Things seem to have not gone well since Jenny’s arivial in the villge earlyer in the night. The Zeds were in a uproar about another human coming to there system, some even said it was becoming a traffic stop, but since only two humans had ever been there, one could hardly call it that. Jeff on the other hand was not able to talk to Ki’ace since Jenny arivail, one because of the attention it had caused on Ki’ace to defend Jeff in this matter, and two, because Jenny had yet to stop nagging hom about why he was here.
" Jenny, would you be quite for one minute!" asked Jeff, as he leans back onto the bed, his eyes closed deep in thought, or trying to be atleast.
" Come on Jeff, tell me the real reason you’re here?, and whats with the cut on your cheeck buddy boy?" she asked. Jeff opened his eyes as he felt the small scab that had formed over the cut. Ether Ki’ace had almost slashed him with her claws, or she had hit him harder then he thought.
" Dunno " he said softly.
" And you still trust this Human? He’s brought others now! How do we know he is not here to try to invade us?". Yelled a Zed outloud. This also caused many other Zeds to talk outloud in the tent, and thus Ki’ace had to yell to shut them up for a moment.
" Listen…" she paused for effect. " I’ve known Jeff for years, and I know he wouldn’t do that, also I know that Jeff has no reason to, and to add to the list…" She began, but stopped as a flash of images seeped into her head. A few other Zeds stop talking as they also saw the imges in their head.
" Aww… that’s sick",
" So that’s what one looks like.." began a younger Zed when it’s mouth was coverd by her mothers hand.
When the images faded away, the tent was still in silence. Ki’ace still in disbelife, softly say to the others to go home and rest, it had been a long night. The Zeds did as their leader said and they return home. Ki’ace sat in her throne, not sure of what some had seen was the truth, or a fantasy, but it didn’t matter to her, she was upset, and a little pissed.
" You know, I’ve never seen Jeff as a…" began a young teenage voice, when it was cut off by the voice of power. " Shut up Ki’eva, I don’t want to hear that from you…". Ki’ace slowly looked to her sister.
" Listen, do me a favor, I know that Jeff’s got his laptop with him, see if you can get into it and see if he’s got any information that might tell us why he’s here."
Ki’eva was shooked to her older sibling talking like this, never in all her time would she believe that her sister would want to her to hack, let alone hack into Jeff’s computer.
" What’ta you grinning at?" asked Jeff as he saw Jenny grin from the conor of his eye. Jenny now lay on the bed, being the winner of the fight over it. " May 17th" she said, a grin still on her face. Jeff had to think for a moment before answering.
" You remember the date… Im not sure that’s a good thing or a bad thing." He replied.
" Was a good thing at the time," she said with an even bigger grin on her face, as she rolled over onto her stomach and giggled.
" You need help" he said, but before she could reply, a beeping came from Jeff’s open lap top.
" Don’t believe it…" he said but didn’t stay still long, he watched as the tracer program had kicked in and was tracing the sorce. But he knew who was knocking on his cyber door, because the hacking code was his, well one of them, slightly modified, but he knew who had don’t that. He quicly cut off the code at its serpent’s head and sent a message back to the hacker. It read " Nice try, next time, use your own code" and with that, his system shut down and return to the small metal case.
The tent flap open and a slender figure walked in, but it had a aura of power that came with it. Ki’ace stood there looking at the two from her deep blue eyes, but her head slowly turned to Jenny, as she lay on the bed, if Jenny had been a telapath, she would have heard the very strong words of " Split bitch". But Jenny didn’t have to be a telapath, one thing about being a woman, she knew what another female was saying without even talking. Jenny slowly stood, and walked out.
" You girls gonn’a get along, or am I going to have to seperate you two?" said Jeff at the wrong time.
" Didn’t know you liked the Sluty type Jeff, guess I don’t know you as well as I thought." She said, anger in her voice.
" I don’t know what the hell you… Oh God, you didn’t scan her did you?" Jeff was almost shocked at the idea that his best friend would do such a thing.
" I didn’t scan her, she let here memories seep out, and few of us got ahold of them, im hopeing that it’s not a memoire, and only.." she began as she played with her guatlets.
"For one, I don’t like it when you come in here and tell me how to run my life, two who are you to judge who I am with! I like.. No.. I love Jenny damn it, and I don’t care what anyone has to say about that!" Jeff stood and looked right into the eyes of his best friend. Ki’ace stood there as well, before turning and leaving, not saying a word. Jeff sat back down, before kicking the small table. " God damn it.." he mumbled and ran off after his friend.
Ki’ace was walked though her village, she almost felt like crying, she knew that now she had no chance. But the more she thought about she knew she never did. Jeff was more then a friend to her, he was a brother, nothing could or would happen between them. Althought there had been cases in the Metaverse about things like this, she knew that Jeff was her friend and her friend only.
" Whats wrong Ki’ace?" said a friendly voice. But not the one Ki’ace wanted to see or hear right now. Ki’ace looked at the lady standing infront of her. Clad in a very tight black jumpsuit, with a belt hanging losly around her hips where a pistol was held close on her right leg.
" None of your busniess human" she began to walk off.
" He likes you more then he would care to let on you know, your almost a sister to him, he talks about you and Ki’eva a lot, to much at times. But then again you know Jeff as well as I do."
Ki’ace turn back to the human known to her only as Jenny. She shifted her weight around from one foot to the other. " Come with me" she said almost to softly to be heard, grabing Jenny’s arm she led her to her private spot. Jeff, who had been watching the two, praying for a non-fist fight watched the two head off.
Ki’ace sat down on the edge of the cliff that looked out over the ocean of her system. She watched the blue water smash aginst the rocks and the faint light that was always present on the horizen.
" Why did you bring me here? And don’t tell me it was to push me off the cliff" said Jenny as she sat down next to the Zed.
" No, but I want to tell you something…." She sighed and took a deep breath. " Jeff has always been more then a allie to me, and always will be. I never thought he would ever find anyone that could…replace me… I always thought we would be together, an unstopable team. But I think it was all a fantasy that I wanted to come real, just to prove to my kind that humans are all complet jerks, who all want to take over the Metaverse and enslave or kill us all. I also wanted to know that im the only person Jeff truly trusted, made me feel special, but I can live without that. I just want him to be happy, he is after all, my best friend…." Ki’ace lowed her head, and looked at her legs as she kicked them back and forth aginst the cliff.
Jenny didn’t have to say anything, in her fifty or so years alive she had a lot of experince behind her. But it never stopped her before so why should it now?
" Ki’ace.. I may have not know Jeff as long as you have, but I know for a fact that I do love him, and I also know for a fact that he does like you a lot. One because you are always a challenge, two, because you are a skilled warroir, and number three because he knows you care as much for him as he does for you. Now I cant say for certen that he has not consider you anything more then a friend, but I believe you are almost a sister to him in respect, well a sister that gets along with her brother, but never the less. I do know that you two are an awsome team. I’ve heard the Storys….". Jenny slowly stood and smiled at the Zed. " And I am more then willing to share him…". Ki’ace sat still, she wasn’t quite sure what Jenny had ment by that, but decided not to read into anymore then she heard it. Ki’ace turned her head to say a final thing to Jenny, but now saw that not only was Jenny quick with words, but also quick and light on her feet.
The bridge of the ship known as "Liberty" was in green mode. There was no real reason for it to be in red aleart, even if everyone still feared a little that whoever had hacked the AGP would soon drop another game on him or her. John who was left in charge by Jenny leaned back in the Captians chair. Everyone knew that was Jeff chair, but since he wasn’t here, John took advantage of it. The crew on the bridge had been given their ration of O.R.S. only a few days ago, and was still surpeiesd that they hadn’t reverted to their older forms.
" Hey John, I know boss man planning some big operation on the Unknowns base, you got any inside info on it?". Asked women who sat at the outdated controls of the Ship.
" All I know doll is that Boss man wants this hunk of scrap running atleast at 90% in another week or so, and that he’s been seeing to it that the Screamers have been fitted with newer weapons." Replied the red headed man. The women thought for a moment before turning back to her consoled.
" I love to fly, you all know that. But I still hate those Ships," she said, refering to the fighters that the hunk of metal held in it’s lanch bay. The crew almost all nodded their heads, "Screamers" as they liked to call them where old, and I mean old, V.E.C. fighters. The got there name from the fact that there engines, when in use, amit a high pitched sound, like a high pitched screem. But Screamers also don’t have to run off there engines, due to the fact that the V.E.C. had them connected to the ships Null matter reactors in order for longer flight and fight time. Since Screamer engines use so much power, considering that the are an ion based engine they have little flight time, about an hour. When using the power from the Main ship, they can use the power from the Ion engine to power their weapons. A good idea, but the problem is that if the main ships engine power is offline, so are thiers, and thus, you fell like a rock.
Jeff knew that Screamer weapons would do little to no damage aginst a large force like the Unknown, so he had been able to "Relive" the guardian academy of some of it’s weapony. So he had his crew fitting the Screamers with newer weapons.
" So, whos gonna be the first one up the new Screamer?" asked Lin another female pilot, who before finding out the truth was a cargo runner.
" Dunno, but I can tell you this, I don’t care how much firepower they got now, im sticking close to this baby" said Jenifer, the lady who first spoke.
" Don’t blame ya’ doll face" replied John.
" Calm me that again, and I’ll stick you in the Plasma Cannon in front and use you as fodder."
Richard moved from his spot where he had been listening about the fighers from the crewmembers. If they knew he was spying he might have been beaten and forced to go a month without rations. He moved as normaly as he could through the halls of the ship, that as to not attract any attention that something was not right. He made his way to his workstation and looked around before pretenting to work on the portal genarator problem. Removing a small flat triangle looking piece of plastic from his pocket he tapped the side and it blinked.
" Richard to Unknown, I have found out that the Creation have fitted there fighters with new weapons, Unknown configuration or calabur, will…" His voice was cut off as a arm was wrapped around his neck and his breath cut off. The communacator fell to the floor where a boot soon smashed it into a hundred peieces.
As Jeff was talking to Ki’eva, trying to teach her newer hacking code a beeping came from his pocket. He removed the small communcator, which looked like a watch.
" Hold on Ki’eva…. Jeff here…What! Richard! Yeah,.. Im on my way…" he almost yelled into the Com.
This attracted the Attention of the two females outside, who had return from a trip out to the ocean to check on the nets.
" Whats up Jeff?"
" Yeah…whats got you in a uproar?" asked Ki’ace.
Jeff shook his head and looked to Jenny, then lowerd his head.
" Richard, has been caught spying for the Unknown, Rig’s caught him in a communcation with the unknown on our Fighter weapons, he was cut off before he could give any real info…"
Ki’ace was not understanding anything, nor was Ki’eva. Jenny noticed that they still had been keeping the Zed’s in the dark. Although it was Jeff intention to tell them, she forced Jeff to tell them now.
" Jeff, tell them.. All of it…" she said, calmly. Knowing it to be a long story she sat on Ki’eva’s bed and waited for Jeff to tell the story.
" Well to be honest Ki’ace, it all starts about fifty years ago…we think…"
The room was brightly lit, and it was easy to see that it was a lab. Humans quickly moved around two large coffin like chambers. They were all checking and dubble checking the chambers, for this would be the day they all were waiting for.
" Pleased mad’am?" asked a man in a lab coat.
A slender woman turned, his black/brown hair let a few strains slide away and cover here eyes. Her tan skin almost made her as dark as her suit. She placed a hand on her hip and thought a moment, even thought she already had an answer.
" I’ll be pleased when I see my babies full online.. It’s been a long time since the last working model, are we sure these ones will live more then two hours?" she said, her voice almost erotic in tone.
The project leader shugged then nodded. " Well, with this, we are sure we can keep them only for years…." He said softly and showed her to a table, on which a machien holding ten vials of blue-ish liqude rested.
Removing one of the vials he handed it to the woman. " Think of it as a fule".
She looked it closely, studying it with great care." And this is?" she asked, not looking up.
" O.R.S. short for Organic Reconstruction Syrum…. You see mad’am, the hybrids explex way to much energy in a fighting situration. Thus they age to quickly, and die. But with this, we can have them use the abilitys to the fullest. Although at times they will need to..Er… Refule." He explained.
"Attention, Chamber 1 is ready, repeat, Chamber one is ready, Exacution team report to hybrid floor 1, repeat, exacution team to floor 1" boomed a voice over the labs P.A.
" I want to see them, personaly." Said the woman.
"At once… please, this way." He said and guided her to the floor.
The floor was now moving faster then before,people running all around just as the first coffin like chamber slowly moved upright and stopped, letting out pressure from the lid just as a group of soilders aimed there weapons at the chamber, just incase this was a problem like the ones before. The lid split in two as it open, at the same time the lady walked onto the floor.
" O.R.S. injection…complet… Subject…. Online…" came the voice over the P.A.
The naked figure eyes open, the blue liqued ran over them from the inside, then there almost demonic green was shown to the armed guards. It stepped out of its chamber, it looked around , taking in it’s location, but apond seeing the woman, he decided it was not a good idea to attack the men and wemon aiming weapons at him. Before the lady could say anything the voice came over the P.A. once again.
"Attention, Chamber 2 is ready, repeat Chamber 2 is ready, Exacaution team to hybrid floor 1, repear exacution team to hybrid floor 1" it announced. Not really needed seeing that the chamber was next the one that had just given a new childed to the world, even if the child looked about 20.
The second chamber open like the one before, but this time, the occupent was a woman, as with the man before her, the P.A. told the people that the O.R.S. was injected and that she was online. She left the chamber and stood next to her male counterpart. The very profesonal looking woman walk slowly to her new weapons, naked weapons, but weapons never the less. She looked into the deep demonic eyes of the man, then to the bluest of blue eyes of the woman. She turned and looked back to waiting lab technicians.
" These ones will last?" she asked simply.
"Theroedicly they should" replied a man, not sure what was to happen there their project.
The woman thought a moment, before turning back to the male hybrid. " Think I’ll name you Jeff… Since im about to re-write your entire races history….." she whisperd to him, before returning her attention back to the awaiting men and wemon. " Get to it, we got a deadline to meet"
" Nice story Jeff, if it’s true… " Said Ki’ace as she unfolded her arms.
" It should be, we both remember it, we believe the woman that day is part of a group known as simply as ‘The Unknown’, But since they didn’t meet the deadline, sicne the war ended by then, we were put into another project. If your kind hadn’t help Jeff regain his true memories, who knows what would happen to us by now." Explained Jenny.
The older Zed looked to her sister, then back to Jeff. " And the reason you came here is what?" she asked bluntly.
" Just I case I never saw you again, I wanted to tell you that I’ve found out..that your former village was…"
A pointer smacked down aginst the computer disply that held an image of a large building.
" The Unknown bases is in a system known to us only as ‘ Heavens Garden’, name for the fact that before it was stripped of all minrals by Earths Government before the war ended, it was a perfect system, a deffent Alpha if we ever saw one, this was also…Ki’ace’s home system." Explained Jeff to the crew of hybeids and one Zed.
The hybrids all listen closely to their chosen leader. Ki’ace was now despretly trying to hold back the emotion of rage, anger, and pissed.
" The Liberty will come out of the portal fifeteen clicks from the base, where it will lanch all Screamer squads." He said simply. The image on the board shifted into a 3D rendering of the battle.
" Squad’s Red, Blue, and Yellow will attack the base on exit of the ship. We believe that the Unknown have newer ‘ Black Viper’ Ships. These ships are quicker but less manverable as ours."
This did not sit well with the pilots about to fight the threat. But the knew they could win, and if they didn’t, atleast they would be free of there life of pain.
" Keeps these fighters busy till the Liberty can get within fireing range with its main weapons, squads green and gold will protect the Liberty, this is are only chance, there is not turning back, no surrendering, we die here, or we win, simple as that… pilots, to your ships, god speed." And with that, the meeting ended, and they crew left, leaving only Ki’ace, Jenny, and Jeff.
" Ki’ace you do know that you need not do this, Jenny and I are more then able equiped." Said Jeff to her bead friend.
" I know, but you said yourself, with the new equipment to Jenny’s ship, she needs another person, might as well be the gunner, take out the bastards that are in my home system, and took out my people." She said softly and left to go to the hanger. This left only Jeff and Jenny.
Jenny walked closer to her love, and wrapped her arms around him, and pressed her head aginst his chest. This was a sign of womanhood that Jeff had never seen in Jenny. She was always a tought warrior and did more then others to prove it. Jeff had grown acustom to it, and now wasn’t sure what to do.
" Jeff, there’s something I have to." She began, but Jeff pressed a finger aginst her lips.
" Jenny, please.. Me first..There is something I gotta do now…" he said and pulled her arms away from around him and kneeled down. He removed a small box from his pocket and quickly slipped a simple gold band on her ring finger. " Jenny lockheart, Will you marry me?" he asked, a slight pitch of fear in his voice.
Jenny was shocked at this, and right away what she was about to say was washed from her mind as she looked into his eyes. She didn’t have to think and kissed him. " Whatt’a ‘ya think?" she asked.
Jeff smiled, and hugged her.
" Jeff there’s something I need to tell yo…" She was cut off again. As the voice boomed over the ships Com.
" Ariving in system, all personal to there ships."
" Lets go.." he said and rushed off.
He was out the door and down the hall when Jenny shouted out. "I'm pregnant!" Too bad Jeff couldn't hear her.
Everyone was running to his or her ships as the Liberty enterd the system. Jeff was quickly up the ladder to his fighter. But he did not turn it on, or even check his HUD in his helmet. He looked at all the people, right now getting ready to risk their lives to find a pure cure to their death. He simply stood and yelled out.
" People! Your attention!" all of them stopped moving, although the ones in there fighers were checking systems, they were listening to the leader.
" Today. Today is June 8th, today we fight aginst a being, or beings that have for years, kept us under there control today as you fly these fighters aginst them, I ask you to remember you lives. Not the time you spent here, or times that you have spent at you jobs. But about the times you were truly happy with you lives. Rather you had it all as a millionar, or more simply, finding true love…." He smiled at Jenny, before returning to her speech.
" Today shall go down in history, where we, as a people broke the chains of our oppresors, and thus rose up and declared to the Metaverse that we will not go quietly into the night! That we will not be shoved into the pages of extiction, today is out Independence Day!" He finished; the and the hybrids let out a cheer as they made their way to their fighters.
Ki’ace sat in the gunner seat of Jenny’s Bomber. But Jenny was the one who said something. " Remind me to have him stop watching old movies will you?" " Not a problem Jenny" replied Ki’ace.
The Hanger was filled with the high pichted sound of the fighers engines as they were readying themselves for launch. Then with a loud boom the first wave fof fighters left the hanger, the three wings fully extenting themselves, to give the figher it’s real name, " Tri-wing Avengers". Not soon after the fighers took to the air its’s sister ships filled the dusk sky of the system, and if one was to look at it, it would look like a large swarm of bee’s.
" All leaders check in," said Jeff into his mike.
" Yellow leader standing by,"
"Green leader standing by"
"Red leader standing by"
"Blue leader standing by"
Jeff finsihed with " Gold leader standing by"
" All ship, move to battle formation" he said, the ships soon became a pattern of fiften ships to a squad.
" Alright people, this is for real, we bring in the lighting, and the Liberty will bring down the thunder" he said.
The fighters slowly made their way acrossed the scorched earth to the large base.
"This is Gold leader to all fighers, commence go no go"
" This is Green squad, we are go"
" Red squad is go"
" Yellow here, we are good to go"
" Blue reporting, all systems are go"
" Gold is ready to go, Alright, Red, Blue, Yellow form up, and let them know we are here."
The ships moved into postion as the laser fire from the ground shot up at them, a large amout of ‘ yahoo’s’ came over the com as the ships dove, and let lose there shots at the base.