Tara James: The Cat's Outta the Bag

by Mage_Girl_Sarah

 

-----Part 5: Life on the Lam-----

Tara and James managed to hole up and prepare in the house for several days. To this point, Tara was as yet unclothed, and was becoming slowly more comfortable with it. James however, insisted that if they were to run she was going to need to be clothed, and considering the fact that she had more than a little facial hair, she was going to have to shave, as well. Tara settled on an old trench coat, along with one of James' old shirts, and a pair of sweat pants, that her diminutive form did little to fill. James promised that they would buy some more appropriate clothes when they got a chance.

They packed some non-perishables and some spare clothes, and loaded them all into James' SUV. If they were forced to flee, they were going to be prepared. They were not going to get caught with their pants down.

Life went fairly well for those several days. Tara got used to James' presence, and even came to accept that he was not there to kill, injure, maim, or rape her. They settled into a comfortable routine, which involved sleeping in shifts, to keep watch for any potential threat.

After five days spent hiding in this house in the woods though things changed very quickly.

"What is for dinner today, James?" Tara asked, her now characteristic toothy smile shining. She had come to enjoy the fact that she was now some odd amalgamation of cat and human. She felt unbound, as if a chain had been removed, and for the first time in her life, she was truly free. No longer would she have to put up with the pharmacy technician crap. All she had to do, was live and be happy. She had a new friend, who seemed to accept her as she is, she had a comfortable place to live, and as yet, had had no further attempts on her life and livelihood. She expected no further troubles, but if necessary, she was fairly sure, she would be able to catch food in the wild. In fact, she was certain of it. So all in all, she was prepared for anything.

James grinned back at her, "I'm thinking steak, what do you think?" James was glad Tara had come into his life. He had gotten more than a little bored with the routine he had fallen into. Now from out of the blue, there was some excitement in his life. That is, if one could consider a half-feline female excitement. That sense of adventure, and excitement was something he had craved for entirely too long.

"Sounds good to me," Tara said, licking her lips.

This was the one part of the day, when they were both awake at the same time. A hunting rifle, and a small hand gun stood nearby, ready to be used in a blink, if necessary. On one of the slower days, James had taken Tara out into the woods, and taught her how to wield those weapons. He figured that more than likely a time would come when she would have to use them, and he wanted her to be prepared.

"I'm glad that you approve. You are in for a treat." James laughed and headed to the freezer, rooting around for some decent sized steaks to use. "I'll have you know, I make a pretty good steak, if I do say so myself."

His search however, was cut short, as a loud explosion sounded in front of the house. The explosion, was punctuated be the bell like sound of shattered glass falling to the ground. Tara, and James grabbed the guns, and rushed to the front of the house to see what could have caused the explosion. What they found was a man in long white robes, with brown hair, staring at the house. His eyes glowed an unearthly red, and his lips were twisted into a cruel grin.

"Send out the girl, and no one will be hurt!" The voice intoned, the words reverberated through the night in a deep bass rumble. "Resist, or try to keep the girl away from us, and your suffering will be legendary." To punctuate this comment, the man pointed at a nearby tree, which promptly blew up sending a multitude of shards of burning wood in all directions, and leaving naught but a smoldering stump in it's stead.

"Tara, is this a friend of yours? "James whispered to Tara, who shook her head slowly. James continued, with a little bit of trepidation in his voice, "I don't feel like any legendary suffering at the moment, what about you?"

Tara shook her head vehemently, and gingerly handed James the hunting rifle. "No James. So do you think that you can take care of him?"

"I Suppose I could try that." James said, as he quickly took aim. "You realize, I never was really good with these things. I hope I don't hurt him too terribly bad."

"If you miss," Tara said, patting the handgun, "I suppose I will have to pick up for your slack, won't I?"

James chuckled, as he looked through the sight, aiming for the man's heart. He squeezed the trigger slowly, and the gun let out a loud report, jamming itself into James' shoulder painfully. The man in the woods with the penchant for arboreal pyrotechnics, was sent flying backwards, a gaping wound ripped in his chest. James ducked back down, to sit next to Tara, a frown on his face and fear filling his eyes.

"Ok. I think I may have just killed him. I've never killed anyone in my life. Maybe it is time we left here?" James said, fear causing his voice to speed up.

"I would have to agree with you there, James." Tara muttered, as she got up. She took a quick glance out the window to see her would be assailant's crumpled form, and couldn't help but smile slightly. She turned away from the window slowly, and moved towards the garage door. "If there is anyone in the area, the explosions are sure to draw their attention. Attention is something I would prefer to avoid at the moment. Not to mention the fact that there is now a very dead body out there. I think we may have a little trouble explaining that and myself to the authorities."

James nodded his head in agreement, "Yes, you are probably right. Lets get the hell out of here, and fast!"

Tara and James rushed to the garage, and climbed into the SUV. Tara buckled herself in, as James started up the engine. However, before he even put the car into gear, James jumped up, and ran back inside, assuring Tara that he would be right back. Tara waited nervously in the vehicle, looking around warily, to make sure that no one was waiting in the shadows of the garage. She looked out the tiny squares of glass on the garage door, looking for movement. She listened for the telltale signs of someone sneaking around. When James finally arrived back with his laptop in hand, he threw open his door quickly, causing her to yelp and jump in her seat. She clamped a hand over her mouth, and glared at James, who just grinned.

James just grinned lopsidedly, "Sorry about that, I didn't mean to scare you. I just needed to grab my laptop. You never know, a wireless internet connection might come in handy out there. That and it has some games and such to keep us occupied."

Tara reluctantly agreed, and grabbed the laptop from him, using the car adaptor to hook it into the SUV's cigarette lighter. She began to play round after round of solitaire, as the SUV drove off into the night.

 

Elsewhere, in the depths of the government compound, that had been Tara's home for the entirety of 6 hours, a meeting was in session. Dr. Drey sat at the head of the table, surrounded by several other men, all wearing white coats. The frown on Rd. Drey's face deepened as he read a report from his field operatives. Finally he placed the report aside, folded his hands, and placed them atop the file folder.

"It would seem, gentlemen," Dr. Drey spoke, his disappointment filling his voice. "that the subject is more able-bodied than we had originally assumed. She outsmarted and outran over a dozen good agents. By all accounts, only one of them even managed to hit her. I believe, that what we have on our hands, is a new evolutionary miracle. We must find her again. We need to study her some more." A man sitting three seats away from Dr. Drey, on the left, shakily raised his hand. "Yes Dr. Hfuhruhurr"

"Sir, the results of the blood tests are in." The Doctor squeaked out.

"Well, let me have them." Dr. Drey impatiently said. "What are you waiting for?"

Dr. Hfuhruhurr cleared his throat. "The subjects DNA is 98.6% Human. The remaining 1.4% seems to be feline in nature, but matches no known species. Further tests would be necessary to get an exact match. Furthermore, the entirety of the creatures Human DNA matches available samples of a Tara James, as the driver's license had suggested it would. What we seem to have on our hands is a mutation of an extreme order."

"Very good Dr Hfuhruhurr." Dr. Drey motioned for him to sit. "Anyone else have anything to add?" Another man, this one sitting directly opposite Dr. Drey. "Yes, Dr. Neccesiter?"

Dr. Neccesiter stood, and faced the assembled Doctors. "Preliminary X-ray results show that the subject miraculously regenerated a broken nose in a matter of hours. A feat that was unprecedented. A logical explanation for this was not obvious, It would take further research to determine what the cause was."

"Thank you Dr. Neccessiter." Dr. Drey nodded to his colleague. He shuffled through some papers in the file before him, and looked up again. "So it seems, that all we need is for someone to catch her, and then we can finish the study."

A door opened to the meeting room, and all eyes were drawn to the dark figure that stood in the shadows outside the door. No features were discernable on the black silhouette. However, each of the men at the table got a cold chill in the depths of their stomach when they saw him. A sense of unease overran the boardroom, as the figure stood there, unmoving.

"Can I help you sir?" Dr. Drey finally inquired, "Are you lost or something?"

"No, I doubt you can help me. However, I do believe that I can help you." The voice intoned, in a raspy sort of whisper. The assembled doctors all faced him, as they shifted in their seats nervously. "I know what you need to do to catch the girl."

Dr Drey stared at the intruder, his icy eyes showing a hint of fear "How could you know what we are looking for? Who the hell are you, and how did you get in here?"

"My dear doctor, my eyes see all." The voice said, chuckling slightly. "Believe it or not, you are not the only ones seeking the girl. As much as I would like for you to fail in finding her, it has become increasingly obvious that we have all underestimated her. With your help, I believe we can get her under control. Once we succeed there, we can figure out what to do with her."

"How do I know I can trust you?" Dr Drey demanded, still eyeing the shadowy shape. "You refuse to even let us know who you are."

The shadowy shape stepped forward into the light, revealing a cloaked figure. As the figure looked out at the doctors, he removed his hood. What they saw before them, elicited a small gasp from the doctors. They saw a person before them that was well known from the labs security tapes, "I am Paris Tam. Leave it at that."

 

Driving through the dark and fog, James squinted as he tried to get a better view of the road ahead of him. In all his years driving, he had never seen fog this thick. Even his high beams were swallowed by the milky clouds, less then a few yards before him. Finally, he just gave up trying , and pulled off the road into what looked like a fast food restaurant's parking lot. He sat there a moment, before turning around and looking at Tara, who had crawled into the back, and now lay curled up in a small ball on the floor. He watched her, and sighed. She seemed so peaceful for a change. She wasn't looking around nervously, jumping at shadows, and ready to claw the eyes out of the first person to say boo. She was just sleeping, apparently without a care in the world. He wished that he could join her, but it was his duty to watch, for another 2 hours, until she woke up.

He turned back around, and stared at the brick building in front of him. He was glad that Tara had taken his suggestion, and shaved off her face, arms, and legs. The skin there was still pleasantly flesh-toned, and now she could pass for human, so long as she wore a hat, and was decently covered up. He had to admit, she didn't look all that bad. With her face naked of all that hair, she looked faintly like his ex-wife. He smiled down at her, and hoped that they would be able to get out of this alive, so she could relax a little more often. He was thinking that he would like to get to know her better, to be a better friend to her, since he knew she could use some friends. He vowed he would, too, as soon as they got out of this mess they had been forced into. He sighed heavily. The wall he was staring at was getting fairly boring, so he turned to look to the look out the passenger's side window , instead.

He stared out the window, looking deep into the foggy night. A shape moved past the window, distorted by the fog, and almost invisible in the dark. He moved to go check that out, when he saw another shape, much closer, and much more visible. The shape that he saw was undeniably that of a beautiful woman, gesturing franticly for him to follow her. She had a look of abject terror in her eyes, and when she saw that he was not moving, she cursed silently, and ran off. He raised a quizzical eyebrow, as he watched her walk slowly off into the gloom. He took a quick look at Tara, to make sure she was safe, and then climbed across the front, to exit out the passenger's side door.

"Ma'am? Where did you go?" He asked the cold fog that engulfed him. "I can help you ma'am, just tell me where you are."

He heard a small noise in front of him, almost too low to be heard. He rushed forward, quickly losing sight of the SUV as he moved. The sound was getting louder, and he began to once more squint into the fog. He couldn't see anything clearly, but he did manage to see the vague shape of what appeared to be a person, in the gloom ahead of him. He ran the rest of the distance, and finally found the woman he had seen previously. Her back was turned to him, and she made a low sobbing noise.

"Ma'am, are you OK?" He asked her, her back remained turned to him. "Is there anything I can do to help you?"

She turned around, and looked at him, tears in her eyes, "Please, just stay with me, I'm scared. I... I saw things out there. Don't leave me alone. This fog is so thick, can you stay please, at least until it fades?"

"Sure." James smiled, in what he hoped was a reassuring way, "Come back with me to my SUV and we can hide in there until the fog clears. It should be relatively safe inside there, don't you think?"

The woman shook her head violently. "No. We can't go back there. Stay here, with me, my car isn't too far away."

"Ma'am, I'm sorry, but I have somebody in the car with me, and I can't leave her alone. So if you want me to stay with you, you're going to have to come with me to my SUV." James was puzzled by her reluctance to come with him. Then the problem of why she ran from the SUV struck him. "Why did you lead me away from my car?"

"Because, it was the only way." The girl said, her tears slowly drying up, and a slow chuckle building up in its stead.

"The only way to what?" James asked irately. However he quickly stopped the questions, when the frenetic sound of screams and shouts broke the night. He turned to see what was going on, and was promptly smacked on the back of the head. He fell through the fog, and landed in a welcoming cushion of black oblivion.

Tara screamed, as the doors to the SUV were thrown open, men in white robes, and men in army fatigues reached for her. She screamed out into the night, before one of the army men covered her mouth. She struggled violently to get free of the groping arms. In a fit of desperation, she bit at the man holding his hand over her mouth. Her sharp teeth ripped a small chunk from the man's meaty palm, which caused him to pull his hand away and scream out in pain. The coppery astringent taste of blood came flooding into her mouth, and she began to scream again, kicking about wildly, hitting army men, and men in white. Each hit elicited a scream of pain. However the hands continued to reach for her.

She flipped over, and kicked out at the attackers on the drivers side, before rushing out that door. A small army of mages and military surrounded her. Everywhere she looked, she saw one, stretching out into the fog and gloom. Her eyes took on a frenzied look, as she tried to find an escape route. Unfortunately, none was readily apparent. She hissed at the men, and looked around desperately for James.

"James?" She called out, whipping her head from side to side. "James, where are you?" She heard no answer, and looked at her attackers. "What the fuck did you do to him? I swear, if you hurt him at all, I will kill each and every one of you. Now somebody answer me, or I start getting answers the hard way."

The vehemence in her voice surprised her. What surprised her even more though, was the fact that she meant every word of what she was saying. The assembled crowd looked at her and then at each other, fear coloring their faces. However no one moved to address her queries. She had to show them her claws, before one man stepped forward. He was dressed in fatigues, and was holding his hand which, she noticed, was blood soaked. It would seem he had decided to be their leader.

"The man you were with should be fine. In all likelihood he has just been knocked unconscious." The man spoke in firm even tones, his voice betrayed no emotion, no pain, no inflection at all. It was as if he were nothing more than a robot, speaking lines programmed into him. His demeanor supported this illusion implicitly. He stood ramrod straight as he spoke. "If you cooperate, then his continued safety will be assured. Should you fail to cooperate," The man paused momentarily, giving Tara time to let her imagination wonder over what he might do. "Well, lets just say that bad things may end up happening to him."

"Who are you? What do you want with me?" Tara spat the questions out. Anger filled her amber eyes with an ethereal glow that would have scared most people, and did in fact scare the men before her. "TALK YOU SICK FUCKS!"

"Calm down ma'am." The army man said, gesturing with his hands. "I am General Franklin Stein. We have been sent her at the request of Dr. Albert Drey, and a Mr. Paris Tam. We were told to subdue, and capture you, and to use any companions you may have as bargaining chips. While this is not my personal favorite method, it has been requested by my superiors, and so that is what I shall do."

"So James is no more than a toy to you? Something you can use to tease me? Something to be used to get me to do whatever you say?" Tara's voice rose, as her anger surged. "Is that what you are telling me?"

"Well in a manner of speaking, yes." General Stein admitted, lowering his head slightly. "However, it is not as bad as you make it sound. None of us here wish you any harm, we just wish to keep our jobs, you understand."

When Tara spoke again, her voice was in a low growl, "I want you sons of bitches to give me one reason not to kill you all where you stand."

The men looked back and forth nervously. Each of the mages knew that Tara had already defeated Paris Tam's strongest mages. Each of the military men knew that she was something beyond human that could easily take down several people in a matter of moments. Neither group really desired to anger her further. No one present really wished to see just how much damage she could cause.

She stood in their midst, radiating rage in palpable waves, as she stared at each of the men in turn. "I'm not hearing anything! Do I have to make an example? I am not afraid to kill you, not after the hell you people have put me through."

General Stein once more took the job of group leader. "I am sorry, ma'am. Unfortunately, we have to bring you in, or our jobs, and possibly or lives are forfeit. I do not much fancy the thought of dying right now. Please just come along quietly, and lets avoid bloodshed, what do you say?"

Tara growled, a low guttural sound that made several of the men step backwards. "What do you propose General? Do you propose that I come with you? Which one of your groups is going to be my captor? Will the government get the sublime joy of dissecting me, or will the mages get the unprecedented joy of taking me into custody for the next several years, as they train me? Which is it? You did realize that neither one of your groups is working towards the same goal. Damn you guys are idiots."

The mages and the military exchanged angry looks. Words were shouted back and forth, and then all hell broke loose, as Tara slipped away to begin looking for James. As shouts sounded out in the night, Tara scouted the parking lot, trying to find some clues as to where James may have ran off to. No clues presented themselves, and Tara ended up wondering around the side of the parking lot, her footsteps all but silent in the cacophony of shouts that filled the night. Suddenly small explosions erupted, and she decided it was time to speed up her search.

"James, where the hell have you run off to?" She said to no one in particular. She found a woman standing in between two cars, a smug smile on her face. "What the hell are you smiling about?"

"I know where you can find him," She stated, the smugness filling her voice, "but I can guarantee that you will not want to go there."

"What have you done to James, bitch?" Tara shouted, not knowing where all of this anger was coming from. She rushed up and grabbed the woman, "Tell me now!"

The woman just laughed. "Go ahead and kill me. Once I am dead, you will never find him. Since I am the only one who knows where he is. So let go, and we can talk about this in a civilized manner, or go ahead and kill me, and let your good friend James die. It really is your choice.."

Tara let go of the woman, but remained ready, prepared to claw her eyes out, if the need should arise. "Fine, we'll play by your rules, but if you don't talk, then we will be exchanging blows, and there are many things I can do to you that do not involve your death."

The woman grinned, and stuck out her hand, in a very simple gesture of friendship, and peace. "Good. I, am Seline DuPrey, by the way. I am a member of Guild Terra. In fact, I am Paris' right hand woman. He really wants to help you, you know? He doesn't just want to imprison you."

"He has an odd way of showing it." Tara spat out through clenched teeth. "You already know who I am, so the introductions are over. Where is James?"

"He is in the one place you have been trying so desperately to avoid. He's in the Hall of Mages." Seline chuckled, "The only way you are going to find him again is to meet with Ruby herself."

"Who is Ruby, and why would she want to meet with me?" Tara kept her voice low, even though her anger demanded that she scream. She was very close to indulging that very urge.

"Ruby is the head of the Council, a member of Guild Pyra. She seems to have taken a special interest in Aberrants of late. First we found Sarah Dallas, in California, and then we find you in Ohio. This is an event never before seen, in all the millennia since the council's founding. Truly this is an ill portent, but Ruby wishes to speak with you either way, and It is not a good idea to keep Ruby waiting."

"What are you talking about? What is an Aberrant?" Tara found her anger was subsiding, as her naturally inquisitive nature began to take over. "Who is Sarah Dallas? And what is this Event that is so wonderful?"

"Full of questions today aren't you." Seline once more chuckled. "Let me try and answer all of them for you. An Aberrant, is what we mages call a mage that comes into power after the age of 15. You see, puberty is when the power manifests itself, and in 99.99999 percent of cases, that is how it works. However, there are also those extremely rare cases where a mage comes into power around the age of 18-22 or even later. Those, are termed Aberrants because the case is so weird. You, are the 27^th documented Aberrant since 1200 B.C.E. Which brings us to your next two questions. Sarah Dallas was the last Aberrant found, the 26^th if you will. She was found just last year. She's still training in the Hall. Unlike you, she didn't run away at first, she seemed almost as if she wanted to be locked away. She has trained so much, she is almost as powerful as Ruby. She, and you as well, have the potential to be the strongest mages seen in a long time. That however, is fully dependent on your cooperation

"Now on to the event that has me, and the council more than a little antsy. In the 3200 years since the founding of the Council in ancient Greece. The stories that have been handed down amuse us greatly. Do you know that the Greeks worshipped the ancient mages, they imagined them to be gods? Everyone has heard of the original council. The Council was founded by a man by the name of Zeus. The Greeks saw what he could do and believed him to be a god. Then when others began to come to him, the Greeks naturally assumed that they were his children, but I digress. The event that has us worried, is simply the finding of two Aberrants in the same decade, let alone in two consecutive years. Now we have both you and Sarah, and frankly my dear, that frightens us all greatly. Otherwise, the men would never have come after you like that. You know that you defeated the Hunters? They are like the special forces. When something goes wrong, they are sent to try and reduce any damages. Then out of the blue, you come along and defeat all three of them. How do you expect us not to be a little frightened?"

Tara stared at Seline, wondering how much of this was true, "So what you are saying, is that the mages only want to train me, they are not looking to imprison me?"

"That is all we ever want," Seline stated smiling a bit to see that she might be getting through to Tara, "So you understand?"

Tara nodded her head slowly, as she stared at Seline. Seline began to grin, until she saw the dark menace seeping back into Tara's eyes. Seline began to back up slowly, throwing her hands up in a defensive stance.

"There is one thing, I don't understand." Tara said, the anger once more lending an acid note to her voice, "Why did you have to involve James? Why did you send him to the Hall of Mages?"

"You were being uncooperative, we needed to make sure you would cooperate long enough for us to talk to you." Seline mumbled trying to stave off Tara's anger, and still backing away slowly. "We are not out to harm any one, especially our own."

"What about the mage that came after us at James' house?" Tara hissed menacingly, "If you don't want to hurt anyone, why did you send someone as violent as he was?"

"Well, I..."Seline sputtered, her jaw quivered slightly, "You see, he was...er..."

"Enough! I gave you a chance," Tara growled furiously, "You screwed up severely when you got my friends mixed up in this little game of yours."

Tara lashed out with a weave that sent Seline flying backwards. Even as Seline was still flying, Tara wove a gateway, and jumped back through into the world that housed the hall of mages. She stood on the Plains of Ferat as the gateway winked out of existence. In the distance, she once more saw the Hall of Mages, and Ebontower. The cat creatures that now roamed the plains, seemed more friendly to her. They seemed almost like a small family, to her. She could feel the kinship, and desired to run to them, and hunt within their ranks.

When she gave up on that peculiar notion, she shed her clothing, and once more stood in her most natural state, allowing the cool night breeze to flow across her soft fur. She had decided that if it came to it, she could run much better unclothed, than she could with clothes. The extra fabric would only get in the way. Looking at the situation at hand, there was the distinct possibility that there may be quite a bit of running involved, especially if the entire thing went sour. With a final, longing glance at the felines roaming the plain. she started running towards the Hall, keenly aware of her surroundings, making special notes to herself about where the house had been, and how best to return there.

The run was short, and soon she stood at the great door to the Hall, worries for some unknown reason, and more than a little on the tired side. She stared at the stone carvings, wondering if she would be able to survive this encounter. The thought of all those mages, ready to attack, sent shivers down her spine. With a heavy sigh, she pushed the doors inward, announcing her presence to everyone. All eyes turned to her, many of them shocked, to see a Cathan enter the hall so brazenly..

She turned to the nearest person, and growled, "Where is he?"

The man trembled slightly, looking around at his compatriots for assistance, "Ma'am? Who are you talking about?"

Tara grabbed the man's shoulders and stared into his eyes, shaking him ever so slightly, "James! Where the hell have you put James?"

"Y-you may w-w-want to check with Ruby." The man said, as he trembled violently in Tara's hands, "Please don't hurt me. I haven't done anything."

Tara tossed the man aside, and he hit the floor with a meaty sounding thud. She headed towards the far end of the hall, and looked for someone else to ask. She found her woman in the form of a tall brunette. The woman walked with a confident stride, and seemed at least moderately competent. Tara rushed in pursuit of the woman, hoping to find the answers she sought, before she had to really hurt anyone.

She caught up with the woman, and roughly grabbed her shoulders, and wheeled her around. "Tell me where I can find Ruby."

"She's up there." The brunette pointed up the stairs, a look of defiance on her face, "But that is all you will get from me you rude little bitch."

Tara growled, let go of the girl, and dashed up the stairs. She searched the hallways, looking for some sign of Ruby. Most of the doors were nondescript, some of them led to other hallways, others led to what looked like massive lecture rooms. There were several bathrooms, and even a library that seemed to be impossibly large. Finally at the end of a hallway, she found a massive door bigger than the rest. Etched into its surface were ornate carvings. Immediately Tara knew she was in the right spot.

She flung open the door, and was met by a woman with a curious look in her eye, "Can I help you, ma'am? Are you a Cathan Emissary? No, I sense the spark within you. You must be..."

"I am Tara James, and I am here to see Ruby." Tara growled at the woman, a fiery anger gleamed in her eyes.

"Let me check the appointment book." The small woman stated, as she flipped through a small day planner. "I'm sorry, but there seems to be no appointment for you Ms. James. Ruby is booked solid for the rest of the day, but if you want I can pencil you in for tomorrow. How does that sound?"

Tara muttered several expletives, and then strode forward towards the door at the back of the room. "I think Ruby will see me, and don't worry, this won't be long,"

Tara burst through the doors, to see Paris Tam and Ruby talking quietly. Both turned to face the door as Tara burst in with a loud resounding crash. Ruby's eyes showed no surprise at who it was, nor did Paris'. Both smiled as they waited for her to speak, both believed they had the upper hand for a change. Tara surprised them both, by quickly opening up a gateway, and sending Paris through it with a simple weave of air. The gate winked out of existence, and Ruby was left alone to face the raging woman before her. She was left feeling only mildly intimidated.

"Where is he, Ruby?" Tara demanded, she used a weave of air to slam the door behind her to punctuate her question. "Tell me what you did, and I may let you live. Fight, and I will guarantee that blood will be shed."

Ruby made calming gestures, "Please child, compose yourself, there is no need for such overt hostility. We can discuss this like civilized people, can't we? What we have done is for your own good. Please, you must trust me on this."

"Why the hell should I trust you?" Tara snarled her amber eyes taking on a definitive red coloring. "What reason do I have to trust someone who would resort to kidnapping? Why should I trust someone who has sent scores of people after me, none of which seemed willing to talk first? Tell me this Ruby, I am anxious to hear your answer."

Ruby was flabbergasted, "I don't know what you are talking about? All I asked for were search parties. We needed to find you, before you hurt anyone or anything. Untrained you are extremely dangerous to everyone and everything around them. You should, by now, be able to see the beginnings of it. The magic you wield so wantonly, it is a very powerful destructive forces. Untrained those same forces could rip a hole in reality itself. I can't stress enough how dangerous you are without proper training."

"Dangerous am I?" Tara shouted, her voice loosing all sense of composure. "You don't even know the half of it, you stupid Bitch! Now tell me what I want to know, or I will wipe the walls with you."

"Child, you are not yet my equal." Ruby replied, a smug expression on her face. A dangerous glint in her eyes, told Tara, that this was no bluff. "The potential is there, to be sure, but I am still more powerful. If it comes to a duel, I will win, and you will spend the next year in Ebontower. I will guarantee you do not wish to spend time there. Although I am sure T'Gra would love someone to talk to."

"Then tell me where James is." Tara growled again, having regained some level of composure. A note of pleading began to enter into her voice, making her previously steely voice quaver ever so slightly. "That is the only reason that I came here. Tell me where he is, and I will leave here peacefully. That is all I am asking for."

"Oh, James is safe. I will guarantee you of that." Ruby tried to placate the young mage, before this encounter led to violence "I am sure Seline told you we are not a violent group. We just desire to see that all mages receive the training that they need, and deserve. It is a sacred mandate from the gods."

Tara nodded her head, the angry glow in her eyes however, remained as steady as it had been upon first seeing Ruby. She understood her motives, even if she did not quite enjoy the method of execution. While acting upon the anger that surged within her, may be supremely satisfying, Tara knew that it would do little to help James. At the moment, James' safety was her paramount concern, fun could always come later. She stared at Ruby for a few tense moments, before she lowered her head.

"What must I do, to ensure that James is released?" Tara asked, letting the remainder of her anger drain out of her voice. She had to calm herself, for James' sake. She could not risk his life for her own petty anger.

"I'm glad you see reason," Ruby said, letting out a breath she didn't realize she had been holding. She stared at Tara with a firm even gaze, "All we ask, is that you submit to training, to ensure that you are not going to destroy any realities.

Tara nodded slowly hoping that James would be okay during the interim, before she could check to see how he was doing. And thus began her year of training in the Hall of Mages.

   

-----Part 6: The Tie That Binds: 2004-----

Sarah Dallas sat in her office, shuffling about papers on her desk. The school year had been a relatively quiet one, no unusual outbursts, and no further visits from the Council. Towards the end of the year Nikki and Michelle requested positions as her assistants. She was hard pressed to decline their offer, and they seemed practically giddy to have the chance to work with her even more.

Things had been relatively calm on the magic front, too. She had to assist a few men, to give them a better understanding of their female counterparts, but other than that, she had not had to use her magic much at all. She was glad. Even though she had trained extensively with the Council, she was reluctant to use her powers at all. Ruby had given her a speech about how destructive a mage can be, and Sarah was reluctant to become a destructive force. Destruction just wasn't something she enjoyed. She never had, and in all likelihood she never would.

It was a nice night out, the stars shone brightly, as did the full moon. Crickets chirped just outside Sarah's window, lending their music to her work. She had worked too many late nights recently, and she was less than fond of it. However, she had work to do, and she had to do it even if she was reluctant.

She studied the papers before her, and sighed. Her mind wasn't much on her work today. It was too busy wandering to other things, such as the previous night. Last night she had sensed something in the city limits, a very strong something. She was worried, and understandably so. A strong presence like that reeked of magical influence, and any kind of magical influence like that did not bode well for her currently peaceful lifestyle. In fact it all but screamed that trouble was brewing. She brooded about the ramifications of a magical encounter on campus, and all scenarios looked to be dangerous to the entire school.

She pondered what would be the best course of action to take, should a confrontation be forced. Prudently, she had already sent Nikki and Michelle home, she did not want them involved in this. She thought about leaving campus, in case whoever this was, was in fact after her. If she was off campus, then there would be no one else involved, she could move to an abandoned warehouse or something. A quick probe told her, however, that it was too late to attempt to flee. The presence was on campus, and moving closer.

Sarah stood up from her desk, preparing to confront the presence. She readied herself for whatever may be coming. A sound echoed through the halls, rushing footfalls muted slightly, as if the runner were in socks. The footsteps paused outside Sarah's door. Sarah looked out the window at the cloudless night, the full moon shedding its light upon her small office. The moons light supplemented only by Sarah's small desk lamp. She turned back to the door, as the knob began to turn. It flew inward, and a figure cloaked in darkness ran it, shutting the door as it came.

The figure stopped just outside the cone of light cast by the tiny desk lamp, and the moonlight did little to reveal the newcomer's identity. The figure stood there breathing heavily, but otherwise silent. Sarah remained ready to weave a spell in a moments notice, but waited for the visitor to make the first move. The visitor made no move, just stood there breathing heavily, and staring with a fierce intensity at Sarah. Sarah returned the stare in kind, unfaltering in her stance.

Finally broke the silence, "I think it is time to see who you are." And with a small gesture, and a tiny weave, the lights sprang to life.

Standing at roughly 4'8, she stood at the ready, her amber eyes gazed watchfully at her surroundings taking in every detail. Her triangular ears poked out like boats in the black ocean of her hair. Her long mane fell down her back, cascading like ebony waves crashing against the shoreline of her rear end. A three foot tail swung freely from her back, and swished back and forth slowly. Her flesh was completely obscured by a thick, tiger-striped coat of fur, alternating between the deepest black, and the purest snowy white. Her breasts stood proudly on her chest, in two medium-sized mounds. She was completely unclothed, and stood confident in her nudity, proud of her slim, yet feminine figure. Her claws were extended at all times, ready to be used at a moments notice.

The sudden light did not startle her. She spoke with a low voice, barely more than a whisper. "Sarah Dallas?"

"That depends, who wants to know?" Sarah asked, trying hard not to have an acid edge in her tone.

"My name is," The voice paused momentarily as she thought about her words, "no. My name was Tara James. My mother would not recognize her little girl anymore."

"What are you doing in my office at this hour? What do you want?" Sarah continued to try and stay calm, however her efforts did not seem to be working. The powerful magical energy before her did little to calm her jangled nerves.

"I have come here, hoping you can help me." Tara said, finally managing to calm her breathing down. "If you can't help me, then I fear that there may be dire consequences, for you, for me, for the world."

"I'm not quite following you." Sarah asked her tone spoke volumes about her current confusion. "What are you trying to say."

"Maybe I should say something, might jog your memory a little," Tara spoke the words, but was clearly reluctant to continue. "Do the words 'Bathed in blood, I am Reborn' mean anything to you?"

Sarah paled visibly, "How do you know about that, the council promised to never tell. They told me they'd never tell!" Tears began falling slowly from her eyes.

"Sarah, the council told me nothing. They only told me that there was another Aberrant, and gave me your name. I found the rest out myself. Unless I miss my guess, and everything I have learned is false, then Rantar is coming, and things will not be pretty."

"I don't understand. What is Rantar?" Sarah spoke, and the tears still hung in her eyes.

"That is unimportant." Tara said with urgency. "I have seen the veil. We may not have much time left."

Sarah stared at the feline creature before her, "What can I do. What do you want me to do?"

Tara looked deep into Sarah's eyes, and spoke very softly, "I need you to help me find the six."

A pregnant pause followed as Sarah stared at Tara, with undisguised confusion. The minutes dragged on, and neither said a thing. Outside, the music of the night drifted in through Sarah's open window.

Finally Sarah broke the relative silence, "The Six? What are you talking about?"

"There is no time to explain, we need to go to Faith." Tara said, more than just a note of urgency filling her voice, "There isn't much time even now, events are spiraling out of control."

"I'm not following you." Sarah stated, puzzlement flavoring her voice, "Who is Faith, and why is she so important?"

Tara growled, and took a seat at Sarah's desk. "You have heard of Rantar, I hope. You summoned her, so you better have." Sarah nodded, and Tara continued, "Well, I will mention, that Rantar is the Goddess of chaos. She was banned from this reality, by the other 6 gods who have sealed up the veil between our reality and the next. Rantar has, over the years found cracks in the veil, and managed to slip through for brief moments, undetected by the other gods. She needs anchors, in this reality, if she wants to stay, those anchors are the six."

"What does this have to do with anything?" Sarah queried, her previous puzzlement now much more pronounced, "What does this have to do with me?"

"You Sarah, and me as well, along with 4 others comprise the six." Tara explained with more than just a little impatience. "Faith is a third. There is also Pam, and Jackie. The sixth one, I do not know, They may not have been chosen yet. All I know is we need the six of us together, to stop Rantar. Or the world, as we know it will end. Now please, I need you to come with me."

  

-----Epilogue: The Goddess Speaks-----

T'Gra dreamt some more. Once more he stood upon the Plains of Ferat, clothed only in his fur. He felt the warm winds blowing from the south, and let out a low purr of contentment, as the gentle breeze caressed him, rubbing his cheek. He stood alone, but felt as if he was surrounded by his kinsmen, surrounded by the entire Cathan clan of Gre'nan, the clan of his father. A thousand eyes seemed to drill holes in his back, yet not a single eye was anywhere to be seen. He set off across the plains, the ubiquitous eyes followed him as he went. He didn't mind, in all actuality he rather enjoyed the feeling of being with someone. He ran all the way to the small house he shared with his wife and two kittens. He stepped through the door, and called out for his wife, a smile decorating his feline face.

When he received no answer, he frowned, and went searching from room to room, checking first the kitchen, and then the bedrooms. The house was empty, Tara and their two kittens were gone, without a trace. T'Gra grew frantic. He rushed from the house, seeking tracks of some sort that would tell which way they had gone. All he found were his own tracks, not a trace of the kittens, not a trace of Tara. It was as if they had just vanished off the face of the planet.

He looked wildly towards the horizon, and a blur of motion drew his attention. He took of like a bolt in that direction calling out, "Lexi? Lynx? TARA?"

He continued in the direction, matching his movements to the movements of the blur. No matter how fast he ran however, the blur was just as fast, always remaining out of reach, always unattainable. His lungs screamed in agony as he pushed harder, ran faster, trying to catch up with the phantom shape that he knew had to be Tara and the kittens. Every muscle in his body burned, his breathing came out in ragged gasps, and still he ran. He could not bare the thought of losing his family, they were all he had left. He could not bare the thought of being alone again.

Miles melted past as T'Gra continued headlong rush into the distance. He wondered why Tara and the kittens would be running from him. He further wondered how they could move so fast. Lexi was only 2 years old, and Lynx was only 4. Tara would have to carry Lexi, and Lynx would never be able to keep up this pace, unless Tara was carrying him as well. With two children in her arms, there is no way anyone could run this fast, and the impending arrival of there third kitten...

T'Gra blinked back tears, tears of loss, and frustration. Tears that seemed to be pieces of his soul, leaking away. He redoubled his efforts to reach that shadowed shape in the distance, pushing himself harder than he had ever pushed in his life, and still he continued to push harder. However still the shape hovered just beyond his reach. He screamed out in frustration.

Suddenly the ground beneath him gave was gone, and he began to fall, the form he had been chasing, disappeared the world moved fast into blackness, and when he hit the ground with a resounding crash, he expected that his every bone must be powder. When he tried to stand however, he found that he was fine. He spent little time pondering this miracle, instead he surveyed the area around him. He was in a large dome-like cave, torches lined the walls, and a pool in the center reflected the light perfectly. The cave, like the Plains above, did not feel empty of life. A presence filled the room, a presence that emitted a malevolent aura. T'Gra shivered, as he twisted around to look for the source of the sensation, What he found, was a small altar at the northern end of the cave.

He approached the altar, with a fair amount of reluctance, the white marble surface seemed to glow with a preternatural light, as if it was lit from within. As he drew closer, he noticed writing on the front face of the altar. He finally drew close enough to read the writing, and read it aloud;

"Here Lies Rantar

May she ever remain

entombed here.

Woe be to him who

Seeks out the six."

T'Gra stared at the words and pondered what they might mean. As he stood there, the light seemed to leak out of the stone, flowing and rippling, as if it were liquid, and not light at all. It flowed into a human form, and began to take on finer details. Eyes, ears and fingers flowed from the light, as did a robe. The light faded from the human shape, leaving behind a young woman, wearing a Diaphanous robe, that clung to her body in some very predictable spots, yet flowed around her legs. The smile on her face, and the look in her eyes told T'Gra, that he had indeed found the source of the malignant aura.

"T'Gra Spire," The voice was raspy, like sandpaper, "You have done well, my child. You have given me two vassals. Two new tools of chaos. Four more, and I shall be free of this damnable prison once more."

"Who are you?" T'gra found himself asking, "What do you want? How do you know my name?"

"T'gra, you disappoint me child." She replied, her sandpaper voice seemed to rub against the back of his skull, eliciting from him a small gasp of pain, "I, am Rantar, the one you have been serving since the day you gave me Sarah Dallas."

T'gra promptly fell to one knee before her, his head lowered in supplication. He did this however, not of his own volition. The compulsion to act had been from an entirely outside source. He looked up a the goddess and growled, "What do you want? Why have you brought me here?"

"I brought you here, to tell you what I want," Her voice took on an edge, as her irritation grew. "I wish for you to finish the gathering of the six. The sooner you do that, the sooner I can lay waste to the Disciples of the others. I can sense the others of the pantheon weakening. Once I am free, I shall slay them all, and become the only goddess left standing. After what they did to me, they deserve nothing short of death. Once they are out of the way, chaos will reign supreme once more."

T'Gra nodded his head, "Once you are free, will I be free as well?"

"Of course." She said, the evil smile on her lips grew bigger.

A pact formed, a long buried goddess gained a new disciple. The other gods would soon taste the sting of Rantar's fury.

 

-----Authors comments-----

Wow. That was something completely different, don't you think? I hope everyone thought it was different in a good way. I've decided, now that I am on the third story in an arc that consists of a minimum of 6, I should start to tie the threads together, move the tapestry closer and closer to completion. By the end of this story, you can see, that two of the threads have been brought together, with a third one closing in fast. I hope people enjoy that small section.

I've tried to inject small bits of comedy, and large chunks of reality into this chapter, which I will state right away, was largely experimental. A lot of what I did in this chapter I have never done before. From action sequences, to the interweaving of several story lines to the split second change of focus. I will guarantee that at some point this story will be rewritten to streamline everything. As it stands, I think the experiment turned out decent enough. I am left wondering, if my distaste for my own profession, may have been a little too pronounced.

For the next story, I will be handling a few things I love. The main focus at the beginning, in my prologue, will be Mythology. I want to touch on the mythology surrounding Rantar and the rest of that pantheon. I hope that with a little knowledge of her past, you the readers, may better understand her present. I hope to convey that, while Rantar may indeed be evil, there are motivations that have as yet remained hidden. In the end however, the mythology is in fact what this entire series is about

So, I have a creation myth I am working on, I also am writing notes to myself about the next two stories, of which one will obviously focus on Jackie Franklin, and the other will focus on Pam Hart. In three stories, the identity of the sixth, will be revealed. Why do I wait that long, you may ask? Because as yet, I haven't decided who he or she will be. I want it to be a man, since as yet there are no male Aberrants. However I don't know if a male will take the role or not, only time will tell. I hope you stick around for the rest of this story.

With Love,

 

Sarah

 

-----Supplemental Timeline-----

T'Gra's Assault on the council and Ruby's Rise to power-1998

Sarah Dallas (and the events described in her Flashback)-powers 1999

Tara James (And the T'Gra Story told{unless otherwise noted})-powers 2000

Jackie Franklin (and the events described in her flashback)-powers-2001

Pam Hart (And Flashback)-powers 2002

Faith Sampson (entire Story, except the flashback)-powers 2003.

Sixth Vassal (And the remainder of the story afterwards.)-powers 2004

 

*NB. The author of this story does not in anyway support the exploitation of porous aqueous creatures. If the references to Said creatures offends you, please I'm sure there is some kind of infomercial** on right now as well.

**NB. The author if this story also in no way supports infomercials. If my mention of them offends you, please, feel free to read a book.***

***NB The author apologizes to all the illiterate people out there, my comment to have you read a book was insensitive. Please, go out and learn to read, so you can read that book. Ok? It'll do you some good!

  

  

  

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