Project Zolaris: Ch. 4
#4 of Project Zolaris
DARKFLAME STUDIO'S PRODUCTIONS
Presents:
Project Zolaris Ch. 4
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STORY CONTENTS: Apocalyptic Future, Love, Miracles
COPYRIGHTS: All Characters & Situations © Allester E. Darkflame 2007+
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Zolaris sat, rolling a small ball across a desk in the captain's room. He was bored out of his mind on this slow moving ship. Even with his ability to keep the wind in the sails, the ship was bulky and needed to be remodeled. To do so, he had to remember the coordinates of a military outpost from his time... hopefully it was still there.
"LAND OFF THE STARBOARD BOW!" a voice shouted from the crow's nest.
Immediately, Zolaris was out the door and on the deck of the ship. His eyes turned to the right, slowly getting used to the pirates lingo. Max was already standing by the ships rails and looking at the land coming in to view slowly.
"What do you think Zolaris?" Max asked his friend.
"I was at this base once before. If everything is still where it should be, then the base should have precisely what we need." Zolaris looked up and over to his crew "Four long boats, six men to each should be enough."
"Aye-Aye Cap'in." the crew chanted back to Zolaris as they worked to drop the long boats requested.
Zolaris turned back to look at the Atlantic Ocean and smiled "Last time I saw the St. John's River... it was covered with oil and thousands of engine powered boats. Now look at it... Crystal clear, bulging with life, I bet even the Manatee's are prospering now."
"Mana-what?"
"Manatees, Humans called them 'Sea Cows'."
"Ohh... uhh, those according to history, died out about six thousand years ago."
A deep sigh flowed from Zolaris' lips and he shook his head "Just how long was I asleep?"
"Long Boats deployed Cap'in." a young mink told the timber wolf.
"Thank you, Tiara you have command of the Ragnarok until we get back."
Tiara nodded her head and watched as Maxamillion climb into a long boat while Zolaris spread his wings and dived off the edge of the ship. Only a brief second was he out of sight before he flew higher over the ship as a guide for the long boats across the wide river leading towards a massive bridge further inland. Tiara chuckled once the boats were out far enough. "Move the ship closer to shore. Let's build a small ship dock from the tree line while they're gone."
"Yes Ma'am!" the crew called out.
Meanwhile, Zolaris flew only forty feet in the air, circling around the long boats and using the tail feathers he hid under his tail to guide him through the air currents. When a large bridge came into view, he dove lower and spoke up "Careful of the Bridge, the support pillars are a little brittle after this time."
Everyone nodded and Zolaris flew ahead just to be safe. His ether blades out, he skimmed the waters surface between the pillars, using his swords and wing tips to tease the water. When the pillars held up, he kicked off the surface of the water using one of his more minor powers to keep from dropping into the water when his foot planted, a simple power that let him step on air as if it were a physical step.
Slowly, the Long boats floated through the pillars and the base they were looking for moved into view. A dock nearby was lined with old boats rotting and broken, some covered with barnacles and slime. As the boats were docked, Zolaris landed and looked around "Alright, we're near the residential area. Lets see what we can find, shall we?"
The group all nodded and Zolaris tapped his chin "Everyone stick close. No telling what's moved in to the area."
"Yes Cap'in." everyone responded.
The walked through a small forest before their feet pressed into asphalt. The pirates looked at the strange pathway, kicking their feet against it, while some tried to sniff it. Max and Zolaris had both seen it before, and both of them were having problems holding back snickers as they continued on. The air, thick with the smell of the river, brushed over everyone's noses, blowing fur, feather and hair around in the gentle breeze.
Every step they took, ruined buildings and decaying bones were scattered around the area. "This place be a graveyard for humans Cap'in. Be it wise we be here?" one of the crew asked, a nodding of heads showed everyone agreed with him.
"Of course it's ok." He answered, placing his paw to a strange black box on a steel wall.
"HAND PRINT RECOGNIZED..." a disembodied voice spoke.
"WARNING! MP'S NOTIFIED OF WANTED SPECIMEN "PROJECT ZOLARIS" STAND DOWN AND PREPARE FOR ARREST." The voice ordered, but Zolaris knew it was a fake threat since the base was deserted. Using one of his claws, he popped open the box while the crew, panic stricken, looked around wildly.
"Cap'in, we should leave, yes?"
"Calm down, it's just the computer. See, watch." He responded, crossing some wired and slipping two computer chips around.
A door opened swiftly and that voice spoke once more "ACCESS GRANTED."
Everyone sighed and walked through the door, not a single person noticed a pair of eyes watching them.
Inside of the building, Zolaris pointed out several boxes he wanted taken and stacked near the exit for the departure. With some paper in hand, and a pen, he scribbled down orders for Maxamillion and smiled "Make sure the boxes have all of these parts, there's an image sheet here," he tapped a table with a full scale map showing a picture of each part listed on the paper. "We need those parts to be there for what I have planned."
Max nodded his head and started going over the boxes with the crew. Zolaris turned, and started walking down a long hall. Arriving at a doorway, he looked around and then placed his paw to another small black box, this time working faster to disable it and open the door.
The interior room was small, a lab from the looks of things. Papers, glass, and tables where scattered about, lying in disarray from a long past war. A single computer terminal rested in an alcove. Picking up a chair, he sat down and started typing away.
"SEARCHING..." the screen read.
FILE LOCATED.... ACCESSING FILE LABLE "PZ107"
"Zolaris, I'm glad to see you've woken up and the programming I put into your mind is working properly. You also know I dumped this file into the Military's mainframe to be downloaded into every computer and accessed from any. I am so sorry they made me freeze you, it was not my wish or my daughters wishes, we all wanted to give you a second chance, but the President wasn't going to risk it. So I left this message for you along with a gift. Your predecessor, Alkaline, whom was forced to have powers and then killed when he failed, has had some of his DNA extracted and placed in the computer as a gene-code. Your powers can extract it; it will allow you to 'remove' special powers from people so they are turned mundane. Do be careful Zolaris, I don't want to see my girls sad."
FILE END...
Zolaris shook his head and placed his paw on the computers screen. A gene-code was a string of code formed by analyzing DNA strings and turning them into working computer code and can later be turned back into DNA with the right machine, or power. Once he was done, he sat down again and looked over his shoulder briefly.
...
...
...
FILE ERROR. UNABLE TO READ FILE LABLE "FOUR HORSEMEN"
ERROR IN SYSTEM MAINFRAME.
SELF DESTRUCT INITIATED, FIVE-MINUTE COUNTDOWN.
Gritting his teeth, Zolaris turned and ran from the room, rushing for his crew. "Get the boxes, lets get out of here."
Max blinked "We just finished checking them, what's wrong?"
"No time to explain, lets go, out of the building now."
Nodding their heads, the crew grabbed the boxes and ran from the building. The eyes that had watched them go in now followed them for a full half a mile before a loud explosion sounded in the air. Maxamillion's eyes where like saucers as he looked at the fireball, and then turned to his friend with a questioning look.
"They rigged it. They knew I'd go looking for them, and they rigged it." Zolaris hissed through his teeth and sighed. "Get those boxes back to the ship, I'll be along shortly." He said, watching his crew leave while he himself walked off for the shipyard.
He looked around for some cables and slung them over his shoulders. He started to gather some large chunks of steel in various shapes and forms, gathering them into a single pile before stopping. "So, are you going to come out of hiding Roxanna?"
"Hey! That's so not fair Zolaris!" a cute little white fox, with large triangular ears, rolled out from the nearby over growth. Her wheelchair fit for her size and outfitted with many cutting edge technologies. Her small face smiled at the large wolf "So, I see you found out how to sneak out of your prison cell." She teased him.
"I was released, how have you lived so long?
"Easy, the doc's gave me immortality just like you... only I can be hurt..."
"I didn't ASK for any of this, so don't make it sound like I'm some super hero... I'm only fifteen!"
"Actually Zolaris, you're Nine thousand and fifteen years old."
"N... Nine... thousand? Is that how long it's been?"
"Yeah, I hide a lot. This chair helps me get around pretty easily, and look I even made it do a bunch of neat tricks!" the fox giggled almost madly like a mad scientist.
She spun her chair around a couple times to let him see it before she pushed a button. Ten missile launchers, five laser turrets and a cannon sprung out from various parts on the chair, all shrunk down to fit and portable. "Hehehehe, like it? It's not as awesome as your Ether blades, but hot damn did I kick some ass in the war."
Zolaris' ears flanked his head and he sighed, "You are still insane Roxy."
"So what if I am? I like who I am and accept it, unlike some big bad wolves I know."
A snort came from the wolf male, and he turned away to tie off the supplies he'd gathered.
"HEY! You're not leaving me here, are you Zolaris?"
"We're useless now Roxy. Technology is gone now days, and there's no war for me to fight anymore."
"Four horsemen."
Zolaris stopped and turned to look at her, all she did was smirk and say, "I have the file you wanted. Take me with you, and it's yours."
"No."
Roxanna gawked and then stammered "B-But! I was your wingman before, and then your eyes and ears for a long time Zolaris! Come on, PLEEEEEEEEEASE?" she pleaded.
His ears burned, she had that irritating begging voice now. "F-Fine! But you take orders from me now."
She grinned and clapped her paws "WOO HOO~!" she giggled and smirked "Ohh I'm going to make you such GORGEOUS Bio armor this time. Oh it'll enhance all of your powers, every last one of them. Mmm, ohh man and I can even make your Ether Blades ten times more powerful-" she rambled on while he continued to gather up the supplies, even putting her and her chair into the pile before lifting a makeshift box using the cables and taking flight... she was still talking about her future creations.
With the boxes loaded and stocked, everyone waited on their captain's return. Seeing a large crate like box flying through the air, they all knew it was him. The makeshift port sparked to life as everyone ran towards the end of the pier so Zolaris could set down the box on dry land. As the walls dropped, everyone blinked at the vixen rolling off the pile in a mobile chair and staring right back at them.
"What? Never seen a paraplegic?" she huffed at the crew, flipping a button that ejected a sword on a long arm from the left wheel. It swung around and jabbed as she drove closer to the crew "Want a piece of me huh? Well come on, I'll chew you all up." She seethed.
The crew was not only confused at the brazen vixen, but also by the 'magical' chair she drove on. She continued her advance, making some of the men scatter across the pier to back away from her. Until Zolaris landed, Roxanna had the entire crew dumbfounded and bewildered.
"Ignore her, she's an old friend of mine."
"OLD? I'm younger then you by five years!"
"Yes, but you're still old enough to be their great, great, great, ten times removed great GRAND mother." He shot at her.
She barked and snapped her jaws at him, then the sword pulled back into her chair and she drove on towards the ramp leading onboard the ship, nearly driving over Tiara in the process.
Everyone's eyes turned on Zolaris, but he just smiled "What? We need a magician don't we? Not a single one in this world is as good as her... unfortunately."
It was all the crew needed to hear and they began loading up the supplies they had all gathered. Zolaris in the mean time, dove under the water with a giant sheet of steel and began his own work of reinforcing the ships hull. Using his abilities to mold and bond the metal to the wood just to be sure the ships belly was guarded, yet wouldn't sink the ship. Most of the crew were curious what he was doing, watching the waters edge and how a steel sheet skirted five inches above the water line now.
Once finished, Zolaris went about reinforcing the guts of the ship with thinner steel to help repel cannon fire or debris and ramming problems. The crew was worried about the ship sinking and had long since cleared off, leaving Zolaris and Roxanna working on the ship through the night.
When everyone awake, they saw the ship had steel in more places then before and still floated. The masts where all buckled by steel around the wood, thin enough to allow flex but thick enough to keep the wood from splintering when hit by cannon fire. The deck now had a rougher surface to it, but it was a padded roughness and seemed to grip the pads of paws making the deck less slippery even while wet.
The crew slowly boarded and tested the ships limits. When it didn't sink, they all cheered. Inside the captain's quarters, Zolaris was in his bed sleeping, and Roxanna was passed out in her chair, a little drooling hanging from her maw while she muttered something about plutonium and zerilum fusion engines. Max chuckled and closed the door "Lets head home now, nothing more we can do with them out like that."
With the first mates order, the ship was pulled from the makeshift port and once more set sail. Thanks to the 'permanent' runes Zolaris drew on the sails, the moment they opened, powerful winds filled the cloth and pushed the ship across the ocean back to it's main dock. Everyone noticed the ship actually seemed to move smoother and faster through the waters, the underbelly no longer rough, but smooth, it cut through the waters despite the extra weight.
Zolaris woke up and walked outside, noticing the ship was docked back at the main island. Roxanna was already putting together the communication devices that they had gathered in the boxes he wanted the previous day. He noticed however that many of the crew looked as if they had seen a ghost. As he disembarked from the ship, he noticed why.
Standing in just her bra and panties, Aleria was covered in dirt and rubbing her throat. When she saw Zolaris she rushed up to him swiftly and hugged him tight. Her lips met his and the shared a deep, rather shocked kiss as his arms wrapped around her body. When the kiss broke, she giggled, "We need to wake up Max... he fainted when he saw me." She teased.
He just gawked and blinked several times "A... Al..."
"Aleria." She goaded him "I don't know your last name, so I can't take it yet."
Blinking once more, he heard Roxanna call out "Alpherion."
Smirking, Aleria rolled the word on her tongue a moment before smiling "Aleria Alpherion, it sounds good my love." She purred, hugging Zolaris, they where mates after all... but she felt his body go limp, and she sighed "Great, both the men in my lives faint when they find out I can't stay dead." She huffed, scooping up Zolaris, and then grabbed Maxamillion's left ankle and dragged him towards a cabin marked "Captain's Quarters"
~~ To be continued
~ Allester E. Darkflame