I suppose I'll be sending this out later today to raac.
Whee! ;)
Chapter Twenty-One
------------------
It was a semi-cloudy morning outside and the view from the Genom
elevator was spectacular; Madagan hadn't even noticed on the way up. Standing
in front of Quincy's desk, she was reliving with cold fury the encounter
between her and the Crystal Knight, aka the Blue Bullet. She had slipped into
doing this when the Chairman had dropped into silence for a lengthy period of
time.
"Miss Madagan."
Quincy's voice startled her into snapping out of her reverie and
refocused in his face. "Sir?"
"Thinking about last evening?" There was a neutral expression on his
face.
Cheeks coloring that she had been that obvious, Madagan nodded. "Yes,
sir. Forgive me for asking, but when will a new suit be ready?"
"A few months, if not years."
"WHAT?!" The purple haired executive stepped right up to the desk in her
anger. "WHY??"
"Miss Madagan, please restrain yourself." Quincy sounded calm, but the
faint golden glow in his employee's eyes unnerved him slightly. It was
fortunate that mind-reading hadn't been one of her surprising new abilities.
Seeing Madagan realize her lack of control, flushing slightly, and settling
down reassured him. It would be a pity to dispose of such a loyal, and now
much more valuable, employee. "Such pointless hatred towards the one who
likely helped you to obtain your new powers and saved your life will result
in nothing good. Please remain objective."
Madagan hated the truths that Quincy brought up, but nodded slowly to
acknowledge her compliance. "I'll... try. But why, sir? He could become such
a threat!"
"He has already become so as of last night, and I do not speak of your
ill-fated confrontation, which I now ses as a rash move on our part."
Madagan was puzzled. "Sir?"
"Every Genom computer that held any information and/or data about the
research that created your suit had those particular files deleted and made
unrecoverable. There was no trace of an intruder other than that." Quincy
leaned forward onto his desk. "And I do mean EVERY computer since all those
involved were connected via the Mega-Tokyo Net."
"Every..." Madagan was speechless. "How?"
Quincy leaned back into his chair, hands pressing together as he looked
at her stunned reaction. "Obviously our adversary has means at his disposal
we have not yet seen. Powerful ones. I am disturbed greatly by this,
especially with our current dealings with him."
"He must be able to go through our systems with ease," Madagan
half-whispered.
"We are changing all security codes as I speak. The magneto-optical disk
backups are unharmed of course, but the fact remains that he broke in once;
he could do so again and that is a fact that we cannot ignore. Until we know
more of his capabilities I will not have research continue in that area as he
may utilize other more... effective measures. Therefore," Quincy eyed Madagan
with a steely gaze, "for the moment _Genom_ will no longer have any
involvement in operations concerning the Crystal Knight, or the Knight Sabers
for that matter as there appears to be some connection with the two. At least
until we have more useful information." He held up a hand to stop Madagan's
furious protest. "Until then, what you do with your free time is up to you."
She did not miss the insinuation of that last part and smiled slightly,
but with pleasure. "I was planning on visiting a certain store tonight
anyhow, sir."
He nodded slowly in understanding, but his hard eyes told her that she
would be unsupported if she got into trouble.
Madagan didn't really care; she was going to get back at the Crystal
Knight somehow, and knew just where to begin. The little red-haired bitch had
to know something and she was going to find out what.
WHACK! "Take that, you red-scaled dummy. Hi, Anri."
Sylvie looked up from the cash register and saw Priss greeting Anri by
Charcoal, the guardian dragon statue. "Why do you do that to Char, Priss?"
she asked the singer from across the room with an amused smile. Also, it
appeared Sylia had come with her for some reason.
"Hi, Sylvie." Priss came over to the silver-haired sexaroid, Sylia
following, and shrugged. "Because it startled me the first time I saw it; I
like getting back at it. Is Darlene here?"
Sylvie grinned. "Sleeping Beauty is still upstairs in her apartment."
Priss looked at her oddly after the un-Sylvie-like crack, then observed,
"You've been hanging around her WAY too long."
"Occupational hazard."
After the two finished laughing, Sylia said, "We'd better go up." And
without another word entered the passage that led upstairs. Priss shrugged
helplessly at a puzzled Sylvie and followed.
She caught up to Sylia when she entered Darlene's room. It looked like
the red-head hadn't cared much about being too neat last night because
clothes were scattered across the floor. Sylia was standing on the side of
the bed that wasn't against the wall, eyebrows arched high and a small smile
of amusement on her face.
Darlene's apartment had a lot of average-price furniture in it, and that
included the bed, except for the fact that it had sinfully soft-looking and
very expensive covers and pillows. The occupant was smiling angelically,
having wrapped herself up in the luxurious sheets, cocoon-like.
"Y'know, it's almost a pity to wake her up," Priss noted, observing the
scene with a smirk.
"True. But we'd better." That said, Sylia reached down and gently nudged
the slumbering form. Twice.
Eyes cracked open slightly and the smile vanished as Darlene turned her
head to blearily look at her summoner from slumber. "Sylia?" she mumbled,
then spied Priss grinning at her. "Priss? God, I must've really overslept if
you're awake." She smirked sleepily and then yawned.
"Very funny," Priss grumped, then smirked in turn and said, "NICE bed,
Darlene. What do the men think when you bring them over?" She grinned as she
dodged the pillow missile thrown at her. The red-head glared at her from her
now semi-sitting position revealing that she was wearing only a t-shirt and
boxers, a fact that amused both Sylia and Priss; the inappropriate underwear
must have been uncomfortable.
"Hardy har har. That's funny. NOT." Darlene self-consciously shifted the
sheets around herself again, trying not to think of how red her face must be.
"Why are you guys here anyhow?" she asked, looking at Sylia.
"We can't stay long, but I wanted to check up on you." She sat on the
side of the bed. "Did you think about what I told you yesterday at all?"
Darlene snorted a negative. "When? After I went back to the cave I
traipsed through the Genom network and obliterated all psi-research they had
on their computers. That'll make 'em jumpy. Then I came back home and barely
got my clothes off and the covers over me before I fell asleep."
"Cuddled up nicely in it too," Priss added, then dodged another pillow.
"How about now?" Sylia asked Darlene, ignoring the singer.
"I..." Darlene looked down, her face showing signs of the internal
conflict that suddenly raged inside. "I don't know what to think."
Priss knew she was being left out of something. "About what?"
Still looking down at the bed, the red-head mumbled, "Sylia said my
aging has slowed a lot."
"Huh?!" Priss' eyes widened with surprise. "That's good, isn't it?
You'll live beyond two hundred years or something?"
"More like thirty thousand," Darlene whispered, sudden depression
crashing down on her.
The singer froze in shock, unable to comprehend what her friend had told
her. Thirty thousand years of life??
"It may be much longer, Darlene," Sylia gently added, "remember I
mentioned that your cells are not dying as they should, or at least being
replaced immediately. It's not regeneration, it's something else."
Darlene's face was blank when she lifted it at this news. "Perfect, now
I can watch more people grow old and die." Her eyes began to fill with tears.
"Add that maybe I'm not just AGING." She clenched her hands in the sheets,
and she cried out, "Maybe I'm MUTATING!! INTO SOMETHING HORRIBLE!!"
Suddenly, Darlene was using her fingernails to gouge her arms, making
bloody trails in her skin, eyes wide with sudden self-loathing and terror.
Sylia quickly tried restraining her to prevent her damaging herself further,
Priss jumping in hurriedly because the red-head was a lot stronger than she
looked. Both flailed at Darlene's wildly moving arms and shouted at her to
stop. Sylia managed to land a stinging slap on the terrified young woman's
face through the confusion.
That shocked Darlene out of her panic, and the energy went out of her;
sobbing as they held her arms gently but firmly, unsure of her mercurial mood
at the moment.
Then Sylvie ran into the room and took in the scene. "What's going on
with all the shouting? What's wrong with Darlene?"
"Sylvie," Priss sighed with relief. "We might need your help holding
her."
"I'm..." Darlene sniffled a bit and took a deep breath before trying
again. "I'm okay... I think."
"Are you sure?" Sylia asked, the sympathy in her voice surprising Priss.
At Darlene's slow nod, she released the arm she had and Priss hesitantly
copied her.
Looking at the bloody gouges in her arms, Darlene winced, feeling the
stinging pain now that the panic had worn off. "I'm a mess. I didn't think
I'd react that badly. I'm sorry."
"DON'T!" Priss shouted angrily, startling Darlene. "Do NOT apologize! At
least not for wigging out like that, I know I'D react badly to that kind of
news myself so don't get down on yourself. That's what started you off in the
first place."
"Sor... Okay," Darlene corrected herself and gave Priss a sheepish grin.
Then she looked at Sylvie, who appeared to be half-concerned, half-relieved.
"You'd better go back down and reassure Anri. I'll be down in a little
while?" she said in a querying manner to Sylia, who nodded. "Working should
get my mind off more... disturbing things."
Sylvie nodded, a bit relieved. "I'll see you in the store then." As she
turned to leave, Priss came up and walked with the sexaroid out the bedroom
door. Darlene and Sylia heard Sylvie say, "What happened?" and heard Priss'
faint reply, "Darlene changed a bit more than we thought..."
Sylia nodded at the fresh gashes. "Do you want some warm water?"
Darlene shook her head. "I'll do it later; it's not too bad when you
know you can fix them instantly and I've had much worse, as you well know."
She grinned self-consciously at the leader of the Knight Sabers who nodded in
agreement.
"Have you realized that your emotional state in your two forms produce
some very different reactions?"
"What was your first clue? That show I put on a few minutes ago?"
Darlene said with heaps of sarcasm, then had the grace to blush under Sylia's
reproving gaze. "Okay, I know about it." She paused, then amended her
admission. "At least, I knew but didn't want to think about it. It's a little
disturbing when you find out that you're not acting the way you used to.
Especially doing something major you wouldn't normally do and not realizing
that until later. Like challenging Leon to a drinking match." She winced a
little at that particular recollection. "But at the time it didn't seem odd."
Sylia nodded in understanding. "From what I've seen I doubt getting you
very mad in your male body would be an easy task, and when you were it
wouldn't be blind anger but a controlled one. It's how you are right now that
I'm worried about."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"You seem to be divided into opposites in some respects..." she trailed
off, letting the red-head get the obvious conclusion on her own.
Memory flashed in Darlene and she recalled the time when she had just
arrived in Mega-Tokyo. In the fight with Steelfist a comment from him had
sparked something red-hot within her and she had lashed out instinctively
when he thought her distracted; his cybernetic arm was broken in half by her.
And this was when the differences in her behaviour were less noticeable.
She shivered. "I guess I see what you mean, but that's only happened
once and I'd never hurt my friends like that."
Sylia caught something from her voice. "You sound very positive about
that." Something about that was odd, but the reason seemed to elude her.
"Of course I am," Darlene continued with more cheer, "aside from martial
arts practices and fun." A thoughtful look came over her suddenly. "I
wonder..."
"What?"
"This aging thing. I might've known somehow." THAT idea brought very
uncertain emotions to the fore.
"What makes you think that?"
"Well, think about it; I've been here over a year and a half and I'm
only now starting to feel a faint but real desire to go back to the place I
came here from and see a certain face...s. That's a long time to wait, don't
you figure?"
"It might be possible, but," Sylia sighed, some frustration evident,
"anything could be concerning you, or so I'm beginning to believe." She stood
up and smiled down at her friend, who seemed to be trying not to laugh at
what Sylia had just admitted. "I do have to go now." She got to the door
before stopping and turning around. "And... I too know something of having to
adapt to changes." There was something in her eyes that told Darlene that
Sylia believed the red-head knew a little about what she meant.
The young woman in the bed nodded back. "Yeah. Thanks, Sylia, for
finding out." She smiled faintly and Sylia returned it before slipping away.
Darlene sighed and flipped away the covers. She'd slept long enough.
Time to get to work.
Priss and Sylvie greeted Sylia downstairs.
"So, how is she?" Priss asked.
"She appears to be accepting it now. Normally to do it that quickly
would concern me, but..."
The singer nodded, "Yeah, she can get into some heavy downs but she
usually recovers damn fast. Still," she frowned, "that self-mutilation she
tried to pull worried me, and how come you didn't tell me and the others
about that longer lifespan stuff?"
"I just told her last night, when she was Twister." Sylia frowned,
vexed. "That gender change still gives me headaches. Anyway, I was more
worried about how she would react as Darlene, with good reason."
"So it's true about her? Darlene's almost immortal?" Sylvie queried,
intrigued.
"As far as I can tell."
"Strange. A few well-made Boomers nowadays could outlive their owners by
several generations or even much longer. Then Darlene comes along and turns
it the other way around." Strangely, Sylvie looked sad after she finished.
Priss scratched the back of her neck. "Y'know, I'm not sure if I should
feel envious or sorry for her. Especially after what she said about watching
people grow old. Life can be a real bitch."
"Life is duty, duty is forever," Sylia commented to nobody in
particular, before nodding to Priss that they should go. "We have to be
going, Sylvie. I may phone you later to see how she is." When the silver-
haired woman nodded, both Sabers left.
Anri came over after finishing talking with a customer. "What was the
matter with Darlene, Sylvie?"
Her friend sighed. "It's a short story but it feels longer..."
Chapter Twenty-Two
------------------
THAT EVENING...
"Ahhhhhhhhhh," Darlene sighed out as she stretched. "Closing time at
last."
Sylvie and Anri, both standing in front of her, laughed a little at the
relief embedded into the red-head's voice. "Today wasn't THAT bad," Anri
teasingly objected, Sylvie nodded her agreement with a smile.
"Yeah, well, I had a busy night yesterday," Darlene rolled her eyes at
the understatement, "and I think being very, very lazy for the rest of the
day will help me a lot."
Anri, surprisingly, came up and hugged Darlene. "You'll be okay, won't
you?" she asked after drawing back a little and looking directly at the
other's startled blue eyes.
"It was pretty rough news," Sylvie said, echoing Anri's concern.
Darlene sighed slightly and gazed at the other two's faces. "I think so.
It's just going to take a while to get used to the concept, I guess." She
shrugged, then flashed a grin. "At least I'll have a lot of time on my
hands." The two sexaroids grinned, both in relief and at her comment.
"I'd better lock the front," Anri suggested, waiting for Darlene's nod
before heading for the entrance.
"How are you two's lives getting along anyhow?" Darlene asked Sylvie,
then added with a grin, "Need a raise?"
"Gee, thanks, Boss," the brown-haired woman said, and grinned at the
other's level glare. "Just kidding. Actually, that would be nice. We really
should get out more. Like another person I know." The last statement directed
at Darlene was not a subtle hint.
"So I don't get out that much..." Darlene began to protest.
"LET ME GO!!!"
Anri's angry and frightened shout immediately caught the two's attention
and, startled, they saw the reason why she had yelled. A very tall and wide
man that practically screamed 'Boomer' held the blue-haired sexaroid in
baseball glove-sized hands as he entered the store. She struggled helplessly
in the steel grip as she was brought in, feet dangling uselessly above the
ground. Two more men of equal size, also obviously Boomers, entered the store
as Sylvie and Darlene watched by the cash register, both wondering what was
going on and what to do about it. Then another person confidently entered the
store. One with purple hair.
"Not again," Darlene groaned, but quietly enough so that only Sylvie
heard. The red-head had recognized Madagan instantly. "Please, no, I've had
enough for a while."
The Genom exec didn't oblige her as she approached the two, a Boomer
flanking her on each side and the one holding Anri standing slightly behind.
Madagan was smiling, which was a bad sign to those in her path. She stopped
a few feet away before speaking, looking at Darlene and Sylvie with mocking
pleasure.
"Well, now. I was hoping to get more information about the Crystal
Knight, but this," she nodded in such a way as to indicate Anri, "was
certainly more than I expected so soon. Having a sexaroid..." Stopping to
look speculatively at Sylvie as a sudden thought occurred to her, Madagan's
smile grew even more. "Make that TWO sexaroids, I should have noticed the
first time I was here, is illegal. Preoccupied, I'd imagine. Did you know
what they were?" she asked Darlene.
"I don't own them. They work for me and are my friends," Darlene ground
out, angry from having her domain invaded in this manner. She could tell
Sylvie was restraining herself from trying to rescue Anri. Fortunately, the
other sexaroid didn't seem to be in any immediate danger.
"'Friends'?" mocked Madagan, making Darlene angrier yet. "So you DID
know. Did you know the one in MY 'friend's' hands used to work for a
monster?"
"Largo manipulated her," Darlene spat out, not caring much that perhaps
she was telling Madagan more than she should. "It's not her fault. Besides,
you don't need to be built to be a monster." Her furious glare and tone left
no doubt on whom she meant. Sylvie sucked in her breath in sudden fear.
Madagan narrowed her eyes and her smile vanished. "Monster? Then I
shouldn't disappoint you." She shot out her arm as her eyes glowed brightly,
sending out the most powerful wave of telekinetic force she could manage. It
sent a surprised Sylvie flying backwards until she smashed against a wall
hard enough to stagger her and then fall to the ground.
Darlene had ignored the wave completely as it had no effect on her.
"Sylvie!" Anri and Darlene cried in unison.
Total shock was on Madagan's face after seeing the red-head ignore her
psionic power. "Impossible! How did..?"
Darlene had thought that she was over her frustrations and confusion
from the previous night and this morning, but seeing one of her friends hurt
again by Madagan was the final straw of the haystack that had landed on her
back recently. Still, she didn't dare cast a spell, that much sense was
available in her growing anger.
Instead, she summoned her sword, uncaring of the others' reactions.
Every being in the room was shocked when a purplish glow appeared above
one of Darlene's hands and quickly became a fairly ornate sword that she
gripped firmly, fury burning in her eyes. "I have more in common with the
Crystal Knight than you suspect, Madagan!" she shouted, using the Genom
exec's name like a vile curse. "I may not use psionics, but I DO have other
options available!"
This was enough for Madagan. "Stop her!" she demanded, and her Boomers
reacted to her wishes, bursting and expanding into their combat mode.
Darlene didn't wait; she jumped over the three in front and swung at the
as yet untransformed Boomer, who still held an astonished Anri. The enchanted
sword was up to the task of cleaving though the Boomer's arm, the separation
making it involuntarily release Anri as it bellowed its pain. The blue-haired
sexaroid scrambled out of the way and tried to reach the groaning and rising
Sylvie. Darlene leaped away before the other two Boomers could catch the
red-head.
"Stop her!" Madagan repeated her command. "But don't kill her!"
This was easier said than done. Darlene was in a real rage and she was
venting all her frustrations upon the three Boomers trying to catch her.
Unfortunately, they were destroying most of the store as the incredibly agile
and quick martial artist dodged the powerful C-55 Boomers, who did not use
their more lethal weapons because of Madagan's order. Display glass and
artwork were smashed and littered the floor.
The three-on-one wasn't giving Darlene much opportunity to strike back
with the sword, which the Boomers now regarded as the deadly weapon it was.
The strikes with her feet, despite the way they actually dented her
opponents' armour, didn't do much. It was a particularly large piece of glass
that was her undoing. Darlene was preparing to use a handspring to dodge once
more, but her hand was stabbed through by the glass piece on the floor. She
cried out in pain and stopped long enough for a Boomer to slam its fist into
her stomach, sending her flying into and through a still undamaged display
case. The wall finally stopped her with a jarring thud and she dropped to the
ground with a groan, cut deeply and scratched all over.
"DARLENE!" screamed Sylvie and Anri.
Madagan smiled, relieved that her Boomers had won. "You two," she
ordered the one-armed Boomer and one of the undamaged two, "guard these two
sexaroids and make sure they don't do anything. Boomer F-128, get the owner
of this store before she recovers."
There were a lot of questions she wanted to ask this mysterious young
woman.
Pain.
Anger.
No.
RAGE!
The memories rushed though her mind. Recollections of what Madagan had
done to her and friends. This confrontation. The fight. Losing. The pain.
Everything seemed to be escalating her fury as she gasped helplessly.
Using the Crystal Knight armour was the farthest thing from Darlene's
mind. She had beat Madagan even without the armour. Male. She didn't need it
now! Didn't need it! If she could've trust her spells... DAMMNNN!! She needed
more power!
Madagan's pleased voice infuriated her further, anger increasing to a
previously unknown degree and she trembled on the floor, paralysed from rage,
as the Boomer approached to catch her. To put her at Madagan's mercy.
NO!!!
SHE! WILL! NOT! WIN!!! was Darlene's last furious coherent thought.
In the exploding nova of mindless fury that then went off, Darlene
REACHED.
She found something, instinctively, and drew it into herself.
It was what she wanted, what she desired.
Be careful what you wish for.
The Power came, roaring into her being like wildfire. Darlene screamed
at the burning felt through every fibre of her being. This... this Wild Magic
was totally new to her--and it was TOO MUCH!! She couldn't handle the wild,
chaotic energies that battered at her inexperienced will, so unlike the more
orderly spells she usually cast. She c-couldn't... couldn't...
And then...
...her sanity shattered.
Something wasn't right.
Madagan could almost taste it, but could see no cause for her senses to
disturb her so. The two sexaroids were holding each other, one still dazed
from the Genom exec's attack, the other seemed disinclined to cause any
trouble. Madagan saw that the surprising, and annoying, red-headed owner
which was the reason she had come would soon be brought to her and then she
would get the answers she wanted.
So what was wrong? Why was this feeling of danger growing?
Boomer F-128 reached the wounded female and roughly yanked her head up
to see if the female was conscious.
Madagan recoiled in shock and involuntarily took a step back. The young
woman's gaze practically BURNED with hatred. She'd never seen anybody with
that much anger in their eyes, never thought anybody could do so.
Then the emotion changed, and Darlene's eyes and face showed, for a
brief moment, utter shock. In that brief moment her eyes went from normal, to
emanating a faint violet glow, and finally to a purple blaze of light.
Then the red-head screamed.
As if following the scream, light with that same intense purple hue
exploded outwards from the girl's body, blinding Madagan for a moment before
her eyes cleared. The gasps of surprise from the two sexaroids told her this
was new to them too. When she saw once more, Madagan began to understand why
that feeling of dread had grown as she saw, with disbelieving eyes, what had
happened.
Boomer F-128 was frozen like a statue, because now it WAS a statue; a
statue of clear, shining glass. That was flat out impossible! Then she saw
who had done the insanity, and for the first time that night, started to feel
afraid.
For Darlene was outlined in purple flame, flame that came from her body
but did not burn. She had changed too. Time seemed to have struck her with a
vengeance, for now she appeared around the mid-twenties and as she shakily
stood, had grown taller and filled out more. The aging did not stop. The
expression on Darlene's face was the worst part; she seemed to be in quite a
bit of pain, but a twisted grin on her face made it look like she was
revelling in it.
The aging accelerated, and Darlene's clothes changed to match, subtly
enough so that they fit. A strange thing that occurred to Madagan's stunned
mind was that Darlene's face, while becoming more mature, had stayed
youthful. Her hair, however, changed. A white streak appeared in the middle,
and rapidly grew until her hair was completely white. Madagan now judged her
around seventy years old, but the woman still seemed to have retained her
youth while at the same time becoming more mature, and taller. Faster. Her
hair had grown long as well, almost down to her waist.
Then, at some undefined point, something new and even more dramatic
happened.
The face, that had remained mostly unchanged save from maturity,
altered. It lengthened suddenly, became more angular. Eyebrows and eyes
shifted. Her hair, once white, gained color once more, but now that of the
same purple that shone in the flames around her, that burned from her eyes.
The body lengthened as well in a sudden growth spurt and settled into a more
slender and graceful shape. Clothes rapidly morphed into a half-gold,
half-silver armour weave that covered her chest and torso, looking flexible
and strong. Pants of a purple shade to match boots of the same color were
created. Sleeves and gloves with no fingers came into being and provided the
same function and color for the arms. A slightly shimmering cloak of a darker
purple finished the new outfit.
Then the flames surrounding her died out.
The transformed Darlene breathed deeply, then giggled in a disturbing
way. She swept her still-blazing gaze around the messy room, even her
movements seemed to be different, smooth. When she brushed her newly grown
hair back, everyone saw the pointed ears.
Darlene looked like an elf!
Her gaze locked on the statue that had been F-128. She hit the glassy
chest with a casual backhand and shattered the statue into dust. All save the
head, which floated in mid-air until Darlene raised a hand underneath it and
lowered it to her eye level.
"Alas, poor Boomer," she spoke sadly in a newly musical voice. "I knew
you not." Then she cocked her head. "And I don't give a damn." Darlene
dropped it and the head exploded into countless shards on the floor.
Clutching Anri tight to her, Sylvie whispered, "What's happened to you,
Darlene? What's going on?"
"Ah, Madagan," Darlene said in that new voice of hers, smiling
cheerfully. "'Stop her?' 'But don't kill her?' Tsk, tsk, tsk." She waved a
disapproving finger at the still stunned Genom exec who was now around the
same height as her. "The second command is not yours to decide. And the
first... well, let's just say that's going to be really, really,
reeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaalllllly hard to pull off." Reaching down gracefully, she
retrieved her sword. It had slipped from her fingers when the destroyed
Boomer had punched her through the display case. Once grasped in her altered
hand, the sword grew and lengthened to fit her new size.
"What..." Her voice broke so Madagan tried again. "What are you?"
"What am I? Hmmmmmmm. Good question." Darlene waved and suddenly a
mirror appeared beside her, with nothing supporting it. Carefully, she peered
at her reflection, turning one way, then another; smiling, then frowning;
then brushing her long hair back to smile at her new ears. She did a complete
pirouette before making the mirror vanish. Satisfied, she turned back to a
slightly annoyed Madagan. "It appears that I've become an elf," she said,
stating the obvious with a smile. Then her expression hardened, the still
blazing orbs narrowed, and the smile became an extremely wicked and
disturbing smile that showed her teeth a little. Madagan's neck hairs went
straight up.
"And, my dear, right now I am a very, very pissed off elf."
Chapter Twenty-Three
--------------------
Everyone in the store stood still, a moment of indecision shared by all.
The Boomers were unsure of what to do; they waited for Madagan's orders. She
herself was internally debating whether to attack, talk, or just start
running. Sylvie and Anri stayed seated on the floor and continued to stare at
what their friend had become.
But the transformed Darlene acted first.
"Madagan's Downfall, Act II!" she cried gleefully, whipping her sword
level and extended in one hand, pointing at a previously ignored object of
the store. "Cue protector dragon! AWAKEN, CHARCOAL!!"
A solid bolt of intense purple energy in the shape of a double helix
lanced down the mystic blade and roared through the air before hitting the
red draconic statue seated in front of the store's entrance. Coursing lines
of light raced around and within the unliving form when it was struck,
spreading the purple energy into every bit of matter that comprised the
scaled sentinel. Everyone save the grinning Darlene and the Boomers flinched
away from the bright display.
Then it stopped.
For a moment nothing happened.
The tail twitched.
Wings stirred, obviously no longer merely metal.
Suddenly, the head rose as the magical beast stretched its neck from
side to side; Madagan watched in disbelief and stunned horror. Once frozen
eyes blinked slowly, then locked onto the purple-clad form of Darlene, a deep
rumbling purr thrummed almost inaudibly from the beast's throat.
"Yay!!" Darlene cheered enthusiastically, jumping up and throwing her
arms wide, releasing the sword and letting it fly through the air to imbed
itself in a far wall with a loud 'THWOK!!!'. She pointed at the Boomers, and
whooped, "Look, Char! Chew toys! Sic 'em!"
Immediately, the dragon swivelled its head to focus on the blue androids
and roared deafeningly prior to leaping up from the position it had been
crafted into and charging the Boomers. It was unnaturally swift for something
that large and one Boomer was caught in the creature's forearms, claws
digging through weapon resistant armour with little difficulty, before most
of the upper body was bitten off by a vicious chomp of dagger-like teeth.
"Do you like him?" Darlene eagerly asked an ashen Madagan. "He certainly
doesn't play with his food like some kids, but then, maybe he finds Boomers
tasty. I wonder if he'd like Genom executives," Darlene thought about it for
a moment, then shook her head, smiling evilly. "Nah! I want you ALL to
myself."
That did it. Madagan's waning confidence vanished, and she took one step
towards the exit. Then another. Then she broke into a totally panicked dash
for the exit, eyes wide with panic and not looking behind her. Darlene
watched curiously as she raced across the store and, after flinging both
doors open, running away outside.
Meanwhile, the other Boomer had tried its built-in machine guns in the
arms to little effect against the enchanted metallic scales of the red dragon
while it finished off the first Boomer. As the wyrm turned to it, the
Boomer's chest flipped up to reveal the lens array of the heat weapon inside.
Char lunged forwards, mouth gaping wide as lens began to glow. The weapon
fired just before the maw of the beast reached its prey. Unfortunately, the
Boomer did not know something about colors of dragons.
Char was a red dragon.
Red dragons LOOOOVE heat.
The outcome was predictable. The Boomer fired uselessly and Char bit
into the mid-section, whereas the portions above the upper chest and those of
the legs flew away from the region the dragon devoured hungrily. The long
tongue wrapped around the pieces left and drew them into the hungry abyss
awaiting.
As the dragon licked its chops, Darlene ran over and hugged the beast
she had brought to life around the neck. "GOOD boy!" The dragon rumbled in
pleasure. She released the hug and turned towards the fearful sexaroids. The
sight of them staring at her like a stranger changed her mood instantly and
Darlene became morose as she approached.
When they shuffled back slightly, she stopped. "So. Afraid, are you? ARE
YOU?!!" she screamed at the two on the floor as they stared wide-eyed at her.
"Perhaps you should be, perhaps not." Darlene turned away from them, and
stood silently, the slightly shimmering cloak stirring faintly.
"Wha..." Sylvie stopped and swallowed nervously; something was very
wrong here. "What's happened to you, Darlene?! How did you do...?"
"Charcoal? The glass Boomer? Changing into THIS?" She threw her arms
wide still facing away from the two on the floor. "Magic, of course."
"Magic??" Anri and Sylvie chorused, incredulously unbelieving until a
loud snort from the dragon made their disbelief much harder to maintain.
"Yes, but perhaps Wild Magic, as I call that which fills me now, is more
accurate. Behold." Darlene waved one hand and the debris in the store began
to move. In a small hurricane of activity, shattered glass and panelling
swirled in the air before flying into position and merging seamlessly to
repair all the damage to the store. When it was done, Darlene shrugged and
said, "And if that doesn't convince you, even with all the proof you've seen,
this might. Char! Perch!" she imperiously commanded the dragon.
Charcoal the red dragon crouched, wings extending, and leapt into the
air towards Darlene. And shrank, incredibly quickly. By the time it reached
Darlene, wings flapping, the dragon was small enough to land on her right
shoulder comfortably.
Sylvie and Anri had managed to get to their feet and stared at the
diminutive dragon when the magic-user turned to face them. Her burning eyes
discomfited them as the beast chirped, its voice gone higher from the loss of
size.
Suddenly, Darlene's mood changed again and with a laugh she placed a
hand on a shoulder of each sexaroid. "Isn't this neat? I should've told
everyone about my magic, but my spells haven't worked right since I arrived,"
she bubbled excitedly. "That's fixed now, I don't know why but it's true! And
I'm not looking up at your face now! Too bad I didn't know this," she took
her hands off their shoulders and waved at the elfin body, "would happen.
Losing my sanity isn't so bad now, since I suppose this is what I'll look
like naturally in around thirty thousand years. Nice to know, eh?"
Anri couldn't believe her ears. "You mean... you're insane??"
"Sure!" Darlene said brightly. "Couldn't you tell? Hmm. Maybe you
shouldn't answer that." She giggled in an unnerving way. "Of course, there's
still some nagging remnants of my conscience, but don't worry; I'll grow out
of it."
"Darlene, can't you change back?" Sylvie asked desperately.
The elven-looking countenance pouted. "Why should I? I don't NEED to
speak now to cast spells, even though they CAN be fun, and insane I can keep
drawing on more power." Suddenly, Darlene smacked a fist into her palm. "Oh,
yeah! I almost forgot." She looked at her scaled companion. "Go and follow
Madagan. I'll be there soon." The mini-dragon chirped again, and launched
itself from its perch, vanishing mid-air in a poof of fire. "I wouldn't want
to lose her now, oh no, definitely not now," Darlene slyly said to herself.
"Maybe you should stay here until you recover," Sylvie suggested
hurriedly, hoping that her friend wouldn't leave in her current state.
"Stay? Recover?" Darlene narrowed her eyes angrily. "I will go where I
want to! And YOU TWO can stay here!" Jabbing her fingers at the two startled
sexaroids she cast another spell. Sylvie and Anri were suddenly bound with
bands of white light around their legs and pinning arms to their sides.
Conversationally, ignoring the two's startled cries, Darlene went on,
"Stopping now is not my wish, and I don't care what I will feel if I ever
return to normal. Normal! HA! As if I can ever be called THAT anymore."
Looking up, she made a decision, her face for a moment revealing the insane
fury that still raged inside her, and she hissed, "Now I will go hunt and
torment my prey."
Soundlessly, she vanished.
"DARLENE! COME BACK!!" Anri screamed uselessly, struggling in her bonds.
"It's no use. We don't know how to reach her," Sylvie said, testing her
own restraints. She tried hopping and managed to reach the vid-phone. "Maybe
someone else can."
Somehow, after several abortive attempts with a pen in her teeth, she
managed to make a call and Priss' face appeared. "Hello? Sylvie! What the
Hell??" the singer exclaimed when she saw the bonds that held her friend.
"Priss, just listen, please! There's no time. Madagan came and made
Darlene crazy! Now Darlene's a super powerful magician and after Madagan! I
don't think she'll stop at anything! She tied me and Anri somehow then
disappeared."
"Sure...," Priss said warily, staring at the glowing bonds that held the
sexaroid. "This is a joke, right?"
"NO!!!!" Sylvie put all her fear and frustration into her shout. "Hurry,
Priss!! Darlene's gone insane!"
"Okay, okay!" Priss held up her hands in surrender. "I'll call Sylia. I
just hope she doesn't think I'M nuts." The picture blinked out.
Sylvie prayed that too.
Blocks away from the store, Darlene stood alone on a windy rooftop,
smiling faintly. Senses that had become more acute fed her intense, heady
input as newly lengthened hair swirled gently around her, cloak flapping
behind her. She lightly caressed her face with a hand, savouring the intense
new sensations, and smiled wickedly when she stopped.
It was glorious to be free of most of those irritating morals and
restrictions, some half-understood even in her current state, like the liquid
water one. So silly! She had not actually gone against any of them yet, save
perhaps binding those two back at the store, but only because she had not had
opportunity.
Yet.
"It's dark. But not stormy," she critiqued to herself, peering up at the
slightly cloudy sky. "If I'm going to go on a rampage, I simply must have a
storm." Darlene brought her seemingly delicate hands close together and
started the summoning for her thunderstorm. One she would control completely.
"Madagan, I WILL have you," she purred as light formed and pulsed
between her hands, eyes blazing slightly greater from the fury within.
Clouds in the sky above began to gather.
And grow.
"So." Sylia leaned backwards in her chair. After a moment's hesitation,
she reached over and pressed the button that summoned all the Knight Sabers.
Priss hadn't phoned Sylia, she'd decided to bike it and deliver the
message personally. Her leader's reaction wasn't what she had expected.
"You're not taking this seriously, are you, Sylia?" Priss said, her
disbelief evident in her voice. "I mean, come ON. Magic??"
"Very seriously, Priss. While I didn't now exactly HOW, I'd hoped this
wouldn't happen."
Priss spoke very slowly, "You knew about this? This is real?"
Sylia looked away and sighed. "Yes. And as much as I find it hard to
believe...yes, this is all too real. It was because of my reluctance to
accept it that I didn't tell you or the others."
"Oh, perfect! So, not that I really believe any of this, how strong is
she now?!"
"That's what we're going to find out," Sylia grimly answered.
Priss grimaced. "I was afraid you would say that."
Madagan panted heavily, finally catching her breath. It seemed the
nightmare was over. She was in her Genom limo's back seat, which seemed huge
now that the three Boomers that had originally accompanied her were not
seated with her. The vehicle had been ordered away so as not to appear
suspicious, but after her frantic escape, and losing some of her
fear-paralysis, she had used her personal communicator to order the car to
pick her up. The only other Boomer she had left was the driver, not much of
a reassurance after what she had witnessed.
A glass of liquor(she didn't care what it was) was in her hand, half-
full after an attempt to calm her usually solid nerves. Normally she would
not, but this night had been bad, more a nightmare. Her rock-steady world
view had been badly shaken, almost shattered, something she feared more than
death. Still holding the glass, Madagan signalled the chairman over the car's
communication system, hoping he was still in his office.
A screen blinked to life. "Quincy here." The craggy features of the
chairman appeared, then showing faint surprise when he took in her ragged and
dishevelled appearance. "Miss Madagan? What happened to you? You seem
distressed." Madagan's hysterical laughter after that comment did not
dissuade this opinion. "Are you drunk?" he inquired neutrally, seeing the
glass.
Hearing that, she stifled the laughter that threatened to go on forever,
and took a deep breath to calm herself. "No, this is my first glass and I've
only had half. I wish I was at the moment. There was some... difficulty in my
personal activities."
Quincy's face was guarded. "Genom will not be involved, or interfere if
you encounter trouble."
Madagan laughed scornfully, not caring right now how powerful the person
she was talking to was. "Trouble? My God, if only you had seen what I have
tonight. Trouble is mild to what I saw."
"Sooooo correct, Madagan," a syrupy sweet voice spoke from the hidden
communications speaker, interrupting what Quincy began to say as he heard it
too. "The hunt is on, and I'm getting clooooser." Madagan recognized it and
her face went white with shock. A flash of lightning outside the car flashed
briefly.
"Who is that?" Quincy demanded.
"Who am I, puny little moooortals?" Darlene's voice continued in a
teasing tone. "Someone you might not want to meeeeet. Perhaps I'm Armageddon
come at laaaast. And now, Maaaadagan, I'm coming for you." The screen that
contained Quincy's image shattered, ending the call rather firmly.
Far away at Genom tower, Quincy's screen shattered too, much to his
surprise.
Madagan had barely time to draw back from the broken screen when
something else happened.
SSSSSSCCCCCCCCRUNCK-CREEEEEEEEK!!
Her eyes widened in shock as she saw the roof of the limo being ripped
off like a tuna lid, then ducked her head to avoid flying glass. With a final
shriek, the top came loose and flew away, held by something large, powerful,
and scalely. When the sound vanished, Madagan looked up again and could see
the growing storm that hadn't been the sky ten minutes ago; she prayed that
she was wrong about the source of the changing weather. The limo had also
stopped in the middle of the street, the Boomer chauffeur seemed to be having
trouble starting the car. Traffic stopped behind the limo because some had
seen the large dragon tearing the roof off; in front the cars had gone ahead,
having seen the dragon and NOT wanting to stop.
In front was where SHE appeared.
There was an violet aura around Darlene, highlighting her unusual nature
and making her visible to Madagan, as well as to the surprised drivers behind
the stopped limo. A small smile was on her face, calmly standing in the
middle of the street, the growing wind moving her flowing hair around.
Madagan saw alright, and desperately she cried, "DESTROY HER!!"
The remaining Boomer heard and complied. It kicked out the driver's door
while ripping out of the human disguise and stepped out of the car. From all
available input the android assumed the target was an extreme threat, no
normal human could look the way the target did; long distance assault seemed
the best option so it opened its mouth and fired the laser cannon. The beam
was dead on target.
The target CAUGHT the beam.
The Boomer, Madagan, and the assorted drivers behind her, stared.
Still wearing her smile, Darlene impossibly worked the beam of light
with her hands, wrapping it, twisting it, strange squeaking noises somehow
being produced. Finally, she proudly held up the finished result. "Look, a
French poodle!" she pronounced in a strange manner, the dog-like shape the
frozen laser beam had become glowing in her hands. "Now get outta here, kid,
you bother me," she continued in the same tone and tossed the glowing figure
at the Boomer.
As soon as the dog-figurine left her hands, it began to change. Its
balloon-like appendages shifted, becoming more canine, and growing as well.
Halfway to the Boomer, the poodle no longer resembled a cute little doggie;
now it was more like its primitive ancestors, and very realistically at that.
The lean lupin form dropped to the ground, avoiding the warding hands of its
prey and leaped up within the outstretched arms, feet leaving smoking paw
prints in the road.
The azure wolf's jaws reached the Boomer's throat and closed, laser
teeth sizzling easily through and decapitating the cyberdroid neatly before
the canine form exploded in a burst of coherent blue light, melting the
falling android slightly.
Darlene brought up a hand to cover her mouth in mock-dismay. "Oh, my!
That wasn't a French poodle; that was a Siberian timber wolf." She sighed. "I
never was good with identifying species. But," she added as she raised an arm
towards Madagan's transportation, "I definitely know a certain member of the
human branch is about to become extinct." Energy began to gather in her hand
as she aimed for the limo.
Madagan noticed, and frantically opened her door. As she scrambled away
from the limo a... distortion, that was the only thing she could describe it
as, suddenly roared from Darlene's hand, flattening road deeper into the
ground and impacting into the vehicle. Metal was squeezed and kneaded like
bread dough; windows didn't shatter - they popped like soap bubbles; and
rubber tires became rubber spaghetti. The gasoline ignited, but the explosion
blew vertically, like a volcano.
Still, the blast was enough to make the fleeing Genom exec stumble
forward, but not enough to stop her. Madagan didn't look back, she couldn't
look back, she had to run, she had to get away. And did so by turning at the
intersection the limo had just passed and continuing to run down the sidewalk
of another street.
The elven-looking magic user watched her disappear around the corner.
"I've got your scent now, Madagan; you can't get away," she said silkily, and
began walking to pursue. The aura disappeared, but the spectators that had
gathered drew away as she approached, having seen what the stranger had
mysteriously done and fearful of her still-glowing eyes.
"Damn Boomer," someone muttered quietly, but Darlene's newly keen ears
heard it. She immediately stopped and pivoted to face the source of the
comment. The crowd melted away as the person who had uttered the comment
froze in sudden fear, realizing he had been heard.
Darlene gave the man a curious look; he appeared to be a business man as
he was in a moderately-expensive suit. "I am no Boomer, mortal," she said,
playing the role of Angry Elf to the hilt. "Could a Boomer do this?" she
inquired, smiling.
Instantly the man found most of his body constricted and weighted down.
Panicked, he looked down and found, to his great surprise and amazement, that
it was his suit that was doing it; For it had become solid yellow, shining
GOLD. The man gave a startled yelp and found himself trying to keep his
balance. He toppled over hard, unable to do so.
"Maybe I should've included him as well," Darlene mused aloud as the
crowd gasped and ahhed. Brightly, she turned around with a smile that held
some malice within it. "Sure! Does anyone else want to volunteer? I'll try
stainless steel this time." She advanced, hands outstretched and pulsing with
a disturbing light.
The crowd paused, then some woman screamed and that started everyone
running away in a panic from the insane magic-user. The street was soon
deserted.
"Everyone's a critic," Darlene pouted, letting hands drop down to her
sides. Then she remembered Madagan and started off again.
"Hey!" The man screamed from his golden prison, struggling. "You're not
leaving me like this, are you?!"
As she left the area, Darlene turned her head and called out. "Sorry!
Places to explode, people to play with! Someone should come along soon. Ta!"
And then she too disappeared around the corner Madagan had run around.
"But I'll miss my dinner meeting!!" the man cried, but knew it was
futile. Sighing, he let his head drop to the pavement, depressed and
wondering when help would arrive. None too soon, he suspected dismally.
He cheered himself by figuring out how much his suit was now worth.
Chapter Twenty-Four
-------------------
"Hey, Leon!"
"Hmm?" Leon looked up and saw his partner heading his way with an odd
expression on his face. "Hey, Daley. What's up?"
"There's a disturbance downtown and our two squads have been ordered to
mobilize."
Looking carefully at Daley's face, Leon asked, "Why do I get the feeling
this isn't the usual Boomer crisis?"
"Come on. I'll tell you on the way."
"Sure," Leon said uneasily, getting out from his chair. Whenever his
partner got like this it meant something REALLY strange, and potentially
lethal, was going on.
As they walked down halls, Daley elaborated.
"The normal cops encountered it... her a half hour ago when a patrol car
was heading towards a reported disturbance. A woman, not the perp, stopped
the car by standing right in its path. When the cops got out, they found she
was frightened out of her wits and was running for her life. They tried to
find out what she was running from, but she kept insisting that they get her
away from the area, immediately." He paused as he pushed the button for the
elevator.
"They found out why quickly enough as the reason the woman was so scared
arrived. Leon, it was an elf." The elevator door opened and Daley stepped
inside, Leon almost didn't make it as he had been so startled by the news.
"An elf?!?" he said disbelievingly. "Some bizarre kind of 33-S you
mean?"
"No, I mean your Tolken-style, magical kind of elf. This is too weird
for a Boomer, Leon. She turned the patrol car into Jell-O."
"A new type of weapon?"
"Leon, I mean she TURNED the car into REAL Jell-O! Strawberry flavor, I
hear." His partner stared at him. "The elf did this after the cops tried to
warn her to stay away. Understandably, this spooked them just a bit."
"I'm not having this conversation." Leon seemed to be having a headache
and put a hand on his forehead. Daley looked on sympathetically. "I'm
dreaming this, aren't I?"
"No such luck." The elevator doors opened and they exited.
"So what happened then?" Leon asked with a sigh, giving in to Daley's
weird tale.
"The other woman started running again and left while the elf was
occupied with the cops. Oh, we've IDed her as a Genom executive; Kate
Madagan. The woman, not the elf. Very highly placed too. Maybe Genom has been
stealing fairy treasure and leprechaun gold." Daley grinned for the first
time since he got Leon from his desk.
"Just tell me what happened, please?" Leon asked in a pained voice.
"Well, the two officers pulled out their guns and told the elf to stop
where she was. The elf apparently considered this and told THEM to stop. And
they did."
"Huh?"
Daley gave him a sober look. "They were stopped until the next patrol
car came along and saw the two. The elf was nowhere in sight. Like statues,
the new officers described them, until one was touched and almost blew away
the guy who poked him. It was like no time had passed between confronting the
elf and coming to. The other guy was woken up to corroborate stories."
Leon saw where this was heading. "So when their superiors heard about
this they figured it must be a Boomer and got ADPolice on the case?" The
resignation in his voice told Daley that he already knew this as inevitable
fact, due to the stupidities of the upper command.
"Bingo."
"You never get bored in this city," Leon sighed, shaking his head.
"Alright, let's go arrest this...elf."
"Maybe she'll give us three wishes when we catch her," Daley said
cheerfully.
Leon snorted and had to smile. "I'll believe it when I see it with my
own eyes."
"You have no imagination, Leon."
"Hey! Of course I do. Just ask any girl I've dated."
"I rest my case." Daley chuckled at the glare Leon gave him.
Darlene laughed loudly and threw her sword again.
It became akin to a blazing comet, the Dragonsword at its core, and tore
through four parked cars, making them explode like firecrackers. It
disappeared in flight and reappeared in the insane magic-user's hand once
more. She had begun blowing up objects on the road and sometimes stores as
well with it after her encounter with those funny cops, whom she hadn't seen
again for some reason. It kept the road clear (evacuated) for her and Madagan
to continue their stroll through downtown. The Genom exec was quite a
distance away on the road, but that didn't matter much; Darlene could always
catch up. It really was a shame that Madagan seemed to be approaching the end
of her endurance.
The storm above was truly a pleasure to see. Black thunderclouds looked
like onyx chased with gold from all the lightning churning within, energy
ready to be unleashed, held in check only by her power.
Time for a withdrawal. She pointed at a still-intact car up ahead.
"Zap!" Darlene commanded.
The clouds above responded adroitly and one of Zeus' thunderbolts came
to earth, striking the vehicle squarely. The flash of billions of volts
outlined everything in sharp relief milliseconds before the shockwave created
by the flash-heated air shattered windows within the immediate vicinity.
"Glorious!" Darlene exulted as the smited car burned and glass settled
to the ground.
Something landed behind her.
Whirling around, Darlene saw who had come... and frowned.
The Knight Sabers had arrived, standing in front of her. Priss and Nene
stepped back in shock when their transformed friend turned around, unprepared
for the amazing metamorphosis that the former red-head had undergone.
"Darlene, what are you doing?" Sylia demanded calmly, voice not
betraying the nervousness she felt after seeing Darlene call down the
lightning bolt. She was also shocked at how many changes had been wrought
upon the young person she knew; such dramatic alterations should not have
been possible, but the glowing eyes looking in her direction reminded Sylia
of the power Darlene claimed to possess when female. A power which could not
be disbelieved now.
"Doing?" The road slightly behind Darlene bulged upwards, higher,
transmuting into new material, and quickly forming into an ornate throne upon
which the elven-liking woman sat gracefully. "A little hunting, but
remodelling mostly. You like?" She waved at all the destruction around her.
"Oh yes, and my new looks too! Are they the real me?" The earnest smile she
gave them didn't look very sane.
Strangled noises could be heard coming from Priss as Sylia debated her
next reply. Apparently the singer's opinion on magic being make-believe was
not standing up well to Darlene's display.
"Sylia..." Nene whispered pleaded over the private radio link they all
shared, fearful for her friend. "What's happened to Darlene? Is that really
HER?"
"And how did she change the road to GOLD and GEMS???" Linna added on the
same channel, referring to the throne newly formed on the street.
"Yes, how DID I manage that?" Darlene interjected from where she sat,
appearing very interested in Sylia's response, startling them at her ability
to hear their encoded transmissions. Then she frowned, puzzled. "Hey, where
IS Linna?" she said, finally noticing the absence of the green hardsuit.
"NOW!!" Sylia barked.
Before Darlene could say another word a powerful stream of water from a
nearby roof struck her squarely on the head, drenching her as Linna carefully
aimed the stream of hot water at the seated mage from the pressurized tank
they had brought. She turned off the water quickly knowing she had hit her
friend and leaped down to the street below.
But the hot water had not done the job Sylia had thought it should have
done. Darlene's hair was plastered flat with water, allowing the pointed ears
to be seen, and she glared balefully at the Sabers like a wet cat, unaltered
by the hot water.
"What?" Priss said disbelievingly. "What the hell went wrong?"
Suddenly, despite the water attack, Darlene's mood turned cheerful.
"Nice try, Sabers, but I suppose I'm too weighted down with power to change
now: the balance of power is tipped too far at the moment." She waved and a
powerful gust of hot air dried her off swiftly. When Nene and Linna started,
she grinned, "I can do some really neat things now, if you hadn't noticed.
Magical things.
"And I guess I should answer the question as to what happened to me.
Before I would have been very upset by current developments; now I don't give
a damn." Her fists clenched as her face reflected the inner fury that had
burned inside since it had blazed into existence. "Damn that Madagan!" she
spat furiously, eyes flashing as thunder from above echoed her exclamation.
"Invading my home, threatening, TAUNTING me and my friends! This time will be
the LAST!" Fists slammed down on the arms of the throne and it shattered into
dust as Darlene propelled herself up, energy crackling around her and playing
havoc with reality. It winked out a moment later and she smiled once more.
"But I'm getting off topic."
"And scaring the shit out of me," Priss muttered.
Darlene heard but pretended not to hear the comment. "My spells, other
than enchantment of objects, have been acting strangely since I arrived,
that's fixed now by the way, so I didn't tell anyone because I didn't want to
risk losing my friends because magic might've stretched friendship a bit.
Especially after not telling anyone for so long. But I got so angry with
MADAGAN," she clenched her teeth and continued, "that I reached for power I
didn't know I could possess. And I got it! Unfortunately, my younger body had
to compensate for power it couldn't handle so I involuntarily aged to a point
where my body COULD handle it. This," she waved at herself, "is what I guess
I will look like somewhere around thirty to forty thousand years from now. I
can FEEL that's the right answer. However, while my body could age, my mind
couldn't cope and so my sanity broke into little bitty pieces." She paused in
reflection, then laughed. "It's SO much more fun now not worrying about
consequences."
"And can you become sane again? What will happen then?" Sylia queried,
even now staying calm.
The elven brow furrowed momentarily in concern, then cleared. "Who
cares? I don't, even though I suspect my sanity still has a weak hold on me.
Why should I care?"
"Get rid of the damn power before you do something you REALLY regret
later, you dumb ditz!" Priss shouted furiously.
"Please, yes! Get rid of it!" Nene pleaded.
Everything became silent.
Softly, gently, Darlene whispered, "You don't understand what I can do
now, can you, Priss?" She appeared to quiver for a moment before stilling
again.
"Priss, don't...!" Sylia warned, too late.
"Yeah?? What CAN you do?" Priss demanded angrily.
The silence came again.
The elven mage whispered, "Char, take her for a wild ride. As for the
others... playtime begins." With that said, Darlene vanished.
"Wait!" Sylia shouted, but it was far too late.
"Char?" Linna said, confused. "Say, isn't that her store's drag..."
rrrrrrrooooooOOOOOOOAAAAAARRRRRRR!!!!!
Startled, Priss was suddenly propelled upwards by an expanding, scaly
neck, the other three Sabers were shoved backwards by the growing form that
was attached to it.
"YAAAAA!!!!" Priss shouted at the top of her lungs by the totally
unexpected act. She tried to get off immediately, but found... "I'm stuck! I
can't get off!!"
"That IS Char!" Nene said from the ground, staring at the impossibly
alive dragon. "The statue in Darlene's store that Priss hits all the time."
Charcoal snorted, startled by the news, then growled low.
"I think it can understand you, Nene," Linna warily said.
"Oh, THANKS!" Priss said sarcastically, frantically clutching for a
handhold. "Remind it about that, why don't you!"
Wings snapped out and the wyrm crouched, a draconic chuckle emerging
from its throat.
"Oh no," Priss said with dawning dread. If Darlene made this thing, it
might have her sense of humor. Which meant... "Oh, godDAMN!! Get me off! GET
ME OFF!!!" she cried frantically.
Too late.
Steely muscles launched the mighty form, and its unwilling passenger,
into the air before any of the others could react. Rising into the stormy sky
far faster than mere physics could account for, Char the newly awakened
dragon got ready to give his rider the ride of a lifetime. And unlike
rollercoasters, he didn't have to stay on a earth-bound track.
This was going to be fun!
Sylia watched in frustration as she watched the two fly off. She tried
getting a response from Priss but the unwilling dragon rider did not answer,
something was blocking the singer's communications. There was no way they
could catch that thing by themselves. They had to find Darlene and somehow
bring her back to her senses, but how could...
"Ah, Sylia, either I'm having a nightmare," Linna said, interrupting her
thoughts, "or did I really see Darlene transformed into an elf, itching for
Madagan's blood, and a dragon carry off Priss?"
"If you're dreaming this then so am I and I don't CARE right now!" Nene
said. "We've got to find Darlene and tell her to stop!"
"Priss tried that method already," Sylia dryly said. "The results were
somewhat disappointing and, unfortunately, hot water does not appear to
change her in her current form."
"We've got to try SOMETHING!" Nene cried, frustrated.
"Playtime..." something whispered eerily.
The three women froze.
"Playtime... playtime.... playtime..." echoed several more voices.
The three Knight Sabers gathered back-to-back, quickly scanning the area
but not seeing what was making the noise.
"Sylia..." Linna nervously muttered.
"Shh!"
Suddenly, stirring began in many spots on the street. Wreckage from
cars, shattered pavement, moved into several places where the pieces joined
a growing blob of material. Large growing blobs of material. As the three
Knight Sabers watched, the blobs formed amorphous arms and legs, with a
baldish head on top. There were fifteen blobs in all and their features grew
more defined as they suddenly shuddered into walking towards the Knight
Sabers.
"What are those things?" Nene fearfully asked.
"How should WE know??" Linna retorted.
With a final, violet flash the monsters were completed and the ten-foot
tall monstrosities advanced upon the staring Sabers.
"Is this a JOKE?!?" Sylia burst out, recognizing the figures.
Blades sang as they sprouted out from pudgy purple fingers.
"I don't think so," Linna answered her.
"I'm beginning to favor Priss' opinion on Darlene's sense of humor,"
Sylia growled, truly annoyed at the ridiculous sight.
"Why's that, Sylia?" Nene innocently responded.
"You really don't want to know..."
Just before they attacked, the terrible creatures began singing, "I love
you, you love me, we're a happy family..."
"After this, I'm going to have a long talk with that girl," Sylia
promised grimly.
"Actually, they look kinda cute, besides the knives that is," Nene
observed.
"Please, Nene. Just get ready."
The Boomer Barneys waddled forth.
Chapter Twenty-Five
-------------------
"Hey, Lady."
Madagan jerked her head up from the cup of coffee she had been staring
at and looked fearfully at the man who had spoken.
Leon sighed, then smiled reassuringly. "Relax, okay? You're safe now."
[Author's note: Yaright!]
Madagan blankly looked at him for a few seconds, then closed her eyes
and shook her head. Taking a deep breath, she struggled to regain some
measure of calm. After doing so she opened her eyes and saw a relieved Leon
waiting for her reply. "I... Thank you," she managed.
"You're welcome. Normally I'm not the world's greatest Genom fan, but
I'm not one to kick someone when they're down. Especially in the state you
seemed to be in when you ran into our barricade." Leon's face conveyed his
sympathy. He frowned up at the flashing sky. "I'd've helicoptered you out of
here but this weird storm makes me leery."
"SHE'S making the storm," Madagan said, absolute conviction in her voice
as well as a slight tremor of fear. "No wind, no rain, a dead calm when a
storm that big should be blowing like a hurricane. Her doing."
Leon looked at her uneasily but couldn't refute her claims; the storm
WAS acting very oddly. Damned unnatural, in fact. "I didn't need to hear
that. I really didn't." He sighed. "What did you DO to make this...elf," Leon
still couldn't believe he was saying that, "so damn mad at you?"
"I threatened and injured her on her home ground without knowing what
she was." That Madagan admitted this was an indication of how rattled she
was, a fact not lost on Leon who knew top execs of Genom would rather die
than admit something like this. Which meant this elf had terrified her
through the normally invulnerable Genom superiority complex something fierce.
"Now she wants me," she sobbed, composure cracking again. "All because I
wanted to know more about the Crystal Knight!"
"The Crystal Knight? How does he..."
"LEON!!" Daley shouted from the front of the barricade. "She's HERE!"
Madagan jerked violently, spilling coffee.
Pointing at her, Leon barked an order to one of his men. "Watch her and
keep her safe." Then he went to see what all the fuss was about. He weaved
through the gawking men in from of him until he pushed through to his
partner's side. When he registered the sight he saw twenty feet away from the
barricade, he stared in amazement.
The elf had fists on hips, cloak draped over each bent elbow to provide
a background for the image she projected. Her lithe-looking figure, revealed
by the form-fitting clothing worn, and delicate face that her purple hair
framed, belied the power that shone from her eyes. She appeared quite amused
by the formidable mass of ADPolice and equipment that was arrayed before her.
All in all, the elven figure was quite a sight, and very different from the
brutish variety of Boomers they usually faced.
Leon spoke to an officer standing beside him who wore an infra-red scope
that identified Boomers. "Is she a Boomer?"
The man checked his scope, then checked again. Extremely confused, the
officer replied, "Sir, my scope's reading looks like a video game; the words
'NICE EFFORT, TRY AGAIN' is all I can read."
"On an INFRA-RED scope??" The elf's musical laughter told Leon that;
one, as crazy as it sounded the elf was responsible; two, she could hear them
easily for the timing was too good; and three, she had a really nice laugh.
"So, you can hear me?" he inquired, addressing the mysterious being beyond
the blockade.
"Oh, I can hear you quite well," was the elf's clear response, even more
unnerving because she had not shouted but sounded more like she was standing
right beside Leon.
Leon rubbed his forehead, then looked at Daley. "Y'know, you can take
over any time here," he offered.
"Feeling the solid ground of reality slipping away, huh, Leon?"
After giving Daley a sour look, he turned to address the elf. "I'm
afraid I have to arrest you for destruction of public and police property as
well as disrupting the peace."
The elf cocked her head. "Oh, really?"
KA-TOOM!
The ADPolice officers were unprepared for bolt of lightning that struck
the road a few blocks away behind the elf, temporarily blinding Daley, Leon,
and those officers not wearing their flash-protectors, used for seeing when
laser bolts are flying around you. The roaring thunder didn't help either.
KA-TOOM! KA-TOOM! KATOOMKATOOMKATOOMKATOOMKATOOMKATOOM!!!!
One after the other, electrons ripped through the atmosphere to strike
the earth below. Each one getting closer and closer to the barricade until
the final one struck just behind the one who called the lightning.
KA-TOOOOOM!!!!!!!!!!!
Silence.
Slowly, realizing the fireworks were over and hearing his ears ring a
little from the loud percussions, Leon peered over his arm and gaped a little
before a grim feeling stole over him. The street beyond the elf was
multi-cratered and glass from broken windows littered the ground. And there
was positively no way that it could have been a natural occurrence.
Absolutely unaffected by the destruction that she had summoned, the elf
seemed to be gazing right at Leon and was no longer smiling.
"It is a time when magic is more powerful then science, and only those
who control the magic control destiny. They... are DEFINITELY not you!" She
snorted contemptuously. "Arrest me? What a joke! But then, ADPolice IS a
joke, isn't it?" she sneered. "I tire of this hunt. Where is Madagan?"
Leon waved his hand in a negative gesture. "You're not getting her,
whoever you are. And unless you surrender, I'll have no other option but to
use heavy force." He ignored the incredulous stare Daley was giving him.
The elf blinked in astonishment. "Surrender? To you?"
"Yes."
She paused, then smiled happily. "Okay," the elf decided brightly.
It took Leon a moment for her response to register. "What?" he said.
"You mean you...surrender?" Eyes bright, literally and figuratively, the elf
nodded the affirmative. "O...kay," he said dubiously, wondering if this elf
had been hitting the flower nectar a little too heavily. "Bochinski!
Wadderson! Go escort her here," he ordered two of his men, who hesitantly
began walking towards the purple-colored figure.
Under his breath, Kennith Wadderson swore quietly. "Why do we have to
bring in this bitch?" he muttered to himself. He had been offended by what
the elf had called ADPolice so he did not relish this task, beautiful as the
elf was. A sudden crackling sound drew his attention and he froze, as did
Bochinski.
The elf was glaring murderously at Ken and her anger was palpable.
"Bitch?" she hissed between clenched teeth, energy spitting around her hands.
Kennith swallowed; she had heard!
"If you've killed us, Wadderson, I'm not going to forgive you," said his
fellow officer and friend beside him, beginning to back away.
He hadn't gone one step back when the elf moved with inhuman speed and
grasped an arm on each man. Her grip was unshakable, not that either would
have much time to attempt to break free.
The elf laughed maliciously, and before anybody could react she intoned,
"So bitch it is, so bitch I see,
but split in twain, I give to thee,
one so fair and one so fleet,
forever now my spell complete!!"
Releasing their arms, her hands drew back slightly and then lanced
forwards, blazing with intense purple fire, to strike both men's chests
simultaneously with incredible force. Both men screamed as they were flung
back through the air towards the barricade. Every cell in their bodies felt
like they were on fire and agony was all they knew before losing
consciousness. Their comrades behind the barricade caught them and two groups
of bodies fell to the ground, the two out-cold officers in top.
"I've changed my mind," the elf said flatly. "Bring me Madagan!"
"Dammit!" Leon swore and turned around. "Are the men suited up?" Seeing
another's nod, he shouted. "Okay then! Apprehend the elf!"
"Do you think we're in trouble?" Daley asked as he came up beside Leon.
"Hell, yes," Leon sourly answered. "The only reason I didn't order the
men to shoot was that it might've pissed her off more. You'd better get our
guest out of here while the suits distract her." He turned to look at the
waiting elf. "That's about all we can manage with anybody who can make storms
and call lightning at will. Better go."
"Right." Daley nodded and went to collect the Genom exec.
"NO!!" roared the elf, having heard every word. Suddenly, her sword
appeared in her hands and gripping the hilt, drove the blade halfway into the
street. Mild shockwaves radiated outwards from the point of impact, and died.
Then the tremors began again.
ADPolice officers stepped back as sections of the other three streets
that the intersection the barricade was positioned at burst up from the
ground. Higher and higher the stone walls grew until they topped twenty feet.
Some officers saw that sewer manholes had disappeared, others noticed the
buildings around them now had whole windows again. The glass would prove to
be unbreakable.
"No," repeated the elf more calmly, pulling the sword easily out from
the ground. "My walls will not fall. She is mine." And, with a peculiar smile
on her lips, she said, "And Madagan will come to me now."
Madagan looked up at the worried Daley as he looked around at the stone
barriers. Something was wrong; she could feel it despite her fear. As she
strove to find out what, she suddenly found herself being restrained by the
red-haired Daley.
"Hey, now! It's better if you stay here."
"What?? I didn't... I..." Madagan was confused, she hadn't stood up and
yet she was standing! Her legs tried to move forwards again, pushing a
surprised Daley back, and her eyes widened in sudden panic. "I'm not doing
this!"
"Urgh... Could've fooled... me," Daley grunted out, trying to keep her
back and failing.
"I'm not in control! She's bringing me to her!" she cried out, helpless
to stop herself.
"I could use some help here!" Daley demanded politely and several men
hurried over to help. They succeeded in dragging her back, but it was
impossible to get her off her feet and it was getting harder to hold her.
Leon rubbed his eyes and looked again at the scene before him.
Yes, it was still the same.
Unfortunately.
After the last little display, the suits had gone out; now two were out
and the third in the process of doing so. The first had been disabled, oh
hell, DESTROYED, when the elf had blown a kiss!! at it. The suit had behaved
like a puddle of water when someone blows on it; it had SPLASHED, that was
the only word that seemed to fit, away from its startled operator, leaving
him to run back to the safety of the barricade. Puddles of the liquefied
metal still pooled on the ground.
The second had swung a fist at the elf. Leon had thought she would dodge
but she had just stood there, smiling. When it hit her shoulder, the elf
didn't budge an inch, but a network of cracks had raced up the fist, arm, and
body, making the suit crumble apart into tiny fragments.
The third she was playing with using that damned sword of hers. Slicing
away bits and pieces every time she swung. The nimble elf was far too fast
for the bulky suit to even come close to catching her; it wasn't going to
last long.
"But she hasn't killed anyone yet," Leon mused.
"Yes, sir. The two she seemed to fry are... fine," reported an officer
with a little hesitation.
"Bochinski?"
"He's come around and making jokes about frying pans."
"Wadderson?"
The officer hesitated. "She's still out."
This discrepancy took a second to sink in. "Did you say 'she'??"
"Yes, sir." Seeing Leon's stare, he explained, "We were surprised as
hell but when we took off the helmet...you could DEFINITELY tell." He shook
his head. "Wadderson wasn't the prettiest guy around, but now... Hair color,
face, body, EVERYTHING'S changed. There's not much left of the old him that
I could tell." The officer coughed. "Some of the more...ah...macho troops
were really tempted, but I suggested it might be catching, and that could be
true, I guess."
"He...she's THAT pretty?" The officer's emphatic nod made Leon sigh.
"Good work. If anything happens I'll have that person's balls. And the
elf..."
"Nobody's going to say the b-word for a while." Despite the situation
the officer had to smile at Leon's snort.
"Smart. Very smart." He turned around just in time to see the last suit
jerk to a stop, and the pilot bail out, the elf merrily cut up what was left.
She finally stopped and faced the barricade, crooning, "Maaaadagan.
Coooome to me."
Behind Leon there was a startled shout, and then the hapless Madagan
came striding through the front line officers like they weren't even there.
With a curse, Leon ran after her, heedless of his own safety. "Stop!"
As Madagan finally came to her, Darlene-elf smiled in triumph. Still,
she heard Leon's demand and an idea sprang into her head. "Stop? That's still
a good idea!" Clapping her hands together, she cried, "STOP!"
Dead silence descended, save that of Madagan's steps and Leon's strides.
The helpless exec stopped right in front of the angry elvish mage, Leon
arrived a second later. "What...what did you do?" he demanded, panting.
"I stopped everything...by speeding US up," Darlene answered cheerfully.
"Now, no one will interfere."
Leon whipped his head around and saw that she spoke the grim truth. His
men were as still as statues. Someone had even tossed a gun to someone and
now it hung in mid-air, motionless. A sinking, helpless feeling could be felt
in his stomach; that made him angry and he stepped in front of a surprised
Madagan.
"Look, will you just go back to wherever you came from? I'm not going to
let you hurt her."
"She's from Genom! She's an enemy!" Darlene spat out.
"Don't you have other enemies to fight, dammit?!"
"Other..." Darlene drew back, and thought about this new idea. Her eyes
widened. "You're right! How could I be so forgetful! So blind!"
"What??"
"I'll take care of Malkon, then Genom, and THEN destroy Madagan! I
should've gotten my priorities straight." She shook her head sadly. "Ah,
terrible that I let my mind get so distracted. Now, how shall I do it...?"
Ignoring them, Darlene looked down and put a hand on her chin, deep in
thought.
The other two stared at her. "Who IS this person?" Leon demanded crossly
to himself and Madagan, not expecting an answer.
Surprisingly, Madagan gave him one. "She is...or was...an art store
owner. Red-headed, much shorter, and..."
Leon hadn't gotten his rank for nothing, and he figured it out when she
mentioned red-headed. "Darlene?!?!" he blurted out, shocked. Madagan stared
at him when he spoke her tormentor's name.
The transformed Darlene looked up at him curiously. "Yes, Leon? Oh, you
found out? Like the new look?" Seeing him speechless, she shrugged and went
back to her deep contemplations.
"That's... Darlene??" he managed to say. Madagan stared at him
disbelievingly.
"You know her??"
"Apparently not as well as I thought," Leon said uncertainly, wondering
how he should react in this situation.
"She's insane!"
"And who made her that way?" he said, turning around and glaring at the
exec, suspecting the answer.
Madagan guiltily looked away at Leon's fierce stare, hating herself for
doing so.
"Right!" Darlene's shout startled them both out of their argument. She
was facing away from them and pointing her hands at the remnants of the
ADPolice suits she had demolished. "Gather," she commanded, and all the
pieces of three suits shifted or flew into a growing mass of circuits and
armour. "Coalesce," was her next command and the mass responded, merging and
mixing the components of three powered suits into one. "Transformation," and
now her hands began to burn with purple fire as the mass became a humanoid
figure fifteen feet tall. Massive weapons grew on the arms and nasty looking
blades formed on most parts of the body. It still appeared like someone could
pilot the thing inside but now it seemed to be attaining a malevolent life of
its own. Leon was suddenly reminded of the D.D.
"EMPOWERMENT!" Darlene finished triumphantly and a beam of roaring
purple fire shot from her hands, striking her new creation and stopped after
a few seconds of this, then she lowered her hands. The glass for the unneeded
operator glowed a purple so deep it looked black.
Darlene's wicked smile was triumphant. "Wild magic burns through your
circuits now. HE will have trouble with you because of that, or so I sense.
You are destruction! Awaken when you arrive in his domain! GO!" Her sharp
command created a portal underneath the huge creation and it fell into the
rift. Then the rift vanished.
"One down, two to go," she said, pleased with herself
"Wh..where did you send that thing?" Leon stammered slightly, still
shaken by the sight he had seen.
"You REALLY don't want to know, Leon. It's a very warm place," Darlene
said with a giggle. A white light grew in one of her hands. "Now for Genom.
Starting with the main tower."
"NO!!" Madagan rushed around a startled Leon and with both hands grabbed
the arm that held whatever spell Darlene had created for Genom. "DON'T!" she
cried, trying to keep the mage from throwing her spell.
"Too late." The light vanished and Madagan stared helplessly at where it
had been. "Want to know what it will do? It will slowly disintegrate the
tower from top to bottom, growing in power as it goes," Darlene calmly
informed her. "It might take a week. You opened Pandora's box when you made
me angry enough to reach, unprepared, for the power I now wield and making me
insane." She cocked her head curiously. "I see that my conscience must be
getting weaker, for the spell will disintegrate people as well if they touch
the spell's area of effect as it spreads." Then, Darlene slowly focused her
glowing eyes on the Genom exec.
"And now it's YOUR turn, Madagan."
Madagan's eyes widened in sudden fear, realizing now how dangerously
close she was. She tried to get away, but Darlene's free arm came around and
trapped the woman close to her with a deceptively powerful arm. Madagan
struggled futilely.
"Wait!!"
Darlene looked up, mildly peeved to be interrupted. "What is it now,
Leon?"
"Don't kill her," Leon said, holding up a hand as if to restrain her.
"I've been around and talked with you enough times to know that this isn't
like you. You'll regret it if you do this."
Her eyes blazed at him. "Do you think I CARE right now?"
"Do you?" he asked simply.
"Do I...?" It startled her, not so much the question but the hesitation
she felt. Darlene had thought that such matters were beyond her now.
Something deep within disagreed. The thing she had sent to Malkon's and the
spell for Genom tower had been relatively impersonal and so she hadn't felt
any hesitation. This, however, was not. She looked at her captive and saw the
fear in those eyes. Madagan had no chance at all, not as she was now.
Despite that, and seeing her captor's sudden internal struggle,
Madagan's fear perversely firmed into determination. "Kill me then," she said
calmly, feeling comforted with self-confidence returned.
Little things can trigger major reactions, and Madagan had unwittingly
found the correct response for the situation. Darlene blankly looked at
Madagan's calm acceptance of the inevitable; she sensed it was no deception
and now her instincts were always true. They were actually HELPED by her
unstable state of mind but they WERE true. It was how she felt this was what
she would look like in around thirty thousand years, and how she was casting
complex spells without rhymes when she wanted.
"I... You..." For the first time since the transformation there was a
strain, sweat began beading on her forehead from the internal conflict.
"Kill... YES! NO!" She released Madagan and clutched her head from the
conflicting desires within. Eyes shut, breathing raggedly, Darlene staggered
back.
Madagan merely stood, watching and waiting; her fate would be decided on
what happened next. The strange fey mood still gripped her.
"I have power... unready!....too much....what..." Fire began to ignite
all over Darlene's body, the same purple energies that filled her within now
openly revealed. The speed-up spell broke and they returned to normal time,
the officers in the barricade shouting at Darlene's blazing form. "Power...
no...power go. Power go," she said in a rising voice, louder, more pleading.
The flames grew higher and the ground around her began to glow.
Leon saw this and rushed forwards to grab a calm Madagan, then together
they ran for the barricade. He had a feeling something big was about to
happen.
"Power go. Power go! Power GO! GO! GO!" Darlene jerked her fists above
her head and screamed, "LEAVE ME!!!!!"
What happened next wasn't as loud or as bright as the lightning strikes
before, but in it's own way more powerful and frightening. A column of fiery,
purple energy appeared where Darlene stood, tearing apart the road around
her. All the energy that she had held within herself, and kept full by
constant drawing, was released in all its raw untamed force into the sky. It
streaked heavenward, until, by its own existence, ripped a hole into the
Void. People on the ground that saw the rip immediately turned away,
disoriented greatly as they were unable to comprehend or witness the utter
blankness of the Void while in their own reality. Eventually, all the raw
energy left into the rift, which immediately closed with nothing left to
sustain it.
The still transformed Darlene gave one last soul-wrenching cry and
collapsed to the ground, weeping.
The storm, held at bay for so long by the power she had wielded, finally
unleashed its fury and instantly a windy downpour began drenching the city of
Mega-Tokyo; as if the storm was crying with the mage who had regained her
senses at last.
Knowing the damage she had done and all the near-deaths she had ALMOST
caused, Darlene desperately wished she hadn't.
IN A REGION OF HELL...
Malkon frowned and looked up from the tome he had been studying, sitting
in his favorite chair of skulls, sensing something odd. Something had just
invaded his realm, something that felt very disturbing to the arch-demon.
Sighing, he closed the volume bound in green reptile scales and sent it back
to its place in his library of magic with a murmured command. That done, he
gestured and vanished from his study room.
He emerged at a far corner of his personal domain and witnessed
something making Hell even more hellish than it already was, it was
destroying objects and demons alike with careless abandon. Fifteen feet tall
and bristling with physical and magical power it appeared to be some strange
type of metal golem.
The arch-demon smiled; it had been a few years after the trouble with
that mortal(or immortal; Malkon still wasn't sure) Twister and he discovered
he welcomed a chance to flex his magical might. After all, it was only an odd
type of golem.
What threat could it possibly pose him
| Twister (also known as Darren Steffler ;)
| e-mail at twister@tendo-dojo.ranma.net
| Big Heapum Fan of: Ranma 1/2, Bubblegum Crisis, Dirty Pair, Gundam, and
| the rest of the known anime universe.