Memoirs of a RAFian

[Underseen]

Oh... That does make sense, but I was just making sure.

[Cloak]

Right.  I'll post a new chapter soonish -- neck pain or no neck pain.

But, as it's a new page --

• Book XXI: Other Side of the Tracks

The RAFians experiences significant differences which allow them to see the other side's point of view.  Twenty chapters planned.

• Book XXII: Pits of Terror

The RAFians fall into pits that show them their greatest fears. Twenty chapters planned.

• Book XXIII: RAF Comix

The RAFians are sucked into a comic book made by Damien. Twenty chapters planned.

• Book XXIV: The First Master

Cloak meditates alone in a forest, and has a vision about the first Master . . . the first Elements Master. Twenty chapters planned.

• Book XXV: RAF -- The Musical

The RAFians find themselves trapped in a musical where everyone must burst into song occasionally.  Twenty chapters planned.

• Book XXVI: Outage Outrage

The RAFians find themselves losing their powers.  Twenty chapters planned.

• Book XXVII: Infinity and Eternity

The Infinity Gems and the Eternity Stones make themselves known.  Twenty chapters planned.

• Book XXVIII: The Virus Rings

The RAFians are attacked by foes they never thought they'd see again.  Twenty chapters planned.

• Book XXIX: Soul-Suckers

The RAFians are attacked by Dementors, which have a rather large effect on Cloak.  Twenty chapters planned.

• Book XXX: Mayhem of the Music Miser

Cloak recalls the RAFians' previous confrontation with the Music Miser three years ago.  Twenty chapters planned.

• Book XXXI: The Metal-Maker

The RAFians must save their own from a Roboticizer. Twenty chapters planned.

• Book XXXII: Richard is Missing

The RAFians must cope without Richard.  Twenty chapters planned.

• Book XXXIII: Emotional Food

The RAFians must confront a different kind of vampire.  Twenty chapters planned.

• Book XXXIV: Transformation Confrontation

The RAFians must confront some strange machines.  Twenty chapters planned.

• Book XXXV: Richard's Horn

The RAFians must get Richard's Horn, a mystical musical instrument, back from Malice, who recieved it from a RAFian traitor.  Twenty chapters planned.

• Book XXXVI: Feral Scream

A Wildwethel-centric book, he must deal with his feral side.  Twenty chapters planned.

• Book XXXVII: Predators and Prey

The RAFians are being preyed upon by some sentient predators.  Twenty chapters planned.

• Book XXXVIII: A Protean Problem

The RAFians must deal with a powerful snot-nosed kid who, quite literally, can do whatever he wants.  Twenty chapters planned.

• Book XXXIX: The Horsemen

Four RAFians are captured and converted into four Horsemen of the ancient, rogue Realm Walker Cataclysm.  Twenty chapters planned.

• Book XL: Sizeable Pain in the Necks

The RAFians must deal with Heinlein aliens. Twenty chapters planned.

• Book XLI: RAF's Nightmare

The RAFians must survive their own nightmares.  Nineteen chapters planned.

• Book XLII: Unlucky Charms

The RAFians must contend with a rather bloodthirsty leprechaun. Twenty chapters planned.

• Book XLIII: The Piper

The RAFians must contend with a pied piper. Nineteen chapters planned.

• Book XLIV: Starlight Desire

The RAFians race Malice, Abomination, and the Banned to a wishing star (no, not Estelore). Eighteen chapters planned.

• Book XLV: A War of Armor

Parker is outraged to see knockoffs of his rather unique armor and what they're being used for.  Twenty-two chapters planned.

• Book XLVI: The Worst Plague

The RAFians must weather the worst plague to ever existed -- the Hate Plague.  Twenty chapters planned.

• Book XLVII: Little Alien Napoleons

The RAFians are caught in the middle of a war between Helmacrons and Fmeks.  Twenty chapters planned.

• Book XLVIII: Go Away!

The RAFians must deal with the papparazzi who are all of a sudden interested in them.  Twenty chapters planned.

• Book XLIX: RAFian Tales

RAFians tell various RAFian-themed stories across a lunch table.  Twenty chapters planned -- a RAFian story per chapter, discounting the intro.

• Book L: Maul

The RAFians must deal with the result of one of Demos's experiments.  Twenty chapters planned.

• Book LI: Erised Orbs

The RAFians must face their greatest desires.  Twenty chapters planned.

• Book LII: RAFians Alive!

Read the "Mummies Alive" parody in the RAFize songs thread.  Twenty chapters planned.

• Book LIII: The Pain Reliever

The RAFians must deal with an elderly Vulcan styling himself the "Pain Reliever".  Twenty chapters planned.

• Book LIV: Beyond the Veils

Aquilai and Aila must confront old foes while the other RAFians must put up with a Czarinian bounty hunter.  Twenty chapters planned.

• Book LV: Dangerous Deals

Demos meets up with his half-brother, Shenecron, who has a perchant for making deals.  Twenty chapters planned.

• Book LVI: Of One Mind

Malice seeks out the Unimind.  Twenty chapters planned.

• Book LVII: The End of Time

The RAFians must contend with two Kryptonians (who think they're Time Lords) and prevent them from ending time altogether.  Twenty chapters planned.

• Book LVIII: Hematomimic

The RAFians must capture a Plasmavore and put up with it's rather stupid Judoon jailer.  Twenty chapters planned.

• Book LIX: Sins of Youth

Estelore, Richard, Parker, and Cloak must survive when the entire city and forum have been reduced to two-year-olds.  Twenty chapters planned.

• Book LX: The Replacements

The RAFians must contend with the fame-feeding Eidolon Consciousness.  Twenty chapters planned.

• Book LXI: Arachnoids

The RAFians must contend with the Arachnoids and finding a cure for one of their own that was poisoned before it's too late.  Twenty chapters planned.

• Book LXII: Personal Tissues

The RAFians must contend with some one misusing Bibliophaetos's discarded book shell.  Twenty chapters planned.

• Book LXIII: Memory Today, Gone Tomorrow

The RAFians lose their memory and must find a way to regain it.  Twenty chapters planned.

• Book LXIV: Appliance Armageddon

A superintelligent computer controls all electronics, and the RAFians must stop it.  Twenty chapters planned.

• Book LXV: Prodigy and Composite

Some RAFians are merged into two separate entities.  Twenty chapters planned.

• Book LXVI: The Merging

The Universes begin colliding and merging.  Twenty chapters planned out thus far.

• Book LXVII: Be A Doll

The RAFians are confronted by a Super Chucky.  Eight chapters planned out thus far.

• Book LXVIII: RAF Captors

The RAFians are sealed into cards, and it's up to Jack and Shadow to free them.  An out-of-continuity book, because it'll take place in c. 40XX.  No chapters planned out yet.

• Book LXIX: Dinosaur Island

Everyone, except those that bear a Mark, begin turning saurian.  No chapters planned out yet.

• Book LXX: Corrupted

The RAFians must deal with the son of Cataclysm, Corruptor.  No chapters planned out yet.

• Book LXXI: Artificial Skins

The RAFians must deal with symbiotes.  No chapters planned out yet.

• Book LXXII: Separation Anxiety

The RAFians must contend with an ethereal virus.  No chapters planned out yet.

• Book LXXIII: A Thing About RAFians

The RAFians must contend with Seekers, which home in onto their Marks.  No chapters planned out yet.

• Book LXXIV: A Planted Idea

The RAFians must contend with a floramaniac.  No chapters planned out yet.

• Book LXXV: Vacation Photos

The RAFians are sucked into a Polarisoid camera.  No chapters planned out yet.

• Book LXXVI: A Personal Gremlin

The RAFians must contend with gremlins.  No chapters planned out yet.

• Book LXXVII: The Rust is Silence

The Rafians must deal with an ocidationr ay wielded by a criminal.  No chapters planned out yet.

• Book LXXVIII: The Toyman Cometh

The RAFians deal with a Toyman-esque character.  No chapters planned out yet.

• Book LXXIX: RAFian Idol

Yes, just another excuse to put in more of the (as of writing) nearly 800 parodies.  No chapters planned out yet.

• Book LXXX: Savage Heart

Cloak battles an ancient being called Carrotik.  No chapters planned out yet.

• Book LXXXI: Slave Islands and Juggernauts

Three RAFians are taken prisoners by the Knights and sold into the slavery of New Genoshia, while the others deal with a juggernaut.  No chapters planned out yet.

• Book LXXXII: Shredding a King

The RAFians deal with a demonic Shredder ghost.  No chapters planned out yet.

• Book LXXXIII: RAF -- The TV Show

The RAFians are forcibly recruited to one of Mojo's programs.  No chapters planned out yet.

• Book LXXXIV: The Drinker

The RAFians must contend with a Spirit-Drinker. No chapters planned out yet.

• Book LXXXV: The Last Laugh

The RAFians must face Joker Gas.  No chapters planned out yet.

• Book LXXXVI: It's A Mad, Mad, Mad Villain

The RAFians must contend with mind control cards.  No chapters planned out yet.

• Book LXXXVII: Sight Unseen

Six RAFians are rendered functionally blind.  No chapters planned out yet.

• Book LXXXVIII: Don't Let It Snow

The RAFians must face a second Ice Age.  No chapters planned out yet.

• Book LXXXIX: The Rachel Toxin

The RAFians must find a cure to a toxin that increases the fearlessness, hostility and aggressiveness induced in people.  No chapters planned out yet.

• Book XC: Virus Alert!

The RAFians face a dangerous virus seeking a host.  No chapters planned out yet.

• Book XCI: A Youthful Thief

The RAFians face a creature that siphons off the youth in its victims.  No chapters planned out yet.

• Book XCII: Calendar Creep

The RAFians face the Calendar Creep, a criminal whose crimes are holiday themed.  No chapters planned out yet.

• Book XCIII: The Branding

Faerie fights a witch-boy named Salem (and his magical black cat, Saberhagen) for a magical branding iron in Faeries possession.  No chapters planned out yet.

• Book XCIV: The Void Zone

Essentially gonna be a "Subspace Emissary" parody.  No chapters planned out yet.

• Book XCV: An Epic Yarn

The RAFians' world is turned into yarn and fabric.  No chapters planned out yet.

• Book XCVI: RAFian Gladiators

RAFians are kidnapped by Gamesmaster, another rogue Realm Walker, and force to participate in gladiatorial games.  Contains the parodies of "It's Like A B-Movie" and "Worthless".  No chapters planned out yet.

EDIT: Probably a short chapter.

CHAPTER FIVE:
Trigger Happy*

The sniper held his special gun, the Darwin gun, steady aiming as carefully as he could.  Gemini was by no means a crackshot, but he was sufficiently accomplished enough to shoot from this distance, which wasn't far enough to be really impressive.  He had nothing on Blaze and Parker in terms of marksmanship, but fired just the same.  The first shot hit Cloak, who noticed nothing and continued his battle against the Vulpimancer with Hunter at his side.  The second shot found Hunter, however, who did react to being hit, as if a particularly heavy fly had landed on his chest.  But then the sensation faded and he pursued the Vulpimancer after Cloak pulls a Simba, and kicks him over Hunter's way -- nearly giving him a haircut.

"I like my hair this length, thank you very much!" Hunter quipped.

"Shut up and fight," Cloak said, quite seriously.  "We haven't time for meaningless banter!"

"What's up with him?" Hunter queried quietly.

Cloak was a tiger Realm Walker, and like ordinary tigers, they aren't really big on the endurance thing, and Cloak was being to tire.  But these seven enhanced aliens did not know how or when to give up.  And this was starting to annoy him -- not that he was in an all too good mood to begin with.

Meanwhile, Gemini continued to snipe shots at the RAFians, missing a lot, and everytime it hit one of the aliens, nothing seemed to happen.  Probaby due to the titanium "time brakes"** he installed on each of their emblems -- which were located where the Ultimatrix would have been located had any of these seven been Ben Tennyson.  It was these emblems (which Gemini inscribed the RAFian "R" just to add insult to injury) that controlled the aliens, that bent them to his will.  The flurry of action caused the RAFians to miss this, and the creatures rather evil-looking, glowing red eyes.

Eventually, Gemini managed to strike Blaze, Cloak, Hunter, Helen (when her violet aura was gone), Horse, Block, and Noelle with the evolution regression beam.  But no one showed any effects, and Blaze and Cloak seemed completely unaware they'd been hit at all, while the others seemed to sense something different, but could not put their fingers on how or why they did.

By the time that Gemini decided to skedattle and leave the seven enhanced aliens to the RAFians, Sam managed to notice the emblems.

"They're wearing some kind of hexagonal badges," he announced.

"That's nice," Blaze said, "now how about doing something helpful?!"

"Wait . . ." Parker said, still in the thick of battle, but an idea occuring to him.  For some reason, these emblems reminded him of the second season of Power Rangers . . . "Break them!  Break the emblem thingies!"

"What?  Are you out of your mind, Parker?" Helen called down.  "What good will that do?!"

"Don't argue!" Cloak roared.  "Do it!"

With a few minutes to an hour, Blaze managed to sever one of the emblems, from the enhanced Necrofriggian.  The alien stopped attacking, holding his head and looking thoroughly confused.  Especially at its new, hyperevolved form.

"I don't believe it," Blaze stammered.  "It works.  It actually works."

After that was found out, it was rather more simple to defeat the rest, and, within two hours, it was done.  Although, they now had seven seriously confused aliens and no answers for them.  They took them to RAF, to rest and come to terms with what happened to them.  And apparently, provide training for powers that they now had but didn't in their previous forms.

Cloak narrowed his eyes and folded his arms on the way back.  He couldn't help but feel that this whole ordeal was nothing more than a distraction, a diversion.  It was a gut feeling that made no sense.  But it would make more sense later. . . .

---
*Yep, another Weird Al reference.

**A Jimmy Neutron reference.

[Underseen]

Oh that kind of sniper.

[Cloak]

Yep, and I edited the list a bit, to make it easier for me to use and update.

CHAPTER SIX:
Night Jitters

It was a hard night for Cloak to get to sleep.  He tossed and he turned, but his mind keep repeating the same refrain.  It was a diversion, it was a trap.  His suspicions, his instincts, would leave him in peace, so he got up, pulled his cloak on, and paced around his thread for a bit.  Deliberating on these recent occurrences . . . they never did investigate the supposed sightings of the Cro-Magnons.

Suddenly, Cloak realized something.  He was so stupid.  Cro-Magnons are the pre-evolved forms of humans.  So what if whatever accelerated the evolution of those seven aliens could REGRESS being too?  It seemed like a practical application for the weapon, if not evil.  Why just kill your opponents when you can devolve them out of existence?  And Cloak thought of the strange pulses of energy . . . he thought it was just one of the aliens attacks. . . . But now that he thought of it, none of them used energy attacks of that color and opacity.

This thought cemented his suspicion that the whole attack was nothing but a diversion, a distraction so they wouldn't notice the strange energy pulses.  But why was the facade?  Why endanger the lives of innocent beings?  There was something more here that Cloak could not answer with the information he had available.  He'd have to go snooping or something for the --

"Huh?" Cloak sense strange vibrations from the floor of his thread.  Naturally, his feline curiosity forced him to go an investigate, and see a strange creature scuttle by him.  It looked rather otter-like . . . then Cloak noticed that it carried the Mark on it's right paw.  This surprised him greatly as only RAFians are in possession of the Mark. . . . Unless . . .

"Horse?" Cloak said absently, still gazing in the direction at the fleeing Puijila darwini took.  It . . . no, she -- disappeared into the shadows.  Not even the light of the big, full moon could unmask her hiding place, even with Cloak's superior night vision.  Cloak stood, still flabberghasted at this.

***

Phoenix had spotted something strange hiding in a corner of RAF, he ignited a ball of fire in his hand to act as a makeshift lantern -- an elementary skill that all fire-masters know.  He cast the light in the direction of the movement he thought he detected, to find a rather odd sight.  It appeared to be a Canis lepophagus with slightly beefier arms, unusually long brown shaggy hair on its head, and rudimentary opposoble thumbs.  He wore clothing that hung rather more loosely, as if he had strunk and lost about thirty pounds.  Phoenix did not miss the Mark on his right paw.  But he was aghast.

"Hunter?"

Then the beast lunged at Phoenix, who instinctively pulled away, fell down by the wall as the fire in his palm was snuffed out due to Phoenix's shock.  Then Hunter ran away into the night.  Phoenix, still beside himself in shock, got up and dusted himself off.

"How in the world . . ."

***

"Not now, Helen," Parker moaned, "I'm not in the mood."

But he continued to feel an insistant tugging, but ignored it.  When he heard the light "ting" as Helen's ring fell to the ground, he knew something was up, and he was fully awake and alert within seconds, only to find a three-and-a-half foot Australopithecus female at the side of his bed.  Parker immediately felt vulnerable without his armor.*

"What the hell?" he cried out.

But this seemed to scare the small, unclothed simian, and she ran to the window.  She looked back as if Parker was familiar in a way she couldn't figure out, then she jumped out of the window and ran into the darkness.  Parker sat up, and immediately got out of bed.  He picked up the Star Sapphire ring from the floor, and then looked out the open window as the thought occured to him.

"It can't be . . . no . . ."

***

Aquilai, like Cloak, found sleep difficult, so he decided to get a little air.  And time to think.  Then he spotted what appeared to be a small lizard, colored like ice.  He grinned a bit at the tiny creature, who noticed Aquilai, and back away, snapping and gnashing it's little, but sharp teeth.  Aquilai himself didn't feel threatened, but when he saw the tiny fire-lizardine** creature lift it's claws.  He saw what appeared to be a minute Mark on it's right one.  This took Aquilai for a surprise, and he was speechless.

The tiny fire-lizard saw this as an opportunity and fled, disappearing into the night as all the others.

"This," Aquilai said, when he regained his senses, "is not good."

***

Dino was plodding along, having just fed, thinking she might regret that second helping, when she smelled something.  She looked left and right, but her night vision wasn't exactly spectacular.  But then the creature inched into the moonlight, and Dino, instinctively, left her compact size for her true size.  This intimidated the creature, who Dino saw enough of to see that it looked vaguely Andalite, but with almost deliberate flaws, and that whatever this creature was -- she possessed a Mark.  This confused Dino a bit.

"Who are you?"

Instead of answering, the creature fled, melting into the darkness.  Dino couldn't help but wondering aloud . . .

"Noelle?" she said, in a hushed voice.  Then, snapping out of her shock, Dino muttered to herself, "I wonder if the others know about this . . ."

---
*No, Parker, I'm not gonna have you sleep in your armor.

**"Dragonriders of Pern" reference.

[Underseen]

That devolved seal looked cute on Wikipedia

[Cloak]

It's Horse's curse.   *immediately thinks of the "I'm Cute" RAFparody.*

Okay -- this IS a rather long chapter.  I didn't really realize how long. . . .

CHAPTER SEVEN:
Mission: Improbable

"Ha, ha!" Gemini said, as he was watched the devolved RAFians fleeing the forum, their minds and intellects severely reduced, from three-quarters of the way to the city.  They were little more than beasts of instinct now.  "The devolution function works.  Now, when they send more of their people to gather up their beleaguered comrades, I'll take more of them out."

He smirked sinisterly at the thought.

"To think, one man will be responsible for the destruction of the all-mighty RAF." he crowed to himself.  "My name will make the history books.  And everyone'll bow down and respect me, or devolve into a primordial goo."

"Talk to yourself often, do you?" came a voice.

Oh, not her!  Not now!! Gemini languished silently.

"Don't take that attitude with me, I'm just here to check your progress.  But . . . I am pleased.  You've certainly made things . . . very entertaining."

***

Back in RAF, an emergency meeting was held.  Most RAFians looked thoroughly disgruntled, in housecoats and pajamas rather than their usual RAFwear.  Parker had even neglected to put on his armor, as he was still quite shellshocked.  He never expected Helen to have . . . devolved . . .

Richard began, in some rather stylish blue pajamas of his own, by telling the rest of the RAFians what transpired, what Cloak, Phoenix, Aquilai, Dino, and Parker had saw.

"So what?" Faerie snapped.  She apparently was a little snippy when she didn't get to sleep.  "They saw animals.  Big whoop."

"They weren't animals, Faerie," Cloak said evenly.  "They all bore the Mark.  As you or I do.  And only RAFians bear the Mark!"

"What's your point?"

"The point is," Phoenix said, massaging his forehead, "that we don't have RAFians of the species we described.  It's impossible, those species have been extinct for millions of years."

"Give or take," Aquilai added.

"Alright," Faerie conceded, "but what exactly do we do about it?  We don't exactly have a make-everything-normal-deus-ex-machina ray thingy."

"No," Richard agreed, "but we'll worry about that when they're back in RAFian custody.  We need to make a team to recover the lost, devolved RAFians.  So, uh, --"

"Wait!" Underseen spoke up.  "If we send more RAFians out there, what's to say that this won't happen to them?  No offense, Cloak -- Goom -- Richard -- but the Mark obviously cannot protect us from this -- this -- this devolver."

Cloak tried not to take offense -- after all, the Mark was his and Goom's creation, with Richard's go-ahead -- but Underseen had made a few fair points.

"It would help greatly if we knew what this 'devolver', to use Underseen's term, was." Terenia pointed out.

Cloak rubbed his chin as he said, "There was an odd pulse of energy . . . purplish-blue.  I remember seeing Horse get hit with it out of my peripheral sight, but nothing happened at the time."

"You saw it, too?" Gaz said, suddenly alarmed.  "I saw it hit Hunter and Block!  But nothing happened . . . I assumed they were able to immediately shrug off whatever it was."

Laserbeak, perched on Gaz's shoulder steadfast again, chirped insistently as Gaz looked at him and listened, as if she understood what he was saying.

"Beaky says he saw Noelle get hit as well.  And . . . are you sure about that, Beaky?"

Laserbeak let out an angry squawk.

"Okay, okay, settle down." Gaz said to pacify her metallic pet.  Then she addressed the others.  "Beaky says that Blaze was hit, too, but didn't seem to notice."

That woke Blaze up all the way.  His eyes widened as he said, "I was?"

"Wait a minute," Parker said, almost accusingly, "so was Cloak!  I saw him!'

Cloak looked surprised at the accusatory tone, but didn't seem so surprised when it appeared that the ray didn't affect him.

"So were you Parker." Sam added, who was wearing his Green Lantern outfit because he had his ring on.

"What?"

"Your armor probably proved to be more-than-sufficient shielding for the devolver ray or whatever."  Aquilai surmised.  "It's completely self-contained, right?"

Parker looked at a lost for words and did not answer.  Maybe he realized how close he could have been to devolving himself. . . .

"But why aren't Blaze and Cloak devolving?" Sakki asked.

"I'll field my side of that," Cloak said.  "As you know, individual Realm Walkers are born from and die as energy.  It was the same for our species."

"Why?" SuperNate asked.

"No one really knows, actually," Cloak said, with a shrug, "it's one of the most hotly contested things in the Nexus though.  And that's why I assume it hasn't affected Blaze."

"I wasn't born from energy, though."

"No, but exactly how long have djinns or angels been around?  Probably not as long as stars, but, I assume that they're far older than humans as a species?" Cloak guessed.  Blaze didn't know how to answer.

"We still need to send a team to retrieve our, uh, newly-diminutive comrades." Kelly put in.

"Yes, but ones that the ray will have no effect on." Cloak added.

"I'd say, not to sound speciesist, send a team of inorganic RAFians, that is to say, the robotic RAFians," Dino said, thoughtfully.  "Evolution may still exist with the robotic set, but it's not the same kind of evolution that this beam seems to target.  That could be our solution."

"Right you are, Dino," Richard said, after considering it for a moment.

"I want to go, too," Phoenix said.

"Me too." Goom added.

"Didn't you two just hear --"

"We did, Richard," Goom said.  "But I'm a goomba.  I'm a small target."

"And I can just use my phoencian powers to burn away the effects," Phoenix said.

"I have my doubts about this," Richard said.  "But, against my better judgement, I'll allow this.  Take Sakki, Oceanspray, and Rocklobster with you."

"I have a bad feeling about this," Cloak said to himself.

[Underseen]

Nice name of the chapter.

[Gaz]

I continue to enjoy this.

[Cloak]

We have to prepare for the storm, so I may not be able to post another chapter.

. . . And I really don't feel up to it right now.

[Underseen]

I just caught a cold so I well probably be sleeping for all of today anyway.

[Cloak]

Well, if the power goes out, I won't be able to RAF anyway.  They are predicting it.  And high winds.  Just lovely. . . .

Granted, Gaz has it worse.

[Gaz]

Yeah, we were talking at Friday's meeting to be ready in case school gets cancelled Monday or Tuesday. High winds, rain, and possible flooding.

[Cloak]

Just be safe, Gazzy.  You know we RAFians worry.

. . .

Too bad, the Mark doesn't exist IRL.

Anyway, I'll post another chapter as soon as I can.  Perhaps I can provide some levity for you, Gaz.  At least, some entertainment.

EDIT: Here we go.

CHAPTER EIGHT:
The Ultimates

The team scoured the city, but sticking to the shadows, wearing ID masks whenever they had to stray from them.  RAF had had enough bad PR already, with the clone debaucle and this.  The ID masks projected holographic humanoid forms, and was rapidly becoming standard-issued RAF tech, for missions such as these.  Of course, Rocklobster, being a Chee, had no need of them.

Anyway, thus far, the team found nothing worthwhile.

"Although I think I found a suspected Knight meeting," Sakki reported.

Phoenix facepalmed a little, and said, "You didn't do anything about it, did you?"

Sakki was silent.  Phoenix and Goom sighed heavily.

"I didn't hurt them!" Sakki protested.  Then, as an afterthought, she added, "Much."

"This was supposed to be a stealth mission, Sakki." Goom said, exasperated.  "Find the devolved ones, and bring them back to the forum.  Without the populace being any the wiser."

"I know that! . . . I just . . . uh . . ."

"Never mind that now," Rocklobster said, rather more calmly than the occasion warranted.  "I believe I have visual on the, uh, victims."

"Wait -- Rocky there is a Chee," Oceanspray noted, "you guys are hardwired for nonviolence, right?"

"Yes, and I believe I know what you're getting at," Rocklobster said, wearily.  "Because of the nonviolence protocol in my programming, I won't be able to fight directly."

Exasperated sighs greeted this, but Goom looked at it positively, "Then you can keep a watch out for Gemini and that devolver of his."

"Right." the Chee nodded.

"Wait . . ." Phoenix said, looking over to the right.  It was nearly dawn and the sun seemed mulling it over whether to rise or not.  But in the near-dawn gloom, Phoenix could see the five devolved RAFians, in cages -- well, two of them were rather like cat carriers (presumably carrying Horse and Block), one of them similar to a dog carrier (with a devolved hunter inside), with a devolved Helen and Noelle occupying the wrought-iron-barred ones.

"There they are," Oceanspray said.  "Let's go and get them."

"Stop, fool," Sakki snarled.  "Don't you think it odd that they just so happened to be here?  In a deserted street?  All caged up and ready to go?"

"Sakki's right, it's gotta be a trap." Goom said.

"Ha, ha, ha!  Indeed it is, little RAFians." said a voice.  The RAFians turned and weren't at all surprised to see Gemini standing behind them.  "You're little friends would make excellent exhibits at a zoo.  Or they'll devolve right out of existence.  Makes no never mind to me."

He had a hearty laugh before continuing, "But enough formalities and pleasantries!  Time for you to join them!"

"Even if you do succeed," Goom said, logically, "it'll have a delayed reaction.  That'll be plenty of time to kick your butt!"

"Oh, you think so?  How do you know I'm the REAL Gemini?" he taunted.  "I could be just a quick clone.  Don't wonder how I managed to capture your little devolved friends there?  In the space of a few minutes?"

The RAFians remained silent.  They hadn't yet entertained that possibility.

Gemini laughed again.  "You didn't even notice that collodial goo at the base of these cages, did you?  Priceless.  A small armada of quick clones.  Sure, they're temporary, but effective for my needs.  And the great thing is they're incredibly easy to make.  Clones with some permancy and free will, that's different."

"Oh, shut UP!" Sakki said, she had already balled her hands into fists.  Not missing a beat, Gemini fired his Darwin gun as Sakki lunged at him, the force of the blast altered her trajectory, but nothing else happened.  She didn't feel it.

"Ah, you're a robotic one, aren't you?" Gemini said, smartly.  "Your power levels don't indicate you're a Realm Walker."

"Why you pompous little --"

Before Sakki could tell this little man just exactly what she thought of him, he threw out what appeared to be the ghost-catching device from Ghostbusters, only without the cord.  Sakki stopped midsentence because such an action seemed absolutely ludicrous.

"You think I wasn't prepared for nonorganic pests?"

He pushed a button, and the device emitted a small electromagnetic burst.  It was not strong enough to scramble or erase their robotic RAFians memories, but just powerful enough to render them unconscious.  Naturally, it had no effect on Goom or Phoenix.

"Didn't think about use, did you?"

"You forget.  I still possess the Darwin gun!"

And, with that, he fired two pulses of energy at the two at point-blank range.  But what he didn't realize was that when Sakki lunged at him, he had accidently switched the gun's polarity.  Instead of devolving the two, the ray was having a more instantaneous effect of hyperevolving the two.  And the process wasn't painless.  But they weren't in any position to attack at the moment.

Gemini, however, was still ignorant of his mistake.  He straightened himself up, and, with a haughty little smirk, moved to leave.

"Oh, Gemini." came another voice.

Only this time, it was completely unexpected.  He whipped around, unprepared, immediately threatening, "I'll shoot you with this!"

"Oh, you already tried that," Cloak said, waving Gemini's threat away.  "I won't work on me or any other Realm Walker.  And, besides, some of my friends here --" the hyperevolved aliens appeared behind Cloak, now in full control over their faculties, "-- have a rather big bone to pick with you.  I believe you know Koowser*, Cambrian*, Audacity*, Motley*, Boll*, Ateles*, and Manmoth*?"

Well, Gemini thought, THAT can back to bite me in the butt.

---
*These are the seven mentioned, for those that don't follow Ben10, except they don't have Ultimatrix symbol --
[spoiler]

• Koowser (Koopa+Bowser)
• Cambrian --> Cambrian era
• Audacity --> sounds similiar to Audio
• Motley --> corruption of Muttley
• Boll --> corruption of "Ball"
• Ateles --> genus name for spider monkeys
• Manmoth --> Man+moth

[/spoiler]

[Gaz]

That would be awesome. Well, they called it already. No school Monday or Tuesday.

[Cloak]

Ah, 'kay.

Well, the chapter'll be in my previous post.  And it's shaping up to be a rather lengthy chapter.  But we won't find out until I'm done.