If you’re mad at me for that last cliffhanger, have no fear: this one is worse. XD They will get less bad as we go on, I promise, but you’ll just have to hang in there for now. 😛 So thx for sticking with me.
So! In case you missed last week’s post, here’s something to help out. 😉
Recap
Meet Lasha, who carries a gun and is tracking some weird snakish creature in Shiprock, New Mexico.
Oh yeah. This creature is also a rebel.
The Caretaker – Part 1.2
The grip on her gun tightened more as she eased the trigger ever so slightly backwards, knowing the gunar’s sharp eyesight caught the movement. “Weapons, if you please.” She held out her free hand.
The gunar hesitated just long enough to make Lasha nervous, then with a sigh reached into his trenchcoat and pulled out a switchblade.
“Seriously?” Lasha raised her eyebrows. “Those are illegal!”
He shrugged. “I know. But if we’re going to try and create an alliance with those of Earth, might as well make sure you can defend yourself.”
Idiot. Lasha placed the switchblade in a pocket in her jacket and held out her hand again. “Gun, please.”
He sighed again and reached into his trenchcoat, handing her a pistol with enough power to knock her head off. “Here.”
“Thank you.” Lasha scanned his body quickly, using her sensitive eyesight to discern if there were any unusual bulges in his clothing that would conceal a weapon or poison or any other kind of unpleasant thing. “Name?”
“Rushnak Gunitka.”
“Rushnak Gunitka…” Lasha glanced down at her wrist. A wristband that stretched across her forearm blinked to life, showing her a screen. She repeated the name in a louder voice and it pulled up a record. “Hm… looks like this is your first offense.” She looked back up at the gunar, then relaxed her hold on her pistol, hiding it beneath her leather jacket.. “Which means you just get sent back home with a restraining order against weapons. Six months. Don’t try to get another.”
Rushnak nodded, his look contrite.
Lasha nodded back, then touched his shoulder, conjuring up memories of Moekino as she did so. He vanished into thin air as a heat surged past her fingertips.
“Alice, send a message to Rune.” Lasha glanced at her wristband, watching as it lit up.
“What would you like me to say?” Alice asked, her robotic voice soft and accented.
“Begin recording.”
“Recording.”
“Rune, this is CareBoss One from Illarian. One of your wards was found in Earth intending to break the law regarding Earth’s anonymity. Name: Rushnak Gunitka. Found possessing a high-power pistol and illegal switchblade. I issued a six-month restraining order against weapons, but it’s up to you to enforce it. I suggest keeping a close eye on him, maybe even following him to see who his leaders are.” She paused for a moment, thinking. “CareBoss out. Alice, stop recording. Did you get that?”
“Recording stopped. Yes, Lasha, I have the message recorded. Being sent to Caretaker Rune immediately.”
“Thanks. Alice, off.”
The screen flickered, then Alice spoke again. “Lasha, request for conversation from the High Commander. It is labeled urgent. Would you like to open a frequency?”
Lasha sighed and rubbed her forehead. What now? “Of course.”
“Opening frequency.”
A moment later a deep male voice echoed around the alley. Lasha manually turned the volume down and listened as her Commander gave her orders.
“CareBoss Autumn, we have word of a new threat, over.”
“Copy that, Season Leader. What’s the situation, over?”
“Sounds like there’s a military group attempting a takeover in the southern regions. Caretaker Banasik is requesting assistance. She also mentioned that there’s been sightings of a Portal Stone somewhere around there. She’s worried that there might be a bigger threat than just Velia, over.”
“Copy that, Season Leader. What’s the scale, over?”
There was a pause, long enough that Lasha began to wonder if perhaps Alice had lost contact with the Commander’s station. Finally, he spoke. “InterWorld.”
Her breath caught. “Are you serious?”
“I’m afraid so.”
Woah. This had never happened, at least in Lasha’s time. “Copy that,” she replied, on autopilot. “What are my orders, over?”
“Gather the descendents of the Forbidden. They are scattered throughout the InterWorld, so finding them may prove difficult. Request assistance if needed. I’ve heard that a few of them are in possession of illegal Portal Stones – you’ll need to recover those. Take them to the Base and inform the Forbidden of the oath they are required to fulfill. I’ll meet you there, over.”
This was more complicated than Lasha had expected. “Copy that. I’m sending in a request for an assistant. This is too large-scale for me to complete alone.” She pulled up a manual messaging system on her wristband and began typing furiously.
“Copy that, CareBoss Autumn. There’s no need to send in a formal request – we have an apprentice here ready to go, over.”
Lasha arched an eyebrow as she deleted her half-finished message. “You knew I would need one, ey?”
He chuckled, a rare sound usually reaching only Lasha’s ears. “Of course. Stay safe. Season Leader out.”
Alice’s crisp voice spoke up, “Frequency terminated.”
“Thank you. Alice off.”
Her armband stopped glowing and the alley fell dim.
Lasha stretched, then glanced at her wristband, glinting in the moonlight. “Apprentice, huh? Interesting.” She nodded to herself, absentmindedly checking her weapons. “Base it is.”
A moment later a swirling portal appeared in front of her. Lasha glanced behind once more, then stepped into the light. The portal closed behind her, leaving behind several very confused rats and a lurking shadow that had heard every word.
Wrap Up
*hides* DON’T KILL ME!! I’ll bring out the next part on Saturday, I promise. Unless I die. From you. Because I gave you a cliffhanger. *nods to self*
Anyway, what are your thoughts? Is all the info confusing? Do I need to explain things a bit deeper or dive into more character thought or action? How much trouble did I just get myself into? 😉
Take courage, pursue God, and smile whil you still have teeth! 😉
~Joelle
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