Insanity Chapter Eleven

Insanity

Chapter Eleven

~Underground and Dancing Dragons~

Day Ten

Alister walked into the Underground. He got several looks as his weapon was plainly in view as it always was. The Underground was in the center of the Alleys. Gangs from all over the Island come over to trade members or other illegal substances. The lights were dimmed and the alleys that made up the Underground were full of people. Alister walked into a clearing and looked around. There were quite a few people around talking, fighting, or taking drugs. But Alister was looking for someone in particular and of all the words to describe him patience wasn’t ever on the list.

“‘Ey! Anyone know where to find the Dancin’ Dragons?” he shouted.

Everyone looked at him and he tapped his foot impatiently.

“C’mon! I ain’t got all night!”

“Center Hangout, man,” a girl in a tube top said.

“‘Bout time I got some answers,” Alister muttered.

He made his way through packed alleys until he found his way to the Center Hangout, the very center of the Underground. Alister looked around. Some people took a look at him and smiled. A girl stood up and walked over to him. Her blond hair was in a large ponytail behind her head. A dragon tattoo was clear on her shoulder and neck. She smiled.

“Hey there,” she sounded cheery, “Name’s Niko, I can teleport. You?”

“Alister,” he answered.

Niko was obviously expecting more of an answer but didn’t get one. She just smiled and looked back at the group she was with. There were five of them, all with dragon tattoos. She looked back at Alister.

“Heard you were looking for the Dancing Dragons,” she smiled, “What for?”

“Heard they were lookin’ for new recruits. Thought I’d go an’ give it a try,” Alister looked around.

“You wanna join?” Niko almost laughed, “Don’t know who told but we aren’t looking for any new members. I think—”

“Niko!” a woman yelled.

The woman was tall. If she and Fang stood head to head she would be only about an inch shorter. Her dark brown hair was spiked and she wore a tight blue tube top with animal prints on it. She wore black leggings up to her knees and a blue shirt tied to her waist. A brown belt was placed on top of that and a long staff was strapped to her back. Tattoos covered her body, including a dragon.

Niko looked nervous. She shifted on one foot to the other.

“Yes, Zorah?” she said quietly.

“What are you doin’?” she also had an accent.

“I’m talking to Alister,” she said.

“Alister? I don’t know no Alister?” when she said Alister it sounded more like Alista.

“He wanted to join,” Niko tried to explain.

“We aint takin’ no new members,” she looked at Alister, “Sorry ta disappoint ya, but you gots to go. My team an I have some plans ta discuss.”

“Aw, c’meon, Zor,” said one of the others, “I’d like to see what he’d got. Let D at him.”

The one called D looked up. He was black and had piercing all over his body. He smirked. The other boy had a scar on his face. It started from his right eyebrow to just above his eye. The scar ran though his right eye but it looked like he could see fine.

“Man, Scar, I’d break him like a toothpick,” that got some laughs.

Scar nodded, “I guess you’re right. It looks like he barely eats.”

“Ha, I doubt he’s even seen food,” a black girl said.

Her curly hair was in two bunches on her head. She smiled at her joke. Her nails were like claws. It fit her name, Kitty.

“I wouldn’t take him lightly,” a girl said.

The girl had distant eyes as if she saw something the others didn’t. She wore a purple Cheongsam and low heel shoes with Chinese designs on it. Her long black hair fell lightly on her shoulders as she stared at Alister without really looking at him.

“I agree with Pria,” another boy said.

“You always agree with Pria, Yin,” Scar said.

The boy Yin had short black hair. All of his clothes were black. The only color contrast was his eyes. His eyes were a pearly white. He looked at Alister.

“If you don’t mind, Alister, I need you to leave,” Zorah said.

“I ain’t goin’ anywhere until you give me a chance,” Alister said.

“You ain’t?” Zorah walked up to him with her arms on her hips. She bit her lip and nodded, “So dat’s how you want ta be? D, get up!”

D stood up and smiled.

“Put down dat beauty and let’s see what you can do,” Zorah stepped back and smiled, “Tear him to pieces D.”

“You got it,” D said as he cracked his knuckles.

Alister sighed and placed his gun on the ground, “Oh, Fang owes me big time for this.”

***

Several Hours Before

“How come Alister gets to go undercover?” Shadow asked.

Fang sighed. He looked up at the silhouette of the moon. His patience was getting very thin. He had a limited amount of time to get this mission done. Not time that the Tower set for him but nature itself. He guessed he had a few more days.

“Look,” he said, “I chose Alister and if anyone says they disagree again I might just rip their head off.”

No one said anything.

“Good, now do you know what to do Alister?” Fang asked.

“Other than not die,” Alister said, “not really.”

Fang sighed. They had been talking for well over an hour and he still didn’t get it. But then again, Alister was always simple minded. Fang tried a different approach.

“Okay, then,” he said, “whatever happens in there you need to find the Dancing Dragons and get into their gang.”

“Oh, so that’s what all those complicated words meant,” a dawn of understanding happened in Alister.

“Yes,” Fang said.

“Don’t they have to jump him in?” Raven asked, “Getting jumped in here is different than in the rest of the world. Here on the Island, we have powers. And Alister here doesn’t.”

“Now who said I didn’t?!” Alister protested.

Everyone looked at him, “You have powers?”

Fang of course knew the fact, “Yes, he’ll be fine.”

The most shocked of everyone was Blue.

He has powers?! His expression seemed to say. Arisa gave him a hug and whispered a few ‘It’s okay’s to comfort him. Alister noticed and wondered whether or not Blue needed the bathroom or not.

“Well, it’s about time,” Fang said as he looked at his watch, “You should get going.”

“Where are y’all goin’?” Alister asked.

“We do have a twelve year old that is up way past her bedtime,” Fang said, “and I need to come up with a long term plan. Don’t worry. I’ll send Shadow to see if you’re okay. You have the tracking device?”

“Yeah,” Alister looked confused, “Why do I have to go again?”

Fang was really on the edge, “Because I said so,” he said quietly signaling the end of the discussion, “Now, go.”

“All right, all right,” Alister muttered, “Mr. Crabby.”

The moon, even though it was hidden, sailed silently by. It sailed towards fullness and high tides, towards mystery and transformations.

***

Current Time

Alister watched as D walked closer. It had been a while since he had used his powers and was starting to get worried that he might have lost his touch. But he had little time to be concerned. The ground under his feet began to shake.

He jumped just as the ground opened. A gust of wind carried him several feet back, giving space between him and D. Alister smiled. At least his instincts knew what to do. D seemed a little confused and looked at Zorah for guidance. That was when Alister attacked. Alister shot his arm out and a gust of wind picked D up and pushed him into the back wall. That didn’t go over well with the others.

Scar stood up with a fire ball in hand. He threw the fire ball at Alister. It wasn’t hard for Alister to deflect. He filled his lungs with air and blew. The ball of fire was blown out by the gust of wind. Angered, Scar started creating a fire tornado. Anyone around him ran out of the way of the intense heat. When Scar threw his hand toward Alister the large wall of flame snaked its way toward the new comer.

Alister smiled. He manipulated the air the flame was traveling so it almost seemed like he himself was controlling it. Alister curved the flaming inferno passed him. Even though it didn’t hit him he could still feel the heat. The flame snake went around Alister and back at Scar. Scar closed his fist and the flame disappeared as quickly as it had appeared.

The ground shook again and Alister jumped, using the air around him to keep him afloat. A large spike appeared from the ground it continued to rise. Alister dodged the main spike but several little ones jetted out of the main one. Just staying alive took all of Alister’s attention.

An orange light got his attention. Another fireball appeared and Alister had just enough time to dodge it but couldn’t dodge the spike that nearly speared him. It scratched him in the leg.

Kitty ran up the spike like a cat, her claws keeping her from falling down the slippery surface. She jumped as Alister was scratched and fell on top of him causing him to crash in to one of the larger spikes protruding from the large one.

Alister gasped from the pain. Kitty balled her hand into a fist and punched him in the face. The spike he was on started to tremble a little and Alister knew he would have to act quickly. He blew into Kitty’s face. A large gust of wind blew her back and caused her to crash into the side of a spike. Alister rolled over  into a crouch in time just as a spike broke through. He jumped as another one appeared at his feet.

He jumped from surface to surface in the spike tree each time a spike replaced where his foot had only just been. Finally, Alister found a way out of the dangerous forest. He jumped out of the tangled mess and hovered in midair, using the wind as his support. Alister sensed something and looked behind him. Niko appeared out of nowhere and tried to hit him. When he tried to defend himself, she vanished and hit him from behind. She attacked him three times before he got a hold of her arm and kicked her in the stomach. Niko grunted and Alister let go of her arm. She vanished.

Alister thought that that was that until he felt something wrap around his waist and pull him down several stories worth of distance. He crashed to the ground, creating a large crater. For a moment he was unfocused but then his mind became sharp again he tried to get up but Yin manipulated the chain to hold Alister's arms and legs down. Alister fought but had no success.

Zorah appeared in his field of view above him. She took her staff and gripped something that made the end uncurl into two sharp ends. Zorah stabbed it forward and Alister expected his death. Instead the two ends dug into the ground on both sides of his neck.

“Try anythin', Pretty Boy, an I let go an dat pretty ‘ead of yours will get to meet its maker,” she said, she loosened her grip and the two ends grew closer together, “We got ourselves an understandin’?”

Alister did his best to nod.

“Good,” Zorah nodded, “Pria! Come ‘ere!”

Pria knelt beside Alister. She looked at him with her distant eyes.

“This won’t hurt,” she said quietly.

She placed her hand on Alister's head. Instantly Alister was seeing past memories, his days in the Police Academy, his graduation, his years as a police officer. He let her go through his memories.

Alister had met a few physics in his day and in his experiences they did this type of thing just to see if you were hiding anything. If you started to worry then they would start to look into what you were worried about. But Alister kept himself calm.

His trial, the conviction, his short time in jail, the transfer to an asylum, all of it passed before his eyes.

He kept himself calm.

The several times he had tried to kill himself, the restraints, the transfer, the plane ride to the Island.

She was getting a little to close for comfort but he forced himself to breathe evenly.

The new ward, the counselors, his ward mates, the note, his Uncle Ernie.

“He’s fine,” Pria looked up at Zorah.

Zorah looked down at him. She nodded to Yin and pulled her staff from the ground. Alister took a deep breath.

“That was way to close,” he couldn’t help thinking.

The chains released him and Alister sat up. Zorah offered a hand to help him up. He took it and stood up.

“Nice to ‘ave you on board,” Zorah shook his hand, "I'd be a fool not to 'ave you."

“I'm sure,” he said still breathing heavily.

He looked at Pria who just stared at him. Just a few more longer and he would have been a goner. A shadow shifted slightly and wound its way out of the clearing unnoticed. Just then the moon appeared though the clouds. Everyone looked up at. They hardly ever saw the sun in the Alleys not to mention the moon. It was in a strange egg shape.

In a few days it should be full.