Memoirs of a RAFian

[Cloak]

New chapter.

CHAPTER TWELVE:
The Pelt

No hesitation. No mercy.

He could not have any hesitation or mercy this time.

The battle was a bit more straightforward this time. This time he would not fail. He would take her pelt. He would be ruthless in his endeavor.

She threw water and ice at him. Only this time he was prepared for it. He armed himself with a thermal blade, which stayed hot, even underwater. It melted ice very effectively.

Horse dodged his attacks, but she was still awkward on land. She tried to hobble to the lakeside shore, seriously missing her old Tempest Blade. The Tsul 'Kalu used his arsenal to keep her away from the lake, but failed to keep her away, as she used her hydrokinesis to help her reach the safeties of the waters, as Tsul 'Kalu are a firmly terrestrial species. Even if he tried to swim out to catch her, he wasn't sure he was fast enough in the water.

He fired the net into the water, trawling for Horse, eventually catching her with rather less resistance than he had anticipated. He thought nothing of it, too focused on what he must do. And already hating himself for it.

If it was an consolation, he made it a quick death. He ended it quickly, without pain. Then he quickly skinned and cleaned her pelt. Then he left to find the head, the armor, or the cloak.

***

But all was not what it appeared to be.

What the Tsul 'Kalu thought to be Horse wasn't her at all. Just a faux fur coat glamoured to look like her, and it was apparently one of surprising effectiveness, as Horse herself commented, "How bizarre! It's really unnerving and strange to see yourself being skinned and having your pelt cleaned when you're a good ten, fifteen feet away from it. Not that I'm complaining, mind you. I like having my skin and fur where it belongs."

"Yes," Yarin said, somberly. He had read the Tsul 'Kalu's mind and knew his travails. And saw this as an opportunity of not only freeing him from his employer, and just seeing who his employer was. "Melissa has come a long way in such a short amount of time."

The Tsul 'Kalu, of course, knew nothing about this, as he would not have listened anyway. Though he was motivated by what could be seen as selfless motives, the way he went about accomplishing it could be seen as heartless and selfish. Such counterintuitive complexity.

"Everything is in place now," Yarin said.

Horse finished, "Let's just hope he doesn't get wise to us in the meantime, then. Those glamours do have a limited lifespan."

[Cloak]

New chapter.

CHAPTER THIRTEEN:
The Head

No mercy. No hesitation. No remorse.

He would do what he must. He would what he had to do. He wished that he didn't, but there was no time for that. He must be ruthless. He must be hard. He must be relentless. He must succeed.

There she was. He would have to approach this very carefully. He knew about her sonics now. He knew of her being a capable hand-to-hand fighter. He couldn't reveal himself too early. He had to be cautious, weighing each step heavily. He treaded the terrain carefully, cautiously, aware of every stick and leaf. Aware that so much as bending a blade of grass could give him away, could out his position.

This RAFian was not to be trifled with.

The Tsul 'Kalu watched her intently, giving off a strange stalkerish vibe. Sakki seemed absorbed into her smartphone. Too absorbed. This was good fortune for the Tsul 'Kalu, who didn't stop to think, didn't pause to wonder, just why it was so fortuitous for him. He was a desperate being, and desperation has an odd ability to cause people to overlook things.

When he struck, it was quick and unexpected. He held Sakki's neck in the crook of his arm, which would choke out your average human. Naturally, Sakki dropped her phone, cracking the touchscreen on a rock. But Sakki didn't seem to react to this.

Without hesitating a minute, the Tsul 'Kalu took out his knife and severed her neck, allowing her lifeless, immobile body -- useless to him, and uninterested by him -- to fall rather pathetically. He took her head and perserved it with the pelt and the tail, as he set off to.procure the last two items on his list: the armor and the cloak.

***

"That phone was expensive," Sakki snarled with gritted teeth, seething.

"Would you have rather have donated your actual head for the cause?" Aquilai aked rhetorically, with an impish sort of smile on his face as the Tsul 'Kalu disappeared with the glamoured soccer ball. Sakki responded without words, but a very scathing look. "Hey, don't look at me like that. Phones can be fixed. Or upgraded to a new one."

"That's not the point," the VOLCAROID growled.

"Then what is your point?" Aquilai asked, pleasantly.

Sakki said nothing, still grousing.

"Oh, don't be that way," Aquilai chided, as Sakki had retrieved her broken phone, before retreating back to the safe watching distance. "See? Perfectly salvageable."

Sakki gave him a dark, jaded look, and said nothing.

"Okay, okay," Aquilai acquiesced, "no more talking."

[Cloak]

New chapter.

CHAPTER FOURTEEN:
The Armor

No mercy. No regret. No hesitation. No remorse.

Failure is not an option. Failure will not be tolerated.

Now . . . where was the armored one? If he had to, the Tsul 'Kalu was more than willing to kill the armored one and peel the armor off. His employer never specified that they had to be spotless.

Then again, he didn't specify a lot of things. But now was no time for bitterness. There would be time for that later. Later, when his beloved flower, his beloved Dahlia, is well again. He just had to see her smile again . . . he had to . . .

He kept to the shadows, sneaking with the gusts of wind. It was still quite chilly out. The wind provided him excellent sound coverage, making his feet stepping on twigs and leaves more muffled, thus left unheard.

Then there was the evidence. Evidence that Helen and Parker had more . . . epicurean plans in mind, given just how . . . never mind. Apparently that aphrodisiac he gave them had long-lasting effects on one's libido. The Tsul 'Kalu gave no more than a passing thought as he looked and searched for the armor. It didn't take long to find, and it was laying out in the open, ripe for the taking.

Anyone else, in different circumstances, might have easily thought of it as a trap. But desperation is a funny thing like that. The Tsul 'Kalu just saw this as a lucky break, and eagerly and almost greddily snatched up the armor, discovering that it was far lighter than he had expected it to be. After he snatched up, listening hard to see if the two were still . . . occupied, in their thread, and when he was satisfied with the rather present sounds, he quickly and steathily spirited away the armor.

He felt elated! Just the cloak and he would be able to save his darling Dahlia! Things were looking up!!

***

"You think he bought it?" Helen asked.

"I still don't know why we couldn't do it for real," Parker pouted.

"Don't be that way, dear heart," she said, sweetly and kindly, "you know why we had to."

Parker couldn't prevent himself from pouting.

"It's not like he took your real armor dearest," she said, soothingly. "It was just glamoured tin cans and string."

"I know," he said, and even to his ears he sounded petulant.

"Cheer up, dearest," Helen said, coaxingly. She touched him, almost seductively. "We can have our fun after we complete this mission."

Parker smiled, eyes twinkling, "Okay, my little violet firefly."

[Cloak]

New chapter.

CHAPTER FIFTEEN:
The Cloak

The Tsul 'Kalu was feeling enthused. He just need one more item, though probably the most difficult on to procure. But he had succeeded in procuring the tail, the head, the pelt, and the armor!! The cloak is the last item . . . then he will get a massive payday. A payday to get his darling flower, his beloved Dahlia well again. He would be able to see her smile again.

Now, where was the cloaked one?

A sudden spire of earth appeared before him, surprising him. He blinked, realizing that there would be no sneaking up on this creature. He would be seriously tested with this one. He had to show his utmost athleticism and acrobatics, demonstrate the abject limits of his strength and endurance.

He had keenly managed to dodge several spires, never pausing to question why they never skewer him and gave him plenty of warning, telegraphing where they would appear. He just assumed it was his physical adeptness and never guessed, never entertained, that he was being led to a particular spot.

He saw the cloaked one seated upon a flat rock, and he didn't seem aware of the presence of the Tsul 'Kalu. He thought that this was an excellent opportunity, an act of providence. But he had to be careful about this, he knew that the cloaked one was dangerous.

But, eventually, he threw caution to the wind, snatched the cloak and didn't question, but was privately grateful, that it came away easily. Nothing happened, reality itself didn't start to melt away and burn. Cloak didn't move, as it wasn't Cloak, but a generic mannequin. But the Tsul 'Kalu, too high on his perceived success, didn't even notice this rather obvious and overt oversight.

He didn't care. He would be able to cure his darling Dahlia. She would smile again, and fill him full of unbridled joy again! His happiness with Dahlia was assured.

***

"How'd he not catch on yet?" GH asked.

"His mind is clearly on other matters," Cloak said, still wearing his true cloak. The one the Tsul 'Kalu had was just an average, throwaway Dweller cloak. Granted only Realm Walkers, and some RAFians, would be able to tell the difference. "Distraction and desperation often prove to be disastrous."

"Disastrous for who?" GH asked.

"That remains to be seen," Cloak said.

"Why do you aways have to be so damn mysterious?" GH teased.

"Hey, I happen to like my mystique," Cloak said. Though it was hard to tell if this was a sincere, earnest protest or just a dry, wry joke. But then Cloak was all business. "I'm going. Rocky, Salad, Underseen, and Ash ready?"

"Yes," GH said, "I wish I could go."

"You know you, Saffa, and Abby have to watch Kelly and Goom's back."

"I know," GH said, "it's just gonna be so BORING!"

"But necessary," Cloak said seriously, preparing to go with the others. "Oh, GH?"

"Yeah?"

"Hand 'em over," Cloak said, holding out an expectant hand.

"Hand what over?"

Cloak said nothing, but gave an impatient gesture with his hand. GH couldn't feign ignorance any longer, and handed over his half-empty pack of cigarettes.

"Couldn't I just have just the one?"

"No."

Cloak left a miffed GH.

[Cloak]

New chapter.

CHAPTER SIXTEEN:
Presenting the Bounties

The Tsul 'Kalu was back into that cavernous room, with his employer in darkness, on a platform balcony thing high above his head, and in shadow. There were yellow lines that indicated a large double door right behind him. The Tsul 'Kalu was spotlighted. Literally spotlighted.

"Have you procured all of the bounty items, Tsul 'Kalu?" came the indifferent drawl of the employer, obviously using a voice scrambler to sound similar to Jigsaw from those "Saw" movies. But if the Tsul 'Kalu knew what that was, he said nothing of it. "Well? Have you?"

The Tsul 'Kalu placed a slightly desiccated Andalite tail, and he actually spoke, spoke with a thick, husky voice, "The tail and tail-blade of the Andalite called Noelle."

The tail had its own spotlight. It didn't look pleasant, but disgusting, but it was what his employer asked for.

The Tsul 'Kalu placed the "pelt" down, "The pelt of the seal called Horse."

The pelt had its own spotlight, like Noelle's severed tail. The glamour faltered for a second before maintaining. No one seemed to have noticed.

The Tsul 'Kalu placed the "head" down, and the glamour slipped slightly, but no one noticed, "The head of the VOLCAROID called Sakki."

The head got its own spotlight, and the glamour maintained.

The Tsul 'Kalu placed the "armor" down, and the glamour wobbled imperceptibly. "The armor from the SPARTAN called Parker."

The armor got its own spotlight, and the armor wasn't as shiny as it should be, as Parker kept his true armor well-maintained and polished. It was a hobby, really. Although, one could throw out the word "obsession", as well.

Then the Tsul 'Kalu set down the garden-variety cloak, and said, "The cloak of the creature called Cloak."

This last item got the last spotlight.

"Very well," his employer said. "Then --"

Then the glamours on the pelt, head, and armor failed in a flash of magical light.

"WHAT'S THIS?!" his employer yelled, almost forgetting to activate the voice scrambler, almost "outting" himself. "YOU DARED TO DECEIVE ME?! YOU INTENDED TO CON ME?! YOU AREN'T GETTING A NICKEL, TSUL 'KALU!!"

"You're not fooling anyone," came a voice from the darkness, not the Tsul 'Kalu's. "You had no intention on paying him anything. You wanted him to get killed, and his blood to be on our hands."

Cloak swept into the spotlight, as the others remained hidden in the darkness.

"Too bad for you that we suspected something like this," Cloak said. He didn't mention it was due to Yarin's telepathic probe that they had gleaned most of their information. But he did not need to know that. "Now, thanks to our little trick, we have found you."

"Too bad that I'm not sticking around," he said, but on the last word the voice scrambler broke (Cloak's handiwork) and revealed himself to be a kid. Sluggard's disguise was still intact, they would never pin it down to him.

[Cloak]

New chapter.

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN:
Get Over Here!

But as he turned to exit through the two double doors that led away from this large, usually atrium. Only to find that the doors were swallowed up by the rough, poorly-stuccoed walls. He frantically patted wall, all along the balcony, his only means of escape cut off. He didn't seem so intimidating to him now.

His breathing was shallow and he was sounding more like a frightened child, despite being disguised as one. He was trapped in here. Trapped in here, with them. There was no way that he could overpower them.

"Please! I need the money! My wife --"

"Oh, yes, Dahlia, was it?" Cloak said, addressing the Tsul 'Kalu. "Kelly and Goom are making progress with healing her of that illness, given their last report."

This stymied the Tsul 'Kalu. "What?"

"One of my friends happens to be a telepath, Mr. Rainflower," Cloak said, "and you weren't really being all that secretive with your thoughts, friend. He "heard" your plight, and we took steps to help you rectify it without you being the wiser, apparently. Don't worry, Dahlia will be on her feet by the time we get you back to her."

This seemed to be too much for the Tsul 'Kalu. He knelt, almost beside himself with relief. But then he felt the crushing weight of what he had done.

Cloak left him to it, as he had other concerns. Cloak ergokinetically plucked up the employer from his balcony and set him in front of them. The small form was clad in one of those black full-body suits, as he scrambled to his feet with his pack, and attempted to run, only to discover that his feet have been submerged into the floor. He was stuck. He couldn't move them at all. Cloak then forced two spires of earth to pinion each of his wrists together.

"It's time we all got answers I think," Cloak said.

"You can't do this," the employer muttered. Cloak heard, but the Tsul 'Kalu, Mr. Rainflower, did not seem to hear. The Realm Walker's eyes narrowed, suspecting who this was, despite the obvious body frame differences.

Cloak ferrokinetically unzipped the hood of the suit, roughly pulling down the mask, revealing the apparent face of a thirteen-year-old boy. Cloak's eyes narrowed further. He was always a skeptic.

"A child?!" Mr. Rainflower declared, deeply surprised. "I was taking orders from some petulant child?!"

[Cloak]

New chapter.

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN:
Employer Unmasked

"Child?" Cloak said, quietly scathing, "Hardly."

"I'm sorry, I really am!" Sluggard said, playing up his disguise. "I didn't mean any harm by it, really I didn't!"

"You really did have no intention on paying me, did you?" Mr. Rainflower said, voice tinged with understandable anger.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Rainflower," Sluggard said, keeping up the act, with rather legitimate realism. "I just wanted those things. I couldn't get them myself, so --"

"So, you lied and manipulated me," the Tsul 'Kalu said, with reasonable irritation. "You played on my desperation to cure my beloved Dahlia to get me to do the dirty work? And you think that just because you're a child that that makes it any better, boy?"

"He's not a child," Cloak said.

"I know.I've been naughty, but I'm --" he said.

"-- A crappy liar," Cloak finished. "You think that I haven't seen pictures of Ekzacto's victims? That I don't know that he skinned them and sold them at a black market? I did not think that they would allow people to go all Skinwalker in them, but I am not free nor immune from oversight, obviously."

Sluggard had not understood any of this, but he decided to continue to keep up the facade.

"Mister, I don't know what --"

"Drop the pretense. You may wear the skin of Brendan Birch --"

"I'm Rudy," he interrupted, "Rudy . . . uh, Giuliani."

Cloak paused, eying him very seriously. He knew that he just made up that last name on the spot.

"This skin is Brendan Birch," Cloak said. "His parents have his brain, but to see their son's skin being worn as a costume, as a disguise, by some horrid --"

"I'm Rudy!" he protested hysterically.

"You're lying," Cloak said. "When you lie, there's a physical reaction -- perspiration . . .
fluctuations in blood pressure . . . the like. I can sense them, through the earth. You're lying."

"No, I'm no--urff!"

Cloak had ergokinetically stuffed energy into the boy's mouth, loosening up the skin -- this would not be possible unless he was wearing a skin. He used the energy to force him to slough off the face of Brendan Birch.

Beneath was Gulliver Dugan's face.

[Cloak]

New chapter.

CHAPTER NINETEEN:
Employer's True Face

"Why would a child disguise himself as another child?" Mr. Rainflower asked.

"Because he's not a child," Cloak said, stubbornly.

"Look, I know I lied to you about my name," he said, "my real name is Mark. Mark Dennis Mann."

"'Mark Dennis Mann'?" Cloak repeated. It was clear that he didn't think thwt he was being serious.

"Yes, that's it," he said. "Now can you let me go?"

"You're still a pathetic liar," Cloak said. "And you evidentally don't listen very well. I just told you. I can tell when you're lying. That skin belongs to Gulliver Dugan. His father will be wanting it back."

"I'm not Gulley! I'm Mark!"

"I never called him Gulley," Cloak noted smartly.

"I thought you said Gulley, nothing more," he replied irritatedly.

"Why does he look like a child then?" Mr. Rainflower asked, addressing Cloak.

"Because he layered his disguises," Cloak said, forcing the second skin suit's face to slough off Dominic Sluggard's true face. And he wasn't a real looker by any stretch of the imagination. "Two child skin suits, that black, skintight spandex abomination, and the voice changer."

"I would have never guessed," Mr. Rainflower said, realization dawning in him. "If I went after him in vengeance, if he betrayed me . . ."

"He did betray you," Underseen said, from the shadows. Mr. Rainflower didn't react, so he much have knew that the others were there, hidden in the darkness. Ash, Rocky, Salad, and Underseen had wandered into the light. "He had no intention on paying you a cent."

"Sorry for the deception, by the way," Ash said, "we've been trying to pin this piece of filth a long time for that whole Titan formula thing."

"He may have even poisoned Dahlia himself to get you desperate enough to work for him." Rocky noted. "He can apparently be truly Machiavellian when he really wants to be."

"Yeah, I did it," Sluggard snarled imperiously, which looked strange with him having his bloated adult head atop the body of a much thinner thirteen-year-old boy. "And I'd gladly do again. Your lives are meaningless cimpared to my own. You all should have to get diwn and suck my --

Mr. Rainflower knocked him out, but it was clear that he was holding back a desire to do more. "I have enough sins already to atone for, I do not need to add another." came his explanation. "I will not allow vengeance to consume me."

"Wise," Cloak said. Then he addressed the others, "Guys? I think it's high time that Mr. Rainflower here saw his wife."

"Dahlia . . ." he said, with an almost wistful whisper.

"You guys go," Cloak said, "Imma make sure this sack of Garbodor gets his just desserts, by the local law enforcement."

[guitarhero01234]

"Yeah, I did it," Sluggard snarled imperiously, which looked strange with him having his bloated adult head atop the body of a much thinner thirteen-year-old boy. "And I'd gladly do again. Your lives are meaningless cimpared to my own. You all should have to get diwn and suck my --

. . . Shoes?

[Cloak]

. . . Sure. . . .

New chapter.

CHAPTER TWENTY:
Joyous Reunions and Questionable Justice

"Dahlia," Mr. Rainflower said, almost as if he couldn't believe just how well she was doing.

"Gladiolus!" she said, hugging him with every bit energy she could.

Dahlia looked rather like a hippie, almost like a female Shaggy from Scooby Doo, only more mellow and braver. She had a personality that just made you want to be around her. It was little wonder why Gladiolus loved her so deeply. Even her long, golden hair appeared to be woven from sunlight matched his earthy brown fur.

"I thought I may have lost you," Gladiolus said, an obvious crack in his voice.

"You're stuck with me for a little bit longer, my dear Gladiolus," she said, lovingly. She smiled that smile that he always loved. He could drink her in enough. His darling Dahlia, here and healthy once more. There was nothing more important to him. Nothing.

She gave him strength, but he wasn't sure if she knew just how much strength that she gave him. They would never be able to conceive a child, even a hybrid child. But thst was fine, perfectly fine. They had each other. That's all they needed.

After that, the RAFians did not intrude upon them any longer, and took their from the happy couple. A couple who preferred their privacy.

***

"You cannot be serious," Cloak was saying to a television screen.

Sluggard was indicted, but his defense team was using that STUPID affluenza defense. It was a serious sticking point to the Realm Walker, as he considered affluenza a ridiculously weak defense, and yet the judge considered it! He legitimately considered it!

It was a cop-out! It was like killing a person you stalked and then turning around and claiming self-defense, and having it believed!! It was a weak defense and it was being taken seriously.

Cloak already knew where this was going. He already knew that Judge Hannity -- Judge Hand-It-To-Me -- was gonna fold and cave in to this "defense", and Cloak was disgusted by this. He turned off the teoevision, already knowing the conclusion.

This government was just as corrupt as the Council, perhaps slightly less.

[Cloak]

New chapter.

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE:
Fears

"Cloak, you must," Aniyu said.

"Do I?" Cloak said. He was up and walking around, anxiously. He much rather have fought that Arburian Pelarota DNAlien that Mithril had fought.

"You cannot get rid of this layer," Aniyu said, simply, "unless you confront the fear that you felt at your mother's feet."

"I . . ."

"You've come this far, Cloak," Aniyu said, "it'd be a shame to come all this far to be stymied here."

"I . . . I can't . . ." Cloak said, suddenly a cub again. "I . . . can't go through all that fear again. I . . . I'm . . . I'm over it."

"Are you?" Aniyu asked.

Cloak hoped she wouldn't ask that. He was hoping that she wouldn't have called him out like that. He should have known better.

"Cloak, I never said that this was gonna be easy," Aniyu said. "But, think about it, are the easy things in life really worth doing? Is the easy way always the right way?"

Cloak couldn't say anything. His mother was a very scary, fearsome woman. He could never see just what his father ever saw in her, but he didn't know anything about their meeting, whether or not it was his mother, Ursa, that decided that they were dating, whether his father had any say in the matter.

"Cloak," Aniyu said, firmly, "if you are to untangle your energy, you must face this. You cannot have complete control over yourself without untangling your energy."

"Without unlocking my chakras?" Cloak said, wryly and mirthlessly.

"That's different, and you know it."

***

GH and Andy happened to be working on the same shift again. Andy wasn't wearing the Armadillo Anderson suit, though. He was working as a server, and GH didn't know why he felt so . . . discombobulated around him. Or rather he did, deep down, but didn't want to acknowledge it.

Oh, no.

Helen and Parker came into the restaurant. It must have been their date night. Parker looked weird without his armor -- Helen must've put her foot down. GH felt apprehension, as Helen always gave him that annoyingly knowing look. She wouldn't elaborate on why.

GH didn't really appreciate this, but otherwise, the night was unusually uneventful. This was something of which he was grateful for. He was also grateful to be able to spend more time around Andy, and thought Andy felt the same.

Yet, part of him started to feel afraid. Afraid of getting too close. Why were thoughts of Dimitri flooding his mind right now? It didn't make any sense.

"Lew?" Andy asked, but GH said nothing.

He did not know why he felt so afraid all of a sudden. He had felt so comfortable . . . so right . . . why did it scare him? Andy was just a friend. Nothing less, nothing more. Why did he feel so afraid of him suddenly?

[Cloak]

New chapter.

BOOK CXXIV:
NEW CONTROLLERS
CHAPTER ONE:
He Won't Say He's in Love

GH was back at the forum, learning of Mithril now fighting a Florauna DNAlien, and he was approached by Helen. GH didn't seem to realize that the Star Sapphire was approaching him. Didn't consider what she powered her ring on.

"What's the matter with me?" GH said, moodily. "You'd think a guy would learn."

Light music began to play, almost as if it was coming from GH.

"If there's a prize for rotten judgement,
I guess I've already won that.
No man is worth the aggravation.
That's ancient history.
Been there, done that!"

But Helen interjected:

"Who d'you think you're kiddin'?
He's the earth and heaven to ya.
Try to keep it hidden?
Honey, I can see right through ya.
Boy, you can't conceal it.
I know how you feel,
And who you're thinking of!"

GH disagreed:

"No chance, no way!
I won't say it, no, no!"

Helen tried again

"You swoon, you sigh,
Why deny it? Uh-oh!"

GH refused:

"It's too cliché!
I won't say I'm in love!
I thought my heart had learned its lesson.
It feels so good when you start out . . .
My head is screaming "Get a grip, GH!"
Unless you're dying to rip your heart out!
Ohhh . . . !"

But Helen was relentless:

"You keep on denying
Who you are and how you're feeling.
Boy, I'm not buying.
Hon, I saw you hit the ceiling.
Face it like a grown-up.
When you gonna own up
That you got, got, got it bad?"

GH was stubborn:

"No chance, no way!
I won't say it, no, no!"

"Give up, give in,
Check the grin; you're in love!!"

GH was adamant:

"This scene won't play!
I won't say I'm in love!"

Helen was equally as adamant:

"You're doin' flips, read my lips:
You're in love!"

GH wasn't having any of it:

"You're way off base, I won't say it!
GET OFF my case, I won't say it!"

Helen was persistent:

"Boy, don't be proud,
It's okay, you're in love!"

GH sang quietly to himself:

"Ohh . . .
At least, out loud,
I won't say I'm in love."

But Helen heard him. And smiled.

"I really wish you would stop it with that look," GH said.


*Source song: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Tl0DMTlwLw4

[Cloak]

New chapter.

CHAPTER TWO:
Illegal Aliens

A littany of painful images of his at him, pulling his fur and ears* when he wasn't abjectly compliant with her dominating will and abusive admonishments. She could easily have become a Sinestro Corpswoman, if Realm Walkers were even able to be one.

He remembered the terror he felt at even so much as causing her ire, because he knew that he would become the outlet to that rage. She often highly criticized everything he did, and nothing he did ever met her lofty standards. She always yelled snd debased him. Even now, there was a part of him that was afraid of her, and he was grown and away.

It was almost too much for Cloak to handle, to relive through. He felt every ounce of fear he felt then. It was a funny thjng -- how trauma liked to linger, how it fed anger, fear, and despair. If it goes away, it does so only at its own convenience and no one else's.

"Cloak, I know it's difficult," Aniyu said, "but you must allow yourself to feel and understand it."

Too much . . . too much fear . . . it was so long ago, it felt. Back when he felt that if he let his mother down, she'd be angry, regardless of whether or not Cloak had any culpability in the thing that caused her wrath. She just took things out on him, whenever she had a bad day. Dagger and Brute had the right idea in dumping her, Cloak felt. He had not ever spoken to her since the day he had the audacity to stand up for himself, despite the abuse. And she kicks him out, not only out of the house, but out of the family.

But he found a new one, didn't he? He found one that enjoyed his company, and enjoyed him for being himself. He didn't have debase himself for them, didn't have be overtly subservient.

But still . . . he ran from his problems. He didn't confront them. He ran and buried his problems. He allowed his fear not only to control him, but motivate him . . .

Suddenly, his eyes snapped open. He had Earthsighted a crash via an impact tremor that seemed unfelt by anyone else. He immediately travelled to the spot where he Earthsighted it.

***

From the crash site, came six short, sapient bipeds. They were tridactyl organisms --possessing three phalanges on each limb - and a six-limb physiology. Two of these limb sets are set up as arms with hands with the final set being digitigrade legs. Their ears curl around in a relatively-tight spiral before extending straight out from the head. The smallest was the only one that did not possess claws, but fingers were each digit separated into secondary fingers.

They were Zirkonians. And they had designs on conquering the Earth.

They really didn't know what they were up against.

***

"Lew?"

"Andy?" GH said, completely unprepared. He had his guitar slung over his back. He had hoped for some alone time to sort out his feelings and repercussions of such.

"You left so quickly the other day," he explained. "I was just wondering if anything was okay."

God, he was a nice guy. GH started to consider that maybe, just maybe, he might have a . . . no! He can't start thinking like that. He couldn't get into a relationship right now. He didn't know what Leatherhead or Andy would make of each other. And with all the weirdness GH goes through on a regular basis, that would be enough to scare Andy off. Not to mention he would have to admit to Andy that he lied to him about his name, that his name isn't Lewis, but Logan. He would have to reveal all of his dark secrets.

Besides, he didn't even know if Andy . . . if Andy played for his team.

"Lewis, I don't know how to say this exactly, but I kinda --" he began before giving a small yelp, falling to the ground, convulsing.

"Andy!"


* In real life, it was my hair.

[Cloak]

New chapter.

CHAPTER THREE:
Plugged and Puppeted

"Andy!" GH said, starting towards him. He thought that he was having a seizure. "Andy, speak to me!"

Then GH stopped when saw the knee-high creature come up right next to Andy, and put a Bluetooth-like device on his ear. He was manipulating some strange device in his hands, and speaking in a language that he didn't understand. Eventually tapping his Bluetooth-like device.

Andy twisted and convulsed on the ground as a strange static sound was barely heard. GH was confused by all this. What fresh hell was this?

"Testing," Andy said suddenly. The creature smiled, showing pointed teeth. Then he righted himself in a most unnatural way, then he addressed GH, "You humanoid subject, we are the Zirkonian species."

GH felt outrage. That creature! That Zirkonian thing! It was not only using Andy as a puppet but a translator! But how?! Wait a minute -- "we"?

"And we hereby claim your luscious planet for our own," Andy said, though it was clear the words weren't his. He approached GH, who backed away, not wanting to hurt Andy. "You have a choice of eternal enslavement or instantaneous death."

GH paused, and gave a look that said, "Seriously?"

He reached out to grab GH, but GH was too experienced with his time as a RAFian to allow that. However, with every word, ever mechanical step, it hurt GH. He was feeling responsible for Andy's fate as this puppet.

Then he felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand up on edge, and felt his Mark become more prominent. He turned to see a small metallic dart just hovering there. Then it folded into a "V" shape and then dropped to the the ground.

"Cloak?" GH said.

Then he saw the Zirkonian behind him, holding a blunt-barrelled gun, which he fired another dart, which hit the ground. What were those things?

"ROOOOOOOOOOWWWWWRRR RRRR!!!"

Cloak appeared, ripping the Zirkonian from the tree, throwing him into the weeds. Then he found a second and attacked. He eschewed using the elements. They weren't necessary -- he was eight feet tall, roughly four times the height of the Zirkonians. Using the elements would have been overkill.

GH was suddenly seized from behind.

"Andy, don't do this." GH said.

"Silence, humanoid subject. Your bleating is pointless. This planet will be ours."

Cloak seemed to have noticed this, understanding what happened by seeing Andy and his rather stiff movements and blank vacant eyes, and said, "Blast! I was too late."

Then he tossed a third and fourth Zirkonian into the weeds, alive but knocked out. "Zirkonians! Why'd it have to be Zirkonians?!"

[Cloak]

New chapter.

CHAPTER FOUR:
Stalemate

"You know what these things are?" GH demanded.

"Where'd the fifth one go?" Cloak said, not exactly dodging the question. Then he saw the one controlling Andy was riding on his back. The other four gathered around Andy, who's glassy, blank eyes hurt GH.

"Cloak, what did they do to him?" GH demanded. "It had something to do with those metal darts, didn't it?"

"Late, GH. We have to stop them from --"

One threw a device that looked like an egg-like device, that when thrown had the retractable spires with pods on the end extend and floated around, casting a blue glow around in a finite area.

"What the hell?" GH said, as he started to float up in the anti-gravitational field. Cloak did not float up, as he was terrakinetically adhering to the ground, as his cloak billowed up around of him, almost making him appear that he was in slow motion. Cloak, stop this crazy thing!"

"Have fun, humanoid subjects!" Andy said. It hurt GH knowing those words weren't his own. That he was being controlled, only because he had come to see him. And he started to feel guilty about lying to him, lying to him even about his own name. He . . . he did like the guy. And it was his fault that this happened.

"Cloak! Stop this crazy thing!" GH yelled.

Cloak made visual contact with the anti-gravitational field generator. He charged his golden energy in his hand, before firing a blast.

"You missed!! How could you miss?! It was three feet in front of you!!"

Cloak fired another blast.

"Hey! You were aiming for me that time!!"

"Maybe."

"Now, that's just rude!!"

Cloak fired another blast and took out the anti-gravitational field generator, which caused the anti-gravitational field to soon dissipate. GH fell to the ground roughly, and he got up, brushing himself off.

GH looked at the direction that Andy left, "Andy . . ."

Then he got angry. He directed it at Cloak. "You could have saved him!"

"Or I could have accidentally killed him," Cloak said, seriously. He was not matching GH's anger. He understood the anger. The anger that came with helplessness. "To extract the plug, I would need Kelly here, to heal any complications that may come up."