The Light Brigade / Part I, Chapter Three

~ THE LIGHT BRIGADE ~
Part I: New Blood
Chapter Three: Three of a Kind

Come the next afternoon, there was no sign of Formless or the ship.

Torah suspiciously glared up at the clouds enveloping the sky, fragmenting the blue, before intently focusing on the sunlit path ahead. As always Siddhartha lagged behind her, alternating between walking on his legs and going on all fours to scurry in and around her like a restless insect without certainty or clarity to his purpose.

'Father's going to kill us,' Siddhartha pointed out.

'He's going to kill me,' Torah corrected, 'and I can't say I really care at this point. The Formless Hunt is an integral part of Savillrow's safety, and with that ship passing over, there have to be some lurking in the forest. Father's in denial of the danger and I refuse to stand by to allow those creatures overrun the town.'

'This'll be fun!' he beamed.

'We talked about this, Siddhartha, and you're staying behind.'

He groaned. 'I always have to miss out on the good stuff.'

She chewed on her lower lip and tried not to think too hard about Father's reaction. Successful or not, he would be furious for her defiance, though she was starting to become used to being on the receiving end of his temper. He rarely yelled, preferring instead to express his bitter disappointment and scold quite harshly, followed by several meditation sessions to "clear your mind" and "focus on the cause of your disobedience". But she was older now. Maybe she could summon the courage to refuse discipline on account of being well beyond the age where being sent to her room was an appropriate punishment.

The hunters who pursued the Formless always gathered in the same place at the rim of the forest, on the fringes of Savillrow's borders. A thin dirt path cut its way through the fields to meet it and she and Siddhartha spent several minutes walking within inches of the clustered trees, kept in check by rotted wooden posts marking the land.

What was it with humans and the need to mark their territory? Borders, boundaries, fences. Usually everything in Savillrow was so empty; a person could go wandering into their neighbour's house without invitation and no body would care. But territory was another thing. Maybe it was due to being accustomed to the lack of privacy at home. Basically everything she owned, Siddhartha eventually got his hands into, and Torah had long since given up on trying to keep secrets from a sincerely nosey little creature. It was very fortunate that she liked him or else sharing the same room with him would be intolerable.

She peered over her shoulder at Siddhartha, currently balancing on the fence and walking alongside her. Torah wasn't entirely convinced that bringing him along to meet the party was a good idea. She wouldn't be surprised if he started meandering after her. Brief images of her brother being caught in the jaws of a gaping Formless haunted the fringes of her imagination before being dismissed by reality he wasn't that stupid.

...Mostly.

Not too far into their journey, they came to a small clearing etched out at the rim of the forest. This was where the party awaited. They consisted of a number of local townsfolk – mostly the younger crowd Torah used to run with. Back in her childhood she'd spent her days beating the living heck out of many members of the group and when Siddhartha came along, she started teaching him the tricks of the trade. While a lot of those childhood grudges were now long since forgiven, there was still an obvious air of mistrust between herself and the rest of the "gang".

'She's not coming,' a loud voice proclaimed just before she entered the picture. 'She never comes! Good riddance, if you ask me!'

At the very edge of the group was Lightbulb. Now away from her father and sister, she was considerably relaxed, and held tightly onto a spear. She smiled maliciously at the speaker. 'I bet it'll be different this time. I talked to her this morning – saw that look in her eye, the look she gets when she's about to disobey that cat of hers.'

'Don't refer to my father as a cat,' Torah intervened.

There was a collective sigh and the group parted to reveal its members. There were twelve of them altogether. Leading them was Benjamin, one of the few Shuggazoomians to permanently inhabit Savillrow. Fair-skinned and blonde, his pointed face was elaborately decorated with unnecessary warpaint and a pair of dual swords were sheathed at his hips.

'Well, well, look who showed up,' Benjamin sneered.

'Wipe that grin off your face,' Torah snapped. 'I'm here to kill Formless, not you.'

'You bringing your mascot with you?'

'I think we mascots prefer the term "sidekick",' said Siddhartha.

Torah glared at him. 'Go sit on the fence.'

'Don't tell me you were serious about that! Why did you bring me out here if you were just going to tell me to sit on the fence?'

'I didn't bring you. You followed.'

'...Right. Fence it is. I'll keep Honeycomb company!'

For the first time, Torah realized that Honeycomb was sitting on the fence, completely unmoving. She didn't glance at Siddhartha as he scrambled up beside her to watch the group.

'She followed me from home,' Lightbulb explained as Torah caught her eye.

'Well, as much as I love discussing your younger siblings always tagging along,' Benjamin pressed. 'Are we gonna get started or stand here all day?'

'Relax, Ben, the Formless aren't going anywhere,' said Lightbulb. 'Let's wait a few minutes – see if anyone else'll show up...Hey, did anyone else see that huge thing that was in the sky yesterday?'

'I saw it,' Torah piped up. 'My father said it was one of Skeleton King's ships.'

'Was it?' Lightbulb asked with the slightest flicker of surprise. 'Well, that's what's got my dad in a rut. My grandparents went all across the Mainland to avoid the Empire; guess he's still a bit paranoid about them. He literally had to drag Honeycomb back into the house and he tried to dissuade me from going on the hunt.'

'I'm surprised he even notices you,' snapped Benjamin.

Lightbulb gestured with her spear threateningly. 'I have no qualms about sticking this through your heart.' She turned back to Torah. 'Anyways, I bet he'd feel better about letting me hunt if he just let me borrow one of his damn inventions. He has all these guns lying around and he never lets anyone so much as look at them. Here we are throwing around sticks and stones, and one of those things would rip apart a Formless.'

'Well, why didn't you just take one?' Benjamin asked.

'Leave off, Benjamin, I'm not stealing from my dad,' said Lightbulb. 'I just hope he doesn't set himself on fire while I'm away. I left him a barrel of water so he should be okay...But he's very bright...Oh, here comes Ari and Viv. I guess that's it, then.'

Two more Tree People – old classmates of Torah – were crawling over the fence to join their group, armed with bows and arrows. With that, they numbered thirteen.

'Took you long enough to get here,' Lightbulb said to the two.

'Not our fault,' Viv rolled his eyes. 'Our parents were a bit worried about that thing in the sky yesterday.'

'Well, it's gone now, so it's not our problem anymore,' Benjamin jumped in.

'Famous last words!' Siddhartha called from the fence.

'Shut it!' Benjamin shouted back. He turned to face the group at large. 'Okay, I see some new faces here, so I'm going to lay down the guidelines. We're hunting Formless and know the lot've you have heard stories about the Formless being thick, but it's quite the opposite. They're wicked smart and can take any form they want to. Keep your wits about you. Our main goal is to check the traps we laid down last time we went in the forest, then get back to the village by sunset. You wander off, you're on your own. Clear?'

There was a murmur of agreement all around, save from Lightbulb, who just gripped her spear tighter and glared at him suspiciously.

'Oh, and there's something my dad wants us to check out,' Benjamin continued.

'You mean your dad, the same man who keeps threatening to turn myself and my brother over to the Empire?' snapped Torah.

'You say anything against him and you're out on this!' Benjamin's face turned a heated shade of read. 'Apparently there was some kind of commotion last night...One of the Empire's ships crashed in the forest. He wants us to check it out and make sure there weren't any survivors.'

A firm tightness wrapped around Torah's throat. She swallowed, with Father's warnings reverberating in her head. All of a sudden the task of setting out to hunt down Formless didn't seem like such an ingenious and daring plan.

'You're kidding!' exclaimed Viv.

'That's suicide!' added Lightbulb. 'Can you imagine what they'd do to us – 'specially if that Mandarin was on board?!'

'My dad wants it checked out!' Benjamin intervened, as if his word finalized the decision. 'So we're going to do it!'

'Oh, with just twelve people?!' Lightbulb argued. 'Why doesn't your dad do it if he's so curious?!'

'Searle's a coward,' said Torah. 'He's also intelligent enough to comprehend the danger a crashed Skeleton King vessel could pose to Savillrow, so he doesn't want to leave the matter unattended. It makes sense that he'd get us to take the risk for him, even if it means putting the life of his own son on the line.'

'Keep your mouth shut,' Benjamin cautioned.

'Who put you in charge, anyways?' Torah countered. 'What am I saying? It was Searle, of course. He does like to entertain the notion that he runs this town.'

'I said shut up!'

'Let's just humour him and get this over with,' Lightbulb sighed impatiently. 'Your call, Ben. Who's doing what?'

'We'll split into two main groups,' Benjamin announced. 'Six and six. Lightbulb, I want you to take half and go check out the traps. I'll take the rest and find this vessel and as much as it pains me to say it, I'm going to have Torah acting as a scout for my group.' He turned to address her. 'I want you to move on ahead and alert us of any danger.'

'You want me to meander out on my own?' Torah scoffed. 'Typical. You want me to take the brunt of any attack.'

'It's not that. You've been in the forest more than any of us. You can take care of yourself...although I can't say I'll complain if you can't.'

'That's unfair, Ben,' said Lightbulb. 'None of us have to go out on their own.'

'No, it's fine,' Torah intervened. 'I can handle it.'

The last thing she needed was defence, as if she wasn't capable of taking care of herself. In a warped sense Benjamin was right; she had spent twice as much time as any of them lingering in the forest. It was practically her childhood playground. She knew each branch and tree better than she knew the people of Savillrow. All the same, she couldn't help but give Lightbulb an appraising look to silently thank her for the support. Though they were hardly best friends, they'd always respected each other, and in their youth it was Lightbulb who had separated Torah and Benjamin during their scuffles.

Ben was quickly moving among the recruits and dividing them into the two groups. Lightbulb turned to Torah.

Lightbulb hesitated. 'You're sure?'

'More than sure,' Torah confirmed.

'Now that that's settled,' said Benjamin, moving from the group. 'Lightbulb, take your group and head northeast. According to my father, the vessel crashed northwest of here. Torah, head on out.'

'Torah, wait!'

She groaned as Siddhartha conveniently made an appearance beside her.

'What do you want now?' Torah asked in a tone sharper than she'd intended it to be.

'This doesn't seem like a good idea anymore,' said Siddhartha.

Torah tried her best to not glance at the group. The last thing she needed was Siddhartha following her into the forest; it was already humiliating to have to be delayed by such petty worries that she couldn't take care of herself. She did her best to convey the complexities of the awkward social situation he'd put her in through a firm look.

Fortunately, he seemed to catch the drift. He smiled sheepishly.

'Okay, your call,' Siddhartha backed off.

She lightly pushed him out of the way and disappeared into the underbrush, surrounding herself in the familiar stench of greenery and wildlife so familiar to her. She regressed back into the old days – when a trip into the forest was a trivial event – and heralded to the old instinctive caution she'd once utilized. Torah glanced back only once to glimpse Siddhartha's mildly concerned expression following her until he, too, disappeared from sight and the chatter of the humans was replaced by the natural hum of the forest.

ooooo

The intensity of the silence increased within the hour.

Torah trudged over a fallen tree and paused to survey her surroundings. The open skies of Savillrow were long behind her, replaced with the complacent greenery of the forest. Trees arched their decorated branches far above her while a steady brook cut its way through whatever crevasse and narrow opening it could find. Insects and birds – the most dominant life forms on the planet – cut through the air. The stench of plant life drenched with wetness caused her nostrils to flare. Every sense was on high alert.

Admittedly she was considering the option of turning around and telling Benjamin that she was cutting out on the hunt. She liked a bit of adventure as much as the next person, but she wasn't stupid – and heading directly for a down Skeleton King ship (if it existed) was exactly the type of bad idea Father cautioned her against. As much as she hated to admit it, he had a point in a lot of regards, and actively looking for a fight was one of them. She briefly entertained the theory that Searle was plotting to be rid of herself and Siddhartha once and for all...On the other hand he hadn't known nor intended for them to join the hunt. It was a confusing cultural practice and one that Searle didn't think they had any right participating in.

Still, this was a task she'd agreed to undertake and she was going to see it through. She did, however, plan on surviving the process, so she made sure to carefully analyze the path ahead for any signs of danger. Torah wasn't sure how far she was from Savillrow, but she instinctively knew that she was heading in the right direction. It was odd she hadn't encountered any Formless. Perhaps Lightbulb and her band were keeping them preoccupied. Torah pressed her lips together. It occurred to her the true reasons behind Benjamin splitting up the group: one group would keep the hive-minded Formless occupied with one sector, giving the others the opportunity to approach the downed vessel. It was an almost ingenious plan, but a risky one. She would have to make this one count, not for Benjamin, but for Lightbulb.

The leaves shivered. Torah jumped and ducked into the shelter of a small space between the log and the ground.

Before her, the forest broke apart. A creature emerged from the underbrush.

Torah had seen many Formless before and nearly all of them looked alike. She heard tales that they used to stand on two feet and be taller than any man, but these days the feral Formless roaming the forest had a more animal appearance. The creature – approximately eight feet tall at its heights point – was completely black save for its white eyes, with protruding claws and teeth that dripped black ooze. Its back was hunched, it walked on all fours, and a long tail flicked as it moved out into the open, casually bowing its head to examine the grass in greater detail.

Unarmed, Torah knew better than to engage in frontal combat with the creature. Humans had the advantage of both height and the strength to carry weapons, but Torah had no such luck in that department. She scanned her environment. Directly behind the Formless was a metal beam sticking out of the ground, overgrown with weeds and vines.

Torah made a wide berth around the Formless, pushing her way through the underbrush until she was right next to the beam. It still had its back to her. It must have picked up her scent, or else it found something else interesting to analyze. It didn't matter. She glanced up and gently tried to push the beam over – right onto her target – but it was wedged too deeply in the mud. It made an ominous groan as she forced her weight against it and the being suddenly erected its head.

Swearing silently, she took a step back to analyze the beam. It was positioned quite close to a tree. Torah dug her claws into the bark and slowly made her way up, digging her toes into whatever leverage she could get out. By the time she was about level to the top of the beam, the Formless had moved slightly to the side. If she aimed correctly it would land right on it.

Torah awkwardly swung her body around so that she faced the beam, her claws still dug as deep as they could go.

She took a deep breath. At worst she would alert the Formless to her presence.

Torah launched herself forwards. Her feet hit the top of the beam. The force was enough to uproot it. The Formless just started to turn as the beam descended on it, with Torah riding at the very top.

Just before it hit her target, Torah leapt and hit the ground on the other side of the Formless. It let out a brief growl.

With a tremendous crash, the beam slammed into the earth. Birds let out startled scream. Droplets of black ooze exploded and bled into the ground. She let out a satisfied sigh and cracked her neck.

Several things then happened in a matter of seconds. Movement caught her eye. Torah swung around. She barely had time to register the Formless leaping for her before a flash of gold passed by her vision and the creature was suddenly slammed into the ground. When she regained her senses, she saw it struggling under the firm gaze of a small but strong Robot Monkey – Siddhartha. The Formless, in truth, wasn't all that large, and with a single slice from his claws it dissolved between his fingers.

'Siddhartha!' Torah exclaimed.

'I hate it when you say my name like that,' Siddhartha groaned. He turned to face her. 'Why can't you say it in a more agreeable tone?'

'What are you doing out here?!'

'Well, obviously I followed you,' Siddhartha rolled his eyes. 'Besides, I just saved you from a big giant Formless.'

'Oh, please, it wasn't much better than a dog! Point being, that was a big risk!'

'Says the monkey who wanders around unarmed in a potentially dangerous forest and may I remind you that my claws actually do something as opposed to just...hanging there. I should've stayed with Honeycomb.'

'Siddhartha...'

'There's that tone again.'

Torah leapt off of the beam to stand next to him, hands folded into fists. 'I'm taking you home!'

'Don't go bossing me around,' Siddhartha droned, eyes violently rolling backwards. 'It's embarrassing.'

'You want embarrassing? Wait until I drag you back home! I'll – .'

'If you do that, I might be inclined to tell Father the whole story.'

'...You wouldn't.'

'I've always had a big mouth. Sure, we both know he'll find out eventually, but if I tell him I might feel inclined to add in a few details.'

'Like what?'

'Oh, you know. It's pretty quiet now, but I do believe it could use a touch of full-out war with the Formless! Or maybe he'll want to know that you're going to a downed Skeleton King ship! After all, what's more unbelievable than reality?'

'You do realize that you'll have to admit you were there?'

'I'll say you dragged me along.'

'Maybe I'll tell him that you followed me!'

'Which would just be admitting your guilt...Besides, he'll believe me...he won't believe you.'

The words got lost on the way out of her mouth and Torah instead let out an impatient groan. Unfortunately, he was right.

'So, we gonna go investigate this ship or not?' he asked.

'I don't want my stupid brother following me around!' Torah protested. 'You'll embarrass me in front of Benjamin!'

'You mean to tell me that after all this time you've started to care about what Ben thinks?'

'Absolutely not. I just don't want him teasing and making me want to hit him.'

Siddhartha laughed. 'So, are we gonna keep standing around or are we going to this ship? Let's go!'

'You're not going anywhere,' Torah grabbed his arm.

'On the contrary, I am,' Siddhartha countered.

'...You're enjoying this, aren't you?'

'I always do!'

Torah sighed in defeat. There would be no dissuading him. At times, Siddhartha was almost as stubborn as she was.

'Fine,' she agreed. 'But if you're going to come, you've got to do whatever I tell you to do.'

'Sure, sure,' Siddhartha waved at her vaguely. 'As if that's any different from usual. Let's get to it! I want to see this thing for myself!'

The thick canopy of the forest shielded the sky from their view, with the only form of sunlight coming in the form of broken shadows. Torah got the sudden impression that they were being watched and quickly moved on from the clearing, until – while pressing through the bushes – she nearly toppled off of a solid cliff overgrown with moss. She grasped the edge. Still no sign of danger. The birds were silent overhead, but she could sense them watching their every move.

Casually, she swung over the ledge and jumped to the ground. To her surprise, she realized that the cliff wasn't actually a cliff. It was a solid, cement wall, with moss keenly peeking out between the cracks and a lopsided sign with a faded message she could barely read. Siddhartha landed beside her. She momentarily held out her hand to keep him at bay and he walked into it, looking irritated.

She reluctantly allowed Siddhartha to trail after her as they descended deeper into the forest, the foliage pressing in from all sides. Torah vaguely wished that Father was walking alongside them. Though he rarely spoke of his past, he had some experience with dealing with Skeleton King forces, and that kind of knowledge was highly valuable when she felt like she was going in blind. Though the Formless were quiet, the birds had stopped singing over head, replaced by the minute hum of the insects.

Something – whether instinct or perception of her environment – stirred deep within her.

ooooo

'Mandarin.'

'So it was a clone the whole time? It wasn't you?'

'Is that what you call it? They are sacrifices you plan to present to Skeleton King!'

'No choice. We won't win.'

'We have always won.'

'No survivors. Everything is falling apart. Should've known better than to hope for a happy ending.'

'They call them the "Old Heroes" now. Pity.'

'It's been a long time.'

'It can't go on like this. You've seen what Skeleton King is capable of.'

'He is passive, but this is just the calm before the storm.'

'A slim chance they are alive.'

'Is it worth it?'

'Destroy them.'

'Who are you?'

'This is Torah. I need you to look after her until I return.'

'And when will that be?'

'When she can fight.'

ooooo

Streams of sunlight awoke him.

Mandarin stirred and immediately regretted the action. A sharp pain rolled up his side. He let out an involuntary grunt and bit down – hard – on his tongue to prevent further noise. Unsure of where his limbs were located, Mandarin pressed his eyes closed against the light and gently raised a hand to his forehead. He barely remembered the descent from the sky...flashes of red...fire, maybe. Then a sphere of white – the moon. His last coherent memory...branches hitting him. He must've been knocked unconscious. His thoughts, sluggish and indiscernible, attempted to correlate with little success.

Slowly, he rolled over and dug his hands into the mud. At least he'd landed on something soft.

An insect whisked by his ear. He waved it away and forced himself to his feet, gritting his teeth against the pain. He had to keep it together.

Then, a crackle snapped through the air, rousing Mandarin from his dazed state. 'Mandarin? Hello? Anyone there?'

He massaged his forehead and groped blindly in the mud.

'Please don't be dead,' begged the voice. 'Oh, please don't be dead! It will be very inconvenient if you're dead and then I'll have to go down there to look for a body and then I'll have to bury it – and just think of the smell!'

Mandarin rolled his eyes. He dug his hands into the mud until it came into contact with something smooth, round, and oddly familiar. Haphazardly he shook it out and examined the communicator, which looked like it had been slapped together by a child.

'I'm here,' Mandarin said.

A surprised scream sounded on the other end, followed by a crash.

'Whoops,' said the voice. 'Sorry. Mandarin?'

'The last time I checked, that was my name.'

Mandarin grunted and pulled himself to his feet. He wasn't entirely sure where he was. Fringes of greenery and bright blue sky framed his vision and he realized that he was situated in a pit framed on one side by freshly disturbed dirt and on the other by a large, bone-like structure he recognized as being a piece of the ship. He breathed a sigh of relief. A few more inches and it would've sliced off his head for sure.

'Thank goodness!' exclaimed the jubilant voice. 'I thought you were dead for a minute there.'

'Miltiades, please contain yourself,' Mandarin drawled.

He absolutely hated associating with Miltiades. Technically an agent for the Sun Riders, he had been a constant source of information and among the only informants he hadn't cut ties with. Mandarin owed him more than he cared for.

'Where are you?' Mandarin asked. He bit down his tongue to prevent a shout of pain.

'In the sky,' Miltiades answered. 'I'm circling over the wreckage now.'

Mandarin strained his neck to peer out the hole above him. Just as he did so, a small vessel – similar to the one he'd used to ram into Skeleton King's ship – passed overhead.

'I can't tell from my position – are there any survivors that you can see?' Mandarin asked.

'None that I can tell...Are you okay?'

'As always,' said Mandarin, rubbing his neck. He pulled his hood back up to shroud his features. 'What's the situation?'

'Well...you blew up the ship.'

'Noted.'

'Where did the crew you were with go? The word is they made a suicide run.'

'Some sort of trouble with navigation,' Mandarin lied so easily he didn't even blink. 'I'm not exactly sure the circumstances surrounding it...What happened to the other groups?'

'They managed to get one ship to crash into the ocean, but no word on the others. If we haven't heard anything by now then I don't think we ever will.'

'Unfortunate, but expected. We have larger issues at hand.'

'Were they on board?'

'No.'

'Dammit, after all that?'

'Let me finish,' Mandarin snapped.

'Sorry.'

'I had an encounter with the clone. My suspicions were confirmed – they must be in Savillrow.'

'So you're heading there?'

'It's the best place to start. In the meantime, I need you to confirm the locations of the remaining Robot Monkeys.'

'But Mandarin – look, we talked about this. I'm going on a mission soon! Can't you just – ?'

'I have reason to believe that Skeleton King knows about them and he's going to pursue them. We have to reach them before he does.'

'But Mandarin – .'

'Whatever idiotic mission the Sun Riders have you going on, this is far more important! I'm not in the mood for your excuses!'

'Sorry, but this mission I'm going on – it's kind of...um...important. I can't really back out of it.'

Movement. Mandarin's head snapped up.

'Do as I ask and get out of here,' said Mandarin. 'I will contact you if I need further information.'

'But, Mandarin, you're not listening to me because there's no way in heck that – .'

The noises drew closer. Miltiades' rambling was drawing the enemies right to him. Mandarin cut him off mid-sentence He then swore and berated himself for his recklessness. Stupid! Why had he allowed adrenaline to get the better of him?

Heart pounding, Mandarin glimpsed the human, blond and lanky, moving amongst the wreckage. This was the last thing he needed. He slipped back into the ditch – literally – and slammed against the dirt wall. He tensed as the footsteps come dangerously close to his position. Across Shuggazoom there were an innumerable number of opinions regarding how to deal with Robot Monkeys. In some areas, Manderclone made a good example of them and they were attacked on sight, while the more isolated reaches of the planet saw them as just another odd alien species. Mandarin cursed his lack of experience on Kimmer Island, sparsely inhabited to begin with, and a haven for pirates and the likes.

The footsteps stopped just about overhead. He could tell from one shadow that it was a human.

'Stupid Formless,' the human grunted. 'You're telling me you didn't find anything?'

'Just like I said,' a demanding female voice retaliated. Mandarin tried to pinpoint the species but couldn't quite make it out. There was a pause. 'If you don't believe me, go look for yourself.'

'...Flyer overhead.'

'Yeah.'

Miltiades' ship. The sound it emitted was becoming distant.

'Doesn't look like it's too interested,' the female determined. 'We shouldn't stick around for too long.'

Damn straight – you shouldn't be here so I can leave! Mandarin thought furiously.

'You're only on edge because you let your stupid brother follow you,' snapped Benjamin.

'Hey, her "stupid brother" is standing right here!' added a third voice. Male. Young.

'Enough, Benjamin!' the female voice barked. 'You talk to him like that again and we'll have a repeat of the time you knocked my tooth out!'

'Are you still mad about that?! That was ten years ago! We were kids!'

'I liked that tooth!'

'Hope you don't feel the same way about your brains!'

'Oh, shut up and kiss already!' intervened the unidentified third voice.

'Ew!'

'Hey, I know true love when I see it! I have a lot of experience in this matter. Just take a look at me and Honeycomb.'

'You mean your nonexistent relationship with a girl who hasn't even made eye contact with you before?...Siddhartha, don't wander...'

'Not wandering. Staying within five feet of you of all time!'

'Make it two. I don't trust this place...Benjamin, we're going to check over here, and then we're leaving. Protests?'

'None whatsoever,' drawled the human. He called back to unseen companions, barking out orders with a sense of entitled authority, while the other two remained where they were.

'He's impossible,' said the female. 'Let's move.'

Mandarin waited until the pair's footsteps moved away before climbing back up. He barely made it to the first rock when alarming pain ripped up his side and he stumbled, struggling to support himself. He was starting to regret refusing Miltiades's offer of assistance, but his thoughts were too sluggish for him to determine whether or not this was truly a problem. Haphazardly, he stumbled up the embankment to wait for the bickering pair to pass his location before sticking his head out in the open. It took a lot of effort to emerge into the ugly scar created in the forest by the crashing vessel, but he didn't bother to fully examine his surroundings in great detail. All he saw were vague masses of the vessel sticking out of the earth.

His breath painfully hitched and he paused to try and compose himself. The distant human voices violently roared in from all angles, trapping him. They were the only motivation he had to pull himself to his feet and stagger off in an random direction to try and escape them.

Unsure of where he was going, the ground beneath him suddenly stilted and he stumbled forwards. As he hit the bottom, a fresh pair of voices arose, came close, and suddenly stopped. He was out in the open. Then, just as movement appeared out of the corner of his eye, he realized that the two had

He made to double back, but his feet wouldn't cooperate.

Mandarin checked his senses to ensure that he wasn't imagining things, reaching out with the strongest force of the Power Primate to detect their presence. Surely his eyes were deceiving him! He staggered, his heart slamming painfully against his ribs, his jaw dropping at the sight standing before him. Not more than five feet away – looking directly at him with equal shock – were two Robot Monkeys. One, a male, contrasted against the forest with his grey fur and claws that put Manderclone to shame. The other, a female, dark and authoritative against their ruined environment.

He pressed his body against the wall, his breathing laboured. His line of vision skirted across the ground before him in disbelief and he could not longer meet their inquisitive eyes. He knew her at once. He'd first seen those eyes so many years ago, peering up in him in innocent trust, but it was a long while before anyone in the vicinity had the courage to speak. To Mandarin's surprise, it was himself.

'Torah,' he breathed.

'...Someone you know?' the male asked.

'No,' said Torah after a lengthy pause, taking a step back. Then, she seemed to reaffirm her courage. 'Who are you?'

Mandarin opened his mouth to reply – but stopped himself short. He already knew the consequences of sharing who he really was, and the world suddenly seemed very stilted. The dizziness was returning and he struggled to maintain his balance.

Behind the two, he saw a shadow start to creep up.

'Look out!' Mandarin called.

Instinct guiding him, he charged and shoved the two Robot Monkeys behind him. Extending his fist, he delivered a fierce punch into the looming Formless. It jolted backwards and slammed against the nearest tree to spray droplets of black ooze into the clearing. The sudden flurry of activity drained the last of his strength and he sank to his knees, the dizziness threatening to overtake him again. He could sense the Robot Monkeys behind him while unconsciousness struggled to take him from the waking world. He allowed his eyes to close before he collapsed forwards. The voices became muffled and distant, while darkness crept in from the edge of his vision.

'Formless,' breathed the male.

'Don't worry, I think it was the only one,' Torah replied.

'Don't say that! Then a whole bunch of them will suddenly pop out of no where!'

'Relax, I sincerely believe that was the last of them.'

'What do we do?'

'I don't know.'

A pause.

'Do you think he was on that ship?' the male asked. His voice was closer, suggesting that he had stepped closer.

'Maybe,' said Torah. 'Wait, look at his hand!'

'The other glove...'

Another pause.

'...We can't leave him here. Benjamin will bring him back to Searle as a prize if he doesn't kill him on sight. I'm gonna tell Benjamin we're cutting out, then we're going to take him back to Father.'

'You're kidding, right?! He'll kill us!'

'He knew my name!...I don't know what that means, but I want to find out.'

'...If you're sure.'

'More than sure. You take his legs, I'll get him by the arms, and let's move quickly! It'll be a long way back and I don't want him to bleed out.'

Then he knew nothing.