Radioactive: Chapter Six

Radioactive

Chapter Six

~White Wolf Lounge~

Kaiba looked down at the shards of crystals on the slab. He looked over a Jekyll as he crossed his arms. Kiri stood beside him and tried to analyze the shards. There was a silence in the room that was as thick as butter. Kaiba sighed. He tried to calm himself to breath normally.

“What did you say?” Kaiba asked.

Jekyll looked at him, “You didn’t hear me? I thought I was perfectly clear. Maybe I could check your hearing. I said that there is no DNA in any of this crystal. It’s as if the young lady wasn’t even human anymore, like her entire essence was crystal the entire time. Of course we’re still doing some research but as of this moment, she is just a pile of crystal.”

“Crystal doesn’t scream or attack people,” Kaiba said.

“Unless you stand under it when it falls on top of someone,” Kiri said.

Jekyll nodded, “Yes, that would result in some screaming and attacking I would think.”

“How about the lizard’s DNA?” Kaiba asked, “Did you find out anything?”

“Nothing much,” Jekyll answered, “Right now, sadly, we are stumped. All I can do now is ask that if you find another odd Other’s please don’t split or shatter them and get them hear in more or less one piece.”

“So we’re stuck,” Kaiba sighed.

“Unfortunately, yes,” Jekyll said.

Kaiba walked toward the door, “Thank you. Tell me when you find anything new.”

“Right,” Jekyll rolled his eyes, “because I have to do everything you say. You are so bossy and demanding, you know?”

“Sorry,” Kiri apologized for Kaiba’s behavior as she went after him. Jekyll waved a dismissive hand.

Kiri ran after Kaiba. She missed the elevator that Kaiba was in. Annoyed, she turned into the stairwell and ran up the stairs. The blue dot in Kiri’s vision showed Kaiba headed for the lobby. She burst through the stairwell in the lobby and ran to the elevator. It opened as she approached. Kaiba strode out and walked toward the door. Kiri tried to keep up with him.

Bridget looked up from her work, “Are you going out?”

“Yes,” Kaiba said as he walked.

“Um,” Bridget stood up to try to get Kaiba’s attention.

“Forward all calls for Kaiba to my me,” Kiri said on the way out, “Please let Galaxy know we will be off the premise and that if he needs anything to contact us.”

Bridget nodded her head, “Right.”

The door closed and Kaiba walked down the steps. He walked toward the front gates. His pace didn’t slow down and he didn’t seem to care if Kiri could keep up with him or not. He reached the gates, showed an ID and walked past the guards. Kiri ran after him trying to figure out where he was going.

“Shall I borrow a company car?” Kiri asked.

“No,” Kaiba said, “I’ll take a cab.”

Kiri managed to catch up to him and walk alongside him, “May I ask where you are going?”

“I need a drink,” Kaiba said with a plain expression.

“May I remind you that it is against company policy to drink while in active duty with the Tower,” Kiri stated.

“You just did,” Kaiba was in no talking mood.

Kiri sighed and followed the rest of the way in silence. They reached the main streets where she hailed a cab. Kaiba got in and told the address of where he wanted to go. Kiri missed it as she entered the cab and closed the door. As all good cab drivers do, the poor man tried to make conversation. Being in an irritated mood, Kaiba said nothing. Kiri took on the responsibility to talk to the driver in his stead.

They drove into the downtown area towards an area known for its night life. Most of the clubs and bars were close to the alleys but still on the safe side of business. The reached a stretch of road that no cars could go known as State Street. The cab pulled over and Kaiba stepped out. He walked down the pedestrian street while Kiri hurried to pay the driver. She got out of the car and ran to catch up with him.

State Street was filled with the late afternoon crowd out shopping at the local stores or simply hanging out for a place to be. Some of the bars were starting to open, attracting different kinds of people. Kaiba walked through the street. He came to a small alley way that stemmed from the main street. At the end of the alley was the entrance to lounge bar and club called the White Wolf. A man stood up from a chair beside the door. He met with Kaiba and crossed his arms.

“And who might you be?” the man asked.

Kaiba stared the man down, “A paying customer.”

“We don’t open till later,” the man said.

Kaiba sighed, “Would you tell your boss to let me in? He knows who I am.”

The man touched a finger to his ear, “Hey boss, there’s a guy out here wanting to get in…Yeah…How’d you know he was wearing a coat? Should I let him in?... Alright.” The man stepped to one side, “He’s expecting you.”

Kaiba walked in. The lounge was spacious and was actually three levels high, the fourth level being the boss’ office. Several young men and women were doing some last minute cleaning. All of them were dressed in the black and red uniform and dress shoes. Beyond the lounge area, the floor dipped into a dance floor. There was a large enough area for dancing and even a stage for live performances. The place had enough class and style to draw in both the young and old crowd. During the day the doors were open as a hangout for family’s and teens where food and soda were served instead of alcohol. The doors closed around noon and opened again for the night life where one had to be 18 to enter 21 to drink.

Behind the bar was the owner of the establishment. His white hair was long though he didn’t long old enough to have all white hair. He wore a black sleeveless shirt and black pants. His eyes looked up at Kaiba as he cleaned a glass. A black woman sat at the bar, a guitar case was at her feet. Kaiba walked up to the bar and sat down at a stool. Kiri stood nearby and looked around.

“Anyway, I just want to say that it’s a nice thing what’chyou doin’, you know, hirin’ only Alley kids. Gives em’ somethin’ to do other’n get into trouble, know what I mean?” the woman spoke to the bartender.

“Most of the time, those kids are better workers,” the bartender said, “Most of them know that this is their one chance. You tend to work harder knowing you have everything to lose.”

“Mmhmm,” the woman stood up and looked at Kaiba, “Well, I’ll let’chyou get back to your business. I wouldn’t want to be a bother.”

The bartender smiled, “You’re never a bother, April.”

April grabbed her guitar and headed for the door. She raised her hand in farewell, “Seeya, Fang.”

The door closed and Fang turned his attention to his other guest. He looked less pleased to see Kaiba. It was almost a 360 turn of emotions.

“What do you want?” Fang asked.

“Do you have any pure alcohol?” Kaiba asked.

Fang looked at him, “Yes, but we usually add it to other things so people don’t, I don’t know, die. That and it’s under lock and key. Could I interest you in something else?”

“A beer,” Kaiba answered.

“Aren’t you working?” Fang wondered.

“Yes,” Kaiba said

Fang pulled a soda can from under the table and opened it. He grabbed a cup with ice and poured the soda into the glass. Fang pushed the class toward Kaiba and threw the empty can in the trash. Kaiba looked down at the glass.

“This isn’t a beer,” he stated.

“I watered it down for you,” Fang explained, “I even added those carbonated bubbled that everyone loves. Believe me, you’ll love it.”

Kaiba looked up at Fang and took a sip of his drink. He set it down and got to business, “You used to work for the Tower, right?”

“I don’t recall,” Fang stated.

“Well, let’s say you did,” Kaiba said, “Did you ever run into anything unusual?”

Fang raised an eyebrow, “Unusual? That just defined that last few years of my life. I started out having black hair you know.”

“No, I mean other Others,” Kaiba sighed, “Others that just seemed odd or strange in their behavior or appearance.”

Fang stared at Kaiba, “You should stop by my place sometime. You are literally describing to a ‘T’ the people I have to deal with on a daily basis.”

“Mutants,” Kaiba stated.

“You’re talking about mutants that are more mutant than you or I?” Fang thought a moment then shammed the bar, “Nope can’t say that I have. Hypothetically, of course, if I have worked for the Tower. May I ask why you are asking that kind of question?”

Kaiba pulled out a file he snuck out and placed it on the table. Fang looked it over and shook his head.

“That is interesting. Certainly haven’t seen anything like this. Have you tried the circus?” Fang asked. Kaiba looked at Fang. Fang quickly got the message, “Okay, okay. All I’m saying is that place is a cesspool for gossip and information if you know where to look. I suggest looking for a black wagon to start.”

“And why would I do all of that,” Kaiba asked.

“Because it beats sitting on your butt feeling sorry for yourself,” Fang said, “Besides, the guy there tends to know things even though he’s bat crazy.”

“That nose of yours still work?” Kaiba asked.

Fang nodded, “It’s how I knew you were at the door.”

“You mind stopping by the Tower sometime?” Kaiba stood up and collected the folder.

“Is that a request or an order?” Fang asked.

“Take it whatever way you want,” Kaiba turned to the door.

“Hope you find what you’re looking for,” Fang said when Kaiba was at the door.

Kaiba turned, Kiri was just behind him, “So do I.”

Iridescent: Chapter Six

Iridescent

Chapter Six

~A Girl and her Dog~

After the Fall

Zara woke up feeling exhausted. She sat up slowly and leaned against the wall. Her whole body was sore; every movement she made sent pangs of pain through her body. Zara sighed as she sat there. She didn’t move for several minutes. She just didn’t feel the energy to move.

She turned her head toward her pack and just stared at it. Zara shook her head and started to move to get to her feet.

“That’s enough,” she said aloud, “Can’t sit around and feel bad about yourself for too long or you might never get back up.”

“An excellent statement,” a voice said.

Zara looked up ahead of her. She saw the faint outline of a cloaked object. Zara grabbed the gun on her belt and fired at the object. It ran across the room and jumped onto some fallen cement from the floor above. She spent three bullets and didn’t want to use too many more than she had too. Zara grabbed one of her katana and charged at the nearly invisible figure.

“No, no! Don’t kill me! Please I’m too young to die!” the figure declared itself, “Please! I have so many practical jokes to pull still!”

Zara scowled at the sight of the figure before her, “Miwa! What the heck!? You scared the crap out of me!”

Miwa shuffled his feet on top of his perch. He was still in his dog form. His thin segmented tail waved low with shame.

“Sorry,” Miwa said, “I really am. I thought you would kill me if you saw me.”

Zara turned her back on him, “There aren’t an overwhelming amount of K-nine units walking around.”

Miwa looked down at his massive and sharp paws, “Sorry.”

Zara gathered her things, “What are you doing here?”

Miwa stood up on his four legs and jumped down from his perch, “My sensor picked up a familiar vital signature. So I went to check it out!”

“Naturally,” Zara muttered.

“When I found you unconscious I wasn’t sure what to do!” Miwa stated, “If you woke up and saw me you might freak out and shoot at me!”

“And cloaking yourself was naturally a better option,” Zara continued muttering.

“I was planning to keep myself cloaked and when you woke up, crawl out of the room and come in uncloaked through the front door!” Miwa said, “It didn’t work out as well as I’d hoped.”

“No, really?” Zara’s muttering continued, “You spoke while you were cloaked. I think it’s a little counterproductive.”

Miwa walked around her, “I’m sorry!”

“You made me waste three bullets!” Zara said loudly.

“I’ll make it up to you!” Miwa sat at the door, blocking Zara from leaving.

Zara put her hands on her hips, “And how do you plan to do that?”

“I know where we can get supplies! And…and…and I might even know a way of the Island if you let me come with you!” he stated.

Zara shifted her weight, “A way off the Island? How?”

“The north east part of the—” Miwa stopped, “Oh, I wasn’t supposed to…”

“You weren’t supposed to what?” Zara leaned in closer, “What is it a big secret or something?”

“Kinda…” Miwa looked nervous.

Zara crossed her arms, “Fine. I’ll let you tag along if you promise you’ll take me to this way of the Island.”

Miwa’s ears perked up, “Fine! Do you want to go get the supplies now? I swear no one’s touched a thing! It’s full of great supplies!”

“Lead the way,” Zara motioned, “but I swear if you get in my way, I’ll cut off your tail.”

“You aren’t very nice,” Miwa muttered.

Zara walked after him, “I’m still mad at you.”

“Hey! I said I was sorry!” Miwa said loudly.

Miwa’s height was just around her waist. He walked alongside her through the streets. His bladed tail waved back and forth as he walked on all fours. He turned his head frequently as he would scan the surroundings. Zara looked up at the broken windows and buildings trying to find out where the android was taking her. It was hard to tell exactly in the city she was as everything looked the same, broken and tattered. But there were a few distinct landmarks that she recognized.

The duo came to a road block. Rubble blocked the road ahead of them. Miwa scanned the rubble and looked back at Zara.

“Follow me,” he said.

Zara rolled her eyes, “What have I been doing up to this point?”

Miwa shook his head and said quietly, “I do not see what Chaud sees in you?”

Zara narrowed her eyes, “What did you say?”

Miwa jumped on to a bolder, “Nothing. I just said you were great company.”

He jumped to another bolder higher up the rubble and waited for Zara to get on the first. Zara grabbed a metal rod and pulled herself upon to the bolder. When she had a firm footing, Miwa scanned again and jumped onto what looked like the hood of a car. Zara followed behind him making sure to step where he stepped. One wrong move and the whole mound could collapse.

Soon they made it to the apex of the mound. Zara looked out and shook her head.

“The Tower storage facility?” Zara breathed heavily.

“The main system may be down but the defense system is still running on generators,” Miwa explained.

“How much longer with the generators run?” Zara asked.

“Oh, until it gets flattened by a nuke,” Miwa stated, “or any other explosive really.”

Zara looked at Miwa, “You carrying any extra nukes?”

“I’ve got a few small missiles but sorry, fresh out of nukes,” Miwa jumped down to the next rock.

Zara followed, “I guess I could use my access code.”

“No, good,” Miwa answered, “The system went down with the Tower. The facility won’t let anyone in at this point.”

Zara thought to herself. Right when Miwa said that, she knew it wasn’t going to be easy getting in and out in one piece. She would make sure to bring up the issue of downed systems when the Tower fixed itself.

“Do you know what they have in there?” Zara asked to assess if it was worth going through with it in the first place.

“The last inventory check reveals surplus medical supplies for the hospital, foods stuff, small inventory of weapons and ammo, oh and a few cases of that Blue Gold stuff,” Miwa started the downward journey.

Zara sighed; looked like it was going to be well worth risking her life for. She followed Miwa back to ground level. The massive heap of rubble towered behind them. Miwa continued onward and they reached the gated fence.

There were we’re turrets visible on the outside wall designed to fire upon any unauthorized personnel meaning at this point it would fire at anyone. Flat robots patrolled the perimeter and were programed to detonate when it spotted an intruder. The roof was equipped with missiles to attack anyone who broke in. On the inside there was more. Lasers were scattered around and if they weren’t turned off by a certain code it would detonate a small explosive. Then the items themselves were monitored on pressure plates. If they were removed before a code could be entered the room would lock down. Zara often wondered how it was possible that no one working here had accidentally killed themselves.

Zara looked down at Miwa, “Do you have any ideas on how we’re getting those items?”

Miwa looked up, “Um, that’s why I brought you here.”

The Turn: Chapter Six

The Turn

Chapter Six

~Twice a Day~

Three Years before the Turn

Once everyone made their way to the shrine they all sat on the floor, weapons in hand. Crow walked around for a while. He disappeared into a room. Shortly after, he pulled out a long table of weapons. After that he sat down in front of the others. He stared vaguely at them before speaking.

“Alright,” he started, “let’s get a few things straight. I hate repeating myself. If I need to repeat myself I won’t, I’ll just have you do something else to get the point across. No shoes inside the shrine. It isn’t easy to clean this place, you know. No talking out of turn. Pretty much what I say goes for the next two weeks. Any questions?” There were none, “Alright, when I call you, I want you to stand up give me your name and tell me what power you have. After that you hand me your weapon to inspect it. You.”

Crow pointed in Zara’s general direction.

Zara stood up with her katana, “Name’s Zara Uzek. I’m a fire wielder.”

Crow extended his hand and Zara walked up and placed her weapons in his hand, “Ah, a katana, and horribly balanced one at that.”

Hina leaned over and whispered in her brother’s ear, “Of course it’s a katana, anyone can see that. Is he blind?”

“As a matter of fact, yes I am, but I’m not deaf. You can take a jog around the shrine when we’re done here, young lady. I distinctly remember telling you not to talk out of turn,” he said. His hands ran up and down the two blades, “Is this a school issued weapon?”

“Yes,” Zara answered.

“Return it,” Crow said flatly, handing her the weapons, “Get a new pair over there. Next.”

Zara walked over to the table and looked at the weapons. She quickly looked over her shoulder to see Chaud handing Crow his weapons. They looked to be a special advanced type of gun. She shrugged and continued looking of a pair of katana. Two shining blades lay on the far end of the table. A decorative carving was etched onto both blades. It looked like a type of wild cat jumping though a blazing fire. Zara picked up one and instantly saw the difference in her own katana. She picked up the two new shiny blades and went back to her seat. Naru walked past her carrying his sai. He smiled at her and she nodded back.

When everyone’s weapons were inspected, Hina was sent running around the shrine while Crow explained their next task.

“Alright, everyone up. I want to see how well, or poorly, they trained all of you. Uzek, step forward,” Zara did, “Attack me.”

For a moment, Zara was unsure of what to do. He was blind after all and she didn’t want to hurt him in any way.

“It’s alright,” Crow said as if he read her mind, “I’ve gotten this far in life with being blind; I can get through the next few minutes.”

Zara noticed his hand drop his sword. She moved her right leg back. She shifted her weight on her ball of her feet. Then Zara raised the katana in her left hand and held it in a horizontal position. She pulled her right shoulder back so the blade was even with her eyes. Crow moved his left foot back and gripped the hilt of his long sword with his right hand. Zara took a quick breath and charged forward.

With only feet to spare, she saw Crow draw his sword. She half spun, causing the right katana to hit the sword. Zara stabled herself, her back temporarily facing Crow and her back leg situated appropriately. She shifted her grip on the left katana and shifted her body to make a stab attempt. Crow pivoted out of the way, placed his left hand on the back of his sword and pushed. Zara lost her balance and had to move her foot forward to keep herself from falling.

“Good approach,” Crow noted; he kicked her leg into its right position “balance could use some work. Try again.”

Zara nodded and assumed her position again. This time, however, her left hand was extended across her body and the blade tip pointed to the left horizontally. Crow held his sword with both hands, his arms were bent and the hilt of the sword was by the corner of his eye. Zara ran forward.

Crow lunged forward and extended the sword in an attempt to pierce. Zara quickly reacted and spun on her right foot and jumped lightly into the air. Her arms were extended and tilted in an angle, the blades hummed quietly in the quick change. The blades clashed together. Zara’s blade pushed Crow’s aside. She landed on her left foot and took a large step with her right. Then she dipped low, pivoted on her right and swung her right katana at Crow.

He brought his blade back and blocked the low attack. Zara quickly got to her feet shifting only slightly at the impact. When she got to her feet, she used her right blade to block a sudden attack. The attack made her take a few steps back. Zara silently cursed as she lost her balance again. Crow kept on her, attacking in rapid succession. Zara blocked, parried, and dodged accordingly. She kept looking for an opening but she couldn’t find one.

Suddenly, Crow stopped, “Good,” he stated, “You’re getting better already. Your speed is good too and it seems that the school has at least taught you how to use the katana properly. Have a seat.” Zara did so, secretly happy that she wasn’t in the spotlight anymore. The others clapped at her performance. Glad for her darker skin, Zara blushed with self-consciousness. She was glad that no one seemed to notice. She glanced at Chaud as she sat down. There was a phantom of a smile on his face. Oh, how she hoped that he didn’t notice her reddening cheeks.

“Galaxy, your next,” Crow called.

Chaud stood up and walked across from Crow. Zara took the opportunity to look closer at the weapon. In looked like some of the more advanced guns that she had seen some agents carrying. It was black and silver in color and design and it was a little bigger and longer than most hand. Other than that it looked normal. Chaud placed one gun in a holster on his belt.

“Begin when you’re ready,” Crow placed his weapon in its sheath.

Chaud smiled and pressed a button on the gun. It seemed to dismantle to everyone’s surprise and form a sword. The sword’s blade was silver and the back of the blade was coated a thin layer of the black material that the gunblade was made of. For a brief moment, Zara felt a pang of envy for Chaud and his money, but she pushed the feeling aside. As cool it would be to have a weapon like that, she was better with the curved katana and more comfortable with it.

Crow situated himself moving his left leg behind his right, his hand lightly on his sword. Chaud kept his sword pointed slightly down. He waited a moment and then ran forward. Crow drew his sword and struck out at Chaud in a wide arc. Chaud raised the sword, blade outward and hand on the bladeless side. The two blades clanged together loudly. The impact caused Chaud to slightly loose balance and Crow took advantage of the fact. After the first strike, Crow withdrew the sword, pivoted, and attacked in a straight up and down arc. Chaud acted quickly, shifting the position of the sword and crouching down to lessen the blow. He reached for the other gunblade in its holster. Quickly aimed, and pressed the trigger. There was an empty click that signaled the end of the battle.

Crow smiled and placed his weapon in its sheath. He began walking back to his starting point, “You think fast and you’re resourceful. But again, balance.”

Suddenly, he turned around; sword coming in on Chaud’s left side. Chaud, surprised, acted quickly. He raised his left hand and caught the blade in a section of the gun.

Crow nodded, “You’re reflexes are good too. Hina!”

Hina stood stiffly. The after effects of the run had started to tighten her muscles. Zara could see that Hina was going to make Crow pay for making her run. She got into position and raised her fists; a light purple mist began to form around them. Her violet eyes narrowed with determination. Without warning, she shot forward.

Crow took several evasive steps back. Hina punched and jabbed at him, shouting various swear words at him. Crow hit her arm to one side, crouched down, and lifted his sword sheath from his sash. The hilt of his sword hit Hina square in the lower sternum. She staggered back trying to gain her breath. Crow stood up and replaced his sword in his sash. He smiled slightly.

“It looks like we might have a temper problem,” he stated, “I think that will be enough. What do you think?” he asked, naturally, Hina had trouble answering. He looked over to Naru, “Come on up, Naru!”

Naru quietly stood up. Zara noticed that he rarely said anything, a complete contrast from his sister. He was quiet, waiting for the test to begin. Crow cleared his throat and got into position as Hina sat down. The scowl on her face spoke volumes.

“Start when you’re ready,” Crow said.

He had just finished the sentence when two shuriken stars flew passed his face. For a moment, Crow paused.

“I win,” Naru stated flatly.

“How so?” Crow asked.

“The first star, had I actually struck, would have cut the external jugular vein. The other, as a failsafe, would have nicked the right brachiocephalic vein. Either way, it would be a bloody mess.”

There was now a sense of ‘wow, not messing with him’ in the air. Looks like those anatomy classes paid off. Crow simply smiled.

“What if I had moved my head?” he asked.

Naru flicked his wrist and in a swift movement, threw something in Crow’s direction. He avoided one of the objects but suddenly he lost feeling in his left leg. He looked down and saw a long pointed needle in his upper leg. Crow reached a hand to his sword. Naru ran toward Crow. He drew one of his sai. As Crow withdrew his weapon from its sheath, he tried to defend himself but Naru’s sai caught the sword in the sai’s yoku. Naru dug the short blade into a crack in the floor, temporarily trapping the long sword rendering it useless. He continued his charge without slowing and jet out his hand. Naru struck Crow in his front shoulder. Crow’s arm felt weak and he dropped the hilt of his sword. Then Naru grabbed his second sai and rested the tip under Crow’s chin.

“The sciatic nerve runs down the length of your leg from your spinal cord. Strike and keep the pressure there and it might be a little hard to move that leg for a while. The brachial plexus in your shoulder is made up of the posterior cord, the lateral cord and the medial cord. The lateral and medial cords join up to create the median nerve that runs down your arm. Strike here hard enough and your arm goes to sleep. Care to take a guess what happens when a sai goes through the roof of your mouth?”

Naru stood up and pulled out the needle in Crow’s leg. He went to sit down.

“Am I finished?” Naru asked looking over his shoulder.

Crow made his way to his feet, “I guess so.”

Naru bowed his head respectively, “You should get feeling back in your legs soon.”

“I appreciate it,” Crow muttered.

Hina smiled at her brother’s return. She lived out her revenge though him though he probably didn’t do it on purpose, not with that sweet innocent face. They were complete opposites. While Hina was more of a powerhouse, Naru was precise. If there was an enemy behind a closed door, Hina would kick the door down. In Naru’s case, he would use the rules of ricochet on a paperclip and rubber band though the key hole.

It was silent while Crow tried to get the feeling back in his leg. It was now apparent to everyone who could easily get away with murder and no one wanted to be Naru’s first.

“I think that’s enough for one day,” Crow stated as he tried to get the feeling back in his legs, “I’ll get the remaining two tomorrow.”

“Do we keep the weapons?” Zara asked.

“You have any better ones?” Crow asked, “Keep them. It’s better that they are used.”

At that, the six teens went their separate ways.

IOIOIOIOIOI

“These are beautiful,” Puppetmaster nodded as he looked over the two katana.

The two weapons lay in his lap as he fingered lightly at the carving in the blade. Shuppet sat in his master’s lap and seemed interested as well, its wooden arms on the blade as well. Puppetmaster’s eyes tended to light up at a work of art, whatever it was and no matter how bad it looked. He enjoyed viewing other people’s masterpieces. His eyes looked up at Zara.

“I hear you’re training in the Old Shrine,” he said.

Zara looked shocked, “How did you know that, I didn’t tell you!”

“You didn’t,” Puppetmaster looked at Shuppet, “He did. He also tells me that he was left in your locker at school…”

“I was late!”

Puppetmaster laughed and handed Zara back her new weapons, “You need a scabbard, don’t you?”

Zara shrugged, “I guess, now that you think of it.”

Puppetmaster leaned in from his perch on the large desk, “I could make a pair for you. What do you say?”

She smiled, “If you want to—”

“I must,” Puppetmaster withdrew, ending the decision, “Do you have a bus fair?”

“Yeah, I have enough,” Zara nodded.

“Good then,” he pointed to a broken clock on the wall, “It’s time for you to go or you’ll be late.”

“That clock is broken,” Zara looked at him as if he were insane.

Puppetmaster looked at her and smiled. His purple eyes seemed to glow in the darkening room, “Even a broken clock is right twice a day. And that one says you’ll be late.”

Zara shrugged and walked toward the door, “I’ll see you later, Puppetmaster.”

“Goodbye, friend,” Puppetmaster said as the bell rang. There was a moment of silence as the dolls all seemed to settle for sleep. Shuppet looked up at its master. Puppetmaster smiled, “Oh, shush, so what if it isn’t 8:30. She’ll just be early then.”