Futuristic Heroes

[||Megs||]

Lila smiled, liking this idea very much. She readied herself, her fingers curling securely around Meive's hand. Kita blinked as Meive's hand found hers, and in turn she reached out to Raz, who hesitantly took her hand. Then Raz took Aeya's free hand, knowing it was her ever though everything was dark. Mikke lightly squeezed Aeya's welcomed hand, trying to pass on reassurance.

We are ready. Raz reported to Meive, body slightly tensing as he got ready for the unexpected. In her mind, Lila had the layout of Zen-E5 space station clearly in mind. She had grown up here, after all. She tried not to let personal feelings get in her way, pushing the deceiving thought of her father, the captain, out of her mind. They needed to get out of here, and in once piece.

[Starless::Night]

Fortunately for Aeya, she had stuffed the water bottle in the pouch on the front of her shirt, hoping it was secure enough not to fall out while they were running. When she felt the small squeeze from Mikke’s hand, she smiled in the darkness, a wave of reassurance washing over her. We can do this!. In response, she lightly squeezed his back. She was ready to get out of here, to get away from these people.

Meive waited a couple seconds, both his hands holding onto two others. When Raz’s message drifted into his mind, Meive subconsciously nodded his head, before closing his eyes to more darkness in an effort to concentrate. The noise around them grew more and more quiet, and when the young auburn haired man opened his emerald eyes, their surroundings seemed to have frozen in time. The two remaining guards appeared to have not moved, it wasn’t even clear if they were awake.

“Alright Lila, ready when you are. We have about five minutes of lag time, so make sure it counts. Make sure everyone is holding on time, if you fall away, you’ll return to normal time and be stuck.” He turned in the direction of Lila, ready to go any second. Aeya tried to keep her muscles as untense as possible in order not to strain herself, she wasn’t in the best of physical shape, but because of her aquatic background she was fast and had a more than average endurance. Making sure her grip on Mikke and Raz was firm she looked in the direction of the door and waited.

[||Megs||]

(All entries past this point have been moved from freepowerboard version of TM)

Lila nodded, taking a deep and steady breath before she darted out into the hallway, brushing past the two 'frozen' guards. She kept at a steady pace, not too fast but not too slow, for running while holding someone else's hand could be very difficult. She led them down more halls and through large rooms--one could easily get lost in such a space station, but she knew it better than anyone else...well alright, except for the people who had first built the place, that is.

They clambered into the ship bay, Lila leading them all directly to a decent-sized ship that had seen better days but still looked able to fly. And luckily for them, they had covered much ground, and the bay was empty--they had a good five minutes until they were pursued, which was more than enough time for her to get the ship up and going. Lila led them halfway onto the ramp, nodding for Meive to loosen his control over time.

Mikke was nervous, which meant that he possibly could have been sending a shock into the hands he held. It wasn't much of a shock, just one that would make the upper lip twitch. Kita seemed perfectly fine, if not thrilled, looking around carefully. She wanted to remember every second of this...who knew how long it was to last? For all she knew, she could really be asleep, and any moment now Mai would teasingly poke her awake.

[||Megs||]

(By Starless :: Night)

Aeya waited with butterflies in her stomach, whether from excitement or fear, or probably a mixture of both she didn’t know. When they finally took off, it relieved her to find that the pace was steady, but fast enough so that they could get to their destination in the time allotted to them by Meive’s gift. She tried to pay attention to what they were doing, but she couldn’t help from looking at the surroundings that they passed through, winding through numerous hallways and large rooms. The water bottle in her pocket bounced up and down in rhythm to their steps, almost creating a melody to her ears.

Meive ran with a look of deep concentration on his face. He’d never used his abilities with so many people before, and it was proving more difficult than he’d originally thought, though he knew he was strong enough to handle it…for a few minutes longer at least. Going by the mental clock he calculated that they had about two minutes and forty-five seconds to reach their destination, and looking at the pace they were going, he could guess that they would make it in time with some to spare.

When they finally reached the ship bay, Meive released the hold on time, feeling the flow twist around his body as he tried his best to keep from shivering. It was always the same reaction after using his gift, though it was much stronger as were the side effects with the baggage he’d had with him. His mind and body exhausted, though he was relieved to have made it with no problems…so far.

Aeya stood looking around wide eyed at their new surroundings. A reasonably large ship was on one side of the hangar, and although it looked a couple years old, it seemed to be in great condition. A surge of energy suddenly shot through her as the hair on her neck unexpectedly rose, a small shock zapped the hand she’d been holding with Mikke. A small cry escaped her mouth before she could stop herself, though it was one of surprise than pain. Glancing to Mikke with wide sapphire eyes, she couldn’t help but smile and attempt to smother her giggles.

Regaining her composure she turned her attention to Meive and Lila who stood a few feet away. She waited for their next plan, feeling it in her bones that they were going to be able to make it out. At least, that’s what she wished for, more than anything.

[||Megs||]

Lila gently grabbed onto Meive's upper arm to steady him--of course he'd feel drained from using all that power! "Alright, it may take a minute or two to get this boat ready to sail. Kita, Aeya, Mikke--come in with us and get strapped in. We'll leave it to Raz to blow away any unexpected visitors." Raz nodded, taking stance on the end of the ramp and carefully looking around. As Lila carefully led Meive into the ship, Mikke let go of his hold on the girls and grinned sheepishly.

"Sorry, Aeya! That was...shocking, heh." Kita giggled and pranced in after Lila and Meive. Lila had led the boy to the co-pilots chair, seating herself in the pilots chair as she expertly began to power up the system. "Blast it--dead as a rock. Let's hope the secondary system is still intact," Lila muttered as she impatiently pushed her long, curly mass of black hair over her shoulders. The ship hummed to life, and just in time--there was the sound and echoes of laser guns hitting into the side of the hull. Soon Raz sprinted in, making sure everyone was on.

"Woman, now would be a good time!"

"Keep your shirt on, kid, I'm doing my best!" Lila snapped, a scraping sound annoucing the ramp had slid shut. The whole ship shuddered as it began to rise...

[||Megs||]

(By Starless)

Meive glanced to Lila when he felt her grab his upper arm, steadily assisting In keeping him upright. He was grateful for it, though he didn’t say anything. Continuing to let her help him, he also let the onyx haired woman lead him into the ship. A swell of joy coursed through him as the thought of them finally able to escape passed through. The first thing he was going to do when he got home was get Tara, pack and move somewhere very remote, so no one would even know he existed.

Aeya only laughed at Mikke’s sheepish grin. In response to his apology she smiled cheerfully to him, in hopes of portraying no ill fillings. Following Lila and Meive into the ship, she buckled the safety belts that came with her seat. The butterflies in her stomach were beginning to grow, a lump in her throat developing at the thought of returning home and seeing her adopted mother. I’m going to give her the biggest hug ever imaginable. When the young girl heard Lila’s annoyed voice about the ship, her heart skipped a beat, until the roar of the large hunk of metal came to life, the vibrations of its engine revving under her feet. Looking at Mikke and Kita from their seats, she focused her attention on the noises outside, where the noises of laser guns hitting the hull echoed. Turning her gaze to Raz, she listened to his and Lila’s exchange of words, the atmosphere growing tense.

Meive had decided to take the co-pilot seat next to Lila, his spell of weakness wearing off, leaving him more pumped with adrenaline than anything. Looking to the woman next to him, he watched her slowly raise the ship from it's resting place, and he silently willed this whole thing to work.

[||Megs||]

Raz hurried into the seat near Meive, buckling in as Kita sat across from Aeya and Mikke, who fastened himself next to the mermaid girl on the comfortable bench as he too strapped in. There was a sudden lurch as the ship zoomed forward, the bay doors hissing open as red alarm lights nearly blinded Lila as she navigated the ship out into open space. As quickly as she could she punched in the command to get into hyperspace, hoping the ragged ship could at least do that! To her relief the ship was suddenly sailing smoothly through a gentle white and green zone that signified hyperspace travel.

"There...the ship will pilot itself until we come out of...hyperspace." Lila whispered. For some odd reason, she felt suddenly dizzy. She cupped her head in her hands, shivering. What was this sick feeling? What was happening to her...?! The young woman collapsed out of her chair, in so much pain that she couldn't even cry out...



Back on the Zen-E5 Space Station...

The captain, though very furious, sat calmly in his chair with his eyes closed...a malicious, twisted grin on his lips. He could just imagine the pain and weariness he was putting Lila through right now, as if literally scraping around her mind until it became raw. Oh how easy it would be to just kill her right then--but he suddenly realized how he could work this into his advantage.

"Trace their path and send out a 'hunting' team." the Captain commanded, still in concentration of making Lila unable to be conscious enough to pilot the ship. Oh no, he thought sarcastically, how will they react when Lila is not able to navigate the ship once they drop out of hyperspace?

[||Megs||]

(By Starless)

Aeya sat with her hands wrapped tightly around the straps of the seatbelt, her knuckles nearly white because of the grip she held. When the ship finally seemed to cease the lurching about, she looked out the front window, her eyes glittering in awe at seeing the green and white that zoomed passed them in hyperspace. It was then she noticed how Lila was swaying in her chair. Watching closely, she couldn’t tell if it was out of excitement…or something else. Suddenly the young woman collapsed, hitting the deck with a thud.

“Lila!” Meive cried out. He quickly unfastened his seatbelt and ran to her side. He hadn’t noticed her strange behavior minutes before, but he had sensed something was wrong by the silence that had spread throughout the ship after they’d entered hyperspace. As he puller Lila’s obsidian hair away from her face, Aeya was by his side, skillfully grabbing the older woman’s wrist and checking her pulse. From the looks of it their pilot was unconscious. A grim expression took over both Meive’s and Aeya’s face as this realization sank in.

Temporarily trying to push the sinking feeling away, he lifted the limp body into his arms and carried it over to one of the benches in the back area. Laying her gently on the cushions, and situating her so her hands rest on her stomach. Aeya followed closely behind, and when he set her down, she kneeled next to her and felt for her temperature. She half-mermaid no longer felt useless, but it was unfortunate her skill had to be used for something negative. I suppose this is the way it’s going to be. I shouldn’t have assumed anything…

[||Megs||]

Raz was up and following to where Meive set Lila, standing near Lila's head and next to Aeya as he gently brushed Aeya's hand away to touch the woman's forehead himself. A dark expression overcame his face then, eyes narrowing. "Someone is tampering with her mind--and now it's suddenly gone." This puzzled Raz...had the person responsible been someone able to detect his presence through Lila and know that he had been been about to do something to stop it? Hmm. He looked down at the woman for a moment longer, then turned and walked away. he sat himself stiffly in the pilot's chair, tapping a key to view their coordinate and destination information. "Hmm. We will drop out of hyperspace in about a half hour. I should be able to know how to fly this heap of junk by then." By his tone, it was obvious that he didn't want anyone to disturb him for that time.

Kita, after Lila had been laid down, had unbuckled herself and dashed off into the ship. Now she came back, and gently tapped Meive's shoulder.

"Meive, there is some sort of small infirmary in this ship, with a bed that is very comfortable right down the hall . Perhaps we should move her there for the time being, instead of this narrow bench?" she asked gently, feeling very powerless at the moment. Mikke remained seated, not daring to touch anyone or anything at the moment. he could feel his electronic pulses building again; he didn't want to accidentally send a fatal shock through anyone.

"I'll stay here and keep an eye on him," Mikke confirmed, gesturing with his head over to studious Raz who was haunched over the controls.

[||Megs||]

(By Starless)

Aeya watched Raz closely, after he’d gently removed her hand from Lila’s forehead. His dark expression only distressing her further. The words he’d spoken about someone in Lila’s head was terrifying. What’s going on?! Things aren’t getting any better at all! When he walked off to the pilot’s seat a few minutes later Aeya stood and watched him, along with Meive. When Kita returned from the depths of the back of the ship Meive smiled softly at the Bastet’s comment. Nodding his head in approval, he moved in next to Aeya and bending over, lifted the unconscious woman into his arms, before letting Kita guide him to where the new found infirmary was.

The half-mermaid paused, watching Mikke. She was tempted to pat his head before following the other two, but something about his body language told her not too. Feeling the stress once again building in her, where the hope had once been, she remembered the water bottle in her pocket. She pulled it out gratefully and took a couple swigs, resisting the urge to drink it all in one gulp. Who knows how long it’ll be before we can get some more. I’d like to stay alive until then. And Lila might need some too… Thoughts distracted on aiding the older woman, she walked down where she’d seen Meive and Kita disappear.

The infirmary was a good size, though if anyone else decided to venture in, it would start to become cramped. Meive had rested Lila on the bed, positioning her the same as before. Both him and Kita were standing at the foot of the bed. Aeya entered and again took the woman’s pulse, to make sure there were no changes. Finding nothing at the current time, Aeya sat in the chair next to the bed and watched as Meive silently walked out of the room. Just before he’d disappeared, she saw him flash her a reassuring smile.

Meive sat down next to Mikke, a far enough distance from the other boy to not have to worry about any physical contact. Leaning his head back against the back cushion, he sighed and stretched his legs. All the while watching the young winged boy next to him out of the corner of his eye.

“Kita and Aeya are watching her now I think. She appears to be stable, now all we have to do is wait. And pray that Raz knows what the heck he’s doing.” It occurred to him it was actually the first time he’d actually said something to Mikke. His comments usually only directed at the group, Aeya or Lila. Well, I’m not one for conversation, and it’s not like we’ve been lounging around doing nothing. Trying to escape from kidnappers is busy work. Now let’s hope it continues to work.

[||Megs||]

Kita tapped her chin after Meive left, thinking. She looked carefully around the room, and spotted a counter with a few boxes. This was an infirmary, so it'd have to have some sanitation supplies--including bottled water. The Bastet was shuffling through them perhaps before Aeya could even wonder what she was up to. A few seconds later Kita returned to the bedside with a cloth and a water bottle, humming a calming melody as she whetted the cloth after popping the lid of the bottle open. After wringing it out a few times, Kita then set the cloth on Lila's forehead. Despite the situation, the Bastet felt pretty confident and calm about everything.

"She'll be fine, Aeya--she's a strong person. I doubt we have even tapped into the person she truly is." her words were soft but true, and confident. Kita shared her own smile with the mermaid, then gestured to the water bottle. "You might as well have your fill, my friend. There's a whole box! And I bet there are food supplies around here somewhere, too. I don't know what timezone you came from, but it's probably past my dinner time...or breakfast...dang, I have no idea." She was obviously very time disoriented.



Mikke smiled lightly as Meive came to sit a respectful distance from him, grateful that he seemed to understand that if he were to be touched, Meive would probably receive a smarting zap. This seemed to happen a lot...Pleased as he was that Meive was talking to him for the first time, Mikke kept his tone mellow. "Agreed--at least he looks like he knows what he is doing."

"I can hear you, you know." Raz said, though it wasn't snappy, but it did make Mikke chuckle. His feathers were bristled, his short hair standing on end; an obvious sign that he was having a lot of electrical properties building up at the moment. He'd need to release it sooner or later, but he was skilled enough to know how to keep it under control for periods of time.

"I'm sure Lila will be fine...she seems like a person who is stronger than she looks. How are you fairing?" Mikke suddenly asked, remembering how Meive had looked while boarding the ship.

[||Megs||]

(By Starless)

Aeya was grateful for Kita’s company, thinking that if she were to be alone, she’d most likely worry herself to death. When the Bastet informed her of the supplies, relief spread throughout her, and released some of the knots of concern that were tangling themselves in her throat. She couldn’t help but smile about the water bottles.

“If I were to get my fill, there’d be no water left! And you’re right. I think she’s a lot stronger than we think, I just have a knack for being a worrywart,” She let a giggle fill the air for a few seconds before stopping and deciding to drink the rest of her bottle of water. When she finished, she put the empty bottle on the bed stand and looked back to Kita, “I agree, let’s go have a look at what our options are.” Standing up, she stretched her legs and moved to a room where she’d seen Kita come from with the bottle of water.

Meive couldn’t help but chuckle at Raz’s comment, “Oops, our bad” was his comical reply. He felt relieved at the distraction, happy to see that at least Mikke and Raz were faring fairly well. Though from the looks of the winged boy next to him, he was having a build up of energy. His black hair almost standing completely on end and the feathers on his wings looking as though they were floating. Lifting his head from its resting place on the cushion, Meive turned his gaze steadily on Mikke, thinking that maybe taking his mind off the building of electricity would decrease the rate it was building. He was mildly surprised when the younger teen asked him how he was. Thinking about it, he figured it would be best to tell the truth, not needing another case of Lila’s incident to reoccur.

“I’m exhausted mentally and physically. I would love to sleep for the next week, right here, but I’ll manage. I’ve been worse. A lot better than my initial state,” Finishing his response, a silence enveloped them, and for a time it was ok, until Meive felt the need to make idle conversation. Which was incredibly odd for him, “Mikke, how were you caught…by the mechanical hounds I mean.”

[||Megs||]

The room was an out of the way attached one to the infirmary, and once they walked in further, it became clear that it was a storage room. Crates upon crates were stacked around, barely any room to walk around. Kita followed in after Aeya, the slitted pupils of her eyes widening in interest as she gazed around. "Woah, nice! Probably dried foods, and the kind of food you add water too. MREs, if I'm right. But it is better than nothing, correct?" The Bastet nearly sang as she knelt next to an individual crate, shuffling through it. "Haha! Mashed potatoes, gravy, meat..."



Mikke was concerned as Meive spoke, but admired at how well he held himself despite his exhaustion. "Just relax for a bit, aye? We're out of the hot water for now." The silence after that was broken as Meive asked him a question, but Mikke was liking the distraction, for it made him feel better. Plus, they all needed to get to know each other properly, right?

"Well...a hound wasn't after me, per se. It was after Aeya. As soon as I saw it chase after her and trap her in a room at our school...I just reacted. I suppose you can imagine how that went!" Mikke chuckled. It had felt good to release all that electricity! "Then I coaxed her out and that sphere-thing rose out the scraps and...we ended up with you guys."

Raz slowly spun around in his chair, the brief victory look on his face signifying that he had figure out how to fly the ship. So now the boy lightly folded his arms, watching the other two.

"Sounds kind of like my story. Except that I saved Kita after running after the blasted thing. ...What about you, Meive?" It was probably shocking that Raz was even talking to them at all, but he couldn't help but be curious. Secretly in his mind, Raz hoped someone had found his little brother and taken care of his injuries. His curiosity was generated by the fact that Meive could be a big brother to a sibling, too. Who had he left behind?

[||Megs||]

(By Starless)

Aeya couldn’t help but smile at Kita’s excitement over the find of food. The food the Bastet mentioned wasn’t exactly the preferred of the mermaid’s choice, but at this point, she surely wasn’t going to be picky. Opening one of the crates her eyes widened for a second. Reaching inside, she turned to Kita holding a tube.

“Looks like they got some tube food too…this one’s a vegetable mixture…sounds tasty.” Sticking her tongue out at the thought of all the tastes of vegetables concocted into one tube. Placing the tube back, she looked through a couple more crates, and thought it best to carry one out, so the others could grab some food. Since they would all probably need it.



Meive nodded his head after Mikke had retold his tale of the encounter with the hound. He smiled at the mention of Aeya running around the school.

“She’s always been good at running at hiding that’s for sure,” When Raz asked about his encounter. Meive was mildly surprised that the younger boy had offered to make conversation. Sighing Meive sat up straighter, his back aching from the odd angle he’d been resting in, “I had just gotten back from a trip. And my little sister Tara was walking home from school. We were walking to the apartment building when the dog appeared. I told her to go to the apartment and not open it for anyone until I came up,” He paused for a moment, thinking something over in his mind, “That was more than six hours ago. I’ll spare the exact time. So she’s probably still locked in there, waiting for me to come.” His expression was now grim, worry at whether his younger sister was alright eating at him. It was then he noticed that Aeya was standing in the doorway to the deck. In her arms was a crate. A sad smile dance across her lips before she walked further in.

“Tara is a very smart girl Meive, she’d have to be if she’s your sister. You’ve got nothing to worry about.” The half-mermaid lay the box down as she finished speaking, “Kita and I found some dried food packages in a storage room off the infirmary. There’s also some water bottles. So eat up guys.” Finishing, she turned to walk back towards the infirmary. Things will get better. When you’ve hit rock bottom, there’s only one direction to go.

[||Megs||]

Even though Raz did not say anything, he agreed with Aeya about Meive's little sister. If she was anything like Meive, then she would know how to handle the situation. Mikke, feeling his stomach speak for the first time, voice his thank you to Aeya before reaching over to try and grasp a random tube--there was very audible ZAP-like sound as the boy yelped, drawing his hand back with a flash.

"...Ow. I think I'll wait on that! Sorry, I steamed the veggies," Mikke said as he read the label of the tube, and Raz walked over and crouched before the crate. He carefully took the tube, and popped it open. A nice aroma of the veggies briefly filled their olfactory senses, and Raz actually chuckled.

"Thanks Mikke, I'll have these. ...And orange juice?" Raz reached in again, brining up another tube. How neat! He went back to the pilot's chair, and found a small flashing light and a notice.

"We'll be dropping out of hyperspace in about five minutes,"



"You know how odd it would be, Aeya? Look through the eyes of the guards--as our time slowed, their's sped up. They saw us gone in a flash even though we only jogged away....I wonder what that would do to digestion?" Kita was standing at the end of Lila's bed, one of her feline ears twitching as she recognized Aeya's light footsteps approaching. She had not followed Aeya out with what she had found--the MREs would need to be put into boiled water, and she wasn't sure this old ship had that capability.. Lila stirred for a brief moment, turning her head to the other side--but other than that, she remained unconscious. Kita smiled softly, still in high hopes for the woman that had thrown her whole life away just to help them all escape.

"When this is all over...what will Lila do, Aeya? The life she had known has all but turned against her. She won't have a home to go back to,"