Finally finished this! :S
Gah. I started writing this when Random got his memory upgrade. Is supposed to be a bunch of stuff he's remembering, but it took me ages to actually complete. Never mind. Here now. Bunch of Random's memories, shoved together...
*****
“Random! We’re stuck in a storeroom!”
“I can see that.” He was fiddling with the lock.
“How do you expect us to get out?”
“Hopefully through the door.” He caught her looking at Ace’s wrist cannons. “And, no, we can’t blast our way out.”
Sparx glared at him.
*****
“Take my hand!”
Fire raged through the buildings core. Thirty feet below there was a mass of machinery, fire licking around it.
“I can’t!”
The man gripped a flimsy ladder bolted to the wall. If it gave he’d fall into the furnace below.
He reached his hand down. “You have to trust me. I won’t let you go. I promise.”
*****
“Coward!”
“Leave me alone…” A kid, no older than ten. He backed away, running up against an old sky bus hull.
“What are you doing here, you weakling?!”
“I’m sorry! It was a dare. You know… make it through Catastrophe Junkyard….”
“I will destroy you.” He raised his claw.
“Please… don’t…”
The claw paused in the air. The kid cringed up against the hull, his eyes shut tightly.
“… go…”
The kid looked up. “But I thought…”
“Get out of here!”
*****
“It’s cold.” Sparx rubbed her arms. “Why can’t they heat storage rooms?”
“Because it’s impractical. Do you want my jacket?”
“No.”
“It’s going to get colder.”
“Yeah, well then you’ll be cold. Why couldn’t we get a room with blankets or something? The only thing in here is light bulbs!” Sparx stopped and seemed to think for a second. “How much heat do light bulbs give off?”
“Not much.”
“Damn.”
*****
“Random Virus, we cannot justify allowing you to continue as a Knight if these program fluctuations continue. It’s too dangerous. Both for you and any other Knights.” The commander sat at the desk in his office.
“I promise it won’t happen again.”
“Are you sure? Doctor Regen says a virus must have gotten into your system, one he can’t remove.”
“Doesn’t that count as incompetence?”
“Random, he gave you your life back. The fault was with the equipment. My question is, do you still want to be a Knight? And do you think you can control this?”
“Yes, sir.”
The commander smiled then. “Good. Ace Lightning seems to think so too. He’s willing to let you continue on his team. I’ve agreed. We need as much help cleaning up around here as we can get. Just don’t lose your head out there, understand?”
*****
A bolt flew out of the wall with a loud pop. The man snatched his hand back and gripped the rungs.
“You need to grab onto me. That thing’s going to fall any minute.”
The man looked at him then back down at the fire eating its way into the machinery. He seemed to make a decision. “I know that. But that machine is going to blow first. You have to get out of here. Leave me, or you won’t make it in time.”
“I’m not leaving this building without you.”
“You don’t know me from a bar of soap!”
He ignored the statement and thrust his arm back down, bringing himself dangerously close to the edge. “Take it!”
The man looked at him. Then swung his arm up and grabbed on tight.
*****
“Program overload in progress.”
He could see nothing but darkness, but he could hear everything.
“Damn it! Don’t lose him. This one is the most promising subject we’ve had.”
“Doctor Regen, if we continue the transfer he will overload.”
“I don’t care! It’s taken me years to get this program perfect. The Lightning Knights will be strong again, and it’s going to start here!”
*****
The mechanical beast lifted its head and roared. Its claw swept across the ground, throwing Knights and rubble out of its way. The lightning bolts smashing into its sides did little damage.
“Aim under the armour!” shouted Ace beside him, his voice carrying across the battlefield.
A young Knight flew to the beast’s side on a lightning flash, and blasted under its shoulder plating. The beast shuddered slightly, before a sharp shaft of metal emerged from the gap and stabbed the Knight out of the sky.
Then he saw it stop. It paused as one of its clawed paws hovered in the air. Then it turned to the smaller beast beside it, opened its mouth and blasted it with a massive flame.
Ace looked at him in shock. “Did you…?”
“It’s a machine.”
*****
“I’m going to freeze to death in a closet…” Sparx’s voice was shaking. She was sitting next to him now, her arms wrapped around her shoulders.
“I told you to take my jacket. Offer’s still open.”
“Stop trying to be macho! You’re shaking too.”
“Then sit closer to me.”
“What?”
“To keep warm. We’ll be warmer if we share body heat.”
“Fine.” Sparx shifted closer to him, until her body was right up against his. “Okay, so it’s a little warmer. What do we do now?”
“I guess just try and get some sleep until someone finds us.”
“Sleep… it’s too cold to sleep.” He barely heard her. He must have drifted off to sleep himself.
*****
Darkness again. He couldn’t see anything. He hadn’t seen anything for awhile.
“Come on, Random, I know you can hear me.” Ace.
He tried to move, but nothing seemed to work. And he could still only see darkness.
“Come on, Ace! They don’t even know if he’s… alive… properly.” A pause. “He can’t hear you. No one could after being in that explosion.”
“I know he can. I know Random. He’s stronger than this.”
He felt Ace’s hand touch his, grip it.
“Random, I know you can hear me. Come on, if you can hear me, just squeeze my hand.”
He still couldn’t make any part of his body respond.
*****
He grabbed the man’s arm. And the floor and machinery below blossomed into a wall of flame and broken metal. He turned his head to the side and shut his eyes as the heat seared past him. He couldn’t tell the difference between fire and shrapnel pummelling into his body. Until he felt something knife into his arm.
He chanced a look, only to see the man falling into the furnace. And then everything turned glaring white.
He never actually let him go.
*****
A pants leg hung in front of him. Small hands reached out and tugged it.
“Hey, Randy, what’s up you little rascal?” His father knelt down in front of him.
“Guess what, Dad!?”
“Let’s see… um…” He continued like that for a few seconds, staring into the air pretending to think.
“Dad, you’re not listening! I wanna be a Lightning Knight!”
“Really? You know a Lightning Knight is a big responsibility. You’re not just blasting stuff.”
“Yeah!”
His father smiled. “Randy, you’d make a great Knight. You know whatever you become I’ll be proud of you.”
*****
“Random! We’re stuck in a storeroom!”
“I can see that.” He was fiddling with the lock.
“How do you expect us to get out?”
“Hopefully through the door.” He caught her looking at Ace’s wrist cannons. “And, no, we can’t blast our way out.”
Sparx glared at him.
*****
“Take my hand!”
Fire raged through the buildings core. Thirty feet below there was a mass of machinery, fire licking around it.
“I can’t!”
The man gripped a flimsy ladder bolted to the wall. If it gave he’d fall into the furnace below.
He reached his hand down. “You have to trust me. I won’t let you go. I promise.”
*****
“Coward!”
“Leave me alone…” A kid, no older than ten. He backed away, running up against an old sky bus hull.
“What are you doing here, you weakling?!”
“I’m sorry! It was a dare. You know… make it through Catastrophe Junkyard….”
“I will destroy you.” He raised his claw.
“Please… don’t…”
The claw paused in the air. The kid cringed up against the hull, his eyes shut tightly.
“… go…”
The kid looked up. “But I thought…”
“Get out of here!”
*****
“It’s cold.” Sparx rubbed her arms. “Why can’t they heat storage rooms?”
“Because it’s impractical. Do you want my jacket?”
“No.”
“It’s going to get colder.”
“Yeah, well then you’ll be cold. Why couldn’t we get a room with blankets or something? The only thing in here is light bulbs!” Sparx stopped and seemed to think for a second. “How much heat do light bulbs give off?”
“Not much.”
“Damn.”
*****
“Random Virus, we cannot justify allowing you to continue as a Knight if these program fluctuations continue. It’s too dangerous. Both for you and any other Knights.” The commander sat at the desk in his office.
“I promise it won’t happen again.”
“Are you sure? Doctor Regen says a virus must have gotten into your system, one he can’t remove.”
“Doesn’t that count as incompetence?”
“Random, he gave you your life back. The fault was with the equipment. My question is, do you still want to be a Knight? And do you think you can control this?”
“Yes, sir.”
The commander smiled then. “Good. Ace Lightning seems to think so too. He’s willing to let you continue on his team. I’ve agreed. We need as much help cleaning up around here as we can get. Just don’t lose your head out there, understand?”
*****
A bolt flew out of the wall with a loud pop. The man snatched his hand back and gripped the rungs.
“You need to grab onto me. That thing’s going to fall any minute.”
The man looked at him then back down at the fire eating its way into the machinery. He seemed to make a decision. “I know that. But that machine is going to blow first. You have to get out of here. Leave me, or you won’t make it in time.”
“I’m not leaving this building without you.”
“You don’t know me from a bar of soap!”
He ignored the statement and thrust his arm back down, bringing himself dangerously close to the edge. “Take it!”
The man looked at him. Then swung his arm up and grabbed on tight.
*****
“Program overload in progress.”
He could see nothing but darkness, but he could hear everything.
“Damn it! Don’t lose him. This one is the most promising subject we’ve had.”
“Doctor Regen, if we continue the transfer he will overload.”
“I don’t care! It’s taken me years to get this program perfect. The Lightning Knights will be strong again, and it’s going to start here!”
*****
The mechanical beast lifted its head and roared. Its claw swept across the ground, throwing Knights and rubble out of its way. The lightning bolts smashing into its sides did little damage.
“Aim under the armour!” shouted Ace beside him, his voice carrying across the battlefield.
A young Knight flew to the beast’s side on a lightning flash, and blasted under its shoulder plating. The beast shuddered slightly, before a sharp shaft of metal emerged from the gap and stabbed the Knight out of the sky.
Then he saw it stop. It paused as one of its clawed paws hovered in the air. Then it turned to the smaller beast beside it, opened its mouth and blasted it with a massive flame.
Ace looked at him in shock. “Did you…?”
“It’s a machine.”
*****
“I’m going to freeze to death in a closet…” Sparx’s voice was shaking. She was sitting next to him now, her arms wrapped around her shoulders.
“I told you to take my jacket. Offer’s still open.”
“Stop trying to be macho! You’re shaking too.”
“Then sit closer to me.”
“What?”
“To keep warm. We’ll be warmer if we share body heat.”
“Fine.” Sparx shifted closer to him, until her body was right up against his. “Okay, so it’s a little warmer. What do we do now?”
“I guess just try and get some sleep until someone finds us.”
“Sleep… it’s too cold to sleep.” He barely heard her. He must have drifted off to sleep himself.
*****
Darkness again. He couldn’t see anything. He hadn’t seen anything for awhile.
“Come on, Random, I know you can hear me.” Ace.
He tried to move, but nothing seemed to work. And he could still only see darkness.
“Come on, Ace! They don’t even know if he’s… alive… properly.” A pause. “He can’t hear you. No one could after being in that explosion.”
“I know he can. I know Random. He’s stronger than this.”
He felt Ace’s hand touch his, grip it.
“Random, I know you can hear me. Come on, if you can hear me, just squeeze my hand.”
He still couldn’t make any part of his body respond.
*****
He grabbed the man’s arm. And the floor and machinery below blossomed into a wall of flame and broken metal. He turned his head to the side and shut his eyes as the heat seared past him. He couldn’t tell the difference between fire and shrapnel pummelling into his body. Until he felt something knife into his arm.
He chanced a look, only to see the man falling into the furnace. And then everything turned glaring white.
He never actually let him go.
*****
A pants leg hung in front of him. Small hands reached out and tugged it.
“Hey, Randy, what’s up you little rascal?” His father knelt down in front of him.
“Guess what, Dad!?”
“Let’s see… um…” He continued like that for a few seconds, staring into the air pretending to think.
“Dad, you’re not listening! I wanna be a Lightning Knight!”
“Really? You know a Lightning Knight is a big responsibility. You’re not just blasting stuff.”
“Yeah!”
His father smiled. “Randy, you’d make a great Knight. You know whatever you become I’ll be proud of you.”