Enigmatic Fantasies - The Pure Jewel of the Valley Part 1 [#200]

Part 2: [link] 

Part 3: [link]

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           The wanderer, garbed in hood and cloak, approached the small village. Their legs ached from long travel, and their stomach craved sustenance. The tiny town was surrounded by farmland on all sides. A single dirt road ran through the center. Yet, the farms appeared empty at the moment. The endless fields of rice and wheat left unattended as some kind of gathering had begun in the village.                 

           The wanderer’s presence went unnoticed as they slipped into town through the small crowds. It appeared some kind of offering was about to take place. Piles of money, crates of fabrics, and other goods were stacked at the village’s entrance. This detail quickly slipped the wanderer’s mind as a pleasant smell hit their nostrils.

           Following the scent, the wanderer found themselves in a small hall with a large table. Laid out across the table was a grand banquet, grand for a small village, at least. The wanderer pulled down their hood to reveal her long, flowing red hair and sharp red eyes. Her face was covered with dust and grime from her long journey. She took a moment to pull out a small canteen of water to clean her face and hands before sitting down at the banquet table. Almost delirious from hunger, her body moved automatically. She sank her teeth into the numerous dishes of meat, vegetables, and rice.

           Unbeknownst to the wanderer, the villagers had continued preparing their offering. They came to a sudden stop when a pair of villagers on lookout announced someone was approaching. The villagers swiftly gathered in line. The manic activity of preparing the offering gave way to total silence. Coming over a nearby hill, on a direct line for the village, was not a king, or lord, not a bandit or monster, but a single woman in a spotless silk kimono. Her hair was long and silver, her eyes a piercing yellow. The mysterious woman strolled slowly, each step measured and ladylike. She only stopped to occasionally cool herself with a paper fan.

           The villagers went from actively silent to holding their breath. Sweat trickled down each of their foreheads as the woman grew closer. Finally, the strange woman took a step into the village and stopped dead in her tracks. Her eyes traced over every figure in the crowd, searching with intent. Her pupils dilated as she did not find what she wanted.

           “Where is he?” The woman demanded, her voice like a song, but the words were carried by the flames of passion.

           “I promise you,” the village leader stepped forward, “the man you seek is not here. He so wished to meet with you, but something called him to the next town over. In repentance, he has left gifts.” The leader pointed to the gathered offering. “He even prepared a grand feast by himself, just for you,” the village leader gestured to the small hall.

           “Oh, my love, my darling, always so thoughtful,” the woman swooned. “Take me to the hall. I wish to partake in this grand feast.” The village leader led the woman forward through the crowd. Each villager watched the sight, their bodies rigged with fear. The woman paid them no mind, her gaze locked on the small hall.

           “It is here,” the leader bowed to the woman and opened the door to the hall, “it took three days to...Oh, no.” The leader’s face paled as he saw the grand banquet that the village had prepared was gone. Not vanished, but eaten in its entirety. Sat at the table where the food was once held was the wanderer. She whipped off her mouth after having consumed the whole feast. Her body was somewhat bloated, yet not nearly as much as one would expect for having eaten enough food to feed the entire village.

           “Where is the feast? Did you lie to me?” The mystery woman grew enraged at the villager leader until she noticed the wanderer at the table. “No, it is worse than I thought, an affair with my beloved? You witch, you fiend!”

           “Hmm? What was that?” The wanderer finally noticed their presence. “I’m sorry, was this yours?”

           The mystery woman did not reply with words. Instead, her body erupted into a great blue flame. The village leader ran for his life and escaped with second-degree burns along his back. The silver-haired woman’s body was wrapped further by blue flame until it formed into the shape of a serpent. The woman had disappeared into the fires. All that could be seen was a monster.

           “What have I gotten myself into this time?” The wanderer exclaimed as she dashed away. The small hall was consumed by fire and burnt to ash in an instant. The wanderer escaped just as the building combusted, her cloak turned to cinders. The wanderer stood up, revealing her outfit, a simple short-sleeved shirt, long pants, and black boots. A garb fit for light travel on the road, and easy to move in as well.

           “You who would seduce my love, know my fury, know my pain!” The mystery woman roared, her voice distorted and monstrous, as though the serpent of flame spoke and not a dainty woman. The serpent charged the wanderer, jaw opened wide and ready to bight down. The redhead narrowly dodged the assault, rolling to the side.

           “So, you’re a sorceress as well?” The wanderer asked but received no reply but another attack from the flaming serpent. “If so, then I’ll have to respond in kind.” The wanderer gathered her own fire, which burned bright red, and released it in a single explosion. The serpent was stunned and dispersed, revealing the silver-haired woman, floating amidst the flames.

           “My flames burn bright like my love. My fires are as hot as my passion. You shall be burned to cinders seductress,” the mystery woman gathered the flames again into an even more immense fire serpent.

           “Can all you do is burn things?” The wanderer inquired before vanishing in the blink of an eye. “I’m over here,” she appeared several meters away, further out of town.

           “You shall not flee. I will give you no chance!” The mystery woman chased the wanderer.

           “Good luck with that,” the wanderer continued to teleport away, the silver-haired woman right on her tail. The villagers watched in awe and terror as the path of destruction carved its way into the countryside.

           “What now? Will she simply rampage forever?” A villager asked.

           “We must hope she’ll accept an offering from another village,” the village leader replied, “all we can do now is hope.”

           “What’s her problem?” The entire village turned to see the wanderer had appeared in the middle of them.

           “You, do you have any idea what you have done, outsider,” the village leader exclaimed.

           “No, that’s why I’m asking,” the wanderer answered.

           “How did you escape from her? You ran off into the countryside,” a villager pointed out.

           “Oh, that was an illusion, basic magic trick,” the wanderer revealed. “So was that food for her? If so, sorry about that, I hadn’t eaten in days and just ate the first real food I could find.”

           “Outsider, you speak too casually. You have brought down a terror onto our land,” the village leader yelled. “That feast was to appease that monster that walks like a woman. Now she may torch all the land for as long as ten days and ten nights until she hopefully forgets this offense.”

           “I get it, I get it, this is my fault,” the wanderer held up her hands defensively. “I made a mistake, so I’ll fix it. I’ll stop this terror of yours, and you guys don’t have to run me out of town.”

           “You think it a simple task to slay that monster just because she appears as a fragile woman?” The village leader snapped. “If it were so, we would have done it long ago.”

           “I didn’t say that,” the wanderer shook her head. “She may be great and dangerous, but so am I. I’m a sorceress after all.”

           “No matter what sorcery you posses, it shall not protect you from that monster,” the village leader declared.

           “We’ll see about that,” the wanderer smiled. “But you still haven’t answered my question. What is her problem?” The village leader went silent. His eyes betrayed a rapid thought process, but his mouth would not repeat the words, as though they were cursed.

           “I’ll tell you,” one of the villagers stepped forward. She was an old woman covered in burn scars. The other villagers gave her a wide berth as she approached the wanderer. “I shall tell you the monster’s tale, but know this. I shall only tell you once.”

           “Fine by me,” the wanderer nodded and followed the old woman to an unremarkable, little shack at the edge of town. The wood was ancient and rotted, and the structure looked ready to fall apart at any moment. There was only enough room for a single table that rested only a few inches off the floor. The table was barely big enough for the two women to sit around it.

           “Take this,” the old woman set a small cup of tea down for the wanderer.

           “Thank you,” the wanderer accepted the gesture. “So, what is the deal with that mystery woman?”

           “Her story stretches back many years,” the old woman explained. “I will tell you what I know, from my own memory. It is not a story I speak of lightly.”

           “That’s fine, lay it on me,” the wanderer challenged.

           “Very well,” the old woman took a sip of tea and sat for a moment, gathering her thoughts. “Many years ago, in a village that no longer exists, there was a young woman. She had no special talents, no great aspirations, nor did she hold any special titles. Yet, the whole region knew of her grace and beauty, for she was Kiyomi, the Pure Jewel of the valley...”

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Look forward to part 2, coming next week. Oh, and happy Thanksgiving!

Until next time, Read, Comment and Enjoy 

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Eclectic Narratives - Interview with a Part-time Supervillain [#199]

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         “Welcome back to the First Panel! Where we interview all your favorite personalities from around the world,” the blonde man on the stage announced to a clapping crowd. “I’m your host, Steven Stephen, and we’ve got an extra special guest tonight.” The camera panned to the far side of the stage. “From the shallows of the east coast, it’s the part-time Supervillain we all know and...ahem...fear, Crab Man!”

           Emerging from backstage came a man dressed in a frayed lab coat and glasses—his frazzled graying hair in line with the stereotypical mad scientist. A giant, mechanical crab claw replaced his right arm, which he displayed for all the crowd to see. “Thank you, thank you,” he waved to the crowd as he approached the host. “It’s great to be here, Steve. Can I call you Steve?”

           “No problem,” Steve shook hands with Crab Man before sitting down at a large wooden desk. “So, Crab Man, how goes the life of a part-time supervillain?”

           “Ah, it’s the usual,” the villain sat down in a leather chair. “Petty crimes, heroes stopping you at every turn, experiments gone wrong, those sorts of things.”

          “I see,” Steve nodded. “I hear you just got released on bail after your latest encounter with Amphibious Man. Can you tell us the full story behind that?”

           “I’m always ready to monologue about my greatest nemesis,” Crab man declared. “It all began a few short weeks ago; I was raiding those large fishing vessels to steal their catches. I had finally perfected my telepathic crab control helmet, and was the theft was going to be the first field test. Of course, Amphibious Man showed up immediately. Turns out he was friends with the ship’s captain and had swum up to the ship that morning to say hi. My army of crabs should have swarmed and destroyed him in an instant. Sadly, crabs aren’t the fastest creatures. Amphibious Man merely walked up to me and smashed my helmet before the crabs could attack.”

           “Sounds like a lot of bad luck,” Steve commented.

           “Oh, you have no idea,” Crab Man exclaimed. “The worst part was sitting on deck tied to the mast until the coast guard showed up. It took them hours to find us. Mainly because they had to wade through a mile or so of crabs that scattered after my telepathic control helmet broke.”

           “Really?” Steve’s interest was piqued. “If you don’t mind me asking, was there any ecological impact from that influx of crabs?”

           “Well, I haven’t been back to see for myself,” Crab Man shrugged, “but my guess is yes. I’m planning on avoiding the beaches near there for a while.”

           “Aren’t you concerned you’ll be held responsible for any potential damages from the ecological impact?” Steve inquired.

           “Not if my lawyer has anything to say about it,” Crab Man replied.

           “Okay, let’s change the subject,” Steve shifted gears. “What’s your opinion on the country’s economy?”

           “Invest more in the marine sciences and fishing,” Crab Man answered.

           “Alright,” Steve nodded, “tell us, why do you call yourself a part-time supervillain?”       

           “Because that’s exactly what I am,” Crab Man explained. “I really only picked up the supervillain bit as a side job at first, mainly to fund my research.”

           “Oh, and what kind of research was that?” Steve asked.

           “The reproductive habits of starfish,” Crab Man replied.

           “That’s not what I expected,” Steve was surprised.

           “I don’t blame you,” Crab Man sighed. “The crab theme was sort of incidental, but it’s my thing now, and I’ll wear it proudly.”

           “Sounds good,” Steve smiled. “We’ve got a little more time. Anything you’d like to say to the audience?”

           “Stay in school and always eat breakfast,” Crab Man turned the audience.

           “You heard it heard first folks,” Steve laughed. “Stay tuned. After the break, we’ll have another special guest, Zarn, Emperor of Darkness. And now a word from our sponsors.” The camera panned away from the stage. Crab Man and Steve continued to chat, but their audio was replaced by the talk show’s main theme. This continued for a few moments before it cut to commercial.

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I don't have any sappy pseudo-philosophy for this one, I just wrote this out on a whim. Honestly, I want to revisit these concepts and try something else with them. I'll keep Crab Man, but maybe next time it won't be a talk show, I need to think about this...

Until next time, Read, Comment and Enjoy 

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Support me on Patreon: [link]

Strange Sci-fi Tales - Those Tiny Girls, Part 2

Part 1 [link]

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           The last thing to grab on Allison’s checklist was her toolbox. It was the most essential item to bring. However, it was so bulky it was best to save it as the last thing to grab on her way out the door. The redhead noted the box felt a little heavier than usual; but, the thought quickly exited her mind with the task at hand taking priority.

           Allison and two of the radar girls rushed into the blizzard. The last girl was left behind to monitor the radar while they were away. While the storm outside was harsh, the girls powered through the ice and snow. They quickly found their way to the building that contained the antenna. After prying the frozen, steel door open, they promptly shut it behind them. The trio didn’t strip off their coats as the structure was only somewhat warmer than the exterior.

           The tower that contained the antenna was a cylindrical structure that stretched up for hundreds of meters. A system of ladders and platforms circled around it. Each granted access to numerous systems, panels, and reading that displayed the health of the antenna. The antenna itself was a massive steel construction and showed no signs of severe damage or wear.

           “You, first third,” Allison pointed at one of the radar girls. “You, second third,” she told the next, “I’ll handle the top.” The three scattered to their own sections of the antenna’s tower. Normally, they could use their wings to fly to the top, but the cold weather discouraged such practices and forced them to climb.

           After a quick once over of the antenna, all its systems, and panels, the three convened in the structure’s central shaft, albeit on separate floors. “Did you find anything?” Allison yelled from the highest floor.

           “I told you we found nothing last time, and I guess what? I found nothing this time,” the first radar girl on the lowest floor replied.

           “Same, nothing was wrong. Everything looked to be running smoothly for the most part,” the second radar girl on the middle floor answered.

           “What do you mean for the most part?” Allison asked.

           “Well one of the panels had a weird reading, but it was within acceptable limits,” the second girl explained.

           “Every little detail matters,” Allison commented, “I’m coming down there.” The girl rushed down to the middle floors, toolbox in hand. “Well, what’s the problem?” Allison arrived in record time.

           “Well, it’s this one,” the second girl pointed to a panel with dozens of readings on it. “It’s supposed to keep track of some power lines, but a few of the readings are a little lower than usual. Not enough to be an issue, and they kind of flit back and forth between being fine and being low.”

           “That sounds like a sensor issue,” Allison deduced. “Give me a sec,” she discarded her coat and expanded her wings. The mechanical girl flew down below the platform they were standing on. She found another panel with the sensor she was looking for. After prying it open and fiddling with the electronics, she got the system working again. “I was right,” Allison returned, “the sensor needed a quick reboot, so what does it read now?”

           “Not good,” the radar girl went pale, “one of the lines is producing under half its normal power. It looks like it works fully sometimes, but most of the time it’s not putting out nearly enough energy.”

           “Just great,” Allison flew back down to the sensor and traced the power lines running to it. Each of the cables ran into a wall through a narrow gap. “Are you kidding me? No wonder you never found anything; you can’t actually see the problem,” Allison exclaimed. “Who thought it was a good idea to have power lines out of sight like this?”

           “I think there’s a panel to reach in from the outside,” the radar girl on the lower floor commented.

           “We can’t get there in this blizzard,” Allison pointed out. “We’d get blown away or freeze,” she returned to the platform with the second radar girl. “How could we possibly get in...Hmm?” Allison noticed her toolbox shaking and moving around on its own. “Don’t tell me,” she popped open the box to find Dee, Ver, and Mera inside.

           “Hi, Allison,” Dee greeted the larger girl.

           “I don’t even know how I got here,” Ver rubbed her sleepy eyes.

           “It was Dee’s idea,” Mera passed the buck.

           “You guys again?” The second radar girl grew annoyed.

           “No wait, this is a blessing in disguise,” Allison smiled. “Ver, do you want to make up for what happened before?”

           “Of course, I do!” Ver jumped to attention.

           “Alright then, you three come with me,” Allison picked up her toolbox with the three small girls still contained inside.

~--~

           The three tiny girls crawled into the narrow gap. Their small size allowed them to fit comfortably through the opening into the wall’s slightly wider interior. They followed the power line until they reached a small panel that the lines ran through. Ver quickly popped it open and found the issue immediately. The board controlling the flow of power through the panel had fallen out of place. This was clearly indicated by a couple of decayed screws falling out as soon as the panel was opened.

           “Allison can you see this?” Mera trained her camera lens on the panel. While her video feed was transmitted back on its own, her voice was being broadcasted through Dee’s radio.

           “Yeah, I can,” Allison replied through Dee’s speakers. “Should be an easy fix. Nothing looks seriously damaged. Just turn off that switch to the right, and Ver can screw the board back in.”

           “Alright,” Mera replied. She and Dee moved over to the box’s right side and tugged on the metal switch. For their size, it was a difficult, but not impossible, task to pull it down and cut off the flow of electricity to the panel. Meanwhile, Ver pulled out some spare screws from a little bag that Allison lent her.

           “This shouldn’t be hard,” Ver screwed the board back into place. A satisfying click indicating that it had settled right back into place.

           “Now switch it back on,” Allison ordered; Dee and Mera quickly obliged. “Alright, is it looking better on your end?” Allison radioed the radar girl who remained back at the bunker.

           “Still not quite there,” the girl replied, “it’s better, but we’re still missing some power. Hurry though the fleet is going to be here in the next-” She was suddenly cut off.

           “Dang it, the storm’s picking up,” Allison noted the wind had grown louder and beat against the tower’s walls. “Mera’s feed is going bad too,” the redhead noticed the video becoming mostly static.

           “What do we do?” Ver began to panic.

           “The panel is on, so watch it close,” Allison began. “If I’m correct about what model it is, then it shows the flow of power through its circuits using a flowing yellow light. But, if the light is red anywhere, that means there’s a problem.”

           “Oh, I see it,” Ver noticed three points where the flow of power turned red, each at a crucial junction.

           “Okay, in the little baggy are a few gold wires,” Allison explained. “They’re basically a band-aid for panels like this. Just stick them over the problem spot, and they’ll remedy the problem for a bit. Be careful so that you don’t-” Allison’s voice was cut off as the storm grew even worse outside.

           “That’s not good,” Dee shivered as the metal around them creaked from the force of the winds.

           “Got to work fast. The fleet is coming,” Ver quickly snatched up the gold wires.

           “Let’s switch it off again, so you do n’t-Eeek,” Mera slipped from her position as the tower began to sway in the flow of the storm. Dee tumbled away as well, their small size betraying them as the building shook.

           “Got to hold on,” Ver wedged her screwdriver hand into the wall to keep herself stable. “Forget the switch. I need to put these on.” The tiny girl carefully applied the gold wires to the trouble spots. Like Allison’s metaphor described, they stuck on like band-aids. “Last one,” Ver put the last wire on before slipping from her perch and falling after her companions. The trio tumbled down through the interior of the wall, which grew alarmingly steeper. Finally, they dropped out of the narrow gap, only to be caught by Allison.

           “We need to leave now,” Allison exclaimed as she stuffed the trio back inside her toolbox. She grabbed her coat and flew back to the tower’s entrance. She and the two radar girls fled the building with haste as it finally bent over too far and fell. Allison raced back to the bunker as the storm grew to further terrifying speeds. The three mechanical girls, plus the three tiny girls, made it back to the bunker in record time. Although, each was more than a little frostbitten.

           “Are you guys okay?” The last radar girl greeted them at the entrance.

           “We’re sorry we couldn’t-” Allison coughed. “We couldn’t fix it in time.”

           “What are you talking about? It worked for a moment, at least,” the radar girl explained. “There was the brief window where everything went back to full power, and I blasted the emergency signal to the fleet. The signal may have cut out at the end, but that’s all the more reason for them to investigate.”

           “Wait, that means,” Allison realized as she pulled open the toolbox. “Ver, did you?”

           “I stuck them on like you asked,” Ver saluted with her screwdriver hand.

           “You saved us, little one,” Allison smiled warmly.

           “Aw, well, Mera and Dee helped too,” Ver blushed while Allison hugged her tightly.

~--~

           Just as the radar girl predicted, the main fleet investigated the emergency signal within a cycle. The sight of the destroyed antenna was not pleasing to them. But, upon learning what had happened for them to even get the emergency signal, they changed their tune. The girls stationed at the bunker would be relocated to a more temperate portion of the planet. While that happened, some off-planet engineering experts would sort out the antenna’s repairs. However, before all that could occur, Ver was in line for some special praise.

           “For going above and beyond your programming. As well as ensuring the safety of your colony, however small,” a captain from the main fleet praised Ver, Dee, and Mera. “I award each of you with the Dawn Heart Medal.” The three tiny girls were each decorated with a heart-shaped golden medal. Dee was giddy; Mera tried to hide her excitement while Ver blushed from all the attention. All the mechanical girls in attendance clapped for the three. Even the radars girls celebrated the tiny girls’ victory.

           After the captain stepped back, the radar girl who yelled at Ver initially approached the three. “I’m sorry for yelling at you last cycle, Ver,” the radar girl apologized.

           “It’s fine, I screwed up,” Ver brushed it off.

           “Come on, don’t be like that, let me apologize, you little,” the radar girl pinched Ver’s cheek. Wrapped up in their little comedic routine, neither noticed the captain approach Allison.

           “Someone told me they were in your charge,” the captain stated, “do you feel proud?”

           “They are their own people; I just watch them to make sure no trouble follows them,” Allison denied. “But yes, I am very proud of them.”

           “Then I’m sure you wouldn’t mind sharing some secrets on their creation?” The captain inquired. “The other colonies could use such useful little ones.”

           “I’d be happy to,” Allison and the captain shook hands while the cheering and clapping continued. Whatever the future may hold, Dee, Mera, and Ver wouldn’t mind. Ver’s smile grew bigger and bigger as they celebrated her achievement. She was finally useful, and that’s all that mattered in her little mind.

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It's the ones you least expect who end up saving the day.

That should end this string of tales about the mechanical girls. Maybe I'll post more about them some other day. To give a little insight, I tend to write my posts in batches of four. So every four stories tend to be written in the same mindset, while the next four are written several weeks later. That's where this whole robot girl kick came from. By the time you're reading this, I'll have started on the next set of posts, so let's see where my imagination takes us next.

Until next time, Read, Comment and Enjoy 

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Support me on Patreon: [link]

Strange Sci-fi Tales - Those Tiny Girls, Part 1 [#198]

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           The mechanical girl shut the thick steel door tight behind her, cutting off the sound of the blizzard outside. Having finally returned from the frigid outdoors, she unzipped her thick winter coat and dropped it to the floor. This allowed her angelic wings to spread open freely. After brushing a lock of her short red hair out of her face, she observed the rest of her people. Each of them was hard at work inside their little bunker. Three girls were glued to a radar screen. One was in a chair against the wall with a rifle in her hand, who nodded, acknowledging the girl’s entrance. Several more were scattered about the room and the adjacent hallways performing miscellaneous tasks like repairs and cleaning. However, they were too engrossed in their work to notice her entrance.

           The girl paid them no mind. Instead, she approached a seemingly unattended table. It was mostly barren aside from a small radio, an oversized screwdriver, and a video camera. She patted the radio with a gentle smile on her face. “It’s time to wake up, you three,” the mechanical girl stated.

           “Morning already?” The radio’s case opened up to reveal a tiny girl inside of it. The small girl was built very similarly to the much larger mechanical girl, with some key differences. Besides being so much smaller, she had short, lilac hair and tiny, translucent wings. The radio case folded up around her, forming a pseudo armor covering her from the neck down. Only parts of her shoulders and knees were exposed.

           “Allison, did you bring food?” The screwdriver’s case popped open, revealing another tiny girl with long, blonde hair. The case folded away, becoming a pair of shoulder pads for her. Meanwhile, the actual screwdriver became her right arm. The rest of her body matched the girls around her, including her translucent wings and the light clothing she wore.

           “Don’t be such a glutton,” the camera transformed into a third small girl with white hair in a ponytail. While physically no bigger than the other two, the video camera’s case formed a much bulkier armor for her. The lens sat atop her right shoulder, while the fold-out screen became a small shield on her left arm. She possessed a pair of wings like the other two; however, hers were so short and stiff they could not possibly be used to fly.

           “Dee, Ver, Mera, how was your nap?” Allison asked.

           “It was nice,” Ver the transformed screwdriver nodded, “but I’m getting pretty bored. Wish we had something to do.”

           “I like being able to nap all the time,” Dee, the former radio, commented.

           “Keep thinking like that, and people will just keep ignoring us,” Mera pointed out. “If it wasn’t for Allison, no one would even know we exist.”

           “Now, now, it’s fine,” Allison assured. “Here, I did bring some food,” the redhead reached into her pocket and produced a little bag of chips. For the average person, the bag would barely qualify as a snack; for the tiny girls, it was a grand meal. The trio each devoured a chip on their own, gnawing at them like hamsters. Once their meal was complete, each girl burped in satisfaction.

           “Excuse me,” Mera apologized while leering at her two companions who didn’t do the same.

           “You three,” Allison rolled her eyes and laughed.

           “Allison, are you done playing with the little ones yet?” One of the three girls attending the radar asked. “We need you on the radar. The system is acting up again.”

           “We’re not playing. We’re just talking,” Ver huffed.

           “It’s okay, I’ll be right there,” Allison pat the little one on the head. “I keep telling you three there’s something wrong with the equipment itself for this problem to crop up so often.”

           “The equipment is fine,” another of the radar girls insisted. “It just needs your magic touch. So could you please help us?”

           “I’m coming,” Allison sighed. “You three behave yourselves.” She left the trio to their own devices.

           “I can’t believe they treat us like a bunch of kids,” Ver grumbled.

           “Dee, we were only constructed a half dozen solar cycles ago,” Mera pointed out. “Most of the girls working here have been doing this job since before our blueprints were finalized.”

           “So, we are kids, then?” Dee asked.

           “Kids are a relative term created by species with actual maturity cycles,” Mera explained.

           “You and your big words,” Ver grew more annoyed. “I’ll show them; I’ll fix the radar myself.” Dee hopped off the table and made a beeline for the radar.

           “Should we stop her?” Dee watched in concern.

           “She’ll never learn if we do.” Mera asserted.

           Ver raced across the room, running as fast as her little legs would take her. While it only took Allison a few steps to reach the radar, it took Ver ten times as long. After her short jog, Ver quietly approached the radar. It was an extensive system of computers, encased into a console bolted into the floor. Ver used her screwdriver hand to open up a panel on the side of the radar and slip inside.

           “So, is that the whole issue?” Allison inquired as she finished her quick once over of the radar.

           “That’s it,” one of the radar girls assured, neither she nor Allison noticed Ver’s intrusion.

           “Okay, well, the loss in range is probably the worst issue,” Allison explained. “I don’t think that’s a problem with the equipment here. It must be the antenna itself.”

           “Now she tells me,” Ver mumbled from inside the radar system, trapped in a tangle of wires. “I’m afraid to move.”

           “How bad is the loss in range?” The radar girls asked.

           “Bad enough that we’ll need to fix it before the main fleet returns in the next decacycle,” Allison continued. “If not, our all clear might not reach them. So unless you want to go another solar cycle without supplies, that will need to be dealt with.”

           “We just did maintenance on the antenna in the last decacycle, though,” the third radar girl exclaimed. “There was nothing wrong.”

           “We’ll have to go over it again,” Allison insisted. “Either you missed something, or something happened since your last check. We’ll have to-What’s wrong with the display now?” The four girls looked back at the radar, which began to glitch out.

           “What now?” The first radar girl started frantically checking the system for any damages, “How could-? What the, who opened the cover?” She noticed the entrance Ver made in the side of the radar.

           “Uh, oh,” Ver struggled inside the mass of wires but still couldn’t free herself.

           “Why you little,” the radar girl spotted Ver inside the system and yanked the tiny girl out of the case. “Are you trying to cause trouble now?”

           “I was just trying to-” Ver attempted to reply.

           “I don’t care, you’re in so much-” The first radar girl yelled.

           “Stop it, that wasn’t the problem,” Allison cut in, taking Ver out of the other girl’s hands. “The radar is still glitching out. The storm must be picking up.”

           “F-fine,” the radar girl muttered and backed off.

           “Be careful. You almost got yourself more than just hurt in there,” Allison scolded Ver.

           “I wanted to help,” Ver gave her a pair of puppy dog eyes.

           “I understand that, but you need to understand a problem before you try to fix it like that. Okay?” Allison stated.

           “Yes, ma’am,” Ver looked down at her feet.

~--~

           “I’m such a screwup,” Ver lamented her recent mistakes. She and the other small mechanical girls had hidden in a little cubby overlooking the bunker’s main room. Dee and Mera looked on at their friend with a pair of complicated expressions. Neither was able to find the right words to console Ver.

           “Ver, you didn’t...well you almost...I mean, um,” Mera tried to console the other girl. Yet, she couldn’t come up with a single sentence that didn’t at least contain a partial lie.

           “You just need to find the right time to shine,” Dee exclaimed proudly.

           “And where’d you pull that from,” Mera looked at the radio girl suspiciously. “Was it from one of the stories Allison reads to you?”

           “N-no,” Dee looked away sheepishly.

           “You two...” Ver sighed. One part of her was happy her two friends tried to help; the other part was disappointed by how bad they were at it. “I’m going to take a nap,” she changed into her screwdriver form.

           “Ver,” Mera felt a little guilty but said no more.

~--~

           No more than a cycle had passed since Ver’s little incident in the radar when Allison found herself a new problem. In between the radar’s frequent glitches and flitting between reaching its full range and half strength, the mechanical girl got sight of a familiar signal—several familiar signals at that.

           “They’re over half a dozen cycles early,” Allison stared on in shock. “Do we have enough time to fix it?”

           “Who’s early?” One of the radar girls leaned over to observe Allison’s monitor.

           “Unless the equipment is spitting out bad information, that’s the main fleet incoming,” Allison explained.

           “What!” All three radar girls fell out of their chairs in surprise.

           “We’ve got maybe a half a cycle to fix that antenna,” Allison declared, “we’re going out there now!” She and two of the radar girls scrambled to gather their belongings and tools before suiting up to brave the blizzard outside.

~--~

           “Did you hear that?” Dee commented, “They’re going to fix the antenna, or the main fleet won’t notice us.”

           “And?” Mera inquired.

           “I have an idea,” Dee beamed, “one that’ll make Ver and Allison happy.”

           “Oh no,” Mera gulped.

To Be Continued...

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Well, this story just sort of ballooned out of control. It's been a while since a story took me three days to write (four if you count editing). Look forward to the second part next week.

Until next time, Read, Comment and Enjoy 

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