ÿþ<HTML> <HEAD> <TITLE>Unusual Species</TITLE> </HEAD> <BODY> <Basefont face="Arial" size="2"> <CENTER> <h1>Unusual Species: Part 3<p></h1> <I>By SaturnStorm</I><P> </CENTER> The cackle filled the room. Ness, Paula, Jeff, Poo, Tracy, Skye, Chris and Nancy all tensed up, waiting for the potential threat to show herself. The voice was decidedly female, with almost Witch-like qualities. Ness and his friends didn't rule out a Witch possibility, since they <i>had</i> just met, for want of a better description, Angels.<br> The attack the opponent sent out was sudden, catching nearly everyone off- guard. A plasma shot ripped through the air, hitting Poo in the back. The Prince reeled in suprise, and hit the floor. The others turned in that direction.<br> "She's not that way!" Skye sang, whipping out a megaphone. Quite where she had gotten it from confused the others, but they didn't take the time to think about it.<br> "Where is she?!" Tracy cried, looking around nervously. This was her first real battle... She didn't quite want it to be her last.<br> Jeff pulled out his Gaia Beam and slowly began tracing it around the room, before firing. he hit one of the walls outside the cave, and seemingly spooking the person behind it. "She's over there!" Jeff called, running from the sanctuary spot, into the cave once more.<br> Quickly the others followed, readying their various weapons. Chris had gotten out his very large sword, proving that it wasn't simply a decoration. The others marvelled for a split second at how easily he seemed to handle the heavy-looking human-size sword. Nancy had no weapon as far as the others saw, which left them questioning how open or confident she was.<br> "I can't see her!" Ness protested, looking around the cave. The opponent had apprently gone back into hiding.<br> "I know where she is!" Paula spoke up. "Ness, shoot left!"<br> "PK SMAP!" Ness called out quickly, sending his attack spiralling off to his left wildly. The opponent leaped out again, up into the air.<br> Now the others could see her clearly. It was indeed female, with very human qualities, much like the 'Angels'. She had blonde hair poking out in front of her face, and from under her hunter hat (AN: Think what they wear in Australia. She's got one of those.). She wore very light clothes; a pair of shorts and a sleeveless T-shirt tied in a knot, and a pair of hiking boots She had a dark tan and cerulean eyes. She rode atop a silver hoverbike. It was chunky, and held a lot of equipment on it. They were suprised it handled so well, and so high. Her face was twisted into a snarl.<br> "Good trick, kiddo." She growled. Her voice had a definite accent (Australian, to be precise, but you find somewhere that resembles that in the game). "But it ain't good enough to stop me! Whether you see me or not, I'll still be too good for ya!"<br> With that, she pulled the bike round and dove downwards, shooting at each person on her way down and past. Her aim was frighteningly good, and she knocked everyone to the ground on the first swipe. She pulled back up and smirked.<br> "PK Starstorm!!" Poo called out. He held his arms out... but nothing happened.<br> "PK FLASH!" Ness yelled, throwing the strange light toward the hoverbike, missing as she rode out of its range.<br> "PK Freeze!" Paula dashed under the hoverbike to throw her attack upwards. The hoverbike drew to a halt suddenly, and Paula was left with a misplaced attack.<br> Jeff pushed his glasses up his nose and frowned. Tracy was crying behind him, making it all too clear that she wasn't used to this, and nobody else was able to hit. His major concern was Poo's failed attack. He grabbed out a magic truffle from his pocket and threw it to Poo, before shielding Tracy.<br> The blonde hunter laughed, quite suprised at how futile the resistance had been. "Is that really all you've got? I feel strangely empty, now." And she began to dive again.<br> Jeff pulled out his Gaia Beam and smiled, ready to attack again. Ness and Paula did the same. Tracy dove over to Poo, to comfort and be comforted. Skye also looked ready, megaphone in front of her now.<br> The hunter dove again, confidently shooting Poo and Tracy down again fist, before turning her attention to the ambush. She swiped the megaphone upon passing, and shot Ness and Paula as they prepared to attack. She turned her attention to her front.... and get a face-full of Gaia Beam.<br> "Gyah! No!" She wailed, falling from her hoverbike, which missed hitting the genius by inches. He smiled confidently, suprised at his success.<br> It was short lived, however, as a miniature missile flew into him, exploding only centimeters from him, sending him flying across the cave.<br> "That's what you get for shootin' me off my bike!" The girl grunted, before turning her attention toward Poo.<br> The Dalaamese Price had pulled out his Sword of Kings and started toward her whilst she had been preoccupied. He was only three meters away when she retaliated, sending another plasma blast into his chest. He fell backwards in pain.<br> "PK SMAP!" Ness yelled from the girl's right. It hit her this time, making her stumble backwards in suprise. An oversized blade to her neck told her to stop.<br> "Simone." Chris sighed. "Bounty hunter, soul snatcher, ol' Simone Phillips. What possessed you to sink down to this?"<br> Slowly everyone began to gather around, except for Jeff, who still had a trek ahead from the missile.<br> With a groan of defeat, the girl, Simone, began to speak. "That key. That blasted key. She's got a price on 'er head you know. A big price. Got a lot of people to feed back at the wastelands. Could be a useful sum. Came lookin' for that goldmine. Said she came through here."<br> "<i>Through</i>, being the key word there." Nancy told her, still standing a little distance away. "Never said she's still here."<br> "I know that <i>now</i>!" Simone snapped. "But that's what confuses me. She's never where she says. Ever. She's too hard to track."<br> "So this key is a person?" Ness frowned. Jeff skidded down next to him, frowning grudgingly at Simone.<br> "Too right, mate." Simone replied. "An important one, too. Also one of the most cunning. She's so damn hard to track it's beyond belief. Makes me wonder if... the people said to take 'er still have hold of her."<br> "That I doubt. This <i>is</i>... The person we're talking about here." Skye scoffed.<br> "It would explain why she keeps moving. I mean, why would a group of captors move, unless they had no secure location?" Jeff pointed out.<br> "He's got a point." Nancy was looking up now. "I doubt our key has the capability of being captured. Successfully. Guys please move."<br> The others looked at her, confused. Skye quickly yelped and skidded off into the Sanctuary. Chris squeaked a little and grabbed as many people as he was close to, being Paula and Poo, and dragging them as far away from the scene as possible. Ness, Tracy and Jeff simply followed. Simone frowned.<br> "What, exactly, is this about?"<br> "Those aware of the training of the S.O.G.A, and those aware of the nature of Nancy's work would be sure not to stick around." Chris told the others quietly, preferring not to alert Simone to the situation.<br> "Why's that?" Tracy asked.<br> It was the sudden tremor that ran through the ground that alerted everyone to duck. Nancy stood calmly in the center of the room, with Simone scowling before her. It was only when the ceiling began to crumble and fall that the bounty hunter decided this was a worthy threat.<br> "Ah, nuts. You're that meteor-shower person, ain't ya." Simone whined. She quickly ran over to her hoverbike and pulled it free from the ground with amazing strength, before skidding off, none too dignified.<br> "Just remember to stay down until I say, and you guys will be okay. Okay?" Nancy made a point of saying, deciding that nobody is useful as a pancake.<br> The rumbling continued, gradually getting worse, a hole wearing into the ceiling of the cave, causing the stalagtites to fall. Ness paled as one landed only millimeters from his head, causing the shattering sound to echo through his ears. Everyone stayed down, praying to themselves.<br> Finally, the threat had cleared into the cave, still causing a deafening rumble, but no longer making the ceiling fall. Nancy raised her hands, and began slowly leading it to the ground, trying very hard not to let it crash down. She had caused enough demage with her abilities for one day.<br> The small meteor she had called down finally settled down, resting snugly between a couple of the cliffs, keeping it from rolling and destroying anything more than it had. Nancy beamed at her handiwork.<br> "Okay, it's safe to come out now! I promise." Nancy called, turning toward where she had last seen everyone duck down.<br> Slowly, everyone rose to their feet and gathered nervously around the redhead. Then Tracy let out a cheer.<br> "That was <b>COOL</b>!! Can you teach me to do that? I wanna do psychic things like my brother and his friends!" Tracy jumped around Nancy, her previous fears and injuries forgotten. Ness smiled.<br> "I think the anxiety comes from our father's side." He chuckled.<p> Winters, one of the coldest countries on the planet. Few people left the sanctities of their homes, or the warm locations and buildings where the residents would cluster. Only one person had trekked through the snowlands on foot. He was currently in another country.<br> His friend, however, was still within the four walls of SnowWood Boarding House. He still had not built up the confidence to walk through the snow, no matter how much he missed his best friend in the whole World.<br> Tony stood by the frost covered window of his dorm room and sighed. Jeff had left that afternoon after recieving a call from Ness. It was the first time Jeff smiled in a good few weeks. Tony couldn't help but think Jeff was feeling a little resentful that Dr.Andonuts had sent him back to the Boarding school. It was now <i>very</i> late in the evening. Lights-out had already been announced. Tony knew he was breaking rules being up.<br> The red-haired boy smiled as he thought of what he was doing. The teachers would be angry if he were caught, but they'd probably be even more angry if they found out Jeff was back on another adventure. They didn't approve much of this travelling the World, if it cut into education time.<br> The sound of a sudden ringing tone coming from under Jeff's bed broke Tony's train of thought. He looked over in suprise, before jogging to the bed and pulling out several pieces of machinery that Jeff had stored, to prevent them from being confiscated.<br> He finally located the beeping device, just as it stopped. It was an experimental communicator he had been working on. It ran on solar power. It whirred, as it recieved a recording from whoever had been trying to get in touch.<br> The recording began. "I apologise, Andonuts, if I have caught you at a bad time. But it is the only time I have spare as of this moment." The voice was female. Young, cold, wise. "We have not met, I can assure you that. But had I been a little later, maybe that would be a different case. I am the 'key' that the S.O.G.A is looking for."<br> Tony frowned. "Key? Key to what?"<br> "Unless I miss my guess, you will have met some of the forces looking for me... whatever side they may be on. Perhaps you have met more than one of the sides. But do be aware that there is more than two. Not everything is black and white, you know.<br> "What the S.O.G.A may tell you has some level of truth. I <i>was</i> captured, but I am sure that they are all aware by now that I don't stay out for long. But I cannot simply return. Now that I am out of limbo, others are trying to breach it. Whilst I am not in it, however, it is sealed. Completely. But be aware that both you and I hold keys of World hopping. Yours of technology, mine of my status as a Guardian of the Limbo.<br> "As I'm sure many of those after me have guessed, I am World hopping. I am currently on a blue Moon close to your planet, but I won't be for long. I will make a quick hop to a planet called 'Lusapiota', if only to dissociate the darkness on my back. I want you to get in touch with a team called 'CUBID'. They will know from my hop what my path is, and be of great assistance to you and your friends in the future. Your planet is on crossroads. Fate chose that. Use your knowledge to assist your teams, and good luck. Be wary of the enemies."<br> Finally, the transmission ended. Tony remained silent, not sure what to do. It was certainly the motivation he needed to walk the snowy Country to see his friend, or at least Dr.Andonuts.<br> "I need to find Jeff. Now." Tony decided, dropping the communicator, which broke, and got dressed again. He then headed out of the room...<br> But he didn't make it, as the shadows engulfed him.<p> Chris stretched widely as he stepped into the open once more.<br> "Ahh, feels good to be somewhere bright and warm." He smiled. Skye ducked past and looked up.<br> "It's all bright and blue and stuff!" Skye gleamed, looking at the sky, her eyes shining as they caught the light.<br> "You may not want to do that for too long," Ness told them, "you'll attract attention."<br> "I like attention." Skye mumbled, looking at Ness innocently.<br> "So who was that girl anyway?" Jeff asked the newcomers, having missed the introduction.<br> "Her name is Simone Witts." Nancy told him. "She's a bounty hunter from our World and a rogue on that front. But she does take orders, stealing the very essence of life from people; their souls. Something about a perfect World."<br> "I see. So why's she after us?"<br> "She's not. She's after the key." Nancy replied, smirking. "Our key has set a very big and World renown name for herself where we're from. Now that she's out of 'territory', as it is, every bounty hunter is on the lookout for her, hoping to get the reward on her head."<br> "So do you know how many people are after this 'key'?" Paula questioned.<br> "Yes. Every Bounty hunter. That's around fifty million or so."<br> Jeff and Paula looked at her in suprise. "That must be one big price." The former commented.<br> "Yeah, and nonexistant. But I think they know that. They're after the name more than the money. The one to catch the slippiest and most tricky sly personality on the planet is quite a title."<br> "Which is why we need to find her first." Chris announced, walking over. "I know some people who can help, but with our, erm, system out of whack, I can't exactly contact them."<br> "Guys, before you do that, something's wrong with Poo." Tracy piped up, looking at where Poo had slumped against the cave, not looking too happy with himself.<br> "I noticed in the cave that something wasn't right." Jeff walked over, kneeling next to his friend. "Did the truffle help?"<br> "No." Poo responded quietly. "But it's nothing to do with the energy... I... simply cannot call upon the abilities. I cannot concentrate on them anymore."<br> "Do you still have the Brain Stone?" Ness walked over.<br> Poo held up the blue stone, his eyes shut in thought and defeat.<br> "Weird. Can those things run out of energy? I mean, nothing lasts forever, right?" <br> "True, Ness, but I don't think that's the problem. The Brain Stone is like a charm, not a battery. It doesn't simply run out. Something else must be blocking off his abilities. I mean, he wasn't like this earlier... were you?" Paula questioned, looking at her friend.<br> "On the contrary, it may not have been as bad earlier, but it has grown worse. I have been finding it more and more difficult to call upon my PSI, for even the most simply of tasks." Poo explained.<br> Jeff sighed and stood up again. "I don't think this is something we can solve sitting here. Let's go to Saturn Valley. We can see my father, to see if he has any ideas on why you're unable to use PSI, and," He looked at Nancy and the others, "We can also work of a communication device for you to get in touch with your friends. We want to help you in any way we can."<br> "You're most kind, all of you." Nancy smiled.<br> "If we can get in touch with CUBID, we can probably help with finding the Key, and with your friend's PSI. We <i>do</i> have a psychic in the team, after all." Chris bowed, blue locks further hiding his eyes.<br> "And I can let Nancy get in touch with the S.O.G.A and the Gods above to let them know of our progress so far." Skye grinned. Nancy looked down at her.<br> "You're in trouble again?"<br> "Yes. Yes I am." Skye sheepishly kicked the ground. "I didn't exactly stick to orders when departing. Or, uh, ask."<br> Chris and Nancy simply groaned, giving her a quick glare. They knew it wouldn't do a lot, but they decided at least they did.<br> "O-kay. Uh, okay! To Saturn Valley we go!" Ness cheered. The gang quickly lined up (directions given to the newcomers to this method), and they were Tornado Teleporting to Saturn Valley.<p> "Stupid kid. Shootin' my bike. Coulda taken out a light, instead took out my engine. How did he do that?" Simone had managed to cover quite a distance in her battered hverbike. She was now trudging through a thick undergrowth that her hoverbike had finally packed up in. A large bag of artillery was slung expertly over her muscly shoulder, her hat a little worn looking now, and her shins adourned with new cuts from the bushes she was in.<br> "He aimed. He took time to aim. Precicely at my engine. That stupid kid must be a genius or something. Not a lotta people have that time." She paused to think of the other people who actually used their 1.5 seconds to take aim and shoot out her engine. There weren't many... about two people. One of them simply because her weapon at the time had been... well, a lot larger than the bike, she could easily say that.<br> "One and a half seconds, and he got the engine. But didn't see the missile. A stupid genius. I should test 'im sometime."<br> She stopped muttering for a few moments as voices made themselves clear. She placed a gloved hand to her ear to listen to the voices. She finally knelt on the ground, sneaking through the foliage like a lion stalking prey.<br> "... be able to work on the machine." A male sighed.<br> "Not good enough. The Devil's machine is only able to do so much. You should be working on finding the Key." A female scolded. Simone scowled as she recognised the voice. And knowing of whom this female was talking about.<br> "We're working on it. We know she passed here." The male said. "Perhaps we can lure her back. After all, she is a Guardian, is she not?"<br> "Possible, but still a hight risk. Work on fixing up the Devil's machine and the take-over. If we can find that Key, or that power, we--" The female cut herself off suddenly. Simone stiffened.<br> "What? What is it?" The male demanded.<br> <i>I'm too close! She can feel my presence!"</i> Simone cursed her own ignorance. She remained, however, trying to block her thoughts.<br> "Someone is eavesdropping." The female stated bluntly. "Guards!"<br> "Twice in one day. What a day." Simone groaned, pulling herself to her feet to run. She didn't make it far, tripping as something gripped her foot.<br> "Wha-? Shadows? How did you--" Simone suddenly found herself being swallowed up by the ground.<p><p> To be continued.