Hey guys!
The first update of the new year! A few landmarks past too. Just surpassed a word count of 200,000 words and by this time next month, BOSE II will have been running for 6 years (bloody hell! Talk about slow progress
). Anyway, this is the build up the current act of the story working towards some bigger revelation moments later. Hopefully, the pace will pick up a bit from this point onwards but I want to make sure everything is set properly. If anyone spots any plot holes or if something is explained in enough detail, please let me know. Feedback is always welcome!
Thanks guys!
Chapter 35: Knowing The Enemy The movement was swift and marked to deal damage. The little black shadowy creature was airborne, its sharpened fingertips aimed right for Littlefoot's throat. A single flick could end it all in a blink. But the attack was telegraphed perfectly: the threatening stance; the erratic movement; and the red fogging of its eyes. All Littlefoot had to do was shift out of the way to dodge the swipe but he was so gripped by shock and fear that his quivering body refused to budge from the spot he was on. He simply watched as it came flying towards him, getting closer and closer to his jugular that was throbbing intensely. It was only the rustle of the bushes behind him that broke his hypnotised stare.
Something leapt out from Littlefoot's blindside and shot past his face with incredible speed. It was so fast he could feel the rush of the air brush his right cheek. It collided with the creature in mid-air with a bone cracking smack and sent it reeling back the way it came in a mad spin. The counterattack forced Littlefoot to blink a few times before he could focus on what had just saved him as his rescuer landed on the grass just beside him.
"Black Ghost?" Littlefoot babbled in awe.
"Now that's just plain rude! Don't insult me like that!" a young voice replied smugly amongst sharp exhales.
Littlefoot's eyes widened, "Kairyn?!"
Kairyn was standing slightly breathless. Without a fraction of a thought, he had burst out from behind Littlefoot, from the undergrowth, and caught the incoming creature with a flying kick at the peak of its flight. The flat of his trainers landed square in the creature's exposed torso and it catapulted backwards to land in a messy heap a few metres away.
"You alright?" Kairyn then said turning to Littlefoot. Although startled, he nodded. "I woke up and saw you weren't in your bed. Then I heard movement in the plants so I followed you." Kairyn then turned back to the creature as it started to right itself.
"Just what the hell is that thing?"
"I don't know. I heard something moving around in the bushes close to home so I followed the sound," Littlefoot explained. "I found it just standing here in the field."
"Where'd come from?" Kairyn quickly followed up.
"I don't know! It was just here!" Littlefoot piped exasperatedly. He flinched when he saw the shadowy monster spin on its heels and turn to face them again. Kairyn and Littlefoot gritted their teeth as it looked like it was going to attempt another attack. The monster ducked and flicked out its claws again. It came in low this time and went for their chests.
"Littlefoot! Look out!" Kairyn yelled as he hopped to the right. Littlefoot mirrored him and took a wide jump to the left as the little shadowy creature came up between them with its striking hand outstretched as if it were trying to snatch at their hearts. Littlefoot snapped a glance over at Kairyn when he suddenly heard him shout aloud. To his surprise, Kairyn was rushing at the creature. His left arm came swinging around at high speed, a thick branch clasped in his hand. The blow caught the creature in its mid-riff and forced it back a good few feet.
The creature dug its feet into the ground and tore up the grass as it slid. It then leapt backwards as Kairyn came charging in with an overhead swing with his makeshift weapon. With a quick follow up, Kairyn thrust the blunt end of the stick at the creature's formless face but it ducked the attack and leapt up underneath his arm. Kairyn flinched as he soon found the monster three inches from his face. The next thing he knew he was on his backside as it pounced on him and toppled him over with a powerful, two-footed dropkick to his stomach. Kairyn cringed as his gut ached from the blow. Trying his best to ignore the pain, Kairyn had just about gotten to his feet again when the creature came for him. It leapt up high, its claws poised to slice down on him vertically. Without a moment to think, Kairyn instinctively raised his wooden stick and held it up to meet the claw swipe at a perpendicular angle. The force of the strike was immense. It cleaved through the branch and it erupted into splinters in his hand.
"Crap!" Kairyn squealed as he was disarmed. Still reeling, Kairyn stumbled back a step as the monster then made a lunge for him.
At that moment, a long appendage swept in and bashed the creature square in the face, knocking it away like a bat hitting a ball. Grateful to have his personal space clear again, Kairyn looked over at Littlefoot as he completed his spin, his tail offering an intimidating 'whoosh' as it cut through the air.
"Kairyn! Are you okay?" he asked fretfully.
"Yeah! Thanks for the rescue!" Kairyn said breathless but smiling. They both looked on as the shadowy figure rolled up to standing again and looked ready for another go.
"Uhh! What's it gonna take to beat this thing? It just keeps coming!" Kairyn grumbled.
"It doesn't even look hurt," Littlefoot exclaimed as the little shadow fidgeted and eyed them curiously.
"Must be a glutton for punishment," Kairyn scowled. "Heads up! Here it comes again!"
The creature came barrelling in again and showed no signs of slowing. Littlefoot and Kairyn did their best to dodge the slashing of its vicious claws but they knew they could not last forever. Littlefoot brought down his tail to try and crush the monster beneath it but it nimbly dodged to one side. Kairyn swung a punch at it but because of its squat stance and tiny frame, it slipped under him with ease.
"Grrgghh! Hold still you little git!" Kairyn growled. He cursed as it slid under another wild swing he made for its face. The little creature jumped up from beneath his swing and headbutted Kairyn under his chin. He sprawled backwards, limbs flailing, blinded by the surprise attack. By the time he had righted his gaze back down to the slippery little shadow, Kairyn could see its claws flicker in the moonlight. At that range, his guard broken and body exposed, he was as good as dead. His opponent could pretty much choose which vital organ it was going to puncture first. That's when Littlefoot careered in, his head ducked low and neck extended out straight. He shunted the monster in the side like a battering ram and it tumbled away again.
Kairyn thanked Littlefoot and spat a thin trickled of blood from his split lip into the grass. He was worn out and Littlefoot looked pretty ragged too. The little shadow, however, appeared to dance on its toes. It didn't appear to be fatigued at all. Stamina drained, the pair of them cringed as the creature came in for yet another attack but it stopped as a high pitched ring sung over from above them. A large, crescent-shaped cut carved into the grass and cleaved a dirty line between the advancing shadow and the exhausted boys halting the creature in its track. Littlefoot and Kairyn blinked in astonishment as another shadow dropped in from above them and landed ahead of them. This one, however, stood much taller and was draped in a flowing cloth; a hood over its head. In its right hand, held out quite deliberately to its side, was a long blade that shimmered like quicksilver in the milky light of the moon. The creature seemed reluctant to advance with this new opponent in its way and quickly turned on its heels and scampered away into the night.
Kairyn gasped and made to give chase but the cloaked figure held his arm out and blocked him off.
"Aren't you gonna go after it? We can't just let that thing run off and hide deeper into the Valley!" Kairyn protested.
"I don't think that one will last much longer," the figure said flicking his sword into a spin before sheathing it beneath his cloak.
"And how do you know that Mr Ghost?" Littlefoot asked stepped up behind him.
"Let's just call it hunch," the Black Ghost said solemnly as he turned to face them. "Are you both all right? No serious injuries?" Littlefoot shook his head while Kairyn muttered something roughly audible about being fine whilst trying not to be caught examining his split lip.
"What was that thing?" Littlefoot asked. The dissipating adrenaline surge was still making him feel jittery.
"Shadow Spawn – specifically, a Darkling. A living shadow; animate but not truly alive," the Black Ghost said after a few seconds' pause. Clearly he had been milling over the decision whether to tell them or not.
"And what the hell's that supposed to mean?" Kairyn scoffed.
"As I said. It exists as a form but it has no life as we would define it. It is a product created when dark matter comes into contact with living material," the Black Ghost explained.
"Dark matter? Living material? So what, like gene splicing or something?" Kairyn frowned. Littlefoot, by this point, was totally lost but he listened in all the same.
"Nothing so mechanical as splicing. It's a basic genetic replication process, like how DNA works to build a living creature. Only difference is that dark matter cannot perform this life giving process on its own. If dark matter is combined with a DNA sample, as the DNA replicates, it grants the dark matter a simple form. Replication can be complete in minutes to create a shell to manipulate but, on their own, they don't last long. Their form is unstable since only a few sequences in the genetic coding are used. The DNA breaks up after a time and the creature disintegrates with it."
"So, what's the point of their existence then?" Kairyn asked trying to deliberately sound uninterested.
"What's the point of any being's existence? Its goal, however, is exactly the same as every other living thing in this world. Survival."
"But if they die pretty much the moment they are created, how can they hope to survive?" Kairyn then asked. The Black Ghost offered two dark words.
"Parasitic possession." Kairyn looked at Littlefoot who shook his head after a blank gaze in return.
"Meaning?" Littlefoot started but the explanation was already in flow.
"The dark matter, if it is able to infest an already living being, grows within it and eventually consumes it. The conquest is violent and brutal and once it has control, the victim loses all sense of consciousness as its body is overrun. The victim then undergoes a radical and grisly transformation," the Black Ghost said coldly. Kairyn and Littlefoot's mouth dropped open like hanging drawers and glanced at each other with wide fearful eyes.
"Think how a parasite infects a host; once inside it uses the host to its own advantage. The process is not dissimilar but the result is something far more terrifying. A fully formed, living creature that comes into direct contact with dark matter will eventually be consumed by it. It is a possession that, once complete, robs the host of its life and a Shadow Spawn takes its place. The Darkling you two fought obviously did not consume a fully formed creature but managed to obtain DNA somehow."
"So these things have two forms," Kairyn reiterated. "A shell if they cannot find a decent amount of DNA, or a fully developed monster if it possesses something that is already alive."
A chilling thought then crept into Kairyn and Littlefoot's minds. They looked over at each other again, their jaws still agape.
"Jeez! If that thing had gotten to one of us…" Kairyn started.
"…then it would have taken over our body and we would have become one of those things!" Littlefoot breathed in horror. An icy shiver raked their spines as the Black Ghost turned back to where the shadowy creature had retreated to.
"How the hell do you know all this? DNA replication, parasitic possession. You some sort of mad scientist or something?" Kairyn said to his back.
"No, I'm no scientist," the Black Ghost said plainly, "but I did know a good man who studied dark matter. A very good man."
"Where do you think it came from?" Littlefoot then asked.
"I don't know. I can't see how dark matter could have made it into this realm by any conventional means. I have my suspicions but I'd need to locate a source to be sure and see how it's managed to come into contact with DNA," the Black Ghost said more to himself than to either of the boys. He made a move to disappear into the night when Kairyn called out to him.
"Hey, wait a minute! You keep going on about this 'dark matter' stuff and how dangerous it is but what the hell is it exactly? What's it look like? How can we avoid it if we don't even know what it is? What do we do if another one of those things show up?"
"You should know Kairyn since you have already encountered a Shadow Spawn… back in Second London."
Kairyn looked taken aback and was about to dismiss the statement when his mind's eye flashed back to the incident that occurred when he and Melissa were on their way to the Keltech Headquarters.
"The hovercar crash in the alleyway! That guy that crawled out of the wreckage… he was a Shadow Spawn?! It was already in London!" he gasped, his fingers hovering in front of his trembling lips. His body jolted upright as he pictured the jet black monster that assaulted them that night. It had almost ended him.
"What are we gonna do?" Littlefoot flapped. "If those things get into the Great Valley, everyone could be in danger!"
"This could become serious if left unattended. I'll have to do some investigating," the Black Ghost said taking another step forward. As his foot hit the grass, he stopped and turned back to the boys who were clearly still floundering under the weight of everything they'd seen and heard.
"I need to look into this. I strongly suggest you don't go spreading around what happened here tonight. We don't need a panic to kick off before we know what we are really up against."
"Easy for you to say. You've got all the insider knowledge on all this crap! We're still in the dark here," Kairyn grumbled.
"So what are we supposed to do?" Littlefoot asked anxiously. The Black Ghost angled his hood so it was aimed directly into Littlefoot's face. Despite not being able to see his face, Littlefoot could tell he was looking right at him.
"I'm sure you can think of some way to help out. It's never stopped you before right?" he said to him in an almost playful tone. Littlefoot flinched at the statement and blinked just as the Black Ghost made another one of his impossibly long and high leaps and was out of sight in seconds.
Kairyn and Littlefoot felt deflated and lost. They didn't know what to think about all this 'dark matter' business; it had all come thick and fast and hardly a scrap of it made sense. As per usual, the Black Ghost's secrecy and failure to explain anything in simple terms left them greatly confused and frustrated. By the time they had even considered what to do, the sun had already started to illuminate the meadow from behind the hazy mountain horizon. With a shrug each, Kairyn and Littlefoot returned home to ponder their next move.
"Maybe we should tell the others about what happened tonight?" Littlefoot suggested as they parted the leafy curtains that separated them from his nesting grounds.
"Can't see the harm. I don't have a clue about what's going on here so might as well fill them in on what we can," Kairyn said flatly. Littlefoot nodded as the pair of them sat in Littlefoot's little pit in the grass; Kairyn with his back up against his tree. Hardly seeing the point in trying to go back to sleep with dawn already beaming down on them, they both tried their hardest to rationalise what they'd been subjected to. The more Littlefoot discussed the possibilities, the more he began to feel that uncomfortable welling of fear bubbling in the pit of his stomach.
"If this dark matter stuff can take over whoever it gets inside of," Littlefoot's mind buzzed, "then that could mean anyone could turn into one of those black monsters…" The thought of his friends and family turning into dark, uncontrollable monsters chilled him to his core. It was not a sight he wanted to witness first hand. He then let out a little gasp as something struck him. He remembered the Black Ghost showing him his hand and promptly recalled the inky black skin beneath the glove he'd removed. A "curse" he called it.
"No…" Littlefoot's mind echoed within its own vacant space, "Could… could the Black Ghost be one of those Shadow Spawn things? It can't be…"
"-foot? Littlefoot?... Littlefoot are you okay? You swallow a bug or something?" a voice then warbled into his consciousness. Littlefoot shook his head as Kairyn's face rippled into view.
"You all right? Looked like you glazed over for a second there," Kairyn said staring deep into his eyes worryingly.
"Yeah, yeah. I'm fine thanks," Littlefoot chattered quickly. He didn't dare mention his thought process to Kairyn lest it shattered any remaining thread of trust he had for the Black Ghost at the moment. It wouldn't have benefitted anyone if he started squabbling with the cloaked figure again, especially now. So, for the time being, he kept it to himself.
Having completely disregarded what the Black Ghost had advised them on previously, as soon as a more sociable hour of the morning rolled around, Littlefoot and Kairyn gathered their friends together at the gang's hideaway to discuss the night's events out of earshot of the adults. The gang were gripped by every action and reaction; every blow and counterattack; and, much to Kairyn's annoyance, the reappearance of the Black Ghost having not seen him around for a while.
"So where this black monster now?" Petrie asked quivering slightly. He began snapping quick glances at the leafy bushes surrounding the open little copse that started flapping inexplicably. He failed to notice Cera snickering as she withdrew her tail from the nearest shrub when Petrie's eyes flicked over to where she was and feigned innocence.
"It's gone now Petrie, but I think the Black Ghost went after it," Littlefoot explained.
"And what does he think about all of this?" Ducky asked; a nervous, thoughtful finger lightly touching her lip.
"He didn't give us much to go on but all we know is that this dark matter stuff is the root of it all," Littlefoot continued.
"Well, if these monsters really do exist, I think they'd have a hard time chowing down on Spike here," Cera sniggered nodding over toward the hefty young spiketail. Spike hummed in alarm then grumbled as he narrowed his eyes dangerously at Cera.
"Cera! Do not be mean to poor Spike! Nope, nope, nope!" Ducky barked cuddling the side of her brother's head. They then both teamed up to give her a combined evil stare.
"What? I was just kidding," Cera reeled unable to hide her smirk. "Besides, I'm not even sure I believe any of this 'dark matter' nonsense. Monsters from some stuff we don't even know about. What softheaded hatchling would believe that?"
"Err… us maybe?! Coz we nearly got ripped apart last night?!" Kairyn shot irately but Cera just snorted.
"Seriously? Come on. Even you don't know what this dark matter stuff is. How do you know what the Black Ghost said is even true? Anyway, I thought you didn't trust him." Kairyn opened his mouth to banter but when nothing came out, he promptly shut it again and grumbled under his breath.
"Whether you believe the Black Ghost or not Cera, maybe you can believe us because we both saw it. That…Shadow Spawn thing attacked us. And if what the Black Ghost says is true, then we could all be in trouble if we just pretend it's not there," Littlefoot then said trying to keep the discussion civil. Cera rolled her eyes and huffed a sigh.
"Okay, so what are we gonna do? Just wait for another monster attack?" she muttered. Evidently, her little mischievous streak had been quelled by Littlefoot's last speech.
"Oh we cannot do that! Someone might get hurt-ed! They might, they might," Ducky piped anxiously.
"Ducky's right. We can't let anyone get hurt by these Shadow Spawn creatures. We have to find out where this dark matter stuff is before more of them show up and start coming into the Valley," Littlefoot said seriously.
"But where we start looking? And how we look for something we don't know what it is?" Petrie asked shrugging. The group fell silent for a moment as they pondered the idea. Kairyn dropped his head into his left hand and felt something dig into his ear as his fingers pressed against his face. He squinted as he tugged at the earpiece to his radio he'd just accidently wedged deeper into his ear canal.
"Hey, what if I call my brother over at the Keltech base? Maybe he can tell us something about this dark matter stuff. They've got brainiac scientists over there; they're bound to know something. Failing that, if he hears anything at the base, maybe he can keep us filled in," Kairyn said pulling the receiver unit from his pocket. The five dinosaurs all huddled around the little grey box in amazement as Kairyn tapped his brother's frequency into it. Five luminescent LCD digits popped up in the tiny screen and Kairyn hit the send button. After a couple of ringing buzzes, Kairyn heard Tyronne's voice burst into his left ear.
To everyone else, it was the most bizarre thing to witness. It looked like Kairyn was having an in depth conversation with the air and responded as if his brother were standing two feet from him. They all looked at each other confused but snapped their gaze back to Kairyn when his tone rose in shock.
"Really?! Well…what happened?... uh-huh… oh man! Okay sure, I'll meet you up in the mountains… okay then, see ya there." Kairyn dropped his hand from his ear and replaced the receiver unit into his pocket before turning to the gang.
"There was some sort of trouble at the Keltech base last night. An intruder got into the base somehow and made a mess of things," Kairyn said in a hurry.
"Oh no, no, no! I do hope Melissa is all right," Ducky whimpered causing Spike to hum unhappily too.
"I'm going to meet Tyronne up in the mountains by that big metal ring. I'll talk to him about the dark matter stuff once I'm there," Kairyn said already making a move towards the exit.
"Wait up Kairyn, we'll come with you," Littlefoot said as they followed him out into the Valley.
By now, the Great Valley was up and running as normal. Wandering herds were trafficking the pathways in and out of the luscious landscape and residents were busy meeting and greeting each other. All of them completely unaware of the tragedy that could have befallen them that night had it not been for Littlefoot and Kairyn's intervention. Despite that fact, this was not at the forefront of either of their minds as they scaled the mountain paths and made their way up to the Chronos Doorway to rendezvous with Kairyn's brother. As they rounded the final bend, they saw Tyronne stood admiring the giant silver ring of the vast machine. Kairyn called out to him as they drew nearer. After a quick round of placing names to faces, Tyronne nodded towards the path he'd come from.
"Alright then, lead the way Ty," Kairyn said. "Come on guys, this way."
"No!" Tyronne said sharply, turning to face the troupe of dinosaurs tailing Kairyn. "I'm sorry Kai but your dinosaur friends are not permitted to come with us. The location of the base needs to remain undisclosed for security reasons. Especially after the events of last night."
Kairyn was about to protest but Littlefoot stepped in.
"It's okay Kairyn. You go with your brother. We will meet you back home," Littlefoot said with a smile. Kairyn looked at him in surprise but then nodded when he saw something twinkle in the little longneck's eye.
"Okay, if you're sure Littlefoot. I'll see you back in the Valley. The usual place?" Kairyn said with a grin. Without further discussion, Kairyn watched as the gang all disappeared around the corner and out of sight before turning to follow his brother down to the Keltech base.
After a brisk walk, Kairyn and Tyronne arrived at the huge shutter that fenced off the base from the outside world. Tyronne spoke to a soldier guarding the entrance and they were soon inside. If the halls were as noisy and chaotic as Kairyn remembered them, they were more than doubly so now. Patrolmen were charging up and down the corridors, rifles in hand and eyes sharp for anything unusual. Tyronne guided Kairyn through the operations room were an inaudible amount of voices were bellowing over one another. It was hard to see how anyone was getting anything done in amongst such bedlam.
"So, what happened here Ty? Some sort of break-in?" Kairyn asked as the babbling multitude of voices began to die out behind them.
"That's what it looks like," Tyronne said sternly. "An intruder managed to breach our security and get into the base. Nothing been reported stolen but Schneider was majorly pissed when he heard someone had got in. We hunted high and low, in every nook and cranny for even a hint of an intruder, but we found nothing."
"So… if you didn't find anyone, then how did you know there was a break-in?" Kairyn asked.
"Alarm was triggered in the labs but it's weird. There was no sign of forced entry anywhere. One of the labs was demolished from the inside but that was it. Nothing was taken, it just seemed like a random act of vandalism," Tyronne said as they turned another corner. He then stopped in front of a door and offered Kairyn inside.
"What's this?" he asked.
"You're a field agent aren't you? You need to report your findings," Tyronne said with a smile. Kairyn felt his stomach give an awkward lurch. He wasn't sure if telling his brother, or Keltech, about the Shadow Spawn attack last night was the wisest move to make right now. If he told them that some shadowy beast had invaded the Great Valley, then the whole security force might barge their way in and start causing trouble for the locals. He'd already seen how hostile they were to just his brother so an entire fleet of military trained humans armed with weapons would simply be a flame to a fuse. That and, as much as he didn't want to admit it, he didn't want to jeopardise what the Black Ghost was investigating. If he found anything, he would be the best person to help prevent another attack.
"But I err… I don't have anything to say," Kairyn stammered trying to think of something quickly to avoid having to file in a report.
"Come on Kai, don't be nervous. Even if you report to say everything was fine, that's better than going AWOL," Tyronne said pushing him into the tiny room. He forced him down into a chair and set a small camera up so it pointed directly into his face. Kairyn was trying his hardest not to make any strange faces as he saw mug suddenly pop up on the monitor Tyronne was now tapping away at.
"Report treble zero one, field agent Kairyn Taylor, Keltech Security Division. Time stamp…" Kairyn listened as his brother continued to witter away a string of words and technical babble that didn't make much sense into the computer. His brain was firing at a million miles an hour trying desperately to think of something to say but not give anything away.
"And… you're on Kai," Tyronne said pointing at him like he were a big celebrity film director. Kairyn froze for a second or two but he found that the words were beginning to come to him slowly.
"Err… Field Agent Kairyn Taylor. Day one out in the Great Valley… Nothing of any interest to report. Umm… the dinosaurs there seem okay with me being there but… are a little worried about humans being somewhere close to their homeland… Ahh… they don't know where this base is but I am… uhh.. doing my best to keep them calm…"
Before Kairyn had realised it, he had completed his report and Tyronne switched the camera off.
"There… not so bad huh? Piece of cake," he said to Kairyn who was still reeling slightly. It was not a pleasant experience.
"Hey Ty?" Kairyn said after a pause. "Do the words 'dark matter' mean anything to you?"
"What? Is this one of your geeky game references? Not getting withdrawal symptoms are ya?" Tyronne smirked.
"No, no. Nothing like that. I was just wondering if it… I dunno… sounded familiar or anything?"
Tyronne shook his head, "No can't say it does. Why? Does it mean something to you?"
Kairyn remained silent for a moment unsure of how to word his next sentence without giving too much away. Just as he was about to speak again, the door to the room flew open almost knocking Kairyn backwards off his chair. They both froze to the spot as a giant of a man blocked the doorway.
"Ahh... Taylor… und Young Taylor. I've been expecting you," Colonel Schneider said drawlingly. Both boys snapped to attention and saluted. Kairyn swung his hand up so fast he nearly slapped himself in the face with the back of his knuckles.
"We were just recording Kairyn's first report sir," Tyronne said.
"Gud vork men. Efficiency is a quality I admire," Schneider said nodding. He stepped backwards, out into the corridor, and swung his paw-like hand out gesturing to the hall.
"Valk vit' me Taylor bruzhers," the colonel offered as he proceeded down the corridor. Tyronne flew out the door after his superior like a dog being summoned to heel. Kairyn, feeling the rush of air blast past him as Tyronne exited, dashed out behind him.
The three of them walked on for what seemed like forever. Their tiny clapping footfalls being drowned out by the hefty boots of the colonel.
"Excuse me sir but… how did you know we were recording Kairyn's report?" Tyronne asked sheepishly. The colonel answered him without turning around.
"A gud commandeering officer is al-vays knowledgable of his soldiers' vhereabouts." At that moment, Kairyn felt his left collarbone tingle and he scratched at the hot spot. He then flashed a bewildered gaze up at his brother but Tyronne simply shrugged.
"I have new instructions vor you both," Schneider then said in his usual bellow. "Taylor! You are being posted at zee labs; vee need zee extra manpower. You are to aid zee investigation team und report any findings as und vhen they arise. Your security profile will require upgrading. Report to data processing bevore seeing to your new assignment."
"Yes sir," Tyronne snapped before turning to Kairyn. "See ya later Kai." Kairyn was unable to get a word out before Schneider turned to him next.
"Young Taylor, impressive vork so far. I have a new assignment vor you too. An escort mission."
"An… escort mission sir?" Kairyn whimpered. He was beginning to see why Tyronne feared this man so much. It was like trying to have a polite conversation with a rabid grizzly bear as he towered over him.
"Ja. You are to escort a VIP into zee the field with you. Zee pair of you will act as a team while you are out zere with zose dinosaurs. You are to vork togezzer in keeping us informed of any unusual behaviour zat could cause trouble vor our operation."
"Y…yes sir!" Kairyn said as respectfully as he could. As they walked around, Kairyn found himself back at the entrance.
"Gud. Your partner is vaiting vor you outside. Head back into the field and continue your observations," Schneider said sharply. With a spin of his polished boots, he clopped his way deeper into the base. Kairyn simply shook his head as he past the clearance booth and the guard rolled the shutter up. Kairyn shielded his eyes as glaring morning sunlight seeped under the door. There, a slender figure was stood silhouetted before the light.
Meanwhile, back in the Great Valley, Littlefoot and the rest of the gang were still lingering around their hideout. Boredom had settled in as Littlefoot paced up and down waiting for Kairyn to reappear through the trees. Ducky, Petrie and Spike were flopped in the corner rolling small rocks back and forth between them. Cera, who had been lying on a flat topped rock bathing in the sunlight, suddenly got up and gave an irritated grunt.
"How long is this kid gonna take? We've been waiting all morning for him!" she barked indignantly.
"Maybe he no come anymore," Petrie said standing up and stretching. His legs cramped and half asleep.
"He said he'd meet us here once he's done. We'll just have to be patient guys," Littlefoot said calmly. He gazed through the trees trying to make out something in amongst the tightly packed trunks but no one was there.
"Well I'm bored of waiting. I'm off to get a drink," Cera muttered as she hopped down off her warmed boulder.
"Cera…" Littlefoot whined but Cera didn't seem to care. Just then, Cera gasped as she heard a rustling in the undergrowth. The disturbance quickly snagged the attention of the others and they huddled around Cera as she stared off into the distance.
"It Kairyn! Me see him!" Petrie cawed.
"It's about time!" Cera huffed.
"Hey guys! Sorry I'm late," Kairyn said with a smile. "Did I miss anything?"
"Only the grass growing," Cera said sarcastically. "Can we go now?"
"Hold on a sec Cera, I've got a surprise for all of you," Kairyn teased. The gang all crowded him eager to find out more. Kairyn smiled and nodded beyond them. Turning on the spot, the gang's faces all lit up as a young girl walked into the sunny little clearing.
"Melissa!" they all cried with joy. Melissa giggled and waved coyly.
"Hi everyone," she said sweetly.
The group ambushed Melissa with more questions than she could answer as they sat around their stone carving. Melissa explained that once her grandfather took her in, he nursed her back to health. She claimed to have no recollection of how she ended up in the mountains after telling everyone that she was going back to Ducky and Spike's place after complaining of not feeling well.
"I'm sorry everyone. I didn't mean to make you all worry," she said shyly.
"It is okay Melissa. It is not your fault. We are just glad to see that you are all right. We are, we are," Ducky said sliding her hand into Melissa's. The gesture made her smile and she thanked Ducky for her kind words.
"So what happened to you at the base? Do you remember anything?" Kairyn asked.
"Not much. All I know is that my grandfather was taking care of me in his lab. That's probably why you couldn't find me. I did overhear that you were in the medical bay but I was still undergoing treatment at the time," Melissa said.
"You overheard? You were awake?" Kairyn asked.
"Well, kinda. When grandfather was healing me up, I drifted in and out of consciousness. Sometimes I could see and hear things. Grandfather was really upset one day when he said that one of the labs were badly damaged in some sort of attack."
"Yeah, that happened last night. The base was supposedly attacked by some kind of intruder but they didn't catch anyone," Kairyn said blandly.
"I heard that something really important had been destroyed. Something about… dark matter I think…" Melissa said naively. On the utterance of those words, Littlefoot and Kairyn gasped and jumped to their feet.
"Dark matter?!" Littlefoot breathed in shock.
"Are you sure Melissa? Is that exactly what you heard?" Kairyn asked leaning over to her.
"Y-yeah… I think so. I can't say for sure because I was still resting up when I thought I heard it. I do know that grandfather was furious. He was yelling and cursing from his terminal in his lab. I could hear him from where I was."
"Those humans have the dark matter!" Littlefoot cried in awe.
"But why? What the hell are they using it for?" Kairyn pondered rubbing his face.
"Is something wrong?" Melissa asked innocently. Kairyn and Littlefoot looked at each other before turning to her and began explaining the situation with the shadowy creature that had attacked them.
Melissa looked shell-shocked after listening to their story. She was horrified that the pair of them had confronted the mysterious Shadow Spawn creature. She was even more startled to learn that both she and Kairyn had already met one of the monsters in Second London and had not fully understood what that man had become.
"So, the Black Ghost is out there investigating this dark matter stuff?" Melissa asked.
"We think so but we haven't seen him since last night. We don't know where he's gone," Littlefoot said.
"Ya know – have either of you stopped to think that maybe it was the Black Ghost causing trouble last night? Maybe he was the one who got into the human's home place and broke everything in there," Cera then said dismissively.
"No Cera that can't be true! He helped us fight off that shadow creature so he can't have done it," Littlefoot bit back but Kairyn's mind was already racing.
"We can't deny that it's a little strange. That Shadow Spawn turns up and he's just conveniently there to save the day," he said verbalising his thoughts.
"Kairyn…" Littlefoot sighed defeated.
"I'm just saying. Apparently the security team couldn't find any signs of forced entry and Black Ghost is a dab-hand at breaking into places undetected. He's been doing it for ages back in my time."
"But why he do that? What he trying to do?" Petrie asked.
"I don't know but he must have a motive. He seemed quick to tell us that the Shadow Spawn was our enemy. What if he's the one leading them?" Kairyn said.
"Kairyn, you don't really believe that do you?" Littlefoot asked almost sounding hurt. "He's been helping us all this time. Why would he turn on us?"
"I don't know Littlefoot, but the guy's as shady as they come and I don't trust him. As far as I'm concerned, he's the number one suspect right now," Kairyn snapped bitterly forcing Littlefoot to hold his tongue. He simply sighed disappointed by Kairyn shallow-mindedness.
"We can't put the blame on him yet. We need to talk to him again so he can explain himself," Melissa said firmly. Kairyn gave a dismissive snort but Littlefoot silently thanked her with a smile.
"Me wonder where he is now," Petrie hummed.
Meanwhile, back at the Keltech base, the clean-up and investigation into last night's disruption was well underway. Director Thorne was in his office reading through the latest reports and he was not happy.
"Damn it! Two scientists missing and a whole vat's worth of dark matter lost in that foul up! We've lost too much in that one incident alone. Another loss like that will put us out of production and leave us stranded here! Schneider and those damn boy scouts have got a lot to answer for!" Thorne swore as he slammed an angry fist down on his desk. Just as the dull thud shuddered through the table top, the whole base seemed to screamed out. Thorne looked up at the walls that began pulsing a dangerous shade of red and the alarm sang out tunelessly. Thorne snatched up a tablet computer and smacked at the screen in a fit of rage.
"Schneider! Schneider! What the hell is going on down there!" he screeched into the device.
"Director! An intruder has been spotted in zee laboratories! It is possible it could be zee same one from last night. We are moving to interzept und apprehend now!" Schneider voice came through a bubbling of static. In the background, Thorne could hear the panicked flurry of voices and the rattling of gunfire.
"Tell your men to mind their fire in that area Schneider! We can't afford any more loss of dark matter! Just capture the bastard and get this mess under control!" Thorne yelled before slamming the handheld computer down in frustration.
Out in the corridors, a platoon of soldiers were dashing down the hall in pursuit of their target. Sheer pandemonium ran through the base as gunshots were fired at a bouncing target that shot around at incredible speed. The soldiers seemed to be chasing their tails as they tried to keep up with the target. Just then, Schneider's authoritative voice boomed over one soldier's radio.
"Status report! Vot da hell has managed to get into zah base!" he exploded.
"In pursuit now colonel! Target is elusive but appears to be all black. He's jumping around like a lunatic. We can't get a bead on him!" the soldier reported.
"Don't lose him! Und for God's sake watch your fire! Do not damage any of zee tanks in zat area! I'm on my way!"
"Roger that sir!"
Another volley of machine gun fire flew down the corridor and peppered the back wall as a blurring black shadow dashed off to the side. Sparks flew as bullets pinged and ricocheted away from the shadow as it came into contact with metal being swung at a lightning pace. Two men fell to the ground as a couple of deflected bullets bounced back the way they came and caught them in their arms. The shadow then darted around another corner and through a door where it slid shut behind it. The soldiers crowded on either side of the hall keeping the door in sight. Rifles aimed dead centre on the room as a breaching team moved into position.
"Vot is zee situation sergeant?" Schneider said sliding into position behind another soldier. In his hand was a hefty looking sub-machine gun pistol.
"Target slipped into storage room five. It's a sealed room sir; there's nowhere to go. Only one way in and out. He's trapped."
"Mind your fire in zat room. It is one of zee storage room of a dangerous chemical. If zee vat is damaged, we are all dead," Schneider whispered as lowly as he could.
"Ready to breach on your go sir!" Schneider's radio fizzed.
"Do it!" he nodded. The breaching squad were quick and efficient. As soon as the door was open, they fanned in, their guns raised and trigger fingers itchy. As they scanned the room, they all gave a shout for the all clear.
"VOT!" Schneider bellowed as he marched into the room. Flinging a soldier stood in the doorway backwards into the wall outside, Schneider glowered at the space in the tiny room. As described, the room was completely sealed with no viable way in or out except for the door. The only occupants of the room were four large cylindrical vats all with a deep purple solution floating in each of them and there were no spots to hide between them. Schneider gritted his teeth so hard they could have splintered as he slit his lip and made it bleed.
"SEARCH ZEE AREA! He cannot have escaped zees vacinity! I vont him found NOW!" Schneider screamed, deliriously angry. Tasting the warm liquid in his mouth, he spat a spot of blood out on the floor behind one of the vats and stormed out. The soldiers flooded out of the room and into the surrounding network of corridors in search of their elusive target. As the door slid shut behind the last man out, a faint dripping sound could be heard echoing in the tiny concrete room. From the back of the third vat, some of the purple liquid was leaking out of the metallic container and began pooling on the floor. As the pool's diameter grew, it edged closer to a trickle of blood splattered on the gritty ground.
