vodka wine cooler things that they sell at the corner shops onto the coffee table and plopped down. “So did you tell Jarka?” He looked at Sigfried with that same dull stabbing judgment that he always had. “I mean, Victoria was totally strung out so I figure you gave her a rest but…”

Sigfried glared over at him from across the rom. “Yeah, I told her. I mean, she didn’t take it the best. Stabbed me.”

Skoll’s eyes widened and pointed at Sigfried enthusiastically. “Is she still here? We can take care of that.” He nodded once, adding emphasis to his statement.

Hati shook his head in irritation. “Dude, leave her alone. That’s a lot of bullshit to deal with. She knew he could take it, he got capped in the dome.” He motioned a false, finger-made gun to his head and let the thumb hammer fall. “Give her some time.”

Skoll shook his head as he cracked a bottle open. “I will never get you.”

Hati cackled, also twisting the top off of a drink. “I think that’s the point.” He chuckled to himself and flung himself at the couch, grabbing the remote.

Sigfried smiled as he watched the two spar. He didn’t know why, but they made him so proud. That little pieces of his brain could go out into the world on their own and be so fucking smart. He guessed it was the closest feeling he’d have to having kids. Not that they were kids or ever had been kids. They were two little people that he just so happened to have made on accident. They were his friends. Jarka was one of his only “real” friends remaining in the world but those two would never ever leave him.

Looking at the slammed shut door, he realized that Jarka might. He understood why she was angry. He didn’t know if he expected her to be all ok with everything. No, in fact he knew he didn’t expect that from her or he would have just told her flat out right away. She was all pissed about Roy dying. Why? He just took the time and effort to shoot himself and she was gonna cry about it? Call me a terrorist one more time, he thought to himself. Sure, those people in the mayor’s office had died. He put a written WARNING in the building before the attack went off. Skoll had run around screaming like a maniac about it. He did all he could, and that’s all that he could ask of himself.

He reached down, grabbed a bottle from the rack, and wrenched the cap off. Taking a long swig, he leaned against the counter and took one of his famous long breaths. Whatever had happened, whatever speed bumps or mistakes he had encountered along the way, this is all going according to plan. As messed up as it was that their delicate emotions had been sullied, this is the way it was supposed to go. He had to remember that he wanted it this way.

Imagine how those people felt, watching their idol die? Hell, it might be better this way, with him dead. He would be less distracted but also the public would be a lot more pissed the Hell off. It would incite the revolution he was looking for. People didn’t need to be violent to elect a mayor, but they needed to get violent to overthrow the government. That’s what really needed to happen in order for change to occur. People had to be ripped out of what they thought was the way it was and allowed to make the world in a way they saw fit. The glory of the revolution would not be in its inspiration, it action or the execution. It would be in the system that sprang from it afterwards.

He took a moment to peer into the future of what might be and basked in the glory that would come with change. He had hoped that the name “Roy Munin” would be the one scribed down in the history books, and he was sure that it would still be the one in bold. He didn’t want his name on this. It wasn’t for glory or money or fame… It was for the people. By the people.

Of the people.

His attentions couldn’t help but wander back to those lonely doors, scarred and scared women within. He needed them more than he would ever admit, not just for the plan but for himself. They were an odd company to keep, a cook and a killer. He knew both well now in such different ways but he knew that this war would not be lead without them.

Sadly, this night was too late for reconciliation. The both needed their time alone. To think of it, so did he. Having the deliberate, calculated wit of Roy back in his head always soothed his troubled mind, but even those sentiments as peace, love and fantastic dictatorial ability did not calm the chaos tonight. It had been just a bit too much, too soon. He hadn’t expected such ridiculous actions as had occurred.

“Hey guys, I’ll be out for a little bit, ok?” Sigfried nodded to the twins and waved. Each knowingly waved in return and he took to the streets.

Normally he would find himself soaring on the wings of a crow right then, but, as was his custom in these moments, he chose to let his long legs walk. Down streets and through filthy alleyways he wandered with his destination in mind. Across the main drag and on to a lesser know street just shot off of it. Down a flight of stairs, show the bouncer an ID.

The bar itself was a square, with each corner a pillar for the ceiling to rest upon. It was a bar that had been dug down into the earth, friendly staffing and over a hundred beers on tap. Ample seating and the food wasn’t terrible either. It was pink night. Two zenni for a whole delicious pint of whatever the fuck you wanted, and it just so happened that Sigfried wanted a red ale.

Sigfried found a familiar seat in the rear of the rectangle, wedging himself next to the tall pillar that everyone seemed to avoid. It was far enough from the entrance that nobody would look there first but he could still see who was coming and going which oddly comforted him. He ordered his beer and lay three zenni on the table. He didn’t mind waiting, though he never seemed to wait long. It was nice to finally be alone, after all the time he had spent with the others, with Roy buzzing around in his head.

It wasn’t hard to let the others go from his mind. In fact, he didn’t think that he had ever really kept tabs on Skoll or Hati. If he had, he probably would have found them out sooner. With just those two wandering about in the world, his mind was blissfully quiet. It was only him, for once. He wasn’t there to pick up girls or chat with the fucking bartender, he just wanted to sit there and let the hours roll by while he drank his delicious, delicious beer.

--=~*/| o |\*~=--

With the rising of the sun came a world fresh and new to Sigfried. It might not have been so optimistic to the other two people in his basement hideout, but damn if he wasn’t chuffed to start a bloody revolution. He would need to act quickly to collect and direct the screaming masses of what he assumed would surely be the masses of blood thirsty populace quivering and dribble slipping from their mouths at the very thought of vengeance.

The man had never suffered from hangovers before he had discovered his terrifying healing factor, but he felt especially fantastic this morning. It was one of the few nights he had slept peacefully in a long time, for all the blood and terror that had happened the night before he was amazed that he had awoken at all. He yawned and stretched, pulling himself up off of the couch and scratching his chest casually. His nail caught on something on his chest that he had never felt before; he looked down to ascertain what it could be. A thin scar was traced just below his collarbone in his chest, where Jarka had stabbed him. Apparently something in his mind had wanted to remember that moment.

With a shrug and another stretch he made his way towards the fridge, cracking it and pulling some of the left over bottles from the twin’s haul out. He considered how bad it was to drink this early in the morning, but he figured he had nothing to lose. It was sort of refreshing to be able to have s a drink in the morning. It reminded him of college again.

College had been fun while it lasted. It was full of misadventures and coming face to face with failure. He did pretty well with failure now, considering how his night had been. He looked down at the oven and wondered if it would help or hinder him to get Jarka’s work station ready for her eventual awakening but finally figured that it would look like he was trying to impose a task on her. She probably didn’t want him fucking with her zone anyways.

He tapped the cover of the book he had bought, left to rest on the stovetop waiting for her and wondered how much of a give-a-shit she had left in her to appreciate it. “Telekinesis and You: A Guide to the Universe of the Mind” It was one of those self-disciplinary books that were published all the time, but it felt like it was an apt gift for the budding specialist. He wasn’t sure how the offer would be received. He forgave himself. He had at least tried.

Turning away from the book, he heard the door swing open to his left and stared in the direction blankly. Jarka stood in her PJ’s, rings under her eyes and hair a mess. She looked pissed off and generally displeased to be awake and alive. Sigfried stood in black boxers with a picture of a baby chicken and a magnet with a plus sign in between them, a bottle of cheap girly booze in his hand.

“Morning,” he said in a flat tone, gawking at her. With a blink, she grabbed the door before slamming it in front of her. He scrambled over to the couch and began pulling his clothing on hastily, despite the fact that he could have simply become a man with clothes on. “Ok, you’re good to go!” He shouted into the air, his arm finishing finding its way through the arm sleeve.

The door opened itself once again and the short chef stormed from her room and to the stove top. She glanced shortly at the book left there before picking it up and placing it off to the side, neither peep nor expression from her. She began to make some sort of breakfast. Sigfried wasn’t paying much attention. The twins wandered in from a long night out, stretching and yawning as they made their way into the living room.

Hati offered a weak smile. “Hey Jarka.” He didn’t bother asking how she slept. Skoll gave her as friendly a nod as he could and the two plopped down on the sofa next to Sigfried. She didn’t turn around or acknowledge either of the two of them and continued playing about with the frying pan and some kind of batter that included a fruit.

Sigfried gazed across the room to her, tilting his head to the side. He was very much a, “Forgive, forget and then have ice cream,” kind of guy and the fact that she was still upset at all irked him slightly. “I’m having a formal reaction to the shooting today, are you coming?” He attempted to sound cordial but he couldn’t cover a bite of irritation.

The swishing of her spatula came to a sudden stop and she stood still a moment, as though contemplating her words. She turned around and thrust the utensil in his face. “You think that some book can just erase what you did? Is it gonna bring back those people you murdered?”

Sigfried sat and stared at the young woman for a moment before getting up off of the couch in a huff. “Fuck this, I’mma go change the world.” He glanced back from the front door and spat back, “Tell Victoria that she can come if she wants, but she doesn’t have to. She needs her rest, so don’t wake her up.” He slammed the door behind him, storming out into the world.

Skoll and Hati both watched her reaction, which was to generally stomp her foot and mutter to herself in rage. “You know he doesn’t mean ill, he’s just not very good at-“

“Shut up. I don’t want to hear your excuses, Sigfried.” It was easy to tell she didn’t have much patience left. “If you had something to say, you should have said it while you were here.”

The two looked between each other and shared that rare moment of clarity between themselves. The message was, ‘Bitch be crazy.’

Hati looked over to the young cook and raised an eyebrow. “I don’t think you really get it.” He pointed between them. “We’re not Sigfried. I mean, I guess we kinda are, but we really aren’t.” He made several small gestures with his hands as he attempted to mull through the explanation. “You see, it’s like we’re cut of him, but we’re not actually him, and he doesn’t reall-“

She slammed the spatula against the pan with a bang and stood in silence. Hati took the hint and rolled back into the chair dejectedly. Looking to his brother he whined, “I was just tryin’ to explain man…”

The darker twin shrugged apathetically and pitched the remote forward, turning up the volume. “That was fast. He’s already on.” The two began to gaze blankly at the screen as Sigfried stepped up to the podium. He didn’t seem nervous as they had expected. He grasped the wood in front of him firmly and leaned into the microphone.

“Yesterday, we suffered a great and terrib-“

Victoria’s door swung open with a creak and she stood in the doorway holding a blanket up to her body. “Are those pancakes?” Her voice was barely audible in the room, but her whisper seemed to slice through all other sound. “Blueberry… pancakes?” A thin trail of water raced down her face as all three of the roommates stared blankly at the woman’s apparent sorrow over flapjacks. “Roy and I exchanged information over pancakes…”

Jarka’s eyes sprung open like a tiny explosion, a tiny panic spreading over her body.

--=~*/| o |\*~=--

“The only answer to this heinous attack against our just cause is retaliation.” Sigfried said the words with conviction. He had not been as well groomed or as fluent as Roy might have been, but he had the spirit. The people didn’t need a dapper politician right now; they needed a sociopath with a podium. He breathed heavy and glowered over the limited crowd that he could allow in the small conference area. Limited was relative. They still numbered in the hundreds, and he was being broadcast live over almost every network. “Take heart, people of Earth, change can be swift. Take heart, and take arms.” There was a wave of murmurs from the newscasters but a roar of justified rage from the rest of the audience.

“We are mankind, and we will not be put down like rabid animals when the government no longer feels us fit to live. We will not be oppressed in droves by the men in special chairs in special buildings that think they are better. No, it is we who are better! We are the fighters! The survivors! The few and the driven who can snatch back this planet from the jaws of madness! WE ARE THE REVOLUTION!” He thrust the flag into the air waved it about over his head as the crowd travelled to the brink of insanity.

He didn’t have to be a good speaker anymore. He just had to mimic the thoughts and feelings of the people and spew them back out at them. It was easy to direct people when they think that you are simply agreeing with them. Fists pounded the air and the room swelled to its bursting limit.

“Go now! Take what you may that you will need and I will assure you that I shall supply the rest! Soon, so very soon, we will take back this planet!” Like his predecessor, he held his hands in the air as his speech finished, allowing the bath of praise shower forth.

It still made him uncomfortable, all that attention.

[Sigfried Hunin]

The night lay out before him like a map, spanning into the fog of time. Each and every action of the execution would strum out like ripples into the fate of the revolution. The things that lay in the blackness that came when the Sun slept were delicate, almost as easily destroyed as the dark was vanquished with the flick of a light.

Victoria hit the light switch as she strolled into the room, barefooted and wearing a strange outfit that Sigfried hadn’t seen before. It wasn’t an elegant dress or some girl-scout wanna-be getup, it was a lithe, slim fit suit that he could only assume was for killing people. She loomed in the corner of the room, silent. She still had a strange sense of fragility about her, something not clicking right.

“What are you doing?” Her question was held up by thin strands of her voice, not quite all there enough to be called confident.

The young man looked over at her casually and smiled. It was still hard for him to give the woman the time of day, but she deserved his attentions after all he had put her through. All the things that have yet to happen. “Oh, nothing you should really worry about right now. I’m more worried about your head, to be honest.” He wasn’t much sugar coating things. It was easier to just say what was in your head and let it be known than dance around the issue. “I know that you have a mission with me and everything, but I want you to be at the top of your game and I know that you can’t really do that when you’re still all torn up about Roy.” His eyes dipped down from her face. “I know I can’t expect you to be over this ordeal in the matter of a night, but I think that some decompression will be good for you.” He smiled as warmly as he could muster at the pink haired girl. “Have you been out recently?”

Her hands played with themselves and she shook her head slowly. “I don’t go out, really.”

He turned back to his work and nodded. “Well, maybe it’s time you did, huh?” He scribed down a few more notes before looking back at the young hunter. Her body was twisted in knots, as though her very being resisted the idea. “Listen, it’ll be fun. Hati is good with that stuff. I’ll take care of the work tonight, ok?”

It wasn’t as though she had much a choice. She had been told by whoever was in charge to follow his orders. He didn’t have to use the words, “You have to go,” for it to be implied. She would simply have to live up to the reality of the odd power balance and go along with it. What did she really have left to lose anyways?

--=~*/| o |\*~=--

Hati chased after Jarka as she closed the refrigerator and headed back towards her room. She had been in and out of her room for the entirety of the day, snatching snacks out of the fridge with the same clothes she had slept in. Nobody had had the gall to intercept her yet.

“Jarka!” He called after he as he leaned in and laid his hand on her shoulder. “Hey, Jarka.” She slowly turned to face him, the same unpleasant disposition dressed over her face. “Hey, it’s me, you know, Hati?” He smiled for a flash of his slightly yellowed teeth before going on. “I was wooondering… If maybe you wanted to join us tonight? Me and Vic are going out on the town.” He shrugged, dipping from side to side anxiously. “You know, maybe relax a little. Get a little bit of it all off of your shoulders, huh?”

She seemed as though she was deciding, but it was clear that she wasn’t particularly happy with the invitation. She would probably have been more content to stay inside and sulk just a bit longer before moving on. She parted her mouth, but Hati cut her off. “It’s all on me of course. I just want to see you in a better mood.” He gave her a sickly sweet smile and squeezed her shoulders affectionately. “Please?”

She had a tiny battle with herself, that urge to be angry scratching at the back of her head. It’s hard to be angry when you know you should be but hard to give it up when you shouldn’t be. She quavered slightly, and Hati smiled when he saw that she was losing the battle inside her mind. “Fine,” she finally uttered.

The young man gave a literal hop of joy and nodded to her. “Fantastic! Go get ready or whatever. We’re gonna take off at like, eight thirty.” He trotted off quickly, giving a short wave to the young woman. “Dude I’m so stoked!”

Rolling her eyes she popped the strawberry into her mouth and drug herself into her room.

--=~*/| o |\*~=--

Skoll waited, there in the darkness, as he had done so many times before. He knew it was maddening, he knew that what he was, why he did it, made no sense. He didn’t care. It was the hunger for the hunt, the thirst for blood, the lust for violence that compelled him. In the back of his mind he knew it was the desire to be something different. Something more that what mankind could ever be. He wanted to be a monster, and so that is what he would become when the time called for his service.

Slinking through the ichors of the night, he made his way through the jungle of the city. He felt like he was swimming through the blood of the Kais, the euphoria that came with the scent of wet streets and the warm breeze in the alleys. He was almost silent, rolling his dense rubber heels on the wet asphalt as he darted from building to building.

He grinned widely as he crept past the people of Central City, his stealth fooling them into never believing he had existed beside them. It wasn’t far to his destination now, he only had to intercept him in between his escort and the office building. He had watched his prey for a few days and ran many searches for him on the web. He knew that the man would more than likely hit the bathroom before he met his ride, but it didn’t matter terribly. Hopefully he would be able to hold his bladder for once so that they could get out of there before they were noticed.

Clinging to the border of a skyscraper, he peered out on the long black limo and the five armed guards that surrounded it. They wouldn’t be hard to do away with, but he wanted his getaway to be practically unnoticeable. He had thankfully foreseen this predicament and prepared for it.

He pulled a heavy metal sphere from his pocket and tossed it up and down in his hand a moment. There were actually two safeties, a small clip that rested on top of the level and then the pin. He flicked off the tiny clip and then began the task of wrenching the pin out. He thought back to all the movies he had seen where the grizzled army vet pulled it out with his teeth and couldn’t help but chuckle. How funny would it have been if their teeth had just been ripped out of their skulls like they would have been in real life? Golden.

He kept a firm grip of the level and made his way across the street casually. He found another shadow to fade into and hurled the grenade across the street. It was much harder to throw the damn things than anybody would guess. Making something that weighed almost two pounds go any further than twenty feet was a display of ridiculous might. I mean, Skoll only got it like, what? Fifteen feet? But yeah, anyways.

The clack of the metal was followed shortly by the truly deafening blast that ensued. Skoll had diced down behind a thick dumpster and quickly the guards all began to surround the vehicle and scream. Two men were sent after the source of the blast to a goose chase in the alleyway. Two others went after the target to get him to safety.

The one remaining man could not have been blamed for missing a man ducking down and diving into the trunk of the car. He couldn’t be blamed that, as he and the two remaining men raced home through the highly paid man’s personal security and into the confines of his heavily guarded home, he had failed to notice the killer waiting within their very own vehicle.

Or that as he finished locking them within the compound, he was caught unaware by a silent shot that caught his beating heart in a vice and squeezed so hard that it stopped between his ribs. No, a dead man cannot be blamed.

--=~*/| o |\*~=--

“WOOOO! MUH FUGGIN LIKE, PARTY AND SHIT!” Hati screamed from the top of the bar, swinging around a rather expensive looking leather jacket in the air over his head. The two women sat at the bar below him, staring up with befuddled looks as strobe lights pulsed and loud music pounded in their ears.

He had worn the white leather jacket and a set of acid wash jeans with a studded belt. His hair was, of course, spiked slightly, and a cigarette dangled from his mouth, as there always seemed to be. He had practically begged Victoria to wear the dress he had bought her, a conservative little piece that went below her ankles and rose over her entire body and neck. Jarka had worn a simple skirt and a nice T-shirt, probably the wildest thing she had brought with her from her previous life.

He had ordered them both “chick drinks” and they held the brightly colored plastic cups with an array of straws, umbrellas and other flotsam shooting from the top. Jarka casually sipped at the tropical flavored medley before consulting the tender through the flailing brother’s legs. He nodded understandingly and leaned over the counter to pour a healthy dose of rum into the cup before she dismissed him.

Victoria gaze down into the swirling mass over her cup before setting it on the bar dispassionately. She didn’t seem much to be in the mood for the drink and seemed rather out of place and uncomfortable in the massive, pulsating mobs of people around her.

“Hey, Hati…” She called up to him timidly. “Can I go home?” Her request was earnest, but the young man glared down at her before leaping off of the wooded counter and grabbed her drink.

He thrust the drink back into her hands with an insulted look on his face and said sternly, “No.” He shook his head and cross his arms, staring into her eye. “Man, why you gotta be like that? I know shit has been hard; it has been for all of us. That’s what this is about. It’s about us. It’s about getting back up into the saddle and riding hard after our goal, man. It’s like, it’s like your night off, you get it?”

He was sure the hunter had had nights off before, but he wasn’t entirely sure that she had really been to a club. Sigfried had been wary of the young woman, not knowing entirely why the whole time. He had doted on the way she acted, who she talked to, when she was gone and what excuses she had.

Hati watched her differently. He had studied her as a socialite would: watching her words and the way she folded her arms. She was a virgin, certainly, having barely seen the likes of a man that would treat her right before she had encountered Roy. She didn’t seem to know what she was saying half the time, like she was trying to pretend to be somebody else but wasn’t entirely sure who she was supposed to be. She didn’t know how to hold the drink in her hand properly, as though the very presence of it was alien to her. She probably hadn’t drunk a lot before then, hadn’t smoked and never did drugs. On purpose.

For all realistic purposes it was like he was dealing with that straight edge kid in high school who finally decided to try pot. He never quite knew why it was the pretty ones that fell into that pitfall.

Smiling he snatched a mixed drink off of the counter before the buyer had a chance to notice that it was ready and lead the two women off into the thumping sounds of the crowd. He slammed the drink down his throat and nodded to the other. It wasn’t like Jarka needed any spurning to guzzle down the overpriced grog, but he knew that Victoria didn’t have much a taste for it.

“Come oooon…” he groaned. “Just drink it!” He grabbed one of the superfluous straws on the cup and began to suck the blue fluid down. “Mmmm! Boooze!” He made an exaggerated grin and began to skip and jog into the shoulder to shoulder dance party that raged only a few feet in front of them.

--=~*/| o |\*~=--

Skoll grinned as he turned back towards the vehicle, the estranged military commander already shuffling from the car. He simply dropped the syringe to the ground and stomped it into a fine powder below his heavy boot. He began to stalk after the husky grey haired man as his hand found its way into his pocket, wrapping around the tiny rectangular box within.

He pushed his thumb down on the selector switch, a small red dot glowing angrily next to two short metal prongs. Thin, black gloved fingers found themselves around the collar of his shirt, tugging him back and down towards him. He jammed the box into the man’s neck and depressed the activator, the bright sparks arcing from the device and into his frail body. He shook and convulsed as he held it into him for several seconds. Soon, his eyes shook shut and he crumpled to the ground.

Pushing the box back into his pocket he then plucked a tiny glass ampoule from his breast pocket and cracked it over a rag, the fluid soaking into it. He held it into the nose of the already unconscious man, assuring that he would not awaken until the time was right.

He wasn’t all that heavy. He had carried heavier men farther in his training as a medic, and more so in the other times that his nefarious past time had been available. He wasn’t quite sure what the layout of the house was but finding a bathroom is usually the easiest thing you can do in a house that size.

“Mmm, nice and spacious.” He was talking to himself, a habit he had picked up from Sigfried. The bathroom had been the size of his old dorm room, a large open space available in the middle of the room. He flung the hefty adult into the center and closed the door behind him. He locked the door quietly and tugged anxiously at his gloves.

He paced back and forth, excited for the task ahead. He didn’t want to dawdle too long, but he liked to savor in moments like this. The calm before the storm, seeing the clouds rolling overhead just waiting to open up and devour all those below. He shook his head free of his sentimentality and loomed over the man darkly.

He began by stripping all of the clothing off of the man and cramming them into the walled in shower in the corner, blasting the hot water over them. Not only did being nude create a feeling of alienation in the subject, but all matter of important or helpful items were now being downed in extremely hot liquid.

The air became thick with fog, blotting out the mirror and making slick every porcelain surface. The sounds of the water splattering on the tiles and bouncing around in the shower box drowned out what would soon be words and whispers from finding ears in the other parts of the house. Just the home owner taking a nice shower before bed.

He pulled out the small earth magnet he kept on him for such occasions and began to wave it over the man’s naked form. Sure enough, a tiny metal sprig tore itself from a roll of fat near his lower back and stuck to the magnet in a tiny gory lump. “Knew it…” Without attempting to remove the object from the powerful magnet he snatched a pair of pliers from his pocket and crushed the locator with a firm squeeze.

Stowing the small black rock back in his pocket he began to look the fellow over once again. He was pretty strong by the looks of it, but not very fit. He’d have to do the tie down right or he’d get out of it, and nobody wanted that. He took the long line of zip chord from within another one of the seemingly bottomless pockets on his jacket. He hefted the old man onto the toilet and began to secure him down.

--=~*/| o |\*~=--

Victoria gingerly sipped at the fruity concoction, holding it in her mouth a second to appraise the flavor. It had pineapple in it. She took another long drag, watched Hati flail around amidst other drunken buffoons, and smirked. It was hard not to have a good time around him in his element. When he was out in the real world he just didn’t seem to be in place, but this club, this madhouse, was his territory.

He wasn’t that bad at dancing really, not that she had much to say about herself. Seemed into the whole thing, at least. Slamming his head around to the beat of the heavy electronic music, he seemed to just evaporate into the song like a specter of sound. She felt strangely drawn to join them in the sea of pulsing people, but how easily she was intimidated by social intimacy. How could she join them? She wasn’t like them. She didn’t understand what it was like to be like them, and they could never know what it was like to be like her. She was the outlier, the stranger, the freak.

She put down her glass and looked down into the lonely table once again. Why had Sigfried sent her here with him? Did he really dislike her that much? She almost couldn’t bear the feelings of isolation any longer. It was pounding all around her, every beat pushing her further and further down, crushing her body into a smaller and smaller space. It was suffocating, it was miserable she had to get out of the-

“Come and dance Victoria.” Hati grasped her hand and tugged at it, his voice trumpeting over the sounds of the club.

He snatched her drink and forced it into her hands again as he drew her into the elbow bashing, cramped, insane space of the dance floor. At first she stood there amidst them, bobbing her head nervously. What do you even do in the middle of the dance floor? Hati was screaming something surely reassuring, but she couldn’t even begin to hear him. Soon he walked forward and grabbed both of her hands, swinging them back and forth to the beat, a massive grin on his face.

She couldn’t help but smirk at the wild boy. He had that strange charm that nobody could really ever talk about. It wasn’t tangible, describable, it eluded words and understanding. It just drew you into the madness like a child and cradled you in the folds of insanity.

He pulled her in close and shouted into her ear so that she might be able to understand his rantings. “Just move to the beat! You can do whatever the hell you want as long as it’s to the beat!” He then released her and began to pump his fists and thrash his head to the rhythm of the music, screaming some unheard words and howls.

Timidly, at first, she began to kick her feet out a bit and jive her hands back and forth. Hati nodded and pantomimed a drinking from an invisible cup. Victoria smiled and had another sip.

--=~*/| o |\*~=--

“Wake up.”

Skoll slapped the man once, but is face simply sagged to the side. He rolled his eyes in irritation, fishing around in his jacket once again. A tiny ammonia packet was held underneath the man’s nose before being broken and waved around his face. His nostrils flared and he began to cough, heavy lids blinking a few times as he came to.

The man began to look around himself blearily before startling himself. He thrashed around wildly against his plastic restraints and screamed from behind the silver tape securing his mouth shut. He jerked his hands so hard that a thin trickle of blood began to run from his wrist, though he couldn’t tell but for the warm sensation of it running down his fingers.

“You know, I always feel like I’m wasting good ammonia when I do that.” Skoll shook his head slowly as he paced back and forth in front of the prostrate man. “But I mean, really what else would I be using it for? It’s not like people just faint in the middle of the street or something.” His speaking partner grumbled and cursed under the restraint of the tape, but nothing intelligible came out of it.

“Anyways.” He plucked the cuff of the long black leather gloves and gazed through his glasses at him sternly. “General… General Peters, isn’t it? I think that was it.” He knelt down in front of the man and stared him in the eyes. “Now, I’m going to ask you some questions. I’d like you to answer those questions. At first you’ll think that you can resist me, and that you won’t tell me or that somebody will come in to save the day. Hell, you might think you’re going to break out of those zip ties and save yourself.” He paused for a long time, what must have seemed like minutes to the man on the commode. “Well, I want you to think about it. Stop using your emotions, stop trying to be brave and think about it. We’re in your house. Nobody can hear you. Everyone thinks you’re home safe. I found the little transponder in your skin and I killed all of your other electronics. You’re stuck here with me. You’re not going to escape. Make it easy on yourself and just tell me what I want to know, ok?”

He grabbed a corner of the tape and slowly began to pull it from his lips, the tape clinging to his mustache and tugging strands out painfully. He paused halfway done with the corner of his mouth. “Hey, don’t make a lot of noise, alright? I really don’t want to have to go through the motions.” He was lying. Of course he wanted to go through the motions, or he wouldn’t have volunteered.

The man slowly nodded in submission. Skoll tore the remaining portion of the strip off with a jerk, wadding it up in his hand. “Hel-“ Peters had only managed a half-scream before Skoll’s knuckles found his throat. He began to choke and gag as a fresh strip was reapplied to his face.

The tormentor shook his head slowly. “Should have listened.”

--=~*/| o |\*~=--

“Dude, dude, dude. Dude. Jarka.” Hati slumped against the bar as he slid towards her. “Dude, have you like, had one of these? Vanilla vodkas mixed with GenCola? It tastes just like a Vanilla GenCola! This is crazy!” He quickly guzzled the remainder of the drink and slammed the glass down.

Jarka looked him over once before gazing into the bottom of her cup of rum. She swirled the tiny straw around in the ice and let out a long sigh. She lifted the cup to her lips and began to choke the whole thing down, tipping it up ever higher. Hati grinned impishly and fished about in his pocket, producing a small plastic bag with a number of tiny brightly colored pills. He pulled one out and flipped it over with his thumb as it rested in the middle of his hand. “Maybe this can help you relax a little huh?”

She looked at it speculatively, her face scrunching up in a peculiar shape. “What is it?” She asked the question, having already known the answer. She saw the tiny little sword on the face of the thing. His quirked his brow and gestured it at her, offering it up. She groaned and picked it up from him. “Seriously, what is it?”

Hati smirked and began to slide backwards across the floor as he fires imaginary bullets from the tips of his fingers. “See you on the dance floooor!” She saw him fold his fingers out and tuck a pink tab under his tongue before he disappeared into the masses.

The young woman played with the pill between her fingers, laying it on the counter next to her empty glass. She raised her finger to the barkeep for one more, which he tended to quickly. She noted how fast the service here seemed to be despite being a massive club in the middle of a thriving city. Even when she was at fast places they didn’t seem to produce drinks as fast as this one man behind the bar.

Maybe he was like her and could predict who would need a drink before they ever needed one. She sipped casually at her drink as she watched him casually clean a glass. He began to pour a drink as a girl a little bit younger than her slapped money in front of him, and he sent her on her way. Such a strange man… Another drink of her rum. She felt the tab beneath her fingers, the smooth surface dancing along with her hand on the slick bar. He deftly mixed all of the ingredients of some kind of fruit-based slurry for another girl. The rum there wasn’t great, but it was decent.

The pill felt oddly dry under her tongue as she waded through the flood of mankind on the way to her party on the other side of the club. The two weren’t hard to miss, Hati’s head bobbing up and down and arms waving around in fluid, cyclic motions. Victoria had taken off her expensive high heels and was padding around on the dingy floor with a huge grin on her face. Jarka’s eyebrow twitched at this, such a strange sight from the girl who had always been bound up in a little ball of nerves and angst. She lifted her tongue and the awful, bitter taste of the pill flooded her mouth. It was like chewing on acetaminophen: just fucking terrible.

Hati suddenly spotted her from across the room. He rushed over and took her by the arm, splitting the people around him like a mage walking through an ocean. He grabbed the drink from her hand and gave it away to a stranger as they passed by. She started to protest, but he silenced her quickly. It was better if she didn’t have any more to drink. The two came to Victoria who’s usually pale cheeks were flush, her perfect hair a bit mussed. She opened her arms wide as the approached her, and Hati hooted as he lifted his bottle of water into the air.

He immediately began to dance beside her and waved his arm in invitation to Jarka. As she shyly joined the group, he let out a reverberating scream. “PARTYYYYY HAAAARD!”

--=~*/| o |\*~=--

Skoll tore the tape off of the general’s mouth, not bothering to ask if he would keep his mouth shut this time, He knew that he would. He had learned better. Skoll wadded the little ball of tape up again and let it hit the floor. It splashed up a bit, even from the tiny impact of the ball. It splattered up onto his shins in micro-droplets, sticking to the space between the hairs.

The blood flowed like a silken carpet down across the tiles, and now every step Skoll made was accompanied by a soft patter as it clung to his feet. He rolled out a longer strip of toilet paper and wiped down the simple pocket knife thoroughly before slipping it back into his pocket.

“Now. General Peters.” He once again looked down at the man, his body now covered in long, accurate, shallow slices that ran symmetrically down his arms, belly and chest. “I see that we’re a little more cooperative, right?” He leaned in and ran a gloved hand over his sweaty hair, dabbing the drips from his eyes. “I don’t enjoy doing this to you. I’ve never been a fan of torture.” Skoll himself wasn’t entirely sure if he was lying. The man jerked and shivered as the thin leather pushed the matted mess back over his head. “But now we can move on to business, right?”

“Who… Who the fuck are you?” The aged general’s voice was ragged, words pushed between haggard breaths.

Skoll stopped all movement for a moment, pointing into his face. “Who, me?” He chuckled softly and shook his head. “You might recognize me. From the TV? I’m one of Sigfried’s friends. Like Roy.” He had become preoccupied with fiddling over some metallic instrument that couldn’t quite be seen.

“We didn’t kill Roy…” The prisoner was panting now, regaining a bit of his senses.

Skoll glanced over at him for a moment and grinned. “Oh I know. We shot Roy.”

“What?” The poor old thing was confused. He tried to move himself around a moment, attempting at some kind of comfort. He winced and grunted shortly, his moving skin agitating his wounds.

“Well anyways.” Skoll ignored the man’s question. “Well, me and Hati are brothers. Twins. You might have seen him on the TV too? He’s the one that wears the white stuff with the spiky hair? I don’t much like his hair, but there you have it.” He shrugged and laid the toll down on the sink, drawing another one up and polishing it. “Well, we’re each a part of Sigfried.”

He opened the cabinet and grabbed a tall brown bottle of rubbing alcohol, unscrewing it and having a short sniff. “Every man has ambitions, yes?” The question was rhetorical, and so the general didn’t answer. “Well, Sigfried had them too. He just… he never seemed like he was able to really get there.” Skoll shook his head slowly, tapping his temple. “He just had too many distractions. I think more people are like that. Well anyways, that’s where we come in.”

Skoll stood above him and casually began pouring the alcohol over the lacerations that plagued him. Wincing and a gasp of pain were mingled with the sizzle of the fluid interacting with his blood. “Well, you know, to soak up all those memories. To hide from his head all the things that hold him back. He needed two people because one false persona, well, it just wasn’t enough. There were so many things just pulling him in opposite directions.”

He tossed the empty bottle behind him and let it roll around on the wet floor, still staring rather absent mindedly over the carnage. “One of us, well both of us are completely insane. Just for different reasons.” Walking back to the shelf he uncorked the container of cotton balls and took a fist full. “See, one of us is his impulse to just escape. To take the easy road by giving everything up and being free in the night. Party, drugs, women, fuck the consequences. The social side of insanity.”

He drew the cotton balls over each of the wounds slowly, soaking up the pink mixture from the cuts. He tossed each used ball behind him onto the floor with each swipe. “And well, one of us is the side that wants to escape by giving in to the desire to just be a monster. The antisocial side, you know? To hunt. And kill. And devour. To ascend from humanity by becoming inhuman.”

He stood slowly and let out a long sigh. “And well, that’s us. We hold more of Sigfried than he will probably ever know… More than he probably wants to know.”

The befuddled military man just stared up at the black-clad assailant. “What are you talking about?”

Skoll could not help but let out a yelp of laughter. “Oh, never mind. It doesn’t really matter anyways.” He curled his fingers into a fist and plowed him into his jaw. “I’m here to get all of your military access codes.”

“Fuck you!” He spit onto the black boots in front of him.

Skoll smirked, an almost sad expression from him. “Did you not think I’d know about your little family?” What little color in the general’s face drained from it. “They weren’t hard to find. The government doesn’t give nearly as much of a shit about you as you apparently think they do.” He put his face a few inches away from the elder man’s and whispered, “General Peters has taken an indefinite leave from the City with his wife and child due to threats against himself and his personal security forces. An explosive device aimed at his vehicle failed to kill the military leader, but officials have relocated him just in case.” A sneer grew on his lips. “You’ll give orders without ever being seen. Nobody will even know you’re missing.” He laughed loudly, splitting the man’s ear. “Think of the poor children.”

He stood back up and reached for the duct tape once again. “I’ll talk! I’ll talk!” The pleads were spit filled and pathetic.

“Oh, I know you will.” He smeared the tape over the man’s mouth. “Of the two brothers, which do you think I am?”

--=~*/| o |\*~=--

“I feel like the world is like, a whole bunch of tiny little strings, you know?” Jarka was raving on as Victoria bobbed her head back and forth across from her in the long plush tan leather seat. “Like, like the whole universe is just attached to my skin and when I move my arms,” she paused and gazed over at Hati whose eyes seemed fixed upon her. “There are these ripples that come out.”

“Dude that’s crazy.” Hati spoke almost too quickly to understand, his fingers tracing over the floor of the limo’s carpeted floor. “I just feel like there’s like… I dunno dude. Like a fuckin’, you know, warm sea of gelatin around me. And I’m swimming in it. It feels awesome.”

Victoria’s eyebrow quirked and she looked between the two of them. Her hair flopped forward and back as her head weaved. “I feel like…. Like I’ve got electricity in me.” Her words were slurred and barely controlled. The pink drink sloshed around in her hair and slipped out of the cup when the driver hit a small bump. “See?” She held her finger in the shape of a play gun, aimed it at the ceiling and fired a single screaming bolt of electrical bullet through the roof of the car. Thankfully all that Hati had tried to convince her of imbibing was a few mixed drinks. Shudder to think what else she might have done.

All three burst out laughing uncontrollably, clapping their hands and wiped tears from their eyes. “That was fuckin sweet.” Hati looked over at her and held his hands up casually. “Dude, not to be a perv or anything, but can I touch your hair? It’s pink. It looks like it’s made out of gum.”

She thought for a moment before shaking her head. “No, whatever. Whatever.” She leaned forward, letting it fall down in front of her face. Hati laughed as he ran his fingers through it a few times, stopping himself and slipping back into his seat.

“It totally isn’t bubblegum.” He nodded sagely and took a bit swig of the water before handing it over to Jarka.

“Ok, I know this is like, totally sappy or whatever, but I’m really, really glad that we’re all friends, guys. Seriously. It’s bombin. I haven’t had anybody to go out with other than Sigfried for like, forever, and he doesn’t really like to go out all that often.” He let his head continue to nod as he looked between the two girls. “We’ll have to have him come out on a night like this some time.”

Victoria snored loudly, forcing Hati to look over to her quickly. “Aw man…” He consulted Jarka quickly, “Do we draw a mustache on her?” He shook his head quickly, resending his question. “No, no, it’s her first time. She gets a freebie.”

--=~*/| o |\*~=--

Sigfried cracked the door to the rest of the apartment, having spent the night in his bedroom accidently working through the night. He scratched his upper leg and shuffled towards the fridge. He cracked it open and took a wine cooler out, dousing his throat with the delicious fluid.

He closed the fridge and began to turn before he noticed the carefully printed and color coded stack of sheets pinned to the door. He removed the several fruit shaped magnets used to hold it up and began flipping through the pages. It was a vast inventory of all of the weapons caches in the general area of Central City with pass codes, ammunition counts and a plethora of other information. Call signs, designators and everything he would ever need to command the armies of the local military forces were all present and aligned perfectly for ease of use.

“Skoll?” He looked around the room in confusion. “Skoll, did you do this?” A sudden groan echoed out from behind him and he slowly turned to look.

There the two girls were curled up on opposite sides of the pull-out couch, sandwiching Hati in the middle. All of them were fully clothed, including shoes (except for Victoria, who seemed oddly out of place missing them), and looked rather a mess. The pink haired girl still grasped the blue plastic novelty cup from the club and was snoring loudly.

Sigfried shook his head slowly and began to wander back towards his room. “Kai help us all…

[Jarka]

It was one of those days, one of those glorious mornings that leisurely washes away sleep before gently suggesting true consciousness. Jarka was vaguely aware of a question as she slipped out of a dream. Teetering on the edge of continued hibernation, her eyelids remained sealed while a groan rumbled forth. She could feel the itchy creases from last night’s clothing-cum-pajamas stretch across her skin. Every muscle in her body droned with soreness; her teeth felt raw in her jaw. Regardless, she couldn’t remember ever having a more fulfilling slumber. It was too soon to rise.

Jarka lazily rolled over to her other side, bumping into another person as she shifted. She was not alone. Too lethargic to open her eyes, she chose to snuggle against the neighboring body instead. After shave and old cigarettes flooded her nostrils. “Hati.” Her lips trailed against his course t-shirt as she murmured. “What are you doing in my bed?”

The awakened boy let out a gurgling sigh, lazily laying his arm across her waist. “Actually, you’re in mine.”

Her eyelids reluctantly flickered open. Shitty television, shitty recliner, shitty apartment. Hati was right. They had spent the night together on his pullout sofa, whatever that meant. A slight snore alerted the pair to a third bunk mate. Perplexed, Jarka peered over the boy’s torso. There lay an unkempt Victoria, cuddling a fluorescent blue cup.

The exhausted psychic flopped her head back down. Bits and pieces of the previous evening began tumbling through her memory, too jumbled to fully comprehend. Drinks and dancing and laughing and pills and lightning and dancing and drinks. It had been a while since she had a night like that. It had been a while since she had fun.

Hati laid his palm on her face in a strange gesture of affection. “How you feelin’?”

“Sore. Happy. Better than Victoria probably will.”

He snorted. “Hangovers. Can’t live with ‘em, so don’t stop drinking.”

Jarka smirked before glancing towards the kitchen. She wasn’t hungry, per se, but her usual morning routine called for a hearty breakfast. With an uncharacteristic groan, the girl lumbered out of the makeshift bed and staggered to her domain.

A small pot was plunked on a rickety range, filled with water and a dash of salt. Her knife strafed away the skin of two potatoes before they were submerged in the liquid. She glanced at the clock. Fifteen minutes

Quick cuts chopped a medium onion and three cloves of garlic into a pale pile. The chef fetched a skillet for the hot adjacent coil. With a splash of grease, the cubed roots were tossed onto the heated pan. Her shaking of the skillet only ceased to check the condition of her conglomeration. As the onion softened, a cup of spinach was chopped and stirred into the mixture. The greens wilted after a minute or so, and Jarka turned the burner down to medium.

Her fork made quick work of a half dozen eggs. The beaten goop sizzled as it was poured into the concoction. Her potatoes now tender, she drained away the water and set the pot aside. Three tomatoes and the tubers were sliced, sliced, and sliced again into cubes. Two minutes had passed and the bottom of the mishmash had begun to firm up.

Tomatoes and potatoes were welcomed by the Yellowish green goop before being tailed by sprinkles of pepper and cayenne and a hearty splash of hot sauce. The medley remained on the burner, occasionally being stirred, until it began to settle into a fluffy, sticky mass.

Jarka slid her handiwork into a glass bowl. She studied it for a moment, seeing the piece as only an artist can see flaws in her masterpiece, before adding a small handful of shredded cheddar cheese. As the orange flakes began to melt, a proud smile spread across her lips.

The girl turned to Hati, who had only just garnered the motivation to leave his bed. “No better hangover cure than eggs and orange juice, right?”

Hati’s crooked grin signaled his agreement. “Speaking of, we better wake up Victoria.”

[Victoria]

Victoria swam in and out of a world that she had never dared think of. A throbbing mixture of music and drinks. It was all crammed together into a blur of lights, stuffed into her head, knocked around for hours. It all ended into darkness. Hell, she couldn't even remember how she had gotten here. It took such a blazing effort to open her eyes, they peeled apart in sleepy ache, before a roil of another ache clutched at her. Her hand lifted to show the cup in her grasp, confusion lighting in her eyes, she was groggy and in and out. The item slipped from her grasp and onto the floor.

"Hey, wake up," a hand pressed against her shoulder.

She didn't need the prompt, her stomach did that for them. The hunter sat up with a groan and pressed the back of her palm to her lips. "I...I'm gonna..." she muffled against the skin. It took one more second before feet patted against the floor of the messy apartment and she dived into the bathroom. The would-be party girl dunked her head over the edge of the filthy toilet and upheaved the evenings drinks, or, what had been. It was awful. Victoria had never thrown up, had never wanted to, and now she knew what it felt like.

"It burns!" she cired in auguish and misery.

"Ah, newbies, they make it that much more fun," Haiti chuckled and stretched out his tired limbs. Of all of them, he had been the most excited, the most rowdy.

A splash of water helped to refreshen her, but only just. Victoria was as pale as a ghost, more than usual. She staggered out of the bathroom rubbing at her face. "What did I do..." she whispered hoarsly.

"You partied hard." Haiti lifted his hand, devil horns wiggling.

"You're voice is annoying," she muttered, walking past him in a sluggish maner. The girl slumped down into a seat at the quaint kitchen table, in the shitty chair. Both hands pressed against her brow and she closed her eyes. She felt as if she'd been on a rollercoaster.

"You looked like you were having fun, from what I remember," Jarka commented, sliding a plate in front of the hunter. "You should eat something, it'll make you feel better."

The girl held a hand to her mouth, and muffled, "I don't think that I can."

"Try a bite, please.”

With a sweaty hand, Victoria grasped the fork and carefully scooped up some of the gooey breakfast food into her mouth. Her face contorted, eyes squeezed, and she swallowed hard. Despite the urge to gag, she waited and fought to suffuse the neasea. “It's good...” she whispered. It was good, very good, probably the best food she had ever had. The stuff back on Zone Five was little better than cafeteria goods, even though, she mostly ate fries. This was hearty, flavourful, and made her tastebuds blaze with life.

“Thanks,” the brunette gave a small smile and turned away.

Victoria rubbed her face again and fought down another bite. She had been given a glass of cold water, it eased her pounding head ache. “I'm not used to this...”

“You're such a virgin.”

Victoria looked up in shock at Haiti, he slumped down at the table. “What?” she replied, flustered, red tinting her cheek.

“Haiti!” Jarka turned, a fork in hand, eyes ablaze with only the strength a woman could contain.

“Settle down, homeslice, I'm just saying,” he replied smoothly and leaned back lazily in his seat. A hand gestured toward Victoria. “Look at her, she's finally living it up. What a trooper, take the punches like a pro.”

“I don't know what you're talking about,” she replied, looking down and shovling food into her mouth. Victoria didn't want to talk about parties or virginity! It didn't matter in what context! Jeremy would kill her if he found out, the very thought made her sink further against her seat. Such a night had been unexpected, and, it had...distracted her. Victoria hadn't slept so well, but, now she felt like shit. This was so new and strange to her, the food helped, but she felt so raw and heavy.

“I don't get sick,” she mumbled over the edge of her cup.

“You don't?” Jarka shoved a plate in front of Haiti, slamming a fork down for him. She pinned her gaze on the pink haired girl.

“W-well, you know,” she motioned at her body. “All my wounds are gone from the...speech.” She sighed softly and shook her head from side to side. “Remember what I said, back at the rally, with the cookies,” she said, looking up at the other girl. “I was afraid...of upsetting Roy, you know? I'm different. My body heals itself, I don't get sick, I don't sustain damage. So this,” she made a face and touched her stomach. “Is very uncomfortable.”

“Sweet,” Haiti laughed and dug into his meal. “She really is a virgin.”

Jarka's palm slapped against the kitchen table, but she didn't look away from Victoria, whose face had become the shade of a ripe tomatoe. “Look at it like this, then,” the cook said, smiling with some strange wisdom. “Now you know what happens when you party with this guy.” A thumb was jabbed toward the male, who let loose a burp, resulting in a subtle sigh from both girls.

“Thank you,” Victoria murmured, pushing her empty plate forward. “For...this, and that.” Her blue eyes lifted to take them both in. “I'm not supposed to make friends, but, for you...both, well,” she nodded slowly with her words. “I'd like to break the rules.”

“Yes! Corruption!” Haiti fist pumped the air.

Jarka swatted Haiti lightly against the back of his head. It only resulted in a clear, crisp, giggle from the cherry haired youth across the table. She couldn't heal the wound left behind from Roy's death, but, maybe they could.

[Chubbs Story Account]

The world keeps spinning.

[Jarka]

It was a strange little group; that’s for sure. A psychic cook, an electric killer, and a boy who had never been born all gathered around a kitchen table, discussing the previous night’s rambunctious escapades over heaping portions of egg scramble.

“No, I’m serious; it’s like a super cure.” Jarka rapped her slotted spoon against the side of the skillet for emphasis. “I always make this when I’m hungover. You’ll feel better in no time.”

Hati sidled next to Victoria with a wink. “Then you can be right back at it by tonight.”

The pink haired girl stifled a gag, a motion that was just barely a joke.

As their laughter dispersed, Jarka found herself gazing idly into her cup. Her mind’s finger nonchalantly swirled the orange juice as most people might drum their digits against a table.

A thought finally bore itself to the surface of her mind. Victoria had been brave enough to share her powers, brave enough to open herself up to the group against direct orders. Granted, Jarka had suspected something was amiss with the girl. She would be an idiot not to after spending hours trying to make sense of everything, re-watching the video clips of the assassination, and seeing Victoria transform beyond a heartbroken little girl covered in blood. Seeing her crackle with lightning. Seeing her leap from one skyscraper to another. Seeing her ready to kill so keenly, so remorselessly.

That killer was nowhere to be found at this kitchen table. Victoria was just as fragile, just as... normal as any person on the street. She was nothing like the saiyans and their merciless destruction of her city. She didn’t let her abilities define who she was. They were secondary, an afterthought. Sitting in the rickety chair was a pink-haired girl who laughed. A girl who cried. Who loved. Danced. Shared. Trusted.

Jarka had trusted Sigfried, and he had betrayed her. Maybe he never told her secret, but their entire friendship had been based on and around his lies. She had never felt so crushed as she had that night. Yet, sitting across from her was a girl who had just lost everything and was willing to build it all up new. She was still suffering, but that didn’t stop her from reaching out again, risking herself again, trusting again. Jarka could do it too.

She brushed her hand along Hati’s forearm. “Hey, how much do you know about me from Sigfried?”

Hati shrugged, appearing genuinely unenlightened to the nature of her query. “You can cook. You can party. What else would I give a shit about?” A glance to Victoria revealed just as blasé an expression.

“Guys, I have- I have powers, too. Sort of.” Jarka fidgeted with her necklace. “Nothing as incredible as you, Victoria.”

Bubblegum hair trailed along the table as the girl leaned forward. “What sort of powers?”

“A couple of times I’ve, like, seen the future. Not often. But there’s another thing.” Jarka fetched her bowl of water and placed it on the center of the table. “This, uh, it’s still pretty crude.” She traced a whirlpool with ease before flashing an insecure smile. “That’s it. I’m still learning.”

Hati slapped the table. “No shit! That’s what you were talking about. I thought you were just fuckin’ rolling!” The girls exchanged a baffled look. “After the club? In the limo?”

“Last night’s a bit piecey for me. It was all so fast. I really can’t get a hold on everything that happened.” She had rarely imbibed in anything besides hard liquor; the pill’s effects were overwhelming.

He patted the psychic’s shoulder endearingly. “Shoulda figured. Yeah, you were talkin’ about moving the world with ripples. Like everything’s attached to you with strings.”

Jarka reddened. “Not everything. Moving water is pretty much all I can handle.”

Victoria gently cocked her head. “Have you tried anything else before?”

“I mean, I have a book. I just haven’t gotten that far with everything going on.”

Fingers pensively twisted around a lock of pink hair before nudging an empty plastic cup towards the psychic. “Would you like to try now?”

Jarka fixated on the cup, memorizing its location and contours. Her eyes closed; her mind cleared. She pictured the cup sliding across the surface until it teetered on the edge. Her eyes opened. Nothing.

Disappointed, she turned to her comrades. “Did it even budge?” Heads shook reluctantly. “Guys, I told you. I can’t yet. I don’t even know how I would do it. Water’s easy, I mean, it’s fluid. I don’t...” Jarka trailed off as she considered her words.

She tipped the red cup on its side. It rolled for a moment before steadying itself not an inch from the center of the table. Jarka spread her palms in front of her. Eyes relaxed, mind empty.

Anticipate the wake. Her mind’s finger reached through the cup, always pushing farther than necessary. Letting the wake carry the cup.

Eyes open. The cup was stagnant. It had, however, rolled all the way across the table until being blocked by Hati’s plate of food. The table of friends erupted into cheers.

Victoria flashed a sweet grin. “Congratulations. You’re stronger than you thought. What made the difference?”

“It’s hard to explain. I pushed harder than I needed to, I guess. If that makes sense.”

The boy fiddled with the cup for a moment before tossing it to Jarka. “Can you pull it? Like, go the other way. Towards yourself.”

Considering his suggestion, Jarka steadied it in the center of the table again. Mind calm.

Anticipate. Her mind’s finger raked through the cup, attempting to push from the far side. She could hear it wobble in tiny spurts as it was mentally nudged.

Jarka visually appraised her progress. The cup had barely moved an inch. It was too tedious; there had to be a better way. Perhaps...

Anticipate the wake. Her mind’s finger dragged all the way through the cup, trailing it behind as though it were being pulled by an invisible string. The motion was smooth, steady.

Eyes snapped open. The cup rolled off the edge and into her lap.

“You learn quickly.” Victoria, face dressed in intrigue, took a slow sip from her water.

“Hell yes! You’re gonna have one hell of a parlor trick at this rate.” Hati offered an exuberant high five. “Nice icebreaker, too.”

The psychic, the killer, and the club-hopper chattered excitedly around the table. Discussion of pickup lines, of powers, of passions flew between them with ease as the morning shifted into afternoon shifted into night. A strange group of friends, indeed.

*****

Victoria found herself unable to grasp a single thought. It was better that way. Today was not a day for introspection; it should not be about her at all. If she dared pull away from the events of the day, she would tumble into her memories of Roy and never want to return. Today was his wake, and she wanted to be present in every sense of the word.

*****

The seats of the limousine were cramped with a mass of bodies, each draped in their respective mourning attire. Jarka was not used to dressing somberly nor seeing her companions with such gloomy demeanor. She wanted to run, to shake them, to bake something wonderful. She wanted to do anything to distract them, hear laughter, see smiles. She knew she couldn’t.

It was strange grieving a man she never really knew. He had always been so distant, so untouchable, so unreal to her. In all honesty, he wasn’t real. He was a plan. An embodied agenda.

Her hand felt a squeeze; Hati had noticed her troubled expression. He seemed truly concerned, truly supportive. She wasn’t being fair. If Roy hadn’t been real, it meant Hati wasn’t either.

Sigfried had called her and the brothers into his room that morning. They needed to be prepared for anything. Sigfried would deal with any negative public reaction to Victoria, which was likely given her fireworks that day. Skoll would be security detail, armed and ready to handle any further opposition to their cause. Hati and Jarka would be soft support. Their job would be to escort Victoria, to keep her under control. Jarka had initially objected. She didn’t want to continue the ruse. Victoria should know the truth about Roy.

“Sometimes we need a lie.” Hati had struggled with the words. “Sometimes the truth can be too much at first. We need somethin’ to hold on to until we’re ready to understand reality.”

She had crossed her arms. “That doesn’t mean we need to embellish the fabrication.”

Hati had smiled his crooked smile, but a twinge of sorrow flickered in his eyes. “Well, I hope somebody gives me a funeral when I die.”

She returned the squeeze, prompting a comforting grin from Hati. He was real.

Their eyes fell once again to Victoria. The girl had been stoic for the duration of the ride. Her silence set the tone for the group, each member too afraid to upset her with their condolences.

The limousine rumbled to a stop. It was time.

A black-clad Skoll stepped out, his hand resting on one of his many concealed weapons. Jarka and Hati soon followed. As one foot struck the pavement, she was overwhelmed by the crowd of people gathered around the temple. They were passionate, rambunctious. The girl obediently stationed herself directly behind Skoll. If he couldn’t stop an attacker, he would at least try to stop a bullet. Hati placed himself by the door to the limousine, his white suit glaring against the ebony surface of the vehicle.

Sigfried’s appearance was accompanied with a low murmur from the multitudes. An uncomfortable expression colored his features. The group had known the public would mourn the loss of their hero. The group figured the public would welcome Sigfried as his replacement. The group had no clue how the public would treat Victoria in her first official appearance since the assassination. There was a good chance they would revolt at the sight of her, terrified of her hidden power, her rage. The rumbling of the mob increased as Sigfried and Hati reached into the limousine.

The rabble fell silent when sleek black pumps gently clicked against the pavement. Long pale legs connected to a sensible black dress connected to blossom hair emerged. Victoria shielded her eyes from the sunlight, her face expressionless.

The people were face to face with a demigod. She could decimate them without breaking a sweat.

The crowd began to cheer. Shouts of encouragement, of sympathy, of gratitude were indecipherable over the sheer enthusiasm of their accolades. Victoria was their hero.

The small band of freedom fighters pressed through the applauding congregation and into the temple. Sigfried had arranged for a private wake before opening the funeral to the masses, saying it was what Roy would have wanted.

Rows of polished pews encircled the spacious house of worship. Jarka found this strange; during the few times she attended rituals, she had prostrated on a mat. A shrine coated in incense and unlit candles erupted from the center of the ring of benches. At the top of the pedestal rested a small but intricate vase. Noticing their arrival, the priest gathered her robes and approached the altar to begin the rites.

While the cleric warbled melodically, the cook examined the figures settling into the innermost pew. Skoll crossed his arms and bored into the movements of the monk. His brother gently rocked back and forth, eyes darting uncomfortably around the room. Sigfried slumped in his seat; seemingly unaware of his hand rubbing the back of his skull. The resigned demeanor had not disappeared from Victoria, but her gaze had become locked on the urn. Roy’s urn.

With hardly a breath to carry the words, Victoria whispered, “It’s not real.”

Jarka tenderly rested her hand on the younger girl’s shoulder, her concerned murmur barely audible over the chanting. “What do you mean?”

“This isn’t real. This was - This was how I was going to say goodbye.” Her words became louder, broken with sniveling. “There’s no- no body. This isn’t right. He’s su- supposed to- be here. He’s supposed to be a- alive. He’s- He’s supposed to be- be with me.” Victoria crumpled into a blubbering heap while Jarka embraced her.

The first tear had fallen. Many more would follow. Each person took their turn mourning, took their turn consoling. As the sobbing subsided, they approached the altar to light a candle in memory of their fallen comrade. Candlelight flickered against moist skin before the group silently turned to leave the chapel.

After a few steps, Victoria rushed back to the podium. Slender fingers brushed her lips before coming to rest on the body of the urn. “Goodbye, Roy. Goodbye, my love.”

*****

“Hey, Skoll. I need a favor.”

Jarka’s greeting prompted a glare from Skoll. “No.”

The less social brother had been even more antagonistic since the funeral. He had already sharpened and cleaned and organized every weapon in the apartment. Now, wielding a masking tape and marker, he surrounded himself with various pills and cleaning solutions from the bathroom.

Jarka watched him scribble across the tape and attach it to a bottle. “Whatcha doin’?”

“Labeling.” Another cryptic series of letters and numbers affixed to another decanter.

The girl rocked on her heels. “So... about that favor.”

The boy pointed the marker to her, a surprisingly menacing gesture. “I said no.”

“Skoll, you don’t even know what I need.”

He sneered as he resumed the classification. “It’s likely something trite. Squish a spider. Braid your hair. Help you make pecan pie.”

Jarka took a seat beside the boy. “Nope. It’s something right up your alley.”

Skoll scoffed and rolled his eyes. “I doubt that.”

“I need a poison.”

[Sigfried Hunin]

Roy wasn’t dead. Sigfried slowly shook his head and absentmindedly ran his hand over the back of his head. Roy was an idea, a concept, a partition of Sigfried’s mind that he had cordoned off, acted through, and breathed life into. Roy wasn’t around anymore; he wasn’t physical. He wasn’t something that you could put your hands on and touch, but he wasn’t gone. He never would be. Not until Sigfried died.

Though, he did realize that now Roy, as an individual, didn’t exist. He couldn’t make decisions or speak his mind. He was part of a nameless infinite inside his head, a chunk of subconscious possibilities that whispered in a chorus with each passing thought. In a way, Roy was dead. At least for now.

Sigfried had a hard time paying any attention during the ceremony, thoughts of death hammering into him as the tears and sniffling rang in his ears. He had hardly even thought of a funeral for Roy until people had asked him about when it would be. He hadn’t thought to commemorate the death of an idea. Well, not really death, but whatever. He had found some ashes that would be a good replacement for the real ones and dumped them into an expensive urn. It all seemed like buying props for a play. He didn’t let it bother him too much.

He had started to become irritated lately, allowing his agitation slip in tiny ways in his work and relations. For all the flurry of activity that had been aroused from the murder, only a fraction of it had been collected and focused for the purpose of the revolution. A tiny riot had been quelled in Central City, but unrest was brewing in East City as well. He would soon need to organize his militia into easily managed ranks. He didn’t care for that kind of work, but it would eventually need to be done.

For now though, it was only important that he finish his work with the funeral, say some things to the people that awaited him outside, and collect a few big name supporters. The money that the banks had fronted the day that Roy was shot could be used to set up a basic hierarchy in the groups or at least hire some people in a building to manage his affairs. It wasn’t as though there were many people that really needed to contact them directly, but having a handle on the whole situation of everything seemed the most responsible.

Victoria’s bright hair drew his attention from the alternate side of the room. She sat there, sobbing in Jarka’s arms, her lips uttering some unheard inner truth. Sigfried could have heard, but he didn’t care to listen. She was living behind a veil, the veil of love that blinded her. He could not steal that from her, surely, nor could he care to hear her blubbering but a moment longer. It was crying over spilt milk. Milk that you were in love with.

He looked back out over the altar again, at another sobbing member of the precession weeping over some burnt pigs in a jar. He shook his head slowly and let out a long sigh. Just another few hours of listening to people cry over Roy and he could go home and start organizing.

--=~*/| o |\*~=--

Sigfried took a deep breath a few feet away from the microphone that had been set up by other hands than his own. Apparently the news stations wanted his commentary on the entire event of his ‘mentor’s’ death. ‘Death.’

“This is a time of tragedy amidst our ranks.” The massive temple stretched up behind them, a large stained glass ring staring down from the tower like the eye of Kai. It judged him. “However, we must not waiver, for at this time our conviction to our people is needed the most.” He bowed his head a moment, if only to avert him from the sight of that staring obelisk above.

When he lifted his brow the sun had clouded the tall building over and he continued onward. “Roy Munin was a wise man. He could look out over this crowd and know who among us was true or false. He could look inside himself and pick out a lie.” He said this almost ironically, knowing that Roy was almost completely incapable of delving too far into his own mind. “He was kind and giving, but he knew what needed to be done. He saw the world for what it was: unjust.”

The eyes of the people looked up to Sigfried and pleaded. He did not know for what they yearned, but he was entirely unsure of whether or not he would be able to deliver it no matter what it had been. He looked into them and saw the shades of humanity, vibrantly shining through the flesh. He could taste their pain in the air and hear the buzzing of intellect and the dull strumming of ignorance. It was as though time and space had torn itself apart, and lay split before him as a majestic rainbow tapestry.

“It is the duty of those who loved Roy to carry on his legacy, and not forget his messages. But, for now, we must mourn.” He dipped his head a moment in false prayer before making his way back to the part behind him and into the car.

--=~*/| o |\*~=--

Sigfried had sequestered himself in the room once again, looming over the dim glow of his laptop. He had his cell phone in hand, a massive boxy trace blocker sticking out of its battery casings. His fingers drummed and he nodded slowly as he pondered the words of the person on the other side of the line.

“No, only in the districts south of the coastline border.” The voice he used was not his own, deepened and gritty. “We can find others.” His lightly rapped his knuckles off of the desk nervously. He wasn’t sure if the could find others. Their organization was one of the largest in this sector space of any kind and he certainly had no plans of fighting them. He did know that if he bent over backwards for them that they would take all that they could get and the come back for more. “Fine, it’s agreed upon then. I will expect you to hold your end up of the deal later this week. I’ll be looking for it.” He closed the phone quickly and pulled the jammer out of it.

He gently placed the two items down upon the desk in front of him. Forcing his hands to his legs he dipped his head and closed his eyes. He didn’t like having to work with the East City Mafia. He didn’t like that there would be a compromise in his world. He didn’t like that they would even be allowed to exist after he was done with the Earth, but there it was. A trade off is what the two finally settled on. Some weapons and a lot of money for his integrity and pride. For a little piece of his vision to flutter away in the breeze, caught by the bitter breath of corruption.

He couldn’t help but shake his head at himself, but he could think of no other way to go about his business without their cooperation and support. Apparently there had been a few members that were sent over to Mercy for whatever reason, offered up as assistance if he was to need it. He didn’t. He wouldn’t take them even if he did.

Sigfried clasped his hand over his mouth and began to click away at his computer, attempting to both move his mind onwards and further shrink his chore list for the day.

The property rights for the small office building had already been purchased and the ancillary staff hired. It was really a drop in the sea of the power he commanded now, but it felt good to have a force that was stagnant, waiting to be called upon.

A man named Ronald had applied for the job of secretary and general organizer of the small group. He had been at the speech when the bomb had gone off and there again when Roy was shot. He approached Sigfried via email (which made him suspect for the fact that Sigfried had not given his personal email out to anybody but a few reliable contacts) and requested the position as soon as it was made available. Sigfried figured the man might be a spy, however Skoll had run a thorough report over him with no results in addition to a personal screening from Sigfried himself.

He was oddly perfect for the job, dedicated and bright. He was a poli-sci major in college and had some amazing time management skills, joined the ECM early. It certainly didn’t hurt that he was practically a zealot to the cause and was more than willing to conceal some simple truths from those who couldn’t fully comprehend the immensity of the operations at hand. He hoped that one day, when all of this was done, there would be no reason for rulers to hide the truth. That time was not now, however, so it was good to have a man whose lips could be easily sealed.

He had already begun to the arduous task of breaking down the groups and getting a roundabout number for the people in each area of the planet. He had been given the numbers and locations of all of the arms and ammo that had come their way and an overall budget. Sigfried was tired of handling everything on his own. He wanted to make speeches, prepare plans and do missions. He just didn’t have the time or patience for the rest anymore.

He was now concerned the big groups. The East City Mafia had been taken care of for the time being. The Central City Army was at a standstill thanks to Skoll, false orders sent out periodically to loosen their grip of the city. He had plenty of weapons rosters and the means to get the things, but he wanted to make sure that the enemy would be forced to admit defeat before that battle had even started. A few large sectors of the planet still worried him: The South and West City Armies, Capsule Corporation and finally a shadowy group of paramilitary that held it’s HQ several miles south of Central City, near the mountains. The Sentinels.

The group was fairly large and had more than a couple extremely powerful individuals that filled its ranks. As he had done with the mafia out east, he planned to settle his affairs with honey instead of vinegar. The last thing the ECM needed was a huge group like them bounding on his tails. He couldn’t bribe them; he couldn’t threaten them. Having them on his side was the only option, and he didn’t know about straight diplomacy and pretty words. They didn’t seem the type to particularly give a crap about those things.

There was a sudden knock at his door and he spun to greet it. “Yeah what up?” He didn’t bother opening the door to answer it.

Skoll’s low voice rumbled out from the blackness. “Jarka has an interesting idea I think you’d like to hear, and I finished getting that report on one…” He paused with a shuffling of papers. “Simone Lanciotti. Apparently she’s on vacation right now.”

Sigfried lurched upwards as he escaped his desk chair and opened the door. “Ah, thanks man.” Skoll nodded simply as he handed over the pile of papers. Sigfried flipped through a few of the preliminaries and smiled. “Perrrfect. Thanks a ton.”

“When you have time, talk to Jarka about her idea. I was a bit surprised by it, honestly.” He smirked and rubbed his fingers together menacingly. “Maybe she’s joined the dark side.” He laughed at his own joke and turned away. “Alright, I’ll be in the living room if you need me for anything.” He paused and sapped his fingers once, looking over his shoulder. “Oh, and Ronald called. He’s almost done with that job you gave him this morning.” His grin flaunted his feelings on the topic before Sigfried closed the door on him.

“Simone, Simone, Simone…” Sigfried repeated her name as he sat back at his command station, flipping the pages over and glancing over the paperwork. “Looks like the Central City Army has a little job for you, sugar.” He began to type furiously at the computer, the night dragging onwards by time unbound.

--=~*/| o |\*~=--

“Hey guys, I know it’s late tonight, but I just finished these projects and I really need you to get to work on them right away.” Sigfried stood in front of the couch packed with the other four tenants of the basement like an elementary school presenter for Show and Tell.

Taking a deep breath he began to pace back and forth across the room. “Ok, so basically we’re going to start getting some supporters from the big names around the region. I’d rather make agreements and pacts than try and just kill everybody that might be on the fence about our being here. I know we’ll have a war on our hands if we don’t get affluence before we pull the trigger.”

He looked over at the two as they looked at him, mostly wide eyed. “I know we haven’t had a lot of time to recover, and for that I’m sorry.” He held his eyes locked to Victoria’s for a moment before breaking them away. “I’m really, really sorry.” He gathered a large parcel of paper and lay it on the coffee table with a thunk. “I’m mostly worried about two groups right now.” He spread the thick stack out thinly across the table and tapped the title of the closest one. “The Sentinels,” Victoria crunched up at the sound of the group’s name, “and Capsule Corporation.” He let the two names sink in a moment, but Victoria already seemed mortified. Jarka just didn’t seem to understand.

“I’m going to try and see if we can hit both at the same time.” His eyes were stern as he carefully traced the papers that illustrated his plans. “Victoria, you’re going to hit the Capsule Corp. We got a hold on pretty much anything and everything you’d ever need to know about Capsule Corps from a hacker named Simone who’s currently enjoying a lovely vacation out East. Or somewhere, I can’t remember.” He waved his hand about in the air aimlessly, flustered. “Whatever, it doesn’t matter about her. What matters is that there’s nothing we don’t know about the company, its employees or it’s buildings.” He pushed the massive file in her direction. “I want you to use your particular skills to get into the main office, as subtly as you can, and make it clear the ECM is here to stay. Give them our contacts and get them on the phone by no later than the end of the week.” He grinned and nodded to Victoria. “I don’t much care how else ya do it.”

Victoria opened her mouth as though to protest or ask a question, but in his excitement, Sigfried was already on to the chef. “Okay, Jarka. You and I are on the Sentinels. I’m going to set up a meeting at the City View Hotel this week to open negotiations. It’s gonna be a really hard sell, and I don’t know if I can just convince them that we’re looking after the world’s best interests. I don’t know if they’ll give a crap about the world’s best interests. We might have to figure something out.”

He stepped away from the table and the sprawl of papers and clasped his hands together. “Any questions?”

[Victoria]

There were no questions. None that would have been worth asking. Sigfried was placing everything into motion, pushing the players into place. Victoria had already told him to point and she would deliver. What bothered her was the sudden action that they were taking. Perhaps there was a reason for all of this espionage. She asked herself, wasn't it such espionage that had gotten her into this mess in the first place? Victoria could only shake her head and stand up from the couch. She would deal with Capsul Corp whilst the two, Jarka and Sigfried, dealt with an ambiguous group of powerful soldiers. It was anyone's guess just what support could be garnered from that group. They weren't unknown to Zone Five, hardly, the two had an understanding. Yet that wasn't her mission, her mission barely required more than dressing up and fooling the staff of a juggernaut company. It would be easy.

- -

“I heard what happened,” the voice filtered through her cellphone. “I also saw a little footage...”

“I was doing my job, it wasn't personal.” Victoria gazed down at the carpet. She had returned to her hotel that day, folder now spread out on her bed. She would have to make a call to their contact to get things set up. “Roy was the leader of this small organization, and once he died, Sigfried took that role. He told me to kill them, so I did.”

“You shouldn't have used the injection.”

“I didn't know who they were. It's fine, I have plenty left. Stop worrying, Jeremy, it's all going according to plan,” Victoria traced a small circle on the top of the desk, a silence falling between them. “I miss you...”

“I know, darling, and I trust you. Just focus on the task at hand. Do you know what he has planned?” Jeremy's smooth accent trickled into her ear.

“I have no idea. From what I've gathered, his plan is to get support from a few groups...including Capsul Corp. He already has us, but from there I don't know. The government had to have had something to do with Roy's death, but their combat gear was unfamiliar. Regardless, the people are in a riot over it. I'm not sure what Sigfried's goals are, if he's planning on going after the invaders or...” she trailed off.

“The government,” Jeremy replied, his voice filled with amusement. “It's obvious what's going on, but we've invested a lot into this mission. Stay with it, and keep me updated. Are you sure you're alright?”

“Yes, stop worry about me, old man.”

The phone clicked and her smile faded. A soft sigh escaped her throat, her phone was set upon the desk beside her laptop. “I'm not alright...”

- -

“Welcome to Capsul Corp,” her voice was high pitched and filled with bubbly emotion. The woman stood with a clip board and a pen nestled behind one ear. Soft brown hair was lifted up into a bun, while a pair of slim glasses perched on her nose. She wore a classy black skirt, high heels, and a pale blue blouse buttoned up.

Victoria stood next to three others, a man and two women. The man was older, with gray peppering his black hair. A suit adorned his body. The two women were young, one with lilac hair, bright green eyes and a summer dress. The other had short blonde hair, and seemed otherwise bored with all that was going on. This was how the real world worked...Mentally, the hunter was keeping notes.

“You're all here for one reason, and one reason alone, to work for Capsul Corp and spread technology across the universe. You may start of small, you may end up delivering mail and coffee, but don't let that deter you. There is a lot of potential for advancement without our company!” the woman said, her eyes hovering over each new employee.

Victoria had worn a stylish black skirt that ran down the length of her legs to her ankles. A white blouse with a black bow was worn for her top. The sleeves were short. Using hair extensions and clips her pink hair was styled and arranged into a pony tail and lengths running down her shoulders to the middle of her back. A pair of glasses were upon her nose, giving her a professional look. Her arms were held close to her chest with a small folder, things she needed to know for her new job.

It had been easy to get her in. Using the information given, a position had been selected, she would be an assistant to the current staff. Victoria would do anything and everything to find out the layout of the building, the people within, and who was in charge. She had until the end of the week to do it. There had been harder missions in her life, this one couldn't compare. The girl smiled and bobbed her head to her new supervisor. Yes, she was excited to work for such a booming cooperation.

Once she found her target, it was a simple matter of convincing him of her agenda. They would be best complying and joining the cause. However...not even the youth knew what her cause was. Ever since Roy's death she had been confused, and unsure. Hati and Jarka had helped her along the way, got her on her feet, but as far as their agenda...she hadn't a clue. Victoria wanted to know where they were going with all of this support, who they were after. In the beginning it had been the aliens...now, it felt wrong. This was what Roy had wanted, she would tell herself. The government had to be stopped, after all, they had killed him. Some people would die she was sure, aliens or not, but it still made her question. Where were the invaders? Victoria could only hope that they were real, otherwise she truly was a fool.

[Chubbs Story Account]

The world keeps spinning.

||Victoria||
*BUFF* Woman of Steel [Duration of Saga] - With the death of Roy Munin, Victoria's inhibitions have melted away in combat. +25% to CA

||Sigfried Hunin||
*BUFF* Father Brain [Duration of Saga] - With his influence extending into various aspects of the situation on Earth, Sigfried's commands significant authority. All persons under Sigfriend's command in combat (PC and NPC) experience a 10% boost to their CA.

||Jarka||
*BUFF* Crusting Soufflé [Duration of Saga] - Jarka's confidence increases with the development of her abilities. +5% to CA, with an additional +5% with each passing Cycle (stacking, additive).

[Jarka]

“This is never going to work.”

Jarka examined the options laid out in front of her while she brooded aloud. It was such a minor decision, so unimportant in the grand scheme of things, but she could not help but fret. Sigfried had informed her the previous evening of their mission. The two of them would woo a military to join forces with Earth’s Combined Militia. Just the two of them and an army. That wasn’t what agonized her at the moment, however. What agonized her was the fact that she had nothing to wear.

That is, of course, being dramatic. The girl had a variety of nice enough clothes for day to day living. Ordinarily, she wouldn’t place particular interest in her dress beyond ensuring nothing clashed too horrendously. This was different. This was an important meeting, one that could tip the scales of success in their favor. She couldn’t screw this up.

She couldn’t let ECM fail.

Thanks to her thrifty living, however, that might happen. Her eyes disdainfully trailed between the potential outfits she had laid across her bed. The myriad of skirts and tops surrounding that option were pleasant, but not nice enough. She would appear as though she didn’t see a meeting with the Sentinels as fit for sprucing up, like she were just running an errand between picking up groceries and dropping a letter off at the post office. Her charcoal business suit, purchased on clearance from a strip mall department store and partnered with a pink blouse, was likely the most appropriate attire she could choose; yet, her tawdry blazer could make ECM seem like a tawdry organization. She needed to dress to impress.

A sharp rap at the door interrupted her thoughts. Skoll’s growl was barely audible through the wood. “Jarka. I have something for you.”

“Come on in, Skoll. I won’t bite.”

“No. You’d rather use a knife.” He strode through the room and placed a small wrapped bundle on her desk before leaning casually against the wall. “Open it.”

The psychic obliged him. Peeling away layers of newspaper, she uncovered several vials filled with a fine powder. An expectant look shot towards her visitor.

The boy smirked. “Extract of Kami’s Whisper, a cactus found south of the city. When ingested, it produces an extremely mild serotonergic psychedelic effect. I also laced it with oxytocin. It should give you the results you need.”

She peered through the vial as though to appraise its contents. “And I can just-”

“You can use it exactly how you wanted. Just see me for the dosage beforehand.”

Jarka tucked the vials into her desk drawer and grinned at the boy. “Thanks, Skoll. Really. I’d hug you, but I know you’d hate that.”

“Appreciated.” As the boy departed, his eyes fell to the assorted clothing strewn across her bed. “Wear the suit. It’s probably the closest thing to respectable you own.”

[Chubbs Story Account]

The world keeps spinning.

[Victoria]

Victoria spent two days working like a civilian. She had started off her first day doing filing, and then errands, until finally coffee runs. It was, if anything, boring. If this had been her job for seven years she would have gone insane. All of her undercover work paid off, by the third day she had finished scoping out the building and finding out every detail she needed on her target. This branch of Capsul Corp was run by a big shot named Carter Martin. The owners of Capsul Corp didn't push papers or preside over buildings, that was a job for people like Carter. Victoria knew his car, his routine, every bit of info given from the hacker, Simone's, digging.

“Here's your coffee,” she said with a bright smile to the young male sitting in a cubicle. This floor was seven levels below the top floor where her would-be boss spent his time. It had been with particular care, and skill, that the hunter had played her part. At every opportunity over the last three days she had run into him, stayed late, and blushed like a school girl in his presence. It was with her trained eyes that she saw his interest in her body; most men did.

Cherry blossom and ebony hair swayed against the middle of her back. She pushed her glasses up the bridge of her nose before sliding a piece of paper onto the glass of the photocopier. “You're the new girl, aren't you?” a man asked, leaning against the counter where a myriad of papers lay strewn.

“Tori,” she offered her hand to him.

The man grasped her hand and smiled as he shook it. “Johnathan.”

“I didn't think Capsul Corp would be so...” she trailed off and pursed her lips.

“Boring?”

“I wouldn't say boring, it's just not what I expected,” she said with a shy smile and snatched the copied files from the holder. “I thought that this place developed cool items and all that sort of stuff.”

“It does, but every business needs its paperwork done and customers dealt with. That's what we do here,” he replied and adjusted the navy tie around his neck. Johnathan was blond of hair and tall, no more than thirty if she had to guess. His smile was dazzling.

“What do you do?” the girl asked and held the folder of documents to her chest.

“I do online sales, I'm just on my break right now.”

“Online? I didn't know that we did that here.”

“Capsul Corp is the biggest company across the planets. There's probably a lot of things you don't know, but, stick to what you know and make your way to the top like me and you'll learn a thing or two,” the male winked subtly.

“I'll be sure to do that,” Victoria nodded curtly and grinned. “I have to deliver these files, thanks for the chat.”

The youth turned to walk away, her footsteps quick and her arms crossed against her torso with the folder. She could see it in his eyes, and it had no doubt been on the tip of his tongue, her coworker had wanted to ask her on a date or the like. Victoria shook her head to herself and turned around the corner. Tonight would be the night. She wasn't sure how much more she could take. Being around all these people...with their suits and their dispositions, had her unnerved. It only made things worse. Once she had thought she saw him from behind...An aching reminder; Roy was still dead.

- -

Thump, thump, thump!

“Come in.”

The door opened and Victoria stood within the space, doe eyes bright and wide, hands clasped together around a large coffee from the shop across the street. It was hot in her hands but she ignored the burn. “I saw that you were still here, you work late a lot, don't you?” she said with her melodic voice. It carried across the office. His desk was large and wooden, residing in the middle where a span of glass windows lined the wall behind him. There was a seating area to the right of her, a mini-bar with glinting bottles of booze. The light was soft in the room, and a bright lamp illuminated his work space.

Carter was in his late forties, tall and slim and clean shaven with silver hair to show his years. His eyes were a pale blue, much more pale than her own hues. Everything about his face was calm, peaceful, a man that could be trusted. It could have been a facade, but the girl didn't care. Her face was a lie. She let a blush form on her cheeks, and her eyes linger to the floor. Hands stretched out with her offering of the hot beverage. “I brought you a coffee, didn't seem right to get everyone a coffee and not you.”

It was well into the evening, past seven. Her boss leaned back in his chair with his brows raised. “What a nice surprise, I didn't expect it.”

Victoria bit her bottom lip and closed the door behind her. With silent steps she walked toward his desk, rounded it, and handed him the coffee. Carter offered her a thankful smile and sipped it, before releasing a pleasant hum; he approved.

“It must be hard,” she said, and leaned against his desk. Once she had seen Olivia do this, while Jeremy sat in his chair. The girl crossed one leg over the other. She wore a dark skirt that passed over her knees, her slender smooth legs gently caressed by the ambiance.

“Sorry?” Carter dragged his gaze up from her legs, his gaze having lingered from the corners of his eyes.

“Running such a big place on your own. Do you have an assistant?” she asked with a saccharine smile.

“I do, but I don't make him stay this late. Sometimes the work overflows and I have to catch up on paperwork.” He looked down at the papers on his desk, everything neat and in place, so much more organized that her own bosses' desk.

All things considered, Victoria had this mission in the bag. Not only had she gotten into the place under a new identity, but she had fooled the boss into thinking she was not a threat. “Don't you ever get scared, I mean, that someone might...hurt you at this time of night?” she whispered, a dainty hand lifting her knuckles to her lips in mock freight. “This city has been awfully dangerous lately.”

“Scared?” Carter tossed her a light smile and set his coffee down on the desk. “That's what the security is for, I'm well protected, given how important my position is.”

“Mr. Martin, what if the security were out of commission?” she replied with a frown and in one fluid motion she slipped into his lap, straddling his thighs, and pressing her hands to either side of his head against the chair. “What would you do? There's no cameras in here, no personal body guards,” with each word she pressed her face closer to his surprised mug, and then lowered her voice to a whisper, “and you don't have a gun in your desk.”

“W-what are you doing?” the older man stammered and lifted his hands to her wrists, but Victoria didn't budge. No matter how much pressure he might have applied, her strength was unmatched.

“Your security is weak,” she said, confidence in her voice. The telltale sign of a smirk tugged at one side of her mouth. “I've learned so much about you, and about this organization, it was so very easy.” The girl tilted her head to one side, and her skin began to glow with a soft pink light, almost undetected. “With all that I know now, there's very little that could stop me from ruining everything you've worked for. Look at you, you're weak, not even the technology processed by this company could save you from me. I could kill you right now,” she spoke smoothly, lifting one hand quickly, faux gun forming to press the tips of two fingers against his temple.

“What do you want?” his voice was strained, sweat forming on his brow. “Is it money? I can get you money.”

“Mr. Carter, I don't need money,” Victoria replied with a small smile and pulled her hand away. “I need you to fear me. You see, I wouldn't even have to kill you. I could ruin your life and make you miserable. Imagine what the population would think if I had this scandalous situation recorded and mailed off. All your hard work down the drain...” she murmured, and her lips neared the trembling male's mouth. “But that's not what I'm going to do.” Victoria pulled back and with both hands she grabbed his gold tie, tugging threateningly. “You're going to pay close attention to what I have to say, alright?”

Carter nodded frantically, causing the hunter to let go of his tie and set her hands to his cheeks. Fear was in his eyes now. The security team, which he would soon find out, had all been knocked unconscious. She had been right, there was no gun in his desk, and no cameras in his office. The businessman was fucked.

“Right now I'm poisoning you, and I'm sure you can feel yourself getting weak. I can kill you, and I will kill you, unless you do what I say. Now, if you do anything stupid, I'll do as I said, and ruin your life...much worse than death. All I want you to do is give your full and complete support to the Earth’s Combined Militia. This support would encompass all of Capsul Corp, so do a good job of convincing them to aid in the cause. I know just how influential you can be, I know everything about you, even your family.”

That word made the man tense, which resulted in Victoria smiling even wider on his lap. She removed her hands from his face and procured a card from her breast pocket, sliding it into the pocket within his suit jacket before patting down the fabric. “Call that number once you're ready, I'll be watching you very, very closely. I'd advise against getting the police involved,” the girl whispered and leaned close against him, her body flush against his torso. “They won't give a fuck,” her breath mingled with his and she closed her lips against his, the venomous ki soaking into his body and breaking him down completely. Unlike Jeremy, to whom she had only ever done this to, the man passed out quickly against his chair. Victoria felt only mildly disappointed.

“Too easy,” she murmured and slid off of his lap, grabbing the coffee from the desk and walking away. Even if he did call the cops they would find nothing. Victoria had no fingerprints, her DNA would never garner a match, she was a ghost in the system. She liked it that way.

“It's done,” she said, sipping the coffee, cell phone to her ear. She had long since discarded the glasses into a garbage bin. The girl walked along the street with confidence. A warm night breeze plucked at her hair. With luck their plans would go without a hitch; Victoria needed the distractions.

[Jarka]

Jarka couldn’t help but smile. Everything was laid out according to plan. Her plan. Regardless of what strings were pulled around her, she could always count on control in this one tiny area of her life. Nobody could take away her cooking.

A cup of pastry flour was slowly sifted into a mixing bowl while the oven preheated to 420 degrees. The girl sliced a full stick of butter into a heavy saucepan heated to medium-high. As the shortening melted, a cup of water was added. The mixture reached a rolling boil and swiftly removed from the stove. She dumped the flour into the pan and vigorously stirred with a wooden spoon until no lumps remained.

Her skillet returned to the range, the heat lowered to medium. As she stirred, the sticky goop peeled from the sides to form a ball, which was plopped back into the original bowl to cool. The girl cracked three eggs into a second, smaller bowl. Two more eggs were fetched, but only the whites were permitted to join their brethren. The remaining yolks slid into cereal bowl for later use. Her whisk made swift work of the bisque until small peaks began to form. At this point, she gradually mixed the creamy ooze into the cooled heap of dough.

Three dozen dough balls covered two parchment paper-lined baking sheets. Ten minutes of cooking passed before the pans were rotated, bottom to top and top to bottom. Ten more minutes. She twisted the temperature knob to 375 degrees and waited another ten minutes. A toothpick pricked the lower hemisphere of each puff before the tray was returned to the oven once more; this time the heat was ceased and the door left ajar. After a final fifteen minutes, the pastries were removed and cooled on a wire rack.

Jarka returned to the stove. A new skillet housed half a cup of sugar, five tablespoons of flour, and just a pinch of salt. Two cups of milk were slowly mixed in before the range was turned to medium heat. The girl allowed the soup to boil for a minute before spilling a dash into the yolks she had previously set aside. After they were warmed, they were added to the skillet, stirred, and boiled. With a teaspoon of vanilla, the mixture was deposited into the refrigerator to chill.

As Jarka closed the refrigerator door, she was startled to see Sigfried standing on the opposite side. The boy had his hands stuffed into the pockets of his hoodie and and an earnest smile. “Hey, Jarky.”

“Hey.” The girl began cleaning the messy dishes she had created in an attempt to dissuade conversation. She may like Hati, she may tolerate Skoll, but Sigfried was a-whole-nother story. She was still cheered from cooking; her oh-so-courageous leader would just find a way to put her in a shitty mood. Better to just avoid him.

Sigfried either didn’t notice her standoffish attitude or chose to ignore it. “What’s up?”

“What do you care?” The irate cook dumped her tools into the sink with a punctuating clatter.

“Listen, I know this isn’t the best of circumstances, but work with me here.” His fingers idly rubbed his collarbone. “I’ve been busy. I know. That doesn’t mean I don’t care. You’re my friend.”

“Some friend you are.” She traipsed to the sofa to sit indignantly.

“Oh, would you get over yourself?” Sigfried stormed after the girl. “Yeah, I shouldn’t have misled you. Sorry, I can’t change the past. At least let me try to do better.”

Jarka eyed the boy before shrugging with resignation. “Fine. Whatever. Talk.”

He plopped onto the couch next to her. “How have you been?”

“Okay, considering the fact that I’m stuck here.” The girl fiddled with the hem of her skirt. “Hati’s been nice. So has Victoria. Skoll is Skoll.”

“What do you mean you’re stuck? You keep saying that. Why?”

“People have died because of what ECM has done. That means I’m involved. I’m responsible in some fucked up way.”

“So leave. I don’t want you staying if you don’t want to be here.”

“Sig, there’s clear evidence that I’m a part of this group; if it goes down, I go down. If we fail at whatever it is we’re trying to do, we’ll be seen as traitors. Criminals. Terrorists. We’ll be jailed! Or worse...” She fidgeted with her necklace. “Thing is, nobody ever jails a successful revolutionary. History’s written by the victors, yeah? If we win, I can keep my name clear.”

Chuckling, the boy reclined further into the couch. “Regardless, I’m glad you’re here. Even if the feeling’s not mutual.”

Jarka could have said a number of things at that moment. She decided silence was probably the best decision.

As the tension increased, the shapeshifter lifted his brow and pursed his lips. “Okay. Awkward. Well, whatcha think of our mission coming up? Fun, right?”

“Sigfried, what are we even doing?”

“We’re going to placate the Sentinels. We’d like an alliance. Get them to tolerate us, if not get them totally on our side. Hopefully, they’ll help us achieve our goal.”

“What even is the goal of ECM?”

The boy gaped at her for a moment. His mouth open and closed a few times as though he were attempting to speak without any actual words before he wiped his palm down his face. “Oh, shit. Seriously? Seriously. You don’t know.”

Jarka tossed her hands.

Sigfried leapt to his feet, pacing as his arms flailed. "To change the world. To open the eyes of the people. To give our generation something to war against. To pull our minds out of the grime that has collected around our feet and ascend to the people we should be. The people we deserve to be. War, famine, poverty... Is that what we have fought for all these years? Is that all that it has come down to after surviving the Changelings and the Saiyans and every other fucking apocalypse thrown our way? Fuck no. I think we're meant for more."

“What the hell does that even mean?”

Sigfried groaned in frustration. “It- I gue- It means I want to give people something to fight for. I want them to seize their lives for themselves to control. To question everything until all that’s left is the truth.”

The girl rubbed her temples as she considered his words. It wasn’t a bad goal. She couldn’t feel too guilty for involvement in a group like this. At last, she rested her chin on her fist and locked eyes with her leader. “What do we do next?”

“We’ve got the populace behind us. All we need to do is give them a spark. A reason to support us, to trust us more than they do the government that’s shackled them. We’re going to Namek to stop the invasion.”

“Namek?”

“Yup.”

“So what’s our actual plan for the Sentinels?”

The boy tucked his hands into his pockets and scuffed the ground with his toe. “Honestly? I’ve got nothing. They’re pretty secretive. I don’t know what to expect from them, or how to get them to trust us with anything.”

Jarka shot a glance to the refrigerator. “You know... I might be able to help you out there.”

*****

Sigfried rested his hand on Jarka’s shoulder reassuringly. She let forth a tiny smile. No sense in letting him know how terrified she was. There was a chance the plan would backfire. Hell, the plan probably would backfire. She just hoped they’d make it out on their own two feet and not in a body bag.

“Mr. Hunin, Ms. Veselyova, right this way.” Their guide was young, only a few years their senior, and clad in military fatigues. Most of the employees they passed were dressed in a similar fashion, save for the few in lab coats or utility jumpsuits, as they buzzed about the massive facilities. The sheer number of corridors they traversed was dizzying. Four security checkpoints later and they stood in front of a mahogany door. The grunt saluted them. “General Gauger will see you now. Be swift.”

The pair exchanged a nervous glance and pressed through the door.

Seated at a massive old desk was a grizzled old soldier with his hands folded. As Jarka placed the plate of pastries in front of him, the general smiled. “Creme puffs? How pleasant.”

Jarka’s hand flourished. “I thought it would be a nice -” She became aware of a sudden sting in her neck. Numbness rushed from the area only to be swept away by an overwhelming sense of warmth. Her knees buckled, collapsing her. A chair was scooted beneath her to stop her fall. Her eyes rolled towards Sigfried, who sat in a similar state in a neighboring chair.

The general checked his watch. “It will be about fifteen seconds until the serum kicks in entirely.” He waived away the two nurses who had administered the shots.

Jarka’s eyes watered as she rubbed the injection site. “Are we- Are we going to die?”

“No. It’s a truth serum.”

Her head hung. “Oh. We were going to do that to you.”

“Jarka! Don’t tell him that.” Sigfried’s words were slurring much like her own.

The general leaned back in his chair. “I had assumed as much. It’s unfortunate. I do love creme puffs.” His eyes darted to his watch. “What business do you have here today?”

Sigfried cleared his throat. “We, uh, we want your help. Earth’s Combined Militia. We’re going to change the world.”

“Please, tell me how you plan to achieve that, Mr. Hunin.”

The boy’s hands flailed as he spoke. “We’re going to open everybody’s eyes. Make them take accountability for their lives. Make them stop fighting each other and start fighting for the common good.”

“A lofty goal. What assistance were you hoping the Sentinels would provide in your philosophical endeavor?”

“We need weapons.”

“So you’re terrorists?”

“No!” Sigfried slammed his fist against his knee. “We don’t want to hurt anybody. That’s the opposite of what we want. This should be peaceful, but people might resist us. Hard. We need protection.”

“Tell me, Mr. Hunin, why would we want to protect you? After all, you just tried to drug me. Not exactly a good way to open up negotiations.”

Jarka raised her hand tentatively. “That- that was my idea. Not his. Sorry. It wouldn’t have killed you; you would’ve just felt really happy. And trustworthy. And truthful.”

General Gauger stared at the girl before turning back to Sigfried. “Regardless, there seems to be no benefit to the Sentinels for assisting you at this time.”

Sigfried chewed his lip. At last, he leaned forward and pointed at the general. “We would be indebted to you. Earth’s Combined Militia would answer to the Sentinels first and foremost. The people love us. We could be your mouthpiece, your connection to the populace. We’d be good PR for you.” The boy fiddled with his hair for a moment. “We can also provide payment to sweeten the deal.”

The general drummed his fingers against his desk. “Hypothetically, should the Sentinels agree to your deal, what would be your next step?”

“Well, with your ships, weapons, and permission, of course, we would go to Namek. We would crush the invaders.”

“I thought your group was opposed to assisting our allies?”

“No.” Sigfried waggled his finger. “We are opposed to helping because they tell us to. Like they can command us. They take it out of our hands and demand us to assist them. We have let them struggle without us. Now, Earth is ready to truly help them. We will help them because we want to, not because they asked.”

General Gauger rose from his chair. “Give me a moment to discuss the scenario with Corporate.” He strode out of the room while efficiently dialing his mobile.

Jarka nervously glanced to her companion. “Sigfried, I’m scared.”

“Hey, now, there’s nothing to be afraid of. If they wanted to kill us, they already would have.”

The girl wrung her fingers together. “I know, but... what if they say no? What if they won’t help us?”

The boy shrugged. “We’ll figure something out.”

Her fingers ran along the pendant of her necklace. “Well, what if they say yes?”

“Then we go to Namek. We fight. We win.” He balled his fists for emphasis.

“We might lose.”

“Let’s not think about that, okay?”

The girl scuffed her foot along the ground. “I told Hati and Victoria about my powers. My abilities.”

Grinning, Sigfried patted her shoulder. “Good for you, hon. How’d it go?”

“They didn’t chase me with pitchforks, so pretty well.” She chuckled. “I’m getting stronger. I can do a little bit more than I could before.”

The boy knotted his brow. “Jarky, I’m going to help you sometime.”

“What do you mean?”

“Listen. When we get back from Namek, I’m going to teach you. Train you. I’ll help you master your powers. I’ll show you how I do things.”

“Do you really mean that?”

“I promise.” The boy rubbed his neck. “After all, I can’t lie right now. Truth serum.”

A sweet smile spread on the psychic’s face. “Thank you, Sigs.”

General Gauger reentered the room with a stack of paperwork bundled in his arms. The sheets plopped onto the desk as he turned to his audience. “Mr. Hunin. Ms. Veselyova. I believe I have an offer for you.”

Sigfried leaned forward. “You’ll provide the protection?”

“No.” The general began doling out the forms to the pair seated beyond his desk. “The Sentinels will provide you with weapons and a ship. You will go to Namek. Your primary mission will be to eradicate the invaders. You will do it as representatives of the Sentinels, although you will remain Earth’s Combined Militia. Your secondary mission will be to locate and retrieve the 101st Squadron. The group is led by Sergeant Piper Juunanagou and has gone missing in action. Death is...” He paused to preen the last set of documents before relinquishing them to Jarka and Sigfried. “...likely. Once both of these missions have been completed successfully, we will discuss any future arrangements between the Sentinels and Earth’s Combined Milita. This is our only offer.”

Jarka locked eyes with her leader. They had no other choice. No alternative. She slowly nodded.

Sigfried leaned forward, his hand outstretched. “General, it will be an honor.”

[Sigfried Hunin]

The black feathers of the wide-winged crow ruffled as it flew high over the tormented landscape. The sounds of weapons, simple and complex, holy and damned, called out into the sky. The beast’s keen eyes spotted every detail, picked up the shape and nature of every combatant. Green flags flew over homes of politicians and Mayors. The crackle of explosions erupting in some places where walls had been too thick. The sound of screams where defenders had not given in to the teeming masses.

All in all though, things were quiet. People chanted and murmurs were uttered from the byways. Green spread over the skyline like a winding vine, growing up as effortlessly as a blooming plant crawls towards the Sun.

When Sigfried had opened the floodgates, unlatched the stalls of the weapons and given one final rousing speech, he had already known the outcome of the battle. The influence of the ECM spread like fingers pressed into a bucket of sand, deep and unseen. He had wrapped his fingers around the throats of his enemies; all he had to do was squeeze. The life had already been bled out of tyranny.

The Mafia in East City, the control over Central City’s Army, Capsule Corporation, the Sentinels and almost every banking group to the south. He wasn’t in the business of fighting a war with armies and guns. He was in the practice of opening people’s eyes. He was in the action of not having to fight a war.

He remembered the wise words of a man he once read from, “The victorious strategist only seeks battle after the victory has been won, while those destined for failure seek battle and then victory.” He took the territories out from under their owners without them hardly noticing.

A thousand times had Earth suffered a violent revolution. A million times they had suffered from a violent takeover. The changelings of the great and terrible Takeover. Sayain violence in Central City. The War of Central and South. The Construct. Antioch. Bellavista. Demons and cyborgs and hellions of all types had raided, looted, plundered, violated Earth. Not this time. No, this time the people of Earth collected together, stared to the stars, and then to those in charge of keeping them safe from them. They had found the system wanting.

A government cannot kill its own people without killing itself. The people cannot kill their government without being thrown into chaos, but chaos is what they needed. No more heroes in armor or massive explosions or masters of ki, just the people and their hands. Their rage.

It had been a quiet Revolution, really. A peaceful one. Who knows how long peace will hold? If peace does hold, how long will the new order? It couldn’t be known. But, as far as Sigfried was concerned, it was a victory. A victory in the name of mankind. A victory in the name of progress. A victory in the name of sanity.



The crow flapped quickly as it fell from the sky towards the red speck atop the roof. Its claws sank down on the boy’s shoulder at the exact time as his brother landed across from him. Perched on each shoulder, the young man turned and looked down the hundreds of stories to the ambiguous mass of heads below him. The wind kicked hard and pushed the hood from his head, mussing Victoria’s battle-worn hair. Jarka stood silently beside her. Skoll and Hati sat to the right and left of Sigfried with their heels kicking the precarious ledge. His lips parted, his throat rumbling like the thunder sent down from Heaven.

“We are no longer citizen’s of Central City!” his voice boomed supernaturally and his breath reached out over the entire city. “We are no longer Easterners or Southerners, Westerners or hail from the North! We are Earthlings! We are HUMANITY!” The crows on each shoulder cawed noisily as the people below boomed.

Each of the three had shown their gifts in the short battle that had occurred. Each of them were warriors stained in the blood of their foe, but the where and how seemed so irrelevant now. Even the final words to his final call to victory escaped his mind. The trumpet to charge was never so nearly important as the drum to rally.

“Look at your hands.” He held them out over the ledge; hundreds of feet below him and those who were suppose to see the grit on them. “Do you see the stains?!” He screamed this, almost maniacally. “Those stains will never go away! They have burnt you! They have carved themselves into the person you are and the person you will be. It will never wash away!”

Silence whistled through the air, words taken away by the air blasting by. He could feel them below, the throngs of people. He could hear the whispers that floated through the breeze, floated through their minds and hearts. It was a cacophony of thoughts, burgeoning around him like a busy corner of a street. They caught him up, lifted his body from the floor of the roof and into the halls of greatness.

“We are the children of Kai! We may not be his chosen, but we will become the ones he chooses over all else!” The howls and caterwauls mingled between his ears and his mind, his body becoming one with the crowd and the world itself. For a moment, he could have sworn he had no form, no form but the shimmer strands between moments.

He felt a soft tug on his sleeve. “Sig.” He blinked and glanced around, seeing Hati and Skoll both looking up to him. “I think it’s time we go down and start to get things in order.” The red clothed boy simply nodded and turned to his companions. The inexperienced Jarka, the killer who’s heart had softened, Victoria. Two versions of himself who had become so much more. They were his family. The only family he could remember.

“Today is the start of tomorrow.”

--=~*/| o |\*~=--

“Roland, I will leave things in your hands while I am gone.” Sigfried allowed the set of ivory dice to tumble about between his fingers aimlessly. His feet clopped about loudly on the smooth concrete floor of the hangar. “I know it’s not quite in your job description. Listen- No, no I understand that. That’s the way it’s meant to be.” He closed the phone and shoved it back into his pocket.

The world needed a bit of anarchy right now. He didn’t mind leaving it in Roland’s capable hands while he was away. He knew that the man was incapable of leading the people, and that wasn’t his intention. All the man needed to do was handle logistics and management of the small crew he had hired in the heart of the City. Basically their only job was to point them in the direction of new heads of state to kill and where the newest weapon cache was. His life wasn’t hard in the grand scheme of things.

Sigfried turned and gazed into the massive bay. It seemed to span on forever, the roof hardly visible from the ground. The sleek space-age metals spanned on through almost the entirety of the area, several crews putting the finishing touches on the outer shell of the machine. Yet, even so far as the bay spanned, this was merely a single piece of the ship.

The technicians aligned the massive power conduit as the floor was quickly fled. With a spark of power and a great and terrible whir, fiery orange light glowed from the sides of the craft. Trackers beeped a number of sensor arrays told the tale of the propulsor’s output.

Sigfried strolled from the head of the beast, watching the men work. He had requested to be there for the testing of the engine, though he would never be sure what any of it meant. He just wanted to be a part of it. A part of the craft’s construction. It had been in his mind the entire time, this ship. It danced in his dreams and haunted his vision. What shape would it take? How many men could it hold, what kind of weapons would be upon her hull? He still wasn’t sure beyond the computer simulations he had seen of what it might be like.

He wouldn’t ever see it inside an atmosphere like Earth’s. The craft was too large to be built upon a planet and wasn’t fitted for flying inside the harsh conditions of a true sky like Namek’s. She would be born, live, and die in space.

There wouldn’t be much time to create the personal fliers that were meant to go along inside the ship. He had already sort of stolen a ship that Capsule Corp was working on for a military project. He figured they wouldn’t mind.

In any case, they had only been allowed time for a few fighters and a couple of troop transports. He knew that they would only have enough time to drop one set before the Invaders would get a good lock on them, so he would only be able to bring about a thousand men with him. That’s all he wanted anyways. It was more important that the people of Earth stay planet side and take control. Not to mention it would be good to have a force already dug in if the Invaders did decide to turn their eyes towards his home planet.

He grinned and shook his head at the thought of his little team of soldiers saving a planet. What foolishness. Mercy could take care of itself, he knew that. It was home to the most terrible, most wonderful fighters in the universe. They didn’t need his help. Namek, though, was an important planet for Earth. Not only that, but its people were, simply put, a bunch of farming monks. They had to rely on the help of others in order to survive. Not only that, but the majority of Earth’s warriors had made their way to that planet, assuring not only the greatest chance of success but also that he would be helping the largest number of people.

If they had time, they would go to Mercy and bail out as many people as they could. If they had time and survived, that is.

He turned and began to flee the place where his ship was being molded into perfection piece by peice. Hati and Skoll had several appointments for him to keep. He would need to stop by Roland’s offices and finalize his word on what was to happen while he was away. He had to reassure the several entities he had made pacts with that he was holding up his end of the bargain, despite his sudden departure. He had to address the people, let them know why he and their battle borne champion Victoria were leaving. It wouldn’t be an easy day for him at all.

“One thing, Sig.” Skoll leaned back and handed off a thick wad of folders. “These are the veteran members of the ECM you were asking for. Almost all of them were engaged in the Takeover of the frostlings, several had a hand in the Central and South City war. I think a few of them have even survived the Saiyan attacks on Central a few years ago… or was it months?” He shrugged and faced front once again.

Sigfried began to page through the men and women who had volunteered for the job. The majority of them were already serving in a military force, but joined the ECM once Roy had gotten the ball rolling. He wondered how Roland had ever gotten the word out to all these people so quickly. “Seven hundred and eighty three, huh?” He nodded and closed the pages. “I like those numbers.”

Hati grinned and turned around for a glance before returning his attentions to the road. “Yeah, and we even have a few Naval officers in there. You know… the kind that can man carriers.”

“Where?” Sigfried’s attention perked. He didn’t want to take a full staffing from the Capsule Corp if he didn’t have to. He sure as Hell wasn’t going to snatch men up out of the standard Central armies. In either of those scenarios revolts was too much a possibility. He leafed through the papers in a scuffle.

“One Alexander Standford? Steamfurt? Sief-something. I dunno, something like that.” Hati waved his hand around dismissively.

There he was. Sigfried pulled the paper up to his face and read the man as best he could. “He’s young.”

“Yeah, not much older than we are.” Skoll seemed skeptical, but he knew better than to throw away the opportunity. “His credentials speak for themselves, however.”

Sigfried’s brow crinkled up as he flipped through the man’s resume. “What the fuck is this? A history degree?” he shook his head slowly. “What good is that gonna do us in space?”

Hati shrugged. “Might know a few tricks our ancestors pulled.”

Sigfried shrugged and closed the thick tablet of paper. “I suppose we’ll find out.”

--=~*/| o |\*~=--

“I know Vic. I’m sorry.” He smiled weakly and pat the girl on the shoulder gently. “But if we can finish this one last thing, you’ll be off the hook ok? You’ll never have to see my stupid face again.”

The pink haired warrior didn’t seem particularly reassured by this for some reason. “I’m not trying to make your life hard or make your job any more complicated. It’s just that I think if we can head these bastards off at Namek they won’t be able to push a full invasion force this way.” He paused shortly as he observed the girl. “Is that ok with you?”

He knew she couldn’t really say no, but he still wanted to make sure things were alright for her. She wasn’t just a tool to be used, she was a person. Sometimes he thought she needed to be reminded of that.

“Wherever you need me to go, I’ll go there.” She nodded submissively. It was strange to see the brutal slayer of men so downtrodden. So soft.

He smiled and bobbed his head. “Alright, I knew you’d go, I just wanted to make sure that you were alright with going off world.” He grinned pleasantly and offered a few fake boxing punches to her shoulder. “Dunno if you’re allowed after dark and all!” The woman smiled faintly and turned away.

“Yeah. I guess I’ll go get ready.”

For the life of him Sigfried couldn’t understand why she was so saddened by the mission to Namek. Perhaps it put a sense of finality to it all. He had tried to reach out to the young woman recently, but he couldn’t be sure if his intentions were sticking. He really did want her to feel wanted in his little clique. Maybe some time in space to think would do her good.

He paused and reached a hand out to her. “Vic!” She stopped suddenly and turned her attentive eyes towards him.

“Yes?” She asked it like she was the assistant she had pretended to be over the past few days. Weak, subservient.

Sigfried walked up to her and slipped his hand onto her shoulder. “I’m… I’m sorry Victoria.”

A puzzled expression crossed her face and she narrowed her eyes in cold, killer suspicion. “For what?”

He leaned in suddenly, taking her off guard. He folded himself around her in a tight embrace, his head pressing into her shoulder. “I’m so, so sorry.” He squeezed harshly and nuzzled his head against her. “He wasn’t supposed to die, Vic. He wasn’t, I swear. I never wanted this for you.”

She caught her breath quickly and she struggled for words. She began to speak, but the warm, wet sensation of his flushed skin smearing tears onto her arm interrupted her. Her arms eventually landed upon his back and she put her chin on the top of his head.

“He misses you, Vic. I know he does.”

The young man quickly released himself from her and turned away, sniffling and wiping his face of the evidence. When he turned back around, his eyes were still red. “Ah, I didn’t mean to get like that on ya.” He smirked and nodded to her room. “Go on and do whatever. I’ll see you in a bit.”

The bittersweet smile she offered revealed more than any words ever could. As she closed the door behind her he spun and gazed out over the residential flat.

The apartment seemed empty now for some reason. The other tenants were so quiet and withdrawn. Hati and Skoll knew the immensity of the project and kept quiet when they weren’t working on some project. Jarka was silent much of the time, when not sequestered in her room. It was a complex situation.

In any case, this place had passed its welcome on. It was sick of them and their dramas. It was time to pick of the pieces and leave. Leave it for somewhere better and new. A place that did not reek of death and lies. Every day they remained there they remembered the tragedies that had occurred during their stay there. He brushed his fingers over the thin scar on his chest and took a deep breath.

Yes, this place had burnt out every bit of hospitality it had in it.

--=~*/| o |\*~=--

The bags were packed, ready in the transport. There wasn’t really that much anybody had to bring with them. No, their tiny speckling of personal belongings were dwarfed by the crates upon crates of high tech weapons (of which were still not enough for their rag-tag strike force), munitions, food, water, and a number of other tools for battle and survival in space. The soldiers themselves had brought a multitude of personal items along with them, things they could not leave behind for one reason or another.

Sigfried stood on a platform in front of the forest green flag, the Crow now seeming triumphant over the snake in the depiction despite the pattern never having changed. There was no sign of the docking ship behind him other than the few sounds of tussling equipment, hidden by his insignia.

“We have recently received word that the attacks made on Earth were not part of any main force, which should be evident by now. A small band of Earth warriors including myself plan on intercepting their main forces before they can get to Earth, perhaps allowing Earth forces to withdraw from Namek and the surrounding territories. Any prevention of loss of life that we can afford, we will pursue.”

He allowed the feed to drag on a moment. He knew that the people wouldn’t be particularly thrilled with the sudden departure from the new dominion, but he hoped that he could soften the blow a bit with a decent explanation.

“We still have a battle to fight on Earth. There are still those who would rather feed us to the wolves to keep their place in power. We will return shortly. Keep heart, people of Earth. We will prosper through determination.”

He turned from the camera for a moment before returning. He sadly wasn’t as eloquent or well timed as his predecessor. “This isn’t over yet.” His eyes burned balefully as he glared into the lens. “I know you are listening out there, and trust me when I say this is only the beginning.”

The line cut short and he let out the breath that had been beating in his lungs for escape ever since he had taken it. It was becoming ever more bitter in his mouth to spout the quasi-lies his position forced him to. He was ready for the war to be over so he could focus on the standards of truth and transparency that he hoped to found the nation upon. To put the misdirection behind him. The people didn’t need that crap anymore.

He shook his head and tried to clear the fog of thoughts from his mind. Now was the time to leave. It was the time to strike out against the real invaders he had demonized so much. Perhaps they weren’t as awful as they seemed. He really had only what information he had leeched from the long term reports would allow him. It wasn’t much.

There was a recent loss of contact, which either meant the planet had blown up or there was something blocking the signal. He wasn’t entirely sure what that meant on a cosmic scale. Maybe a sun was in the way. How did Q-wave comms work anyways? He could have sworn he knew that. Ah well.

He took down the flag and gently folded it up, tucking it into his last handbag that lay beside him. Plucking the bag up in his hand he began to make his way towards the small transport ship. Without looking back he waltzed up the massive loading door and secured his baggage. He sat between the brothers, across from their two good friends and the attendant for the ride.

“Are you ready?” He asked. It was a rhetorical question. Jarka gave a faint smile as did Victoria. He returned the sentiment and nodded. “Of course you are.”

A chorus of warnings and advisories filled the air, the videos and voices identifying the numerous safety features of the small craft. The shuttle jolted as the upward thrusters roared, sending them soaring upwards. Sigfried casually looked to the floor as they ascended, not seeming much to notice that he and his compatriots were leaving the planet for the first time in most of their lives. His thumbs rode the straps of his harness as they flew in silence, but for the rattling and noise of the ship.

The jolting suddenly became much more violent, turbulence trying to spike them from their seats. The cabin was filled with a bright red glow as it began to separate from the atmosphere and into the eternal blackness.

Finally the boy looked up and stared out the window. He couldn’t help but take a gasp at the beauty of Earth. The blue crashing oceans, the spanning green and brown of the very ground he had lived upon. The air he had breathed swirled around in white blobs, seeming so close we almost reached out to grasp at them. He felt like he could see every person the specks of land, the grey cities and the spanning wilderness between them. Jets and cars and hover vehicles. Such a complex, diverse, wild little world. None of it seemed to make much sense. What was common in one place was alien in another. Differences so vast and wild in areas within the same City.

What would happen if the world was larger? What if it wasn’t all governed in City States? His mind wandered to a massive Earth with hundreds of countries and nationalities. How much harder would it be to unite them? Would revolution even be possible there? He couldn’t know. He doubted it.

He smiled as he saw his two friends gazing out the window as well. They were a part of him, what were they thinking? What collection of garbled misdirections and insanities did their minds compose from the beautiful sight? Things probably more sane than he had to offer. What about Jarka? He couldn’t help but study her for a moment, perplexing over what wild ideologies were floating in her mind. Maybe something looked like an omelet to her. Victoria had probably been off world before. Do you forget the majesty of the planet when you’ve seen it a thousand times before? He didn’t even know if she marveled at it the first time she saw it. What a life she must lead. Was it right for him to want to take her from it? Would he be really saving her at all?

“We’re approaching the Carrier, sir.” Sigfried had hardly noticed the flight attendant. She was short, cute some might say. He didn’t take much catalogue of her other than to nod and acknowledge her statement.

He turned his head as he felt the space ship’s thrusters jet, twisting it in the frictionless environment. When he saw the target of the craft’s trajectory, he was almost more taken aback than he was when he had seen the Earth. “Holy fuck…” He pressed his hands against the glass as the absolutely massive craft came into sight.

It was the single largest thing he had ever seen in his life. It was the size of a skyscraper tossed on its side and lashed to another. The orange engines glowed ominously at the rear of the craft where a speckling of light blue slits rose the side in short stacks, signifying where the crew had taken post. A number of glowing red sensor arrays projected from the sides and cracks like cactus spines. It was shaped roughly like a flattened football with a bulging underbelly. Three circular pods arose from each side and the top, just as he had seen in the simulations. No simulation could ever prepare him to see the ship, though.

“Wow.” Victoria’s voice was a mix of blasé and actually being impressed. He, like always, wasn’t sure what to make of it. He wished that Roy was louder in his mind sometimes. “What is it called?” Those blue eyes gazed into him expectantly. Wanting something fitting for their voyage.

Sigfried smiled and looked back to the group as though he was about to reveal a great secret. “The Utterance of Kai.”

[Chubbs Story Account]

The world keeps spinning.

[Victoria]

Their shuttle docked within the “The Utterance of Kai” smoothly, the sound of hydraulics could be heard as the doors clamped shut and the hanger was stabilized. Workers headed into the large room where the smaller ship cooled down it's engines, and the ramp slid out to let it's passengers out. First to come out was Sigfried, followed by the two brothers, Jarka, and lastly Victoria. It had been an interesting journey, but not one unfamiliar to her.

Only once had the hunter left Earth. She had gone on a journey that made her life turn upside down. The girl hadn't even had a chance to view the planet as they left...she had been under a spell. That adventure was in her past, and although she found a pang in her heart over what had happened, she said nothing. Now she walked across the hanger, her eyes peering out across the expanse of space. Earth was beginning to slowly grow more distant, they were moving.

“Welcome, my name is Daniel. Captain Alexander is happy to know that you've arrived safely,” a man said several feet away where the rest of her comrades stood. The pink haired youth didn't turn to acknowledge him, her eyes were too keen on the distant stars. Long ago, a much more innocent girl dreamed of reaching the stars. Her sole mission into space had been a let down.

Sigfried noticed the absent hunter, but he pulled his gaze away and dealt with the man who greeted them. “We're glad to see things are in order, how long do you think it will take to get to the location?”

“Right, I wanted to discuss that with you.” He waved a hand for the troop to follow him from the hanger.

Despite lingering, Victoria followed behind at a slight distance. Her azure hues scanned the walls of the ship, the crisp metallic floors, and took in the faces of the people they passed. The hallway they entered led down past several doorways, and they had to ride within a decent sized lift to get to another floor of the ship.

The room they were led into held a long table with chairs surrounding it, a window to show the void around them, and a few displays showing ship schematics. Victoria took a seat in one of the plush chairs. One of her fingers traced a small pattern on the table as Daniel spoke.

“There's an asteroid field here, much closer than our original destination. We're headed there, it shouldn't take more than a few hours given the power of our propulsion systems. Does this work for you?” The man, as Victoria now looked at him, fanned his fingers out against a map embedded in the table. It was a highly advanced tablet that showed the star systems, and the debris fields around the planets.

“This will work, just make sure you follow the plan,” Sigfried replied.

“Can I go?” Victoria asked suddenly, everyone in the room turned their head to look at her. “Explore, I mean. The ship.”

“Oh, yeah,” her would-be leaded nodded, offering a small smile. She couldn't begin to understand what was behind his eyes, except that they kept reminding her of Roy.

Victoria stood up and gave a half-hearted thumbs up. “None of this means much to me, I'm just a fighter, just like Jarka is a cook. Let me know when you need me,” she smiled sweetly and saluted, not mocking in the least. She left the room promptly there-after, letting loose a soft sigh. They would be done soon enough. In a way, she found that girlish excitement in her gut. Another planet, another voyage through space, this is what she wanted. Namek was supposed to be a beautiful planet. But what is this all for? she asked herself as she walked down the corridor. All that she knew is that Roy had wanted to defend the Earth from the invaders, and from what Sigfried had said, the invaders were coming...those had just been scouts. Now they were manipulating the world for their mission. From what the hunter could tell, they were headed to Namek to snuff out the aliens before they could come after the jewel that was Earth. This wasn't just for that...this was to prove Earth's worth, it's strength. They were going to prove to the surrounding dominions that they were a powerful force to be reckoned with. The truth...it's all about that, isn't it?

- -

Pink hair cascaded down past her shoulders, a gentle hand pressed to the cold glass of the window. Victoria couldn't begin to understand what the ship was made of, just that it held together and did its job. Her calm gaze watched curiously as mighty asteroids floated, spun, and existed yards away where they floated in space. They were hauling in one of the massive boulders to become nestled within the bowels of the ship. Another thing she couldn't understand, but this was Sigfried's scheme, her leader's strategy. Normally she would run in, guns blazing, ready to take on the world...maybe that was her problem.

Her gaze was pulled away from the window and she began to wander again. The people here were from Earth, strong and reliable souls, ready to give this their all. Victoria watched them as the ship hummed, the lights flared, and the abyss became traversed. I wonder what made them decide to risk their lives, she thought as she watched two women in military gear talk outside of a room. Was it for justice? Or did they want to feel the rush? Do they even know what it feels like to kill someone, alien or not? They might end up dying within seconds of landing... She shook her head. Battle was something that brought not just death, but a sense of worth, where she came from. You fought, you survived, and you did what you were told. Her eyes lingered on the floor and she walked past the women. This would have been more enjoyable if she hadn't gotten emotionally involved.

- -

“There's a problem,” Daniel said as he pointed at the map with a finger. Victoria and Sigfried leaned over the table. They had been asked to attend specifically, although, the hunter wasn't entirely sure why. Sigfried had been in the room when she had strolled in with curiosity bright in her eyes.

“What is that,” she murmured.

Around the sphere of Namek, labeled on the tablet, was a structure built around the the planet. It didn't form a complete ring, not yet. It was alien in design. Victoria glanced up, past Sigfried's shoulder, toward the window. It was out in the distance, and to go around would mean at least a day's worth of time. By then the war could be over.

“They're building a barricade, we have to find a way to disable a section to get us through,” Daniel looked up at them both as he spoke, before focusing on Victoria.

“Vic, I know you have an affinity with electricity. I was telling Dan here that you might be able to help us get through. Can you emit an EMP wave to knock out a section of the barricade?” Sigfried asked, looking at her with what she could only assume was hope.

The girl walked around the table, and stood in front of the window. Her gaze stared at the construct, a series of metal combined together in sections, filled by a strange field of energy. Thick column made up the dividers, while thin metal formed the top and bottom. It was more-or-less similar to a net spanning a length of the ocean to catch unsuspecting fish.

“It's being manipulated by energy, if it's being controlled by electronic connections I should be able to knock it out. We should take out this one, here,” she walked over to the table and tapped the left side of the barrier. “From what I could see out the window, they're focusing their work on the right and going around. If their power-supply is anywhere, it will probably be here.”

“Good, we'll form a team and get you two on a shuttle. You have to be careful, they won't be leaving it unguarded.” Daniel gave them both a firm nod. If they couldn't get that barrier down, their mission would all be for nothing.

- -

“Mayday, Mayday!”

Red lights flashed, circuits sparked and a small fire erupted to the left. Victoria stumbled to the side as their craft was bombarded by another hit of plasma. “Hold on to your britches, this is going to be one hell of a ride!” their pilot shouted, and the ship lurched.

“What happened?!” Victoria shouted over the crackle of the damaged circuitry and the buzz of the alarms. Aside from the pilot there were four others, soldiers, ready to take arms should they be required to. However, things had gone horribly wrong. The aliens had seen them coming, their ships faster than anticipated and stealthed. The plan had been to slip up to the barrier, dock on the central pillar of the two shimmering panels that were many football fields tall and long, and disrupt the power flow. Now they were being attacked by a scouting ship that had more than an edge on them.

“I don't know! They got the jump on us!” Sigfried replied, gripping onto one of the seats to keep himself stable as the ship nearly flipped.

Their craft shook again, and steam was issued into the air. “This isn't looking good, at this rate-

KABOOM!

The ship exploded into a blazing display of lights and debris. The scout ship hovered around in a small circle. Bits of the burnt metal floated harmlessly, dead bodies drifted, charred. They had been dangerously close to the barrier, unfortunately, they hadn't been able to accomplish their mission before being blown to smithereens. Their enemy made one last pass before flying off along the wall of metal and energy.

“Great...” Victoria's voice hissed over the communication device. She floated amongst the broken metal and wires, a corpse was pushed away by her hand. “Care to explain to me how you managed to do that?” she asked. The girl's body was adored by a red skintight space suit, rimmed by gold. A helmet covered her head, and her hair was all neatly tucked away. It had been just in the nick of time, as a blast of energy and plasma singed her pale features, her companion had jumped upon her and become...a spacesuit. Her face and half her body burned painfully, but she had felt worse things.

Later, let's get this finished, and hope that the ship can pick us up.

Sigfried's voice was clear in her head, making the hair on the back of her neck stand on end. “I need to get closer, hold on, I've never flown before...” she said, using her arms in the air as if to swim. She kicked off of a sheet of scorched metal to propel through the wreckage and into the emptiness between their broken ship and the pillar. The golden metal was carved by lights, like a puzzle fitted to form a cylinder. It was as thick around as an apartment building, three football fields tall. Victoria held out her arms to either side as she floated in the space, fingers fanned out.

Even in the vacuum of space, her electric energy sparked and snapped along her limbs. The snaked energy leapt and began to consolidate within the center of her being. The girl's body glowed a faint blue, her inner core humming with the raw power that pooled together. Eyelids fluttered shut, focus gathered, allowing Victoria to amplify her ability and cast it out in a radius toward the structure. It flew out, shimmering with tiny static bolts, inflicting a pulse on the flow of the alien technology. It took only a few seconds before the energy net panels on either side of the cylinder began to fade, and the lines of power on the gold metal disappeared.

“Success.” Victoria dropped her arms and let herself float carefree in the anti-gravity. “My EMP has disrupted the flow of the alien power, but I don't know how long it will last. Is there any way you can use that mind-speak to get a hold of the ship? I imagine they'll see our efforts and head this way. I don't know about you, but I like having my feet on the ground.”

[Jarka]

Jarka had been plodding through a dream. Spaceflight, the starry eyed fantasy of so many little girls on earth, was a surreal experience. It reminded her of taking too much cold medicine: so many mundane things seemed just a tiny bit off. Walking along the winding corridors with their recycled air and artificial gravity turned her stomach to the brink of souring. The staff of the ship buzzed around her in coordinated uniforms like extras in a school play. Lights cycled brightness in an attempt to mimic the passage of the sun on earth. Nothing felt real. Nothing was right.

The kitchen was poorly stocked, unsurprisingly. Limited spices meant limited improvement of the limited meal options. She had no idea why people wouldn’t demand better sustenance. The ship was, after all, the size of a small city. Surely it wouldn’t kill for the master chef to have some variation in their food. Jarka could do it better herself if she had the chance.

Unfortunately, it wasn’t as though she had time to cook. Sigfried had oh-so-pleasantly suggested as they docked that she undergo training with the other novice fighters of the ship. She had agreed, unaware that the training would consume most of her recreational time. Nothing says pleasant travels like being telepathically barked at by a grizzled space marine.

Not that she had a problem with Major General Borski. At least, not that she wanted him to think she had a problem. She had done more than enough pushups already.

She had, honestly, learned a great deal in the limited time she spent with the officer. Her mother had taught her self-defense as soon as she could walk, but this was different. She had never been trained to take the offensive, to strike first. Her mother had never taught her weaponry or how to maneuver a jet. Nor had she ever considered any sort of supporting effort - it had always been her versus the world. Troops meant working together as a unit, taking care of each other.

She couldn’t complain. There wasn’t enough unity in the world.

Jarka felt like an entirely different person. Here she was, standing in a massive ship hauling through the depths of space, learning to kill. She had never dreamed of the stars. Now she watched them whizz past the viewing portals as she ruminated on strategies and the locations of vital arteries. A few months ago, she would never do anything but cook. A week ago, she would never leave earth. Who knows what tomorrow would bring?

One thing about tomorrow was certain: Namek.

Sigfried summoned her as they entered the foreign system. She hadn’t seen him throughout most of the trip. She hadn’t seen much of any of the core group of ECM - each of them had their own missions, their own business aboard the ship. Visiting the boy in his quarters made her realize how lonely she had been.

The boy smiled warmly, drawing Jarka into a quick hug. “How’re you enjoying space so far?”

“It’s all right. I mean, it’s cool. I haven’t been able to appreciate it much.” The girl sat cross-legged on his bed, leaning against the segmented wall.

He nodded empathetically and took a seat beside her. “Training? Sorry, I didn’t realize it would take so much of your time.”

“It’s not a big deal.” She shrugged. “I mean, I never was into space that much. It gets a bit repetitive. I’m glad I’ve got something to distract me, y’know?”

“Well, Borski is pretty distracting. You did get to do some sightseeing, though, right?”

“Yeah, when we went past a couple of the gas giants. They were impressive as hell. They filled the whole window!” Her hands flew outward in an imitation of their sheer size. “Oh! And that asteroid belt was terrifying. I thought for sure we’d crash into one and die a horrible and fiery death.”

The boy laughed. “No, Captain Alexander knows his shit. He would have avoided it entirely, but we had some business in there.”

Jarka rolled her eyes. “We’ve always got business somewhere dangerous. But, no, this has been a decent trip. I’ve learned a lot from Borski.”

“Good. I’m glad you don’t resent me for the suggestion.” He idly rubbed his chest. “I just- if things get ugly on the surface, I don’t want you to be totally unprepared.”

“How sweet of you.” Her words dripped with a friendly sarcasm.

“I mean it, Jarky. This isn’t going to be a party.”

Agitated, the girl thrust her jaw to the side. “Sigs, I know that. I’m not stupid.”

“Well, I don’t-”

“Listen. I wouldn’t have come if I didn’t want to help. The revolution was a success. We won. I don’t really know what that means for when we get back, but we won. Now we have a choice to fight or stand back and watch people die from miles away. What do you think I’m going to do?”

“I just... I want to you to enjoy what you’re doing. I don’t want you to lose sight of things, y’know? I don’t want you to forget who you are. I don’t want to lose you.”

“Sigs, I am in no way, shape, or form the person I was before I joined ECM.”

“Is that a good thing or a bad thing?”

“Honestly?” The girl fiddled with her pendant as she chewed her lip. “I have no idea.”

The pair sat in silence. After a few moments, Sigfried leaned towards a control panel located at the head of his bed and pressed a quick sequence of buttons. The wall behind them emitted a faint whir. Jarka twisted to watch the shutter click upwards and reveal an expansive viewport.

Sigfried lurched forward, rapping his knuckle against the window. “Did you get a load of this? It’s nuts. We’re light years away from home. Fuckin’ mindblowing.”

Jarka was breathless. The turquoise waters shimmered from the beaming suns that flanked the planet. Land was scattered across the seas, but it was nothing like earth. Earth had massive continents that plopped across the oceans in an almost even mix of land and liquid. Namek had a faint spattering of islands like powdered sugar on a brownie. It was exquisite. Beautiful. A gem. The girl was utterly captivated. It was so similar to earth, their planet, their home, and yet so radiantly different.

At last she understood why people took to the stars.

Her eyes wide, she turned to her friend. “That’s where we’re going? There?”

“Yup. Namek.”

The girl turned back to the viewport. A frown flashed across her visage. “What’s that over there?”

A hideous arc of metal orbited just above the horizon on the planet. Husks of disabled drop ships floated, their edges scorched by laser burn.

Sigfried pressed his face against the window. “Fuck.”

*****

Jarka, Hati, and Skoll watched the events unfold with a crowd of officers on the observation deck. She felt awful. Here she was, standing back, safe in a bubble of sterilized air as Sigfried and Victoria teased death in a space jet. She was terrified for them.

“Miss, are you okay?”

Jarka turned to find the source of the voice. A moustachioed man stood with his hand resting in the breast of his dapper jacket: Captain Alexander. She stammered, mildly intimidated by his presence. When she had originally been introduced to the captain as they docked the ship, she had been startled by his youth. He couldn’t be much older than her, yet he commanded an entire starship single-handedly. She couldn’t help but wonder what else he could do with one hand. “No, sir. I mean, yes sir. I’m fine.”

The man smiled warmly. “You seem nervous. There’s nothing to worry about. I wouldn’t send a shoddy pilot with them.”

Jarka cast her gaze back to the tiny space jet as it zoomed towards the blockade. “I know, but what if something goes wrong?”

The captain rested his hand on her shoulder. “We’ll handle things. No use worrying your pretty little head over that.”

The girl blushed. “I know, but-”

The crowd gasped and surged towards the window. A flash of light had hinted at a horrendous outcome only to be supported with a visual confirmation. The space jet was in pieces, charred bodies floating aimlessly around its rubble. Jarka clamped her hand over her mouth. It couldn’t be real. They’d come so far. A blinding crackle of electricity emitted from the wreckage before all was still again.

She couldn’t believe it. It all happened so fast.

Captain Alexander sprinted towards the helm, already barking orders into his q-wave communicator. “All available hands, man the deck. Squadron Bravo, Charlie, Delta, Echo, Foxtrot: man your fighters. Combat ready.”

Jarka was aware of Skoll grabbing her arm, pulling her, hissing in her ear. “Move!”

She trailed after him in a daze. “Where are we going?”

Skoll gave her a harder tug and an expectant glare. “We’re going to fly.”

[Sigfried Hunin]

Sigfried gripped firmly onto his seat as the flyer rocked and bounced around violently. He noticed the several spiraling alien crafts dancing towards their little cruiser, weapons already locked. The red lights and sirens flashed all around him in a seizure inducing mash of senses as voices attempted to scream over the madness.

“What happened?!” Vic’s voice shrieked out through the mangled mass of sounds.

The inexperienced leader looked around frantically, snatching the harness up in his hands as their craft dealt with the vicious inertia that the pilot put it through. “I don’t know!” He choked down a wad of terror as he answered the huntress. “They got the jump on us!”

Their pilot began to issue back several numeric reads to the home craft as he struggled valiantly with the controls. “This isn’t looking good, at this rate-“

Sigfried’s eyes went wide as he saw the flicker of the wing mounted laser flash, a strangely holographic red beam slicing through their shield before eating away at the hull. In a flash the engine core went up in a vicious explosion, hurdling the crew and cargo into the void of space.

Space is a strange place to feel. Scorching hot on the part of you that is facing the sun, and frigid on the other. The lack of an atmosphere allowed the radiation to blast down upon you while simultaneously allowing you to freeze. The air is snatched out of your lungs, you don’t really have much choice in the matter. It’s just a matter of pressure differentials.

His eyes finally opened, and below him he saw the wreckage of their craft drifting down towards the massive arch that had been constructed around the surface of the planet. His fingers stretched out in what felt like slow motion towards it, as though he could call it back.

Suddenly fluttering pink entered his sight. He glanced down past one of the bodies the explosion had created and he saw Victoria free floating. Half of her suit had been blown off, her skin and hair burnt and torn. He reached out to her, wrapping his thin arms around her body and tucking his head next to hers, fingers pushing under the fractured remains of her flight suit and against her skin.

The flight suit was elegant in its simplicity, but astounding in its operation. That was all that Sigfried could think of. The space suit that now clung to Victoria’s form had been created somewhere within the reaches of the boy’s mind, but he had no ideations on how it worked. All he knew was that it worked.

He felt almost disembodied from his physical form now, almost senseless or at least his senses were so different from what they usually were he could barely interpret them. The golden visor that shielded Victoria’s face was somehow the center of his visuals, he could tell that much. Kinda. Well sort of, he could also see her from behind as though it was an over-the-shoulder shooter. Whatever, he didn’t have much time to ruminate over it.

“Great…” Victoria’s bitter voice groaned from somewhere within him. She flexed his fingers- Her fingers? In any case fingers were flexed as she looked over the carefully embroidered gold edges of her bright red suit. Or maybe she was moving one of the dead bodies away from her face. Once again, everything was really weird as a sentient space suit.

“Care to explain to me how to managed to do that?” She sounded a bit pissed that the seemingly normal demi-fuckup that Sigfried pretended to be just clung to her and changed into an astral leotard. He knew his cover was blown as far as the whole, “normal person” thin went, but that was a problem for later. When they weren’t floating through the void of space.

Later, let's get this finished, and hope that the ship can pick us up. He spoke to her in the only way he knew how, and wondered if she could hear him. She seemed to.

“I need to get closer, hold on, I’ve never flown before…” It was soon apparent the poor young thing had never been in space before. Her separation from any source of popular media probably didn’t help with her ideas about how to propel yourself in space, but Sigfried figured the flailing attempts she was making had the intention of being somewhat like swimming. This was not the correct answer. Soon however she planted a foot on a chunk of their craft and pushed off, flinging them towards the golden wall of death technology.

Sigfried felt the weave of the suit slowly begin to warm as the hunter’s body began to glow a dim indigo, casting strange blue lights over the surface of the strange structure. She extended her palm and the sensation of the static magnetic energy flowed over him. It was very odd, to say the least. Chunks of his form tugged and others pushed while her hairs stood up on her skin. Fairly overwhelming.

A sudden electrical wave struck out in a single dancing bolt and engulfed the wall of glimmering gold and lights, dulling it all in an instant.

“Success. My EMP has disrupted the flow of the alien power, but I don't know how long it will last.” The young woman attempted to turn around in the anti-gravity only to find herself spinning in tiny circles.

“Is there any way you can use that mind-speak to get a hold of the ship?” So she could hear him. “I imagine they'll see our efforts and head this way. I don't know about you, but I like having my feet on the ground.” He would have nodded in agreement, had he a head of his own.

He saw a sudden flash from the Utterance’s hull signified the remaining personal jets departure. The woman spun to face them, kicking off of a hunk of scrap to hasten her departure from space.

A quick screen of light called their attention and soon he felt her heart sink within. A small group of drones was flying around the edge of the great halo towards the seemingly lone combatant and the incoming fighters.

“Oh no…” Victoria’s voice drew out, the fear of being trapped out in space slowly enveloping her.

We’ll have to fight. He slowly realized that a strange voice echoing cryptically in somebody’s head might remind them a bit too much of a specter come to whisk them away to the afterlife.

The soundlessness of space was crushing in the heat of the moment, as the warrior flailed and spun in an attempt to get to the wreckage, simply in order to have something to push off of or perhaps to hide within the wreckage and hope for the best.

It came as a shock when the fighters hurdled overhead in a flash. The speed that vehicles were allowed to accelerate at in space was simply astonishing; most of all for people who had never witnessed a dog fight first hand.

Thanks to the quick wit of the hunter, she took advantage of their friend’s sudden approach and lifted a palm out towards a low coasting craft. A sudden crackle of static arced between them and she was yanked up towards it. Her hand clung steadfastly to the hull of the flier and our heroes were taken along for the ride. If it wasn’t for her super-toughness and his being an inanimate object, the G-forces of the catch would probably have killed them, but thankfully that was not the situation.

Whizzing along the two hitchhikers slowly crawled up to the head of the ship and peered out past the nose. The upcoming enemy quickly strafed to the side of the Bravo pilot, but the attack was missed rather quickly. The pilot of the craft they were stuck to blasted onward towards their prey, and Sigfried could practically taste the target lock as the systems whirred and wriggled following the quick moving robot. The frustration of the pilot was apparent, swiveling back and forth in attempt to get a clear shot without endangering their fellow with friendly fire.

He could feel the woman within his current form pressing her hands together, each faced counter to the other. Her eyes sealed shut firmly and began to hum and electrical power trickled from her body in the form of ki. He could feel the polar effects of the energy, one negative and the other positive as they played against one another, attempting to draw away.

With a grunt, Vic once again pointed her digits in the direction of her target, this time letting loose a single shimmering ball of crackling electrical ki that flew directly at the enemy ship. It impacted with a soft sway of the craft. It didn’t seem to do much, and Sigfried what honestly a little disappointed with the anti-climax of the blast. With a grunt the seasoned killer stuck her feet to the underbelly of the fighter and stood up. Sigfried went to tell her to stop, not to fire, that she might endanger the other pilot, but his thought was cut short when they were catapulted from the hull at blinding speed towards the enemy.

Victoria roared in primal fury as she slapped her hands together. One of her limbs began to spark and cast out tiny beads of light as a massive orb of power crackled between her fingers. He could sense the chittering of the orb, though he could not hear it within the void. With a final huff of air she lobbed her glowing fingers at the craft with all of her might.

Her fist sunk through the foreign metal first, before the ki could even be discharged. Crisp white and blue wisps flowed out of the thing’s core before a implosion strangled the machine with the smoldering hole at its epicenter.

Her inertia continued forward as she spun around the ship, her arm still firmly lodged in place. As she reached the apex of the crooked orbit, she kicked off with a terrible ferocity and sent the heap into the golden wall behind it. She flew off in the opposite direction, wildly rotating in dizzying loops and strange axis.

As the ship she just saved crossed her patch she snatched out again and grabbed a hold of the astral jet’s wing. As soon as they had affixed themselves, the pilot banked harshly and began to fly back towards the Utterance, leaving their comrades to fight to bring back the two warriors. Victoria glanced back at the flurried conflict. Sigfried knew she wanted to be there, in the heart of it all, fighting. There was no way, however. Not only was she too valuable an asset on the ground to lose in a fight with some drones, but she couldn’t pilot a ship as far as Sigfried knew and she sure as hell wasn’t going to get very far trying to punch all of them out of the sky. Ok, well, it had worked once he conceded to himself, but it was doubtful to work that well again.

The ship swooped in to dock, the crew working quickly to ready the pilot and her impromptu cargo. When the ship was safely within the airlock and the atmosphere had been normalized Victoria quickly fell from the ship and grasped at her helmet, tugging firmly.

“How do I get this off?” Her voice was short, tempered, but ultimately furious.

Sigfried appeared next to the woman before crumpling to the ground, simmultaniously shivering and sizzling on one half of his body. His fingers twitched and he gasped for air, the effects of space not quite having enough time to diffuse in the normalized atmosphere. He coughed heavily once, a stray spatter of blood streaking out onto the ground as he attempted to pull himself to his feet.

The huntress looked down at him and quickly accepted the silver thermal blanket from a rushing engineer. She wrapped the metallic material around her body and it stuck to her sweaty frame. “So, how was it, wrapped around me like that?” She was quiet, spiteful.

With one final tremor, Sigfried shook his head. “It’s not like that.” His irritation carried over in the deadpan in his tone.

“Oh no?” She stepped forward, tiny sparks of electricity sparkling along behind her heel. She loomed over him, her powerful body seeming more imposing than it ever had before. He knew she would have him in an instant, death would be certain if she wished it. He wondered who, if anybody, could stop her on the ship.

“No.” As foolish as it was, Sigfried was always willing to face confrontation with what he knew best: rage. “I’m sorry I tried to save you. We should have both died in the vacuum.” He wiped a few shards of crystallized ice and carbon from his red jacket before turning to the fighter.

Victoria stomped her bare foot, leaving a tiny dent in the metal flooring. “That isn’t what this is about.” Sigfried stopped cold in his tracs, hoping to simply duck the conversation. “How did you do that?”

He turned slowly and looked into her eyes. “Vic. This has to wait for another time, ok?” He tried with all of his might to restrain his volatility, to quell that reaction to conflict. He wanted her on his side. He liked her. He needed her.

She shook her head furiously. “No, not this time. I deserve to know!” The similarity of the boy’s powers and those her superior’s on Earth rubbed her the wrong way. It elicited feelings of mistrust, that he might be after Vic just like she was.

The young leader took a long moment of looking into Victoria’s eyes. Those blue eyes that haunted him for some reason. He could feel the scratching from inside his skull, a thought that had gone out of control . It had gained more than Sigfried had put into it, and now it rebelled within him. He wanted to run to her, to wrap her up and engulf her. Some strange urge born of both his hatred of her female archetype and a completely alien undying love. It tormented him.

“Fine, listen after this, we can talk.” He turned and began to march down the hallway away from the woman, almost hoping she didn’t take him up on the offer. “But first, I have to handle this.”

“Sigfried!” Jarka’s voice summoned him, and he spent several seconds glancing around to find where it came from. Only after thorough befuddlement did he realize that it came from the fighter that had collected him from the void. “Are you ok?” The stout little chef hustled from the craft and checked him over swiftly. Skoll soon departed from the ship as well, nonchalantly plodding after.

“What the fuck are you doing Jarka?” Sigfried’s first statement was at first a hybrid of anger and being genuinely confused. “That was you? You almost got shot down!” He gripped her shoulder firmly as his wide eyes peered into hers.

With a scowl she swatted his fingers away. “A ‘Thanks’ would be nice too.”

After a moment of agitation he took in a deep breath and exhaled, allowing the tension to flow freely away with the air. He looked into the tiny woman’s face and smirked. “Yeah. Yeah, good job out there.” He nodded to her and pat her shoulder. “I’ve got to get to the deck though and see what the hell is going on.” He turned and began sprinting away, waving to the two as he departed. “I will talk to both of you soon! I swear!” He wasn’t sure how good his swear was, but it was out there now.

The young man rushed through the hallways and towards the lift. He had seven sectors to go up from this part in the ship to get to the helm, and all of the scrambling men and women in their mixed uniforms seemed only to get in his way.

After a few more rushed hustling steps he swore aloud and leapt into the air. The fluttering, nervous flapping of the crow startled everyone he came by, and the incessant squawking and cawing didn’t help. One of the crew members swung a broom at him, for whatever reason they were carrying the broom he did not know, but it avoided the strike and made it into the massive circular elevator.

His finger slammed into the button, alighting it dimly as the two doors slowly closed. He saw a woman sprinting from the other end of the hallway with an outstretched hand, screaming to hold the elevator. He sneered and jammed his finger into the button a few more times, hoping the doors would somehow close faster than the terribly slow rate at which they were then.

He winced as she caught the door with her hand and snuck into the lift. She cast a venomous glance from over her clipboard, knowing better than to yell at the boy. “I was hitting the door open button,” he lied. “I dunno, it’s still a bit wonky.” He looked to the other side of the round room and coughed.

“Worked fine for me earlier today,” she snipped, bouncing on her heels.

Sigfried shrugged and cleared his throat. “Ah. I see.”

After a few moments, the rotors lurched and they began to slowly rise. He brushed a bit of scorched fiber from his shoulder as they stood there, his foot impatiently tapping. Looking down, he tapped the button a few more times in hopes it would speed their ascent.

“It’s not going to go any faster.” The woman was strangely preppy. Maybe she was from Capsule Corp. He really hoped she was, the way she was speaking to him.

He threw on a wide false grin and pointed at her, “Victoria Finger Gun” style and clicked with his mouth. “No use in not tryin’!” He did a tiny sarcastic wiggle and then allowed his features to slip back to slate quickly.

He glanced down quickly and noticed a pair of slippers on her feet. With a malicious smile he pointed down to them. “Those don’t look regulation. You just wake up?”

She narrowed her eyes at the leade of the ECM and snapped back. “Yes, I did actually. I was on my sleep cycle when the blockade run failed.” She tapped her foot impatiently and then glanced over to him. “Was it scary, almost getting blown up like that? I bet it was kind of embarrassing.” Her attempt at demeaning him reminded the youth of those college girls he so hated.

Rubbing at his chin a moment he looked over her and tilted his head to the side. “Wha- What is it that you do? I can’t tell from your uniform.”

“Informations Relay.” She tugged the dataslate that was under her arm into her chest and kept her eyes looking forward.

Sigfried let out a bitter little laugh. “Do you have to get coffee too? Is… is that a part of your job? Just get whatever?” The young lady didn’t respond, but instead insisted on glaring in to the metal before her. “Yeah… I bet there aren’t that many of you huh?”

Shaking her head, she quirked her brows petulantly. “No, actually there are quite a few. Just for little stuff around the ship.”

“Capsule Corp sent you, didn’t they?” His fists slowly curled as he turned to face her.

Her eyes peeked over from the corner of her eye nervously and she nodded. “Yes, but I volunteered for this mission.”

“Hm. Good on ya.”

Sigfied continued to stand over the young woman until the painfully slow elevator met her floor. As soon as the doors cracked open, she rushed out with as much composure as she could manage, both flustered and terrified by the strange man.

He pressed the “close door” button a few more times before it finally shut again and began to drag its way up towards his floor. If we’re this far advance, he wondered, why haven’t we invented a fuckin elevator that goes faster than like, a foot per second?

He could hear the chatter of the helm before he could exit, and he burst free of the entrapping space as soon as he could manage. He looked out across the busy place, and was almost shocked at its complexity.

“Adjust bear to one hundred and five point three one, eighty eight point oh, three hundred forty six point five oh.” Captain Alexander stood at the head of a massive holographic globe, several small red and green blips swarming about on its surface. His right hand was stuffed into the front part of his jacket and his left was neatly tucked behind his lower back. He neglected the standard massive hat that came with his job, of which Sigfried was rather happy. He had those puffy pantaloons from some several hundred years ago stuffed into tall black boots. A blue jacket, the ones that button on the inside and then it folds over and buttons again with broad shoulders was decorated boldly with ribbons and medals. A waxed mustache and short, pointy beard rested on his face under a short well cut crop of hair. He certainly looked historical.

He retracted his hand from the jacket and pointed down at one of the many arbitrators and commanded, “Use the canister rounds.” The tech nodded firmly and entered the command. “Bring the fighters in!” The insistent chatter of the techs added one more voice as military jargon was spewed through the comm lines. His head tilted down casting his eyes in shadow. “Fire when ready.”

The resounding echo of the shots fired rang even up in the command structures of the ship, and quickly the remaining blips were wiped off of the hologram. He smirked and nodded before stepping away from his map and facing Sigfried.

“Ello, cap’n.” Sigfried extended his hand and was received by a firm handshake. What class, he couldn’t help but think. “We’ve got the… whatever it is out of the picture. For now at least, it’s some weird alien shit, so I dunno what’s really going on with it.”

The commander tilted his head back, considering the information for a moment. “I suspect it’s a kind of net, to catch up ships for the drones to dispatch.” He smiled and tippe his head to Sigfried. “But now it is no worry.”

Turning away for a moment, he thrust his finger out and issued a few more commands before returning his attention to the mop-headed leader. “We were quite concerned about you, sir. I’m glad you and the girl could handle yourselves as well as expected.”

He allowed Sigfried to thank him before moving on to more pressing matters. He stepped up to the massive display of the planet’s orbit and drew the boy’s attention to a massive swarming glob of red. “This is a very large ship, sir. Larger even than the Utterance.” He nodded and used his single free hand to point out the very matter of which he spoke. “I do not think I would be wise for us, as understaffed as we find ourselves, to attempt a direct assault on Ja City, where this grand ship lies over.” He grasped at the digital structure and spun in it to face the other side of the planet. “I instead offer the stratagem to mask our presence on the blind side of Namek and begin out bombardment from there.”

Sigfried scrubbed at his chin in thought for a moment, scared to speak against the master of his craft. “But then won’t we be unable to fire upon them?”

Alexander appeared to laugh internally as he shook his head. “No, we will be able to use the gravitational pull of the planet to use long-range bombardment techniques, if we so desire to strike.” He nodded to the young man. “The same tactic is easily used for your unorthodox answer to the problem of the ground forces, though we will be temporally disabled for the duration of the firing sequence.” He scrubbed his fingers together for a moment, glancing down at whatever grit he was removing. “Antoher reason I would suggest we stay in orbit on the ‘dark’ side, sir.”

Sigfried had read a bit about space conflicts that occurred within the orbit of planets, but he wasn’t a tactician, to be sure. He agreed with the proud captain and nodded his head. “Yes, that sounds to be a good strategy, Captain.” He grinned and bowed his head. “I’m glad we have somebody competent enough to run things around here.”

The good natured profession smiled and gave a short bow. “Well, we all have our specialties.”

With that he returned to his post and began giving the order to duck under the halo with the massive Utterance of Kai.

--=~*/| o |\*~=--

“So, I can shapechange.” Sigfried didn’t feel like sugar coating it. It was a long time coming and she deserved to know it. “I have changed my form and deceived the general populace in order to help my agendas. Those agendas include the destruction and reconstruction of the current Earth government and using the gained military and civilian support to bring a better, more organized fight to the Invaders.” He paused and looked into Victoria’s eyes. “The Invaders never were coming to Earth.”

The cherry blossoms in her hair seemed to tremble as she looked onto him. “How much of it was a lie?” He knew what she meant by this, but she clarified anyways. “Was Roy lying? Did he know about all of this?”

Sigfried shook his head slowly, and he wasn’t lying. Roy really had no idea what was going on, or that he wasn’t a whole person all on his own. She didn’t need to know anything else beyond that. Some people needed a lie.

“I mean, you ca-“ Sigfried’s chat was cut off by a blaring loudspeaker, calling his name. “Mr. Hunin, you are required along with Ms. Victoria on Level Sub One immediately.

He sighed and slapped his hands against his thighs. “Damn it!” He looked across the room to Victoria once again. “I’m sorry this has to be this way, so soon.” He worried she wouldn’t cooperate now. But, even if she was angry, she had her mission to live up to. “I need your help once again, Vic.”

He led the warrior through the hallways and corridors, raging down the ship like a well-oiled machine. He led her to a single room, near the generators for the ship. There was a single room, black and yellow warning stripes coving the entire door.

“This is it Vic. The last favor I’m gonna ask of you.” He looked into those cool blue eyes once again. “Then you can do whatever you want.” He wasn’t sure if she was silent because she was angry, sad, anything. He had no idea what was going through her head. It really didn’t matter right then.

He opened the door as a number of engineers and workers scuffled about frantically, attempting to ready the machine. “Inside, there’s a power coil. I need to you grab it and give it every last drop of what you got, Vic. It’s our only hope at winning this thing on the ground.”

She squinted at him and tilted her head. “What is it?”

“It’s a railgun.” His voice dipped low as he explained the process. “It’s a railgun so big that even when we power down every nonessential system, right on down to life support, we still won’t have enough power to fire it. We’ve selected the highest population area of the invading force, and we’re going to fire the rail gun at it.”

Her eyes opened wide as she heard the proposal. “And you need me to help? Is that all I am to you? A fucking battery?!”

Sigfried dropped his head and stared into the floor. “I’m sorry. I don’t know what else to say. It’s our last option.”

She slammed her fist into the wall, fuming. A four knuckled imprint was left when she retracted her arm. She growled and posed one last question. “What are we even firing if it’s that big?”

He looked up to her and nodded his head slowly. “Remember that asteroid we stopped and picked up?”

Taken aback, she shook her head slowly. “No. No way! You’ll destroy the planet!”

“We’ve done the projections!” His patience was burning short now. “The dense, brittle outer shell will fragment and then metallic core with hit the surface after a short time in the atmosphere. It shouldn’t set the planet off orbit but for a few micrometers!” He placed his hand on Victoria’s shoulder gently. “Trust me one last itme.”

She slapped his hand away and stormed into the room. “I’ll never trust you, Sigfried.”

The door slammed shut and Sigfried let loose his exasperated sigh before racing towards the command post to watch the action. He wanted to stay with Victoria to make sure everything was alright, but he couldn’t afford sentimentality right now. He had to make sure the mission was clear.

Soon, a massive pylon with a crooked coil began to noisily detach itself from the bottom of the ship, hissing and thrumming as it perfected it’s targeting to account for orbit and planet spin. Soon a thunderous shaking lock went into place and the machine was set.

“Powering down all nonessential systems.” The overhead communication was loud and terrifying, even more so when accompanied by the stillness that followed it. Systems slowly went quiet, and the lights went black. All that anyone could see was the glimmer of the planet below. He could hear only his breath.

“Activating Bioelectrical power coil in…” Sigfried caught his breath and waited for the signal. Vic would have to cooperate. She had to.

“Three…” He glanced down the hallways, hoping to catch a glimpse of light from the cell he had cast her into.

“Two…” What if she didn’t do it? They were sitting ducks! The surface to air weaponry would surely lock on to them soon enough in their vulnerable state and blow them from the starway.

“One.”

A horrendous scream ripped through the ship as a blinding blue and white light flashed across the entire floor, consuming everything. Sigfried was blinded for a moment and was forced to step away from the window, the sheer force of Victoria’s power quaking the craft from stern to aft.

Soon the several white lights along the rimmed outer coil of the railgun began to alight, signifying sufficient power. The howls went on and on as Victoria pushed her very soul into the power converter, the energy of one of the most powerful fighters on Earth being harnessed through the ship.

Finally, the red warning signals began to ring through the ship, and Captain Alexander’s voice spoke calmly. “Brace for fire.”

The force of the blast was explosive, shuttering every layer of the behemoth carrier as the asteroid was fired at super-sonic speeds into the planet’s atmosphere. Sigfried woul have done well to brace, because he was literally thrown back off of his feet and into the adjacent wall as the weapon fired, making him unable to see the rock’s initial descent.

Soon through he clambered to his feet in time to see it strike the red-hot shell of the planet’s gravitational pull, splintering and shattering the rough exterior. Fragments shattered off in flaming specks and he wondered if they had miscalculated. Maybe it wouldn’t make it through the heat.

Then again, he was no expert. The rock pierced the viel of that outer surface and rocketed in towards Namek. He wasn’t sure where it hit or how hard. I was on the other side of the surface, beyond his vision.



For a single second though, he was sure the world stopped spinning.

[Chubbs Story Account]

The planet shudders, and in the following seconds, everyone on the planet is awake.

A massive crater, miles wide, is Namek's newest visible-from-space feature. Tsunamis ravage the planet's mostly-water surface, obliterating every building in a fifty-mile radius.

Such an assault does not go unnoticed. Reports indicate that the Grand Ship Myreen is gathering a significant amount of power for its weapons. Whether they have yet pinpointed the Utterance is not clear.

The Invader's ground forces are shattered; the battle of the skies remains.