part0021

The wooden steps creaked under my feet as Raikidan and I jogged down the stairs of the basement. I had woken up close to midafternoon and waited for a few hours for Genesis to receive assignments I’d consider useful to our cause, but she had only been sent surveillance missions. They had their place, sure, but from what Ryoko had told me, they were still the majority of the assignments our team received unless we were sent to bail out another team.

Some things never change. I refrained from sighing. I just had to be patient and do this the right way. I wasn’t asking for a death wish.

That was why I had suggested I take Raikidan out into the city with a car while the others did the assignment Genesis had chosen. I was sure this was the best way to integrate him into our daily lives. With him not being human, he wasn’t going to be able to easily jump into the way we humans lived, and last’s night battle was not the best way to introduce him to everything.

The two of us went from the basement to the connected underground garage, and I headed straight for my second favorite car, my first being a preferred choice in the summer. This self-assigned mission wasn’t just good for Raikidan. I needed to reacquaint myself with the wheel of a car. Shouldn’t be too hard. It’s like riding a horse. That was easy for everyone as long as they had a saddle… right?

I stopped walking when I realized Raikidan was no longer with me. Turning on my heels, I found him gazing upon the vast selection of cars and motorcycles with awe and curiosity. The variety of models and makes would make any motor junkie have a heart attack, but I was sure Raikidan’s reaction was due to his lack of knowledge about this type of technology.

Leaning on the fender of one of the SUVs we had, I waited patiently. It wasn’t like we were under a time limit. Raikidan wandered around as he took interest in the cars. He appeared to have a preference to the sports cars over most, and I found myself smiling. I couldn’t help it. The look in his eyes told me he was impressed—no, delighted. Dragon, human, elf, it didn’t matter. Like most men, he was drawn to these toys.

“So, are you going to keep gawking, or can we get a move on?” I teased.

He looked at me only to look away as he grabbed the back of his neck. “Sorry.”

I chuckled. “It’s fine. Let’s get going.”

He looked at me funny for a moment before nodding and jogging over to me. I led him to my car. She was a spectacular red and black aerodynamic supercar with a convex hood, large lateral air intakes in the front, streamlining zones to facilitate air flow, external wing mirrors, panoramic glass roof, low spoiler, twin exhaust system, and leather interior.

Lifting up the butterfly door, I slid into the driver’s side and situated myself after closing the door, placing my communicator in a small pocket where the dash and center console met. For a moment, I wondered if I should have chosen my third favorite sports car, as it had a canopy door, but as I watched Raikidan try to understand how the door worked, I decided to stick with my choice. His trouble was highly amusing, and his frustration only grew when he realized I was getting sick satisfaction out of his predicament.

“Are you going to help me?” he demanded.

I just smirked and dug into my back pocket to remove my identification card. I briefly looked at the thin, rectangular object with small buttons and glass dome in the center before stashing it into the glovebox. I sat upright in my seat after I closed the glovebox, and buckled myself up just as Raikidan was finally figuring out how to open the door. I couldn’t stop myself from snickering as he ducked his head in attempt to avoid the bizarre door and sat down.

“Not funny,” he muttered as he closed the door.

My snickering continued when he fumbled with figuring out the seatbelt. “Need help?”

His cheeks tinted. “No.”

I started up the car while he dealt with his problem, and chuckled when his seatbelt clicked and he sighed quietly with relief.

“Don’t make fun of me,” he said.

“It was far more amusing watching you do all that than I thought it would be,” I admitted. “Though I’m surprised you figured out the seatbelt so quick.”

“I watched you do it,” he said, his voice little more than a murmur. “Can we just go?”

I snickered and shifted the car into gear. Pulling the vehicle out of its spot, I sped through the garage to the ramp entrance.

Raikidan looked at me and then at the seemingly dead end. “What are you doing?”

“Leaving the garage, of course,” I said without looking at him.

“It’s a dead end! Are you crazy?”

I smirked and then pressed a button on the center dash. Within seconds, the roof above the ramp pulled away and we flew out of the mouth of the earth. Raikidan immediately began looking around frantically.

“Told you we were fine.”

“Where are we?” he asked. “I don’t see the house.”

“What? Did you really think the combination of the basement and garage was really that small? There is no way we could have that much stuff down there in a normal-sized basement.”

“That doesn’t answer my question,” Raikidan said irritably.

I shook my head. “We’re four blocks away from the house.”

“All right, where are we going?”

“No destination,” I said. “We’re just going to cruise around and take things in that way. Just keep an eye out for suspicious activity.”

“How am I supposed to do that in here?” he asked. “I don’t even know what you mean by suspicious.”

“Trust me, you’ll know when you see it.”

He sighed and looked outside the car, but he wasn’t being inconspicuous enough.

I shook my head. “Raikidan, you need to stop looking around frantically.”

“How am I supposed to find the activity you’re looking for if I don’t?”

“Look, I’m not expecting much from you on this assignment—”

“Gee, thanks,” he muttered.

I laughed. “Let me finish. You’re still new to all this. I don’t expect you to master everything immediately, but I do expect you to work hard on perfecting the most important part first. This means looking like you belong in the city.

“A child looks around wildly as a car moves to take in as much as possible, even though their minds won’t be able to process everything. The same goes for outsiders. They try to take in more than they can handle. I understand this is a new experience for you, and you want to take it in as best as you can, but I’m going to have to ruin that experience by forcing you to act as if you know this city like the back of your hand. Sit calmly in your seat and just scan the city slowly. I’m not expecting anything else out of you.”

“So, you won’t get upset if I don’t catch anything… suspicious?” I could tell he was skeptical.

“That’s correct. I need you to learn to blend in more than accomplishing anything else right now. That’s why I made this assignment up.”

“Made it up? Is that why the others left without us?” Raikidan asked.

I nodded as I slowed the car down. “Precisely. You got thrown into things a little faster than I wanted last night, so I wanted to give you something a little easier to grasp. How are you feeling, by the way? Battles are hard for many to witness.”

“Fine,” he replied. “I’m no stranger to death.”

I nodded. I was tempted to press about that comment, but decided it wasn’t the best idea right now. “How’s your arm? I noticed by the time I had gotten home you had done your magic on it.”

He chuckled when I said magic. “Yes, when I retired for the night I took care of it. There’s no residual pain, a perk to my fire healing.”

“You barely have a mark from it, too.”

He nodded. “Had I tended to it sooner, I might not have one at all, but I don’t care.”

“Badge of honor.”

Raikidan was quiet for a moment. “Yes.”

“So, you were up and out of the room well before I was; anyone ask you questions when they noticed the healed area?” I asked.

“What did you say?”

“I decided to mess with her and got her to think I had super healing powers because of my shapeshifting ability.”

I hit the wheel as I laughed. I wasn’t sure if it was the fact he had pulled such a trick on her or that he sounded so satisfied when saying it that made that so funny. Maybe both? Definitely both.

“After allowing her to think that way for a few minutes I told her it wasn’t the case. She whined at me for tricking her and then when I told her the real reason was a secret, she complained some more, telling me I was mean, and I acted too much like you.”

I continued to laugh. “You’re going to fit in just fine with the team.”

He watched me as I got myself under control.

“What?” I asked.

He shook his head and looked out the window. “Nothing.”

I raised my brow in question but focused on the road.

“Why are you stopping?” he asked.

I nodded my head at the multicolored light fixture above the road. “See that red light? It’s a traffic light. It controls the flow of traffic on the road. When it’s green, cars can move at the designated speed. When it’s yellow, they have to slow down. And when it’s red, they have to stop.”

I chuckled. “No, not instantly. That would be impossible, not to mention dangerous. They’re to stop before they reach a certain line on the road or before they run into the car in front of them.”

“Such a complicated system you humans create just to get around.”

“Don’t worry. If you’re here long enough, you’ll get the hang of it.”

My attention diverted to the sidewalk and Raikidan noticed immediately. “What is it?”

I reached for my communicator. “You know that suspicious activity I was talking about? Just found some.”

“See that group of soldiers?”

“Yeah, they look ordinary to me.”

“I figured you’d say that. Means they’re doing their job well. This is a good exercise for you. See how close they’re walking to each other? That formation is too tight for standard patrolling soldiers.”

Raikidan nodded. “I see what you mean.”

“Also, notice how tense their shoulders are. Their armor would normally hide much of their uneasiness, so if you can see it, then they’re really on edge. Something is up.” I dialed out my signal until someone picked up the other end. “Seda, I have activity to report.”

“You are slow,” she teased. “I’ve already sent some members out to watch that group.”

“Damn psychic,” I muttered as I cut the connection and put my car in motion.

I weaved through the traffic almost effortlessly as I cruised down the street. It had been so easy to get back behind the wheel.

“You’re a good driver,” Raikidan complimented. I laughed and he looked at me as if he was insulted. “What’s so funny?”

I smiled. “You’re the first to think I’m a good driver.”

He blinked. “What, seriously? Why?”

I chuckled. “If you jumped into a car with the others of the house, you’d see. I’ve got some serious subpar driving skills compared to them. Well maybe not Rylan. He’s pretty insane.”

“Well, if nothing bad happens, I would say you’re a good driver,” he defended.

I smiled. “Yes, I suppose that’s true.”

We passed under a large motorway that was suspended in the air and Raikidan took great interest in it. “What is that?”

“A freeway,” I said. “Well, I call it that. Most people in this city call it a motorway. Both terms work, though.”

“What’s a freeway?”

“It’s a road that provides an unhindered flow of traffic,” I explained. “There are no traffic signals, intersections, or property access. Dalatrend suspends its freeways above the city and limits the number of exits it has, making it ideal for those who need to get to one end of the city to the other quickly without any stops in between. Freeways also have a higher speed limit, making it that much more convenient for those people. One day I’ll bring you up there to see for yourself. Today isn’t a good day to do that.”

We rode in relative silence after that. It was only ever broken if Raikidan had a quick question, or when we stopped to get a quick bite to eat at a sandwich shop. I didn’t start heading home until the sun began to set.

Then I remembered I had forgotten to tell him something very important last night. “Hey, this may seem out of the blue, but I just remembered I didn’t talk to you about this. Remember when we talked about how citizens can’t leave without proper approval?” He nodded. “Now that you’ve been seen by Zo, that means you’re marked as a citizen. Please promise me you won’t try to leave unless you tell me. I know of ways to help you get out safely, as not even shifting is a safe bet due to the experimental shapeshifters in Dalatrend.”

“You won’t stop me if I want to leave?”

“I won’t force you to continue to help us if you don’t want to.”

He smiled. “Then I promise I’ll let you know if I want to leave.”

I looked him in the eye to see if I could figure out if he was lying, but had to focus back on the road. I’d just have to take his word for it. “Thank you.”

I drove down the ramp when I reached the garage and parked into the same spot as before.

“Your cars are interesting,” Raikidan said as I was removing my seatbelt.

“Good or bad kind of interesting?”

“I’m not sure,” he admitted. “I can see why you humans enjoy them. They’re convenient, faster than walking, and they’re nice to look at.”

“But you’re undecided if you actually like them, yes?” I reached over his lap to get into the glovebox.

I chuckled and then climbed out of the car. Raikidan followed, but he slowed down as he started looking at all the vehicles again. Yeah, you like them a lot. You just don’t want to admit it.

It took Raikidan a solid fifteen minutes to tear away from the cars. I watched him the entire time as he wandered around, looking at the various designs. He muttered to himself a few times in what I presumed to his kind’s language. It wasn’t until I decided to head up stairs did he give up his admiring. I grinned at him, and he avoided eye contact, his face a bit red.

When the two of us reached the stairs, the door above us opened and Ryoko and Rylan started coming down.

“Hey,” I greeted. “How’d your assignment go?”

“Bad,” Ryoko admitted when she stopped halfway down the staircase. “We didn’t see anything out of place. What about you guys?”

“Just one suspicious group of soldiers,” I said.

“That’s still better than us.”

The door opened again, and Blaze and Argus started heading down the stairs as well.

My brow rose. “What’s the occasion?”

“Oh, right.” Ryoko giggled. “We were thinking of going to the Underground and doing some virtual training. We figured it’d be a good way to get you back in shape quick, and help Raikidan learn a thing or two about our weapons. Last night was a really bad time for him to be thrown into the action.”

I nodded. “Good idea. Let me just put away my ID.”

She nodded and I let the four of them reach the bottom step before heading upstairs briefly. Once I stored away my identification, I rejoined everyone in the basement by an empty stone wall. Ryoko pressed her hands on the wall until it made a crunch sound and then let go as it slid away.

She turned on a flashlight and led the way down the narrow path. I scrunched my nose when an awful smell wafted into my senses, and Raikidan began grumbling until we reached the sewers.

“What is this place?” Raikidan muttered.

“We’re under the city, in the sewers,” I explained.

He gagged. “What an awful place. We really have to be here?”

“It’s the only way to get to the Underground,” I said. “We can’t exactly run a large operation above ground, so we had to set up down here.”

“How do you stand this smell?”

“We just have to put up with it,” Rylan said. “We’ve developed a solution that destroys the smell of this place that we infuse into our soaps and other cleaning products, so we can keep the Underground nearly free of the smell once inside, plus rid ourselves of the smell once we go above ground again.”

“Should have picked a better place than a sewer,” Raikidan grumbled.

Ryoko and I giggled quietly amongst ourselves. He was such a baby.

Eventually we made our way up to two large metal doors. They creaked as Argus and Ryoko pulled them open. Passing through the threshold of the doors, we were slammed with the sounds of music, the ticking noises of computer works, and the loud bantering from the hundreds of people in the large room. Raikidan stuck close to me, his whole body tense, and his eyes darted back everywhere. I realized I hadn’t gotten the chance to tell him about this place.

“Stay calm,” I told him. He looked at me. “Just follow our lead and you’ll do fine here. Don’t speak to anyone, even if you’re addressed, unless you really want to talk.”

He didn’t say anything. He just walked a little closer to me, which made him relax a bit. I resisted the urge to sigh. This was going to be a long night.

“Laz!” a female voice call.

Looking around, I noticed a lean woman with mocha skin, crimson eyes, and shoulder-length black-and-red hair jump out of a computer station and rush over to us. She was wearing dark-green cargo pants with several belts, a black-and-yellow cropped tank top, and a brown cropped leather jacket.

I grinned and slammed the side of my fist with hers in greeting. “Hey, Aurora.”

She smiled. “I didn’t expect to see you here so soon, babe. Would have figured you’d be resting after that doozy of a night you had.”

I opened my mouth to reply, but was interrupted by a low masculine voice. “Well, well, well. Look who finally decided to show up after all this time.”

I turned and was faced with a tall, tan and muscular man with dark brown eyes, and brown hair and mustache. He wore a tight white men’s tank, denim pants, suspenders, black boots, and leather gloves. His arms were crossed, and tucked between his fingers was a previously lit cigar.

“Raynn,” I greeted, giving a curt nod.

“What have you been doing, Eira? The big bad military scare you into hiding? Or were you afraid to settle the score between your team and mine?” he sneered.

“Make him regret those words,” the malevolent voice in my head hissed.

The confrontation was drawing attention, and my pride wouldn’t let me just ignore him. Leaving the security of my comrades, I walked around Raynn. “I was doing my job. Now that’s it’s done, I’m back and leading my team. A better question is, what have you been doing? Still leaving your comrades behind to save your own ass?”

He growled. I smirked and headed toward Aurora’s computer station, but was stopped when he spoke. “Rumor has it you brought in an outsider. Outsiders can’t be trusted. You should know that better than anyone. And from what I can see, you’ve brought him here, where he can see our base of operation.”

Raikidan turned and faced Raynn. “If you have a problem with me, tell it to my face.”

“You’re not one of us,” Raynn spat. “You don’t belong here. There’s no way you can keep up with any of us, pretty boy. It would be best if you just left.”

“Why don’t you put your money where your mouth is?” I challenged.

Raikidan glanced at me and smirked. The crowd around us began to make bets. Raynn threw his cigar on the ground, accepting the challenge, and went at Raikidan. Raikidan prepared himself, and when Raynn came in range, he swung his fist, aiming for Raynn’s face. He was far quicker than Raynn and landed a direct hit on his jaw. Raynn stumbled back and fell to the floor, blood trickling down the side of his mouth.

Slowly I made my way over to Raikidan’s side and wrapped my arms around one of his. “You see, Raynn, I have only the best on my team, and Raikidan fits in that category. I’d pick him over you any day, a thousand times over.”

Without giving Raynn the chance to spit out any kind of response, I pulled Raikidan away. My grip loosened from his arm until I was only holding on to his wrist with one hand. My team fell in behind us, giving Raikidan a nod of approval as he passed them.

Aurora slipped in next to Raikidan, and when she wrapped her arm around his free one, a strange feeling quickly flared up in my chest. But just as suddenly as it came, it disappeared.

“You don’t mind, do you, babe?” she asked him.

“Uh, no,” he replied awkwardly. He, like most others, would have to get used to the baseline name she gave everyone.

She looked him up and down. “You’re a lot stronger than you look.” She looked at me. “Babe, I’m surprised you chose someone so strong. I’d have figured you wouldn’t want to feel the weakest anymore.”

“I meant what I said,” I replied. “Bringing in someone weaker than me would bring my team’s efficiency down. I don’t mind being the weakest. It’s not like I can’t still hold my own or anything.”

Aurora shrugged. “Whatever you say, babe.”

When we reached her computer station, she let go of Raikidan’s arm and climbed up. I let go of his wrist and hopped up behind her. She placed a communicator into her ear, and the small digital visor swiped across her eyes. As she touched the blank space before her, bright lights popped up and flashed in front of her. A hologram screen. Looking at the large screen, I watched numbers, letters, and symbols write out, along with video clips of people with guns running around in tight bodysuits.

“How many pods are open?” I asked her.

“Quite a few actually, babe,” she said as she touched the screen. A small layout of the room appeared. “I can place you all in these pods here next to each other.”

I patted her on the shoulder. “We’ll need a quick-start course for Raikidan.”

“It’ll be ready when he enters the virtual realm. Anyone else going to go with him?” she asked, typing out something on her keyboard that sat below the screen.

I thought for a moment who would be best to help train him. “Argus and Rylan. Blaze might join them, so have it ready for him just in case.”

Leaving Aurora to her thing, I jumped down from the station and grabbed Raikidan by the wrist again and headed for the virtual pods. As we walked, Raikidan noticed the experiments who had anthropomorphic traits.

“They were the first to be tested with animal DNA,” I explained. “The geneticists didn’t know what they were doing, and the end result was what you see in front of you.”

“How do they fit into your city’s structure?” he asked.

I shook my head. “They don’t. They are what remain of a massive number of failed experiments. Some disappeared from the city, others died of natural causes, and some were killed within the city or castle walls by Zarda. Since they don’t blend in, they stay hidden until dark. That’s when they leave the safety of the underground and play their part.” Arriving at the pod, I let go of Raikidan and opened the lid. “Get in.”

He looked at me warily, and then slowly sat down on the gel padding. When he was finally lying down, I pressed a few buttons on the side and leaned against the machine. Blue lights appeared and scattered across his body and face.

“I need you to stay relaxed and keep your mind open,” I told him.

He fidgeted a little. “Easy for you to say.”

I chuckled. “Nothing bad is going to happen, I promise.” His attention drifted from me to other people who were looking on from a distance. I placed a finger on his chin and pulled his attention back to me. “Hey, focus on me.”

He stared at me for a moment before nodding. “What do I have to do?”

“When the lid closes, just keep your mind open and relax. The pod will push your mind into a virtual version of you in the cyber-range network. It won’t hurt, just be slightly uncomfortable. I’ll be waiting for you on the other side.”

He grabbed my wrist, preventing me from shutting the lid. “Wait, where are you going?”

I chuckled. “I have to get into my pod. I’ll be waiting for you. Now close your eyes and relax.”

He let go of my wrist slowly, and as soon as he closed his eyes, I shut the lid of the pod and headed to mine. I hopped onto the gel padding as Ryoko and the others were shutting themselves in. Not wanting to make myself a liar to Raikidan, I quickly pressed a few buttons on the outside of the pod and shut the lid.

As I relaxed, a tingling sensation pressed on all sides of my head as I slipped into the virtual realm. My virtual body flowed through the gateway and my clothes dematerialized. In the same instant, they were replaced with a tight green-and-black bodysuit, long black gloves, and long black thigh-high boots with a green stripe running up the side.

My feet touched solid ground, and the swirling atmosphere melted away, revealing a large white lobby with several potted plants and a few black couches. I couldn’t see anyone, but I knew they were here somewhere. Walking in the direction I assumed Raikidan would be, I went searching for him.

“I see you made it through fine,” I commented when I finally found him.

He was also wearing a green-and-black bodysuit that hugged his form tightly, black gloves, and black boots. It looked like our team color was green this session. I put a hand on my hip and shifted my weight to the opposite side of my body as Raikidan looked me over. I was glad when he didn’t make a comment about my attire.

“I think I made it in one piece,” he finally said. “You didn’t say it would be such an unpleasant feeling to enter here, or that we’d have to wear such ridiculous clothes.”

I rolled my eyes. “It’s not that bad.”

He snorted and looked around. “Where is everyone else?”

I shrugged. “Somewhere. They’ll make their way over here soon. How are you feeling?”

“Aside from the small pressure in my head, fine,” he commented.

I gave a curt nod. “Good. That should go away soon. Now I’ll give you a quick rundown on what’s going to happen. Once Argus and Rylan get here, the three of you will go through the beginner course. You’ll learn how to hold your own with a gun, and how the rules of this place work. I’ll warn you now, if you’re shot at any time in this place by what would be a killing blow in the real world, you’ll be forced out and won’t be able to come back in. The transition between the outside and here is stressful on the body and going in and out of it multiple times could possibly kill you.”

His eyebrow rose. “Possibly?”

“It’s never happened before, so we can’t be fully sure, and we’d also like to not test that theory,” I replied.

Raikidan nodded. “Okay, so what happens if I’m shot?”

Before I could explain, a large screen appeared on the wall and showed someone bursting into pieces as he was fatally shot. “That answer your question?” He gulped and nodded slowly. “It’s not as painful as it looks, but it’s still pretty painful.”

Just then, I noticed Argus, Rylan, and Blaze approaching behind Raikidan, and when I turned a little, I noticed Ryoko approaching as well. The boys’ bodysuits looked much like Raikidan’s, with a few minor differences, and Ryoko’s looked like mine but with visible cleavage. I wasn’t sure why, but the system had a habit of doing that with the bustier women, not that most complained.

“So, you want to explain why Argus and I have to go through the beginner course instead of you?” Rylan asked.

I smirked. “Well, since you guys are always bragging about how much of a better shot you are over Ryoko and me, I thought it would be best if Raikidan was taught by a master shot, alongside the computer.”

He crossed his arms, unamused by my ability to twist his teasing in a way he couldn’t worm out of.

“So, what are we going to do while they learn?” Ryoko asked me, draping her arm around my shoulder.

I smirked. “Have a little fun.” Ryoko smiled, but Rylan’s small growl made it disappear. I rolled my eyes. “Don’t be such a baby. You can join the two of us once you’re done.”

A communicator materialized on the side of my face, and the small digital visor swiped across my eyes. The same happened for Ryoko. Before I could contact her, Aurora’s voice rang through the earpiece. “I already have a match set up for you, babe. It’s against a computer simulated team. Hope you don’t mind.”

“That’s fine. Thanks, Aurora,” I replied.

My preferred carbine model materialized in my right hand, along with a small finger gun that materialized around my left hand. Ryoko pulled away from me, and an absurdly large railgun, her favorite weapon, materialized in her hands along with a handgun around her leg.

“What am I supposed to do?” Blaze asked.

I shrugged and walked away with Ryoko.

“You could join us,” Argus suggested.

“Normally I would decline,” Blaze said. “But since I have no reason to, I might as well.”

I stopped listening in after that. I needed to focus. Ryoko and I were going to be running together, and I was getting psyched about the idea of putting a few bullets into some bodies. Maybe I’d pretend they were Raynn. That would make it more enjoyable.