Memoirs of a RAFian

[Cloak]

All titles subject to change.

Book MCCCXXXII (1,332): "The Device of Zenith" -- A verdant box is found.

New chapter.

CHAPTER FIFTEEN:
Yellow Orb

After the requisite eight-hour respite, Norman awoke, but it was Elliot in charge. He found themselves at what possibly caused the fire. It appeared to be some sort of fried circuit in the library's electrical system. It was an amateurish mistake, one that no skilled electrician would make. It disgusted Elliot, despite not being a trained or competent electrician himself.

He managed to hold onto the control over the body for a minute before he oscillated control with . . . no one, for eight minutes. Yet, he thought nothing of it. Then Rocky took control for twenty-one minutes. With Steele taking it from him, but only keeping it for two minutes, as Elliot took control back, but only for four minutes. Adrianna took control from him for a minute before he took it back.

"You fail to understand your mistakes," he said, with a slight buzz to his voice, as if he was using a low-budget voice changer. He wore a yellow jumpsuit with a yellow hardhat with a red band and "+" symbol on the forehead, reminiscent of a Met. "This body has always been mine, and the rest of you are freeloaders."

Then the body "blanked" for four minutes, unnoticed by Norman and the alters. Then Elliot took control for six minutes, and oscillated with Drake for two minutes. Elliot maintained control for four minutes..

"You continue to fail to comprehend you mistakes!" Elliot exclaimed. "This is might rightful place. Yours is to dissipate like the figments of imagination that you are."

He managed to maintain control for the next eighteen minutes.

"I'm so glad that you have accepted the truth in this matter," Elliot said, with a smug smile. "This is how should be."

He maintains control sixteen minutes, until Steele took it for four minutes. Then control oscillated between Adrianna and the body "blanking". Then Elliot took it back for four minutes.

"You dare? You dare to usurp what is right?" Elliot said, with scandalized tones.

He maintained it for only ten minutes more before losing control to Adrianna for five minutes. Then the body "blanked" for ten minutes. Then Elliot retook the control for fifteen minutes. Then Grover took the driver's seat for five minutes. Then Adrianna took control for five minutes. Then Drake took control for five minutes, before Elliot reclaimed control.

"You still dare?!" Elliot said, his scandalized tones turned to anger. "This body is my property."

Then Norman took his body back for twelve minutes. Then Marie took control for six minutes. Then Elliot took back control.

"Stop it, stop it, stop it!" he said, nettled. "This body is MINE!!!"

Then the body "blanked" for fourteen minutes. Then Adrianna took control for seven minutes. Then Elliot took back control for seven minutes. Then Steele took control for seven minutes. Then Marie took control for seven minutes. Then Elliot took control for fourteen minutes, until he felt an odd shoving sensation.

Soon, all Elliot saw was yellow. He heard nothing. He smelled nothing. He touched nothing. He tasted nothing. There was nothing to hear, touch, taste, or smell. It was total sensory deprivation. And it was hell. And he had no idea who did this to him.

[Cloak]

Sorry for the delay.

All titles subject to change.

Book MCCCXXXIII (1,333): "The Device of Deitification" -- An azure box is found.

New chapter.

CHAPTER SIXTEEN:
Orange Orb

After Norman woke up, it was Felix that was in control. He was in a place in this abandoned library that smelled of sweat and toil, much like a male locker room. While the other alters despised it, Felix loved it. He imagined the many scenarios that may have taken place here.

He maintained control for two minutes, before the body "blanked" for a brief minute. But then Felix took back control for five minutes before the body "blanked" for six minutes. Felix took back control.

"Wassamatter?" he said, aggressively. He was wearing an orange gi, with a black belt and an orange headband. He didn't wear shoes and he possessed bushy eyebrows. "Nose mugs wants to fight mes?"

Then the body "blanked" for eight minutes before Felix regained control, for four minutes.

"Wassamatter? Youse scared?" he taunted, with heavy belligerence.

Then the body "blanked" for fifteen minutes straight. Then Felix took control for six minutes. Then the body "blanked" for another twelve minutes.

"Seriously? No one?" he said, itching for a fight. "Wassamatter with you?"

Then body "blanked" for eight minutes. Then Norman took control for six minutes. Then Felix took back control, with gusto, for four minutes. Then Steele took control from him for ten minutes. Then the body "blanked" for sixteen minutes.  Then Felix reclaimed the body's control.

"Yes!" he crowed. "Fight me! Fight me again! C'mon, Normie! C'mon, Steely!" What

The body "blanked" for ten minutes before Felix reasserted his ownership of the body, but for only twenty-five minutes. Then Darlene took control for ten minutes, which Felix immediately took back, for ten minutes. Then Steele took control for five minutes, after which Rocky took control for five minutes. Then the body "blanked" for ten minutes. Then Norman took control for five minutes, before Felix took it back.

"Finally! Youse puts up a fight again!" Felix said, with almost cherishing tones. "Dontcha stop now! Fight me!"

Then the body "blanked" for six minutes. The Felix took over for six minutes, before Darlene took it from him for six minutes. Then Adrianna took it from her for six minutes. The Felix resumed control.

"Fight me! Fight me! Fight me!" Felix chanted.

He maintained control for an additional seven minutes, before the body "blanked" for seven minutes. Then Norman took control for fourteen minutes, before losing it to Felix, who maintained control for fourteen minutes. Then Drake assumed control for fourteen minutes, and then the body "blanked" for twenty-one minutes.

Felix took back control, feeling triumphant, but that was soon replaced by an incomprehensible sense of shoving, of pushing. Soon, all he saw was orange. He heard nothing, not even the sound of his own voice. Smelled nothing else, not even his own sweat. Touched nothing else. Tasted nothing else.

And he was actually frightened.

***

"The trail is dead," Hunter said, heavily. "He was here, but the scent trail ends here."

"I suspected as much," Cloak replied, with a weary sigh. Hee had asked for Hunter to come along just to make absolutely sure that his findings were not erroneous in any manner. "The boy could be anywhere now."

"How could he not leave a scent trail away from her, unless he's still here. The scent isn't stale, either. Not by much." Hunter said, hand to his lupine chin. "It's like he just up and vanished."

"Wait," Cloak said, thinking hard, "that popping sound we heard."

"What about it? It could have been a car backfiring or something," Hunter said, dismissively.

"I don't think so," Cloak said. "I think it may have been --"

 And inconvenient gust of wind drowned out Cloak's words to anyone but Hunter.

 "I mean, I do not consider myself an expert on such things, but it fits." he concluded.

[Cloak]

All titles subject to change.

Book MCCCXXXIV (1,334): "The Device of Chibi" -- An indigo box is found.

New chapter.

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN:
Brown Orb

After the mandatory corporeal respite, Norman woke up, but Grover was in control. They were on the filthiest part of the library floor, and Grover didn't care. It was probably against health code regulations just even to be in this place to begin with. But Norman and his alters were too busy infighting to care much.

Grover managed to maintain control for a sparse two minutes before the body "blanked" for two minutes. Then it oscillated control from Grover to Steele and back again for sixteen minutes. Then Rocky took control for four minutes. Then Grover took back control for two minutes. Then Rocky took back control for two minutes. Then Grover retook control.

"Everyone, listen to reason," he said. He wore a miner's helmet, horn-rimmed glasses, a white cotton shirt, blue jean overalls, and dirty work boots. "Let me explain how you're all mistaken and this body really belongs to me."

Then the body "blanked" for four minutes. Then Adrianna took control for two minutes. Then Steele took control eight minutes. Then the body "blanked" for four minutes. Then Grover took control for four minutes. Then Rocky took control for four minutes. Then Grover retook control.

"Come on, guys," Grover said, "be reasonable."

Then the body "blanked" for thirty minutes. Then Grover took control for three minutes. The Drake took control for six minutes. Then the body "blanked" for twelve minutes. The Grover oscillated between control and the body "blanking" for nine minutes. Then Grover retook control, and he was disturbed by the body "blanking".

"Fellows, let us call attention to a problem I've just noticed," he said, attempting to be reasonable and rational. "Haven't you noticed the occasions where the body was . . . well, driverless?"

Then the body "blanked" for twelve minutes, almost just to prove Grover's point. Then Drake took control for eighteen minutes. Then Grover took control for eight minutes. Then Rocky took over for four minutes. Then Adrianna took over for four minutes. Then the body "blanked" for four minutes. Then Grover took control for four minutes.

"No one concerned with that? Just me?" he managed to say, before he felt the tugging of the other alters to be in control. "It can't just be me."

He managed to maintain control for just five more minutes before Steele took over. Then the body "blanked" for ten minutes. Then Darlene took control for fifteen minutes. Then body "blanked" for fifteen minutes. Then Adrianna took control for five minutes. Then Grover retook control.

"Guys, seriously." Grover said. "We need to address --"

 Then Norman took control for six minutes, only to be usurped by Drake, who only remained in control for twenty minutes before Grover reclaimed control of the body.

"We need to address the moments where the body --" Grover managed to choke out.

But he struggled to remain in control for the next fourteen minutes before the body "blanked" for another fourteen minutes. Grover managed to reclaim control once more, but felt a powerful pushing. Hee couldn't resist it.

Soon, all he saw was brown. His other senses were completely useless to him. And this terrified him, but there was nothing he could do about it.

***

"If that's the case," Hunter said, "there's no telling where he could be. He could miles to a friggin' continent away. He could be on the opposite side of the planet by now!"

"Despite how powerful his potential is," Cloak said, costing him some of his pride to not add how he wanted to believe that Norman wasn't as powerful, or possibly more powerful, than he, himself, was. "I don't think he, or any of his psychic fragments, would go that far. I surmise that they'd want to go to some place with some . . . familiarity to them."

"But then someone would have reported seeing him," Hunter said.

"You assume that such a place isn't remote and isolated," Cloak countered, conversationally. "And that particular place could have changed over the years."

Hunter conceded the point. But then he pointed out, "That doesn't change the fact that we don't know where he went."

[Cloak]

All titles subject to change.

Book MCCCXXXV (1,335): "Site I" -- The RAFians raid Site I, and must deal with site enforcer, Agent Adhesive.

New chapter.

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN:
Gray Orb

After the requisite eight-hour recuperation, Norman awoke upon the cold, tone floor of this forggotten, dilapidated library. But Rocky was in charge, and the body's stomach growled for sustenance. Which Rocky managed to satisfy with some fruit that Grassley grew before he was pushed into his green-colored hell.

Then the body "blanked" for thirty-one minutes. Then Adrianna took control for eight minutes. Then Rocky resumed control.

"That was odd," he said, taking immediate notice of the body "blanking". He was attired in a gray flannel shirt with matching old, worn, gray jeans, and a gray, poofy vest. He also wore what looked like a gray pith helmet and possessed a larger frame than Norman and had a gray beard and a balding head. "Anyone notice --"

Then he had to struggle to maintain control for the next two minutes. Then the body "blanked" for the next six minutes. Then Darlene took control for the next eight minutes. Then Rocky resumed control once again.

"Fellows, we must stop the infighting," he said, "and address the elephant in the room."

He struggled to maintain control for three additional minutes, before losing out to Steele, who maintained control for the next nine minutes. Then the body "blanked" for the next twenty-one minutes. Then Rocky resumed control once more, for three minutes.

"We need to address this!" he said. "It cannot be ignored any longer!"

He managed to maintain control for eight minutes, before Steele took it from him for the next eight minutes. Rocky reclaimed it for four minutes, only for the body to "blank" for the next four minutes, where Steele reclaimed it for four minutes. Rocky then retook the body for four minutes.

"Enough!" he shouted. "Stop this infighting. We need to address --"

But he had to fight to maintain this control for fifteen minutes before the body "blanked" for twenty minutes. Adrianna took control from there, and only for ten minutes. Then the body "blanked" for five minutes. Rocky took back control.

 "ENOUGH!" he shouted. He was starting to lose his temper. "We need to address the --"

The body suddenly "blanked" for twelve minutes, almost as if someone or something was trying to since him. Drake took control for twelve minutes, before the body "blanked" just as long. Marie took control for eighteen minutes. Rocky retook control from Marie.

"We need to address this problem!" he insisted.

He managed to maintain control for thirty-five minutes, before Adrianna took control from him, for fourteen minutes. Then the body "blanked" for seven minutes. Then Steele took the driver's seat for seven mines, before Rocky reclaimed it.

Then he felt a pushing sensation. Shoving, really. And soon, all he saw gray. He heard nothing. Smelled nothing. Touched nothing. Tasted nothing. He was in hell, assuredly.

***

Now it was Cloak's turn to concede the point. "True enough. But that doesn't mean that there won be traces."

"And how would we go about even finding these traces?" Hunter pointed out.

"By the simplest solution," Cloak said, with a note of decisive finality in his voice. " While I may not be the most versed in this particular avenue, we are quite fortunate to know someone who is. Maybe even two or three, possibly. "

"What do you -- oh," he replied. It took a moment for it to click in. But this generated another worry in him. "But what if the traces, whatever they could be, do not linger? The trail is already cold enough as is. Even now the scent trail that led us here in the first place has grown more and more stale we speak. What if it the same holds true for whatever traces there are to be found?"

Cloak was silent as he considered this.

[Cloak]

Sorry for the delay.

All titles subject to change.

Book MCCCXXXVI (1,336): "The Device of Fusion" -- A violet box is found.

New chapter.

CHAPTER NINETEEN:
Gold Orb

After the eight-hour requisite recuperation, which supplied this body with nutrition and sustenance through an almost magical method. Norman woke up to a chilly breeze on his left cheek. Adrianna was the one in control when he did.

The body immediately "blanked" for nine minutes afterward. Norman took control for six minutes. Then the body "blanked" for two minutes, before Norman retook control for three minutes. Then the body "blanked" for fourteen minutes, before Drake retook control for a minute. Then Adrianna retook control.

"Fight all you want," Adrianna said, loftily. She wore a golden leather bomber jacket, gold-colored jeans with matching shoes and socks, and a golden leather aviator cap. She didn't tend to notice a lot and had a rather irritating habit of looking dkwn on the other alters. "You won't get me."

Then Norman took back control for four minutes. Then body promptly "blanked" for six minutes. Then Marie took control for two minutes before the body "blanked" for twelve minutes. Darlene took over for two minutes before the body "blanked" for another six minutes. Steele took the driver's seat for two minutes, before the body "blanked" for four minutes. Adrianna retook control.

"Oh, dear," she said, with faux concern, "you lesser personalities cannot hold onto control for very long, can you? Guess this is further proof of the real owner of this body, isn't it?"

Then body promptly "blanked" for three minutes. Then Norman took control for six minutes, before the body "blanked" for twelve minutes. Then Norman took control for three minutes before Drake stole it from him for three minutes before the body "blanked" for three minutes. It was at this point that Drake retook control and held it for eighteen minutes. Then Adrianna retook control.

"Oh, you lowly peons do love to quibble about things that aren't yours, don't you?" she said, in a irritating, holier-than-thou attitude. "You've all yet to realize how inconsequential to all things you are."

Then Norman took control from her for twelve minutes, before the body "blanked" for twenty minutes. Darlene took control for four minutes, before Norman resumed control for four minutes. Then the body "blanked" for four minutes, before Marie took control for four minutes. Then the body "blanked" for sixteen minutes. Then Adrianna took control for four minutes.

"You can't even maintain control for proper lengths of time," she said, deliberately ignoring that she had also lost control of the body as frequently as the others. She refused to admit any fault in herself, doing severe mental gymnastics to justify everything she did or said. "Pity that you do not understand how extraneous that you are."

Then Norman took control for fifteen minutes, before the body "blanked" for forty minutes. Then Norman took control for ten minutes, before losing control to Darlene, for ten minutes. Then Adrianna took control for ten minutes, before losing it due to the body "blanking" for twenty minutes. Then she retook control.

"You lot are so pathetic and sad," she said, with a haughty sniff, thoroughly ignoring that the body "blanked" right after her. "You lot are so insignificant and beneath my notice."

Then Norman took control for six minutes. Then the body "blanked" for twenty-four minutes, before Drake took control twelve minutes. Then Darlene took control for six minutes, before Adrianna retook control.

"Alright, then," she said, "Now I'm annoyed."

Then the body "blanked" for fourteen minutes, before Norman took control for twenty-one minutes. Then the body "blanked" for twenty-eight minutes. Then Adrianna took control once more, for seven minutes, until the body "blanked" for fourteen minutes. Then Steele took control for seven minutes, until Adrianna retook control.

Then Adrianna fell a powerful push. A shove, really. Soon, all she saw was gold. She couldn't hear. She couldn't touch anything. She couldn't taste or smell anything. It was total sensory deprivation. Which made it hell after just a few minutes.

***

"Regardless," Cloak said, finally, "we need an expert in this field here. Neither one of us can detect any traces, or, if we can, we don't have the requisite competency to discern its relevance."

"What if the traces, if there even are any, vanish when we go get them?"

"We don't have to leave this spot," Cloak said. "We can use the communicators to call the forum."

"Fair enough," the lupine RAFian said, "but who? Who do we call?"

"All three, if we can," Cloak said, already ringing up the first on the communicator. "Let's hope that they're not on other active missions."

[Cloak]

All titles subject to change.

Book MCCCXXXVII (1,337): "Property Dispute" -- The RAFians come into conflict with the Andalite High Command.

New chapter.

CHAPTER TWENTY:
Tan Orb

After the requisite eight-hour recuperation period for the body, where it was again fueled by almost-magically-made sustenance. When Norman woke up, it was Drake that was in control. He didn't speak, but just gave a snarling sneer.

Then the body "blanked" for thirteen minutes. Then Drake took control for two minutes, before the body "blanked" for a minute. Then Drake retook control.

He wore a permanent sneer, as if he was disgusted with everything. He wore tan slacks, thick tan work boots, a tan captain's jacket with a bare chest, and a captain's hat. He also had tan stubble and mustache.

Then the body "blanked" for eight minutes, before Drake retook control.

Drake, again, said nothing, just looking hostile and aggressive. He put his hands on his hips as he glowered at that around him. It was almost as if everything around him displeased him greatly.

Then body "blanked" for fifteen minutes. Marie took control for six minutes, before Drake retook control for six minutes. Then the body "blanked" for thirty-six minutes. Then Drake retook control.

He folded his arms, as he curled his lip in disgust. He still said nothing, scoffing derisively, as if to telegraph how he felt about the others and all this infighting.

Then body "blanked" for eighteen minutes, until Steele took the driver's seat for four minutes. Then the body "blanked" again for sixteen minutes. Then Drake took control for four minutes.

Drake said nothing, but he seemed to be getting progressively more annoyed and frustrated. It was wonder why he still didn't speak.

He maintained control for another twenty minutes. Then Darlene took the driver's chair for fifteen minutes. Then the body "blanked" for twenty-five minutes. Then Drake retook control.

Drake continued to glower, almost as if he knew what was going to happen and he was just resigned to it. Almost as if he knew that he was powerless to stop it. And he had already accepted his fate, despite not being especially fond of it.

Then the body "blanked" for eighteen minutes, until Drake retook control for eighteen minutes. Then the body "blanked" once more for thirty-two minutes. Drake retook control.

He had his eyes shut, wishing that it would hurry up. That she --

He only maintained control for a further seven minutes, until the body "blanked" for seven minutes. Then Norman took control for seven minutes. Then Drake retook control for seven minutes. Then the body "blanked" for fourteen minutes. Then Darlene took the control for seven minutes. Then the body "blanked" for fourteen minutes, before Drake retook control.

It happened as Drake had expected. He was shoved into a place where all he saw was the color tan. He couldn't hear, smell, touch, or taste anything. Nothing at all. It was complete sensory deprivation.

This didn't help his disposition.

***

"So, what do you think?" Hunter asked.

The expert they brought remained silent, as he continued to examine the area. Running his hand over the air, as if trying to determine something. Cloak and Hunter waited for his determination, and hopefully to get to where the boy was. His mother was actually worried sick -- despite all appearances of indifference that she tried to affect, believing that she was projecting strength instead of appearing to be just hiding her feelings.

"Yes," he said, eventually, "there are traces here. Most of the time --"

An inconvenient gust of wind drowned out his voice for a moment.

 "-- would not leave any trace, other than the popping sound."

"And we did hear a popping sound," Cloak said, "but faintly."

[Cloak]

All titles subject to change.

Book MCCCXXXVIII (1,338): "Deminuative Demons" -- The RAFians must deal with child vampires.

New chapter.

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE:
Silver Orb

After the requisite recuperation, Norman awoke to find himself on a rusty desk that seemed able to support his weight surprisingly well enough. But Norman wasn't in the driver's seat. It was Steele.

But then the body promptly "blanked" for thirty minutes before Steele could retake control.

"Well, that was embarrassing," he said. He wore a full set of knight armor, sans the the helmet. His silver hair was shaved close, and his voice was akin to that of an Arthurian knight. "But I have corrected that wrong now."

Then the body blanked for twenty minutes and Steele noticed that something was up, as he retook control.

"This body 'blanking' thing seems to be happening more frequently . . ." he said, drawing out the last word, thoughtfully.

Then Marie took control for nine minutes, before the body "blanked" for nine minutes. Then Steele retakes control for six minutes, then the body "blanked" for seventeen minutes. Then Steele for three minutes, before the body"blanked for three minutes. Steele then retook the control.

"Has anyone noticed that it isn't so . . . crowded in here anymore?" Steele asked, noticing that it was just he, Norman, Darlene, and Marie present. "Where did everyone go?"

Then the body "blanked" for fifty minutes. Then Steele retook control for four minutes.

"Where did everyone else go?" he asked again. He didn't get an answer. This displeased him.

Then the body "blanked" for twenty minutes. Then Steele retook control for fifteen minutes. Then Darlene took control for ten minutes. Then the body "blanked" for fifteen minutes. Then Steele took control.

"Why doesn't this alarm you? " he said, rounding on the other alters. "Norman? Darlene? Marie? Why aren't you more concerned with this?"

Then, almost to silence him, the body "blanked" for twenty-four minutes. Then Marie took control for six minutes. Then Steele retook control.

"It was one of you, wasn't it?" he realized. "One of you got rid of them!"

He managed to remain in control for seven minutes, before the body "blanked" for thirty-five minutes. Then Marie took control for seven minutes, before the body "blanked" for seven minutes. Then Steele took control for fourteen minutes.

Then he was pushed. Shoved. And, soon, all he saw was silver. He couldn't hear, taste, touch, or smell anything. Not a single thing. And he was feeling a mix of emotions -- fear and anger chief amongst them.

***

"Do you think that it's enough to find the boy?" Cloak asked, in a rather clinical sort of manner.

"Perhaps," their expert said, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "But I'll need more . . . more specialized instruments and artifacts to get a more accurate location."

"What? A map, a quartz crystal, and a length of string?" Hunter inquired, with some doubtful dismissal.

"Perhaps," he said. "But we must act quickly. Traces do not linger forever in most cases."

"What'll we do if or when we get him? Especially if he doesn't feel like coming in quietly?" Hunter said, having a thought.

"We'll cross that bridge if or when we come to it," was Cloak's reply.

[Cloak]

All titles subject to change.

Book MCCCXXXIX (1,339): "Site J" -- The RAFians raid site J and have to deal with the site enforcer, Agent Burst.

New chapter. Sorry about the brevity.

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO:
Black Orb

After the requisite recuperation period, Norman awoke in darkness. A storm was approaching. And it was Darlene in control.

But Norman immediately retook control for fourteen minutes. Then Darlene took it back for fourteen minutes. Then the body "blanked" for twenty minutes. Darlene retook control.

"Whatever," she said, apathy oozing from her. She had long , lank, black hair, black lipstick, and wore disheveled black clothing with pale skin giving her an almost vampiric appearance. She came off very emo, yet very emotionless, indifferent, and dismissive of everything.

She managed to maintain to two minutes, before the body "blanked" for twenty minutes. She retook control once more.

"Whatever," she said again.

She managed to maintain control for six minutes, before the body "blanked" for thirty-three minutes. Then Darlene retook control for nine minutes.

"Whatever," she said once again.

Then the body "blanked" for twenty-four minutes. Then Darlene retook control for eight minutes.

"Whatever," she said, looking like a disaffected youth or just a moody teenager.

She maintained control for another ten minutes, before the body "blanked" for twenty-five minutes. Then Darlene took control again for ten minutes, before the body "blanked" for thirty-five minutes. Then Darlene retook control.

"Whatever," she said, again.

Then the body "blanked" for forty-three minutes before Darlene regained control for seven minutes. Then the body promptly "blanked" for seven minutes, before Darlene retook control.

Then she felt the shoving, and didn't fight it or give it any resistance whatsoever. She just let it happen, due to her complete and total apathy towards everything. Soon, all she could see was blackness, and her other senses were rendered moot and useless.

And she just couldn't care less.

***

"How is it going?" Cloak prompted, perhaps a tad impatiently.

"Patience is a virtue . . ." said the expert, swinging the quartz crystal over a map. "You, of all people, should know that."

"I still don't understand how this is going to work," Hunter said. "I mean, I've seen it work on television, but in real life?"

"Trust me, it works," the expert said, "although, it is, admittingly, not the most reliable method, but it is the only one available to us at the moment."

"So there's a possibility that this method will fail?" Cloak said, skeptically.

"Every method has a margin of error," he countered conversationally. "Nothing is ever free of error."

[Cloak]

All titles subject to change.

Book MCCCXL (1,340): "Promise of Paradise Island" -- The RAFians investigate missing homeless people, criminals, and transients.

New chapter. Sorry for the delay.

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE:
Two Personalities Left, One Guilty

After the requisite recuperation, which wasn't taking as much time anymore, Norman woke up, but Marie was in control. She had curly pink hair, a frilly sort of uncomfortable dress that you'd see a doll dressed in, with ballot-like slip-on shoes. She possessed the chucky body of a child due for a growth spurt and large, round, anime eyes.

"Normie, I'm scwared," she said, affecting a little kid lisp. "I don't wanna go into a pearl, too."

"Don't. Even." Norman said, threateningly. He had his arms folded, as the body "blanked" for the final time. This interaction would only be known between these two.

"Please, Normie." Marie said, appearing scared. "I don't wanna go! I'll be good, I promise!"

"Marie," Norman said, his voice harder than diamond and sharper than obsidian. "You're not fooling anyone."

"Mr. Norman," she said, but Norman cut across her.

"'Mr. Norman, is it now?" he said, in a caustic sort of way. "You might as well drop the act, Marie Nova."

"I don't know what you're talking about, you big meanie!" she bawled. It was almost convincing. "Leave me alone."

"Faux petulance won't work either, Marie Nova," he said. "I know who got rid everyone else now. To be honest, it was fairly obvious. I should have seen it from the onset. But I failed to account for what you really are. Failed to see how well you disguised the sheer level of your magical power. I know who literally pushed everyone out."

"It was you!" she accused, pointing a tiny index finger at him.

"No," Norman said. "It was you, Marie Nova."

***

Broken continued to scry for Norman's location, but Cloak was, personally, finding it a slow and boring method. Not to mention he didn't understand the methodology to it, and imagined that there was a lot of "false positives" with this method of location-tracking. But he understood that they had no other way, unless someone just happened to stumble upon him.

And that would be dangerous, as it was clear that this boy was not only mentally unstable but mentally fragile. His psyche had already fractured into so many personalities, all of which demonstrated some really differentiated powersets. And Norman clearly could not control his other personalities, otherwise it wouldn't have been so chaotic in the mental health facility that he was in. Some of the reports that the orderlies gave them when they were charged to find the young man . . .

Still, Cloak felt as if they were squandering their time here. He was trying to hide, to mask his anxiety, but it just came off as impatience. Then, as if it were a piece of metal coming into contact with a powerful magnet, the crystal dropped.

"I know that place," Hunter said, examining the map. "It used to be a library before it had a fire and no funding to repair it."

[Cloak]

All titles subject to change.

Book MCCCXLI (1,341): "The Forced Tradition" -- The RAFians come to a town terrorized by an annual tradition that no one seems to like.

New chapter.

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR:
Dropping the Facade

"Me?!" she said.

"Drop the act, Nova," Norman said. "I know what you are now. Or, at least, what you used to be."

"What are you talking about?" she said, her facade faltering.

"Grassley. Poe. Frieda. Walter. Bugsy. Adrianna. Darlene. Elliot. Grover. Felix. Cassandra. Rocky. Steele. Candice. Danny. Drake." Norman rattled off. "They all owe their very existence -- assuming that they still even exist within those pearls you put them into -- to you."

"You're not making any sense, Normie," she said, with a more adversarial tone to her voice now. "You don't understand what you're saying."

"Our battle had fractured my mind," he said, "and all this time, I thought you were just another shard. Another alter. Another personality. But now I understand what you really are."

"You don't understand anything, Norman." she said, coldly.

"You're the mummudrai who I fought with so long ago," Norman accused. "I had thought I had killed you. That you were gone. I never considered that you were still here."

Marie gave a mirthless laugh, and when she spoke, it was with a full-grown woman's voice. "You don't know what you're talking about Norman. But you did managed to figure out one of the major points."

She gave another cold chuckle before continuing, "I was indeed part of that mummudrai, but just a fragment. A bit that merged with one of your mental fragments to become something . . . new."

"What?"

"That's not important," she said, dismissively. "What is important is that I have just as a legitimate claim to this body as you do. It's all perfectly legal. No contract could undo my claim."

"What is this about legality? What does this have to do with anything?" Norman asked. That whole part sounded like a non-sequitur to him.

"It means, idiot boy," she said, trying to sound as cruel as possible, "that I cannot be exorcised, expelled, or forcibly removed from this body by spells designed to get rid of possessing spirits or influences because I'm a rightful owner of it, as well. This isn't possession, as would have technically been if I was a full mummudrai."

Norman wanted to protest this vehemently, but could not find grounds to support his protest.

"But I am also a part of you, as well." she said.

"But that doesn't explain how you got rid of everyone else," Norman said, sensing that the final struggle was coming up soon.

"When you live in an house and own property, you are not bound to it. You can make a claim and have ownership over it, but you are not forbidden to lose. But the longer that they are away," she said, smiling a disconcerting and, frankly, creepy smile, "the more their claim to their body deteriorates. it's like making a Horcrux. Although . . . they may be 'recompleted' into whole people on their own, but I frankly don't really care."

"You're not going to succeed," Norman said, knowing what she had planned.

"You're in no position to fight me," she said. Somehow, her smile became more offputting. "I won't even need to change the body to reflect who I really am. As you can tell, I'm really good at playing the long game. . . ."

***

"There!" Hunter said, pointing.

"He's catatonic," Broken said. Then he immediately conjured up a stretcher, and put him upon it with Cloak's help. However, the Realm Walker noticed what appeared to be a pink pearl fall from his left palm. But he dismissed it as unimportant, as he helped the others taking him out of here, notifying the authorities about it.

None of them knew about the battle that went on beyond Norman's fleshy matter. . . .

[Cloak]

All titles subject to change.

Book MCCCXLII (1,342): "A Culture War" -- The RAFians are called on to mediate a "culture war".

New chapter. Sorry about the brevity.

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE:
Bounce Back

Cloak was dispatched to some sort of outdoor amusement park. One with so many OSHA violations that there wasn't enough paper to hold all the citations. There were areas where it was clear that bouncing on questionable rubber balls were the only ways to move forward.

Cloak did not and would not indulge. He used his energy and the elements to bypass this crappy way of getting around. It made getting to the heart of this underfunded, abandoned amusement park rather easy. The fiend didn't really hide, either.

The fiend was tall, twice the size of a ten-year-old child, with two, large eyes with russet brown sclera and dark purple irises. It was a round, russet brown fiend with two pink buttons and two reddish orange tubes on its chest. It had two stubby legs with large, black, ball-shaped feet. Its white arms are long and rubbery, and its russet brown hands are also large balls with black fingers. It had an antenna on its head, which has a small black ball at the end of it. It's arms are retractable, and his limbs and head can be separated from its body, though this usually only happens when it's hit with a very powerful attack.

The fiend spent most of the battle bouncing around the room in a diagonal pattern. It'd sometimes stop moving to throw a punch at Cloak with one of its stretchy arms. Later in the fight, it'd use that to get closer to Cloak by grabbing the ground at a spot near Cloak and then pulling itself to that spot. Sometimes it'd also try to squash Cloak by slamming itself on the ground. These attacks were fairly easy to avoid, as long as the Realm Walker kept moving, but it was somewhat difficult to land a good hit on the fiend since it was almost always moving, and it repeated this attack pattern.

Cloak decided that it was time to attack, and not just evade. He formed his energy blades, after firing a powerful blast of energy to knock it back. Then he struck repeatedly, even after it disassembled. He targeted the head when it did disassemble, and he attacked relentlessly, using his feline agility to dodge the bouncing bits. It wasn't long before the fiend was savagely put down.

***

Demos called it a "rabasapien". He intended it for crash-test purposes.

***

Malice watched this from a comfortable easy chair, and was finding herself anxious. She was once again losing relevance, she felt, and she wasn't too happy about it.

[Cloak]

All titles subject to change.

Book MCCCXLIII (1,343): "The Children of Death" -- The RAFians must deal with some genocidal cultists.

New chapter.

BOOK CLXXXIV:
THE A.R.A.
CHAPTER ONE:
De-Fusing the Situation

Broken was dispatched to a decommissioned power plant, which had suddenly come back online. Fiend activity was suspected. so, he Apparated here immediately. He had to dodge some lasers in order to get to the fiend, who didn't exactly hide itself.

The fiend was tall, slender humanoid with white skin that is protected by purple and orange armor. Its hands were black, and his eyes had purple sclera and white irises. Its head is also purple with two electric fuses that stick out from its sides, somewhat resembling horns. A lightning bolt symbol is also engraved on each of the fiend's black, bootlike feet. In addition, a red circle is engraved on the fiend's left chest plate, and purple spikes protrude from the sides of fiend's lower torso.

The fiend's attack patterns were pretty simple, but the battle proved to be very difficult due to its incredible speed. It began by casting two balls of electricity, one on the ground and the other on the ceiling. As it was doing this, the fiend created an electrical barrier around him. This makes it invulnerable for a short time which prompted Broken to wait for it to proceed with its set-up before he could damage him. Afterwards, the fiend teleported above the fiend and cast its electrical orbs towards him at very high speeds as the electric spheres will begin to move around the room on a metal rail in a clockwise motion, forming a rectangular shape. Broken avoided this by sliding out of the way, but had to Apparate with a crack and a pop to avoid one of the electric spheres that he didn't see. Then the fiend waited a second or so after he teleports before firing his weapon to set a trap, making it so that Broken had to evade both the electric spheres at the same time.

Then the fiend teleported to the middle of the room in midair to activated its superhuman speed ability. When activated, its speed is increased immensely and its attack pattern changed. Its new method of attack was to teleport to the top of the room and slam back down to damage broken with a powerful electric strike, imitating the movements of an actual lightning bolt. These attacks were extremely fast and difficult to dodge. Fortunately, the fiend would only do this several times until he stops and goes into his third phase.

In his third and final attack pattern, the fiend reverted back to its original attack pattern albeit with some small changes. Instead of casting one shot of the electrical orbs, it will fire two at different trajectories to increase the likelihood of Broken getting damaged. Additionally, the electric spheres moved in a somewhat triangular shapes where they now move in the same direction as each other and intersect at the middle of the room.

Broken had decided to act, pulling out what appeared to be a rubber ball. With prudent use of the Summoning, Banishment, and Doubling Charms, he had an armada of rubber balls bouncing all over the room. The fiend had no chance.

Honestly, clean up  took more time than the fiend's untimely end.

***

Demos called it a "hyuzusapien". Demos claimed it was designed to help manage electrical equipment that was too dangerous for ordinary humans.

***

Malice was getting even more anxious, as she felt that her relevance was only as good as releasing these fiends. Sure, she had plenty more, but she wanted more relevance. But no scheme ideas came to her.

[Cloak]

All titles subject to change.

Book MCCCXLIV (1,344): "The Return of Night and Death" -- The RAFians must face old foes once more.

New chapter.

CHAPTER TWO:
He Campaigns This Way

The campaign video opened with music similar to that of Lady Gaga. Then the politician appeared on the screen, and he wasn't anything to look at. He certainly wasn't much to look at -- like someone had put a generic business suit onto a baboon who had gone through a large bag of Cheeto puffs in one go, and made it run for office.

He sang, and it was heavily auto-tuned:

"My mama told me when I was little,
Act like a superstar.
Save your allowance, come up with a petty dismiss,
And someday you will go far!
Now behind podiums, well, I'm hard to miss.
The press follows everywhere I go!
I'll poke your eye out with a point like this,
Back off and enjoy the show!
I'm sure my critics will say it's a grotesque display,
Well, they can bite me, baby -- I campaign this way!
I might be just flirty tease or swearing as I please.
It doesn't mean I'm crazy -- I campaign this way!
Ooo, my little donors pay . . . lots 'cause I campaign this way!
Baby, I campaign this way!
Ooo, don't worry, I'm okay . . . hey, I just campaign this way!
I'm not crazy, I campaign this way!
I'll be the biggest troll you've ever seen,
I'll just make all my supporters scream,
'Cause every day is my birthday, see,
For me . . .
I'm so completely original!
My new platform is all the rage!
I'll wrap my corporate interests 'round my neck
And set fire to the flag on stage
I'll wear a wig on my head
On a W-H-I-M.
And, for no reason, now I'll sing in French
Excusez-moi, Qui a pété?
Got my gun today,
It's made of gold lamé.
No, not because I'm crazy,
I campaign this way!"

All the RAFians present looked at Helen, who had he head bowed with just how awful this ad was.

"Don't be offended when you see
My latest repeal monstrosity.
It's strange, weird, shocking, odd, bizarre!
I'm Einstein, I'm not subar!
There's nothing too embarrassing,
I'll honestly do anything,
But endorse Representative Day.
'Cause baby, I campaign this way!
Hope you won't think it's cliché, if I go prude today.
Don't call the cops now, baby,
I campaign this way!
No reason I should regret all the attention I get.
I'm not completely crazy,
I perform this way, yeah
I perform this way-hey,
I perform this way-hey!
I'm always deviating from the norm this way-hey!
I perform this way-hey,
I perform this way-hey
I'm really not insane,
I just campaign this way-hey!"

"That's how this guy got elected?" Dylan asked. "This Representative Shane Les? This obscure ad?

"Unfortunately," Helen said, "and just wait until you hear his brainchild policy proposal, and what it means. . . ."


SOURCE SONG: https://youtube.com/watch?v=ss_BmTGv43M

[Cloak]

All titles subject to change.

Book MCCCXLV (1,345): "An Essence's Weakness" -- Cloak discovers an essence's weakness.

New chapter.

CHAPTER THREE:
The Alien Registration Act

"Which is?" Cloak prompted.

"The Alien Registration Act," Helen said, heavily. "Pretty much they one any alien species in the country to register with the government."

"I fail to see the downside of that," Kane said, but he was mostly ignored.

"This also applies to species that are Terran-borne, but aren't human," Helen continued. "Basically any creature with sufficient sentient self-awareness would be obligated to register."

"To what punishment?" Cloak asked. "The current level of human technology doesn't have spacecraft that would be able to satisfactorily 'deport' these aliens. Wait --"

"They plan to use the act to confiscate all space-capable craft, don't they?" Yarin asked. He didn't need telepathy for the answer.

"Yes," Helen said, "similar to civil asset forfeiture, they take the ships from the 'unregistered alien' under the pretense of them being suspected of a crime, calling it 'alien asset forfeiture'. Touted as an invasion precaution. Most aliens come to this planet by mistake or accident. Very few come here to actually invade."

Cloak snorted with disgust, "This would just put the personnel involved with the seizure in danger, when you consider the invasions we, as RAFians, ended. The Heinlins? They would have taken over the personnel and impersonate them. The Chapeausapiens? Same deal. The Phalanx and the Borg? Same deal there, too. The Skrulls? They'd just replace and impersonate. 'Alien asset forfeiture' will just work on nonhostile species."

Cloak thought about it some more, then added, "And it expects blatant compliance, that the targeted alien would either be weaker than the personnel or be able to be overpowered by force, if need be. That is rarely the case in such scenarios. Not to mention that they do not know how to operate the aforementioned ships. Unless they force the aliens in question to show them -- and you can pretty much guess how that that would go."

"If they go through with this," Aquilai noted, "then there will be a database. Much like our own species database. . . ."

"Meaning that it could be hacked," Shenmue supplied. "And what if it got hacked by a Knight? It would essentially provide them with a hit list, and we all know how unstable and violence-prone some of these Knights are."

"This legislation causes far more problems then it solves," Phoenix said, "assuming it actually solves anything."

They fell to silence, as they watched a news outlet spouting out support for this. And the nonhuman RAFians wondered where this would put them. . . .

[Cloak]

All titles subject to change.

Book MCCCXLVI (1,346): "Procure and Refine" -- A man creates a "Beastmaker Watch".

New chapter.

CHAPTER FOUR:
The Man Behind the Act

Shane Les was never a popular guy, and even less so when he took office amidst scandal and accusations of cheating and election interference. But his allies in Representative Christopher Lubber, Senator Nathan Smith, and Representative Michael Ellis helped him overcome this, as he termed it, minor setback.

Shane grew up in an affluent household where he never had to work hard to get what he wanted. He was a selfish, spoiled little brat that his parents made excuses for his delinquent behavior, often using the word "precocious" in place of "delinquent". Every time he acted out, they would immediately capitulate to what he wanted. They thought that their permissiveness was trusting their child, and they never lived to see his rather dubious rise in politics.

Despite railing against them in his rather off-the-wall campaign, which was like it was being ran by a clown, he had never truly met an extraterrestrial being. He just found them as useful scapegoats for his horribly authoritarian plans. He just exploited an xenophobic fear of some of his constituents, even if it meant he had to blatantly lie and gaslight them. It was heavily unclear as to whether or not he legitimately believed the hatred he spewed out.

He rode this xenophobic fears to get to his office, and, if it wasn't enough, he had a ex-felon collecting votes from voters to mail them for them -- which was illegal -- and not-so-secretly changing them for Les, or throwing the votes for his opponent (one Frederick Washington) away, or just voting for them. Not to mention that there were accusations that they had dead people voting. But instead of the judiciary branch doing their job, they certified his win and allowed him to take office.

And the first thing he did when he got into office was to begin legislation for his "exo-immigration bill". He continued to fearmonger against "undocumented extraterrestrials", even though there was not nearly any many aliens on Earth as he insinuated in such a blasé way, and highest concentration of aliens even on Earth was in the forum.

But fear, when stretched to the hysterical and xenophobic extremes, is a funny thing. It wipes away all logic and tends to close one's mind to simple truths and incontrovertible facts that don't justify their personal views. This sort of fear is the sort of thing that feeds upon itself, and, more often than not, leads to nothing but destruction, suffering, and devastation.

And Shane Les shamelessly profited from this sort of fear. He and his cohorts all profited from this fear in the country. Did they share in the fear that they peddled? It was difficult to say, but it was most likely no. It was just something to rile up his base, with their Knights of Humanity philosophy (and smaller groups of like-minded individuals by the names of the Humanity Right and the Church of Humanity, which took hold in more rural parts of the country while the Knights were far more urban).

He seemingly wasn't aware of all the problems with this bill, as the RAFians spotted immediately. But, then again, there was ulterior motive for this bill. One that nothing to do with registering extraterrestrials (including sentient nonhumans and supernatural creatures, despite being Terran-borne and not technically "extraterrestrials"). One that there was a concerted effort not to tell or inform the constituency about in one of the more underhanded ways possible.

They wanted to drastically cut taxes for the rich, cutting programs that the people needed to survive. They were just hoping to the xenophobia as a vehicle to sneak this in, as they already tried the tricky language to trick people, but were called out on it.

Fortunately or unfortunately, depending on how you look at it, they failed to take note of how popular the RAFians were, and there were a lot of aliens on their active duty roster. Aliens, supernatural beings, nonhuman Terran-borne creatures, superpowered and flatscan humans, and a interdimensional being (namely, Cloak). They were sitting around sixty-one to sixty-five percent likability.

The Alien Registration Act was really bad and convoluted way to do that, really.