Scarlet-12.

Chapter 12

I’m getting stared at and Chris and Ryan are looking at me like I’m a bit crazy. “No seriously guys it’s alive.”

I see something inside it swirling like mist or water then there’s this shape like a head there but it’s semi triangular and there’s the flare of stormy blue eyes.

They’re all looking at it now and Chris is frowning at it. “That mage character that mixed it up with the students had this thing.”

“It’s full of negative chi hon.” Sasha/Saber says with a thoughtful expression on her face. “Demon?”

I stop mid sip of my shake. “Demon? They’re real?”

There’s a bunch of nods. Saber says. “Yes there’s other beings from other planes of existence…if it makes more sense think of it as invaders and predators from another string theory place, but it’s more like a spider web at this point in creation.”

“Oh…so what do we do with it.”

There’s a communal. “Call John.”

“John?”

Chris says. “John Wisdom.”

“The stage magician? He doe real magic?”

“Yes, it’s his cover he actually does real magic in his shows it’s why people can’t disprove his tricks.”

“Because they’re not tricks.”

………………………………..I feel something… “No Scarlet they’re not.” I turn and he’s there in the room….how? “Wow that was fast.”

“I don’t advocate waiting when it comes to demons.” He smiles at me. “It’s good to see you back.”

“You knew one of us?”

“Yes, several and it’s always been a pleasure.”

He takes my hand gently and shakes it. Oh…he’s. Okay I’m feeling some attraction for sure but he’s someone who’d pull me in with interest even as Dale. Older in his fifties, fit and very well dressed and handsome with this long hair in a pony tail and just everything that comes with this older guy with everything together…and he’d be great to know as Dale because he’d really be interesting I think but now as Scarlet he’s so got this feeling and look of everything a girl might be looking for in a man.

He’s very charming.

And he’s soon shaking hands and gently hugging the women who he knows here with this warm familiarity. Victory is putting her phone away. “I wish this was just a social call John but it’s not. We might have a real problem.” She gestures at the pearl.

He raises an eyebrow. “Soul pearl…Japanese magic.”

“Japanese?” Chris says. “The kids that tangled with the mage said he seemed like a white guy.”

“Could be it’s rare stuff there’s only one being that might know the spells for this onworld and he’d never be involved in this.”

Shroud nods. “Six wouldn’t do this he’d have no reason.”

“Six?” I ask. Shroud looks towards me. “Shang Lee the sixth.”

I give him a black look.

He adjusts his cloak. “Chinese sorcerer, he runs Asia-Major in Paradise City.”

“What’s that?”

Victory says. “The Asian neighborhood down there Six’s the godfather over all the different cultures down there and all the gangs. He’s big organized crime.”

“Oh.” Wow there’s so much I’m learning and need to know at the same time.

John’s taking the pearl and staring at it. “Six wouldn’t even sell these as weapons and I’m not getting any fingerprint I know of from this. I’d say we have a new player.”

“Weapon?” Victory asks and beats me to it.

“The master of the pearl can use the powers and abilities of the soul inside of it.”

Chris nods. “That tracks the kids said he was doing lightning with it.”

John nods taking out a small chest. “It think it’s a Mephit.”

I look at it as he puts the pearl in the box, it feels familiar in a way. “Mephit?”

“A nasty elemental based demonic spirit. I can take care of this but whoever did this is skilled.”

“I felt something in the crowds at the bridge.”

“He’s very likely not using just one creature, I’ll go to the sites to check out the residues.”

He nods to us. “I’ll let you know what I find.”

Chris gets up. “I’ll go with you and show you the fight area.”

He shakes hands and hugs again before leaving with Daystar. I look at everyone. “I hate to eat and run but I have RL to deal with and classes.”

Victory nods. “We’ll get together soon and keep you in the loop with this and the stuff you’ll need to get started on.”

“Thanks, more homework.”

She just smiles at me wryly. “You know even if you weren’t on the team that’s all stuff you need to learn.”

“I know just right now after all of this my brain is screaming nooooo at anything that requires thought or just…”

She nods. “Go, hit your RL and get some downtime….too much of this will get to you.”

I get up and Ryan smiles and comes over and hugs me. “C’mere a minute okay?”

“Okay?”

He takes me to this side office and opens a cabinet and passes me some things. I look….a movie theatre card fox Universal Theatres with unlimited access…and some tickets…wow he’s got access to everything.

“Ryan…you don’t have to…”

“Hey, rich guy here these get sent to me for free. There’s a lot of free swag they send my way to just hope I’ll show up. I like to share so…take these and take your girl out for a few good dates and this way you won’t have to worry about the costs and just have a good time.”

“Okay…I still have to thank you for everything you’ve done for me so far.”

“No you don’t. Darcy you’re a friend…we just went through the shit together and in our kind of life real friends are hard to come by and keep. It’s just something friends do.”

I hug him and hang on a bit not the attraction thing but just because he’s really cool and a nice guy. I lean up and kiss his cheek. “Thank you but I’m paying you back for this.”

“Darcy…”

“No…I can’t do much but I can cook, how long has it been since you had some good old home cooking?”

He smiles. “Way too long, all of us it’s been too long.”

“Then it’s what I’ll do.”

He smiles. “I’ll walk you out?”

“That’d be cool this place is so huge that I’d get lost.”

He takes me up to the roof by the elevator or rather the hangar area and wow…there’s a lot of toys here. He opens the force field? In the wall and I hug him again and close my eyes letting the energy out to re-uniform.

“Thanks Ryan, I mean it.”

“I know, I’ll see you soon.”

“Okay…”

I step off the edge and fall backwards and go freefall and it’s such a rush as I’m heading towards the ground and I get about a hundred feet from splat when I kick in the energy and pull up out of the dive and explode up into the sky with a yell giving it everything and another yell as I feel the pop-wash over my field as I break the sound barrier and head off into the sky.

I really should head home but my heart’s not ready for that and I kick in the speed and I get way up over the clouds.

Oh…I mean really…there is nothing like this at all…passing shuttles and jets here and there but skimming clouds…punching through ones full of rain or snow…it’s so…

I decide to really open it up and see what I can do…up higher and faster just pushing things…yelling and letting shit out and I step on it as it were then….then it happens.

I…

I break atmosphere.

Oh…

Oh my god…

Stunned isn’t the word.

I’m just one person…no suit, no ship…just me and now I’m standing? Here in orbit and I am looking down at my home planet under me both huge and small and…I’m crying…oh it’s good tears. I really can’t put into words just the way this is reaching into my…Dale, Darcy, Scarlet…all of me is just.

I’m not even sure how long I’m up here for but by the time the wonder and shock settles to where I can function there’s something there settled inside of me. I’m here…able to look down and see this, see everyone there down there and every living soul down there deserves the right to live free, be happy and safe and this is so my calling…I know I’ve said these things before but when you see things that keep pointing these things out to you it means something…right?

There is one thing I do…something I need to see before heading home.

I move to the path of the planet’s movement….and wait…it’s absolutely amazing I shield my eyes with my field and watch the sun come into view of the edge of New Haven’s horizon.

I cry again just moved…just yeah…

I get myself under control and do a fall roll over and fly down to home…more than ever this is my home…down in over the southern ocean and pass over the islands down there and then over Paradise City the mountains and the New Phoenix desert then out over the Vulcan plateau and the volcanoes there and from there and head over the Lakeland hills and then follow the colonial highway home up over the Sentinel mountains and in over Ark City.

The fighting, the things that happened…seeing the planet like that getting that perspective changes…everything.

I was gone longer than I thought because the morning sun is coming up and I smile at it as I’m landing in my place with an almost “hey you” kind of feeling. I shift my uniform away and head away into the shower and down shift to Darcy and then to Dale.

It feels very strange to be me this time.

I need to get used to being me again. It’s not like being Dale, me’s a bad thing but I’ve spent the last two days as Darcy and well I’m kind of used to it? Acclimated….I guess that’s the word for it.

I get some clothes, books and get into my workout clothes and head into campus going for a run first and hen off to the gym. Feeling the way my muscles move getting myself worked out and by the time I’m out of the pool after the run and the weights I feel more like me.

I shower and change and walk to the food hall and seeing things still all new things…or just everything new.

I can’t help the grin on my face when I see Nikki at the counter trying to decide. She looks really nice this morning and I get a tray and head over to her.

“Hey, Morning.”

She looks up and smiles at me. “Hey, you’re here early?”

“Up all night studying so jogged in early to hit the gym.”

“I so couldn’t work out like that.”

“It’s new to me too but not being home and doing chores I’m feeling the city life.”

“You’re here early too.”

“I’ve got an early lab so I thought I’d beat the crowds. How’s Darcy?”

“Good she’s out getting familiar with the city I think.”

“I had a great time with her.”

“She did too, she was very happy and jazzed after the whole thing.”

“She was?”

“Yeah, you’ve got her feeling things she’s never felt before.”

“Me too…”

“C’mon let’s get some food and coffee and we can talk a bit before we have to hit our classes.”

“Sure.” She smiles and I kind of wish I was Darcy right now so I could kiss her.