New Terra: The Second Season (Volume 2 of the New Terra Trilogy)

Chapter VII: Castle Siege

So the Wizard of Oz gave the Scarecrow a brain, the Tin Man a heart, and the Cowardly Lion some courage. And now, apparently, he's given Lafayette some emotions as well.
I never knew the New Terrans could change and bond in the way that they have. At first, I thought they were just some ragtag group of flamboyant characters fighting for an unstable cause. Now, little bonds are being made here and there until we will eventually have one big family tree.
I'll keep in touch.
---
Sweating profusely, Eleanor ran up to Queen Radcliffe and Mai. "My Queens, I just got news from Dr. McCormick. The New Terran Castle's under attack!" She exclaimed.
"What?" Queen Radcliffe asked in disbelief. "Who would... Fink!"
Queen Radcliffe ran to The Bird. The other New Terrans followed her without question. Avi hopped into the pilot's seat and started up The Bird. Eleanor climbed in next to him and filled him in on the situation.
"Who's at the head of the New Terran Castle in our absence?" Basileus asked, butting into the conversation.
"I don't know," Eleanor answered. "Which is why we need to go now!"
Avi flew The Bird up into the air. As The Bird evened out in the air, Avi grunted in pain. He let go of The Bird's controls and held his head.
"What the hell, Avi?" Eleanor asked, taking the role of the head pilot. "We need help over here!" She called.
Huntress ran up to the duo. "Father?" She asked. "Father!"
Avi took Huntress' hand. Huntress pulled her father up and led him to the back of The Bird. She sat Avi down and held him. "Tell me what's wrong," Huntress told Avi.
"My- my head..." he muttered.
Queen Radcliffe went over to Avi and crouched in front of him. "Breathe, Avi," she commanded. "You'll be fine."
"Something is... in my- in my brain," Avi groaned. "I can see- Oh God, I can see... Ah!"
Avi doubled over and screamed in pain as the other New Terrans crowded around him. "What?" Queen Radcliffe asked. "What do you see?"
"Death... everywhere..." Avi managed to say through clenched teeth. "Valencia... Huntress... myself..."
"Think of happy thoughts," Queen Radcliffe told Avi. "Think about your time with Valencia. Think about all of your good memories. Think about us, the New Terrans."
Avi pressed his head against the seat in front of him and breathed heavily. "I'll be fine," he muttered. "Just give me a second."
"Lafayette, Aváli," Queen Radcliffe called. "Did Fink try to use any sort of nanotechnology against you?"
"No," Lafayette blatantly answered.
"Not that I could think of," Aváli added.
Basileus stared at the two before becoming angry. "Then this is all your fault!" He blamed, viciously pointing at Lafayette and Aváli.
"What the hell are you saying, Basileus?" Queen Radcliffe asked.
"If they would have been more observant, then they would have known that Fink had this 'nanotechnology' that you speak of!" Basileus told Queen Radcliffe. "But they were not observant! Now, Avi's suffering!"
"The same could be said about you!" Aváli yelled, directing the blame to Basileus. "You can see the future! You're telling me that I'm to blame because I couldn't see what was going to happen, when in reality you could have seen it twenty times over?"
"Hang on, now-" Basileus started, holding his hand up in surrender.
"No, I won't!" Aváli yelled. "I'm sick of tired of you waltzing into a new planet and thinking you're automatically higher than me! Just because you have some precognitive power that I don't have doesn't mean you're any better than me!"
"Will you two just SHUT THE HELL UP ALREADY?" Avi screamed at the top of his lungs, startling everyone in The Bird. He woozily stood up and walked over to the two.
"Neither of you belong here," he spat. "It's because of the generosity of Honey Radcliffe that you, Basileus, are still on this planet, and you, Aváli, are still in this dimension. So- please- work together, despite your obvious hate towards each other. Or else you'll take a shotgun blast to the head."
---
"We're here!" Eleanor called. She landed The Bird down onto the top of the New Terran Castle. The New Terrans climbed out of The Bird and studied the scene before them.
An army of blue-silhouetted marched towards the New Terran Castle. They each wore a different uniform and held a gun in their hands.
"What are those?" Mai asked the New Terrans. "Are they... ghosts?"
"They're definitely not human, that's for sure," Aváli told Mai. "The Romero Twins are looking into those 'time pocket' things, right? Look at their uniforms!"
"There's some American World War I troops," Mai observed. "Some World War II troops from the USSR. And those people over to the right- they look like Huns or something."
"What if Fink's pulling people out of their time periods and having them attack the New Terran Castle?" Aváli asked.
The color in Mai's face flushed. She looked over to Queen Radcliffe with wild eyes. "Can we kill these bastards?" She asked.
"I don't know," Queen Radcliffe answered.
"It's worth a shot," Mai concluded. "Let's go!"
---
The New Terrans ran down to the front of the New Terran Castle and split up. "Angus!" Jerrybot called. "Come with me!"
Angus charged in Jerrybot's direction at the attacking army. Jerrybot jumped onto Angus' back and turned on his electric gloves. Angus barreled towards an enemy and passed through it.
"Jerrybot, I'm starting to believe that these are ghosts!" Angus exclaimed.
Jerrybot thrusted his fist down at an enemy. It glowed a bright blue and exploded in a flash of light. "They have to be ghosts," Jerrybot agreed.
Every ghost in the vicinity turned to face the two androids. "This is up to you, Jerrybot!" Angus said. "I cannot hurt them. I am sorry, my friend."
"I don't think we can take on so many of these," Jerrybot observed. "Well, great! Isn't this a blast?"
The ghosts to the left of the two androids all began to glow at once. In a loud boom, every ghost exploded in flashes of light. The light centered around two central figures like a black hole. "I'm scared," Angus admitted. "Who are those two?"
Out of the light, the two figures emerged. "Move, Jerrybot!" The left one said. It shot a beam of light out of its hand, causing every ghost it hit to explode into light.
The right one teleported into a large group of ghosts and jumped into the air. It threw its arms out, causing an explosion of light to disintegrate the ghosts around it.
The light around the two dimmed down. "Robin, Toni!" Jerrybot exclaimed. "You're back! And you're- superheroes?"
Robin stretched out his arm. "We're not superheroes," he told the androids. Robin and Toni held up their arms, revealing mechanical gloves the length of their forearms. "We'll explain everything later."
"What are these things?" Jerrybot asked. "They're ghosts, right?"
"There's a dimension dedicated to the souls of the dead," Robin explained, studying the incoming horde of ghosts. "Time pockets, which allow people to manipulate time, were being used by Fink.  We believe he used them to build gateways between this dimension and the Afterlife Dimension, which is where these spirits are from. Now, the spirits are under his control."
"Under his control?" Angus asked. "How?"
"Like Robin said- we'll explain later!" Toni interrupted. "When the ghosts explode, they're sent right back to where they came from. So don't be afraid to do some damage! They're dead already."
Toni pressed a button on her left glove and teleported away. In the distance, a flash of light was followed by an electric blue explosion.
"Let's go, you two," Robin told the androids. "Make this fight strategical. We have no clue as to what these ghosts can do to you, and we do not wish to find out. So, be safe out there."
"Alright," Jerrybot answered. He climbed onto Angus' back and waved to Robin. As Robin fired beams of light into the incoming ghosts, Angus led Jerrybot to the front line of the opposing army. Jerrybot leaned forward to hit his enemies, and was careful not to shock Angus.
"Some ghosts are getting into the castle!" Angus told Jerrybot. "What should we do?"
"Stay here," Jerrybot answered. "Let's minimize the amount of ghosts that get in. I'm sure the New Terrans will think of something!"
---
The New Terrans scattered throughout the New Terran Castle, checking high and low for invading spirits. Avi followed Queen Radcliffe down a long corridor, Harbinger at the ready.
"Do you mind telling me who the hell brought ghosts here, Honey?" Avi asked.
"Your guess is as good as mine," Queen Radcliffe admitted. "But I know one thing for sure: I'm gonna beat the shit out of Fink!"
Queen Radcliffe abruptly stopped. "What is it?" Avi asked. "What? Hello? Earth to Honey?"
"Jane..." Queen Radcliffe whispered.
"Are you feeling alright?" Avi asked.
Queen Radcliffe nudged past Avi and continued down the corridor. A ghost familiar to Queen Radcliffe stood at the end of it.
"Honey, there's nothing there!" Avi told Queen Radcliffe. "What are you doing?"
"Jane, is that you?" Queen Radcliffe asked, holding her hand out. Jane's ghost smiled and held out hers. Queen Radcliffe attempted to grab Jane's hand once she reached her, but instead was met by a cloud of freezing cold air. "Right..." Queen Radcliffe muttered. "You're gone."
Jane pressed her icy palm against Queen Radcliffe's cheek. "I am still here," Jane whispered in a ghostly voice. "I will never leave your side, my Queen."
Queen Radcliffe began to cry. "Honey, what's wrong?" Avi called from the other side of the hallway. "You've got to be hallucinating! There's nothing in front of you but a wall!"
"Do not mind Avi," Jane told Queen Radcliffe. "He will soon be visited by someone he loved dearly."
"Fink's been taking souls of those who died in war and is making them attack us," Queen Radcliffe told Jane. "Why is it that you came too?"
"I died at war, remember?" Jane asked Queen Radcliffe. "Now, let us take pause for a moment. There is still a siege that you need to end."
"I don't want to leave you, though," Queen Radcliffe told Jane. "I've already lost you before. I'm not losing you again. What are some ghosts going to do to a castle, anyway?"
"They can do a lot more than you would expect," Jane said. "Avi shall soon be met by a spirit. Go and join the fight while he converses with the spirit."
"What will you do?" Queen Radcliffe asked Jane. "Are you going back to where you came from? The Afterlife Dimension?"
"I will be at your side," Jane repeated from the beginning of the conversation. "So, go and kill Fink if you choose. I will still love you, no matter what decision you choose, my Queen."
Queen Radcliffe nodded, tears forming at the corners of her eyes. She pulled out her pistols and ran farther into the New Terran Castle.
"York and Paris," Jane said to herself. "I should have known... she loved those pistols. Even though I hate weapons and killing... they suit her."
Avi followed Queen Radcliffe. "It's about damn time we put a move on it!" He called to her. He then stopped as a cold hand grabbed his shoulder.
Avi turned around as Queen Radcliffe continued on. His eyes grew wider as he took a shaky breath. "Valencia?" He asked. "Why are you- what are you- how are you- oh, what the hell?"
Avi leaned forward to kiss Valencia on the lips. His head passed through Valencia's. Avi shuddered as his head was surrounded by cold air. "Val-"
"Stop," Valencia told Avi. "Save your breath, soldier. There's still work to be done out there, yeah?"
"You're right," Avi agreed. "But- I... how are you-"
"Now isn't the time, soldier," Valencia interrupted again. "You love me, yeah?"
"I do," Avi answered.
"Then do me a favor, solider," Valencia told Avi. "Finish the mission. Save the solar system yet again. And... take care of Huntress."
"I will," Avi muttered.
"Why do you mutter?" Valencia asked. "Tell me."
"I just... I still can't believe you're here," Avi told Valencia. "I know you won't be here for long. I know you already died. But..."
"Now isn't the time for reflection," Valencia said, putting a ghostly finger to Avi's mouth. "Finish the mission, soldier. Finish the mission. I've got your back, yeah?"
"Yeah," Avi agreed, remorsefully giggling. "You always have. Ever since I met you in Polynesia."
"Never mind that, soldier," Valencia dismissed. "Go help your cause in battle."
Avi turned around and looked out of a nearby window. The Romero Twins, Jerrybot, and Angus were fighting back-to-back. From another point in the New Terran Castle, Aváli was sniping with a rifle unfamiliar to Avi.
Avi turned around to face Valencia. "Valencia?" He asked, looking around at the empty hallway. "Valencia, where did you go?"
After waiting for several moments, Avi shook his head. He ran in the opposite direction of Queen Radcliffe and explored the castle for any intruding ghosts.
---
Aváli kneeled on the top of the New Terran Castle and took out ghosts one by one using her rifle. An explosion of light to her left caused her to jump.
"Good lord, Toni!" Aváli hissed. "You nearly gave me a heart attack!"
"Sorry," Toni apologized. "I tend to do that now."
"What's with the arms?" Aváli asked, resuming her sniping.
"Oh- you mean the gloves?" Toni asked. "These took a little bit of research to build. They're only prototypes, though, so I don't know how safe these are. Basically, the time pockets that Robin and I have been looking into? Fink's using them to bring in these ghosts. In doing so, he's damaging the time-space continuum, which could lead to the destruction of this dimension.
"So, Robin and I built these: the Proto-Reversers. They take the energy created by time pockets and rifts in the space-time continuum and use it for power, and in doing so closes the time pockets and repairs any damage that's been done. Basically, we're reversing the damage done to this dimension."
"Well, these bullets aren't working," Aváli told Toni. "They're going right through the ghosts. I'm looking to see if they have any spots in which the bullets actually will work."
"Electricity was working wonders on the ghosts," Toni remembered. "Jerrybot was hitting them with his gloves."
Aváli perked up. "Toni, I need you to find Avi. He can fire electric rounds out of his shotgun, right? Harbinger?"
"Yeah, he can," Toni said. "See you around."
Toni teleported away in a flash of light. Aváli aimed down he scope and watched the scene that unfolded. Robin shot blasts of light from his gloves, knocking down ghosts like bowling pins. Jerrybot rode on Angus' back, thrusting his fists down at the ghosts.
"Be careful, Robin," Aváli whispered. "We both know what happened last time..."
---
Huntress led Basileus to the back of the New Terran Castle, away from all of the action. "I need you to see the future!" Huntress told Basileus.
The duo stopped in a hallway. Basileus sat down, straightened out his back, and closed his eyes. The snakes that made up his hair pointed upwards at the ceiling. "I can't see things very clearly," he told Huntress.
"Can you make out anything at all?" Huntress asked, sitting down next to him.
"I think I see a prison cell," Basileus answered. "There's a glowing... portal-like thing in there. It's gone now."
"Well, at least you saw something," Huntress said. "If only you saw a tiny bit more."
"No, I'm still receiving a prophecy," Basileus told Huntress. "I meant that the prison cell is gone."
"I wonder where that could be..." Huntress murmured.
"Isn't there a prison cell down in the castle basement?" Basileus asked. "The portal seemed to be of the same blue as the ghosts' silhouettes."
"It has to be there!" Huntress exclaimed.
Basileus' snakes fell down into place. "We have to check now," he said, opening his eyes. The two stood up and ran down to the basement.
---
Mai, Lafayette, and Eleanor frantically ran around the basement, examining the entire place multiple times. Huntress and Basileus ran in and looked at the trio.
"Where's Fink?" Huntress asked.
"He's gone," Mai told the two. She caught her breath and wiped the sweat off of her forehead. "He's gone!"
"I shall tell Queen Radcliffe," Eleanor said, running out of the basement.
Lafayette pointed at Basileus. "Read the future," she told him. "We need answers."
"I did before I got here," Basileus informed Lafayette. "All I saw was a prison cell. It was down here, I believe. There was a blue portal in it. Next thing I knew, the entirety of the cell had completely vanished. I don't believe that any of my prophecies have seen an event while it was happening."
"Get another prophecy, then," Lafayette commanded. "We need to know Fink's whereabouts."
"I can't get two prophecies so close to one another," Basileus informed Lafayette.
"Mount Rainier," Mai interrupted. "I remember! He's at Mount Rainier!"
"What's he doing there?" Huntress asked.
"He's getting rid of his weapons," Mai answered. "He doesn't want people to know that he has them."
"Or he's using them to his advantage," Basileus said. "He might want to do some damage to innocents before getting rid of his weapons."
"Fink must've used the ghosts as a distraction," Huntress told the others. "Let's get rid of them before we go after Fink."
The New Terrans ran outside to group up with their companions. Queen Radcliffe joined them in the middle of a hallway. "What's wrong?" She asked, running alongside them.
"Fink escaped," Lafayette told Queen Radcliffe.
"He's at Mount Rainier," Basileus continued. "We are to clear out these spirits before we chase after him."
Queen Radcliffe sighed. "I should have known," she said. "Let's make this quick."