Day 2, Early Afternoon, Palisade National Park

Previously...

“I guess it’s up to you two to decide what you want to do."

"Yes, let's wait till we're closer to town," said Volt. "With a little luck they'll forget about it by then. And if they don't, well, dirt isn't quite as itchy as mud," he added silently.

Jenny carefully removed the lenses from her sunglasses and set them on her face. "How do they look?"

"I think they'll work nicely," her dog answered.

"Good," she said taking them off, "I'll save the makeup for later too. We'll skip the rain coat, a hood without rain or cold would tell everyone we've got something to hide." She gave him a grin. "Race you there!"

"You're on!" he laughed as they dashed onward.

— Day 2, Early Afternoon —
Palisade National Park

Angie and Dan watched their new friends race away; seconds later Candy was off and chasing after them, barking excitedly.

Grace looked up at her parents, and they figured she was about to ask permission to join the fun. But her request surprised them a little.

“I’m tired. Carry me, Daddy?” she asked sweetly.

“I’m getting too old for this,” Dan cracked as he crouched down so she could climb onto his back. “To Parksville!” he announced as they followed the others down the trail.

Day 1
Laramie's House
Judicia, Erbaine
Last Post

These next few moments were crucial.

If Liam could just convince Laramie to come with him, then things would be okay. Then she could be safe. The thought of losing Laramie made his heart clench up in fear. He'd do anything to keep that from happening. He just wanted to save her.

And Dr. Dreyman had provided him with the perfect opportunity to do that.

He knocked on the door, then shifted absentmindedly back and forth as he waited for an answer. Hopefully she was home. If she wasn't...

Again, his heart skipped a beat. He wouldn't think about that. Not now.

It was his goal to persuade her to come with him, where they'd join forces with Dr. Dreyman and save the world together. Okay, maybe that was a stretch, but at least they'd be safe. They'd have supplies from Dr. Dreyman's house, and he'd be able to keep her by his side. He'd watch over her, and they'd be together, like always.

If only he could convince her. Hopefully she wouldn't spit in his face like some of the others had. At any rate, he would try his best. It was the least he could do. For Laramie, and for himself.

He hoped she was home.

Day 1, Arenico, Diabolis, pre-supernova

"Why do I have to have such long hair?" thought the Bergamasco shepherd as he walked along an alleyway behind the hotel Tropicoso. He hadn't been this way for years, and for good reason. "I mean, it's great on cold nights, but those don't come very often, and most days are just plain hot, and it gets caught at the most inopportune times." Ordinarily the tall buildings would have served as shade, but it was almost noon and the sun was too high for the buildings to give him any. "Oh well, could be worse. On a day like this the dog catchers will be too sweaty to stay out of their trucks long enough to do thorough checks of these alleys."

Just then 3 large Labradors turned the corner ahead of him. He considered for a moment running or hiding, but decided against it. Under the circumstances the safest thing to do would be to act friendly or at least neutral. He continued his course and let the dogs, who had now seen him, walk up to him.

"What are you doing here? Are you from the Jack Pack?" growled the oldest dog.

"No, I did just come from their territory, but I'm not affiliated with them."

He sniffed the Shepherd. "You smell familiar."

"Maybe your nose is giving out old-timer."

"Don't talk to our father like that!" barked one of the younger dogs.

"You have entered T.o.T. territory now, give us your name and business," the 3rd said sternly.

"Well, I'm just passing through, I don't stay anyplace long. I have no interest in bothering the Team of Terror. With permission from your pack I might stay here a few days and perform a job or two before moving on, but if not, so be it. As for my name, it's General."

"Cut him off!" the old dog yelled. Before General could react the two dogs had dashed past him and blocked the way back.

"What? I told you the truth," he said, beginning to think that he might have come back just a little too soon.

"Exactly, you're that dog that planted the Faronz family collar on us 2 years ago! I knew you smelled familiar."

"I didn't plant it, one of your dogs took it from me for knocking over his trash can."

"It doesn't matter. Because of you the Furry Furies declared war on us. Half of our pack was killed in the first battle alone!"

"Wow, I didn't know I was that successful," thought General, for of course he had planned the whole thing when he found the collar lying in the streets. He had done it for 2 reasons. One, so the packs would be diminished in strength, making it safer for neutrals such as himself, and two, he enjoyed tricking people.

"You're a marked dog General," continued the old Lab. "If you come quietly, our Alpha may give you a hearing, he's been in a good mood lately. But if you resist, we will kill you right here and now. Which will it be?"

General thought hard about it, he knew his life depended on his answer. On the one paw, he doubted he could fight all 3 of these dogs at once. On the other paw, if he went with them now he definitely wouldn't be able to escape from the whole pack, and he highly doubted that the T.o.T. Alpha would let him leave alive, regardless of how good a mood he was in.

"You have 5 seconds. 5...4...3..."

General never decided, for at that moment a blast of heat came down from above. General looked up and saw two things. One was a second sun in the sky, and the other was all the windows in the hotel shattering, sending thousands of shards of glass raining down on them. General quickly threw himself on the ground.

"No! It can't end like this!"

Day 2: Arida
Laney's house

Allee sipped the Pepsi slowly at first, then downed the entire glass. "I agree with you all. Earlier is better. In fact, I think we should get packed and leave as soon as possible. We still have to go pick up that family, and it's getting dark." She raised her eyebrows at them. "Whenever you're ready to leave is fine with me."

The Convent

"Thanks for the dinner." Julietta took the plate from his outstretched hands. "Yeah, it was pretty draining, though I guess I can't say much. The doctor likes to pick on you for some reason." She sighed and her voice lowered to a whisper. "Sorry you had to go through that."

Day 2: Arida
Laney's House
Xandria smiled.
"I'm ready whenever you are!"

The Convent

Romano smiled at her, and settled into the seat next to her, his fingers drumming momentarily on the arm of the porch swing.

"Don't worry about it. That's, well, that's kind of how guys communicate. We pick on each other. In the end, it really doesn't matter. We got the job done, and the little girl is going to be fine. She's what matters, not if I get a few jabs from the doctor. Besides," Romano leaned forward a bit in mock confidentiality. "Sometimes, I think its just the doctor's way of covering for his forgetfulness and haphazard ways."

He chuckled and leaned back.

Day 1, Arenico, Diabolis, pre-supernova

In a terrarium, a small blue-tongued skink was bored out of his mind. He was too wide awake to take a nap, he'd hummed all the songs he knew, and his human was late bringing him lunch. Harry would usually talk to him a little, and although Flame hardly ever cared about what he said, it did relieve the monotony. Plus, Harry would sometimes let him out to climb around the bedroom. But now, he could hear him and his father talking in the other room. Flame figured it would be a while before Harry could come, so he decided that he should at least try to take a nap. As he closed his eyes however, he felt a strange itch on his back. He tried to reach it with his claws, but it was just out of reach. In fact, it was all on the red scales on his back from which he got his name. He got up and tried rubbing against his favorite log. It helped, but the moment he stopped it came back as irritating as ever. He'd been rubbing like crazy for 5 minutes when the door opened.

"Hey there Flame. Sorry I'm late, Dad insisted I do 20 push-ups before lunch," sighed the small boy as he came in.

"D-D-Do I look li-i-ike I care Harry?" stuttered the lizard not caring that he couldn't understand. "I'm hun-un-ungry, bored, and I c-c-can't get this itch to g-g-go AWAY!" Flame always stuttered, he'd had it since birth.

"Mom's home today," continued Harry, oblivious to the skink's complaints, "her next customer doesn't want to fly out until tomorrow, so we're all going out to a movie this afternoon." The 11 year old walked over to the cabinet where the lizard food was and pulled it out. He turned back to look at the lizard. "Are you okay? You're acting unusual."

Flame was about to make another sarcastic remark, when he saw something out the window which made him open his eyes wide in shock. The light outside had doubled in intensity, and he could make out a ripple of energy coming at incredible speeds. When it reached the window it shattered and passed into the room. In an instant it had reached his terrarium and it too shattered. Flame froze, wondering what on Telluri was happening, when he felt the heavy weight of the terrarium lid, no longer being supported by the glass walls, fell down on top of him.

The last thing Flame heard before darkness took him was his person. "FLAME!"

Day 2: Arida
Laney's House

"Good. Let's go." Allee led the rest of the group out of the house. "We'll have to walk. It's not too far, I don't think."

A few minutes later, the group reached the house of the family they were picking up. Allee glanced at Xandria and nudged her lightly. "You go first. They know you better."

The Convent

Julietta giggled, then immediately chided herself for doing so and shoveled a few peas into her mouth. "Yeah, I guess so." She hadn't wanted to wait till she was done chewing, so she'd spoken with her mouth full, regretting it a moment later. Where were her manners?

She wasn't sure what on earth happened, but one moment the plate was in her hand, and the next, it smashed to the ground. Peas scattered all over the porch, and the potatoes landed with a resounding glomp.

"Oh, dear, I'm so sorry--" Both of them lunged forward at the same time to pick it up, and as luck would have it, Julietta's head cracked hard against Romano's. Sharp pain shot all the way down to her shoulders. She sat up, rubbing her head. "Uh, wow... I'm, uh... I'm so sorry," she repeated. "That was totally my fault."

Day 1
Judicia, Erbaine
In response to this post

Laramie looked up at Leon, concerned. He wasn't one to ramble, even at his most distracted. He did look unusually pale and bleary-eyed. As he vowed everything was okay and they'd make it through, however, she nodded and gave him as much of a smile as she could muster. That sounded more like him.

"I agree. Panicking is the last thing we need to be doing right now," she said absently, as their familiar street appeared at the next intersection and their swift walk turned to a jog. A dozen different potential disasters flashed through her mind, and Laramie's stomach twisted. They spent the remainder of the distance to Leon's house in a tense silence.

Once in front of his house, Laramie nudged Leon's elbow. "Get some rest, okay? I'll come check on you later." She watched him head for his front door for a moment before turning and all but sprinting for her own house. The familiar brown house came into view and she breathed a sigh of relief that it appeared to be unscathed, until she spotted the gaping holes where several windows had once been. Heart pounding, Laramie dashed through the gate and up the stairs to the porch, pushing the door open.

Inside, it was dark and silent. The floor by the couch was strewn with glass shards. "Hello?" she called, swallowing down the lump of panic in her throat. Suddenly, there was a shout and Laramie found herself with an armful of little brother as Nicky flung himself at her. "Mum, mum! She's home!" he yelled as Mirren barreled into Laramie's other side and their mother came running, relief written all over her face.

With one arm around Nicky's shoulder, Laramie buried her face in her little sister's dark curls and tried to reorient herself. Stick to the basics, Laramie. They're all fine. We're fine. Maybe, just maybe tomorrow won't be a nightmare.

Taking a deep breath, she looked over Mirren's head at her mother and mouthed the words, "Any sign of Ben?"

Wordlessly, her mum shook her head.

It was about half an hour later when the knock on the door came. Laramie jumped and nearly dropped one of the boards she was using to cover a blown-out window. "Is it Ben?" Mum asked, muffled, from upstairs. Laramie glanced out the window. "No, it's Liam," she called, pulling the door open.

"Hey," she greeted, stepping out onto the porch. "Is everything all right?" Liam's expression was unusually tense, his body rigid, but she supposed they were all looking on edge after the events of today.

Day 1, Arenico, Diabolis, alleyway

General heard the glass shards hit the ground. He saw them as they rained down on the 3 Labradors. And he felt them as they landed on his back. Some of them were caught in his fur, but many others sliced through and into his back. When it all finally ended he had some deep cuts in his back, but none had hit his spine, neck, or head, and he still lived. When he calmed down some he carefully stood up. The 3 other dogs lay still.

"Well, since it looks like you won't be getting up ever again, I choose option number 2." Just then one of the younger dogs opened his eyes. He too had been injured, but he got up as if the gashes were mere paper cuts.

"Very well, time to die!" he barked furiously. General turned to run, but he was forced to move much more slowly than normal to keep the glass from injuring himself more. The other dog quickly caught up to him and shoved him against a wall.

"Any last words?" he asked. General stared into the mad dogs eyes.

"I..." he began, then he felt a strange sensation. He looked down at the Lab's paws which were pressing against him. He realized with shock that his paws were passing right through his hair and into his skin, yet he felt no pain. Also, his own hair was growing and clinging to the dog like ivy.

"Your paws!" he cried with horror. The lab looked down and saw what was happening. They both tried to pull away from one another, but his hair had a firm grip now and continued to grow and pull the unfortunate dog further into General's body. Before 10 seconds had passed he had been completely enveloped and half his body had phased into the Shepherd's. Finally General gave up and let the process finish. As soon as he stopped struggling the hair pulled faster. In just a few moments his hair was back to normal, all his injuries were gone, and there was no sign of the other dog. Visions began flooding his head. He remembered being called Scratch, his mother dying when he was young, joining the Team of Terror, and last of all the fear and terror as he was pulled into the body of a dog he had been trying to kill.

Then General realized the truth. "I...absorbed his body and his memories!"

Day 1, Arenico, Diabolis, Sturgeon family's apartment

"FLAME!" Harry dropped the food and ran over to the remains of the terrarium. He grabbed the lid and pulled it off, fearing the worst. Flame lay next to his log, still breathing, but unconscious.

"Dad, help!" he called. Instantly his father burst through the door. With his imposing height and muscular build, most people would scream if he burst through their door.

"What is it Harry? Are you hurt?"

"I'm fine dad, but Flame's been crushed. What's happening?"

"I don't know." He strode to the window and looked out. Harry followed, carrying the limp lizard in his arms. Outside, all the lights of the city had gone out. The cars lay still in the streets, 2 on fire from when they had crashed into one another. All the normal city noises had been replaced with thousands of panicked cries as people climbed out of their cars and out of the buildings, trying to figure out what had happened.

"This looks bad," his father said as he stroked his beard.

"Dad, we need to call the vet."

"Oh, erm, right," he said turning his attention back to the problem at hand. "Honey!" he called to the other room. "We need to call the vet!" The 2 of them walked into the living room. Harry's mother was holding the phone in her hand.

"I was in the middle of talking to Allison Lancaster when the phone died. I tried calling back to see if she was okay, but the phone won't work."

"What about the computer?" Harry asked. Without waiting for an answer he dashed over to the computer and pressed the power button. Nothing happened. A glance in the kitchen showed him that the clock on the oven had gone dark.

"Great, we've got a blackout too. What do we do now?" asked a very worried Harry.

"Listen, both of you," said his father, "if I remember correctly there's a vet who lives on the first floor. I'm going out there to see if I can help, on my way I'll see if I can find her. I need you 2 to stay here while I'm gone. Don't let anybody in unless they say the password," he lowered his voice to a whisper, "Kiwi Kraken." He hugged his son and kissed his wife, then walked out the door.

Day 2: Arida
In the projects near the convent

Xandria nodded, and gulped. How had the day gone by so quickly? She thought they had headed over to Laney's around three, but it was already getting dark. The priest had warned them not to be back on the convent grounds before dark, and Xandria knew they'd have to hurry if they were going to make it. She doubted that was going to happen. Xandria shook her head and quickly walked up the path. a quiet "un momento" responded to her light knock, and the sound of a bold grating into place could be heard. The door popped open, and the woman quickly gestured them in. She spoke softly to Xandria as she locked the door behind them, then moved quickly and quietly down the hall. Xandria turned to the others.

"She said her husband is still at home, but he is asleep," Xandria explained quietly. "She is going to get her children and some of their things, and then we will leave. But we have to be quiet, as he doesn't want them to leave."

The Convent

"No problem at all," Romano said, pressing gingerly on the red spot, and then rubbing his forehead vigorously. He looked down and realized the plate had shattered. "Ah, we'd better get this cleaned up before someone steps on it or something."

Romano bent down and started gathering up some of the larger pieces, then looked over at Julietta and smiled.

"Would you mind grabbing the trashcan or a broom or something? Thanks."

Quadrant 9, day 4
3:27pm, Q9 time
Isolation wing

Pain. A dull ache in her forehead, something like being hit with a baseball bat. Her heartbeat pounding in her ears, her breath slow and raspy.
What.... What happened? Where am I?
Hali forced her eyes open, ignoring the glare from the fluorescent lights in the ceiling. A room, small and nearly bare except for the bed on which she was lying. Silver metal walls, floor and ceiling. Everything dull and plain... And somehow, like a cage.
Oh, my head. She sat up, rubbing her temples. Platinum blonde hair fell messily into her face... Hair stained a brownish-red color.
Blood, she realized. My blood. From the fight... But how did they get me here? Where is here? She looked around once more, her reviving mental faculties able to stand the bright light now.
A door stood on the opposite side of the room, but the hinges, lock and handle were all on the outside. A sink was near her bed, and a medicine cabinet was mounted over that.
It's like a cell in prison, she thought, trying to take in every detail.
Above the doorframe, words had been printed in black ink. She squinted to make them out:

Quadrant 9, room 349

"Hello?" she called, softly. She cleared her dry throat and said again, louder. "Hello? Can anyone hear me? Hello?!"
Only the echoes of her own voice on the metal walls answered.

-Day 3-
Quadrant 9
9:40 qn
In response to this post.

Dr. Arthur Ford nodded, sucking in a breath and leaning his head back as to fully size up the other doctor. "What if I refuse to lend the government, and their futuristic facility with some mysterious function, my abilities and cooperation? I'm not one to go along with anything without fully knowing what I'm doing, and if the actions are furthering good."

He looked hard around the office for a minute his demeanor taking on a whole new feel, one harder and more serious then before.

Day 1
Judicia, Erbaine
Laramie's House

"Everything's fine." Liam's voice cracked. He wasn't sure why he was nervous. Laramie would probably agree to his plan. She had to. He cleared his throat and tried again. "Yeah, it's fine. I told you I'd come by later." He peered past her at the inside of the house. "Oh man. That's intense. Your house really took a beating. Are you okay?" Another thought crossed his mind. "Is your family okay?"

Day 2: Arida
In the projects near the convent

Allee nodded silently, careful not to make any more noise than she had to. Her journalist habits kicked in as she surveyed the place, noting anything that stood out. The hall looked like the supernova had taken its toll, although she wasn't sure that the condition of the place had been much better before that.

She frowned, leaned against the wall, and waited.

The Convent

"Sure, I can do that." Julietta stood up, and immediately tripped over her own feet, stumbling forward directly into the shards of broken plate. A sharp pain sliced through her foot as she tried to catch her balance, which made her lose the very thing she was trying to catch. She stumbled forward, directly into the minefield, and landed on her hands and knees. She narrowly avoided hurting her knees, but the pain was multiplied as she hit something sharp with her hand. Now the pain throbbed in two places. Blood appeared from a large cut in her palm, and Julietta immediately knew that it would need stitches.

She pulled her foot up so she could look at it and assess the source of pain in a (sort of) calm manner. An even bigger gash graced her heel with its (not) wonderful presence. The dizzying pain was joined by an even greater irritation. She had already broken the plate, and now this?

She tried not to go into hysterics and failed, unable to keep herself from sobbing.

Day 1, Arenico Diabolis, alleyway

General stood there, contemplating this bizarre occurrence. He had the memories and knowledge of 2 different dogs. But how had he done it? He looked up at the sky, squinting at the two suns. "Have I mutated?" he asked, drawing on his own knowledge. "If that's the case it won't be easy to undo it. Might as well see what I can do with this." He walked back over to the dead dogs and placed his paws on the elder one. Nothing happened. "So," he frowned, "the creature has to be alive for it to work. Pity." Just then he noticed that the sounds had changed. Instead of the car horns, music, and human chatter he had been listening to all his life, he heard cries, screams, and, was that gunfire? "What's going on?" He trotted off to find out.

Day 1, Arenico, Diabolis, Sturgeon family's apartment

While his mother swept the broken glass up, Harry set Flame down on the coffee table and did what he could for him. Thankfully, the log Flame had been standing next to had deflected part of the blow, but he still had a nasty bruise on his head. Also, he felt much warmer than he should. This puzzled Harry. Reptiles were cold-blooded, they had no way to warm their own bodies. Nothing was heating him up, yet he was much warmer than room temperature.

"Knock knock," came the sound from the door. Harry's mom approached the door. "Password?" she asked.

"Kiwi kraken," came the reply. She unlocked the door and opened it. Outside stood a women who appeared to be in her late 50's. She carried a small medical bag in her hand. "Is this the Sturgeon residence?" she queried.

"Yes, I'm Valarie Sturgeon. Please come in, Flame is right this way."

Harry made way for the vet as she knelt down and examined the skink. After a few minutes she took a small jar out of her bag and smeared something on his bruises. She looked up at Harry. "He should be fine, he'll wake up in a couple hours. When he does, mix this medicine in with his water," she said handing him a small vial.

"What about his fever?"

She smirked. "Reptiles don't get fevers. He probably got to close too his heat source and his body hasn't cooled down yet. If he still feels warm tomorrow, let me know." She pulled out a card with her office phone number and address on it and handed that to Harry too. Harry still wasn't completely convinced, but he knew that she had years of experience, so he stayed quiet. After saying good-bye, Harry looked out the window. He could see his father helping/directing people push the cars out of the streets onto an abandoned parking lot.

"What do we do until Dad gets back?" he murmured.

Valarie placed a broom in his hands. "Well, how about we finish cleaning up this mess to start with."

Day 1
Judicia, Erbaine

Leon was too dazed to go against Laramie's words, and barely waved his hand in acknoledgement. As he headed towards his house slightly shaking and dreading the horrors of damage inside, he head the phone ringing inside as if there was no tomorrow. Oddly enough, his phone must've kept connected. "Hello?" he asked as soon as he'd rushed through the household-turned-hazards to the living room phone.

"Greetings, Mr. Silverlake. This is Mr. Hondal, your parent's neighbor. I have some news." The voice was somber and tired.

"Oh, yes, Mr. Hondal. How are they? And how do you feel about what's occuring?" When silence followed, Leon sheepishly mumbled "Sorry, I'm usually not this foward and demanding, but I haven't, well, have been feeling more of myself than usual, and I'm both excited and nervous about the strange happenings. Do you think-"

"Mr. Silverlake, I didn't call for another interview. I'm afraid your father and mother, Avery and Rachel, were driving home when they felt an odd lurch. Before they could react, another car slammed behind them, and their car rolled like crazy down a slope and crashed into a stoplight pole." The man let out a heavy sigh. "Sorry, son, but your mother was immediately rushed to the hospital. They weren't able to revive her."

"And as for my father?" Technically, he was his adopted father, but since the age of 15, Leon had thought of him as his real and forever dad. His head clouded with utter fear.

"I'm so sorry, Mr. Silverlake. Your father, such a great man, died instantly on impact. He had taken his seatbelt off to reach for something below the wheel, and... You get my point. I thought I should tell you. Will you be alright?"

"Y-Yes, I'll b-be alright sir, thank you. Goodbye." he blankly dropped the phone, and fell down into the nearby couch. His parents, dead? He didn't have enough money to go to the funeral, not even for a day. For the second time in his life, he was an orphan, with no family to speak of as if they were alive. His biggest fear in life had been to be alone again. In fact, he'd never told anyone of his past because of how ashamed about it. Clenching his fists, he whispered hoarsely, "How could you have been so excited for this supernova stuff? Not even getting caught on the streets stealing or running away could be worse than this!"

He remained quiet for some time, maybe half an hour or so, thinking it over. But not even he could force it out of his heart and mind. Tears rolling down his cheeks, he let out an angry and angusihed cry "I didn't have a minute to say goodbye before I lost them. No one did!" Deep down, he knew he'd recover soon enough - he always had - but until then, he laid on the couch, softly crying.