Ruby F1450 shouted and stomped around. She was afraid. Her wife was always quick with her emotions. She loved that about her. Right now, she was panicking. And she couldn’t blame her. The lights creatures wouldn’t be kind to them. Heck, Parvati 551 didn’t know if they didn’t deserve everything that was coming to them.
Still, there was hope. She believed in the old ways. She believed in the great mother’s glory.
Parvati 551 shook her head and said “The light’s creatures do not punish the innocent. The great mother is kind. She is life. She is light. She sees the past, the present and the future. She is the mother of celestial deities. She is the universe and its consciousness. She is fair and so are her blessed.”
Ruby F1450 paused her tirade and looked at her in disbelief.
“Still, I think we should move to the door.” Parvati 551 added.
The two women had faith and Parvati 551’s scriptures gave them courage, but they were not stupid. They sprinted away from the pods and close to the exit of the null room. At the edge of the room, they watched the high councillor work on his ritual.
“What are those buffoons doing? Why aren’t they running?” Ruby F1450 asked.
Parvati looked where her wife was looking and swore when she saw the Superb Seven standing protectively in front of the pods. On the other side of the room the surgeons were running away to hide behind the glass wall.
“Jay 83, 84, don’t just stand there. Run!” Parvati shouted.
The two Jays turned and looked at her at the same time. And with the same smile replied “No. Not this time.”
They both looked at each other and snorted.
Jays. Parvati cursed. They were all foolishly brave in the face death and they had a way to motivate others to join them. Parvati was going to call out again when the statis in the air faded.
“Shutting down operations and domain. Transferring to a portable quantum cores. Good luck, high councillor.” Marshall Lara’s voice came from everywhere and the feeling of being observed disappeared.
Taran 45 nodded and began placing precious metals, rare materials, and the best battle trophies his faction had acquired on a ritual platter. He took in a breath, lit an incense stick, and began to chant a smooth mantra under his breath. It needed to be narrated one hundred and eight times with perfect pronunciation for one of her little creatures to be invoked.
To get the light attention, billions of creatures needed to chant her mantra for 108 years in perfect harmony, with perfect pronunciation to represent the universe perfection.
The two councillors looked at Taran 45 chanting with his eyes trained at the pods. He was so focussed on the sight ahead that he did not notice a small bundle of serenely floating tentacles soundlessly appear over his head. The incorporeal creature turned to look around. Its three brains bobbed behind its heads as it reached out its tentacles to taste the air. One of its tentacles twitched and with a childlike enthusiasm, it dove for the platter with the gifts.
Halfway there the Khara stopped. It looked up and at the pods. It extended it tentacles towards the two pods and recoiled. It spun. Its tentacles tangling in agitation. And then it pulsed its shards violently.
Name – Incomprehensible.
Race – Khara (Divine touched)
Class – Divine 1
System Ranking – 101 (Favoured)
Parvati did not know what happened, but she was suddenly on the dark floor and her brain was pulsing. She felt her wife’s hands lifting her up and saw an agitated Khara flaring its shard filled tentacles over the kneeling high councillor. Just under the suspended pods the superb seven twitched in prone position.
“Help me, please.” Taran 45 grunted out.
The divinely incorporeal khara glared at the high councillor with its multiple eyes. After a second, it moved, not up or down or on the lateral plane. It moved out of reality creating a fractal of images for a second and disappeared.
Taran 45 just stayed there. One moment a divine blessed creature was floating in front of him, the next it was gone. Had he failed? Had the khara been so disgusted that it had abandoned the warders? He had bet everything on this gamble and now, what was he supposed to do?
The air next to Taran 45 rippled. Hundreds of dark eyes looked down upon him. The high councillor scrambled up to his feet and began taking a step backwards. Reality cracked.
Clink.
A large tentacle shot out of elsewhere in a blink of an eye and wrapped around the high councillor. It effortlessly lifted the older man twelve feet in the air and slammed him down.
Thump.
Taran 45’s breath exploded out of his mouth. And he turned his head upwards to take a breath and took in the humid rubbery scent enclosing him. Taran 45 cleared his eyes took at the source of the smell and saw the creature that had him in its limbs.
Name – Incomprehensible.
Race – Khara (Soldier cast)
Class – 4
System Ranking – 61 (Fated)
Behind the large creature, five smaller divine touched khara flew in. They all gave him baleful looks and moved towards the pods. Taran 45 bent his neck to look at the khara and saw the silly people in their way. He struggled to tell the foolish seven to move out of the way but he couldn’t get a breath in. He tried to use his eyes to warn them. Instead, they all climbed to their feet with grunts and groans. And faced off with the khara.
Parvati M141 looked at the agitated khara moving towards them and bowed her head. She did not know whether they would understand her or not, but she had to give it a try. Not only did she have orders but also, she had failed the two kids behind her. She couldn’t live with herself if she did not stand up now. And her husband knew that and that is why he was standing right there with her.
“Khara, I am a healer. I was supposed to be their healer.” Needles pointed behind them at the warders in their pods “Please let me observe.”
The khara stopped. The lead one approached her. It floated around her. Then in a blink of an eye it stabbed her with one of its tentacles.
Jay 84 began to move when the tentacle pierced his wife’s forehead. He was so shocked that he did not even notice the lack of blood in the air until Parvati M raised her hand and shouted.
“JJ stop. Its okay. It’s okay.”
The khara use one eye to look Jay 84 and then moved a few lengths away. It turned back to Parvati M141, and its tentacles moved in a wave like pattern.
“Yes. I am a healer. But I don’t know how to heal this.” Parvati M pointed at the warders.
The khara’s tentacles rippled again.
Parvati M pointed at Taran 45 and hissed “He, did this. But he is not a healer either. His subordinates behind that glass wall, they are the brains behind this mess. If you want to know what they did, you need to ask them.”
The khara looked back at the floating soldiers cast. The larger khara lazily moved. Its movement looked slow and ponderous but somehow in a blink of an eye the two surgeons were in the large khara’s limbs. And only then needles heard the glass wall break with a shattering sound.
The other divine touched khara moved to the two surgeons and without a sound stabbed the two surgeon’s forehead with their incorporeal tentacles. The doctors twitched but soon all movements but their breath stopped and a glassy look came over their eyes.
“Paru, you can understand them?” Jay 84 asked.
“Yeah, they taught me.” Needles nodded at the lead khara and explained “They communicate with their tentacles. It’s fascinating. It’s not just sign language with ten tentacles. Its also the sound they make with them. A soft scrape means statement. A sharp scrape means a question and…”
“We got it. We got it. Woohoo. You speak space rubber fish language.” 83 chuckled sarcastically and asked “How about you ask if they want to kill us all or not?”
“Hey, be nice to my wife.” 84 started to protest when the large soldier started to squeeze into one of the surgeons.
The man started to struggle and screamed. It was short lived. The sound of snapping bones was followed by blood splattering on the ground. And then, ash fell to the floor along with the man’s shards.
The high councillor grunted and tried to struggle. Another tentacle coming down on him with a thwack stopped him and muffled out his protests. It was a statement of pure strength and with it the tension that had started to ease appeared again.
The first khara returned to Needles. They’re tentacles rippled.
Parvati M looked at Jay 84 and said “They are asking for your purpose.”
“Huh?” Jay 84 asked befuddled.
Parvati M clarified “JJ, they don’t think the way we do. They want to know what defines you and why is it making you stand here in front of the warders blocking their way.”
Jay 84 thought the question and nodded. He took in a breath and started.
“It is not often that class zeroes save battle hardened class ones. The kids, we were supposed to save them and somehow they ended up saving us.” Jay 84 scratched his head and sighed “Basically khara, they saved me, my wife and my best friend. Heck they even saved the little spy over there. I owe them. Maybe more than I can repay. That is why I chose to come here to protect them. And that is why I will continue doing so, if they will have me.”
Jay 83 shook his head “Sentimental ape.”
Parvati smiled and said “Don’t resist. They, are going to use their tentacle to verify your words.”
The khara quickly poked 84 and moved to 83. Parvati translated.
“Purpose?”
“What my best friend here said, it mostly that. Its also the fact that the boy behind me. He is fun. So, I will do my best to keep him alive.”
The khara moved to E65 and he tried to speak.
“Aah. Ummm… The general… Ash… Ah…”
The khara looked at Needles. She glanced at E65. The man looked at her helplessly.
“Just poke him?” The medic finally said.
The khara did as she asked, and its tentacles jittered and flexed. It backed away and its body began to pulse in a pinkish light that quickly transformed into multicoloured dancing lights inside an ethereal body. A moment later the other khara began to pulse multicoloured hues.
“Umm… What’s going on?”
“They are laughing. What did you do?” Parvati M asked.
The khara turned to her and moved its tentacles.
Needles laughed. She stopped and gave E65 and warning look.
“What?” Jay 83 asked.
“T, is worried that the khara are going to poke if with their tentacles in other parts.”
Everyone looked at E65 with questioning looks.
“I tried to research the Ash. He told me his favourite thing to do in his world is watching something called hentai.” E65 covered his rear with his palms. Under everyone’s look the former spy deflated “It’s difficult to explain but, picture this. There are these young people who go to this pond for vacation. They somehow all end up naked and start doing it. Suddenly this soldier khara who by the way bigger than the pod appears. He joins in. For the next forty five minutes, he does things. And I mean a lot of things.”
Parvati M asked looked at the haunted look on Taran E65’s face ““Why?”
“Because by doing those things he can reclaim his powers of a god of lust. And using those powers he finally transforms. Then he disappears into the sky, becoming a comet travelling through space and looking for a bigger orgy.”
“I didn’t ask you why the khara did that? I was… Wait what? That’s not how divinity works. Why would they think it would work like that?” Needles gave E65 a curious look.
“I don’t know.”
“What happened to the young people the khara left behind?” 83 asked.
“I don’t know.” E65 answered.
“How did the khara get to space?” 84 asked.
“I don’t know.”
“Where the energies to fuel the transformation come from?” Parvati M141 asked.
E65 looked at everyone. The rapid fire questions weren’t stopping. And the gods touched Khara kept bobbing up and down while pulsing festively.
“Stop!” E65 shouted and growled “I don’t know!”
T took in a breath and began again “You know what, I am not comfortable with what I watched. In fact, I think I might be traumatised. And I definitely don’t want to talk it so can we move on please?”
The khara suddenly stopped pulsing and turned to look behind themselves.
“Grraaaah!”
A pulse of kinetic flew up from the floor in the direction of the soldier khara. The large creature looked down at Taran 45 who had an ugly expression on his face. He threw the tentacle away and looked at the large khara.
“Let me talk, brute. Your masters don’t have all the variables to help the warders.”
The khara twitched and their limbs rippled. Parvati M141 began translating.
“Human, are you willing to stake your life on that fact?”
“Yes.” The high councillor shouted and in a calmer tone continued “Kill me if you need to. I am willing to die. But allow me to help you finish what I started.”
The soldier khara heaved and a small brown hill floated a few step away from the high councillor.
“What variables?” Needles translated the largest ethereal khara.
The high councillor pointed at the two weapons on the table next to the pods “Those soul weapons. They can feed potentiality to the warders. They seem to favour the male but they are compatible with both of them.”
“So?”
“They have changed their energy structure already.”
The khara looked at each other.
Taran 45 smiled “Divine khara, I have overstepped beyond my purpose, but I did all of this to make the two warders the best they can be.”
“You have not only overstepped. You have changed your purpose. Such transgressions cannot be allowed.”
Taran 45 nodded “I am willing to pay with my life.”
“Very well, you will do so. After we finish repairing, and reenforcing what you did.”
“The warder’s souls are no longer compatible with their bodies.” The high councillor took a step towards the pods and continued “Only I can help you with that. I can speak to their subconscious while they dream”
Needles looked at the smug smile on Taran 45’s face and growled “It’s not him that can communicate with the warders. It’s those rings he is wearing. Any of us can do that if we have them.”
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Taran 45 glared at Parvati M. The medic glared right back.
However, the khara weren’t interested in either of them. They had turned away and started confirming amongst each other. With their tentacles barely moving Needles was having a hard time translating what they were planning. She didn’t have to wonder much longer.
The khara dispersed. Their flying forms zipping across the air leaving spiralling energy currents behind them. One of them rushed to the other two councillor looking in from the door. The octopus plucked buttons from Captain Ruby’s unform jacket and a hair clip from Parvati 551 head. Another one, appeared in front of Taran 45 gathering the rings from his limbs and head. Two zoomed past her to the pods and started inspecting it. The final one appeared in front of Parvati and placed a tentacle next to her ear.
“Little healer.”
Parvati was to hear not just one voice but three. They all had different pitches and inflections and was confused for a moment. They she remembered that the Khara species had three brains. Did that mean that they were three consciousness inside one body?
“Can you hear us human?”
This time he heard a distinct female voice take the lead.
“Uh, yes.” Needles couldn’t help smiling as she answered distracted with the thought that the was khara’s pronouns were they because they were they. She controlled her oncoming giggles and listened as the tentacles vibrated into speech.
“Good. We will help the warders. But they will need to pay for our assistance. You will converse with them and get their acquiescence before we continue.”
“How?”
“We will send you to their minds. You will have to help us from inside there if they agree.”
“Okay. I hope they are not having a nightmare.” Needles blanched.
It wasn’t just an idle thought. She had used the dreamscape before to wake up patients from coma. Those who had suffered trauma and were fatally injured always had nightmares. And those nightmares sometimes left a lasting injury to the mind of the doctor.
“They are not. We have already calmed their minds. But you will not be the only one whose consciousness we will be sending. And their minds might think of multiple presences as an invasion and attack.”
Parvati M141 took in a deep breath. Dreamscapes were always dangerous, but she was a medic and the two behind her were her patients.
She nodded and asked “Okay, whose going with me?”
Half an hour later the superb seven were standing just this side of a long yellow line glaring at Taran 45. The high councillor whose every action was being monitored by the soldier khara stood up from inspecting the line and looked at the soldiers in front of him.
“So, you decided to recruit E65?”
Nobody answered him. Instead everyone looked around. On one side of the line was a large flat plain covered with tightly packed dirt. On the other side was an airconditioned hall filled with white boards. Squeaking noises of a marker came from behind the whiteboards covered with numbers and symbols. They stopped and illegible thinking noises came from behind the board.
The high councillor continued in a whisper “E65. He is quite a catch you know. One of the best Tarans created in a decade”
"T I think the councillors is in love with you." 83 muttered.
JJ snorted and E65 glared at Theory and at the High Councillor.
“Waah waah waan. Waah… waah… wummm.”
A tumble weed appeared out of nowhere and rolled just past them into the lecture hall. Everyone looked at the sight and at each other. The voice was familiar. No not so much familiar. It felt familiar. Like as if it was a childish girly version of the one they knew. But more than that, the annoying nasly tune sung by the voice somehow wormed itself into everyone’s brain and alongside that a poster of something called, The good. The bad. And the ugly, appeared in their minds.
Everyone blinked and shook themselves. They all turned towards the noise coming towards them from the left side of the line. It was a growling roar of something large and heavy heading towards them in a cloud of dust.
A shiny black SUV appeared out of the cloud and drifted right. Stopping ten feet away from them. The door opened and the dust in the air faded out of existence. The person inside stepped out, his long wavy hair hiding his face and looked at the mirror that had just appeared floating in the air. He touched his hat and flung his overcoat back dramatically.
“Tell me punk, do you feel lucky?” Ash growled in a childish voice.
“That’s not even the same movie!” Sheetal shouted from behind the whiteboards.
“Huh?” Ash gave the whiteboards a befuddled look.
“Where do you watch your movies?”
“Ummm… Instagram?”
There was silence for a long moment and then in a calm voice Sheetal asked “Why is there a tumbleweed in my lecture hall?”
“Aahhh.…”
“Ash!” Sheetal snarled and the whiteboards shook “My side is this side. Your side is the other one.”
“Yeah. Right. Let me get rid of this. This look isn’t fire, anyway.”
Everyone blinked. Ash was gone. The mirror, the car and the boy were all gone. He hadn’t even looked at them. The squeaking sound from behind the board started again and they looked in that direction.
Jay 84 turned to look at his wife and in a whisper asked “Should we…”
Oi. Oi. Oi…Oi. Oi. Oi.
Ash started singing again and everyone looked in the distance as another engine roar began. This time they didn’t have to wait long to catch the sight of him. A black car flew out of the dust cloud. Its large air intakes opening as it lifted up on its rear two wheels and thudded down dramatically. It skidded to a stop.
Ash got out. This time he was wearing a white vest over blue jeans.
It didn’t fit right. The vest was too large, and the jeans dragged on the ground. And his long black hair looked completely out of place in the attire. The mirror appeared and Ash looked at it.
In a fake deep voice he muttered “ I live my life a quarter…. Ah.”
A shudder ran through Ash’s body, and he shouted “Ah! Cringe! Boomer cringe!”
And he was gone again. Only the squeaking noise continued behind the boards.
Jay 84 started to move towards the white boards and Taran 45 reached and grabbed his hands.
84 whirled and freed his hands.
Taran 45 held up his hands and whispered “Let’s not be hasty. Let’s wait for them to come to us. We are in their minds remember?”
Pum. Pum…Pum. Pum. Pum... Pum. Pum…. Pum. Pum. Pum
Everyone turned again to look at the plain. Ash flew out of it on the back of a red sports bike. His hair flying back in the wind and yellow sunglasses on his face. His bike’s rear wheel lifted in the air as he stopped. He jumped of the vehicle and looked in the mirror.
“Red light. Green light.” He squished something in his hand and made an exploding motion and smiled with his lips pressed together “Boom.”
“Can he even see us?” Needles asked in a soft whisper.
“Oh, I can see you.” Ash took off his now black glasses and grinned.
He was suddenly wearing a brown jacket with patches on it. He looked down at himself and shook his head “Naah! Too brown.”
“Ash?” Sheetal asked from behind the whiteboards.
“Oh… Ummm… Run?” Ash asked
“What?” Jay 84 asked.
Ash whispered “JJ, guys, you need to run.”
“Don’t you dare!”
The white boards shifted aside with the sound of rollers and thudded into each. In the middle of the rolling boards Sheetal flew in a world of fire and rampaging hurricanes. Lightning flew across the sky clashing against other tendrils and melting the ground. Sheetal lifted her hand and flew towards them.
“She, did you light your space on fire again?” Ash asked.
Sheetal stared at the people standing on the white line.
“Oh, I see. You are doing that dramatic helmet guy thing. It doesn’t work you know. The firestorm behind you is more intimidating.” Ash paused and smiled “Actually that doesn’t even work. Because you can’t make it work.”
Sheetal gave Ash and annoyed look. Sheetal shouted “I know. But it should work. All my calculations are right.”
“That’s fire and all. But your space is one fire again.”
Sheetal glared at Ash and then stopped.
“Why are you dressed like Tom Cruise from M.I… Five?”
“Two actually. I don’t know why but I have got long hair and I am trying to make it work.”
Sheetal looked at Ash closely “Why do you have long hair?”
“I don’t know.” Ash said in an annoyed high pitched falsetto and continued dejectedly “It kind of appeared on its own.”
“We know why you have long hair. The high councillor…” Parvati M stated.
The ground they were standing on shook and the continuum people almost fell over.
Ash winced “She?”
Sheetal eyes looked at the continuum soldiers and then locked on to Taran 45.
Taren 45 lifted his hands and began “Listen we…”
Crunch!
Before the high councillor could get more than two words out, he was a ball of compressed bone and flesh. Sheetal dropped the mangled mess to the floor and looked at Parvati M141.
“Why!?” Sheetal screamed.
The whole world shook and this time the continuum people did fall. The ground cracked and geysers of flame flew up into the air.
Ash stepped towards the soldiers and the blazing fires puffed out of existence in comical balls on smoke.
“She. Calm down.”
“Don’t tell me to calm down!” Sheetal yelled at Ash.
“Okay. But I am reminding you that you are going to burn your whiteboards again.”
The world stopped shaking and the lances of fire shooting from the ground paused in mid-air. Sheetal blinked and the fires were gone.
Sheetal took in a deep breath and in a growl asked “What are you doing here?”
“They are watching me perfect my entrance.” Ash answered for everyone.
Sheetal looked at Ash “Entrance?”
“Yeah, I need a new look and entrance. They are helping me.”
“You look like a cross between a flipped up Ethan Hunt, a pride day Maverick, and a manga boy samurai.”
Ash opened his mouth like a fish out of water “I was trying his Samurai look. See? Log hair.” Ash pointed at his hair.
“Why don’t you try Bollywood?”
“Because they are all weird muscle heads who make people fly with a punch. And the only one who is hot enough to be worthy of me dances on top of trains. I can’t make an entrance on top of train.”
Sheetal raised a finger “There is…”
“Nope. He is got a weird moustache. And a gayer dressing sense than me.”
“What about…”
“He is too dumb. He is the kind chocolate boy toy I would do not be.”
“How about…”
“She, he is not good looking. Or Bollywood.”
“Hey, he is good looking like in a gruff masculine way. But yeah. He is not Bollywood.” Sheetal sighed and continued “That flipping Taran screwed us.” Sheetal waved at the spot where Taran 45 was standing and yelped when she saw him reappear.
“Wait. I ca…” Taran 45 started.
“Ah…” Sheetal yelped and instinctively pushed.
The high councillor’s lifeless body flew into the distance and tumbled down.
Ash chuckled “Hehe… He fell butt first.”
“Ha…Ha…How?”
“It’s not real She. They are not real.”
“What?”
“We are hallucinating. And they are not real.”
“No, we are real. The world around you is not.” Parvati M corrected Ash.
“What!?” Sheetal and Ash asked together.
“We are real.” Needles reaffirmed.
“But… But… I was doing a wheely on an American muscle car.” Ash pointed behind him where the black car flickered in and out of existence.
Parvati nodded “Yes. You are in a dreamscape. It is dream replicated by our quantum computing systems. We do it to take the load of brains while we repair the trauma and the injuries our soldiers suffer.”
Ash asked with a smile “So, I don’t have long hair?”
“No. Ah…” Parvati M141 started to speak and didn’t know how to finish her sentence.
Jay 83 cleared his throat and came to his wife’s rescue “What do you remember?”
Sheetal got a rapid rush of memories and closed her eyes.
“She?” Ash grunted and staggered.
Sheetal swayed. The back of her head pulsed and began to hurt. Her eyes stung and tears of pain rolled down her cheeks. Even though she was standing in the open, suddenly she felt constricted. Constricted by metal everywhere. One of those metal pipes tightened around her body and she felt cold metal on her skin.
This had happened before too. Sheetal tried to remember and wished she hadn’t when a stream of images and phantom pain rocked her.
Notification angrily buzzed in her hud. Her eyes that could focus on the words. Snatches of whirring sound and beep. A surgeon jostling a tray. All came rushing to her with other things.
Things like the pressure of a drill digging into her eyes. No, not her eyes, Ash’s eyes. A snippet of two white clothed surgeons carrying a hissing snake to his pod. The snake coiled around one doctor’s hand and the bulb like thing that lifted up to look at everywhere.
Then there was pain. So much pain. Before it was cut off from her. She focussed and felt Ash draw a line in between her and him. He gathered the pain and pulled it back from the big yellow line.
Sheetal woke up again.
This time, she reached out beyond the line into the mind of an delirious Ash. He could speak but through their link she could understand that the surgeon in the hazmat suit were putting in the second eye into Ash’s skull. Her eyes looked at the eye in a gloved hand. The dang thing was alive. It was fighting fought against the surgeon until it came closer to Ash. Then it focussed onto him. One of the medical pods arm lowered and grabbed it. Inside the pod one of the metal arms forcefully lifted Ash’s chin up. The eye splashed into the gel like water. It slithered towards Ash and brought its tail towards itself. Then in a blur of motion it stung out.
The eye grabbed onto something vital in his eyes and for moment Sheetal reeled in the pain. Before once again, Ash gathered it up and locked it somewhere deep inside of him. Sheetal felt it when the eye slithered into her brother’s eye socket. She felt it when it replaced Ash’s ocular nerves. She felt it when it dug into his brain and burrowing itself into him.
Sheetal screamed in pain feeling Ash’s agony.
“Sedate her!” She heard Taran 45’s order and darkness fell.
Sheetal had a hazy image of her waking up. Feeling as if someone had torched her back and then split it open. Sounds, no words drifted into her hazy mind. People yelling at each other. Clashes and then yelling. He eyes closed and when opened it, a woman, the largest woman she had ever seen was standing protectively in front of their pods. Taran 45 was giving her a frustrated look.
The large woman spoke “You are a fool. An ignorant fool. Warders are one of the most difficult creatures to kill in all of reality. But…”
Sheetal drifted of. The corners of her eyes darkened. Then she was dying. The thudding of her heart slowed. Her body pulsed with pain. Each and every bit of it protesting the lack of life. Relief flowed in. Her body gasped even if her lungs didn’t. Her eyes flickered open in the golden glow and then started darkening again. She was dying again. The golden glow revived her again. It was all for not. She died again. And again.
Sheetal shook her head. The phantom pain from her memories staggered her. It wasn’t just her. Pained groans came from the continuum soldiers. She looked up and saw the only one who was standing unaffected was the shortest one amongst them.
Ash exhaled “You felt it.”
“Ash, I am so sorry.” Sheetal said in a small voice.
“No, you have nothing to be sorry about. That guy should be sorry.” Ash pointed a finger at the convulsing Taran 45.
Sheetal blinked. The god danged man was back and crawling towards Ash.
Jay 83 grunted grabbed the High Councillor back and cocked his fist.
Thwack!
Taran 45’s head rocked back and he seemed to return to his senses “Theory? What in the gods name…”
“Ghost. I should kill you!” Jay 83 shouted.
Taran 45 screamed in the high councillor’s face.
The high councillor sighed “You know I am ready to die.”
Jay 83 made disgusted sound and let Taran 45 go.
Needles groaned as she got up to her feet. She looked at Ash and then turned to Sheetal.
“Warders we are sorry. I could stop them. But I will die before I let him hurt you anymore.”
“That is not up to you.” Taran 45 said from behind Parvati M.
Sheetal shrieked and flung her hand towards the man.
“Holy crepes!” Ash took a step back and said “Everyone, move back. She is gone Darth She again.”
Everyone except Taran 45 followed his direction. He was stuck in one spot. He began to choke.
Sheetal lifted her right hand in claw and started screaming “Ahh….” And slamming the high councillor down with every one or two words
“Stop!”
Thud.
“Talking.”
Thud.
“And.”
Thud.
“Just die.”
Slam!
Sheetal panted.
“Feel better?” Ash asked.
Sheetal glared at him “Why aren’t you doing anything?”
“It’s not real She.”
“Still!”
Ash exhaled “There is no point. Even if I kill him. He wants that.”
Needles stepped closer to Sheetal and said “You don’t know this. So, this might help you get a hint of revenge. The High Councillor is in serious trouble. He has already started paying for his sins.”
Ash snorted “Yeah, like how?”
Parvati M smiled viciously “We helped General Athena break into the null zone. She put everyone in their place and even banged up the Aug Queen’s head into the ground. Then the High Moron called on the Light’s creatures. The khara came and have taken over your care. They have the High Councillor strapped to a chair and are thinking of way to punish him.”
Ash tilted his head when Needles pointed at the floating octopus with the word khara. Both He and Sheetal had mistook the creature for a brown mound following the superb seven.
Sheetal floated back with the words “Is that a…”
“Plushee!” Ash screamed and dove at the soldier khara with his hand spread apart.
Everyone looked at Ash baffled as he hugged the large creature.
“Ash?”
“Plushee.”
Sheetal felt happiness and almost childlike affection from the link they shared. Images of a large stuffed toy with happy eyes and fluffy tentacles popped into her mind.
The soldier khara raised the tentacle Ash was hugging and looked at the boy dangling from it. His eyes were closed, and he was blissfully rubbing his cheek on the rubbery appendage.
“Okay, someone please pry Ash off that poor creature and start from the top.” Sheetal finally said.
Needles shook her head “We don’t have time for that. The khara have a quest for you. If you take it, they will, as they say, repair, reinforce, and reintegrate you into the system. If not, they will just stabilise you, leave you to heal on your own and find your own way.”
Sheetal’s eyes hardened “What quest?”
In response, the khara raised one of its tentacles towards her and waited.
“Touch the tentacle, Sheetal.” Needles prompted Sheetal
Sheetal looked at the multi eyed creature and reached out a finger. She touched the warm rubbery limb and a window popped open on her hud.
Break The Seige.
Fight in the gravity well of the star Xozlit. Help the frontier Kel Ruudrak protect his dyson sphere. Break the siege of blood brood so that the khara harvest energies from the star.
Rewards
Emergency medical surgery
Post surgery Treatment.
5 Medical Consultations.
Duration
10 Deaths or Siege Break.
Accept?
Yes / No.
Before Sheetal could even finish reading the quest was accepted by Ash. Sheetal looked up and glared at her little brother.
Ash felt Sheetal’s glare and huffed “Don’t worry. Plushee won’t do anything bad to us. Plushee is a good boy. Aren’t you Plushee?”
Sheetal and everyone watched Ash’s words transform into baby talk and no one was more confused that the poor soldier khara.
They lifted its tentacle in the air and showed the boy clinging onto him to everyone. With another tentacle they pointed at the crazy boy.
Sheetal shrugged cluelessly.
The khara seemed to deflate and then with a shrug disappeared into sparkling lights.
Ash thudded down to the ground and looked everywhere with widening eyes.
“Plushee?” He asked.
When no one answered, he dramatically turned his head upwards and screamed “No! Plusheeeeeee!!!”
“Ash, stop it.” Sheetal massaged her temples.
“But, Plusheeee?”
“Ash, will you stop trying to me act like a dumber version of yourself?”
Ash gave Sheetal an annoyed look.
“Look around us Ash. Everyone here is either fought with us or spent time talking with us.” Sheetal looked at Taran 45 who had reappeared moments ago “And this fricker, is in love with you.”
Ash sighed and stood up “Nah, he is straight.”
“Ash. Be serious please.”
Ash took in breath and let it go. Behind him the planes drifted away and an urban cyber punk metropolis appeared. Blaring neon signs popped into existence advertising wares like holographic skirts, carbon fibre jackets, and silky see through underwear. But the biggest sign was one that stated, One million tonfas. Underneath that sign was a sign was line that glowed threateningly, those who call it police baton or a night stick will be bopped.
The changes didn’t stop there. A road appeared under his feet leading to the yellow line. Unknown storefronts popped open bathing the road in yellow lights. Hawkers flashed into existence selling everything from masala noodle rolls to blue cheese pringles on the boards.
Smell of coffee drifted to everyone’s nose and faceless waiters started serving everyone a drink with two large shots of espresso, a scoop of vanilla ice cream, and a yellow syrup with sprinkles on top.
Everyone looked around and saw that they were now sitting in the middle of the road with a large steel table separating them. Sheetal and Ash were sitting at the head of the table.
Ash had changed once again. He was wearing an unbuttoned silver silk shirt. A short blue skirt and pink sandals that strapped up to his calves. As Ash moved to face Sheetal everyone got an eyeful of his bright pink underwear as he put one leg over the other.
His soft pretty painted face turned to look at Sheetal’s regal one and asked “Why did you make me show myself?”
“Finally.” Sheetal acknowledged and asked “What took you so long?”
“Well, I didn’t want to show my real self to all these people.” Ash slim arm lifted in a feminine gesture and the bracelets on his wrist chimed. He pointed a long slim finger with a painted nail at everyone on the table.
“You should stop hiding now.” Sheetal sighed.
“Easy for you to say. The world accepts you the way you are. Even in your dreary grey skirt and white boyfriend shirt.”
“Boyfriend shirt?” Sheetal shook her head and muttered “Never mind. Just answer me, why?” Sheetal asked.
“Because that old guy screwed up. And now we are screwed. So, we have to unscrew ourselves. And the only way to do that is with the help of octopie… Octupeseses? Octomany?”
“Octopuses.”
“Whatever.” Ash rolled his eyes in soft airy voice.
“Ash, you know what I am really asking. Why don’t you want me to kill him?” Sheetal pointed at Taran 45 who was sitting right opposite them with tape on his face.
Needles shook herself of whatever trance the transformation had put her in. Jay 84 shook his head too. She narrowed her eyes at Ash. Had she felt a hint of lust when the boy had lifted his leg up to cross them. Had he done that knowingly.
No, Needles shook her head. The warder, no, the boy was a unapologetic narcissist. His ego was so big that he was affecting everyone with his subconscious thoughts. The only one who could shrug off her thrust was Sheetal.
Needles turned to speak to Jay 84 and realised she couldn’t.
Jay 84 had a wide eyed look that told her that he could either.
They all looked at each other. They were all stunned except for E65. He was sipping on his coffee with a surprised expression.
Besides them Ash continued “I need to speak to him.”
“Okay, and then can I kill him?” Sheetal asked with a feral smile.
“Here? Yes. Outside? No.”
“Ash.”
“She, trust me.”
“I do but I am still going kill him the first chance I get.”
“She…” Ash sighed.
“He tore you apart!” Sheetal shouted and the world behind her crackled in fire filled thunder.
Ash nodded “I know. But he is of no use to me dead.”
“I see.” Sheetal nodded back
“Oh, thank the gods.”
“I am still killing him.”
“She…”
Sheetal glared at the only man who didn’t have a drink in front of him “I should have let you fight and die for us. I was weak. I didn’t want to die. So now, I don’t care if they kill me in return, but I am going to cush his head.”
“Give me a handful of days please?” Ash begged with his little hands pressed together.
“Why?” Sheetal snapped.
Ash recoiled “I can’t tell you.”
“What?” Sheetal was baffled for a second and then squinted at the pretty boy. She hissed “You! You are hiding something from me.”
Ash grinned a pearly white smile “Yes. And when I reveal it. Its going to make us awesome.”
“And then I get to kill him?
“Hey, I am supposed to be the sociopath here. She, you are stealing my shtick.”
“Shtick? What are you, old paunchy American now?”
“What are you, blood thirsty now.”
“You are a pain.” Sheetal said in a frustrated scream.
“You are a nerd.” Ash responded likewise.
“You are a brainless bimbo.”
Ash huffed and tried to come up with something “Yeah? Well, your eyes are too far apart.”
Sheetal snorted “They are still closer than your legs.”
Ash opened his mouth and closed it. Finally, he said “I am going to get you back for that She.”