Experiment S20-9C

Chapter 2

She blinked in minor surprise, but sped up to get to the crystal, "Understood, Doctor."

Ending the call, she leaped onto the pedestal that presented the crystal, sensing this "Samuel Vega" getting closer at an alarming speed—shadow form indeed; he could travel by the shadows, and since they were underground...

Urgency became primary as she felt Vega approach her location. Snatching the crystal quickly, she turned to spot him appearing out of the shadows long enough to make eye contact. His face froze with shock and something else she couldn't read, sea-blue eyes thrown wide. The female cyborg sized him up in an instant: average height, athletic build, simple jeans, and T-shirt, plus a stance that said he played sports regularly. With his shadow form, he could prove to be an interesting opponent, but Cybertel couldn't stay to find out. The crystal was her priority.

Gripping the gem tightly, she tapped into the boundless energy held within to make a time-space jump, envisioning the bridge of Dr. Murik's ship in her mind.

"Arcane... Direct!"

With a bright flash of light that blinded both of them for a moment, Cybertel vanished from the temple altogether. 

The Bridge 

Dr. Murik tapped his foot impatiently. Samuel had already entered the temple while his army (ground-based, so most of them were useless) struggled with one puny squirt. You'd think, with his genius, arming a flying fortress would be easy, but it was proving otherwise. The machine the squirt had come with was well-equipped, he was reluctant to admit and good in the dry, arid environment. He felt irritated that this was such an issue. He made a mental note to do some alterations to the fortress so this wouldn't happen again.

The Vega brat had a nasty habit of having just the right friends.

Suddenly, a bright flash of light flared throughout the room, putting everyone on high-alert; Crucetti moved closer to the scientist, the pilots, and other personnel tensing or going for cover. However, when the light died, they were all shocked to find Cybertel S20-9C on the bridge: gripping the orange crystal in her hand.

There was a heavy pause, no one moving a muscle. Cybertel assessed the situation in the room, dismissed most of it, and stood up straight to hold out the crystal to Murik.

"Do I have your confidence now?" it asked in a surprisingly flat tone.

Everyone was speechless for a good minute or two. Finally, it was Crucetti who spoke up first. "Well, you could've given us a warning you could do that!"

"Explanations would've taken too long," Cybertel replied evenly, lowering the crystal. "By the time I had the target, Vega had already caught up with me. It was the fastest way to return to the Doctor without conflict."

Dr. Murik seemed to unfreeze, grinning. "I see, Cybertel, very good. Is that all you can do with the crystals?"

The dark scaled cyborg studied him for a moment.

"No."

He considered that for a moment, glancing from the indigo crystal he had to the orange one in the cyborg's hand. After a long inner debate, he finally nodded.

"How about this," he conceded, "you get to keep that one: feel free to use it however you wish. However, I expect you to inform me of any other crystals in the area and give them to me."

Cybertel bowed its head respectfully, "Understood, Doctor."

Dr. Murik waved it off, turning to the rest of the bridge to order a full retreat, setting a roundabout course for the secret base. The dark scaled Elite stowed the crystal away for future use, turning to spot Crucetti gazing gleefully at her.

"What?" she asked pointedly, drawing closer to the Doctor for standard protection procedure.

The other Elite giggled, "Why, I think you have a sense of humor after all. That wasn't the only reason why you used the crystal, was it?"

Cybertel scoffed lightly. "What nonsense are you spouting now?"

That got a small wide-eyed look before she recovered, grinning.

"Don't worry, hun," she said slyly, "I won't tell anyone. I'd be eager to show my power to those who doubted me too."

A brief look was exchanged, and then Cybertel turned away, facing forward to the position she had before she had felt the crystal. She now stood on the other side of Crucetti, guarding Dr. Murik and keeping watch on the bridge.

Behind those strange, silver eyes, Cybertel was slightly conflicted. That man she had spotted earlier... He seemed familiar to her somehow, but she couldn't put her finger on why that was. The time spent with her creator was muffled and fuzzy in most places, and anything before that was completely gone. She'd never seen this 'Vega' before—so why had he seemed to recognize her? 

The Desert 

"Hey Sammy, did you get it?"

Laythan Allis-Hopfensperger had to raise his voice to be heard over the sound of the idly roaring engine of the multi-purpose transport he was operating. His thick, shoulder-length blonde hair fluttered in the strong wind and his casual attire was covered in dust and sand. He looked small in the driver's seat with his shorter height and boyish build, but he was one of the best technicians Sammy had come to know—not to mention the best cousin one could ask for.

Sammy groaned as he came out of the cave, pushing back loose dark brown hair that had come out of his short ponytail, "No. Turns out someone else beat me to it. I couldn't tell who she was working for, but I have a bad feeling about it."

The blonde teen frowned, blue eyes slightly disappointed but curious. "That stinks, for sure. Did you see who it was?"

He shook his head uneasily as he drew closer to the transport, "That's the funny thing. I coulda sworn she looked like..."

"Looked like who, Sammy?" Laythan asked, leaning forward.

The older cousin looked up at the technician with a slightly bewildered expression.

"Telyn..."

Laythan's eyes went wide.