Carmody and the Electric Dragon

Sunday October 28th 2046

Brentwood Apartment, 10th District, Pan City

“We not only gained back our missing daughter, we have acquired another one!”

“Hmm? Oh, morning mum” mumbled a sleepy Carmody. “This is Angelina, my school friend”

Angelina stirred and blinked at Mrs Brentwood as she stood next to the bed. She rubbed sleep out of her eyes and mumbled a good morning too.

“Good morning, Angelina” said Carmody’s mum. “Take your time, but if you want breakfast it will be in the dining room in fifteen minutes”

The girls both said something that sounded like agreement, so her mum left them to finish the preparations. Sunday breakfast was a big tradition in the Brentwood household and Carmody was pleased she would be able to share it with her best friend.

As they dressed, Angelina glanced at her friend, trying to think how to best ask the question.

“Carmody, that stuff you told me last night, about the Emissary and the Dragons, Mr Albright and the Portal, that was all true wasn’t it? I didn’t just dream all that up?”

“Yeah, it’s true” Carmody told her, pulling a t-shirt on over her shorts. “But like I told you, it is super secret stuff. You can’t tell anyone, not even your parents”

“I promise” Angelina agreed. “You have to promise me something too. What happened at my apartment, about the business my parents are in, you have to keep that to yourself as well”

Angelina was watching her with a troubled expression and Carmody stepped up close and wrapped her arms around the girl’s slender shoulders.

“I promise too” she said and Angelina hugged her in reply. At that moment, her little brother knocked just once on the bedroom door and walked in, a piece of toast dangling from his mouth.

The two girls leaped apart guiltily and Carmody rounded on her younger sibling.

“What have I told you about knocking before you come in here? We could have been naked for all you know!”

Vance looked in hurt confusion between the two girls giving him angry looks.

“I did knock!” he said, his voice muffled by the toast. “Anyway, mum says get in there now, breakfast is ready”

The girls followed Vance into the main living area where the smell of freshly cooked bacon, sausages, eggs, baked beans and toast filled their eager nostrils. Carmody’s mum and dad were already seated at the table, drinking coffee, and smiled as the three children joined them.

“Welcome officially to the Brentwood household, Angelina” said Carmody’s dad. He was a man of middling height, in his late forties but with a handsome face surrounded by a dark beard and moustache. His smile reached all the way up to his eyes and Angelina could see why her mum had fallen for him. Her friend had told her he worked as a vehicle mechanic for an auto-cab company, allowing him to be at home in the evenings and weekends for his family.

“Don’t be shy, dig in” Carmody’s mum added. She looked like a grown up version of Carmody, with the same brown hair and eyes and freckled pale skin. Age and two kids had thickened her body a little yet she was still a pretty lady. If she was what Carmody would grow into, her friend was very lucky indeed.

The two girls piled food on their plates, as they had both eaten very little last night. Hammerton had tried to feed them before dropping them at the tower, but it was hardly surprising they had no appetite at the time.

“So why are you both here?” Carmody’s dad asked. “All I got last night was something about a fire at the tower you live in”

Angelina jumped in before Carmody had to lie to her parents.

“Yes, one of the apartments below ours caught fire. The automated systems got it out pretty fast, but it left an awful burnt smell that got into the ventilation system. Rather than put up with the stink all night, Carmody suggested we come here instead. I hope it is not too much trouble”

“Of course not, Angelina” her mum replied. “It is wonderful that Carmody has made so many friends this last month”

They chatted some more, both girls steering the conversation away from the supposed fire, talking about school stuff and what their friends were up to. The food was gradually consumed, delicious as always. Angelina made a mental note to tell her own mother to book her friend’s mum next time they needed a caterer. The taste and quality was quite exceptional.

“Angelina is helping to run the Halloween Party at school next week” Carmody said to her parents. “She is a great organiser”

“Oh really!” her mum said. “That is wonderful. I think all the students would appreciate a fun night, especially after that disaster last time at the school! I was kind of glad I had to work that night”

“Hey, it wasn’t so bad” laughed her dad. “The only hard part was trying to find where Carmody had gotten to. Remember that Kiddo, Vance and I finally found her in one of the Paramedic vans being treated for some kind of fainting spell”

“It was no big deal” Carmody muttered under her breath. “The auditorium was super crowded and the heat made me faint. Nothing more to tell so stop bringing it up all the time!”

“Come on dear, stop embarrassing Carmody in front of her friend” her mum said with a laugh.

“She’s her girlfriend” chimed in Vance. “They were hugging in Carmody’s bedroom”

“What!” shouted Carmody. “That is so not true, you little monster! Come here, I am going to use my Kinetic Enhancer on you!”

Vance screamed as Carmody went to grab him and soon the two of them were running and yelling around the small apartment. Angelina looked on with shocked confusion as she was an only child, something she used to regret but was reconsidering now.

“Remember when they used to play together so nicely?” said Carmody’s mum. She took a long sip from her coffee mug and watched them run around.

Vance ran past, jostling his father’s elbow and spilling some of his coffee down his shirt.

“Just a sweet memory now” he agreed.

=====

Carmody, Vance and Angelina had gone to a park that was close to their tower, partly to practice Kinetic Enhancement but also to work off the large breakfast they had eaten.

Vance ran around the leafy green park, full of energy, while Angelina coached Carmody to use her Ability through her feet. They had Vance’s soccer ball and the aim was to propel the ball hard and accurately with the slightest of kicks.

It was a variation of the Pool ball trick that Angelina had shown her and pretty soon she was launching the ball like a cannon with just a tiny kick. Vance was playing goalie at the other end of the grassed area, intercepting the ball and kicking it clumsily back to his sister.

After an hour they were all tired and Vance asked her to give the ball one last mighty kick.

“Give it everything you’ve got, Sis!” Vance shouted from the far end of the park, waving his arms excitedly. “I wanna see what you can do!”

“Okay, you asked for it!” Carmody yelled back and lined up on the black and white ball. She wound her foot back, focussed her power and swung with all her might.

With a tremendous ‘Boom’ the ball exploded as her foot connected, sending the flapping cover and lining cartwheeling about ten meters along the grass. The sound echoed like a thunderclap from the residential towers that surrounded the park and birds took startled flight from the trees.

A couple of other park users came running over to see what had happened and Carmody had to spend some minutes assuring them everything was Okay. In the midst of that, Vance came running from the end of the park and fell to his knees, cradling the tattered remains of his soccer ball.

Carmody went to him and knelt beside her brother, aghast at what she had done.

“I’m so sorry Vance” she began, then her brother lifted his face to hers and smiled widely.

“OMG! That was the most awesome thing I have ever seen!”

Angelina was seated on a bench and once she heard Vance’s comment she burst into laughter. Carmody and Vance joined her and soon all three of them were giggling and snorting as a group.

“I am glad to see you in better spirits, Miss Angelina and Miss Carmody” said a deep English voice. All three children looked up to see Hammerton waiting patiently on the grass. He was dressed in his usual dark suit, as immaculate as ever, yet Carmody could see his eyes roving over the park constantly. He was obviously more than just a family butler she realised.

“Hammers!” cried Angelina with delight and rushed over to the butler and wrapped her arms around him. He gently disengaged her and self-consciously brushed down his coat.

“Please, Miss, remember you are in a public place” he admonished her, but there was an affectionate twinkle in his otherwise immobile face. Carmody and Vance joined Angelina and Hammerton addressed them all.

“The ah,,,fire... incident has been resolved for the moment, Miss Angelina. Your apartment will be closed for repairs for a week so the family will move to the summer house in the meantime. Your parents have chartered an early flight home and will be arriving this evening”

“Oh, that is good news, Hammers” Angelina replied. “Will it be Okay for me to still attend school though? You know, in case the …fire... breaks out again?” The girl was anxious and Carmody put her hand in the other girl’s, giving it a comforting squeeze.

“Rest assured, Miss, your parents have located the source of the fire. It will be extinguished by this time tomorrow, I guarantee you”

Carmody felt a sudden chill at those words and looking at Hammerton’s cold expression she was truly sorry for whomever had caused the events of last night. She remembered the Angelina of old, full of anger and thoughts of revenge, and wondered if she had just been copying the rest of her family.

“For now, Miss, I am instructed to take you to a secure location until tomorrow. We can collect your things from the Brentwood residence on the way”

“Oh, alright” agreed Angelina. She turned to her friend, looking dejected. “Sorry guys, looks like I need to go. But I’ll see you at school tomorrow, Okay?”

“Sure, I’ll see you then. I’ll bring one of mum’s lunches for us to share”

Hammerton asked Angelina to wait for him at the car as he had some private messages to pass onto Carmody. Carmody gulped but she sent Vance off to keep her friend company. Once they were out of hearing, the butler motioned the girl to sit with him on the park bench that Angelina had been using before.

“I’m really sorry about that cabinet” Carmody began, eyes downcast and her face and neck turning a shade of pink. “I’ll pay the family back, I promise, it may just take a while”

“Miss Carmody, please do not concern yourself about any damage caused last night” Hammerton said, his voice much warmer than it had been before. “The Brackenridge family are rather in your debt, not the other way around. What you did for Angelina is something that cannot be repaid, yet understand that her parents are grateful beyond words”

He paused and he looked directly at the young girl at his side, a wide smile lighting his face up.

“You saved something that is more precious to us than you can imagine. If you ever need the help of the family, for anything, please let us know. On a personal note, I will be in your debt always. I have served Miss Angelina since she was born and I consider her the most valuable person in the world to me. I am glad you are her friend”

He held out his hand to her so Carmody grasped it and solemnly shook hands with him. That done, he stood, brushed down his pants and regarded her for a moment.

“I am sure we will meet many times again in the days to come, Miss Carmody. You may call me Hammers”

With that he strode off, telling Vance to stop climbing on the car and for Miss Angelina to please get inside. Carmody watched him go, wondering what he had used to be before he became a butler to the Brackenridge family.

“Guess I’ll never know” she mused to herself and went to collect her wayward brother.

=====

Private Training Facility, 8th District, Pan City

In the afternoon, Carmody had made arrangements to meet up with Nata. After the previous night, she had rung her new friend to cancel and she had been convinced to come along anyway. Nata had insisted she would have a good time and she really wanted to introduce Carmody to her friends.

All Nata had told her was to wear loose comfortable clothes, shoes with good tread and bring her cricket bat. Suitably prepared, Nata had met her at just after 2PM in another auto-cab, funnily enough one from the company her dad worked for.

“So where are we going?’ she asked the Sister. Nata was dressed in loose black pants, a dark grey t-shirt and a tall, leather boots. She had a long sports bag resting beside her on the seat and she patted it when she replied.

“Like I told you, to meet some friends of mine. I think you have been lucky so far, but you need to work on your technique. We are going to help you”

“You mean my Kinetic Enhancer? I have been practicing that with a friend”

“No, Carmody. Your fighting techniques. You can hit like a truck but I am worried about your defence”

“Oh” was all she could manage in response so she sat in companionable silence in the drive to the training grounds. She had a lot to think about so her mind was buzzing along until the cab stopped in front of a low building, located in a small industrial park.

Waiting out the front of the grey concrete building were a group of young women and a solitary, tall man with mirrored glasses over his eyes. All the women were generally fit and slender, but the man was huge, over six foot tall and heavily muscled.

“This is the gang” Nata announced as they exited the auto-cab, Carmody carrying her bat and the Sister with her sports bag. The women and man looked up alertly from their conversations and wandered closer.

“Introductions first, I guess” Nata said breezily. “Everybody, this is Carmody, she is the Dragon Slayer I told you about”. Carmody felt herself die inside when Nata said it out aloud like that and shrank into herself.

“Cool, I always wondered if there really were dragons. Sister Adoracion kept telling me they ate all the other magical beasts” said a short, blonde headed girl. She was dressed in black shorts, black t-shirt and the biggest pair of boots Carmody had ever seen a girl wear. A Ninja-style sword was carried on a strap across her back, the same way Carmody liked to carry Excalibur.

The girl, who looked about the same age as Nata, stuck out her hand.

“Hi there, I’m Millie. I hear you’re a Kinetic Enhancer. That is cool, because I am a Gunsinger myself” Carmody shook the offered hand and decided she liked the first of Nata’s friends.

Next to be introduced was a slim, dark haired Japanese girl. She seemed to be a little younger than the others, with beautiful long black hair bound into a single long plait down her back. Her skin was flawless and pale, like some kind of fairytale princess. She was dressed in loose black pants like Nata’s, with a white long sleeved jacket that tied across the front. She had a sports bag over her shoulder, with the hilt of a wooden Shinai poking out the top.

“I am Suki Yoshino” she announced to Carmody and bowed at the waist, prompting the other girl to clumsily bow in response. “It is an honour to meet you”

“Um, nice to meet you too” she mumbled in response.

The final woman was older than the others, perhaps in her mid twenties. She was tall, nearly as tall as the man beside her, with long blonde hair hanging in a loose ponytail at her back. Unlike the others, she wore a long coat, heavy looking, open at the front to reveal denim jeans and a black shirt underneath. A long leather strap hung across her right shoulder to a sword in a scabbard against her left hip.

“This is Sister Venerae” Nata introduced her, before the woman smiled and said just call her Vee. She held out a hand to Carmody and the young girl took it, shaking her hand briefly. The older woman took the opportunity to look deep into her eyes, making Carmody feel like her entire life was laid bare before her gaze.

“Interesting” was all Vee said and released her hand and her eyes. “Very interesting”

That left the man, waiting patiently at the end of the line of women. As Carmody came to stand in front of him, she felt shock course through her. Despite the clothes he wore and the brightly dyed blonde hair, the man was a dead ringer for her Guard friend Nero and the other Jacks!

“Hi, I’m Dog” he announced, smiling broadly, “And I know what you are thinking”

“You do?” stammered Carmody.

“Yep. You are thinking how can a guy this good looking still be single, am I right?”

“Ah, yes, exactly!” she said. He really did look like a Guard clone, maybe a little older and with way more expression to his face. She could even see his right eye was artificial, just like the Jacks were.

Nata came up beside her and laid a friendly arm on her shoulder.

“You’ll have to forgive Dog. He is an excellent combat trainer but has no idea how to speak to nice young ladies”

Introductions made, they entered the building before them. To Carmody’s surprise the grim exterior led to a large reception area and Dojo, with a grassed open air training space visible beyond glass doors. The inside walls were lined with weapons of all kinds, sharp and practice versions in different racks.

There were even shields of different styles, some traditionally made with wood and leather, others of modern ballistic armour weaves and Ceramite. This was like some kind of Martial Arts heaven!

“This is my dojo” Dog announced as he followed the women inside. “During the rest of the week I run all kinds of training sessions, but Sunday afternoons are just for this little gang”

He paused in front of Carmody, a friendly smile on his face.

“If you want to, you will be welcome to join us each week”

“Gosh, I really don’t know” said a flustered Carmody.

“Knock off the sales pitch for now” Nata warned Dog and guided the girl to a bench where she could leave her belongings. The other women were doing the same, putting various items from pockets and bags in their own space.

“First off, I am going to pair you with Suki. She has been fighting for about a year now and she can show you some good footwork. That is the key to defence, especially if you are fighting without a shield”

Carmody did a few stretches to warm up, having seen the other women do so, then took her bat and stood in front of Suki. The other girl looked her over, grinned and told her to lose the bat. They would be sparring with Shinai, a bamboo practice sword used in Japanese martial arts like Kendo.

Now with a matching weapon, Suki showed her the basics of footwork and how to keep her balance. It was fun in a way and Suki was a patient teacher, explaining why she needed to keep her feet braced and separated, never standing square on to an opponent, all sorts of useful techniques and tips.

Once the girl was satisfied with her footwork, they moved onto making strikes and blocks. It had been instinctive so far, yet now Carmody was beginning to understand the reasons behind why her weapon and her body needed to work together.

Most interesting was the idea of blocking, or parrying as Suki called it. There were a whole range of different “guards” she could adopt that defended parts of her body and let her make attacks against her foes using them.

“The main thing to remember is that in a fight you need to attack and to parry” Suki told her. “Being able to parry lets you survive the fight. Being able to attack lets you win the fight”

It had been a couple of hours before Suki called time on their sparring session. They had taken a few breaks for water, but now they both sat, sweaty and tired, watching the older women practice.

“Do you have some special power or ability?” Carmody asked Suki. The other girl smiled and took a long pull of water from a sports bottle.

“Kind of” she admitted. “Technically I am rated as a NOMA at my high school. It was only a year ago when I ran into Vee over there and discovered I was a potential Adept” She had pointed to the tall woman named Vee, or Venerae, depending on who you spoke to.

“Turns out I can use a spell they call Divine Strike without thinking about it. I was never trained in how to cast it and I don’t need a spell focus. Whenever I need to use it, it just happens”

“Wow, sounds cool. What does Divine Strike do?”

Suki reflected for a moment before answering.

“From what I gather, it is very similar to your Kinetic Enhancer. It allows me to add a lot of extra power into any weapon strike I deliver, while protecting the weapon from the forces unleashed. Basically, it lets me hit things really hard and not break my sword in the process”

“That does sound like what I can do with Excalibur” pondered Carmody. “Can you use Divine Strike to punch or kick somebody too?”

“No, the spell only works on something I can hold” Suki answered. “That is where being an Awakened works better for you. However, as an Adept I can do other things”

“Really! Like what?”

Suki held her left hand forwards and uttered a single word imperiously – “Impervioso!”

A vertical circle of blue light, maybe a meter or more in diameter, lined with strange characters and symbols, appeared just beyond her outstretched hand. The glowing disk remained there for three or four seconds, then vanished.

“That is a basic Shield spell” Suki explained. “It does not last very long but it can stop just about any known attack” She held her hand out to Carmody, showing her the intricate tattoo on her palm. “This is the spell focus, kind of like a shortcut to casting the spell”

Carmody leaned close and examined the tattooed circle and symbols.

“It looks the same as the circle of light that appeared” she realised.

“Well spotted!” Suki laughed. “It is exactly the same. The spell focus is kind of like a computer program. When I push my power into the focus, the program runs automatically and produces the spell. It saves me the time of having to chant out the whole spell myself, which is what matters in a fight”

“So, do you have other spells tattooed on your body?” Carmody wondered aloud.

“Not yet. I am still waiting to see how my mother reacts to this one. I haven’t seen her since I had it done, so that will be an interesting meeting. The other spell foci I use are inscribed into objects like my bangle here”

Suki showed her the silver bangle she wore on her left wrist. Circling around the metal band were more of those strange symbols and runic characters.

“Anyway, I think we have rested long enough. Nata looks like she wants to show you some techniques”

The rest of the afternoon was a whirl of fight training, defence techniques and friendly banter with the other women. Sometimes she was allowed to train with her bat, other times she used the sparring weapons her partners recommended. Even the imposing Vee took her for a short session, sparring with easy confidence against the young girl, pointing out a couple of mistakes and helping her correct them.

It was close to Seven PM when Dog finally called the session to a close. By that time Carmody felt she had gotten to know her fellow sparring partners a little better. Even Dog had been fun to spar with, showing her some basic punches and strikes that would work well with her Kinetic Enhancer.

Nata approached Carmody as the girl wiped her head and arms down with a towel that Dog had tossed to her. She sat on the bench and offered her a chilled bottle of sports drink and the girl took it gratefully.

“So, was it worth coming along?” the older girl asked her.

“Absolutely!” Carmody said without a moment of hesitation. “They are such a great group of people too. Thanks so much for inviting me along today”

“You are welcome, Dragon Slayer” Nata said with one of her wide smiles.

“Um, can we drop the Dragon Slayer thing?” she asked, feeling her cheeks go red. “I really wish I had never said that part when we met”

“I understand. I am the same about my title in the Order”

“Aren’t you a Hunter? That sounds like a neat title to me” replied Carmody.

“I am a Hunter, most of the Order are called that. More specifically, my role is the Sword”

Carmody could hear the hint of sadness in her voice. “Why is that such a bad thing? Swords are way cool”

“I used to think so too. But do you know something, every other weapon that humans use started out as a hunting tool or farming implement, even things like spears and axes, bows and guns. Swords were only created for one purpose, to kill people”

“So you feel that calling yourself a Sword means you are only used for killing people, is that right?”

Nata smiled sadly at her. “You are pretty smart for a school kid. The Sword I replaced, Sister Venerae over there, ended up feeling the same way”

“So why don’t you quit?” Carmody asked. “Seems simple to me”

“I can’t” Nata said flatly. “By being the Sword, I can protect people. If I have to kill and destroy the wicked to achieve that, I will do so”

“That is the same for me, Nata” Carmody told her. “Being a Dragon Slayer, fighting the creatures I have, absolutely terrifies me. Yet I know that if I don’t do it, who will?”

“Hmm, tough and smart” Nata said approvingly. “You can join our gang any time you want to”

“Thanks, I think I will”

The other women had finished packing their gear away and stood around chatting. Nata and Carmody had just joined in when Dog strode into their midst.

“Okay, ladies, time to hit the hot tub!” he shouted with enthusiasm.

He was met with a chorus of denial and derisive hoots from the four women, so Carmody added her catcalls to the playful rebuttals.

“Well, in that case get the hell out of my dojo!” he said to them all.