Game Worlds

                                                                                                     RESISTANCE FALL OF MAN: SALVATION
                                                                                                                                       BY
                                                                                                                         "Davey" and Rick Clarke

   Wigan
   June 12th
   3:30 p.m.

     The intel for once, had been correct.  Chimeran forces had set up a forward base in what had once been an old warehous.  Captain Paul Moran squatted down and cautiously surveyed the area from behind the warehouses front wall.  The chain link fence had collapsed much earlier and a good section of the front wall had collapsed but enough of the building still stood and was more than suitable as a base.
    Moran gestured for the first squad to move forward and approach the building from the left, the second he sent off towards the right and the side entrance.  Himself and the rest of the unit would sweep into the warehouse, clearing it out as they swept through the heart of the building.  That was the plan but as often as not, no plan survived first contact with the enemy. This one was to be no exception to that rule.  Moran suddenly doubled back as the sound of a Bullseye came from an upper window.  Moran had been swift in the sudden change of direction but two men had not been so fast.  Wilkins and the gentle humoured Irish man, Kenny now both lay either unconcious or dead, he couldn't tell from where he was.
   In the meantime Haskin's group had reached the side door, and the door flew inwards under the sole of an army boot.  They had no idea that the left flank hadn't achieved their objective.
But luck was on their side.  The three Chimerans who had been guarding the zone, were caught by surprise and before they could bring their weapons to bear, the trio were shot down.   but lady luck dealt a cruel hand from time to time.  The soldiers turned towards the stairs to their right, forewarned by some instinct.  They were not fast enough.  The Hedgehog Grenade detonated at head height.  Haskins went down screaming, blood flowing from his now empty right eye socket.  Thomson dropped, choking on his own blood, his hands trying to pull out one of the cruel metal barbs that gave the device it's name from his throat.  Blaine died instantly, his head and left arm missing.
   Moran gave the hand signal that would order reinforcements to aid him and his team.  Even as he finished signalling, the Bullseye forced him to lower his head.  He watched as Louise Kendall, Private 2nd class, raised her sniper rifle and fired twice in rapid succession.  The Chimera using the Bullseye doubled up as if struck in the gut by a prize fighter's hardest body shot and pitched forward, falling through the window and landing in the yard outside of the warehouse.  Louise snapped off another shot, but said something very un ladylike as she missed her mark.    A new group consisting of five conscripts, dashed from under cover and headed for the side door.  The leader of this group was a youngster named Finch.  He shouldered his captured Bullseye rifle and shot down to Chimerans that had come out from behind their cover.  A grenade from a companion dispatched their two allies.
   
    Finch lead the team forward and now braced himself by a pillar.  He covered them as a second man ran too the next pillar in line and this pattern was repeated until the six of them were now deep into the interior of the building.  Smoke fillled the air and flames were now licking at some crates as a result of the grenade blast. 
"Try and extinguish those flames, that is once the place is clear.  This will be our HQ until the drop ship can come and collect us.  Henrickson, take four volunteers and form another squad. Take another sniper and back up Louise. The two of them will cover all of our asses from the rooftops.  OK let's get this place cleansed. Move it ladies, move it!"

Wigan
June 15th
10:00p.m.

    "I repeat control, we are under constant bombardment!  Chimeran heavy artillery are pounding us into mince meat!  We have suffered heavy casualties and I've lost some good men and women here and we are in danger of losing the entire freaking squad!  So with the greatest of respect, move your freaking asses and get us that backup a.s.a.p!"  Captain Reynolds sat back against a wall and called over one of the squad.
"Billings, I can trust you to keep this on the q.t.  Thing is I don't think we are going to get out of this one.  Not this time.  The Chimera have this sector locked down tighter than a Duck's ass.
Even if the drop ship makes it through without getting shot to hell, they'll face so much flak taking off that they'll never get off the ground.  We may have one chance however but it's a damned risky one.  Cooper discovered a hatch in the basement.  There's a cellar down there but that's not all.  He discovered tunnels. Looks like this place was used as a base for smuggling. Thing is we have no idea in hell where the damned tunnel comes out.  It might lead to clear ground or come out right in the middle of a Chimeran base, but we have to do something and fast.  I need you though to make a tough choice.  The walking wounded that's not a problem, but the others, well they are just going to slow us down.  If the Chimerans come in and find us heading for the tunnels, they'll hit us from behind and nobody will get out, nobody. So work out which guys and girls can make the trip, the rest will have to fend for themselves.  Don't look at me like that!  I hate it as much as you do, and I'll probably hate myself for the rest of my life for doing this, but we have no other bloody option!  Just do it dammit, just do it" And he fell silent, cursing himself for at least the next hour.

June 15th
12:00p.m.

  "No! We can't leave anybody behind!  It's barbaric!"
"Louise, we can debate this until we use up all the oxygen in the damned warehouse but that won't get us anywhere.  So we have to make a move and alas, not everyone can make it.  Face it we are screwed if we stay here. So much for keeping this quiet, what the heck happened?  No, it doesn't matter.  The Chimera are closing in with every passing minute.  We are low on rations, ammo is even scarcer.  We can salvage fallen weapons but it's a damned risky business and-"
A strange voice cut through the conversation.
"Gentlemen, ladies I think I can help.  I discovered rations and a weapons cache on my way here.  There are gaps in the Chimeran defences and I know the way through."
"Who the hell are you?" asked Reynolds.
"The name's Hale, Nathan Hale. Please Captain hear me out.  If we can do this than nobody need be left behind, nobody."


                                                                                                            DEAD END
                                                                                                                   BY
                                                                                                           A.J. PREECE

   Prologue:  He walked with purpose towards the telephone booth.  He shrugged his shoulders under the confines of the workmen's overalls.  He flexed his fingers and adjusted his grip on the handle of the toolbox.  He removed the 'out of order' sign from the front of the booth and slipped inside.  He gave the crowds a cursory glance, before bending down to retrieve the package that had been placed there.  It was a plain brown envelope, with the legend, Agent 47: For your eyes only stencilled on it.  He slipped it under the overalls and made a pretense of working on the telephone, before exiting the booth.  He walked back across the airport's lobby and out towards the battered yellow van marked Telefon Belgique.  Agent 47 slipped behind the wheel and drove out of the parking lot.

   "Watchdog one, reporting that the subject has left the airport.  Heading west onto the A346, towards Kleinston.  Watchdog two, pick him up and follow at a discreet distance, he mustn't suspect a thing."   The man closed his comm unit, and watched as the yellow van was absorbed by the traffic flow.

  Unknown too the watchers, Agent 47 was making a call of his own.  "Father, I'm on the move.  I have picked up a tail from the airport.  She's in a light blue, 1983 Citroen coupe." He paused, "Yes I can lose her but I cannot terminate, that would tip them off.  It seems that you were right because I suspect that the details inside this package will be my own.  Looks like my services are no longer required.  My fault for burning the candle at both ends.  Agent 47 out."

   He eased the van into a side street and decided that if he was going to ditch the tail, now was the time to do it.  He saw an opening up ahead.  A large side street could be seen hoving into view.  He needed a distraction, and the bus that was coming should block her view just long enough.  Praying that nobody would get too badly hurt, he slid aside the drivers door as he drew level with the alley and slipped almost casually out of the moving vehicle.  Like a paratrooper, he shoulder rolled into the alley, leaving the empty van to collide with the bus.  There was a crunch of metal and broken glass and he was up and running before the sound died away.  His pursuer didn't see him slip away.  "Merde! He's crashed the damned van!  He's hit a bus, he may have survived but we can't get too him in a public hospital!  Breaking surveillance, the police will be here soon"

   8 days later: London, England.

   "Why?" was all he said.  The man in the chair licked dry lips and spat blood onto the floor.  His jaw was bruised and swollen and he knew at least one tooth was loose and another chipped.
Not surprising as the 'burgalr' had pistol whipped him across the face with the barrel of a .45 calibre pistol.  Once they had found the woman dead and then watchdog four, they knew that Agent 47 had played them at their own game and they were losing.  No, they had lost.  He shouldn't have been able to find him, not here.  But he had made the security agents here look like clumsy boy scouts.  He had avoided cameras, neutralised alarms, and side stepped pressure pads.  Briefly he wondered what he had done with the Doberman's, drugged meat more than likely.  What did it matter?  The bird had come home too roost and it had brought some bad feelings with it.

  "You are surplus to requirements" he said thickly.  "You turned against us ages ago Agent 47.  You work for the Father now, and you know nothing about him"  Agent 47 wiped some perspiration from his shaved scalp and sat on the edge of the desk.  The gun was aimed almost casually, but unwaveringly at his heart.  "I'm no angel" he replied, "but when the people I work for suddenly stop caring about who gets caught in the crossfire then I needed to find an alternative employer.  Then you were setting me up for a fall anyway.  The signs had been there since Venice last year."  "You suspected even back then?" the nervous man replied. "Why not turn rogue back then?"  Agent 47 leant back before replying "I needed to be sure that my suspicions were correct.  I couldn't delve into files without being spotted.  Then of course a man you wanted me to kill helped me and then showed me why he had done so.  He had been like me, worked for you.  But unlike me, wasn't capable of bringing you down.  It's hard for a cripple to fight people like you.  So again I ask why?"

   He left the building via a side door that was supposed to be secure until the small device had deciphered the code to open the door.  Three floors above him, a man sat slumped in his chair, his immaculate shirt front stained crimson thanks too the single bullet hole in his chest.  Agent 47 knew that this wasn't the end.  Edmund had been following orders from higher up.  Would it ever end?  Probably not as long as he was still breathing.  Someone would replace Edmund within hours of them finding the body.  "Father, I'm coming home" he said softly into the bluetooth microphone attached too his lapel.  All the info he had divulged would to a lesser man seem valuable, but even with his life under direct threat, he had given him false trails to follow, lies within lies.  Nothing ever changed, perhaps Edmund had been in the game too long and didn't know what the truth was himself.  It didn't matter, the game went on.

  From a rooftop a woman spoke softly, "He got too Edmund. Advise" She paled as she heard the response, "Take over then Simone.  Have a good life."  Yeah, until Agent 47 found you were in charge.  Her career had now hit a dead end, dead being the figurative word.  Still maybe there was time, a way to win.  Sure, she thought, keep telling yourself that and you may just start believing it....

   My thanks to Eidos for providing me many hours of frustration and then satisfaction as I had finally completed a mission and for giving me the inspiration for this and of course, for the character himself, The Hitman: Agent 47.

                                                                                     THE END
                                                              THE WHIMS OF FATE
                                                               BY   'DAVEY'

   "Have you ever got the feeling that sometimes you have no control over your own destiny?" The question came out of the blue, and stunned everyone sat around the tavern table.  After all, it wasn't everyday that a barbarian should ask such an intellectual question. "Well", replied Sarah slowly, wondering where all this was going, "There are times I'm sure that my God guides my footsteps from time to time.  I mean take what happened just two days ago, in Clarke's labyrinth.  Some how I knew that that room was trapped."  She took a sip of her mulled wine before she went on; "I'm not trained in the art of spotting traps, never mind disabling them, but I knew somehow.  Being a cleric, I take that as a sign of divine intervention rather than gut instinct"
They fell silent for a while and thought it over.

   "Hey Joe, pass the pretzels you greedy sod!" Joe passed the packet over and licked salt off his fingers. "So Dale, explain too me why a barbarian would ask this question?"
Dale smiled, "Look he's pretty bright for a barbarian, and after they found that scroll of intellect, well it's boosted the intelligence almost as high as his wisdom.
Why shouldn't he ask that?" Joe shrugged, "I don't know but it's brought the game too a crashing halt somewhat"
Francis took a swig of Coke and smiled, "No but it's a good one.  I mean what would they feel if they knew that their actions were not in their own hands?"
"Because it's not a very barbarian thing to do!" said Joe. Dale grinned, "Look does it matter now?  He's an inquisitive sort, so why the heck shouldn't he be curious about that?  Think I would be in his position" "OK, can't we just crack on with things now?" asked the Games Master, "Right you guys, let's see if you can't spot the man you have come too the Laughing Goat tavern to meet"

   Sarah looked around the tavern and shrugged.  Their guild contact was late, which was a little out of character for him. "I wonder where he is?" she asked. "Look, you know how it goes.The Guild has us at their beck and call, and so if they feel like keeping us waiting, then that is exactly what they will do." Tam sat back in his seat and blew stray beer foam off of his mustache and burped gently. He saw the barbarian frown. He cocked his head as if hearing something the others couldn't.

   The dice rolled and settled. "Let's see, add 4 too the result and that gives me a 19" 

   "He's by the bar.  Odd, I thought I heard a rattling sound.  Never mind, I shall go collect him" With that, Jax rose from his seat and weaved his way through the crowd. 
"Is it me, or is he acting a little odd? I mean I know he read that scroll and he went all weird and glassy eyed, but by Ohm, he's really starting to give me the creeps."
"Look, it's just a phase he's going through Sarah, I'm sure of it.  Anyway he saved our collective butts last night.  If he hadn't have been there, those rogues would have been off and away with our objective." And with that the Paladin rose to greet the guild agent.

Behind his screen, Dale smiled.  The percentile dice had rolled the desired result. Assassins were now silently stalking the rooftops, setting up an ambush.  But dammit, time was against them. The game was due to end in five minutes, so best to leave a cliffhanger. 

   Sarah sighed and then straightened in her seat as she stretched and flexed her tired neck muscles.  As she turned her head upwards, she saw a shadow flit across the frosted glass of the skylight.  That was no bird! Even as she opened her mouth to speak, the glass shattered, showering the patrons with shards of broken glass.
Shouts and curses filled the air and gasps as two assassins landed softly in the middle of the room.  Even as the barbarian moved to shield the Guild Agent's body, a knife was spinning towards it's target and then dizziness, and the scene started to go grey. "No, not now!" someone yelled.  And everything froze....

   The games master closed his books and screen. The players scooped up and bagged their dice. Miniature  figures were placed back in the old  snack food pot."See you next week guys" And somewhere,  another group waited for the outcome to be resolved, frozen in time until their gods  decided to set the wheels of fate turning again.

                                                                            THE END.

                                                                                                                 

                                                                                                   Dedicated to
                                                                                                   Gary Gygax,
                                                                                                   still watching over
                                                                                                   the gaming table.
                                                                                                   Thank you.                                                   




    RESISTANCE FALL OF MAN: A SOLDIER'S TALE 
    BY 'DAVEY'


I should try and complete this journal whilst I have the chance.  I can feel the change coming and so far, I've been able to keep a grip on things, but that won't last.  So here I am, sitting in a trench, up too my waist in blood stained water and mud with a pen and a notebook.  The bloated corpse of my good friend Karl sits looking at me, a pained expression etched on his face for all time.  The blood in the water stinks, and not all of it is Karl's or even mine.  I pause to check the dressing on my right arm.  It won't need changing, the regeneration process has started....oh God, that isn't good, isn't good at all.
I cast my mind back to where all this crap started.

August 11th, 1951

The news reached us that the Chimera threat had swept through Europe with more efficiency and more brutality than even the attempted Nazi invasion had achieved.  One by one, countries fell.  So for once, the Americans, realising that we in good old Blighty were the one, true barrier they faced before they hit the USA, volunteered their services and arrived, not as invaders but helpers.  The Chimera beat them too it. 
In the meantime, I, Harry Jones had done what I considered my duty and had enlisted.  I had lied about my age too the recruiting board and not long after the 11th of August, I found myself in an uniform, learning how to shoot a gun.  Turned out I had a knack for it, and they gave me the designated rank of platoon sniper.   The training was hard and intense and our cosy world (such as it was) soon changed come....

August 14th, 1951

They've hit York.  And here we are less than 5 miles away from the City.  Guess whose been selected to try and stop their advance?  Yup, us, a group of snotty nosed, wet behind the ears rookies.

It's 3 O'clock on a Thursday afternoon, and I'm up in what was a bell tower of a church, with a sniper rifle in my shoulder and a box of ammo by my feet.  For an added bonus, I have a bandoleer of grenades slung over my shoulder.  A Chimera trooper is moving towards my friends position and he thinks he hasn't been seen.  Sucker.
My suppressed rifle barks once and the bastard drops, half his head shattered by a hollow point round.  Dammit, he has backup and one of them has sussed my position!
Slugs are now bouncing off the brickwork around my head and shoulders.  Dust and mortar rains down on me and coats me with dust.  I hear gunfire from the street, my colleagues have seen the threat and are helping me.  Thank God.  I risk a look over the parapet but think twice about snapping off a shot.  No need, they are down. 
My day ends with a huge feeling of relief.....

August 17th

We are boxed in.  They've got us surrounded and trapped in what was once York bus depot.  Burned out vehicles still smoulder.  Broken glass crunches under our feet and the sky is thick with smoke and rings with Chimera war cries.  A guy who is one of a small amount of survivors we encountered from another platoon, risks a hand grenade lobbed towards a gun emplacement and gets tagged with a shot from a Bullseye.  His arm falls too the ground, the grenade, still alive falls near me!  Shit!  I snatch it up and throw it back fast.  I don't know or care if it landed in the right place, I just hear it explode and the gun falls silent.  Maybe  I got lucky?  No, the damned gun opens up again and blows out the windows of the coach I'm using for cover.
I see that some guys are setting up lights for when the night falls.  Maybe tonight is the night they'll charge and end this.....

August 19th

Pinned down for two days and we thought, great help coming as we saw the drop ship coming in, carrying allied troops.  But the Chimera shot it down with a rocket launcher.  We had no time for regret or mourning, as the guns opened up again.  We returned fire with weapons we had scavenged off our own allies and indeed, dead Chimera.  My skills as a sniper were damned redundant.  But I grinned as I picked one off that had got cocky and popped his head up over the edge of a barricade.
More worrying is the fact that some of us feel odd.  It's hard to explain.  Some of us here voices whispering too us, with soothing words, but the words are hollow, false.
They are the Chimera, inside our heads, trying to what?  Convert us?  Seduce us?  We don't know but it's getting stronger and by God, some of us have healed minor injuries with Chimera health kits!  They should be poison too us!  Should be, but they aren't....

August 19th foot note.

Crap!  We've been woken up early.  It's just before midnight and we think it was a bomb that fell.  But no, we see now that it's not.  By the light of our lamps, we see a Spire has crashed through the roof of a nearby hostelry.  More troops?  We ask our sergeant and all he says is "No worse".  What could be worse than that?
Then we hear the skittering, and we all freeze.  Fingers of ice tease our spines and then we hear the shots.  What the f-?
Bugs!  Insects, hundreds, maybe thousands of them, crawling all over us!  My God, they are trying to crawl into my ears and nostrils, and eyes.  Get them the hell off of me!
JUST GET THEM OFF OF ME! 

August 22nd

The eggs are inside of us.  They are incubating by all accounts, but we won't hatch Chimera.  No, some ass tells us we'll become Chimera through some weird process that nobody understands.  Some guys lost it when they heard the news.  Bill, Harry and even Iron Guts himself had all shot themselves.  Some had run off into the night and God knows where they are now, and others like myself, have not quite resigned ourselves too our fate.  We'll fight until we are no longer capable of doing so.  Who knows, maybe there'll be a cure?  Yeah who am I trying to kid....

August 29th

This is it.  I'm in a trench and Karl lies rotting near me.  The fool shouldn't have fought! He should join us and... No!  I'm HUMAN!  You hear me?  I'm a human being!
Get off our planet!  Leave us be!  I'm HUMAN!  But for how much longer?  Already my eyes are adjusting to another spectrum.  My breathing and heart rate are running at a slower pace. 
I feel cold and then hot and my skin is now pale and looks almost like a corpse.  I don't know how much time I have remaining too me.  I might change, or they may kill me.
I will NOT kill myself.  Why?  Because I feel that would just give someone or something some kind of perverted satisfaction.  So you want me?  Come get me!  Come on!
What are you.....  Humans are weak.  They cannot help me now.  Only the Chimera can be of assistance now.  Stop resisting, become one of us, become part of the hive! 
No dammit....noooooooo!

The rest of this retrieved intelligence was obscured and rendered unreadable by blood.  Whatever became of Regimental Sniper, Harry Jones will perhaps, remain a mystery.

                    THE END.

This story was inspired by Insomniac game's sci fi shooter, Resistance: Fall of Man, for the Playstation 3. 




FINAL FANTASY X: A JOURNEY BEGINS BY S.A. HAYNES

Yuna looked at the sphere that showed her father and his two companions setting out on their journey. Even at the age of 5 she had realised her father wasn’t coming back. She still felt the pain inside. Somehow knowing your father was revered throughout Spira was no compensation for growing up without him. She couldn’t remember her mother - and felt uncomfortable talking about her with the Al-Behd hating islanders. She sighed. and wondered what she had ever done to deserve all this.

 

‘Time for lesson Yuna’ Kimhari’s deep voice boomed behind her.

 

.Must I?’

 

‘Yuna need to learn to make sure she good citizen of Spira’

 

Yuna sighed, put the sphere in her pocket and got up to follow her huge Ronso guardian.. ‘And what if I don’t want to BE a good citizen of Spira’ she muttered under her breath. Then she glanced at Kimhari to make sure he hadn’t heard. She was NOT in the mood for a lecture today. She wasn’t in the mood for anything today. She just wanted to be left alone really.

 

Outside the tent, she saw Lulu talking to the temple priest,  and Wakka practicing Blitzball moves with the rest of  the Aurochs,. She groaned as she realised  Kimahari was heading for the priest. She must be due for a talk on the religions of Spira. The priest turned. as they approached.

 

‘Ah there you are Yuna. Come along. I’ll talk to you later Lulu’

 

‘Very well’ there was a slight edge in Lulu’s voice that made Yuna wonder what they had been talking about. As they walked away Chappu came up and put his arm arm around Lulu’s shoulders.  Lulu’s face softened, and Yuna felt a surge of jealousy. It wasn’t fair; everyone seems to have someone special except her. All she had was lessons, lessons and more lessons,………………………. And loneliness. IT WASN’T FAIR.

 

She followed the priest into the temple and obediently sat down.

 

‘Before we start I have some news for you. We are getting a statue of your revered father for the temple. Soon all the people of Besaid will be able to come and pray to him’

 

Yuna sat silent. The priest looked surprised.

 

‘I thought you would be pleased to know your father is being honoured like this’

 

‘I am pleased’

 

The priest gave her a long appraising look, and then put down the scrolls he had just picked up.

 

‘Yuna, one of the first precepts is that it is wrong to tell lies. Now why don’t you tell me what you really think’

 

Yuna was startled. No-one ever seemed interested in what she thought about anything.. She looked at the priest, and suddenly she was unable to prevent two tears running down her cheeks.  Suddenly she couldn’t bear to be in the temple, and without asking permission she got up and ran as fast as she could out into the village. She dashed past Kimhari, who shouted after her. Lulu and Chappu alerted by his cry turned in time to see Yuna run out of the village. Yuna didn’t care what anyone thought. She didn’t want to talk to anyone.

 

She ran as fast as she could until she reached the ruins, then she climed nimbly up until she found her secret place. She realised she was crying, and she couldn’t even work out what she was crying about. She got the sphere out and looked again at the image of her father, Jecht and Auron.

 

‘Yuna I just want to tell you that I love you very much and I will miss you, but I must make this journey. I know out friends will look after you until I return. I wish I could send you to your Uncle Cid, but that would be too dangerous at the moment. Kimhari and Lulu will take good care of you. Listen to them.’

 

‘Braska cut all that crap its time to go’ Jecht came into view.’ Yuna knows you love her, and she’ll be fine’

 

‘I’m coming Jecht. Tell Auron I will be there in a moment’

 

‘I have to go Yuna. I love you. That’s really all I have to say’

 

The sphere faded out. Yuna had watched it so much she knew it by heart - but somehow watching her father’s image brought him closer.

 

‘Yuna Yuna where are you?’

 

It was Lulu’s voice, and Yuna knew she couldn’t stay in her hideout forever. Hastily wiping tears from her face with her sleeve she scrambled out of her secret lair, and climbed down to the road. Lulu was waiting at the base of the column.

 

She put her arm around the girl’s shoulders and gave her a hug.

 

‘Let’s go to the cove shall we?’

 

Yuna nodded and the two started walking down the path.

 

‘Do you want to tell me about it?’ Lulu asked

 

‘About what?’ Yuna replied

 

‘About whatever it is that is upsetting you at the moment. What did poor Father Cimak say to you?’

 

‘He expected me to be pleased that the temple is going to get a statue of my father. Apparently everyone is going to be able to pray to my father and that is supposed to make me feel better. Supposed to make me forget that I haven’t GOT a father anymore because of their stupid religion. Supposed to make me forget that I am lonely the time…………………………’

 

As the emotion spilled out of her suddenly Yuna found herself wracked by sobs and unable to speak. Lulu gathered her in a hug and just held her without saying anything.

 

Finally Yuna got her emotions under control, and managed to speak again.

 

‘Lulu its all so unfair. Why did he have to go?’

 

Lulu smiled.

 

‘I told Father Cimak I didn’t think you’d appreciate that news. I advised him not to say anything about it - but he wouldn’t listen. But then he’s a man and men never listen’

 

‘But Chappu listens doesn’t he?’

 

The smile faded a little and Lulu shook her head.

 

‘I love Chappu very much but he doesn’t listen either. Right now he is talking about joining the Crusaders …… and I’m so afraid that if he goes…………………..

Suddenly Yuna realized that she wasn’t the only one who was suffering. She realized her 14 years olds view of the world might be a bit too narrow. Suddenly she felt so guilty

 

‘Lulu I’m so sorry. I didn’t realise………………………… I didn’t WANT to realize anyone else might have problems with this too’

 

‘I know Yuna. Growing up can be hard. Life IS unfair and there is nothing anyone can do about it. I know Chappu needs to do what he thinks he is destined to do. It would be wrong of me to stop him. But it doesn’t mean I don’t worry about him or wish things were different. But he didn’t stop me when I went on pilgrimage .Even though my summoner failed I have never regretted going. It was something I felt I had to do.

 

Yuna sat silent as she thought about it all.

 

‘ I suppose that was what my father felt too. I guess I wouldn’t have wanted to stop him going ………………but I miss him. I don’t want a statue. I want a father to hug me, and play with me, maybe tell me stories.’

 

‘Do you not think Braska wanted to stay ere and do all those things with you?’ Lulu asked

 

‘I don’t know - but I am sure if he was still here I wouldn’t have everyone expecting me to become a summoner’

 

Finally it was out in the open. No-one had ever said to her that she should follow her father’s path, but somehow she knew everyone expected her to do just that - and she wasn’t sure she wanted to.

She looked at Lulu.

 

‘Why should I become a summoner to please other people’

 

‘You couldn’t become a summoner if you were doing it to please others. I am sure the Fayth would not respond. You have the talent and ability Yuna, but no-one can force you to follow that path. And no-one would think of less of you if you didn’t.’

 

‘I wish I could believe that’ Even to herself, Yuna sounded as sulky as only a 14 tear old can.

 

Lulu sighed, looked at her young charge, and clearly decided now was not the moment to try an serious discussion.

 

‘Let’s go back. It’s nearly supper time’

 

They walked up the beach and onto the path. Suddenly with a strange ‘pop’ a shape appeared on the path in front of them. The blue blob reared over them. Before she could move or say anything Lulu pushed her out of the way.

 

‘Fiend - run Yuna’

 

Yuna was paralyzed by fear and unable to move. But Lulu was concentrating on casting the spell and didn‘t realise Yuna hadn‘t moved. Yuna saw lightening fly from Lulu’s fingers and strike the fiend which immediately shot a blast of water magic at Lulu. Lulu cried out in pain, but managed to attack the fiend with another burst of fire. The fiend shank into itself and vanished.

 

Lulu was doubled up in pain and Yuna ran to her

 

‘Let me help’

 

Yuna suddenly realised she knew exactly what to do. Gently touching Lulu’s head she concentrated on sending healing power into Lulu’s body.

 

Lulu straightened up, and smiled at the young girl.

 

‘Thank you. I think we’d better back to the village before we get attacked again. I didn’t realise fiends were around this area’

 

They hurried back to the village, and over supper, they recounted the tale to Kimhari, Wakka and Chappu. Yuna expected some comment about her action in healing Lulu, but apart from expressions of gratitude, no-one said anything. Instead the discussion was about the appearance of the fiend.

 

Yuna listened as the other 3 discussed what it meant. Finally she knew what she had to say and do.

 

‘The fiend is a sinspawn and it means the calm is ending doesn’t it? And I used magic to heal Lulu which means I have the ability to become a summoner doesn’t it? 

 

Only Khimari could meet her eyes as he spoke

 

‘Yuna is right’

 

She looked round the three faces, and saw answers written in their eyes. They knew what she could do, and they felt guilty for wanting her to do it.  Suddenly the loneliness she had felt earlier in the day vanished.  She thought back to the fiend attack. She couldn’t have run and left Lulu on her own. Suddenly she realised why she had been so resentful about everything.  She had known what her destiny was, but she did not believe she had the courage to do it. That was why she had been so angry with everyone. But know she knew she did have the courage. She knew what she was going to do.

 

Yuna stood up and looked at these people who she now realised were her real family

 

‘I want to apologise to all of you for being so difficult.  I was so angry with my father for leaving me but I couldn’t shout at him so instead I shouted at everyone else. I didn’t realise until today that he left me because he loved me, because he wanted to fight Sin to protect everything he loved. I didn’t have the courage to accept that  - and until I could ,I didn’t have the courage to accept  my true destiny .because I felt so alone. But I know now I am not alone - not while I have all of you. Please will you come with me?’

 

Yuna turned and walked out, quickly followed by the others,. Yuna walked through the village to the temple. Inside she found Father Cimak.

 

‘Father I wish to begin the training. I wish to become a summoner’

 

 

                                                                                                                 All That Glitters......

All right, she thought, a vine about five feet away from you.  No sweat, you've done this hundreds of times before, piece of cake.
More of the narrow ledge she was standing on, crumbled slightly under foot.
"Bugger" she muttered, and taking three big steps backwards, then shifted her weight too her back foot before launching herself forward at full speed.
She tensed, and then leaped across the gap and breathed a huge sigh of relief as the vine was caught and more importantly, it supported her weight.  She rocked it backwards and forwards, gaining speed and momentum until she could launch herself across the rest of the gap.
Rolling on the ground, like a paratrooper, Lara Croft came up on her feet and once again studied the map she had obtained.

Lara opened a channel on her blue tooth headset and spoke too the man waiting for her outside.
"Okay Len, I have made it across the gap.  Heading for the steps of fate, whatever the hell that means"
"Roger that Lara.  You are close too your goal now.  Not far to go at all. You are just minutes away from the Gold Mask of the Sun God."
Lara sighed and again checked the map. 

Once an old friend in Oxford had said, "Honestly love, once you've seen one Mayan Temple, you've seen 'em all"
Yeah right, easy for you to say she thought.  You weren't the poor girl that has to deal with wild Jaguars, mechanical traps and from time to time, murderous tribesmen or psychotic rivals trying to stop you, or even monsters that were supposed to be extinct, but flatly refused to accept the fact.
Never mind, onwards she thought.

The next obstacle soon came into view. 
A flooded chamber, and several rocks or stones that rose just above the surface of the water.  Stepping stones, and she thought, I'll bet anybody a crisp fiver that they aren't all stable.
And then she saw a 'rock' move.  Alligators she sighed, God I hate Alligators!
Well boys, this is one English archaeologist that you won't be chewing on, just ask the last lot that tried it!
She unholstered her twin nine millimeter automatic pistols and prepared to work out just which were rocks and which was an angry gator...

It took time, and her guide was sweating bullets by the time she had made it across.  It had been their lucky day, not one alligator had had to chew on some lead.
More importantly they weren't chewing on her!
Now past the steps of fate, she once again had to dodge a crude mechanical trap, negotiate another leap with the aid of a vine and here she was, in the chamber.
There on a raised plinth, was the mask.

Twelve inches in diameter, the disk gleamed in the light of her battery powered torch.  Two rubies shone redly at her from the face's eye sockets.
"Right Len, I'm here.  No sign of any obvious dangers but that's the point, a good trap layer doesn't make it that bloody obvious"
Again she cast her eyes over the cavern...and then frowned.
"Leonard dear, tell me, this place is deserted, been empty for how many centuries?"
Len replied, "At least two. Why?"
Lara scowled, "Oh I was asking because unless the Mayans are still alive and wearing rock climbing boots, then someone's been here.  I have a bad feeling about this"
Just in case she placed her feet in the same places as the other had trod...
But there was no blood, no mangled corpses, no traps.  Nothing and as it turned out.....

Paris two weeks later:

"So it was a bloody fake" she said slamming her drink down onto the table.
"Yeah I know it was a bloody fortnight ago, but this girl is still niffed to say the least.  I should have known.
You see this info came to us via a man called Karl Schreiber.  He had been a contact of Carl Hales, a man I've run into as a rival over the past few years.
We've had words shall we say and leave it that."
The museum rep arched an eyebrow, he had heard the stories, and now he knew or suspected he knew the truth.  Lara and Carl had been friends, very close friends until it had all gone very very wrong.
And it was supposed to be women that got vindictive if they got jilted. 

Carl watched Lara through his binoculars, and smiled.
He had beaten her too the Sun God's mask and replaced it with a fake. 
And all being well, he'd beat her too this place in the south of France, where Joan Of Arc's sword was alleged to be buried.

Lara chuckled quietly too herself as she snapped shut her mobile phone.
He had taken the bait....good.  Joan Of Arc's sword! Ha the bloody idiot!
It didn't exist, nobody knew where it was, but the papers she had had falsified told another story.
Petty? yes.  Childish even, but hey alls fair in love and tomb raiding.....

                                                                                                             Written by A.J. Preece from an idea submitted to me by Paul  Miller.