Believe

Below, the wheels turned, great metal hoops whirling around a blazing energy that burned with the light of a thousand suns. Jakey closed his eyes, perched dangerously on the very edge of the catwalk above the engine. Behind him, the door buckled and burst open, armoured troops fighting through the cramped space. The line had failed then. There was no time left to worry about his attachment to the handful of years that constituted his life. He bared his teeth in one final, savage grin and before the first soldier could reach him, armoured hand outstretched to grab his fluttering cloak, he threw himself forward. There was an electric moment and Jakey believed, just for a fraction of a second, that he would fly. Gravity seized him out of his delusion and he plummeted. The wildly spinning rings blurred as they shot up to meet him. His hat was torn from his head by the wind sheer and he spread out his arms, hands coming into claws and knees drawing up. His instincts prepared his body to land, but his mind knew that there would be no landing.
To think it would all end here, light years away from the planet Earth, that he was destined for a lonely death far away from everything he had fought to protect.

Six Weeks Earlier

"You doing all right in there Jakey? No pressure, you understand …" The voice of Midnight Avenger sounded in the earpiece of his radio. Jakey rolled his eyes, hands jumping away from the precision work he was attempting.
"No pressure?! You do realise we're somewhat on the clock here, Jakey?! Get your short stripy backside into gear or I'll find out how many ways there are to skin a cat!" Shingi broke in.
"Me am bored! Dancey time!" Esher's voice overruled Shingi and Jakey thunked his head to the floor of the air-conditioning pipe.
"Could you lot shut the hell up? I'm trying to concentrate in here," he snapped, moving the mouth piece to his lips so they could hear him over the repetitive beat of Esher's stereo. A shadow blocked up the distant end of the pipe as Shingi stooped to glare down the length, half imagining he could see Jakey's tail and feet.
"Why are we letting you do this again?"
"Because nobody else fits in the pipe, Metalhead. Don't make me [censored] in your coffee again." Jakey muttered, narrowing his eyes at the mess of wires before him. He ignored Shingi's promise to get him back for that and checked the timer. There was still five minutes left before this thing did whatever it was supposed to do. Whoever had designed the bomb either didn't know the first thing about electronics or knew plenty and how to screw over anyone's attempt to disarm it. He itched his ankle with his other foot absently as he returned to unscrewing the fourth casing. This bomb was a nightmare. He'd disarmed several in his time as one of the heroes of Paragon City, some had been simple, some had been complicated. None had been this fiddly and down right evil. Whoever had planted it and left word with his contacts of its whereabouts was a real nut job. He prised the screws from their housing as the timer ticked to four minutes. He tossed the housing ahead into the tunnel carelessly and then stopped, heart nearly frozen. There was another timer under the last housing. It read thirty seconds. Twenty nine. Twenty eight. Twenty seven.
"Fall back!" Jakey screamed into his microphone. It surprised the other three, who all looked at each other.
Twenty five. Twenty four.
"What?"
Twenty two. Twenty one.
"GET THE HELL OUT OF HERE, THAT'S AN ORDER!" Jakey was already scrambling backwards down the tunnel, heart racing. The conviction of his right to order a retreat must have gotten through their confusion, as Shingi suddenly grabbed Esher and pushed the young man towards the half open double doors to the rest of the derelict office block.
Seventeen. Sixteen.
Avenger reached his hand into the pipe, leaning his whole body against the wall and scrabbling through the thick muck as he tried to seize some part of Jakey.
Fourteen. Thirteen. Twelve.
Jakey scrambled backwards, feeling his hat get knocked off in his haste. He reached for it instinctively when Avenger's hand closed around his tail and he was suddenly torn backwards with a yank that screamed pain through his body.
Nine. Eight.
Shingi, still holding Esher by the cloak around his neck, ignored the lifts, pushing the servos in his suit's legs to their maximum as he threw himself at the double glazed window past the lifts.
"We am fly now!!" Esher yelled as Shingi hoisted him under his arm and threw himself through the window back first.
"Warning: you have not exited building at ground level. Emergency jet packs activating."
Three. Two. One.
Avenger hauled Jakey to his chest as tightly as he could and threw himself around the only shelter he could see, the vending machine alcove.
Zero.
The explosion shockwave slammed Shingi and Esher through the wall of the building opposite, the former only just managing to swing around so his armoured back and jet pack were to the solid wall, protecting the younger man. In their wake, a cloud of dust rattled through the hole, knocking old furniture and both heroes to the far wall. There was a thunderous noise as the top half of the tower block leaned over before, with almost aching slowness, started to crumble as it fell down, adding to the rubble-strewn landscape of Boomtown.
"Warning: You have been injured, please seek medical assistance. Suit integrity at sixty three percent. Jet propulsion system damaged." Shingi grimaced as his suit's internal monitors made him aware of the list of damages to his suit. He could hear the servos grinding as he moved his arm to push half of a long dry water cooler off his head.
"Stupid bloody cat. What did you go set it off for?" he asked into his radio. Esher poked his head out from under Shingi's legs, covered with so much dust he looked like part of the furniture.
"Fun! We do again?"
"No we bloody don't. Sound off check, Shingi okay."
"Esher a-okay an' dancy!" Esher waved his arm from the rubble.
There was silence on the radio for a second longer than Shingi was comfortable with.
"Avenger okay. Jakey's badly hurt. He's not teleporting. I think something's wrong." Avenger's clipped sentences made Shingi suddenly heave the girder off his left ankle, surging up. He ran over to the hole they'd come in through, rubble crunching under his feet. He looked at the gap between the two buildings, then down. The dust was still churning below. Esher poked his head out next to Shingi, looking across at the other building that was now half the size of its neighbour. He pushed his thick blast goggles up over his unruly hair and squinted.
"It am not far. We jump to teh glowie man an' kitty." Shingi looked at Esher for a moment, surveying him through the black faceplate of his power suit.
"Is that your brilliant plan?"
"Me am brilliant. You see. Just stop worry worry forevah an' jump." To make his point, Esher backed up the length of the room and paused at the back wall for a moment before suddenly sprinting forward. Shingi watched as he hurtled past, throwing himself fearlessly over the gulf between the two buildings. He shook his head slightly as the boy made it to the other side, rolling on impact to spare himself any injury and then surging to his feet and looking around alertly, waving back at him. So his jet pack was knocked out by the explosion, he was sure the servos had enough power in them to make the jump. Moments later, he thudded down by Esher on the flimsy landslide that was the top of the building.
"Avenger, you're going to have to help us locate you. Knock on something hollow if you can. Jakey's head should do," he said. Esher was already scrambling over the rubble, one ear cocked to the treacherous ground. Shingi followed him, muting his suit's internal speakers after he got the fifth reminder warning about his jet pack being damaged. He really had to find the time to deal with that warning system before it got on his nerves enough to just rip it out.
Esher's keen ears picked up a rhythmic thudding a little later and Shingi unsheathed his claws.
"Stand back, Esher." He drove his claws into the rubble and used them to dig down. After a while, he struck a flat metal object and human fingers wormed their way out of a gap in the masonry near his fist.
"Teh glowie man!" Esher darted in to help, digging with his gauntleted hands. Avenger helped when he had enough room to move, his suit filthy and there was blood splattered down his side. He looked grim when the other two helped him out of the hole.
"It's not mine. Be careful, he's all … limp. I think something's broken." Shingi glanced at Avenger, then nodded slightly, crouching with him to extract Jakey from where he'd been protected from the crushing embrace of the building by Avenger's invulnerable body. Shingi saw what Avenger meant immediately, suddenly hoping that Jakey's flimsiness was only because he was a cat and naturally more flexible than a human.
"Shingi to Base, we need an emergency medical transport for Jakey K immediately." Shingi watched as Avenger cradled the limp cat close, like a child or younger brother. He swallowed away the fear at how he seemed so lifeless. He'd seen Jakey pick himself up after going one on one with Nemesis Warhulks, cat had more lives than sense.
"Understood. Activating teleport." Gaze's voice sounded in their ears and after a moment, the cat vanished in a flash of light from Avenger's arms. The three men stood where they were for a moment before Esher peered over the edge.
"Me am see house from here."

---

Don't ask me about joining Honourable United, I'm lazy. Ask Captain Cathode.

http://www.onthejazz.co.uk/honu/

"If I had a punch, I would so hit that guy." - Millenium (because drinking nail varnish remover is for real men)

"Does one of you want to explain what you were doing letting J defuse a bomb in an abandoned building in Boomtown?" Gaze didn't raise her voice. She never needed to. Avenger, Shingi and Esher all stood in a loose horseshoe in the infirmary of Honourable United's small base. Avenger rubbed the back of his neck.
"Well … it's like this. Jakey called us this morning, apparently one of his contacts had heard a rumour that the Circle of Thorns were about to summon a really bad demon in Boomtown. But when we got there, we found all these canisters in the foyer with the Council seal on them and Shingi here said they were bio-weapons, but we couldn't find the detonator. After a lot of searching, we found the bomb in a small pipe, only it had Sky Raider tech all over it. Since J was the only one who could fit in there, he went in to try and disarm it before it set off the bio-weapon and …"
"Failed. Spectacularly." Gaze finished it off for him. Shingi fiddled with the helmet jammed under his arm.
"At least the bio-weapon didn't go off," he muttered. Gaze glared at him and he looked at the floor suddenly.
"The canisters were filled with lemonade. I just had the analysis. Lemonade, gentlemen."
"Esher am like lemonade. It am teh BUBBLES!" Esher was rapidly losing interest in the dressing down, looking over at where Jakey was lying on the gurney, an oxygen mask over his face and blankets pulled up over his midriff.
"Lemonade?! But-"
"But nothing. It was lemonade and you all got suckered into an explosion that nearly killed you," Gaze took a breath to calm herself and looked at them all. Avenger had the grace to bow his head, feeling somewhat responsible for it all. Given the team, he was the voice of reason. Gaze exhaled through her nose, then walked back over to where Jakey was lying. Shingi promptly remembered a few repairs his suit needed, and towed Esher out after him. Avenger watched Gaze uncertainly for a moment, then left quietly. Gaze sat beside the gurney and stroked some of Jakey's fur-like hair back from his face.
"You ever going to get around to telling me what's bothering you, J? You haven't been yourself lately," she murmured. Whether he could hear her or not was irrelevant. She was worried about him. The cat had been disappearing off by himself more and more recently, taking missions alone, and now he had some intensely secretive project he wouldn't talk about, even to his housemates. She remembered the day she'd met him in Eastgate, or the 'Hollows' as it was more often called. He'd been dancing on top of a police car, throwing his arms about wildly.
She wondered what had become of that carefree cat, why his smile didn't seem to come so easily any more. She doubted anyone else had noticed, it had taken her long enough to, and she was closer to Jakey than most. But it was there. Something was troubling him, deeply. Something he didn't feel he could talk about or she'd already know. He rested on, oblivious to everything. Still, that was to be expected after a forced 'resurrection'. When he'd arrived on the telepad, he'd been clinically dead, precious seconds slipping away until brain death occurred as they raced him into the infirmary. She sniffed deeply and reached up to wipe her eyes with the knuckle of her thumb.
"Stupid cat …"

The rhythmic thock of the bamboo water-fountain measured out the moments. Jakey padded over the wooden veranda that surrounded the house, his sandals passing with almost a whisper. Pale pink blossoms fluttered past in the wind that tugged at his kimono. He walked down the steps and down the path to the stream. A small arched bridge spanned the stream and beyond it sat a woman in an extravagant kimono fit for a queen. He approached her.
"Is there any colour that doesn't suit you, Vanessa?" he asked. Vanessa DeVore looked up, long locks of black hair sliding off her shoulders to spill out in the wind.
"Not really. You're dwelling again," she smiled. As ever, her expression was filled with the cunning that had made him respect her. Jakey flicked his ears back and stretched his hands above his head.
"Is that why you decided to go full oriental fantasy on me?"
"I just think the idea of you as a noble samurai is adorable. Tell me, my hero, are you going to stop trying to get yourself killed?" she asked, her hands in her lap. Jakey blew a petal off his lips as he sat down by her side.
"I wasn't trying-"
"You know you can't lie to me, Jakey K, do stop trying." Vanessa reached over and cupped his cheek in her hand, turning his head to look at her. Her thumb traced over his stripes.
"I don't want you to die. We haven't even begun to explore the possibilities together," she said softly. Jakey leaned up and kissed her lips.
"Nothing lasts forever, Vanessa," he whispered. She cupped his face in both hands, giving him a searching look.
"Come to me, we'll escape together! We'll leave the country, to London, Milan! Berlin! The world can be our oyster, Jakey," she said passionately. Her fervour was intoxicating, but it reminded Jakey why he'd arrested her in the first place.
"I don't think I'd make a very good Strongman." He put his hands up to hers, about to pull them from his face but he didn't really feel like it. He rubbed her wrists with his fingertips instead, looking away. Vanessa covered his face with her hands, parting her fingers so he could see out of them.
"You know you'd be more to me than those soul-less cretins. You'd be my counterpart, Lord of the Carnival of Shadows," she whispered. Jakey sighed.
"Vivi, I've had a real hard day, can we leave the megalomaniacal plotting for a bit?"
"Oh very well, I shall play 'good wife' if you insist. How was your day, dear?" Vanessa took her hands from his face, wrapping her arms around him and hugging him close. He closed his eyes and leaned back against her, looking weary.
"… I had to increased the power to the suits." Vanessa looked at a distant point.
"How long do you think you can keep patching it like this?" she asked, her mischievous teasing absent. Jakey watched a petal fall into the stream.
"Maybe as little as months. Maybe a year if I can upgrade the runes a few more times."
Vanessa was silent, then she rested her head against his. He covered her hands with his as best he could, and squeezed them slightly. The only sound was the thock of the bamboo fountain and the rustle of the wind in the trees.

---

Don't ask me about joining Honourable United, I'm lazy. Ask Captain Cathode.

http://www.onthejazz.co.uk/honu/

"If I had a punch, I would so hit that guy." - Millenium (because drinking nail varnish remover is for real men)

"I'm hungry. When are we leaving this heaving hell-hole of scum and villainy?" Jakey asked, crouched on the very tip of a twisted girder sticking out of a mound of rubble. Chillblaze hovered next to him, rubbing his shades clean of dust with his cloak.
"When we're done, I guess," he looked through the lens to check them, then put them on. Jakey groaned and put his chin on his arms, watching Gaze and Avenger conferring in the bottom of the hole.
"Know why we're out here?" he asked. Chillblaze grinned.
"Hell if I know. Gaze muttered something about meeting her 'contact' and I just wanted to get out, stretch my legs … drink soda. You know, the usual stuff I do?"
"[censored] about and do as little as possible then?" Jakey's tail flicked in amusement.
"You said it, not me, Mr Sets-A-Bad-Example."
"That's Sir Napsalot to you, minion." Chillblaze laughed.
Gaze heard his laughter and looked up, she watched them both for a moment and looked back at her twin.
"He'll be here soon. Try to keep everyone occupied while I talk to him."
"Alright. One day I'd like to meet this so very secretive contact of yours," Avenger said, straightening his hat and kicking off, flying off out of the hole and landing on the ledge to talk to Muse, Esher and Shingi.
Gaze glanced back up at Jakey and Chillblaze again, worried about the small cat again. He'd been acting so strangely lately. But then, he'd been acting strangely since Sally'd been killed so suddenly. They'd been close friends. Maybe it was just grief. She hoped that was the case. She tugged the brim of her hat, fading from view on instinct as she walked. She didn't feel safe in Siren's Call, not since the horrific explosion had torn down an entire section of the War Wall and given the Rogue Islanders an access point to the city. That and you never knew who or what was watching you.
She ducked under some exposed girders and smiled as she found the tiny patch of green moss. Some weeds were growing with verdant enthusiasm and she could see the faint imprints of someone standing on the moss.
"Hi Immy," she said softly. The air shimmered slightly as the fairy man turned and looked around at her.
"Gaze! Is … is the cat anywhere about?" He sounded nervous. Gaze did not quite understand the relationship between cats and fairies or why they disliked each other so much, but she respected Immemoria's feelings.
"Avenger's keeping him distracted. Are you alright?" she asked. She heard Immemoria's soft laugh as he melted into view, pushing his hood back. He pushed a hand through his hair, ruffling it loose after long hours under the fabric.
"I'm good. I don't think anyone's onto me yet. Here." He pulled a disk case out of his upper pocket and held it out. Gaze took it slowly, glancing at it. Immemoria looked at one of his flowers and rubbed its leaves clean with his thumb.
"City air's so dirty … they can hardly breathe," he said softly. Gaze glanced at him, tucking the disk into her pocket.
"What's on the disk?"
"Troop movements, logistics. Pretty much all I could pull from the Arachnos database before the spiders came for me. Should help you head off a few more attacks before they reach their destinations." He didn't meet her eyes, his scruffy hair stirring in the wind. It was a pale, almost aqua blue colour at the roots that deepened to nearly black at the tips. Gaze regarded him for a moment.
"Thank you, Immy, but you can't keep doing this. Someone's going to notice you're spying on Arachnos sooner or later. I can't imagine what they'd do to you if they found out."
"Yeah. I know. Don't worry about the bugs, they're not suspicious yet. I can still be useful for a while." He looked at her, smiling slightly. Though he wore a mask over his nose and mouth, she could see the crinkle of his eyes and curve of his cheeks. She wondered briefly if he feared anything.
"Oh … and before you go, there's something I should let you know. There's been talk in the Islands, just chatter but I think it should be noted. Well, we don't have any empaths in the Islands. There was some chest beating talk about kidnapping a Hero empath and keeping them prisoner to provide their services." Immemoria rubbed the back of his neck with his hand, then blinked and looked at the heavy chain wrapped around it. He looked back up at Gaze.
"I did what I could to discourage the idea, but I doubt it'll be dormant for long. Getting banged up is part of Island life, a lot of people might start seriously contemplating abducting Hero empaths."
Gaze was slightly taken aback, feeling an uncomfortable prickle down her spine. She nodded.
"Thanks for the warning."
"No problem, it's what I'm here for." Immemoria stopped and frowned, looking around. Gaze saw him vanish before her eyes, an anxiety reflex no different to her own.
"What is it?"
"Can you feel that?"
She did not get a chance to answer before a flash of light splashed over them both and left the area deserted, only the flowers left to bob in the sea breeze.

---

Don't ask me about joining Honourable United, I'm lazy. Ask Captain Cathode.

http://www.onthejazz.co.uk/honu/

"If I had a punch, I would so hit that guy." - Millenium (because drinking nail varnish remover is for real men)

Jakey swore as he rubbed his eyes, the bright light making his vision a mess of negative blue and purple. After a while, he made out Chillblaze getting to his feet next to him.
"What the Hell was that?!" demanded Muse. A chattering noise prickled his ears and Jakey stood swiftly. He had already set himself into a combat stance before his vision cleared enough for him to see that they were no longer in Siren's Call. They were in a round, stone room. A magic circle was still smoking around them and outside the circle was a stone lectern. A small, furry creature was crouched on the lectern, its round eyes staring at him, nose twitching anxiously. It put Jakey strongly in mind of a lemur of all things.
"Why did you summon us?" he demanded. Around him, Avenger, Muse, Chillblaze, Shingi and Esher were picking themselves up with various grumbling noises.
"Oh my, oh my, the book did not say anything about it being more than one person. Oh my, oh my!" The lemur hunched and started turning pages, hopping around on the lectern. Jakey relaxed his stance and looked up at Avenger, who frowned in confusion.
"What bo-"
"BAD THING!" Esher's sudden shout and jump behind Avenger startled everyone and they spun around. None of the others could see anything but Jakey suddenly bristled as he saw Esher pounce a shadowy figure up against the wall, holding him or her up by the neck.
"We've got a stalker!" His tail puffed up angrily and he slipped back into his combat stance. Chillblaze's fists ignited in two swirls of fire that illuminated the room. Shingi's carbon claws snapped out.
"Esher, stop, he's a friend!" Gaze appeared next to Esher, holding onto his arm desperately. The young man turned his head slightly to look at her, his eyes hidden behind the thick lens of his blast goggles.
"Friend?"
"He's my … he's my contact." Gaze's hesitation made several of them frown. They wondered what she'd been about to say. Avenger folded his arms tightly.
"Let him go Esher. It's not like he can hide from you and Jakey. Well seen, by the way." He smiled to Esher as the young man dropped the short figure and stepped back.
"It am OK, glowie man."
Gaze crouched and helped the figure to his feet. He shimmered into view as he got up, rubbing his neck. Being visible didn't make him much more recognisable, he had a dark purple hood up over his head and a purple mask over the lower part of his face. His open, sleeveless biker jacket showed a powerful physique despite his small size. Jakey was suddenly annoyed to note their 'stalker' had almost a foot height advantage on him.
"Guys … this is Immemoria of the Rogue Islands." Gaze stood by his side protectively.
"You're a fairy," Jakey said in a low growl. Avenger looked down at him with a surprised blink.
"And you're a cat." Immemoria sounded slightly husky from having Esher's gauntleted hand rammed into his neck at speed.
"Immemoria's been the one supplying me with the information on Arachnos' troop movements. At considerable risk to himself, I might add." Gaze sounded tense. Muse put a hand on Avenger's arm gently.
"Do you trust him, Gaze?" he asked. Gaze nodded.
"Implicitly."
"That's good enough for me." Muse looked up at his partner's face. Avenger sighed.
"I suppose we do have more important things to worry about." He took his eyes off the fairy and looked down at Muse, then covered his hand with his and patted it. Jakey glowered at Immemoria some more, not as willing as the others to trust this fey creature. Immemoria blinked at him, then held out his hand.
"Can we put the war on hold until we get back, cat?" His wording made Gaze blink slightly. Was there more to the cat/fairy relationship than she'd thought?
"Fine, but it's only temporary. Don't get comfortable," Jakey growled, shaking Immemoria's hand with a crisp, short gesture. Gaze looked puzzled, then caught Chillblaze's look. He shrugged slightly. Clearly he was just as mystified.
Now that the imminent threat from a Rogue Islander had been settled to most people's satisfaction, the group of heroes turned to the less urgent problem. The lemur was still on the lectern, staring at them with a twitching tail. Muse blinked.
"Awww!" He couldn't help it, it just burst out of him. He flushed a bit when Shingi gave him a black look through his visor.
"'Awww'? Oh dear, oh dear, this does not translate! Did I make a mistake?!" said the lemur, hopping about in an agitated way. Gaze blinked, feeling waves of its anxiety and she waved her hands.
"It's not a word, it's just a sound. It means admiration." She elbowed Muse. He blinked and rubbed the patch and then nodded.
"Yes, I'm very impressed by this … um … burned circle thing."
"How come you're never as impressed when I burn circles?" Chillblaze murmured. Muse gave him a flat sideways look.
"Because doing it in the base walls does not count as 'art'."
"If you insist." Chillblaze grinned cheerfully. The lemur's ears swivelled and pricked up.
"Ah, I think I understand. You can understand me as well?" It was difficult to tell with his fuzzy little face, but they thought he might be wearing a hopeful expression. Shingi grunted.
"Yes, yes. We all understand each other. Now tell us what the Hell we are doing here and why you've done this before I lose my temper and kick your fuzzy little backside out the door."
The lemur squeaked and hid down under the edge of the lectern. Gaze gave Shingi a reproachful look and walked over to the lemur, picking it up gently and cuddling it.
"Don't be so mean, Shingi. He's just little." She was surprised to find its fur thick and silken soft. She could also feel the pitter-patter of its anxious little heart, fair melting her own.
"Oh dear, oh dear. Light Warriors are so scary and big," wailed the lemur, hiding its face in its hands. Avenger blinked.
"'Light Warriors'?"
"Yes, yes, the priestess said you were our last hope! She did not say you would be more than one person. Oh oh … oh dear. What will they say when they find I have brought more giants to Bolero?!" The lemur suddenly scrambled up Gaze's shoulder and onto her head, trying to hide under her hat.
Chillblaze, who was trying to keep a straight face, coughed.
"Think we should leave this room and go see what's up?" he asked. Jakey yawned and stretched his arms over his head, his mouth opening further than a human's did, being slightly disconcerting to watch.
"I'm overdue for my pre-lunch nap."
"Um, can you take us to someone who can tell us what's going on, please?" Gaze asked, looking up at her hat. The lemur poked his head out from under it.
"Oh … oh of course. I'll take you to the King. Come with me!" It squeezed out from under the hat and dropped to the ground. It scampered to the large wooden door and jumped up onto the handle, using its weight to pull it down and then, dangling from its hands, it kicked its legs against the wall. The door swung open ajar and the lemur dropped down, slipping its little fingers into the gap and it pulled the door open enough to let itself through. The heroes all looked at each other and Chillblaze pulled the door open.
"Okay, question. This is your home, right?" he asked. The lemur, who was watching him pull the door open with wide, round eyes, nodded nervously.
"So why are the doors our size?"
"We didn't build the Home. The Ancestors did. They are very much bigger than we." The lemur looked over its shoulder and then scampered down the long corridor.
"Couldn't you have made a cat flap or something?" Chillblaze murmured. Esher dropped to all fours and mimicked the lemur.
"I r fluffy thing! Whee bounce!" Shingi watched the young man go scampering down the corridor after the lemur.
"Well, at least someone's enjoying himself."

---

Don't ask me about joining Honourable United, I'm lazy. Ask Captain Cathode.

http://www.onthejazz.co.uk/honu/

"If I had a punch, I would so hit that guy." - Millenium (because drinking nail varnish remover is for real men)

Gaze hung back at the group as they followed the lemur, next to Immemoria. This wasn't how she'd envisaged introducing him to her friends and brother. She glanced down at him, wondering how he could be so calm. As if he felt her gaze, he looked up and smiled.
"No bones broken."
"Wouldn't your magic fix them even if they had?" she asked, keeping her tone light and amused. Immemoria folded his arms behind his head.
"Well, they'd still need to be set back into position. But in theory, yes."
"I'm sorry, Immy. This wasn't what I had in mind for the first meeting," she whispered, hoping Jakey and Esher's superior hearing wasn't focused on her. Immemoria shrugged.
"Could be worse, Kate." His use of her real name made her sigh. The distance between them was a carefully measured three feet. It might as well have been three miles. She wanted to take his hand and just enjoy his company, she could feel him holding back the same impulse. The secrecy and necessary duplicity to hide their feelings for each other weighed so heavily sometimes. It was more for his safety than hers. She would be frowned upon for loving a Rogue Islander, he would more likely be killed for loving a Hero of Paragon. Even when they met in neutral ground, they were careful not to touch, lest people see and rumours fly. Their love affair had to be conducted in absolute and total secret.
She hated it.
"Least your brother hasn't put me through a wall, eh?" Immemoria's chuckle drew her out of her thoughts. She smiled, looking ahead at where Avenger was walking beside Muse.
"He's very soft really."
"I'll be sure to tell that to the others next time I'm in the Zig."
"How many times has that been, now?" Gaze couldn't keep the amusement out of her voice. It was easier to bare than fear for his safety.
"Three. You know that Arachnos chap, always so obliging in taking me back into the fold when I've escaped." Gaze looked ahead, watching Chillblaze's hair as it defied all laws of motion and stood resolutely up. She wondered which brand of gel he used to get it to do that.
"And your gang takes you back every time?" she asked lightly. Immemoria shrugged.
"You can't pull off a heist together if you don't trust each other. Me, the Attorney and Lieutenant Whithers have knocked over a few banks. Well, Lou wanted to really knock it over. He's gotten really silly since he got his memories back. I swear he's bi-polar."
Gaze had never heard him mention his associates by name. The last one really got her attention.
"Lieutenant Whithers?"
"Yeah. Apparently he's from another dimension where the Council took over and Sky Raiders were making a bid to over-throw them. He was their secret weapon apparently." Immemoria said it off-hand, trying to play down the news. Gaze frowned darkly, she didn't like the idea of another Muse running around in the Rogue Islands.
"Is he-?"
"Crazy? A little. I hope he and you don't meet. Apparently Archon Kyle Thurlow was a 'good friend' of his before being possessed by a Nictus." That made Gaze blink.
"'Kyle'?"
"Well, you didn't think you'd be female in all the possibilities of existence, did you?" Immemoria chuckled, taking great delight in bringing her that particular snippet of news. Gaze reddened slightly, like she'd just thought of something indecent.
"When you say 'good friends' …"
"I mean lovers, yeah." She could see the crinkle of his eyes as he grinned widely behind his mask. She swatted his head.
"You're enjoying this too much!"
"Better than my usual doom and gloom, yeah?" Immemoria was glad she'd been suitably distracted from asking further questions about his associates.
Before Gaze could think to take up her train of thought again, they passed out of the stone corridor into a huge open room. The curved wall on the right was completely open, held up by great pillars festooned with creeping plants. Plants had broken through the walls in several places and more of the lemur creatures were hopping and bouncing through the foliage.
Esher bounced into the middle of the huge room, jumping up and down.
"I are fluffy thing!" At his exclamation, every lemur in the room froze and stared at them. Then they screamed and fled, each one like greased lightening. It was not a second later that the heroes stood alone in the room, their guide covering his small furry face with his hands and shaking his head in despair.
"Well … this is off to a good start," said Chillblaze.

---

Don't ask me about joining Honourable United, I'm lazy. Ask Captain Cathode.

http://www.onthejazz.co.uk/honu/

"If I had a punch, I would so hit that guy." - Millenium (because drinking nail varnish remover is for real men)

It took a while for the lemurs to work up the courage to return to their throne room, their guide leaving to go find them again, in which time Esher had declared himself the 'l33t Kingz0r' and sat proudly on the large stone chair. Jakey curled up on his lap, taking advantage of the peace to have his pre-lunch nap. Esher, for once, stayed sitting down longer than five minutes.
"So … Rogue Islander." Avenger folded his arms, looking down at Immemoria with a slightly lifted eyebrow.
"So, Paragon Hero." Immemoria had his hands in his pockets, looking slightly bored. Muse checked his watch.
"How long are they going to keep us here? I asked Arc and Winters to watch the baby for half an hour …" he murmured.
"One of these days, someone's going to ask before dislocating me to do their bidding." Shingi glowered at Esher.
"Bow downz before the L33t King!" laughed the young man, making Jakey twitch a bit in his sleep.
"In your [censored] up dreams."
"So what do you think this 'Light Warrior' business is all about?" Chillblaze folded his arms, looking up at the foliage that sprawled across the roof. Something that looked like a bunch of grapes was visible through the leaves.
"I don't know, but look at this place …" Shingi left off trying to get Esher to behave in an adult manner and walked to the open wall. Rubble crunched under his boots and the others turned to watch him.
Beyond the room, a ruined stone city, nearly lost under verdant vegetation met their eyes. Flocks of birds as brilliantly coloured as tropical fish swung around crumbling towers and spires. Their calls filled the air with a cornucopia of sound.
"It's a-"
"Paradise." Immemoria's quiet interruption made Shingi glare around at him. The fairy shrugged.
"Well it is. I can't smell any fumes other than wood smoke and that's miles away."
"I just want to know where we are so we can go back." Avenger put his hand on Muse's shoulder, just as worried as he. Unlike the others, they had a baby at home. Chillblaze joined Shingi on the 'balcony of tree branches and caught stone.
"Well … unlikely we're on Earth. Unless Earth just started orbiting a gas giant without telling anyone." Shingi put his fists on his hips.
"That's going to make checking the stars at night complicated."
Gaze joined them both, Immemoria keeping close.
"Do you think you'll be able to work out where we are, Shingi?" Shingi shrugged.
"I would have thought stars were more Chill's expertise." Chillblaze threw up his hands.
"You become a professor of Thermodynamics once and everyone expects you to have eight degrees in meteorology and astronomy!"
"Can you work out where we are?" Gaze asked him again. Chillblaze dropped his arms and shrugged.
"I can give it a try." Gaze nodded and looked down at Immemoria.
"Think you can lend a hand? I know fairy technology is-"
"I'm a general, Gaze, not a scientist," he said, his hands in his pockets. His comment made Chillblaze and Shingi exchange glances, the latter pushing his visor up to get a better look at the short man.
"Guys, the fluffy things are back." Muse called the others out of their huddle. Gaze watched as the lemurs started collecting in the branches, one of the older ones with a silver muzzle was peering at Esher anxiously. The young man picked the still sleeping Jakey off his lap and scrambled up onto the back of the chair and peered at the lemur back. The lemur shrank back a bit. Gaze could feel his anxiety in raw spikes and rubbed her temple.
"Esher, come back here." Esher turned his head to look at her then jumped off the chair and joined them. The lemur with the silver muzzled leapt onto the back of the chair and peered down at Jakey, who was curled up with his hands over his face in typical cat fashion.
"You are the Light Warriors?" The silver muzzled lemur crouched down, his long tail hooked lightly over a vine. Despite his anxiety and earlier panic, he seemed firmer than the others. Gaze took a step forward and bobbed her head a bit.
"The one who brought us here said we were, your majesty." Her intuition paid well, the lemur drew himself up a little, revealing the glinting gold chain half-buried in his neck-fur.
"Then you must be. Kel is our supreme arch-mage. He does not make mistakes." The lemur king nodded down to their guide who hurriedly groomed his haunch, as if embarrassed by the praise.
"We'd like to know why we were brought here, if it pleases your majesty to tell us." Gaze silently thanked all the time she'd spent with Madam Delphine, watching her mannerisms and listening to the way she spoke. She didn't know anyone who had more experience dealing with 'nobility'.
"It is said that the Light Warrior is the salvation of Bolero. We are in desperate times. An enemy is determined to take our world and kill us all." The lemurs in the vines made unhappy, frightened noises and clung to their neighbours. Gaze had to half close her eyes to focus on just herself for a moment.
"You are at war?" Immemoria took his hands out of his pockets and folded his arms, giving Gaze a moment to centre herself. The king shook his head.
"We cannot fight them. They are giants like you, covered with a skin so thick nothing will get through."
"How come you haven't already been taken over then?" Immemoria may have been frowning, it was difficult to tell. The king pointed to the open wall, his tiny finger indicating a large domed structure.
"The Ancestors left us a device that protects Bolero. There is a shell around our world like an egg."
Gaze glanced at Shingi, who flipped his visor back down and started tapping his fingers against the contact pad on his palm. He blinked when he saw the power signature. He turned on the radio in his helmet, so he would be able to talk to his team-mates in private.
"It's some kind of nuclear reactor, but it's way beyond anything we've got. These Ancestor people must have been a hundred times more advanced than us."
"If you have such a shield, why do you need us, majesty?" Gaze asked. The king's ears went back a little and he looked around at a much older lemur sat up above him and watching the proceedings with cloudy eyes.
"The records of the Priestesses who have tended to it for generations say that the star that burns inside it grows smaller. The shell will fail when the star dies. They say that the Light Warrior can fix it and make the star live."
Gaze blinked. They wanted them to fix their generator? She turned her head to glance at the others. Chillblaze shrugged, Muse and Avenger looked at her quietly and Esher was shifting restlessly. She looked down at Immemoria, who was giving her a hopeful look. It would be a good opportunity for them to spend time together without having to be afraid of being seen. Not just that, helping people who couldn't help themselves was what Heroes did.
"We'll certainly do our best, your majesty, but it may take some time," she said. She believed in her team-mates, four of them were among the smartest people she'd ever met. If they couldn't fix a generator a hundred times more advanced than anything they'd ever seen, then nobody could.
On that cheerful note, she smiled reassuringly for the lemurs.
"Of course, of course! Bolero welcomes you, Light Warriors! You are our guests and whatever you want, we'll do all in our small means to provide." The king looked heartened and all around them, lemurs cheered happily, like their salvation had come.

---

Don't ask me about joining Honourable United, I'm lazy. Ask Captain Cathode.

http://www.onthejazz.co.uk/honu/

"If I had a punch, I would so hit that guy." - Millenium (because drinking nail varnish remover is for real men)

Author's note: Sorry it's been a while, I've been trying to get a job so my mind has been at north and south lately.

"This is ridiculous," said Shingi as he settled his suit in a chair, for lack of a proper stand. Esher started to stray near it and he turned and swatted him away.
"There's some food in the main room, why don't you go bother them out there?"
"There am no candy!" Esher did not have to remind Shingi that he didn't eat with other people. The young man jumped onto Shingi's bed and started bouncing up and down industriously. Shingi grimaced and headed out to join the others. As Esher had pointed out with much disappointment, there was no candy or anything remotely processed. Shingi frowned at the small mountains of fruits, nuts and berries.
"Don't tell me, they're vegans."
"Alright, we won't tell you," Immemoria said with a grin, his hood and mask down to reveal a surprisingly masculine face. His largely black skin showed up the white of his teeth starkly when he grinned. He picked up what looked like a mango and with a twist of both hands, pulled it into two halves. One of these, he offered to Gaze.
"They were very worried they didn't supply enough for us to eat, what with us being 'giants' and all," Gaze added. She bit into the mango and had to hurriedly put her hand up to her chin to catch the juices that dribbled down it.
"Where's Chill and J?" Shingi didn't feel hungry enough for the healthiest all-he-could-eat of his life. Immemoria jerked his thumb at the balcony against the open wall behind him.
"Discussing triangulation, or something." He made a contented noise as he ate his mango half. Shingi stalked past the pair of them, a scowl so black on his face that he might as well have been trailing a black thundercloud over his head. Chillblaze and Jakey were indeed out on the balcony, the latter was hopping along the vine branches, using his hands and feet much like the lemurs.
"J's getting in touch with his inner tiger," said Chillblaze, grinning at Shingi when he arrived.
"It's not an inner tiger if you're a cat." Shingi watched as Jakey took a rocketing leap and disappeared down into the foliage.
"If you say so."
"Where's he going, anyway?" Shingi asked, leaning over the crumbling railing to try and catch sight of the armoured cat through the leaves.
"He's hungry."
"There's masses of food in the- … oh." Shingi sometimes forgot that his friend wasn't a human and therefore not an omnivore.
"Yeah. I think Gaze tried to explain it to the space-lemurs, but … man, their huge, adorable eyes …" Chillblaze chuckled awkwardly and rubbed the back of his neck.
"Space-lemurs? You know, I've been thinking about them and their cutesy ways." Shingi folded his arms, looking dark, "Come nightfall, I bet they're going to turn into huge … werelemurs or something. With massive teeth and a thirst for blood that is never satisfied!"
Chillblaze looked at Shingi through his sunglasses.
"Uh … what?"
"It happens in every Science Fiction movie. You can't trust something so adorable at face value, because when you let your guard down, they'll eat your spine out!"
"We could offer them Avenger to eat, they'll go off the idea as soon as they break their teeth on his skin."
"Who's planning to sacrifice me to ravening alien monsters?" Avenger asked as he joined them, holding a stone bowl of grapes and strange spiky fruit with a hard outer shell. Muse could be heard talking to Immemoria and Gaze in the main room behind him.
"Shingi thinks the space-lemurs are werelemurs and are going to ear our faces off." Chillblaze grinned in the face of Avenger's rising eyebrow. The invulnerable man shrugged and ate a grape.
"Well, it's not out of the realms of possibility. Permission to feed me to the savage aliens granted, but on the condition that you do my paperwork for a month."
"Oh what the Hell?! That's not any kind of fair! You're invulnerable! Pens hurt my hand!" Shingi spluttered. Avenger chuckled happily and offered him one of the spiky fruit. A second later, it burst on his forehead when Shingi threw it back out of pique.
"So anyway, I came out here to ask you if you can build a radio or something so we can call home. Muse is worried sick about Cleo," Avenger said it off-hand, but both Chillblaze and Shingi could tell that he was also worried about the baby. Even if there hadn't been a slight nuance to his tone, they'd have suspected anyway. Avenger generally made no secret of how attached to his adopted daughter he was.
"Can do."
Avenger nodded and looked up at the large planet that dominated much of the sky, eying the bands of colour that crossed it diagonally.
"Any luck we're in our own solar system?" he asked, hopefully. Chillblaze shook his head.
"From what I can see of the planet, it's the wrong colour to be Jupiter, doesn't have Saturn's rings and the sun's too big for it to be Neptune or Uranus."
"Thought not," Avenger sighed and looked out over the jungle, "J gone to kill small defenceless things for his lunch?"
"Yeap. Think that'll go down well with the natives?"
"Hey, they called us here, they'll have to just deal with it."
Night came quickly, twilight barely lingering before the sun descended and disappeared. Chillblaze nodded wisely and said that this was because they were on the moon's equator. About an hour after the sun had gone down, the planet set as well, leaving the night sky to open up in a blaze of colour.
"Whoa! Look at that!" Chillblaze pointed up at the sky, Muse standing beside him.
"What am I looking for?"
"See that ribbon of colour? That's an aurora borealis! Here, on an equator! That's awesome!" Chillblaze grinned widely. Jakey scrambled up some of the vines, crouching as he peered upwards.
"Look at all the shooting stars …"
"Must be things hitting the defence shield," Shingi muttered, rubbing the stubble on his cheeks.
"Where's Gaze?" Avenger looked around, fairly sure his sister would like to see the pretty night sky. Muse cleared his throat and slipped his arm around his partner's waist, leaning against him.
"She's probably surrounded by small adorable fluffy things."
"I are fluffy thing." Esher pulled on the end of Jakey's tail, making the cat hiss on reflex at him. With a gleeful squeak, he jumped headlong off the balcony and went streaking through the foliage with the agility of a monkey. Jakey tore off after him.
"Get back here, you bugger!"
"Whee! Kitty not catch Esher!"
Chillblaze chuckled, leaning his elbows on a branch and watching the flurry of motion that was Esher and Jakey.
"Least they're having fun."
"Esher and J could have fun in an empty, square white room. They egg each other on," Shingi growled, taking out a pad and mechanical pencil, looking up at the sky, "Hey Chill, is that Orion?"
"No, that's Hercules. I can't see Orion."
"Still, it's a start."
Muse smiled as the two scientists got down to trying to hash out their location. He rested his head on Avenger's shoulder, stilling the worry for his daughter. She was with Winter's and her 'sister'. If there was a problem, they both knew how to handle themselves and they'd take the baby to the base where she'd be surrounded by some of the finest, if not necessarily sanest, heroes he'd ever met.
"You know … it's really beautiful here," murmured Avenger, watching as Jakey and Esher's turbo-charged race through the canopy drew some of the youngest lemurs to try and match them or even catch them.
"Let's hope it stays that way," Muse sighed, making Avenger look down at him slightly.
"What do you mean?"
"Gaze is worried about cross-infection. She's off working on booster shots for us."
"Where's that Rogue Islander?" Avenger suddenly remembered they had a potential unfriendly with them and looked around, like he expected to be jumped on from the shadows any second.
"He's with her, helping her find the necessaries."
"You both seem to be trusting him very easily …" Avenger tugged Muse away from Shingi and Chillblaze a bit, finding a branch to sit on. Muse nestled against him, arms around his waist loosely.
"You couldn't see it?"
"See what?" Avenger frowned, growing tense again. Was there something he was supposed to see?
"The way they don't touch each other and never quite meet each other's eyes? They're in love." Muse said it like it was the most obvious thing in the world. Avenger opened his mouth, then shut it with a click. He let the words tick over for a few minutes.
"And we're okay with this?" he asked. Muse straddled his lap so he could look him in the eyes, his arms around his neck loosely.
"We are. I'm sure Gaze knows that if she ever needs her brother to rush in and uphold her honour, she'll tell you. Don't even think about holding him up against any walls until she does." Muse poked him between the eyes. Avenger looked slightly put out.
"Not even a little bit?"
"No. You've got a reputation, you might give him a heart-attack or something. Be nice."
Avenger sighed and decided to back down from this one for now. He suspected he was not going to get permission to frighten the life out of his sister's 'boyfriend' from Muse. Jakey and Shingi, however, would probably help hold him down.
"Fine. I'll be nice."
"Good. I trust you to handle this delicately. I'm going to get more of those really good cherry things." Muse kissed Avenger's forehead and got up to go back into the main room. Avenger leaned back in the branches for a moment, sighing and looking up at the stars beyond the leaves. A tendril of the aurora borealis passed over his vision and he closed his eyes. Gaze sure knew how to pick 'em.

---

Don't ask me about joining Honourable United, I'm lazy. Ask Captain Cathode.

http://www.onthejazz.co.uk/honu/

"If I had a punch, I would so hit that guy." - Millenium (because drinking nail varnish remover is for real men)

Author's Note: Freddy Mercury told me that it's a kind of magic. I'm not sure what he meant but Alice Cooper invited me to a house of fire and then Iron Maiden screamed no more lies. I'm pretty sure that sums up my thought processes somehow.

"Okay, we've been to the reactor, this is what we know." Shingi stood up from the floor and went to the wall. He took out a piece of chalk and started to draw large rings around a squiggly ball in the centre. Chillblaze leaned back against one of the branches of the vines that ran through the room, eating grapes. Gaze, with Immemoria by her side as ever, looked attentively at the looping lines.
"It's very pretty, Shingi, but what does it mean?"
"It's a star, alright. The fuzzy butts had it bang on right." Shingi glowered at his diagram. Avenger put up a hand tentatively.
"A star? How'd they get a star in a building? Aren't they supposed to be massive?"
"They are. It's basically some kind of hyper condensed star seed if you will. It would have enormous potential energy, and that's what's powered everything for who knows how long." Chillblaze sat up so he could reach for the mangoes. Muse passed them to him absently, staring at the diagram.
"So what does that mean?"
"It means there's nothing we can do." Shingi sat down grumpily next to Esher, rubbing his beard. Immemoria frowned.
"Nothing at all?"
"Our technology is nowhere near compressing stars to pop them into massive gyroscopes. I think it's just dying, like it's just too old."
"Stars are basically big nuclear explosions, right? Can't we work on that?" Immemoria pressed, looking concerned. Shingi gave him a black look.
"It'd take an explosion of all the warheads on Earth multiplied by a thousand just to make it flicker."
Gaze put her hand on Immemoria's.
"Might your people have a solution?" she asked. Everyone looked at Immemoria speculatively, except Jakey who sat hunched up in the branches of a vine, looking distant.
"You know my people don't get involved in the affairs of others. Besides, I have no way to contact them." Immemoria gave Gaze an apologetic look. She sighed and squeezed his hand. She hadn't meant to remind him that he was, to all intents and purposes, abandoned by his people.
"So we can't fix the generator … should we start looking into alternate forms of energy for the lemurs?" asked Muse. Shingi rubbed his beard again, staring out of the open wall at the lush jungle and ruins.
"I don't know how we're going to make any new form of energy interface with the existing tech."
"The lemurs don't really need all that stuff though. Maybe it's time they stopped depending on their ancestors and started advancing for themselves."
"Their whole culture is based around this stuff, you can't just strip that away, it'd be more damaging than us bringing the common cold here!"
"You vaccinated them against the common cold?"
"And you against lemur pox."
"Is that what that was?"
"Ew, fuzzy butt pox …"
Motion caught Gaze's eye and she looked away from the argument of the others to see Jakey suddenly dart out the open wall, fleeing through the branches. She frowned tightly.
"Please excuse me guys, call of nature."
The others didn't even notice her small comment, Immemoria and Shingi now in heated argument over the merits of religion for species cultivation. She shook her head as Muse tried to break up the increasingly fervent arguing, glad someone was trying to play peacemaker. She slipped out of the heavy wooden door. It seemed the moment to wonder what the Ancestors had treated the wood with that made it last for countless ages. Some of their furniture even survived. She patted the wood as she closed the door. They must have been so advanced. She sighed inwardly at that thought. So advanced that they didn't have a clue how to fix their machines. She felt like a caveman being called out to repair a car.
She started picking her way through the corridor, stepping over thick branches that had grown across it and ducking under others. Occasionally a lemur would scamper past, usually a mother with her young. The inner halls, where it was safer, were usually the domain of the mothers and expecting mothers. It made Gaze smile a little at such alien chivalry. But of course, it only made sense for the lemurs to protect the next generation as much as they could, to ensure their survival. Gaze preferred to think of it as more high-minded than basic instincts.
She cleared her throat when a mother passed her, the tiny infant clinging to her back.
"Excuse me?"
"Eee, hello, hello. My baby is sick. The spike you gave him has made him ill." The mother sat on her haunches. Gaze bit her lower lip, kneeling down so she could look the lemur in her wide eyes.
"Yes, he'll be a little ill, but it will make him much better in the long run. There are bad sickness where we come from, and we don't want you all getting them." She had explained this earlier, but mothers could get fretful over the health of their offspring. The mother.
"I believe. The healer said you used medicine."
Gaze blinked.
"The healer?" She hadn't met any lemur claiming to be the healer. The mother nodded.
"In the chamber of healing. She say 'inoculation'. I believe. Giant female is also healer."
Gaze stored that information away for a bit later. She'd very much like to be introduced to this 'healer'.
"I'm looking for one of my friends, the littlest one, who wears the patterned metal over his skin. Do you know where he is?"
"Always know where that one is. He smell like danger, like the shadows that creep behind silent until they strike too fast to avoid … oh dear, oh dear." The mother started scrubbing at her face in a gesture that Gaze had come to learn meant fear. She felt bad for the lemurs, but Jakey couldn't change what he was any more than they could.
"Where is he?"
"That way. In chamber that is his."
Gaze nodded her thanks to the mother and wished her infant a speedy recovery. She straightened and headed for Jakey's room.
"Jakey, J … are you alright?" Gaze pushed the door to his apartments open, looking anxious. It wasn't like Jakey to suddenly run out of debriefing. What was wrong with him these days? She stopped sharply when she saw him hunched over on his knees in the middle of the floor. His arms were locked around his middle and blood glistened faintly on his lip. The carved runes on the metal of his armour were glinting unnaturally.
"Jakey?!" She ran into the room and crouched by him.
"Get away …" he spat, like he was forcing the words past an obstruction in his throat. Gaze ignored him, putting her hands on his shoulders. She had to know what was wrong with him. She gently opened her extra senses to him. The feelings hit her like a sledgehammer, making her head spin.
Pain.
Grief.
Fury.
She reeled back slightly, like she'd taken a physical blow to the face.
'Get away from me! Get Esher! I need Esher now!' It felt less like his thoughts, more like her own. There was a sound of bending metal, a long, popping groaning sound.
Violence.
Gaze could feel something building in Jakey and almost on reflex, an emotion of her own suddenly exploded out of control.
Fear.
She felt the wall smack against her back before she realised she'd moved. She pressed against it, her hands scrabbling against the stone. This wasn't a fear she'd encountered before, it was primordial, from the deepest part of her brain that slept most of the time. There was a predator close by, a hunter who had claws for striking, teeth for tearing. She could almost smell her own blood now.
"ESHER!" She barely recognised her own voice, it sounded hysterical. Once voiced, she couldn't stop screaming his name. It seemed too long before the door banged open. She saw Avenger running to her and threw herself up, launching herself into her twin's arms. He'd keep her safe. Behind her, there was a sound of metal popping and she snapped her head around.
Jakey's gauntlet was lying in razor-edged pieces on the carpet. His hand was curled in pain. White fur and black stripes stood out starkly as his hand crunched, the fingers thickening and nails spearing into hooked claws. His shoulders were straining in the metal, she could see it starting to give like a seed's covering on time-lapse.
"What the Hell's going on!?" Shingi's voice demanded. Gaze could only watch as Jakey's mouth opened, revealing his sharp, killing tearing teeth. He let out a bellowing roar that belonged to a tiger, not a house cat, only deeper, louder. It shook the stones.
Esher suddenly ran past she and Avenger, skidding down in front of Jakey. He grabbed his head in both his hands and planted his forehead to his. Gaze wanted to scream at him to get away. Jakey was in no way himself. He was an animal designed to kill other animals. She watched in horror as Jakey's hands seized Esher's shoulders, the claws screeching on the metal plates that protected them. He panted, making low growl noises. Esher did not move away from him, just held his head and Gaze could barely hear him whispering something to the cat.
"I … I have no idea!" Avenger's voice sounded distant, even though he was holding his sister against him, his shoulder turned towards the pair on the carpet.
"Gaze, what the hell happened?!" Chillblaze arrived, or had he been behind Avenger the entire way. She felt too disorientated to tell.
"He just … he just … " She couldn't begin to put it into words. Jakey, her friend and comrade through more dangers than she could count, terrified her. She gulped, trying to master the fear. A hand rested on her shoulder.
"It's alright, Gaze, we're all here with you." Muse's voice was comforting. The twisting knot of fear loosened. This was no time to lose her cool.
"What happened?"
"I think Jakey induced panic in her to get her to go away." Muse's voice sounded a little distant. Gaze felt suddenly ashamed and swallowed, her body shaking after the mess of too-strong emotion. She felt like she'd run five miles too fast.
"Kitty am sleepy-tyme now." Esher's voice drew their attention. He was holding Jakey against him where the cat had slumped. His hand was back to normal and he no longer filled the room with his presence. The runes on his armour smoked slightly and there was the ticking sound of heated metal cooling. Gaze stepped out of Avenger's arms, startled to find everyone grouped around her.
"I'm … I'm alright. Esher, what did you do?" Her voice shook more than she wanted to.
"Kitty and Esher know." From the final tone in his voice, Gaze knew that was all he'd ever tell her. That the two of them knew.

---

Don't ask me about joining Honourable United, I'm lazy. Ask Captain Cathode.

http://www.onthejazz.co.uk/honu/

"If I had a punch, I would so hit that guy." - Millenium (because drinking nail varnish remover is for real men)

Immemoria pushed open the door to Jakey's room, the corridors behind him quiet with the sounds of night. Jakey hadn't come around from his fit earlier and Gaze was still sat on the mess of leaves and downy fur that constituted his bed. She had Jakey's head in her lap and was silking some of his fur-like hair between her fingers as she looked out of the rubbled window.
"Still not awake?" Immemoria asked, watching her jump slightly. She looked back at him, her smile weak in the darkness.
"No, he's been out all day. Did anyone think of what to do with the reactor?" she asked. Immemoria closed the door behind him and walked over to her, climbing over two branches.
"Stalemate, right now. Nobody has a clue, unfortunately. I think Esher said something to the effect that maybe we could power it with candy."
"Heh, things must be getting desperate if even he's grasping at straws." Gaze looked down at Jakey. She sighed. Esher was an unconventional genius, but even he'd know that you couldn't power a star on sugar. It seemed hopeless that even his fevered imagination was coming up blank.
"Kate, you've been up for hours. You need some rest. I'll watch over Jakey for you." Immemoria didn't bother hiding his concern. Gaze closed her eyes for a moment.
"If he wakes …?"
"I won't call you. You need sleep. Now go to bed, general's orders."
"I'm a doctor, I can over-rule you."
"Only in matters of health, and your health is just as important as everyone else's. You're no good to anyone dead on your feet. Now go to bed." Immemoria smiled, but his tone was firm. Gaze half chuckled.
"Alright, alright. Fine. But when he wakes up, I will know about it. And I will come see him." She stuck her tongue out at him. He put his hands up in defeat.
"Ay ay ay, you women." He watched her as she walked past him and leave. A wistful expression crossed his face for a moment.
"Keep the thoughts clean, buddy," growled a voice from the bed. Immemoria jumped a bit, startled. He snapped his head around.
"You're awake?"
"For about an hour now."
"Oh." Immemoria climbed over a branch and sat in it where he could see the bed. He rested his arms on his knees. He hadn't expected Jakey to be awake and shamming sleep so well he'd fooled even Gaze. Or had she just been so tired that she hadn't noticed.
"Jakey K, we need to talk," he started. Jakey uncurled and stretched liberally, yawning wide to show his teeth more than was necessary.
"About what? You better be asking permission to court."
"You're not Kate's parents," said Immemoria flatly. He might not be so clued up onto human courting rules but he knew enough to know that one didn't have to ask permission of family members. However, he wouldn't feel right without at least meeting her parents or another senior family member.
"Good for you, hmm? That would make her a cat." Jakey started to lick his arm fastidiously, as if to make a point. Immemoria struggled to mask his annoyance. He hated talking to cats. They could be so … so … difficult.
"I want to talk to you about that 'fit' you had earlier." His tone clipped off, final. Jakey's ears pricked at it and he scowled, lowering his arm.
"Sometimes the magic-"
"That wasn't magic. Least not the variety people use daily. Your runes can't hold it any longer, can they?" Immemoria was bold enough to interrupt him, and it got his attention. Jakey's tail lashed.
"So you know?"
"I was sent here to kill you."
Silence stretched between them. Jakey had been caught off guard, a rare occurrence for him. He blinked.
"They sent you to kill me? Who's 'they'?" He sounded smaller. Immemoria sighed and jumped off his branch, landing on the bed and sitting down in easy mauling distance of the cat.
"'They' is the Fey Realm. They sent me because I'm General Immemoria Cinnamon, the most competent warrior in the army."
Jakey's expression was outright disbelieving as he stared at the fairy. Immemoria gave a small laugh and rubbed his temple.
"Yeah, I know I don't seem like much. One of my brothers convinced Father that I should have a suppressor chip implanted. I wasn't there for the discussion, so I don't know his reasons. But that's neither here nor-"
"You consented to having your powers suppressed when you knew you'd be facing me? Are you devoid of the merest intellectual spark in that thick, cavernous skull of yours!?" Jakey hissed, his tail puffing up. Immemoria blinked. Of all parts of the conversation, that hadn't been the part he'd expected the cat to latch onto.
"Uh … well … keeping our nation secret is-"
"A moot point! Everyone in arcane circles knows it's there. Jeez Louise, you bonehead! Your brother's trying to off you! Are you above him in line to the throne or something?!"
Immemoria was shocked and he opened his mouth before closing it. He pushed his fingers together.
"Uh … a little."
"How little is little?"
"I'm the crown prince," Immemoria reached up to scratch at his long ear. Jakey grabbed his hair with both his hands and let out a long, high groan sound.
"By all that's sacred in the world, why, why why why did you not question the sanity of going after me with your powers suppressed?!"
"Because it was the condition. I had to come. You're a danger to everything and everyone." Immemoria pushed aside Jakey's objections to him being suppressed. It wasn't relevant right now who did what and for what reason. Jakey hissed again, his tail lashing from side to side.
"I have it under contro-"
"Your control is slipping. That much was proved today. Damnit, Jakey, why did it have to be you?" Immemoria looked down at his hands, his voice bitter suddenly. Jakey was surprised again, his ears coming back up.
"What do you mean?" he asked. Immemoria laughed a little, still looking at his hands.
"I gave up everything, even my powers to come here and destroy you. And now I've found you and I … I can't kill you."
"Well, I am rather more than a matc-"
"It'd break Kate's heart." Immemoria said it quietly, like he hadn't even heard Jakey start his put-down. The cat closed his mouth, staring at Immemoria.
"You know what I am. It's your duty to kill me."
"I can't do it. She loves you. I won't hurt her like that. I can't hurt her like that."
"You romantic fool," Jakey hissed, but softly.
"You are the Light Bringer, Jakey K, the conduit by which Chaos enters the world. But you have no balancing force. Your attempts to stem the tide by yourself have bought time, nothing more. That time is running out. I know this. I can smell it on you. But I can't kill you."
"Nobody else knows," said Jakey flatly, "Human mage-craft hasn't reached the stage where they can monitor the deep cosmic balance. A few more decades, maybe, but now, they have no idea. You've been given your task and you have to do it. You can't throw away all life in the Universe for one woman."
"Maybe this one woman is worth it." Immemoria gasped when Jakey suddenly snapped his hand out and grabbed his arm, digging his nails in. He met the hard green eyes, fancying that for just a moment, he could see white fire burning deep in the pupils.
"You can't think like that. I can't kill myself. I tried. I couldn't do it. I've done everything I can to throw myself into danger, hoping that something would get me. I've gone up against the strongest, the fiercest, the most vicious opponents. Nothing's killed me yet. Something, someone always saves me." Jakey said it in a rush, his grip on Immemoria's arm painful in its tightness. The fairy stared at him.
"The runes are failing. I can't strengthen them any more. Even though I've set my minion and her apprentice on the right path concerning cosmic research … it's too late for me. General, you were sent here to do a job. If you love Gaze, you will kill me. She deserves life and to live. Don't you think I love her too?"
"I can't … not me …"
Jakey gave a small yowl and pushed Immemoria away, standing up sharply. The fairy looked at him, nursing his hand but already his intrinsic magic was sparkling through the bruises, wiping them away. The cat's tail lashed from side to side.
"If you won't kill me by choice, then I will force you to. Gaze is a wonderful woman, to be sure, but she is one woman. There is a Universe at stake. If I die, the balance is reset, and she'll live. If you ignore your duty and I survive, everything will fall apart."
"That's cruel."
"That's life, General Cinnamon." With that, Jakey turned and fled out of the window, disappearing into the night-time jungle. Immemoria gazed at the open ruin of the window and hung his head. He pulled his knees up and rested his arms on them then buried his face in them in total silence.

---

Don't ask me about joining Honourable United, I'm lazy. Ask Captain Cathode.

http://www.onthejazz.co.uk/honu/

"If I had a punch, I would so hit that guy." - Millenium (because drinking nail varnish remover is for real men)

Chillblaze rested his arms on the well-preserved metal railing, looking through his shades down the gargantuan drop below. Nearly a mile below, the awesome rings of the generator were roiling, spinning within each other's confines in different directions. At the heart, blinding in its intensity, was the star. Even behind his eyewear, Chill's eyes watered and he looked away. He slid a finger behind the lenses and rubbed the negative spots from his eyes.
"Silly weatherman! No look at sun. Make eyes all [censored]!" Esher said from where he was lying half in what must have been a service hatch. Chill half smiled at the lemurs who were all clustered about on the stone blocks that to his eye served no purpose whatsoever. They were all watching Esher with pricked ears and wide eyes, fascinated by him. Chill sat down with his back to the railing, arms resting on his knees.
"Find anything useful?"
"Machine alive."
"Oh? How can you tell?"
"Ffs, j00 n00b. Has puls0r."
Chill rubbed his neck with his hand and wiped his eyes again.
"That's kind of gross."
"J00 find where we at yet? Music man want to phone home. He are ET." Esher popped his head out of the service hatch and wiped gunk off his goggles. Chill watched as a violently blue centipede slipped out of the hatch and scurried away.
"Yeah, Shingi just threw me out so he could build the transmitter in peace. It wasn't easy though, let me tell you."
"No plz, Esher am needing teh candy. Give candy instead."
Chill laughed, as he hadn't intended to tell the young man anything of the sort. He checked his utility belt and found a packet of sweets.
"Here, I was saving them for if I got bored on a long flight. Eat them slowly, don’t know how long we'll be here after all."
"J00 am not need to tell Esher." The young man nearly grabbed the packet out of Chill's hand and then squirreled it away in a compartment of his large gauntlets. Chill's grin deepened. He was about to say something when a deep, concussive blast made the entire building shake. Chill had to grab the railing as he canted dangerously backwards.
"Whoa!"
Esher had grabbed his leg, seeing the other man start to fall backwards. They looked at each other, shades and goggles not hiding their surprised expressions. The lemurs had vanished, probably startled by the distant explosion.
"Chillblaze, Esher, this is Avenger, get out here now." The radios on their belts spoke simultaneously, putting Avenger's voice into stereo. Chill recovered from his surprise and scrambled up.
"We're on our way." He was relieved to find his voice calm and steady. He chided himself for the fright as he ran behind Esher to the ever-open exit, passing other blocks that served no function. He'd been able to fly for a good while now. Still, he was human, and humans had an instinctual fear of falling. Nothing wrong with a man having instincts. He half-grinned to himself, wondering who his inner monologue was trying to convince.
It took a few minutes to get out of the reactor, the cat-walk was obscenely long just from the sheer size of the place and after that was the corridor out. Rooms long deserted and devoid of any function other than centres of the lemurs' spirituality stood open on either side of them, vines and branches growing through the walls as they did everywhere but the reactor room itself. It may have made things a lot easier for the lemurs to get about, but scrambling over the branches slowed Chill down. He watched Esher pull ahead, the young man's incredible agility making the branches no obstacle.
Finally Chill emerged into the bright sunlight and looked around. Hovering over the building he'd come to think of as 'Space Lemur Control' were Avenger, Gaze, Muse and Shingi. He kicked off the ground and soared up to join them.
"Find out anything new?" Shingi asked, his visor pushed up. Chill shrugged.
"Esher says it's alive."
"What is?" Muse tore his gaze off the horizon and looked around at him.
"The reactor, he says it has a pulse." Chill let his own gaze stray around the horizon until he saw what had caught their attention. A thin column of smoke was rising from behind the hills.
"So maybe it needs a doctor rather than an engineer. Would you and Gaze take a look later?" Chill continued, still looking at the smoke. Gaze nodded.
"Muse should go ahead, I'm still inoculating the lemurs."
"Sure, I'll have a look. Not that I know a damned thing about reactors, but hey, nothing to lose, right?" Muse drifted closer to Avenger. Gaze nodded, then adjusted her hat.
"Right, Muse, you stay here with Immy, Jakey and Esh. Venji, Chill and Shin, you're with me." Gaze had her hand on her radio, making sure her instructions passed to everyone.
"Be careful, Gaze." Immemoria's voice came from the radio. He was down somewhere in the jungle, as were Esher and Jakey, but Gaze could almost picture his expression of concern.
"I will be." Her assurance gave Muse the time to squeeze Avenger's hand before diving down to the foliage. Shingi flicked his visor down with a grunt.
"This better not be some kind of alien invasion."
"Oh damnit, Shingi, now it's going to be one," Chill laughed. Gaze set off for the distant smoke, disappearing in a flash of light and reappearing some distance away. Avenger followed her, keeping close to his sister.
"How do you figure?" asked Shingi, as he and Chill settled down to a more sedate pace than the zappers.
"Murphy's law."
"That *******."
Gaze and Avenger were hovering over the trees when Chill and Shingi finally caught up to them. The four of them stared down at the ripped up trees in silence. A long furrow, maybe half a mile in length, had been torn up through the jungle. Lying in a smoking, steaming pile of fallen trees, was a ship. It was faintly triangular, but with organic curves and lumps on it. If it weren't for the fact it was crashed and half covered with tree trunks, it would be quite a graceful design.
"This is so your fault, Shingi," murmured Chillblaze under his breath.
"Like hell it is."
"Something's opening. I'll check it out." Avenger dived down and dropped to the ground, crouching for a moment. He straightened and adjusted his hat as he picked his way under the trees to the body of the craft. Gaze looked upwards.
"Venji, just be aware that the lemurs said they were under attack. These may be hostile."
"Yeap, sure, no problem."
"But if they need help, we'll assist."
"Yes Gaze."
"But be careful."
"Uh huh."
Chill and Shingi exchanged glances and Chill hoped he wasn't the only one tempted to grin widely at the siblings' exchange. He tipped his head back as he hovered, eyes half closed. There was another rain storm coming, the air pressure was rising and in the distance, thunderheads were gathering. He let his mind wander, considering the probable course and duration of the storm. A loud explosion below suddenly snapped his attention back to the here and now.
"Venji! What's going on?!" demanded Gaze, as surprised as Chill.
"Well … I'm guessing they're hostile. It was the way they fired a bazooka at my chest." Avenger sounded light, like an incendiary to the chest was a mild annoyance and nothing more. To be fair, they'd seen him take far worse and barely notice. Gaze suddenly dived down, shimmering into invisibility as she went. Chill and Shingi followed her. Shingi shut his jets off and his suit whined a bit as it powered up the defences.
"Hold on, Venji, we're coming-"
"Oh [censored]! DON'T COME IN HERE!" A strangled noise cut off his radio and Shingi barrelled into the ship.
"Venji!"
Chillblaze swore and darted after him, still flying. He reached out and grabbed Shingi's shoulder spar to be towed along by the armoured man. There was a 'tshing' sound as Shingi's carbon claws snapped out. The corridor in the ship was dark, and cables were hanging down in the way, probably knocked loose from the crash. One sparked dangerously close to Chill's hair and he flinched away. Ahead they could see three people lying on the floor. The poor light and occasional spark of electricity gleamed on armour plating covering the sprawled people. They were humanoid, slightly shorter than Chill. Shingi jumped over them without a second thought and hurried over to where a more familiar form was sprawled out on the decking. The Midnight Avenger lying on the ground was a rare sight, rare enough that it set both Shingi and Chillblaze instantly on guard.
"Move aside Shingi, you're blocking me," Gaze's voice muttered from Shingi's other shoulder. The scrapper moved aside apologetically, squinting down the dark corridor.
"I don't see anyone else here."
The air started to shimmer around Chillblaze as he cooled it around his body and heated it around his hands.
"What took him down?" he whispered, unable to see Gaze.
"Hang on, I'm finding out." Gaze was silent for a few moments, then they heard a sharp intake of breath down by Avenger. "We have to get out of here, now. He was forcefully drained."
Shingi muttered a black curse and sheathed his claws, stooping to lift Avenger onto his shoulder. It was always a surprise how small and light he was. They'd all seen Avenger brush off things that would kill a normal man, so much so that he always seemed bigger than he really was. Chill scooped up the purple duster from the floor, knowing Avenger would thank nobody for leaving it behind.
Clanking started to sound down the end of the corridor.
"I think it's time to get the hell out of dodge. Take Avenger and go. I'll hold 'em." Shingi suddenly heaved Avenger onto Chill. The blaster hadn't expected it and nearly fell out of the air when he struggled to keep hold of him.
"What? Leave all the fun to you?! No way!" Chill was tempted to dump Avenger back onto Shingi. Gaze made an exasperated sound.
"This isn't a testosterone contest! Get out both of you!"
"But who's going to hold them off?!" Both Shingi and Chill chimed in unison. They were luckily unable to see Gaze's expression.
"Avenger is."
The spark of consciousness shuddered through Avenger's body, surprising Chill into dropping him. The shorter man groaned and picked himself off the floor, taking his duster off Chill without even thinking about it and putting it back on his head.
"What hit me?"
"Some kind of sapping beam. We have incoming." Gaze took a deep breath after speaking and there was a radiant glow that outlined her invisible form for a second. The three men felt stronger and more alert immediately. Shingi unsheathed his claws and Chill ignited his fists. Avenger cracked his knuckles and stood at the fore.
"Um … guys, you're supposed to be leaving."
"Never!" Shingi declared fiercely. Avenger just grinned amiably.
"We'll be fine if we just stick together."
"I'll lay down suppressing fire. Not to mention suppressing ice." Chillblaze grinned winningly and nobody could see Gaze put her hand to her face and drag it down, shaking her head at them.
The clanking ahead grew louder and movement in the darkness betrayed the approach of the ship's crew or security, whichever they were. Shingi switched to night vision mode.
"Twenty inbound. Corridor only three wide. Time for that suppressing whatever, Chill."
"Ask and ye shall receive." Chillblaze threw his hands forward and a burst of super-heated air rocketed into the group, exploding violently against the metal wall. The bits of metal and melted electrics splattered out across the corridor, sizzling and pinging off the armoured attackers. Avenger set his stance and made a beckoning motion in a universal invitation to come get some.
"Let's see if you can knock my stylish hat off."
"Venji, they already did …" Shingi muttered. Avenger blinked.
"Oh … yes, you're right. That wasn't very nice of them." He then ran down the corridor at the wave of approaching crew, bringing his fist up. Shingi kept pace with him, lunging into the fray while their attention was solely on Avenger. Gaze was alarmed at the rate her friends and brother were getting hurt. The enemy's weapons were viciously effective, firing a kind of energy shot. She ducked when Chillblaze was thrown backwards by a violent explosion on the ground, turning immediately to lay her hands on his chest.
"I've got you, don't wor-"
Something hot hit her back and all she felt was the impact of Chill's chest on her own and then darkness.

---

Don't ask me about joining Honourable United, I'm lazy. Ask Captain Cathode.

http://www.onthejazz.co.uk/honu/

"If I had a punch, I would so hit that guy." - Millenium (because drinking nail varnish remover is for real men)

Author's Note: What's funnier than a lemur with a stick? Answer: NOTHING!

"Gaze, Gaze come in!" Muse banged his radio against the tree branch he was standing on and shook it before trying again. Another blast of high-pitched, painful sound emerged from the speaker, making him wince. Jakey and Esher clambered up onto his branch, the foliage above and around them tinted the light green.
"What the hell is that noise?" Jakey put his ears back in distaste, glaring at the radio like it had personally insulted him. A small cough came from behind them and they looked round. Immemoria was sitting amid the wildly orange and yellow flowers, swinging his legs in an almost child-like fashion.
"They're explaining to you that death is all that awaits those who oppose the Sovereignty of the House of Unpronounceable."
"The house of what?!" Muse blinked. Immemoria watched a scarlet hummingbird drink from the flower next to him.
"No translation, I guess it's a name."
"How do you know the language?" Jakey asked, tartly. Immemoria rolled his eyes.
"I'm a fairy." Apparently that said it all, as he jumped off his branch and landed on theirs, "Gaze and the others are in trouble, or the Unpronounceables wouldn't have her radio. That was three Epic heroes and a high ranker. A frontal assault didn't work, so we're going to need to do better to get them out of whatever trouble they're in. Any ideas?"
Jakey's tail snapped back and forth at the authoritive tone Immemoria had taken. Who was this Rogue Islander chump to order him around. Muse, however, looked thoughtful.
"Esher, can you think of a few diversionary tactics we could use?" he asked, turning to the younger man. From what little they could see of his face, Esher was beaming.
"Esher think music man never ask! Esher am make teh best trapz0rs evah! Need teh Kitty though. Him am make they fall into Esher traps!"
Muse nodded.
"Alright, Jakey, you do whatever Esher needs you to do. Immemoria, you're with me. You just yell out when you're ready, Esh." The tone of command from Muse was a little easier to bare. Jakey approved of his best friend finally having the nerve to tell others what to do. He was a natural leader who inspired a lot of confidence in people. Jakey looked at Immemoria while Muse's back was turned and stuck his tongue out. Immemoria just lifted his eyebrow.
"Come on, teh Kitty!" Esher said even as he jumped off the branch into the thick gloom of the jungle floor. Jakey made a muted hiss and followed him in a whisk of movement.
Muse eyed Immemoria a second.
"So how serious is it? Between you and Gaze, I mean?" he asked suddenly. Immemoria blinked. This surely wasn't the time and place for such a conversation. He noticed that Muse was starting to move towards the crash site and he hurried to keep up, jumping easily from branch to branch.
"I'm not sure how humans gauge it. I love her and want to be with her forever. That answer it?" The jungle air was muggy and hot, he was sweating under his heavy jacket. He could smell the more stringent smell of human sweat on Muse, a smell that always seemed vaguely peppery to him. Well, there was no real need to hide his nature here. He shrugged off his leather jacket and left it in a clump of blue flowers. His iridescent wings, crumpled after so long under clothes, flared.
"You intend to marry her?" Muse asked, watching the fairy fan his wings with amusement. There was something comical about how pretty his blue/green wings were compared to his powerful physique. Tiny sparkles of aqua light tumbled off the wings as they fluttered.
"I … haven't asked her to." Immemoria rubbed the back of his neck, his wings fluttering to help him reach a further branch when he jumped. Muse raised his eyebrow.
"But you mean to, don't you?" It was less a question and more a statement. Immemoria felt besieged.
"Yeah. I do. If she'll have me. I know she could have her pick of just about anyone in the world …"
"But how many of them would be fairy generals, I wonder?" Muse grinned, soaring overhead. Immemoria said nothing, focussing on keeping pace with him.
The pair of them finally came to the fringe of trees around the ship and they crouched in the foliage, watching intently. The dark green and grey armoured crew were clearing the fallen branches off the ship, dragging them to a bonfire in the torn up furrow behind it. Muse frowned tightly, noticing that it only took one armoured individual to drag the huge branches. Immemoria faded out of view beside him, maybe just on instinct. Muse unhooked his radio, bringing it to his mouth and pressing the talk button.
"Esher, how are the traps coming?"
"Esher am need more time. Is art."
Muse just nodded, even though the young man couldn't see him. While it was hardly the time for art, if Esher said he needed more time, he needed more time.
"Alright, be aware: the invaders are strong. Not as strong as Avenger, I don't think, but stronger than me definitely. Maybe as strong or stronger than you."
"They am need to catch Esher first!"
Muse could almost see Esher's expression at that, he grinned.
"They're wearing a kind of armour, I imagine it's probably combat worthy, like Shingi's."
"Will be longer now. Esher am needing more potential energy in traps. No talk now, work." The radio pipped as Esher turned it off. Muse hooked it back onto his belt and turned his head to where Immemoria was crouched.
"Alright, time to go closer and see what we can see. Ready?"
Silence stretched out after his words and Muse frowned. Then he stared at the ship. He reached his hand out to where Immemoria had been and waved it about. When his fingers found no fairy, he swore internally and hoped Immemoria knew what he was doing.

The inside of the ship was dark and the armoured invaders were clustered around in the corridors, repairing bits of it. Immemoria sidled past a group of three of them as they fixed a panel back onto the wall, covering up the wires and pipes within the bulkhead. His long ears twitched as a ship-wide announcement was made.
"< Perimeter is established. Initialising planet-side protocols. All soldiers not on duty to report to medical. >"
Immemoria had to flatten himself to the side of a bulkhead as two 'soldiers' marched past him. The corridors were wide enough for three abreast but only at a pinch. It was dark enough that he imagined a human would have problems seeing properly. Being fey and from an underground city, Immemoria found the darkness to be almost comforting. When only the dimmest of lights came on, he wondered if the invaders were very photosensitive, if not nocturnal. Speculating as to their nature stopped him panicking about what sort of trouble Gaze could be in. He had to keep his cool, he'd be no use to anyone if he lost it and went barging around kicking up a fuss. An intersection in the corridor gave him pause. He wondered which path was best to follow. If only the invaders had thoughtfully posted up a map of their ship to help him find whatever they used to contain prisoners.
"< Those strange creatures weren't here last time I touched planet-side. Do you think there's a civilisation here preliminary recon didn't pick up? >"
Immemoria turned his head as the voice came closer. Two soldiers were walking towards him from the way he'd come, mud on their boots and hands.
"< There's only ruins on this rock. They must be here for the technology too. >" said the other. Immemoria fell in behind them when they passed, maybe they'd be helpful.
"< One of them was wearing primitive battle armour. It looked like it was wired up by a madman. >"
"< I know. Fancy only sending one soldier to protect a queen. Crazy! >"
"< Maybe they crashed, like we did. What's the word on them, anyway? >"
"< I haven't heard, but rumour from Unit Eighteen is that the captain is going to let them come with us when we leave. Can't leave a queen here with only one soldier and two drones to protect her. >"
Immemoria frowned as he listened. Keeping in the soldiers' wake meant he didn't have to flatten himself against any walls when they passed others. The inside of the ship was a convoluted system of corridors and intersections at irregular intervals. It was confusing to try and remember his path but he was fairly sure he had it down.
"< Have you ever served on a queen ship before? >"
"< No. Have you? >"
"< A few times. We won't be allowed to be so lax until she's transferred to a more fitting vessel. Queen ships are really big on protocol. The captain's probably panicking over appropriate quarters.>"
"< I don't envy him the task. You ever seen a queen before? >"
"< Once. When I was serving on the Meridian, we were addressed by her. >"
"< Are all queens so beautiful?. >"
"< How should I know? The one we found here, she's the more beautiful, not that I'm speaking ill of our queen. She is very lovely too. >"
Immemoria paused, letting the two soldiers pass ahead, their conversation dwindling in his ears. He flattened himself to the wall of the intersection and listened intently. Distantly, down the even darker corridor, he could hear a voice.
"I expressly demanded a wake-up call at six thirty! I want to speak to management over this shocking treatment!"
The fairy grinned and slipped down the darker corridor. It was empty of soldiers and curled tightly around itself in a spiral. At end of the spiral was an open doorway covered with a pale green glow. On the other side of it, Chillblaze was pacing back and forth. He took a deep breath and turned to the doorway again.
"Haven't any of you heard of the Geneva Convention?!"
"Chill, why would they have? And it's not like they're torturing us or anything."
Relief so intense it was painful flooded through Immemoria when he heard Gaze's voice. He slipped closer to the doorway and peered in, careful not to touch the energy field.
The room on the other side was not luxurious by any stretch of the imagination. There was a straight bunk against the left wall and a table with a single chair against the right. Shingi was lying on the bunk, still unconscious, while Gaze perched on the edge of it, tending to him. Avenger sat on the chair with his feet up on the table, battered hat tipped forward over his eyes.
"Shoehorning the four of us into a tiny little room could be considered torture on some level," said Chillblaze. He didn't sound particularly angry about the situation, so Immemoria took it to mean he was just being contrary for the sake of annoying the invaders.
"Just pipe down and be good until the others get here," said Avenger from under his hat. Chillblaze sighed loudly and sat down against the wall.
"What makes you think they can even get in?"
"Because I turn invisible," said Immemoria. He was pleased to see Chillblaze jump with surprise. Avenger tipped his hat back with a finger under the brim and Gaze looked around at the doorway.
"We've been here for hours! You took your sweet time." Avenger grinned as he spoke, to take the sting of his words away. Immemoria turned his attention to the door frame. He was surprised to see a very blocky attachment to what he assumed was the door activation. It looked like the field had been jury-rigged and was not usual.
"Esher needed extra time to make traps capable of dealing with the soldiers' armour. And I may have gotten a bit lost. It's a regular warren in here. Are you guys all alright?"
"We're fine, just some bangs and scrapes. The soldiers use energy draining weapons," Gaze turned back to Shingi, putting her hand over his black eye and the swelling visibly receded. Immemoria gave a lop-sided smile none of them could see.
"Yeah, you've confused them a bit, but I'll tell you about that later. Jakey and Esher are going to try and draw off most of the soldiers, but they won't be able to get all of them."
"Why do you say that?" asked Avenger curiously.
"Because I get the impression that to leave a 'queen' unguarded would be an unforgivable offence in their eyes." Immemoria pushed some of the wires to the side and peered at how the box was connected to the panel.
"'Queen'? What?" Chillblaze looked confused and Immemoria didn't blame him.
"Gaze. She's female. They think she's a queen. Seems it quite alarmed them to discover she was here with 'one soldier and two drones'. They're very concerned for her well-being." Now that he was saying it, Immemoria couldn't help but grin. It sounded very silly yet somehow appropriate.
"I'm concerned for her well-being too, concerned enough to fight our way out of here." Avenger took his legs off the table and stood up.
"This is not going to dissolve into another testosterone contest. As soon as the signal goes, we get out as fast as we can. What is the signal?" Gaze looked at the doorway, eyes probing as if they could penetrate both the darkness and his invisibility.
"Ship announcement. Radio isn't working in here, I think they're jamming the signal."
"Can you deactivate the field across the door?" Chillblaze asked.
"Looks easy enough. This is just a plug-in module."
A groan from Shingi coming round drew attention away from the doorway and the man sat up, leaning on his hands.
"What hit me?" he asked. Gaze smiled.
"Just about everything."
"Why didn't they take my armour?" Shingi put a hand to his chest, the metal clunking softly on contact. Avenger shrugged.
"Maybe they were afraid you were naked underneath it."
Immemoria's long ears twitched and he looked over his shoulder as the ship-wide alert came.
"< Attack on the starboard flank. Units Seven through Twelve pursue. >"
Immemoria looked back at the room and was surprised to see everyone holding their hands to their ears with expressions of extreme discomfort.
"Ow! I take it back, they're torturing us!"
"Uh … that was just the announcement. That's how they speak," he said. Gaze winced.
"Alright, it's time to go then. Unplug that field!" She stood up as she spoke, stretching her hand out to Chillblaze. He turned invisible, fading away from view. Avenger was next and then Shingi disappeared. Immemoria pulled the module out of its sockets as Gaze focused her skill on herself and faded out.
"Time to get the hell out of here." Immemoria reached out a hand to Chillblaze, who was groping about wildly. He really pitied the poor humans with their terrible night-vision. He seized the flailing hand as Avenger found the other one.
"Why does it always come down to us holding hands in the dark, anyway?" Shingi muttered as Gaze took his wrist. She promptly changed her grip to his exposed ear and tugged.
"Quiet now, class. Let's not cause a disturbance."
Immemoria shook his head and led the four heroes out the way he'd come. They had to flatten themselves to the walls several times as soldiers ran past. Their escape had not gone unnoticed and the soldiers were in a state of panic. Immemoria wondered if there was a terribly severe punishment for losing a 'queen'.
The jungle at dusk was almost too bright after so long in the dark ship. The smoke from the bonfire made the air thick and hard to breathe. Immemoria looked around and nearly swore. Chillblaze was visible. Behind him, just fading into view, was Avenger.
"Stealth time over, RUN!"
The soldiers had seen the two men and were running for them, the heavy boots of their suits splintering the remaining foliage under their feet. Avenger's expression darkened as he turned to face them. His mouth pulled into a thin smile and he braced himself.
"Do as the general says. I'll keep their attention off you."
Shingi, for once, didn't argue, his suit humming as the jet pack unfolded from its cramped housing on his back. He kicked off the ground and shot up, closely followed by Chillblaze and Gaze. Immemoria turned his head.
"They're clear!" He opened his wings and kicked off the ground, leaving a trail of displaced smoke and fine glittering sparks in his wake. Avenger clothes-lined one of the soldiers just to make a point and shot after them before anyone could unsling their sapping energy weapons.
"Damnit, Jakey, GO LEFT!" The radios on their belts suddenly crackled into life when they passed out of the dampening field.
"I AM GOING LEFT!"
"YOUR OTHER LEFT!"
There was the sound of a crash in the distance and birds spilled upwards, shrieking in alarm.
"Are you alright?!"
"Yeah, fine. No rain of logs is gonna hit this cat!"
"Pwnz! It am booka booka tyme! Traps is l33t!"
Gaze grabbed her radio off her belt.
"Muse? What's the situation?"
"Gaze! Glad you could make it. Jakey's leading the invaders through Esher's traps. I'm hovering over some kind of old temple. Watch out, the soldiers are armed to the teeth!"
Gaze squinted, she could just make out a dot in the distance, but it was hard to tell with the aurora starting to flare up in the darkening sky.
"We're coming, hold on!"
Avenger was already teleporting ahead, anxious to get to his lover, not liking the sound of 'armed to the teeth' at all. Gaze looked down.
"Immy, are you still with us?"
"I'm in the canopy, I'm fine."
Gaze nodded. Immemoria had earned an enthusiastic thank you for the rescue. She tried to keep from grinning like an idiot, but she couldn't help but think it was awfully heroic of him to come rescue her like that.
In the sky ahead, there was a flash and a scream over the radio jolted her out of her thoughts.
"MUSE!" Avenger nearly howled, she didn't even need the radio to hear him. She saw her twin brother dive into the foliage with a crash of breaking branches. She hurriedly teleported ahead in three short hops, soaring down through the hole he'd created.
Muse was in Avenger's arms, saved from a potentially lethal plummet to the forest floor. Avenger looked fit to pull up a tree and bludgeon Muse's attackers with it, but had his hands too full to act on that impulse. Gaze was glad of that at least. She couldn't make out a thing on the forest floor, twilight above the canopy meant almost full night under it. She hovered next to her brother as Esher hurtled past her, dropping down from the branches. Below she could hear Jakey's alley-cat yowl. The pair of them had evidently found Muse's attackers. She turned her attention to the unconscious man in Avenger's arms, holding her hands over his chest.
Gaze did not like to probe too far into the memories of Muse's flesh. There were horrific injuries and abuses he'd suffered that Avenger could only guess at. The remembered agonies were like a knife edge to Gaze's extra senses. She wondered if Muse had ever told anyone the extent to which he'd been brutalised in his life. She honestly doubted it. Muse barely acknowledged his young adulthood, let alone talked about it.
Tears ran down her cheeks as she forced his broken ribs to knit back together. Collision with the tree branches. She soothed away the burn on his leg. Impact of the weapon. She dealt with the shock before it could set in. Automatic physical response to the burn.
She felt more in control now that she had dealt with his injuries and hastily pulled her senses away from him. Avenger couldn't see her tears and his worry for his lover kept all his attention there. She reached up and wiped tears away with the back of her hand.
"What the!?"
"What just jumped over my head?!"
An explosion of fire below tore Gaze's attention downwards. She heard Muse come round, murmuring to Avenger and pushing away. His lover, now free of the obligation of holding him up, dived down to help Jakey and the others.
"Lemurs?! I thought they didn't fight?"
Gaze blinked and then dived down. She pulled up just before the ground and nearly looped over herself. Jakey, Esher, Shingi, Chillblaze, Immemoria and Avenger were standing by, looking vastly confused. The last attacker still standing was flailing about awkwardly, pirouetting wildly. Three lemurs were running all over him, the one on his head was bashing his helmet with a stone tied to a stick. One whisked around his arm and flowed onto his back. It must have found some ***** in the armour, as a second later, the soldier dropped like a stone. The three lemurs bounced off him and surveyed the party of heroes.
Gaze stared. The lemurs had chaotic stripes and circles and markings on their fur, the leader had some of the fur on his head pulled out in the suggestion of a Mohawk. He raised his stone on a stick and pointed it at them.
"The Lost Ones greet you, Light Warriors. You are invited to stay the night at our village. Travelling in the dark is not advised with the enemy about. Come!"
Gaze opened her mouth, then closed it again. Muse took over, leaning on Avenger as he still felt decidedly shot despite Gaze's ministrations.
"Yeah, sure, why not?"
The leader nodded and made a chattering sound. Gaze jumped when a medium sized jungle cat padded out of the shadows. She was amazed to see the lemur jump onto its back and tap its side with his feet. She wasn't sure, but she assumed it was a jaguar, if jaguars were in fact bright pink.
"You follow us, Light Warriors. We have much to discuss." The leader nodded to his two hench-lemurs and they disappeared into the dark. Muse started following the leader as he urged his jaguar to pad off. Dumbfounded, Gaze and the others followed into the darkening jungle.

---

Don't ask me about joining Honourable United, I'm lazy. Ask Captain Cathode.

http://www.onthejazz.co.uk/honu/

"If I had a punch, I would so hit that guy." - Millenium (because drinking nail varnish remover is for real men)

Author's Note: I make no apology for the sentimentality. I'm pretty sure later explosions will balance it out.

The lemur warriors lived in the trees, in a village that was really a glorified platform of planks and even more surprisingly, stone blocks. The stone blocks, however they had ended up there, served as platforms for fires.
"I can't help thinking that trees plus fire equals disaster waiting to happen," muttered Chillblaze as he sat down next to Shingi. They had been led to the widest platform and it creaked a little warningly under their feet. Muse took his place next to Avenger, pushing a hand through his hair.
"Given that it rains here every day, I think the fire may be on the losing side," he said. Avenger put his arm around Muse and sighed out, resting his head on his shoulder.
"Okay, so there are fluffy warrior lemurs. I can deal with that. Wake me if anything happens." Avenger closed his eyes as he spoke, leaning on Muse.
"Poor thing, all tired out." Muse sounded amused and rearranged Avenger so he could rest his head on his legs comfortably. The blue-haired man made a sleepy complaint at being moved around so much but settled quickly. Gaze gave Muse a curious look.
"What's gotten him all tired out?" she asked. Muse grinned sheepishly.
"Uh … he hasn't gotten much sleep last few nights. It's the heat." His quick addition made the rest of the group shake their heads and look away. Avenger probably wouldn't notice if you filled his bath with lava instead of hot water.
"You were brave to fight the Ones of Stone. You must truly be the Light Warriors." The lemur with the Mohawk came over to them. Gaze eyed him, noticing that he was rather larger than the more gentle lemurs in the ruins. His tail was boldly ringed in a sharp contrast of black and white.
"Do you mean the invaders who crashed here?" she asked. The leader nodded, his sharp muzzle dipping once in a quick motion.
"My name is Storm. I am the strongest and fastest warrior of our clan. I welcome you to the place that is ours. Tell me, what are your names and how can we aid you?" He sat down on his haunches and laid his stone-stick by his side. Gaze blinked as more lemurs started to assemble about the platform. They were of varied ages and genders. Most had the boldly ringed tail but she noticed a few of the softer, redder kind who lived in the ruins. They looked quite fragile compared to their striped brethren.
Gaze introduced them by name, sometime pausing to explain what they meant to the warrior lemurs, who seemed to put a lot of store by knowing these things. Storm's jaguar padded onto the platform, licking its chops and lay down lazily behind him. Gaze wondered how the lemurs had formed such a bond with the predators that they lived so easily together.
"As for how you can help, I really don't know. We were brought here to fix the reactor," she said, watching Storm. The dark patches around his eyes gave him the look of a perpetual frown.
"The star by which the Chosen put all their faith." Storm sounded irritated, but it was hard to tell.
Jakey's tail flicked back and forth and he sat up from where he'd been lounging as lazily as the odd jaguar dotted about the platform or branches above.
"What do you know of it?" he asked. Storm slapped his hands on the planks, looking around at the other lemurs.
"Find the song-weaver and tell her it is urgent." He turned his head back to the heroes while a few of the other warriors darted off into the darkness not reached by the small fire's light.
"She will come and tell you what we know of the star. While we wait, you must eat. It has been a victory today and we give thanks for our lives."
When Storm mentioned the word 'victory', the other lemurs suddenly perked up and exploded into action. Jakey jumped when they rushed back and forth, bringing food and clay pots of liquids.
"Warrior Jakey, you are like our brothers, we will get you something to eat." Storm slapped the floor again and turned to a small lemur who appeared at his side. He said something quietly and the little one nodded, disappearing again. Esher watched the lemurs in total fascination, shaking Chillblaze who'd started to follow Avenger's example and nod off. He yawned and rubbed his eyes, watching with half interest as the lemurs prepared leaves and fruits.
"We were under the impression that you guys here didn't fight," Shingi said, moving his leg out of the way as some lemurs scuttled past with a basket. Storm snorted.
"That is the way of the Chosen. When they cast out the first of the Lost ones, they pretended we had never existed. Perhaps they truly have forgotten about us, believing that living outside the Ruins is impossible." He brushed off his hands as he spoke. The jaguar behind him nudged at one arm and he reached over to scratch at its cheek with his nimble fingers.
"You seem to be doing very well for yourselves. Why were you thrown out?" Chillblaze asked, putting his arms on his knees. Storm flicked his tail a little.
"The Lost do not believe it is best to live on the achievements of others. The Ancestors were very powerful and very great. All across this world there are testaments to their greatness. We have tried to build, but what we have made barely lasts two seasons."
"So you left to grow?" Muse asked curiously. Storm nodded.
"The Chosen are as children. They have never sought the unknown, nor left the confines of the Ruins. The first of us spoke out against lives spent in indolence and ignorance. Being cast out was hard. Many died. Those that lived became strong, cunning and swift. We learned to fight, to scavenge and to think. The price was worth paying." He spoke with a deep conviction.
Further conversation on the subject was forestalled by several lemurs pronouncing the meal to be done. Gaze edged a bit closer to Immemoria while they were being served, large waxy leaves serving as plates. She could see her brother and Muse from her position. Avenger still had his head on Muse's lap and looked totally comfortable with being fed grapes and other such things. Muse grinned over something he said and leaned down to kiss his forehead. Even surrounded by friends and warrior lemurs, they'd found a kind of private intimacy that nothing could overthrow.
She smiled to herself wistfully. It was difficult not to want that kind of relationship and be faintly envious.
"Kate, try this." A roasted drumstick appeared in her vision. She looked down at it, then at Immemoria.
"That's meat …"
"Yeah. It's really spicy, you should try it."
Gaze wondered if the warrior lemurs ate meat themselves or if they had no problem preparing it for their jaguars. She took the small drumstick and nibbled it. Her eyes widened and watered slightly.
"Wow … when you said 'spicy' …"
"Jakey's eating his fifth bird right this second." Immemoria laughed at her surprise and jerked his thumb at Jakey. Gaze looked over and grinned suddenly. Jakey was surrounded by five lemurs who seemed rather intent on feeding him all the meat he could want to eat. The cat looked very flattered by all the attention.
"He looks like he's having fun. Aren't you going to try a bit?" Gaze offered the drumstick back. Immemoria gave her a funny look.
"Vegetarian."
"Oh … yeah … silly me." Gaze shook her head with a grin. She sometimes forgot Immemoria was a fairy, as before she'd met him, she'd associated 'fairy' with six inch high creatures who wore flowers a lot. Immemoria ate some roasted mango, grinning slightly.
"You okay?" he asked. Gaze nodded.
"So what had you so amused back in the ship? You going to let me in on the joke?" She nudged him with her elbow. Immemoria told her what he'd overheard.
"'Queen'?! Me? That's pretty special," she said. Immemoria nodded, picking up a clay bowl filled with a greenish liquid. One swallow revealed it to be alcoholic in nature and he blinked. It wasn't half bad, if a little rustic.
"You'd be a queen one day if you married me," he said. He'd meant it off-hand. Gaze's hand covered his on the decking.
"I'd marry you even if you were a dustman."
The noise of the lemurs celebrating and the other heroes chatting seemed suddenly very far away and irrelevant. Immemoria swallowed the alcohol, glad he was master enough of his reactions not to choke. He looked at Gaze, blinking slightly.
"You would?"
"I would. If you ask. If you don't … well, I guess we'll never know."
Immemoria promptly forgot all his meal, he put his leaf and vegetables aside and turned slightly, so he could take both her hands. His heart was pounding and for a second, he couldn't get his voice to work. He stared into her eyes, taking courage from her calm expression and the slight, encouraging smile.
"Kate, will you marry me?" His voice felt a little unnatural to him. Gaze's smile widened and he was amazed to see a slight pinkness on her cheeks.
"I thought you'd never ask." She leaned down and kissed his cheek. "Yes. I will marry you."
Immemoria felt a bit faint and giddy. He split into a wide grin, laughing a little sheepishly.
"Wow … uh … " He freed one of his hands from hers to wipe at his eyes with the back of it.
"Immy, are you crying?" Gaze's smile was almost delighted at that development. She pulled him into her arms tightly and laughed a little. Immemoria leaned against her, wrapping his arms tight.
"Shush, I'm allowed to be sentimental sometimes."
"You're a truly terrifying villain, Immemoria Cinnamon."

Shingi scowled at some of the lemurs who'd taken up perches on his discarded helmet and legs. One of them, untroubled by his severe expression, sniffed at his face, round ears pricked. Shingi pushed it away.
"When's this singer supposed to get here?" he demanded of no-one in particular. Chillblaze snored slightly from where he was sprawled out on the decking, clutching a clay bowl still half full of the green liquid. Esher had disappeared off to eat in private, as was his habit, and Jakey was regaling his female admirers with some story of getting his [censored] kicked, probably. Storm put his hands together.
"You are the … 'engineer'?" he asked. Shingi nodded, as they'd given their occupations to the lemurs with their names as part of the introductions.
"She is here, if you are ready to speak with her, she awaits you." Storm indicated a long branch that led off into the darkness. Shingi looked at him and then heaved up to his feet. He walked to the edge of the platform and dropped off, engaging the suit's hover function. Storm followed him, hopping easily along the branch. Shingi used his hands to pull himself along until they came to the flimsy end. Sat amid the leaves and closed flowers was a lemur even smaller than those in the ruins. She was pure, perfect white in colour, showing up even in the dark.
"Song-weaver Petal, this is Engineer Shingi. He would know of the star." Storm seemed uncomfortable and didn't draw very close. Shingi hovered near the branch, as close as he could.
"Uh … hello ma'am."
"Greetings Shingi. Warrior Storm, you may go. Enjoy the celebration of victory." The white lemur had a quiet voice and didn't turn to look at the big warrior. Storm seemed glad of the excuse to leave as he fled back to the firelight without another word.
"Forgive my appearance. I know it may be concerning." Petal swivelled her head to look at him. Shingi shrugged, he didn't want to say but the lemurs all looked the same to him. Except of course that this one was white.
"I don't really judge by appearance."
"That is very noble of you. Tell me, what would you like to know of the star?" The lemur arranged herself into a comfortable crouch on her haunches. Shingi shrugged.
"How can we power it back up?"
"Scientifically speaking? Thermonuclear fusion initiated in the core. Star seeds last close to a million years, but even they need maintenance." The little lemur picked at the bark with her fingers. Shingi opened his mouth, then closed it again.
"You understand thermonuclear fusion?" he asked. Petal's tail flicked back and forth slowly.
"I understand a lot of things. I read the forbidden scriptures while I was training to be a priestess. My superiors don't understand them, you know. They can't. I tried to explain, that they'd gotten it wrong …" she trailed off. Shingi half-smiled.
"I don't suppose you know where I can get my hands on some hydrogen?"
"The machines that would extract it failed long ago." Petal picked at her ear. Shingi made a huff sound out of his nose.
"So … what can we do?"
"There's always magic." The white lemur gave him a level look.
"I don't like to put my faith in magic." Shingi folded his arms. Petal shrugged.
"All the practitioners on this moon together couldn't channel the kind of power that would be needed. Only transcendary life-forms can do that."
"Whats?" Shingi scooted back to where the branch was thick enough to bare his weight and sat on it. Petal walked over on all fours, sitting down again to look at him.
"Maybe that didn't translate. You know 'gods'? Life-forms that often wield incredible power?"
"Oh yeah … yeah I know the term. Where are we gonna get a god at this time of night?" Shingi sighed. Petal rubbed her hands together, looking down into the black drop that led to the forest floor.
"That is why they were confused. The other priestesses. They misunderstood Light 'Warrior'. It more correctly translates to 'Bearer'. The scripture on the cosmological process of Chaos and Order is theoretical only. The Bearers were theorised to be able to channel huge amounts of power. The one of Light is like … an inlet valve for the universe, and the one of Shadow is an outlet. The generator and the destroyer. The exothermic and endothermic. Do you understand?"
Shingi scratched his head.
"So … when the lemurs brought us here, they thought that we could do that?"
"Like I said, they did not truly understand. There may be nothing you can do." Petal reached out hesitantly and put her tiny hand on his arm. "They sought the Light Bearer because he or she could simply pour energy in. It is the Light Bearer's function in the Universe."
"Theoretically."
"Theoretically." Petal nodded. Shingi picked the lemur up and pushed off the branch. She was startled and clung to him suddenly, looking down, alarmed. Shingi rose above the canopy. Instantly the air was lighter, the blaze of colour overhead illuminated the night. It brought out the ghostly white of Petal's fur and startling pinkness of her eyes. Shingi turned in the direction the reactor lay, over the hills.
"So either we find some way to get our hands on some hydrogen, or we pray for some deus ex machina. I'm not really into the latter, but I do know that a really good form of rocket fuel is liquid gas." He gave the lemur a significant look. Petal blinked at him.
"From the invader's ship? Do you think that's wise?"
"No, but I like them apples."
"I beg your pardon?"
"Uh … it's an expression."

---

Don't ask me about joining Honourable United, I'm lazy. Ask Captain Cathode.

http://www.onthejazz.co.uk/honu/

"If I had a punch, I would so hit that guy." - Millenium (because drinking nail varnish remover is for real men)

Very nice. Very nice indeed. Love it!

PS. Pressing 'Enter' for paragraphing would make it hurt the eyes less!

---

Author's Note: Sorry it's been a while, I've had RL issues to deal with that cut into my mojo. This is warming up again, so apologies for the naffness

The 'rustic' alcohol of the lemurs had a really hard kick. Immemoria felt like he'd been run over when he opened his eyes. The only clothes he'd managed to remove last night before passing out was his left sneaker. He looked at where it was lying on its side at the entrance to the 'nest'. He yawned and rubbed at his eyes. Beside him Gaze mumbled something about alpaca sweaters and rolled over, curling her arms around him. He looked at the interlaced branches that formed the curved roof of the shelter. The nest smelt like flowers and such. He wriggled out of Gaze's grasp and crawled out of the nest. In the time it took him to see to his morning necessities, she'd woken and found some breakfast. He blinked a little in surprise to find the water and fruits waiting when he got back.
"Uh …" He'd heard that human males expected the females to provide prepared food when they returned, but his experiences amongst them suggested that this was not to be assumed. Ever.
"You should drink a lot of water after drinking heavily. Good for you." Gaze smiled as she spoke. Immemoria crawled in and sat down, noting that she was half-way through her own breakfast.
"I'm sorry, I should have got this," he said. However humans did it, there were certain fairy customs he'd prefer to adhere to. His thoughts brought to mind the rite of a man before he can marry his chosen woman. His insides squirmed at the thought of allowing the male members of her family hit him with sticks then throw salt on him. Some traditions were best ignored.
"You were very drunk last night," said Gaze, amused. Immemoria nodded, finishing off the fruits. He was so intent on finishing his water that he didn't see her pounce. He yelped slightly as she pushed him down and cuddled him tightly. He laughed when she nibbled on his ear.
"By 'very' do you mean 'too'?" he asked. He slid his hands up into her hair and turned her head so he could kiss her deeply. The way she slid her leg over his waist confirmed that 'very' had meant 'too'.
"I know this could be considered a bad time and place, what with it being a potential warzone and everything …" Gaze kissed him between words, trailing her hands down his face and shoulders.
"Well, who wants to die a virgin?" Immemoria started to help her remove her clothes. Gaze laughed, tweaking the tip of one of his ears.
"It's very sweet of you to think so, but I'm not."
"I wasn't talking about you …" Immemoria was glad his dark skin didn't show a blush. Gaze blinked and sat up, looking down at him.
"You've … never? You're over a hundred! How does that work?" She looked honestly incredulous. Immemoria shrugged a little.
"I was saving myself for the right woman."
Gaze looked at him, holding his eyes for a long moment before leaning down and kissing him again.
"Well, you've found her, so no more saving. It's time to spend."

"Where's Shingi?" Muse asked, half-way through a mango. Avenger was about to say something when they heard an explosion through the forest.
"I'd say he's somewhere south west of here. Just a hunch." Avenger put down his breakfast and watched a hung-over lemur stagger along a branch and vomit over the side. He saw a flicker of red and white through the trees as Chillblaze fell off his branch and floundered in the air like a baby in water for a few minutes.
"I'm gonna go rescue Shingi. Be right back."
Avenger chuckled and stood up.
"I'll come with you. You're in no fit state to fly anywhere by yourself."
"I'm the master flier!" Chillblaze grinned, sagging his arms over a branch for stability. Muse shook his head.
"Sure you are, Chill." He watched the blaster float upwards and raised an eyebrow at his lover, "Either he's still drunk or he's been at the hair of the dog."
"Rock and roll, I guess." Avenger gave Muse a wide grin as he took off the branch. The blond huffed.
"A fine time to clean up my lifestyle."

The three fliers dropped to the canopy floor when they heard the sounds of fighting below. Shingi ducked another armoured soldier and blocked his arm with his claws. He twisted around and drove the sharp points into the soldier's gut. Avenger dropped down into the mob, driving one foot down hard as he went. The ground bucked wildly around him from the impact, throwing all the soldiers clear off their feet.
"Hey Shin, fancy seeing you here!"
"Hey Avenger, about time you dropped in."
Muse dived down and hovered above the pair, holding his hands to his chest as he focussed on producing the right sound to warm tired bones and help Shingi's body recover its wounds.
"So typical we'd find you up to your eyebrows in trouble." Chillblaze threw down a fireball, making the air thunder with the concussion. The air temperature dropped around him and Muse increased his efforts to compensate.
"They started it!" Shingi shouted. Avenger grabbed the stocky man by his waist and spun on the spot, throwing him up into the air.
"Doesn't matter, it's time to go!" He kicked off the ground a moment later and soared up after the retreating trio.
The misty daylight was bright after the gloom below the canopy when Muse and the others broke through the leaves. The four of them drifted, feeling safer.
"You remember what happened yesterday, Shingi?! Why the hell did you think it was okay to go swanning off by yourself?!" Muse, now his friend was out of danger, turned to him furiously. Shingi pushed his visor up and scowled at Muse.
"I was trying to get hold of something that would help us get home while you were all getting drunk with the fuzzy wannabes."
"You could have been killed, you idiot! How would that have helped?!"
Chillblaze started when an albino lemur popped her head out of the compartment on Shingi's back.
"Uh, Shin, you have space lemurs …"
"Can't you hear that?" Petal's tiny voice broke through the argument Muse and Shingi were still having. All four heroes listened intently.
"I don't hear anything-" Shingi began, interrupted by Muse putting his hand over his mouth.
"The soldiers are marching. There's a lot of them. Heading in that direction …" Muse pointed through the mist and Petal nodded.
"They're moving on the star's location. We have to rally the warriors."
"Oh hell." Chillblaze curved around tightly and shot away from them, "I'll get the others, you guys go ahead!"
"[censored]! I haven't even had any coffee yet …" Shingi shot off in the other direction, following Muse, trusting his uncanny hearing implicitly.

---

Don't ask me about joining Honourable United, I'm lazy. Ask Captain Cathode.

http://www.onthejazz.co.uk/honu/

"If I had a punch, I would so hit that guy." - Millenium (because drinking nail varnish remover is for real men)

The rain was coming down heavily by the time the eight heroes met on the domed roof of the main building. The forest around them looked deceptively peaceful, but the silence soon pressed on their senses. Jakey peered over the side of the roof down in the thick murk below.
"The lemurs are taking refuge in the inner sanctum, but the King refuses to let the warriors in," Chill told the others. Jakey ignored the sharp answer Avenger gave, instead slipping down the masonry and flowing over the branches sticking through the wall. He pulled his hat off to expose his pointed ears and crouched low to the branch. He wanted to see how many they'd be facing.
The mist hung so thick below the canopy that it was nearly fog. His clothes were slicked against his body from the rain and he shook his head to shake some off his face. His ears twitched when he heard the awful, abrasive sound that was the invaders language. He crouched on the branch, his tail hooked loosely about it, and peered down.
Six of the soldiers were standing below him, flanked on both sides by other groups of six. One in every six was carrying the backpack and hose contraption that fired the draining shot. Their words were totally incomprehensible to him. He'd dearly like to know what they were discussing down there. His curiosity would have to wait though.
He pushed up and started to climb back up. His foot knocked a leaf as he went. The large, waxy thing had become a small basin for the water. Below, that water splashed over the helmet of a soldier, causing it to look up in confusion.
Jakey had a split second epiphany that he was being watched and he threw himself off the branch. Not a second later, it shattered from an energy bolt passing through it. The cat flipped in midair, landing on the ground with a dull thud on his feet and hands. He looked up at the soldiers, green eyes narrowing as their weapons all moved to him. It felt like time was slowing to a crawl. He heaved in a breath, still on his hands and feet and roared. The sound drove straight through the soldiers psyches, burning through them the primal image of clawed death in the night.
Three of the soldiers dropped their weapons and ran, breaking ranks and fleeing into the forest, trailing the ear-splitting sound of their screams. The other three were frozen to the spot, rooted with total terror. Jakey smiled, showing his sharp teeth and he launched off the ground, spinning and flipping in a wild frenzy of kicks. The adrenaline rushed through him, making him feel alive. The armoured suits were so hard under his feet he felt like he was kicking solid stone.
A shot burned past his ear, scorching his armour with a fizz. Jakey looked around and saw the two units either side of his targets were running to help their comrades. He bared his teeth, folding his body back out of the way of a frantic kick from his victim. He didn't think he could take them all by himself, but it went against the grain to turn and run. Two of the drainers turned their hoses on him and Jakey dropped in the splits, bringing his hands up, blocking the gun swung at his head. He grabbed it and heaved his weight up from the ground, swinging his body up in a devastating double-footed kick to the soldier's faceplate. He went down with a thud and the cat flipped onto his feet. He stood still for a second, giving the drainers their clear shot, then dived to the side, rolling out of the way. The soldiers running for him from the left swung their heavy guns down. Jakey sprang into the air, kicking his legs around to land on the barrel of one gun. He launched off it and slapped his hands onto the head of the soldier, both feet going out either side. He kicked the two soldiers either side of the first and boosted himself up into the air with his hands. He twisted and came down feet first onto the soldier's head.
The soldiers could barely get a shot to land on the cat, he was so fast and so relentless. Those shots they did land seemed only to be a mild inconvenience. He wouldn't stop, he just kept moving and never hesitating.
Jakey hissed to himself as he back-flipped away from the drainers again, landing on another soldier's head and kicking him into the line of fire. He couldn't keep this up indefinitely. He hated it when recon went tail up. It was time to break for it and tell the others what was going on. He jumped up into the branches and roared at them again. All but one of the soldiers froze up in terror, a few scrambling to cower in small balls against tree trunks. The only soldier who did not flinch had a red band over his helmet, running towards them. He saw Jakey and drew his weapon. Jakey's eyes widened, what kind of advanced enemy soldier carried a massive war-hammer. He considered the force that hammer could bring to bare and swore slightly, whisking up into the foliage and out of sight.
He had to get back to Gaze and the others. The soldiers could break through the walls of the ruins with those things, and who knew what other surprises the hammers had in store.
Jakey burst out of the foliage and bounded up the roof. He looked around, ears pricked. The others were nowhere to be seen. The radio on his belt crackled with static and he pulled it off.
"This is Jakey to Gaze … come in Gaze." All he heard was a burst of fizzing. He jammed it back on his belt with a scowl. The soldiers had set up a jamming field. He'd just have to find his friends the old fashioned way. He sniffed at the air, turning his head this way and that. After a moment, he turned and bounded off down into the heart of the ruins. He swung in through a window to find Esher scribbling things manically on a pad.
"Hey, what's up?"
"Teh kitty in big trouble. Teh nice Ladee say you am no booka booka tyme yet!" The young man looked over at him, his goggles speckled with fine drops of water. Jakey pulled a face.
"It was only recon!"
"You am not invite Esher," he pouted. Jakey jumped down next to the young man and hugged him, purring in a way humans often called 'adorable'.
"I'm sorry. You're invited next time. Promise."
"That am better. Nice Ladee am want see you. Esher am make Esher traps nowz." Esher fussed the long fur on Jakey's head, shaking water off it. Jakey nodded and let go, running out the door. He darted over branches and bounded to the place where Gaze's scent was strongest. She was talking to Immemoria when he poked his head in through the door. He was silent at first, as neither were aware of his presence. Immemoria reached up to brush Gaze's cheek with his hand and whisper something his feline hearing picked up a little too well. Jakey withdrew his head and leaned against the wall of the corridor, frowning. Perhaps he shouldn't have encouraged Gaze when she said she'd fallen for a Rogue Islander. Then he laughed at himself. As if Gaze would let herself be talked out of what she knew to be a good thing by his objections. It didn't take an empath to see that Immemoria adored her.
A moment later, Immemoria walked out of the room. He didn't even see the cat, he was that distracted. Jakey reflected that he should have jumped him then, just to remind him who the stronger was. He shook the impulse off and went into the room.
"Hey Gaze, guess what?"
"Where have you been?" Gaze folded her arms and frowned at him. He ignored it, waving his hand airily.
"They travel in units of six, one drainer and five gunners. But I think they're just the perimeter troops. There's another kind, maybe a higher rank, maybe not. Armed with a war hammer."
Gaze sighed and sat down on a branch, looking tired all of a sudden. She leaned her head on her hands.
"What's wrong, Jakey?" she asked quietly. Jakey blinked. He looked around the room.
"Nothing, Gaze." He eyed what was clearly an ancient diagnostic bed and the attached computer was still running. Runes and glyphs scrolled across its screen. He understood them thanks to the teleportation spell, but it was jarring to see that they weren't English.
"Don't you 'nothing, Gaze' me. I've been meaning to talk to you about this for ages, but you keep slipping off to the Shadow Shard by yourself," said Gaze, watching him. Jakey shrugged.
"I like the Shard, even if I do have to wear my flying armour there."
"Seems like a strange place for you to want to be, J. It's filled with the most dangerous creatures I've ever seen, things that can rip your mind apart and break your body."
"You know me and danger. Can't get enough of the stuff." Jakey grinned widely. Gaze got up suddenly and crossed to him. She picked him up and held him tightly against her. Jakey was surprised, but he didn't resist.
"Why won't you tell me what's wrong? What are you trying so hard to hide? Don't you trust me?" she whispered. Jakey closed his eyes and leaned his head against her shoulder, wrapping his arms around.
"You know I trust you, more than life itself. There's nothing I can tell you, Gaze."
"It's not nothing. Something's eating away at you inside and it's tearing me up to see it," she whispered hoarsely. Jakey bit his lower lip. He wanted to tell her everything, but he held the words back.
"Gaze, I love you, okay? Promise me you'll always remember that …" he said. Gaze nodded.
"I will."
"And for what it's worth, I think you chose well when you picked Immemoria. He's a romantic nut, but he's alright." Jakey looked at the opposite wall as he spoke. 'Romantic' wasn't the best way to describe a man willing to let the Universe be shattered to pieces for the happiness of one woman, but it was probably the kindest.
"I take it he has permission to live then?" Gaze teased lightly. Jakey smiled, closing his eyes, dislodging a tear.
"Yeah … he does."
You all do. He squeezed Gaze one more time and let go, "so what's the plan?"
Gaze put him down and nodded to the devices around her.
"This is going to be our triage. The lemurs call this the 'healer'. It's a self-contained diagnostic station, surgery and medicine dispenser. Light years ahead of what we have back home, of course. I've just been getting everyone scanned by it while they're still healthy, so it has a comparison to run later, if we need it."
"That sounds great, I think I'll go now." Jakey darted out of the room before she could catch him.
"Damnit, J! Don't come crying to me if you get your leg broken!" she shouted down the corridor after him. She drew back into the room and went back to clearing it up so she could have an area to work independently of the station.
"Fraidy cat … just one little scan …" she muttered, tipping detritus out of the window.

---

Don't ask me about joining Honourable United, I'm lazy. Ask Captain Cathode.

http://www.onthejazz.co.uk/honu/

"If I had a punch, I would so hit that guy." - Millenium (because drinking nail varnish remover is for real men)

Jakey found Shingi sat with his lemur friend, surrounded by Ancient technology bits. The courtyard they were in was deserted of all other lemurs, but that seemed to please the pair. They compared strange shaped devices with each other and talked quietly. Jakey listened to Shingi's deep rumble and the lemur's tiny chatter for a moment before slinking over.
"Oh, there you are, J. Gaze is [censored] at you for running off," said Shingi when he saw the cat. Jakey sat on a branch and flicked his tail over his lap.
"I've already spoken to her. What are you guys doing?" he asked, peering at the blocks and connections curiously. Shingi nodded to the white lemur.
"Petal thinks we can make a thermonuclear device for the reactor with this stuff. Naturally the space lemurs don't want to know." He picked up an 's' shaped device and passed it to Petal. She took it and fitted it to the growing contraption before her. Jakey frowned, ears pricking.
"Will that work?" he asked. Petal shrugged.
"We hope it will. We need a huge release of energy to power it back up. This is the most powerful thing we can create to do the job." She leaned in to make some connections fit better, her tiny fingers more nimble than Shingi's.
"A huge release of power? Wouldn't that be dangerous? I mean, I'm no expert, but dropping a nuke into a star doesn't sound very bright." Jakey's tail tip twitched as he spoke. Shingi shrugged.
"It's a mile down to the core, but the rings are designed to contain what's essentially one bigass, perpetual nuclear explosion. It'll be okay."
"What's the payload going to be?"
"See that tank?" Shingi jerked his thumb back over his shoulder at the cracked fountain that was filled with rainwater. Standing beside it, vapour coiling down off its sides was a seven foot canister.
"When did you get that?" Jakey demanded. Shingi grinned.
"Teleported it, didn't I? I really didn't want to be shot with that thing in my hands."
"It really was most fascinating to see teleportation demonstrated on a practical level. I'd thought about it but didn't know how to make it real!" Petal suddenly piped up. She grinned up at Shingi, who grinned back. Jakey snorted, getting up.
"Nerds," he muttered, whisking out. They barely noticed he'd gone, falling back to their work and chatting about the principles of teleportation. He sniffed the air and picked up Venji's scent, climbing up through several ceilings along the vine-ways until he found the large domed room that may have been an observatory at one point in the far distant past. Muse was sitting on one of the higher branches and Avenger was in the middle of the room. The warrior lemurs were clustered about on every surface, the odd jaguar dotted here and there.
"Ah, J! You're just in time to help with training!" Avenger motioned him over. Jakey sprang over some rubble and onto Avenger's arm, pushing his head against him fondly.
"I like training," he declared. Avenger chuckled and prised the cat off, putting him on the floor.
"Good, you'll be doing a lot of it today. Alright, warriors, I want you to watch Jakey carefully. His style will be the best for you to replicate, you have comparable size and swiftness. Your enemies are a lot bigger than you and tougher. You're going to need to use all your speed to get adequate momentum to damage them. Okay Jakey, no holds barred. Give me your best shot." Avenger braced his feet and a shining glimmer ran over his skin. Jakey bared his teeth with a feral grin.
"You asked for it." With that, he hurled himself at Avenger.

Chillblaze hovered above the forest canopy, frowning up at the colour-strewn night sky. Below, everyone was working hard to keep their minds off the coming fight while Immemoria tried to negotiate with the invaders. He hoped the fairy would be okay. Rogue Islander or not, he was one of their group now. His eyes drew to the horizon where the gas giant was rising. It sprawled across the horizon, massive and intimidating. The space lemurs called it Kiaria, the 'Watcher'. The light from the planet brought a strange twilight to the jungle. The light was not bright enough to be daylight, but too bright to be night. It felt vaguely unsettling to him.
A flicker of light below him drew Chillblaze's attention and he peered down. Esher was standing on top of the domed roof, flicking a mirror in his hands. Chillblaze nodded and drew his hands together. He closed his eyes and focused tightly on the air between his fingers. It started to shimmer like liquid. He drew his hands apart slowly and let the air around him heat. Below, Esher had disappeared back into the building. Chillblaze swung a hand out and froze the air around it. The air around him was spilling and tumbling around itself. The two extremes of temperature were forcing a weather front to build faster than it would naturally. Sweat slicked Chillblaze's forehead as he kept his concentration. A tropical storm would even the playing field a little, and he was the man to provide.

Storm shook his thick coat, standing next to his pink jaguar. Both were wearing nets of rough twine, strewn with stone beads. He stood on his hind legs and propped himself up with his stone stick.
"Vengeful, the winged one has not returned yet. We should search for his coming," he said, turning his head around. Avenger, who'd given up trying to get Storm to call him 'Avenger', walked over and peered out of the window.
"You're right, but only send your fastest runners."
Storm nodded and tapped his stone on the floor. The lemur warriors who were dotted about turned their heads to look his way, their large eyes gleaming in the ghostly half light.
"Frog, Jump-jump and Swimmer, run quietly in the shadows to find the winged one!"
Three lemurs darted off their perches, swinging out of the window and darting off into the jungle. Avenger crouched beside Storm, frowning outside.
"I hope this quietness means Immemoria was successful," he murmured. Storm sat down on his haunches and rubbed his jaguar's shoulder. The big cat made a low purring sound and closed its eyes.
"If he was not, then many of us will not see the sun rise again," he said, looking at Avenger, who blinked.
"Don't say that kind of thing. You have to believe you'll be okay," he reached over to put his hand on the lemur's tiny, fragile shoulders. The warrior intercepted his hand and gripped his thumb, approximating the clasp the lemur warriors used with each other.
"I believe that I have made my peace with Mrehdeh. She is rushing to our side now, for we are her friends. But by her side comes Veriskavi."
Avenger frowned a little in confusion.
"Mrehdeh? Veriskavi? Are they … your gods?" he asked cautiously. Storm nodded.
"Mrehdeh is the goddess of death, I have made offerings to her every morning of my adult life so that she will recognise me and come swiftly to my side when it is my time. Veriskavi is … he is the god of night." Storm's ears went back and he frowned out of the window. Avenger made himself more comfortable beside the lemur, leaning back on his hands.
"I take it he's not very popular?"
"He is terrible. He protects us, but he carries the stench of blood and death with him. The most fearful guardian of the night. Even though I have taken up the ways of violence myself … I dread his coming. Nothing I or my kin could do would be as terrible as his mildest action." Storm shivered and clutched his stone stick slightly. Avenger noticed the light was dimming. He could hear thunder distantly.
"Yeah … I guess we all dread his coming. We have a word for what I think Veriskavi represents to you."
Storm looked up at him curiously, ears pricked.
"What is this word?"
"War."

---

Don't ask me about joining Honourable United, I'm lazy. Ask Captain Cathode.

http://www.onthejazz.co.uk/honu/

"If I had a punch, I would so hit that guy." - Millenium (because drinking nail varnish remover is for real men)

Gaze paced her triage anxiously, rubbing her hands together and then scrubbing them on her legs. Immemoria had been gone too long. She knew she should have insisted on going with him. She felt the stones beneath her feet shake suddenly and she blinked. For a moment everything was still, then she felt the shake again. An impact on the outer wall. She bit her lower lip, drawing a shuddering breath.
It was beginning. Immemoria had failed.
She fought the impulse to go tearing out of the triage, kick off the ground and rush to find her fiancé. He would be okay. He was a survivor. He would be okay.
A thin wail distracted her from her worries and she looked around at the doorway. A lemur was hobbling in, her arm curled to her chest, holding her tiny infant. Gaze scrambled over and picked both up gently. An injury so swift on the heels of the first assault didn't bode well.

Shingi flinched when he felt the shake in the ground, looking around and away from the device. The branches that ringed the courtyard shook and water splashed off the leaves. He swatted an insect away from his face. Petal crouched on top of the device, her long tail flicked around a coil.
"We don't have much time, Shingi. We must hurry."
"How much longer will it take?" He looked back at her, picking up another piece. Petal's ears went back.
"Five hours. If we have no setbacks and everything works perfectly." She had a stretched tone to her voice. Inwardly, Shingi winced. In his experience with this kind of thing, there were always set-backs.
"Here's hoping." He passed the lemur the piece in his hand.

Esher joined Avenger and Jakey, swinging over to their balcony using a vine. He hopped athletically onto the railing and then jumped off.
"Esher am here, Glowie Man. It am booka booka tyme!" The young man sounded impatient for some action. Jakey stretched fluidly, then shook his arms and legs loose.
"It sure am. You're sure the lemurs are ready?" he asked, looking up at Avenger. Avenger shook his head.
"They'll never be 'ready', but it's not like we have any more time."
"Fair enough." Jakey cracked his knuckles and backflipped, finishing his warm-up. Avenger looked up, the wind had picked up and the sky was so heavy with fat clouds that he couldn't see the tops of the roofs or trees.
"When Chill gets down here, make a note of his location and protect him if the soldiers work out where he is. He'll need to recover from all this weather creation."
"Who knew Chill had it in him to create a tropical storm from scratch?" Jakey chuckled wickedly, his tail flicking from side to side.
"Esher bored! Booka booka tyme!!" Esher darted off to the corridor that rang with the thud of the soldiers assault. Avenger put two fingers in his mouth and whistled sharply. Lemurs popped their heads out of the foliage all around him, their eyes wide with fear but they looked resolute. Muse peered out from where he was waiting with the jaguar cavalry. Avenger made a few hand motions, pointing with his fingers and clenching his fists. Storm raised his stone stick to indicate he had understood and disappeared again.
Jakey slapped his palm to Esher's and gripped his wrist before gently knocking his forehead against the young man's. It was time for them to do what they did best. It was time to fight like wild animals.
Avenger cracked his knuckles and strode a few steps down the corridor and braced his feet. He folded his arms, a shining glitter running over his skin. Just behind and either side of him, Jakey and Esher took their places. Both were slightly crouched, ready to push off and throw themselves into the enemy like lightening.
"Don't worry, Venji, we'll protect you."
"Yes! Glowie man get back to daughter alright! Esher an' Kitty am on teh job!"
The two scrappers snickered and Avenger smiled slightly.
"Thanks guys … it's good to know."
The wall at the end of the corridor burst open with a spray of stone and dust. It billowed down the shaft and over the heroes. Avenger closed his eyes to protect them and unfolded his arms. He moved almost on instinct, hearing the scrape of gravel under his feet as he took a more secure brace. The soldiers advanced in a regimented march, led by two red banded ones who chopped through the branches with their axes.
"Drainer seen, I'm going in!" Jakey hissed suddenly, throwing himself forward. Avenger's skin flared as he tipped his hat back.
"Let's see if you can knock my stylish hat off!" The soldiers may not have understood a word he said, but they understood the tone. Rifles snapped up and there was a whine as the draining hose powered up.
"ESHEEEEEEERR!"
"DEATH FROM ABOVE!!"
Esher and Jakey hurtled out of the thick dust at the soldiers feet first, both aiming for the drainer. There was an awful crack as his helmet shattered under the sheer force of the double assault. Avenger had expected to see an exotic alien, but instead it was just a plain human-like face. Slightly rounder, maybe, with almost cherubic cheeks.
Jakey back-flipped off, landing on another soldier's shoulders, with a twist of his body, he threw him off his feet into the soldier beside him. Both were slammed in the lower back by Esher as the young man flipped off his hands on the floor. The pair fought with no distinct style other than sheer feral ferocity. Avenger smiled slightly. They had already taken out three before the soldiers had even realised they were there. Now it was his turn. He ran forward and slammed his arm into the lead axeman. The man folded around his forearm and flipped twice onto his back, the axe clattering away. The second axeman swerved in the tight confines of the corridor and swung his axe at Avenger's side. It struck his ribs and the blade shattered into three pieces, each hurtling off in different directions. Avenger grabbed him by the shoulder and leg and lifted him. He hurled the soldier back into the frenzied chaos of two martial artists and the soldiers.

Chillblaze landed heavily on the domed roof, totally isolated in his blanket of clouds. The rain would come down in a few minutes maybe. He slumped to his knees, his feet sliding out either side and he let his arms hang either side. He leaned his head back and gasped for breath. The heavy moisture in the air slicked even his rebellious hair down, dribbling rivulets of water down under his armour. With a groan he tried to push himself up. He sort of wished he knew more storm wielders, they made this kind of thing look so easy. He grinned at his own thoughts and gathered his feet under himself, getting up slowly and staggering a little.
What did a storm summoner have on him? Manipulating atmospheric pressure was nothing to sniff at. A clatter behind him made him jump and he spun around. Instinctively, he reached out his hands to let them ignite. No swirls of heat formed, luminescent in their intensity.
"Oh … shiiiiit." He threw himself backwards when a blast of energy fire whooshed out of the murk. It passed over him where his head had been and he rolled to the side.
"Whoa!" Someone tripped over him as he started to stand and hit the roof with a thud. Chillblaze looked around.
"Immemoria?"
"Down!" Immemoria sprang up, becoming visible again and knocked Chillblaze down as another blast of energy fire scored the air above them. Chillblaze scrambled to the edge, slipping and sliding down onto the ledged rim of the roof.
"I take it negotiation failed?"
"Only a lot. They've got a really over-blown superiority complex." The fairy hit the ledge beside him and wobbled a bit. Chillblaze put out a hand to steady him and felt something wet on his hand. He thought nothing of it, everything was warm and wet here. The abrasive language of the invaders could be heard to the left and right. Chillblaze tried to ignite his hands again and shook them when nothing came. Immemoria grabbed his wrist and threw himself off the ledge. His beautiful, gossamer wings fluttered and Chillblaze felt suddenly weightless before they landed on the heavy branch of a tree. He looked back but visibility was next to nonexistent. He scrambled along the branch on his hands and knees as the clouds burst forth the rain they'd threatened. The branch, slick enough already, became a total nightmare.
"Move faster!" Immemoria had to shout over the deluge to make himself heard.
"I can't, I'm exhausted!" Chillblaze shot back. He felt the branch under his hands buck as someone jumped onto it. Immemoria cursed and stood up suddenly, his wings out for balance.
"Keep going, make sure you get to Gaze."
Chillblaze blinked at the fairy's tone and looked around. He saw him pull a knife out of his boot and twist it so the blade was pointed at his own chest. His eyes widened.
"What the [censored] are you doing?!" He tried to scramble around to stop the fairy doing whatever it was he was going to do. A foot slipped off the branch and he grabbed at the bark, digging his in fingernails with a purely primal response.
"Immemoria!"
The fairy drove the blade into his chest, his wings flaring with a burst of sparkles. Chillblaze saw his shoulders shake, then heard a cough. Something wet splattered on the branch that was not water, then the knife clattered down. It struck the branch on its hilt and cartwheeled off down to the jungle floor.
"I am General Immemoria Cinnamon, and you may not pass."
Chillblaze was still dangling from the branch, staring at Immemoria as he snapped his arms out either side. There was an intense flash of light and armour snapped around arms and legs and torso. A shield flashed into being on his right arm and a sword in a scabbard blazed on his back. Immemoria reached back and drew it with a resonating chime. The blade ignited with blue fire.
"Get to Gaze. Tell her that I've deactivated the chip. I only have two hours. Join the others, help them defend the lemurs!" The soldiers must have been as stunned by the transformation as Chillblaze was, as they dithered on the branch, now no longer sure what they were facing. Immemoria looked around impatiently.
"I said GO!" He thrust out his right hand and Chillblaze felt a gust of wind grab him and tear him off the branch.
"Sonovabiiiiiiiiiitch!" Chillblaze plummeted, his landing on another branch cushioned only slightly by another blast of air. He clung to the branch for a second before breathing deeply and pushing himself up, scuttling for the nearest window and diving in through it.
He staggered through the cluttered corridors, scrambling over branches clumsily until he reached the triage.
"Gaze!" he yelled as he half fell in. Gaze looked around from where she was tending to an injured lemur, healing the crushed bones in his hand.
"What is it?" She stared at him, her eyes widening as if his strong emotions were telling her a terrible story.
"It's Immemoria … He's deactivated the chip. Said he had two hours." Chillblaze had to fight to keep his voice even past his panting. Gaze went pale and clenched her fists. She swallowed tightly and walked quickly over to him.
"You're needed on the line." She put her hands on his chest and took a breath. A glow suffused down her arms and sank into him. He felt a jolt of pure adrenaline and a warm fizz in his veins. He nodded and spun, darting off, the air chilling around him as he went. Gaze exposed her watch and set a countdown for two hours before returning to her patient with the crushed paw, wincing as three more lemurs came staggering in, two supporting the third. The fight at the line was heating up.

Jakey yowled when a lucky axe connected with his back, sending him hurtling across the courtyard with a bouncing skid. Muse ran for him, ducking past energy fire and scattered melee battles. He skid down beside the cat on his knees and slapped a bandage on the wound, resonating as he did so. Jakey winced and gathered himself back onto his feet even as Muse tied the bandage around his middle tightly.
"I'm good, no, save your feel-better buzz for someone who really needs it." He slapped the medic's hands away to stop him exerting more energy on him. Muse just nodded, his throat now too hoarse to even speak. A scream from the other side of the courtyard made him push himself up and race over there. Jakey forced himself to turn and run back past Avenger. The tank was holding his personal war with the soldiers, taking on twelve at a go, throwing them about like dolls and cracking the stones with his stamps. Jakey jumped off the ground onto the back of a soldier, kicking him three times in the head before somersaulting wildly up into the branches to race along one and throw himself off at another axe-man. Esher shot past him the other way, piling into a soldier who had a lemur by the neck, breaking his arm with a kick that made the armour splinter.
"ESHEEEEEEEEEEEEER!"
Jakey's ears pricked as he skid on the ground, looking around at Esher in confusion. The young man's voice was never that deep. He was surprised to see Esher breaking off his assault and hurtle for the wall of the courtyard, vaulting up the vines. Realisation hit him and he cupped his hands to his mouth.
"Esher, take this!" He pulled a bottle off his belt and hurled it. Esher held onto the vines with one hand and foot and swung his body around, snagging the bottle out of the air and waving to Jakey before darting off to answer Shingi's call. Jakey ducked when the axe-man he'd been fighting tried to decapitate him. He rolled onto his hands and boosted himself up, spinning up and flipping over, ramming his heel onto the axe-man's head.

Shingi rammed his shoulder into another axe-man's stomach and heaved up. His armour groaned as he lifted the man off his feet and crushed him back against the others. He unsheathed his claws and rammed them into the masonry as his boots skidded on the wet ground.
"HURRY, PETAL!"
The white lemur was darting all over the device, attaching bits and fixing others. She looked horribly skinny with all her fur plastered to her skin, revealing its tender pink colour.
"Just hold them off for a while longer!" she shouted back. Shingi slammed his helmet against the axe-man's with a resounding thud.
"How much longer?!"
"Uh … an hour? Two?"
Shingi turned the air blue with his cursing as his feet scraped back against the floor. The axe-man was heaving against him. The doorway they were trying to get through was barely big enough for Shingi to get through, let alone the soldiers, who were all taller.
"Esher am here! ESHEEEEEEEEER!" Esher landed beside Shingi with a splash. Shingi turned his head, his claws starting to splinter the stone as he was pushed back.
"On the count of three. THREE!" He sheathed his claws and jumped back. The axe-man catapulted forward, right into Esher's rising foot. Shingi jumped forward again, his claws snapping out and screaming against the armour of the next soldier who burst out of the doorway.
Esher spun and laid a devastating kick across the face of the third, punching him for good measure. The soldier brought his rifle up and grabbed Esher's shoulder, pulling him forward as he rammed the muzzle of the weapon into his midriff. At that range, even Esher couldn't avoid the searing energy bolt that ripped through him. The soldier buckled as Shingi opened up the back of his armour with a roar of rage. He spun to slash at the fourth and fifth who were spilling out into the courtyard.
The sixth stayed in the corridor, but he levelled a draining hose at Shingi while he engaged the other two.
"Esher!!" A voice from above made Shingi look up. Muse was hurtling down, aiming for the crumpled form of the young man. He landed heavily, staggering with weariness. Shingi drove his claws through the faceplate of the fourth soldier and kicked him off angrily. Behind him, he heard Esher moan with pain and the clatter of him getting back to his feet.
"Thanks Mu- MUSE, LOOK OUT!" Shingi just saw the burst of draining fire out of the corner of his eye as it shot past him. Muse hit the ground with a thud, spasming from the energy over-load.
"NO HIT TEH MUSIC MAN!" Esher fair screamed as he launched himself at the drainer. Shingi heard a sickening crunch in the corridor but didn't have time to do anything but parry another blow and break the rifle with his claws. The fifth soldier broke off from Shingi and suddenly sprinted away.
"Get back here, coward!"
A moment later, Shingi saw what the soldier was running for and he gave a panicked command to reroute all the suit's power into the leg servos. Petal looked up just in time to see the soldier bearing down on her, holding a cylinder in his hand. She screamed and covered her head instinctively as the soldier raised it. A roar sounded above and Shingi saw a pink blur hurtle for the device, leaping it. He registered Storm rolling down from his jaguar's back to grab Petal as he passed. He pulled the white lemur up behind him as the jaguar lunged up into the safety of the vines.
The soldier slammed his cylinder into the complicated looking device and twisted. The explosion was so violent it killed the soldier instantly. Shingi was thrown back and down, scraping across the courtyard with a shower of sparks.
Shingi picked himself up and stared at the mangled mess that had been their last hope. He pushed aside the bitter, sick feeling of failure and crossed to where Esher was crouched over Muse.
"Is he okay?"
"He am hurt. Need teh nice lady, fast-fast!" Shingi nodded and scooped Muse's slender body up in his arms. He activated the jetpack and kicked off the ground, shooting up and for the triage.
"Tell Avenger that those bastards hurt Muse. Let's see them cope with THAT!" Shingi shouted over his shoulder. Maybe it was a cruel retribution, but right now, he felt they deserved to see a very angry Avenger bearing down on them.

Chillblaze threw out his hands and froze the ground around him, making the soldier running for him slip over and hurtle past into his fellows.
"Nice fight you guys have here, is it private or can anyone join?!" he called. Jakey flipped past him dizzyingly, crouching to roar at a group of soldiers, making them panic and scatter.
"Nice of you to drop in, fly-boy!" He flashed a grin at Chillblaze before jumping and spinning to deliver a nasty kick to a soldier's groin. Esher darted past them both, vaulting over a soldier being battered by five lemurs all armed with stone sticks.
"Glowie man! Teh Music man am hurt! Shingi took him to teh Nice Lady!"
"WHAT?!" Avenger punched a soldier in the face so hard he rocketed backwards. Esher repeated himself and had the good sense to stand back. Avenger turned to the soldiers with a snarl of condensed fury. Jakey ducked a low flying soldier and ran over to another one who was about to smash a lemur against a wall. He swept his legs out from under him and dodged when a shot burned a hole in the rim of his hat.
"What about the device he was working on?!"
"It am broked! Not Esher's fault this tyme!"
Jakey stopped still for a single second. The machine had broken? It felt like the world was falling away. Was this what total clarity felt like? He couldn't hear the sounds of combat any more, he could barely feel the concussive shake of the earth as Avenger body-slammed a soldier into the ground so hard he left an indent in the solid stones. He smiled slightly, a gesture that faded even as it formed.
"Oh. I get it."
He felt like he was going to throw up, or choke on all the words he'd never said and had always meant to. He turned in a whisk of motion and fled up the vines. His heart was pounding in his small chest as he dodged energy shot after energy shot that traced his path. He crested the roof and started running. He pulled off his gauntlets and threw them aside as he ran. He jumped a branch and unclipped his chest plate as he landed. He pulled that off as he went. He shed all the parts of his armour as he fled across the crumbling ruins. Now unbound, the moisture on his skin started to steam and smoulder. His skin was glowing, gleaming with barely contained energy.
'I'm sorry, Kate … just remember that I love you … please …'

Below, the wheels turned, great metal hoops whirling around a blazing energy that burned with the light of a thousand suns. Jakey closed his eyes, perched dangerously on the very edge of the catwalk above the engine. Behind him, the door buckled and burst open, armoured troops fighting through the cramped space. The line had failed then. There was no time left to worry about his attachment to the handful of years that constituted his life. He bared his teeth in one final, savage grin and before the first soldier could reach him, armoured hand outstretched to grab his fluttering cloak, he threw himself forward. There was an electric moment and Jakey believed, just for a fraction of a second, that he would fly. Gravity seized him out of his delusion and he plummeted. The wildly spinning rings blurred as they shot up to meet him. His hat was torn from his head by the wind sheer and he spread out his arms, hands coming into claws and knees drawing up. His instincts prepared his body to land, but his mind knew that there would be no landing.
To think it would all end here, light years away from the planet Earth, that he was destined for a lonely death far away from everything he had fought to protect.

Avenger screamed with rage as he charged into the ranks of soldiers still pouring through the opening. Behind him he heard Chillblaze unleash an explosion.
The ground heaved.
Avenger blinked, he didn't think Chillblaze packed that much oomph. A blast of wind hit his face. He put his arm up to shield his eyes on instinct, then staggered when the ground surged again.
A flash suddenly lit up the world in searing brilliance. He spun around and stared.
The reactor dome was splitting. Fissures were ripping through the stones, knife-edged curtains of light shining out.
"What … the … fu-"
The dome exploded.
A wall of light burned towards him.
He threw his arms up and braced to protect himself.
Intense heat and light so bright his clenched shut eyes were burned by it.
Sadness.
Longing.

Silence.
His arms were shaking after so long held up. Avenger lowered them slowly and blinked his eyes painfully. He could make out Chillblaze and Esher after a moment, both were rubbing their eyes. Around them, lemurs were sitting around and doing the same.
The soldiers!
Avenger turned to face them and blinked. The corridor they'd been flooding down was a smoking tunnel. There wasn't a single one in sight. Avenger frowned and rubbed the back of his neck, then swore and shot skyward, aiming for the triage.
Chillblaze watched him go then looked at Esher. He frowned and looked around, noticing that someone was missing.
"Jakey?"

---

Don't ask me about joining Honourable United, I'm lazy. Ask Captain Cathode.

http://www.onthejazz.co.uk/honu/

"If I had a punch, I would so hit that guy." - Millenium (because drinking nail varnish remover is for real men)

One week later

It was almost appropriate that it was raining when Gaze woke up. She listened to the drumming of the rain on the window, not moving from the warmth of her bed. She didn't want to get up. Not today. She pulled the covers over her head. Dimly, she heard a key in the front door.
"Kate? Kate, are you up?" It was Avenger. She wanted to be alone but she didn't want to tell him to go away. That would give away that she was awake. After a while, the door to her bedroom opened and she heard Avenger cross to the window and open the blinds. The grey light from outside illuminated her warm cave under the duvet.
"Go away, Adam," she mumbled. He sighed.
"Immemoria's going to be discharged in an hour. I said I'd come pick you up."
Gaze poked her head out from under the duvet and peered at her twin brother. He had an unusually ruddy complexion and his eyes looked a little bloodshot.
"Haven't you slept?" she asked hoarsely. Avenger shook his head.
"I couldn't."
Gaze let herself touch his emotions, just for a second. Feeling his raw misery, grief and self-recrimination galvanised her to get to her feet. She pushed her own feelings away and hugged him.
"It's not your fault, Adam."
As if her words were the catalyst, her brother started shaking, hugging her tightly.
"I should have stopped him … I could have and I didn't …" His voice crumbled as the barely contained tears started flowing again. Gaze sniffed deeply, wanting to cry herself, but recognising that Avenger would not be the only person who needed her today.
"You didn't know what he meant to do. It's not your fault."
She held onto him until he gulped his grief back under control and pulled away.
"We have to go …" his voice was shaking but he tried to keep it even. Gaze nodded bleakly. She wanted Immemoria with a sudden painful longing. When she'd found him out in the jungle with a precious ten minutes to spare, he was still wearing his enchanted armour and leaning heavily on his sword. He'd looked every inch a hero out of legend and just for a moment, he looked up and smiled at her. Then the spasm of pain felled him and she nearly lost him.
So close.
If she hadn't been so drained from tending the injured lemurs, she could have done better.
"Kate … are you there?" Avenger took his sister's shoulder and shook it gently. She nodded heavily, reaching up to pat his hand.
"Just … thinking. I'll get changed. Give me five minutes."
When he had left the room, she found some clothes. Her hand hovered over the purple jacket and leggings that constituted her 'hero' outfit. She clenched her hand to a fist and let it drop to her side. There were cat hairs on the jacket.
Gaze turned away from her outfit and pulled open a drawer roughly. She took out a pair of jeans and a shirt. Something she could bear to wear today.
Avenger made no comment over her decision not to wear their trademark purple duster hat and jacket. They left the apartment wordlessly and headed down into the street. Chillblaze was leaning against the wall with his hands in his pockets, waiting for them. He pushed himself off the wall and nodded to them both.
"He's being discharged right? Is it okay if I come with you?" he looked so unusually serious that Gaze nodded without hesitation, noticing he was also in civilian clothes.
"You slept last night?" she asked. As a doctor, she was concerned to notice that Chillblaze had bags under his eyes. He rubbed the back of his neck as he fell in step with the twins.
"I tried but it's going to be a big day today." He let his voice trail off and he looked at a Chris Jenkins billboard with more interest than it was due. Gaze would have preferred not to be reminded about that but she nodded.
The three heroes got the train to Atlas Park hospital, showing their IDs to the receptionist when they asked for Immemoria's room. She smiled to Gaze, having met her in a more professional capacity often, and phoned for the doctor. Avenger led the way up to the relatives room and started making coffee for the three of them. Gaze sat down on the sympathetically comfortable chair and stared at the gently coloured border paper ringing the room.
"How's Cleo?" Chillblaze took off his sunglasses and cleaned them with his sleeve as he addressed Avenger's back.
"Cranky. She missed us a lot. Kicks up a fuss when one of us leaves the room." Avenger passed Chillblaze his coffee and put one on the table near Gaze. Chillblaze grinned a little.
"Hell, if my parents had disappeared for several weeks with no warning, I'd be pretty cranky too. Winter's had an okay minding her though?"
"Yeah, though she did point out that whether we realised we were gone so long or not, we owe her a little compensation at the very least." Avenger forced a little chuckle. Chillblaze's grin widened, latching onto something light.
"You could buy that dog you've been promising yourselves. She likes dogs."
"We went down to the shelter yesterday, now you mention it. There are some puppies in, nearly ready to be adopted."
Gaze let their conversation pass by her head, picking up the coffee and sipping it. She could barely taste it, but it was hot at least.
"Miss Thurlow?"
Gaze looked up at the doorway. An elderly woman was standing there, her hair up in a tight bun and a clipboard clutched in her hand. Her white coat and stethoscope hanging around her neck marked her out as a doctor before the identification on her lapel could. Gaze rose to her feet and crossed to her.
"Is everything okay?" she asked. The doctor nodded.
"He's asking for you. I just have some last readings to take, you won't be in the way." The doctor motioned for her to follow. Gaze nodded to Chillblaze and her brother before following her out. She scrubbed her hands with the alcohol-based disinfectant before pushing her way into the ward. The chemical chilled her skin unnaturally as it dried. The doctor led her into a small private room. The ward smelled of spices and that funny odour she'd always associated with magic.
Immemoria was sat on the edge of his bed, wearing a tee-shirt and cargo pants. His sneakers were still tucked into a little locker at the foot of his bed. His beautiful blue wings were flipped down and phased slightly through the bed. The odd little spark of light drifted down from the place where they met his back. He lifted his head when they entered, his horns glinting in the grey light coming through the window.
"Kate?"
Gaze nearly bit her lower lip and went over to him. She took his hands and squeezed them.
"I'm here. How are you feeling?"
"Been given the poke and the prod. Had to answer some questions from the very stern law-keeper types. I think there was a lawyer at one point too. Are you behind the charges being dropped?" he asked lightly, his brilliant blue eyes looking at a middle distance. Gaze stroked some of his hair from his face.
"We'll talk about that later."
"I'm just going to take a blood sample, Immemoria." The doctor's quiet voice didn't intrude on them much, Immemoria lifted his arm and let the doctor take her sample. Gaze surreptitiously moved a finger back and forth in front of his eyes. She sighed internally when they didn't even flicker.
"Are you testing my vision again, Kate?" Immemoria sounded amused. Gaze sighed audibly and nodded, even though he couldn't see.
"Yeah. Sorry."
"Hey, you're a doctor. It's what you do. I don't mind though. I still have other senses." He reached his hand up to her face and stroked her cheek. With the physical contact, she could feel his anxiety and sense of loss, but more, she could feel his love for her. It warmed her cold hands. She wished he could feel her love in return, to reassure him that she didn't think less of him for being blinded.
"So what's the verdict, Dr. Vaughn?" Immemoria turned his face towards his doctor as she labelled the sample she'd taken.
"You're good to go."
Gaze retrieved his sneakers from the locker and held one as he worked out how to tie his laces without the aid of his eyes. She didn't offer to help, knowing he would not appreciate being babied. She passed him the white cane the hospital had provided when he slipped off the bed. He looped the string around his hand and hooked a hand around her arm. She patted it and nodded to the doctor, walking out.
"So I take it from the visit by the grim law-keepers that I'm cleared to stay here?" Immemoria asked as they walked out of the Magical Isolation Ward. Gaze made an affirmative noise.
"I spoke to a few influential people, pulled some strings. In light of your services in the past and your help with the lemurs, you've been given a full pardon and asylum here."
"Good to know, I'd hate to have to find my way around Cap Au Diable blind," said the fairy lightly. Gaze smiled and rubbed his hand. She had no doubt that had he not been blinded, he would have returned to the Rogue Islands, to keep being 'useful'. It seemed such a heavy price to pay to have him here with her, safe.
"Hey Immemoria!"
Avenger and Chillblaze stood up when they came into the relative's room. The fairy smiled.
"Hi Avenger, Chill. We off then?"
"Yeap."

---

Don't ask me about joining Honourable United, I'm lazy. Ask Captain Cathode.

http://www.onthejazz.co.uk/honu/

"If I had a punch, I would so hit that guy." - Millenium (because drinking nail varnish remover is for real men)

Muse picked up Cleo from the blanket on the floor and shushed her when she complained. He scooped up the brightly coloured rattle and gave it to her so she could stick it in her mouth happily.
"Ellie, have you got everything?" he called into the kitchen. Winter's came out, wearing a black roll-necked jumper and dark jeans.
"I can't believe how little black I own," she muttered. Muse shrugged, wearing a black shirt and red tie.
"To be really honest, I don't think he'd mind if you wore yellow with pink stripes." He pushed Cleo's toys to the side in a vague attempt to clear up. A knock sounded at the door and Winter's hurried to it.
"Sir!" Her surprised voice made Muse look around. For an insane second, he was gripped by the hope that Jakey was at the door, about to complain that they left the moon without him. He was disappointed to see Wilkins come in. The butler was wearing his customary white suit, but he had a black band on his upper arm.
"Are you ready, Matthew?" he asked gently. Muse nodded.
"Who else is riding with us?"
"The Midnight twins will meet us there, they've gone to get Immemoria from hospital. It's you, me and Ellie for now. Oh, and little Cleo of course." Wilkins smiled warmly and offered Cleo his finger, which was gripped enthusiastically. Muse nodded and patted his pocket, checking he had the house keys.
"Everything off that needs to be, Ellie?"
"Yeah, and the doors are locked and the fir bolg deterrent set." Winter's rubbed her hands together. Muse reached out and patted her shoulder. She smiled sadly and nodded.
"Come on, let's go."
The three of them left the house, Winter's locking the front door. They walked across the porch to the stairs and Muse stopped dead at the top of them. Wilkins and Winter's blinked, the latter unconsciously starting to chill the air around herself, preparing to summon the thick ice armour that protected her in combat.
In the front garden stood a dozen Fir bolg and Tuatha De Danaan. The mortal enemies were for once, not fighting. Instead, they were staring at the house and at the three heroes who'd just exited it. The tallest Fir Bolg stepped forward, swaying slightly on his gangly leg stalks.
"We have heard that the Jakey K is dead. Is this true?" he asked. His voice was unearthly and more than a little creepy. Muse straightened slightly, he wasn't on duty and they were held by a blood pact to do no harm to him when he wasn't. Besides, he was holding Cleo and she enjoyed total protection from the blood pact.
"Yes. He is dead. What do you want here?" he asked, managing to keep his voice level. He didn't want to deal with any fighting today, couldn't they all just push off? A murmur ran through both factions and the biggest Tuatha, crowned with a set of antlers, bowed low.
"We will honour his passing. He did much for us here, more than perhaps you know. He was a great being and a powerful warrior. Croatoa will miss his presence."
Muse opened his mouth and closed it again. He watched as the two factions started to melt away into the perpetual mist that blanketed the lakeside town. He heard the Tuatha sound their deep belling roars, the sound was taken up in the distant woods and hills. It was as if the very land was giving voice to its grief.
Wilkins put his hand on Muse's shoulder to draw him back to the moment. Muse glanced at him and nodded. They descended down to the country track where the car waited. Muse paused and looked up, seeing a formation of Cabal soaring overhead. They were singing in a hair-raising wail. A song of lament. Cleo fidgeted in his arms and he looked back down, getting into the car when Winter's held the door open for him. How much had Jakey done for Croatoa, if the Fir Bolg and the Tuatha had stood peacefully together even for five minutes to express their sorrow?

The Honourable United base seemed a bit quieter than usual, even though almost all of the group were present. Gaze could see Raphael over by the bar with Lionheart, drinking from a tall, elegant champagne flute. Baruk was chatting to Shingi and Captain Cathode on the couches. Most people were wearing the supergroup colours of white and black, the only person not adhering to that was Cat's Meow. She was wearing her usual orange and black striped outfit and cat ears. It was an oddly encouraging sight and Gaze smiled. Meow was their youngest serving hero, quite the beloved baby of the group. Her brother and sister were standing close by and even their mother was in attendance.
"I could really do with a drink." Immemoria took his hand off Gaze's arm and started gamely trying to find his way to the bar unaided. By unspoken agreement, Chillblaze stuck close to him. Gaze took a deep, slightly shuddering breath and scrubbed her hands together. Avenger turned away to blow his nose, catching sight of Muse coming in through the teleporter with baby in arms. He walked over to his lover immediately and leaned down slightly to kiss his cheek before fussing Cleo. Gaze looked around as Winter's came up to her.
"Hey … you okay?" asked the tall woman. Gaze smiled a bit, pushing her raging grief away.
"I'll be fine." She smiled for Winter's and hugged her, having to stand on tip-toes to get her arms around her shoulders. Winter's hugged her tightly back and then pulled away to find her close friends. Wilkins joined Gaze a second later. The two empaths said nothing, neither of them needed to. Wilkins just hugged Gaze tightly. She sniffed slightly but held it in. He pulled away, his hands still on her arms and looked at her. She shook her head.
"Later."
He nodded and hugged her again.
"I hear you're engaged now."
"Yes. Immemoria finally worked up the courage to ask me." She accepted the handkerchief he offered and dabbed the moisture away from her eyes.
"Ah, how did Avenger take the news you're to marry a terrible villain from the Rogue Islands?" Wilkins smiled, the lines at the corners of his eyes crinkling deeply. Gaze smiled a little in response.
"He promised to hold Immemoria upside down over the edge of a building if he ever made me cry. I think he approves. Immy showed his quality out there."
"These lemurs, they'll be alright?" Wilkins put Gaze's hand on his arm so he could escort her for a turn about the base. She needed to be seen, so many of the group looked to her for guidance and reassurance, but he didn't want her to have to make the rounds alone.
"There were casualties, their high priestess for one. The warrior leader fell too, his name was Storm. I believe they'll be fine though. The generator …" Her voice faltered. The generator was recharged. Jakey had given his life to see that it was. Wilkins rubbed her fingers when they tightened on his arm.
"Their defence shield is back to full power. They'll be safe. The invaders ship was just gone when we went to find it. Like some mighty hand had just picked it up and thrown it away."
Wilkins nodded. Gaze stopped him in the corridor by the teleportation room. He looked at her curiously. Her face was turned down and slightly away and her grip on his arm was tight again.
"I'm so angry with him," she said quietly. Wilkins just watched her, letting her speak. "He didn't have to … Why'd he do it? We could have worked something out …"
The butler gazed at one of the potted trees in the corner.
"You and I both know there was more to Jakey than he would ever admit. We've both glimpsed what was inside." He looked back down at her and she blew her nose on the handkerchief. She offered it back absent-mindedly and Wilkins rubbed her hand.
"You may keep it, my dear. Consider it gratis."
"Oh … yeah. Thanks." Gaze folded it up and put it into her pocket. Wilkins took a deep breath.
"Are you ready?"
"No, but let's do it anyway."
With that, Wilkins led her into the official meeting room. It had been hastily rearranged, for as the biggest room in the base, it was the only one that could house all the group. A dais had been set up and rows of chairs filled the bulk of the room. People were already finding seats. Gaze was surprised but very glad to see a contingent of Elflings standing on the chairs and a few arguing over who got to sit where. She knew Jakey would be happy to know they'd come. He was very fond of the Elflings and they considered him a fine and normal sized hero. She caught Bris' eye and nodded to her. The elfling nodded back and turned to point to a few of her fellows and direct them to sit down or she'd tell Kevin on them. The response was immediate and the Elflings sat down, good as gold all a sudden.
Gaze let herself be directed to her seat by Wilkins and looked around as Avenger and Muse sat down beside her. Cleo whined for her bottle a bit until Muse gave her a pacifier to suck on. She closed her eyes with bliss and Gaze wished she could be so easily cheered. Avenger put his arm around his sister, maybe getting the very vaguest sense of her emotions. Behind them, the seats filled, not just with heroes but with civilians as well. There were even some prison guards at the back, minding Vanessa DeVore who sat, resplendent in black and her face covered with a veil. Gaze would have preferred her to stay away, but she knew all too well how Jakey felt about the woman.
Immemoria found his seat on Gaze's other side and she took his hand resolutely, lacing her fingers into his tightly.
It was a while before everyone was settled and Wilkins took his place at the podium. He looked around at the assembled and smiled sadly.
"I'd like to start by thanking you all for coming today. This is a duty that a leader hopes he will never have to do, but today I hope you will join me in remembering a fallen comrade."
Gaze felt sick and covered her eyes with her hand. She didn't want to be here. She didn't want to have to be here. She barely heard the words Wilkins said about how he'd met Jakey. She only registered Muse getting up to deliver his eulogy because the anecdotes he shared about living with the cat caused ripples of mirth the length of the room. She knew she had to get up now and say her words. The words she'd spent days putting together. Her legs wouldn't move. She could feel Avenger's hand at her back, trying to motivate her to move. A hand reached past her and took the sheets of paper she didn't realise she'd been gripping.
Gaze looked up, her vision blurry with tears. She could barely make out Delphine take the podium.
"Midnight Gaze has asked me to read something, written in her words."
Relief flooded Gaze and she bent her head again, covering her face with her hands. She could feel Immemoria's arm around her waist and Avenger's around her shoulders.
"'Jakey K was more than just a colleague to me, he was a friend, a protector and a son.'"
Gaze felt herself dissolving, she let out a hiccupping sob. Hearing the words spoken was like the final straw. She listened to her own words being spoken, about how Jakey had always been a bright, impetuous ally, someone who made her laugh and frustrated. She wanted it to end. She knew she'd only written a page's worth, why did it have to take so long?
"'I will miss my dear friend, Jakey, but I will always remember the fun times we had and the laughter we shared. I know he would want it that way.'"
It was hard to remember the fun times with such an aching void of cat. The service was officially over, people were getting up from their seats to drift to the common room of the base where food and drink were being laid out. Avenger let go of Gaze long enough to take Cleo off Muse so he could go to the bathroom. Delphine nodded to him, as though giving him permission to leave.
"Let them see you, Avenger. They need constance," she said quietly. Avenger paused, then nodded and headed out after the others, leaving only Gaze and Immemoria with the elf woman. Delphine sat down beside Gaze and took her hands.
"Immy, I believe Gaze could use a stiff drink."
The fairy gave his fiancée a tight squeeze and slipped off the seat, tapping his way out to the common room.
"Thank you … I couldn't … go up there." Gaze's voice felt unnatural to her, choked up from too much grief. Delphine squeezed her hands.
"I know." She felt intensely calm, as though she was making herself resonate with the emotion just so Gaze could feel it. The empath took a deep breath, the calm gentleness was warming.
"I just can't believe he's gone. He's always bounced back."
"Kate, there are more levels of life than just this material one. Sometimes people are chosen to walk other planes and there is little we can do about it." Delphine looked around when she heard some muted explosions. The fire-manipulators were setting off fireworks, bright showers of light that lit up the corridors. She could imagine Dax Furnice and Black Wildfire competing to make the showiest flashes.
"Could he still be alive?" Gaze looked at Delphine hopefully. The elf squeezed her hands.
"I don't know, but here is something to consider. You know that young Max has created something called a Codex of Soul?" she asked. Gaze nodded, remembering talking to the young tank over his worries about it causing uproar in the religious community. Delphine smiled slightly.
"It proved that the soul lives on. So maybe, not now, maybe not for a hundred years, the precious essence that was Jakey K will be born again."
"But he won't be my Jakey …" Gaze looked down and away again. Delphine took her chin and turned her face gently, forcing her to make eye-contact.
"Your Jakey is with you, Kate. He's in your heart and memories. He's in the walls of this base, in the good deeds he did. He is here, he'll always be here. Your day is not done. You have a last task to perform."
For a moment, Gaze didn't know what she was talking about, then it came back to her. A while ago, Jakey had told her that if anything should happen to him, she was to go to his room and take a box out from under his bed. There would be instructions inside to follow. She frowned slightly.
"How did you know about that?" She and Jakey had been in the Shadow Shard when he'd asked her. There was no way Delphine could have found out about it. The elf woman just smiled and rose to her feet.
"Information has a habit of finding its way to me. I will make your excuses, they will understand. Oh, and take this."
Gaze stared at the slender rope being held out. It was one of Max's. She took it slowly and rose to her feet.
"Where does it go?" she asked.
"Where you need it to." Delphine inclined her head and walked out to the common room. Gaze stared at the rope, wondering where it was configured to take her.

---

Don't ask me about joining Honourable United, I'm lazy. Ask Captain Cathode.

http://www.onthejazz.co.uk/honu/

"If I had a punch, I would so hit that guy." - Millenium (because drinking nail varnish remover is for real men)

The door to Jakey's room was covered with runes invisible to the naked eye. Gaze knew they were there, though. She touched her hand to the door and breathed on it.
"Madam Tail," she said. There was a click as the lock undid itself and she pushed the door open. Jakey's room was not how she imagined it would be. In one corner there was a tree, trained to grow across the walls and hanging from it was a hammock filled with cushions and blanket. Three suits of armour of varying sizes stood on stands against the wall, engraving tools lying scattered about the feet of one. A work table was pushed up close to the door, littered with coins and jars of coloured dust, glass and other things too odd to even guess at the name and function of. The last wall was dominated by bookcases and books lay in stacks all over the floor.
Gaze picked her way over them to the hammock and knelt down. She ran her fingers over the exposed boards and found a loose one. She prised it up with her fingers and took out the black safe-box from its resting place. She sat down cross-legged on the floor and pressed her thumb to the innocuous circle on the lid. There was a shimmer as the runes gleamed visible for a moment, then a click. She opened the lid and stared at the contents. There were several parcels and a piece of paper on the top. She took it out and unfolded it.

"Dear Gaze.
If you are reading this, then I'm dead. Sorry.
The DVD at the bottom of the box is for you.
It has information you're gonna need. It may
seem hurtful to suggest, but I hope you were
nearby when I died.
Watch the DVD.
The parcels go to their respective owners and
all that. Winter's and the kids have access to
my room and tell Cloudy those three books she
wanted are all hers.
Yours, Jakey."

It seemed so little. She put it aside and took out the first parcel. It was addressed to Vanessa DeVore and she sighed, able to feel the shape through it. It was a porcelain mask, too small to be Vanessa's. It must be Jakey's. So much for him not even considering her offer to join the Carnival of Shadows. The second parcel was for Akarist and felt squashy like fabric. Maybe Jakey had sent the mage less embarrassing clothes. She didn't know and put it to the side with the mask. There were some books for Gregor in Galaxy City and a sheaf of papers for the attention of the arcane academic world. Gaze's eyebrows raised as she read the name they were written under. 'Edward T. Hundenhausen' indeed.
She shook her head and took out the last packet, reading the name on it. Her heart sank a little.
'Susie'.
She pocketed the DVD and stood up, pulling the rope out of her other pocket. She knotted it so the red rings touched and flicked it into the air as she'd seen Max do. The effect was instant, the rope clung to the air like it was stuck and through it she could see a path leading up to a yellow door. It was sunny on the other side when she stepped through, the smell of cut grass filled her nose and she pushed a hand through her blue hair. The small street she was standing in was quiet and she had a feeling she'd been here before, but couldn't remember when or how. She straightened her shirt and walked to the yellow door, knocking on it. She glanced back to check the rope was still there. She could still see Jakey's room through a round hole in the air.
The door opening called her attention back to the door. A teenaged girl wearing a school uniform was holding it open, looking at her blankly.
"Hello?"
"Um … hi … are you Susie?" Gaze gripped the brown paper parcel under her arm tightly. The girl nodded.
"Yeah." She sounded hesitant, like she wasn't sure what to make of this strange woman on her doorstep. Gaze pushed her hand through her hair, wishing she'd worn her hat now.
"My name is Midnight Gaze, I was told to give this to you." She held the parcel out. Susie took it slowly and looked back into the house, as if to make out there was someone else home. Gaze knew there wasn't but made no comment. She stood there quietly as Susie opened the parcel carefully, peering into it. A second later, she dropped the parcel, her hand going to her mouth. She dropped down to pick it up even as Gaze did.
"Oh … p-please come in …" The girl sounded slightly choked. Gaze did as she was asked and the yellow door closed behind her. Susie walked quickly into the kitchen and put the kettle on. Gaze drifted after her, wondering what had been in the package.
"Would you like a cup of tea?"
"Yes please." Gaze looked around the kitchen. So this was Jakey's home? The place he dreamed of returning to? It was a perfectly ordinary kitchen. A bill and some photographs were stuck to the fridge door with magnets and there was some washing up on the draining board. The net curtains hung slightly askew and a spider-plant was budding enthusiastically on the windowsill.
"I'm sorry, I didn't recognise you at first. Normally you wear a hat." Susie put a little jug of milk on the table and a pot of sugar. Gaze watched her as she poured water into a teapot and put that on the table too.
"Please, sit down."
Gaze did so.
"You know me?" She was surprised, if this was Jakey's home, then she was in England. She didn't think English newspapers printed stories on American heroes unless it was extra specially important. Susie nodded, getting some cups down from hooks under the cupboard. She put them on the table.
"Oh, I'll be right back." She hurried off out of the room and Gaze could hear her running upstairs. She took the lid off the teapot and stirred it a bit. Her eyes fell on the parcel and she reached curious fingers over to it. She was interrupted by Susie's return. The girl looked a little flushed and was holding a shoebox which she put on the table before sitting down.
"I've been following Jakey's heroing. I knew it was him. It had to be. How many other cats turned human called Jakey are there? I heard he died a week ago." she said it in a rush. Gaze blinked.
"I … you have a point."
Susie looked at the parcel, her face filled with sadness. She was so open about her emotions that Gaze wouldn't have needed empathy to know she was deeply upset.
"I was waiting for him to come home … I wanted to say sorry …" She dragged the parcel over to herself and shook the contents out. A velvet cat collar with a bell on it slid onto the tabletop and a small coin on a chain. Susie picked up the collar and ran her fingers over the blue velvet.
"He always hated wearing this. I'd always find it lying around the place. He tried to bury it in his cat litter three times."
Gaze smiled sadly. That sounded just like him.
"What was he like?" Susie suddenly looked at Gaze, her longing visible in her eyes. Gaze sighed and poured some tea for them both.
"He was a great friend." Suddenly, it didn't seem so painful to talk about him. She looked at Susie and realised that here was someone who really did understand. Who loved Jakey like she had. She smiled shakily, then stronger. She took a breath.
"He was also a great hero and a huge pain in the backside sometimes …"

It was evening by the time Gaze got back to Jakey's room. She untied the rope and let it fall slack. She rubbed her eyes, still raw from crying. There was just one last thing to do now. She took the DVD out of her pocket and uncovered Jakey's television from the pile of books it was stuck in. She found his DVD player and put it in, turning both on. She sat back on the floor, pulling a pillow off the hammock to hold to her chest.
The picture jumped a bit, then she saw Jakey on the screen, sitting back from what was presumably the camera.
"Okay, I guess it's on now. Uh, hi Gaze." He waved to the screen. "I guess I must be dead if you're watching this. First up, you have to know this, I meant to die. I couldn't tell you about it because … well, it was this big old thing. Cosmic balance and fate and all that [censored]. Long story short, I was going to destroy the world just by being. Which didn't suit me. I know I've made you sad, and I'm so sorry, but I want you and the world and everything to live and keep existing. I hope I didn't die too stupidly. If the Circle of Thorns got me, I totally expect you to let Venji kick their [censored]. That's just embarrassing."
On the screen, he rubbed the back of his neck and waved his free hand.
"See, the thing is, I'm like a god. If you wanna call it that. I'm a life and chaos god, the bringer of light and fire and all that. I mention this because it's important. When I die, uh … died, I expect I exploded. There should be a lot of white light and probably heat."
Gaze found herself nodding, even though he couldn't see her.
"Kate … this is very important. You're going to have to keep an eye on everyone who was touched by the light. It will be- … was pure life energy. It could affect mutations, mutate people who aren't mutants and stuff. On the plus side, their health should be through the roof. The excess life-force that isn't absorbed into the body will dissipate out into the world. Expect to have a green thumb for a while. Oh and … uh … well, I guess I should just say it. For about a year after I die, you should be able to conceive. As in have a baby. I've worked on the numbers according to my current level of power build up, and your body will hold the life force for thirteen months, five days and twenty one hours. Maybe a bit longer, if I die a while after I made this.
Keep an especially close eye on any magic origin people who were touched by the light. Their powers could go all kinds of messed up. You may want to give MAGI a heads-up so they're ready to deal with the ramifications."
Jakey stopped and looked at his hands, then tipped his head back. He laughed a little.
"You know, this is the last time I'll ever speak to you, and yet I'm going to meet you for lunch in half an hour. Isn't that funny … don't you think?" He tipped his head back and Gaze was surprised to see tears in his eyes.
"I don't want to die, Kate. I want to live. I want … to be normal. To be able to live and laugh and be with everyone for … years. I always knew I'd die before you … I'm a cat. Can't help it. But I wanted so much longer. It's not fair. It's just … not fair. Look after everyone for me … won't you? Of course you will. It's what you do."
He reached up and wiped his eyes, laughing a little bitterly.
"Did I ever tell you that you've been like a mother to me? Did I ever tell you that you called me back to life once? You don't remember, because my sister made everyone forget. But you held me in your arms and told me to live. … Thank you Kate … Midnight Gaze. For everything. For … well. You know the rest. I love you … mother."
He reached forward and the screen went blank.
Gaze bent her head forward into the pillow and let herself cry.
"I love you too … my son. Goodbye."

Fin

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Don't ask me about joining Honourable United, I'm lazy. Ask Captain Cathode.

http://www.onthejazz.co.uk/honu/

"If I had a punch, I would so hit that guy." - Millenium (because drinking nail varnish remover is for real men)