Take Back the Light

Chapter 11

The gang spent the next half hour rounding up all of the ghouled Mecha beasts. Doc and Mage took turns curing them, and by the time they were finished, the two healers immediately hopped in slug canisters and took a nap. It had been a long day for every member of the Shane Gang.

"Well, if that's the last o' them, you folks best be heading off," Grendel said as he led the gang back to the lobby. "It's set to be dark soon, an' after the day you lot have had, I think some rest is in order."

Eli nodded. "We'll work on gearing up and heading out. Thank you for your help today."

Grendel laughed and shook his head, waving his blue hand in the air. "No need for thanks on our part, lad. It was you an' your gang that cured the Mechas and set us free."

"Yeah, we did do pretty great, didn't we?" Alana asked with a smirk. Grendel rolled his eyes and chuckled.

"You're still a little firecracker, aren't you? Now you get home and get some ice on tha' bruise you got there," he said as the gang reached their Mechas and began saddling up.

"I will," Alana assured. Eli watched her carefully as she got settled on Midnight. "What?" she asked.

"Nothing," Eli dismissed, turning to Grendel one final time as he started up Lucky. "Really, thank you for everything." Then he turned to the gang. "You guys ready?"

"Definitely! Pronto is exhausted and needs his beauty rest!" Pronto exclaimed. Eli laughed and rolled his eyes.

"Let's head out!" he said, speeding forward on Lucky. The rest of the gang followed after him, riding down the lobby and out the open doors of the Forge, relishing the fresh evening air.

"It feels so good to have these guys back," Trixie said, patting her Mecha's neck affectionately. Then she sped up so she was even with Alana. "Are you sure you're okay?"

Alana sighed and tilted her head back, staring up at the cavern ceiling.

"I'm totally fine," she insisted. "I mean it. Why are you guys so worried?"

"Well, it's not every day you take a beating like that," Kord explained from behind Alana.

"And, like, half of your face is turning black and blue," Trixie said.

"Mage took down the swelling for me, I'll ice it tonight and it'll be fine," Alana said breezily. "I guess I'll just have to go a day without my stunningly good looks."

"You're startin' to sound like Pronto," Kord laughed. Pronto scoffed and rolled his eyes.

"Nobody could ever imitate Pronto the Magnificent! I am simply too magnificent!" he said dramatically.

The rest of the trip was, unfortunately, spent listening to Pronto's top twenty most heroic deeds.

~~~~~~~~

The brunette was standing alone in a lab, with cork boards of schematics and blueprints covering the walls. Vials of dark water littered the tables around her, along with other chemicals and scrap metals. A small lead box was even sitting next to her, labeled radioactive. Despite the chemicals around her, she wore no gloves and had only a sleeveless shirt on, her jacket laying on the desk chair at another table. The only safety gear she had on were a pair of goggles.

The door swung open and a teenage boy walked in, looking at the setup in awe.

"Goggles, unless you want to risk going blind," the brunette said emotionlessly, bending down and dropping bits of dark water from a pipette onto a sheet of silver metal. The boy nodded and grabbed a pair of goggles from a stand by the door, then walked over to stand behind the brunette and watched her.