05-30-2017, 03:31 AM
Caira poked her head around a corner to see Zack sitting alone in a common room. The Buster Sword was laying across his lap, and he was surveying it quite intently. Opening the side of the destroyed submarine had caused a great deal of damage to the blade, as would be expected of anything that served as a makeshift canopener.
It was fascinating to Caira to see a guy who lived from thought to thought showing such focus on anything. She knew the sword was important to him, but she never quite understood how much until this very moment. She recognized quite well what was happening as he ran his hand across it and covered it in a coat of Omnilium. A moment or two of intense concentration, and the rainbow-like substance absorbed into the sword. Once the blade was able to be seen again, it appeared to be in perfect condition, like the day it was forged. Caira watched as Zack inspected the now flawless blade once more, looking for the tiniest imperfection or spot that he may have missed.
“I think it looks good,” Caira finally spoke up.
Zack looked up to see her standing in the doorway, then stood up with his classic smile. He slung the blade over his shoulder, returning it to it’s usual resting place, as he approached Caira.
“Just had to make sure,” Zack said with a wink. “You feeling better?”
Caira nodded, but she wasn’t over this conversation yet. “It’s really important to you, isn’t it?”
“Been through a whole bunch with this thing,” Zack acknowledged, reaching up and tapping the handle. “I was pretty surprised to see it here with me, when I arrived in the Omniverse. But I took care of it before I got here, and I’ll keep doing so now. After all, use brings wear, tear, and rust. At least with Omnilium I don’t have to worry about that as much.”
Caira slowly nodded once more. Zack was a mystery, but not because he hid himself. If you asked him the right question, he’d tell you whatever you wanted to know about him. You just had to figure out the questions to ask. It was refreshing, but also confusing in its own way.
“Come on,” Zack gestured out the door. “Let’s go see how I’ve offended Gary, lately.”
Caira frowned. “Zack, I don’t think you’ve…”
It was too late. He moved past her and was already making his way back to the command room. She was quick to follow him down the hallway, not wanting to see another argument explode between the two, especially in front of everyone. Alas, as Zack entered the control room, Gary looked right at him with a scowl across his face.
“Where you been, boyo?” Gary snapped. “There’s work you could have been doing.”
“That’s funny,” Zack replied, with a knowing grin that Caira now understood. “I didn’t see a paycheck in the mail, but you’re sure acting like I owe you something.”
Jad looked up from a radar he was surveying, furrowing his brow. Caira bit her lip apprehensively.
“You’re on my submarine, that means you listen to me,” Gary was quick with his response.
Zack shook his head and chuckled just a little bit. “Just when I thought we were getting along. Is there any shred of decency in that black heart of you-”
“This isn’t right,” Jad announced loudly. The other three looked directly at him.
“What isn’t?” Caira asked quickly, happy for a topic change.
Gary held his hand out towards Zack, as if telling him to calm down. Zack rolled his eyes and brushed past the old captain.
“There’s not supposed to be a land mass here,” Jad explained as he pointed to the screen. Caira and Zack looked over either shoulder, both appearing confused at they looked at the various dots and blobs on the monitor Jad was obesssing over. They didn’t fully understand the situation, but they both trusted Jad for his calm demeanor, if nothing else.
“Then what’s it supposed to be?” Zack questioned the astronomer.
“Empty water, nothing more,” Jad replied, shaking his head. “We’re still a ways out from anything of significance on our maps.”
“Could they be out of date?” Gary asked from behind the group.
“Not that outdated” Jad shrugged. “The Vasty Deep is a large, ever changing monster, but something like this…”
“A Prime could build an island anywhere they wanted,” Caira deduced quickly.
“But this size?” Zack said as he looked closer at the radar’s screen. “It would take a high powered Prime to do something like this.”
“Whatever it is, it’s suspiciously on our route,” Gary remarked. “I think it needs investigating.”
“Unfortunately, I think you’re right.” Jad agreed. “If it’s empty, then we know at least. If not, there’s likely information regarding the star piece on it.”
“Could the star piece have made the island when it crashed down?” Zack continued to question the situation aloud.
“There’s no telling what all of their powers are,” Caira reminded him. She knew more about the power of the stars than the Ex-SOLDIER, but there was still much to be learned.
Zack nodded, then the group looking at the console turned around to face Gary.
“We’ll send a small group out on the island,” Gary decided, not bothering to wait for Zack’s opiniion.
“Gee, I wonder who that’ll be?” Zack sarcastically said.
“Watch it,” Gary snarled, having run out of tolerance for their mysterious tag along.
Zack just grinned and smiled. He turned to Caira, admittedly happy with the situation. “Nah, it’ll be fun. Come on, Caira. Still got that jeep?”
******
A few hours later, Zack and Caira were standing beside the aforementioned jeep on the beach of a seemingly uninhabited island. Caira helped her mini-Charizard into the vehicle while Zack unsheathed the Buster Sword and attached it to the side of the truck, in a special holster he’d crafted along the side of Jad’s vehicle. With one last glance, he watched the submarine disappear beneath the surface of the ocean.
“Got everything?” Zack asked as he climbed into the driver seat.
“I think so,” Caira admitted, unsure what they’d been sent to look for at the moment.
Before them was nothing more than a seemingly endless jungle. Humidity plastered against their faces, Zack didn’t let it get to him. There was exploring to be done, and he was happy to do so.
It was fascinating to Caira to see a guy who lived from thought to thought showing such focus on anything. She knew the sword was important to him, but she never quite understood how much until this very moment. She recognized quite well what was happening as he ran his hand across it and covered it in a coat of Omnilium. A moment or two of intense concentration, and the rainbow-like substance absorbed into the sword. Once the blade was able to be seen again, it appeared to be in perfect condition, like the day it was forged. Caira watched as Zack inspected the now flawless blade once more, looking for the tiniest imperfection or spot that he may have missed.
“I think it looks good,” Caira finally spoke up.
Zack looked up to see her standing in the doorway, then stood up with his classic smile. He slung the blade over his shoulder, returning it to it’s usual resting place, as he approached Caira.
“Just had to make sure,” Zack said with a wink. “You feeling better?”
Caira nodded, but she wasn’t over this conversation yet. “It’s really important to you, isn’t it?”
“Been through a whole bunch with this thing,” Zack acknowledged, reaching up and tapping the handle. “I was pretty surprised to see it here with me, when I arrived in the Omniverse. But I took care of it before I got here, and I’ll keep doing so now. After all, use brings wear, tear, and rust. At least with Omnilium I don’t have to worry about that as much.”
Caira slowly nodded once more. Zack was a mystery, but not because he hid himself. If you asked him the right question, he’d tell you whatever you wanted to know about him. You just had to figure out the questions to ask. It was refreshing, but also confusing in its own way.
“Come on,” Zack gestured out the door. “Let’s go see how I’ve offended Gary, lately.”
Caira frowned. “Zack, I don’t think you’ve…”
It was too late. He moved past her and was already making his way back to the command room. She was quick to follow him down the hallway, not wanting to see another argument explode between the two, especially in front of everyone. Alas, as Zack entered the control room, Gary looked right at him with a scowl across his face.
“Where you been, boyo?” Gary snapped. “There’s work you could have been doing.”
“That’s funny,” Zack replied, with a knowing grin that Caira now understood. “I didn’t see a paycheck in the mail, but you’re sure acting like I owe you something.”
Jad looked up from a radar he was surveying, furrowing his brow. Caira bit her lip apprehensively.
“You’re on my submarine, that means you listen to me,” Gary was quick with his response.
Zack shook his head and chuckled just a little bit. “Just when I thought we were getting along. Is there any shred of decency in that black heart of you-”
“This isn’t right,” Jad announced loudly. The other three looked directly at him.
“What isn’t?” Caira asked quickly, happy for a topic change.
Gary held his hand out towards Zack, as if telling him to calm down. Zack rolled his eyes and brushed past the old captain.
“There’s not supposed to be a land mass here,” Jad explained as he pointed to the screen. Caira and Zack looked over either shoulder, both appearing confused at they looked at the various dots and blobs on the monitor Jad was obesssing over. They didn’t fully understand the situation, but they both trusted Jad for his calm demeanor, if nothing else.
“Then what’s it supposed to be?” Zack questioned the astronomer.
“Empty water, nothing more,” Jad replied, shaking his head. “We’re still a ways out from anything of significance on our maps.”
“Could they be out of date?” Gary asked from behind the group.
“Not that outdated” Jad shrugged. “The Vasty Deep is a large, ever changing monster, but something like this…”
“A Prime could build an island anywhere they wanted,” Caira deduced quickly.
“But this size?” Zack said as he looked closer at the radar’s screen. “It would take a high powered Prime to do something like this.”
“Whatever it is, it’s suspiciously on our route,” Gary remarked. “I think it needs investigating.”
“Unfortunately, I think you’re right.” Jad agreed. “If it’s empty, then we know at least. If not, there’s likely information regarding the star piece on it.”
“Could the star piece have made the island when it crashed down?” Zack continued to question the situation aloud.
“There’s no telling what all of their powers are,” Caira reminded him. She knew more about the power of the stars than the Ex-SOLDIER, but there was still much to be learned.
Zack nodded, then the group looking at the console turned around to face Gary.
“We’ll send a small group out on the island,” Gary decided, not bothering to wait for Zack’s opiniion.
“Gee, I wonder who that’ll be?” Zack sarcastically said.
“Watch it,” Gary snarled, having run out of tolerance for their mysterious tag along.
Zack just grinned and smiled. He turned to Caira, admittedly happy with the situation. “Nah, it’ll be fun. Come on, Caira. Still got that jeep?”
******
A few hours later, Zack and Caira were standing beside the aforementioned jeep on the beach of a seemingly uninhabited island. Caira helped her mini-Charizard into the vehicle while Zack unsheathed the Buster Sword and attached it to the side of the truck, in a special holster he’d crafted along the side of Jad’s vehicle. With one last glance, he watched the submarine disappear beneath the surface of the ocean.
“Got everything?” Zack asked as he climbed into the driver seat.
“I think so,” Caira admitted, unsure what they’d been sent to look for at the moment.
Before them was nothing more than a seemingly endless jungle. Humidity plastered against their faces, Zack didn’t let it get to him. There was exploring to be done, and he was happy to do so.