Memoirs of a RAFian

[Cloak]

Well, I'm not too sure how this'll turn out, but here it goes.

BOOK XLV:
A WAR OF ARMOR
CHAPTER ONE:
Ruminations and the Best Score

Cloak meditated on a rock on a slope overlooking the forum, parrially hidden by the leaves a weeping willow. He ruminated over the events of the preceding week. The "wishing star", the revelation of Estelore's "nephew" . . . it was a lot to take in.

And beyond that, he ruminated at all that happened since his joining -- it was a mere half a year to him, but to Dwellers it was five years. There was a lot that happened in that time. Enough to fill two hundred or so books, Cloak wagered.

He stood and looked skyward, at the azure blue sky with the fluffy white clouds drifting by listlessly. So much has happened already, yet there was more that could happen. After all, Malice was still out there. Who know what her schemes would be? She's bwen too quiet, far too quiet. She was definitely up to something. . . .

Cloak sighed heavily. Or he could just be getting as paranoid as Mad-Eye Moody. But . . . still . . . he couldn't help but wonder. . . .

***

BLAM!

Parker had discharged his weapon at a target. He could hesitate, he couldn't waste a moment.

BLAM! BLAM! BLAM!

Three more bit the dust.

Was it charged up enough? Yes! Parker aimed carefully and mimicked Samus's Final Smash with his fusion cannons. The only difference was that his armor withstood the power and did not fall apart in the slightest. It was a powerful, devestating beam. It cleared the rest of the targets, although his armor had to immediately enter a cool-down mode, and he would not be able to use it again until it recharged.

But a loud, booming voice said, "Simulation Cleared!"

Parker chuckled as he took off his helmet and saw the results. He shaved three seconds off his best time! Parker gave an elated chuckle at this, then left. He had a date with Helen later that night, and she wouldn't want him all sweaty.

Maybe afterward, but not before.

***

Outside a classified, nondescript area, a silhouette appeared with a quadrupedal, feline beast with a red-glowing singular, Cyclopean eye.

Then two entered the abandoned warehouse with ridiculous ease, and deposited a wooden crate in there.

"Come, Ravager," said the figure, and the two disappeared.

[Underseen]

Cool, new baddies.

[theyoungphoenix]

Ooh! Yeah!! ^^

[Cloak]

Cool, new baddies.

Uh . . . um . . . yeeeeeeaaaaaah, you keep thinking that . . . *shifty eyes*

CHAPTER TWO:
Eye Spy

The crate was soon discovered by the owner of the warehouse -- who was living there -- and he opened it to find some sophisticated technological spy cams. Eight count, along with the viewing device.

Gary Stanley Stewart looked them over eagerly. He remembered seeing Parker's armor in action -- how it was not quite the usual SPARTAN armor. There was something different. He coveted such an armor for himself, although he wouldn't use it as benevolently as Parker. He would use the blueprints to get rich, indifferent to the consequences.

But it would require a full scan of his armor, and these spy cams were small enough to be mistaken for moderately-sized bugs. So, Gary started up the spy cams and sent them to RAF.

Of course, he was unaware that he himself was being watched. A glowing red eye remain in an out-of-the-way spot.

***

In an undisclosed location, the figure lounges on her recliner, as her pet had transformed into a portal viewer. It had Cybertronian tech.

The figure spoke again, and her identity was clear. It was Malice. She said, smirking cheekily, "Now the fun begins."

A beat of quiet, before she added, "Once again."

***

Cloak had sensed something that encroached upon the forum, but he didn't know what. He looked around, inspecting everything.

Then he noticed eight bugs that seemed to have a fascination with Parker. They weren't small enough to go unnoticed though. Didn't help that they weren't even trying to be subtle anout it.

"Go away! Leave me alone!"

Ever try to kill a bug midair? Never as easy as it looks.

But Cloak could sense the metal in them. He held out his had and slowly closed it into a fist.

This cased the metal in the "bugs" to crush and crumple, until they fell to the ground useless.

"What was that about?" Parker asked.

"Not sure," Cloak said, though he had a shrewd idea.

[theyoungphoenix]

So Malice. Again.

[redtailedsaffa]

Well, naturally.

[Cloak]

No new chapter today. Lost the damn chapter I was working on. No new chapter unless I use a different device.

That is if this DAMN thing LETS me post this.

[theyoungphoenix]

It's alright Cloak. We can wait.

[Cloak]

It's okay -- I actually came up with a non-"Memoirs"  idea with publishing potential, maybe. I'll work that out a bit, but even when I can publish it, don't think I will neglect "Memoirs". I fully intend to write each and every book.  RAF will have to disappear first before I stop.

[theyoungphoenix]

Haha. Yeah. We know your commited.

[redtailedsaffa]

Publishing? Awesome. We're fully behind you on this one.

[Cloak]

*shrugs*

I'll need a reliable computer and a printer first, so it won't be any time in the immediate future.  But after exploring the idea a little, I think it would work. . . . I won't say too much here.  But I'll spend the day before work fleshing it out.  Then I'll work on chapter three tomorrow (after 6:30, as I'm working 10 to 6:30 tomorrow, unless they changed it on me again).

EDIT: Try this again.

CHAPTER THREE:
Incomplete and Incomprehensible

"Any idea what those bloody things were?" Parker asked.

Cloak was inclined to answer, but something occured to him. "Are you talking to me or Tyr?"

"Any one with an answer," Parker said irritably.

Cloak held his tongue. He suspected that he was being paranoid.

"What is it?" Parker said.

"What is what?"

"Don't play dumb, your tail is twitching like mad." Parker said shrewdly. "What's up? What do you suspect?"

"I think they may be . . ." Cloak thought how to put this carefully. "Maybe they were sent here to scan."

"The forum?"

"Your armor."

***

"NOOOOOOO!!!!!!!" Gary screamed at the top of his lungs, a scream of which Christopher Lloyd would have been proud, as the video feed snapped off and the scans were barely at 10% complete. He lamented, "It had did not have enough time to complete the scan!"

He was on his feet, arms splayed out in front of him, his sandy-blonde hair rumpled and messy. He was breathing hard due to the adrenaline coursing through his body.

How would he deal, how would he cope with this setback?

He slowed his breathing and closed his eyes, mastering the fury that he felt. Losing his cool at a setback such as this would not be productive. Not productive -- nor profitable -- in the least.

He needed a plan to complete his scans . . . a well-thought out plan . . .

[Cloak]

Now, because I could post yesterday, a bonus chapter. Sorry for the brevity of it.

CHAPTER FOUR:
Schemes and Scant Skepticism

"My armor?" Parker snorted, as if this were preposterous. "My armor is nothing but standard-issue . . ."

Then he caught sight of the (clearly Cybertronian) fusion cannons on his arm, which stranged this comment.

"No, it isn't 'standard-issue' anything." Cloak pointed out, driving the point home. "Don't forget you're also packing Realm Walker tech."

Cloak waited a beat, before turning his slightly away and his shoulders sagged a little, before he added, ". . . That I gave you."

In retrospect, giving such tech away so freely may have been foolish, but Cloak trusted Parker.

"So," Parker said, now very solemn, "some serious sh--"

"Yes, yes," Cloak said, impatiently. He was well aware his name with the Realm Walkers was apparently the same as Seerow's was with the Andalites. He could only imagine what it would be -- the sheer amount of derision and disrespect -- if they discovered that he essentially did the same as Seerow . . .

It was an uncomfortable comparison.

***

"That seems to be the perfect scheme," Gary muttered, with a malicious smirk. "I'll start out this assault with an . . ."

He looked over the motionless SPARTAN armor automaton he had just constructed within an hour, and gave a mirthless chuckle.

"With an armada of that." he said. Then he sighed heavily, and said, "I suppose I should get to work then."

***

"'Bout time that the plot kicks into action," Malice said, still waiting all this, like some opinionated fangirl.

Malice also appeared to be eating popcorn -- buttered popcorn. This was just a movie on HBO for her.

Ravager mewed.

"Settle, Ravager, it can only get good from here," Malice said, as if she was an amateur film critic.

[redtailedsaffa]

Malice the fangirl. Hee hee hee.

[theyoungphoenix]

Haha... That's a funny thought...