Sarah and the Steam Dragon

Monday October 8th, 2046

The 10th District Junior High School was officially closed once more, even though Sarah was still compelled to attend. The official reason given for the closure was another act of terrorism, committed by foreign agents. Some of the parents and students may even have believed that, yet many were just plain confused about what had happened.

Rumours were running rampant about strange battles with the Guard and flying saucers, interdimensional portals, Zombie invasions and super-powered children. All were being heartily discouraged by the Governors of Pan City but the rumours just got even more outlandish.

Achmed had put his own version out in the Nerdwork, until a direct intervention by Archimedes itself had stopped him saying anything further. The young Scanner was outraged at having his freedom of speech curtailed like that but recognised the futility of taking on the AI personally. He would just bide his time and keep his own journal of events offline for now.

Sarah had arrived at the school gates at the usual start time as ordered. In theory today was a Testing day for the Year Sevens so she wondered why they wanted a NOMA here anyway. At the gates she met Carmody, also bewildered about why she had to attend a closed school.

The gates were opened by two Guard soldiers, both in their full armour and helmets with rifles slung on their backs. They were beckoned into the courtyard and slowly walked forwards. Large sheets still covered the central area where the Black Dragon had fallen and small portable labs on trailers were dotted around, white coated scientists milling about taking samples and entering data on their pads.

Coming out of the main entrance were two figures, almost like carbon copies of each other in slightly different sizes. Their pale blond hair and features were the same, yet the younger and smaller version had a welcoming smile on his face.

“Hi, Sarah; Hi, Carmody” Eric greeted them. He gestured to the taller version at his side. “This is my older brother, Jericho-Two. He is my guardian, the one I told you about”

“We already met” said Carmody, turning her trademark scarlet as she blushed.

“For a Dragon Slayer, you seem remarkably shy today” commented Jericho-Two. The young girl seemed to shrink into herself and looked steadfastly at the ground.

“Actually, I really don’t remember everything that happened” Carmody managed to say after a couple of failed attempts. “It’s all like a strange dream I had”

“Is that so?” said Jericho-Two flatly. He signalled to one of the nearby Guards who trotted over carrying a worn looking cricket bat. Jericho-Two took it from him and regarded the young girl carefully.

“I checked the school database. There is no record of who donated that box of old sporting gear to the Junior High. It seems to have just appeared”

“That seems strange” said Sarah, glancing from her friend to the bat. “Maybe the donation was never recorded?”

“Quite likely” agreed Jericho-Two. “Since the bat does not officially belong to the school, you are welcome to keep it” He held the bat out to Carmody, who looked up at him with gratitude.

“Thank you, Mr Jericho” Carmody said and took the bat. It felt quite right in her hands and she twirled it experimentally.

“It is certainly an unusual brand for a cricket bat” added Eric. “I have never heard of that company before”

Carmody stopped rotating the bat and looked at the name printed down the long wooden spine. She had to grin as she read it out aloud. “Excalibur!”

“For real?” said Sarah and had to grab the bat and read it for herself. “Is that how you could take out those Zombies and stuff?”

Eric and Jericho-Two had a private chuckle at the excited expressions on the two girl’s faces.

“Actually, we think Carmody is at least a Grade One Kinetic Enhancer” Eric explained. “The extreme stress of the situation on Saturday probably triggered a Self-Awakening. There are a lot more Self-Awakened than people think”

Carmody looked crestfallen and lowered her bat until the tip rested on the ground. “So I am a Kinetic Enhancer?”

“They are able to impart far more energy into their hands or objects they hold than any normal person” Jericho-Two told them. “Some of the highest Grades are able to punch through concrete walls with their bare fists, or cut down trees with a single swing of an axe. It can be a very useful ability”

“We want you to run some tests in the Awakening Centre today” added Eric encouragingly. “It looks like you are not a NOMA anymore!”

Carmody nodded her agreement silently, lost in her own thoughts.

“How about I take you over to the centre and help you with the tests?” suggested Eric. Carmody’s whole face lit up and this time she nodded in eager agreement. The two of them made their goodbyes and headed to the adjacent centre, the girl still gripping her bat like she would never let it go again. Sarah watched them go with envious eyes until she could not see them anymore.

“What about me?” Sarah finally asked to the patiently waiting Jericho-Two. “Am I still classed as a NOMA?”

“To be honest, Miss Evermore, we have no idea what you are” sighed the Avatar. He gazed out over the damaged courtyard and school buildings, reflecting on what had transpired in the past seven days.

“You and your friend Stanley are both Anomalies in this world” he said. “Whether it is some form of Awakened ability or a kind of Adept magic we just don’t know. The City has connections to some powerful Guilds of Adepts and we are investigating with them as to what you may be”

“Simply put, there has been no evidence of dragons or people who can speak to dragons for over a thousand years. Most of the experts thought they had just been legends until now”

Sarah pondered this and offered an idea.

“Maybe my Awakened ability is to be a Dragon Speaker” she suggested. “There was no way to test it before because there had not been any dragons around”

“Is this just because you don’t want to be classed as a NOMA anymore?” asked Jericho-Two.

“Maybe” admitted Sarah. “But I reckon I should still be classed as an Awakened”

Jericho-Two thought about it for a bit as he watched her hopeful expression.

“Agreed, Miss Evermore” he stated. “We will create a new Ability Class of Otherworld Communicator. We can’t really say that dragons exist but that should describe your ability quite concisely. I will register you as a Grade One Awakened”

Sarah shot him an angry glare. “Surely I should be at least a Grade Three after everything I did!”

“Grade Two, take it or leave it” Jericho-Two replied.

“Done!” she said. She held out her hand and the Avatar glanced down at it for a whole three seconds before shaking it firmly. “Ow! Your grip is crazy strong!” she complained and took her hand back.

“You are just like Eric!” she told him, rubbing her sore hand.

“I suppose I am” he agreed and smiled a little to himself. “Maybe more than I realised”

=====

Wednesday October 10th, 2046

Carmody was not sleeping very well. She had not had a good night’s sleep ever since the fight at the school four nights ago. The memory of Creepy Bob in the computer room and all those black tentacles surging from him would not go away.

She could still feel them gripping her, their awful cold touch sliding over her legs. The awful splatters of black goo covering her as she struck them over and over with the bat. She had to throw her uniform away it had been so stained with the dark oil. Even her skin had taken forever to feel clean after so many showers and scrubbing. Her whole body had been pink and raw yet she still did not feel like it had all come off.

Sighing at another bad night, Carmody got out of her bed and went to the bathroom. As she walked through the darkened apartment, she could hear her dad snoring noisily from her parent’s bedroom. The door to her little brother Vance’s room was ajar and she peeked in to check on him. Her adorable little sibling was fast asleep, his face composed in the glow of a nightlight. At least the rest of her family was getting a peaceful sleep.

She closed the bathroom door behind her and switched the light on over the basin. Its sudden brightness made her eyes water and it took a moment before she could see again. Carmody examined her red eyes and pale skin in the light and felt depressed. For all her supposed heroics at the school, she looked like plain old Carmody still.

“Do you want to be someone else?” said a voice from nowhere. She jumped with fright and looked all about herself in terror. There was no-one else there.

“Who’s there?” Carmody whispered fearfully. She wished she had the cricket bat with her right now, but it was standing beside her bed. She looked back in the mirror and gasped. Her red, tired eyes were now pitch black!

“It is just a friend, someone who wants to help you” continued the voice. It felt like it was coming from inside her own head.

“You can’t be here!” she cried. “I destroyed you, down in the basement!” She held her hands up to her face and with shock saw they were covered once more in the oily blackness from the tentacles.

“I can’t be destroyed, not by a foolish little girl child” the voice whispered, slithering about inside her own thoughts. The blackness spread from her hands up her arms, sliding over her shoulders and up her neck.

“No, you are gone! I defeated you! I am the Dragon Slayer!” she said, desperate to convince herself. The mirror showed the oily darkness was up to her mouth now, creeping around her face like she was being immersed in a vat of black liquid.

“You are nothing but I can make you into something wonderful” the darkness spoke to her. “You can be strong, fearless, popular with everyone” it offered. “I can make you into someone that Eric will fall in love with”

“You are lying to me!” she shouted, maybe out loud or perhaps just in her head. She was so confused right now she had no idea what was real or not.

“Really?” it whispered to her. “They say you are an Awakened now, a Kinetic Enhancer. So how could you see the dragons? How did you speak to them and hear their voices in your head? That was me and the black oil. I gave you that power and I can give you so much more. Just let me in, Carmody. Let me inside and I can make all your dreams come true!”

“No!” she screamed. “I won’t give in to you!” Her image in the mirror stared back at her, solid black and gleaming like oil in the bathroom light. “Please, no, not this” she sobbed.

“Carmody!” came her mother’s voice and the bathroom door opened suddenly. Her mother was there, dressed in her pajamas with a worried look on her face. “Are you alright?”

The girl looked at her mom and sobbed, backing away from her, terrified of infecting her with the black oil that covered her body. “Stay back mom, please!” she cried, tears running down her face.

“Oh Carmody, are you still having those awful dreams?” her mom said and went to her daughter. The girl shrank from her but she folded her in her warm, comforting arms and hugged her tightly.

“It’s Okay, Carmody” she soothed her daughter. “No-one can harm a daughter of Avalon”

“Huh?” wondered Carmody, caught by surprise by her mother’s words. “Did you call me a daughter of Avalon?”

“What?” answered her mom, holding her close to her chest. “I said no-one will harm a daughter of mine”

She pulled back and examined her daughter’s tear stained face. “Our family does come from England originally, so in a way I suppose you are a daughter of Avalon. Is that what you meant?”

Carmody looked at her hands and arms as she held her mother. They were the regular shade of blotchy pink skin they always were, freckles and all. The voice inside of her was gone and she felt a sensation of calmness wash over her.

“Yes, that is what I meant” she replied to her mom. “I am alright now”

Monday October 22nd 2046

Two weeks had passed in flash and the school was being re-opened . It had been a busy time for Sarah and her friends. They had attended meetings with Eric and his guardian, been given confidential agreements to sign about joining the AURA Project, even had dedicated earpiece communicators provided by the Guard.

Stanley had been granted provisional citizenship in Pan City and a purpose built shelter had been constructed on the school roof for him. It had a comfortable cave-like chamber for him to sleep in and a dedicated coal bunker full of delicious Black Rock for him to eat. Plus all the school lunches he wanted.

Sarah had visited him there many times, chatting about what had happened and their plans for the future. The best part had been the chance to practice their flying together, Sarah sitting more confidently on his back and using his horns as handlebars again. Her parents had thought she was attending special school lessons, which in a way was kind of true. Despite her protests she was still grounded outside of school for weeks to come so it was the only fun she could have at the moment.

It had also been a sad two weeks in some ways. Working with Eric and Jericho-Two she had attempted to identify most of the people whom the Soul Sparks belonged to. All the affected students from her school were able to be re-united with their own crystals, as well as a number of local residents whom Albright and Bob had waylaid. The moment when their bodies and their sparks were joined together again was a sight Sarah would always remember.

They still had ten unmatched Soul Sparks at the end of the process. Sarah wondered what had become of those people and if their captured essences would ever be released. Eric’s guardian was tight-lipped on the subject and he took them away with him, promising to keep them safe until their owners could be found.

=====

Today it was a sunny late Spring morning, only a few clouds in the blue sky. Sarah and Carmody walked their usual route to the Junior High School, their bags and lunchboxes bouncing in time to their steps.

“So, are you going to carry that cricket bat everywhere?” Sarah asked her friend, eyeing off the bat strapped to her back like a sword in some adventure game.

“Yeah, it makes me feel brave” Carmody replied with a shy smile at her friend. “I am even thinking of joining the Cricket Team next year”

Sarah pondered this and smiled herself.

“You know that Awakened people aren’t allowed to use their special abilities when they play sport, don’t you?” she said. “It’s considered a kind of cheating”

“For real?” Carmody answered with disappointment evident in her voice. “I finally have something I am good at and I can’t use it?”

Sarah laughed and gave her companion a playful punch.

“At least you got a recognised Ability. Mine is some made up thing that no-one else believes is true. I am a Grade Two in Otherworld Communication. That is such BS. They can’t even test me properly at the Awakening Centre”

Carmody laughed too and gave Sarah a playful punch in response. Her friend flew sideways and landed in a hedge next to the footpath.

“Oh my gosh, I am so sorry!” Carmody blurted in embarrassment and helped Sarah back to her feet. “I am still learning how to control my ability. I forget sometimes and mom and dad are going nuts over how much stuff I have broken at home”

Sarah rubbed her sore arm from where Carmody had hit her. The girl could really pack a wallop these days.

“That’s OK” she assured her friend. She straightened her uniform and adjusted her bags. They continued walking towards the school in a strained silence. It had definitely been awkward between the two of them since the events of the Parent Teacher night, otherwise now known by the entire Year Seven student body as the Weirdest Night Ever.

“Have you seen Eric much?” Sarah finally asked as they got to the school gates.

“A couple of times when we had those meetings” Carmody answered. “Nothing outside of the school. We did talk a few times on the phone. How about you?”

“Same here” Sarah admitted. “I think he has been super busy with all the cover up about what happened. Do you think he will really be allowed to come back to school with us?”

“Wasn’t that the deal you made with Archimedes?” wondered Carmody, her eyes roaming over the repaired courtyard. Students of all three years were milling about, chatting animatedly like it was the start of a new term.

“Yeah, but Achmed says you can’t trust the Artificial Intelligences. They are slippery devils” Sarah was looking over the school too, trying to spot their other friends. She led Carmody towards their usual meeting place, eyes fixed firmly ahead.

“Nevermore!” cried out a girl’s voice and Sarah stopped dead in her tracks. Angelina was waiting to one side, her school bag and lunchbox placed on the pavement at her feet. Her hands were raised in Sarah’s direction, her fingers poised and ready. Students were already backing out of the way, giving the Telekinetic plenty of room.

“Um, Hi Angelina” Sarah said nervously. “I am glad to see you are back at school” Beside her Carmody had also stopped moving and was reaching for the cricket bat slung on her back.

Angelina gestured and a small brightly coloured paper bag soared through the air and then hovered just in front of Sarah. Angelina twisted her fingers and the top of the bag opened, releasing a waft of baked cookie scent.

“Thanks for finding me” Angelina said with a smile and released her telekinetic grip on the bag. It dropped and Sarah caught it easily in her hands. Inside she could see it was filled with delicious smelling cookies, the words ‘Thank You’ iced onto each of them.

“My mom helped me make them, so they should taste good” Angelina promised, then picked up her bags and turned away. Before she could go too far, Sarah called out to her.

“Hey, Angelina, do you want to have lunch with me and the gang today?”

Her arch enemy stopped, with her back still to Sarah.

“That would be nice. I’ll see you at the Testing Centre so we can talk then” Angelina said with a catch in her voice and ran off suddenly.

“Damn, I wanted to see Carmody smack her silly” said Achmed as he and Lilly joined the two girls. Carmody grinned and released her grip on the cricket bat she had been reaching for.

Lilly and Achmed were standing so close to each other their hands and shoulders were nearly touching. Sarah and Carmody shared a private glance and then Carmody spoke up.

“So, Lilly, I never did tell you what Achmed said to me down in the computer room..” she began and Achmed suddenly screamed and rushed to clamp his hands over her mouth. She dodged nimbly away and the pair of them started running between the other students, leaving a perplexed Lilly standing beside an amused Sarah.

“Aren’t you four supposed to be going to the Testing Centre today?” asked Eric. He appeared without warning behind them and both girls jumped in surprise.

“Will you please stop using your Ninja skills to sneak up on us!” demanded Sarah and gave him a whack on the arm. Disappointingly for her he barely registered the hit and did not even try to dodge it.

“Maybe I need to teach you more observation skills” he countered. “They will be required when we are sent on our next mission”

“Really! A mission” squealed Lilly and literally clapped her hands together with excitement. Sarah just rolled her eyes at her friend, hiding her own feelings with an air of feigned indifference.

“Is that so?” Sarah said dismissively. “Another threat to the world that only my steam dragon and I can solve?”

Eric grinned at her and Sarah felt that strange sensation in her chest again. She never did talk it over with her mom.

“Something like that” he said.

=====

Archimedes Tower, Pan City

Jericho-Two walked down the long corridor that led to the central core of Archimedes. He was watched every step of the way by remote sensors and cameras, automated weapons tracking him relentlessly.

He arrived at the final barrier, a two meter thick armoured door that slowly swung open. Stepping inside he faced a column of quantum processors, their combined power giving shape to the artificial mind that was called Archimedes.

“Did you really need to summon me all the way down here?” asked Jericho-Two, a faint trace of annoyance detectable in his tone. “I have a lot of work, work you personally requested me to complete”

“This is the most secure chamber on the planet” said the voice of Archimedes, echoing from speakers set about the curved walls. “I want our discussion to be completely private”

“I understand, Archimedes” replied Jericho-Two and stood attentively in the spot designated for the rare visitors to this chamber. There were no chairs or tables for the comfort of attendees and the air was crisp, smelling of absolutely nothing.

“The Summoner Adept, Albright, has finally accepted my terms” said Archimedes, no hint of emotion in its cold voice. “He has given me such details as he knows regarding the Emissary and its master, the being known as the Abyss. Albright was given knowledge of how to summon very useful creatures from the Dark Side, creatures like the Doppel Gangers he used to trick the Guard”

“So Albright is now working for the Board of Governors?” asked Jericho-Two. “Will they accept an Adept that was once allied with the Abyss?”

“They would not accept him” Archimedes answered. “In fact he is to be executed for his crimes before the full Board next week, after a suitable trial”

“What?” demanded Jericho-Two.

“The execution will be completed on the two Doppel Gangers that Albright summoned already” Archimedes stated. “The real Albright will be given a new identity and put to work for me directly. As far as the Board of Governors and the public are concerned, the guilty parties will be tried and condemned”

“I see” Jericho-Two nodded. Once again, the super computer mind of Archimedes was already making plans so far into the future they were beyond even the comprehension of his Avatar.

He turned to leave, then spun back to face the core of Archimedes once again.

“What of the rival to our enemy, the being that calls itself Avalon?” he asked. “Has it offered us any aid? Has it even been in contact with you?”

Archimedes regarded the Avatar for a few seconds, lifetimes for the thought processes of an AI.

“It has sent me a single message via the quantum network” Archimedes finally answered. “It told me the Children of Avalon are awakening. They will be our salvation, provided we are wise enough to use them”

“Children of Avalon” repeated Jericho-Two. It made him think of something, a connection to the recent events. “Thank you Archimedes, I will return to the task you have set me”

The Avatar walked from the central core and began the long trek out of the depths that contained his master. He had a sombre expression on his face and it lasted the rest of the day.

The End