Month: January 2022

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97 Days Until Signals And the Uncertain End (part 3)

Heia had just gotten her camera back for Lynx, when the door to their flat burst open to reveal the faces of soldiers. Guns pointed at them, Heia placed her camera down and held her hands up. Her eyes darted to her sister who was starring at the computer with her hands up. They had been live, but they had to check their equipment. Lynx had just sent over all the existing footage to Uly and Europa, saving it in three places. There was a chance they would get out of this without losing anything, other than their lives.

Heia could not help but find comedy in the fact that their lives may be forfeit. She had know that was a possibility with her speech and the protest. She had known it would happen. Starring at these soldiers, she knew none of them were the ones who had seen her earlier. They had been followed. They were not safe. And she was likely to die. She she also knew that there was no way these soldiers didn’t know who she was. She could only hope they had heard the message and refused to take their lives. She hoped that they would bring them in.

“Heia.” The soldier’s commanding officer looked at her. “Trace. Robee.”

Continue reading “YP – B4:Entr’acte – CHAPTER 76 (CHAPTER 223)” →

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97 Days Until Signals And the Uncertain End (part 2)

Zeydar sat with Marjorie waiting for the Superior council session to begin. He had all his paperwork in order and was ready to speak about his class, and the fifteen complaints he’d gotten that week. And about Kony, and how Kony was actively refusing to participate in classes. In part that was Zeydar’s fault. He had told Kony to focus on getting the connection solid between defensive and offensive. They had learned that Kony knew the magic but it would take time to make it instinctual, and perfected. The more that Kony practiced the way he was told in school, the further he moved away from that instinct. So he had said he would refuse to practice at school with his classmates and stupidly Zeydar had agreed.

It was not the wrong choice, but it was going to cause a scene which made Zeydar more perturbed about it than the fifteen complaints he’d gotten. At least those were simple issues. Zeydar thought to himself deeply as he prepared when he noticed Majorie starring. “Yes?”

She shook her head.

Continue reading “YP – B4:Entr’acte – CHAPTER 75 (CHAPTER 222)” →

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97 Days Until Signals And the Uncertain End (part 1)

The air was the same stale taste that Heia had grown up loving. She had longed for it in the stench of the Tower. The artificial air of the CloudCities had felt dry on her tongue, it was not like this. It was not embedded in life and sweat. It was not filled with the same longing and husk of survival. The air of the UnderCities was recycled, refit, changed to suit their needs. It had been her favorite taste. It had been the sensation of home. In it Heia had a power.

However it was not the way the Lowerland’s hit. Crisp and Clean. Free. Real. The air of the natural world had hurt her at first but after months on the surface she had grown with it and knew to love it. It was life itself. It was not as dirty, controlled, contained, manufactured as all the other air was. CloudCity, Tower, Undercity. Their air was wrong.

As she breathed in the air now, head high, Heia was filled with a burning rage. She would make her voice heard. She would let them see her. For weeks she had walked around giving speeches and giving shows. She had never been cut out for it. It had not been her job. She was not an EverDanger member who was poised for the camera and trained to make an act. She was not their pawn. She was not their queen. She was not a chess piece for them to move around.

Continue reading “YP – B4:Entr’acte – CHAPTER 74 (CHAPTER 221)” →

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98 Days Until Loss And the Uncertain End (part 2)

Zeydar watched as Kony prepared for his call with his sister with Endwin and Europa. He tossed invisible energy between his hands trying to figure out a bit more on how to control his magic as he watched. The other siblings were gone, Europa wanting to make this situation more personal and controlled than the last few calls. Only Phil was there, otherwise, to catch the code. Shawn was somewhere with May, training perhaps? Zeydar was not sure. 

He figured that if he were in their position he’d be training in not so wholesome ways. The idea of it made Zeydar drop his concentration with his magic. He pictured Evester’s expression in his mind as if he were seeing it in person again. Zeydar understood why he made the choice he did. He did not regret that choice. However, if Zeydar were placed in the same situation now? He was not so certain he’d be able to keep his mind above the belt. Zeydar licked his lips at the thought of touching Evester.

“Uly sent the report last night.” Europa’s voice was a soft reprieve for Zeydar to focus. He had gotten distracted again and there was no time for distraction. Turning all his attention to Europa he listened to her every word as if it were gospel. “It isn’t good news, but they are alive.”

“How bad was their attack?” Phil asked. Zeydar was confused how that wasn’t good news? Was she expecting Uly to say he was on his way back with the final reports made for the final three choices?

“They are operating as if they are dead.” Europa answered. “As in, only during the day, not at night, having to hide in plain site.”

Continue reading “YP – B4:Entr’acte – CHAPTER 73 (CHAPTER 220)” →

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98 Days Until Loss And the Uncertain End (Part 1)

Evester honestly hadn’t cared much about the conversation between the siblings. He had things to prepare and reports to review. He had to make sure that the defenses were placed for construction and that the scientists were still under Uly’s control. He had painted a little, worked a lot, and been up all night fighting. He was planning on going to bed until Kori mentioned that Heia wasn’t with her. It was news to them all and seemingly a bad sign. 

“She’s where?” Kony asked from his side. Evester paused and listened from where he stood. He shot Rayda a look telling her that he was staying now. She silently shut the door.

“In an Under City last we heard from her.” Kori answered

“Why?” Karla asked. She did not look at those who listened. Uly shifted where he stood and pulled on Evester’s sleeve. Evester nodded to him and then he approached Karla ready to stand within her sight without her having to make contact.

“Because…” Kori was at a loss for words. “She wanted to help them.”

Help them with what? Evester asked to Karla as Kori struggled. Karla asked the question and changed the conversation to code and Kori began to explain. Heia had gone because she didn’t believe everything was being told to some under cities properly. Propaganda was always her worst enemy and now Heia was possibly missing. 

Continue reading “YP – B4:Entr’acte – CHAPTER 72 (CHAPTER 219)” →

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99 Days Until Winning And the Uncertain End 

Evester kicked the Aralax bodies that laid spawn across the facility interior. The initial attack had not been as large as they had feared, closer to Maverin’s projected numbers than they had expected. It was less than fifty, a scouting team and an attack team all at once. It was not hundreds or thousands, and for that reason Evester was less nervous about future battles. More would come but they were ready. His instructions had worked. They had no injuries or casualties.

They’d have better defenses delivered within the week. Maverin had put in the request to the government for the supplies for the fencing and phaser lines, but installing them would take time, time they did not have. Not yet.

They had captured ten alive, which for the little that had come, was a lot. Ten alive. It was good numbers in fact, even if Evester had predicted a hell storm and they had captured the ten immediately into the night. Their training had come in handy, and hopefully that training had saved more around the world. Evester had not asked yet about the world since he had stopped paying attention to them. He didn’t want to know how the first two days had gone for everyone. He needed to know hot the first two days hd finished.

Based on the predictions no second attack would be coming for the warehouse for a while. Not a full fledged one at least. However they still had to be worried for scouting teams. They were in the middle of the Aralax strong holds and they couldn’t expect Maverin’s predictions to be completely right.

Not when they’d won. 

Continue reading “YP – B4:Entr’acte – CHAPTER 71 (CHAPTER 218)” →

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100 Days Until Songs And the Uncertain End (part 3) 

Heia slept through most of the day. She had given her footage to Trace when she had gotten back. Both had not been out nearly as long as Heia had, and had begun editing their footage and voiceovers immediately. When she woke up, Trace and Robee were going through the footage scene by scene.

“This is pretty great.” Robee tossed Heia a water bottle and a fruit bar and snack. As Heia began to eat she listened to the playback. They seemed to be going over parts again and again.

“Did you find much?” Heia asked him. She had not asked them much when she had passed out. Her job had been far more taxing than either of theirs had been.

“What we expected. Patrols. Sleeping people. No one knew.”  Robee then mentioned to Trace to replay the part again. The room went silent save the movie they were making. Heia munched on her food and wondered if Alan Penn knew she was in his city. If he did know was he sending people out to find her? Did he care?

Continue reading “YP – B4:Entr’acte – CHAPTER 70 (CHAPTER 217)” →

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100 Days Until Songs And the Uncertain End (part 2)

Zeydar watched as Kony continued his practice maneuvers. He could hear the ebb and flow in Kony’s magic. He had listened to Kony’s magic before but Zeydar was testing a hypothesis he had from a lesson that afternoon. He had been teaching his general class and asking them about designations between defensive magic and offensive magic and how it had come to be determined that one could only do one or the other. In asking the question, Zeydar had broken his own mind. Why was it that they could only do one or the other? In history it had been determined that one could only do one or the other because of the limits of a staff and the way the staff interacted with the body to intake magic. Zeydar did not need a staff thus he could do all magic. Most people had an element and a specialty. Yet. Zeydar was no longer certain it was true. He wondered for a moment whether or not he had been wrong.

They were at Estashia’s for the night and that meant that Zeydar was able to try things without the Superiors directly knowing. So when he asked May to stop working with Kony the whole courtyard went silent.

“Did I do something wrong?” Kony asked breathing out, ready to fix whaat ever it was. 

“Do a defensive air spell.” Zeydar ordered him.

Continue reading “YP – B4:Entr’acte – CHAPTER 69 (CHAPTER 216)” →

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100 Days Until Songs And the Uncertain End (part 1) 

The first day of attacks were horrifying. With the amount of time that they had to get the word out to everyone, there was not much time for preparation. Locations that were not fully prepared were brutalized before the military could step in. Some attacks were different than the predicted ones. There was little care for those places that were were already mostly abandoned due to people moving to work for the ships. In  the cases of those towns, there were no survivors for those who remained.

Evester had known that the warehouse would be receiving an attack that night, not too large but large enough to cause a worry. They’d get through it, easily enough, however they had to make sure that the attack didn’t put them off. He had watched the attack feeds of the other cities instead, noting how all the large UnderCities seemed completely unaffected. They had no casualties, while other cities were annihilated. For the first time in his life, Evester felt angry. He had wanted them to get the word out in order to save lives. The orders were to defend, not to attack. Yet the large Undercities annihilated their aggressors and the smaller towns were left to fend for themselves. Nothing had gone as planned and too many people had been lost. Evester wanted to say it was greed. He wanted to say that it was pride. He was not sure what had driven the X leaders to make the choice they had, but he did not accept their choice as right.

“We are trying to capture some right?” Karla asked, breaking Evester from his trance.

Continue reading “YP – B4:Entr’acte – CHAPTER 68 (CHAPTER 215)” →