"What would you have done?" She asked it quietly. Looking
up, Makara blushed and put the coin away, not wanting anyone
to see her talking to herself.
Krakken looked inward, to himself.
What could he do,
how could he stop this? How could any of them... There was
a deafening explosion, followed by cracks coursing up the
castle wall. Everyone above ground, wherever they were,
jumped at the sound, ran to see what was happening. The
second everyone was there, however, the cracks stopped
forming and the booming stopped.
Morphing his arms into cement mixers, the disguised UA
began to repair the cracks. Elsewhere, a laser blast fired
into the air. It wasn't as significant as the explosion,
but it needed investigation. Krakken and Kisutsu went to
check it out, Nity(50yl) following.
OUTSIDE THE BASEMENT
Finally arriving, they saw that it had come from where
they had hidden the psychics. T.I.M. was lying outside,
barely functioning, but "alive". The entrance had
completely caved in and rubble blocked their path. Summoning
whirling wind, Krakken cleared away the bulk of it, then
followed Kisutsu in. "*Phew!* The room is intact. Hey,
Zelda, Tal..." Krakken's voice trailed off. "The psychics!
They're gone!"
Nity(50yl) groaned, "The explosion! It was just a
diversion!"
Taking out his anger on the old man, Krakken snarled,
"Why didn't you foresee this? Why didn't you prevent it?"
Nity(50yl) just shook his head, mutely staring at the cracked
wall.
TOWER
"Pyro, put your friends on alert and get into position." UA said.
“What happened?” Someone asked.
"Plasma beam. Quickly, hide yourselves." UA explains. "Nity and
the rest of you, back into hiding." UA
'ports.
THE SHIP
"UA appears in the form of the king on the main deck, and is
surrounded quickly by Darkens.
+Organized little buggers, ain't they?+ he thought. "Wait! I
come in peace! Take me to your leader." +I've always wanted
to say that.+ They led him through the technologically
advanced warship. Then down a metallic hallway
until they reached the command center. There, UA was
confronted by McTorn.
"Speak while you live."
"Um, I art just a humble king. I demand--er, REQUEST to
know why thou attacks my castle." +Hope that accent works.+
he thinks, though knowing that Eme doesn’t speak like that.
"You harbor the ones known as the Crystal Fighters, that's
why!"
"CRYSTAL FIGHTERS? What art Crystal Fighters? Knights of
Crystal?" +That's it. Lay it on REEEEEEEEEEEAL thick.+
"Well, there's only one thing to do...run an X-ray scan on
him!" +Uh-oh!+
SOMEWHERE
One minute she had been asking T.I.M. a question and then
she was waking up, she had no idea what happened. She felt
like her mind had been covered with a wet towel. Zelda knew
the feeling, Zaria had used the technique on her a few
times..when?...when had she ever trained with Zaria...
she could remember almost every day of her life..it was as
if she had two separate lives..and could remember time in
each....she shook her head unwilling to take the time to
sort it out. She remembered though, the heavy feeling, it
was blocking her psychic powers. +As if I even knew enough
about using them to actually DO something.+ she thought
bitterly to herself, and getting a sense of deja vu as she
did so. She then took the time to survey her surroundings,
she was alone in a dark musty room, "Hmm..can't say much for
their guest quarters..but then..I guess I'm not a
guest..hmmm..." Zelda started to look around for an escape.
TOWER
"Are you alright?"
Suddenly Zelda was back (as a result of a helpful teleport by UA,
done for all the psychics), near Tala, who as asking her a
question. She looked around in confusion, from the look of
it, she was never gone...+What happened!?+ she thought to
herself, but the memory started to fade like a dream,
+But--it seemed so real just a moment ago...+ The effect of the
‘port was having an odd effect on her. She heard Tala
repeat her question, "Yeah...I'm fine..I...think...."
TOWER
"THAT DANG FOOL!" yelled Nity (50yl) implying to UA.
"McTorn
takes anyone and everyone as his slave and kills you if your
lucky".
Zelda looked to him, "I'm sure he will be okay, UA seems to
always turn up with less then a bruise. Impossible as it should be."
"Yeah but this is ~McTorn~, UA can’t, well, shouldn’t be able to
escape him as easily as he
has done with others." he replied.
Zelda went to grab Nity (50yl)'s hand to hold it in a
reassuring grasp but there was nothing there his hand was
gone. "Ah my Goddess! What happened?!?!"
Nity(50yl) looked down to where his hand had once been. "The
world is already being altered that means I am disappearing
from existence, I will be gone soon. That’s why we need to
get help to UA ~now~."
"But its to dangerous you just said."
"We fight now or never" he said rubbing the long scar on his
forehead reminding him of his duty.
"What’s that?" Zel asked about the scar, she hadn’ noticed it before,
things had been too hectic.
"That's where McTorn ripped out my crystal." he turned and
walked away to gather Ganthet, Krakken, Kisutsu, Pyro,
Entropy, Makara, and the other Fighters to lead them into
battle.
He made Nity of the present stay to protect the psychics.
"I will get you if we need you." Nity (50yl) said to his
younger self.
Kisutsu ran around in circles like a lost ant. "What should
I do???? AAAAH!!!! I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO!!!!"
With that, he ran blindly into a young woman. "Ow!" She
yelled. "So, this's where you've been all this time!"
Kisutsu looked up. "Kamoko?"
OUTSIDE
Pyro quietly cursed under his breath then
woke up. "Spike, Shatter, plan PC-2!!" The 3 split up,
running outside the castle and taking a position around it.
"SHATTER NOW!!!!" Pyro yelled.
ShatterStorm’s eyes began to glow eerily,
"SHATTERBOLT!!!!" He fired
a bolt of multi-colored energy at the ship, punching a hole
in the hull.
"Spike, get us up there." Spike flattened his arms into
sheets, lifting them up to the hole with his legs.
"Let's party." Spike said as he reforms himself. Suddenly,
a group of Darkens rush towards them. "Oh. bad Idea?"
ShatterStorm laughed.
"Yeah, right." Pyro fired his new Krimson Cannon at them,
charring a hole through the Darken, "Main objective: find UA
and get him outta here."
OUTSIDE THE BASEMENT
Sitting up from where he was T.I.M. looked happy
"WOW! I just sat up like one of those Carbon bases!
Ok lets Kick some evil dipawds, right back to where they
came from.”
Doing so he changes into his board shape and offers Ganthet, who
recently arrived to investigate the explosion, a
ride to war.
" What do you say friend shall we join the dance?” T.I.M. asked.
Ganthet grumbled, “We are not going to dance T.I.M. we are
going to fight for all we know...and ...." he goes off into
a vary flowery speech about honor and such.
"GANTHET!" T.I.M. yelled
"What is it T.I.M.?" Ask Ganthet confusedly
"Just hop on and fight.” T.I.M. said with as much exasperation
as a mechanical board can muster.
" OH-o O.K." Ganthet said as he stepped on to T.I.M.
They fly off to the hole that ShatterStorm made in the
ship.
TOWER
Tala glanced at Nity as she spoke.
"That means we have to hang around here? Just wait?"
She knew that it was for their own safety, but still, she wanted
to help the others. That was the only fair thing to do. Then
she glanced over at Zelda, pondering..it seemed that
something was bothering her.
THE SHIP
UA began to dodge some fire. +Okay, so my plan didn't work,+
UA thought. +They can't all be golden.+ A blast is shot at
him, and he morphs around it. He grabs his mini Comm mike.
"Uh, Crystal Fighters, you can move in now." He gets shot
in the arm, but continued running, morphing his wounds away.
"Today would be nice if you guys are NOT BUSY! CRYSTAL
FIGHTERS, MOVE!"
Ganthet steadied himself as he rides the Jet Board through
the ship. He is quickly surrounded by the Darkens. He
steps off T.I.M.........., who changes into humanoid form. "Today IS
a good day to DIE!" roars the crystal man. He draws his
saber, his Crystal enchanting his physical powers to an
extreme degree. He slashes through the Darkens, T.I.M. using his
laser to cut down others. Ganthet grabs one by the neck,
snapping it back with great force. They slowly begin the
wear the primitive warrior and the funky robot down, tearing
facets from his body. His sword cut the flesh from another.
He steadies himself, and raises he arms. "HARMONIC
DISRUPTION!" he yells, the sonic wave disintegrating the
vile creatures. Battered and bashed, the two stand there,
if either were carbon based, they'd be breathing hard.
"That, was taxing." He doubted their assault would go
unnoticed. He figured the only way to help the others was to
draw attention from them to himself. "McTorn! Face me!
Or have you know honor, kidnapping psychics....who were
unprepared. FACE A WARRIOR BORN!"
An explosion erupted from the side of the ship. Spike,
ShatterStorm and Pyro flew out the side. Landing with a thud
through a wooden part of the castle roof Shatter said, "That did not
work
did it?" as he pulled him self off the ground.
Pyro grinned, "Oh, but of course. I released a drone into
the air ducts. It'll find UA in no time, then we know which
side of the ship we can safely hit."
"Always a plan, huh Lucas?" Spike laughed as he pulled Pyro
up.
"CALL ME PYRO %#&@&$!!!"
"Ganthet my friend you’ve been hit one to many time in the
head." T.I.M. said, laughing.
"What?" Ganthet asked.
"Nothing you wouldn't understand, lets find UA." they stormed
off down the hall.
CORRIDOR
"It's about time!" UA said to old Nity in a corridor.
"You don't listen very well, do you?" he asked.
"Sue me. But don't you know by now I always make double
plans?" UA held up a camera from his belt buckle. Nity
blasted a Darken. "I got what I need. Think you can use
that old brain of yours to help the CFs keep them at
bay long enough for me to get the psis? That is if you
don't fade into the timestream before then." Nity gave him
a look, then nodded. UA 'ports.
TOWER
Tala steps toward Zelda, concerned.
"Are you sure? You're alright...?"
She lowered her voice, so only Zelda can hear what she said next.
"You look as if you lost something. Are your powers...."
She trailed off, wondering why it seems that hers are still
active, just not as powerful as normal. But if it was Zelda
that would stop him, then of course he would do his best to
block her totally. She mulled that over, watching Zelda
carefully. Perhaps she could help her out.
Zelda smiled at Tala, "Really, I'm fine." Suddenly the 'wet
towel' feeling came back at full force, pushing Zelda to her
knees. She grabbed onto Tala's hand, "Then
again..maybe..not.." she said weakly. The feeling was more
this time..almost as if it was sapping all her strength.
OUTSIDE THE CASTLE
Nity (50yl) blasted more Darkens. They were holding them
at bay well.
"You guys keep on holding back the Darkens so the telepaths
can get through without harm!" yelled Nity (50yl). Then he spoke
into his small wrist communicator to Nity. "Get the psychics
here we need them.”
McTorn emerged.
Entropy, grinning almost insanely, charged through the
Darkens drawing his sword. "Blasdean Necronomicus Es
Mortuum!" He cried, activating his Crystal and turning the
sword's blade jet black. The Darkens crumble about him
as they are struck by his sword. Entropy shifted to his beast
form and charged toward McTorn. "Mortuum!" He yelled,
pointing the sword at McTorn and firing off a beam of black
energy toward the head man.
McTorn shook his head and disappeared only to reappear
behind
Entropy. McTorn raised his fists and brought them down like a
sledgehammer into Entropy's back.
He uses some psychic power to cause Entropy to go into
spasms on the floor.
"Anyone else want to play?" McTorn asked with a blood-stained
voice.
"Spike, Try to beat their ranks around. Keep anymore from
the castle." Pyro suddenly took his old command position.
"Shatter, cripple that ship!!!! I'm gonna head in and see
what’s goin in inside."
Spike fired his arms into then grounds and mini spikes
emerge under the feet of several Darkens. ShatterStorm fired
energy bolts at the ship, taking out chunk by chunk.
Pyro
fought his way up to where Nity(50yl) was. Stopping in his
tracks at the sight of McTorn. "You must be McTorn." Not
waiting for an answer he fires a full power Krimson blast
at him. It would have turned anyone else to ashes. But McTorn
merely laughed it off. "Oh.... Not good."
TOWER
UA appeared where the psis are.
"Okay, we're ready for Operation: Save the Future...not to
mention ourselves--Zellie? You alright?"
Zelda closed her eyes for a few seconds, still holding on to Tala,
and in another place pushing through the small net that kept her
from reaching out with her psi talent.
Then Nity lead the psychics along with UA. Suddenly an ax
welding Vile jumped from out of the sky landing by them.
The Vile arcs the ax high into the air swings it back to
earth where the group is standing.
UA uncharacteristically loses concentration and doesn’t
have time to make a portal for the group to escape through.
Nity doesn’t have time to transform.
The ax shines as it falls towards Zelda's head.
Nity leaps grabbing Zel around the waist as they fly back
just out of the way as the ax makes a big divot in the
ground, “That was close, thanks Nity.” Zelda said, giving him a quick
hug.
UA moved toward the Vile as it tries to get the ax out of
the ground. He goes into a flying kick. The Vile's hand swings out with
a great deal of force swatting UA out of the sky.
UA slammed into the nearby space ship making a dent then
slumped to the ground with a groan.
The ax pulled free of the earth.
"Celestial Razis Crystal POW....." to late the ax connects
and Nity is gone, dead.
“NITY!!” Zelda exclaimed in anguish, a sick pain welling up in her as
she saw her friend killed. Tears began to form in her eyes as the last
few seconds repeated themselves over and over again in her mind.
IN THE SHIP
PyroMaster turned to Nity (50yl) as he exploded into
dust and
floats off in the air.
"What the *(% $%*( %*(*^*( $*(&# &%*($ &^#$*(?!" asked
PyroMaster.
McTorn laughed and hit Pyro hard with a psychic blast
leaving him paralyzed.
OUTSIDE THE CASTLE
"GROAN! You miserable sonuva--" UA sent out his hand as
an elongated spike, stabbing through the Vile, disorienting
it enough to let one of the others attack him. He dusted himself off
and headed for Zellie.
"Your psi-talents ready to face McTorn? Zelda, are you up to
it?" UA asked, looking at the psi talents from his team.
THE SHIP
"What did you do to them?!" yelled Ganthet.
The other Crystal Fighters on the ship joined behind him
ready for a brutal battle.
McTorn laughed and Ganthet exploded into tons of tiny little
fragments. McTorn had used his incredibly powerful psychic
powers to rip the crystal Goliath to pieces.
Before the others could move McTorn disappeared.
OUTSIDE THE CASTLE
The recovered UA and the psychics were throwing
everything
they had at the Vile but they just kept coming at them.
Tala did a summersault into the air avoiding an attack and
dropped back to the ground sliding under the Vile's legs.
As she came out on the other side of the Vile she jumped to
her feet and grabbed the back of the Vile's head and released
her mind melting power. It failed. Instead, Tala was shot
back by a psychic blast as McTorn appeared.
Tala got back to her feet, she was ok, and she rejoined the
other three psychics and UA.
"I see you five have enjoyed my physical psychic
projection."
said McTorn motioning to the Vile. McTorn raised his head
looking over the five people in front of him. He was looking
at Nity with his skull splitting "Oh sorry I mean that the
six of you enjoyed my projection" his mouth opened wide in a
grin as he laughed. The five looked back at McTorn with scornful
glares.
McTorn shook his head "Won’t you five come in and play?" he
asked. He liked playing these cat and mouse games with his prey.
McTorn disappeared.
Rydia turned back to Zelda and fell to her knees next to
Nity and sobbed, not even bothering to cast a venomous look at
McTorn.
"Come on Zel, we gotta go stop this guy!" said Eme.
"No! I....can’t just ~leave~ N-nity here like--like.. this!" she sobbed.
"Zelda! According to that old Nity you’re the only one
that can stop this guy, without you more are going to die!"
said UA.
Zelda shook her head and sobbed some more.
"We need you to stop this guy! Avenge Nity's
death!"
Zelda raised her head then got to her feet and slowly nodded, tears
still streaming freely from her eyes.
THE SHIP
UA and the team of psychics moved to the ship and entered,
where they saw Entropy. He groaned. His bones were brittle enough
due to them
being hollow as Ankhell. Now his back was broken, and he
was most likely bleeding internally. Gripping his sword
tightly, he whispered, "....Fly true...." and threw it into the air
before the remaining CFs. "Asanticas Mondifyus Necronomicus
Mortuum....." The sword began to glow, emanating a purple light.
"Focus the power through the sword...It will amplify
it...I'm sorry I couldn't be of more help...Give...Give him
one for us....Good...bye..." With that, Entropy collapsed,
the void finally claiming his soul.
Tala followed along behind Zelda, worried. Something was
up
here..something odd. Tala assumed McTorn was doing it,
playing with her mind, and her powers. He was powerful, but
she was sure Zelda was in her own right...that could be the
only reason why he was so worried.
As they moved along, she racked her brain for what she
remembered of psi-dampening. High telepaths could do it. She
couldn't..yet. Sighing, she glanced around as they walked,
bringing herself back to the here and now, to be ready for
whatever was coming...
While Pyro was struggling for movement ShatterStorm
and
Spike were busy crippling the ship. "I give it another 5
minuets before it crashes." Shatter laughed as he fires.
"Naw, I give it 4." Spike shoots a spike through the hull.
"I'll bet 20 bucks!"
"You're on!!!"
With a great flash of black and white light, a portal opened
in front up the ship. From within the light of the portal a mans voice
calls
"MCTORN COME FACE ME NOW!"
From somewhere in the ship, McTorn stopped to look out a window to
see what breed of being called for a challenge of such open
disrespect. McTorn disappears.
Out side McTorn appears floating at the same height as the
Black and white portal.
"Show yourself foolish one" McTorn said with a sneer.
With a even greater flash of light a man appears from
within the portal.
"YOU?!" McTorn said, "You’re dead, your not supposed to be here!!!"
"Well I am, and it's time to pay."
As the CF’s looked up and their eyes focus. They all
stare in disbelief while Zelda, ecstatically happy that at least one
of her friends had come back to live, and not caring how, jumped
up and waved. There stands a man they all know, a man they
thought had died
in a another dimension, A man named
"CODA"
With a smile Coda lunged forward with a sword of black
lighting. stabbing McTorn through the ribs, piercing his
lungs. It wasn't long before McTorn was back on track.
Spitting blood McTorn grabbed Coda by the forearm and flips him
into the ship.
Using a bulkhead as a lanch pad, Coda jumped again
towards McTorn this time slicing his leg deeply.
Before Coda turned around McTorn tried to use his psi
powers on Coda like he did Pyro.
Somehow unaffected, Coda does a back flip over McTorn and cuts
him across the shoulder from breast to back.
McTorn, in a small state of disbelief, resorts back to other
means of fighting.
Pulling a pistol from behind his back he shoots Coda straight
in the chest.
And with a great blinding explosion Coda, once again, is no
more.
"Well that was an unexpected pleasure, who’s next?" McTorn said,
grinnning evilly.
The CF's are stunned to say the least, but before they can
react a voice from beyond speaks...
"Dear friends, Family.... I have once again did what I could
to help, he is weakened right now. His powers are less now, so
strike. The time is now, strike at him with all you’ve got
and strike for freedom, and hope! Peace be with you.
and good luck."
"NO-O-O-O-O... T.I.M. screamed yet again.
Kisutsu, Krakken, Makara, and Zealen rushed at McTorn as
the
other five enter the hole in the ship.
McTorn spat some blood then shot his hand to the sky.
Entropy and Pyro take their last breaths.
Then Krakken, Kisutsu, Makara, and Zealen are suddenly
pulled to the ceiling of the ship by some force controlled by
McTorn.
They start spinning like rag dolls.
McTorn laughs uncontrollably.
Then a deafening crack splits through the air. Zelda looked
away from her spinning friends towards the sound. When she looks
back their
necks are twisted into impossible angles.
McTorn laughs harder and the four brave souls drop back to
the ground lifeless.
"NOOOOOOOOOO!!!!" yells UA running for Entropy's
sword that
is suspended in the air as Zelda gasped and her tears started falling
anew. Purple light crackles around the
blade as UA took it.
UA gave a warrior’s scream and pointed the sword at McTorn.
“YOU WILL DIE! ”A
blast of purple light burst from the sword and shoots at
McTorn.
The purple light surrounded McTorn. A lesser of a man would
have been killed, but McTorn simply absorbed the light.
His murderous laugh returned again and the purple light
shoots out from him in the shape of a giant spike driving
right through UA.
UA's scream of death sent Zelda into a
rage. She pushed her pain aside, something had to be done. She
had no conscious idea of what it was, but she knew that she had
to do it and stop any other lives from being destroyed. Zelda put
all her will into a type of battering ram that pushed away the
mental block McTorn had put up around her mind, then she
built up a wall around her mind so that she could get out, but
no one could get in, or affect her power.
Blinding white light bursts forth from her as she stood calmly
gazing at McTorn. She knew she must be calm if she was to
have any control over it. The white light shot toward
McTorn, but before it does anything it is halted by black
light generated by McTorn.
The white light can’t hold and the black light begins to push
it back. Zelda can’t do it herself and McTorn knows it.
"Come on little girl give me a ~real~ fight I haven’t had one
in years." McTorn taunted
Tala, Rupay, and Eme stiffen like mannequins. Then a green
light shoots out of Eme, a red light shoots from Tala, and a
purple light from Rupay. The light flows into Zelda. They
turn there power over to her. Zelda is now the medium through which
their power is focused and doubled, along with her own..
The black light progressing toward Zelda halted. She couldn’t get
the upper hand though. McTorn was still stronger somehow, and
would
overcome her if she didn’t get more help.
Suddenly the spirits of the eighteen mages of the surfaced
Crystals appear. They floated towards Zelda and
flow into her, in the SpiritWorld, a plane just under the
PhysicalWorld, they twined around her throbbing spirit and lent
her their strength.
Zelda and McTorn were almost evenly matched.
Then the Crystals of the dead CFs appear in a spinning circle around
Zelda and the other psychics. The Crystals began to spin as
the spirits of the ceased CFs rose from their lifeless bodies
and flow with those of the mages.
A tear of immense loss dropped from Zelda's eye as she
felt the presence of
her friends again, her grief wouldn’t control her, but it was there,
strong and aching.
Now with the strength of Coda, Entropy, Ganthet,
Krakken,
Kisutsu, Pyro, UA, Makara, Nity, and Zealen to help her
Zelda overtook McTorn. The white light pushed back the
black light, with a soft, but present force.
Main Island
Next PartCF# 13: Dangling Future Part IV
Part ICF# 13: Dangling Future
Part IICF# 13: Dangling Future
NextCF# 14: Replaced?