by Luna Lais
Chapter 9 - The Red Light
* * *
9
"The Red Light"
Jimmy woke up the next morning rather early. He was working feverishly on an upgrade to the TDs they used to communicate and get around. About a few hours after he woke up, Lauren nonchalantly came into his room.
"Hey," she said, "whatcha working on?" He looked over at her and smiled.
"And upgraded TD," he responded. "After the last incident we had, I don't want to go anywhere without our swords. This device will allow us to carry the sheath on our back, but hide it from view. This way, if we get into trouble, we have what we need to stop it." He tossed Lauren two of them. "Take the other one to Chrissy. I'll catch up with you later."
"Yeah," she replied. "I got a lot of homework to get done when I get back. You know where to find me." She waved and used the TD, and in a flash of light, she was gone. Jimmy continued tinkering away at the last one.
* * *
An hour later, Jimmy had finished making the upgrade to his TD. He threw his sheath on his back and pushed the button on it to test it out, and sure enough, the sword vanished from sight. He left the room and went to go downstairs for breakfast. But on the way, Ron stopped him on the stairs.
"Hey Jimmy," he said, "Breakfast is in the gymnasium today."
"Why's that?" Jimmy asked.
"Apparently the college is hosting a convention for a nudist colony," Ron replied. "They are staying on the second floor."
"Ah," Jimmy said, "so that's why they put in the tinted windows." Ron nodded.
"So you headed to the gym then?" he asked.
"Nah," replied Jimmy, "I'll probably grab a snack and sit at the clock tower."
"Alright then," he replied. "See ya at class." Ron continued on his way, and Jimmy walked down the steps and left the dorm.
* * *
He walked down the sidewalk a little ways, when something drew his attention. A warmth came over him, and suddenly he saw a bright light. He looked on and saw the shadow of a beautiful woman reaching out for him. Convinced he was crazy, he reached out to her. Then out of nowhere, something smacked him in the face. He closed his eyes and shook his head back and forth, and when he opened them, there stood Red.
"I've been watching you," she said with a scornful look on her face. "Her fragile mind‚.she's so mixed up. I can't believe you kissed her! You can't love her‚.I will see to that!" She looked at Jimmy and snapped her fingers in his face, and she vanished with a bright flash of light in the blink of an eye. A feeling of dread came over him‚because he knew exactly where Red was going.
* * *
Lauren was in her room doing her homework, when a flash of light appeared, followed by Red punching Lauren, sending her flying off the bed. Lauren instinctively reached for her sword and held it high.
"Power, be my strength!" Flames engulfed the sword and traveled down her entire body. They danced as they bonded to her skin, forming the bronze armor of the Avatar of Power, transforming her into the Dragon Lady.
Before Red could get off a shot, Lauren tackled her through the window, and they fell three stories to the ground below. Red flipped Lauren off her and away, and she got to her feet. Lauren went to strike her, but Red pulled something from her dress and it glowed wildly, sending a blast of light at Lauren, blinding her. Red fired a shot of energy at Lauren, and she was knocked backwards, tumbling end over end to the ground.
"You are both indeed truly blind," Red said to her. "Love has no power over me. You will both perish!" Just as she was about to strike, Jimmy appeared and fired a sword blast at Red, which she deflected. Chrissy appeared too, and dove at her with her lance. It was then Red used the orb against Chrissy. Chrissy was flung backwards into the building and fell to the ground, screaming in pain.
"Foolish Wisdom," Red said. "You have not yet harnessed your true power. Your mind is too naïve to discover your own weakness?" Red laughed maniacally as she walked towards Chrissy, still writhing in pain. Jimmy instinctively ran to her aid, and forced himself between them. Red pulled a knife of her own, and the two clanked together. Their strength at the moment was matched. But as she began pushing Jimmy backwards with the power of the orb behind her, Chrissy cried out and reached forward. Her hand sparked, and a jolt of energy hit Red in the head. Chrissy's eyes glazed over, and Red began to hold her head.
"No," she said to herself, as her eyes changed from hazel to brown. "You have no power over me‚.I am in control‚get out of my mind‚.you‚" Her eyes turned hazel and began to glow red. Black smoke, total darkness, surrounded her. "‚stupid bitch!" Then the bolt of energy sent her flying backwards out of the cloud, forcing her to drop the orb. Chrissy passed out. Lauren went to strike, but Red hit her with an energy blast. She turned to Jimmy, heading right for her, and she reached out. A bolt of electricity hit his head, and she seemed to pull him towards her. He froze, and she removed his helm, throwing it to the ground violently. She looked him dead in the eyes as he stood paralyzed.
"You fascinate me, Hel Flame," she said to him in a soft voice. The deep hazel eyes almost gave away a hint of brown behind them‚as if another soul were calling out to him behind them. "The Hero has defended my world for centuries." She placed the knife into his hand. She once again looked deeply into his eyes, her face within an inch of his. "Someday you will understand why I do what I do." She closed her eyes and began passionately kissing him, forcefully. When she finally let go, she turned slightly, smirked with her blood red lips and winked. Then in a flash of light and the snap of her fingers, she was gone. Then and only then did Jimmy become unfrozen, and fell to the ground. Lauren ran to him and Chrissy, and activated their TDs, teleporting back to Chrissy's house.
* * *
Lauren laid Jimmy and Chrissy down on the couches, and used their swords to return them to normal. She did the same for herself. Turning to Jimmy, she spotted Legandria opened up on the coffee table, the bookmark settled next to a set of verses.
The woman in red shall return
The Orb of Light she will carry
To destroy those she makes an enemy
Through jealousy that reigns.
Darkness shall overcome the light
And Wisdom shall find the power within
And those with the wisdom to use it wisely
Shall be those with eight symbols of Triad...
Jimmy started to come to, and Lauren slowly leaned over him, stroking his hair and looking into his eyes.
"Joey," she whispered to him softly. "I have to ask you something."
"What is it?" Jimmy asked softly, slightly dazed but looking back into her eyes.
"Do you still love me?" she asked him, complete sincerity in her voice. He could see the look in her eyes, as if her own heart were talking to him.
"Of course I do," he replied. "Why would you ask?"
"I don't know," she replied. "By the way she kissed you‚I thought‚."
"I know what I want," he said. "And I love you." They smiled at one another. As they softly kissed though, a voice cried out in pain in the distance‚.that of someone who needed love more.
Chapter 10 - In The Dark
* * *
10
"In The Dark"
Days passed, and things seemed to go back to normal. But as always, Jimmy, Lauren and Chrissy were on their guard. Red was still out there, and it seemed the madness that had been unleashed upon the world was continuing.
Chrissy headed out of the house to go to see a movie. As she was driving down the road though, something strange happened. The bright glow of late afternoon was bright enough to let anyone know it was daylight, yet all at once, everything for her blacked out. Chrissy slammed on her brakes and everything came to a screeching halt. It was as if she herself were blind. She opened her car door and stumbled out of the car to try and find what was going on. She pushed a button on her TD, hoping Lauren or Jimmy would get her signal. Then she heard a monstrous laugh around her.
"Wh
o are you?" she yelled. "Show yourself!" At that moment, whatever it was overtook her, and her mind became embattled by something‚.forcing her to act against her will. Suddenly darkness surrounding her swirled, and her eyes glowed red. She let out a maniacal laugh that could be heard from miles around, as she extended her arms and the dark storm clouds rolled in‚lightning striking everywhere.
* * *
"You know how this movie ends, right?" Jimmy asked.
"Stop it!" Lauren replied. "You always want to tell me what happens. Just watch the movie and enjoy it." She snuggled closer to Jimmy as they watched the movie, but then Jimmy's TD started making a noise.
"What the heck?" Jimmy asked, getting up from the bed to look at the TD. "This can't be right," he said out loud to himself. He pushed one of the buttons. "Chrissy, are you alright?' There was no response. Jimmy's face dropped.
"What's going on?" asked Cat.
"Whatever it is, it can't be good," Jimmy replied. Both of them grabbed their swords and held them up.
"Power, be my strength!" The sword exploded into flames, slowly creeping around her entire body. The flames enveloped her in the bronze armor of the Avatar of Power, transforming her into the Dragon Lady.
"Courage, be my strength!" Golden light sparked from the tip of the sword, and it swirled around him. The light began to bond to his skin, forming the invincible golden armor of the Avatar of Courage, transforming him into The Hero.
"Finish this movie later?" asked Lauren.
"You sure you don't wanna know how it ends now?" asked Jimmy. Lauren just looked at him funny. "Our TDs will home in on her transponder signal. Be ready for anything." Lauren nodded. They both hit the buttons, and teleported away.
* * *
Jimmy and Lauren arrived in the middle of nowhere. They looked around to carefully scope out the area.
"Be careful," Jimmy said. "Whatever it is could be anywhere."
"I am the Shadow Master!" a voice yelled, spooking the both of them. They turned to face it, and saw a ball of darkness hovering before them. "The Dark Woman is mine! All others shall perish by her hands!" Chrissy, as the Dark Woman, stepped from the shadows, and her laser lance extended. Chrissy then began taking shots at them, which Jimmy deflected with his sword. Bolts of lightning came down, and Lauren did her best, dodging the blasts.
"We can't harm her," Lauren said, "but we can distract her and knock her out!"
"I have a plan," Jimmy replied. "Distract her."
"Me?" Lauren asked sarcastically.
"Just do it," Jimmy said. Lauren pulled her laser whip out, and as she cracked it, it increased three times in length. She whirled it around like a lasso, and lashed Chrissy's lance. Chrissy began to pull, and a tug of war ensued. Lauren pulled with all her might, hoping Chrissy would be distracted long enough for Jimmy to do whatever it was he was going to do.
"Come on, Jimmy," she muttered under her breath, as she slowly began to skid and be pulled towards Chrissy.
"Fore!" Jimmy yelled. He had pulled up a large tree, and whacked Chrissy like a golf ball. The lance came free and was pulled to Lauren. The two of them ran to Chrissy, who was knocked out.
"Fools!" yelled the Shadow Master. "You can't free her from my power!" Jimmy and Lauren activated their TDs and brought Chrissy back to her home.
* * *
Jimmy and Lauren removed their helms. They walked over to Chrissy, and used her sword to return her to normal. She seemed in pain and turmoil, but she was asleep.
"I'm not sure what to do for her," Jimmy said. "He has total control over her. We have to find a way to destroy him and break his hold."
"But how?" Cat asked.
"I'm not sure," he replied, "but we have to try." They replaced their helms and teleported back to the scene. Shortly afterwards, though, something appeared in the living room in a flash of light. The woman looked down at Chrissy, and her blood red lips smirked as she shook her head.
"The things I do for that boy," she said, as she kneeled at Chrissy’s side. She reached out, and an electrical current flowed between the two of them. Red's eyes began to shift between the hazel as normal to a glowing red. Chrissy began to toss and turn, as if fighting something in her mind. Moments later, Red pulled away. She picked up Chrissy's sword, and laid it gently in her hands.
"He is strong," she whispered. "But you‚.you are much stronger than I imagined." At that, Red snapped her fingers and vanished in the same flash of light as before.
* * *
Jimmy and Cat reappeared on the scene, and the Shadow Master was waiting for them. A crystal orb appeared amidst the shadows, and the beam from it hit Jimmy, and froze him solid. Lauren's heart filled with rage, and her sword caught fire.
"You want to toy with ice?" she yelled. "Let's see how well you do against the heart of a Dragon!" She charged her sword and swung with all her might, and a wave of flame swept the area, hitting Jimmy and melting the ice. Jimmy fell to his knees. Lauren ran at the Shadow Master, fire in her eyes, and went to strike, but it blocked her with some sort of energy field, and knocked her backwards. She rolled to her feet and helped up Jimmy.
"You alright?" she asked.
"So cold," Jimmy replied, trying to regain his strength. Just then, a silvery streak came down from the sky.
"Chrissy!" Lauren yelled.
"No!" the Shadow Master yelled. "You are my slave! I command you to obey me!"
"I'm a slave to no one," she replied. She pulled out her coin and raised her sword. Clouds moved in, and ice began to pelt the Shadow Master, covering the forcefield with thick ice. Then all at once, it shattered, and the smoky mass was blown backwards by the breeze of the explosion. Jimmy tried to run at it to attack, but he was knocked back by the wind.
"Stay back, Jimmy," Lauren said. "This is her fight. If she needs us, she'll let us in." Jimmy nodded.
The shadowy mass swept towards Chrissy.
"Coward!" she yelled. "Afraid to fight me hand to hand?" The form swirled around, then took on a more solid human form."
"Is this more to your liking?" he said, a sword appearing from black smoke into his hand. He came at her swinging, and she blocked his sword with her own. They swung back and forth, sparks flying, all while storms raged above them.
"I need your power!" he yelled.
"I need your knowledge!" she yelled back. They fought harder to the point where he finally tripped her up and she fell to the ground. He went to stab her, but her lance came to life, and she pushed it through his chest.
"You‚.tricked‚.me‚" he gasped.
"You are the fool," Chrissy replied. "A fool to think you could control the storms. You live in human form, now you will die in human form. And I will take what good is left in you." She kicked him off, leaped to her feet, then charging her sword, leaped into the air and drove her sword into his skull. The electricity from the transfer was powerful and overwhelming, and the explosion knocked Cat and Jimmy backwards. When the smoke cleared, they ran to Chrissy.
"You alright?" cat asked.
"You gotta stop doing that," Jimmy added. Her eyes intermittently glowed as she spoke.
"I had to," she said, gasping. "I had to know the truth‚." They scooped her up and teleported away again. A shadowy figure slinked over to what was left of the Shadow Master‚.long red fingernails wrapping around the orb that he possessed. The smirk on her face‚one of satisfaction‚was enough for her to know she had done well.
"Jimmy," Chrissy eeked out. "Red‚"
"Red was here?" Jimmy asked.
"She touched my mind," she replied. "I was at war with the beast in my mind‚.and she fought it. I don't know why‚.but she saved me. It was like a dream‚but it wasn't." She instinctively reached to the coffee table and opened Legandria, and the text was highlighted.
The power of darkness shall overcome Wisdom
But Wisdom will prevail
Through needed wisdom of another
Not acquired through her blade
Virtue shall fin
d his true feelings
Through her acquired wisdom
Virtue will think things through
And in the future love will prevail.
"What does it mean?" Jimmy asked.
"I'm not sure," Chrissy replied. "But if you know what's good for you‚..don't let her invade your mind." Chrissy slipped back into unconsciousness, and Jimmy and Lauren looked at each other in wonder‚.wondering what the future would hold for them.