Chapter XI: Striking Noon, Part One
#12 of Outsiders: Legend
Hype Train, all a board. As we finish here and start up "Return of the Energywalkers and Creators" and "Hunters", I would like to give a big thank you to everyone who read. As for this series however, I have a few ideas on what to do with Series Two, and have a legitimate three series act in my head but that isn't going to be solid for ever until I do start writing. Now then in Chapter Eleven, "Benji, Twilight and the rest of the Outsiders finally come up to face their biggest challenge and their second Kagen God; but are any of them strong enough to face him?"
Chapter Eleven: Striking Noon, Part One
Twilight sat down at the Outsider's warehouse, he was looking around trying to understand what had happened a few days ago. Koji seemed embarrassed about it, like he wanted to sweep it under a rug and never look under the rug again. Twilight did a few spins around on his chair, waiting for Koji or someone else to speak up.
"So then would any of imbeciles you like to speak up?" Twilight said stopping his spinning as he stood up and walked over to Koji, like he was interrogating him.
"Don't act like you're not a fault, you could have gone with the black book to the station any day, but you choose the one and take the professional Koji tracker with you." Eric said causing Twilight to turn towards his, he looked mad, very made, like he was one fire.
"We'll excuse me if I have conscious, they needed saving and I gave it to them. Now, it appears that General Graham Cracker has one tiny fragment of the black piece. If he gets two, he can open a rift; we should be under siege right now." Twilight said as his eyes nervously dashed across the room, making sure that nothing particularly strange was happening.
"I think you need to rest for a bit and calm down; I think all this stress is getting to you. They might have Noon's help, but we barely got through the riff with one completed book; let alone two fragments. They probably have someone working on it and will try to get another piece." Koji said as he walked over to Twilight and put his hand on his shoulder.
"Now just relax." Koji said as he rubbed Twilight's shoulders, comforting the Kagen Shark, causing him to fall back in his chair and close his eyes. Everyone looked calmed down as Twilight feel asleep, his accusations stopping and peace returning to the base.
Koji looked around and tried to see if there was any salvaged alien device, strange quantum manipulator, or god in the machine like device they could use against Noon, if or when he came through the rift.
"What are we going to do Koji?" Eric asked as he stood up and started to look through the devices along with Koji. Jackson stood up as well and they looked at most of the devices that would work on regular people but they had no idea how it would interact with a Kagen. He looked through the hook shots, or the plasma generator, the anti-matter grenades; they would have been useful but they didn't want to destroy the city.
Koji walked over to a protected square box, clear in shape, but surrounded by twelve layers of forcefields, given a quantum encryption lock, and keep in a secret invisibility cloak, all just to protect the shards of a black book that they had left. Koji walked around looking at Jackson and Eric, who looked very worried on how much they could be screwed.
Koji looked at Twilight, his greatest friend and one of the few people to really understand him. He looked so stressed out and confused, he was really trying to protect them but there was just so much that he didn't know. A vacation would have been nice, but when they were dealing with a villain that had mental capabilities the needed to protect everything useful.
"We need to stay here, bunker down and let no one in or no one out until this passes, so yeah I'll go get the monopoly." Koji said as he reached into a closet and pulled out the Holographic Monopoly Anniversary edition. Jackson and Eric groaned but decided to go along with it.
They sat down on the cold metal warehouse floor and Koji placed the board down, while the mental scanners on the device scanned the inside of their minds; deciding what pieces to give; and preventing ends of friendships over who got the silver car.
On the holographic board, little figures generated up and the tiles were placed as a dice was rolled to determine who would go first. Suddenly, Koji felt strange, as Twilight woke up, the wall of the outside warehouse collapsed in, fire using in as the holographic pieces were knocked off the board.
Koji was knocked back like a ragdoll as the explosion entered the warehouse, collapsing it walls and knocking everyone back. Koji tried to absorb the energy, but found the warehouse collapsing on him, trapping him under the rubble. He descended into darkness as darkness ascended on them. Taking small breaths and using what salvable oxygen he had as he tried to push rubble off his body.
...
Koji took a deep breath as he pushed the final piece of rubble off his body and got a look at their destroyed warehouse. He would have cried out foul, but suddenly a regiment of General Graham Cracker's troops appeared and pointed their laser rifles at them, making sure as Twilight, Eric and Jackson dug out of their graves that they didn't get to run.
A strange man appeared, he would be the leader but he looked less dressed for combat and more like high school. He was a draconic, his body covered in shadows as fire, ice and water appeared in succession on his hands. Twilight looked in horror as he realized what had happened.
"No, be careful Noon has put some of his essence into a human being through a rift, we must protect the black book pieces!" Twilight said as he looked around trying to find where the pieces were blown off to. However, by that time the encoding and forcefields had failed and one of the men behind him had them in the glass case they were in.
"Ah, look at your four. The little runt orca. The traitorous crocodile. The forgotten Kagen God. And this shameful show of pride." The man smiled as he approached the trapped group. "Now say nothing or I shoot, I am Chaos; Noon's consulate on this world, now where is the bird?"
Koji clenched his fist as he got angry at Chaos for deciding to push that button. While Molly's leaving was obvious in the difference of the people on the team before and after Seattle, no one was stupid enough to push that button and had Koji not been held back by the three laser guns pointed at his body.
"Well then you shouldn't move Riptide, you know why we have three laser guns pointed at you?" Chaos asked as he walked forward and looked at the same before him.
"Two for both of my hearts and one for my brain steam; really trying to make me die are you, but I am an energywalker. If Twilight can regenerate, who knows what I can do." Koji said confidently as he looked up to Chaos, who smiled at him.
"Exactly the point, now then Outsiders, General Graham has been waiting for this moment. Your base has fallen, your army is captured now then Outsiders, you are defeated!" Chaos said as he grabbed Koji and pulled him up into the air by his shirt. Suddenly he head-butted Koji, knocking him out as his shooters fired on the crowd.
...
Twilight groaned as he pulled a tranquillizer dart out his neck. He groaned as he realized that he was hanging from the same metal board, with the same metal chains in the same evil warehouse. Looking around he tried pulling on the metal chains but none of them came lose.
He looked around and found Jackson hung on the metal plate, and Eric restrained by massive chains, linked to the foundation and an IV flooding his system with a chemical that must have been for preventing any unplanned transformations. However, as he looked around he tried to find Koji, he couldn't see the shark anywhere.
That was until Chaos walked out from behind a curtain, and had Koji on his own separate plate that they figured out where he was. Chaos had a smug look on his face and had a strange device in his hand. Twilight tried to break his chains as he realized what the device was.
"Now then let's see if your mental shields can resist this." Chaos said as he put the device to Koji's head, little electric bursts forming between the device and the shark's head. Koji screamed in pain, withered in agony as the device scanned through his brain.
"Now then tell me the location of all the nearby Outsiders bases." Chaos said as he clicked down a button and the electric shocks intensified. Koji screamed and withered as he tried to raise his mental shields, trying to control his rage. Koji screamed out and as he thought about the answer, the shocks stopped.
Chaos smiled as he saw the answer that Koji provided. Memories were scanned and checked to determine the truth. The shark slumped over before Chaos, slammed him back against the metal wall.
"Lake Tahoe, very nice. I'll have my researchers complete the rest of the questions. Now from this point on, we are going to break you up into three nice groups. Don't worry you two love birds, Jackson and Eric will be together, oh and I can't wait to give all your enemies your identities, it will be so fun to see your families slaughtered." Chaos said as he grabbed another gun and fired a tranquillizer dart into Koji's neck again, followed by a particularly MLG series of three shots into the other group.
"Now then off with these four, I don't want to see anyone but Twilight until they're bodies are decomposing in a ditch." Chaos said as he walked off, the metal plates separating as lackeys took the metal plates and rolled them off towards their first destination.
They rolled out into the back of the warehouse, where four trucks were barked with large metal boxes on the back. Jackson and Eric were placed in separate trucks, but one followed the other as the convoy rolled out. Koji's was placed in a separate cage, covered in a layer of pure zinc, so that he couldn't absorb any electricity.
Twilight finally was put with energy handcuffs around his fist and legs; he got to drive with Chaos in the front seat. The four trucks pulled out of the station and each went in a different direction, taking them three different ways. Chaos's truck went north east, traveling in the direction of Lake Tahoe. The truck with Koji, followed Chaos, but spilt off decided to take a more northern route.
Jackson and Eric were taken southern and quickly passed out of Nevada, in a gambling town and passed into California; traveling over a few mountains and making it into the now covered forests of California, modified to be fire resistant and be beautiful.
They would be the first to escape, while Koji would be next and then afterwards finally Twilight would make his move. Eric was the first to wake up, his medicine causing the dose of tranquillizer to be smaller, however by that time both of them wore off.
Eric screamed and shook, suddenly shaking as he realized where he was. He looked around his eyes slowly adjusting to the darkness of the box. Looking around he tried to figure out what he could do, he felt cramped, claustrophobic and squeezed. He was standing up and he could see a little light coming out of the edge of the steel cage.
"Ok, calm." Eric said out loud, not that anyone could hear him. He slowed his breathing down and gathered information. He was against a cold metal cage and he felt a bit hungry. The light outside was slowly increasing, all that information suggested that it had been at least three hours since they left Las Vegas, if it took a half hour to get to and leave Chaos's base, it could be later, or earlier.
He closed his eyes and listened to the sounds around him, based on the tiny humming sound in the background, the Truck carrying Jackson must have been right behind him. He ran up to the edge of the cage and pushed his eye all against the crack, ignoring the feeling of air entering against it, he looked out and saw forests, and to his side a bit of a truck.
Eric sat back down and decided that he needed an escape plan. He needed to break the cage open and stop the car behind him, or risk being further separated from Jackson. He pushed against the cage and found the walls pushing back against him.
He wasn't chained and he figured that his cage was built for werecroc like strengths. However, Eric wasn't going to give up so easily. He needed to save Jackson and he would do anything for that orca, just how his boyfriend would do the same.
Eric started the transformation, getting angry and letting his emotions out. He bashed against the walls of the cage, getting stronger and his muscles forming along with scales over his skin as he began. Suddenly, Chaos's trap activated and psychokinetic chains formed keeping his place. Eric decided that he could beat them and he would finally rebel against the chains of Ruby's men and the Kagens.
He continued growing, even as the chains keep in place. Eric was forced against the ground, his arms pulled out and his knees folded as he continued growing. He continued growing and pushed his feet out against the cage. He found the one thing Chaos didn't account for, the truck destabilizing.
Eric braced as the trailer detached and he flew forwards. The back of the cage broke and Eric fell out, the chains disconnected from their power source disappeared, and the cage flew forward and into the second truck, stopping it in its place.
Eric roared out, hoping to announce to Jackson of his soon coming. He walked forward, looking at the two knocked out soldiers. He walked to the back of the truck and looked at the cage. He grabbed the top and using his muscles, pulled the metal plates apart, snapping the studs out and freeing Jackson, who was still knocked out.
He grabbed the orca and held him in his hands, making sure that they didn't hurt him. Looking around he was surrounded by forest, on all sides and they would be prefect to hide in before starting their way back to Las Vegas. He walked forward and looked down the road, the first truck had disappeared but it'd be sure to come back.
He needed to make his escape through the forest and get away from the crash site. He walked forward and through the forest, disappearing into the darkness. He walked parallel to the road, getting some distance from the road and the crash; he ignored the sounds of wildlife and instead looked around for a place to settle down with Jackson until he woke up and the situation with Ruby's men blew over.
Suddenly Jackson shook as he woke up looking up at Eric, as he turned back his large body not made for the forest. He held Jackson's hand as he turned back, shorting back to his normal short wolf form. He looked at Jackson and gave a quiet symbol as shouting was heard on the other side of the forest.
Eric held on to Jackson's hand and they ran through the forest ducking under as they tried to find a place to find. They looked around, as they kept a distance with Ruby's men. The forest was large and confusing, darkness descending on them as they ran through the forest.
Eric ducked as a shot was fired from his behind, and he stopped ducking behind the rock and looking at Ruby's men firing at them. Jackson wasn't so lucky, he gasped as two shots entered his legs and arm, Eric grabbing him and pulling him behind the rock as he suddenly got very, very angry.
"Hey you, no one touches my boyfriend like that!" Eric said as popped out of the rock, his body standing up and scales forming over his body as bullets bounced off them. Frightening Ruby's men as he roared, expanding his body as he jumped out from behind the rock.
The forest shook and leaves fell as he walked forward and approached the men. They continued to fire their bullets at him, but they bounced off his super hard skin and back towards the men. He ran and sprinted at the men, grabbing one his arms and nearly crushing him.
He spun the man around, knocking him into the other man and knocking two of the three of out. Eric growled at last man, showing his teeth and keeping his anger showing as he intimidated the man. He grabbed him holding him up and to his mouth and making a licking motion as he slowly lowered the man into his mouth, he then switched his choice and slammed the man into a tree.
As the man screamed, birds flew out of the tree. Eric put the man down and looked around there was no one around and they seemed to be safe. Eric walked back towards Jackson de-transforming again, and walking over to Jackson, Eric looked terribly exhausted, sweat on his body and his muscles twitching.
"Come on Jackson, it's going to be dark soon we need to get into a shelter, hide ourselves and apply some pressure on the wounds, see if we can remove the bullets from your hole." Eric said as he picked up Jackson, carrying him as he examined the wounds on his body. They didn't seem to go that deep, he just needed a flat surface to work with.
He walked forward and searched for a shelter; finally finding a nice sized cave; shining a light in as he carried Jackson into the cave. He laid the orca down and looked around. There was no one around, so Eric went to work.
"Ok, this is going to hurt a bit don't worry, you'll be fine." Eric said to Jackson as he inserted a little grabbed into Jackson's wound and grabbed the bullet. Jackson squeezed his hand as he pulled out the metal bullet and threw it off to the side, not being important. "One down."
"Really glad we have you on the team." Jackson said as he groaned a bit. His arm muscles felt sore and there was a bit of a hole in them as well. He groaned in pain as Eric pulled out the next bullet. Luckily, Eric had a medical kit with him and managed to patch Jackson up nice.
Suddenly Jackson heard something, he stood up and walked over to the entrance of the cave. Eric saw as he was blasted back, multiple bullets flying into his leg knocking him back into the cave and safety.
"Oh come on, I just got this leg fixed up." Eric ran over to Jackson side and pulled him back deeper into the cave. He looked out and heard the blades of a helicopter spinning. Suddenly two ropes fell from its side and two men descended from the helicopter. Eric pulled Jackson further and got ready for more combat.
"Don't worry Jackson, I'll protect you, here's the kit don't bleed for me." Eric said as he rubbed the pain-stricken Jackson, hoping to calm him down. "Don't die, I love you and don't want to lose you again." Eric walked and decided to transform into a werecrocodile for the last time today. He walked out, turning into a werecrocodile, his muscles forming and his body mass increasing.
He walked out, the helicopter fired and Eric hoped that his scales would resist machine gun fire.
...
A half of a day passed before another one of the Outsiders awoke, it was Twilight. He shook around and tried to figure out how why his hands were restrained. He looked out at the desert that surrounded him and he tried to figure out where he was.
The Kagen shark looked around and saw Chaos, right next to him driving. Twilight decided to use the advantage and throw himself on the wheel. He threw himself and there was a barrier between him and Chaos as he bounced off.
"Ah look whose finally decided to wake up, only has been about 4 hours, three till nightfall. Now then you will finally pay for your crimes against the Kagen Empire, really this time. We've have been really lying about the other times." Chaos said as Twilight realized that Noon was speaking through him. Twilight loosened himself up and leaned against the door, enjoying the somewhat fresh air from the moderately cracked window. He looked at Chaos and his eyes were glowing grey.
"Well if we do get away, know that you'll have to find some other people to invade, because we are immune to your mind effects." Twilight said as he conversed with the Kagen God in an almost casual fashion. Noon looked at him and reached into his pocket pulling out the fragments of the black book. Twilight groaned as he realized what was happening, every puzzle piece falling into place.
"Dispose of the other three and torture me." Twilight said guessing as he looked out of the window. He figured that the calmness he gave off was a bit of a sign that Kagen invasions were becoming a bit of a routine. Get kidnapped, lose an important device and stop it while a few people die.
"Nearly bingo, I'm going to force you to watch me kill the citizens of the Earth only three hours from now, this place is going to be a complete wasteland. A dump if you may, after that you'll be sent back to the Kagen world and once a new Afternoon is picked the invasion of Earth will begin." Noon said as he smiled, his eyes glowing as he let the evil flow throughout his body.
"Why can't all of you let it go, you practically have a dimension of your own to run, why do you want two. How hard is it to be satisfied, why do be people have to be killed; can't get just be peaceful for once?" Twilight asked Noon, begged him to do things right once, however the Kagen God just mocked him.
"It's not that simple Twilight, you always think it is. For us it's never been about getting our home world back, it's about revenge, killing the last Energywalker and killing the race that decided to build on top of our ruins." Noon said as he took a right, descending off the interstate and then turning left onto a rural road.
"You need to let go of this grudge against the Energywalkers, there is only one left and in your book he is still a child and a child is not a solider. So long as I am on Earth their will not be a war. Also humanity didn't exactly know that there was a race before them, two hundred million years elapsed from our fall until their rise." Twilight said as finally Chaos took one last turn and his eyes turned back to normal. Driving through a small tree grove, Twilight saw a cliff face a strange place to drive to.
"Welcome to the location of the final battle, I suggest you stay; you might not want to run away from here." Chaos said as the car stopped and he turned off the engine. Unlocking the door, Twilight walked out of the car, his handcuffs turning off and giving him free reign again.
Chaos grabbed the black book pieces and held them up to the sky as Twilight tried to get an idea of what he was doing, and then he flashed back to Seattle. He ran at Chaos, hoping to take both of them of the cliff; he could regenerate, Chaos could not. However, Twilight bounced off a forcefield that was put into place.
"Seriously what do I look like Texas?" Chaos said as he walked to the edge of the cliff. He held up the black book shards and they spun in his box, energy twisting around and exiting the cube and flying out into the air, stopping midair over the cliff.
A mirror like door opened and a hyena in a suit in tie exited, while trumpets blared out notes and suddenly next to them an announcer appeared.
"Heeeeerrrrrrreeeeesss Noon!" He said for a second before disappearing, blasts of confetti appearing over his body as he took steps down over air. He did a flip and wheelbarrowed down to the rock cliff, grabbing a wand and making flowers come out of it as he landed on one knee.
"Oh Twilight won't you take me back?" Noon asked as he awkwardly turned a bit so that he was facing Twilight. He shifted over to the Kagen shark and Twilight looked and groaned as he realized that Noon was up to his old tricks.
"Ok, we're kind of on a schedule here, do your opening monologue and then start so I can have a reason to throw you off this cliff multiple times." Twilight said as he grabbed the hyena, before he disappeared in a puff of some and reappeared floating.
"How can you throw me down if I'm, floating?" Noon asked as he flew over the cliff. "And now to get revenge on your people, I am going to drain Las Vegas of all life, not that there was any to being with." Noon looked behind him and saw the sun shining on the cliff behind him, the midafternoon sun getting ready to set in the west.
Noon jumped into Chaos, his body morphing and changing as Twilight was hopeless to do anything. Noon's shadow grew as he became taller with body turning into liquid mass and building on itself. As the shadow stretched into the forest grove, the trees slowly started to lose their color, turning yellow and leafs falling off as Noon reached his final height.
He looked like a massive pig beast standing over the forest grove, he had to be twice as tall as the grove and his shadow reached the interstate. As cars passed through it, they crashed into the wall and stopped. Twilight walked away from the shadow, looking as everything caught in it died.
The beast looked out roaring, with a defining blast. It looked over to Las Vegas and stepped forward, draining more life with its shadow as it walked towards the town. Twilight realized that he wouldn't be able to keep up with the beast, he needed a ride to catch up with the beast before night and its shadow became the world.