Alex – Heart Of The Vanguard

Barcelona, Spain, Wed 26th Jan 22 10:00

I had finished giving Sarah another dose again if the Shard's energy. A couple of hours each day of low level energy. My intention was for it to be just enough to force her body not to reject the changes. I can't change DNA, not wholly anyway, the power of the Heart and therefore the Shard that coursed through me, was impressive, almost limitless, but one thing I don't seem to be able to do is mess with life itself. I can't kill using the magic, as in, I can't instantly make someone's heart stop beating using just my thoughts... that would scare even me to be honest. I can't bring people back to life either, sure I could create electrical pulses to mimick CPR, but I can't simply restart someone just because I wanted them to live. But the main concern right now and the reason I had to steal all of the SkyTech components to make this tank, is that I can't change DNA, not entirely anyway. I can manipulate it, point it in the direction I want it to go, but it needs help. That is, like In Sarah's case, a blood transfusion, my input just teeters it over the edge where otherwise the body would just reject the transfusion and fail.

I reset my alarm on my HUD that I had set for the same time for the past three days.

Raina: "Her vitals are all stabilising, but she doesn't look any different yet?"

Me: "Apparently physical changes don't start manifesting until the 4-6 day mark..." I said while standing up from the chair that I had positioned in front of the tank to sit on each morning while I gave Sarah her dosage. "...Well, Raina. You held up your end of the bargain, now I need to hold up mine, if you want to check your bank account again, I've transferred you the rest of the money." I said with a smile. Raina pulled her phone out, and after a few moments of scrolling and typing, placed her free hand over her mouth with her eyes wide.

Raina: "Oh my god! You weren't lying!"

Me: "Hey, I stick to my promises." I said with a shrug and a smile.

She ran over the few paces and launched herself into a hug,

Me: "Whoa-" I said unsurely, not expecting the sign of appreciation.

*"Eurgh, get her off will you."* ...as per usual, I ignored her dissatisfied protest.

Raina: "Thank you! Thank you so much!" I gingerly returned the hug.

Me: "It's ok, I said I was going to... Now, last thing I need to do, is take you home."

She broke the embrace with me slowly and stepped back, looked at Sarah in the tank then back to me.

Raina: "How long does this process take?"

Me: "About three weeks... Why?"

Raina: "I... Have a really cheeky request then... But you can say no..."

Me: "Go oonn?..."

Raina: "If I stay those three weeks, to watch over her, can... can I have another 30 grand, or maybe even just 20? I know it's a big ask after how much you've given me already but-"

*"Wow! Ungrateful swine!"*

*Me: "Oh shut it will you!"* I thought back to Reikon.

Me: "You really want to stay? What about your family?"

Raina: "Well, I only have a fiancé at home. But to be honest, I think he's loving the break from me…" she chuckled somewhat awkwardly, "...but, joking aside, when I told him about the money, he was fully supportive, cautious and worried, but supportive. But also, she is my patient, I would like to see her get better. But if it's a no then I understand."

Me: "Why would 20 or 30k make a difference?"

Raina: "Well, my husband to be and I are trying save for a house, but it's not easy when you're paying rent on a flat in the middle of the city, would just be nice to pay for a house more out in the suburbs outright, but what you've given me so far would make a very nice deposit anyway and sort us for life pretty much, so it's not important." She ended somewhat sheepishly.

Me: "Deal."

Raina: "What?" She replied stunned.

Me: "Deal, three more weeks, you get the money. Same rules as before though, you can't go out or be seen, no mobile phone network calls or whatever, just social media and no locations, use your head and don't give anything away, ok?"

Raina: "Thank you." She said with a smile again.

Me: "In which case, I would like to pop out for the day, I need to... Destress, if you wouldn't mind keeping an eye on her?"

Raina: "By all means..." She replied smiling back, "...and thank you again."

__________*_Wrex_*__________

Welcome, MD, USA, Wed 26th Jan 22 07:15

I laid on the bed, as I had done for the past six or seven hours, unable to sleep. I hadn't slept properly since Alex had left this bed. Well, maybe an hour here or there, but it was catching up with me. Sure, I've trained to go without sleep for days, but the last time I needed to actually needed to put that training into action was decades ago and even then, it was only the odd nights sleep I missed and I had things to do to occupy myself. I really was missing her. It had been days since Sora had picked up anything from the Shard's usage, meaning that Alex had completely dropped off the radar.

I still didn't get why the house in Barcelona was empty, when Alex had been going there the most, what was I missing? and what had she done with Sarah? Something felt fuzzy though, in my mind as I was asking myself the same questions over and over, something felt... askew. I looked around the room that was just becoming illuminated by the morning sun rise, but it didn't look right... some of the room started looking hazey, then I thought I saw the ghostly images of people walking past and distant incoherent talking.

Wrex: "I REEAALLY am getting tired..." I said to myself flopping my head back onto the pillow and screwing my eyes shut.

Alex: "Same here..."

My eyes shot wide and I sat up... but at the same time, I didn't sit up... Suddenly and somehow I was standing upright, in the middle of a town, an English town by the looks of it, the hustle and bustle of people just walking past me.

Alex: "...Hi Wrex."

My eyes fell onto the hooded figure of Alex in her Human disguise, standing in front of me a dozen feet away and looking directly at me.

Wrex: "Alex?! What is this?..." I asked, looking around confused, "... people are just walking past me... Am I dreaming?"

Alex: "No... You're just not really here."

Wrex: "What do you mean?"

Alex: "I've projected you mind and image here, I can see you but they can't."

I put my hand right in the path of someone walking past me, my hand ghosted straight through the man, leaving him completely unaffected and my hand returning from a ghostly image to looking like normal again in seconds.

Wrex: "Oh... and where is 'here'?"

Alex: "Canterbury, my home town... I was actually born here, in a past life, in a hospital just a few miles that way." She pointed past my shoulder.

Wrex: "Oh... Alex, what are we doing here? You been blanking me for days, we even fought, if you remember? On top of the truck? I think Reikon might have been controlling you at that point. Are you fully in control and yourself now?"

Alex: "No... that wasn't Reikon... That was me..." she replied sheepishly, "...Wrex please understand, I don't want to hurt you, and if I stay near you, the chances of that happening increases dramatically. So if you see me, for real that is, then get away from me."

Wrex: "It was only a few days ago we were declaring our love for each other... Is... Was that all a lie?"

I could see my words had choked her up as her eyes looked slightly teary.

Alex: "Look, I don't like this any more than you do but, erm... Until I work out how to get her out of me, I can't be near you, it's as simple as that."

Wrex: "You don't have to do this alone."

Alex: "But I do. I don't trust her, I don't trust myself enough to be near you, or anyone."

Wrex: "Yet you have Sarah with you? At least, I hope you still do."

Alex: "Yes..." She begrudgingly answered, "...She's with me, only because I'm her best option, I'm trying to bring her back to full health."

Wrex: "I thought that's what the hospital was doing?"

Alex: "They were failing Wrex. She was still slowly dying of radiation poisoning. But I've got her stable now."

Wrex: "And where is she now then?" 

Alex: "She's safe... I can't tell you where Wrex, I can't have people coming to disturb us." I stepped towards her and she stayed motionless, right up until I was within reach of her and I tried to put my hands on her upper arms as I looked down at her and she looked up to me, but my hands simply ghosted straight through her like it did on that passer by.

Alex: "I said you're only an image here, you're not 'solid'. We can't touch either, I'm sorry." She said sounding genuinely depressed at her own statement, dropping her gaze to the floor and I sighed in reply.

Wrex: "So when can I see you again properly? I hope sooner rather than later."

Alex: "Me too... But as I said, I need 'her' gone first..." There was a long pause between us as the hustle and bustle of the town carried on around us and we looked longingly at each other, "...Yeah this isn't awkward at all is it?" She stated sarcastically.

Wrex: "No, not at all." I equally sarcastically replied we both laughed equally awkwardly for a few moments.

Alex: "Look, I don't want to keep us waiting around awkwardly, soo... I've got some things to do anyway..."

Wrex: "Yeah, of course, soo... It's bye for now, I take it?"

Alex: "I hate good byes... Always sounds too final... I prefer, 'see you later'." She replied back thoughtfully with a smile.

Wrex: "Yeah, ok, I like that, see you later then..." I returned the smile. "... I love you." I quickly added as I felt my surroundings starting to blur out.

Alex: "I love you too." I just about heard her voice reply as it echoed and faded away along with her image. The bedroom scenery quickly returned to surround me and I looked around, stood at the bottom of the bed. I sighed depressed, as I stepped over my armour and flopped back onto the bed.

'She was in Canterbury...' I sat back up bolt up right and looked at my armour...

__________*_Alex_*__________

Canterbury, UK, Wed 26th Jan 22 15:40

I had spent most of the day wandering around town, sightseeing and revisiting memory lane. I needed to chill more as I couldn't go back to the villa straight away after seeing Wrex, I was heart broken after sending his conscience away, it took a good hour before I calmed down enough, my eyes kept constantly tearing up at the thought. So here I was, on walking out of Canterbury now, heading out into the suburbs, towards my old house, not far away now but God!, walking seemed so slow now in comparison to how fast I could fly! I had stopped using Jumps, and as little of the Shard's power as possible, so as to make it harder for me to be traced. But on my flight over, I dropped the hammer, pushed myself to see how fast I could go... Yeah I reached Mach 10, that's about 7670 miles an hour... There was now next to nothing now on this planet that could keep up with me. I reveled in that thought, actually making me smile slightly at the thought that the odd dog walker or happy couple walking past me in the street... they were walking past the fastest living thing on the planet and were completely oblivious. My smile dropped as I realised I was just walking past the drive of my old house.

I stopped and turned back, looking up at the house, it looked just as I had left it all those months ago. I had a quick look around to see if anyone was watching before quickly walking up the drive, past Kayley's car, reaching over the gate for the latch which I knew exactly where it was... but it wouldn't undo... I felt around and felt a padlock through it. I grumbled to myself slightly as I looked around again for any witnesses again and crouched and jumped, literally hopped up and straight over the seven foot high gate with ease and landing on the rest of the drive on the other side... straight into the sight of Kayley who was staring at me with a box in hand which she promptly dropped, mouth open in shock.

Me: "Shh, shh! I can explain!"

Kayley: "WHO THE FUCK DO YOU-"

I ran over and grabbed her, placing my hand over her mouth and dragged her into the open garage as she muffle screamed into my hand, trying to fight me off. I flung her from my grip once inside and shut the door behind us.

Kayley: "OH YOU'RE SO FUCKED NOW!" She exclaimed while picking up my old half inch drive metal torque wrench and swung at me. I anticipated her move, moved faster than she could, catching the tool mid swing and ripping it it from her hand with ease.

Me: "Alex is alive! And I know where he is if you give me a chance to explain!" I interjected to grab her attention before she could say anything and placed the tool down on the nearby work top.

Kayley: "YOU- !..." She hesitated, my words just sinking in apparently, "...I'm listening..."

Me: "It's rather... complicated-"

Kayley: "Well you had better make it simple real fucking quick." She stated impatiently, crossing her arms.

Me: "A little over five months ago, when I... Alex, disappeared. Well he didn't just disappear, he wasn't murdered either, he was kidnapped."

Kayley: "And do you have something to do with that?"

Me: "What? no, no. But I know who did, a company called Sky High Technologies, the main guy who did the kidnapping being a Jack Tenno."

Kayley: "How do you know all this?"

Me: "I know because... I'm Alex."

Kayley scoffed in reply, her arms dropping while she rolled her head.

Kayley: "Oh my god! You're sick! You're one of those weirdos that thinks it's funny!, Well-"

Me: "I'm serious!"

Kayley: "Yeah right!! and I-..." I cut her sentence off by recalling a memory of my old male self, wisps of red and purple mist rolled over my current Human disguise. She jumped backwards as the mist revealed a perfect image of my old Human male self, "...What the...?! What the fuck is this?!" Sounding both astonished and scared.

Me: "As I said, I'm Alex!..." Even managing to replicate my old annoying male voice perfectly, "...We met in school, we were friends for years, boyfriend and girlfriend by then end of sixth form and we got engaged fifth of May 2015... one of the last things you said to me on that last morning we spent together... was... that that evening we were going to have toast by candle light!"

Her jaw dropped and eyes widened as the truth hit her.

Kayley: "Alex?!"

Me: "Yes!" I reverted back to my Human woman disguise.

Kayley: "No this... This has to be a trick! Or a dream maybe?!"

Me: "I wish it was too..." I half fibbed, "...But I promise you, this is real."

Kayley: "What... what is this? What's happened to you?!"

Me: "Too much... You might want to take a seat..."

__________

I recited the tale, helping Kayley along with some visuals, I was able to recall an image of my Dragoness self, followed by the armoured version, showed her what the Shard looked like by creating an image of it floating above my hand but I left out some of the details in the story, in particular the rapes and my shenanigans with Wrex, she didn't need to know about them...

Me: "...Then after I died, yet again... Sarah put the Shard into the device in my back and I became this weird hybrid thing, and as you can see, I've even learnt a lot of abilities since."

Kayley: "But, you look perfectly Human now?..." I dropped my image covering my Draconian parts, revealing my latest clothed natural form, "...whoa..."

Me: "This is me, as natural as can be now. I have armour for this body as well."

Kayley: "What? Left it at home?" She mocked. I wasn't having that, I smiled as I recalled the armour, the plating all sheeting over each other, covering and replacing the image of my clothing and my entire body in seconds, all except for my helmet.

Me: "Not quite." I said with a smirk.

Kayley: "Jesus... this is really real... all of it!... God I feel like a complete jerk!" She paced up and down with her palm bouncing off of her forehead.

Me: "Why?"

Kayley: "Because of how long we were together and while you were gone I... I have something to admit to you, but please don't hate me or get mad."

Me: "You're seeing a detective David Knightly of the Kent Police, he was in charge of my disappearance case."

Kayley: "Yes but... Wait, you already know? How?"

Me: "I've been checking up on you, while I haven't been able to see you."

Kayley: "Oh... And... You're ok with it?" She asked sounding astonished that I wasn't mad.

Me: "I was upset when I first found out, but I got over it quick when I met someone."

Kayley: "Oh..."

Me: "Is that a problem?"

Kayley: "Oh no... I suppose I can't really say anything eh...? So... Who is she? OR HE?... Sorry, now that you're erm..." She gestured up and down at me, "...I don't know what your tastes are, sorry."

Me: "It's ok, it's a he, his name is Wrex."

Kayley: "Oh, ok, Human? Orr...? And does he have a last name?"

Me: "He he, Dragon, and erm, I don't think so... come to think of it, I never hear any of their species mention anything to do with surnames, I don't think they have them..." Kayley started giggling, "...err... Is something funny?"

Kayley: "Erm, I am so sorry, *snigger* it's just weird, isn't it? This whole situation? I mean, six months ago we were engaged, now we both have someone else and you're a girl, or sorry, a woman, with super powers."

Me: "I don't have super powers."

Kayley: "From the things you've been telling me and showing me, you're basically a superhero!"

Me: "I'm not..." I thought about what she said, it was kind of true, but I wasn't exactly filling the super hero roll, all I had been doing is helping myself, mostly... "...I'm no hero... I haven't been doing a lot of good lately... 'anti hero' might be better suiting to my style right now."

She shook her head.

Kayley: "Not true, I mean, you saved London! You were on the news!"

Me: "I was?"

Kayley: "Yeah! A black and red armoured Dragon..." She gestured down at me, "...spotted on CCTV and people's phone cameras, even a news crew that was stuck in the city caught you on film! You flew a nuke out of the atmosphere, saved London! With the rumoured name of 'Alex' which was thrown around! God! You are a super hero! Here look..." She pulled her phone from her pocket and started tapping away on the screen, within about 20 seconds she found what she was looking and turned her phone to me, "...here, look."

She showed me a YouTube video, grainy quality of silent CCTV footage of a black armoured figure holding a bright glowing object, flying up between some of London's skyscrapers. The footage then jumped to the news crew she mentioned, the camera was pointed at the reporter, who could barely be heard over people shouting and screaming, but then there was the familiar sound of screeching roaring plasma jets and the camera spun and pointed in the direction from where I flew out of the SkyTech building just a couple of blocks away from where the news crew were positioned... In high definition quality, there I was... full Draconian form, black and red armour, carrying the glowing white/blue plasma core as I roared up through the sky, parallel with the high rise buildings, my jets still audibly heard even after I pierced the cloud cover.

I shrugged my shoulders,

Me: "Hmm... It was a one off I think... I was just in the wrong place at the right time."

Kayley: "Don't be so modest, you did an amazing thing. I'm so proud of you."

Me: "Well... Thank you."

Kayley: "Seriously, keep it up, the world could use someone like you... God if I had gone through what you had, I'm not sure if I could have just taken it in my stride like you have."

I shrugged my shoulders again,

Me: "Well, I try." I said with a slight smile, even though we weren't together anymore, she was still being so supportive.

Kayley: "I have missed you..." She suddenly blurted out. I stared back at her for a few seconds but she continued on before I could say anything, "...the only reason I started falling for for Davey was because I missed you. I know it sounds stupid and shallow, but all these years, from school til now, I had you by my side, supporting me, being my rock, then, all of a sudden, you weren't there anymore, there was a big hole in my life. And I needed something, someone I could depend on, I didn't know what to do, I didn't know if what I was doing was right or not... And I'm sorry."

Me: "Hey, don't be, at least it worked out for both of us eh?"

Kayley: "Yeah, I suppose." She replied sounding kinda unenthusiastic.

Me: "What's wrong?, Is he making you unhappy? I'll sort him out for you." I jeered.

Kayley: "No... He's just... He's not you."

Me: "Well... Sorry about that." I didn't really know what to say, once again, I felt torn, she was the love of my life... But things had changed, I had changed, Kayley gave up on me, rightfully so, I mean, to her, I was dead... but still...

Kayley: "Can you not... Come back? Disguise yourself all the time? We can live a normal life together, the life that we wanted-"

I shook my head,

Me: "It's too late for that... I have... 'Issues'... That are stopping me from getting close to anyone right now, and if I was going to get close to anyone it would be Wrex... I'm sorry..." I watched her face drop and her eyes water up slightly, but before I could say anything my acute hearing pulled my head around... footsteps! "... someone's coming." I quickly shedded the armour, bringing my full Human disguise back in place, finishing seconds before the garage door opened revealing a rather well toned man standing there. The HUD in my head quickly analysed him, accessing the Police database and looking under personnel, this was Detective David Knightly.

David: "Hey bab- oh, hello? Er, Kayley, you didn't tell me you were having friends over, I would have left you to it."

Kayley: "Yeah... Sorry... Forgot to say, this is... Hannah, old school friend."

David: "Huh... Not seen this one before, and I interviewed most of your friends."

Kayley: "Yeah... She wasn't relevant, I haven't seen her for probably about two years, she moved up north after we left school and she popped around on the off chance I was in. She's a bit mechanically minded, better than me, so I was asking her for some advice on the Forester." She gestured over her thumb with her shoulder. All this time I had been in here I hadn't even noticed the car under the sheet down the far end of the double length garage. I started mindlessly wandering in the direction of it.

David: "Uh huh... Well, I'll leave you ladies to it then. Let me know if our guest is staying for dinner."

Kayley: "Will do, thank you babe." I turned back to Kayley after that last sentence and once David had left,

Me: " 'Babe'?" I mocked.

Kayley: "Shut up..."

Me: "You never use to call me that."

Kayley: "That's because I never use to refer to you at all, we had a connection, we just spoke and we both listened."

Me: "I referred to you as 'baby' quite often."

Kayley: "Did you? No you didn't-... Did you?" She asked doubtfully.

Me: "I did indeed... So apparently you don't listen... and what about 'Hannah'?" She playfully punched me in the shoulder,

Kayley: "Hey! It was the first name that came to mind!... I thought I did ok!" I chuckled at her reply before turning back to the car under the sheet.

Me: "Anyway, is that... What I think it is?..." I asked after pointing at the car, analysing the shape under sheet. She walked down past me and pulled the sheet, revealing my old Forester STI!

Kayley: "I wouldn't let them scrap it... I knew you loved this car, almost, if not, more than me..." She joked, "...If I was going to keep one piece of you, a momento to all the good times we had out, it was going to be this..." She finished, as I continued to stare at my unveiled pride and joy, with most of the front panels removed and the front end on axle stands.

My HUD analysed it, the front panel, some of the chassis rail and inner wing had been cut out and replaced or repaired, I could see that the front end was 0.6 degrees out of alignment to the rest of the car, not world ending at all but I let Kayley finish talking.

Kayley: "...I Just dropped the engine back in last weekend actually, amazingly that it survived the crash, apart from the cam belt covers on the right side and middle. The rad pack and fans took the brunt of the hit there. Chassis rail was badly bent and split. Only came back from the body shop two weeks ago with a replacement rail and entire front end welded in, had the inner arch straightened out as much as possible too. I've got a load of suspension parts to replace the bent and broken bits ready to go in too. Panels are being prepped and primered too in the body shop. Just waiting on the next pay cheque to get the final bits, then take the car back in, panels fitted and blended in, full alignment... Should be good to go..."

Me: "So you have been listening and learning from me." I smiled at her and she smiled back.

Kayley: "Well, I spent enough years around you and cars, you'd figure I'd pick something up. Davey wanted me to sell it for parts, said I should have used the insurance payout to buy a nice, new, safe Audi." My smile faded.

Me: "Yeah well fuck David, 'safe'... I survived the crash in this old girl! I literally walked away from a head on collision! With a closing speed of probably about 100 mile an hour or more!"

Kayley: "I know, I know... Why do you think I put my foot down and kept her?"

Me: "Kayley... If you don't like him, just leave him?"

Kayley: "I never said I don't like him-"

Me: "The signs are there..."

Kayley: "Then I would have nothing again!" She snapped looking slightly upset.

My image dropped on its own accord seemingly and my tail blades flared.

Me/Reikon: "Let's kill him!"

I slapped my hand over my mouth and pushed my tail back behind me, pulling the blades back in as I did.

Kayley: "What was that?" She said staring blankly at my little outburst.

Me: "I gotta go."

I pushed past her as I ran out of the garage, armour up as I ran and jetted off the ground into the open sky.

Me: "Stupid fucking Reikon! Fuck sake!"

*"You know I'm right. You're jealous. He has YOUR girl and you just left her there with him."*

Me: "I lead a different life now, thanks to you and your fucking plans you made with Skylen. Now because of you, once again, you're forcing me away from my loved ones."

*"What does it matter? They'll all be dead or under my control soon enough."*

Me: "Yeah well we'll see about that..."

I had only been in the air for a short while when I 'felt' something following me. The great thing about my armour being a part of me, I could look behind me without even turning my head... Black armour, six red stripes on the shoulder tailing me about two miles away and closing in. "...Oh for fuck sake Wrex!"

'Supersonic Ready' flashed on my HUD. With a boom from the sudden increase of my jets, I just started accelerating and was just about to leave him in the wind when I hit what seemed like an invisible wall, smashing hard off of it. I tumbled, trying to regain control but I was too close to the ground to recover.

'IMPACT IMMINENT' flashed on my HUD, and with a mighty thump I created a crater in the ground. I lay in the hole I had created for a few seconds, slightly dazed...

*"Ha ha! Nice flying!"* Reikon mocked.

Me: "Oh do shut up." I groaned as I pulled myself forwards, grabbing the edge of the concrete crater to pull myself up and out.

Wrex: "ALEX!..." He shouted, landing near me, "...Are you ok?!"

I stretched my neck from side to side,

Alex: "I'm fine... But what did you do?!"

Wrex: "Me?! You just suddenly fell from the sky!" He said pulling me by the arm out of the crater.

Alex: "I don't just 'fall from the sky', I hit an invisible wall or something. Besides, what part of 'stay the fuck away from me, for your own sake', don't you understand?!" I screamed at him, throwing his arm off me and stepping back.

Wrex: "And what part of 'I can help you' don't YOU understand?!"

*"We don't need his help."*

*Me: "Well at least we can agree on one thing."* I thought back to her.

Before I had a chance to say anything else aloud to Wrex, I looked around as to where I had crashed landed... Only in the middle of the bloody platforms of the Eurotunnel train station in Folkestone! Which were packed! Many people now getting out of their cars or staff on the platforms pulling their phones out and holding them up to us to record us while backing away.

Me: "Well... Shit..."

Wrex: "Yeeaah... We might have been spotted."

Me: "Hold on, I'll fry their phones and-"

I was distracted by three Draconian figures that seemingly appearing out of nowhere as they landed, two females and a male, all wearing gloss black armour, similar to what the Vanguard wear.

Craven: "Alex... You have something that belongs to the throne and we want it back."

*"Oh hello! Things are about to get veerryy interesting.*"

Once again I ignored Reikon's unhelpful input.

Me: "You forgot to say please." I mocked back to this new character.

Craven: "I wasn't asking... Hand over the Shard."

Me: "Are these assholes friends of yours?" I turned to ask Wrex.

Wrex: "No, they're Executioners, the one that middle is Craven, the other Dragoness is Kaiya, both very fearsome and among the top Executioners, even when I was on Draconia, I don't know the male. But the fact that there is three of them is not good."

Di: "Name's Difaren. Not that it will really matter to either of you. Tell us Wrex, you're not going to be stupid enough to get in our way, are you?"

Wrex: "Alex, we need to go."

Me: "Why? There's three of them, I can take them and if you really want to help, it will make it even easier."

Wrex: "Alex, you don't mess with an executioner, let alone three!"

Craven: "What's it going to be Alex? Are you going to give us what we want? Or are we going to have to forcefully take it?"

I stepped forward towards them.

Wrex: "Alex!"

But I ignored him,

Me: "The problem is, I can't give you the shard, I've grown rather attached to it. So the only way you're going to be able to take from me is by killing me."

Craven: "So be it." She flicked her fingers in my direction causing a concussive cascading wave of purple energy to hurtle towards me, it caught me off guard, smacking against my armour, my feet left the ground and I was thrown back. I used my jets though to catch myself in mid air, raising my arms to charge and fire plasma rounds at the trio. Difaren rolled and evaded then launched a ball of red and purple energy from nowhere at me while Craven simply batted the plasma round away as if it was a fly. Kaiya was also on the way round to flanking me, but I wasn't going to let her, I charged in on her but she remained still and I merely smashed myself off an invisible wall in front of her. She jumped on me, pulling a dagger from a sheath in the armour on her thigh. As I wrestled with her, and watched Difaren and Craven move in on me, something bright smacked Kaiya in the side sending her flying and rolling off of me.

I looked the opposite way, there stood Wrex, arm raised in my general direction, heatwaves emitting from the exhaust port on his arm.

Wrex: "Alex is under my protection! Lay off her!"

Craven had rushed over to help Kaiya to her feet, the flank of her armour now badly burnt.

Kaiya: "Gah!... You, are making a grave mistake Wrex!"

I jumped to my feet.

Wrex: "Meh... Won't be the first! Now back off!"

Di: "No! She's our mission!" He yelled as he lunged at me, swinging his claws wildly at me, along with his tail blades occasionally too, but I was quick enough to bat away, block or dodge each swing as I stepped back, I charged and fired a quick round at him as came at me but some how flicked his hand and sent the shot sailing back at me, smashing me in the chest, sending me head over heel backwards and smashing into the ground on my front.

Me: "Argh..." I actually felt a bit of pain from that, I stood back up and looked down at my chest, the blackened, burnt and damaged armour pieces that covered my chest were already slowly repairing them selves. I looked back up in time to see Difaren and Craven charge at me simultaneously but I had lost sight of Kaiya. Wrex tried to join the fray, aiming for Diefaren, they exchanged just two punches, but Diefaren simply sent a directed pulse at Wrex and sent him flying backwards, crashing to the floor and scraping down the concrete. Craven meanwhile made a swing at me from a distance, but as almost an extension of her self, a red and purple enlarged fist extended from her own, smashed me in the face, jarring my head back and after Difaren had dealt with Wrex, he swiped me hard in the abdomen with his tail, heavily scratching the armour there, almost cutting all the way through.

Wrex: "Alex we need to get out of here! Make a Jump, anywhere, now!" I heard him groan somewhere behind me.

Just as I finished stumbling, I caught something in the corner of my vision, a shimmer of air, but I was too late...

Me: "ARGH!!!" I screamed as I felt something punctured my back right hand side, just below my rib cage.

Wrex: "Alex!!!"

I spun and my vision changed to pick out the energy that the invisible Kaiya was giving off, but what happened next was beyond my control, my hand launched itself outward at Kaiya, but in fact, everything started fading out to black... 'Oh no, I can't pass out! Not now!'...

__________*_Wrex_*__________

I was literally just moving in on Craven and Difaren again after pulling myself back up when I heard an ear piercing scream from Alex, I spun to look at her.

Wrex: "Alex!!!" I shouted in shock upon seeing a blade, sticking out between from her right flank, she spun and looked at nothing but thin air, her right arm shot out and she grabbed seemingly nothing. Then came the voice I did not want to hear...

Reikon: "Foolish mistake!"

A large blade extended from the armour on Alex's left arm and in a flash, brought it up to stab the air. There was a puncturing sound and the air in front of Alex, or rather at this moment in time, Reikon, shimmered, stuttered, then completely revealed Kaiya, hoisted into the air with the blade driven through her abdomen.

Craven: "NOOOOOO!!!!" She screamed in pain at the sight. She focused up, then exploded a pulse of energy, knocking me off my feet yet again, but Reikon, simply dropped Kaiya's limp body and walked through the pulse towards Craven unaffected. Craven tried to force another pulse, weaker than the last, but Reikon was still unaffected, but is was still enough to knock me back down again.

Di: "We need to fall back!" He stated.

Craven: "No! Damn you I'm not leaving her!"

Di: "We are going, now!"

A Jump opened next to them, Difaren grabbed Craven around her mid section and dragged her protesting self backwards.

Craven: "I'M NOT GOING!, SHE WILL PAY! I WILL MAKE HER PAY!" But nevertheless, she was still over powered and dragged into the portal which immediately closed... Leaving myself and a Reikon possessed Alex stood on this platform. She turned her head unnaturally in my direction, it sort of jarred as it moved, like stop motion and stopped as the helmet was pointed at me.

(-Neffex)