by C. M. Fenn
She then goes into another folder and pulls up a different hologram. In this display, I’m looking at a frenzied image of Lesser Shades. They appear to be stampeding, climbing over each other, the flying ones dive-bombing. All of the Lesser Shades are converging on one point. Looking closer, I see they are all trying to get to a single Greater Shade.
“Here is a typical tear site. This is where we see the most action. That Greater Shade there,” Mel indicates the one humanoid creature, “is seconds away from creating a tear. It’s our job to destroy him before he does. This is when the Lesser Shades become REALLY pesky. When we attack the Greater Shade, the Lesser Shades attack us in an attempt to stall us long enough for the ripper to do his job. See, they want to get to Earth Realm as badly as he does. In this way, the two Shades have a symbiotic relationship. Neither can get to Earth Realm without the help of the other.”
I try to imagine being attacked by all those Lesser Shades at once. It’s a marvel there are any living Realmwalkers at all! Crank reads my expression and chuckles.
“You won’t worry so much once you see us in action. Don’t count us out yet!”
I try to let their nonchalance reassure me. It can’t really be as bad as I imagine if they are so lighthearted about it.
“ETA five minutes,” Sam’s voice echoes from both Mel’s and Crank’s earpieces.
Mel shuts off the display as Crank turns on the lights. My palms are sweating as my anxiety grows.
“Well, we best head down to the garage. Boss will expect us to be ready to move as soon as they get here,” Mel says as she motions for me to follow her.
Once in the garage, Mel and Crank approach a large locker unit toward the back. From out of their individual lockers labeled with their names, they remove what look like motorcycle helmets. Crank’s is blue with crashing waves on it, and Mel’s is a pretty purple with white swirling tendrils.
I look around and see that one of the strange motorcycle-like vehicles matches Mel’s helmet and I figure it’s hers. Crank grabs a plain black helmet out of an unlabeled locker, I’m guessing for me. I hope they don’t expect me to drive one of these things.
I’m not sure what to expect when everyone gets here. I try and remember how it was when Mel first carried me in through the garage door, but everything happened so fast and I was hiding my face for most of it. Just then, I hear a distant buzzing sound, almost like a swarm of bees. As it gets louder, I recognize the sound as the roar of exhaust pipes. It’s difficult to tell how many bikes there are, but the sound is impossibly loud.
“You might want to stand to the side!” Crank shouts over the noise. I back up as close to the wall as I can get and watch the inside of the garage door, waiting for it to open. I’m astonished at what I see next.
The large motorcycles come straight through the garage door as if it weren’t even there! First one, then two. Each bike is brightly decorated, and they all appear to have different gadgets and apparatuses protruding from them. One after another, they come through the door until the noise echoing off the garage walls is deafening. I’m covering my ears and it’s still incredibly loud.
When they all seem to be through, they start turning off their engines. Finally, I can hear again, though my ears are buzzing from the abuse. I quickly count the vehicles; there are six in all. Everyone’s wearing helmets, but I immediately see one bedecked in flames and know that it must be Ember.
The vehicle in the lead is painted jet black and has a sleek design. It looks built for speed. I have a suspicion it’s Sam’s and am proven right when he removes his helmet and the others follow suit.
“Everyone,” Sam says and indicates me, “meet your newest Realmwalker. Adelaide Shepherd.”
Chapter 10
I stand there feeling insecure while they inspect me.
“Hi,” I say nervously and wave at them. I make eye contact with Ember and I’m no longer anxious. She is grinning and waving ecstatically at me. Her excitement at seeing me warms my heart. She hops off her motorcycle and runs to hug me.
“Well don’t just sit there!” She hollers at the others. “Sheesh, you’d think they’ve never met a new Realmwalker before.”
The others get off their bikes and make their way over. Sam walks over to Mel and Crank and speaks with them quietly. I look over the group of Realmwalkers in front of me and the diversity among them surprises me. Other than Ember and Mel, there’s only one other girl here. She looks Asian, maybe Japanese. There are three guys among the mix. One is really tall with carrot-orange hair. The other two are shorter than he is but still fairly tall.
“Guys, this is Addy. She’s way cool,” Ember says matter-of-factly.
The other girl steps forward and smiles at me, her cheeks dimpling. She looks maybe a year or two older than I am. She’s very pretty with glossy black hair that falls, stick straight, to her waist. It’s like the kind you see in shampoo commercials, and it looks so soft that for a second I’m tempted to reach out and touch it. She has long black eyelashes and is wearing purple eye shadow. I can see the definition in her biceps as she waves at me—she’s obviously in great shape. Strapped to her back is a long, slightly curved sword in a case. I’m pretty sure it’s called a katana.
“Hi Addy. I’m Kira. Nice to meet you. I’m so glad we got another girl. We can always use some extra girl power around these parts.” She flexes her arms for show.
“Nice to meet you too.” I smile back.
“I’m Timothy. It’s a pleasure,” the tall orange-haired guy says in a very heavy Scottish accent. I instantly remember Mel and Crank’s story and try not to picture him riding naked behind Sam. Timothy looks like he’s in his late twenties, but there’s a sort of easy youthfulness about him. Strapped to nearly every available space on his body are guns and ammo of all shapes and sizes.
“Hi Timothy.” I smile and wish I had something witty or charming to say.
“Adelaide.” My attention is drawn to a stunningly handsome Asian guy about twenty or so. His chestnut brown hair is styled long and falls in his face in just the right way. He is trim but very fit. I can’t see any obvious weapons on him.
“Lang-hao,” he says, his voice like silk as he gently takes my hand and kisses the top of it. My cheeks grow warm and I know I’m blushing. He smiles as though this is the reaction he expected. Timothy rolls his eyes dramatically behind Lang-hao.
“Oh, ni-nice to meet you,” I stammer stupidly. Feeling totally embarrassed and awkward, I’m grateful when Ember rescues me.
“And this is Mikhail,” she indicates a guy I hadn’t noticed before. He’s standing off to the side, away from everyone, hands crammed in his pockets, his eyes cast down. He also looks to be in his early twenties. On his back I can see the handles of two long, curved blades. I have no idea what they’re called, but they look too long to be knives and too short to be swords. He’s got a short buzz cut and light gray eyes. With a strong jaw covered in scruff and a heavy brow. He’s built similarly to Sam, though slightly broader in the chest and shoulders.
Is everyone here beautiful? I wonder.
Mikhail says nothing but nods his head in greeting. I smile and wave.
Looking at everyone, I’m bewildered by the overwhelming fondness I have for them. I know Mel and Crank already explained it to me, but it’s unbelievable that I can feel so attached to perfect strangers. I can’t wait to get to know them all.
“I’m happy to meet everyone. Thanks for coming. Seeing all of you makes me feel much better about having to go out there again.”
“Yeah, Mel told us about your first night here. You must have been pretty freaked out, huh?” says Kira. “How are you holding up?” She reaches out and squeezes my shoulder affectionately.
I laugh a little. “Well, I was pretty scared at first, then I calmed down because I thought it was only a dream. Then I found out it wasn’t a dream, and I was terrified again.” They all laugh and tell me they’ve been there, all except Mikhail who has wandered back to his bike.
>
Sam comes over and holds out an ear device to me. “This is yours. Put it on. Make sure it fits.” I do as I’m told and once it’s in, Sam examines it to make sure I did it right. I take the chance to look him over. Since the first second he entered Minor Calm, Sam has been all business. I was hoping for a warmer greeting from him, considering how laid back he was last night at my house. I remember him relaxed and happy as we played games around my family room. The image in my memory seems foreign now as I watch him move with military precision.
He looks like a warrior with a row of grenades strapped diagonally across his chest and a wicked-looking gun strapped to each side. An assortment of weapons hangs from a belt around his waist, many of which I have no name for. The only one I recognize is a lethal-looking dagger at least eight inches long.
“You’ll be able to hear all of us through your ear-com device. When you want to be heard,” he takes my hand and runs my fingers over the button on the outside, and even this simple gesture makes my heart stutter, “hold this button down and speak. You won’t need it while wearing your helmet. It has its own com-link built in.”
Crank hands me my helmet as Sam gives the orders. “The scene outside is the center of a major city. We’ll stick to the streets to avoid the skyscrapers. Stay in a tight “V” formation. I’ll take center point. I want Ember on my right. Timothy, you stay to the right of Ember. On my left I want Mikhail, then Lang. Adelaide, you’ll ride with Mel directly behind me in the center. Kira and Crank, you two take up the rear. This should be a quiet trip. Even so, report any activity as soon as it’s detected. Any questions?”
“No, sir,” most of the Walkers respond. It’s plain to see they respect Sam and trust him completely.
Mel motions for my attention. “Come on, Addy. I’ll introduce you to my Big-Bike.” I follow her to the purple bike and she helps me put on my helmet. Once it’s on, I’m able to see that the shield has some sort of digital readout running along the bottom. I have no idea what it means, but I assume I won’t need to know since I’m not driving. Everyone mounts up and Mel reaches out and helps me get on behind her. The Big-Bike is huge under me and I feel like I’m straddling a Clydesdale.
“You’re gonna want to hold on tight. We usually travel pretty fast,” Mel’s voice comes through the speaker in my helmet. Everyone revs up and I’m thankful the helmet helps dampen the roar. I look around at everyone. They are all in business mode and ready to go. This is it. I glance at Ember and she gives me a very enthusiastic thumbs up.
Sam’s voice comes through the speaker. “All right, let’s move out.”
Just like that, we’re off. Mel’s Big-Bike jerks forward, and I squeeze her tightly so I don’t fall off the back. I close my eyes, not wanting to see us phase through the garage door. I know exactly when we pass into Chaos—the warmth of the Calm is suddenly gone, and I feel empty inside. My heart has a hollow feel to it.
Kira’s in my ear, “Looks all clear. Sorry we won’t be able to give you much of a show today, Addy.”
“Don’t get complacent. Stay on your guard,” Sam warns.
I finally open my eyes and take in our surroundings. As we race down the street, I’m surprised to find the suburban neighborhood from last night is nowhere to be seen. Instead, we are surrounded on all sides by huge towering buildings and parking garages and convention centers-all bleached and faded out. I’m reminded of the time my dad took me to a big stadium in Phoenix to watch a ball game. A few cars line the streets parked in front of parking meters. I can’t understand how we came out of Minor Calm into a completely different part of Chaos.
I shout up at Mel, “What happened? Where’s the neighborhood?”
Mel hears me and touches the mouthpiece of her helmet. “Chaos is constantly shifting outside of the Calms. We think it’s trying to emulate Earth Realm. It’s pretty good at it, only it can’t populate its towns and cities, so it comes off a little eerie.”
I wonder if that means none of this is real. I look around. Everything is so detailed and clear. I can see our reflections in the sides of the glass buildings. I can even see that some of the parking meters have expired. Being an artist, I’m able to appreciate that whatever is orchestrating these scenes has a great eye for detail. Everything seems real. That neighborhood street I slammed into last night certainly felt real.
As I’m looking around at the city rushing past, I happen to glance into the wide opening of a parking garage and see a patch of total blackness in the shadows of the garage slink around a corner and out of sight. I would’ve chalked it up as my imagination, but something in my helmet’s visor recognizes it and highlights it in white, just before it’s gone. I reach up and touch the outside of my helmet over my mouth, the way I saw Mel do.
“I’m not sure if it matters much,” I say, unsure of myself, “but I’m pretty sure we just passed a Lesser Shade hiding in a parking garage back there.” I wait for a response, hoping my voice transmitted.
A voice that I recognize as Crank’s says, “Yeah, he better be hiding from us! Dumb beast probably saw us coming and is terrified!”
“I don’t know, Crank,” Kira says uncertainly. “I’m getting some pretty strange readings.”
There’s silence for a little while, but I notice everyone looking around more attentively than before.
Sam says suddenly, “Something’s off. Something doesn’t feel right.”
“I’m getting the same vibes, Sam,” Ember chimes in.
“Let’s pick up the pace, everyone,” Sam instructs.
We increase our speed, which makes it harder for me to look for Shades. Then I remember the holographic image Mel and Crank showed me of the Shade with wings. I look up and scan the skies for flying Shades, but I don’t see any.
My relief, however, is short-lived. There on a skyscraper to the left, hanging over the top and looking down on us, is a huge black beast resembling something like a giant bat with a muzzle full of large jagged teeth. My visor highlights it in white. I nudge Mel’s arm and point out the Lesser Shade.
“Flying Shade, on top of that building there, ten o’clock,” Mel says. Then, to my horror, as we approach, more flying Shades begin to peek out from around the tops and sides of other skyscrapers. Some are clinging to the sides of the buildings with impossibly strong, clawed feet. One without wings looks to be crawling lizard-like down the side of a building.
“Whoa. We could be in real trouble here, Boss,” I hear a Scottish voice say. As if on cue, dozens of Lesser Shades come rushing out from side streets, from around corners, and out of parking garages.
“AMBUSH!” Kira yells. And like that, the scene erupts into total madness. Most of the Realmwalkers draw their weapons. Horrible snarls and screeches and growls and roars fill the air. Shades are charging everywhere. Under the bike, the earth shakes from their pounding gallops. Flying shades are swooping down. Mel skids her Big-Bike to a stop right in the center of a circle created by the other Realmwalkers.
“Mel, your job is to protect Adelaide. If this gets too hairy and you see an opening, take it. Get her safely to Major Calm,” Sam says over the com as Realmwalkers fight all around us. I see Timothy with a gun in each hand, expertly picking off the smaller Shades with only one shot. His precision amazes me as his bullets rip through vital parts of the beasts, splattering black sludge through the air.
Kira has ditched her Big-Bike and is moving like a blur through the nearby mass of converging Shades, slicing them apart with her katana. My mind can’t make sense of the scene as she flips and spins here and there, leaving oozing and twitching black pieces of Shades behind in her wake. I scan the frenzied scene, looking for Sam and Ember.
Ember is the easiest to find, off on a side street to our right, behind a giant, swirling vortex of fire. Reaching twenty feet high, it ignites the surrounding Shades. Their agonized shrieks and wails fill the air as they burn. Waving her hands and arms around expertly, she controls the direction and speed of the fire tornado, grinning through the bri
ght red hair that whips around her face.
Just then, the sight of a huge, buffalo-like Shade zooming through the air above us distracts me as it crashes into the side of an office building, shattering windows and sending debris sailing. I hear a shout of victory over the noise of the battle and turn to see Lang-hao punch the air upward. As he does, a feline-like Shade in front of him flies up off the ground and hovers in the air. Lang holds his hands above him and starts twirling an imaginary object. The giant cat-like Shade starts to spin rapidly and is then thrown down the street as Lang thrust his hands forward.
I’m impressed by my comrades’ abilities but it’s beginning to look like it won’t be enough. There are too many Shades. Just then, I see a Shade charging down the street toward us. It’s the same rhinoceros-looking beast from last night and it’s headed right for us.
Mel says, “This guy again? I think he’s got a crush on you, Addy!” Crank spins around in time to see him approaching. He’s nearly to Crank when he’s bowled out of the way and into a building by a giant surge of … water? Water is shooting out of the hydrant at the side of the road, pushing with such force that it’s shoved the Shade inside the building and is continually pounding it.
“Good on ya, Crank!” Mel says through the intercom. I glance at Crank and see he’s concentrating on the water shooting out of the hydrant. He must be controlling it somehow.
“We need to fall back! There are too many,” Sam’s voice sounds strained, but I finally see him. He’s taking on two Shades at once, fighting with his bare hands. I’m awestruck when he throws the Shades around as he strikes them. He jumps unbelievably high and grabs a huge, grizzly bear-like Shade on his right in a headlock. Somehow, he manages to get his arms around its neck and with one violent jerk the monster’s head twists grotesquely around. Its body goes limp and Sam falls with it, landing on top of it.