Memoirs of a RAFian

[Cloak]

Yes, and at least the next book will be a bit more light-hearted than this one. God, I never realized just how dark this book would become.

[redtailedsaffa]

I guess that tends to happen when you name it "The Worst Plague".

[Cloak]

Touché, Saffa.

I may finish up this book tonight.

CHAPTER NINETEEN:
In Harmony

"What makes someone special?
I suppose it all depends.
It's what's unique in each of us
That we share as friends!"

As Kelly sang waves of healing energy pulsed and pulsated from her being. The light pushed away the scarlet.

"The difference is our differences
May be small or great.
Variety adds spice to life.
So we should celebrate!
In harmony!
Harmony!
You're you, I'm me.
Together, we can live in harmony.
If there was only one note,
how BORING life would be!
I'm glad there are so many notes
In many different keys!"

Kelly chuckled warmly before continuing.

"I hear each voice singing,
With a special quality.
And when we sing together,
We bring music from eternity!"

Suddenly, the other RAFians were cured enough to sing along, their Marks blazing to life. The power began to be strengthened with Unity Energy and be gan to span the globe.

"In harmony!
Harmony!"

Then Kelly belted out enthusiastically:

"You're you, I'm me!
So we can live in harmony!"

Then the others joined in again.

"In harmony.
Harmony."

The Kelly repeated the refrain solo again, and then the chorus repeated the chorus again. They did this twice more before the Hate Plague was finished.

[redtailedsaffa]

That song gives you good feels.

[Cloak]

Well, I guess it's PDFin' time, Saffa. This chapter's gonna be  more like an epilogue, and may be on the short side (but the fact this ia the third chapter on a day were I work is a feet in and of itself).

CHAPTER TWENTY:
Not Quite Eradicated

The Plague was gone. The energy from the Unity Song had drove it to extinction. Again.

However, the plague might have been destroyed, hatred itself did not. The only way to truly do away with hatred would be to do away with free will and all other emotions. No, the hatred -- and the rage and prejudice that accompanied it -- were not eradicated.

But the plague was gone, so it would have to do.

The RAFians were having a big celebration over the Plague's defeat. There were streamers, balloons, a banquet -- everything. Shouts, laughter and good times permeated the forum once again.

Cloak was the only one who elected not to attend. His heart was still heavy with what he almost did. If he had, there would be no celebration, but somber silence and morbid mourning. Is this what his grandfather had meant by the sacrifice being selfish?

He would have plenty to ponder over the coming days.

***

Cloak was at the party, being stoic and reserved as usual. He wasn't feeling jocular, and remained thoroughly serious.

He held a glass of punch in his left hand. He had procured it as he stopped Duff from spiking it -- no, literally spiking it.

Cloak socialized benignly, but he did not like large crowds. It made him feel uncomfortably exposed. He was one to always shy away from the spotlight.

Others were dancing, and Cloak did not partake. He did not notice how they seemed to fade into grayscale, how their movements seemed to slow and blur.

A small figure made his way through the throng. He wore a black cloak and gray clothing. His head was bowed, obscuring his face, his cloak swept around him, swaddling him.

This young Realm Walker stopped five feet from Cloak, looked directly at him, and asked in a child's voice, " Do you still hate me?"

Cloak said nothing. This child was familiar. As if he was someone he knew years ago.

"Do you still hate me?"

Then Cloak realized who this was. He knealt and pulled this smaller Realm Walker's hood. It was revealed to be a tiger cub-form Realm Walker. His stripes were identical to Cloak's own.

"I see now." Cloak said. "You're me. . . ."

"Well? Do you hate me still?" the boy asked, nervously.

[redtailedsaffa]

The whole seeing kid Cloaky thing reminds me of something... damn, I can't quite place where...

And here's your PDF:

[Cloak]

Excellent, Saffa.

And I got the idea for that part from a two-parter of "Ben 10 Omniverse".

Now, this next book will be a lot more light-hearted (well, we'll see), maybe more whimsical.

BOOK XLVII:
MINUTE NAPOLEONS
CHAPTER ONE:
Abby's Ambition

"Put down that remote control!
Put down that movie guide!
Put away that jacket!
There's no need to go outside.
Don't you know we control the vertical?
We control the horizontal, too.
We're gonna make a RAFian
Outta you.
That's what we're going to do now!

Don't change the site!
Don't touch that Totodile!
We got it all on RAF!
Kick off your shoes
And stick around for a while!
We got it all on RAF!
Forget about your laundry!
Forget about the mob!
Just crank up the volume
Don't cry or sob!
We got it all.
We got it all --
On RAF!

Ditch the headphones,
Leave the dishes in the sink.
Forget about your homework,
Dontcha dare blink!
All you need to do is
Make yourself a RAFy dinner.
Press your face right up against the screen.
We're gonna show you things
You ain't ever seen!
If you know what I mean!

Don't change the site!
Don't touch that Totodile!
We got it all on RAF!
Forget about your laundry.
Forget about the mob.
Just crank up the volume.
Don't cry or sob!
We got it all.
We got it all --
On RAF!"

You can watch all day,
You can watch all night.
You can watch whenever you please.
You can sit 'round your tv
And watch until your brain
Turns into cottage cheese!"

Then the chorus repeated.

"We got it all on RAF."

And that was repeated at least ten times before the song ended.

"So," Abby said. "What do you think?"

"Do we really need a feature length movie?" Cloak asked.

"Yes!" Abby insisted.

"The song would sound creepy, if taken out of context." Underseen noted.

Saffa looked shrewdly at Abby, "You're bored out of your mind, aren't you?"

[Underseen]

The last book was almost too much for me so I am happy to see this one.

[redtailedsaffa]

True that.

[Cloak]

Wait until you read Malice's backstory. And, I guess, we're on hiatus. Because my internet thinks it's funny to crap out when I'm working on a chapter.

[theyoungphoenix]

I love coming on after a while to find new chapters waiting for me. Also:

Saffa looked shrewdly at Abby, "You're bored out of your mind, aren't you?"

This would totally be something Saffa would say to me, and then I would end up responding with an overexcited "Yep!"

[redtailedsaffa]

Oh, and do you want me to mail you the PDF of the last book?

[Cloak]

Let's try this again.

CHAPTER TWO:
Face Off

It was a normal day, and a nearby park was full of families. But one of note was a duo -- a father and his nine-year-old son playing catch rather unskillfully. Yet it did not attract any attention.

The father had a hard, angular face with brownish-black hair, and body to reflect this. The boy, albeit with a slim, slightly pudgy body, had a round soft face. He wore a baseball cap covering hair the color of rust.

"Not so hard!" the boy hissed.

"Sorry," the father hissed back. "I think the mechanism is skewed too --"

"Shh!" the boy snarled. "The humans could be listening in. We must keep up the pretense."

He cast one fervent, paranoid look around. Then he said, a little too loud and tad to forced sounding, "Nice throw, Dad!"

"I think's all for today," the "dad" said.

"Aww!" the "son" said, even though it was not really believable.

"Let's get going." the "dad" said. "Your mom probably has dinner ready."

"Nice touch," the boy wispered as the two walked into an isolated, desolate area that no real father would lead his son to. But these two were not related.

Suddenly, the boy shrieked. The father whirled around and his scream joined his faux progeny. It appeared that both were wearing necklaces of bugs . . . that talked . . . in thought-speak. So many thought-spoke that they overlapped each other.

<Bow before the might of the Helmacron Empire's greatest -->

<-- Stand down and we promise a quick death and -->

<-- And you'll live the rest of your days as our debased swine!>

Helmacrons.

There was Helmacrons around these two's necks. The minute ego trips headed for each's left ear. They managed to pressed a well-hidden, well-crafted button on each person's ear. Each face of the two became eeriely blank, eyes glassy, like a mask. With a hiss of compressed air, both faces of the two swung to the right, revealing them both to be nothing more than exosuits. Exosuits operated, not by Arquilians, but by a single Fmek each.

The Fmeks tried batting away the Helmacrons, but the swarm's Dracon fire were like multiple viper bites . . .

[Cloak]

Probably pushing my luck, but let's see if my Internet's going to let me post this one.

CHAPTER THREE:
Suit-Jacking Victims

"Believe me, sir," Genies was saying, looking rather put out, "we're working on it. But you aren't the only two Arquillians who have had their exosuits, er, 'suit-jacked'."

"Forgivd me, but I'd like to know what me and my son can do in the meantime." said the Arquillian. He and his son were legal immigrants to Earth, and he worked as a simple groundskeeper. "I have to go to work tomorrow morning, and they aren't expect me like this."

"We're doing what we can, sir," Genies said wearily. "We've already sent a team to investigate the site. But we're stretched rather thin right now."

"You know that Fmeks are behind this, right?"

"We are aware of the evidence against them," Genies said, "but we also have evidence of a third fraction involved."

Genies took a deep breath, than pressed on, "But, until then, I suggest taking some time off."

"During the school year? Are you crazy?"

***

Cloak and Sakki were inspecting the spot where the Helmacrons had ambushed and killed the two Fmeks. They looked around and Cloak "saw" something odd floating face down in the nearby shaded stream. The two wented over to investigate, and discovered the bodies of a man and a boy floating long the stream.

"They're dead!" Sakki said.

Cloak, with elemental sympathies, knew straight awzy that they weren't dead. In fact they've never been alive. "No, Sakki."

She switched tact easily enough. "Exosuits?"

"Yep," Cloak said, ferrokinetically levitating the suits before them.

"What happened them?" Sakki.

"I suppose the Fmek pilots were killed." Cloak said. "Then the killers attempted to pilot the suits the themselves and wind up in the creak.

Sakki picked up what appeared to be several grains of sand large. A dead Helmacron.

"Cloak. CLOAK. C'mere and look at this." Sakk i said.

Cloak looked at the thing that Sakki pointed out.

"Helmacron?"

"I think so," she said.

[redtailedsaffa]

Nothing like two new chapters to kill time in math.