~Jae, go get Jarre and Varus,~ Ari mind-spoke, the voice within her brother's head deathly calm, as the calm before a hurricane, and his eyes grew round as he saw her hazel orbs start to glow softly.
~I'm not leaving you here, Ari!! That man's dangerous!!~ Keigharia shook her head, her mind still calm, and the only indication that she was starting to anger the clenched fists she held at her sides. ~Jae, I'll be fine, alright?? Look, you've got to get Jarre and Varus, take them to the loading bay. Use whatever force you have to, and get us a ship.~ Ijael raised his eyebrows at his sister, his jaw dropping and shutting, as Umrinc watched, fascinated, though he could not for all his powers hear what the twins said to one another.
~A ship?? Do you know how hard it is going to be to get one of those?? And just how are we going to make it out of Port without the enemy shooting us down, or Umrinc taking us out of commission?? What exactly is your plan?? To get us killed?? I thought we were going to deal with the wizard before we-~ Keigharia's eyes blazed, her hair starting to rise as a cat's did whenever she was with fury, and she glared at her brother. ~Ijael, go get Jarre and Varus NOW!!~ The space where her brother's mass had occupied stood empty, and Keigharia felt her mouth fall open. "I ported him... I've never done that before." The words, uttered to herself, were still loud enough for the wizard to her. A grin appeared on his face as he smirked at the raven-haired young woman before him.
"Of course you can do that. You are powerful, you are what some would call a diamond in the rough, you and your brother both, though in my humble opinion, I would have to say that you are the true diamond. Now, what was it that you and-"
"You lied. Your explanation is weak, those ships didn't just beginning firing on us, not without provocation, which I know you instigated!! What did you do while you were supposedly up there with a delegation of peaceful salutations, hmm?? Don't tell me that you honestly talked to them about peace and such, and that all of a sudden, they declared war on our planet... your planet." Umrinc's false smile appeared pasted upon his face as he took a step forward, and Keigharia backed up unconsciously.
"My dear, such accusations from such a lovely woman. Your brother didn't see anything to be suspicious about. How could you possibly-" Keigharia broke in, her glowing eyes now visibly showing her wrath at she spat out, "do not my dear me, Umrinc!! I wanted Jae to leave before this started. I know everything!!" The man's smile dropped as he advanced forward, Keigharia backing up until her back was to a panel. "Stop right there." Her voice took the deadly calm, and Umrinc chuckled until he tried to move forward.
"Do you really think it wise to start this without your brother's gifts to protect you??" He glared at her, and she held his gaze, not dropping her eyes as she normally did, her fury propelling her on. "Oh, I have all the power I need, in case you haven't noticed." Umrinc's hand glowed as he tried to break the thick wall she'd built about herself, only to have his power blasted back on him at the touch of the impenetrable wall. He swore under his breath and tried again, with the same result. Keigharia stood there, arms crossed in front of her, waiting for him to finish his trials so that she could have his full attention while she spoke, as she had to get a few things cleared up immediately. His glowering face greeted her, signaling that she'd made a point.
"As I said, I know everything. How you took us from Ton'loran and Analyn, our parents, off another planet, didn't give them any alternative. I know all about that asinine riddle you applied to the situation, how even when my mother pleaded with you, her cries fell on your deaf ears. You locked us up several times when we displeased you, when all that would have been necessary to ensure our devotion was a little bit of caring tenderness on your part. However, you had too many plans, you were too impatient to have us up to full strength. What you didn't know was how full our strength could become, did you?? Ijael heard you that day when you were telling Masouna that he was getting suspicious, that our grandfather was the one genetically altered, and that we were a product of his genetic reproduction. For someone who has planned everything, you failed to take into account our shifts, and how that affects everything we do, whether it's walk, talk, see, hear, smell, or taste. We move with the grace of a stalking leopard, silently, we have for a long time, which you would have realized, if you'd just once looked at us as anything more than power conductors to bend to your will. If you'd looked at us as children to take under your wing, to act as father, or even uncle to, perhaps we wouldn't have despised you as much."
Umrinc had lost all semblance to anything kind-hearted, or caring, and he stood, growling at her, his eyes red with rage. "Come out from behind that wall and say that again, you wench!!" Keigharia let down the wall, eyes blazing, teeth bared as a cat would, her fingers shaped into claws, forgetting that she was human. Umrinc laughed at her, smirking, "now, let's see just what I can do," as he used his gifts to lift her high into the air by her throat, her hands bound by her sides.
Shaking his head, Ijael rose from the floor of Jarre's living room, muttering a curse towards his sister's landing skills.
"Change of plans... we leave tonight, within the next few hours." The stunned look of both men at the appearance of the dark-haired shifter was apparent in their faces as he moved to relocate his feet beneath him. Jarre stepped forward, worry evident on his lightly tanned features.
"What?? Wait, where's Rave... Ari??" Wincing as he rubbed the hip he'd been dropped on, he wrinkled his nose in thought, as though he were trying to analyze just what had happened.
"Well, she... she kinda ported me here, with you guys." He began to move things about with his mind, as though it bothered him little, though his hands were visibly shaking in a way he didn't remember them doing before that moment.
"She did what??" Varus asked, as the three men rushed about, grabbing the supplies they'd accumulated for such an escape as this. "That wasn't part of the plan, was it??" Jarre acted as though he was going to come undone, as worry stroked adrenaline. Items flew about the heads of the three men, all of which controlled a portion of, adding to the chaos in the room. The doors of the enclosed breezeway adjoining Jarre's spacious apartment with Varus's equally commodious one were open on either end, and components darted back and forth through it as if of their own free will, such was the atmosphere.
"She ported me here, telling me to get to a ship, get everything ready. She's there now, facing Umrinc herself!! I knew something set her off, when I called her from the bathing room, I think she had a vision. However, the last thing I expected her to do was to face Umrinc alone. I don't even know where we were... one of that darned Umrinc's assistants led us through a maze which I had never been through before, with so many twists and turns that there would have been no way to retrace our steps should we try!!" Jarre growled in frustration. "So, what are we supposed to do?? Wait while she gets herself killed?? She's not strong enough to handle him on her own, is she??" Ijael shrugged, a bit beside himself.
"I don't know, I honestly don't. She's been working on her gifts every spare moment she's not at work or with you. She locks herself in her personal quarters for hours on end, and when she emerges, she appears to have drained herself of all energy. She trudges to the kitchen, grabs an energy bar, and heads back in there again. All I can tell you is that with the energy coming from that room, I'm really surprised that Masouna or Umrinc himself didn't come to check. I hope she knows what she's doing." He sighed, as the last of the flying objects landed in the large valises the three men held. Ijael had ported everything from his sister's room not larger than a desk, bookcase, or chair from her room, and packed whatever he thought she'd need, not that it was truly hard, as she'd had everything she thought she'd need gathered ever since they'd come up with the plan.
"Alright, I think we have everything... let's clear out of here before Umrinc has a moment to think to send someone for me. He doesn't know where I am, I don't think, but I'm sure that he'll search here first." He swore under his breath as the three headed for Varus' Vettura, which was the larger of the two the brothers owned. Ijael couldn't get the valises in the car fast enough, and when Varus put it into drive, complained the whole way about going faster. "If I go any faster, someone's going to stop us for sure, and the last thing we need is more people on our tail than we're already going to have when we break into the space port. And unless you've been practicing like your sister, then I think that combining our gifts will leave us too drained to get this done quickly. Just let me drive, and you worry about how we're going to make off with a ship large enough to hold all the food and other supplies we're going to need."
Traffic was rerouted three times before they finally made it close enough to the space port to ditch the Vettura and still get everything in. Varus handed out the weapons he'd acquired, various knives to be strapped to legs and arms, electric zappers, and small hand stun-guns. "I don't even want to know where you got this stuff, Varus, I'm just glad you did." The older man nodded. "Fine. Let's just say it comes in handy when you date the daughter of a weapons-crafter."
Varus then handed each man a com-unit to hook to their shoulders, with the talk button able to be pressed with a flick of power. All three set their coms to the same frequency, tested to be sure, and looked at one another. Jarre kept flexing his hands, a sure sign that he was nervous, and too high on adrenaline. Varus took a deep breath, let it out, then faced his young brother, putting a hand on his shoulder.
"Jarre, we're not going to help Ari any if we mess this up, or get ourselves killed. Calm down. You know what you gotta do, so do I, and so does Jae, so let's do what we have to, get Ari out, and then get out of here, to wherever the two of them are from." Rojarre nodded, taking a deep, calming breath, and replied, "alright, let's do this." All three flexed their fingers, popped their necks, slipped the large trench coat-styled jackets over their weaponed bodies, and, as though their spines were full of steel, moved as three through the throngs of people, ignoring the screaming of the crowds to save them. Mission on hand, they split up, each brother taking enough valises until Jae only carried one, as he would need use of that other hand without the encumbrances of having to drop cases.
If there is a God, please let Ari be alright, he thought, as he tried to access her mind and found it blocked. People may not have recognized him, with the sunglasses and trench coat, that made him appear larger than he was, but the pulses of power that moved off his body was enough to cause the throngs to back off, whether conscious of doing so or not. He made it to the front of the pack, signaled to both that he was nearly in, and proceeded, using his gifts to unlock the doors to the port. The horde debated on following him in, or staying away from the power, and the former won out. Guards stormed out of the Port, prodding people back with electric prodders like earth people used on cattle to get them to move where they wanted to.
Ijael was about to help when he realized that this mob would be more of a help than a hinder. Mentally pressing his com unit, he spoke, loud enough for the unit to pick up, though now enough for anyone close enough to distinguish from the rest of the noise. "Change of plans guys. The mob that just shoved their way in... let them!! Render any impeding guard unconscious, but, unless in physical danger, let the people stay, don't harm them!! Things are working in our favor!!" Thanking the heavens above, he moved through the crowds, as fast as they would let him, and eased his way to the side, where he knew there to be a door to a hall leading to the registration area for docking.
No sooner did he touch the handle than he heard the electronic zzzp of a prod headed his way. He turned only seconds before the thing his, raising his own to counter it. The guard was unprepared for this, and in the split second it took for him to orient himself, Ijael had the electric to his neck, pressing the button that released the current. The man slumped as the force of electric, on the highest setting, hit his nerves. Ijael pulled on the door, finding it locked, and sent out ‘feelers', trying to determine what the lock on the other side of the door looked like. It only took him a matter of moments to jimmy the lock, and another touch to his com let the others know that he was in, and their part of the plan, the actual loading bay dismemberment, could commence.
Running at breakneck speed, he wished that he'd the natural ability that his sister had with his shift. The shifting in and out, once she'd figured the basis out, had come easily to her, and now he found himself praying that he'd remember how to trigger this, with only one night of practice, while she'd been in the bathing room. Taking a deep breath, he stopped running, and thought about how it felt to be leopard, trying to remember how he'd become human after that first time. Alright, how did I do it?? As if she'd heard him, Keigharia's voice came to him. ~All you have to do is see what a leopard sees, want to see and be just like that, and then let it happen.~ He knew that was her voice then, not just a memory, for she'd not explained how to get out of the shift. ~Ari!!!!~ but she was gone from his mind, almost ripped from it.
"Guys, we've got to hurry. Ari just explained to me how to shift, and... I think her mind was ripped from mine!! It felt like someone was trying to remove one of my limbs!! We've got to double-time this!! I'm gonna shift, and I should be able to hear you still, just now answer." Hearing acquiescence from both sides, he strapped the valise on his back and concentrated, trying to remember how the leopard's vision had made even the smooth leather of their sofa appear ridged, and his body complied, moving, changing shape, glowing a soft brown until he was in the cat's body.
Unencumbered by the human's ungainly body, the leopard sprung forward, racing though the hallway, through the very depths of the Port itself. Various guards along the way attempted to stop him, but one look at the teeth, claws, and size of the one hundred and seventy pounds of muscular cat, most of them backed off. The ones that didn't, Ijael simply plowed down, having no time for games or formalities. He had to get to his sister, and this appeared to be the only means he had access to.
The Culmination
