*All
characters copyrighted to Poseidon Simons
Chapter 8
Maik searched the entire area. Try as he might, he could not find a single
piece of Babe's helmet. How could a
piece of metal like that disappear? Someone
had to take it...and he couldn't exactly ask around. It wouldn't help, and it would draw a lot of
attention he didn't want. So...who had
it? How would you ask for something like
that? How would you get it back? Maik sighed, scratching the back of his
head. This really wasn't as easy as he'd
been thinking.
Lance stared at the spot they'd put the mask. It hung on their wall...and it had taken more
than one nail to keep it up there. He
smiled, "Wait 'till I show my
friends! They're all gonna flip!" He couldn't help but wonder why the Protector
wasn't here yet. Wouldn't he be looking
for something like this? Oh well...the
longer he didn't find it, the longer Lance could keep it.
"James, could you go see who's at the
door?" Kia asked when they heard
someone knock.
Player nodded and got up. Kia still seemed like she wouldn't be getting
any better soon. James hoped whoever was
there was going to be able to cheer her up.
Pik had Josh to talk to, who at least kept Pik busy enough trying not to
stare at Kia...or reddening any further, "Who is it?"
"It's Don.
Why weren't you guys at your apartment?
It took me hours to find you here!"
Player opened the door and let Don in, "They'd
rather not talk about it..."
"I saw it on the news...where's Kia? I brought Johnny and his family with
me." Don looked around, seeing the
quick patchwork in the kitchen almost instantly, "What ha--...oh." He kept silent and followed James to the
kitchen.
Player let Don sit in his chair and left. He wanted AWAY from those two...at least for
a little while. He sat down and turned
on the TV. It was on the news channel,
and, after a quick search to find nothing else on, he sighed and watched
that. Who knew? Maybe Babe had managed to save someone else,
"Urp...what the..." He kept
his hand from reaching for his throat as Nino crawled up and out, "Nino,
could you please warn me whenever you do that?"
"Keep it
open then."
"Huh?
Wha--" He almost gagged as
"Just
tired."
James shook her off and rubbed his nose. He'd almost sneezed...she had a habit of
finding the exactly right spot to tickle..."Well, you're out. What were you thinking of doing?"
Nino answered, "Not
much, Nest." James could almost
see the smirk on Nino's face. He growled
softly and let it go. Nino drooped a
little when Player did not look annoyed.
Babe roared and crashed into the fake. Hard.
It twitched a few times, then lay still.
Babe sagged and landed, feeling drained.
This one had been MUCH harder to get rid of...especially since he STILL
didn't have his mask. He'd had to force
the robot away from people...either up high or out of the city, in order not to
be seen. Babe was beginning to wonder
how many were left...but at least they were going. He checked the robot for some sort of
message, but there was none...still.
People were starting to come out now that he'd finished the fight...Babe
took off before anyone with a camera came and headed back to the lab. He hoped Michelle hadn't hurt herself...Secondary prescence detected. Identity known: Anna Brown. Babe headed inside, "Anna? Anna, are you in here?" He heard something fall in another room and
went to look. Anna and Michelle were
trying to lift up a bookcase, "Here, let me help..." He lifted the bookcase up easily and set it
down the right way by a wall. The two
went back to work. Babe was relieved to
see them both wearing gloves.
Anna didn't glance up as she spoke, "Where's
your mask?"
"It broke off...I have someone looking for
it."
"Uncle Babe?.." Michelle was looking at him. She seemed confused by something.
"Yeah?"
"Anna...Anna says you didn't die...I
thought--you said you were...did you lie to me?"
Babe glanced at Anna, but she kept her head down and
on the work before her. Babe gulped and
kneeled close to Michelle, whispering so only the two of them had their
conversation, "Michelle...I did die...Babe Cleave isn't around
anymore..."
"But you're the Protector..."
"I know...that's why I told you I died. The man who kidnapped you...he knew how much
you meant to Babe Cleave...you see...I wanted the island to know I was dead so
things like this guy wouldn't happen. If
people knew who I was...then bad people could stalk you for the rest of your
life. I have to stay
secret...okay?"
"But you lied to me..."
"I did it only to keep you safe...it was the
only way..."
"But I would have kept you a secret!" She was all teary-eyed, "I would have--I
wouldn't tell anyone!..I--we...Uncle Babe...I thought you loved me..."
"I do!
Don't EVER think that I don't! I
didn't tell you because I didn't want you to get hurt!..Did you know that you
were the first person to ever see me after I died?"
"What do you mean?.."
"My mother didn't find out for a while...and
after her came my best friend...I went to you first though...I love you more
than anything else..." He tried to
hug her, but she pulled away from it, looking hurt, "What?"
"You told Grandma...you told your best
friend...but you didn't tell me!!!!!"
She burst into tears and ran away.
Damn...
Ace left his mother only after she pushed him out the
door. She kept insisting that he check
on his friends...and he had been insisting that he stay with her until the whole thing was over. Now though...now she wouldn't let him back in
until he went over to his friends. After
discovering that Kia and James weren't at the apartment, Ace started heading
over to Pik's other home. He felt sure that
Pik would go to her...and even though she had been kidnapped, he was probably
still there. Hm..."Huh? Alan!" Ace jogged to catch up, shouting Alan's
name. It seemed Alan was also on his way
to Pik's mother's house.
They heard a roar above them, and looked up...a
ROBOT!!!!!!! Ace grabbed Alan and
ran. Alan pulled his arm away and kept
his own pace beside Ace. They ran, for
some reason able to keep their distance.
The roar of the engines never seemed to get louder...
Scratch that.
Ace screamed as he was picked up.
He struggled and fought to get away, but soon the ground was far below
them, and struggling would just make him fall to his death.
Alan watched Ace be taken away...now what? Should he go and tell the rest?..well, he
should at least find a place to hide.
That was for sure. He made his
way to Pik's old home without further incident...
Kain paced back and forth. Pacing always helped him think. What to do?
He had to kill someone...he wouldn't fell good until one of Babe's
friends died. One of the robots sent out
came back holding a captive. Good. There were three others on the move right
now. Hopefully Babe would run into one
soon. He debated over whether or not he
should call back that robot sent over to Ace's apartment, but decided against
it. Who knew? Maybe he would get lucky...
Mary Polley knocked on Aces door once more. Today was just supposed to be a day to
relax...she had brought Griffy with her to play with Ace's pet razor...which he
enjoyed, "Ace? You in here?" Well, he should be. He never went back on an appointment, whether
or not it was work. Why wasn't he
answering the door? Why--"Oh
god..." She fearfully glanced up
when she heard the sound of engines.
That false Protector was still on the loose...and what if he--she shoved
Griffy down into a hiding place and dove for one herself. She willed the robot to leave, hoped it
hadn't seen them...screamed with all her might when it did. Mary crawled deeper into her hiding spot,
making herself seem obvious so that the robot wouldn't look to her son. Griffy had enough mind to keep still...even
when she was taken away...
"Well now,
what's this?.." Kain wondered
as another robot came back. It also had
a captive...from Ace's house...but it wasn't Alan, who had been with him
eariler...it was a woman. She looked
frightened, but his sensors picked up something else...a sort of mixed
relief...had the robot missed someone?
mixed relief...hm...she was taken away...she had made herself become the
captive so that someone else didn't get captured...so who? Why would she be happy she'd been captured,
but worried at the same time?..other than the obvious reasons to be scared,
what was there?..unless..."She had a
kid with her...she had a kid with her!" Kain laughed loudly and went off
himself. He'd find whoever she'd left
behind.
"Michelle, wait!
WAIT!!!" Babe called as she
ran away. He ran to catch up to her to
save energy..."Michelle! Come back,
please!" He called again and
again. She wouldn't answer...or come
back. Babe turned on his locator and
slowed down to search. Prescence found. Identity known: Michelle Cleave. Oh thank god...Babe quietly made his way
around her. She was sitting and crying,
periodically looking up to watch for him...well, he was behind her,
"Michelle..." She jump and
looked behind her. Before she could
clamber up to run away, Babe got a hold of her arm, "Michelle,
please...stop running..."
"But you didn't trust me!.." She shouted and pulled at her arm, not quite
realizing that she wouldn't be able to get away, "You promised me you
would always trust me...that I could always trust you..."
"And you can...I haven't broken either
promise...I DID trust you, before and after I became the Protector. But I couldn't tell you otherwise somehow--even
though you wouldn't tell anyone--people would find out that you were related to
the Protector. They could come after you
to get to me...and they did. I swear
Michelle, that I place you on the top of my list...I've never cared for someone
as much as you."
"You...mean that?"
"Always, Michelle."
She hugged him.
A quick and drastic change from only moments before. She was still crying, but this time it was
coupled with apologies.