THE VROL TRILOGY (86 page)

The team found themselves in a large
office lined with mahogany and stone - very much unlike the
construction of the 29
^th
century. Draagh quickly lit some candles, lighting up the
expansive chamber as every looked around curiously.

"Father, this is your office in the Hub, is
it not?" asked Michael.

"Yes it is, my son. By navigating through the
Hub we can avoid the negative time shift and be back within
hours."

"Seriously? You knew this all along and still
you told Krynos that he could not come along?" cried Jennie.

"My dear Jennie, you have travelled with
Krynos, and while he has the best of intentions, he does tend to be
a bit overbearing. It is best we leave him to what he does best -
being King."

Father, I have input the Kamiliak coordinates
into my ghanlo, so we are ready whenever you are," said
Gabriel.

"My son, I will need a copy of your
coordinates, just in case any of us get split off from the
group."

"Yes, yes, of course," replied the archangel,
as he tapped some instructions into his infopanel.

"Fine, as we are all prepared, Luigi,
Michael, please travel with Gabriel. Jennie and Liliana shall
accompany me. We meet at the agreed coordinates. If we lose each
other we meet back here," said Draagh as he gently set his staff on
the ground.

4D Slipping out of the Hub did not create a
sphere of influence, as the spatial dynamics were different there.
Both groups left with mere popping sounds, and fortunately all
arrived at the same location - a rubble-strewn, post-apocalyptic
Los Angeles. Oddly enough, they all arrived near the same location
as Max had done only days earlier (for him). Fortunately, none
found themselves in a puddle of fetid muck, as they had made a
successful slip, unlike Max, who was pitched through space/time
like a wet ragdoll.

Liliana immediately knelt down and
touched the ground, and then lifting her head she sniffed the air.
The child was on full alert, and was taking the mission quite
seriously. Michael watched her with what was becoming great pride,
even though there was no genetic relation between the two. He had
called lesser-connected beings
family
before, and in the child he saw great
potential, plus a familial relationship to intertwine their
fates.

Jennie keenly scanned the horizon while
taking in all the scents, many of them different.

"Pops, things smell differently here - there
are bipedals that smell like… cats," exclaimed Jennie.

"They smell like ass."

"Lili! Watch your mouth!"

"Oh yes, my dear, There are numerous hominids
with which you are still yet unfamiliar. Once we have successfully
retrieved Max I shall make sure to educate you on some of the more
fascinating life forms that exist in the galaxy, and perhaps even
further out in other galaxies," said Draagh.

"I am going to check the surrounding area
from above," said Gabriel, as he let his impressive wings span
out.

"My son, do be careful. There are Vrol flyers
here, and although not very formidable in comparison to your
capabilities, they are able to inflict damage on someone who is not
paying attention," the ancient Primulus cautioned.

"Yes Brother, do be careful. We have yet to
enjoy together that honey mead which we had been promised," said
Michael, who looked on as Gabriel shot off into the sky.

Bagatelle was taking things quite differently
than Jennie, Liliana and Michael. He was very quiet and looking at
all of the rubble, attempting to identify anything nearby that
might maintain sentience. Smelling a female lycan, he grunted
slightly to his sister as he nodded his head in the scent's
direction. She looked over and nodded, slowly kneeling down and
putting her hand on her daughter's shoulder, prompting her up. The
three looked expectantly at Draagh and Michael, and the two
non-humans knew what the family wanted. The five moved in a
westerly direction, straight for the scent, but slightly to the
north.

"Should we not then flank the scent,
T
í
o? This
very well could prove to be battle," said Liliana, as Draagh
touched her shoulder and showed a kind smile.

"My dear, it is a singular scent, and we do
not want the individual to believe that we are hunting him by
coming in at angles," said Draagh.

"Her. It's a female," said Bagatelle.

"Yes, she is, I can tell," added Jennie.

"I can't smell anything except for sewage,"
complained Michael.

"All in good time, my son. All in good time,"
Draagh responded, bearing a sympathetic tone.

The group navigated around and over busted
concrete and rubble, taking care to avoid holes and rebar. Liliana
moved more like a cat than a canine. The child was so keyed up that
her heart was beating rapidly - partly out of excitement, but also
partly out of fear. She felt she had a lot to prove, and didn't
desire to make any errors of judgment, thus precluding herself from
being included in future missions.

As the five moved towards their target
they noticed (they, being everyone but Michael) that
she
didn't move - at all. It was as
if they were expected. When they got into visual range they saw a
cute, short-haired woman sitting on an old road divider. She wasn't
wearing shoes of any sort and seemed to be simply looking out over
the broken expanse of the once-great city.

"I would like to approach her, please,"
requested Liliana, only to have her mother forbid it.

"No sweetie, I think we should let your
t
í
o talk to
her. After all, he has been training for quite a while."

The little girl nodded in agreement. She
truly loved her uncle, and happily watched as he moved over the
lone female - trying not to startle her.

"Greetings. Do you speak English? My… name…
is… G."

"Hi! What's English?" asked the lycan female,
who had started to swing her legs rhythmically while curiously
fiddling with a bracelet around her wrist.

"English? Why, it's the language we are using
to speak to each other. Anyway, that's immaterial. My name is G.
What is your name? We mean no harm to anyone. We're travelers,
seeking a lost companion."

"G is a cool name. I like it. I'm Jessica.
Who are your friends?"

The rest of the team approached, Liliana in
the lead with a large smile on her face.

"This is my… family, actually - everyone,
please meet Jessica. This is my sister, Jennie, her daughter
Liliana, her father-in-law Michael and Michael's father,
Draagh."

"Greetings, my dear," Draagh said eloquently,
"we are on a mission of great importance, as we are-"

"Looking for Max. Yeah, I know," Jessica
blurted out unexpectedly.

"But… but, how did you know?" Jennie asked
excitedly, being totally surprised.

"You so totally smell like him it's almost
ridiculous! Well, and he also told us stories about his family. His
gorgeous wife, Jennie, he awesome daughter Liliana and his
grandfather Draagh. Michael was never mentioned though. Did you two
have a fight?"

Jennie blushed when Jessica said
gorgeous
, partly from the
compliment, but mostly that it confirmed what she already knew -
Max loved her, and even lost on another world he spoke of her
beauty.

"No, young Jessica, we have not fought - yet.
We simply have never met before."

"Oh wow! First time! This is cool. Hey! Wanna
surprise him? I know a couple of new tricks and could mask your
scents. Hahahaha, that would be so funny. You know, I was feeling
guilty about not being at his going away party, and… oh no."

Suddenly, Jessica got a panicked look on her
face.

"Uh-oh, we need to get going - now. Max is
going to leave soon. He's trying to find a way back home. Speaking
of that, he doesn't really know how he got here. Do you know?"

The ancient mage gave Jessica a thoughtful
smile.

"Yes my dear, we do. It was a great, tragic
error, but we finally found him. I shall be more than happy to
explain when we have reunited with him. Can you quickly take us to
his location, please?"

"Oh Jennie! I am the happiest girl in the
world! We will finally see my father!"

"Wow, you are super-adorable, you know that?
Max said you had to be seen in person to really understand,"
Jessica said to Liliana.

"It is a pleasure to meet you, Miss Jessica.
I am Liliana Gunnarsson, daughter of Max and Jennie. I am also a
lycan, like you, and a mage."

"Ooo, magic? I know a bit. You know, your
father taught me some, and how to cook also. We will be sad to see
him leave, but I am happy for him that you are all here."

Looking up at the crowd, Jessica dropped off
the broken divider upon which she was seated and started walking in
a westerly direction, motioning everyone to follow her. As they
moved on, Jennie thought to the team via their comm badges.

"
Is this
right? Can we trust her? She seems to be a bit of a… free
spirit."

"
Oh, she is
perfectly fine, my dear. She is a near-pure soul - not an ounce of
malice in her body. Let us move along, but still maintain
vigilance
," stated Draagh.

"Just keep an eye out for aliens. I haven't
seen any for quite a while, especially since Max performed surgery
on us and removed the demon…Vrol trackers, but still keep an eye
out for flyers and ground bugs. They can sneak up on you,"
cautioned Jessica, which prompted Jennie to pull her daughter
close.

"
Lili, stay
near me, sweetie,"

"
Oh Jennie,
you know I can take care of my
-"

"
Don't argue,
child!"

"Hey, you guys are using thought-speak,
aren't you? I can tell. Max showed us how to do it too," said
Jessica.

"Yes my dear, we are communicating
telepathically via some magical devices. You say that Max showed
you how to do it also?" asked the old mage.

"He has done a lot. He saved us from raids,
and just this morning from a Vrol experiment. If there ever was a
demon, this guy was it. He had a mouth in his stomach, and six legs
like a spider."

"Oh, that sounds fascinating, Jessica! What a
fight it must have been!" exclaimed the little girl.

"It was quite a fight, but unfortunately, a
child in our community died at the hands of the creature. But I'll
let Max tell you the whole story. Come on, we have to go through
here," said the lycan woman.

As the group moved across broken streets and
by burnt-out storefronts, Bagatelle thought it was odd that they
were travelling on foot to their destination.

"Draagh, why are we walking? Could you not
simply slip us to our destination?"

"Luigi, I very well could, but we are
numerous, Gabriel is off flying around somewhere and magic
particles here are a bit… broken. It seems as if many things work,
but a significant number of cantuses will not function properly.
Besides, I believe that Miss Jessica here is taking us on the same
route in which she and Max had initially travelled so many months
ago."

"Huh? Months? Max has only been here less
than a couple of weeks, sir," said Jessica.

"Oh yes, my apologies, young lady. You see,
when one travels through space and time not everything is equal.
Young Max lost six months on his trip here. He has been gone to us
for more than half a year."

Jessica looked at Jennie and her daughter and
tried to understand the anguish they must have been going through,
but looked forward and continued to guide the team over the ruins
of Hollywood, going down Sunset Boulevard on their way to Seven
Sins.

###

Gabriel shot through the sky like a bolt of
lightning, deftly avoiding any alien flyers. Scoping out the
ground, he saw that there was a ramshackle port where some ships,
mostly fishing vessels, were docked and floating languidly in the
ocean tide. Then soaring back over Santa Monica, he targeted his
family while coming down from out of the sun and landed on his
booted feet with a thundering crash, right in front of the team.
Jessica jumped back, falling into Draagh's arms, not having
expected anyone else to be in the area, especially someone with
wings.

"Father, there is a settlement just a couple
kilometers to the west. I have also identified a port which should
prove useful for the search for Marnn's ghanlo, if it indeed has
attempted to connect with my nephew."

Jessica stood, shocked. She had just seen a
leather-clad warrior with a wingspan of 4 meters slam down in front
of her without warning.

"What… what are you?" Jessica stammered.

"This is my uncle, Gabriel. You know,
Gabriel, the archangel?" answered Liliana.

"Ark… angel? Um, nope. No idea. But anyway,
hello," Jessica said, giving him a cute smile, and seeming to have
calmed down a bit.

"Gabriel, this settlement, what did it look
like?" asked Bagatelle.

"It seemed to be constructed around a
building, maybe a city center and place of worship. I am unaware of
the nature of the establishment."

"You're probably talking about Seven Sins,
our club," said Jessica.

"Seven sins, like the seven deadly sins?
Lust, gluttony, greed, sloth, wrath, envy and pride?" asked
Michael.

"Um, it's just the name of a club. We serve
drinks and provide entertainment, and will soon serve food, thanks
to Max teaching us how to cook things that don't taste like Vrol
dung."

"What kind of… entertainment are you talking
about?" asked Jennie.