Babble: Track Nine
(author's note before we go any further; you should know I imagine Zodiac to be voiced by Hazel Duope
Name it, Rate it, Tune it, Print it,
Scan it, Send it, Fax-Rename it.
Touch it, Bring it, Pay it, Watch it,
Turn it, Leave it, Stop-Format it.
Technologic... Technologic... Technologic... Technologic.
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In the morning light, the glamour making the Bergens look human faded away. They passed out in the snow, and were encased in a stone shell.
Tone stuck her arm out. Exposure to sunlight caused scabs to form all over. She retracted her hand, and the scabs evaporated.
“Fascinating.” Zodiac said.
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Riley looked Species up and down.
"So, are you still Russel?"
"Oh yeah for sure for sure. I'm other people too but I'm also me. I remember Migul my boyfriend. I remember you Riley. You're emotions can talk. And you..." He looked at Tone. "I don't remember you."
Miguel introduced them. “Species meet Tone. Tone meet Species. Tone was experimented on like you and now she has trolls... possessing her, I guess. But not in a creepy way."
Species looked Tone up and down just like Riley did with him. “Uh, nice hair.”
Tone pressed a hand to her heart, deeply touched. “Thank youuuuu!”
The Species saw Zodiac, and was immediately intrigued.
“Are you that glowing person we saw outside?” he asked eagerly.
“Uh, maybe?” Zodiac answered unsurely.
“Cool.” Species smiled at them starry-eyed.
After taking some time to relax and regroup. Everyone sat in the rec room. Bridget told the story as she knew it.
Chef had been banished from the Bergen kingdom. But twenty years later, she came back. She said met someone who could help them be happy again. A spirit named Pitch Black. A great shadow filled the town like a flood, and all the Bergens sank into it, waking up in a new world with new appearances and new jobs.
"This isn't my real face." Bridjet mentioned, "This is a special kind of magic called Glamour. My real face... isn't that pretty."
They needed a vessel to channel the troll essence to them. While looking for one, they practice merging people from other worlds into willing volunteers. The most viable subjects were the dimensions native humans. Species was a prototype.
Renee had been in an accident and her family was desperate. They performed a ritual on her to summon as many trolls as possible into her body.
"So, they're actually, physically inside her?" Riley asked.
"I don't know how it works." Bridjet admitted.
Riley looked at Tone, remembering the meetings between her emotions and the different trolls. She wondered if they were aware of the world outside her mind, listening to Bridget speak. She wondered if they were angry.
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Species was asked more about how the animals were merged into him. As Russel, he remembered being prepped for an operation, as for the animals...
On the way to the gala, Professor Rupert Marmaled had the limo pull over next to some ruins by the crater. He said he had something to show them.
There was a mural showing a black silhouette of a man. Marmalade lit a black candle. Mr. Wolf wondered if this was some kind of memorial.
Rupert shouted out; “Great King of Nightmares! I offer you this sacrifice!”
“What are you…hgk!” Wolf was impaled by a long black harpoon that dragged him to the wall. More spikes impaled Mr. Shark and Mr. Piraña. Mr. Snake freaked and tried to leave, but the professors’ butler grabbed him and held him up. A black tentacle grabbed him and another grabbed Miss Tarantula. They were sucked in as Diane Foxinton called out.
“Professor! Mr. Wolf! What are you doing parked over…” she froze once she came into view and saw what was happening.
“Her too!” Rupert yelled pointing at her. One more harpoon took her.
That was all the bad guys remembered. Rupert and his butler Cuddles calmly walked into the painting.
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"Next thing we know, I wake up in a sterile bedroom with six new sets of memories and a bunch of carnivore instincts."
Everyone sat in a circle on the floor, engrossed in Species' story.
"Whoa..." Miguel whispered.
"Yeah. After that, they wouldn't let me leave my room, and I had to get blood tests all the time. No thank you! Got out of there as soon as I could. He turned to Miguel; "That's when I sent that message to you. Been living on the lam ever since."
"All by yourself?"
"Not quite all by myself. I had Dante of course. And after a while, I had..."
He suddenly stood up in shock. "OMYGOSH I left Jack outside!"
He speed-walked to the nearest window. The others asked him who Jack was.
"Okay," he said, opening the window, "You've all seen proof of magic and monsters. So, you're probably up for believing in some weird stuff right?"
"Yes" said Tone. "Yeah sure" said Riley. "Of course" said Miguel.
"So if I were to tell you that Jack Frost helped me escape, you'd believe me right?"
"Jack Frost?" Tone cocked her head. "The man from the poem?"
"I'm from a lot more than just that!" came a voice from outside. Up floated a young barefoot man with white hair, a dark blue hoodie, brown trousers, and carrying a crooked Shepards' staff. He entered the room in a breeze full of glowing snowflakes. He landed gracefully on the floor as everyone gazed at him.
"So... Safe to say you can all see me?"
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They spent the day exploring the archives.
According to Renee's file, she was from New Hampshire. Diagnosed with Autism at age two. Back in August, she was hit by a car while grocery shopping. It was right near her home, she went there all the time. She should have been safe... Riley became overwhelmed. Her emotions ran around headquarters, freaking out.
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Renne took out the tiny lyre. As an experiment, she plucked the blue string.
Riley heard a funny electric warbling behind her and turned around. A blue-skinned fish man floated in front of her. She watched him in awe.
"How are you doing that?"
"It's hard to explain. Same way you're doing that I guess." He pointed to Riley's emotions, sitting on her shoulders.
Disgust, slid down Riley's arm and studied the new Aspect, grinning. "Awesome."
“What else you got?” Miguel asked.
“What else you need?” The Techno Aspect said smugly.
Zodiac pounded the Techno Aspect with questions.
“Are they stronger than regular hair?”
“Can you use your own hair?”
“Do they make any song magic?”
Then Species chimed in.
“What happens if you lick one?”
They all looked at him in confusion.
