Strange Times, Ch. 3-Passage
FInally it is here!!! Chapter, which has been long in comming, has finaling arrived. i know its been a while but at least its here now. I would like to thank Lunar Wolf and his mate Ice Tiger for the help as well as few others that wish to be kept out of public eye.
Soul is owned by Lunar Wolf and Kiba is owned by Ice Tiger; Taro is owned by himself and the same goes for Tatsuya. All other characters are mine so ask if u want to use them.
Here is the annoying disclaimer thing.....wait, this chapter doesn't need one. But just incase...future additions to this series will contain sexual actions between two or more males. If you are not 18 (or 21 depending on your residential laws) do not proceed any futher. If you think that homosexual or bisexual relations are wrong then don't read this and go jump in a lake.
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Strange Times, Ch. 3-Passage
By Lucas Kale
The Valkyrie was moving at a tremendous speed heading toward the Iceland, the H.Q. of the Resistance. The island was riddled with underground tunnels and chambers so the Resistance did not have to risk discovery by building structures that could be sighted from the air. There were dormitories, dining halls, lavatories, recreational areas, command hubs, media centers, gyms, docking stations, agricultural facilities, and various other areas that provided a stable environment. The entire super-structure was built 150 meters below ground and was built with steel sheets of metal that were reinforced with titanium-ironite composite alloys. This composition of building materials allowed for flexibility in shaping and repairing the structures to be combined with a structure that could bear a tremendous weight. This was an old home to many and a new home for others.
The Falcon was half an hour in the air before they received a message from The Valkyrie that stated that the south-bound group had made it to the airship and that it was on its way to H.Q. All of the passengers and crew sighed with relief that they gotten away. First had they rescued some of their best fighters; among the freed, their leaders own twin brother, who saved them from a 2 pronged attack that would have cost them dearly. Not only that, but they had acquired a new medical officer as well as a new friend.
J couldn't help but to think of as he walked down to his quarters from after a shower that he had needed for a long time. He passed a lot of the crew and several of the fighters that had helped to rescue Sam and him. He greeted those that looked as if they were not busy and acknowledged those that did. He had finally arrived at his quarters to find the new captain of The Falcon, who had been promoted just before the rescue mission, talking with his older brother Sam. Soul was leaning against the left wall as he walked into the room while Sam was sitting on his bed. They looked toward the door when J entered but went on with their conversation.
"How do you think Daren will react when he sees Lucas," asked Sam?
"I don't know," replied Soul, "but it will be either a happy meeting or an angry one."
J and Sam shared a questioning look before J asked from his own bed, "Why do you think that?"
Soul looked to the ceiling as he answered, "Out of all this time that I have known Daren, I have never heard him speak of his family. I've always thought that he was orphaned as a single child when he was young but then this kitsune that looks like his reflection appears and claims to be his twin. Not only that, but Lucas has the same type of ability albeit his are slightly different." Sam looked over at J to see what he thought of this. He looked troubled as he digested this. Sam saw this and inquired what was wrong.
J looked up and said, "What reason would Lucas have to lie. I mean, it is unlikely that the Kalseru knew that Daren was the leader of the Resistance. We put out that we are led by a council which just to make sure that he wouldn't. Lucas can't be a spy sent to infiltrate the Resistance. I can't believe that he would hurt us! Can you?"
"No," replied Sam, "I can't believe that he would either. If he would, Soul would have seen it; wouldn't you Soul?"
Soul nodded as he closed his eyes. He kept them closed as recalled what he saw in the black kitsune's silver eyes aloud, "Sadness and grief most profound from some past event that he believes he caused. A hidden strength that is even greater that Daren's that he refuses to use lest he causes something akin to this sorrowful event. There is a great determination to help others and a deep well of knowledge that assists in doing so. There is also a willingness to learn that is like a dry sponge endlessly absorbing water." Soul hesitated for a moment before he said one last thing, "There is also a great darkness waiting for the chance to emerge and destroy everything in his path."
"Whoa" was the only reply that he got from the brothers. They stayed were they were until the communication device on Soul's belt suddenly beeped.
Soul pressed a button on the side of the device and said, "Captain Soul speaking."
A reply was swift in coming as the on-duty radio-fur said, "There is a message from The Valkyrie coming through."
Soul waited a few moments before pressing the button again and responding, "Confirmed. I will be there presently." He looked around and said, "Shall we?" J and Sam grinned as they nodded. They stood up and followed Soul out the door. They walked down a corridor that opened up to other resting quarters. They passed a few crew-furs and passengers that saluted Soul as J, Sam, and he made their way to the bridge.
Soul, Sam, and J looked out the window as they stepped on to the elevator that led to the bridge. What they saw took their breath away every time. The white, majestic clouds drifting past while they were being reflected by the sea was incredible. They stood in awe that was nature. When the elevator finally opened they stepped out into a short corridor that led straight on to a large door. There was also a door out to either side that admitted to a chamber that had large automatic guns that could blow a hole that was 3' in diameter. The current bridge crew all stood up and saluted as they entered.
Soul looked around and said, "As you were." All but one of the crew returned to their stations as Soul walked to the communications array. The crew-fur that had not returned to his station handed Soul a strip of paper and then sat back down at his station.
Sam and J approached Soul from behind and looked over his shoulders as he began to read the message aloud. 'The Valkyrie took off approximately 2 hours from the west water front district. All Units that deployed have returned along with approximately 26 refugees. 23 of said refugees suffered from injuries ranging from mild mal-nutrition to severe lacerations, broken bones, and extreme mental and physical trauma. Chief Medical Officer Keeba Feryn, the medical crew and the what seem to be our newest medical recruit, who goes by the name of Lucas Kale, has stabilized the most serious patients and have already seen to the others. C. Med. Officer Feryn and Recruit Kale have worked themselves into an exhausted sleep and are currently sharing Feryn's quarters. Our current heading is NW toward H.Q. and our ETA to H.Q. is 3.5 hours. All stations remain on Yellow Alert in case of any following enemy units. We will contact again 1 hour. Communications out.'
There was a sigh of relief from the entire cabin as Soul finished. He turned to Sam and J and flashed them a smile and said, "At least we don't have to worry about them as much." Sam and J looked at each and then back at Soul before letting out a laugh that was soon joined by the others. Soul walked back over to the communications station and handed back the message and told Com-Fur to put him on speakers. He cleared his throat and said, "This is Captain Soul speaking. We have received communications from The Valkyrie and I am happy to say that they have departed from London are on their way Home. We shall receive another communication in an hour. Our ETA to H.Q. is an hour and a half so I suggest that every-fur that is off-duty should get some rest until they are on duty. If anyone needs to talk to me, I will be in my quarters. That is all."
Soul told the Com-Fur to respond to The Valkyrie's message as he turned away from the station. He yawned as he told the cabin that he was going to get some rest and to alert him if anything serious happened.
J leaned over and whispered into Sam's, "What exactly do you think he calls serious?"
"Honestly," replied Sam, "I don't want to know."
Soul looked over his shoulder as they all walked down the corridor to the elevator and said, "I heard that!"
Sam and J looked at each other and chuckled before speaking in unison, "You were supposed to!" Soul just rolled his eyes as the elevator arrived.
Once they were all on, J pressed the required buttons and then leaned against the wall.
He then turned to Soul and asked, "How's Kida been lately?"
Soul smiled at the thought of his mate before speaking, "About the same. She'll be happy that there will be so many new furs to help. When are you two gonna find a mate, hmmm?"
Sam sighed as spoke up, "I've been looking but nobody seems to be the right one. J, on the other paw, seems to have hit it off with the captain of The Valkyrie."
Soul blinked as he turned to a blushing J and smiled. "You and Aaron Davis?" asked Soul. When J nodded Soul seemed to think before saying, "You two would make cute couple." J blushed even deeper before he reached out and punched Soul on the shoulder.
Sam watched from the corner as he thought about his first time with the leader of the Resistance. They had run into each other at one of the clubs that served to all of the inhabitants that were of legal drinking age. They had greeted each other and talked as they shared a couple of drinks. It turned out that they had allot in common and it seemed that becoming great friends when Daren suddenly leaned forward kissed Sam right on the lips. Sam was so shocked that he didn't move. Daren took this as a bad sign and quickly pulled away. He apologized and left before Sam even have a chance to respond. When Sam finally recovered, he followed Daren outside to see him quickly walking away to avoid attracting attention. Sam quickly walked after him. He caught up with Daren after a few minutes while making sure that no one was watching. When he spun Daren he saw that he was crying. Daren looked up into a face that was showing concern rather than the anger or hatred the he expected.
When Sam asked why he had left Daren couldn't take it. He shot a punch at Sam's face that dodged it and then caught the second punch that was thrown at him. Sam pinned Daren against a wall and asked him what the hell his problem was. Daren looked at him coldly before asking if Sam was going to beat the shit out of him. Sam was confused as hell from the question until he remembered the kiss. He laughed aloud before leaning in and returned the kiss. Daren gasped at the sudden move which allowed Sam to slip his tongue in Daren's muzzle. Sam gently twined their tongues together as Daren began to kiss back.
Sam was jolted from his thoughts as elevator stopped. He then realized that J and Soul were looking at him and asked, "What?"
J shared a look with Soul before asking, "Something on your mind, bro?"
Sam looked between the 2 and sighed before saying, "Nah, just kinda tired. I'm gonna hit the sack as soon as we get back to the room, okay?" The other 2 knew that Sam was not telling them everything and wouldn't until he felt like it.
Soul shrugged and looked over at J who said, "You know you can tell me anything, don't you bro?"
Sam leaned over and hugged his little brother while merely saying, "I know." With that said, Sam walked out of the elevator and headed for the room that he shared with his brother. J watched as his brother left before deciding to follow. Once they got back to their room, they both laid down and promptly fell asleep.
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The Valkyrie was in pretty good shape as it traveled toward the Resistance's HQ, but the most of the passengers and half if the crew was exhausted whether it be from injuries, lack of sleep, or just plain tired out from helping those with the injuries. The captain, Arron Davis, stood at the helm and thought. He thought about the resistance and the newest addition.
'That kid is somethin else,' he thought to himself, 'it seems that Keeba has grown attached him.'
He kept staring while in thought until the Helms-fur tapped him on his shoulder, breaking him free from his trance-like state. He looked down at the shorter fur and spoke, "What is it?"
"You said to alert you when it was my shift sir," replied the fur.
The captain nodded and turned around, heading for the elevator that would take him to his cabin. "Wake me in 6 hours," he ordered as the elevator opened and he stepped in. The Helms fur saluted as the doors closed and turned back to the helm. Arron leaned against the side of the elevator as it descended, drooping from exhaustion. He closed his eyes and thought back to the look that Keeba and Lucas shared and sighed, feeling lonely for not the first time. He was shaken from his thoughts again when the elevator opened again. A dalmatian stepped in from the Medical Hall and nodded at the captain. Arron looked the new comer over and saw the bandage around his left calf. He then remembered that the canine had come on board with the other injured. He was about to say something when the ship rocked violently.
The Dalmatian was rocked off his feet and right into the panther's arms, the captain catching him and steadying them both as the ship rocked again. The Dalmatian looked up as the lights began to flicker before another rocking of the ship happened and finally said something.
"What the hell is going on!?" he exclaimed.
Captain Davis growled and looked up at the flickering lights before answering, "Were under attack!!" He quickly pressed the button for the bridge but before they even got there the elevator door opened and too groggy looking furs stumbled in.
Keeba looked up at the two and chuckled before getting knocked off his feet by another rocking and the kitsune tripped over him. "Now this is a lousy wake up call," said the cheetah as he stood up again.
"I'm guessing were under attack, right?"
The fox looked at the panther as the captain nodded and the doors closed again, the elevator shooting up quickly. The four stood there waiting for the doors to open and quickly walking onto the bridge. What they saw was chaos as the various consoles and terminals were shooting sparks and technicians were scrambling about trying to repair everything as soon as possible. The head technician looked up and rushed over to captain.
"Captain! We've been hit by three stealth fighters and the com system is down. We are trying to repair it as we speak but several other systems are down as well, including the automated defense systems."
Captain Davis nodded as he quickly took in the technicians report before asking, "What about the manned defense system!? Is it still operable?!"
"Yes captain! The radar is out as well but it has almost been repaired." Just then static blared out over the speakers quickly followed by a string of voices from various levels of the air ship. Davis rushed over and picked up the intercom mic and quickly relayed orders, "All hands report to battle stations!! This is not a drill!!! The automated defense system is down and all gunners are to report to their positions and start searching for the enemy which are three stealth fighters."
Several replies came over the com system and the captain turned to Keeba and the fox. "I want you two to return to the med bay and secure everyone that cannot help, those that can are to be sent to where they think they can help best," he turns to Bast and asks, "Do you have any kind of expertise?"
The Dalmatian nodded before moving one of the technicians out of the way and quickly started repairing damaged wires, speaking as he worked, "I've been a repair man all my life for the queen before that dragon bastard took over. He tried to kill all those loyal to the queen but he couldn't get all of us. Most of us escaped to live in secret but now it's time to come out and help take down that bastard."
As he finished speaking one of the technicians spoke up with a cheer, "The radar system is back up captain!"
"Great! Hurry and focus on the automated defenses!" he looked to Bast in hopes of good news but the Dalmatian looked up and shook his head.
"The automated defense system is shot captain, all the wiring and circuitry has been fried."
The captain curses as he moves toward the side of the bridge and opens a panel, revealing a seat attached to one of the mounted guns outside the ship. As he sits down several other furs rush in and open matching panels, this happening all over the ship as they start searching the skies for the enemy ships. Just then another explosion rocks the air ship and one of the gunners shout out that they see one and starts firing at it. The other gunners look for the two remaining vessels.
On the other decks, the security teams and technicians search for any hull breaches, repairing any severely damaged areas. On the medical deck, the fox and cheetah are quickly securing all of the critical patients and getting the not so serious patients to take care of the critical patients. Those that only needed minor treatment are sent to the places where they are mostly likely to be of help.
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Higher in the altitude, a large airship bearing the mark of the Architects surveyed the battle. Within the bridge of this airship the commanding officer is looking over the three stealth ships around the enemy ship, all showing up on the more advanced radar of the Architect's ship. The commanding officer turns to the captain and nods, signaling for the start of the full scale attack. The captain quickly starts giving out orders and soon more blips that represent more stealth ships descend upon the unaware evacuation ship just as two of the scouting ships disappeared. The commanding officer grins wickedly and whispers to himself, "And now the fun truly begins"
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"Captain!! More enemy ships are showing up on the radar, they are coming from above us!!"
"Shit!!!" he quickly flicks the switch for the com system and speaks quickly into the mic, "Attention everyone!! More enemy ships are descending upon us, prepare for attack and hold on tight!!!" With that he shuts the mic off and starts firing on as many enemy ships as he can, the other gunners doing the same.
While the attack begins, Lucas looks out one of the port holes on the medical bay and growls as he sees the swarm of enemy ships. "This isn't looking good Keeba, there are too many ships and we don't have the manpower..."
Keeba looks up from the leg of a fur which he was putting into a cast, "I know Lucas but this all we can do, and we are best suited here."
Lucas growls and quickly walks over to help the cheetah with the cast, securing it in place gently before looking down at his own paws. "I can do more..."
The cheetah looks up with an odd look and tilts his head before asking, "What do you mean Lucas?"
The fox looks back to the cheetah and sighs, "I'm going to have to show you I guess." He looks to the port hole and holds up his paw, a silver aura appearing around the paw before shooting out and passing harmlessly through the walls of the ship and 3 ships exploding. The cheetah just looks up in shock and then finally realizes why Lucas looks so familiar.
"Holy shit...Your related to Commander Darren..."
Lucas merely lowers his arm and nods before speaking, "yeah, he's my twin brother. We haven't seen each other in a very long time." The cheetah was about to say something just as the ship rocked again and Lucas curses. "I have to end this!!" shouts the fox as he runs out of the room and toward the elevator, it already opening as some of the wounded are brought on to the Medical Deck, all of them blinking as I slip in and press the button for the docking bay.
As soon as the elevator opens, Lucas rushes out and over to the docking door, pressing the button that opens the door and holding onto a pipeline for support as the wind rushes in. He stares out at the enemy ships that are zipping around the enemy ship before focusing and holding up his paw, the same silver aura enveloping him before shooting out and striking at all the ships. The ship's internal systems going haywire but so many ships caused a great deal of stress on the fox and he only manages to make a few ships crashed into each other before weakening. Just as he collapses there's a flash of light and several of the enemy ships explode. Another flash of light corresponds in the bridge and several of the technicians still repairing the systems and staring as the flash dims and they see 3 figures, a husky-akita mix standing in front of a blue fox that was holding an unconscious kitsune in his arms.
Captain Davis immediately jumps out of his seat, pulling out a M9 Beretta handgun and training it right on the husky's forehead as several of the other soldiers do the same. "Who the hell are you two and what are you doing with Lucas?!" shouted the panther with a glare.
The husky calmly looked at the captain before speaking, "My name is Taro Yggdrasill and this is my mate and husband Tatsuya Kupfer. We were on board with the other when we felt Lucas's power and knew that he wasn't ready for this many enemies, so we decided to step in. Lucas has exhausted himself and Tatsuya managed to catch him before he was blown out of the open docking bay."
At this Lucas groans and tries to stand up but passes out immediately, Tatsuya nodding to taro who nods and turns back to the captain to say, "and I think it's time to take care of the rest of these enemy ships." He holds up his paws and a soft blue aura surrounds him, the same aura surrounding the enemy ships and causing them to fly into each other as well making them easier targets for the gunners, only one of them able to escape head back to the airship above. He then waves his paw and sends out a wave of energy that disables the enemy airship's radar, explaining to the captain what he had done so that the panther could take action.
"Can this airship work under water?" asked the husky as he walks over to his mate to check on the fox.
Captain Davis answers as he motions for the technicians to continue their work, "Yes but we need to make sure that there are no hull breaches, the remainder of the tech crew are doing that as we speak. I suggest we take Lucas there down to the med bay and that you two explain what the hell just happened."
The husky and fox nod as they head toward the elevator, the panther motioning for Bast to follow and soon all 5 furs are on the elevator as it goes down and soon they get off at the now busier than ever medical deck, all available hands helping the cheetah with the injured.
Keeba looks up from helping an injured wolf with a gash in his arms when he sees Lucas and rushes over after giving instructions to a nearby leopard. "What the hell happened to him!?" asked the cheetah as he leads the others to an unoccupied room, "lay him down so I can take a look"
As Keeba looked the three tailed fox over, the husky explains that he and his mate where on the streets when the resistance broke into the prison and used their powers to keep hidden from sight. They wanted to keep out of sight until they landed and wanted to talk to Commander Darren but realized that Lucas was just the same and needed to save him as well.
When Captain Davis heard that the two wanted to see the commander he had to make sure that they had good intentions and asked, "Why do you want to see the commander?"
Taro nodded at the sense of the question and answered, "We know he has abilities similar to Lucas's and we want to teach them both how to control it better. As you have seen, without the proper knowledge they could do more harm than good."
A soft groan and curse makes everyone look to the bed that Lucas is on, seeing the fox slowly sit up and glare at the two, "I don't want your help but if this ever happens again I want to make sure I can help so I guess you have one new student so to speak."
Taro and Tatsuya nod just as the com system in the room kicks to life and a helms fur reports to the captain, "Sir, all systems are repaired but the automated systems and all breaches in the hull have been repaired and we are ready to submerge. ETA to base is 6 hours. Shall we commence with the dive?"
The captain immediately responded. "Attention all stations! The ship has been repaired and we are ready for a full submergence. HQ is 6 hours away so I think that all those personnel but the Helms furs and the tech team can take a break while the helms and tech teams will take 2 hour shifts so that they can get rest as well. We will be going into stealth mode so we shall be quiet and only the power needed for medical and navigation will be used as well as the backup lights. That is all." he flicks the switch so that it the line connects to the bridge, "Pilot, proceed with the dive and the orders I just gave, call this room if you need to contact me. That is all."
Keeba sighs and looks at the others before speaking, "Well I think we can all take a rest."
Tatsuya whispers into his mate's ear and taro speaks to the group, "We aren't tired so we shall help with the wounded if that's alright with the captain and the medic."
Both Captain Davis and Keeba nod as the lean back against the walls and Bast gets up as well, heading for the door before looking over his shoulder and smiling when he sees that Lucas, Keeba, and Captain Davis has fallen asleep. The Dalmatian chuckles lightly as he goes to help taro and logain and closes the door behind him.