Rainbow Sparkle Power Friends Reunion Story Part 12 C

 Claire and the local guy sat on the sun loungers either side of Kat.

"Welcome to Mexico Amethyst Sparkle, Diamond Rainbow has told me a little about why you are here." Claire handed Kat a bottle of water and took a drink of another. "You've sensed that a Rift is forming here and you are checking the area to get a lay of the land before you have to come down to fight what crosses over." He finished looking between the women.

"Pretty much, yes, " Kat replied, " is there any thing you can tell us about this? Who are you and how many of you are there? I saw 4 green shards when I was feeling out the Rift."

"We are here to fight what comes over, not unlike yourselves, there are 4 of us with sacred armour, who will fight alongside you." Kat and Claire smiled to each other, 14 was better odds than before.

"Would you be willing to travel as well if we have a situation further afield in future?" Claire asked.

"I would have to ask everyone else first, but personally I would love to." The Waiter replied. "Do you have a phone number I can reach you on to let you know our decision?" He replied, Kat reached over to the bag and grabbed some paper and a pen and wrote her land line number down and handed it over.

"And what do we call you and your group?" Kat asked.

"I am Mateo and our group is The Sacred Jaguar Knights," Mateo answered and looked at them, "We are the last few of a proud warrior line."

Kat looked at Mateo, then closed her eyes and concentrated, listening for the sound that wasn't a sound. She relaxed and opened her eyes, "Can I see your blade?" she asked, holding out her hand. 

Mateo reached inside his blazer and brought out a green dagger and handed it over. Kat sat with it in her lap, hands over the knife, eyes closed, she focused on the knife for a while, Claire finished her water and her second Mojito and watched intently as Kat focused on the knife. She opened her eyes, looked over her sun glasses at Mateo and handed the knife back, and took a sip of her Long Island Iced Tea. 

Claire spoke up, "You said 4 of you have the sacred armour, are there more of you?" 

Mateo looked slightly confused, "There are siblings, some can't use the armour but their children have been able to." 

Kat spoke around her straw, "Should have brought some of those DNA tests." 

"It'll save time to just take them to the Warden and the armoury, don't you think ?" Claire shrugged at Kat who shrugged back sucking down the last of the Iced Tea. 

"We're taking at least one of the British guys on Monday," she said to Claire, she turned to Mateo, "is there a chance one of you will be available on Monday around mid morning to lunch time?" 

Mateo looked at them both, "Why?" he asked. 

"We might be able to get you more armour or maybe at least upgrade your equipment. Actually, may I have the knife again?" Kat asked. 

Mateo look at Kat, "Why?" 

"Because I'm going to take it to The Warden and she can have a look at it now and might have something ready for you on Monday." 

"How long will you be?" 

"An hour tops." Kat replied, Mateo reached inside his blazer and handed the knife back over. Kat took her communicator out of the bag, thought of the Warden and touched the crystal and was gone.

Claire looked at the empty sun lounger, "Well I'd better get another drink and make it something soft with ice," Claire said getting up and hoisting the bag onto her shoulder, "and you'd better get back to work, in fact, I can prop up the bar and you can tell me what you know about the potential breach site." Claire said picking up the empty glasses and following Mateo back into the grounds of the hotel.

Kat transitioned to The Warden's Tomb walked over to the pedestal and placed the green knife on it."Hi,"Kat called out the whisp materialised and hovered in front of her,"while down in Mexico we found a group that has access to a few artifacts that feel like your people's technology, I asked one of them to loan me their dagger so you can look at it and see if the ones able to use this," she touched the hilt of the dagger,"might be able to use the weapons in the armoury back there."

2 smaller globes of light detected from the whisp, one phasing into the blade the other moving over it. They spent a few minutes studying the blade.

"I believe I can integrate our technology with this lesser blade, and others examples of this type of construction." 

"I've been meaning to ask how do you do that?" Kat asked. 

"I have a few of the construction looms we use to weave our creations, I can blend the metal alloy cloth with this, which will allow the weapon to channel Earth Energy. Any armour they have can be enhanced the same way."

"How would that work?" Kat asked assuming the weave would be on surface of the blade. 

"My looms can weave it into the material of the blade itself, they will not look any different to what is before us now." The Warden replied. 

"Okay, I'd better get this back to the owner." Kat picked up the blade, "We'll be bringing some of the British guys and some of the group we've just met in Mexico here on Monday, take them to the armoury, see if anything sings to them." She finished, putting the knife in the waist band of her shorts."One last thing, do you have any more of the communicators that I can take? International phone calls are expensive." 

"May I see yours again?" The Warden asked. 

Kat pulled hers out and placed it on the lecturn. The 2 whisps detached again, one flew into the communicator the other sat beside it. One device formed in the whisp, it moved to the side and a second device formed or was transitioned in from elsewhere in the Tomb. Kat took the wrap skirt off and used to bundle the 2 new communicators and the knife up, taking her own in her hand she focused on the beach she'd been on and touched the second crystal and was gone. 

She arrived on the beach and looked around for Claire, spotting their footsteps leading to the loungers, then Claire's and Mateo's footsteps leading into the hotel grounds. Kat followed the trail to the gate and had a look around the pool area, spotting Claire's hat and shorts at the bar.

Claire spotted her walking over and snapped a photo on with the pad.

Mateo put down 2 fresh drinks, Kat looked around, checking for any other workers watching or cameras covering where they were. Not seeing any Kat slipped the knife out of the bag and slide it over the bar under her hand, Mateo picked it and put it back in its sheave without fuss, smiling all the time at the pair.

"One other thing Mateo, back in the 90's we had these," Kat said bringing out her communicator.

He looked at it, "I had a phone like this back then too, I'm surprised it still holds a charge."

Kat slide a second one over, "This one's for you. You can reach us without having to dial internationally. It holds its charge as long as we get it near one of ours every few weeks. And I can think of worse places to spend an afternoon once a month." Kat said looking around the pool side and beach, she turned to Claire," I got one for the British guys as well, so we need to swing by Cornwall before we go home."

"Oh no." Claire joked. "So Monday, one of us will be in touch and will meet you on the head land at the top of the beach near the Punta Prima Hotel." She told Mateo, turning to Kat she held out her arm, "Let's walk you, and I'll tell you what was told to me while you where away." Claire filled her in on the hotel being an "adults only" establishment, even doing the air quotes and touched on some of the details Mateo had told her. 

The pieces finally came together and it clicked into place for Kat,"Oh my god! That explains the purple throbing and veiny nature of this one." 

"You know the second time I was close to a penis was that tape of your ex husband right?" Claire asked. 

"No, where is this going?" Kat replied. 

"That was only the second time I've seen one, and even I worked it out when Mateo was talking to me." 

Kat stopped walking and looked at Claire, "You've not been with anyone since Prom?" she said incredulously. 

"I didn't say that, I said I'd not been with a guy since then." Claire finished the sentence, the rest of it not needing to be said. "I work at the FBI, it's a fairly conservative place, I keep my sexual preferences to myself, and if anyone asks about me not seeing anyone, I show them the scar and explain the whole no kids thing and it shuts them up, " Claire looked into the distance, "what about you, why haven't you been seeing anyone else since the elephant pants man"

Kat smiled at the memory, took a drink and started walking again. "I've not felt right since him. I've dated a few people but it's always fizzled out. It's like a part of me still feels bad about the break up, that I'm no longer with him, and I had the kids. I didn't want to keep coming home with different guys, or even worse the wrong guy who stuck around because of the money or because of who I'd been. Did anybody ask you to wear the outfit, either the cartoon or the real one while you do it? "

" Morven did, the one time." Claire said the words like every one was an immense weight, and smiled sadly to herself," We left for Trinty the next morning, she held my hand tightly all the way there from the Tomb."

"Oh," Kat hugged her, 'I knew you were close... "Kat didn't know how to end that sentence and so changed the subject back to her and Lincoln," Lincoln asked, a few times. I kind of stopped changing, told him it had stopped happening about 18 months before the stuff powered down." Kat looked at her own drink, "He offered to buy me the slutty version of the amethyst outfit," she smiled and stired the drink with her straw, "I was wearing it when we made the tape."

"Which one was the slutty version again? I'm trying to remember the difference between the sexy and slutty here. And picturing you in it."

"Sexy had the skirt that covered even my flat ass, and a proper bikini top, the slutty version had the belt and a bikini top that can best be discribed as dental floss and a purple g string. Still cost $125 for so little material."

"It'll be the purple dye," Claire replied eye brows raised , "very expensive is purple dye" she said nodding, drinking and looking at Kat.

Kat laughed, "Keep walking, Diamond, we need to reach this hotel so we can get some photos and a lay out." They linked arms again and carried on walking along the beach.

Claire started talking, almost unburdening herself, "Morven held my finger as we got ready, and gave me this smile that lit her face up in whole new way before we went into battle. And then we lost her. And you in short order, it was hard afterwards in the hospital. I told my parents and Morven's about us, they couldn't really be mad at me for long while I was in bed on a drip and had just had a hysterectomy, so 4 parents ranting at me while I was off my face on morphine was great as I don't really remember it much."

"Nobody since then?" 

"No one that felt the same, there's been a few woman, a few experimenting at College, a couple of other very discrete liasons at work. But no one who's face lit up that same way. And you?" 

"You know about Anton." 

"No, Angel's older brother?" Claire asked. 

"Yes, well that wasn't a good idea so we kind of called things off, Lincoln was a chance meeting again after getting back on my feet. I think I loved him, I certainly felt bad about sleeping with any one else afterwards for a really long time, and I didn't want to send the wrong message to the girls. Amy seems to be handling this time of her life better than I did."

"To be fair your teenage years were pretty much open war between your parents and you, the people who you should have been able to turn to, you couldn't. You're doing a better job of parenting than yours managed." 

"Having everyone calling me Kat and not An or Su didn't help their mood, they saw it as another abandonment of my heritage and acceptance of the degenerate American ways."

"Do Thea and Amy have Korean names?" Claire asked to change the subject. 

"They do, Amy's full name is Park Jebikkoch Chea Amy Green, and Thea's full name is Park Jebikkoch Hyum Thea Green."

Claire had her eyes closed and was working out of the translation, "Jebikkoch means Violet doesn't it?" she asked Kat

"Lincoln never did get that one."

"And that's their generational name?"

"It is."

"Chae, Chae, Chae..." Claire concentrated, " is colour?" Kat nodded, "Hyum wasn't one I ever learned, so go on." Claire finished. 

"Hyum depending on how it's written can mean deep, dark, profound or mysterious." Kat explained. 

"And how do you write it in Hanji?" Claire asked. Kat stepped to one side and drew out the Korean symbol with her foot, Claire watched. "My written Korean is worse than my spoken, so which one is that?" 

"Mysterious" Kat supplied. 

Claire smiled, " You named your daughters Park Violet Colour Amy Green and Park Violet Mysterious Thea Green?" 

"I did." 

"You dad joked both your kids names?" Claire asked. 

Kat had a huge smile on her face. "And I would have gotten away with it too if it wasn't for your keen mind and years of FBI training." She laughed.

"I'm phoning child services when we get back home." Claire said looking serious.

"You do that and your not getting any of the Bulgogi I've had marinating since last night."

"Is that the one you used to do for my dad, the Korean BBQ?" Claire asked.

"It is, yes." Kat confirmed.

"I'll let it slide, I missed your bbq." Claire looked around at the hotels around them. "The next one is the one we want."

Kat looked at the beach side of the hotel, noting the cameras on the fence looked over the beach rather than the pool. The side walls were larger, with space to drive a hummer between the walls of the hotel and its neighbour. They circled the building, the wall next to the road was lower again at the driveway entrance, a line of pine trees and a very discreet fence threaded between the trees blocked off any view of what the screen shot showed to be a pool, they went into the lobby to see if they could find a way through and explore the grounds but there was blocked security. They did get map of the hotel, noting the beach side was what was referred to as clothed and the pool on this side with the trees and high walls was referred to as the naked pool. They were able to get into the bar from the lobby and ordered 2 waters and 2 coffees. Kat closed her eyes and focused, feeling the throb and pluse of the growing Rift, most powerful on the naked side, but it snaked all over the grounds. They finished their coffee and took the water bottles back onto the beach, completing a circuit of the hotel. Kat sketched out the Hanji for mysterious in the sand again and looked at low wall surrounding the hotel. "Cornwall?" She said looking up at Claire.

Claire slipped her communicater out, thought of the hotel on its cliff top and touched the crystal, taking Kat with her as they flew over the Atlantic. They reached the helepad, the temperature noticeably cooler than it had just been, going from 91° Fahrenheit to 71° Fahrenheit in seconds.

They walked into the lobby, "Is anyone in down stairs?" Claire asked the guy on the desk.

"I can ring and check for you, who should I say is here if there's an answer?"

"Claire Diamond and Park Kat Green" he dialed and waited, smiling blandly at the pair.

"No answer, I'm afraid."

Kat reached into her bag and brought out the other communicater she'd been given, "Can you give this to the guys downstairs, it's a communication device that means we can reach them, let them I'll be in touch on Monday." 

She handed it over to the receptionist, and they walked out side and transitioned home, finding the girls back and Peggy and Struan waiting in the living room. Kat got a shower and changed first, then Claire got a shower and Kat started cooking the Bulgogi and fresh noodles.

She realised how much she'd much missed cooking for lots of people, and resolved to invite everyone over next weekend for a meal. 

Hobby Update

 Okay so my headset gave up on life about the time I finished Morvenn Vahl, and I'm supposed to be saving money for me gas & electricity bill, so I'm putting off buying a new one until after Christmas this year, or maybe ask the kids for a replacement, they're both working do should be able to afford it.

Which means it's very doubtful I'll be painting anything before the new year, so the page is going to be a writing and AI art blog for a couple of months now. I do plan to get Coriswan to paint and The Imperium series is finally getting back to marines again so I'll have something to do in the new year. 

Rainbow Sparkle Power Friends Reunion Part 12 B

 Angel locked the car and followed everyone into the house, bipping the alarm to set it.

As she walked into the living room Angel saw Strune was standing, and at a similar height to herself smiled and made his usual joke, "Finally a normal sized person." As Peggy his wife was the same height as Kat. "We got your message on the answer phone, what do you have to tell us that requires all 3 of you to be here?" He asked. "Not that it should take big news for you to visit." 

Claire pulled all 3 communicatiors from 3 different pockets and stacked them on the coffee table, she took a deep breath. "Have you seen the news today? The international news. " She asked. 

The couple shook their heads, Peggy answered, "We were hiking in the hills, we've not even looked at our cell phones since we set off, why?" 

"Well we're kind of back in business as the Rainbow Sparkle Power Friends. And we destroyed this really old school near Windsor Castle this morning. There's also a video of me in Scotland." Claire finished. 

"And?" Peggy asked

"We'd gone to fix a point and that point turned into a portal, 2 portals actually, that we closed." 

Angel carried on, "As we closed the second portal we saw an imprint of a blue body trying to push through. A little bit later Morven's voice came over the communicators, we spoke to her briefly. She's alive."

 Strune and Peggy both looked stunned by the news, sitting looking at each open mouthed." What did she say?" Strune asked. Claire related the conversation they'd had, finishing with a smile with," And she asked to watch The Lord Of The Rings." Claire took a breath and visibly braced herself. "So we've formed a plan, it's stupid and probably doomed to fail but we are going to try it. There is another portal forming in Southern Mexico, when it goes we're going down there ourselves. I'm going to cross over and try to find Morven as both Angel and Kat have kids so can't really go and leave them behind on what could be a one way mission."

" What about you, what happens if you can't get back?" Peggy asked the question that the 3 of then still didn't have an answer to.

Claire looked away, "The plan is we hold off from healing the portal until Morven and her travelling companion reach the location in the Umbral realm and we hold the door open for them, I'll go through, if we can get the Knights of Sâl Arwydd to join us we can have 7 experienced fighters at our side." 

"You're still talking about only the 3 of you, 7 guys and at least 2 people over there fighting an army. And who are these Knights of Sâl Arwydd?" 

"A British version of us that are using King Arthur's Knights arms and armour."

 Both the older people blinked several times, "Getting back to that later, but carry on." Struan said.

"We fight our through what's on this side, if any of the Knights want to join me going through they can go over, we fight our way through the things on the other side, link up with Morven and cross back over. Once back we heal the rift and go back to the person that started this all those years ago for a debrief then come back here. If everything goes as planned."

Strune stated the unspoken fact," That's a big if, especially when you are still fighting in those short outfits. "

" We aren't The Warden upgraded our gear. " Kat replied 

" The Warden? "

" The Intelligence from Before The Time, turns out she's a prisoner" Kat carried on, Claire pulled up the video on her you tube of her in her armour, turned the TV on and brought up the TV app and cast the video over and pressed play.

The voice of the confused Scottish woman came over the speaker, Claire hit mute. "So we asked for something a bit more armoured and we got better weapons, and we still have to say the attack names. And there's still a mountain of glitter when we change." Kat finished. 

The 3 of them brought Morven's parents up to date with all the latest information they'd learned about ancient history and who they were all descended from. Kat promised that she'd bring her kids over to meet Peggy and Struan as soon as possible, and with them being retired now they promised to be available to pick kids up from schools as an option if it was ever needed.

Claire picked up her communicator, and opened it. "I was going to try and reach her again so you can talk to her", her gaze hadn't shifted from the device, "she did say she'd get in touch when she'd sorted out transport to where they need to be." 

Struan and Peggy looked at each other, "Try it, please." Peggy replied. 

Claire touched the crystal and held it close to her face. "Morven are you there? Can you hear us?" 

Far away sneaking into a camp of unfriendlies Morven's communicator chirped, Beatrice looked from the tree line, Morven looked down at her belt, she rushed at the Destriers tethered near her, slashing the rope holding them, Beatrice was already running towards the saddles, she grabbed 2 and the rest of tack, not really caring if it matched, a head popped out of a tent a bleary eyed occupiant looking out for the source of the noise, blinked and focused on her leg, then up and up some more taking in the saddles and tack, she kicked him hard in the head, once, then again. He slumped down unconscious, and she used her hoof to push his body back into the tent, she hurried across the camp trying to to be as quiet as possible, Morven had moved the giant horse out of the pen and was leading them into the woods, passed the body of the guard shed killed. Once out of sight of the camp Moven opened the device. "Yes?",she said a little snippily, Beatrice was saddling the largest horse for herself, Morven grabbed a bridal and put it over a smaller horse head. "kind of the middle of something here." She hissed 

Claire sounded confused, "We're with your parents we thought you'd like to talk to them?" 

"I would yes, but right now we're stealing some big horses and need to make a hastey exit, Bea, can you saddle this one as well?" she called quietly over. Beatrice finished hers and moved to finish Morven's horse, while Morven roped the remaining horses together and talked." Put them on. " She said, voice full of tension. 

Her parents voices came over the communicator," Morven, hunny why are you stealing horses?" 

"Because we need to get somewhere faster than walking speed if we're to get to the next Rift, we found a roaming Knight band and so we taking their horses to facilitate and expidate our travel." 

Beatrice snorted, "You must be stressed, using big words again." 

Morven smiled and breathed, "It is great to hear your voices, I hope to see you soon, but really we have to go," 

Beatrice ears flicked around, "I hear them, they're following the trail. We have to go, now." 

Morven looked at communicator, "I'm sorry I can't stop and talk, we have to go as about," she quickly counted the horses, "at least 10 guys,"

"I knocked one out and you killed the sentry" Beatrice pointed out

"Okay 8 guys are coming this way, and moving is better than fighting. I'm sorry this just wasn't a good time to call" 

"It's just good to know your alive Morven, the crime and killing we don't understand, but we love you and hope your home soon." Struan said, Morven clicked her communicator shut, put it back in her pouch. She looked around, grabbed the rope for the rest of the horses, jumped onto hers and started to ride through the woods. 

Beatrice came up beside her, crouching low over her horse's head to avoid low hanging branches, "We might even make a profit if we can sell the horses" she said as they rode into the night. 

The evening ended with Peggy in the car coming back to Kat's house to meet Thea and Amy, which was kind of wierd for them as besides Kat's aunt and seeing Grandma and Grandad at the funeral, they'd never met anyone from their mum's past before a week ago. They seemed to get on well and Peggy promised to come round at the weekend and take the girls shopping at the new Mall while Kat and Claire went to Mexico to do some reconnaissance of the area the next Rift was forming at. 

Struan arrived to pick his wife up not long after, and knocked on the door, before he left he looked at Kat and asked her. "I heard a story from a friend at JPL about you and Elon Musk, what happened there?" 

Kat smiled, "Short or long version?" she asked

"Long version." 

"Sit down then, drink? Cos I'm going to need one" Struan nodded, Thea went and got the drivers juice, Kat fixed herself and Peggy a glass of wine," I had a phone call from my lawyers telling me Musk's legal team had approached them asking to buy my Uncles rocket engine patent, reading the fine print I saw he wanted to remove Bray's name from the patent. I said that was unacceptable. He added 2 zeros to the offer, but kept the stipulation that he'd be credited with the engine. I said no via the legal team. His team asked for a face to face meeting with another zero and we could discuss the the name issue. I agreed to the meeting." Kat took a drink and smiled at the memory,"I put on my best suit, walked into the office of his legal team with my senior lawyer who had the instructions all typed up. We sat at our side of the table, they sat at their's with Musk in the middle. He launched into a long winded... Monologue I think is the best word, a tale about the future and vision, my lawyer pushed the paperwork across the table, they read it and passed it around while Elon waffled on. I stopped him and told him my only condition for the sale was my Uncle's name was to the be the solo inventor of the engine, he could not claim any rights of invention on the engine, if he couldn't agree to that it didn't matter how much he offered me up to full ownership of SpaceX. I don't want to say his ego couldn't handle it, but he walked out of the room. I also raised the percentage on how much his company pays for each engine they use." She finished. 

Struan smiled proudly," I heard most of that, as well as he was going to try and smear your name but it was pointed out who you are, he was then going to drag up your Uncle being a North Korean defector but it was again pointed out that he defected to America precisely because he had the design for the engine that would have put Washington in range of North Korean nuclear warheads and didn't want it to belong to Kim Joung Unn."

"I thought he would come for me, I didn't think he'd go for Uncle Bray." Kat looks ruefully into her drink. " Oh well I'm guessing he must be nursing that one for a later date." 

Everyone hugged, and went home, Kat had Angel's brothers number so she could arrange for him to have a look at her Focus to see what he could do with it.

Homework was done and an explanation of who Struan and Peggy were and what had happened in England was given to Amy and Thea, photographs were shown and bed time was late for a week day.

Friday morning was the "hair, teeth, shoes" ritual, and out the door for the school bus.

Kat breathed out finished her coffee and poured herself another cup and sat on the deck and thought about her day and the coming weekend with it's trip to Mexico and back to Cornwall on Monday, she'd already had to refuse a request to let both kids have the day off school to join her and Angel in Cornwall. The morning was spent sat by the phone as duty translator, helping 2 different stations with Korean custody suspects.

Kat had a light lunch and made a start on the lasagna for tea that evening and got enough Bulgogi marinating for 5 for Saturday night, thought about it for a moment then made it for 6 as Claire would be with her all day in Cancun and probably hungry when they got back, as well as getting plenty of dough ready to make oodles of noddles tomorrow. Kat then went upstairs to check her wardrobe for something that would work on the beach,settling on pair of red shorts, a tankini top and a large rattan bag She texted Claire suggesting she bring some beach appropriate clothing ready for the next day, and drove to the drug store to pick up some factor 50 sun screen and some new shades, and changed some cash for Pesos, feeling really rich with her 2000 peso. Claire messaged back whole she was out with a photo of a large sun hat, a yellow vest top and a pair of red shorts

Saturday morning was slightly more hectic than normal, not helped by Claire turning up to get ready as well. Peggy arrived and took Amy and Thea to the Mall. Kat and Claire went out into the garden

 Feeling very summer ready they looked at the image of the lagoon and beach lined with hotels on Google Earth on the pad, and took some screen shots, Kat put the pad in her bag, locked up the house, dropped her keys in the bag as well and they both concentrated on the beach and hit the crystal to transition and rode the lightning. They flew the length of Mexico, coming in over the lagoon behind the beach front hotels, landing on the very corner of the beach.

On the beach the pair took their bearings, checked the screen shots Kat had taken and they linked arms and walked down the beach, looking at the hotels on one side and the Atlantic ocean on the other.

"I wonder if that bar is open?" Kat asked pointing over to a pool side hut that had a had a man in a polo shirt standing in front of bottles.

Claire checked her watch which was still showing San Dimas time, "Isn't it a bit early for a drink?"

Kat looked at her and smiled, "Oh hunny we are on holiday, relax," she replied making a bee line for the entrance, they made sure they could get drinks first as they weren't guests, Kat ordered a Long Island Iced Tea and Claire ordered a Mojito, they took their plastic glasses and went back onto the beach, drinking through the straws, Kats leaned in and rested her head on her friends shoulder.

"You've not done that for a long time." Claire smiled, leaning her head on the top of Kat's, "You'd been kicked out by your parents"

"That hardly narrows it down." Kat replied as they drank and walked.

"We were 17? Not long before the Bowdle Beach Incident on the Missouri River." Claire reminded her.

"I remember" Kat said, eyeing up the hotels. They finished their drinks Kat looked for a bin and the next bar, and spotted some sun loungers on the beach. "Let's have a sit down, top up the factor 50, and see if I can feel how close we are to the nexus."

"Okay I'll go over there and get drinks," Claire said pointing at another pool side bar, "You do what you need to. I'll not be long. Same again?" She asked about to walk off.

Kat handed her the bag, "Please," she said, waving for the bag and grabbing the sun screen and topping herself up. Before sprawling on the lounger in the shade and relaxing and entering a trance. When she was under she found the blocked up stream, this one was purple with throbing reddy purple vein like structures, shot through with gold in it. This one didn't feel the same as London, it didn't have the same tensions, and the colours were obviously different. Kat couldn't think what was different, so moved closer. She could feel it, the lust, the jealousy, the pride, the wrath, the gluttony and the envy and there was something else she could feel, around her watching were 4 green points, moving slowly around the beach, like they were patrolling a perimeter. One was approaching her, accompanying a diamond shard. Kat shook herself out of the trance, blinded by the bright light briefly, and she looked around and saw Claire approaching, accompanied by a waiter who was carrying the 2 drinks and 3 bottles of water.

I'm Literally Geeking Out

 So last year Hasbro ran a promotion for a limited edition nerf gun based on the pulse blaster from Aliens.

I missed the delivery man on Saturday as I was at work today and no on heard him knock. 

So Monday came and my oldest was in to get the parcel. 

It's big and if I'm 100% honest would have preferred it in prop accurate colours, but fully understand why it isn't. 

It requires 4 C sized batteries to operate the electrical bits. 

About the only thing I'd want more of is the magazines, so you don't have to run off and get more darts, load them into the magazine and firmly ran it in there. 

I missed my laughter off, which is a shame. I love this thing, now I just need a shelf to mount it on. 

Rainbow Sparkle Power Friends Reunion Part 12 A

 Rainbow Sparkle Power Friends Reunion story part 12 A. Now with orginal AI art work

#rainbowsparklepowerfriendsreunited 

"You're in the Ring Of Brodga." The woman shouted back, "You can't be in there, it's a monument." She informed them in a confused tone of voice.

"Don't worry we're not stopping. Which way is Cornwall?" Claire shouted, the woman pointed South. "Thanks!" Claire called, "Hand on shoulder," she told David as she touched the crystal again and rode the lightning southwards. The flew down the Great Glenn, over Loch Ness and Loch Lochy, Fort William on their right, they flew over Ben Nevis carrying on over land then sea, The Isle of Arran on their right, out over The Irish Sea, with the Isle Of Man on their right the West Coast of England on their left. Over the mountains of Wales, descending over the Severn Estuary. The 2 Severn Bridges flashed past, the Somerset levels on their left, then Devon. Descending and slowing they went over land with small towns and villages reaching the craggy cliffs of Cornwall. Slowing and descending Claire saw the headland with a hotel, a circle with a big H that Claire aimed for, landing on the H.

"How was that?" Claire asked David.

"A lot smoother." He replied.

"Where's this secret base then?"

"It's in a sub basement of the hotel." Claire tilted her head back and squinted at him, walking around the hotel towards sea and the island, ignoring the collumned entrance for now and looked at the place that might once have been Camelot, she changed back to her street clothes. 

"That it?" She asked.

"it's an Iron Age Hill Fort, what did you expect it to look like?" David asked.

"I don't know. A wall at least."

They strolled around the hotel and around to the bridge and the path with all the stairs down to the older bridge.

"According to myth that cave was home to Merlin. Treasure hunters then actual archaeologists have done several digs and found nothing in the cave. Because it's mostly under the hotel behind us."

"So what was Glastonbury?"

"An opening to the cave here. Apparently there are several openings, a couple in Wales, Glastonbury, Alderley Edge, Banburough Castle, Dumbarton Castle and Église Saint-Onenne in Tréhorenteuc in Brittany, which is nice to bob over to France and avoid the boarder problems."

They walked over the bridge and followed the path around the island, joining a tour group and getting the potted history of the place with the a group of Japanese Dr Martin fans. They followed the group to the church and found a few details about St Materiana, and it's blend of ancient and not so old stone work.

As the tour group was guided back to the coach Claire followed David into the hotel and down into the cave complex. The walls were Cornish Granite, the seven tables were arranged in a circular fashion in the centre of the cave. Around the walls were a number of Blackstone artifacts, there was a large quartz crystal next to a forge in the back of the cave, along with a tool rack, workbench and anvil in sensible working triangle. Claire studied the crystal and felt a susurrus coming from it but couldn't hear anything clearly. She checked the devices but couldn't be sure what to make of them, so took photographs of them all to show to The Warden. One had a map of Britain and Europe displayed.This map didn't have the North Sea. The English channel looked more like a huge river made up of the Rhine, Senne and The Thames, while the Irish Sea was a channel between the west coast of Scotland and the north coast of Ireland, the Isle Of Man was still connected to England. Not knowing Ice Age coastal levels and not wanting to pay the data roaming charges her phone network would slap her with Claire asked, "Is there WiFi down here?"

"Of course, the password is on the back of the router. Which is..." David looked around the cave and found the modern desk with its back to back desk top PC's, printer and mess of cables, David reached over the and snapped a cover plate off the back of the modem and passed it over." Merlin's Cave network is the one you want to connect to." 

Claire put the 3 random words into her phone when prompted and connected to WiFi. "Do you know how old that map is?" She asked. 

"An expert on the Ice Age has it at roughly 8,000 years ago." Claire's phoned pinged as the WiFi warmed up. "Sounds like your popular" David joked. 

Claire scrolled through the notifications, several work emails, 2 missed calls and a YouTube upload # for Diamond Rainbow, she clicked on that first, it had been uploaded by the woman with the pram. The video started off with Claire and David standing in the grass inside the stone circle, she could see herself and David talking 

" Excuse me where are we?" Claire called out on the video. 

"You're in the Ring of Brodga."

The back and forth between them, David putting his hand on her shoulder as they turned and then a lightning strike shooting up from the ground and they were gone, the camera view switched to a full face close up, of the woman," Was that one of the Sparkle Friends? Who was she with? What does this mean?" She asks the camera then a YouTube advert started signalling the end of the video. 

"Oh well that isn't going to be good." Her phone flashed a new email notification from her dad. She opened it up and quickly scanned the message. "How far out are the others?"

"Flight plan should have them heading to Portsmouth to refuel then onto here. Best estimate," he checked his watch, "they'll be about about half an hour from Windsor to Portsmouth, 30 minutes to refuel and do checks. Then it's just over an hour with favourable winds from Portsmouth to here."

"So how long?" Claire asked.

"About an hour now."

"Can we get food from upstairs?" She asked.

"We can eat in the restaurant if you want," David replied, "we don't have to stay stuck down here. Most of us have places in town. I guess we were lucky the 6 guys where all here earlier." The pair of them went back upstairs to the lobby, Claire followed David to the restaurant and they had a wonderful meal while they waited for the helicopter. They moved into the bar, Claire logged on to the hotel WiFi and answered her work emails, her office director was asking her to report in first thing in the morning, accounts were asking why her expenses were late again, she used the WiFi to phone her parents and reassure them that she was uninjured then phoned Angel's parents and Zander to let them know what was going on and that everyone was fine. 

David saw the Merlin coming into land on the helipad and pointed it out, they walked outside to watch the chopper coming in, "Was this installed for you?" she asked David pointing to the pad.

"Actually no, several of the regular guests asked for it, so they can fly in for the weekend when they want. We didn't complain about it. We also double as helicopter pilots, we take them down to Newquay and drive back." He had to shout the last bit as the Merlin's engine howling as it landed. The side door slide open and the 6 men in armour got out as well as Kat in her street clothes and Angel in her armour, they crouch walked away. Claire grabbed Kat and Angel and told them about her detour to Orkney and the video, as well as the leaving a message on Morven's parents answer phone. Angel changed back to her street clothes and they had a quick tour of the cave, Angel could feel something calling to her and had a walk down to the beach but wasn't able to narrow down where the feeling was coming from. Angel told Claire about the deal Kat had made to teach Robbie, Jamie, Micheal, Gary, Phil and David how to unlock some of the abilities Kat had found in their weapons and expressed an interest in coming back and trying to find what it was she could feel was out there. They grabbed a bite to eat from the kitchen, stood on the helipad, changed and transitioned to The Tomb. 

"I forgot to ask them about that image of the red creature they had." Angel grumbled as they arrived. 

"I'm going back Monday morning our time which is Monday evening for them, and it's not like you don't know where to go, and we have email, phone numbers and an address for them. You can reach them." 

"Good point." 

"I need to show you some photos of the Knights of Sâl Arwydd's cave, they have several artifacts that wouldn't look out of place here, " Claire told The Warden, " how do you want to do it, on the lecturn thing, " Claire looked at the place where the smart phone was integrated into the Tomb's system, "or do you want to look at them?"

The whisp formed and started to unfold, "oh no, the whisp is fine I don't need you looming over my shoulder." It stopped and folded back on itself in that strange way, Claire swiped through the photos she'd taken the Whisp looked at the unfathomable Blackstone devices. 

"I would really need to examine these myself to decern their purpose. I think at least one of them is a sleep controller." 

Kat looked at the Whisp, "Well there might be a chance, does this," Kat pointed at the Whisp, " have a range?" 

"I do not know, I have never needed to send it beyond the Tomb."

"We can try when we go home, you can come back with one of us". They debriefed with The Warden, lessons learned about how to heal the rifts gone over and importantly the question of the Knights equipment was raised. 

"I would have to study their armour to be certain." 

"I told them that, I can bring a set here in a couple of days or if this works we can collect you Monday and you can come with us and do what you need to do while we train the guys, and you can let them know if their armour can be upgraded." 

The gas in the tube stopped moving and the whisp looked at the Tube, a pair of black eyes were briefly glimpsed in the depths with hints of other features.

"This might violate my sentence," the Warden mused.

"Seeing as the Queen tried to kill your charges I think the sentence is open to negotiation, and this is to further our aim in saving humanity." 

Claire checked her phone for the time. "We'd better get back to San Dimas, I need a shower after today. Before we go and see Morven's parents" The women stood shoulder to shoulder, the whisp floated in Angel's hand. Their was the sensation of the transition and the 3 women were in Angel's garden, the whisp floated in Angel's hand. It rotated, then zoomed around the garden inspecting flowers, sand and rocks, it went and hovered over Claire's shoulder and with a whoosh of air it was gone. 

"So it's solid." Angel replied as they walked inside, they booked 2 Ubers for Kat and Claire, as they waited they sorted out a plan for later that evening, with Angel picking Kat up and meeting at Claire's house and then driving them over in Angel's beloved mini van.

When Angel picked Kat up she noticed it sat lower on its suspension than most other mini vans, sitting in the passenger seat as the engine reved it had more depth than she'd expected.

"Your brother was into cars wasn't he?"

"Is, is into cars."

"He tweek this?" She asked.

"Modded this, and," Angel smiled and looked across at Kat,"yeah he did, its not Street race ready but it'll leave any other mother standing at a red light." Kat laughed, "What's the 0-60?" Angel looked around the residential area,"We can find out on the freeway." She replied as she burned rubber out of the street leaving 2 trails of black rubber on the road. Angel didn't break her best 0 to 60 time on the drive to Pamona. On the drive over to 1238 Oak View Lane all 3 of them felt a weight growing in their chests growing with each revolution of the wheels. Claire had brought her communicator with her, and was holding hers stacked on top of Kat's and Angel's, hoping to still be able to get through to the device Morven was still carrying with her, and give her parents a chance to talk to their daughter again.

They turned into Oak View Lane and followed the road as it curved, and then into the cul de sac. Kat's breath caught in her throat at her first sight of this house in 20 years. Angel parked on the short drive, undid her seat belt, opened the door, got out and looked at Kat. Her knuckles were white as she gripped the seat edge.

"I don't know if I can go through with this. This is too much, I'm calling an uber and going home." Kat stated, eyes fixed on the garage door

Claire opened the passenger side and sat in the door well, she put one hand on Kat's

"Sweety, this is 2 people who've know you for years, that let you sleep in their house and wash your stinky boot socks in their washing machine, they've missed you as much as my parents had. They'll want to know how you are doing and what you've been up to." Angel could see the front door open and Peggy walk out and come straight over, Struan followed her out and looked over to the car, he waited at the front door, tall as ever, hair more grey than black now, but still trim. Peggy, her hair still the same shade of red it had always been, moved Claire out the way when she got to the car, sat in the same spot, leaned in and put her arms around Kat and just held her. Kat let go of the seat and put her arms around Peggy and hugged her back, twisting a little in her seat to do so.

"I'm sorry," Kat breathed into Peggy's hair.

Peggy pulled back and wiped the tears from Kat's eyes, smiled at her and hugged her again,"Dont be a numpty, you've got nothing to be sorry for," She told her,"now are you coming in?" Peggy made a show of looking behind the seat, "I'm not seeing any washing back there."

Kat smiled, "I have my own machine now."

"Oh good, I've got several loads of washing I need to do, I'll be round with them tomorrow morning." Peggy joked, "If you come in you can help sort into lights and darks"

Kat undid the seat belt and swung her legs out of the car.

Standing, Peggy put her arm around her shoulder and guided her to the front door. Strune looked down at her as she walked to the door. He held out his arms and hugged Kat as well.