Memoirs of a RAFian

[Cloak]

Anyone up for more chapters?  Ten pages, woot.

CHAPTER FOUR:
On the Run

Yarin pulled out a purple box with a green button and pressed it.  His ship decended and the others got into it.  Cloak held off the Phalanx long enough to board himself, and Yarin put the ship into near synchronous orbit.  It was the only place that they could be safe.  For the moment.

From the window they could see that RAF in its entirety was taken over and assimilated.  The other RAFians . . . they'd be in blue sacs like Parker, Guy, and Broken.  The Mark was doing its work.  But would it hold up?

"What do we do now?" Aquilai said.  He was a whole lot more prone to bouts of anger now.  Cloak surmised that the destruction of his TARDIS had more of a psychological effect on him than he once suspected.  Perhaps likening it to losing a beloved pet . . .

"What do you mean 'what do we do now'?" Gaz said, just as irritably while Horse just sobbed in the corner.

"That Phalanx stuff is still out there!"

"I know that." Gaz snarled.

"So, what do we do about it?"

"What can we do?" Ash interceded.  "We don't know this Phalanx thing's weaknesses or vulnerabilities."

"Wrong," Yarin said, while piloting the ship, "Cloak was able to stave it off.  If he hadn't . . . well, I don't want to think about it."

"Great.  We'll just take Cloak back and he can get rid of that --"

"Can you pull the red out of an apple with just a gesture, Aquilai?" Cloak snapped.

"What?"

"Can you pull the red out of an apple with nothing but a gesture?"  Cloak repeated.  "Because that's what we're dealing with here.  This thing absorbs and assimilates matter.  I believe it has to do with the electroconductivity of a substance that influences the rate of assimilation.  At least, that's what I heard Hank and Forge say."

"That makes sense." Yarin commented.  "And it seems unable to assimilate organic tissue."

"Wrong, it can.  It did in Realm #031-616, known to you as the Marvel Earth-616.  I think."

"But then . . . why didn't it assimilate Guy, Broken and Parker."

"Because of Goom . . . and me." Cloak said.

[Cloak]

Probably the final chapter of the night.  Short one at that, sorry.  But don't hold me to that.

CHAPTER FIVE:
The Mark

"How did you and Goom do that?" Aila asked, flabberghasted.

To answer her, Cloak just raised his right hand, palm out, to show the blue, stylized RAFian "R" inscribed there in glowing energy.  The others receive a shock because they have it on their right hands (flipper in Horse's case, and the upper right hand in Yarin's case) as well.

"What the -- ?"

"We called it 'the Mark of the RAFian'.  It's supposed to immunize RAFians from hypnosis, assimilation, possession, and mind control.  Taken from my own innate immunity from those things.  But we were unsure if it would work.  I didn't want RAFians to take reckless chances because of this Mark, especially if it didn't work.  Goom and I were actually preparing to make a public disclosure some time next week, once testing was through."

Silence met these words.

"You . . . you KNEW this was coming, didn't you?" Horse said.  Cloak didn't appreciate the accusatory tone, but let it slide as she was grieving, and prone to lash out at anyone.

"Not this, exactly.  But I suspected that something like this would occur.  After the Dark Phoenix incident," Cloak's eyes darkened, "I knew messures would have to be taken to prevent that kind of thing from happening again."

"But why would you think this would happen again?" Aquilai asked somewhat aggressively.  He was possibly blaming Cloak for the lost of his TARDIS.

"Because . . . she's alive.  Malice is alive."

The tense silence he expected after this pronouncement did not come.  It was like the Dursley's reaction to the name of Voldemort.  But after all, the others were Dwellers, and did not know of this maliciously criminal devil (she was, actually, a Tasmanian devil).  It is how she got her nome de plume, her "Dweller name", so to speak.  Long since thought dead, she somehow managed to survive.  Not only survive, but under the nose of the Council.  Cloak tried his best to relay this to the others.

"You think that she brought the Phalanx here." Gaz said shrewdly.

"Yes," Cloak said sincerely.  "Yes, I sincerely do."

[Gaz]

Oh no! It got Guy! And interrupted my fang cleaning. How rude.

[Darth Revan]

Is it wrong that I now route for the being using my armor and weapons? Haha! You shall not escape the MJOLNIR-clad Phalanx!!!!

Oh, Cloak, I know it's been a while, but my designation was/is SPARTAN-281. SPARTAN-II is the name of the project that created me; and became the name that describes what I am.

I wonder if my A.I. Tyr survived the assimilation and is trying to battle the A.I. of the Phalanx. GO TYR GO!

[Cloak]

Ack!  I knew it was something like that, Parker, but I forgotten.  I'll see if I can get another chapter up . . . but it's gonna have to satiate you for the week.  That is, if Shadow can come out (Faith's window to come out here has closed).

And if it/he/she (I never know the appropriate pronoun for artificial intelligence, they don't exactly have genders, do they?) did survive . . . well, it/he/she would probably be rendered mute.  Or corrupted to evil. . . . Hmmm . . . . Or intelligence severely reduced, perhaps.  Or maybe I can just be vague about it.

CHAPTER SIX:
The Real Work Begins

"Is there anyway we can get rid of this Phalanx thing?" Gaz asked.

"In one of the many, many Realm #031 universe, the one called Hank McCoy came up with a 'cure' of sorts with the help of one Nathaniel Essex and, uh, Forge."

"Great!  We can get it from --" Horse said, hopefully.

"They used it all."

Horse looked crestfallen.  Gaz looked absolutely crushed.  Aquilai just leaned on the hull with narrowed eyes.  Yarin deliberately kept all six of his eyes out the ****pit window.

"That doesn't mean that Aquilai and Yarin cannot synthesize their own variation."

"Yeah," Aquilai spat.  "'Coz that'll be so easy."

"We would need a sample first." Yarin said.  "We could come up with millions of concoctions, and none may have an effect."

"I considered that.  And I have an idea." Cloak said, standing up straight.  He pulled out a beaker from his cloak.  An empty beaker.

"Don't tell me you have a sample in there," Aila said.

"No, I don't.  But this beaker was crafted with Nexus materials -- the one thing other than Realm Walkers, and those who bear the Mark, that it cannot assimilate."

"What if it assimilates this ship if we drop it or something?" Yarin said, geniunely concerned.  His ship was to him as Aquilai and Aila's TARDISes were to them.

"I will have to be on hand twenty-four hours," Cloak said, "my ferrokinesis can prevent it from doing that.  Yarin, drop us into the atmosphere for a moment."

"What?  Why?!"

"You know why."

"Cloak, have you gone off the deep end?!" Horse screamed.  "You can't fly!"

"True, perfectly, true." Cloak said with the faintest trace of a smile as he headed for an airlock and opened it.  The he walked in.  "I can't truly fly."

Then he shut it, and the other side opened.  He blew out into the air, a thin golden-scarlet disc of energy appeared beneath his feet, and it supported his considerable weight.  This was actually a technique invented by Shadow.

***

It was easy getting back to the site.  Cloak still felt his heart bleed at the site of the Technarchy monstrocity, the abomination of abominations. . . . Cloak ferrokinetically scooped some of the substance into the beaker, and put the top on securely.

"Intruder.  Intruder.  Intruder.  Intruder.  Intruder.  Intruder."

"Oh," Cloak said, muttering a Realm Walker curse that sounded like a repressed snarl to Dwellers.

"Intruder identified.  Designate CloakedFigure.  Species: Realm Walker.  Assimilation cannot be performed.  Termination protocols activated.  Sonic artillery activated."

Cloak said a string of words that should not be spoken in polite company as he fled.  Unbeknowst to him, the Phalanx was using the data from Parker's A.I. -- Tyr? -- against him.  Cloak had never paid much attention to that facet of Parker's armor.  And Parker was there when Cloak's sonic weakness was made known . . .

Cloak escaped before the sonic weaponry could be formed by burrowing through solid rock, sealing the entrance.  Earth had always been Cloak's favorite element, thus his primary one.

Cloak eventually made it back to Yarin's ship with no other nasty surprises.

[Cloak]

See if I can post another chapter.  This one introduces a brand new character!  Which I'll probably never use again.

EDIT: OOPS!  That's the NEXT chapter, sorry.

CHAPTER SEVEN:
Results

It was a week's worth of hard work, but Aquilai and Yarin, with Cloak's assistance managed to synthesize a solution that seems to affect the Phalanx.  But not cure it.

"But wasn't that the whole point?!" Gaz shouted.

"Yes, but this solution isn't useless." Yarin said evenly.  "It makes the Phalanx prone.  Listless.  Like a narcotic."

"Great, techno-organic drugs!" Gaz said, throwing up her hands in frustration.

"Yeah, how exactly is putting the Phalanx into a drug-induced stupor supposed to help us?" Horse asked, rather aggressively.  Uncharacteristic for her, but then again, she lost her brother . . . she was entitled to be aggressive.

"We didn't say it was finished!" Aquilai protested defensively.

"You really should say things like that upfront," Aila commented passively.

"It will transmute matter back to its original state," Yarin said.

"But it will require radiation from five very special stones." Cloak said.

"You mean like Leaf, Fire, Water, Thunder, Moon, Sun, Shiny, Dawn, and Dusk Stones?" Horse said, rolling her eyes.  Cloak didn't know seals could roll their eyes.

"No," Cloak replied, keeping his voice pleasant, "The Gi Sapphire, the Heart of Mati Suchi, the Kwame Diamond, the Linka Pearl, and the Wheeler Ruby."

"And, with their powers combined, the Phalanx is finished?" Gaz said, voice saturated with sarcasm.

"Yes," Yarin said, very seriously."

"You're serious?" Horse said.

"Deadly." Cloak said, with a grim face.

"Problem is, they've been scattered across the 'Net.  We have to find them.  And quickly." Aquilai said.

[Cloak]

Now, for that character I told you about.  Yes, I put in her all the bigoted things that I absolutely detest and loathe.

CHAPTER EIGHT:
Enter the Witch

Meanwhile, back at the Phalanx-assimilated forum, a lone techno-organic being strode.  This being was once a woman called MalloryFalwell.  She was a troll living in the Bannedlands, and one of the worst kind of people.  She felt assured that her religion made her better than anyone who wasn't of this cult-like religion, and she treated them like such.  She tried to force lawmakers to obey the rules and scriptures of this religion making her infamously hated by the non-fundamentalists and less extreme members.  And, if that wasn't enough, she was a devout racist and a staunch homophobe.

She allowed herself to be assimilated, believing that she would achieve true biological "purity", as if there was such a thing.  She took on a monstrous, Gorgon form upon being assimilated, but, so deluded was she, she saw herself more beautiful than Helen of Troy or Aphrodite.  Her ego outsized Jupiter.

"Tyr!" she shouted.

"Yes, Mistress?"

Tyr appeared as techno-organic Pantheon head on a techno-organic stalk.  Tyr's A.I. had been severely distorted, thinking of Falwell as its "Mistress" and becoming overly and overtly servile to her.

"Is he ready for interrogation?"

"Yes, Mistress."  Tyr replied, in an oiled, sycophant tone.  "The demon is in the inner-most chamber."

The chamber used to be the Board Board, specifically the Quotable Quotes thread.  It was a horribly irony . . .

She strolled, or perhaps "slither" is a more accurate term, to the center of the room where a weary Demos was bound arms bound by tentacles from the ceiling and legs bound by tentacles to the floor.

"Demos," Falwell said, "the demon RAFian."

"I see my reputation precedes me."

"Silence, filth." she said.  She was religious to extremes.  "You would resist assimilation even more than others who bear the 'R' Mark."

Demos looked perplexed at this, he didn't know what Mark she was talking about*.

"But your precious little sweethart -- stupid robot, consorting with demons and other lesser beings -- is made of metal," she continued, pointing out Sakki the VOLCAROID who was bound, in a similar way to Demos.

"What does that have to do with anything?" But Demos looked very concerned about Sakki's safety.

"We can assimilate metals rather quickly, demonic dunce."

"No!  Leave her alone!"

"Tell us how to break the Mark!"

"I don't know!  Even if I did I wouldn't tell you!"

"Fine, be that way." she said, continuing with her haughty, holier-than-thou tone.  "But we will break that Mark eventually.  And will take your powers for our own . . . and we'll purify you."

Demos could not hide his look of utter disdain and disgust.

---
*Don't forget, while Aquilai, Aila, Gaz, Ash (sorry I forgot you were there), and Horse know, Demos and the other RAFians do not.

[Gaz]

Love it! The sarcasm is spot on. lol ^_^

[Cloak]

Thanks, Gazzy. . . . As I explained in the Random Thoughts thread, Shadow was unable to get a flight out yesterday, so I'll post a couple of chapters, probably on the short side.  And I think my next book might be my weakest one, but we'll cross that bridge when we come to it.

CHAPTER NINE:
Subterranean Subtleties

It turned out that the Kwame Diamond was the closest.  It was supposedly buried somewhere in a savannah cave.  They followed the detector that Yarin had thrown together, which bore an irresistible likeness to the Dragonball Detector in the Dragonball universe.  However, Yarin would be taking the ship back up into orbit, coming down when we summoned him.

They found it, looking quite harmless, perhaps denning a pack of wild dogs and such in the past.  But when the RAFians stepped into it, they found it quite abandoned.  Deeper in, it expanded to accomadate all of them quite comfortably.  This was very odd, but they didn't have time to worry about it.

However, they did have worry about it when the earthen walls started rushing in like those of a trash compactor or a car crusher.  They would be in severe danger . . . except Cloak was a master of Earth, and he was in NO MOOD to be crushed.  He held the flat stone walls back long enough for all of them to make it through.  Then the ceiling decided to decend on them.   Cloak did the Atlas thing until the others were safe, then he rolled into the safety of the forward corridor.

"Uh, we should have known there would be booby traps." Aquilai stated.

"That's why I came along," Cloak said, dusting off his clock.

Suddenly, stalagtite and stalacmites appeared.  Normally, such things would not be even considered, even ignored and unnoticed.  But, as suspected, they started shooting up and down so quickly it was exceedingly difficult to tell which was a stalactites or stalagmites -- er, that is, stalagtites and stalacmites . . . or is it the other way around.  Never mind, it's not important.

Cloak deflected them, carving a slow, but eventual path to the goal.  Suddenly, they saw it.  A brillantly green, spherical gem upon an earthen pedestal, just waiting for them.  But Cloak was suspicious.  Surely, there would be another trap here. . . .

Gaz strode forward.

"Gaz, look out!!" someone screamed.  Turned out to be Aila.

The ground fell away from Gaz's feet, but she transmogrified herself into a bat -- although she probably could have also turned into mist -- and flew back to the others.

"Well, I don't care to repeat that again." Gaz commented, a bit breathless.

"Let's hope we don't have to," Horse muttered.

Cloak stood at the edge of the chasm, said nothing, but took a stance, jumped, slammed his feet down on the earth.  A bridge shot out from this side of the chasm to the other.  It was seven, ten feet wide, so they could all walk comfortably across.  They still walked single-file, however.

Aquilai made to touch the gem, when Cloak cautioned him against it.  Think that another trap may be triggered if the gem was not touched by a terrakinetic.  Cloak, instead, was the one who picked up the gem, which glowed brightly in his hand, confirming his suspicion.

Then an opening to the outside came, and they call Yarin down.

[Cloak]

This is the last chapter I really feel up to posting.  Sorry, that I didn't give you more, but I feel drained creatively for some reason.

CHAPTER TEN:
Hot!  Hot!  Hot!

With the Kwame Diamond's radiation added to the cure, which turned into a muddy concoction the color of granite, they were off to find the Wheeler Ruby, while they secured the Kwame Diamond.  It may come in handy later¹.

Then they went to the fiery place where the Ruby was rumored to be.  It looked like hell.  Literally.  Though Cloak wouldn't know.  When the RAFians had to enter Hell that one time², Cloak was unable to enter, indeed, that was the one place in all the universes that Realm Walkers cannot penetrate, though few Realm Walkers would care.  Something about incapable energies and such.

But that was not the case here, Cloak could enter and walk freely.  It was inexpliably dark here with flames of every color -- red, blue, green, yellow, pink, black, etc.  It was kind of fascinating to see flames of those colors.  And they would have, had they not remembered that they were here on a mission.

"That's ingenius," Gaz mused.  "If someone was here for no reason other than greed, they'd be stuck there looking at the flames."

"Some never left," Cloak stated quietly.

"What?" Aquilai said, completely flummoxed.

"You didn't see them standing there?  There were stationary ghosts of every color, just standing there.  Watching the pretty colors."

"No, I didn't see that."

Cloak's face was hard, and it didn't soften.  "Must be a cat thing then, let's move on."

This gem was a lot easier to procure than the Kwame Diamond, apparently whoever came up with these booby traps thought that their pretty dancing fireworks over there were sufficient protection.  Pity that they didn't think of anything better, a fire maze perhaps.  A false jewel . . .

There were six.  Lined up in a row.   They all looked ever so slightly different.  Most of the others couldn't tell.  But Cloak could, with Gaz just barely.  But Cloak, as a reluctant pyrokinetic, took the gem.  Made sure it was the right one, as it seemed to be obvious to him (but, then, he was the pyrokinetic of the group).

Then they called Yarin, and went after the Linka Pearl.

---
¹Translation: Future books.
²See the Introduction Randomness thread . . . which I since probably have been written out of.  Which is okay!  It was intentional on my part.

[Darth Revan]

Great progression so far. You haven't been written out of Intro Randomness; it hasn't really progressed much anyhow.

[Cloak]

Ah, well, I'll be focusing on this fic from now on, although I might post a parody or two in the future.  Now, I think I may only be able to post one chapter today (don't hold me to that).  Got lot of stuff to do later on.

CHAPTER ELEVEN:
Phalanx Frustration

The Falwell entity was horribly fustrated.  She (although "it" is probably more accurate a term now) had tried to assimilate Sakki, using her metallic body's natural electroconductivity .  But the Mark stopped it at every turn.  It could not figure out how such a thing could happen, how such a barrier could exist that it could not overcome.  Then it thought and came up with an idea.  If the demon did not know, maybe a more scientifically-inclined race would know.

"Tyr, has she been secured."

"Yes, Mistress.  But I must relay my misgivings.  They are a metamorphic race, not by natural means, but technological.  But there are limitations --"

"Yes, yes, yes, I know all about that!" Falwell snapped.  "Go about your other duties!  Wait -- how comes the work on the Spire?"

Back in their home realm, the Phalanx would use the Spire to signal the Technarchy, their "father race", if you will.  The Technarchy, however, consider them abominations.  Meeting between the two usually ends up with the Technarchy sucking the life energy out of the Phalanx and destroying it, along with whatever planet it's assimilated.  But there was no Technarchy in this realm to contact.  But they cannot fight their . . . programming?  Instinct?  Aren't they pretty much the same?

"Fifty percent completion."

"Well, hurry up with it!"

Falwell had been sitting in what had once been the D-Lounge, which was now a makeshift throne.  It would seem that she had egomaniacal tendacies and delusions of world conquest.  She slithered sedately to what was once the Quotable Quotes thread.  Demos and Sakki were back in the blue sacs, in the fetal position.  Apparently, after the interrogation, it tried to assimilate them, and, again, could not.

But in the corner, with her hooves bound to the ground, tail bound to the wall, and arms painfully pinioned to her side, was Noelle.  And she looked quite uncomfortable, and quite furious.  Then she saw Falwell and recoiled with revulsion.

<What ARE you?>

"Beauty incarnate," Falwell said in honeyed tones.

<You are one seriously crazed-up fruit loop.>

"Enough banter.  You know escape is quite impossible.  If you attempt shapechanging, you will be immoblized again.  I know of your two-hour limit.  Your SPARTAN friend's lovely servant has relayed that to me already."

<What do you want?> Noelle said, the anger had not vanished from her tone.

"What I want, you freak of nature," Falwell began

<Look who's calling who a freak.> Noelle shot.

"What I want is to know how to disable this stupid little mark all you RAFians have!" Falwell said, matching Noelle's anger.

<What mark?> Then Noelle looked at her palm and noticed the RAF-stylized "R" on it, glowing blue faintly.  <What's this?  How'd . . .>

"You don't know, either?!" Falwell roared.  She was quickly losing all semblence to rational thought.  "BAH!  I have no further need of you!!"

Falwell turned, flicked her oil-black hand with gold highlights (making it looke rather like a circuitboard, and Noelle was suddenly wrapped up tighty.  Then she appeared in a blue sac, in the Andalite fetal position.  Then Falwell stormed out.

[Noelle]

This is awesome.    *patiently waits for more*

[Cloak]

Here's another chapter.

CHAPTER TWELVE:
The Blowhard

They decended to cloud level, unaware of Demos, Sakki, and Noelle's suffering.

"Stop there.  That's where it is." Cloak said.

"Are you bonkers, Cloak?" Aila cried.  "We cannot walk on cloud!"

"Enough with the 'can'ts', if you please.  Let's get on with this."

"Cloak, this is suicide!  None of us can fly without a ship . . . except Ash and Gaz."

Cloak payed her no mind, and stepped upon the cloud.  It supported his weight easily.  It defied physics, he knew, but he looked back waiting for the others.  They seemed unnerved . . . well, who could blame them.  Gaz decided to take bat form, and fly out of the ship.

"Are you coming?  Ash?  Horse?  Aquilai?  Aila?" Cloak said, turning to each of his compatriots in turn.  Per usual, Yarin would stay with the ship.

Ash decided to shapeshift into an avian form and come out.  The other three were far more hesitant.  Cloak was starting to get very impatient with them.

"Come out here now, or we're leaving you behind!!" he roared.

That did it.  They cautiously moved from the ship onto the solid cloud.  True, it felt like walking on marshmallows, but it would have to do.  They walked for about twenty minutes before Cloak stopped.  Cloak made a few sweeping movements and extended his right arm, with only his middle and index finger extended.

A mighty wing blew, but parted when it came within an inch of Cloak's fingers, creating an island, a bubble of wind-free safety.  They proceeded this way for another forty minutes before they came upon a pedestial with the round, white pearl on it.  It was up to Cloak to touch it, being the only aerokinetic in the group.  Cloak snatched it up, while Aquilai summoned Yarin and the ship.

Now, they were off to find the Gi Sapphire.

[Cloak]

Now . . . another chapter.  Probably short.  Probably the only one today.  Depends on how I feel.

CHAPTER THIRTEEN:
Flickering

They landed on a watery area, wondering where the next necessary gem was.  Ash mentioned that she feared this treasure hunt might be a waste of time.  They didn't know if the cure would even work.

"We have to try," Gaz said.  "We can do no less."

Suddenly, they all felt pain from their Marks.  They were beginning to flicker like a static television.  This was very much not good news.

"They're trying to break the Mark," Cloak commented, concealing his own fear and anxiety.  "Or they are trying force their way through the Mark's protective aura . . ."

"But they can't," Gaz said, "can they?"

Cloak said nothing for a very pregnant pause, then answered, "Gaz . . . I really don't know.  I don't know the permancy of it.  We just implemented this just a few months ago.  This is the real test of it . . ."

"Well, that's comforting." Horse said dryly.

***

Falwell did not realize any of this however.

"Bah!  This abomination knows nothing about it either!!" she snarled, as Estrid was put back into the sac.  Falwell had been questioning all the Andalite RAFians, which were only second to humans as the most numerous RAFspecies, and was furious that none of them had any answers.

"That was the last Andalite, Mistress."

Falwell said a word that really shouldn't be used in polite company.

"Mistress, your blood pressure."

"I HAVE NO BLOOD!" she screamed like a banshee.  "Let's see if any of the parasitic vermin know anything about this.  Go fetch a Yeerk RAFian to inquiry!!"

"Right away, Mistress."