Orion's Coming

A killer's shopping list.

"So what exactly are we doing?" Orion asked nobody in particular, staring at a translucent, carmine-red coloured glass ball around the size of his palm. It stood on an inexpensive podium of metal, surrounded by similar objects.

"First, we're going up to New York. There's a shop that deals in powerful firearms which can't be found anywhere else, and I have a lifetime membership." Replied Alex, disappearing into a nearby room for a second, before reappearing holding a large, pearly white sword. It seemed to emit it's own light, a light which Orion had only heard of.

"Didn't you lose your key to the shop?" Georgia questioned. Semprini snickered, but Alex scowled slightly.

"I didn't lose it, I simply misplaced it." He argued.

"In a volcano." Laughed Brutus, who had been sitting quietly at the back of the room, fidgeting with a gigantic, broken minigun.

"Well I learned a valuable lesson, did I not? Never again will I let someone throw me into an active volcano." He joked, before turning back to Orion. "Once I get a new key from the place next door, we'll get some new guns and get to work with the problem at hand."

"Which is?" Orion asked, picking up one of the glass balls and holding it to his eye.

"Another Alpha Squadron member, Lycianneta Dalemus, went MIA during a job on the planet Uladea about a week and a half ago. Though we're certain she can take care of herself, we figure it wouldn't be the worst idea to go check up on her." Answered Georgia, brushing back her hair and quickly converting it into a pair of braids.

"Ah, I see. So how are we going to get there? I thought their government had blocked teleportation from the outside?" He asked.

"The item you are holding is a solidified form of Nebula Mist. Due to it's semi-existent properties, it can be manipulated to move seamlessly in space." Alex replied, picking up an identical ball.

After a lengthy discussion of the full battle plan with Alex, Orion retired to his bedroom. Laying down on his bed, he had almost eight seconds of silent peace before Georgia wandered in, smiling sweetly.

"Hey," She began, sitting down on the bed next to him. "You doing okay? I know all this is a lot to take in." She asked. Orion smiled, finding himself ever so slightly absorbed in her hazel eyes.

"I'm fine, just a little tired and having trouble remembering some things." He answered. She frowned.

"Well that's not a good thing. Any idea why it's happening?"

"A creature hit me in the head and dragged me underground. I only remember what happened on that day after I woke up."

"Is that a problem?"

"Yes. Aako never travelled outside of the ruins, which means I went to him. The only reason i'd ever go anywhere near that place would be for something of the utmost importance." He finished. Georgia sighed and rubbed his shoulder.

"Don't worry about it.. Once we get Ly back, we'll go to the ruins and see if there is anything there that might jog your memory." She told him reassuringly.

"Thanks, it means a lot." He replied. She smiled another flawless smile and left him in peace. From then on out, the hours seemed to tick away in seconds, and before Orion knew it. it was almost time to head out.

"All right, I had better tell you how to do this," Alex said, grabbing a carmine ball and clenching it in his hand. "First things first, visualise where you need to be. Grip the Mist as tightly as you can, and imagine all of your energy flowing into the Mist and out to your destination. Got it?" He asked, and Orion nodded confidently.

"One question, what if I do it wrong and end up somewhere else?" He asked, running his finger along the deadly edge of his sword. He didn't often have the chance to admire the craftsmanship that had went into the making of his blade, but this time he couldn't help but notice every detail; the exquisite carving of a language lost to time that ran the length of it's spine, the perfectly shaped grip and the meticulously sharpened edge.

"Then you try again. If all else fails, get a taxi there." He said, laughing.

After a frantic ten minutes of making sure the headquarters were secured and searching for Alex's wallet, they were ready to leave.

"See you on the other side." Brutus bellowed in his usual gruff voice. He took a ball of Mist, gripped it and within a millisecond his figure was replaced with a glowing carmine shape, which promptly disappeared into nothingness. Orion was taken aback slightly, but gladly accepted the ball which Alex handed to him. Following his instructions, he visualised the street on which he wanted to appear, grabbed the ball and let the energy flow out of him. For a second nothing happened, but as he went to ask Alex what had went wrong, his body, he felt an obscure sensation. Looking down, he saw his arms flash bright red, and the entire room exploding into nothing but an endless darkness.