Hullo there Sparks!
Oh my goodness that last post was a mess. A half-finished intro and prev/next and no working links… Sorry about that. I’ve had… issues. Sick kids mostly, first the flu, which did the rounds, and then a stomach bug doing the same, and school and paperwork and ugh… I promise I will do better with this one. At least the story part was almost perfect.
So far my system works like this. I write the story part in a separate window until I’m happy with it, then copy/paste the section into my blank and schedule a few days away so I have a deadline then fill in the missing extra details before the scheduled posting but I got a little behind with the last one and didn’t get around to finishing it off. Apologies… but they say, done is better than perfect. Even though that one wasn’t exactly done… Nevermind.
I’ve been wondering what happened to Ratio Bradbornuis from Startle Magazine. I can’t even tag them anymore and I miss their memes and the Meme Wars between them and
. I know it’s probably not my business, and I don’t need details, but if anybody knows, anything, do drop it in the comments for me, okay?As for the story… Last time, Misty ran away and then into some trouble, and Logan wasn’t doing too well after Elle showed him what for. Luke’s reputation is down the drain too.
INDEX | Chapter 7 | Scenes 1 & 2 | Scenes 3 & 4 | Next Scene → Coming soon.
Previously: Misty does not take kindly to Logan’s invitation to be interrogated a second time and at long last lets her anger out. After beating Logan to a pulp she runs away and gets to be free, for at least a little while before running into some trouble.
I hang there for a moment, considering why they might think I am in some kind of vessel. Come to think of it, Logan and Tom don’t fly much either and I wonder if Luke even can. I go forward until I am directly above the clearing.
The voice comes again from below: "I repeat, land immediately! This is your final warning! You have ten seconds." It makes me smile. I turn and look around. There are four, almost identical, large grey buildings arranged around a paved court, with a turret at each corner between them, and a collection of different shuttles standing along the courtside of two buildings. A light-haired man in green camouflage and black boots stands near one of them talking into some kind of flat ball thing in his hand as troops of soldiers are forming ranks in the yard. It reminds me of when we would assemble in the courtyard at TTH. It was colder there.
The turret on the far side is aimed right at me. It’s what shot at me before. The man shakes his head as those in the tower chamber another round while the light breeze ruffles my dress and my heart beats slowly. It’s such a beautiful morning.
I wait until the missile is about halfway between the turret and me. It barrels at me all dirty and loud. It’s long, but so skinny, barely as thick as my arm. I can just make out the blue stripes on the grey cylinder.
I call a touch of power to the fingertips of my right hand, it’s a whisper really, that barely even makes a flash until it collides with the lean tube-like projectile and then there’s a spectacular explosion of bright orange fire and black smoke that hangs around, too heavy to be carried away by the gentle wind.
For a moment everything stands still, the calm before the storm, and then there is utter chaos.
The soldiers start running for cover, another turret starts to move in my direction and four of the shuttles lift off the ground. They come up and surround me at twenty fathoms with their weapons trained, hovering as I hover. I almost want to laugh. Three dimensions?
A woman's voice comes out of the one in front of me. She says in an authoritative tone, "There is no need for bloodshed. Surrender immediately and your life will be spared."
I want to fight. I’m still so angry. A stray gust of wind ruffles my loose blue dress and tosses my hair, the thick black braid swinging by my ankles. I purse my lips and resist the urge to drop into a crouch and release yet more energy, keeping it just high enough to maintain my position. My heart keeps the time. Thirty beats.
Another four shuttles rise into the gaps between the others, the whole octet starts to rotate around me like some kind of dance. I try to keep my eyes on the lead one with the woman who spoke to me but they all look the same, and there are the milling soldiers below and the turrets and the man who spoke first is still there looking up.
I consider shooting them down. Even with eight, I’m sure I can manage, I’m fast. But every drop of energy I waste here is that much more suffering later. And even if I can take all eight shuttles, there’s still the two turrets, and a few hundred foot soldiers, some of which have considerable energy signatures. How many lives will I have to take to get away cleanly?
I look back. I am about twenty leagues away from Luke’s house by now, and still, there are no signs of pursuit. I clear my mind and search for Tom. Nothing. Seems I’m far enough away, and the woman is right, there is no need for bloodshed. I nod and raise my hands. We all descend together.
“Do you think he’ll wake up soon?” Tom asks worriedly. I can sense him close by. The room smells of disinfectant and there are beeping monitors. Infirmary.
“It’s only a matter of time, Thomas. His body needs time to heal, but I assure you, Logan is only sleeping.” Luke assures him.
My body feels so sluggish. I try to move, make a sound, and let Tom know I can hear him, but nothing works.
* * *
I stir. I can feel my fingers respond to the ‘move’ command. I instantly become aware of Luke’s influence. I do not resist the urge to push it aside for the first time in years.
“Logan! At last. I’m so glad. How are you feeling?” I hear Luke’s voice beside me. Tom is here too. Sitting in the hard plastic chair where I used to doze beside Elle. Elle. My heart sinks.
“How long has it been?” I croak hoarsely, and Tom leaps up to get me a glass of cold water which I gratefully accept.
“Six days,” Luke says in a somber tone.
I sit up and start tossing aside the sheets and both Tom and Luke rush to push me back down, with admonishments to, take it easy. That’s when I notice the bandages.
Luke takes out his penlight and starts flashing it in my eyes, asking me the standard concussion questions, “What is the last thing you remember? What day of the week is it? Spell your name backwards.” I wave him away and grab at my tightly bandaged abdomen to support the ribs that feel like they are floating around as I stand up.
“Don’t toy with me Luke, you can check my mental functions with your abilities and skip the stupid questions. We don’t have time.” I say, while the two of them gawk at me, shrugging off the gown and the drip and grabbing a pair of trunks from the nearby cabinet, until I catch a glimpse of myself in a reflective surface, and have to sit down again.
I’m stunned by what I see. My face and neck are one big swollen bruise. My lips are torn in three places, I have dressings and stitches all over, my left eye won’t open fully. They shaved my head.
“You shaved my head!?” I shout, aghast, instinctively putting both hands up there to feel the millimeters of dark fuzz that have started to grow out.
“There are stitches,” Tom says, moving my hands to where Luke cut open my scalp to drill burr holes in my skull. I take a deep breath.
“She’s really gone then?” I say with a sigh. They both nod solemnly.
Next Time: With Logan recovering, and no sign of Elle, the guys have to decide what to do next. Meanwhile, Misty has been caught by the PG, the very people Luke was trying to keep her away from, and they have questions, which she isn’t answering.
Thanks so much for reading! If you like, please:
Or better yet:
and as always, I love hearing what you think so, feel free to:
Well Jenny, seems my timing is excellent tonight! You certainly seem to have your hands-full down there! Don't see how you manage so well. Now, given this scene is a bit abbreviated, kind of an extended cliffhanger bridge from the intense breakout scene and what I think will be Elle/Jenina getting to know the capabilities and defenses of this planet Earth and her inhabitants. I see this 'surrender' as not a capitulation, but as an infiltration logically chosen to do surveillance under the guise of being a very reduced threat. But how or when will she show her hand? How long can she hide there in plain sight? I am anxious to see how this tactic works out...
We're not sure, love. His publication disappeared and a few of us tried to reach out to him other ways and he never got back to any of us to my knowledge. Frances Leader may have been last to speak with him regarding a meme that may have been considered against TOS. But aside from this, I don't know.