The Warrior Seven - Jet

18

Danny teleported Rodney back to where Starlight was. Jet was unconscious and Starlight was panicking.

"I don't know what to do, he needs a blood transplant but there isn't any blood and I don't even know what blood type he is, he's going to die, he's going to die..." Starlight kept on repeating herself until Rodney put a hand over her mouth. She bit him but he didn't move until she'd stopped muttering.

"Good. Right. Well. Um... Starlight, you check that guy. Danny, teleport to a hospital or something and bring a doctor over here. I'll stay with Jet," Rodney said. Danny nodded and disappeared. Starlight walked over to the man.

"You're not the Headmaster," she said to him. He groaned and sat up on his elbow. His eyes were covered by sunglasses.

"No, I'm not. Your headmaster died, killed by those things," the man said. He pointed to the North Wing. "I heard your conversation, by the way. Has Jawtun or whatever he's called really gone in there?"

"He's a vampire, he'll be fine," Starlight said confidently. The man raised an eyebrow.

"I saw what snatched that girl. It was big, furry and covered in different coloured blood. I think it was eating the other things in there," he said. Starlight bit her lip.

The guy has a point, she thought. Jawtun might not come out alive.

"Who are you then?" Starlight asked. The man sighed.

"Just someone. Who are you lot? As in, all of you?"

"We're the Warriors. Rodney wants there to be seven of us but there's only six."

"Hm. What are your names and powers then?"

"I'm Starlight-"

"Cool name."
"Thanks. I control fire and stuff like that. Jet's on the ground over there, he's a shapeshifter and a memory projector. He normally has sunglasses like yours but he keeps on losing them.

"Rodney's the one above Jet. He can throw and manipulate sonic energy. He nearly killed us all though when he created a soundproof bubble; it took all our magic away, causing Jet to almost lose his sight and Danny to almost have part of his brain removed.

"Danny was the one who disappeared. He's a teleporter with the powers of hypnosis. He's gone to go and get a doctor or something to look at Jet, who we think is dying."

"You're a depressing person, you do realise that, right?"

"Shut it. Anyway, Jawtun's a vampire who saved Rodney and Jet from being locked up. Jawtun calls Rodney 'Australian' which is pretty funny. I think it's become a habit of his now! Jawtun's very, very old. As in, he was turned into a vampire in sixteen something, and he was about thirty then, so that's why he basically never uses abbreviations when he talks or writes.

"Ima's the one that's been kidnapped. She's a 'domestic service controller' which means that she can do all the useful stuff, like put doors back in the frames and separate two fighting people. That's it," Starlight said, looking slightly embarrassed. "It doesn't seem like much, does it?"

"Nah, I'd say that's pretty impressive," the man said. Starlight smiled. "For a bunch of kids," he added. Starlight scowled and jabbed the man in the ribs.

"Hey! For all you know, I could have broken my ribs," the man grumbled.

"Have you?"

"I dunno. I kill people, not heal them."

"You... kill... people..." Starlight echoed. The man looked worried.

"Now don't you go telling anyone important, kid," he said. "I did stop for a while, but it's hard, y'know? It's kinda my job. And anyway, even if I did turn good I'd still be in danger. Three countries' 'Wanted' lists and I've made a lotta enemies."

"Like who?" Starlight asked.

"Like the families of the people I was paid to kill or kidnap. And some 'do-gooders' who have decided that it would be safer for the world if I was eliminated." The man sighed and propped himself up using his other elbow. He rubbed the first one and Starlight noticed that it was bleeding.

"Here," Starlight said. She handed the man some of the cotton wool.

"Thanks." The man smiled gratefully and winced as he fell back onto his elbow. He muttered something under his breath.

"What was that? It sounded like 'crackers'," Starlight said, puzzled. The man laughed.

"T'sarces," the man corrected. "It's ferret."

"You speak ferret?" Starlight was getting even more puzzled.

"Yeah," the man laughed. "Weird, huh?"

"Very weird," Starlight agreed. "Where are you from, anyway? Your accent keeps on changing?"

"I travel a lot," the man said. Starlight waited for more but the man shrugged. "That's all you're gonna know."

"Why?"

"It's better for everyone if I keep my identity a secret. Sorry about your headmaster, he seemed a nice guy. Stupid, but nice. I've gotta go. Thanks for the cotton wool thing," the man said, getting to his feet. He winced as he took a step forward. "Ouch. I'm gonna go somewhere now, and you're not going to tell anyone, got it, kid?"

"Got it. But-"

"Good," the man said. As Starlight opened her mouth to say something there was a burst of amber light. The man was gone but there was something high in the sky. Starlight raised a hand to her eyes and squinted. It looked like a giant eagle, but it was more... furry.

"A griffin," Starlight breathed in awe. She loved griffins. "Cool!"

*

The door swung open just before Jawtun knocked. He stood there, one arm raised, and shrugged. Weirder things have happened, Jawtun thought to himself.

"Enter," a voice commanded. Jawtun walked through the doorway and the door slammed shut behind him. He was in complete blackness but all was well; he could see perfectly fine in the dark. And now his powers were strengthened.

"Who are you?" Jawtun asked. "What are you?"

"Remember me, Jawtun?" the voice sneered. Jawtun froze as a shape came into view.

"You again," Jawtun growled. "How hard is it to kill you?"

The woman stepped forward and smiled. Her one purple wing flapped feebly.

"You tell me," she whispered. Jawtun scowled.

"Well, the first time we met was 1701, Paris. I tried to kill you then but you flew off the Eiffel tower and escaped.

"1715. Dublin this time. You nearly won that fight but I had one trick that you did not; I was, am stronger than you. I flew back over to England whilst you were captured.

"1834. You aged. You are not a true vampire, are you? Born into a family of vampires. The weakest kind. I pulled off your wing then, do you remember? But you went to that witch doctor and he grew it back for you. Unfair advantage."

"It's called contacts, sweetie."

"Do not call me that, Carys."

"Don't call me Carys then."

"It is your name."

"Well yours can be Sweetie."

"Quiet, half wing," Jawtun snarled. Carys stumbled backwards as if she had been shot.

"How dare you!" she hissed. "I take a child to tempt you here and you offend me in my own lair."

"Ah, but you are lying. This is not your lair. This is just the entrance to something else's lair. You are a slave!" Jawtun laughed triumphantly just as Carys lunged.

Her claws slashed across Jawtun's neck and he fell to the floor. Carys laughed and Jawtun brought up his knee and jabbed. The laughter was cut off with a gurgling sound.

Jawtun rolled backwards and Carys was flipped into the wall. Before she could recover Jawtun ran for another door and crashed through it. A growl meeted him.

"Oh great," Jawtun panted. He turned and fled.