CHAPTER 4
Year: 04/8/2525
Planet: Sargasso
Location: Fairfield City, 4th precinct outskirts, Spencer Estate.
Amaranth and Amy headed downstairs and straight for the kitchen, greeted by the smell of zesty lemon pepper chicken and slightly burnt pizza. Jon, changed out of his work suit and into a pair of jeans and a polo shirt, was setting plates on the kitchen table. In the middle of the table was a tray of chicken drumsticks and flats beside a large chicken and mushroom pizza. Its crust and cheese were a little too brown.
“I see the pizza was prepared, The Jon Way tonight?” Amaranth joked.
“Oh honey, just follow the box,” Amy sighed. John smiled warmly at her.
“It’s better when a little crispier,” he insisted. Amy smiled and shook her head.
“At least the smell brings back memories,” she chuckled.
Jon chuckled. “I still remember you admonishing me for not following the instructions,”
According to what Jon and Amy told her, the ‘Jon way’ pizza came from their dating years. Jon made pizza for a dinner date without following the instructions, much to Amy’s confusion. The result, a disk of slightly burnt bread, meat, and cheese, became known as the Jon way.
Jon looked toward them after setting the last plate neatly on the table. “Amy, Daisy,” he said as he walked towards them. He hugged Amy and pecked her lips before letting go and switching his attention towards Amaranth. He placed a hand on her shoulder and bent down.
“Are you feeling better, my little flower?” he asked softly, not quite a whisper.
Amaranth nodded. “Yeah, but I think I’ll feel a bit better once I get food in my stomach.” she joked.
Jon let out a hearty laugh. “Alright then, let's eat,” he said before going back to the table. He then pulled the first chair under the closest end out for Amy. Amy sat in the chair and thanked Jon. He proceeded to the right side and pulled out the lone chair in the middle for her. Amaranth went straight for the chair; making herself comfortable. She felt her da-Jon push her under the table. Amaranth turned her head, still feeling Jon’s presence behind her; he was staring at her with distant eyes.
“Jon, is something wrong?” asked Amy.
“Dad, what’s wrong?”
Jon blinked and coughed letting go of the chair while straightening himself. “Nothing, it's just… I never thought I'd be doing this for you. That I’d see you seat yourself again.” he went quiet. Suddenly, he clapped his hands together, his mood turning 180 degrees.
“Well, enough of that. Let’s dig in!” he said as he went to the other end of the table and sat down.
After the family said a prayer, Jon took two slices of pizza and a few chicken drums placing them on Amaranth’s plate. “Hey Daisy, isn’t there a Marathon of Princess Sakura or something like that today?”
Amaranth perked up.“Oh, I forgot about the Action Hero Marathon. I’m going to have to eat fast so I don't miss it.” With all that happened, she completely forgot about the Action Hero Marathon on the Animatrix streaming channel. It’ll also distract her mind.
“No need to upset your stomach, Sweetie, Since this is a special day we’ll allow you to watch it while eating.”
“Yes!” exclaimed Amaranth.
‘Action Hero Marathon?’ inquired Nightstalker.
‘Yeah, it's a 12-hour marathon showing all the stream channel’s hero action shows with some music videos from the shows mixed in between breaks. Shows like ShadowKaiser and Princess Sakura will be shown along with GO! GO! GO! Rescue Five Victory Robo, Avenging black bio-knight Dark Blader, Golden Thunder dragon Knight KyoryuGold, and Vengeful Samurai Ghost Girl KILL! KILL! KILL!’ Explained Amaranth in almost rapid succession.
‘Ah, more of those anime heroes you're interested in. Based on what you showed me and some surface memories, I don’t understand the appeal.
‘You might if you watch a few episodes. Trust me, they’re awesome!’
Nightstalker let out a lazy ‘hmph’ ‘I doubt it, but you did pique my interest, so why not. But keep in mind. We’re going out on patrol so you can practice using my abilities at 10:00 pm and calisthenics at 4:00 am.’
Daisy let out a sigh. To devote as much time as possible to improve her body she and Nightstalker agreed that early morning and late-night workouts between patrols were the best way to go about it. And nightly patrols would be used to help with other skills.
“Daisy?” asked Amy.
Amaranth blinked focusing back on reality. “I’m sorry, Mom, I let my mind wander in excitement.”
Amy chuckled. “It's alright, here,” she handed Amaranth the remote. “Go ahead, and turn the TV on. Also, your father fixed the voice command function.”
“Took some fiddling, but I got working,” said Jon proudly.
“Would’ve been easier if you tried finding the manual on Waypoint,” said Amy.
Jon shrugged. “It's more fun that way, to figure out on your own, and a good way to discover new solutions.”
“Still, it would’ve been easier, then again that’s what I love about you,” said Amy.
Amaranth smiled. Amy was a bit of a stickler when it came to rules and instructions most of the time. In contrast, Jon tended to figure problems out on his own, relying on personal experience or gut instinct. You’d have to force him to use instructions the first time around or wait until he got frustrated before using them.
Amaranth took the remote and then pressed the mic button. “TV on. Turn to Channel: Animatrix,” she commanded.
The Waypoint TV turned on preset to the Animatrix streaming channel. On the screen was the host of the marathon announcing that, after Princess Sakura, Golden Thunder dragon Knight KyoryuGold was next. After the announcement, the screen cut to the shadows of three figures running down a poorly lit hall. The point of view flashed to the owners of the shadows. In the middle was Princess Sakura, bio-Knight of the sacred dark, wearing black and navy blue armor. Her cape waved behind her like it was made of smoke. On her right was a Kye Ixa, bio-knight of the sacred light, wearing white-blue segmented armor. On her left was KyoryuGold, the Golden Thunder dragon Knight, wearing golden armor that constantly shone.
‘Ah, this must be the second half of the crossover episode I missed because of a doctor’s appointment,’
‘So, what’s happening? I understand that this is the second half of the story, correct?’
‘How- oh right, you can read my surface thoughts. Yup, in this episode Banagher Takahashi, aka KyoryuGold wielder of the golden thunder dragon armor came to Sakura’s kingdom in search of the man who killed his family. In his quest, he and Sakura decided to team up believing that the man who killed Banagher's family is working for Sakura’s traitorous uncle. Also, they believe that the facility they’re in now is hosting evil experiments that are connected to Kye’s past.’
‘I see,’ said Nightstalker.
‘You’ll properly like it. This season has a good story and arc so far. I think you’ll enjoy it,’ said Amaranth as she focused on the show, taking a bite of slightly burnt pizza. She watched Sakura and her comrades fight some goons sent by her traitorous uncle.
‘I’ll be the judge of that,’ said Nightstalker.
‘Wow, they really did an excellent job with Sakura’s new armor design. They gave it a dark air without being too edgy,’ commented Amaranth finishing one of her slices of pizza.
‘It focuses too much on aesthetics and is very impractical. Too many ridges, the shoulders limit arm movement,’ criticized Nightstalker.
‘It's a show for entertainment. I doubt they were concerned with practicality.’
‘Well, so far this show seems to have little value and is a waste of time.’
‘Well, it’s not a waste of time to me,’ said Amaranth with more force than intended.
Nightstalker was quiet for a moment before finally speaking, but its tone this time was one of curiosity. ‘What do you see in these ‘shows’? They’re so illogical -’
‘They’re illogical, but they hold a special place in my heart,’ Amaranth took another bite of her pizza. ‘They’re… They’re the reason why I didn’t become a bitter person, or more accurately why I didn’t take it out on everyone else.’
‘Interesting,’ mused Nightstalker. ‘But how-’ Nightstalker took control and turned Amaranth's attention back to the TV showing a scene where Kye was beating a monster into submission. “-did that keep you from becoming a ‘bitter person’? As far as I’m concerned, it’s just a bunch of humans fighting horribly in impractical armor,’ it said before giving control back.
Amaranth took a bite out of her last slice of pizza, wondering how she could explain her fondness to a creature with an alien mindset. ‘‘I always wanted to help people, and I tried, but my condition limited my ability, and after years of hearing every doctor that my- Daisy’s parents took me to tell us the same answer, that there was no way to reverse my condition, but only slow it down. What little capability I had then would go away until complete infirmity. On top of that, my friends slowly stopped seeing me until it was only Samantha and Martha who visited consistently.`` Amaranth's hands tighten, causing the pizza crust to let out a soft ‘crunch’. ‘It became too much. I was at my breaking point and ready to give up, yell, and scream at God and everyone else. It was unfair! Why did this happen to me? Why, God, Why!? I was at that point where I was primed and ready to be a, for lack of a better term, selfish bitch blind to all the good things in her life. Life and the world hurt me, so why not hurt it back? Why care at all? To say I wasn’t in a good place mentally and emotionally would be an understatement.’
‘Then these shows came into your life,’ said Nightstalker.
Amaranth smiled, remembering that time. ‘Yes, during one visit, Samantha bought over a box of books her uncle gave her because she thought it would be fun to dig through them. In that box, I found two mangas each with a cover of a female character standing strong and ready to fight. One wore stylized knight armor and the other was in a pilot suit, standing on the hand of a cool knight robot. They were from the ‘Shadow Bio-Knight Princess Sakura’ and ‘Mobile Armor Space Knight ShadowKaiser’ series.’ Amaranth took a bite of a drumstick.
‘I remember reading the first page of each and instantly being hooked. The way Sakura stood up to protect her friends and strangers despite being banished and betrayed by her own blood, then a dying Asuka, outgunned and outnumbered, fought until she was coughing up blood. Her Mobile Armor only had one limb left and she still protected a colony of civilians. Seeing these characters fight and struggle against evil, righting wrongs, and doing the right thing inspired me, and then Seeing Amy and Jon sacrifice for someone they thought was their daughter inspired me. How they, even at their lowest, maintain the strength to continue on and do what’s right inspired me. If they, who at the very least had it just as rough, or worse, as I can remain selfless and kind then so can I. If they can avoid the pits of despair then so can I! I want to be a hero like them.’
‘I can understand your progenitors, but the other two… they’re fictional, not real, and what they went through isn’t real either. So, why did these figures have such an impact on you? You're essentially believing a lie is the truth even though you know it's a lie. I don’t understand how anyone would find these tales inspiring knowing that.’
‘I wouldn’t call it a lie. Honestly, there are multiple reasons, but if I were to boil it down, I guess we humans just need heroes even if we know they’re not real. Tales of heroes overcoming obstacles and personal weakness not only inspire and help light our darkest hour but also teach lessons and set a standard, an example, we ought to follow. Don’t Klyntars have folk tales? Stories of inspiration? Myths?’ asked Amaranth.
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‘I think so, it seems you humans would rather believe a comforting lie even if you know the truth just to push yourselves through hardship. Sounds delusional to me,’ said Nightstalker.
‘No, it's not like that! Well, not exactly. You’re right in a sense, but it’s more complicated than that. It's more like we like to see good people succeed even if they're fictional, and figure maybe if they can succeed in their goals then maybe we can. It's complicated, but maybe you’ll get it if you watch a little more, and read the source material,’ said Amaranth.
‘Maybe, but I doubt I will understand many things you humans do.’
Amaranth hummed in response and ate her last pizza slice and the rest of her wings before taking two more slices from the pan. Strange, she had never been this hungry before. She almost felt like she could eat half the pizza and the tray of wings. This was probably the increased hunger Nightstalker warned her about.
The three heroes were in a giant laboratory filled with machinery and human-sized glass tubes filled with a murky yellowish liquid. Obscured humanoid forms floated inside.. Banagher leaned closer to the one and saw what looked like a body floating in the liquid connected to a rebreather with wires attached to different parts of his body. “There's someone in here!” he yelled.
Sakura and Kye went to the tubes nearest to them and saw a human in each one. “By the Balance, there’s a person in here too!” yelled Sakura.
Amaranth leaned forward, paying closer attention than she usually would. Is this how she and everyone else was born? Grown in a tube full of liquid until ready to be plopped into someone else’s life and left to die.
The screen cut to Kye, who, in a daze, caressed a hand on the glass. Foggy images flashed across the screen, showing parts of Kye’s past.
A boy covered with wires and breathing through a breathing tube floating in a tank filled with a greenish liquid. A man with an average build and horned-rimmed glasses wearing a lab coat staring at the tube before placing a hand on it.
“I have many plans for you, my greatest creation.”
For a brief moment in Amaranth's mind’s eye, she saw the face of a woman with cold blue eyes and black hair.
Amaranth’s heart beat faster and her breaths became shorter.
Her shaking hands tighten into fists.
‘Amaranth, is something the matter? Your body chemistry was off-balance.’
‘Yeah, I’m alright. Just got a little excited,’ Amaranth rubbed her eyes and then blinked rapidly. What was that, and why had she suddenly felt her anger surged further? Amaranth put the thought aside and focused back on the TV.
The heroes made it to the other side of the dungeon they were exploring, only to bump into Sakura’s and Banagher’s arch-enemies waiting for them. The sight caused hydra-like shadow serpents to extend from her cape. Thinking about it, the serpent reminded Amaranth of Nightstalker, giving her an idea of the potential use of its abilities.
Banagher’s arch-enemy was a navy blue and red armored figure holding a golden-yellow boomerang sword. It doubled as a flute the character often played. Sakura’s arch-enemy was an armored figure in a bladed dragon-themed fire-red armor with a cape made from flames.
It was the mysterious Ferocious Dragon Knight Deathryuger, and next to him was Sakura’s rival, the Raging Crimson Dragon Knight Miruku, aka The Crimson Dragoon.
image [https://pbs.twimg.com/media/F488idcWkAEzM5b.jpg]
‘Hey, Nightstalker, can you do something similar to Sakura’s shadow serpents?’
‘Of course, it’s of little difficulty as long it's not too many. Generating new mass requires energy and calories,’ said Nightstalker. ‘By the way, why don’t they just attack while their enemy is walking towards them, and why is the gold and blue one playing his weapon like a flute?’
‘Because they’re in a hurry, fighting them wouldn’t be a quick battle. As for the flute, it just looks cool,’ said Amaranth.
‘But it's three against two. Surely, the ‘heroes’ can dispatch them with little problem. And what's the practicality of playing your sword like a flute?’
‘It’s intimidating to his enemies, and the song he plays is associated with death.’
‘But it's much more efficient in this situation to just attack. Based on what you said, they faced him before, so his intimidation tactic wouldn’t work on them, making even trying it a wasted endeavor,’ pointed out Nightstalker.
‘Now you’re just overthinking it. The thing about shows like this is that the story is king. A suspension of disbelief is required. If it serves to entertain, why have it completely grounded? It also sets his character.’
‘Still illogical, but it doesn’t explain why they also made his sword a flute.’
Amaranth let out a sigh. ‘It is also produced by a toy company. The sad truth is that no matter how good the story is, it’s secondary to its main purpose: to sell toys.’
‘Toys?’ Nightstalker paused. ‘Ah, those figures you collect.’
Amaranth sat up straighter than usual. ‘Hey, they’re not ‘toys’.’
‘OK, what are they then?’
‘They’re collectible figures that I mess with every once in a while and are very valuable,’ said Amaranth.
‘So, toys just with a few extra steps,’ deadpanned Nightstalker.
‘They’re not!’ denied Amaranth.
Nightstalker chuckled. ‘Search your feelings. You know it to be true.’
‘NOOOO, wait, Nightstalker, I noticed you use a lot of human idioms. Why is that?’ asked Amaranth.
‘One of my recent hosts was human. While in captivity, I encountered quite a few people and learned some things. There was this one that I grew quite fond of,’ Nightstalker was quiet for a moment before it spoke again. ‘Let’s get back to watching your show. Maybe I’ll benefit from it.’
Feeling that Nightstalker didn’t want to talk, Amaranth returned to the TV; she saw a battered and damaged Kye step forward, urging the others to proceed. An equally battered Sakura and Banagher went for the closest exit. Meanwhile, Kye stopped Deathryuger and Miruku with a wall made from light.
“NO! You will not pass!” Kye stabbed his sword in the ground, kneeled his head, and prayed. “Lumine, God of the sacred light, Hear my prayer grant me the power to quell this evil!”
Kye’s armor glowed with light energy. “Let my sword be your instrument of justice!” At that moment, his armor released a shockwave forward that pushed Roboute back. A cape of pure light sprouted from his back, adding to the glow of his armor.
Miruku and Deathryuger slammed their weapons into the ground, stopping them from being knocked over. While Deathryuger straightened himself up and dusted off his armor, Miruku crouched and snarled at Kye.
At that moment, it switched back to Kye and the sound of rhythmic beats then a guitar started playing.
It was the beginning of Kye Ixa’s theme.
Amaranth smiled wide. When the character’s theme started playing that meant a major butt-kicking was about to ensue, and for what they did in previous episodes, they deserve every bit of it.
It's a being yet unknown, it's unstoppable
Another innocent voice is silenced
This very moment
(People waiting for)
Kye slowly walked towards Roboute, his sword still pointing at him, glowing with incredible power.
Pain, anger, and then, a vow
Who will be the right one?
Who shall be the white fighter awaiting his destiny?
(Just you, Ready to go)
The power only the chosen one can possess
‘Pain, anger, and then a vow.’ thought Amaranth. Thinking about Kye’s theme kinda describes her. She suffered, she felt anger from a revelation, and she vowed to make things right. To make the one who did this pay, but who did this?
With a roar, Miruku’s armor became more dragon-like. Her flaming cape became wings, and her hands became claws. She charged at Kye with Deathryuger following behind her with weapon ready.
Kye did the same, and before the three clashed, the screen went white, and the credits rolled.
“NO!” Amaranth groaned as she stood up, both hands slammed on the table. “I wanted to see Kye kick those monsters’ asses and bring him to justice!”
“Daisy, language!”
Amaranth cringed at Amy’s reprimand. She looked towards Amy and saw the disapproving look on her face. Amaranth looked down as she rubbed the back of her head.
“Sorry, Mom, I just got a little invested. It won’t happen again” Amaranth apologized and sheepishly sat back down.
Amy smiled, her face softening. “It's alright to be excited, sweetie, just mind your language in the future.”
Jon let out a hearty laugh. “It reminds me of when I was younger, watching the Darkman remake with my brother. When we curse our mother would ground us for the night.” Jon then coughed, settling down. His face then turned grave. “Daisy, can you please turn off the TV for a second? We need to talk.”
Amaranth turned off the TV and turned her attention. “Dad, what’s wrong?”
“You see, Sweetie, me, and your father were talking, and we believe it's time to tell friends and family about your miraculous recovery,” Amy explained.
Jon nodded. “Even though Dr. Rashid will maintain doctor-patient confidentiality, everyone knows you're a regular and saw you walk. This means scuttlebutt will spread fairly quickly, with the media soon to follow. We need to get immediate friends and family together and call out-of-town family to tell them the news on our terms before they find out through another source.”
Amaranth bit her lower lip. She forgot about the media. He- Daisy’s friends and family, even the doctors learning about her recovery, was an inevitability, but she didn’t factor in the media finding out. Why would she? She would practically be an overnight celebrity, drawing even more attention to herself and Daisy’s friends and family. She could already see the waypoint news headlines: ‘Terminally ill girl makes miraculous recovery!’ ‘After years of being wheelchair-bound, 13-year-old girl Daisy Ann Spencer finally walks!’ there would be reporters wanting interviews and doctors from across the planet wanting to run tests. And what if any of those reporters and doctors are spies for those looking for Nightstalker, or… The ones who stole Daisy. They may even try to silence-
‘Don’t think like that. Focus on the current situation for now.’
Amaranth took a deep breath. “How soon?” she asked both Jon and Amy.
“I and your Father are still discussing that. I think we should devise a plan to tell them tonight and have them meet here tomorrow,” said Amy.
“I believe sooner rather than later would be best. We don’t know how long before rumors start circulating to the point it reaches them. I believe we should have them meet tonight and rip it off like a band-aid and get the shock and excitement out of the way so we can better prepare for the media rush,” added Jon, furrowing his brow.
‘I agree with your progenitor. We should tell your friends and family about your recovery soon. It is better to do it while we still have some control over the situation, preventing further complications. You should tell them immediately.’ Nightstalker suggested, though it sounded more like a command.
Amaranth brushed off Nightstalker’s commanding tone and lowered her head in thought. A part of her didn’t want to tell them. Even if they were elated by the news, it would be based on a lie.
Because she was a lie, they would be happy that Daisy recovered, not the lie that was her clone. But simultaneously, she lied enough; they deserve at least a little more truthfulness. Amaranth lifted her head and made her decision. “I want to tell them today as soon as possible.”
Amy was about to speak up when the doorbell rang and their chatters rang simultaneously. Everyone checked their chatters, opening the SecuriRing app, which allowed them to connect to the front door’s doorbell camera. Amaranth hitched a breath, on the screen was the face of a girl her age, staring straight at her with brown eyes glowing with excitement. She was grinning from ear to ear barely holding in her excitement, making the dimples on her cheeks and the crinkles around her eyes even more pronounced.
It was Samantha, one of he- Daisy’s friends.
“Hey, Mr. and Mrs. Spencer, we’re dressed and ready for extra practice!” she exclaimed before straightening up and taking a few steps back. This revealed another girl roughly her age..
“Martha and I have a score to settle!” yelled Samantha as she patted Martha, Daisy’s second friend, on the back. Martha straightened her shirt. “Humph, you make it sound like you're going to win this time,” she said as she flipped her curly black hair.
“I ‘AM’ going to win,” stated Samatha with a smile.
image [https://images-wixmp-ed30a86b8c4ca887773594c2.wixmp.com/f/c8c5c09a-c12a-440f-a3ae-9badb3d467d3/de9eifl-37e0d35c-26fa-449d-92c5-c0be9d504ad4.jpg/v1/fit/w_828,h_584,q_70,strp/samantha_martha_by_mechafan1224_de9eifl-414w-2x.jpg?token=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJzdWIiOiJ1cm46YXBwOjdlMGQxODg5ODIyNjQzNzNhNWYwZDQxNWVhMGQyNmUwIiwiaXNzIjoidXJuOmFwcDo3ZTBkMTg4OTgyMjY0MzczYTVmMGQ0MTVlYTBkMjZlMCIsIm9iaiI6W1t7ImhlaWdodCI6Ijw9OTA0IiwicGF0aCI6IlwvZlwvYzhjNWMwOWEtYzEyYS00NDBmLWEzYWUtOWJhZGIzZDQ2N2QzXC9kZTllaWZsLTM3ZTBkMzVjLTI2ZmEtNDQ5ZC05MmM1LWMwYmU5ZDUwNGFkNC5qcGciLCJ3aWR0aCI6Ijw9MTI4MCJ9XV0sImF1ZCI6WyJ1cm46c2VydmljZTppbWFnZS5vcGVyYXRpb25zIl19.8DzWNhrvx_2oYRnIC5CItdiSozdvSv3xsv6uvF2bvhA]
Three adults stood behind them.
“Now, Samantha, calm down; I’m sure they can hear you,” said Samantha’s mother and Amy’s friend from High school, Courtney Chambers.
The man next to Courtney smiled. “Hey, Jon, hurry and let us in. The weather is starting to turn against us out here,” said Mr. Jonathan Kimball, Martha’s father and Jon’s co-worker. He crossed his burly arms , causing the sleeves of his polo shirt to strain.
“Hello, Mr. and Mrs. Spencer,” said Maxine, moving a fringe of her ash-black hair to the side.
“Oh shi-” Jon stopped himself when Amy looked at him.
“-itake, I completely forgot Samantha and Martha were coming over to spar today. I knew I was forgetting something,” cursed Jon as he facepalmed.
“It's alright, Jon, with all that happened, even I forgot,” comforted Amy.
Jon lowered his hand. “Looks like we’re going to tell them sooner than expected.”
“Daisy should stay in the kitchen, so we can have a chance to prepare them,” suggested Amy.
“I agree,” Jon turned his attention towards Amaranth. “My little flower, stay in the kitchen until we call you.”
Amaranth nodded, trying to calm her shaking hands. “Alright.”
Amy got up from her seat and walked around towards her. She bent down and placed a hand on Amarnah’s shoulder. “What’s wrong, dear? Is everything alright?”
Amaranth let out a chuckle, trying to sound nonchalant. “I’m just excited and a little nervous, that’s all,” she said.
“There's no need to be nervous. They’ll be elated by the news. Everything is going to be alright,” soothed Amy. She followed Jon into the living room doorway at the end of the kitchen and then turned towards the front hallway, leaving Amaranth alone with her thoughts and Nightstalker.