Alex – Heart Of The Vanguard

Malibu, Sun 16th Jan '22 05:49

'AI_CRSTL_REBOOT INITIATED...

REBOOT SUBROUTINES ATTEMPT 1... FAILED

REBOOT SUBROUTINES ATTEMPT 2... FAILED

REBOOT SUBROUTINES ATTEMPT 3... FAILED

DATA CORE EMERGENCY RESET INITIATED...' the messages scrolled across my vision, breaking me from my slumber.

'RESET COMPLETE

AI_CRSTL_REBOOT INITIATED...

REBOOT SUBROUTINES ATTEMPT 4... FAILED...'

I groaned in annoyance that we weren't getting anywhere with this, and that I was stuck, I was literally stuck! I could not move or see anything due to the weight of the building around and above me, the fact that I hadn't been crushed like a tin can was a miracle, but after stressing out and making futile attempts to break myself free I eventually succumbed to exhaustion and fell asleep.

'... REBOOT SUBROUTINES ATTEMPT 5... FAILED

OPERATING SYSTEM EMERGENCY RESTART INITIATED... SUCCESS

AI_CRSTL_REBOOT INITIATED...

REBOOT SUBROUTINES ATTEMPT 6... SUCCESS...'

My eyes widened slightly more with hope upon reading the font displayed in my vision.

'REBOOT DRIVES... PENDING...' then immediately after that last message, hundreds and hundreds of other systems rattled down so fast that I couldn't read them, each one confirming the reboot of that drive system was a success. The list ended, snapped out of my vision, then my good old HUD appeared, along with a very familiar and very welcome voice...

Crystal: "Hello Alex."

Me: "Fuck me Crystal, it's good to hear your voice... How are you?"

Crystal: "Apologies, I lack physical form or the desire to comply with that request, however I'm back to 100% functionality."

Me: "Yep... you're back to normal, let's... *Groan* let's get out of here." I said through gritted teeth as I strained, now that the suit and Crystal were back online, I had the assistance of added strength. I tried to manoeuvre myself free again, this time with better results. The building work creaked above me as I pushed bits out of my way and finally broke through to pull myself out from the pile of rubble, rolling down the edge of it into a couple of feet or so of water. I panted as I sat up, I ached from being locked still in the same position for so long, my vision feed switched to night vision as the power was out and the hall was dark.

Me: "What the hell happened Crystal? We designed this suit to be EMP proof."

Crystal: "That was no Electro Magnetic Pulse... That pulse was of a powerful energy, an unknown energy, one of which I am detecting trace amounts of in your plasma core."

Me: "So, what? It absorbed that energy?"

Crystal: "No. This energy signature was present from the moment your plasma core was started, 6 months ago."

Me: "...and you can't protect yourself from yourself." I mumbled.

Crystal: "Sorry Alex?"

Me: "Would it be possible that the cores weren't actually jump started from the power grid of half a continent as Sarah suggested, but instead that she jump started from that gem? Did you ever see her do it?"

Crystal: "No, the procedure was completed in these sub levels, to which there is little in terms of surveillance. However it would be a safe assumption, as at the moment of the procedure was undertaken, there was a spike of the same energy."

Me: "I knew it... That's what she didn't want to tell me about... Mother fucker."

Crystal: "Alex, I have something I need to tell you."

Me: "Well this sounds ominous... Go on?"

Crystal: "I have a decoded instruction from miss Jarvie."

Me: "She's alive?!"

Crystal: "I can't tell you because I don't know. But what I do know is that one final command was sent to me prior shut down. It states that once I tag Miss Jarvie as either missing in action or killed in action, then it becomes decoded."

Me: "And? What does it say?"

Crystal: " 'For more assistance and answers, proceed to Hangar 2' "

Me: "That's it? Hangar 2? As in at the airstrip? What's at hangar 2 then?"

Crystal: "I'm showing nothing on file as being stored in hangar 2 besides one of Miss Jarvie's private aircraft."

Me: "Looks like she didn't even trust you with her secrets. We need to find that Sora too, she must know something about this gem thing." I got up and walked down the down the hall, past the earlier blood stained and melted walls and ceiling, to the area under the platform... Which had a huge pile of debris flowed down through it.

Me: "Is this the only way in or out?"

Crystal: "Unfortunately yes, this sub level, once constructed, was never meant to be manned." I sighed and brought me left arm up, selecting the 40mm option, took aim at the center of the pile and fired. The pile exploded, debris flew every where and cleared some of the hole, but some more caved in to fill the gap straight away.

Me: "Come on..." Two rounds left to go, raised my arm again and fired. Again the pile exploded, sending shrapnel pinging off of my armour. This round cleared the way, enough for me to get out anyway, so after making sure there was going to be no cave in I stepped forwards to make the climb. But myself and my heart stopped as I heard a woman's voice call, "Hello?" from above.

I slowly and quietly backed up, hoping to not be seen. I lowered myself right down, so that I was barely visible above the water line as I saw movement in the gap I had just made. Finally a yellow helmeted head appeared, peering through the gap in the debris blocking the platform entrance. A fire fighter peered down, squinted at me then a slight smile appeared, it was hard otherwise to pick out any other details.

"Are you alive and with me there?..." She asked, looking directly at me. I didn't dare move, I couldn't be seen by anyone. "...Alex?..." The woman asked, smile faded, starting to be replaced with a worried expression. I raised my head from the water, she knew my name, but how? Who was she? "...Good, you had me worried..." Her head disappeared for a brief moment before returning. "...Come on up, coast is clear." I did as she said, making my way toward her and up the debris pile and into the remains of the garage. It was a sorry sight it had to be said, the once mostly pristine garage, was now mostly caved in, only one third of the garage, the side where the workbenches once were remained predominantly clear, but was blackened and burnt. But something caught my eye...

Me: "No no no no no..." I ran forwards towards a toppled workbench, shoved a beam off the top of it and pulled flipped the bench over, "...Nooo..." I said depressed, looking at the remains of my regulator, burnt and crushed on one end.

Crystal: "I'm getting no energy signatures from the core."

Me: "Can we repair it?"

Crystal: "Negative, this is beyond repair... I'm sorry Alex."

Me: "Fuck it..."

Woman firefighter: "What was that?" I turned back and looked at the fire fighter and now in decent light I recognised who it was.

Me: "Sora?!" I asked shocked, I opened my faceplates to be civil.

Sora: "Yeah?"

Me: "Nothing, just, I'm glad to see you."

Sora: "Err, glad to see you too. What is that thing?, in your hands?" My head dropped depressed.

Me: "This... I have a disorder... I needed this device to survive outside this armour... So now I'm stuck in this suit... Well, I can leave it, but only for short periods... But not for long." I said as I shook my head and lobbed the remains of the device against the wall, smashing what was left of it in a rage.

Sora: "What, like a few weeks?"

Me: "More like 24 hours."

Sora: "Ohh..."

Me: "Yeah, 'Ohh'... What are you wearing anyway?"

Sora: "A disguise. The Humans are going through the property with crime scene investigators, they're treating this as arson."

Me: "Which it was. Have they... I don't know if I want to know... Have they, erm..." She looked confused at me, "...found a body yet?"

Sora: "Oh, no. You mean you didn't save her?"

Me: "I couldn't find her, didn't have a chance to before I got involved in a fight with and buried by this ass wipe named Skylen,..." Her head snapped hard attention on me, "...he had some bloody minions with him including a friend of mine named Jinx that he'd managed to tur-" Sora cut me off.

Sora: "What was that name?!" Taking 2 steps closer to me.

Me: "Who? Jinx?"

Sora: "No no, you said 'Skylen', didn't you?"

Me: "Yeah, big, mean, bit of a dick, why?, you know him?"

Sora: "I know OF him... he's relentless... he's been quiet for so long most believed he was dead."

Me: "Yeah well he's not, he's involved in SkyTech some how and I think he's going to be even more of a pain now he stole that glowing jewel thing." She suddenly leapt forwards and grabbed me by one of the open faceplates and yanked my head to be staring directly at hers with barley an inch to spare.

Sora: " 'Glowing' ... 'Jewel'... 'Thing'?..."

Me: "Yeah?"

Sora: "Describe it better to me." She demanded, very serious now. Getting a feeling I was going to be in trouble any moment now for some unknown reason, I tried to give the best description possible.

Me: "Sort of, well, sits in the palm of your hand, jagged diamond looking thing that glowed..."

Sora: "...Red and purple?"

Me: "Yeah... you know what it is, don't you?" She released my helmet, looking deep in thought.

Sora: "I knew I felt it here..."

Me: "Sorry?"

Sora: " *Sigh* That 'glowing jewel thing' is called the Shard, part of an ancient magical crystal we call The Heart of The Vanguard, we reckon it's as old as the universe itself, if not older, crash landing on our home world before life ever existed there. It's magical potential properties are beyond your imagination, wielded properly it could grant any sort of abilities. The Shard is simply a slither of the main crystal, but has almost as much power... I can feel it's power, the closer I get the stronger the feeling... But If Skylen has it... there's no telling what he'll do with it."

Me: "He mentioned something about making an army?"

Sora: "If he's raising an army... Earth, humanity, and Draconia, we're all in trouble..." She looked over to me, "...I don't suppose he told you where he was headed did he?"

Me: "No... But I have a place I need to check out, there might be a clue there."

Sora: "Then I'm coming with you."

Me: "Now you want to work with me?"

Sora: "Well yeah, lack of options, this is serious since you let him him get away with the Shard."

Me: "I didn't let him get away, he dropped a building on top of me!" I said defensively.

Sora: "Ok, I suppose I'll give you that... So where have we got to go?"

Me: "An air strip, North of LA itself. Are you going to walk out of here like that?"

Sora: "I could, but I have a better idea... Better than me trying to keep up with those rocket jets of yours again anyway."

Me: "They're 'plasma jets'."

Sora: "Whatever..." She was surrounded in the red and purple mist once again and changed back into her Dragoness form before turning around as one of those portal things opened behind her.

Me: "Where are you going?"

Sora: "You want out without being seen?..." She gestured to the portal.

Me: "Oh... So straight to the airstrip?"

Sora: "No, because I don't know where it is."

Me: "What if I give you the coordinates?"

Sora: "It doesn't work like that, I need to have seen where we're going at least once before."

Me: "Ok, so where are we going?"

Sora: "A place called Moorpark. I've hidden out there a few times before."

Crystal: "Alex, Moorpark is en route to Wheeler Ridge." She told me in my head.

Me: "Ok, let's go. Is there anything I should know about this?"

Sora: "Not really, it's such a short Jump that there's nothing you can really do wrong."

Me: "I've got to jump?"

Sora: "No no, it's called a 'Jump', an interdimensional bridge I can create between two points." Again she gestured the portal or 'Jump' to me.

Me: "Ladies first." I said without thinking, she gave me a strange look but proceeded through anyway and I quickly followed, closing my faceplates as I stepped into the red and purple fog. I walked through the fog a couple of paces before emerging into a tunnel, the walls created from the same foggy colours, following past us with Sora standing in front of me stood before of a hazy image. She batted it away from her with her hand and it shot off down the tunnel, enlarging as it went but fading out into yet more fog. She gave a beckoning nod before walking on ahead on nothing but air. Again I followed until we came up against another wall of fog and she stepped through it and so did I, stepping out the other side onto the sandy soil on the outskirts of a nearby town.

Sora: "Moorpark..." She announced, "...I've some times eaten some of your Earth 'delicacies', if that's what you want to call them, from the shopping areas over there, hence how come I know this place..." She pointed at the nearby shops. "...so... Where are we going?" Crystal kindly answered by placing a nav marker for the airstrip's location on my HUD.

Me: "This direction..." I gestured behind us, "... should be about an hour and a half's flight from here." She nodded and I took off into a casual flight with my wings, only so that Sora could keep up.

_________

Private Airstrip of Jarvie Industries, Wheeler Ridge, CA, Sun 16th '22 08:20

We both swooped down, landing at the end of the seemingly abandoned airstrip,

Sora: "What are we looking for then?"

Me: "My source said what ever it is in Hangar 2." I eyed up the hangar in question, remembering my first day of flying here and seeing Sarah driving into this hangar and so I made a bee line for the hangar door, aiming for the small personnel door at the side of the building, grabbing the handle and pushing - locked. I gave a harder push, bending and snapping the metal door frame in multiple places. On the inside, other than a small office on this side of the hangar there was a private jet in here and that was all.

Sora: "Not much here... and you don't even remotely know what is it we're looking for, no?"

Me: "I have no idea no... Crystal, any clue?"

Crystal: "I'm afraid not, nothing is standing out on sensors either." She announced aloud to the both of us.

Sora: "What was that?"

Me: "What?"

Sora: "That voice?"

Me: "Oh that's Crystal, my AI, she controls my armour."

Sora: "Ohh... Ok, so what do we do then?"

Me: "I don't know... How about, you check the plane, see if there's anything in there, I'll check the office."

Sora: "Ok, if you find anything or need help, call me on this." She tapped her bracelet as she walked toward the plane.

Me: "Crystal, link with her bracelet please." I asked as I headed for the office.

Crystal: "One moment... Done."

The door to the office was unlocked so I made my way in... Jeesh it was a mess in here, there was rubbish, cartons, packaging, empty beer bottles, cans and all sorts. The only thing that really stood out was a wooden crate near the centre of the room, lid removed and half full of those polystyrene peanuts, some of which had been spilt around on the floor. I walked up to and rummaged through the crate, finding nothing in there, but then I noticed that the peanuts lead a sort of trail toward the end of the room which abruptly stopped. Crystal, presumably noting the direction of my gaze, confirmed my suspicion.

Crystal: "There is a panel in the floor which is hollow underneath." I stepped over the panel, cleared some of the crap out of the way with my foot and bent down to try and find the edge of it and after some fumbling, finally managing to dig my claws under it to pull it up, revealing some stairs below.

Me: "Sora, I might have something." I told her on the coms, making sure my external speaker was muted and raising my left arm and readying the SMG rounds as I took the first few steps. I creeped as quiet as I could down the wooden steps, which were creaking in complaint under the combined weight of me and the suit, all 200 kilos of us. I just rounded the corner at the bottom of the stairs and starting scanning the room beyond. Unlike the office upstairs, this room was relatively clean, scanning from left to right, an empty sofa sat in almost center of the room in front of a tv mounted to the wall opposite me, playing American football, to the right of the tv was a closed door. On the right side of the room, the wall was lined with a kitchen set up, with something currently brewing in a pot on the cooker, a small jet of steam blowing out of the lid and ingredients strewn along the worktop. To the right of the kitchen area was a another doorway, from which a black coloured blur charged at me.

I fired but the rounds pinged off of him and he rammed me against the wall. I swung at him, catching his helmet, but I didn't have full power in my swing so my punch had little effect on him. Instead he used his helmet protected head and headbutt me, in return having little effect on me, I threw his arms off, throwing him back slightly and used the wall to launch myself at him, the pair of us bouncing and rolling along the floor kicking, punching and scratching at each other. I kicked him off into the kitchen cupboards and quickly stood my feet. He quickly pulled his from the splintered remains and charged low at me, taking out my ankles and smashing me to the floor again. He spun around and jumped on top of me as I tried to roll over, pinning me to the the floor, I raised my right arm and put my fist to the side of his head, allowing the plasma jet make it's increasing hum as it charged up, but I held it upon realising what he was wearing...

Me: "That armour doesn't belong to you."

Dragon: "Actually, I think you'll find it does." There was a chink sound and over his shoulder I saw a tail blade resting on the back of his neck,

Sora: "Get off of her, nice and slow." He gave a sideways glance at Sora and smiled before slowly releasing his grip on my neck and left arm and stepped off and away from us both, still smiling, which I had to admit, his smile was kinda charming.

'PLASMA JET OVERHEAT - RIGHT ARM - EMERGENCY VENT' flashed up on my HUD, I quickly jumped up and stood beside Sora, holding my right arm out as it hissed loudly from the glowing exhaust vent... I'll have to remember that I can't keep them charged for too long. I raised my left arm at the attacker instead and Sora took a braced pose, the pair of us ready for imminent attack. My ammo counter for the 9mm flashing red on my HUD with just 7 rounds left, but he won't know that so I kept it raised at him.

Sora: "That's Vanguard armour." she said leaning over to me slightly.

Me: "I know, I recognise it, he stole it from Sarah, it's where we got the idea for this armour for my suit from."

Dragon: "...And who do you think gave it to her in the first place?..." he retorted before doing something I don't think either of us expected, he started undoing and removing his helmet, before moving on to the rest of the armour "...I was starting to get worried there Alex, you're a little slow, but you have the fight in you. You'll do fine against the SkyTech I'm sure."

Me: "Start talking! Who are you? How do you know my name? What are you doing here? How did you get the armour? Have you been to her house? Stole it?"

Dragon: "Wow... So many questions Alex... Ok... I know your name because I helped pick you, and this is where I live, before you wrecked it, and I got it from the crate upstairs a few days ago, Sarah shipped it back to me, and no, and no... Oh and my name is Wrex."

Me: "You're Wrex?!..." I said dropping my arm ever so slightly, "...Sarah's contact? You told her everything about the Draconians and the Vanguard?!"

Wrex: "Yep, and supplied her with this armour and the materials she needed to make more."

Sora: "Wait wait wait... THEE Wrex?! Admiral Wrex?!"

Wrex: "More like Ex-admiral."

Sora: "The same Admiral Wrex that took down more than 50 insurrectionists simultaneously single handedly while having a fractured leg?!"

Wrex: "Well I wasn't alone, but yes..."

Sora: "The same Wrex that lead Strike Team Fury through Kra-sime infested swamp to wipe out an insurrectionist's camp without any casualties?!"

Wrex: "...yes but-"

Sora: "The same Wrex that abandoned his ship, his crew, his career and his love because he lost his brother, Princess Reikon and the Shard all in one day?..." Her tone of excitement vanished on the last question, along with Wrex's smile, now replaced with one of anguish and he sighed without replying as he removed the last piece of armour, except for his right gauntlet. "...yeah, I know you Wrex... Your stories are the stuff of legend. Too bad you ruined it all for yourself in one fell swoop."

Wrex: "You don't know shit about me."

Sora: "Oh I've heard plenty about you, more than what's written in the history books let me tell you..." He ignored her and started collecting up and moving his armour to the room off to the right, which I now realise was obviously his bedroom. "...After all this time Wrex... People thought you were dead... Yet here you are hiding in a basement!"

Wrex: "So?" He asked, collecting the last few pieces to make a second trip.

Sora: " 'So'?! So what the hell?!"

Wrex: "I don't have to explain myself to you." I stepped in front of him, opening my faceplates, he looked taken aback and cocked his head slightly, giving a slightly impressed sounding "hmmm" which I wasn't sure what that was to, but I ignored it.

Me: "You kinda do, I owe to her, I owe Sarah too much, what the fuck are you doing here?" Something else I was noticing now was a rather intoxicating musky smell in the room, but I also tried to not let this distract me.

Wrex: "Wait, what do you mean you owe it to her?"

Me: "She's missing, or dead, I don't know which, she told me to come here in a outstanding order to Crystal upon her death or disappearance, so I had hoped she was hiding here, instead we find you, so start talking."

Wrex: "She's dead?" He said solemnly.

Me: "I don't know, she's not tried to make contact, I can't find her but her body hasn't been found either." Wrex walked back into the main room and sat on the sofa.

Wrex: "Sarah had this hideout built for me for helping her out."

Sora: "Whoa, Wrex, save us a little bit of time, back up... that day... The day you ran away... Why? What happened?" 

Wrex: " *Sigh* My brother, Skylen, lost his partner, or rather lover, Princess Reikon and he blames me for it, and I'm pretty sure still does til this day. He stole The Shard and swore he'd make me and anyone I know pay the price if I followed him. I couldn't just let him go but I couldn't lose anyone I had close to me..."

Sora: "So you went Rogue..."

Wrex: "Yeah, I went AWOL. For centuries I tracked him... always got close but he always seemed to be two steps ahead of me, until World War 2 that is. I was working along with the allied forces, black ops, top secret stuff, neither myself or the guys up top wanted my existence becoming public so that's the way we kept it. We were deep in Germany, early 1945, I found out he was working with some American turned German loyalists doing early genetic testing..."

Me: " 'Johnson and Eve's'..." He pointed a finger at me, confirming that I had gotten it right before continuing.

Wrex: "The results of their experiments were horrifying. But it was the first time I had seen him in nearly 1000 years, we conducted a raid, shit went to hell, I managed to reclaim the Shard, at the loss of quite a few allied forces... But Skylen still got away."

Me: "Wait... 1000 years? What are you on about? That's impossible." He gave a small chuckle,

Wrex: "My dear Alex, us Dragons can live for about 3500 years, give or take a couple hundred years..."

Me: "Bull shit!"

Wrex: "Honestly, I'm 1,197." I turned to Sora, jaw dropped, she shrugged her shoulders,

Sora: "It's true, I'm young in comparison, but I'm 121."

Me: "Seriously?!..." They both nodded. "... well, you're both looking pretty good for a couple of fossils... So go on, what happened next?"

Wrex: "Well as I say, Skylen got away, I never saw him again, but then I heard a rumour about a company performing illegal genetic experimentation involving Dragons. I poke my nose around a bit, turns he had started working with SkyTech, the same company that had evolved from Johnson and Eve's." I was starting to feel and odd sensation, one I hadn't felt for weeks... I shoved it to the back of my head.

Sora: "And the Shard?"

Wrex: "The Americans insisted they take possession of it... I'd rather they possessed it than Skylen, and I had little choice, they were threatening me with being classed as a threat to America and her allies. So I gave it up, I had no idea how to use it to get home anyway and neither did the Humans... Plus I had gotten used to the freedom that Earth gives me anyway. So I stayed, stayed off the radar, until I found out about SkyTech that is and what they were up to and stumbled across Sarah Jarvie trying to dig up info on them too, so I confronted her. Once I knew she could be trusted I told her everything I knew."

Me: "So if you want to take SkyTech down, why are you hiding here watching football?"

Wrex: "Because that's precisely it, I don't want to take them down."

Me: "What?"

Sora: "Why not?"

Wrex: "Because I can't."

Me: "What do you mean you can't?"

Wrex: "I've told you enough."

Sora: "So far all you told us is that you've chased Skylen around the world, gave up the Shard to THE FUCKING HUMANS! and now choose to hide away from everyone!"

Wrex: "BECAUSE I TRIED!... I tried and I failed..." His face dropped... "...those stories about me... Did you ever here one where I failed?"

Sora: "Well... No, but..."

Wrex: "Exactly. So many times I succeeded, I'm meant to be the best of the best, never to fail a mission... but that's exactly what happened. I failed, and not just once, or twice... I failed again and again and again at trying to take my brother down, a 1000 years of failures... the trouble with hunting down your brother who you fought alongside with for decades, he knows my every move, everywhere I'm going to come from, I can't do it anymore, which is why I made the suggestion to Sarah to get some new blood in... That new blood being you, Alex."

Sora: "But... You can't-"

Me: "You fucking lazy coward!" I interrupted, they both snapped their attention to me.

Wrex: "What did you call me?!" he said standing up.

Me: "You fucking heard me! You can't be bothered to try anymore, so you got Sarah to do your dirty work, to recruit me, getting her killed in the process! You bastard! To think I blamed Sarah for this! This is actually on you, your fuck up! Now you're leaving it up to me to sort your problem on my own! Thanks!"

Wrex: "And to think when I first saw your face I was impressed, but fuck me you have a dirty and hurtful mouth!"

Me: "Oh Boo Hoo! Some fucking hero you are! Getting hurt by a few words!... Fuck this... Sora, this guy is a waste off our time, I'm leaving." I turned around and strode toward the stairs.

Sora: "Alex... Alex!" She called after me but I ignored her and made my way up the stairs at speed. I made it as far as leaving the office into the hangar when Sora called me on the coms, I reluctantly answered.

Me: "Yes?"

Sora: "Alex, please, just wait up there, give me five minutes and I'll be with you ok?"

Me: "Fine, five minutes, then I'm leaving.

__________

09:34

I was sat outside the hangar on the edge of the runway, taking in the cool January air in deep breaths, that wasn't an outburst of rage, that was frustration, and I haven't felt that frustrated in a long time, what was wrong with me?

Sora: "Hey, are you ok?" Sora said stepping up next to me, slightly making me jump while I was away with my thoughts.

Me: "Oh... yeah... I don't really know what came over me, sorry about that."

Sora: "Don't apologise to me, had nothing to do with me eh."

Me: "Yeah, but you still didn't need to see me do that."

Sora: "Honestly, it's fine, I can see you're stressed. Anyway, I quizzed him a bit more after you left."

Me: "And?"

Sora: "Annnnddd.... nothing new or helpful."

Me: "*Scoff* Figures."

Sora: "Yeah, so we've got nothing..."

Me: "Not true, we have a list..." We looked at each other, I pointed to and tapped my helmet "...It will take a while to go through but it's better than nothing."

Sora: "Hmmm..." She replied uncertainly.

Me: "What's wrong?"

Sora: "That's just the issue, it's going to take too long, with Skylen possessing the Shard, the longer we leave this the more dangerous this will become..."

We sat in silence for a minute, I'm trying to rack my brain for ideas to try and narrow down the possibilities when Sora spoke again. "...I'm going to head home, to my world, Draconia... I'm going to ask them some questions, see if I can get some help there... I'll be gone, I don't know, 2-3 hours... can you stay here and I'll come back to help you again."

Me: "Why don't I come with you?"

Sora: "No! No no... bad idea."

Me: "Why is it?"

Sora: "My world... not very welcoming of outsiders... I want to at least talk to them about you before I bring you." I sighed before replying.

Me: "Not going to win if I argue am I?..." She shook her head "...So you're going to leave me along with dip shit here?" I gestured back to the hangar.

Sora: "You haven't got to talk to him. Just stay at this airstrip so I know where you are when I come back..." A Jump opened a few feet in front of us and she headed for it. "...I'll be as quick as I can ok." she finished and I gave her a nod in reply before she stepped through the portal and it closed behind her. I looked behind me back to the hangar, sighing again, thinking that I wonder what I would have been like had I been in his shoes,

Me: " 'spose I was a bit harsh on him." I turned and headed for the door.

(-Against The Current)