anxiously paced the courtyard of Cinderella's Castle, fingers strumming against the stone brim of a beautiful fountain. The Guardian's eyes darted back and forth nervously, his mane of snow white hair, now disheveled and unkempt from hours or worry, obscuring his view. Slowly, the old man took a seat upon the fountain's edge, water spewing up into the night sky with a melodic roar that had always soothed his soul. But not tonight. Not when he had received no updates on his dear DHIs since they had sprinted off into the raging storm.
"Sir,
came a voice to his side. Wayne turned slowly, regarding one of the many Guardian soldiers running about. Like all others, the warrior was clad in plated armor and mail, though his helmet was nowhere to be seen. Sweat ran down from his forehead, while he labored to regain his breath.
"I bring news from Splash Mountain and Ariel's Grotto. My men have --
The knight was silenced as, one by one, three DHIs stumbled through a portal that appeared out of nowhere.
Joshua Robespierre, Sakura Matserugi,
and
Amelia Eagle
sprawled out across the smooth slabs of grey stone underfoot, the golden light from within the portal clinging to their bodies like the silk strands of a spiderweb. All three DHIs were blanketed from head to toe with a thick, chalky dust that billowed off of them with even the slightest of movements, creating a lazy haze which loomed about the expanse laggardly. Josh pulled himself upwards, spitting the powder from his mouth and brushing himself off before assisting Sakura and Amelia. The portal hung in midair for several seconds more, before the oblong shape spat
Calintz
[/size] out with a strained wheeze. The soldier spun upon his metal-covered heels, arms flailing in an attempt to keep himself upright. Shuffling backwards, Calintz's knees buckled, as he slowed and steadied himself. Once assuring he had his footing, the Guardian nodded to himself, before turning to look at his comrades.
"Medics! Get the medics!"
roared Wayne to an unlucky soldier that happened to be running by. The young man halted immediately, turned about, and made a mad dash towards two large oak doors which lead into the castle. Seconds later, a swarm of Guardians clad in emerald robes and brown cloaks came sweeping down the polished stairs and glided swiftly across the courtyard. The three DHIs found themselves assailed by these men and women, who silently went to work tending to their wounds.
Wayne, ignoring the pain in his joints, bounded forward towards the throng of hustle and bustle. His eyes burned wildly in relief, as the many cuts and gashes littering the DHIs' bodies vanished in a shower of green light.
A series of resonating thunderclaps sounded overhead, while, simultaneously, the jarring screech of tires burning upon the ground boomed beyond castle's walls.
Guards standing watch flung the network of gates and portcullises open wide, in hopes of permitting a large toy car to come blazing in.
Goofy
yelled in happiness as he pulled the wheel and slammed on the breaks, causing the car to fishtail towards the fountain. The breaks whined, as the vehicle came to a harsh stop, the left wheels tipping off the ground before the car rocked back onto its axel.
Josephine Batemen
and
Takin Aikoro
pushed on their doors fervently, dizziness impairing their efforts to break free from the car. Both threw themselves at the doors, which then popped open and sent them falling onto the cold ground with a thud. The two DHIs groaned, clawing away from the vehicle as their faces flushed a sickly green tinge. Medics fell upon them immediately, conjuring small beds beneath the comrades before trying to heal their wounds. A large group surrounding the back seat of the car. Three women carefully lifted
Andrew Brown
out of the whirring automobile just as it began to shrink. Four more men crowded around him, creating bandages that wrapped immediately around his legs as jets of green light covered his wounds. The DHI gasped in surprise as he forced himself into consciousness, the medics encroaching him hastily making all the scars of his battle vanish as if it had never occurred. Almost all the wounds, that is.
Slowly, the medics placed Andrew upright and on his feet. The boy stumbled in disorientation, but all the DHIs were there to help him. Laugher traveled through the group, but was drowned out by the cackling booms in the sky. The group of seven (Calintz included) jerked their heads upwards to gaze upon four silver pods plummeting to the ground. The orbs glowed beautifully, neon colors melting across the exteriors as they fell like comets from the sky. Each pod decelerated, and had come to an easy stop by the time it was four feet in the air. Slowly the orbs lowered further, before the tops tore open, revealing
James Tau, James Lee, Bob Kaddile,
and
Space Cadet Calvin
.
The four warriors slowly stepped out of their aircrafts, and, like all those who had arrived before them, were hounded by the medics before they could even blink. Bob Kaddidle, however, did have time to gaze upon the present faces, taking note of who was and who was not still among them. All the DHIs by this time had fallen silent, stunned by the monolithic number of losses they had been dealt. Faces that many expected to lead them into battle were long gone, and as the flock of emerald Guardians dissipated, the comrades fell into a state of despair once more.
"Valiant DHIs,"
Wayne began,
"our losses are most grievous. Despite being rejuvenated, I can see in each of you an exhaustion that I myself have grown to know all too well. I applaud you for your bravery, while I urge you not to lose hope in our noble cause. Your comrades have fallen, not simply as expendable soldiers, to help testify that, even in the darkest of times, the light of truth and justice will triumph over malice.
I have received word that Zurg was spotted flying over Tomorrowland, but the Archer, a young lady named Merewen, who is only your elder by several years, continues to elude us. Her unidentified ally was spotted running from It's a Small World, more than likely having already lured you to the death trap, before vanishing into darkness. They will be brought to answer for their crimes, just as their monstrous leaders will receive the fate they deserve soon enough, I can assure you."
"Sir,"
began the knight from earlier once Wayne had finished addressing the DHIs,
"my men have found information of worth in Splash Mountain and Ariel's Grotto. They claim that, with the aid of those glasses we retrieved from the streets, they discovered letters within the attractions."
"Do the letters result in anything of coherence?"
inquired Wayne, turning slowly from the DHIs.
"No sir, but we believe that they are simply two clusters of several."
"And the letters?
"Sir?"
"Letters, son, the letters,"
replied Wayne gently,
"what were the letters?"
"H, U, and E, from Splash Mountain. O, A, and N in the Grotto. Hue and
oan
, Sir, hue and oan."
"I see. Good work, this information is of the utmost importance. Carry on, soldier."
Wayne bowed lowly to the young knight, who returned the favor before hurrying off once more. Wayne turned to the DHIs, a look of puzzlement on his face. He then noticed some of the DHIs were in fact wearing glasses of their own and, stepping closer, Wayne spoke again.
"Did you all happen to see anything during your battles?"
"I found M, I, N, and T on the Sun within It's a Small World,
answered Andrew Brown, looking to both Takin and Josephine as he did so. Both regarded him quizzically, remaining silent.
"And I,"
began Sakura Matserugi, in little more than a whisper,
"Came across S, A, N, and D among a quarry of boulders during the battle."
"S, A, N, D, M, I, N, T, H, U, E, O, A, and N. Quite the mystery, which I am sure our techs can decode. They, however, are in the process of trying to discover the whereabouts of Merewen. DHIs, will you try to solve this? I am sure it will lead us to more answers and bring us one step closer to defeating the Overtakers."
Last edited by kloud1516 on Fri Jan 02, 2009 10:41 am, edited 1 time in total.
If only Jayne Cobb were here.