Loomian Legacy Veils of Shadow

New Allies, Old Foes

"Via!" Thane hissed, and suddenly, his eyes suffered whiplash as faint outlines of the outside were shown to him. Thane groaned slightly. "Three, there's three of them." Thane paused and cocked his head to the side as Via silently spoke into his ear. "All POLUT. Corp. All of them have Loomians." Thane focused a little harder and let out a curse under his breath. "What is it?" Jake asked. "I know one of these guys." He gasped out. "I met him when I went to get the tickets for the Battle Theatre. He challenged me to a battle." A look of fear overtook Mabel's face. "Do you think they've been following us?"

Thane bit his lip as he looked down. "I don't know." Another ring of the doorbell made everyone jump. Thane turned to Ferrix, his lips twisted into a frown and his brows furrowed. "Mr. Ferrix, I know how things look right now, but I trust you. If you want to keep your family and home safe, I need you to trust me too."

Meredin tapped his foot impatiently and looked down at his watch. He exhaled loudly and rang the doorbell again. The two POLUT. Corp guards at his side stood unmoving, discs in their hands. Meredin let out a frustrated growl and rang the doorbell once again. "What is taking that man so long?" He spat out through gritted teeth.

Suddenly, the door swung open with such force they slammed against the white wall. Then, Baxley's strong arms dragged Meredin into the house. The man let out a startled cry and his legs instinctively kicked at Baxley, but the strong buttler didn't flinch. "Lissen, now!" Lucas commanded, taking advantage of the sudden confusion among the two guards accompanying Meredin. Before they could send out their Loomians, a soothing guitar melody rang out, flooding their ears and piercing their brain. In an instant, they collapsed to the floor in a deep sleep.

A now-healed Searknight then stepped out to the front porch and scooped down to effortlessly lift the unconscious men into its arms. Carrying them inside, the door slammed closed once again. The counterattack happened so fast that Meredin and his guards didn't have time to react, and to the outside world, it was like nothing had happened.

Soon enough, Meredin and the guards were tied up, and on one of the sofa's. Their discs and gear had been confiscated. "What do we do with them?" Ferrix wondered as Baxley stepped back after tying up the last guard. As if the universe was answering his question, the LoomiWatch that belonged to Meredin began to ring with a call. With a glance, Thane answered, and a familiar voice flooded the room.

"Meredin." Vanta's smooth voice flooded into the room. Ferrix stepped forward and opened his mouth to say something, but Lucy quickly placed a hand over his mouth, silencing him. Vanta continued uninterrupted. "Once you have taken the stone fragment from Ferrix, meet me at the site. We have found a way into the city. Make sure that Ferrix remains unaware of what we're really doing, and see to it that he, or those kids don't get in our way." Vanta seemed to seethe at the mention of Thane and his friends. "This is much bigger than the stone piece, and I won't let that blind boy and his overgrown rabbit get in the way again."

Before anyone could say anything, the call ended. "Vanta's back," Mabel whispered as she held Starla a little closer. As Lucy removed her hand from Ferrix's mouth, he turned to the orange-haired girl. "How do you know Vanta?" He asked. "He was the one with the third stone fragment." Thane cut in. "Tried creating a war Loomian called Protogon. He also tried to kill us, and now he's back." Thane turned and nodded at the three unconscious and restrained men. "And, he's apparently been stalking us as well." He said with venom in his voice. Thane scooped down and picked up Meredin's Loomiwatch, holding it gingerly between his fingers. "Via, trace the call." He requested. "Who's he talking to?" Ferrix asked, only for the twins to "shh" him.

A moment later, Thane broke his silence, and the watches on his friend's wrists vibrated. "I know where he is, that's the location." Jake opened the message, and his eyebrows shot up. "Thane." He started. "This is underwater." He said with a tone that was hard to gauge. "It's almost six miles away from the city. How are we supposed to get there? None of us even any water water Po-, Loomians." He corrected, glad nobody questioned the slip-up, but that was because there were more pressing matters. Lucy eyed the message with equal apprehension. "Yeah, but if this is bigger than before, then we have to find a way."

After a long moment of silence, Ferrix spoke up. Looking directly at Thane, assuming he was the leader of the group, he spoke. "I don't know what's going on," he turned to the three unconscious men on his couch. "But, after seeing these three men, and hearing that call, I don't think I can trust Vanta or POLUT. Corp." He turned back to Thane. "I'm not sure if I can fully trust you either, but you seem to be a better alternative to POLUT. Corp." He nodded. "So for now, I will help you. I can get a submarine to take you to Vanta. I will accompany you. I'm the only one here who knows how to operate a submarine, and while I don't want any part in your conflict, I do want answers." Thane and Ferrix stared each other down before Thane nodded. "Thank you. You don't trust us, but I trust you, and we need all the help we can get."

Another moment of silence passed before Lucas spoke up. "Uh, guys, we can't just leave the stone here. What if Vanta sends more guys when Meredin doesn't call back or show up?" A good point, and a problem that needed a solution quickly.

Luckily, Ferrix had one ready to go. While Thane and company would go into the ocean to face Dr. Vanta and his latest scheme, Baxley and Millia would stay in the city. Baxley would stay to tend to an injured Torty, keep an eye on the men, and protect the stone. Millia would stay because her father didn't want her in any danger, despite the girl's protest.

Once everything was settled, preparations were made. The kids changed out of their pajamas and into their regular clothes, Loomians were checked and healed up, and Whispup opted to return to his disc rather than face whatever lay in store, at least until Thane needed him. Then, Ferrix led the group into the house's basement, a large hanger-like area that was primarily a submarine garage.

Everyone piled into the submarine, and Ferrix took the wheel. It wasn't as comfortable as the submarine they took to get into the city, but it would get the job done. "Everyone ready?" Ferrix called from the front like a parent before a long road trip. A chorus of nervous "yes," and "yeah" answered his question.

Taking a deep breath and a few seconds to steady his shaking hands, Ferrix started the submarine, and the machine hummed to life. A loud whirring sound spread through the vessel and a buzz passed over the occupants. Then, stomachs lurched as the submarine dropped down into a water-filled tunnel that led to the outside. With another breath, Ferrix propelled the submarine forward, towards the private gate that led to the outside and into the unknown of whatever they were about the face.