The PulseTeam, Book Two: Evolution

Chapter Twenty: Going Home

Part One: The StealthOps House, No More...

The StealthOps House | Sylvanoria, Elf Territory
Thursday, January 4, 2035 | 19:50 EST

After the meeting, Mimi instructs us to say our goodbyes to the elven people. And when we get home, she instructs us to pack all of our belongings, and put them in the Scout. Then she tells me to recalibrate the Scout's external sensors to scan for extradimensional energy and record precise phase variance.

After everything gets done, the packing and programming, there's a sudden downpour from what was a seemingly cloudless sky, and a knock on the front door. Alexa and I open it up to reveal a soaked-from-head-to-toe Princess Alurathia in her NightElf Magi uniform.

"Salutations, my friends," she says in CommonTongue, seemingly unfazed by the drop in outside temperature or her own state of "drench-itude".

(It's a made-up word, so what? Sue me, Merriam-Webster.)

"Oh, my god, come in out of the rain," says Alexa, taking Alura by the arm and practically dragging her inside. "You're completely soaked through!"

"So," I say, completely unfazed by just how completely her skintight uniform clings to her statuesque body, "what brings you by this neck of the woods?"

"General Amitiel told my parents that I needed to pack all of my belongings and come with all of you. She said that your world is going to come up against something in the future that only I could help you with. She also said that you all would know what she meant when she said that your apocalypse is nigh, but not yet come. My parents and I hold very strong spiritual beliefs, so I obeyed by packing my things and saying goodbye, and they obeyed by letting me go."

"Hmm..." I say in response, thrilled that Alura's coming with us, but puzzled as to what could be so bad that she had to tag along and help, "well dinner's almost ready, so let's dry you off, yeah?"

"That would be splendid," she replies. "I feel like a wet puppy."

20:00 EST

After she comes out of the heat field I placed around her (using my fire powers, of course), we sit down to eat. Seeing that we are not changed for supper, Alura asks, "Are none of you going to be changing for dinner?"

"No, princesa," says Malaya. "We are going to eat and sleep in our battle gear. The fabric your uniform is made from is specially designed--in addition to everything else it can do--to keep your body clean, and you smelling as fresh as you did before you put it on."

"Yeah," agrees Rick. "That way, with it being so close to a major fight and all, if we get attacked at any time tonight, we'll be ready. That's why you should also keep your trident next to you as you eat, and you should sleep with it."

"That's right," I affirm. "That trident of yours has just become your new best friend for the next ten hours."

"Hey, wait a minute," says Rick, an expression of confusion suddenly etching his features, "I just noticed: What are you doing here, princess?"

"Wait!" says the general. "Food's all set, and this physical body of mine is famished. Blessing first, eat second, explain while eating, m'kay?"

After the food is blessed and we commence the consumption of our meal, Mimi and Alura explain Alura's situation to the rest of StealthOps. The girls are all but overjoyed that they have another girl to talk to, and I say to Rick, "So, that's how many girls that outnumber us, again?"

The StealthOps House | Sylvanoria, Elf Territory
Friday, January 5, 2035 | 01:00 EST

About an hour after we finished eating, we loaded everything of Alura's into the Scout, it luckily still having room enough to accomodate. After the last item got loaded into the stealth jet, we headed upstairs for our rooms and a good night's rest, Alura heading to one of the guest rooms.