Last Holiday on Terra

41

Azreal took us to a a fortress on the ethereal plane, a place where no living being had any business to be. Only Azreal seemed to know where we were as well as how to navigate its many corridors. It was a literal place and we had to don special gear just to be able to breathe as there was no actual air.

He took us to what appeared to be a corridor of doors that seemed to go on forever, calling it the Corridor of Thought. Finally, he stopped in front of one specific door. Turning toward Kia, he smiled and asked her if she would like to take point.

"What is this," she asked.

"You'll know the moment you open the door, my dear."

She breathed in deeply and nodded, putting her hand on the Terran door knob. Turning it, she closed her eyes and walked in. Over her head, we could see that there were shiny things in there, but what exactly, we couldn't tell.

"Lights," she whispered. We all heard a loud pop, followed by a hum as the lights slowed to brightness as if just having been awakened from a long slumber.

And finally, she giggled.

We could hear a single clanking in the far distance...metal on metal. The five of us walked further into the room and the sounds grew exponentially. If I had to describe the sounds and I must, the word I would use would be smithy...someone or more literally, several someones in the distance were crafting armor and weapons by hand, thereby lending their personal energies to their crafting.

I looked to the walls and to the tables at the plethora of small arms and bows and lances of various sizes, some ancient and some very modern with tech attachments. I moved further into the room to see who had been making those sounds.

I came upon what looked to be at least a thousand people of various races, generating these weapons and parts for various machines as well as armorers, banging out their various metals and sewing pieces of fabrics to create uniforms and armor-plating. Others were stringing bows and crafting bullets, while others were cutting glass for scopes, meant for firearms. A woman came out from behind a table a carrying a rifle of a modern design of some sort that I'd never seen and walked toward a target area. She held the firearm up and looked through the newly attached scope, then squeezed its trigger. A beam of light emanated and hit a small target, only to completely disintegrate it.

"Thought this was my job," Cee asked.

"No my Prince—you're to pick what you want," Azreal replied.

"Why can't we simply replicate these weapons?"

"Because computers can be corrupted," Kia replied quietly and walked in further as if she was on autopilot as she grabbed Allie's hand. "If I'm right, I believe you'll find this if particular interest."

I soon heard her giggle and laughed. "Hell yeah," she exclaimed. "How did you know! I haven't shown anybody!"

A man rounded the corner and I recognized him immediately, causing my heart to flutter a bit...Julia's husband...he looked to be making corrections on a tablet, then handed it off to some worker bee...I realized that we were in a dream or possibly an alternate reality and I wondered if there wasn't anything that Azreal couldn't do...

He looked up at me. "Hey! I was wondering when you were going to get here!" He approached and threw his arms around me; it was definitely an embrace by someone who's been more than a friend. Then, he took my hand in his. "Come see what I've built for you." Within moments, I was staring up at something that looked like a gigantic battle droid. There was a ladder and he pointed, silently suggesting that I go up.

"This thing is huge!"

"Won't be when we're finished here."

I moved to sit in what looked to be it's head. He went on to tell me that he could enclose me or not but strongly recommended enclosure. He explained that while it had voice-activation, my brain was to be literally linked to it nanotechnology as well as metal being infused into my skin....sounded painful. A clear screen materialized before me that held various controls. It was actually a panel to keep visual check on the machine until I learned how to properly work with it. He went on to tell me about its firing capabilities, that it would work in any terrain, including water. Then he pointed toward Kia and Allie who were looking at some kind of armor for a massive beast. "That's for your ride."

"I've seen the beastie," I replied. "The one foot of this machine is larger than—" I looked hard at him.

"She hasn't shown ya yet, has she?"

"Apparently not," I grumbled.

"You will see soon enough I expect. She probably just wants to push the awesome-envelope to the max is all."

I shrugged my shoulders..."yeah, the holy shit factor rates high with Allie."

He grinned and nodded in agreement. "Always did."

I had to crane my neck to visually follow Kia and Allie. I watched Allie's transformation with awe as she moved over to me on all fours and poked her nose closer for me to get a better look.

"Oh shit!"

"That's all you can say is 'oh shit'?"

"Holy shit?"

She chuckled, then lowered her head so that Kia could climb onto her. Once she was seated at the beast's shoulders. "Oh my god! How high up am I?"

Allie turned her head. "I dunno, but you tiny! Please don't fall—I'm going to lower you down, hang on, okay?" Within moments, Kia was standing beside on of the beastie's taloned feet. "Should I paint my nails," Allie teased.

"Dunno? Might chip. Then you'd be a very unhappy Draggin," she replied. "Hey! That can be it's name! Please say yes?"

"And will your heart be broken if I say no?"

"Oh yes. Terribly."

"Well then. Draggin it is."

"Yay! So, the armor, do you have to wear it all the time, or is it something we take with us?"

"Very good question!" Draggin turned her head. "Alex? How does this work?"

He was busy hooking electronics to all parts of my body...it was like he wasn't aware that he was being spoke to. "I need you to relax. This is going to feel—different."

"Different? Different how?"

I barely got the words out when I felt low levels of electrical currents coursing through my entire body. I inhaled sharply in spasms.

"Breathe," he told me. "Close your eyes. It'll make things easier."

I don't know if I passed out, but I must have as I woke up in my bed with Kia sitting next to me. I had no idea how much time I had lost and I sat up quickly, almost knocking her to the carpeted floor.

I felt amazing!

All of the little aches and pains in my body were completely gone.

I looked at my hand in the darkened room and it was illuminated, red and green streaks of light gently illuminated through my skin; I held out my hand and moved my fingers. "I look like a fucking Christmas tree."

"Really? You look fine to meee," she cooed.

I leaned in. "I bet you say that to all the boys," I whispered.