Designed Destiny

14. Not Quite a Family Reunion

Location: The Gray Witches' Moon

The androids surrounding Percy and HeadShot all suddenly opened fire. There wasn't even a second to attempt to dive for any non-existent cover as the hydro pellets dove for them. Less than a heartbeat after the triggers were pulled however, an enormous mountain of dog leaped through the thin air and landed above the two, the shots meant for them bouncing off the monstrous canine's burly muscles.

Percy staggered off-balance, her eyes straining to adjust in the dim lighting cast over her by the Rottweiler dog's mammoth shadow. The great dog gave a deafening bark that sent shock waves rippling through the sky overhead and barreled into the androids, they went sailing backwards through the air.

Seemingly acting upon an unspoken agreement, Percy and HeadShot both took off running while the dog was distracted. They just made it to the end of the canyon when the androids up-top rebounded and popped off more shots at their fleeing forms. The giant dog covered the distance between them in a single bound and his body absorbing more hits in a heartbeat. The brute gave a snarl of frustration as Percy and HeadShot climbed higher up the rocky wall before them as if in hopes of escaping the dog. The Rottweiler abruptly rammed his boxy muzzle into the rough wall they were scaling and sent violent tremors through the stone. Percy and HeadShot lost their grip on the jagged rocks and suddenly fell, landing on the dog's mighty head before rolling down his thick neck to his broad back.

The Rottweiler gave another earth-trembling bark and just then a radiant rainbow mist poured down from the sky that spilt open in a barrage of falling raindrops. Storm clouds consumed the rest of the sky from view but before Percy could even register the sudden storm or process the alarm of actually being on top of the monstrous hound, all of her senses were freakishly silenced as if washed away by the rainbow light that whisked her sight, smell, and feeling from her body. She couldn't even scream as everything went eerily black.

***

Moon: Crete of the Athens System

"Wha...where am...?" Percy groggily sat up, everything was still swimming in bright colors, as if she were locked away inside of a diamond. Fantastic prisms of rainbow light swirled around her lazily, her body felt like it had been asleep on ice for too long and her mind felt a little fuzzy, she felt like she could go back to sleep...

No, wait. She forced herself to sit up. She was in the middle of a sandy courtyard framed by an exotic temple equipped with scarlet sweeping roofs. Flights of marble stairs poured down into the massive clearing from the various balconies perched above the wide yard and open thresholds displayed the airy insides of the temple. Glass animal statues could be seen lining the hallways from within the temple and lanterns were lit at their feet even despite it being the middle of day. Wind-chimes gently clanked together in the balmy afternoon breeze as the kaleidoscope of colors melted away from Percy's vision, her head felt instantly clearer.

She scrambled up to her feet, startling briefly as she registered someone else jumping up beside her. HeadShot. "Aw fuck, you weren't lost in translation?" She groaned with annoyance as he brushed the sand off his black clothes. "I was hoping to ditch you sometime between here and there."

"Ooh, savage," someone's deep voice behind her praised. Percy whirled around with her empty firestone gun in hand to find her cites locked the then-normal-ish-sized Rottweiler; it was still twice as large as the typical Rottie though. It cocked its head and perked its ears when it noticed the gun.

"Look, I know you can speak, Fluffy!" Percy snapped, brandishing her gun as she took a couple steps back -hopefully out of lunging range. "So start telling me where the fuck I am and how I fuckin' got here!"