Disclaimer: Like before none of the characters in this story are mine unless Rose is mentioned. When I did this story, I liked it. But now, I'm not so sure. Let me know what you think at
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"Today's the day!" Puck zoomed around the perimeter of Alex's nursery. He stopped when he was in front of me. "Today you get to spend a few days in an unknown dimension."
"Once I get to know the people that live there, it won't be unknown anymore," I joked.
"You have a point. But you won't know where the portal's opening up at. That's the whole point of this."
"All right. Let's get started then." I started putting a spell together in my head.
"Wait a minute. You're not going anywhere without this." Puck magicked something into his hand and tossed it to me. I caught it and looked at it. It was a simple black box with a few buttons on it.
"What is this?"
"A Dimension Locator. You can't adapt to a place if you don't know where you are."
I thought about my first trip to Third Earth. I adapted fine to the place. But I wasn't human when I met them. This was different. Placing the locator in my pouch I said, "Thanks."
"Well. Get going."
Taking a deep breath, I chanted a spell for a portal to send me where it will. Personally, I was hoping the portal would send me to Third Earth again. A portal appeared before me. Waving one more time to Puck, I entered the swirling gateway and toward my unknown destination.
I stepped out of the portal and onto an asteroid. I stood firmly where I was as the portal's wind blew past me. When the portal closed, I started gasping for air. Crouching on the rock, I coughed a spell to help me breathe. A few seconds later, I relaxed and stood up again, able to breathe.
Bringing out the Dimension Locator, I had it analyze the asteroid I was standing on. Looking at it when it finished, I saw the numbers and words: 2841, Limbo galaxy. The readout was familiar, but in what way was it familiar? I ran through all the TV shows I had seen when I was with Genie a few years ago.
Then I remembered why the setting was familiar. This was the future, where the Silverhawks lived. That's where I was. And if I remembered the years the show aired, according to Genie, it was the same years as the Thundercats. It was close enough, but not exactly where I wanted to go. Oh, well. My mind ran through the information I knew about Limbo galaxy and it's residents. I considered changing myself into a Silverhawk, but then decided against it. The point was to meet the people who lived here as myself and only myself. I did zap up some Limbo money so I could hail a cab to take me to Hawk Haven.
Deciding that I was set to begin my trip, I waved my hand the way I saw humans do it in Manhattan. It worked just as it was supposed to. A rickety old cab pulled up next to the asteroid. The driver's side was facing me so when the window rolled down, I saw the face of Seymour, the space cabbie.
"Can I…Whoa!" Seymour began then stopped when he saw me. I don't think he was counting on meeting someone who didn't have metal in place of flesh in most parts or didn't wear wild clothes.
"Can you take me to Hawk Haven?" I requested.
"Uh, sure. Hop in." Seymour opened the back of the cab from his seat and I got in. The door flipped closed and the cab rode off. I wondered if Seymour had his partner, Zeke the Beak. I knew it didn't matter if he did or didn't, but I got my answer when he suddenly leaned over the side of his seat, looking at me and holding up a fish.
"You want to buy a fish?" he asked.
I expected him to ask and replied, "No, thanks." I also expected him to continue pestering me to take the fish, but I was surprised when he simply shrugged and turned back around. I guess Seymour gave him a talking to or I was different from other people who rode the cab. The rest of the trip was uneventful. Seymour made some small talk to keep the ride from being too quiet. For example, how there wasn't much to see when he caught me looking out the window. What he didn't know was that I wasn't seeing the blackness of space, I was seeing Manhattan, Agrabah, or Third Earth. With each of these scenes, I pictured someone with me. Like for Manhattan, I was gliding with Brooklyn, in Agrabah I was with Aladdin (human), and on Third Earth I was exploring it with Lion-O. After what seemed like hours, the cab pulled in to Hawk Haven, where I gave Seymour the fare plus extra and got out. The cab pulled away and I was alone.
I knew that security cameras would be on, but I paid no attention. Instead, I focused on finding my way up. Remembering that the elevator was in the north wall, I turned in that general direction and walked toward the wall. As I got closer, a panel of the wall slid away, revealing a space that resembled an elevator. I went in, and the panel closed behind me. I then felt myself being whisked up to a different part of Hawk Haven.
The panel opened in front of me to show the Control room. I gaped at the technology in this room. It was much more advanced than what Xanatos has. Boy, I couldn't wait to tell Lex about this when I got home. I continued to look around, wondering where the Silverhawks were. I got my answer when I walked over to one side of the counsel and saw the twins with their shoulder lasers aimed at me.
I put my hands up in front of me. "Don't shoot," I pleaded.
"Then cooperate and we won't," Steel Will said. He and his sister moved to either side of me, grabbed me by the arms, and led me to Commander Stargazer's office; their lasers still aimed. I kept my head up, unafraid. This dimension was unfamiliar to me, but I was prepared for anything, day or night.
Steel Heart opened the office door and the three of us walked in. I saw the other Silverhawks and their commander. All of them were suspicious of me and who could blame them? An ordinary person could not survive the journey to Limbo from Earth. However, I wasn't an ordinary human.
I was brought to the front of Stargazer's desk. I continued holding my head up and looked the commander in the face. I wondered what they did to intruders. Nothing serious, I hope.
Stargazer stood up from his chair and regarded me with one cool eye and one telescopic eye. "Who are you? How did you get here?" he demanded.
"My name's Jasmine. As for how I got here, I don't think you would believe me."
"Try me."
"Okay," I launched into the story that I've told so many times. The story of my life from the world tour to arriving in Limbo. I left out the parts that involved the Thundercats, as well as my children. My story to them was probably strange enough without them. Besides, a girl is entitled to a few secrets.
"You expect us to believe that?" asked Quicksilver.
I almost did a double take when he spoke. It sounded vaguely like Tygra. I reminded myself of the air years of the two shows as well as what Puck had said about some people in one world sounding like someone else from another world.
"You should. It's the truth," I said. Suddenly, I had a feeling telling me that sunset was here. That was strange, though. We were in space, where there is no way of telling the difference between day and night. It was like a biological clock helping me to keep track of the time. That was interesting.
"How can we be sure?"
"You'll see soon," I answered as I stepped away from the desk, so I could have some room. As soon as I had moved, the stab of pain hit. I gasped and hit the floor. I saw the Silverhawks getting closer, which was different from how everyone else I met reacted.
"Get back!" I growled. They did just that. I watched my transformation with the same gritted teeth expression as always. At last, I stretched my wings as far as I dared and roared. With that done, my wings went down over my shoulders and I stood up on my clawed feet.
Bluegrass let out a low whistle. "That's quite a change." Once again, I recognized another familiarity. Bluegrass sounded somewhat like Lion-O.
That remark was followed by a hawk's scream. I looked at the screen, which was where I heard the scream come from. The screen suddenly raised upward revealing the black sky with white stars dotting it. This view was blocked when the Silverhawks' spy satellite, Tallyhawk, flew into the room and rested on Stargazer's desk.
Tallyhawk's eyes glowed white and flashed at the screen, which had slid down after Tallyhawk entered. An image appeared showing the Brim-Star. The planet got closer until we were looking inside it. Mon-Star's fortress appeared which, like the planet, got closer. The fortress was soon replaced by the figures of Yes-Man and Mon-Star (his black and red self). The two of them began to speak.
"Boss, I just heard that a new Silverhawk is here," Yes-Man said.
"Are you sure?"
"Yes, Boss." Yes-Man showed a video to Mon-Star. Seymour's cab appeared on the screen and the cab flew into Hawk Haven. I realized that they thought Seymour was bringing a new Silverhawk here but that was actually me!
Mon-Star laughed. "We must welcome her, Yes-Man. And destroy the Silverhawks as well." The screen went blank. The recording was over.
"New Silverhawk?" Steel Will looked at Stargazer questioningly. "What new Silverhawk?"
"We're not receiving any new recruits. Unless…" Stargazer trailed off looking at me. I didn't realize he was looking at me until I looked in his direction, wondering why he trailed off. I blinked at his locked eyes. I turned to my head to look at the others and saw that they were also staring at me.
"What?"
"The mob mistook you for a new Silverhawk."
"I realized that."
"Mon-Star and his mob will be here soon. We better be prepared," Quicksilver said. The five Silverhawks turned to leave.
"I'm coming too," I said.
"But, you can't glide. There are no currents in space. Not that we know of, anyway," Stargazer protested. I noticed that he said glide not fly. I didn't even bother to ask how he knew gargoyles glided.
"I was trained in flying planes and helicopters." It was true. Xanatos did teach me to fly as well as drive before I even received Elisa's car.
"The rest of you get going. I'll show Jasmine where our vehicles are," Stargazer said. The Silverhawks left. The commander and I walked down to what I assumed to be the hanger. There was a long row of space vehicles. Stargazer gestured at the next to last one. "That one is the best one we have running. Take it and fight the mob."
Nodding, I climbed into the pilot's seat. Closing the hatch, I activated the engine. Carefully, I put it onto a type of runway and out into space. The wheels rolled up into the plane and the fuel lines ignited. I flew into battle.
I tackled a space limo, rattling its driver and passengers. I helped the Copper Kid in attacking a second limo. As I flew past it, laser blasts were fired at me. I dodged them. Left, right, right again, left. Suddenly, one blast hit the left wing. The plane started to go down.
"Jasmine, bail out!" Stargazer's voice ordered over a comlink.
'You don't need to tell me twice,' I thought. I slid the hatch back and looked around quickly. I spotted a nearby asteroid, a good 100 feet or so. I crouched down to load my legs with energy. I sprung toward the floating rock. My claws sunk into the rock and I climbed onto it.
As I stood on the rock, I saw a limo below. I jumped down onto the limo, landing on the hood. The driver was Hardware and its passengers were Melodia and Molec-u-lar. Hardware brought a gun to bear, but I seized the barrel and the gun broke in half. Melodia pointed her keyboard at me. I grabbed the barrel of that and squeezed. I felt the opening being squeezed into a ball. Her keyboard was useless now.
Hardware grabbed the steering wheel and put the vehicle into a barrel roll. I fell from the ship, my wings spread wide by instinct, though it was pointless. Suddenly, I felt a breeze and the next thing I know I was soaring upward.
'Was that an air current?' I wondered as I positioned my wings so I could land back on the rock. Landing, I realized that, quite possibly, there really weren't any air currents until I arrived. And I was certain that they would disappear after I left.
Pleased to be able to glide, I launched myself off the asteroid and into battle. While I helped the Silverhawks fight the mob, I wondered where their boss was.
Irony has become a common aspect of my life. No sooner had that thought crossed my mind, then I saw a distinct spot of red. I knew it was Mon-Star on his sidekick, Skyrunner. And my inside clock was telling me that sunrise wasn't too far off. I finished dealing with the villain I was fighting before gliding upward to find someplace solid that wasn't too far from the battle so I could change and help finish it.
Suddenly, a red laser blast streaked past me. Glancing over my shoulder, I saw Mon-Star and Skyrunner behind me. Whispering, "Jalpena!" to myself, I continued looking for somewhere to land while dodging the laser blasts. I scolded myself for leaving the battle the way I did. I drew Mon-Star's attention and he went after me.
I circled around an asteroid and managed to lose him when I clung to the underside of a nearby rock. I knew that I couldn't continue clinging much longer. Cautiously, I looked around. No sign of Mon-Star. He must be in the battle. Clawing onto the top of the asteroid, I concentrated on being human. I felt the tingle and opened my eyes seconds after the tingle…
And saw Mon-Star and Skyrunner heading toward me. Drat, they weren't in the battle. They had been looking for me. My change probably distracted them for a moment. I floated off the asteroid and took off. I was certainly fast on the flying, even though I didn't do it often. I used every gliding trick and adapted it to flying to escape or at least lose my adversary, but he stayed on my trail the entire time.
I risked a look over my shoulder and saw Mon-Star shooting a lightstar toward me! I quickly flew off being pursued by the star. I disappeared and then showed up in the battle, hoping that the star would hit one of the members of the mob instead of one of the Silverhawks or me. No such luck. The star avoided everyone else, still heading for me. I hoped one of the Silverhawks noticed what was going on. I was in luck. I happened to pass over Steel Heart and she saw the situation. She flew above the star and smokescreen emitted from her heel jets, enveloping it. Mon-Star and Skyrunner flew right into the smokescreen as well. I showed my thanks to her before she returned to the fight.
Needless to say, the mob was beaten and they retreated. I followed the Silverhawks and the Mirage, their aircraft, back to Hawk Haven. I landed behind the winged Silverhawks and next to the Mirage. Bluegrass jumped out of the ship and walked up to me.
"Well, if I had any doubts about your story, this fight sure chased them away."
"Thanks, Bluegrass."
The six of us headed up to Stargazer's office. The Silverhawks lined up near the commander's desk. I hung back near the door. I felt completely out of place. Which made sense, since I was the only one who wasn't partly metal and partly real. However, when I'm with the clan or the Thundercats I don't feel out of place. Another point was that I didn't feel comfortable here. In Manhattan (in 1999) and Third Earth, sure. But not Limbo galaxy. I couldn't wait to go home.
"You fought well, Jasmine," Quicksilver's voice cut into my thoughts, bringing me back to reality. I seriously hoped he wasn't going to say that he loves me in front of everyone. Wait a minute. This was Quicksilver, not Tygra. They just had the same type of voice, that's all.
"Especially on the space limos," Steel Will commented.
"You can't live with the gargoyles and not learn a few moves," I said. Mentioning the clan reminded me of all the events I've had since I lived with them. I thought of this whole trip and came to a startling revelation. The air currents I glided on last night might have been a by-product of my breathing spell. Puck cautioned Alex and me on using certain spells in certain environments.
Remembering the clan and Puck made me feel slightly homesick. This was my second day in Limbo and I just wanted to return to Manhattan. Then I realized that I also missed Agrabah. I haven't seen the city since 1997. I had pictures, but it wasn't the same.
"Jasmine? Jasmine?" a voice called. I blinked and focused on the person in front of me. I saw Steel Heart's face, concerned. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing. I…guess I feel a little homesick." That was true. I did feel homesick. For Manhattan and Agrabah.
"Then, I suggest that you return home," Stargazer said.
That sounded like a great idea to me, but Puck had said a few days, not a couple of days. But, perhaps, I could get around that.
"Alright. But everyone needs to step back." The six of them stepped back a few feet. I chanted a familiar Latin spell and the portal appeared, pulling me in. I managed to wave once before I left.
My feet touched soft grass in bright sunlight. I stepped out of the portal and looked around calmly, as it closed behind me. I could definitely stay here until the last two days were up. I headed for the tall pyramid in the distance, knowing some friends there and how I couldn't wait to tell them what happened to me since we met. I had arrived in Guatemala.
