THE VROL TRILOGY (97 page)

"I'm rapidly healing. My sense of smell is
great. What's next?"

"I need for you to concentrate, my good man.
Visualize phasing to your death form. Have no worries - if
something goes wrong I can immobilize you quite easily," stated
Draagh quite confidently.

Bagatelle sat and closed his eyes. At
first he saw nothing but random imagery, like anyone would see if
they closed their eyes and tried to concentrate. Then, he focused
deep inside his mind and saw darkness, and in the middle of that
darkness he saw a white orb. As the object became more apparent he
saw it was a moon. Not
the
moon of Earth, but a moon nonetheless.

Then it started - the pain. He nearly
panicked, but heard Draagh in his head, calming him, telling him it
would be all right, and for him to
eat the
pain
- to go with the flow and just let the change
happen. The change was just as painful as when he phased under a
full moon, but this time it was not as long because he didn't go
through a full transformation. After less than two minutes Luigi
Bagatelle stood in the middle of the street, looking down at fury,
dexterous hybrid hands/paws.

"
My son, are
you with me? Respond mentally, please.
"

"
Yes sir, this
is… amazing. My senses are going crazy. What do I look
like?"

Draagh conjured a large mirror, floating in
front of the lycan ensign/former rear admiral from another planet.
What the man saw would have been shocking had it not been so
amazing. He was nearly in his phase 3 form, but still bipedal. Bu
the best part of it all was that he was in control. He maintained
his sapience - his humanity, and now had nearly all of the
advantages (and unfortunately a couple of disadvantages) of his
death form.

"
Am I still
affected by metals in the platinum group?"
asked
Bagatelle.

"I am not certain, my son, and there is only
one way to find out," Draagh responded verbally as he tossed a coin
to the lycan. Bagatelle momentarily grasped the coin, then dropped
it, as if he had been shocked.

"Well, what happened, Luigi?"

"
It stings,
but it's really not that bad. Like when I am in battle
form
."

"Try speaking to me. I would like to hear
your voice."

"Rurrrr, Draaagh ish difkelt t' shpeak,"
Bagatelle choked out with some difficulty.

"Ah, it is difficult to speak. Very well,
then - we shall need to accelerate your mother tongue lessons, as
well as for Max and Jennie," Draagh said, referring to the language
that all sapient phase 3 lycans used during the full moon. It would
be even more critical now that they had discovered a way to get
near death form.

"Let us depart back to the Dominion, my
friend. Please stay still."

Draagh used a direct slip this time, as they
were in the middle of a street. In a matter of seconds they were in
front of Krynos' castle.

"
Max, Jennie,
please bring King Krynos out to the front of the castle. I have
something for you all to see. You may also bring young Liliana and
Donus if they are available
," Draagh said over the
comm.

Max didn't even bother walking. He grabbed
his wife and daughter and slipped to Krynos' throne room, where the
king was conveniently having a conversation with Donus. After a
momentary explanation, Max had slipped all five of them out to the
grounds in front of the castle.

"Herrooo," said Bagatelle, trying to be
humorous despite the fact that he looked like a near-lethal hybrid
beast.

"Bagacoco! You have succeeded in the
transformation! That is most excellent!" bellowed the
thousand-years-old lycan king.

"Yes, these are indeed good tidings for all
in the kingdom, and especially for Max, Jennie and Bagatelle's
world," added Donus.

"Very cool, I agree. Where did you guys go
to?" asked Max.

"First, to your ship. He maintained skills
and senses. Then we slipped to Hollywood, but the one of your
timeline, where he tested his healing - all worked well. It was
there that Luigi transformed to his new phase successfully. Oh, and
you should really have a look at it sometime in the future. It is
different, yet similar to the place where you were stranded,"
Draagh stated, but with a touch of sadness to his voice.

"Yeah, let's not mention that part to
Jessica, ok?" Jennie said bluntly.

"Hey! I was just thinking of something.
Draagh, you saw how I transformed, and now we know that G can do it
also. It's a given that Jennie will do the same, but did I tell you
that I maintained semi-sapience when I went phase 3 in the full
moon back in Hollywood? It wasn't right away, but a while later I
started to regain my senses," Max said excitedly.

"Ok, and how does that affect you now, hun?"
asked Jennie.

"Well, during the next full moon I'll see if
I can maintain full sapience from the gate. If I can then I can
help with guard duties and not be locked up in a cell, right?"

"No, my boy. Sadly it is not done that way.
Too many times in the past have our family members achieved
sapience of a temporary nature. They soon reverted back to their
mindless savage forms and went on murderous rampages. No, my boy,
you have to stay in a cell for at least seven moons without
incident. Once you have done this you shall be able to roam
free."

Krynos was very serious when he said that. He
knew, sadly, from experience what can happen when a phase 3 loses
sapience. It happened to his wife, and he was the one who had to
put her down. It was for that reason he never again remarried.

"Aww, sowwies Maxie-luv," Jennie said
sarcastically, "I only have two more moons and I'm
freeeeeeeee!"

Max rolled his eyes at Jennie's comment, and
then watched as Bagatelle transformed back to his day form,
resuming a human shape once again. Once done, he looked down at
himself, pleased with the transformation.

"And I didn't even have to change my
clothes!" he said cheerfully.

"We'll be able to wear full battle gear
during missions," said Max.

"Oh but my good man, you already had that
ability! Your grandfather long ago made a wonderful bit of magic
that basically transforms our clothing into a collar when we
transform on the full moon," said Donus, slightly surprised that
Max hadn't remembered that, but then again, the young lycan was
never given any such item for his own personal use.

"Oh yeah, that's right. Well, we'll be
looking super-slick, all wolfish and well-dressed," laughed
Max.

"Yes, but we do need to master the mother
tongue," said Bagatelle, which made Max cringe a bit. He hadn't
even begun to make a real attempt at learning it.

"Yes, yes, of course! There will be plenty of
time for that later. Right now, we need to finish preparations for
our short trip. I would like everyone to meet in front of the
castle, in the usual location, in one hour. We shall depart from
there," commanded Krynos.

"Old friend, are you going to deny an ancient
king the opportunity for a bit of off-world travel?" asked Krynos,
fully expecting the opposite response.

"My dear brother, of course you may accompany
us. But please know, that until you have received the anti-protein
synthesis inhibitor vaccine you shall be basically powerless on any
other world," said Draagh, and he looked at the inside of Jennie's
arm, noting no adverse reaction.

"In fact, why don't I administer your
treatment right now? It has worked well for Luigi and Jennie, so I
see no reason why it would not for you."

Krynos nodded and rolled up his sleeve,
offering his massive trunk of an arm to his friend of many
centuries. Draagh painlessly provided treatment, to which Krynos
comically winced when the needle first pressed against his
flesh.

"Young Liliana Gunnarsson is to accompany us
also, no?" boomed the lycan king.

"Yes, she is gathering her gear right now, my
king. Why do you ask?" said Jennie.

"Should she not receive the treatment also?
She is a formidable warrior, and for her to not have complete
command of all her faculties would be putting her at a great
disadvantage, would it not?"

"Um, she's only eleven years old, sir. She
hasn't even had her first change on the moon," Jennie
responded.

"Jennie," Draagh added in a very sincere
manner, "King Krynos is actually correct. This serum does nothing
but enable enhanced potential on worlds with differing frequencies,
and as Liliana is lycan it would be the genetic equivalent of a
temporary handcuffing if we were to deny her those abilities with
which she was born - she truly depends on her enhanced senses and
strength. Besides, as she cannot even achieve battle form, there is
no chance she will be prompted to phase to the new form for which
we still have no name."

"Ok, whatever, but you had better not
mess my daughter up, or I'll have your ass hanging out to dry in…
what do you call it? Purgatory…
entendido
?" cautioned Jennie.

"New name… yes, that is true. There is no
name for it. We cannot simply call it 2.5. It needs a name, and it
must be dramatic!" decreed Krynos, interrupting Jennie's rant
against Draagh.

"Battle Form 2!" suggested Bagatelle.

"Assassin Form!" said Jennie.

"Gegrillte hähnchenflügel!" crowed Donus.

"Huh? Grilled chicken wings? Whaaaaaa?"
exclaimed Jennie, completely confused. She had learned quite a bit
of the ancient German language in her time in the Dominion, so she
was familiar with the term. However, it came at a most unexpected
moment.

"No! They are serving gegrillte
hähnchenflügel in the main dining hall, and I am so hungry! I love
them, especially since young Max created the burning sauce… what is
it called?"

"Buffalo sauce," Max said laughingly,
"Old-Earth recipe."

"Ok, so back to the name. How about Fere
Plenum?" Draagh said, trying to get everyone back on track.

"What does that mean?" asked Jennie.

"
Almost
full
, in ancient Latin," said Bagatelle.

"Fred," said Max.

"Fred what, my dear boy?" Krynos
inquired.

"Let's call it
Fred
- just
Fred
, or
Fred
Form,
" Max returned, totally deadpan.

"Max, you know I love you more than life
itself, but that has to be the stupidest, most retarded sounding
name for anything I have ever heard in my life."

"I agree, Max," said Donus, "that name is
most unbefitting of such a powerful transformative phase. I believe
that Jennie's label is best - Assassin Phase. All in
agreement?"

Everyone said a toneless
"
Ay
" in unison, including
Max, who was desperately trying to keep from bursting out with
laughter.

Liliana entered the room, carrying a backpack
large enough for an excursion of at least a week.

"Lili, sweetie, we are only going for a day.
Why so many provisions?"

"Mami, we may become stranded, and from what
I know of the world of your birth, we will need to hide, so I have
packed provisions for a team of five for at least a week."

"Liliana, we have magic on my world now. In
fact, you will also," Max said happily.

"What do you mean by that, Papi? How is this
possible?"

Before the little lycan could ask any more
questions, she felt a quick, sharp pain in her upper arm. Yelping,
she turned to see her great-grandfather turn away from here,
carrying a syringe in his hand.

"Grandfather, what was that?" she asked,
sounding almost betrayed.

"My dear, it is how you shall be able to use
your budding magical skills while on the world of your parents. In
fact, on any world from now on," responded the old mage, "so, shall
we gather our team and be off?"

"I'll go get Jessica. She's on the training
pitch," said Jennie, as she darted out of the room.

"And I shall call my sons. They shall arrive
momentarily," said the eons-old Primulus, as he brought up his
infoscreen and silently summoned his old companion, Socrates.

Within twenty minutes the entire team
was assembled - Draagh, Max, Jennie, Liliana, Bagatelle, Michael,
Gabriel, Jessica and Krynos. Donus was staying back to care for
matters of the kingdom while his liege was off-world. They were
first going to Machu Picchu, in the
29
^th
century, and then to Azul
- across to another part of the Milky Way Galaxy.

"Good afternoon, my Lord. It is good to see
your kindly visage yet again," Socrates stated in his usual
monotone voice.

"Good morning, my ethereal friend. Today is a
special day," stated Draagh.

"Yes, my Lord. Master Max has inherited his
ghanlo and shall use it for his first 4D slip. I can assure you
that I will be with him during his entire journey. Query: Where is
our first destination?"

"My ship in Peru, please. I would like to
succeed where I failed before. I'm sure you can understand,
Socrates," Max said, carrying a hopeful tone in his voice.

"Yes, of course, Master Max. Query: Who shall
be travelling with you?" asked the sentient computer.

"Max shall be transporting everyone,
Socrates," Draagh stated quite authoritatively.

Max followed his grandfather's instructions
to a tee, as Michael slipped to their side and Gabriel and Jessica
walked across the drawbridge and quickly joined with the group. He
brought up his infoscreen and typed in his predefined coordinates;
albeit with a bit of prodding from his computerized assistant.
Moments later, he called everyone to gather around him. He looked
around at the group, and there was no doubt that if anyone saw them
they would believe it was an attack squadron. Everyone person was
dressed down in battle leathers, sporting various weapons,
including, but not limited to Japanese katanas, short knives,
stinger pistols, grenades, a mace, and of course Draagh's massive
staff.