The Warriors: The Beginning - The Warriors (best ebook reader for ubuntu .TXT) 📗

a rolled spliff from the coffee table and blew, gently on the end, which immediately started to smoulder. She blew cannabis smoke in Daniel’s direction, then got up and went to the kitchen.
“You want bacon?” Nicki asked, the last word of her sentence muffled by a resounding explosion of fire and smoke coming from outside. Nicki looked in horror as Daniel screamed and ran to the door.
“Wait!” she cried and followed him.
“MY CUBE! MY SANCTURARY! MY RESERACH, NOOOOOOOOO!” Daniel sank to his knees as the huge greenhouse was smothered in flames and shards of glass flew in all directions.
Out of the smoke came a figure. As it got closer, Nicki stood in front of Daniel and saw the gleaming red hair of the same girl who had fought her 5 years ago.
“Hello again!” Lorna chirped, brightly. “just thought I’d come by with a bit of a message: give me your dragon research or more stuff blows up.” She smiled.
“What?” Daniel slowly got to his feet. “That was why you destroyed my Cube? For that!”
“Erm, yeah, I had to get the message across because I assumed you wouldn’t just give it to me.”
“Are you kidding? You can take the stupid research! I’ve got something better than that now. But don’t think I won’t get my revenge! I loved my Cube!” Daniel flailed his arms, stressed.
“Erm, Daniel...” Nicki stepped up and tapped him on the shoulder as Lorna made for the house. “Do you really want her to use it for evil purposes? She’ll probably use it to raise an army or something.”
“Shit!” Daniel realized and turned. “On second thoughts...” he raised his arms and the ground shuddered; a huge crack in the hard earth opened up beneath Lorna’s feet and she immediately disappeared into the dark hole.
Nicki darted over to where she had fallen. Lorna was dangling above a dark abyss, holding onto the jagged edges of the hole.
She smirked. “You haven’t seen the last of me, fools! You power will be mine!” and with that, she let go and disappeared into the darkness.
Daniel turned and sat in front of the flames, sadly.
“Don’t worry, you can try again tomorrow.” piped Nicki, slapping him hard on the shoulder.
“No, this is war!”
“All because she blew up your Cube?” Nicki raised her eyebrows.
“Yep.”
“Oh dear lord, this should be interesting.”


Part 3: Call to Arms

Daniel had been quiet ever since the explosion. Even making him breakfast and cooking him bacon sandwiches (a personal speciality of Nicki’s) had not cheered him up! Even reassuring him that there were a million other animals to experiment on out there had not lightened his mood. Nicki watched him through the window, stood in front of a metal incinerator. They’d decided it would be best for him to destroy all of the research on dragons, lest Lorna or The Beatle get their hands on it and use it for pure evil. Besides, Nicki was now fluent in the dragon tongue and was basically a walking dragon thesaurus.
Still, there was something in his eyes that told Nicki that he was up to something. He’d been using his powers more often. Usually, he liked to hide the fact that he could control any natural substance, commune with trees and make vines shoot out of the earth and grab people. But ever since that day, he’d been using vines to fetch the paper from the front door, or to grow apples trees if he was peckish.
And now he just stood there, not moving. Nicki turned back to her laptop and sucked on her spliff- he hadn’t even told her off for stealing some of the cannabis he grew for a buyer!
The sound of a car drifted through the window and Nicki thought it strange that they’d have visitors! Especially when Daniel was as geeky and unsociable as he was.
Nonetheless, she peered out of the window and saw someone very familiar climb out of the blue mini.
The woman was about her age with short, black hair. Her eyes were half hidden behind a full fringe. She wore a black, pin-striped suit and behind her trotted a golden retriever. A very dribbley golden retriever. Georgia Twitch shook Daniel’s hand and made her way to the front door.
Nicki stood, confused.
“Hello, Nicola.” Georgia said, reaching out to shake her hand.
“Hi, what are you doing here? Did Daniel call you?” Nicki shook her hand.
“Yes, he did, but it’s not about you. You look well.”
“Thanks. Oh good, because nothing’s happened ever since we found out what it was.”
“That’s a good sign. Ah, I remember those days well. It’s probably one of the most interesting work experiences I’ve ever had.” She smiled and sat down in Daniel’s arm chair near the fire. “Would you do the honours?” Georgia gestured to the fire and took reading glasses from her breast pocket.
Nicki knelt next to the fire and blew, gently, into the empty grate. Fire caught light on her breath and the grate blazed with a warm crackling.
“You’re getting good.” commented Georgia.
Nicki stood and leant on the window sill. The dog that had followed Georgia from the car came bounding in and sat in front of the fire, dribbling happily on the carpet.
“And who might this be?” asked Nicki raising an eyebrow.
“That’s Bruno.” replied Georgia. “I inherited him. Bit of an inconvenience, but I’ve trained him and he seems ok.”
“How did you train him? You use your mind mojo?”
“Something like that.”
Nicki looked up, thinking Daniel was coming through the door, but it wasn’t Daniel. She was about Nicki’s height and she had blond hair with blue eyes that seemed to change colour. She wore a skin-tight suit and a heavy, red cloak that looked like it was from Victorian times. She looked extremely out of place, her expression was mostly one of surprise and shock and curiosity.
“Nicola, this is Holly. She isn’t from here. In fact, she’s from another Realm.” introduced Georgia.
“Erm, hi.” stuttered Nicki, flashing Georgia sceptical look. “Where are you from?”
Holly smiled and said, “The Sky Realm. I have no idea where it is in relation to here, but this planet seems nice enough.”
Nicki paused. “You expect me to believe that?”
“It is so hard to believe? Just remember what you are.” sighed Georgia from the arm chair.
Nicki went back to leaning against the window sill and Holly sat on the sofa, looking around the room.
“So why are you here?” asked Nicki.
“I have n idea, Daniel invited us. He never told us why. He doesn’t even know Holly, but he invited her anyway.” explained Georgia. “Anyway, it’s always a pleasure to pay old friends a visit.”
“Oh.”
There was the sound of another car from outside and Nicki turned to look. A tall, slender woman got out of a black BMW. She was extremely pretty and wore a short skirt, high heels and a red top. What was strange, though was that she wore a bow over her body and on her back was a quiver of arrows.
“Guys, this is Verity, Georgia’s cousin.” announced Daniel.
“Hi.” muttered Georgia, uncomfortably. Nicki sensed something was going on with the two. She muttered her hello and so did Holly. Verity sat next to Holly.
Nicki noticed something intimidating about the way she moved and looked, and didn’t like it one bit.
“What’s this all about then, Daniel?” asked Nicki, impatiently.
“Well, I’ve gathered us because there is something afoot. I know for a fact that everyone here is familiar with the Red Queen and The Beatle.” explained Daniel. “We all want some sort of revenge or other and if not,” he looked at Georgia. “then you’re here to help us because you’ve been a good friend. We all have talents that normal people don’t have.”
He paused.
“So what you’re trying to say is that you want us all to work together like happy families to defeat them.” said Verity in a cold voice. “Like that’s going to happen!”
“Why not, it’s the perfect idea!”
Verity stood up, menacingly. “I have worked alone for the past nineteen years and I don’t intend to stop now. It’s the way I like it and the only way I can get things done without failing. The Beatle killed my fucking parents. She will pay by my hand!” She started for the door.
“Wait!” cried Daniel. “Do you know where she is? Do you know how to kill her? Arrows alone won’t stop The Beatle. She has ties to the Red Queen, who Holly has the most knowledge about. You can use Holly! You could use friends!”
Verity stopped. “How?”
“I am her sister.” Holly spoke. “She banished my from my own world and she’s now on the hunt for an ultimate power so that she can not only rule the Sky Realm, but this realm too. She tried to do that by getting my power and she tried by getting Daniel’s research, but she failed. She’s recruited The Beatle.”
Verity paused, turned and sat back down.
“You think we’re lying to you.” Georgia spoke.
“I might be. Get out of my head.” spat Verity.
“So, we’re all in this for the same reasons. We all want the Red Queen and The Beatle dead.” concluded Daniel.
No one spoke for a moment.
“Is that what we’re calling her? The Red Queen?” asked Nicki, raising an eyebrow.
“I thought it was fitting.” replied Daniel.
“And just how do you propose we defeat the Red Queen? And how is everyone here useful?” Nicki raised her eyebrows, sceptically.
“Well, Verity is a trained assassin and spy and had a shot with the Chinese Mafia once. Georgia, you know, is telepathic and has telekinesis, Holly is a Goddess and can do something with electricity or something,” Daniel looked at Holly, who nodded, “and I, you know, can control earth.”
Verity suddenly looked at Nicki, menacingly. “And what can you do, you look about as useful as Bruno!”
“Well, first I thought I had skitsophrenia, then I thought I had multiple-personality-disorder, but we figured it was just because I’m half dragon, on account of my getting injected with dragon DNA a while back.” explained Nicki, a hint of comedy in her tone.
Verity raised an eyebrow. “Seriously.”
“Seriously!”
“I don’t believe you.”
“You want me to prove it?”
“Wait! Not in the house!” cried Daniel. “Remember what happened last time!” he flailed his arms.
“Fine, guess you’ll have to wait to see my party trick.” smiled Nicki.
“And a party trick it shall be.” sneered Verity.
“At least I don’t have to prance around in a short skirt pretending to be Robin Hood.” snarled Nicki.
Suddenly, Verity was on her feet and her bow was in her hand. An arrow flew from her quiver and she was aiming it at Nicki’s heart. “Robin Hood? I could show him a fucking thing or two!”
“Guys! Stop!” yelled Georgia, standing.
No one spoke, for fear that Verity would kill Nicki there and then. She didn’t, however and slid the arrow from the bow and back into her quiver. Nicki smiled, still leaning on the window sill.
“So, are we going to agree to behave, or do I have to brainwash you?” asked Georgia.
Verity nodded and Nicki remained silent.
“Good”
Daniel stepped forwards. “Now we’ve got all the arguing out of the way, Holly, tell us what The Beatle said.”
Holly stood. “She said my sister is in London, preparing to raise an army of Beatles and release them into the street. They