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Prologue
Nightmare had to lose. That was now the overriding concern
in my life. A simple goal, really. But, like everything else that had once been
simple in my life, there were complications. How does one defeat something that
even the Faeries had trouble with? How in Neopia could I fight something that
I wasn't even sure existed in the same way I did?
How in Neopia? Perhaps that was the wrong question
to ask.
End of Prologue
Location: Sabreur's House
Time: 11:27 am NST
Nightmare had messed with family. Nobody messes with family.
Throughout the party, that thought ran through
my head. Each package was like a reminder to me of what I could lose if Nightmare
succeeded. I suppose I should have been depressed, but I wasn't. Surrounded
by friends and family, all smiling and wishing me the best, it was impossible
not to smile. Unfortunately, I had work to do, so all to soon the celebrations
were cut short.
"I've got one last gift for you," Kiddo said
as the other guests filed out of the house.
"Can it wait?" I replied. "I'm really grateful
for this, but I don't have a lot of time left if I'm going to find a way to
stop Nightmare."
"Trust me," Kiddo replied. "Besides," she continued,
"this won't take long." She motioned towards Infernus, who had produced a long,
narrow box when I wasn't looking. He handed it to me, smiling.
"Oh all right," I muttered, failing to suppress
a grin. I tore through the red wrapping paper that covered the box and opened
it. Inside lay a fire sword. Kiddo smiled.
"I know it's not that great, but you seem to
like fire..." She shrugged and continued, "I didn't realize you were about to
break you old one, but I thought you might like a new sword to tinker with."
I picked up the sword and swung it in the air a few times to get the feel. Fire
swords are fairly low-power Battledome weapons, but Kiddo was right - I did
like fire, and I needed a new sword. A sudden realization hit me.
"Kiddo, you're a genius!" I cried, nearly jumping
into the air.
"What!? What'd I do?" Kiddo looked at me as
if I'd gone insane.
"When I fought Nightmare last, he destroyed
my sword. I didn't think much of it at the time, but that sword is the only
thing that went with me into the dream world. We already know that things in
the dream world can affect things in the real world - I think it works both
ways! If I can build an awesome sword here in the real world, I can take it
with me next time I fight Nightmare!" I gazed happily at the fire sword. Infernus
walked up to me, and looked at the sword as well.
"Do you suppose," he said, looking up at me,
"there's a reason the sword went with you but nothing else did?" I looked at
him, confused. He paused, thinking, then continued, "I think the sword went
with you to the dream world because swords are such a big part of your life.
You practice with swords all the time, you research them, you build them in
your lab - swords are a part of you." He patted the blade. "You're really big
on fire, too. A fire sword is perfect for you." I smiled.
"Yeah, that makes sense," I said. "But there's
still a problem. Nightmare is incredibly strong. I'm going to need something
more durable... I've got it!" Kiddo and Infernus looked at me, clearly puzzled.
"Pack up, Infernus! We're going to the Virtupets
Space Station!"
Location: Neopia Central Launch Pad 3
Time: 12:45 pm NST
"Will you please explain to me why we're doing this?" Infernus complained
as we strapped ourselves into our seats.
"Trust me," I smugly replied, securing my backpack
underneath the seat. A mechanical voice blared over the intercom.
"All passengers prepare for takeoff. Arrival
at Virtupets Space Station in approximately 2 hours, 34 minutes. Please ensure
that all carryon luggage is safely stowed under the seats or locked in the overhead
bins. If you need assistance, press the button above you and an attendant will
be with you shortly."
I watched as a green Grundo in a pilot's uniform
walked into the cockpit of the craft. Due to regular visits to the Station's
laboratories, I was no stranger to space travel. This was fortunate, as it meant
we wasted little time in acquiring tickets and making preparations. I settled
myself in and looked out the window, watching the ground crews preparing the
craft for takeoff.
"Hello again, Sabreur." I jumped a little in
my seat. I turned around to see the man in gray seated across from me. His Scorchio
sat by the window, silently watching the activity outside.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to startle you," the
man in gray smiled, then looked at me oddly. "You aren't following me by any
chance?" he asked, "Because we seem to run into each other fairly often."
"No, not at all," I replied, slightly angry
that I had been so easily surprised. "I just have some business to attend to
at the space station."
"Ah," the man in grey nodded, apparently satisfied
with my answer.
"Listen, there's something I've been wondering,"
I began, about to ask the man in grey for his name.
"Let me ask something first," the man in grey
interrupted. "I've heard the rumors floating around. I did some research, and
I found out about this Nightmare character. He's after you isn't he?" I nodded.
The man in gray continued, "That's too bad. You seem like a nice guy, you don't
really deserve something like this happening to you." He looked up at the ceiling.
"You know, if I was in your situation, I don't think I could do it. Fight Nightmare,
I mean. It seems pretty hopeless. All told, if I were you I'd just go up to
the Virtupets station - and stay there. No one could blame you really - the
odds don't look good for you." The intercom came to life again.
"All passengers, this is the final call for
flight 831z to the Virtupets Space Station Reconstruction Zone. Please check
your tickets and ensure that you are on the correct flight." The man in gray
jumped out of his seat.
"Reconstruction Zone? We're on the wrong flight!
Come on, we need to get off!" he said, gesturing towards his Scorchio. Together,
they got up and left the plane, leaving me no opportunity to ask them anything.
A mere minute after they left, I felt the engines kick in, pushing me back into
my seat. I smiled. No matter how many times I felt it, I always loved takeoff.
:::::::::: END OF FILE: INCIDENT9.TXT ::::::::::
To be continued...
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