City of IF

[Kalanna Rai]

At last! The new chappy! Enjoy!
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Chapter Four: The Rescue

The slim man smirked at Jasper. "Pirates' intuition mate." He said with a conspiritorial wink at Saul, who flushed at the attention. Jasper rolled his eyes.

"Yeah...sure...and I'm the son of Angelo Steel."

"The hell you are." The slim man snorted. "Any son of mine better damn well have wings or I'd be questioning his mother something fierce."

For a moment everyone simply stared at him while the slim man took another pull off his bottle. Taking notice of their attention, his brows knit together in consternation. "What? Do I have something on my face mates?" He set the bottle down in a holder next to the wheel and wiped at his face with his free hand. "Doesn't seem to be anything there afterall." And with that he picked his bottle back up.

Ambrois stepped forward, head turned to the side slightly. "You're Angelo Steel? The Angelo Steel?"

The slim man chuckled. "Well...last I checked mate. But I haven't checked recently so I could be somebody completely different. Feel free to see if anyone else is stealing my identity while I've been land locked."

Ambrois looked at Jasper who pulled the record cube from his pocket. In moments he had the records of the three Arcex pirates up and selected that of Angelo Steel. They didn't even need to read the bio that popped up...the picture said it all. It showed a slightly younger slim man at the same wheel he stood behind now, grinning and waving at whomever was taking the picture, bottle by his side.

Ambrois looked at Jasper who looked at Donovan who looked at Cobalt who looked at Saul. And Saul turned and looked at the slim man, Angelo Steel, with shining eyes. "Oh sweet God...we're on The Bloody Muse..."

Angelo grinned. "My beautiful beautiful darling she is mate. Made her with my own hands. My beautiful girl...she's everything." The pirate sighed and gave the wheel a quick adjustment, steering them deeper into the ion fog. Jasper looked up, closed his eyes for a moment, then opened them and glared at Angelo.

"He's doing it again, steering towards Jade. It's like his got some kind of connection with her...almost like he's doing what I'm doing. How, dammit, how? Without his instruments he should be flying blind but there he is, as confidant as could be." Jasper snorted. "It's gotta be the liquor driving."

Before any of the others could say a word he tossed Ambrois the cube and stomped off in the direction of the rail. Ambrois shrugged and led the group off a little distance from the wheel, out of earshot for Angelo. He stablized the cube and read the information off to the others, even though they knew most of it by heart. Angelo Steel had always been the center of many thrilling tales they'd been told.

After Ambrois rattled off the list of accomplishments the orphans were silent a moment, each trying to reconcile the data with the slim man at the wheel, who was singing drunkenly and off key at that moment in time. That arcex was really Angelo Steel? How in hell had he managed it? Slowly Ambrois read the last paragraph.

"The current whereabouts of Angelo Steel are unknown. Some suggest he finally ran afoul of one of his numerous enemies. Many claim he finally settled down to live a peaceful life with his ill gotten goods. Yet we believe that Angelo Steel is merely lost. Unquestionably the most inebriated pirate of them all, Angelo was known to frequent taverns, inns, pubs, and ale houses of all kinds.

We feel Angelo Steel is simply sitting somewhere...very, very drunk..."
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The fog was thick, so thick you could barely see past the ship's sustaining feild. Like they were floating in a bubble, lost in endless mist. Jasper and the other's had grown antsy, Jasper because he could feel Jade drawing ever nearer. Even the distraction of the cube, through which they'd looked up the files on Mad Dog Marcus and several of his reported crew members, had begun to pale.

Then, sudden, Donovan's ears perked. "Something's happening. I hear the movement of gears." A vibration passed through the deck and Ambrois looked startled.

"The starboard guns...he's run out the starboard guns." They looked back to where Angelo stood and he seemed oblivious to them. He was, infact consumed with other matters.

Staring down at the panels infront of him, Angelo made sure the guns were lined just as he wanted them. A smile, quite unlike those hazy ones he'd been wearing, passed over his face. It was a preditor's smile. Making sure the guns were in place he gave the order. "Fire."

All at once the guns let loose a fearful blast, at staggared intervals. The orphans were shocked to see the missels pierce the fog...even more shocked to watch the first few impact against a ship sheild not far infront of them. "Hold course." Angelo told the wheel, which obediantly locked.

He moved forward at a pace that seemed leisurely but was, infact, rather rapid for all it's boneless grace. Suddenly he was at the rail just as the ship burst through the fog, connecting with the sustain feild of another, more battered ship. Guns still firing, Angelo grabbed a rope and looked back at the orphans. "Time to see if I've still got it, eh mates?"

Before their stunned eyes, Angelo hurled himself into the chaotic void between the two ships. It was a leap of some twenty feet, all empty space. Jasper, Ambrois, and Saul were the first three to the rail in his wake.

"He's a lunatic." Jasper said.

Ambrois said, "He's insane," at nearly the same instant.

Saul, on the other hand, said, "He rocks," with the fires of hero worship blazing in his eyes. The other two whipped their heads toward him, each uttering a startled...

"What?"

Flushing deep red Saul quickly stammered out. "I said 'He's Nuts!" The other boys nodded and looked back to where Angelo had landed gracelessly on the other ship.
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He'd stumbled a bit on landing, that was only inevitable considering the conditions, and quickly moved through the ships stunned and frantic crew to where a young woman was bound to the mast. With a quick raking gesture, his steel fingernails slicing through the thick ropes easily, Angelo freed her. Scooping her up into his arms he struck a very heroic pose and grinned at her. "Look, it's a heroic moment."

Jade had been having a very bad day. First she'd nearly been sold to some Madam. Then she'd allowed Jasper to totally lose control. After that she'd been kidnapped by an ugly pirate and tied to a mast. Now some handsome slim man was grinning at her and holding her like some helpless idiot. She'd had enough of it and expressed her extreme dislike of her situation by elbowing this slim man in the balls...hard.

He made a slightly strangled noise and leaned slightly, face growing paler. Then he turned cold eyes on her and said in a slightly breathless and high-pitched, but somehow very intimidating voice. "If you want to live, don't do that again."

She was about to reply when a voice boomed out over the din. "Angelo Steel! On my ship! Kill him!" The slim man holding her straightened and unfolded his long wings. Studying his face from below, Jade thought it was familiar somehow. As if she knew it from elsewhere but it had changed...

He grinned, eyes flicking through the encroaching crowd, until they lighted on the visage he'd been searching for. "Ah Marcus, you old mutineer. You know better." As suddenly as a storm breaking, the slim man went into action.

He moved through several pirates like a hot knife through butter, leaving slashed bodies in his wake. Though he never took his hands off her, and held her tightly, Jade realized he was weilding some weapon against the other crew. It took her a few moments to realize that weapon was his wide wings.

He came to a jerking halt and brought a wing up, deflecting a bullet some genius had fired at him from point blank range. After watching his bullet bounce off those glimmering platinum-silver feathers without so much as a scratch, the would be killer wet himself. The slim man grinned. "This is just not your lucky day mate."

With that he kicked the man in the balls and, when the man doubled over, lept onto his shoulders. Kneeing another man in the chest, he hopped on his back, stepping on the head of the next man from there. He looked down at Jade and winked. "Hold on love, this could get bumpy."

And just like that they were in empty air as he propelled himself off the man's head and into the space between ships. He'd worked his way to the bow somehow and was now jumping for the stern of his own ship as it passed. Jade knew they weren't going to make it. Then, suddenly, he pumped his wings and shot them forward just enough to grab a dangling rope.

Another pump from his wings sent them forward and suddenly, she was falling. With a whoosh that knocked the air out of both of them, Jade landed in Jasper's arms. Contact instantly burned all traces of 'sickness' from them and for a moment they just sat like that, happy to be back together.

Jade wasn't as tall as her brother at only 5'10" but she showed every promise of making that difference up. She was a slim, muscular girl with far too much leg in preportion to her abnormally short torso. Yet, somehow, that made her all the more beautiful and desireable. Her long scarlet hair fell in shimmering waves and her dark eyes always looked like they were holding some secret to eternal calm and peace.

She was the groups' voice of sanity and her brother's pressure valve. Without her stability, no doubt Jasper would have gotten himself and the other's killed by now. Despite the fact she was so serene that she hadn't even fought her captors, Jade was as motivated to survive as the next person. When the situation called for it, she could be as ruthless and nasty as a dull knife smeared with poison.

Angelo had taken up his place behind the wheel and had taken several pulls off of his bottle. The Muse was putting some distance between herself and Mad Dog's crippled ship. Ambrois had walked up beside him and was looking him over, shaking his head. Angelo looked at the twins thoughtfully. "They look nothing alike you realize."

Ambrois shook his head again and Angelo looked at him. "What? I'm forgetting something aren't I?" The slim man scowled for a minute. "Oh...I remember now." With that he reached under his jacket with his free hand and pulled out the largest handgun in existence. It's barrel was made of some matte black material, the bore obviously for a large calibur bullet. It looked like the ideal handgun for a dinosaur hunter.

Without even looking, Angelo pointed it the gun over his shoulder and fired. Ambrois turned and looked, his sharp eyes just in time to catch sight of Mad Dog Marcus falling to the deck with a hole the size of a dinner plate in his chest. Angelo blew the smoke from the gun barrel and put his weapon away.

"That's better."

"You just killed a man! Don't you feel the least bit guilty?" Ambrois was stunned at the cool way the slim man had just dispatched his opponant.

Angelo shrugged. "I'm a pirate mate. I'm over it."

For a long time nobody said anything. The orphans regrouped around Jade and stories were swapped. Finally Jade walked up to the wheel where Angelo was whistling some bawdy tune about a woman with too many men in her life. He quit whistling and grinned at her roguishly. "Hello love, feeling better?"

She managed to grin back. "Yes, thank you. I'm sorry for what I did back there...I was just sick of being handeled like that."

Angelo nodded. "Understandable love. I believe I did the same thing to another poor fellow back there myself." He grinned savagely suddenly. "Unfortunately for him, I used considerably more force."

Jade laughed at that and nodded. "I'm sure you did, Sir Captain...but I've a question to ask you." Angelo raised an eyebrow and Jade smiled fetchingly, as if to charm the information out of him. "Where are we bound?"

Angelo grinned. "I've got us headed for a little spot I know. Not too far away but we shouldn't be bothered. I've got something important to tell you about those pendants of yours."

Instantly Jasper and Jade shared a look, Jasper stepping forward with narrowed eyes. "Just how do you know about our pendants." Casually Angelo reached under the collar of his jacket and pulled forth a silver chain. At the end of it glittered a pendant similiar to Jade and Jasper's save that it bore no writing.

"Oh snap," Ambrois muttered. "That answers that question."

The slim man grinned. "And spawns more. No fear mates, I've got all the answers you need but they're all wrapped up in more than one tale."

"What do you mean?" Jade asked with a puzzled frown.

Angelo grinned. "Well, do ye want the tale of the pendants themselves? Or would you rather have the tale of yourselves? Or perhaps, do you want to know why I know all this?"

The orphans looked at each other. Which tale was the most important?
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So which tale will the slim man, Angelo, tell?
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Whew, a long one, but hopefully you liked it.

[Crunchyfrog]

Very good! A few spelling mistakes that Word will catch, but very good!

I'll say go for the third option. How does he know all this? He seems to know a lot tht is unexplained... and I'd expect that it will contain an element to lead them to the next part of their adventure.

:D

[Mephistopheles]

i want to know more about the pendants. maybe, should there not be time enough for another tale, it will explain enough to surmise a bit about the others.
and there are a few spelling errors, like crunchy said. otherwise, love the humor and the action and the setting. Good job Rai!

[Chinaren]

Can't he tell them all? I mean, how long do they have?

[Kalanna Rai]

He could China, they've got the time. I didn't suggest it because I wanted to see if any of you would suggest it. :D

Making sure you lot are thinking.

[Rune]

If I had to pick, I'd go for telling me about the pendants, though how he knows it all is a close second.

Naturally, knowing all the information would be nice- but I'm really growing to hate Jasper. He's the kind of guy I'd want to fight and kick his butt. Uggh. Moody, moody, moody. Isn't there medication for that?

I liked the chapter, too. Continue with more. :)

[Kalanna Rai]

*laughs* If that's how you feel about Jasper Rune then you'll love the next chapter...*sniggers*

Let's just say the new ad in Shameless is a bit of a tip off...

[NeverNeverGirl]

Angelo knew their parents? That would be my guess at this stage.

As for the DP? well apart from him tellingboth stories - i suggest he start with the tale of the pendants... simply from a storytellers perspective.. no other reason

history is a mystery..

[Kalanna Rai]

Alright...vote all you lucky people!

[Crossfire]

Just a quick clarifier... If we choose all three, will each one be three times shorter, if at all? *waits pensively for an answer*

[Kalanna Rai]

Yup...picking all three will give you a condensed, but fluid version of each tale.

That's just the way it works...can't give away everything right now!

[Crossfire]

*sulks* Still voted for the last option, though. Looking forward to the new chapter... *watches Ah, My Goddess and fades*

[Lilith]

*runs in and votes* Whew! Made it just in time. Sorry about that Rai.