NaNoWriMo Days 1-4
Nov. 5th, 2012 12:28 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
polychrome_penOh, and
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lovelykitta, I'm totally salivating to read your DF ficcage (and have sneaked one or two of them!), but I might wait until the month is over to devour them all in order to try and avoid "cross-contamination" consider we're writing in the same fandom. It'll also be fun to see where we cross over! ^_^So here are my results of the first four days! Total word count so far: 7,054.
Note: Dragon Flyz is the property of Gaumont and Abrams-Gentile Entertainment. I claim absolutely no ownership.
Also, these are pretty raw with very little editing. I ran spell-check at least. XD
Prompt 1: Evidence
Old Earth smelled like death and decay as Thunder brought them out of the Wind Pits. Zarkan wrinkled his nose; somehow, the smell was something one never got used to. The lava pools simmered as Dragon Flyz Team Two finished emerging from the Wind Pit and began their flight toward the hulking form of Warnado in the distance.
Zarkan opened his Vox Box channel back to Skywatch and Airlandis, “This is DF Team Two, Dragonator Zarkan reporting in,” he said.
The Vox Box crackled to life with Aaron, leader of the Dragon Flyz, voice, “Acknowledged, Zarkan. What do their defenses look like?”
Zarkan activated his visor’s telescopic vision to get a better picture of the scene around Warnado. “I see at least two swarms of Gremwings surrounding Warnado. Fryte and several mutants I don’t recognize seem to be out patrolling as well. I would say Dread Wing is expecting us.”
“Would you like us to send backup, Dragonator One?” Aaron asked.
“Negative,” Zarkan replied. “If we show up with an army of Dragonators, Dread is unlikely to tell us anything he knows about the Dragon Flyz. No, let’s let Dread Wing think we’re playing by the rules he’s set forth. But once we enter Warnado, I’ll leave a Vox channel open to Skywatch. Zarkan out.”
Zarkan opened a short range channel to the rest of his team. “All right, Flyz. We’re going in without Wind Jammers blazing.”
“What?!” came Nora’s reply, as her face appeared on the video monitor built into Thunder’s saddle. “You can’t expect us to fly into a swarm of Gremwings and not defend ourselves?”
Dram’s grave face appeared in a quadrant of the screen, shaking his head. “Zarkan is right, Nora. If we engage the mutants and gremwings in a firefight, we may lose our opportunity to discover what has happened to Z’neth and the others.”
Zarkan nodded. “Exactly. Though I never said we had to play Dread’s game by his rules. Everyone, remove a Wind Slammer for quick access if necessary.” He watched as each of the dragonators removed a small explosive device from their Wind Jammers. Though only as small as a finger, Orak had packed enough power into each Wind Slammer that it could create a towering wall of lava with ease if dropped into one of the lava pools.
As they neared Warnado, Zarkan could hear the screeching and chittering of the gremwings. They were base, nearly mindless creatures that the mutants could control, but with their sharp, needle-like teeth, three talons, and tendency to swarm, they could prove to be more than a minor problem for even the most experienced dragonators.
Suddenly, Fright and the new mutants seemed to catch sight of them, and flew at them with plasma cannons at the ready. When Fryte was within shouting distance, he bellowed, “What is your business, hu-man!” Zarkan could see the saliva dripping down the foul creature’s jaws.
“I come to parley with Dread Wing, mutant!” Zarkan’s voice rang out loud and clear across the foul landscape.
“Leave now, or you will burn in the lava pools, hu-man!” Fryte shouted, brandishing his lava gun, and shooting a fiery blast straight up into the air. The new mutants followed suit, all savage roars and brutality.
Out of the corner of his eye, Zarkan saw Amod and Nora preparing to launch their Wind Slammers at Fryte, but before they could, Nocturna flew from the mouth of Warnado. Of all the mutants who served as Dread’s lieutenants, Zarkan knew Nocturna to be the most treacherous. She had openly defied Dread Wing on a number of occasions in bids for power that Airlandis knew about, and likely many that they had no knowledge of. Still, she remained Dread’s second-in-command.
“Fryte, do put that plasma cannon away,” she crooned, flying between Fryte and Zarkan. “You wouldn’t want to face the price of hurting Lord Dread Wing’s special…guests.” Fryte growled, but lowered his weapon. Nocturna turned to Zarkan, “Now, leave your dragons out here and follow me.”
“Dragon Flyz, maximize!” the four dragonators said in unison as their exo wings emerged from their flight suits and carried them into their air and off the backs of their dragons. They followed Nocturna into the bowels of Warnado, through twisting, hellish tunnels filled with indescribable horrors. Finally, they reached Dread Wing’s throne room.
Zarkan had engaged the self-styled King of Old Earth in battle on many occasions, but rarely had the opportunity to observe the mutant warlord up close. He was close to seven feet tall, and his red skin and lurid yellow eyes gave him the fearsome appearance of a demon spawned from hell itself.
“Welcome, Dragon Flyz,” Dread Wing said with a sickening smile, revealing rows of pointed teeth. He lounged on this throne, with was covered in amber crystals – the power source that he was well aware Airlandis needed to keep itself aloft above the Warp Winds.
“Why the sudden hospitality, Dread?” Nora spat.
Zarkan nodded. “We know you have something to do with our missing dragonators, Dread Wing. What do you want?”
Dread laughed, a deep and throaty chuckle that raised the flesh on the back of Zarkan’s neck. “What I have long desired – the floating city of Airlandis.”
Nora and Amod sputtered with rage, but Zarkan held a hand up to still them.
Dread continued, “But today I will settle for what the Mistress of the Endless Night demands – justice. For too long you have raided my kingdom for the Amber crystals, and none have been more a thorn to my flesh than the spawn of Aaron. But today, justice has been done, and the thieves have been punished.”
From a side corridor, the four new mutants came in, each carrying a shrouded figure. They unceremoniously dumped the bodies at Zarkan’s feet. Zarkan knelt down and slowly pulled back the rough cloth, only to have his throat catch at the sight of the face.
It was Z’neth. His face was battered and bruised; swollen purple lips no longer drew breath. Zarkan’s eyes stung and the roar of water filled his ears. It was all he could do to stop himself from attempting to kill Dread Wing where he stood.
Dread appeared to take their shocked silence for submission. “And so ends the tale of the Dragon Flyz – wings forever clipped,” he added with a gloating laugh. “Take their remains from my sight, and remember that this is now the fate that awaits all who try and steal my amber crystals.”
Zarkan numbly pulled the shroud back over Z’neth before picking up his limp form. Amod, Nora, and Dram all picked up another of the bodies before all activated their exo-wings and flew from the room, Dread Wing’s cackles haunting them all the way out of Warnado.
Time seemed to slow down and speed up in tandem on their flight back to Airlandis. None of them spoke, except to request docking clearance from Skywatch and request Aaron and a medical team’s presence on their landing.
Z’neth had been Zarkan’s boyhood crush, teenage mentor, and adult colleague and friend. Seeing his still form crushed Zarkan’s spirit in a way he had never thought possible. Still, it was nothing compared to the anguish on Aaron’s face when he saw the beaten bodies of his four children. Zarkan’s tears finally flowed free as he embraced Aaron.
The medical team headed by Zarkan’s sister Miriam arrived, and he saw her openly weeping at the sight of their dear friends. Zarkan helped her lay the bodies onto a hover-lift for transportation to the medical bay. As he was about to go make his report to Skywatch, Dram laid a hand on Zarkan’s shoulder. “I would like to accompany Miriam and the medical team,” he said gravely. Zarkan understood of course – Dram was the Dragon Flyz older brother in spirit if not in blood.
“Leave granted, of course,” Zarkan said. Dram nodded before heading off after Miriam and Aaron. Zarkan turned to Nora and Amod. “Come with me – we have to make a report to the Council immediately.”
The next few hours were a blur, going over the details of what had happened with the Council members and Skywatch officials. It had been a long time since a dragonator had been killed by an enemy force, and it stung all the more for it to be DF Team One. Zarkan swore he saw head councilman Joshua age more in a few minutes than he had in years. It was decided that they would not release the information to the general populace right away, but would give the family time to grieve in private.
Only by that evening were Zarkan, Amod, and Nora cleared to leave, though they were cleared from active duty for the remainder of the week. Amod and Nora bade their leave to turn in for the night, but Zarkan made his way through Airlandis’ golden corridors to the medical bay and his sister’s office.
The scene that greeted him was certainly not what he expected. Inside, he found his sister Miriam, Aaron, and Dram at work. “What’s going on here?” he asked.
Miriam gave him a stern look over her glasses. “What does it look like? We’re burning wing to try and save our friends!”
Zarkan raised an eyebrow. “I don’t mean to be insensitive, but Z’neth and the others are gone Miri.”
Aaron floated up from the sample he was viewing under the microscope. “Maybe not, Zarkan. Tell him what you told me, Dram.”
“I have lived with these four almost my whole life, Zarkan, and the smell is wrong,” Dram said.
“And it can’t be accounted for by any decomposition?” Zarkan asked.
Miriam shook her head. “That’s the funny thing. Dram’s sense of smell gave us the first clue, but digging into the microscopic level revealed a whole host of issues.” She gestured to the supine forms laid out on the examination tables. “These may look very much like our friends, but genetics don’t lie, brother. We believe these are mutein-derived genetic constructs. Clones made to appear very similar to Z’neth, Summit, Peak, and Apex, but only on the surface.”
Zarkan was getting excited now. “If these aren’t them, then what happened to the real Dragon Flyz?”
“Dread Wing’s four new lieutenants,” Dram answered. Of course – Dread Wing didn’t simply want to kill the Dragon Flyz. He wanted to subjugate and pull them into his nightmarish world.
Zarkan turned to Aaron. “What’s our next move, sir?”
“I believe your sister has isolated the mutein/DNA hybrid that let these clones appear as my children. We’re currently working on a reversal agent – if it brings the clone back to its natural state, it should reverse the effects of the mutein on the Dragon Flyz. Our next problem would be administration,” Aaron finished.
“Leave that to me, sir.” Zarkan replied, a look as cold as plasteel in his eyes.
Dram clasped his shoulder. “You mean leave it to us. I go with you to save my family.”
*****
It was a stealth mission to be sure. No flying orders were filed with Skywatch, and only Aaron, Miriam, Councilman Joshua, Dram, and Zarkan knew about their suspicions regarding the clones. Miriam and Aaron’s work had extended through until the middle of the night, but when they injected the fake Z’neth with the test serum, his features seemed to run and blur until there was nothing but a smooth humanoid shell left.
So, armed with self-injecting darts containing a reversal agent genetically coded to each of the Dragon Flyz, Zarkan and Dram set off for Old Earth and Warnado under the cover of night.
“Activating Dragon Night Fight mode,” Zarkan said, engaging his night vision visor. The two dragonators quickly reached the edge of Dread Wing’s territory, where they left their dragon mounts and continued on via exo-wings in Zarkan’s case, and graceful Dramen wings in Dram’s.
Warnado was eerie at night, lit from below by the churning magma rivers surrounding it. Zarkan and Dram were easily able to avoid the night guard patrols and slip into the ship.
“Where do you think they are keeping them?” Dram whispered.
Zarkan thought for a moment. “Considering their mutation is very recent, I doubt Dread Wing would want to leave them unsupervised. Gangryn’s laboratory seems like the best place to start our search.”
Making their way to what Peak had once jokingly referred to as the “Hall of Horrors,” Zarkan and Dram keep a close lookout for any unexpected trouble. Their Wind Jammers were loaded with tranquilizer darts to avoid setting off a firefight and alerting all of Warnado to their presence in the tunnels.
The metal door to Gangryn’s laboratory was unguarded. Cracking it open just enough to squeeze through, Zarkan slipped inside, followed by Dram. Inside, the laboratory was filled with a lurid green light from four tanks set up along the far wall. And inside those tanks floated the Dragon Flyz.
Zarkan rushed to the workstation terminal as Dram got a closer look at their friends. Or what was recognizable anyway. Z’neth, Peak, Summit, and Apex all appeared to be in mid-transformation between human and mutant. Zarkan brought the computer terminal to life, looking for files that might help them. The last thing he wanted was to further harm his friends in a rush to get them out of Warnado. When the computer appeared loathe to relinquish its secrets, Zarkan swore and removed his helmet, placing it on the table. “The data appears to be heavily encrypted. Computer, access and download all pertinent files regarding the mutant Dragon Flyz project.” The quantum chip came to life as the helmet’s upgraded computer system began scanning and accessing the pertinent files.
“I recognize this substance,” said Dram. “It appears similar to the mutein used by Dread Wing on Sky Fury’s cub.”
“That particular batch was designed to not only mutate, but also instill fierce loyalty to Dread Wing in the process,” Zarkan said gravely. Their task could be more difficult than first believed.
The helmet’s computer chirped as it finished its search. Placing it back on his head, Zarkan began accessing the data. “I can’t make sense of half of this, but the first thing we should do is remove them from the mutein. The longer their expose, the more permanence the transformation appears to gain.”
Dram had just begun scaling the side of the first tank when the sound of murmuring and footsteps approaching echoed from outside the laboratory. Zarkan and Dram ducked underneath a large workbench as the door swung open.
“Why are my new mutants not ready yet Gangryn?” Dread Wing bellowed at his chief scientist.
Gangryn cowered but replied, “It is a very delicate process, my lord! Too much mutein exposure early on could irreparably harm the subjects!”
Dread snarled. “Do you think I care if the Dragon Flyz suffer, Gangryn? No, I want them broken, their identity washed away. All that will remain is me.”
“As you say, Lord Dread Wing,” Gangryn replied in his most sycophant voice. Zarkan saw the mutant scientist push a level, and the mutein started to glow a brighter green. Apex contracted in pain, and Summit let out a gurgling scream. Zarkan could wait no longer – he couldn’t risk it.
“Now, Dram!” he cried, launching a Wind Slammer at Dread Wing and Gangryn. It exploded, throwing Dread and Gangryn to the floor, knocking them out and decimating the laboratory. Dram aimed his Wind Jammers at the tanks and fired, shattering the glass and releasing mutein all over the laboratory. Zarkan rapidly loaded the anti-mutein vial coded to Apex and shot her with it, following suit with Z’neth, while Dram did the same for Summit and Apex.
The Dragon Flyz features seemed to stabilize before beginning to morph back into their human form. Teeth shortened and eyes turned from yellow to white as the siblings regained their true forms. Zarkan breathed a sigh of relief as pulled four emergency exo-wings from his pouch. Not as strong as their regular counterparts, these would at least get the four unconscious dragonators back to Thunder and Shockfire. Dram threaded a towing cable between the exo-wings
Maybe that sigh had come too soon. Zarkan heard Dread Wing growl with rage as he awoke on the floor of the laboratory covered in mutein.
“Let’s burn some wing, Dram!” Zarkan said, activating the exo wings and towing the dragonators between him and Dram.
Suddenly, Warnado was all sirens and flashing lights as the alarm system was activated.
“You will never leave this fortress alive, human scum!” the lord of Warnado screamed, releasing a plasma blast over their heads. His monstrous wings unfurled, and Dread Wing launched himself after the escaping group.
“I will try and slow him down!” Dram yelled, tossing his end of the tow-cable to Zarkan, who caught it and put his exo-wings into overdrive.
Zarkan caught snatches of the vicious fight that ensued – cracking bone and claws tearing flesh. But he didn’t have much time to pay it attention as gremwings began pouring out of every foul crevice, screeching and shrieking. Zarkan activated his vox box and yelled, “Thunder, I could use a little air support!”
Within moments, his dragon’s head crested over the lip of Warnado before diving in straight after Zarkan and the Dragon Flyz. They met in the middle, and Zarkan lashed the unconscious siblings to Thunder’s saddle while letting off volley after volley of wind jammer fire into the horde of gremwings.
“Listen, Thunder – you get them to safety. Go straight for the Wind Pits and don’t stop until you reach Airlandis!” Zarkan said, patting his dragon’s nose. “But tell Shockfire to stay put – Dram and I will need to get away quickly.” Thunder roared in response, and Zarkan could feel that he would follow the plan.
Zarkan fired off another round into the gremwings before chucking a Wind Slammer into them, which blew a path for Thunder’s escape. Turning around, he flew back toward Dram and Dread Wing, barreling into Dread and knocking him against the wall. Picking up the injured Dram, Zarkan use the remaining bit of power left in his exo-wings to propel them out the top of Warnado’s mouth and into the dark night. Zarkan seemed to hang there for an extended moment before Shockfire appeared beneath him and carried them far away from Dread Wing’s carnal howls.
*****
Emerging from the Wind Pit and tasting to cool, fresh air above the Wind Pits was just about the most wonderful thing Zarkan had ever experienced. He had used some of the dragonators’ standard burn salve on Dram’s wounds, but would feel much better once the Dramen dragonator was under proper medical supervision.
“Thank you for coming with me, Dram,” Zarkan said. “Your strength is what allowed this mission to succeed.”
Dram coughed, then shook his head. “You volunteered to save my family. I should be thanking you.”
Zarkan clasped him on the shoulder before opening a channel to Skywatch. “Airlandis, this is dragonator Zarkan reporting in. Did the package arrive safely?”
“Affirmative, Zarkan,” Aaron’s voice came across the Vox Box. “Thunder brought them home.”
“Good. I’ll give him an extra treat later.” Shockfire made a grumbling noise, and Zarkan laughed. “All right, girl, you too!” He scratched her neck affectionately.
Aaron came back on the line. “Do you require a medical team, Zarkan?”
“Yes. Dram got in a bit of a scrape with Dread Wing, which you’ll be proud to know went rather badly for the old mutie.”
Aaron’s chuckle resounded as Airlandis golden dome came into view. It was a heartwarming sight. Emergency landing procedures went smoothly, and a medical team was on hand to take Dram into immediate surgery to repair several broken bones. Zarkan took Shockfire and bedded both her and Thunder (who greeted them both with many cheerful snorts and licks).
“You look terrible, brother,” came Miriam’s voice as she strode across the dragon habitat, a medical kit in her hands. “Aaron expresses his sincere gratitude by the way.”
“How are Z’neth and the others?” he asked.
Miriam shrugged. “As well as can be expected, considering the amount of mutein they were exposed to. They’ll be off duty for at least several weeks; probably more if Aaron has his way. And I get the true pleasure of cleaning out any rogue strands still hiding in their DNA,” she added with a chuckle. “Oh, and Joshua wants to decorate both you and Dram for bravery as soon and Dram’s recovered enough to stand.” She pulled out a dermal regenerator and began working on Zarkan’s arm, sterilizing and healing the multitude of cuts left by the gremwings.
Zarkan rolled his eyes and snorted. “Oh goody, a chance for Joshua to soak up a little glory without putting his life on the line.”
“Don’t be too hard on him, Zar,” Miriam said. “He actually let you and Dram leave Airlandis and infiltrate Warnado based on some pretty circumspect evidence.” She worked on him a few more minutes in companionable silence. “Well, it’s the best I’m going to do without my proper equipment. I’m slotting you in my schedule first thing tomorrow morning, so I expect you to be there. Otherwise I know you’d let whatever vulgar pathogens you picked up in Warnado just fester.”
Miriam began packing up her case. “Thanks Miri – I owe you one,” Zarkan added before giving his sister a hug.
“Oh, and be sure you see Amod and Nora as well,” Miriam added as she was about to go through the door. “They were ready to march out after you as soon as they found out you and Dram had left.”
Zarkan smiled. He couldn’t complain too much about that – after all, he had done the same for his friends under the circumstances. Still, he wasn’t in the mood to be chastised by his lover and protégé tonight. Maybe tomorrow they could get in line behind Miri.
Prompt 2: I’m Here
“You’ll take it, Peak, and you’ll like it!” Miriam huffed as she jammed the spoon into the young dragonator’s mouth. He gagged a little bit, but swallowed the medicine all the same.
Sticking his tongue out, Peak retorted, “Who needs Dread to kill me when I can have you do it? That stuff tastes like bog water from Old Earth.”
Miriam sniffed and patted Peak’s straw-colored hair before getting up from her seated position on the side of his bio-bed. “Okay, so the medicine tastes horrible, kiddo, but I will tolerate no mutation reversal on my watch. So remember if I see a hint of green skin or yellow eyes that I’m going to double your dosage.” She gave Peak a deliciously evil smile and a stern stare over the rims of her glasses.
It had been three days since Miriam’s brother Zarkan and the Dramen dragonator Dram had rescued Z’neth, Summit, Apex, and Peak from Warnado. While there, the siblings had been exposed to Dread Wing’s mutein, a substance that used his own genetic code as a basis for mutation. Dread had sent back four fake corpses in an effort to fool Airlandis into thinking that the Dragon Flyz had been killed, but between her and Aaron the plot had been uncovered and the Dragon Flyz were rescued in a daring midnight raid on Warnado.
Miriam had sent a mutein-reversal agent along with Zarkan to start the process, but the effects of Dread Wing and Gangryn’s horrific science were buried deeper than she had initially realized. The Dragon Flyz would be in her lab for at least a week in total before discharge back into Aaron’s care.
Pouring another dose of the mutein-reversal drug, she handed the spoon to Peak’s sister Apex in the adjacent bio-bed. “Don’t worry, Miriam, not all of us will be such non-compliant patients,” Apex said before taking her dose without complaint. “I love flying, but I’m not ready to sprout my own set of wings just yet.”
“Don’t worry, Apex. I’m sure Miriam can engineer you some lovely wings when you are ready,” the eldest brother, Z’neth quipped before taking his own dose and settling back under the covers. He turned to Miriam. “By the way, how is Summit today?”
After a thorough examination of the Dragon Flyz, she and Aaron had found that Summit had received quite a bit more exposure to the mutein than the others. Consequently, his body was fighting their attempts at reversing the process. Miriam and Aaron had agreed to put Summit into a life-support capsule that would slow the mutein’s spread and deliver the reversal drugs intravenously.
“Better today. He drifts in and out of consciousness, though,” Miriam answered. “I’m on my way to check on him now.” Miriam turned down the lights in her lab (now stuffed with three bio-beds). “Good night everyone. Call me for anything during the night. Except you Peak. I’m not delivering food again at oh three hundred.”
“But I was so hungry! I’m a growing boy!” Peak called out after her.
“Yes, growing rapidly on my nerves!” Miriam shot back. Z’neth and Apex laughed, and Peak grumbled. “I’ll see you all in the morning otherwise.” Miriam exited her laboratory and activated the alarm system. Activity around Warnado had been quiet lately according to Zarkan, but there was no sense in taking chances in case Dread Wing tried to sneak in and reclaim his prizes.
As she made her way down the long hallway containing the research laboratories, Miriam thought about how nice it actually was to spend time with her old friends. While Zarkan got to work with Summit and the others on a regular basis, Miriam’s line of work meant she often didn’t get to see them unless there was an injury. If she was honest with herself, Miriam realized that she just hadn’t made the time to see them, and had instead allowed herself to get wrapped up in her genetics work. It was important work, of course, but coming so close to losing the people she considered to be some of her best friends had taught her that life in the forty-second century could be dangerous and fleeting.
Swiping her key card at a door further down the hallway, Miriam entered the room that Summit was being treated in. Aaron sat asleep at the capsule’s side, his lap and the floor littered with data pads containing unread Skywatch reports. Did that poor man ever get a break?
“Go to bed, Aaron,” Miriam chided, picking up the data pads on the floor. “Summit’s not going anywhere, and Skywatch will still be here in the morning.” She rubbed the older man’s shoulder affectionately.
“Oh, Miriam, I must have dozed off,” Aaron said, taking a hold of the staff that allowed him to levitate and move around despite the serious spinal injury he had sustained a few years back. “I just have a hard time leaving Summit’s side…” he trailed off, spreading his hands in a gesture of helplessness.
“I know, I know. But tonight is my night to stay with him. Besides, you’ll be no good to anyone tomorrow at Skywatch if you look like a Dark Dramen,” she added with a smile.
Aaron chuckled before floating to the doorway. “Thank you, Miriam.”
“For what?”
Aaron shrugged. “For everything, I suppose. But especially for taking care of Summit; for being here.”
Miriam smiled as she lay on the cot beside the life-support capsule, a small blush spreading across her face. “Well, he means a lot to me too.”
“I think I understand,” Aaron replied, a knowing tone in his voice. “Good night, my dear.”
“Good night, Aaron.”
As he left, Aaron turned out the lights, leaving Miriam alone with the bluish glow of the capsule. She hoped to be here when Summit awoke. Her calculations suggested that enough mutein would be cleared by tomorrow that it was possible he would awaken. Miriam watched Summit’s slow, even breathing and studied the lines and contours of his face for what seemed an eternity before drifting off into the comfort of dreams.
Prompt 3: Funeral
Aaron rubbed his eyes as he got up from the council meeting. Damn Joshua and his early-morning meetings. Aaron had been up half the night looking over dragonator scouting data and Skywatch reports, but his position as head of the Dragonator Corps demanded his presence at the Airlandean Council meetings.
It didn’t help that today was the anniversary of that day. His greatest failure.
Seventeen years ago, Aaron had failed to protect the most important person in his life, and it haunted him even today.
*****
The sky was dark as a small group gathered on the dragonator launch platform. Iranda hadn’t been a dragonator, but with all the times she had flown with him, Aaron felt this was the right place to hold the ceremony. His five children stood around him: Dram, Z’neth holding baby Peak, Summit, and Apex. Joshua was there as well, along with Orak and the scientist’s nephew and niece Zarkan and Miriam. Aaron briefly recalled that it had not been long since they had stood here to memorialize their own parents. Surrounding them were many other dragonators and Iranda’s colleagues from the University.
Funerals in Airlandis were conducted at the edge of the city, where the body would be committed to the Warp Winds. There was no body in this case, however, so a hologram of Iranda was substituted in its place. Aaron found it too difficult to look at the smiling face of his beautiful wife, arrayed in her favorite indigo gown.
Joshua stepped forward. “We are gathered here today to remember a mother, wife, friend, and brilliant researcher…”
*****
Aaron snapped back to reality, and began to gather his things up.
Orak came up and placed a hand on his shoulder. “Everything okay, Aaron?” the chief engineer asked.
Aaron gave his old friend a weak smile. “Just a late night last night, I’m afraid.”
“Then why don’t you join me for a cup of coffee in the Replimat?” Orak offered.
Aaron was about to politely decline, but decided at the last minute to accept. “You know, that sounds nice,” he replied before using his staff to work the hover-belt that allowed him to float.
The two men made amicable conversation as they exited the council chambers and made their way to the Replimat. Aaron was interested to hear that Orak was experimenting with different methods of crystal energy extraction, and Orak was interested in Aaron’s new dragonator flight plans to increase the city’s crystal cache.
The Replimat was only sparsely occupied this early in the morning – there were plenty of tables left by the large windows where they could watch the clouds blow by. Aaron and Orak stopped by the beverage station and picked up their coffees before sitting down.
Orak took a sip of his coffee – black, of course – before saying, “I know what day it is today, Aaron.”
*****
He had cried during the memorial service, but swore it would be the last time that ever happened in front of his children. He had to be strong for all of them now. Aaron thought of his friend Orak raising his sister’s children all alone. How did you do it?
Aaron tucked in Summit and kissed Apex on the cheek before turning down their lights. He hugged Z’neth and Dram before putting them to bed as well. Little Peak – only a few months old – had fallen asleep hours ago. What would life hold for all of them now?
Aaron sat at his desk sipping a glass of brandy, trying to drown out the pain that threatened to overwhelm him. How could Iranda have been so careless! The holodisk message she had left for them was all he – all any of them – had left of her now. No home in the far-flung reaches of the galaxy could be more important than the family and love she had here on Airlandis, could it?
*****
Aaron paused, his coffee halfway to his mouth. “I wondered if anyone else remembered,” he said sadly.
Orak shook his head, and then stared down into his cup as if it contained all the answers. “Of course I remember, Aaron. Iranda encouraged me to become an engineer; she was my best friend. I’ll never forget the day we lost her for as long as I live.”
*****
Aaron had decided he would never lose anyone to a false dream again. Hacking into the Skywatch database, he deleted all information about the star ridge and the ziggurat found within. He put alert warnings in the dragonator database to steer dragonators away from the area and filed the whole thing under restricted clearance. Whatever lurked in that building would be left alone from now on.
Memories of Iranda – her joyous piano music, her headstrong stubborn nature, her belief in the future of mankind – only brought Aaron pain. He packed up his wife’s last holodisk message to him and the children and put it into his personal vault behind the library.
Still, as long as a shred of hope existed that she could be alive somewhere in the universe, Aaron would never stop searching for Iranda. And he would never let her dream of a new home for the human race die.
*****
“Good morning Father, Orak,” Apex said as she slid into the seat next to Aaron in the Replimat and kissed him on the cheek. She took a sip of her coffee and added, “How was the Council meeting?”
“Dull as usual, of course,” Orak quipped as Apex dug into her breakfast.
“Good, so my new biosphere modifications should appear much more interesting,” Apex said, sliding a data pad across the table. She caught the eye of someone across the room and waved. “Summit, get over here and back me up!”
Aaron smiled. Life moved on and children grew and changed and loved. But one thing would never change: his vow to keep them safe.
Prompt 4: Puppy Love
“Boy, did someone get up on the wrong side of the dragon this morning!” Peak exclaimed as Nora walked away. His siblings weren’t helping anything either with their quips that he didn’t know anything about women! Well…not that they were wrong, but he certainly didn’t need reminding of that fact.
Peak pouted while Z’neth finished negotiations with the F.I.S.T. Fighters. Bo-ring. After being dangled over the lava by the little midgets, Peak didn’t exactly feel magnanimous toward them (even if they were getting a sweet stash of amber crystals as part of the bargain). So he grabbed a few of the crystals and made his way out of the hidden lair to load up Stormy (and hopefully see if Nora had cooled down yet).
I mean, why wouldn’t she like me? Peak thought to himself. We saved each other’s lives, I love having a good time, and even Z’neth says I’m one of the best dragonators for my age!
Peak found Nora loading up her dragon Goliath with a load of the amber crystals. “Here Nora, let me give you a hand with those,” he offered.
Nora rolled her eyes. “Thanks for the offer Peak, but aren’t your arms already full?” She used her exo-wings to mount Goliath. “Besides, in case you hadn’t noticed, I’m not some fledgling dragonator. I can handle the work just fine. Please tell Z’neth I went ahead with the first load so as to not keep Orak waiting.” She gave him a little salute before Goliath launched into the air.
Peak’s shoulders sagged and he let out a little sigh as she flew off into the distance toward the nearest Wind Pit. Why was everything so hard with Nora? All he wanted was the chance to get to know her better.
“Well little brother, that looked about as uncomfortable as trying to give a lava beast a bubble bath,” Summit said as he slapped Peak on the back. Damn – had he been watching the whole time? Peak suddenly felt like the evening’s entertainment.
“Ah, lay off scale-for-brains,” Peak retorted.
“Well I think you should keep trying, Peak. Nora’s a nice girl, if a little austere at first glance,” said Apex, butting into the conversation.
Peak groaned. “Not you too, Apex! My love life is neither of your concerns!”
“Are we talking about Peak’s love life again?” Z’neth asked, emerging from the tunnels. “I’ve got to admit, Nora’s the full package: brains, beauty, skilled with a Wind Jammer.”
“Not. Having. This. Conversation.” Peak reiterated, before jumping up onto Wing Storm. “Get us out of here, Stormy, and fast!”
*****
Peak tried to catch Nora’s attention in various ways over the next couple of weeks. Which wasn’t easy – that girl could be harder to track down than a gremwing in a flock! He invited her to an old holofilm festival, but she ended up being called out for an emergency crystal run. He got up early (which he despised) to try and catch her in the Replimat for breakfast, but she was just finishing as soon as he arrived. He even snuck into the Rainforest biosphere and picked an exquisite flower (which turned out to be a terrible idea because she was a stickler for rules, and flatly refused something taken from one of the biospheres).
So Peak was pretty dejected when the Dragon Flyz were on their latest crystal run, flying through a Wind Pit, and Summit started grilling him on how things were going with Nora.
“Nothing to tell except a bunch of near-misses,” Peak said. “She’s been really busy ever since Father moved her into DF Team Three command while Olin’s recovering from those plasma burns.”
“Think of Nora like Z’neth,” Apex giggled over their private vox channel. “Single-minded, laser-beam focus, working to the point of forgetting important things like eating. I mean, Z’neth forgot his own birthday last year.”
“Thanks for the mental image, sis,” Peak chuckled. “I always wanted to date my big brother.”
Z’neth came onto the vox channel. “Nothing wrong with that,” he said with a chuckle. “But seriously, Nora might remain in command of Team Three. I hear Olin is thinking of hanging up his Wind Jammers. So her time could be at even more of a premium.”
Peak was shocked. Had Nora always wanted to go into the command track? He knew Nora would be a great commander, but the only DF Team Commander he’d ever met who seemed to balance work and life well was Zarkan, and maybe then only because his boyfriend Amod was on his team.
The Dragon Flyz put away their discussion as they followed their dragons’ crystal-vibration sensing abilities to a large lava pool that was loaded with amber crystals. It was an easy drop and shop for a change – double crystals for each of them; Peak was actually disappointed, because he had been hoping to burn off a little of his frustration by smoking some gremwings.
On the way back to Airlandis, Summit’s voice came across the Vox Box. “Well if the ladies haven’t been banging down your door little bro, why don’t you try asking Nora to the Dragonator Ball?”
Of course! Every year the Dragonator Corps threw a big party in the dragon dock, where everyone put on their dress uniforms and danced the night away.
“It is the social event of the season, Peak,” Apex reminded him.
“Wait, do all of you already have dates?” Peak asked with bewilderment.
“I’m taking Miriam,” Summit answered.
“And Apex and I are doing each other a favor by going together,” Z’neth answered. “Though how things end up at the party no one can say for certain. Apex has been known to dance off into the night with any number of eligible fellows.”
Apex rolled her eyes on the viewscreen. “And Z’neth has been known to be cornered by council members for hours on end. I’m staying by you all night Big Z. You get to protect me from getting hit on all night by every tipsy junior dragonator, and I get to save you from nodding off.” Turning her attention back to Peak, she added. “Asking her to the ball really is a marvelous idea, though. It’s your first year as a full-fledged dragonator, so that elevates your status at least a little. Plus, you’re on Team One.”
“Yeah, how could she possibly refuse?” Peak said with more than a hint of sarcasm.
Landing procedures went smoothly when they arrived back at Airlandis, and Orak was delighted with the double crystal haul they had brought him. Peak left the crystal reactor chamber and went to take care of Stormy before heading off to grab a bite for dinner. When he arrived at Stormy’s stall, however, he found Nora there patting the purple dragon’s snout.
“Peak!” she said cheerily.
“Um, hi Nora,” he answered warily. “What can I do for you?”
Placing her arms akimbo, she looked Peak straight in the eye and asked, “How about being my date for the Dragonator Ball?”
Peak quirked an eyebrow. “Did Summit and Apex put you up to this?”
Confusion spread across her face, followed by irritation. “No! Why would they?”
Peak waved his hands. “Uh, never mind that. But if I can ask, why the sudden change of heart?”
Nora huffed. “Well, to be honest I think the whole Ball is kind of silly. I’ve actually never gone, but since I’m the acting Team Three head it’s now a requirement.”
“Goody. I’m glad I can help with a requirement,” Peak said.
“Ooo-kay,” Nora replied. “Maybe this wasn’t such a great idea. Sorry to waste your time, Peak.” She spun on her heel and started to leave.
He grabbed her hand before she could leave Stormy’s stall. “Just answer me this: why ask me?”
Nora shrugged. “Because you know how to have a good time. Listen, Peak: I’m pretty much a workaholic. I haven’t made that many friends among the other dragonators, and I know that most people think I’m a cold-hearted witch. Except maybe you. So if I have to go, I’d like it to be with someone who can have fun…and maybe show me how to have a little as well.”
Peak smiled. “Then you’ve got yourself a date.”
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Date: 2012-11-05 02:01 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-11-05 02:21 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-11-05 05:28 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-11-05 05:33 pm (UTC)The end of November is going to be a Dragon Flyz party!
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Date: 2012-11-05 05:39 pm (UTC)I look forward to it! *gets the pinata ready*
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Date: 2012-11-05 06:28 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-12-01 07:18 am (UTC)The third part made me sniffle.
The fourth part is really cute, though I think Nora relented a little too fast but she stated her reasons for it quite well.
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Date: 2012-12-01 08:04 am (UTC)Oh yeah, the first part was definitely inspired by "Son of Dread" and a couple of other instances where Dread tries to mutate people/animals.
Cifex had been one of my favorite characters to write. I just find his story so incredibly tragic.
I confess: I'm a Peak/Nora shipper. I really love their fire/ice dynamic. They practically write themselves.
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Date: 2012-12-01 08:05 am (UTC)....Also, I feel kinda bad that I'm not a Peak/Nora shipper...
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Date: 2012-12-01 08:10 am (UTC)Don't feel bad! I'd be just as interested to see Peak and Nora with different people (or alone!) as with each other. I think I just latched on to them because in a show where all the main characters are siblings, it was nice to see a little hint of romance. This is probably why I like Cifex too?
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Date: 2012-12-01 08:13 am (UTC)That is true, though I still don't like Cifex being with Apex. Also, is it bad that I feel guilty for my yaoi bunnies acting up?
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Date: 2013-04-15 07:54 pm (UTC)poor Peak...
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Date: 2013-04-15 08:06 pm (UTC)Hehe, poor Peak remains a mutant forever because Dram can't aim properly.
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Date: 2013-04-15 08:15 pm (UTC)I only caught it because I happened to re-read because I was trying to find your prompt 'fantasy' merely because the damn bunnies want to go meta on me and use that as the basis for my prompt 'insanity' or 'oppression' [I do know Sabir would return for that prompt]