Sail
I have been working on this story for a very long time! I eventually thought about what protons and electrons can be used for, and what popped into my mind was shields! If you have any questions on how something in the story works, please leave a comment bellow. Also, please leave a comment on how well I did on the story!
Song I listened too:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H3jnN6tx9F4
Attack by 30 Seconds to Mars
"Run away, run away, I'll attack."
Sail
The small room had silver walls with a large glass window looking out into the deepest bowls of space. A desk sat in the middle of the room, and a radio was buzzing softly. Everything was cleaned spotless, made to the nearest extent of "clean." A fox sat in a chair, looking over the desk at a wolf. The fox wore a uniform that had "Nebula" written on a golden tag. He wore spectacles, and had a very stern face. The fox was green with white fur that went down his chest, and green eyes while the wolf was blue with red fur going down his chest, and very orange eyes.
"So, tell me your name again?" The green fox said while pushing up his spectacles.
"Gem." The blue wolf named Gem said as he starred out the window at the fleet that was passing by. Leaving and disappearing before Gem's eyes, the cruisers moved quickly across space. The only thing that could be heard was the low hum as they passed by. "And your age?" The fox asked.
"Seventeen."
"So Gem, tell me why you want to join the Nebula? It is the biggest ship in the universe." The fox gloated as he pointed around like a tour guide showing guests around a place they don't know. "It's almost not even a ship, more of a habitat. We have over twenty Cruise ships, Destroyers, and Scouts put together. Who would want to mess with that? Plus let's not forget our smaller ships called Pins that are scattered around." The fox continued while smiling with pride. Coming into view outside the window, a small star started to appear, its light eradiating the room. Gem's eyes slowly moved over to the star, and started to stare at it, perplexed by the natural beauty. The fox sighed, and clicked a button, and a metallic sound clicked on. The shades above the window started to close slightly. Quickly pushed back into reality, Gem blushed as he realized he was not focused.
"Gem, you need to focus if you want to join the Nebula. You did come out of one of the most prestigious schools in this galaxy, but if you cannot focus on the present..." The fox said as he looked over his spectacles. His green eyes looked sternly on Gems. "I do have more applicants wanting to join this amazing fleet. You have to put more effort into concentrating."
But despite the threats from the fox, Gem's mind started to drift towards the past as he saw a large destroyer through the cracks in the shades. The smooth black ship shined in the starlight, and it's thrusters in the back were shooting out a blue light. Gleaming in the light, the large lasers at the bottom of the ship were sitting silently, waiting to be used at a moment's notice. The large black ships were not called "Destroyers" for nothing. They can easily plow through anything that gets in the way, even a small asteroid.
Gem started to think about his classroom that he went to every week to study on how these large destroyers work. He could see the teacher making a speech on how ships use light to move around by splitting the particles, and the talk about how many people get to fly these large spaceships. Gem even had to memorize how the shields on ships work. The Destroyers have the smooth textures so shields can reflect lasers from other ships easier. Shields work by having one positive charged atom with a negative charged atom so they come together, but a small barrier separates them so they cannot come together.
This small barrier collects the large amounts energy being formed from the negative and positive atoms attraction and releases the energy. With enough atoms, the released energy sticks together, and forms a shield. The magnetic energy is positive and negative, and usually the guns of ships like Pins or Scouts are negative. Like a magnet repealing the same electrical charge, the guns from the ship either are attracted to the shield and blocked, or they bounce right off. For example, a scout with a negative charged gun shooting at a negative charged shield can be hit by the same laser it fired. The same works in smaller forms with shields on infantry and tanks. The magnetic energy is strong enough to repeal bullets even though it attracts them.
The magnetic energy does have its downfalls though. The lasers on ships have a shield destroying laser (SDL) and a regular gatling laser for blasting though ship's hull. The SDL is an opposite charge than the atoms that it is aimed at, and is fired near or at the shields of the targeted ship. The laser than attracts either protons or electrons. The laser literally rips the shield off of the ship by attracting the protons or electrons, and it takes a small amount of time to generate the energy for the shields to come back online. This small amount of time is just enough time to get blasted by the gatling laser.
Gem than remembered why he was at the interview, he wanted to join the fleet of the greatest galactic space assembly known everywhere, the Nebula. The Nebula, being one of the groups of ships to be part of the government, was ranked the largest and prestigious. Gem needed a job badly, so he went to school to learn how to pilot his own spacecraft. Everything fell into place, and now he is here being interviewed to join with the most prestigious groups of the galaxy.
"So Gem, what are your strong points?"
Gem stopped trying to look through the cracks of the blinds, and looked back at the fox. "Ummm, I got a graduation under my belt, and I was one of the best pilots in my grade." Gem said while twitching his ear because of nervousness. The fox nodded, "We need someone with your kind of expertise behind the wheel of a Pin or Scout. You could defend us from many mercenary attacks. They have been getting worse and worse."
"Why? I heard in this sector that mercenaries have become almost extinct." Gem said curiously.
"Or so we thought." The green fox answered back with an awkward grin. "These mercenaries are in this sector not for just profit, but also revenge."
Gem, cocking his head sideways, blinked twice in confusion.
The green fox sighed, putting a picture on the table of a lizard with a scar across his left eye. "Have you ever heard of the Saber Teeth?" The fox asked.
Gem shook his head, and the fox looked surprised. "They are an illegal smuggling gang bent on turning the galaxy inside out, and that lizard is their leader. We tried to get the picture in color, but the satellite was shot down before it could fully develop the Intel." The fox than looked up to see Gem had a very stern look on his face.
"So they want revenge, not profit?" Gem said while trying to sense a small part of fear in the fox. Was Gem the only one who felt fear when he looked into the lizard's scar?
"Yes, it seems they took offense when we launched offensive maneuvers against them. They were growing too powerful, and too fast. They even claim to have a super weapon."
Shivering at the sound of a super weapon, many images of a nuclear bomb flashed into his head. The green fox seemed to have noticed his reaction.
"That is why we are recruiting for the Nebula. We need more pilots with your kind of experience. I feel your personality is very well rounded, but you do need to work on your concentration. Congratulations, you passed." The fox said smiling and took a patch from within the desk the fox was standing by. Walking over to Gem, he put on the patch with a smug look on his face. Gem had done it. He was now part of the Nebula.
The buzzing on the radio stopped, and a women's voice popped up on the speaker, "Sir, we have prepared a room for our new recruit. You may give him the keys now."
"Copy Christine." The fox said while clicking a button down, and holding it. Turning his gaze toward Gem, the fox smiled.
"Welcome aboard private Gem. We have prepared a room for you. Hope everything is pleasant on your off time." The fox said while throwing Gem a pair of shiny gold keys. Each one had a word written on them that said room, hanger, and spacecraft.
Grinning from cheek to cheek, Gem felt how heavy they were and memorized every curve. These were his keys to his future. Than a question spurred in Gem's mind, "Wait why are these keys and not swipe cards?" Gem asked curiously.
"Ahh, good question. The keys are only available to the person who owns the craft, room, and hanger. The number encryption inside of the keys rearrange if anyone else touches the keys, and blows up. A scanner inside the key can tell if it is not the true identity of the person holding the keys. Swipe cards can be used by anybody at all times, and the number encryptions are harder to make. Keys are also less expensive."
Gem was amazed at the tiny explosive he held in his hand.
"I never got your name by the way." Gem added quickly before the fox walked out.
"Oh, the name is Tread by the way." Tread said as he walked out of the room, his tail the only thing visible when he closed the door.
Gem felt like he leaped into the air from happiness, and then walked toward his room number called #299. The long halls of the Nebula felt like they were descending deeper and deeper. The hall was in a circular motion, and windows looked out into space. They were just passing a very large nitrogen gas planet.
295, 296, 297, 298, 299....Gem kept glancing at the golden plaques on the doors, seeing if any was his room number.
He was finally starring at a door with a golden plaque that said 299 on it. Smiling, Gem was about to open the door when a women started to run toward him. She waved, obviously signaling to his attention. Gem was surprised by what he saw. The women was human, a rare site since this ship was a Noveric ship.
She had blond hair, and was wearing a pink jumpsuit with white lines near the torso, and around the legs. She looked very fit. Gem wondered why this woman was signaling him.
The planet humans lived on has been getting small, and eventually humans decided to colonize on other planets. Little did they know, other creatures were waiting for them on the planet, with more technological advances. The race was called the Noveric race, named after the planet they were found on called Noveria, and was made in the exact image of animals on earth except they could walk on two legs, and speak multiple tongues.
The humans decided to communicate with the species they found on Noveria, sharing knowledge and technologies. They eventually converged into one big colony called "Abstract." The Nebula is a Noveric ship so why would a human be on the ship?
The women offered a hand to shake, and Gem took it. "Sorry, but where is the recruitment room?" She asked.
Blushing from the politeness of the women he answered, "A little while down the hall and make a left."
"Thank you."
The women left smiling, and Gem blushed. The atmosphere on the ship felt very lively, almost like a home away from home. Remembering why he was here in the first place, Gem unlocked the door with his gold keys, opening his room to see a vase of flowers on a table in the kitchen. A small living room was tucked behind it with a TV silently waiting to be clicked on. A large window looked out over space and a great black ship with "Nebula" written on the side in white. A bathroom was near the kitchen, and a bedroom was separated by a door near the bathroom.
"This is the life." Gem said smiling, and he jumped onto the bed, rolling around in his new place. He instantly jumped on his bed, unleashing a deep sigh. An alarm clock on top of a nearby dresser by his bed said, 9:30 p.m. Considering the Nebula passes by the sun, and other large stars in the sky, it is never considered "day time" or "night time." A digital clock comes handy in these situations.
Gem noticed there was a clicker for the blinds also laying on the table nearby, and grabbed it. After clicking the button that controls the blinds, they hummed shut, and the light from the star disappeared quickly. Gem noticed that the windows were also slightly tinted so light would have a harder time trying to blind the person looking out.
Gem quietly clicked a button on his back, and a beeping sound echoed though out the room. A blue worded hologram appeared in front of Gem saying, "Hello sir, what do you need?"
The voice was a male, and it was very friendly. The gadget on Gem's back was the Mark 40, a revolutionary tool that can keep track of dates, store items, and change your clothes. Everything at your clawtips thanks to the Mark 40.
"A change of clothes to pajamas please." Gem said politely while clicking the clicker again, but this time they were for the lights.
"No problem sir."
A blue shield wrapped around Gem, and his uniform he was wearing was taken off, and replaced with boxers, and a tee shirt.
"All done. I do say that the lucky clover boxers really match your personality." The Mark 40 joked.
Gem rolled his eyes, lying down on the soft bed beneath him. It had been a rough day, and tomorrow was even training! Sighing, Gem laid down on the bed, eventually falling into a deep and relaxing sleep. He dreamed of finally flying a space ship, his visor on his face, and a pin that said "Nebula Counter Force." Everything was falling in place, and everything was beginning to become a fantasy. Then he heard it. A piercing alarm filled his head, not wanting to go out quietly.
"Wake up! Hello? Are you there at all?" The voice said, and Gem felt his eyes jerk open.
"You have training today? Or did you forget?"
Gem looked over to the sound of the voice to see no one was there, and it was the Mark 40 on his back.
"Ya, ya. Just give me a minute." Gem mumbled, and rubbed his eyes. He looked over to see the clock projecting the numbers 7:30 A.M. Gem sighed, walking over to the bathroom to get ready for his departure to the hanger for new recruits.
"So, what would you like to wear today?" The Mark 40 said while using its hologram feature to show Gem several style choices for his uniform.
"I would like the blue uniform. It reminds me of Noveria's sky."
"Good choice sir."
A beep was heard, and Gem's clothes changed instantly. Looking over his clothes, Gem posed in the mirror, admiring his build from working out after flight school.
"So how do I look?"
"Pleasant at best, sir."
Grinning, Gem left the bathroom, wondering what was going to be in store for him at training. He heard that the ship Nebula is one of the hardest training sessions because they use AI.
Gem said while straightening his uniform. It felt skin tight, but it also let his body breath.
"Does the uniform fit right?"
"Ya, don't worry about it Mark. I think I will be able to deal with it."
Gem always called his Mark 40 "Mark" for short because it felt like it was connected to him. To Gem, the Mark 40 was not only a device, but part of his family. Every person on the frigate feels that way, since the Mark 40 does control most of their lives. Everyone usually gives their 40 a nickname.
"If you don't hurry, you will be late Mr. Gem."
"Oh shit, your right." Gem said, glancing at his clock to see the numbers now said 7:40 A.M.
Gem burst out the door like he was shot out of a gun, and ran made a hard right down the hall, almost crashing into the maid doing laundry.
"Pfff, rookie." The maids said as she shook her head, and took a trash can liner out from a container.
Gem felt his legs speed up, and the walls started to get narrower until finally Gem found a sc-fi metal slide door with "hanger" written above it. Moving his hands to his forehead to wipe sweat off his face, Gem used his keys he got from the fox to open the door, reuniting him other rookies.
The hanger was huge. If 1000 people gathered into the hanger, they could fit easily. The tiles on the bottom were painted black, and a platform that lowers to where the ships are stored had "Noveria" written in white letters with a Pin streaking bellow it.
Than Gem saw it, it was a Pin. The long slender ship shined black in the artificial light, and even though it was called a Pin, it was huge to Gem. Gem had to admire every metal plate on the ship. It looked like a pencil with wings, but it had a more slender shape, and turbines in the back were working furiously. It seems the crew was testing the thrusters of the ship to see if they function.
The Pins were everywhere around the hanger. It looked like there were hundreds of them, each one belonging to different crews aboard the ship. Gem heard a low humming noise, and looked over to see a blue force field. Gem quickly realized what that blue force field was; it was a magnetic field generator.
Whenever a ship wants to get out of the hanger, the magnetic field separates the gravity of the ship from space so people do not get literally sucked out of the ship, and into the deep bowls of space. Once a ship passes through the field, the field gives the ship its electric charge. In other words, you have to pass through the field to get shields for the ship you control.
Hearing footsteps, Gem looked over to see a green fox walking in his direction carrying a helmet with a visor. It was Tread, and he pushed up his glasses.
Tread instantly noticed Gem standing in the hanger, looking around in amazement. "Welcome aboard the Nebula Gem." The fox said while throwing the helmet in Gem's direction.
Gem caught the helmet and asked, "What is this for?"
The fox grinned, "Your training."
There was a moment of awkward silence, and the fox waited until Gem finally put on the helmet. Gem was still trying to wrap his mind around all that is happening.
The helmet fit snuggly, not to tight, but not too loose on Gem's head either. The visor let his ears move freely, and Gem wiggled them back and forth. The visor instantly blinked to life. Blue lights started to blind everywhere, and numbers flew across the visor's screen. A loading screen was on the top right, a little circle that moved in a counterclockwise pattern.
"Battle systems ready sir." A voice said on Gem's back. It was his Mark 40. The visor must have hooked up to the visor. A loud buzzing sound filled the hanger, and Gem realized that the Mark 40 can create its own magnetic shield.
"Shields online sir."
"What is this for?" Gem asked curiously as he pointed to the new glove that was snuggly around his hand. He must have enquired it when he put on the visor, and looking at Tread who was admiring his new recruit.
"That is a shield destroyer. Just like the ship that has a SDL, so does your new glove. To activate, you just have to think about it. The visor taps into your Mark 40, and your nervous system. Your Mark 40 can feel what you feel, and know everything that is going on around you. Your Mark 40 can communicate with you though your conscious. You can easily pull away enemy shields, and then shoot them with this..."
Taking out a pistol from his pocket, Tread threw it at Gem's direction. Gem missed the catch and the gun went off. The bullet reflected off Gem's magnetic shields easily, and bounced around the hanger, reflecting off other people's shields.
"Next time, catch the gun." Tread mumbled, but grinned.
"So when do I get to fly?" Gem said while blushing, and holstering the pistol safely in his belt.
"How about now?"
Gem gulped at these words. "Oh shit, I am actually going to fly! At least all these years training will finally pay off." Gem thought to himself.
"Right this way, pilot." Tread said while opening an arm towards a Pin that was parked close by. Walking up stairs toward the craft, Tread opened the door to the cockpit. The cockpit had transparent glass so the pilot was able to see around in their peripheral vision. It reminded Gem of the Star Wars movies that he watched when he was a kid.
"Come on now, don't be shy." Tread said while grinning as Gem stood on the ground of the hanger with his mouth open.
"This is amazing!"
"Glad you like it. She is yours now. Treat her nice. Oh and by the way, here is a radio. If anything goes wrong, I will be in contact with you." Tread said as he handed Gem a ear piece. Gem put it on where the helmet and visor didn't cover his ears.
Gem smiled as he heard these words, and ran up to the stairs to the cockpit. Everything felt like a dream.
"If only my Dad could be still alive to see this." Gem thought.
Getting to the cockpit, Gem took out his keychain to unveil the "ship" key. Smiling with glee, Gem put the key by the scanner as he sat in the cockpit. Instantly, the glass covering on the cockpit fell slowly, and a pressure seal "hiss" was heard.
"Your heart rate is way above normal. Are you sure you will be alright Gem?"
"Ya, I think I will be ok Mark. I feel like my chest is going to explode, but I will be alright. It's like driving a car..." Gem said as his visor flashed madly and it said "Warning, pressure stabilized. Activating auto control..."
Thumbing madly, Gem's heart felt like it was about to stop and his muscles were locking up. The thrusters clicked on loudly, and the aircraft started to float above the hanger, controlling itself.
The thrusters than went from vertical to horizontal, moving Gem closer and closer to the magnetic field in the hanger. The ship moved through the hanger smoothly, and as Gem started to get closer, space started to come into view. Although it looked free, Gem noticed little bright flares way out in space. Are these enemies?
"Gem to Tread, do you see flares out by our craft?"
"Those are just AI training bots. They are there to test your skills. It would be best to beat them. Their ammo is electronically simulated so if you take to many shots, the AI will unleash an EMP shot that stops your ship."
Reality started to hit Gem as he passed through the hanger, and out into space. He had to win, otherwise everything that he dreamed will shatter into a million glass pieces. Than Gem heard the voice, and the word "autopilot" left his visor, and he shot out of the hanger.
"Pilot has left the hanger. Autopilot off." The visor said mechanically.
A small steering wheel came into view in front of Gem. He gladly took hold of the wheel. Gem looked over to see a view glowing objects that could be moved up and down. Bellow one it said "Increase speed" and showed a up arrow, and Gem figured out quickly that the down arrow meant "Decrease Speed." Everything was laid out in front of Gem. Now all that he has to do is control it.
Gem made a hard corner left to come face to face with an AI bot that Tread warned him about.
"Enemy, 12o clock." Mark said as the AI bot flew over Gem's ship's hull, rattling everything.
"Man, that ship was really close."
"He is coming back around. Watch yourself Gem..."
And sure enough, the AI flew back around, and was now on Gem's tail, trailing behind him.
"He has a lock on us." The Mark 40 said. A loud beeping noise drowned everything in the hall, but Gem was not worried about that. Gem felt his adrenaline pumping, and tried to outmaneuver the AI. The AI than fired a SDL near the ship, taking away Gem's shield system.
"Shields are down." And a large "X" went in the picture on Gem's visor where the diagram of the ship was. The large "X" landed on the outside of the ship,
"I have an idea." Gem mumbled and flew straight into the air.
The AI soon followed. Suddenly, Gem's radio flickered to life, "Gem that is not AI." Said a familiar voice. It was Tread.
"What do you mean?"
"The person you are up against is from the mercenaries that I was telling you about before. They must have gotten a ping from a different ship. This is now a life or death situation."
Gem cursed under his breath. "Out of all the times the Saber Teeth could show up, it's now."
Now he has to do the move. "Gem, what are you doing?" Mark said from his back.
"Improvising."
Gem flew further up into the air, and sure enough, the gang member still gave chase. "Gem, he has a lock on us again."
A red laser flew by Gem's Pin. If that laser made contact, it would have been the end of Gem's career. The Saber Teeth gang member started to get closer, and closer until Gem could see the paint on the person's Pin. It was a metallic brown with a black skull on the side, and a large tooth inside the skulls teeth. The man inside was smiling viciously, wanting to tear the rookie apart. Gem grinned, the plan was falling together.
"NOW!"
Gem completely turned off the thrusters of the ship, and since there is no gravity in space, it was almost like floating in mid air. The other ship flew right past Gem, and Gem quickly turned on his engine. He was now behind the aircraft.
Gem lined up his visor's crosshairs with the ship that was in front of him. The other ship was about to have a very bad day. Gem fired a SDL right at the ship, carrying his shields far away, and then Gem easily lined up for the final blow. He fired his gatling gun straight into the back of the ship.
A large explosion of shrapnel, and ship pieces rained down upon Gem as he flew through it. The shrapnel and remains of the gang member's ship were now suspended in midair, unable to fall.
"Nice shot! I didn't like the risk you pulled there, but nice shot!" The radio in Gem's ear said congratulatory.
Then there was a very long pause. "Tread, you there? Tread? Hello?" Gem felt helpless as he floated around the Nebula, expecting to get clearance to land. Then he heard the sound that everybody dreads, gunfire.
"We are pinned down! The gang somehow got into our hangers! We are closing all hatches for windows! We need all ships out of space to aid us in the hanger; I repeat we are pinned down!"
The radio started to go fuzzy and started to lose frequency. That was all the clearance Gem needed to land.
"Thrusters online! We need to hurry Mark!" The ship sped towards the hanger, and through the force field only to be greeted by several mussel flairs, and ricocheting bullets. Everything started to blur together. Gem got out of the ship quickly, holding the pistol by his side, and running through the hail of gunfire. A bullet made contact with Gem's shields, and ricocheted quickly away. Gem decided to take cover from the SDL beams being fired from people's hands.
"Bad guy, left side!"
Gem aimed his hand toward the man shooting at him who had no idea what was about to happen. He was about a fox in his thirties. Concentrating, Gem put out his palm, and thought about a wall of energy that would hit the fox, and knock his shields out. Gem started to feel energy build up from the glove, and Gem, without realizing what just happened, fired a wall of energy at the fox. The fox never had enough time to yell as the energy hit him full on.
"Enemy shields down." Mark said while a targeting crosshair went off around the enemy. The visor not only marked enemies, but locked onto them.
"You have to make this shot count." Gem looked over to see Tread being pinned down by gunfire, and saw that he was hiding behind a concrete barrier. Tread was putting pressure on a wound on his arm, and Gem noticed a red liquid finding its way through the crevices from Tread's wound.
"A small scratch. Don't worry about me, just make the shot count." Tread said while ducking back into cover as bullets ripped through the structure he was hiding behind. Gem quickly took cover as bullets started to fly over his head, and collide with objects behind him.
Gem positioned himself behind stairs that lead up to get into a Pin, and used one of the brackets of the stairs as a stabilizer for his shot. Gem aimed for the fox's left shoulder, and fired. The recoil was strong, and if Gem didn't have the correct posture, he would have dislocated his shoulder. The bullet instantly made contact, and the fox dropped limp.
Tread gave Gem thumbs up, and said, "Alright, lets push these bastards back."
Gem signaled back by moving his paw into an "O" form, and moved up. A nearby bullet that was aimed at Gem's head ricocheted off his shield.
_"Thank God for that shield, otherwise I would have been dead." _
Gem quickly dived behind a cart that was used to move fuel around to the Pins, and looked over to see the woman that he directed earlier, holding bandages and a first aid kit in her hands.
"Anybody need bandages?" She asked as she walked over to survey the situation by bouncing from cover to cover. A crack was heard from a sniper rifle, and took off a chunk of the concrete barrier that Tread was just hiding behind. A loud yell was heard. Hopefully it was no one Gem knew.
Than Gem's instincts told him took look up, and Gem peeked over to see a sniper prone and taking pot shots across the hanger. A loud crack was heard, and a bullet moved past the side of Gem's head. Gem felt his adrenaline kick in, and he could hear his heart beat. Gem's hearing went fuzzy, and he looked over to see the woman tending Tread's wound on his arm. It was being softly wrapped in bandages.
Gem used the targeting system on the visor, and noticed that there three more gang members hanging by. One instantly fell over, as an energy blast from someone sent his shields into frenzy. He instantly doubled over when a well aimed shot immobilized his leg.
Peaking over his cover again, Gem spotted the glint of a sniper scope, and fired an energy blast in his general direction. The energy blast was a direct hit, and the sniper's shields were instantly down. Gem aimed his pistol carefully, and preceded to fire, but then he felt it, it was cold and heartless.
Gem instantly recognized what it was. A small pistol was pressed against his right temple. A click was heard as a bullet was pushed into the chamber. Gem noticed in his perifial vision that it was a lion with a scar moving down his eye. His clothes were torn in several places, but his body was still intact. Not even a scratch. The lion flanked around the hanger, and waited while the sniper distracted all the others.
"Up." The lion said in a deep and demanding voice. His breath smelled like tobacco, and Gem could tell that the lion was going to enjoy playing around with his "prey" for a while.
Gem started to raise his hands, and started to stand slowly, not wanting to intimidate the lion into pulling the trigger. Gem slid the pistol far away down the hanger, and looked down the barrel that the lion was pointing at him. Gem noticed that the human girl and Tread were down by the sniper's nest, and must have sneaked around the lion. The sniper that was shooting at Gen was now lying limp, and Tread had the sniper's rifle, now pointing at the lion's heart. The lion had no idea that he was the target now, not Gem. The prey was about to become the predator.
Gem felt like humoring the lion. "Who the hell are you and why are you here?"
The lion grinned, "You think I would tell you anything that the boss wants to keep secret? You're stupider than you look."
Gem paused, still looking down the dark barrel of the pistol the lion was holding. Gem felt sweat drip down his forehead, and rolling down his cheek. The small amount of sodium and water eventually fell to the floor with a silent tap.
"Is it really worth attacking the Nebula for?"
"Shut up! What do you know wolf? I have more motives than what you think."
Gem looked to his right to see that Tread nodded a small amount.
The lion noticed, and was about to shoot when Gem made a swift kick, straight to the chest. The lion doubled over, and that was just enough time for Gem to kick the lion right in the face. Falling downward without a sound, the lion fell on the hanger's floor unconscious.
"That was close." Gem mumbled, and nodded back to Tread.
Gem started to walk toward Tread's position when he heard a hiss. It felt like someone was watching him. Gem turned around to see two yellow eyes looking at him, and didn't have time to yell. A yellow lizard was standing face to face with Gem, and was holding what looked like a pocket watch.
Gem dodged what was supposed to be a lethal blow to the back of the head, and picked up the pistol that the lion had dropped earlier. Gem aimed it at the lizard and fired only to be in vain that the lizard had shields online. The lizard wore a type of expensive suit, and was wearing a strange ring with an orange center. A large scar moved its way across the lizard's left eye.
Moving his hand in a swift motion, the lizard used an energy blast to swat Gem's gun away. Gem never saw anything like it. A lizard that can move items with energy? That has never been heard of ever.
Gem started to feel oddly lighter as the lizard started to move closer. He felt his feet slowly leaving the ground, and looking at the lizard's direction, he could tell that the lizard was doing this. Gem felt fear and amazement at the same time.
"You have killed many of my generals of my gang. You are a very powerful soldier." The lizard hissed, its tongue moved, tasting the air like a snake.
Gem could not control what he could do in midair, and was struggling violently with no effect.
"There is no reason to struggle. You are immobilized. You see boy, I can control matter at will, due to an implant in my body. It's actually quite interesting because I am the only person in the whole entire galaxy that can do such a feat." The lizard gloated as he watched as Gem still struggled in midair, trying to break loose of the field the lizard had around him.
"So you basically use magnetic energy to either add or decrease weight?" Gem said, he might as well figure out more about his enemy.
"Precisely. The Saber Teeth gang prides itself in having the best...tools to mess with." The lizard said while laughing. It was more of a hiss stretched out.
"Let me show you an example."
The snake than closed his eyes, and Gem quickly fell to the floor, but this time he felt as if a huge rock was crushing him. Gem felt air leave his lungs, and everything started to go blurry. His was about to black out when the snake stopped torturing Gem, and added just a small amount of weight so Gem couldn't get up.
"You're twisted." Gem said as he coughed, finally letting oxygen fill his lungs once again.
"Oh, am I? Let me show you something."
The snake showed Gem the pocket watch, and its delicate gold painting. The clock was ticking slowly as if timing how long it would be for Gem to live.
"Do you know what this is?" The lizard asked while leaning over so close to Gem that he could feel the lizard's breath.
"A pocket watch?"
"Good. Now do you know what KIND of pocket watch this is?"
Gem fell silent, and waited for the lizard to say something. How would Gem know what kind of pocket watch that it is? It was simply a pocket watch.
The lizard smiled when Gem said nothing.
"Here than, let me show you."
The lizard held onto the chain on the top, and started to rock the pocket watch back and forth. Gem tried to look away from the beauty of the pocket watch, but could not take his eyes off of its elegance. Gem's vision started to fade, and everything started to shut down in Gem's mind. Gem felt like he was falling backwards, and into a very deep sleep. The environment started to get blurry, and Gem started to feel his mind slipping into unconsciousness.
Gem started to feel his eyes closing slightly, the picture of the pocket watch still in his mind. The lizard still rocked the watch back and forth like a pendulum. Gem started felt like he was falling down a very large dark pit, and was unable to escape. Gem than laid on the hanger unconscious, not knowing that this event would change his life forever.
"Gem? Are you awake? Hello! Hey man, wake up!"
Gem felt his eyes jerk open, and felt his body being shacked rapidly. Gem felt like he slept for 15 hours, and then felt a pounding headache.
"Aww man, what happened?" Gem asked while rubbing his eyes. Gem eventually gained focus back to see Tread standing over him with the medic from before. Gem still never got to know her name.
"We found you unconscious on the floor with a lizard standing over you. He must have knocked you unconscious. He was drawing something on your chest. The lizard must have been the leader of the Saber Teeth." Tread said.
Gem started to look around the room to see he was back in his own room. Gem starred out the window to see a giant blue planet moving fast by the ship. It looked majestic, and Gem noticed cloud movement on the planet. It must have been a new planet because lighting lit up the surface of the newly born.
"How did you get me to the room?" Gem asked as he looked from Tread to the human girl standing over him. Gem noticed that the human girl had ocean blue eyes, and a very calm face. This was the few times he heard her speak.
"We had to carry you in here. It was a hard task, but we eventually got you to your cot, and waited until you were awake."
"How long was I out?"
"About 3 hours, give or take. You were snoring." The lady said while giggling.
"Oh by the way, I never got your name."
"Oh, my name is Angela, but many people just call me Angel for short. Probably because I give medical treatment to the wounded. I will leave you and Tread alone. Tread needs to give you a briefing."
But before Angel could get up, she put her hand on her mouth. Than Gem saw it, fur was creeping up Angel's leg. She started to yell as he noticed it also and hurriedly took off her visor. Angel's armor started to break due to her newly acquired fur creeping up her body. All that Gem and Tread could do was watch as the fur started to change into a pink color. The armor that Angel was wearing eventually gave away and popped off, but the fur was already covering her whole entire body.
Angel's hands started to expand into paws, and claws started to form. Angel's eyes changed into a whitish color from her ocean blue eyes, and some of the fur on her chest turned into white lines that smoothly crossed her body. Angel's mouth than started to stretch into more of a muzzle, and fangs started to grow inch by inch out of her mouth.
Gem noticed a tail moving out from underneath her, and Angel put her paws on top of her head to feel that newly grown ears were flapping around on top of her head. Angel fell off the chair, and onto all fours of the floor. The transformation was complete. She now looked like a wolf, and had the same structure as Gem.
Gem was speechless until he said, "What the hell just happened?"
Angel was the first one to speak, "Sorry, I cannot control my powers. They just happen randomly. Sometimes while I sleep, I turn into my wolf form while other times I transform during the day."
Gem blinked, confused by the sudden transformation. Tread stepped in after Angel was done speaking.
"It means, she was stricken by a disease when she was young by the Noveric race. If a human gets a Noveric disease, then the human will undergo transformations from time to time. It is normal that Angel undergoes these transformations."
Gem now understood why Angel suddenly transformed. A silence was filled through Gem's room until Angel stood up and said, "Tread would like to brief you on what happened. Sorry about interrupting..."
Angel stood up, and walked toward the door. She opened the door with her paws, and walked out blushing. Gem could hear her running down the halls in the direction of the hanger.
"So what did you see him drawing on me?" Gem asked while changing the subject. Tread was ready to answer, and sat down where Angel was sitting.
Tread sighed. "You might want to take off your armor, and check for yourself."
Gem got up off the bed like he was good as new, and started to take off his armor. He undressed himself until all that he had on was his underwear. Gem noticed what Tread was talking about as Tread pulled a mirror.
Gem's chest had a very long and detailed tattoo of Sabertooth's symbol on his chest. It was a large tooth from the most ferocious animal during the human ice age, the saber tooth tiger.
"Yes, it's a pretty bad tattoo."
Gem gulped as he saw the tattoo covering up a small portion of his chest.
"What does the tattoo mean?"
"It means that the Saber Teeth will not give you another chance if they find you, and will hunt you down, and destroy you. The leader is crazy, and enjoys tormenting anybody who wishes to challenge the gang's authority."
Gem stood there looking at the tattoo, but not in fear. Gem felt a smirk move across his face.
"Well if it's a war he wants, it's a war he will get." Gem said while putting on a shirt that was by his dresser.
Tread was smiling from ear to ear. That was the spirit he wanted in all of the recruits.
Tread put a paw on Gem's shoulder, and led him out to the hanger, ready to embrace the challenges with his new recruit. And ready to face the challenge of the Saber Teeth gang.