Saturday, December 25, 2010

Christmas Special, Part 5

"Merry Christmas!" you and the girls exclaim.

Titan's Tower is decorated wall-to-wall on the inside of their main room, a large Christmas tree in the corner. Wrapping paper is strewn across the room, evidence of a happy morning.

As you haul the present over to the couch, Blackfire hugs her sister, and Flashfire hugs Beastboy and the others.

"Merry Christmas to you, too!" Cyborg replies. With the help of Starfire, he brings out the present they got for you and the girls.

"Time for opening!" Beastboy exclaims as he takes hold of a section of the present for them.

"Patience, Beastboy," Robin advises.

"Yes," Starfire says. "We must let our guests open up their present first."

You and Blackfire thank Starfire and Robin as Flashfire grabs hold of the item. It was rather big, you have no idea what it could be.

*Rip rip* Blackfire helps Flashfire remove the paper, and your eyes go wide at the sight of what it is.

"A crib?!"

"For the baby, when it is finally born," Starfire explains. "You have been trying, yes?"

"Yes, but..." Your legs feel a little weaker suddenly. Is Starfire aware of something you aren't?!

"Sister," Blackfire says with a chuckle. "I'm not expecting yet. I haven't even begun to show signs of it!"

You begin to blush as a conversation of "Tamaranian Pregnancy Symptoms" begins.

"Okay, enough, enough now!" you interject. "Clearly, we haven't succeeded, but... we will let you know when it starts."

"Now, open your present!" Flashfire exclaims, ready to see their reaction.

The Titans take an area each, and rip away the paper, revealing a multi-colored lizard statue.

"A statue of the Friendship lizard!!" Starfire exclaims.

"Oh yeah!" Beastboy recalls. "Like from that card game we played!"

"Exactly," you say. "We colored it in colors that reminded you of us."

"Red for Robin, white for Cyborg," Flashfire lists. "Dark Blue for Raven, green for Beastboy, and Orange-yellow for Sister Starfire!"

"Very... festive," Raven comments.

"We shall cherish it forever!" Starfire promises, re-enforcing her words with a big hug for you three.

Blackfire smiles as she and her sister put it by the Christmas tree.

"This is the best Earth holiday EVER!!" Flashfire exclaims.

You all shout in agreement, and continue the party.

Christmas Special, Part 4

"Wake up! Wake up! It's morning!"

Flashfire's exclamations wake you, as she wanted. You grumble as you sit up and find Blackfire's legs are hooked with yours. She looks so cute when she's asleep, a strand of hair over her face.

You give her thighs a playful squeeze.

"Wake up, Sleepy Princess. Christmas Morning!"

Blackfire squirms, but wakes up all the same.

"Carry me?" she asks in a soft voice.

You chuckle but do as she requests, and carry her in your arms out to the living room. Flashfire is already bouncing and giggling by the tree. You set Blackfire down on the couch, and fetch all the presents with her name on them. Flashfire finds hers, and that leaves the ones labeled for you.

You sit down next to Blackfire, and Flashfire sits in front of both of you. Feverishly, you all begin opening your presents!

*Tear tear tear* Flashfire rips open a small box from you.

*Gasp* She looks at it with wonder.

"A wireless radio! Now I can listen to dance music whenever I want!"

Flashfire gets up and hugs you tightly.

"Thank you brother!"

"You're welcome." Flashfire sits down as you open your present from her. "Wow... a 'laptop' computer! Thanks, Flashfire! Now we can communicate with the Titans with this. Maybe even Rabsy and Foxy, if we hook it up right to a satelite dish."

Blackfire opens her present from you and gasps just like Flashfire did.

"A beautiful necklace! With amethyst gems!"

"Because I know you love purple, and I know they'd go so well with your eyes."

Blackfire kisses you passionately before putting it on.

"Thank you thank you thank you!"

You all open up the second gifts, and again thank the person who gave it to you. From Blackfire, you got a video game console ("To give you something to do when we aren't trying to make children ;] "), and Flashfire got a pair of headphones ("Knowing that you'd get a radio, these will allow you to listen to it privately.") Flashfire got Blackfire a "Baby Book", for the recording of first moments that her future nephew would have, such as "first word" and "first time walking", with spots to write all the information down on when it happens.

"This is spectacular!" Flashfire exclaims as she puts her radio and headphones away. "Now, off to Titan's Tower for MORE presents!"

You and Blackfire agree, and after putting away the Baby Book and Laptop, and setting up the game console for later use, the three of you carry the Titans' gift together, and fly to California.

Friday, December 24, 2010

Christmas Special, Part 3

After several hours of painting and drying, the final touches are complete, and Blackfire begins wrapping it.

"I can't wait for Christmas Day," Flashfire says as she jumps around. "Seeing their faces will be so wonderful!"

"I know!" Blackfire says as she tapes down a flap of the shiny paper. "This will be a great present."

You assist Blackfire with the trickier parts of the wrapping, making sure the folds don't give the present's form.

"There, all done!"

It looks almost comical now, with certain limbs exaggerated, others hidden completely. You carefully store it away for the night as your stomach grumbles.

"Dinner time!"

A delicious feast is prepared, but you salivate more at the fact that tomorrow's will be even bigger. The three of you begin, passing bread around and slicing meats into sections.

Another hour later, the three of you have finished, your stomachs full and quiet. Blackfire and Flashfire put the leftovers away as you turn on the television. A Christmas special is on, and you settle in.

Blackfire and Flashfire sit down, Blackfire laying down and resting her head on your lap. Flashfire sits on the wheeled ottoman, and the three of you watch the special together.

"Oh, this is the story of Santa's origins!" Flashfire marvels. "This'll be great!"

The movie goes on, and the details of Santa Claus' legend are explained. He keeps track of everyone with the help of a wizard's magic snow ball, and makes the toys with the help of a family of "elves". Upon checking his list twice, he rides in a red sleigh pulled by eight magic reindeer that can fly.

"Such impressive magic," Blackfire says as she lifts her head. "No wonder he can cover the planet in only one night!"

The movie ends, and the three of you head off to bed. Snuggled together, you and Blackfire talk of the future, and how you'll celebrate Christmas with your children. Soon, you fall asleep, Blackfire in your arms, her breath on your neck so warm and comforting.

Christmas Special, Part 2

It is the Christmas Eve day, and Blackfire busily works in the kitchen creating the cookies for Santa Claus. She looks pretty cute with her oven mits on.

"Taste test!"

Blackfire brings out her second batch, and you and Flashfire hurry forward. Her first batch, plain sugar cookies, were good, and you hope this batch of chocolate chip cookies will be just as good.

You and Flashfire take a bite, and the chocolate chips melt easily into your mouths.

"Mmm! Delicious!"

"Thank you," Blackfire says with a smile as you give her a kiss congradulations.

"Oh, sorry, got some chocolate on your lips."

She licks it up and kisses you back.

"That's alright, it was delicious!"

"Okay, okay," Flashfire speaks up. "No kissing in front of me like this. We need to set some aside for Santa tonight, and remember to set out some milk as well."

"Do we even need to?" you question as you pick out the smallest cookies. "Raven said Santa isn't real, and she's smarter than Beastboy. And if he is, Beastboy said he's pretty big in the belly, he may be eating too many of these cookies each year."

"Beastboy doesn't need to be smart to know the truth," Flashfire counters, swapping out some small cookies for some medium-to-big cookies. "And so what if Santa is big? If it helps him get down the chimneys because of his weight, then he needs to be big."

"But Flashfire," Blackfire says, "Beastboy's physics were off. Santa may be big, but if he is too big, he'll get stuck no matter how heavy his mass is."

"Which is why he is magic and defies physics," Flashfire counters. "Now come on, we need to arrange our presents under our tree."

Flashfire fetches a couple of colorfully wrapped boxes, and brings them to the tree. You and Blackfire go into your room, and retrieve similar boxes from their hiding places. You both head back together, and put them under the tree. The one Blackfire got for you seems to be the biggest, but you can't ask what it is because you all agreed not to.

"I hope what Blackfire got you is really special," Flashfire says. "Otherwise it'll just be a big space-waster."

Flashfire giggles as Blackfire scowls.

"It won't waste space," she says. "And I know we said no hints, but I assure you, it will be fun to use."

"Fun for all or just fun for me and you?" you ask your naughty nymph of a wife.

"For all and for us," she says with a wink. "But we still have to wait until tomorrow to reveal what it is. Now come, we need to put final preparations on the gift for the Titans."

Blackfire leads you and Flashfire back to your room, and she takes out their present.

"I really hope Beastboy and the others like it," Flashfire says as she takes a hold of it.

"Don't worry, they'll love it for sure," you say as you take out the paint. "Now, let's begin."

Thursday, December 23, 2010

Christmas Special, Part 1

"Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle all the Way~"

Beastboy sings as he swings from palm tree to palm tree, nailing in strings of lights.

"This is gonna be great, guys! Your first Christmas ever, and you get to celebrate it with us!"

"I've heard about this 'Christmas' from the television," Flashfire says. "It is a time of good cheer, and peace on Earth, and the exchange of presents."

"That's the best part right there," Beastboy. "And I'm making sure you three get a great present!"

"Thank you," Blackfire says as Beastboy comes down from the trees. "We've got something special for you Titans, too."

"But it's a secret", you say as you help Cyborg set up a snowman. "No hints."

"Can you at least tell us if it is a Tamaranian present or not?" Raven asks as she and Starfire string lights on the house while flying. "No offense, but Starfire may be the only one who'd know how to use it if it is."

"Don't worry," Flashfire says, "you will all be able to figure out how it works."

Robin finishes inside with the Christmas tree and joins you outside.

"Well, whatever it is, we're happy to be getting it from friends."

"And family," Starfire adds. "Such a holiday is too great to spend without both!"

"Agreed," Blackfire cheers as she flies up to meet her sister in a hug. "But since Christmas is still a few days away, we need to know what to do on that day."

"Then first," Beastboy says, "you need to know what to do on the night before, a.k.a Christmas Eve!"

You, Flashfire, and Blackfire pay attention to the green human.

"Like what?"

"Well, you need to have stockings hung up so you can put things inside it as a surprise gift. Nothing much, candy will do. Second, have your presents for each other under the tree so you can find them again on Christmas morning. And finally, set out a plate of cookies and a glass of milk for Santa Claus, in case he's added you to his list this year."

"Beastboy, Santa isn't real," Raven says.

"Yes he is, and you know it!" Beastboy counters.

"C'mon, you two, don't argue," Robin says.

"Who is this 'Santa Claus'?" Flashfire asks. "And why are we leaving cookies and milk for him on Christmas Eve?"

"Because on Christmas Eve," Beastboy begins, "Santa Claus goes around the world delivering a present to each person who was good that year. And to those who were bad, he leaves a note telling them to be better behaved!"

"So he's like an authority on our behaviour?" Blackfire asks.

"Essentially."

"Beastboy," Starfire begins, "for my first Christmas, you told me it was a lump of coal that the Santa Claus leaves, not a note."

"That's because you said coal wasn't a punishment, it was free fuel for fire. And besides, he changed it this year, because coal isn't in the budget."

"Then I shall prepare our house for Santa Claus right away!" Flashfire declares. "I shall set up my stocking for stuffing candies in right away!"

Flashfire flies inside and grabs a spare stocking, nailing it to the wall by the television.

Sunday, October 31, 2010

Halloween Special, Part 9

About six Billy Numerous clones run and snatch up your group's eight bags of candy, their bee costumes' abdomens wagging back and forth.

"Actually, Billys," you say as you charge up some starbolts. "That's a very BAD idea!"

*ZING ZING ZING* You open fire on the Billy Bees, and they scatter.

*BOOM BOOM BOOM* The bolts blow up, narrowly missing your collection of candy.

"Saffire!" Blackfire and Flashfire shout at you.

"I know, I know," you say, taking steps towards the Billy Bees and the candy. "Close combat."

The six Billys charge at you all at once, shouting battle cries.

*BAMF* You catch the first with a clothesline
*WHAM* The second with a body blow
*WHOOSH THUD* You throw the second into the third
*POW* Your right hook hits the fourth
You turn around
*BAMF* You hit the fifth and sixth in the head with your elbows
*CLUNK* You knock their heads together

All six Billys fall down, and all six are out cold.

"Too easy."

The remaining dozen Billys look at their defeated copies, then at you. Then at each other, then back at you.

"Every Billy for themselves!!" one cries as the others run away and scream. The Teen Titans quickly round up and knock out any and all Billy Bees, and the clones eventually disappear.

"Hooray for the Teen Titans!" the children cheer as their candy is returned. "Hooray for their friends! Hooray!"

You, Blackfire, Flashfire, and the Titans wave good-bye to the kids as the eight of you continue on down the street.

"Costumes, candy, and an awesome fight," Flashfire recaps. "What a great night. I LOVE Halloween!"

"The night's not over yet," Beastboy says. "C'mon, I bet the rest of these houses still have loads of candy!"

"YAY!!" Flashfire and Starfire cheer as they and Beastboy hurry down the sidewalk.

"Wait for us!" Robin calls as he and Cyborg chase after.

You and Blackfire giggle at the others' enthusiasm as you begin to follow.

"C'mon, Raven," Blackfire calls to the gray skinned vampire. "Don't just stand there, silly."

Raven smirks, and decides to join. As a trio arm in arm, you and the two lovely ladies walk down the sidewalk, following the giggles and laughs of your friends that echo in the night.

Halloween Special, Part 8

The big hairy one (Mammoth) moves forward and catches Beastboy by the horns, and the two skid to a halt.

The cyclops with the helmet (Seemore) jumps onto the big one's shoulders and turns a dial on his helmet. His eye goes from green to red, and a lazer beam charges up.

*BZZZZ* He fires at the group, and everyone but Blackfire and Flashfire scatters.

The little one with the back-pack (Gizmo) jumps in front of the two Tamaranian girls, two little blasters coming out of his pack.

"Hey, sexy robot," he says to Blackfire. "Wait, what the heck is wrong with her? Why's she all twitchy?"

"She had one of those super sour candies," Flashfire explains. "The kind that come individually wrapped."

"Oh yeah," Gizmo says. "Those things are pretty strong... Well, sucks for you!"

Gizmo aims his blasters right at Blackfire's and Flashfire's faces.

*ZING BOOM* You fire a starbolt right at the joint of his back-right robot leg.

"Crud!!" Gizmo yells as he loses balances and falls to the ground.

*ZRK ZRK ZRK* His blasters fire wildly up into the air, and a few hit the nearby tree's branches.

The branches fall and hit the ground, just missing Robin and his opponent, the one with the hexagon shield (Private Hive).

Robin swings his plastic sword, but Private Hive blocks with his shield. Hive punches, but Robin uses his shield to block. Robin spins and back-hands Hive in the head with the butt of his sword.
Robin then swings his shield at Hive, and its plastic edge smacks the side of his head.

Private Hive stumbles back, growling at the pain. He prepares to throw his shield at Robin, but the guy in red (Billy Numerous) is thrown on top of him. The two roll and get tangled up in his silly bee costume.

However, there are about a dozen more of him still fighting Cyborg. Of course, as his name suggests, he has the ability to multiply.

*BZZ BZZ* Cyborg blasts Billy after Billy, and knocks Billy after Billy away with his arms, but their numbers keep increasing.

Starfire and Raven are busy with the sixth member of the Hive Five, the guy in all black (Kyd Wykkyd).

He phases in and out of the shadows, making Starfire's starbolts miss him at every shot. The girls stand back to back as close together as possible. But Kyd just phases underneath them and gets a peek under their skirts.

"HEY!!" the two girls shout.

*ZING BOOM* Starfire fires a starbolt at him, but he phases away before it even gets close.

"Starfire, wait," Raven advises. The two scan the ground and all the shadows cast by the street lights. "There!" she shouts as she uses her magical powers to grab something.

Struggling, Kyd Wykkyd is pulled out from within the shadows.

*WHOOSH* Raven tosses him into the crowd of Billy Numerouses, and he bowls over ten of them.

"Finally!" Blackfires says. "That candy took forever to dissolve."

"Ready?" Flashfire asks.

"Of course."

*WHOOSH* Blackfire and Flashfire take flight and head for Beastboy, Mammoth, and Seemore.

Beastboy shovels the two Hive Five members up and over his head, and tosses them at the incoming pair of Tamaranians.

*POW* Flashfire punches Seemore in his one big eye.

*WHAM* Blackfire hits Mammoth in his big chest.

The two flop to the floor, Seemore on top of Mammoth.

"Quick, Billy!" one Billy Numerous shouts to another. "Grab their bags a candy while they're busy!"

"Good idea, Billy!" the other shouts as he and five more Billys run for your group's eight unprotected pillow cases full of sweet treats.

Saturday, October 30, 2010

Halloween Special, Part 7

It takes well over ten minutes for any of you to be at the front of the line, but from what you can tell, this house doesn't seem in any trouble with its supply of sweets.

The eight of you get marvelous handfuls of candy, and you can tell Blackfire is much happier now.

"Oh~!" she says giddily. "I got one of those super, super sour candies!"

She pulls it out of her bag and quickly unwraps the candy. She moves her mask out of the way and pops it into her mouth. Almost immediately, Blackfire tenses up, her feet going pidgeon-toed and her legs squeezing together. You and Starfire giggle at her, and you just know Blackfire's lips are puckered right now.

"Hey!" a little boy shouts. "Gimme my candy back!!"

"Yeah, right, ya scuz munchin' brat!" a small but raspy voice shouts back. "As if we're giving back king sized Reese's!"

You and the Titans turn to see a group of six guys standing off to the side, holding plastic bags and buckets filled with assorted candies high above the heads of little boys and girls, laughing at the children as they desperately jump and grab for their treats. The one with the raspy voice has robotic spider legs coming out of his back-pack.

"The Hive Five!" the Titans growl.

"What're they doing here?" Beastboy asks.

"Wait, 'five'?" you ask. "But they're six of them."

"It shows how stupid and juvenile they are," Raven says.

"Hey, Hive Five!" Robin shouts to the thugs

The thugs and children turn to look at your group.

"Why don't you buzz off and give the kids back the treats."

"Fat chance, cludge head!" the tiny one shouts back.

"Yeah," the big one with the long hair agrees. "This is a prime haul! We've got caramel lollipops, sweet tart candies..."

"And over two dozen Milky Ways!" adds the one with the giant, one-eyed helmet.

"Yeah, so ain't nobody gonna make us return nothin'!" the one in a red jumpsuit chuckles, holding his bags up high.

"Oh really?" Beastboy says as he takes off his Swamp Creature costume. "Because I've got about twenty different animals that say otherwise."

At that moment, Beastboy transforms into an Earth bull and charges in.

Halloween Special, Part 6

The eight of you walk down the street in two lines of four, your robot princess by your side, a plain white pillow case in each of your hands.

You walk up to the first house, with Princess Flashfire and Beastboy Swamp Creature up first. Beastboy rings the door bell, and a few seconds later an old lady opens the door.

"Oh my," the woman says. "What a big group of such... big children."

"Trick or Treat!" Flashfire says innocently as she and Beastboy hold out their pillow cases.

"Well what a cute princess!" the old woman says as she scoops up a good handful of candy. "Here you are."

The old woman sprinkles half of the handful into Flashfire's pillow case, then the other into Beastboys. The two say thank you and let Raven and Cyborg have their turn. The process repeats, with Raven and Cyborg saying "Trick or Treat," and the old woman giving them half a handful each. The same goes for Robin and Starfire.

When you and Blackfire get there and do the same, you notice that the handful is not as big as the others'. You turn to go and join the others, but Blackfire merely moves aside to look at her candy. You can tell that she can tell the difference, and though you and Blackfire are both wearing masks, you can just feel her disappointment.

"This isn't fair," Blackfire says. "You didn't give us the same amount!"

"I'm sorry," the old lady replies. "But I don't have all that much. That was all I could give."

"But... but!"

Before Blackfire gets any more upset, you pull her away to where the others are.

"It's okay, Blackfire," you tell her. "We'll get plenty of candy at the other houses."

Together, the eight of you walk further down the street.

"What'd everybody get," Beastboy says, his mask muffling his voice a bit. "I got three chocolate lollipops!"

"I got several boxes of gum drops," Flashfire reports in. "And a few of those fruity gummy twisted things."

"I got a few small Butterfingers," Raven says, pulling them out of her bag.

You and Blackfire don't have much to report in on, since you two didn't get as much candy. Most notably, though, is that you both got a teeny tiny "jawbreaker". You don't understand the name, since Blackfire bit through hers easily.

Everyone stops and marvels at the small, yellow-wrapped bars filled with peanut-buttery wonder. You could feel your lips start to moisten.

After all the checking and marveling is done, the eight of you continue down the stree. Coming up is a very big, very decorated home. There are almost a dozen Jack O' Lantern pumpkins sitting in various places, the glowing candles inside illuminating the comically scary faces carved into them. A few "ghosts" hang and swing from the branches of the large yet bare tree in front. Large groups of children are gathered, and a long line of Trick-or-Treaters stretches from the door and halfway down the long concrete path.

"Well," you think, "maybe we won't get all that much candy from the next house after all."

Halloween Special, Part 5

Days past quickly, and soon, the day was upon you: it was October 31st, "All Hallow's Eve"!

You, Blackfire, and Flashfire arrived in the Titans' hometown, fully dressed in your costumes, and waited for them to arrive.

A few moments pass, the three of you watching all directions.

"Oh, there they are!" Flashfire says as she points and waves to them.

Starfire runs up to Blackfire and gives her a greeting hug. Starfire looks so cute in her blue-and-white plaid skirt and long white socks, and her crisp, white button up shirt and blue tie are a nice touch.

"Blah!" Beastboy blurts from within his swamp creature mask as he waves his webbed-gloved hands.

"So scary!" Flashfire teases as Beastboy removes the mask. "Do you have something to carry the candy and treats in?"

"Yep." Beastboy pulls out a green pillow case from within his costume. "And I brought an extra one for you, m'lady."

Beastboy pulls out a purple pillow case and bows as he presents it to "Princess" Flashfire.

"Thank you, kind swamp boy," she says as she takes it from his webbed hands.

Robin the Knight, Cyborg the Football Player, and Raven the Vampire walk up, with there own pillow cases in hand. Cyborg's helmet just fits over his head, and Robin's plastic shield has a red bird on it. The edge of Raven's cloak is just off the ground, and her imitation fangs just poke out from under her upper lip. It looks rather cute.

"Alright, y'all," Cyborg says, "let's get to Trick or Treatin'!"

Halloween Special, Part 4

It doesn't take you three very long to arrive at Titans Tower by flying, and soon Starfire enthusiatically greets you, your sister, and her sister.

Blackfire quickly explains her plans for Halloween to her sister, who then bounces up and down with glee.

"Oh, yes, we must do the 'Trick-or-Treating' together!" Starfire declares. "It shall be glorious fun!"

"I knew you'd want to," Blackfire says. "Now wait right here while we put on our costumes."

"Wait," Beastboy says, "why would you need costumes? You could just go as aliens and no one would question it."

"But Halloween is all about dressing up as something else," Flashfire says. "So instead of just an ordinary alien girl, I shall be..."

Flashfire pulls the pink dress over her head and lets it flow to the floor.

"A beautiful princess!!" Flashfire smiles wide as she puts the toy tiara on her head.

You and Blackfire hurry into the spare bedroom, the one you usually stay in whenever you visit the Titans.

Blackfire removes her costume from the packaging, and finds that the costume are not all one piece, but two: pants and a top, both made from cotton. Upon taking your costume out, you find it is the same as hers.

Blackfire removes her long boots, then slips on the robot costume's pants.

"Ooo~," she giggles, "these are pretty snug."

As you put on your robot pants, you notice just how snug they are. When Blackfire turns and bends to grab up her robot top, you can see that they ride up between her cute butt cheeks. :]

The two of you finish dressing and make a grand entrance as you enter the living room again.

"Cool!" Beastboy compliments.

"Very 'high-tech'," Robin says jokingly.

"I'll say," Cyborg agrees. "Nothing says 'advanced robotics' like holographic foil and reflective plastic."

"Ha ha," Blackfire says back, the helmet adding a reverb sound to your voice. "So they aren't very convincing, but at least they're in our colors."

And in fact, they are. The plastic armor plates on Blackfire's costume are purple, as are the tight fitting cotton pants and top. The sleeves of the shirt have a black stripe running up to the shoulder. Your costume has blue plates, and the cotton of the pants and shirt are a dark blue with a white stripe.

"Now it is our turn to dress in costumes!" Starfire exclaims as she grabs Robin and pulls him out of the living room. Cyborg and Beastboy excitedly follow, with Raven slowly bringing up the rear. About ten minutes later, the Titans return.

"How wonderful!" Blackfire squeals. "Starfire as a school girl, Robin as a knight..."

"With Beastboy as a swamp creature, Cyborg as a football player, and Raven as female vampire!" Flashfire adds. "Our first Halloween is gonna be great!!"

Thursday, October 28, 2010

Halloween Special, Part 3

You walk over to the girls' side, robot costume slung on your shoulder, when you hear the girls arguing over something.

"I want to be the princess!!" Your sister, Flashfire.

"But I am a princess!" Your wife, Blackfire.

"Not anymore!"

You get closer and closer, and you can tell the other customers have taken notice. You reach your girls and find they're having a tug-o-war with what must be a "Princess" costume, which is really just a pink dress with frills and a plastic tiara.

"Girls, girls," you shout over their growling. "It's just a costume, don't fight over it!"

Simultaneously, the two shout, "But I want to be a princess for Halloween!!"

"Well," you say, "a princess costume doesn't really match my awesome robot costume!"

With those words, you fling your costume over your shoulder, and hold it out to show Blackfire and Flashfire, a big grin on your face.

"A robot?" Your sister doesn't seem impressed. "We've seen robots of all kinds, why would you want to be--"

"Ohhh!" Blackfire marvels. "Such detail!" She releases her grip on the Princess costume and approaches you. She examines it up and down with her eyes. "It even has a little rocket pack on the back~! Let's see if we can find a female robot costume!"

Blackfire takes you by the hand and leads you deeper down the aisle of costumes.

"So wait," Flashfire asks, "does that mean I get to be the princess?"

"Yes," Blackfire answers. "Because I am going to be a robot princess~!"

"Are there even such things?" Flashfire asks as she follows after.

Blackfire looks up and down the aisle, up and down the racks and shelves, but doesn't see a robot costume.

"No fair..." Blackfire whines. "I want to be a robot princess...!"

"Now now," you say to her soothingly. "We can always check out another costume store."

The three of you head to the front, and stand in line for a register. Just two people ahead is a teen girl about Blackfire's size and age holding what appears to be a female robot costume.

Blackfire lets out such a loud gasp that the girl and the person between them turn to look at her.

"That's a robot princess costume!!" Blackfire shouts, staring directly at it.

"Yeah," the teen human says. "So?"

"Can I have it?" Blackfire pleads. "Please?"

"No," the human girl says. "I'm going to buy it!"

The girl turns around, and the line moves forward.

"But, but!" Blackfire stammers. "I... I can pay you for it!"

The girl turns around again, and thinks for a moment.

"Well..." The girl pauses, and takes a look at the costume. The she looks at Blackfire. "Alright."

Blackfire practically jumps for joy as she hands over $20 to the human girl. The teen moves out of line to go find a different costume. The three of you make it to the front, and pay for your three costumes.

"Happy, Princess?" you ask Blackfire sarcastically. "We got you your robot princess costume by paying for it twice."

"Come on!" Blackfire says cheerfully, ignoring what you said. "We can visit Starfire and the Titans, and try these costumes on as well!"

*WHOOSH* Costumes in hand, the three of you take flight and head to Titans Tower.

Wednesday, October 27, 2010

Halloween Special, Part 2

The three of you fly over the southern states of the country known as The United States of America, and land in the hometown of your friends, the Teen Titans.

Flashfire looks around at all the Halloween decorations, her eyes bright with wonder. You, however, aren't that impressed.

"Why do they have faces carved into those vegetables?"

"Those are called 'Jack o' Lanterns'," Blackfire explains. "They're made from the vegetables called 'pumpkins', and are a popular motif for Halloween."

"Why?"

"It has to do with some old folk tale about a man named Jack and his pumpkin lantern," Blackfire explains again. "I forget the details."

"There!" Flashfire squeals as she takes your hand and Blackfire's by the hand. She leads you two to a store with a giant orange banner hung over the door.

The three of you enter, and immediately you see aisles and aisles of costumes.

"Oh oh oh!" Blackfire says, pointing. "Flashfire, girls' costumes are over there! Come on!"

Blackfire and Flashfire go off to the right, giggling and frolicing.

"Saffire," Blackfire calls to you as she is walking away, "go find some costumes you like and meet us over by the girls' side!"

You do as she says and walk over to the left, where boys' and mens' costumes are.

"Hmm..." You scratch your chin as you look at the different costumes in your size. "Earth policeman, Earth doctor... lame."

You pick up a costume labeled, "Alien." The costume consists of only a shiny silver robe, matching gloves, and a green mask with big shiny plastic eyes.

"Unbelievably lame," you grumble as you put it back on the rack. "Wait, what's this?"

You pick up a pair of costumes. One is labeled "Soldier", the other is labeled "Robot". The soldier's costume has a camoflauge uniform, a helmet, and a toy rifle. The robot costume is very detailed and well-done, with a mask that is more like a helmet and plates of plastic attached to stand in for armor.

"Now this costume is impressive."

You put down the soldier costume and bring the robot one with you as you walk over to the girls' side.

Monday, October 25, 2010

Halloween Special, Part 1

"Saffire, Saffire, Saffire!" Flashfire shouts as she runs down the hall.

"What is it?" you ask. "Something wrong?"

"No, I wanted to ask you something," she replies. "Can we 'Trick or Treat' on Halloween?"

"Do what on what?" you ask.

"Halloween," Blackfire explains from her seat on your lap. "It's an Earth holiday in which people dress up in costumes and get together. To 'trick or treat' means to go house to house asking for candy."

"How do you know this?" you ask your lovely wife.

"I saw a Halloween movie on television," she answers. "Halloween is at the end of the month, and many of the television channels play Halloween themed programming. It looks like quite a bit of fun."

"C'mon, Saffire," Flashfire pleads. "We can all go together, and even celebrate with the Teen Titans in California!"

"If you two really want to," you say, "I suppose we can 'Trick or Treat' with the Titans."

Flashfire lets out a cheer, and Blackfire gives you a quick kiss on the lips.

"Now, let us go costume shopping!" Blackfire exclaims.

"YAY!!" Flashfire cheers.

"What?" you ask. "Shopping? Can't we make our costumes ourselves?"

"No," Blackfire scolds. "Earth television shows that those who make their own costumes are either poor or just inferior to those who bought their costumes. And I, for one, Saffire, am not inferior to anything!"

With those words, Blackfire stands up and crosses her arms, nose up and head turned to one side.

"Alright, alright," you say, chuckling at Blackfire's snooty pose, "we'll buy costumes. Just let me gather up some of our cash."

You fly into your bedroom, grab up a stack of American dollars, and fly back out.

"Let's go!" you shout as you fly out the door.

*WHOOSH* The girls follow after, smiling and laughing as the three of you head to the continent of North America.

Saturday, September 25, 2010

Where there's Smoke, Part 5

As the ship passes through the planet's atmosphere and into the vacuum of space, Smoke studies the crystal.

The seven faces of the heptagonal prism are smooth, and the ends are pointed in long heptagonal pyramids.

"You know where to go?" Smoke asks Dough.

"Auto-pilot does," she says as she presses a button.

Dough turns the seat around to face Smoke.

"Let me hold on to it," she says, holding out her hand. "I can still use 100% of my powers even while carrying it."

Smoke concurs and hands her the heptagon crystal. Dough then presses the crystal to her chest. It slowly sinks into her clay torso, a cavity made to encase it. The displaced mass is added to Dough's bosoms, bumping her up a cup size.

"Always wanted D's," she says.

Dough bounces a little, and the big breasts respond in kind.

"Are you sure it's okay for you to store it directly inside you?" Smoke asks.

"Yes," Dough replies. "We are shape-shifters, after all. We can adapt and adjust our bodies accordingly for things like this. Or at least, a Solid Shapeshifter like myself can."

Being element shapeshifters, Dough and Smoke essentially do not need organs such as hearts, livers, or lungs. They only need to maintain enough cells to create something--a body, a vehicle, an inanimate object--of the same original volume as their default humanoid form. Hence the increase in Dough's bust.

However, Smoke differs from Dough in that he recreates his vital organs each time he solidifies. Since Dough is always solid, this does not happen with her.

"Interesting that you went with such long hair this time," Smoke comments. "Getting better at imitating flowing things, Miss Solid?"

Dough tosses her hair back with a hand.

"I've gotten better at other things, too, Puff."

Dough gives Smoke a naughty smirk as she smooths her foot up along the back of his calf.

"The other fun thing about being a solid shapeshifter," she says as she gets out of her seat, "is that I don't need to be naked to mate."

Dough sits on Smoke's lap, her thick legs straddling him, and presses her lips against his. Without hesitation, she pulls out Smoke's zipklor and initiates for him, plunging it inside her.

"Still too dry," Smoke says.

*FOOSH* He completely transforms into vapor in an instant, and Dough falls off the seat.

As Smoke drifts his way to his bedroom, Dough gets up off the floor, absolutely seething.

Thursday, September 23, 2010

Where there's Smoke, Part 4

Dough grumbles as she stands up and walks with Smoke to the other side of the roof.

In the middle of the roof is a square device with a several buttons on it. Dough presses a green button, and the device beeps.

*WHOOSH* A ship flies up from behind a building a hundred yards away.

*BEEP* Dough presses a blue button on the device.

The ship responds, and begins to move towards Dough's location.

The two criminals walk to the other edge of the roof, Smoke tucking the crystal back into his pants pocket.

The sound of footsteps echoes from inside the building, up through a stairwell that exits onto the roof. The two criminals hustle, and Dough presses another button.

The ship speeds up, and passes another warehouse. As the footsteps of the guards echo their loudest, the ship is only a warehouse away from Dough and Smoke.

*CREAK* The rusty joints of the stairway door alert the fleeing felons of the guards' arrival.

*ZARP ZARP* They open fire without warning.

Dough presses another button on her remote, and the ship turns. She presses a fourth button, and a loading ramp opens. Dough's legs become clay and fire her forward, and she lands on the ramp.

Smoke jumps, and Dough grabs him with her clay legs. As the guards pour out of the stairway, Dough reels Smoke in.

"I'm fine," Smoke says once he grabs hold of the ramp with his arms. "Just pilot this thing away from here!"

Dough hurries to the cockpit. As Smoke lifts himself inside, the engines boom, and the ship accelerates away to the East, flying over buildings and streets.

Smoke presses a button on the wall, and the loading ramp closes. He takes a seat behind Dough, and pulls the crystal out of his pants pocket.

"Quite a bit of trouble just to get this," he says. "Are you sure this one crystal can--"

"Yes," Dough interrupts. "It can, and it will."

Dough pulls back on the throttle, and pulls up on the wheel. The spaceship ascends, and flies into the upper atmosphere, leaving the guards and the warehouses behind.

Where there's Smoke, Part 3

"Where does he think he's going?" one guard asks aloud as they run to the back of the building. "The other warehouses aren't close enough to jump to."

Smoke makes it to the edge of the roof and jumps.

*FOOSH* His legs transform again, and the smoke propels him forward.

"Shoot the solid parts!" another guard orders as he aims at the flying felon.

*ZARP ZARP ZARP* Lazer rifles fire away at Smoke's solid upper body.

The criminals twists and spins to avoid being hit, but this causes him to descend as he continues forward.

*ZARP ZARP* More lazer fire rips through the air, passing by Smoke's ears and eyes.

He reaches out to the other warehouse's roof with his open hand, straining his muscles to close the gap. Smoke's smoke legs run out of steam, the vapor stretched out over the alley. His fingertips make contact with the edge of the roof, but they slide off and he begins to drop.

"Got ya!" a guard shouts below.

An arm thrusts out from the roof itself.

"No," a voice says from atop the second warehouse, "I do."

The arm flings Smoke onto the roof, then extends outward. A clay-like substance peels itself off the roof's edge, and molds itself into a female humanoid form.

The clay-girl sits on the edge, her legs crossed and swinging over the guards.

"You okay, Puff?" she asks Smoke teasingly.

The rest of Smoke's smoke drifts over to him, reforming his legs.

"Shut up and get the ship, Dough."

Monday, September 20, 2010

Where there's Smoke, Part 2

Smoke walks down the center of the warehouse, looking at the rows and rows of boxes.

"Item Number 8142, 8143," he whispers as he reads the stamps on the side of the wood crates to his left. "It must be further down..."

Smoke reaches the center of the building, but still does not see what he is looking for.

*FOOSH* He vaporizes himself, and the smoke spreads to the far corners of the building.

The separate clouds of smoke swirl around, scanning the corners high and low.

Suddenly, three of the clouds fly to the back right corner, where the fourth floats in front of a box stamped with the number 9851.

Smoke reforms his humanoid body, and pries open the box.

"There you are," he whipers to the contents of the box.

He grabs the 5-inch long crystal and places it inside his pants pocket. He heads back to the door he slipped through, preparing for a fight. Since he needs to bring the crystal with him, he can't escape into the fog as a smoke cloud.

A commotion can be heard outside. The other guards obviously noticed that their fellow guards were unconscious, and now they're all trying to figure out where the culprit went.

Smoke can hear the sound of a key going inside a lock. Any second now, the doors will slide open, and they'll all charge inside.

Smoke picks up a random crate with both arms, and holds it over his head.

*CLANK CLANK* The warehouse's metal doors slide open, and the guards stand in the opening with rifles armed and ready.

*WHOOSH* Smoke tosses the crate.

*ZARP ZARP* The guards fire at it, but their rifles' beams do nothing to slow it down.

*SMASH* The wood crate hits one guard and busts open.

The contents spill out, and reveal themselves to be metal rings.

*FOOSH POW* Smoke vaporizes his arm and cloud-punches two other guards from 10 feet away.

The two guards still standing aim their fire at Smoke. The thief removes the crystal from his pants pocket and turns his legs into smoke. He flies up to the roof of the warehouse, a smoke trail flowing after him.

His legs and arm solidify, and he takes off towards the back. The guards below scramble to keep up.

Where there's Smoke, Part 1

Dense fog rolls in along the coastline, and drifts past the half dozen warehouses on the South side of the docks.

The guards on that side can only see a couple yards or so in front of them. Ins, the rookie at Warehouse 7, leans against the chain that locks the giant doors and lets out a yawn. He still isn't adjusted to being up before 7 in the morning.

"Rookie," Ins' veteran partner asks, "want some coffee?"

Ins' partner, Olomo, has been working the Early Morning shift for 5 years now, and is more than well-adjusted. He holds out a cup of freshly-made black coffee.

"Sure," Ins replies, taking the coffee in hand as he keeps his eyes on the edge of the dock.

*BAMF SPLISH* Something hits Olomo in the head, and the coffee cup falls to the ground, spilling the drink.

"Olomo, what happened?" Ins asks as he pushes off the door.

"I don't--"

*WHAM POW* Olomo is hit twice, once to the stomach, then to the jaw, and he's knocked out.

Ins looks around frantically, trying to find what or who hit Olomo, but all he sees is fog. He turns to his left, and the smell of smoke and ash fills his nose.

*BAMF* A puff of fog hits Ins solid in the face, dead center. The rookie guard goes down instantly.

A wisp of smoke drifts over the unconcious guards. It slips through the narrow gap under the warehouse doors.

The smoke swirls and solidifies. A lean torso is formed, with arms and legs growing from it as the smoke swirls into the proper shapes.

Lastly, the head is created, the last of the smoke cloud piling on top of the shoulders and molding itself into a smooth oval. Atop the oval head is a light layer of gray-blue hair that just makes it to the neck.

The infamous criminal, Smoke, stands inside the warehouse, his eyes the color of fresh ash. Smoke turns his head to the right, then to the left, and smiles at the absence of guards inside the building.

"Now," he says to himself in a whisper, "where did they put it?"

Saturday, September 11, 2010

What's wrong with Flashfire? Part 6

*ZING ZING* You fire starbolts at the robot's dome-head.

*BOOM BOOM* They explode in its face, and the robot stumbles.

When the smoke of the explosions clear, you can see that only minimal damage has been dealt to the robot's lazer eyes.

The robot swings its arms at you, and you slip away out of its reach.

*ZING ZING* Blackfire and Flashfire throw starbolts at the back of the robot's legs.

*BOOM BOOM* They explode, and the robot staggers forward.

The robot turns its head around to look at the girls.

*ZAAN* Another wide beam fires at them, but they fly underneath the robot's crotch.

*KSSSH* The beam hits the water, and steam is created.

The robot bends at the waist to look for the girls.

*WHOOSH BAM* Blackfire flies at the robot's face and punches it in the eyes.

*CRACK* One of the lenses break, and the glass falls to the water.

The robot quickly stands up, and tracks Blackfire's movements with its one good eye.

*ZING* You fire a bolt into the robot's broken-open eye.

*BOOOOM* A large explosion erupts from inside its head, and the robot begins to sway backwards.

Flashfire takes her long pigtails and wraps them around the robot's left leg. Using her flight powers, she pulls the foot out from under the robot. Off-balance, the robot falls, smoke and fire engulfing its head.

*SPLOOOOSH* Water splashes up as the giant robot's body hits the surface. Slowly, the robot sinks below the surface and to the bottom of the sea.

"Victory!" Blackfire shouts as she hugs your sister.

"With help from my super long hair!" Flashfire exclaims.

"Well let's take you and your super long hair out to celebrate," you say. "We can have something to eat in America."

"YAY!!" Flashfire cheers. "I want hamburgers!"

Five minutes later, the three of you are inside a fast food restuarant, eating double-patty hamburgers and several orders of large fries. The human costumers can't stop staring at the three of you.

"Why are they staring?" Flashfire asks. "Is it my hair?"

"Either that," Blackfire answers, "or they've never seen anyone eat this much."

"So it's a total of one-and-a-half pounds of beef," you say. "There're plenty of people in here that look like they eat that much by themselves."

The girls giggle as they continue their meals.

"So, how long will my hair be like this again?"

What's wrong with Flashfire? Part 5

"We can't let you do that!" Blackfire shouts as she flies in front of the robot.

The robot stops walking, processing her words.

"Question: How so?"

"If you ask the Earth governments to forego violence," you answer, "there will definitely be nations that refuse, forcing you to resort to your secondary strategy."

"And if you do that," Blackfire continues, "your destroying of their militaries will only make those nations hate you and your creators, and they will want to declare war against them. You will be creating more of what you wanted to destroy!"

The robot processes all this before speaking again.

"Then it is clear," it begins, "the only fit choice of action... is to immediately invoke Secondary Strategy."

"What?! No!!"

*WHAM* The robot slams one of its giant arms into you and Blackfire, and you two are swatted away like flies.

The robot continues on towards North America as you and Blackfire tumble and fall.

*WHOOSH* You steady yourself with your flight power, and catch Blackfire in your arms.

"Flashfire!!" you yell down at the house. Your sister walks back outside, pigtails still long and ropey.

"You can help us fight this giant robot!" Blackfire shouts.

Flashfire's face brightens up, and she flies up as fast as she can with the extra weight.

*WHOOSH* The three of you fly at the robot, starbolts at the ready.

*ZAAN* The robot's eyes fire a wide lazer beam, and the three of you scramble to dodge it.

"Am I the only one who can't fire eye lazers yet?!" Flashfire shouts.

What's wrong with Flashfire? Part 4

"A giant robot?!" you shout.

"What is it doing here?!" Blackfire shouts.

The robot turns its head around, and it surveys its surroundings. Its head stops when it sights you and Blackfire.

"Humanoid Lifeforms detected," the robot says. "Known species: Tamaranian. Does not compute."

"What does he mean by that?" Blackfire asks you.

"This is Earth," you explain, "it expected to see Earthlings, not us Tamaranians."

"So is this an exploratory robot or military?"

The robot processes the information, then speaks again.

"Question: What are you doing here?"

"We live here," you answer. "We moved here from Tamaran."

"But what are YOU doing here?" Blackfire asks the robot.

The robot takes another moment to process the information.

"Answer: I am here to make Earth peaceful."

The robot then proceeds to walk towards the continent of North America.

"Wait!" you say as you fly ahead of it. "How do you plan on making Earth peaceful?"

"Primary Strategy," it answers, "negotiations. The Earthlings may sign a planetary treaty with my creators, promising to no longer have wars among themselves or with any other species."

You feel sick, already knowing what the alternative strategy is.

"Secondary Strategy," the robot continues, "force. I am given liberty to destroy their military weaponry and bases, thereby intimidating the species into peace."

Friday, September 10, 2010

What's wrong with Flashfire? Part 3

The flying object has a splash landing in the water, and you fly up to see from above.

The object sizzles and steams as the water cools it off. It isn't a space ship, but it doesn't look exactly like a space rock either.

Down below, Blackfire and Flashfire run out from inside the house, your sister carrying her pigtails up off the ground again.

"What was that?!" Blackfire shouts up at you.

"I don't know," you reply. "We should check it out."

*WHOOSH* You fly towards the object, with Blackfire flying after.

*WHOOSH* Flashfire flies up, but she is weighed down by her long hair.

"Wait up!" she shouts. "I can't get proper altitude!"

"Then just wait at the house!" you shout back.

Flashfire grumbles as she flies back inside the rainbow house.

You and Blackfire draw close to the object as the steam dies down, and it no longer sizzles.

"If it's not a ship or rock," Blackfire asks, "then what could it be?"

Before you have a chance to answer, the object begins to move.

*CRACK KOOSH* Sections on the left and right sides of it pop out, and their shapes resemble arms of sorts.

*CRACK KOOSH* Another section pops out, and it is curved outward like a dome.

"Is it... Transforming?"

*CRACK KOOSH* Two more sections pop out, and they turn and unfold to become legs.

With the sound of cranking gears and pumping pistons, the object-turned-robot stands up, its full 40 feet reaching far above the trees.

What's wrong with Flashfire? Part 2

You grab a bowl, a spoon, a carton of Earth cow milk and a box of cereal, and head out to the living room to eat while you watch television.

Blackfire and Flashfire sit on the couch, your sister's back to your wife as she braids the super long locks of hair.

*Klink klink klink* The cereal rattles against the ceramic surface of the bowl as you pour it out of the box.

Blackfire takes one giant lock of hair and overlaps it with another, then overlaps that one with a third lock, then uses the first to overlap the third, creating a tri-braid.

"Tail number one is done," Blackfire says as she finishes braiding one long rope of hair. "One more, and your hair should be managed."

Flashfire pulls the lengthy, braided tail over her shoulder, and the end of it swings and hits the footrest where you had placed the bowl. The foot rest is knocked away about half a foot.

"I'm going to eat in the dining room," you say as you pick up your bowl of cereal.


Five minutes later, Blackfire finishes braiding Flashfire's other tail, and the two girls join you in the dining room.

Flashfire carries her long pigtails on her shoulders and in her arms, letting them swing just off the ground as she walks. She sits down in the chair across from you, and her tails coil on the floor like snakes.

The girls eat oatmeal as you put away the cereal box and bowl.

"Saffire," Blackfire asks, "could you do the laundry for me?"

"I thought you did it last night," you say.

"Not all of it," she says. "I still need to do my gloves and leggings."

"Alright, I'll wash them."

You head to the laundry room and grab the basket by the door. It is full of used Tamaranian boots/socks, half of them dark purple and half of them the traditional purple, belonging to Blackfire and Flashfire respectively.

You sit at the "scrub tub", and pull out a pair of leggings. You dunk them into the soapy water, and scrub them against the metal scrubbing board.

It takes you half an hour or more to scrub and clean the entire basket of leggings, then you take them outside.

You hang them all up on the clothesline you set up in the "backyard" for them to sun-dry.

*WHOOOSH* Something fast flies over head, and is flying lower by the second!

What's wrong with Flashfire? Part 1

The sun rises, shining through the clouds and reflecting on the rainbow-striped walls of your house. All is quiet as the dew on the leaves and grass glisten, Blackfire's head resting on your shoulder as the two of you are laying in your bed, still asleep.

"AAAAAH!!" Flashfire screams from her room, shocking you awake.

"Flashfire!" you shout as you run out of your room, Blackfire's head falling to the mattress. "Sister!"

"What's happened to me?!" Flashfire cries from her room.

You enter the doorway to your sister's room and see long red hair flowing down to the floor, Flashfire's face poking out from behind the curtain-length bangs. Her lips are quaking and her eyes are watery with tears.

"Brother," she whimpers, "what's going on?! Why is my hair so long?"

You cannot respond because you're busy stifling laughter.

"Brother!!" she shrieks, getting out of her bed, but then tripping on the end of her long, long hair.

You help her up, still snickering at all of the hair that your sister has grown overnight.

"Flashfire, relax," you say as your sister continues to sniffle and cry. "I bet I know what this is."

Blackfire hurries down the hall, shouting "What is it?" the whole way. She stops shouting when she sees Flashfire's ridiculous abundance of hair, and silently stares.

"Blackfire," you whisper to her. "Stop staring!"

Blackfire snaps out of the trance, and looks at you, shrugging.

"Sorry," she says. "But Transformations are always such surprises."

"Transformation?" Flashfire says.

"Yeah," you say, "the natural Tamaranian puberty that changes your physical appearance dramatically for a few weeks. When it is all over, you'll be faster, stronger, and able to fire lazer eye beams like me and Blackfire!"

"Really?" Flashfire asks, a bit more cheerful now. "Cool!"

Flashfire runs to the dining room, arms up high in happiness, only to trip on her hair again.

"Owww!!!" she cries out.

"Here," Blackfire says as she helps Flashfire up. "I'll help you keep your hair off the floor."

The two girls go to the living room together as you head to the kitchen to make breakfast.

Monday, September 6, 2010

The Imprisoned Ones, Part 7

The stolen bus drives on, the Sinful passengers sitting low, hoping no one looks inside and sees their uniforms.

The bus makes its way down a busy street, and Elevatô watches the street signs for directions to a space shuttle station or port.

"Turn right there," Tic says, noticing a sign up ahead.

Elevatô obeys, and the bus turns at the intersection. Even from several blocks away, the Sinful Ones can see the dozens of launching pads, landing pads, and runways.

The bus is parked across the street from the main entrance of the station, and the Sinful Ones bail out.

"Run to the nearesst shuttle asss fasst asss you can!" Lacertilia shouts in his hissy voice. "No ssstopping to fight any guardsss that may get in your way!"

The six escaped convicts rush at the entrance, and are met by security.

*WHAM* Hammer barrels through them, and the Sinful Ones continue to move forward.

Tic, Tac, and Toe climb up stairs to the door of a triangular spaceship, and pry it open.

"Who're--?!"

The crewman inside is interrupted as Tic, Tac, and Toe toss him out of the ship, and he lands on the ground back first.

"Stop right there!" more security guards shout. Their words are ignored as Tic, Tac, and Toe start up the ship's engines, and the remaining three Sinful Ones climb aboard.

*PAP PAP PAP* The guards open fire, shooting bullets at the fleeing felons.

*DING DING DING* The bullets bounce off the metal hull of the ship, missing their targets widely.

The engines blast, and the ship moves along the runway at high speeds. Hammer and the others sit in seats and strap themselves in as Tic sits in the pilot's chair, Tac sits in the co-pilot's chair, and Toe hangs on to the edges of both.

*WHOOSH* The ship flies up into the sky, and rockets through the clouds. Within seconds, the black void sprinkled with stars comes into view, and the ship flies on throught the smooth vacuum of space.

"WE DID IT!!" Hammer shouts in celebration. "We escaped!!"

The others shout and holler in celebration as well, but are cut short by foot steps.

"Why didn't anyone tell me we were taking off?" a female voice asks. The Sinful Ones turn to see a gorgeous green-yellow girl standing in the doorway of the hall, her flowing black hair reaching below her waist. Upon seeing the six strange faces, her teal-colored eyes open wide, and she starts to back up.

"No, no, missss," Lacertilia hisses, "we mean you no harm. We jussst need your ship, that'sss all."

He approaches the girl, his green lizard lips in a smirk.

"Ssso jusst relaxss," he says, his tongue flickering at her green-yellow cheek, tasting her natural, sweet scent. "I won't hurt you."

Slowly, Lacertilia ushers the green-yellow girl to the back, and the two enter a bedroom, Lacertilia's tail closing the door behind them.

Sunday, September 5, 2010

The Imprisoned Ones, Part 6

The guard lizard and Lacertilia tumble to the back of the bus as Elevatô grabs on to a seat. He pulls himself forward and grabs the driver's shoulder. Elevatô yanks him out of the chair and tosses him out the open door.

The driver tumbles in the dirt, the bus passing him by, but slowing down. Tic, Tac, and Toe run by him as well, soon followed by hammer.

*POW* Lacertilia is hit in the head again by the guard lizard, but stays on top.

*BAMF BAMF* Another left-right combination lands on the broad snout of the guard, and Lacertilia picks him up by his uniform.

*WHAM* Lacertilia slams him against the back wall of the bus, and the emergency door is shaken loose.

*WHAM* Lacertilia slams him into the door, and it pops open. Lacertilia pushes the guard lizard out, and he tumbles head over heels in the dirt.

Tic, Tac, and Toe get inside, and Hammer grabs hold of the door frame. With help from the triplets, he finally gets in, and Elevatô pushes the engine to the max, getting the bus to accelerate to top speed.

"Are you sure we're heading for one of the cities?" Hammer asks.

Elevatô pulls out a map from the glove compartment.

"One of you be sure that we're heading for one of the cities."

The triplets take hold of the map, and turn it around so the cardinal directions line up.

"Head 15 degrees to our left," Toe says.

"There's a city only 20 miles away," Tac adds.

Elevatô turns the wheel, and the bus aims in the designated direction.

Within only twenty minutes, the stolen bus arrives at the city, and Elevatô slows the vehicle down.

"Do you think they'll notice this bus?" he asks.

"More importantly," Lacertilia says, "they recognizssse thessse prisson uniformsss."

"The five of us should duck down," Tic says.

"That way they won't see us," Toe adds.

"But they'll see Elevatô," Hammer points out. "And he's wearing a uniform."

"We'll just go fast," Tac says. "No one should pay any mind to a bus."

The six of them settle on that, and drive into the city.

The Imprisoned Ones, Part 5

"Hey!" the other guard shouts out, aiming his rifle at Hammer.

Tic and Tac each grab a leg, and trip their guard.

Toe jumps on him, and knocks him out with a blow to the back of his head.

One of the other guards takes notice of the beat down.

"Prison bre--!"

The five-eyed guard is interrupted by Lacertilia grabbing him around the mouth.

*WHAP* Elevatô smacks the Birdman in the head with his long forearm, and the guard falls to the ground.

The four-legged guard and hairy cyclops run over, guns aimed.

*TATTATTAT* The guns fire semi-automatically at the Sinful Ones as they run for the guard transports.

"Stop them!" Four-Legs shouts. "They're going to take a vehicle out of here!"

Two other guards, similar in their humanoid build, rush out from their tiny guard office at the door. They point hand-guns at Hammer and Lacertilia, who lead the group.

The reptilian ducks down low, drawing their fire.

*PAP PAP PAP* The guns shoot, but the bullets miss.

*WHOOSH* Hammer swings his huge arm at the guards.

*BAM* The guards are knocked against the door, and slump to the floor.

Elevatô opens the doors as Tic and Toe grab the fallen guards' guns.

*PAP PAP* They fire shots at the Cyclops and four-legged guard.

The two on-coming guards halt, and the bullets fall short of hitting them.

A guard transportation vehicle pulls up, and out of it exits the purple-skinned guard with horns.

"What is going--?!"

*WHAM* He is interrupted by Lacertilia's tail lashing him in the side of the head.

The driver of the bus sees Lacertilia step into the doorway, and puts the long, large vehicle into drive. It starts to creep forward as Lacertilia gets inside.

*POW* The reddish-brown reptilian guard punches Lacertilia in the head, and the Sinful lizard stumbles.

Elevatô catches up to the door of the bus, and ducks down in order to fit inside.

"Triplets!" Hammer shouts. "Let's go!"

Tic, Tac, and Toe run out in single file, heading for the bus. It starts to pick up speed as Lacertilia and Elevatô struggle to take it over.

*BAM BAM* Lacertilia punches the reptilian guard with a left-right combo to his broad snout.

*WHAM* He tackles the guard around the waist, pushing him to the back.

Elevatô grabs for the driver, but the driver pushes harder on the gas pedal. The bus lurches, and everyone inside moves towards the back.

"Damn," Hammer growls. "Forgot to prepare for how crafty the next shift would be."

The Imprisoned Ones, Part 4

A full day later, the process repeats. The inmates are ordered out into the courtyard, and the thirty-five armed guards watch from the walkway that lines the perimeter. Lacertilia and Elevatô meet Hammer and the triplets at the same picnic table as the day before.

"The best time to try is right before the shift ends," Hammer suggests. "My guy will be impatient and edgy a good 15 to 20 minutes before the scheduled time, so he'll be our start signal."

"Agreed," Lacertilia says. "Which meansss we all need excusssesss to be outssside our cellss at that time."

"Bathroom breaks?" Elevatô suggests.

"That won't work for the three of us," Tic says.

"The guards won't believe us if we say we all need to go at the same time," Tac says.

"Pretend you're all sssick," Lacertilia says. "It is likely to happen sssince all three of you ssspend sso much time together."

Everyone agrees, and separate again, the triplets getting dirty in a game of Bruiser Ball with some of the other inmates. It'll help make the sickness excuse a little more believable if they can claim they got it from someone else.

Parallel with yesterday's schedule, the inmates are rushed inside to their cells. Some time passes before Hammer's guard gets anxious. The plan begins as the last twenty mintues of his shift count down.

Across the way, Hammer can see Lacertilia ask for his restroom break. The guard lets him out, and they head to the restroom near the guard trade station. Hammer waits five minutes before he takes his turn.

"Hey, buddy," he says. "I gotta go to the restroom, breakfast ain't sitting well."

The plain-looking guard looks around, on edge.

"Okay, fine," he says as he deactivates Hammer's plasma wall. "But you better make it quick, I've got to leave soon."

As Hammer gets out, Elevatô asks for his guard to let him use the restroom. The guard sees Hammer being escorted to the restroom, then back at Elevatô. A few agonizing seconds pass as the guard mulls it over.

"Fine," the guard says, letting him out. "But let's make it quick."

Hammer enters a stall, and a moment later, so does Elevatô. In order to keep up the charade, Elevatô unzips his pants. He also uses the zipper's sound to mask any sound made by the dropped lock-pick he made out of his breakfast spork.

Hammer, sitting in "#2" position on the closed toilet, picks it up with his smaller arm and hides it in his prison uniform's sleeve. Hammer flushes the toilet and gets out of the stall. A minute after he and his guard leave the restroom, Lacertilia and Elevatô "finish" their business, and head back with their guard escorts.

As Hammer is herded back, the triplets are herded forward, feigning nausea.

"What's wrong with those three?" Hammer's guard asks.

"The three of them must've contracted something from someone here," the triplet's guard answers. "Saw 'em playing Bruiser Ball, probably got too close to one of the slobs."

As the two groups pass by each other, Hammer quickly jams the sharpened handle of the spork into the lock of the clamp on his arm, busting it apart. It falls off his arm and onto the floor with a clunk.

*BAMF* He backhands his guard into the wall, and the guard falls limp to the ground.

The Imprisoned Ones, Part 3

The prison cells are made of reinforced concrete, with only 4000 cubic feet of space to fit any given inmate inside. Prisoners like Elevatô just fit inside, the ceiling only two feet from his head.

Instead of metal bars to seal them in, walls of pure plasma are generated by emitters that are embedded in the walls. If any prisoner were to try and dig them out, an alarm would go off, and nearby guards would rush to the cell.

Guards are given half a dozen cells to watch over, and are armed with powerful, solid-ammo rifles. Other than that, their own natural abilities are the only weapons they have against the inmates if a riot or prison break were to happen.

The triplets watch their guard and two more from within their cell. Tic watches a Birdman while Tac keeps track of a four-legged guard. Toe watches their actual guard, a hairy cyclops with a bulging gut. Neither of the three are moving to change shifts, only pacing back and forth, up and down their alotted six cells.

A few cells down, Hammer watches a fourth guard, different from the triplets'. He looks at his wristwatch every so often. His shift must be over soon, and he's getting impatient. This'll help the plan quite nicely.

In another part of the prison, Elevatô sits on his bed, staring at the plasma wall as his guard moves past it. It is like an incredibly boring movie broadcasting on a giant screen, the guard going left, disappearing off screen, then returning to go right, and again disappearing of screen.

Lacertilia lies on his stomach, flickering his tongue at the air. All he can taste is the warmth of the plasma as it buzzes and hums. His tail swishes back and forth, counting the time his guard takes to walk by his screen. It's the only thing that keeps him from going insane with boredom inside that drab and empty cell.

After 15 minutes of waiting, Hammer's impatient guard hurries to his right, Hammer's left. A few other guards in the area head in that same direction. At the same time, different guards come in and start pacing up and down. Where the original guard was of average size and build, the rifle his only real weapon, this new guard was bigger, with two curved horns purtruding from his light purple forehead.

Lacertilia's five-eyed guard is replaced with a fellow reptilian, but of a slightly different breed. Where as Lacertilia is green with a relatively narrow snout, this reptilian guard was reddish-brown, with a broader snout.

The triplets' guards were not a part of the group that changed out, nor was Elevatô's. Logging this information away in their minds, it is clear this was the change in guard in which to make their move.

Saturday, September 4, 2010

The Imprisoned Ones, Part 2

The six Sinful Ones look around to make sure no one was listening to them.

"Well, even though the other cities are miles and miles away from here..." Tic starts.

"...making it suicidal to make a run for it..." Tac continues.

"The guards do need to go home when the shift changes," Toe finishes. "So there are periodic visits by vehicles that pick up and drop off guards."

"If we can take one of those over," Elevatô says, "we can ride them all the way to one of the cities, and escape this planet from there."

"Good, good," Lacertilia says, nodding his head. "Now to figure out their sssschedule."

The six of them look around, taking note of the number of guards that watch the courtyard.

"Jussst over thirty guardsss," Lacertilia says. "But they're all armed, and out of our reach."

The guards patrol the courtyard from the perimeter, walking along an elevated walkway twenty feet off the ground. Elevatô is only 8 feet tall, and his arms only add another four feet. Even if he could jump another eight feet up to grab the edge of the walkway, he'd be shot down by a guard.

"I have a feeling they wait until we're all back in our cells to do shift changes," Hammer says. "None of the inmates are out and about to pull off a prison break plan."

"They are smart to do so," Tic says.

"Seeing as how we're trying to do just that," Tac says.

"We'll have to be patient," Lacertilia says. "Wait a day or two to ssstudy all the shift changesss."

At that, the six Sinful Ones get up and walk away from the table in different directions, the triplets sticking together. After spending the rest of the alloted courtyard time standing around and making trivial conversation with others, the inmates are rushed back inside into their cells.

The Imprisoned Ones, Part 1

"Alright, you wretched dregs of society!" the guard shouts. "Get your repulsive rear ends out of your cells and out in the yard!"

The triplets, Tic, Tac, and Toe, walk in single file behind Hammer, whose large arm is restrained by a clamp that keeps it at his side. The four of them make their way to the courtyard of Planet Mathule's Maximum Security Prison.

Planet Mathule is mostly open grassland, with only a few major cities scattered here and there. The prison, therefore, is stuck in the middle of one of those large grasslands, far from civilization.

The triplets and Hammer enter the courtyard with several other convicts. The four Sinful Ones gather at a tiny picnic table, where reptilian member Lacertilia and extrememly tall member Elevatô.

"Any newsss from the outsssside?" Lacertilia hisses.

"Boss Transgression apparently gathered up some other members to help him take down the Hunters," Hammer replies.

"Why would he do that?" Elevatô asks. "What have the Hunters done to TS1?"

"They hired a bounty hunter to eliminate Saffire for them," Tic answers.

"Because they were too weak to do it themselves," Tac adds.

"But issn't Ssaffire TS1'ssss enemy?"

"Not after he helped protect Transgression's sisters from Val-Yor," Toe answers. "Transgression Y'Tar let the vendetta go after Saffire showed such valor and heroism."

"Confronting the Hunters and getting them to call off the hit was his way of repaying Saffire's kindness," Hammer adds.

"Wait," Tic says, "I thought Transgression convinced the bounty hunter to call it off, then went after the Hunters to keep them from trying again."

"Well, either way," Hammer says, "he did it to repay Saffire."

"Now down to bussssinessss," Lacertilia hisses as he leans in. "How do we get out of thisss ssstink hole and back to our teamsss?!"

Friday, September 3, 2010

Story Time with Saffire, Part 8

"Our lazers and bolts knocked out the guys at the table, and our target panciked.

"He grabbed his girl around the throat and pointed a lazer pistol to her head, threatening to shoot her if we didn't let the two of them go."

"What a coward!" Blackfire growls, teeth clenched.

"I know," you say, calming her. "We were at a stalemate, his body blocked by the girl's. The poor thing was so scared, her tail was tucked between her legs.

"I and my undercover cop yielded, he putting down his gun and I letting my starbolts disappate."

"You let him go?!" she says in disbelief.

"I only let him think he was going to get away," you explain. "I waited until he got closer to us and the door, then I zapped his pistol hand with a lazer eye beam!"

Blackfire gasps then applauds, impressed by your resourcefulness.

"He dropped the gun, and I tackled him to the ground. The girl ran over to my partner, who grabbed up his pistol and aimed it at the crooked cop.

"I handcuffed the crooked cop to his buddies, and hauled them all out of the room and into the street. There we waited for about 15 minutes for retrieval by the police chief.

"The girl with the tail thanked us before running off, and the chief wiped the 'assaulting a police officer' charge off my record. After that, I just left, flying into deep space."

"So when was this?" Blackfire asks.

"I think it was about two years before meeting you on Modos."

"And those two years in between?" she asks.

"Fairly boring," you say. "Just small crimes here and there, with the occasional police chase, but no epic battles or rivalries like I had after meeting you. I guess meeting you really made my life eventful and exciting."

Something still seems to be bothering Blackfire.

"So... no previous... relationships?" she asks.

"No," you answer her. "Why? Did you think I had been going out with random females?"

"Not exactly. I just figured you... had gathered experience before meeting me."

"Experience? What kind of... OH, that kind of experience!" You smirk at how red Blackfire's cheeks have become. "You thought I wasn't a virgin before we did it?"

"Well, you didn't say whether you were or not!" she replies. "And you acted so casual about the act, I just figured..."

"Wait, were you a... virgin when we...?"

"Yes!" she answers quickly, glaring at you. "Why did you think I was so... unaccustomed to how... you'd feel?"

"Well, you also acted like you knew what to do, more or less."

"Blame it on my pride," she says, crossing her arms.

You chuckle and smile as you sit her on your lap.

"I love you, Blackfire," you whisper into her ears.

She smiles and snuggles up to you.

"And I love you, Saffire."

You turn on the television, and the two of you watch a t.v. game show, Blackfire still sitting on your lap.

"I don't know what Flashfire was talking about," you say. "There's still good stuff on tonight."

Story Time with Saffire, Part 7

"With help from Rabsy, I found out that the guy liked hanging around the slums of a planet known as Harromog. It's like Modos, but a little tamer in that there are only half as many fights and shootings each week.

"I flew to Harromog with an undercover cop, and we entered through the busier part of the capitol city. We grabbed a map and proceeded to the slums on foot.

"As we headed down the back streets, we started being followed by a few guys. I made sure to take a couple back turns and loops to see if they were really following us, and indeed they were. It was when we got back on the main route that my cop partner and I confronted them.

"A small scuffle broke out, but the cop and I subdued them, getting them to tell us exactly where the crooked cop was. They pointed us towards the Northwest corner of the slums, and I knocked them out so they couldn't warn the guy of our presence.

"As we got deeper and deeper, we met more and more females dressed in revealing outfits."

"What kind of females?" Blackfire questions.

"All kinds," you answer simply. "Five-eyed females, four-armed females, tall females that didn't have noses, short females that had antennae. Harromog is a diverse place when it comes to their skanks."

Blackfire laughs and lets you continue the story.

"The females tried to distract us from the mission, offering us food as well as their... 'services'. We refused politely every time, but they wouldn't leave us alone. They encircled us, not letting us pass until we accepted."

"You didn't, though, right?"

Blackfire looks at you sternly with one eyebrow raised.

"Of course not," you answer. "I was more focused on getting that crooked cop back for shooting up the home of those nice club employees. Plus, none of those girls were my type.

"We forced our way through the crowd of females, and ran towards the Northwest corner of the neighborhood. It was easy enough for us to find where exactly the crooked cop was, we saw him enter a run-down motel.

"Stealthily, my partner and I moved closer, peering into the windows. We saw him and some other crooks counting out several different currencies, stacking the money on a table. The crooked cop himself was sitting in a big chair, a female with a tail sitting on his lap.

"Standing on either side of the door, my partner and I counted to three, then busted in, guns and starbolts blazing!"

Thursday, September 2, 2010

Story Time with Saffire, Part 6

"Okay, okay," Blackfire says, "what were you doing before you met me?"

"Well, that was five years later," you say. "That's a lot of stuff that happened."

"I've got time," she says, settling in closer to you.

"I don't," Flashfire says. "I'm tired."

Flashfire gets up and walks to her room, yawning all the way.

"Go on," Blackfire says, nudging you. "Tell me what you did."

"Well, first," you say, "I had to be careful where I went, in case Violence was on the look out for me."

"You mean he didn't get arrested or killed after fighting you?" she asks.

"No," you answer. "He and I both got away from Tranquilitus without delay. I haven't seen him since then, but from what Rabsy told me about a year after that Tranquilitus incident, Violence stopped showing up in public."

"He just disappeared?"

"More or less, yeah.

"One big thing I did in the years before you," you continue, "was get in trouble with a crooked cop.

"I was just wandering around the sleeziest part of a big city, just to pass the time, when some guy stumbled out of a club and ran into me.

"He got mad at me, and demanded I apologize for not looking where I was walking. I refused, telling him to do the same. He got even angrier, and demanded again that I apologize. When I refused to for the second time, he tried to fight me. Obviously he had no chance, and was humiliated. He swore he'd get back at me, then stormed off.

"The employees of the club thanked me for teaching him a lesson, and that he had been causing trouble inside. They offered me a bed in the spare room up above the club, and I accepted.

"The next day, the guy returns with some thug friends, and they start a huge brawl. I knock the guy around again, and he runs away. Later that day, I find out that he was a police officer, and that I'm in trouble for assaulting him.

"However, the guy's boss makes me a deal: if I help track him down and arrest him, they'll drop the charges. I decided to accept."

Story Time with Saffire, Part 5

"He stared at me for some time, not saying anything. I wasn't sure what to do, and he was known for destructive outbursts. So, I put the items I had grabbed down on the floor.

"With my arms up, I tried to walk out of the room, but he wouldn't move. I was a little hesitant to talk to him, but I did manage to ask him if he could kindly move aside."

You chuckle a little at the idea of you politely asking a violent criminal to let you pass by them.

"I'm guessing he didn't," Blackfire says.

"You guess right," you reply. "Violence instead grabbed me by my collar and tossed me back into the treasure room.

"I crashed into several shelves of things, and there was alot of noise as I and the shelves tumbled back. I remember having some kind of trophy prodding me in the back.

"Violence approached me rather casually, but I knew he was going to attack again. From where I was, I shot him with a lazer eye beam right in the chest."

"Wait, you could fire lazer beams from your eyes already?" Flashfire asks.

"Yeah, I was about 12 years old at the time, and had gone through the Transformation during my years with Dirt.

"The lazer beam knocked Violence back towards the door, and I managed to get up. I then flew at him, and we smashed through a wall or two, breaking some studs.

"Violence fought back with some clubbing blows to my shoulders and back, then he shoved me at another wall. He went to kick my head into the wall, but I ducked down, and his foot smashed through the wall, breaking another stud.

"His foot got stuck, so I kicked him in the other leg, breaking his knee. He fell out of the hole he made, and hobbled his way to some stairs.

"I tackled him down those stairs, and we tumbled to the floor below. He shoved me off, and managed to get to his feet.

"He threw about five more punches, missing me and breaking studs in the wall."

"So the building collapsed after you and Violence broke enough studs and support beams to make it no longer structually sound, right?"

"Long story short, yes. But we kept fighting even after surviving the collapsing building."

Flashfire and Blackfire look at you with wide eyes.

"What?" you asks them. "You don't believe I could survive a building collapsing around me?"

"Well, not before hearing it from you," Blackfire answers. "I mean, I believed that you were capable of making one collapse after hearing that news report confirm it, but I didn't even think you'd be inside the building as it collapsed."

"Believe it, Blackfire," you say. "Your husband survived ten floors of building falling on him at the age of 12."

You recline back in your seat, and prop your feet up on the footrest, a proud smile on your face.

Story Time with Saffire, Part 4

"Wait wait wait, go back," Flashfire requests. "How did they know you were all coming?"

"Apparently it was a sting. The people Rabsy heard talking were undercover officers who came up with a false story, and we fell for it. That's why Rabsy now keeps files in both paper and electronic form. No matter what, he can double check any intel or rumor that he hears, no more trusting a stranger's word.

"My guess was that the authorities had worked out ways to counter us all, but needed to set up a sure encounter instead of bringing their gear to every little crime that happened."

"So where did you and Rabsy go after that?" Blackfire asks.

"Well, after stealing a small ship big enough for both of us," you say, "Rabsy flew the two of us to Infomis, planet of news and data.

"This is where Rabsy started collecting information for that large database he has in his current Rhytmis home. He would earn a decent wage shuffling and storing their files, all the while sneaking tiny bits of their interplanetary databases away inside a tiny little flash drive. He'd use this information to create a list of likely allies and enemies that I'd glance at whenever I did our real job of stealing and swindling.

"Before ever knowing who The Sinful Ones were, or meeting Blackfire, a pair of criminals Rabsy told me to watch out for were Smoke and Violence.

"Their names were rather self-explanatory, Smoke being able to turn himself into his namesake, allowing himself to slip out of tight spots and situations, while Violence maimed and slaughtered anyone who tried to apprehend him."

"Did you ever run into either of them?" Flashfire asks.

"Only Violence," you answer. "He was the one that I fought when I made that building collapse on Planet Tranquilitus."

"Tell us about that job," Blackfire asks. "I've wanted to know how exactly you made it collapse, and what you two were after so much that you'd fight someone to that point."

"Me, too!" Flashfire exclaims. "I gotta know!"

"Alright, alright," you say, calming your sister. "Rabsy found out from co-workers that Tranquilitus, as perfect and pristine as it was, needed more funds to keep themselves that way. Therefore, an auction to sell rare items was to be held, the proceeds going to their treasury.

"It was Rabsy's idea to have me to steal either a couple items, or a part of the proceeds. I flew to Tranquilitus and found where the auction was being held. I had snuck inside to find that many valuables were still waiting to be put up for auction.

"I got into the storage room and had grabbed up a couple small, shiny ones. However, when I turned around to leave, a tall, rippling male stood in the doorway, deep scars visible on his arms and upper body, and a stitched-together mask wrapped tight to his face. I found myself face to face with Violence in person."

Story Time with Saffire, Part 3

"Rabsy got word of a large payload of valuables was heading to the capitol city. It was scheduled to land at a big warehouse, with a huge maze of rooms and halls inside. We planned out how we would take it and the delivery ship and get out off that planet.

"Dirt would lead Grind and Trick--two of the original trio--from one side, while Rabsy and I would team with Yuck on the other side."

"What kind of names are those?" Blackfire questions.

"Well, Yuck was a master of gross-outs," you explain. "He could make himself vomit on command, and could use his own snot as adhesive."

"Eww!!" the girls cry out.

"Trick and Grind had more practical abilities and skills. Grind's skin was rough, so he could chip and widdle away at almost any surface, essentially digging through it. He could scrape a five-inch thick wall in only a minute.

"Trick, meanwhile, was great at supposed 'magic' tricks, illusions, and pranks. He could fool almost anyone with the hologram projectors he wore around his wrists.

"So as the plan went, I would use my starbolts to blast down our wall while Grind scraped away at theirs. The guards went at my team first, and Yuck used his vomit to make them slip, then used his snot to stick them to the floor.

"Rabsy, Yuck, and I easily made it to the storage room, Rabsy's jumping dropkicks and my Tamaranian strength taking care of any other guards we met along the way. It was when we made it to the room the ship was scheduled to land did we know they were expecting us.

"We saw Trick using his holographic wristbands to create clones of himself, to confuse the guards. But they knew where the real Trick was the whole time with thermal goggles.

"They were also prepared for Grind's rough skin. They wore metal plates on their arms and torsos that he couldn't scratch or wear down. Grind, Yuck and Trick were all subdued with stun guns and billy clubs.

"Obviously Rabsy and I got away, because we're still free. But that's only because Dirt took the hit for us, sacrificing himself so we could get away. I owe Dirt my freedom."

Story Time with Saffire, Part 2

"Patience, Flashfire," you tell your sister. "I'm getting there.

"It was late at night when a trio of young thugs ran down the street, carrying a lot of money and jewelry they had stolen. They ran down the alley where I was sleeping, and one of them tripped over me.

"I woke up as the guy yelled at me. Apparently I was sleeping in one of their regular routes, and tripping over me slowed their escape.

"I tried to apologize to him, but he wouldn't accept. He continued to yell at me, calling me 'Freak Troq' because of my abnormal blue hair. I got upset, what with being tired and hungry, and told him to stop calling me names. He refused, so I tackled him.

"His friends tried to pull me off, but I was too strong for them. Within seconds, the authorities had caught up to the trio. When they saw all four of us fighting, they mistook me for an accomplice. Before I could explain, they came at us with cuffs and stun-guns.

"The three thugs ran as I stayed to explain. The men didn't listen, used a stun-gun to try and subdue me. The shock only stung me, it didn't do anything to stop me. I continued trying to explain, but they kept zapping me and trying to put the cuffs on. I got mad again, and lashed out, beating the two men up.

"One called for back-up, and soon, four more showed up, two armed with lazer rifles. I finally ran away, flying off into the night."

"So, you were given a criminal rap-sheet because of a misunderstanding?" Blackfire asks.

"Yeah," you answer quickly, "but that wasn't the only thing that earned me my criminal identity.

"I found where the trio ran off to, and landed right in front of them. They yelled at me, and each other, but before they could attack me, their boss stepped in and separated us.

"His name was Dirt, and he was a little unclean, but he showed me hospitality. He could tell I was hungry, so he gave me something to eat. He asked me about myself, and I told him everything. How I was teased and bullied for being a blue Tamaranian, and how I had been expelled after beating up Greasefire after he had accidentally killed Spitfire.

"Dirt was sympethetic towards me, and said I could join him and his little team. When the three teen thugs I had ran into before protested, he told them that the team could use more muscle, since he wasn't as strong as he used to be.

"I accepted, since I didn't have anyway of taking care of myself on my own. He then made me a bed of spare pillows and blankets and let me sleep.

"It was my time with Dirt that made me a true criminal. Though I was only six or seven years old, I was the strongest in the group. I helped Dirt and his trio break through hard stone walls and metal bars, and fight off police and rival criminals with my starbolts.

"It was also with Dirt that I met Rabsy. He was as young as I was, but was much better at the whole 'street smarts' and 'intracacies', as he would call it. He was Dirt's clever mechanist and information center, much like he is even now.

"For about five years, the order of operations started Rabsy getting information, usually from eavesdropping of 'important people' with his big ears. Then the rest of us would do the hard part of busting in, getting the stuff, and getting out."

"Wait, five years?" Flashfire asks. "You mean Dirt and those other three aren't criminals anymore?"

"After five years of being a band of friends and brothers," you continue, "something crazy happened that broke it all up."

Wednesday, September 1, 2010

Story Time with Saffire, Part 1

Blackfire puts away the dishes as Flashfire pushes in her chair at the dinner table.

"That home-cooked hijork was great!" Flashfire compliments. "Even better than what Mother used to make!"

"Oh come on," Blackfire says with a blush. "I'm sure your mother does a better job than I did."

"No, no," you insist, "your's is better. She always made the edges too soggy for my taste."

Blackfire blushes again as the three of you move to the living room.

"There's probably nothing new or good on tonight," Flashfire says. "We could watch a movie, if you want."

"Actually," Blackfire says, "I've been meaning to ask you someting, Saffire."

"And what is that, my wonderful wife?" you reply as you sit.

"What happened to you after you left Tamaran?"

You are silent for a moment, staring into Blackfire's eyes.

"Blackfire, I've told you already," you say, "I turned to crime and--"

"I know the general," she interupts, "I want to know the specifics. What did you do first? I know you didn't automatically become a criminal, something happened to you to make you turn to that lifestyle."

"Yeah," Flashfire joins in as the two girls sit on either side of you. "What more happened?"

You look from one to the other, and can see that neither girl is going to drop the subject. You take a deep breath and begin.

"After flying out into deep space, I just wondered about, not knowing where to go." Images of the planets zipping by your teary eyes come replay through your mind. "Eventually, I got tired and hungry, and had to land on an inhabited planet.

"There wasn't much there, but there were people with food. I walked around the tiny town for an hour, begging for something, anything, but they gave me nothing. After all, I was an unfamiliar child, and it was of no consequence to them what happened to me."

Blackfire's and Flashfire's faces are so sad, they're actually rather adorable.

"So what did you do?" Flashfire asks. "Did you steal some?"

"No," you answer. "I wandered around some more, more worried about a place to sleep.

"I eventually found an empty spot in front of a hotel and slept sitting up. I didn't get to stay long, because an employee told me not to loiter and shooed me away. I asked him if I could sleep inside, even if it was on the floor of the lobby, but he said no."

"So where did you sleep?" Blackfire asks.

"Around the corner, against the wall where he couldn't see me."

The girls look even sadder than before.

"So, ok," Flashfire says, "what happened that made you a criminal?!"