Stranger, and Friend

As she watch him leave toward the shore, Elsteba imediatly noticed a black pattern imbedded in the middle of the young man's back. Rubbing her bleary eyes, she ran up behind him to get a closer look. It was a tattoo of some world, strange to her. It occurred to her that it was a map.
Unexpectedly, the young man whirred around and stared her right in the eyes. _*GASP* Red eyes?_ The young man looked angry. "Why are you following me?" he growled.
Opening and shutting her mouth a few times, Elsteba finnally got the courage to stammer "oh...y-you have a tattoo on your back!"
Due to it's location on his back, the young man was unable to see it. He walked over to the edge of the water and turned his back to it, so as to look at his reflection in the water. With an air of shock, he looked back at Elsteba. The wonder in his eyes was almost tangable. _HUH! His eyes! They are blue! Like the ocean!_
"Woah...Of all the people to know my body, you think I would have seen this before. Can you read?"
"Of corse! Can't you?!"
An akward silence followed. Then, suddenly, the young man grabbed her by the arm, flung her over his back and before she knew what was happening, she was being swam accross the salty water to a little run-down shack.

A New Friend

"Oi!"

A loud noise made Elsteba wake with a start. Heart pounding, she looked for the source of the noise. At first, all she could see was the landscape from before, if not brighter due to the fact that it was morning. Then, however, her eyes fell upon the small figure standing almost directly behind her.

It looked to be a small boy - he couldn't have been older than twelve years old. And yet, he was different, somehow. He was more worn and rugged. He was unmistakeably Caucasian, but his skin was tanned enough to almost look Hispanic. His muscles were - well, not necessarily bigger, but their tone was amazing. He looked like he had never seen the leisure of a day's laziness in his life.

"Excuse me?!? Can you get off my harvest?"

The voice made her jump a little. It was deeper and more formed than it should have been, like that of a teenager that was well on the upswing of his puberty curve. She looked down on the earth she had rested on, and saw that it was indeed covered with green blades of grass.

"I'm sorry, I didn't know this belonged to anybody..." she managed to stammer out, making her way to the patch of trail-hardened dirt the boy was also standing on.

The boy, however, didn't seem to be listening. Once Elsteba had moved, he quickly enveloped the patch of grass and, with the hands of a master, began straightening and repairing the bent and matted blades. In fact, it seemed as if he had completely forgotten she was even there for all the attention he gave her.

She decided to take the opportunity and stretch her sleep-sodden limbs. As comfortable as the soil was, she could see now why man had created beds - the soil didn't exactly conform to your body as you slept. And now she had a huge knot in her back which she was fervently trying to get at.

Suddenly a powerful hand maneuvered its way onto her back. It gave a few prods and squeezes, then ended with a mighty blow which toppled her. It all happened so fast she was on the ground before she could get her thoughts straightened out. She turned around, and the boy was walking back down the hill. She jumped up and ran over to his side.

"What was that about?" she demanded. She didn't appreciate unfamiliar people touching her.

"I know how it feels to lie in dirt all night, " he shrugged, as if what happened was just another part of life.

"Well I - oh. " This was an answer she didn't expect.

A Dying World

Jacob flew on his hover-sail, ducking in and out of the remains of the city, the red light of the pulsing sun shining down on him. The red leather jacket and pants he was wearing helped him blend into his surroundings giving him at least some protection from the roving gangs in the area. He maneuvered his way toward the tower as fast as he could, while trying to use the ruins as cover. He wasn't in any real danger at the moment, except the danger of discovery. If that happened then he would have cause to worry, but for now he was just enjoying the surf home.

One hand on the sail, the other hanging to the side, he gained speed, his suit and helmet protecting him from the high winds. He was with in a few city blocks of the tower when a massive black shadow crossed over him "YELLOW SUN!!" he swore as he kicked the back of his board, letting out the full sail to catch more of the wind.

He didn't even have to look up, he recognized the "Thunder Birds" shadow when he saw it plain enough, and that meant fighting was about to begin, lots of fighting, all he had to do however was get to the hanger before the doors finished closing.

He got through just barely; he had to fold his sail up in mid flight in order to make sure it didn't catch on the closing doors. He landed on the floor of the hanger on his two feet catching his board as he landed.

He was greeted as usual by his two holographic companions, Athelia the Teacher, and Gammon the guard. They both shimmered to life as soon as the two thick metal doors behind him closed, for they could not exist in the red light of the dying star. "So what has my father gotten us into this time?" Jacob asked the two blue figures standing on a plane about two inches off of the real floor.

"I wish I knew what Dr. Russell was thinking some times," said Gammon, brandishing his sword.

"Don't we all," said the Athelia the other shimmering figure.

"Well we better go find out. Shall we?" said Gammon, offering Athelia his armored arm. She accepted and they both followed after Jacob who was already half way to the lift that would take them to his father.

The two metal doors opened and Jacob walked out of the lift and onto the Control Room - the largest room on the highest floor - their home. It was under attack ... as it always was. This left Jacob's access to the outside very limited, and his time surfing the mighty winds was even more unique.

"Father! Where are you?" he called out as he exited the lift, "We are under attack again!"

Just as he said this his father burst from a side room that he used as a study, library, and cafeteria.

"No time! Come with me now!" Dr. Russell yelled as he grabbed his son and threw him back on to the lift again. His father joined him and they went down to the basement.

"Father… what is going on?" No response - the doctor looked extremely agitated. "Father, the Thunder bird cant brake through the shield, let alone the concrete and the steel armor that protects the tower…you don't have to…"

"That is not why I am agitated son. I…" Just then the lift came to a stop, and his father pushed him out, and then forward until they came to a part of the tower that Jacob was not familiar with.

"Russ, where are we going?" he asked again, getting scared.

"Just move now… I will explain everything later… if I can…" They continued to move faster and faster, his board still under his arm, until they came to a small metal door that opened into a massive room that held a circular disc shaped device with a haul in it a little bigger then a human.

"Go into the space in the center with your board and that pack over there by the door" he pointed toward an old green army back pack that was packed full of emergency supplies. Jacob grabbed it and did as he was told. He jumped up onto the ramp that led to the haul in the disc and stood there. A few minuets later he heard his father's voice over the intercom.

"Jacob I left a watch on the table by the door with the pack. Go grab it too, would you? I completely forgot about it until now." There was a panic in his father's voice that was so subtle that even he almost didn't pick up on it. He was half tempted to stop and demand an explanation from his father, but he knew his father meant it when he said "I will explain later", and that was good enough for him. The watch was more of a gauntlet then a watch. As he reached for it elastic bands immediately attached it to his arm, and the watch started to grow green with a tint of red - everything had a tint of red. As soon as he saw that the deed was done he ran back to the spot he had just vacated in the center of the disk.

Just as he did so he heard gears start to wine and move. The disk he was standing in started to revolve and tilt around him; it slowly went faster and faster until it became a blur. "Father! ... Russell!" he shouted.

"Don't worry, Gammon and Athelia will explain every thing! I love you!" His fathers voice boomed over the intercom.

A wave of panic enveloped him - as did light. Then there was only darkness; darkness and the feeling of free fall. He grabbed for his board and hugged it, putting it underneath him, but to no effect - he was still falling. He was alone… or was he? He pushed the giant green button at the center of the gauntlet like watch that his father had told him to grab. Two blue figures appeared next to him as he fell. He tried to speak to them but it didn't work. He knew they where
trying to speak to him, he could feel the vibration from the speakers of the watch, but he couldn't understand them. He could not communicate. He was cold, it was dark, he had just lost his father, and he had no idea where he was, but at least he was not alone.

Note: small change by Andrew he made it flow better so thanks to him.