As the caverns grew brighter from not only glowing walls and a ceiling filtering in stimulating light Cameron Scott slowed his flight plan. Deciding to drop to the cave floor he dims his rib like armor that entwines his human body. His friends Elle and Malcolm behind him on the alien Technoride hovers with the headlights turned off. Careful sitting the bike down on an awkward flooring the three shut down and examine the situation.
"Huge cavern ahead. Gotta be the place." Cam points as the three of them congregate near the sheer cliff bordering the canyon chasm.
"Long way down." Mal leers over the side holding on to a damp stalactite.
"So don't fall off." Cam also peers over the side, "My eyes playing tricks or is that a Ganthorian ship?"
"Told you. Sophia swam down here. She has to be in there. How they caught her is anybody's guess though. Poor girl must be mortified. James got hauled here for some reason." Elle points.
"More to our kid than any of us know about I'm thinking." Mal responds.
Cam chuckles, "Gotta be. Why would they want an annoying brat like him otherwise?"
"He's our annoying lil brat Guys." Elle sighs.
The trio agreed on that as one. Three Musketeers of a sort. The question now remained. Do they charge in or bide their time and learn. Their military training spoke surveil and prevail. With eyes toward the sky they would be easy targets for the Hordakians below. All three of them spotted dozens of them on all four sides of the ship. Undoubtedly more within. Elle brings up a logical question.
"What's to gain here by these Pigs siding with Ganthorians? Are they maybe holding them hostage?"
"Huuuuumans!" Came a low eerie voice from a dark area next to them. It startled all three of them. Eyes revealed to them in an array of blinking without menace.
"Vampire." Elle holds a hand over both men's abdomen to avoid their defensive reaction, "Let's not start fighting here. We're only here to save our friends."
"Alliessss!" It hisses, "Human male with aliens. Old."
Mal is taken back by the idea of three species working together, "Old man?"
"Yesss. Soldiers fight off many fish men."
Cam narrows his eyes, "Oophalah?"
"Maybe." None of them were around the Hilton when Oophalah and Tyrakuus arrived. Without that knowledge they could only provide guesses.
"What else have you seen?" Elle steps closer to the Vampire in hiding.
"The female ghost."
Malcolm perks up, "Maddy? She and that monkey vanished at the Cruise liner. Fell into a glowing blue hole like the rabbits make. Teleportation looks like."
"Yesssssss!" The vampire continues, "Aliensss testing water from grotto."
Elle looks over the edge to see the giant pools surrounding the Ganthorian ship, "Wonder why?"
"Around you." The Vampire points a barely visible hand toward the ceiling of the cavern. "How did we miss that?" Cam looks around as Malcolm steps next to him in awe.
"Webs?"
"Stick figures Buddy."
"Right. I see it now. Like they're helping each other climb to the top. High up as I can see." Mal offers an amazed expression.
"Must be a clue Freddie." Elle murmurs.
"Gotta be Velma." Mal nods recognizing her Scooby Doo referral.
The vampire again points out a location to them careful to avoid the illumination of the cavern. Elle follows his direction squinting to see so far away. Noting guards prowling around the edge of a large pool of water. Not associated with the grottos landlocked nature.
"Must be where the underground sea bubbles up. Probably where Sophia surfaced. Wait." Elle tries to focus, "Is that Animahni?"
All leer for a better look. Cam smiling, "I have an idea."
"Let's hear it." Mal took interest.
"When the time is right. Havoc!" He winks. Cam felt his inner brilliance.
The vampire retreats into the shadows, "Inform Gaea I will."
Elle nods and felt uneasy about how close the Hordakians were to finding Animahni. Malcolm worried about Madigan. How could they capture a ghost? If indeed she was a captive. In his mind he knew if Sophia was hostage they must be smart enough to tackle Maddy. The Vamp said nothing of Sophia. Of course they might not have arrived in time to witness her torture at losing her tiny friends. Mal felt like they were going in blind. Like so many others. A vibration noted Cameron turns to look back at the way they had come. He knew someone else was on the way.
Behind them in the cave system flew Greta Winston and the Roman. Both feeling way out of their comfort zones using alien tech. It was a miracle they had gotten this far. Luckily the Technoride was pretty much on autopilot. Greta flipping switches managed that without her even knowing.
Closing in on the canyon Gaicazar points out the unique glowing of the ceiling in the distance. Both of them were coming in hot. Stealth hardly an option. Until the last possible moment when their engine stalled and they hovered lifeless in the cave. Greta whined over her shoulder realizing the drop to the cave floor was enough to kill her. If not the Immortal behind her. Stressed they notice the controls glowing. Their Technoride slowly lowering to the cave floor. Once touching down they look up to see Cameron Scott grinning from ear to ear.
"A pleasant sight indeed." Gaicazar whispers to Greta.
"Quit complimenting me." She wiggles out of discomfort. He however had overlooked her comment as the bubble shield covering them popped open to let them get off the bike safely. Joining Cam he leads them to Elle and Malcolm. And, another Cameron. The real Cameron. Greta looks at Antonaeus.
"Another ghost?"
"Light construct." Cam calms them motioning them over, "Sorry. I'm learning to be in two places at once. Heard you coming and we needed to stop you before you alerted the Piggy's down below."
"You control the Charger, now you control an alien crotch rocket?" Mal winces.
"Not hard. I just kind of tell the light in me what to do. It follows my lead."
Elle joins them from her perch on the edge of the canyon, "Interesting idea. If you can control a car and a bike, why not a Ganthorian starship?"
"Ooooo! Master of Light likey." Cam rubs his chin grinning, "I'll keep that in mind."
"How about an army of light constructs?" Mal suggests.
"Dude! Quit stealing my thunder. That was my brilliant idea. I can't take you anywhere."
"Enough chuckles. We have our jobs cut out for us." Elle takes the leadership role.
"We could just take over that ship with Cam's army. I can get down there and grow big. That Bay of Pigs down there would run for cover. Elle can get inside with Greta and find James, Maddy, and Sophia." Mal rambles.
"Slow down." Elle holds a hand up, "Sounds great but let's wait and watch. If we move too fast their lives might be at stake."
"Need I point out that Maddy is dead already and Sophia died once and came back? Nobody stays dead these days."
"Without Ruby here to decide I'm not putting James in harms way. I say wait until the time is right. Whoever this old guy is..." Elle is cut off.
"Hold up. Old guy." Malcolm recalls something, "Maddy mentioned her husbands Grampa. Orin Ridge. Gotta be him right. She had a conversation with someone from REGION telling her about the General trying to find us. Memory is bad but I think that's what she said. Can't recall the woman's name."
"Right. So much going on we forgot to tell the others everything." Cam intervenes, "Maddy also talked to James. Get this...an older version of James from when he got us home to the future."
"You guys don't know the meaning of prioritize do you?" Elle shakes her head.
"He's inside that ship." Cam realizes.
"Who? James? We kind of knew that." Elle frowns.
"No. I mean both James. Young and old."
"What?" Elle drops her jaw, "How?"
Shrugs all around. Time was a confusing beast.
Greta senses the vampires around them. Her heartbeat racing from all of the unknown factors about her. To top it all off she had the blood of a Hordakian all over her life fiber suit. Surely that must be attracting the vampires. Hugging Gaicazar from the side she felt more at ease. At her height the hug on this enormous fellow was awkward. Her hand caressing his waist led to a mistaken grip over an erection. Eyes bulging she quickly removes it. Her only thought, "How can he have an erection in a time like this?"
Within the Ganthorian ship Sophia cautiously took each step very lightly. Knowing a guard could be right behind her or ahead. Camera feeds everywhere. This would be a true test of her resourcefulness. She opted to communicate with her Tyrant Tear for directions to more of his kind. Held in a lab somewhere. Finding it as well as James and her Mother would be pure luck. Armed with a sonic gun and her sole Tyrant Tear as weapons she knew fear. Then came something unexpected.
"You're getting warmer."
Her heart jumps, "James? I thought you couldn't communicate with me outside of dreams?" She spoke in thought.
"My younger self is here. I sensed him when he arrived. Somehow between the two of us my level of brain power has amplified. You do know I'm a telepath right? Even though that link was only with Xander. Which is why I couldn't talk with you outside of dreamtime. This amplification is just as much of a shock to me as it is you. I'll guide you to me and warn you of obstacles. Once you reach me I'll contact Maddy the same way. Oh, and my younger self. That could be weird."
"You're weird Dork. Even at 32 years old." She keeps his cuteness to herself. So she thinks.
"Aww! You think I'm cute. I always thought you were smoking hot before your accident. Of course after the accident I lost the zest. Dangerous."
"Shut up and guide me already. We need to all get together if we hope to get out of this situation."
"Gotta go. Scientists are wondering why my dick is getting aroused."
She snorts faintly wrinkling her nose at his predicament, "Way to go Punk."
"Go left." His thoughts project before going silent. In turn Sophia pauses at a corner to peer around it like a spy. Jane Bond was in the house. Bond girl at the very least.
Hearing grunts she freezes. Hordakian soldiers were sniffing the air. Their acute senses picking up on her human pheromones. Two of them challenging their nostrils to pick up on her location. Growling under her breath she chooses to take action first. Whipping around the corner she discharges her weapon. The vibrations echoing in the hall. Both soldiers dropped stunned and fell silent. Touching both on the face she allowed her sole Tyrant Tear to feed. They would not wake up. Their snouts dissolved until no breathing ports were available.
"Shoot! No way did they not hear that." She darts past the fallen and spots a camera feed. Blowing it a kiss she moves onward, "Hey! If older James can hear me I wonder if younger James can?" After a quick search for more guards she pauses, "James? Age 15. Can you hear me? It's Sophia."
