Shades of Justice: Page 36

Mark teleported into the command center. He had been spending the last few months in Hawaii surfing on every wave he could catch. So when he appeared in board shorts and a Hawaiian shirt the others were surprised. “What’s up kids?” He asked taking off his silver sunglasses.

Gordon took in the garish outfit quickly “Aloha I guess, sorry to call you back so soon but were in a bit of a situation.” He started.

Mark nodded. “Par for the course wouldn’t you say?” He replied with a smile.

Gordon nodded. “The good news is, we got Technarious back, the bad news is, Sonya almost died to make it happen and Technarious isn’t functional and we don’t know if he can be fixed, what we would fix, or how to fix it if we knew.” He explained walking over to the platform where Technarious was laid out.

Mark looked him over. “First of all, congratulations on getting Technarious back, is Sonya going to be ok?” He asked.

“She’s already starting to recover thanks to the command centers medical systems and Spark.” Kelly added.

Mark turned around to reply to her. “Who or what is Spark?” He asked.

Lumarion’s wall light up. “I’m Spark. These guys thought there were going to rescue Lumarion and found me instead.” He explained.

Mark nodded. “So you found a different Shimmeron, you have Technarious back, and the command center is still standing, you guys are doing all right.” He smiled and put his glasses on. “Computer, give me a full body structural scan of Technarious compare it to his last fully functional scan on file.” The others stood in silence and Mark looked over the information that was coming through his glasses. He snapped his fingers. “Computer, display discrepancies on the center holoprojector.” As soon as he finished the command he took his glasses off and two holographic three dimensional representations of Technarious appeared in the center of the room.

The left one was dimmer than the right one and there were several area’s that were lit with red light instead of green. Gordon reached out and pointed at one of the red sections. “I’m assuming the red sections are the area’s that are damaged and in need of repair or replacement?” He asked.

Mark nodded. “Exactly, now all we have to do is break into the storage facility underneath the command center.

Warren sighed. “Of course, why didn’t we think of that?” He said sarcastically.

Mark shrugged his shoulders. “I know you guys are new, but where did you think Blinding Light went when you weren’t fighting giant monsters?” He asked.

Warren held up a finger, realized it was a decent question and then shrugged. “Fair point.” He admitted.

Blood and Profit: Page 59

The room Ling led Mew into was a state of the art computer lab. She watched as the male assistant sat at the nearest interface and pulled up a search program.

Mew leaned over to whisper to ling. “So what’s his name.” She asked.

“That’s Cory.” Ling replied.

Cory filled out the search parameters that they knew. He set the system to its task and a large [SEARCHING] icon popped up and faded in and out.

“And why is he searching for the game console?” Mew asked.

Ling nodded. “To see if we have one.” She explained.

Mew was lost. “To see if you have one where? Why?” She asked.

Ling gestured to the rest of the building. “This ware house is the technology library and machine repository. We’re hoping that we have one waiting for us in one of the storage compartments here.” She explained.

Mew nodded. “Ok but what’s so important about the game console? Aren’t we supposed to activate the ring?” She asked.

Ling nodded. “The ring console is based on three hundred year old technology. On a consumer level we moved past it long, long ago. When your friends erased the data on the ring and console we were left with a three hundred year old remote control that has no known visual interface and runs on code that no known machine can interpret. We’re down to digging through the oldest machines we have in the library to see if any of them are able to show us why this ring console isn’t turning on.” She said.

Cory stood up “G – G- G –Got it!” A paper with the box code and game system information printed out.

Ling grabbed it and glanced it over. “Toll definitely had a passion for old rare electronics. This thing wasn’t made here, it was brought all the way from earth.” She said as they left the computer lab and headed for the machine repository.

The doctor saw them come out into the hall. “Did you find anything?” He asked, jumping off the chair and running to catch up with them. Ling handed over the paper. “Vintage to the point of being nearly useless. I highly doubt your friends were into video games that old.” He said looking at the rest of the information. “Row nineteen, Section F, Box eight. You’ll need a ladder” He said handing the paper back to Ling as they entered the repository proper. 

The others moved with purpose, the storage facility was nothing new to them, but Mew was stunned instantly by the sheer size of the area and the never ending rows of stored materials that went all the way to the roof of the building. “How?” She uttered mostly to herself.

Ling came back her direction with a large ladder. “Decades of dedication, and organization, Come on.” She headed down the hall toward the nineteenth row.

Lidarion: Page 31

It was not an easy three days of travel. The journey itself was easy enough, every fifty to a hundred feet they marked their path so they could find their way back to the port. Trent had been short tempered from the get go and by the end of the first day his attitude and the ever present fog had soured the group. They traveled the second day mostly in silence, there were bits of whispered conversations but nothing that lasted longer than a few sentences. By the end of day three they had all retreated into their own thoughts and followed Haruff in total silence.

Twenty minutes into the fourth day they found the library. It was large enough that the fog obscured its total height but what they could see was stunningly beautiful. A mixture of wood and stone that appeared to have escaped the wear and tear of time. As they approached the heavy wooden main doors they were able to see representations of every language they knew and several that even Squints had never seen. Haruff pulled the door open and they ventured inside.

The interior was even more impressive than the exterior. Their vision no longer limited by the Fog, everyone but Haruff was able to take in the architecture, the paintings on the walls, the tile work on the floor that appeared at first glance to be an ancient map of the world. The book stacks started almost immediately and rose high into the building. They could see ladders hanging off the shelves. A fair skinned elf with ice blue hair came around the corner to greet them. He wore a plain white robe that had one large pocket in the front that was filled with a book. The Ice haired elf smiled at them and clapped his hands in excitement. “Oh my yes! This is a wonderful day, it had been so long since we’ve had any visitors.” He ushered them further into the building as he walked by them to close the doors. “Come in, come in, come in. Keep that nasty fog outside where it belongs.” He turned back to face the group. “Before we begin I invite you to wash all that negativity and anger off here, I promise you’ll feel better once you have been cleansed.” He gestured to a basin of water and waited for each of them to clean their hands and faces. As they did they discovered that the ice haired elf wasn’t lying. The sour silent negativity was rinsed away as their hands and face dried. The ice haired elf nodded again. “Good, Good, now welcome to the City of Scrolls. A misleading name if ever there was one, because it’s a library, but as far I am aware it is the largest library on the planet which means whatever you came here to find, I can almost guarantee that it is here to be found.” He shuffled back to the front of the group. “Now then, how may I be of assistance?” He asked with a huge smile on his face.

Squints stepped forward with the book he had brought from Lidarion. “We’re ah, well. We’re looking for the five scrolls that detail the sigils of the paragons. He said. Do you know where they are?” he asked.

The ice haired elf nodded in excitement. “The five scrolls are easily one of our most treasured manuscripts here. Come! I will show you.” He said spinning around.

The group scurried behind him to keep up. “What’s your name?” Brooke asked. As they weaved through the stacks.

The ice haired elf laughed. “You may call me Obla’reth.” He replied.

After a few more moments of scurrying through the library they came to positively primal wooden doors, marked with some sort of ancient language. Squints was beside himself with curiosity. “Obla’reth what language is that? I saw it on the front door as well.” He asked.

Obla’reth smiled nodded. “Yes you did, it’s the language of the titans, the first sentient race we have evidence of on this planet.” He explained.

Squints shook his head. “I thought the Titans were nothing more than a myth, bed time stories for children.” He replied.

Obla’reth shook his head. “An unfortunate side effect of time, and a general disinterest in the preservation of history. Luckily it is a side effect those who dedicate themselves to the preservation of this city are not burdened by.” He said pushing the doors open to reveal five gigantic scrolls. Each was easily five feet tall and twenty feet wide. They were secured to the wall of the room they were stored in by giant leather straps. It was clear that the room they were stored in had been built specifically to house them as the ceiling of the room was no more than two or three feet above the fifth scroll on the wall. “Ladies and gentlemen, the scrolls of the paragons.” Obla’reth gestured to the wall as the others stood in stunned awe.

Melody and Harmony: Page 5

The other side of the bridge was friendly territory, it was home. Once he touched down he coasted to a stop and kicked his board up. It was long past sun down and the second shift workers were well into their evening’s entertainment. Foster was still miles from Safe Port, the bar where he was to deliver his package but on this side of the bridge he was already among family.

He dropped his board to the street and made his way into the district, families had come out of their homes and every street he passed down there was another feast, another pick up band filling the alleys with ancient music that bound the souls of all who danced to the past, stronger than any blood ever could. This was the music that made their blood flow, He set his audio filter so he could hear the music as he rolled through the streets. He smiled and acknowledged those who raised their glasses to him as he passed. Among friends, he found himself in no hurry.

Safe Port was open but you’d never know it from the outside. Foster kicked his board up and it magnetized to his leg as he thumbed the button to split the board in half at his knee. He walked around the corner of the building and stepped into what was both the back alley of the bar and also the front entrance. The back alley was filled with a small army of questionable characters. Two tired looking men in torn gray plants and faded purple tunics were sitting on boxes, one of them was dealing hands from a sun worn deck of cards. Leaning on the alley wall opposite them was another fellow in gray and purple with a plain black eye patch over his right eye, his left eye was closed and he was strumming out a lazy tune on an electric guitar. At the far end of the alley, Daniel was perched against the wall, His electric purple cavalier hat angled low to cover his face, and the neon purple feather pinned to the right side pulsed through patterns of purple and black. The smoke from Daniel’s Cigarette curled up slowly around the brim. He wore a galleon coat that had been stitched with fiber optic thread, purple lines of electricity crawled the crisscrossing patterns they had been stitched into from ankle to shoulder.

Foster made his way down the alley, bobbing and weaving around the guardians of the club. Daniel did not look up when he spoke. “How did it go?” He asked, letting more smoke slowly dance its way into the sky.

Foster shrugged. “Oh you know, same shit, different day.” He tried to play it off as he pulled the package out of his jacket and handed it over to Daniel.

Daniel checked the contents of the package and saw the bloody hole in Fosters jacket. “That good huh?” He nodded to the wound as he pocketed the package in one of his own inner pockets.

Foster nodded. “Nothing I couldn’t handle, but unless you need anything else, I’m going to head home.” He said turning toward the opening of the alley just in time to see the woman from the club and a ten guard’s roll up behind her. He cursed under his breath as she locked eyes with him.

Daniel didn’t move off the wall. “Something we can help you with, Veronica?” There was disdain in her name.

She pointed a black opal fingernail at Foster. “He broke the rules, my master demands retribution.” She spat.

Daniel tossed the butt of his cigarette and lit another, the glow of his lighter revealing the left half of his face. “If he so desires then let him come and take it.” The light died and smoke crawled out of the darkness.

Veronica clenched her fists and postured in fury toward the alley but did not enter it. “I HAVE KILLED MEN FOR LESSER INSULTS!” She growled.

Daniel shook his head calmly. “I think you see insult where none exists.” He replied with an even tone.

For a second everyone seemed to freeze. Daniel calmly tossed his half smoked cigarette across the alley way and lifted his head for the first time. The lamp light from above revealing a deep scar on the right side of his face. Veronica took a half step back in surprise. “You!” Her men got nervous. “They said you were dead!” She uttered in disbelief.

Daniel reached in the darkness of his jacket and pulled a mini gun out from under the long body of his jacket. It was hanging from a strap around his shoulder the head of the six barrel rotator pointed at Veronica and her men. The other men in the alley way all stood and revealed the guns and knives they were carrying as well.

Veronica held her hands up in surrender. “It doesn’t have to go down like this.” She said

Daniel squinted. “We are men of action, lies do not become us.” The mini Gun roared to life and Veronica and her guards shot into the air bouncing off the walls and launched themselves at the men in the alleyway.

Foster pulled his sword out of his jacket but was stopped from entering the fray by Daniel. He handed him the package. “Go home kid, keep this safe, I’ll drop by in the morning to pick it up.” He turned his attention to the fight and caught a guard lunging at him with a quick burst of fire that dropped him to the ground.

Foster was thumbing the control for his board when Daniel whistled and a fire escape ladder dropped down. He nodded to the ladder. Foster nodded back and made his way up and away from the fight. 

Spoonerville: Page 3

In the books and the movies Quora beach was a rocky, cold mess of unfriendly land that looked nothing at all like the coast lines that had made California famous. In reality, Quora beach was the catcher’s mitt for all the rage the ocean could throw at it. Denielle pulled into the parking area which consisted of two rows of parking. A few years earlier a raging winter storm moved the beach head back a hundred feet, covering half the original parking lot with beach sand and gravel. The beach was a combination of stones, rocks, boulders, and entire ancient dead trees.

She parked the car and felt safe seeing that there were a half dozen other cars in the lot. She passed the bathrooms to walk down the trail that led her through a heavily cleared part of the forest to an open area where beach access was significantly safer than the parking area. The tide was on its way out and while she couldn’t see much in the way of waves on the water she could hear them crashing in the distance.

The books had made the cloud cover of the pacific northwest famous and she had expected clouds, what she had not been prepared for was the thick layer of formless gray that blanketed the sky without detail. Beneath the blanket of nothingness there were a few clouds here or there but with less than five minutes on the beach she fully understood why seasonal depression was a part of life for many who live in Washington.

She sloughed off the incoming blah’s and pulled her cell phone out to take pictures of the giant tower like island off to her left. It stood out of the ocean like a super villain’s lair and its creepy beauty mesmerized her. She got lost in playing with filters and angles until somewhere around her fifteenth photo the laughter of children playing on the beach somewhere behind her brought her attention back. She pocketed her phone and turned to walk further down the beach but was shocked to find herself alone.

The beach was mostly small rocks and stones so there were no footprints to hint at their location but the laughter had also gone silent.

She glanced up at down the beach and the tree line and saw no one else within eye sight. Then for the first time she noticed that for as far down the tree line that she could see every mostly ocean exposed tree had long since died and been stripped bare of all life. The forest was buffered by a barrier wall of arboreal bones. The darkness that consumed the forest not much further beyond the barrier wall was probably perfectly natural but she could no longer ignore the feelings  of dread encroaching into her conscious mind. She turned back south toward the parking lot and looked along the tree line for the sign marking the path that would lead her back to her car.

She felt the ocean air cutting at her skin like a razor and hunched her shoulders against the sea spray that had been carried by the shifting wind. Somewhere behind her there was more laughter, she ignored the instinct to flee and turned to end the game these children were playing with her.

They weren’t children.

The ocean was capable of tossing ancient trees and giant boulders on a regular basis, so by the time the group of hikers returned to their car early the next morning, there was less than nothing left of the bloody hollowed out mess that used to be Denielle.

Shades of Justice: Page 35

Sonya was unconscious the medical platform had her incased in a field that was monitoring her condition. Her Heart beat was slow but steady. Dante had pulled a chair over to the platform and was sitting vigil over Sonya. Gordon had summoned up another platform and they had laid Technarious’ lifeless body on it.

Gordon, Kelly, and Warren were inspecting the damage. Shined a light into the hole in Technarious’ abdomen. Kelly shook her head. “We don’t even know if we did enough damage to him to shut him down, or if Sonya was successful in destroying his internal power supply.” She griped.

The command station computer pinged. “Technarious’ power supply has sustained enough damage to halt his functionality.” The computer pinged again.

Gordon snapped his fingers and worked through the half an idea forming in his mind. “Computer, is there, um, uh, extra parts! For Technarious?” He asked.

The computer pinged. “Technarious is a mechanically based artificial life form, he is not unique, and replacement parts do exist.” The computer pinged.

Gordon rolled his eyes and growled in frustration. “Are there parts in this command center?” he asked.

The computer pinged. “Unkown.” The computer pinged.

“Oh come on!” Kelly snapped. “You can scan the entire planet for Lumarion, but you can’t scan this room for Technarious’ spare parts?” She yelled.

The computer pinged. “Technarious’ is made up of over one million individual pieces. A full search of this command center for all one point two million parts will take four days.” The computer pinged.

Warren clenched his fists. “We don’t even know which parts to tell the computer to search for.” He pointed out.

Kelly shrugged. “Computer, which parts of Technarious have failed?” she asked.

The computer pinged. “Technarious is not powered and completely non-functional. There is no way to discern which parts have failed without disassembling him.” The computer pinged.

Dante stood up. “Well then, unless one of you got your P.H.D in sentient robot engineering in the last two week, there’s only one person I know of who might be able to help us.” He said.

Warren shook his head. “There’s absolutely no guarantee that Mark will know anything about how to fix Technarious.

Dante nodded. “You got a better idea?” he asked. The others were stone silent. Dante nodded again and put his shades on. “That’s what I thought.” He finalized.

Blood and Profit: Page 58

Mew stepped in front of the thin and the fat one to introduce herself. “I’m Mew, I managed the recycling center station were Toll worked. Before he and Rusty stole a ship and made their run for the ring.” She said.

The Doctor sat up in his chair and rolled forward a little bit. “Do you work on the ring console with them?” He asked. She shook her head. “Did they tell you how they did it?” He asked. She shook her head again. He slumped back in his chair again. “Then why the hell are you here?” He asked.

She shrugged her shoulders. “You’re the scientist, you tell me.” She grumbled.

He rotated his chair and turned his head to look at her. “Can you order pizza?” He asked.

She rolled her eyes. “You’re one of the smartest people on the planet and you don’t know how to order pizza?” She asked.

He shrugged. “I never memorized the number.” He said before he pushed off backward down the hall.

The doctor’s assistants came out of a smaller computer lab and saw the group by the main door so they walked over to introduce themselves. The girl held her hand out. “Hi I’m Ling, if the doctor said anything rude or annoying feel free to ignore him.” She said with a smile as Mew shook her hand.

The doctor rolled by on his chair. “Excuse me, I have three degrees in computers and engineering, everything I say is equally brilliant and insightful.” His voice echoed down the hall.

“’You’re a sexist asshole’ isn’t insightful it’s just an unpleasant reality.” Ling shouted down the hall.

The Doctor rolled back. “Hey now. I’m not sexist, I don’t care who gets the pizza as long as it’s not me, and it doesn’t have olives.” He said before pushing off again.

The male assistant finally spoke up. “W- W- W- Can you tell us ab- b- b- about your friends?” He stuttered.

Ling nodded. “Anything that might stand out about them relating to technology? Did either of them have a favorite computer on the station? Or any obsession with any kind of machine?” She asked.

Mew thought it for a moment, her eyes got wide. “Oh hell yes Toll did! He had this ancient portable game machine that he had on him practically 24/7.” She growled. “I hated that thing.” She spat.

Instant the doc rolled back and stopped quickly. “How old? What did it look like? What was it called?” He asked in rapid fire.

Mew shrugged. I don’t know how old, It was green, like an ugly neon green that had faded a long time ago to this sort of tired green. I don’t know what it was called but it played these horrible computerized tones that Toll called music. The only other thing I remember is that Rusty got almost as angry as I did when he caught him playing it. Which he did, pretty much all the time.” She explained.

The male assistant ran back into the smaller lab that he and Ling had just come out of. Ling had a huge smile on her face. “Video game machines were on the bottom of our list, if he can figure out which machine it was, and we can find another one we might have our first real lead.” She explained as she ushered Mew back to the smaller lab.

The doctor looked at the fat and the thin gentlemen that had delivered Mew. “So that’ll be a large, sausage and mushroom pizza, light on the sauce, cheese stuffed crust mkay?” He waved them off with a hand.

The fat one flinched and the thin one held up his hand. “You do and we all die.” He said as they turned for the door.