Wraith

Dark Stirrings Chapter Nine

Chapter Nine

To Wraith's surprise Tuttle hadn't heard of the User meeting either, but both he and Volcano agreed to accompany them to the gathering. Slightly concerned that Pictsey had given her false information and there wasn't a meeting after all, Wraith separated from the others and moved ahead to scout the building. She was relieved to see that there was a lot of noise and light coming from it and slipped back to join the others.

"It looks like they must have started early," she said. "We're going to be late."

The other three Users picked up the pace and less than a minute later they were following the Captain inside. The room was packed with a clamor of familiar Users all chatting and laughing as they passed a long piece of paper between them. When the Captain entered however, silence immediately spread out from him in a wave. Pordas looked up from the piece of paper, pen poised to write, and what could be seen of his face swiftly passed through surprise, delight, shame and then settled on vague resentment.

"So here you are at last. I guess you just couldn't be bothered to attend a meeting you didn't call." He set his pen to the paper and scrawled a flourishing signature. "Well you're too late, we've just elected Magnoss as our new leader."

Before the Captain could respond a smooth and mellow voice unfamiliar to Wraith broke in. "Now Pordas, no need for spite. We are all Users after all and I'm sure that the Captain will be happy to return to a less demanding role. Now hand me the document and I'll go in person to find our missing Users for their signatures."

The User, Magnoss, stood up from where he had been hidden by the mass of other Users and stretched out a hand to Pordas who obediently started passing the paper back toward him. As he did so, the Captain frowned and asked gently. "Why do you need our signatures? What is that document?"

"It's a pledge to obey Magnoss as our leader," Pictsey began to respond. But she was cut off before she could say more.

Wraith had been staring at Magnoss trying to work out why he looked so familiar. He was dressed in a suit of dark red that covered every inch of his skin completely. It would have looked sinister if not for the white bands which ringed his body from head to toe. Even his belt, to which was attached a small oddly shaped machine, was white. The rings effectively turned his threatening appearance into something almost Christmassy. Yet she couldn't help comparing the red of his suit with the color of blood. Suddenly, as Pictsey began her explanation, she finally remembered where she had seen that combination of shades before.

"You!" She cried, stepping in front of the Captain so that she had a clear look at Magnoss. "You're no User; you're the University Mauler."

Magnoss reacted instantly. The paper that was being passed slowly back to him suddenly ripped itself out of a User's hands and flung itself into his as if it had a mind of its own. At the same time Magnoss moved to the back of the room without appearing to flex a muscle. He travelled so fast that it almost seemed as if he had teleported. There he hovered for an instant, unsupported in the air as above him the roof began to swiftly melt away into a hole of the same type that had so baffled the Captain earlier in the month.

At that moment, he seemed to realize that he had given himself away by fleeing, for he snarled at the crowd of Users who were even now starting forward to oppose him. "Stop her!" Then he zipped through the hole in the roof and out into the night.

Wraith was gathering herself to leap after him when she found herself hemmed in by Users. Not one of them looked happy, but each was clinging tenaciously to her costume. The Captain was already half-way out of the door, but he turned back with a sound of exasperation as Pordas called. "Help!"