Monday, May 17, 2004

   It;'s Over
The last day of school is tomorrow; big whup. Really, I'm not feelin' it. Everyone else is all emotional, but not I. Soi it's over; so what?

I'll still keep in contact with my same small group of friends, and next fall I get to do the same thing in a different building on the other side of town. High school is just a means to an end.

As I was getting my yearbook signed, I realized something: I have a lot more female friends than male. I don't know why, really, but it's true.

Let's see. On the male side, I've got Ernesto, David, and John. On the female side, I've got Carolyn, Stephanie (who won't e-mail me back), Kelly, Libby, Julianne, Anjuli, Nichole, Rachel, Yulia, Myssy and probably others I'm forgetting. Even on-line, the trend continues. I'm friends with Solo, Domon, and Ben. On the female side, there's Vicky, Ryo-Tas, Bandit, Rayne, Godel...

You get the point. As I think about it, I realise this has been true for most of my life. I wonder if it's just a coincidence, or if it says something about me. And if it does say something about me, I wonder what that is.

Right after class lets out tomorrow (noonish), I'm going right out to apply for several different jobs in downtown Brandon. Yay.

I saw two movies this weekend, and will be mewntioning them to kick off the grand return of Bug Business!

As a reminder, these are Spoiler Intensive. Also, seeing as there's been little response to my comic reviews (Read: No response at all), I'm going to just do one a week, one something remarkable.

Movies:

The Last Samaurai: Wow, what an overhyped piece of tripe. There's a lot wrong with this movie, but most of it isn't actually the fault of the film itself;it's symptametic of another trend entirely.

See, here's the thing: the samaurai portrayed in the movie weren't noble, or anything; they were terrorists. Most of their army was composed of peasants that were forced into service. They were political fascists who wanted to keep Japan under a feudel system. The Emporer, on the other hand, wanted to modernize, and raise the quality of life for everyone in the nation.

Also, the romance between Cruise's character and the Japanese woman simply wouldn't have happened. Nope, not at all. No matter what his virtues, Cruise's character was ganji: a foreigner. She would have been far too repulsed by him to touch him, let alone play tongue hockey.

What feww people realize is that, until about fifty, sixty years ago, Japan was a very closed, rascist society, and many Japanese still are today. It's not really their fault; it's a mentality born of their geography. Nonetheless, a Japanese woman at that time would *never, ever* considewr any sort of relationship with any non-Japanese male.

I said these problems weren't exactly the movie's fault, and they aren't. It's all part of a greater trend: re-writing history. Now, what we like to do is take the parts we liked from history (in this case, the cool samaurai fighting against long odds) and ignore the less-savory aspects of reality (these people were terrorists and fascists.)

Why do we do this? I don't know, but it's a dangerous mindset. After all, you know what happens to those who don't learn from history.

Troy:

I saw this with Yulia (in one of those outing where you're not sure if it's a date or not), and I gotta' say, my favorite part was the fact that I was there with Yulia. If that doesn't count, then my favorite part was the preview for Spider-Man 2 that showed before the film began.

Yeah, I didn't like it. It was an oversexed, innaccurate, obnoxious thing. Ah, well. SM2 is out on June 30th. ^__^

Comics:

The Spectacular Spider-Man #14: I love this title, but this issue definatly stands out. First, the art is fully painted. Fully painted art is always cool. The plot deals with a paraplegic man whose father often takes him up to the roof of their building and lets him watch the city.

Every so often, Spider-Man swings by, and the paraplegic man begins to admire him. However, one night, the man finds himself caught up in a battle between Spider-Man and Morbius, the living vampire. The ending is touching, and the issue itself is brilliant. If you see it, get it.

TV Shows:

Smallville: Muyndane, save the ending. Really, that's all there is to it. F'ing brilliant ending. ^__^

Angel: Any show that can use Crash Bandicoot as a metaphor for a meaningless existance is cool. This episode really just sets the stage for the series finale. Hope Spike doesn't die again.

Cartoons:

Danny Phantom: This episode feels slightly out of place; I'd like to switch it around with the one that preceeded it. It's a minor thing, but wasn't Stalker free at the end of the Plasmis episode? Eh. *shrugs*

This ep was cute, but a bit of a let down after the Plasmis ep. That was the ep that cemented me as a Danny Phantom fan.

Jackie Chan: Oh, wait, there was no Jackie chan!! Has it been cancelled? Hope not...

Megaman: NT Warriors- Well, a lot of new characters and plots were introduced in this ep, so I can forgive the lackluster conflict. Next week should be more interesting.

Xia Lin Showdown: This time of year, every show seems to be building up to a finale, and this was no exception. Mu-Ya has a body again. Okay...I assume that's bad. Again, wait til next week.

Yu-Gi-Oh: Hell Poemer kicks some arse, is all I need to say. too bad for Joey; you know he's going to loose. you know he is...

Ninja Turtles: Great way to end the season: starting a new plotline with almost no relation to the old ones, then not following up on it. good job. >>;

Anyway, before I leave ya'll tonight, here's something I stole from Solo's site. ^__^

In no particular order...

Full Name: Eric Raymond Wilson
Age: 17
Hair: Brown and spikey
Eyes: Sky blue
Sex: Male
Favorite Anime: Too many to narrow down
Favorite Manga: Currently, Shaman King

Seven things that scare you...
1. My own brain
2. Abandonment
3. Being buried alive
4. Camel Spiders
5. Loosing control of my life
6. Drowning
7. Hillary Clinton

Seven things that make you laugh
1. Myself
2. Horror movies
3. Weird Al
4. The unexpected
5. Politicians
6. The ironic
7. People

Seven things you LOVE...
1. My family
2. My friends
3. Italian foods
4. Movies with Will Ferrel
5. Adventure
6. Debate
7. Lizards

Seven things you hate...
1. N SYNC's music
2. The use of LOL in spoken speech
3. the lack of responsibility in the world
4. Eggs
5. Love bugs
6. The Family Circus
7. Reality TV

Seven things you don't understand...
1. Girls
2. the French
3. Females
4. Cheaters
5. Ladies
6. Modern art
7. The fairer sex

Seven facts about you...
1. I'm asthmatic
2. I skipped the third grade
3. I lived in Europe a combined eight years
4. I love Reese's Pieces
5. I've only had two girlfriends in my life, and I don't think I really should ghave pursued either of the relationships in the first place
6. My favorite color is black
7. I have a looney Tunes tie, but I can't tie it

Seven things you plan to do before you die...
1. Fall in love and have her love me back
2. Gain a law lisense
3. Publish something
4. Win something important
5. Raise a child that turns out better than me
6. Own a bean bag chair
7. Own a leather jacket and look good in it

Seven things you can do...
1. Argue over nothing
2. Decry communism
3. Cook pasta dishes
4. Lift 275+ pounds with my legs
5. Emotionally console someone
6. Drive a stick shift
7. Improv comedy

Seven Things You Can't Do or Can't Do Well...
1. Draw
2. Shut up
3. Math
4. Run over extended distances
5. Type quickly
6. Dance
7. Maintain a decent relationship

Seven things you say the most...
1. Just tell them how you feel
2. Hah, loser.
3. It's funny because (Insert obvious observation here)
4. Yo.
5. Well,
6. No
7. Yes, ma'am

Thought of the Moment: If you aim for the Moon, you'll land among the stars. so, if you aim for the Noom, will you land among the rats?

Quote of the moment: "Duffman...Can't breathe! Oh no!" -Duffman, "The Simpsons"

Sol

XV

Tybalt regained conciousness to the sound of blood rushing past his eardrums. He opened his eyes; he was upside down, bound from steel wire from the ceiling.

He appeared to be in some sort of laboratory, and not a clean one. Various mechanical devices in different stages of disrepair littered the steel shelving units around him. The walls were smooth and silver; he was on a space ship. That couldn’t be good.

“Well, soldier boy woke up!” A voice called. High-pitched, and obviously female…

“Who are you?” Tybalt demanded. “Please show yourself.”

“Oh, I’m sorry; what was I thinking? You can’t turn your head like that. My bad.”

She entered his field of vision from the right corner of his eye. It took a few seconds for him to flip the image in his mind, but Tybalt grasped the characteristics of the being he was looking at. She was short; he’s say only about one and a half meters tall. The most striking feature about her was her eyes; most bipeds had two, but she had a third in the center of her forehead. Her skin was teal, and she had a series of orange tiger stripes running down the side of her face. Her hair was an unkept wall of purple, like a pair of frizzy mops. She was standard in other respects; two arms, legs, mammary glands, five fingers, no tail. Her wardrobe consisted of a sloppy pair of brown worker’s overalls, over a black sleeveless shirt. She had a pair of three-lense goggles, and pale yellow gloves.

She seemed very out-of-place in this situation, Tybalt decided. She did not project the aura of someone who would plan a kidnapping, for whatever reasons.

“I don’t think I’ve had the pleasure,” he said. “I am Tybalt, prince of the Empire of Natas. I’m also upside down. Why?”

The female chuckled. “Sorry to leave you hanging, but I’ve got to keep an eye on you until SAU-7 completes his search.”

Tybalt nodded knowingly. “I see; so that’s what this is about. I assume you are his hired gun?”

She nodded. “On the credits. The name’s Tazer.”

Tybalt was already freeing his right hand as he kept her occupied. He wasn’t Natas’s son without reason… “Tell me; how did you land without my ship’s scanners picking this craft up?”

Tazer smiled with pride. “I blocked your scanners with a dampening field.”

Tybalt was a bit surprised. “My scanner is state of the art. The technology doesn’t exist to block it.”

“It didn’t; I invented it.”

“You created a blocking system to counteract my scanners? Just like that?”

She shook her head. “I knew you’d have the most advanced tech; I had already created the blocking tech. That’s what I do.”

Tybalt’s right hand was free, but he wasn’t going to strike yet. “I thought you were a bounty hunter; why are you working as such if you…invent things?”

Tazer sighed. “I’ve got to pay my bills somehow, right? SAU-7 pays good credits for this job, so I took it. It wasn’t my ideal career, but whatever works.”

Tybalt’s left hand was now free. “You’re playing a dangerous game here. You do know who I am?”

She shrugged. “You don’t scare me. Anyway, your guys stole SAU-7’s cybernetic system, what I hear.”

“That’s not exactly how it happened, but that is inconsequential. Release me.”

She laughed. “Why would I do that? I’m getting paid to keep you here while SAU-7 searches for his system. I get paid, and I use the money to fund more research.”
In a single motion, Tybalt formed a plasma dagger and sliced through the steel wires that bound him. He performed a graceful summersault and landed in front of the astonished Tazer. He placed a plasma blade at her neck. “Tell me; is your research worth your life?”

“My…my research is my life…” she said slowly, shaking.

Tybalt shoved her to the ground. “If you interfere with my plans again, I will have no choice but to kill you. Don’t throw your life away.”

She didn’t say anything, but watched him fearfully as he walked away. “Bu-….where are you going?’

“To find your employer.”

---
“He’s loitering,” Von said into the radio. “Lady Rena, he’s been standing in the same spot for a half-hour; I don’t think this is necessary.”

“I apologize for the mediocrity of the mission, Von,” Rena’s voice came back. “But the bounty hunters that we detected are an unknown variable; we cannot leave the Sol system open to abduction.”

Von was hiding in a tree, across the street from a human drug store. Simon had been standing in front of it for a while, sipping a soda.

“Can’t I just tell him the situation?” Von asked.

“He told us not to, and we shall abide by his wishes,” her short reply came back. “I refuse to go out of my way to help such a brat. He is important only because of the Sol system; nothing more.”

Von sighed. “Well…he did help us…”

“Von, please do your job. I’m trying to do mine.”

Von sighed and turned off the radio.

---
Rena was in the center of town at a busy intersection, regarding each passerby with suspicion. Somewhere, a bounty hunter ship had landed, and she intended to spot them before they found whatever they were after.

There were really only two options, she thought as she crossed the street. Either they were after Tybalt, in which case she had nothing to worry about, or they were after the Sol System, which presented a whole host of problems…

This would have all been so much simpler if that damned sol being had cooperated! She decided as she crossed the street. At first she thought he was fairly decent, but to behave as he did in an emergency situation…he was a selfish fool, and she might end up paying for it. Damn him!

---
The selfish fool in question was actually doing a fair bit of soul-searching at the moment his name was being cursed. Simon was actually starting to regret his decision. He’d been afraid, sure, and he still didn’t want any of this responsibility, but he shouldn’t have yelled at Von. Rena deserved it…

He knew the sol system was spreading; he had activated it in the school bathroom. It now covered a good portion of his torso, his upper neck, and a little of his face. It was very disturbing.

What he would do, he decided, was tell Susan about “Timothy”, or at least tell her that he was dangerous. He started to walk away, only to feel someone place their hand on his shoulder.

He turned around. “Von?”
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Just Wait...
Update tonight!
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Friday, May 14, 2004

   Particle Board....
I'm back, baby. wh00t.

Tests are over and done with, and my brain hurts. Two more days of class, then sweet, sweet freedom...

Anyways, what's up with me? I'll tell you what's up with me: I gots a date for Sunday night, with Julie. ^__^ Wer'e going to the movies, which is cool.

I need a job, desperatly, and nowhere I've applied to has sent word back. Why? Because they suck...

I'm gonna' apply at Barnes & Noble, and Best Buy, maybe some stores in the mall...there has to be *something* out there.

Ah, I lucked out at the comic store yesterday. I found a copy of "Amazing Spider-Man: Saga of the Alien Costume". It's out of print, and is some primo stuff. Good times.

Regarding Sol: Once I have a job, and get into a routine, I'll start writing again. Trust me, I haven't forgotten about it.

I have many things to do, mostly to get caught up with stuff I've missed all week, so I'll be checking you guys out later. More 'Sol', though:

XIV

Class was a horrible daze for Simon the next morning, which probably explained the grade on his chemistry test. He kept thinking about what he’d said to Rena; was he wrong to not want this? After all, she’d basically said it was because of him that the Earth was screwed. Maybe he’d been tactless, but he still thought he made the right decision. He had simply been in the wrong place at the wrong time; there was no way he could take on responsibility for any of this.

He was eating lunch alone when “Timothy” suddenly sat down next to him. “Good afternoon, Simon.”

Simon glared at him. “What do you want, freak?”

“Timothy” sighed. “You’re a very hostile young man, Simon. I came her with a proposition for you.”

Simon flipped him off. “The answer is no. What’s the question?”

“You shouldn’t be so hasty,” he frowned. “I wanted to inform you that if you were to cooperate with me, my fathers’ scientists might be able to remove the system from you without
killing you.”

Simon considered this for a second. “’Cooperate’ how?”

“Well it would aid my father’s plans to have a few natives cooperating, and giving up information.”

Simon glared again. “You want me to sell out my planet?”

“I want you to realize the inevitable. This planet is going to be part of my father’s empire either way. You can save yourself, or you can die. Your choice.”

“I think I told you this before, but @#$% off.”

“Timothy” shrugged. “The Sol system is a part of you, and it will be my father’s either way.”

Before Simon could reiterate his profanity, a familiar group of jocks approached. Brooks, Stevens, and co.; Simon rolled his eyes.

“Hey, Timmy,” Brooks said. “Why are you hangin’ with this looser? Come on, let’s go. We can throw the ball around before class starts again.”

“That sounds fun,” “Timothy” said as he got up to leave. “See you later, Simon.”

Simon watched them walk away, then laid his head on the table.

---
“See you tomorrow, Susan,” Timothy said, waving.

“You, too, Timothy!” She smiled back, turning down her street.

Timothy walked alone, examining several of the books he had procured from the school’s library. History texts, philosophy, art books…this planet’s culture was very rich.

Lost in thought, Timothy was slightly careless as he approached the scrap yard. He almost didn’t notice the attack until it was too late.

“Yah!” He leapt aside, narrowly avoiding the two metal tendrils that lashed out at him from a pile of metal parts. They were long and snake-like, with tiny gripping claws on the end.

“This isn’t Rena…” he muttered as his features shifted back to his normal form. “Nor is it Simon…who-?”

The tendrils attacked again, but he was ready for them. He sliced one in half with a plasma dagger, then grabbed the other one as it stopped mere inches from his face, the claws gripping uselessly. “Too easy…”

He turned around, only to be assaulted by another pair of tendrils. Just a distraction, he thought as he leapt over them. He landed a few feet away, but was too late in realizing that he’d been orchestrated to land there.

A third pair of tendrils arose; these, however, had electric current running through them. Tybalt didn’t have time to dodge before they made contact; the shock rendered him unconscious.

---
In a small, desolate area of the local woods, the remains of Rena’s ship were hidden under a great deal of foliage. Add in the holographic technology cloaking it, and it was quite secure.

Inside, Von was tinkering with the radar, while Rena ran another check on the computer systems. Von had been quiet most of the day, and Rena was a little bit annoyed by that.

“Tell me, Von, what would you have done?” she finally asked.

Von looked up, startled. “About what?’

“You know what. The sol being.”

He hesitated. “Well…I mean, what you said was right and everything…but did you have to be so harsh?”

“I was simply stating the facts of the situation. Emergencies such as this don’t allow for tact.”

“Well, sure, I know that, because I know you. But he doesn’t, not really. To him, you probably come off as a bit…arrogant?”

Rena sighed. “It’s the curse of the weak-minded to mistake confidence with arrogance.”

“Yeah…but still…” Von connected a wire on the radar, and it suddenly sprang to life.

“Whoa! Rena, ma’am, there’s a ship!”

“What? Is it Tybalt’s?”

“No…not Felinon…or Natas…it’s a rogue ship…no identifying data…”

Rena sighed. “Just what we needed; bounty hunters. Track it.”

“Are we going to tell Simon?”

“You heard what he said; let him figure it out on his own.”
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Wednesday, May 12, 2004

Almost there
Over the next teo days, I take my final four exams. (Which is whyI havent' updated recently.)

Expect an update Thursday or Friday.

Sol

XIII

Simon slammed the door to his room behind him. “Rena!” he hissed, trying to keep the volume low.

Rena and Von were there, having returned from the ruins of their ship. She was on his bed reading a book; Von was toying with what looked like a remote control.

“Good afternoon,” she said.

“Shove it,” Simon spat, tossing his school supplies on the floor. “Tybalt went to my school!”

Rena instantly sat up, alert. “That is very unfortunate,” she said. “What happened?”

Simon related the entire incident to her. She and Von listened carefully. When he was done, Von whistled, an odd hissing sound. “Wow,” he said. “I’m sorry…”

“There is nothing to apologize for, Von,” Rena said simply. “This situation was inevitable.”

Simon glared at her. “You knew this would happen?”

“It was bound to,” she replied. “Tybalt didn’t get to his position by genetics alone. It was only a matter of time until he found you. It was just unfortunate that it was so soon. I’d wanted more time-“

Simon slammed his fist into the wall. “That freak is with Susan! Weren’t you listening?!”

“She’s in no danger,” Rena said simply.

Simon sighed. “You don’t get it, do you? Maybe you don’t care about her, but I do!”

“No, no…” Von said hesitantly. “Really, she’s not in any danger.”

“Why not?”

Von cleared his throat. “There’s no reason to hurt her. And if anything happened to her, it’d draw attention to Tybalt that he just doesn’t want.”

“That’s what he said…” Simon said slowly. “But why the sudden shift in his priorities? Last night, he seemed ready to take me out. What happened?”

“That is the question, isn’t it?” Rena said
thoughtfully. “I imagine that I know the answer, but it is not pleasant…”

“What? Come on, I really think that maybe I should know. I mean, it can’t possibly be any worse than-“

“Natas is going to invade your planet.”

There was a moment of silence. Then, “What?”

Rena flexed her hands. “You have to understand the position that Natas is in. His home base is currently under heavy assault; most of its resources have been depleted. The statistics Tybalt must have sent him about this planet must be incredibly enticing. He will establish his new military base on this planet, and be able to go on the offensive after your species has been enslaved.”

“Oh my God…”

“Yes, praying might not be such a bad idea. Your planet cannot defend itself from this sort of attack.”

Simon slumped against the wall; the hits just kept on coming. “Well….is there any way
to…”

Von nodded. “If we can get back to Felinon, and alert them before Natas arrives…”

“No,” Rena said. “That is highly improbable.”

“Then there’s nothing we can do, is there?” Simon asked.

“Actually, there is. All invasion forces are horribly vulnerable in their embryonic stage. If we could strike before Natas gets a stranglehold on this town, we can disrupt his entire plan long enough for the Planetary Militia ships to arrive.”

Simon nodded. “Wait…this town? Why here?”

“It’s where you are. Or, more accurately, where the Sol system is. Natas still wants that as well, remember?”

“So this is all my fault?”

Von shook his head emphatically ‘no’. Rena thought for a second. “Well, in a manner of speaking…”

“Rena!” Von said sharply.

“Lying about the truth won’t alter the facts, Von,” she said. “If the Sol system hadn’t bonded to him, Tybalt would have been gone by now. It is not through any malicious actions on the sol-being’s part, but if he hadn’t been bonded to the system, his planet would not be in danger.”

Simon had been silent for several minutes. Finally, he looked up, glaring at both of the aliens.

“Get out.”

“I beg your pardon?” Rena asked sharply.

“I said, get the hell out of my room. Get out!”

Von crept back, offended. “But Simon…”

“No! Just shut up! I am sick of this crap! I don’t want to know any of this, and I don’t want to know you!”

“You will not speak that way to me, sol being,” Rena said, standing up. “You cannot ignore the reality of the situation.”

“The hell I can’t! An alien killer is hanging out with the only decent person I know, the whole world is screwed, everyone in town’s gonna’ be an alien slave, and it’s my fault? No! No, I don’ want to know this! I don’t want any part of this!”

Rena glared at him. “I am a princess of the Ichnet Clan,” she growled. “You will not disrespect me as such! This situation goes beyond your personal feelings!”

“Another thing I’m sick of is your damn high-and-mighty attitude,” Simon spat. “I don’t care if you’re a frickin’ Martian princess. This is Earth, and this is my room, on my turf, and I don’t have to listen to you! Now get out!”

Rena stared at him for several minutes. If looks could kill, both Simon and Rena would have been dead by the other’s eyes. Von had backed into a corner; he hated confrontations…

“If you do this,” Rena said slowly, icily. “You are the biggest fool, and the most ungrateful cretin, that this planet has ever produced. I am offering you a chance to save your
race.”

“I don’t frickin’ care,” Simon said, just as slow and icy. “This is your mess, and I never wanted to be a part of it.”

Rena scoffed disdainfully. “Very well, sol-being. If that is your decision, I cannot change it. Come, Von; we’re leaving.”

Rena pressed a button on her armor, and her form shimmered. Suddenly, she stood as the same young Hispanic woman she had been when they met. She opened Simon’s window and climbed out.

“But…” Von said. “But Simon, I thought…”

“You heard her,” Simon said slowly. “Go with her.”

“Fine,” Von snapped, hurt. “I thought we were friends.” He climbed out after Rena.

Simon watched them walk away, and then closed the window. “Friends?” he asked himself. “No way. Not by a long shot.”

---
“Is that the planet?”

“You got it, chief. Tybalt landed down there; I’m pinpointing where his ship is parked. If he’s there, your Sol System is sure to be there, too.”

“Excellent.”
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Monday, May 10, 2004

   Almost Forgot
Sol

part XII

When Simon awoke the next morning, Rena and Von were already gone, off to…wherever the hell they went. Simon shrugged and got ready for class.

As he walked out the door, he took note that Lenny was sleeping in the living room, surrounded by trash as usual. Fran wasn’t even there.

He was lost in thought the entire walk to school. What was he going to do? The situation was so odd it was funny; he had aliens crashing in his room! He hoped they’d leave soon…and let’s not forget that psycho killer alien who has to kill him. Simon sighed; he was actually looking forward to school, for God’s sake! That wasn’t right…

When he arrived at school, he got a pair of books out of his locker for his first two classes. He welcomed the assured monotony that they would bring…

“Simon! Hey, Simon!”

Simon looked up suddenly; it was Her! Susan was calling… He turned around….

She was with another guy. Just by glancing at him, Simon decided that he hated him, although he might have been biased. This interloper was tall, with neat brown hair combed nicely over his completely perfect face. He wore a green polo shirt, and beige slacks. His teeth were perfect and shiny, and he had a gold Rolex on his right wrist. Prep…

“Simon,” Susan said. “I want you to meet Timothy Nathan; he’s new here.”

Simon relaxed a bit; Susan was part of the school’s meet and greet program; she was probably with this punk because she had to be.

“Hello, Simon,” Timothy said cheerfully. “Nice to meet you.” He extended his hand.

“Yeah, welcome to...here,” Simon nodded, taking the hand. Timothy’s grip wasn’t just firm; it almost hurt. Jerk.

The bell rang and the crowds in the hall began to disperse. Susan tapped Timothy on the shoulder. “I’ve got to go; my class is a few halls over,” she said. “You know where your first period is?”

Timothy nodded. “Yes, thank you.” He paused. “Susan, are you available for lunch? I’d rather not have to sit alone.”

Susan nodded. “Sure; you can sit with my friends and I.”

“Thank you,” Timothy flashed that annoyingly perfect smile. Simon turned to leave.

“Hold up there, Simon,” Timothy called as Susan walked away. “What’s the rush?”

Simon sighed; this guy couldn’t take a hint. “I’ve got to go to class.”

“Well, if you insist. Do give Lady Rena my regards.”

Simon froze, and an icy chill ran down the back of his neck. “What did you say?”

“Well, I assume Lady Rena has maintained contact. It would be foolish to do otherwise.”

Simon turned around slowly. “I…how do…oh my God…Tybalt?”

Timothy’s eyes flashed bright red for an instant. “The same.”

Simon let out a strange yelp and backed into the wall. Timothy/Tybalt laughed.

“Calm down Simon; if I wanted to kill you right now, I would have.”

Simon was standing on shaking knees. “Why…why not?”

“Why haven’t I killed you? My mission parameters have altered. I am here for strictly observational purposes. Were you to disappear, I might draw unwanted suspicion. This façade is really the ideal situation; I can keep track of you, and what better place to learn about your planet than a school?”

When it became obvious that death wasn’t imminent, Simon regained a bit of his composure. “Listen, Tybalt…you…you stay the hell away from Susan…”
Timothy/Tybalt raised an eyebrow. “Why not? I mean her no harm.”

Simon glared at him. “Just leave her alone!”

Timothy/Tybalt smiled slyly. “I get it; you’re attracted to her, aren’t you?”

“Shut up! I’m warning you, freak…”

An assistant principal turned the corner. “Lewis! What are you doing? Is there a problem here?”

“Timothy” flashed a smile. “Not at all, Sir. See you around, Simon Lewis.”

Great, Simon thought as “Timothy” walked away. Now he knows my last name…could this get any worse?

It was worse, he reminded himself. That freak was hanging out with Susan!

---
At lunch, Simon watched them like a metaphorical hawk. It never occurred to him to go sit with Susan, but he didn’t trust Tybalt, no matter what his frickin’ parameters were.

“Timothy” sat directly next to Susan, which only turned the knife. He said something, and she laughed…this was disgusting.

Simon wanted to go over there and break his face, but knew he couldn’t, for a variety of reasons, ranging from expulsion to horrible death. He didn’t know that this crap would hit him so close to home….

She laughed again, and Simon winced. That’s it, he decided. Right after class, me an’ Rena are gonna’ have a long talk.
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Sunday, May 9, 2004

   *Ish tired*
Wow...I did a ton of stuff yesterday and today. It's one of those weekends you feel like you accomplished stuff, ya' know?

Saturday morning I got up bright and early and went to the local Toys R Us for the Yu-Gi-Oh tournament. I showed up early, so I took a stroll to the nearby Barnes and Noble and picked up Shaman King, vol. 3. ^__^

Anyway, the tournament: in the first round, I was matched up against...a five year old girl. Great...

I spoke with the TRU guy, because, let's face it, I did'nt want to beat a little kid. (The players were about half and half divided between folks about my age and younger folks.) He told me that if I let her win, he'd still advance me.

So, I let her win. Took a while, too. I mean, I set a Sinister Serpant in attack mode, with no traps, and she wouldn't attack, despite having a Battle Ox and another creature whose name escapes me on the field.

After 'loosing', I advanced to the next round, where I was promptly thrashed. This guy's entire deck was filled with rare cards. He played Mage Power on his Gemeni Elf and laid three other traps. He reborned my own Jinzo and went on the offensive.

Gah...I had Dark Master Zork in my hand, but without the Contract with the Abyss, I couldn't summon him. I did have one ace up my sleeve, though: the Spirit Reaper.

Wow; turns out this guy's entire deck was based around 1900 attacks and power ups, with no other plans. He had almost no way to destroy my Reaper. For four or five turns that lil' guy was my saving grace.

He also had no defense against the Wall of Illusion, either...

Eventually he drew Fissure, and destroyed my Reaper, and took me out. I didn't expect to get so far at my first tournament, but I learned a lot about the types of decks used. I'm reasonablly convinced I can rebuild my own to take them down.

I'll also put to use my newly-aqquired card, the Chaos Sorceror. ^__^

Anyway, afterwards, I went to the movie theater, met Ernesto, David and Kelly, and we saw Van hellsing.

I had only one expectation for the movie: monster fights. And there were monster fights, so I was satisfied. I won't recommend it if you want more than that, though. ^^;

A quick trip home to change shirts, and I went to the big final concert held by the orchestra. Kelly asked me to, but if I'd known how boring it would be, I wouldn't have. The music was excellent, but portions of the presentation were self-congradulatory to orchestra members. That was fine, but I'm not an orchestra member.... And I was tired from being on the move all day...

I guess it's one of those things you do for your friends, eh?

I spent all this morning working on my "As I Lay Dying" project. I didn't read the book, and the projects due tomorrow, and I still do the whole thing.

I consider it an appropriate culmination of my ability to BS easy or pointless projects. ^__^

Thought of the moment: If you name your child 'Van Hellsing', you're kind of limiting their future career paths....demon hunter...wizard...mad scientist...

Quote of the moment: "I have dragons on my shirt, a Game Boy in my pocket, trading cards in my car seat and comics in my trunk. Geek power, baby!" -Me
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Thursday, May 6, 2004

   It's hot in here
For some reason, it's really hot tonight....

The Friends finale is on. I just wanna' see how it all turns out.

Oh, and Rayne: "AP tests" are the finals of Advance Placement courses, whih count as college credit.

I have nothing to say...so...Sol...

XI

Simon was very groggy when he awoke. Man, he thought. I had the weirdest dream last night…aliens, and cat girls and me whipping Brooks…must’ve watched too much TV…

He checked his right arm, and sighed with relief; it was normal, in no way metallic. Sighing again, he rolled over…and almost screamed.

They were there! Rena and Von, right there! In his room! Rena was sitting in a chair of his, flipping through a comic book. Von sat in a corner, fiddling with a laser pointer. How the heck could they be there?

Friday night’s events came back to him slowly; he’d brought them back to his house to hide out, then sort of collapsed on the bed. Oh man…

Rena looked up, sensing his movements. “This character here is really insipid,” she said, gesturing at the comic book. “His costume looks absolutely nothing like an Earth-spider.”

“Yeah, don’t diss the classics,” Simon muttered. “Man, what time is it?”

Von looked up from the laser pointer. “By your standard of local time, it’s five thirty in the afternoon.”

“Aw, man. I can’t believe I slept through Saturday!”

Von cleared his throat. “Uh, actually, by your human system of days, it’s not Saturday, it’s Sunday.”

“What?! You’re telling me I slept through the entire weekend?”

“It’s a side-effect of the Sol system’s bonding to your organic system; initially, it causes extreme fatigue in the host.”

“The Sol system,” Simon muttered. “Wait…my arm…”

“You’ve reached the point where you can control the system,” Von explained. “The cybernetics are retreating as a result of your desire to hide them.”

Simon flexed his hand. “Come again?”

Rena sighed. “It is
responding to your thoughts; please try to keep up.”

Simon shot her a look, and then turned back to Von. “This is freaky…you mean it’s responding to my thoughts?”

The alien nodded. “Of course. It has a neural interface. It’s supposed to work with you; you shouldn’t be afraid of it.”

Simon smiled slightly, a bit relieved. “So, I won’t need a Michel Jackson glove after all…”

“What?”

“Forget it; when are you two leaving?”

Rena stood up. “We cannot,” she said simply. “If you’ll recall, our ship was rendered inoperative, or at least the engines were. We are stranded, and we have nowhere else to stay.”

Simon stood up as well, trying to appear tall. “Well, no offense, Kit Kat, but what if I don’t want you here?”

Rena had two inches on Simon, and stepped forward slightly to gain an authoritive stance. “I’m afraid you have no choice, Sol-being. I am
commandeering your living space in the name of the Felinon Republic, under the Emergency Statute. This is clearly an emergency situation, after all.”

Simon didn’t back down. “No offense, but I don’t care about your stupid statutes. You can’t stay here!”

“Why not?”

“Because….someone might find you! My aunt and uncle…”

“Your guardians have not approached within the thirty-six hours we have been here.”

Simon sighed, defeated. “How long are you gonna’ stay?”

Rena nodded slightly, glad that he was recognizing her authority in the situation. “While you were sleeping, we assembled a makeshift shelter from the wreckage our ship. It is not suitable for habitation, but there are various productive activities we will be partaking of when possible. We will only be here when it is necessary.”

“That’s nice to hear…” Simon muttered. “But…what about me? If Tybalt is still out there looking for me, what should I do?”

“Tybalt can’t find you,” Von said cheerfully. “He never got the tracking device. The odds of him finding you by random searches in your city are very slim.”

“You shall continue with your daily routine,” Rena said. “We can’t have any indication that anything is out of the ordinary, you understand.”

“Damn,” Simon sighed. “Thought I could skip school because of this…”

“A reminder,” Rena continued. “Do not tell anyone of our existence, or alert anyone of the Sol System.”

Simon laughed. “Like they’d believe me.”

He got a glass of water and went back to sleep.
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Wednesday, May 5, 2004

   Another one?
Yeah, I take another AP test tomorrow. English lit, to be exact. Ah, well.

It was Ernesto's birthday on Tuesday, so this morning I gave him his gift, a book of Buffy the Vampire Slayer Quotations. Good stuff. Wer'e going to see Van Hellsing this weekend.

However, before that, I'll have gone to a Yu-Gi-Oh tournament at Toys R Us. With my Demon deck, I feel pretty confident. I wanna' trade my Dark Master Zorc for a Dark Necrofear, because Dark Necrofear pwns.

After all that, I go home because it's my Mom's birthday. ^^; Busy weekend.

For anyone who saw Smallville tonight, you'll know what I'm talking about when I say that Lex's last line was cool. ^__^

Anyway, knew theme tonight. It's Shaman King, because I finally found the background I was looking for. Yay.

Thought of the moment: After tomorrow, only four tests left....

Quote of the moment: "Eagles may soar, but weasels don't get sucked into jet engines." - Anonymous

Sol

X

Tybalt stumbled through the shadows, his chest still burning from the Sol system’s blast. He hadn’t had any time to prepare himself for the impact, and being tossed through a window like a common street brawler not only hurt his pride, but also disoriented him greatly. He would, he knew, have to get back to where he had hidden his ship, but he doubted he was in a condition to glide there.

He stopped and observed himself in a small window. Closing his eyes, he felt his features rearrange in response to his thoughts. His wings completely retracted into his back, and his tail was sucked back into his body like a slurped noodle. When he opened his eyes again, he was a defenseless-looking middle-aged human male. Granted, he still had no shirt, and his injuries still hurt, but at least he wasn’t instantly noticeable as an out-of-towner.

He continued his trek through the streets, soon coming across a young man in a hooded sweatshirt. Tybalt had never seen him before, so he had no way to recognize him as Tyler Stevens. Stevens had ditched his drinking buddies after Brooks’ ignoble thrashing at Simon’s hands, and, still slightly drunk, was looking for a little “fun” of a less-than-legal nature.

Tyler could never tell his friends about his extra-curricular activities, especially not Brooks. Tyler couldn’t tell his friends lots of things, like who it was who trashed Brooks car with a crowbar last spring, or who lit the school’s auditorium on fire. Tyler was a very angry young man, with very violent tendencies, tendencies he kept hidden from most of the world. The most interesting aspect of this character was an unspoken resentment of those around him; being forced to keep his rage inside allowed it to fester, so whenever it surfaced, the results were very unfortunate.

Tybalt knew none of this, and thought he could simply pass the young human male with no trouble. That was not to be.

“What happened to your shirt, pops?” Stevens asked nastily.

“I lost it,” Tybalt said simply, trying to pass. Stevens stepped in his way.

“Well, ain’t that too bad? Get ready to loose something else!” Stevens pulled a knife out of his sweatshirt. “Give me your wallet, or I’ll slice you like an onion!”

“I have no wallet. Do not try me, delinquent,” Tybalt said, once again simply. “You can leave right now; I won’t stop you.”

“Maybe you don’t get what’s going on, gramps,” Stevens sneered. “If I don’t get any money, I at least get a good time!” He lunged towards Tybalt’s chest.

Tybalt sighed as he grabbed Stevens’ wrist. The knife stopped centimeters from Tybalt’s chest. Still holding his assailant’s wrist, Tybalt tossed him over his shoulders. Tyler landed with a small thud a few yards away.

“You bastard!” Stevens swore as he charged Tybalt’s back. Tybalt turned around swiftly and kicked the mugger upside the head. His heel connected with Stevens’ right temple, effectively ending any chance of a continued assault. Stevens fell to the ground, unconscious.

Deciding that there might be dangers in continuing in easy view of the public, Tybalt began to move among the shadows again. Against his better judgment, he crawled up a ladder leading to the top of a two-story building. He hopped among the rooftops for about five minutes, until he startled a flock of pigeons. They flew towards him, preventing him from landing on the next rooftop.

Making a quick correction to his course, Tybalt positioned himself to land on a Terran watercraft parked in front of a small building. However, one final bird hit him square in the face; his missed the boat by inches and landed on the grass with an unceremonious thump.

This is a tad bit humiliating, he thought. Suddenly, a door opened from the building in front of him. A young human female came out. “What’s that sound? I- Oh, my! Sir, are you okay?”

Tybalt decided to tell half the truth, anyway. “I…I was mugged…I’m not sure where I am…”

“Oh, come with me, sir. I’ll get you fixed up. Let’s go inside.”

“Thank you, ma’am,” he said, getting to his feet and allowing her to lead him inside.

She set him down and got
him a blanket and some water. “You’re very kind,” Tybalt commented, earnestly. She was the nicest human he’d met yet. “I didn’t catch your name.”

“Oh, it’s Susan,” she said, getting him some
soup. “Susan Hawkins. Here.” She handed him a cup of soup. “This is supposed to be for the residents of the shelter, but we can spare a little.”

“Thank you,” he said, sipping the soup. He really had to leave, but first he would finish his soup. He examined the girl, and a new thought occurred to him: she was about the same age as the human male who hosted the Sol system. What was his name…Simon, that was it.

“Tell me,” he said. “Where’s the nearest school?”

Susan looked puzzled by the question. “Uh, well, the high school I attended is across town, you know, Washington High. The nearest elementary school is…”

“I must go,” Tybalt said, standing quickly. “I thank you for your hospitality.”

“Wait, are you sure? I can call a cab…it’s not safe…”

“I’ll be fine.” He went out the door quickly, and by the time Susan got through the door, he was gone.

“Weird…” she muttered, closing the door.

**
What a charming human, Tybalt thought as he arrived to the scrap yard he’d hidden his ship in. It’s always nice to deal with a being that doesn’t want to fight you or take something from you.

He lifted aside a dismantled Chevy to reveal his ship. It was completely covered with other vehicles in various stages of deterioration. Should it be discovered, it was programmed to automatically fly itself to a secondary location. Tybalt felt secure.

Entering the ship, he let his features return to normal. Towards the rear of the small ship was a nutrient bath. He took off his clothes and lowered himself inside, allowing the chemicals to flow over him and speed the healing of his wounds.

He pressed a small button on the side of the bath, and a potable computer consol was released from the ceiling within his reach. Sighing, he began to type in his report, which was instantly transmitted to his father, untold parsecs away.

So you didn’t retrieve the Sol system yet? The reply came back.

“No, father,” Tybalt said as he typed. “There were unexpected difficulties. It bonded to a native of the planet.”

You’ll have to kill him, then.

“I know, Sir. However, it may take time. I only have one bit of information on how to find him; I might know where he attends school. I’ll have to investigate, of course.”

How hard could it be to find him? How many inhabitants are there on this planet?

“At least six billion.”

And they’re standard humanoids?

“Yes. Class Beta-type humanoids.”

There was a delay on the line, as though his father was pondering something. Finally: You know, adding a planet of six billion Beta-humanoids to my empire would give me enough power to crush the military forces poised against me.

This got Tybalt’s attention. “Father, unless something has changed drastically since I left, we don’t have the resources to defend the current assault on our home base and conquer a new planet.”

I don’t plan to defend this base any longer. I believe now is the best time to relocate. This Earth-planet would be the perfect base of my Empire, especially with six billion new slaves. I’m going to ready the fleet to move out.

“What shall I do?”

Study the planet; learn more about it. I’m putting the retrieval of the Sol system as a secondary objective. After all, once I control the planet, I can find the scuzball at my leisure. Do you understand?

“Yes, sir. Tybalt, signing out.”

Tybalt sunk deeper into the nutrient bath and mused thoughtfully.
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Tuesday, May 4, 2004

   One down
Well, that's one test down. Five to go, but on three days. At least the hardest one is out of the way.

Turns out I got an 8,000 scholarship coming to me. No one told me, and I recieved no mail on the subject. I just saw it posted on the scholl bulletien board, along with a bunch of others.

Also, turns out I missed a perfect attendance award by not going to the awards show last night. I get to pick it up in guidence. I choose to stay home and study for the test instead. Hope it paid off. ^__^
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^__^
Well, today's the day of the uber-challenging Spanish AP final. Here's hopoing I do well. See ya'll later, if I survive.

Sol

IX

Simon yelled out an indiscernible yowl when Tybalt lunged at him. He stumbled backwards, barely avoiding his opponent’s thrust.

Don’t panic, Simon, he told himself. This is your life now. This is what you have to deal with. You can get out of here alive. Just focus…

He fell backwards and shoved his feet into Tybalt’s chest. Grabbing Tybalt by the wrists, he tossed the fighter over himself, and then got to his feet.

Discerningly, Tybalt easily landed on his feet. “Interesting,” he said. “Your reflexes are far too fast for a creature of your strength level and muscle ratio. The Sol system has already markedly enhanced you, after less than an hour. It’s a very worthy prize.”

“Yeah, well, if it were up to me, you could just have the damn thing,” Simon snapped. “I sure didn’t want it!”

“We must play with the hand life has provided us,” Tybalt sneered, forming a new plasma blade.

“That’s easy to say when you’re not the one who needs to die- watch out!” Simon ducked down quickly to avoid Tybalt’s next attack. The demonic-looking warrior could spar with the best of them, and Simon certainly wasn’t the best.

“Flippant, aren’t we? I would meet my own execution with more dignity, but to each their own…”

Simon hatched a new plan: run like hell. He made it about ten feet before he felt the impact to his back knock him to the ground. Tybalt had leapt after him and executed a perfect flying kick. “Executed” sounded like poor word choice to Simon, but he had more pressing concerns.

Tybalt raised his plasma sword high, and then plunged it towards Simon’s chest. Simon used his metallic right arm to try and block the blow, but Tybalt kept pressing harder. Simon was slowly but surely loosing ground.

“…And the rest is silence…” Tybalt muttered, sure of his victory.

“Go @#$%^ yourself…” Simon shot back.

Tybalt snickered at his foe’s tenacity, but something caught his eye. Suddenly, he whipped his left hand out, intercepting Von’s staff. The reptilian pilot had tried to attack while Tybalt was preoccupied, but he wasn’t fast enough.

“Oops…” the lizard muttered.

“You could have left; I had no further use for your tracking device,” Tybalt said, irritated. “Yet you interfered again. I can’t comprehend your motivations.”

“He helped us…” Von explained shakily. “I wasn’t going to sit there and let you kill him…”

“Noble, but stupid…” Tybalt sneered. Simon, however, took his opening. While Tybalt was distracted, he kicked at his feet, trying to knock him off balance.

It didn’t work. Tybalt held fast. “Opportunistic, aren’t you?” Tybalt lifted Von into the air by his staff, and then tossed him into a nearby
building. “There. Now, if there are no further interruptions…”

“There will be!” Rena’s
voice called out. She charged Tybalt from behind, shoving him off of Simon and smashing his face into the concrete. She lifted his face up and began to slam it into the sidewalk repeatedly.

“You think…you could ignore…a warrior of the…Ichnet Clan?” she demanded as she pummeled his head. “You will…be lucky…if I let…you escape with…all of your teeth!”

“I take it you overcame the gas…” Tybalt muttered. Flipping around suddenly, he backhanded Rena off of him. “Well, things just keep getting more complicated. It’s time to simplify the problem!” He formed a plasma dagger and shoved it to the back of Rena’s neck. Still slightly disoriented, there was no way she could turn around in time to block him.

Simon saw all this, and was filled with a desire to help her. Desire and action are two different things, however; he was too far away to get there in time. He held up his right hand, the palm open. It was as if he expected his mere motion to stop Tybalt. The urge to get him away from her was predominate in his mind, which explains what happens next.

The entire part of his arm that the metallic Sol system covered began to feel warm and tingly, as though it had put on a sweater on a dry morning. His fingertips began to glow, and a strange orange ball of energy formed at the center of his palm. It grew in size until it was as large as volleyball; then, it was launched at the target with astounding speed.

This all happened in less than a second, so Tybalt had time only to glance at the approaching attack. Just before his dagger could pierce Rena’s skin, the energy connected. It burned into Tybalt’s muscular torso, which was still sore and shirtless from Simon’s antics with the flare gun earlier. The burning sensation, however, was nothing compared to the concussive impact: he was thrown off of Rena and sent crashing through the front window of a dingy five-and-dime.

Simon was in shock, as was Von. Von, however, had a goofy grin on his face, like a child seeing a new toy. “That’s it…” he whispered, the mechanic in him fascinated beyond description. “That’s the power of the Sol system…”

Police sirens in the background quickly brought the pair out of their daze. Tybalt got to his feet and swore. “Scuz…it’s too early in the mission to involve local authorities…it might be prudent to make myself scarce for now…” He leapt into nearby shadows, and seemed to disappear.

Simon didn’t notice this
as he rushed to Rena’s side. “Hey, Kit-Kat, you still with us?”

She got to her feet as though nothing had happened. “Sol being, what do those sirens indicate?”

“Uh, my name is ‘Simon’, and that’s’ the police. We should leave…”

“Very well. Von! Are you okay?”

“I’m fine…how are you two…”

“Tolerable. Come on, we’re leaving.”

“Jeez,” Simon muttered. “Who died and made you queen? Come on, we got rid of Tybalt!”

“Are you really so dense?” She asked indignantly as they fled. “Tybalt has merely experienced a setback. He won’t give up until he has the system, and he has much more cunning methods of getting it. Need I remind you that you have to die for him to get it?”

“You mean it’s not over?” Simon panted, crestfallen. Behind him, Von shook his head.

“Over?” Rena scoffed. “Sol being, it’s barely begun!”
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