45 replies to this topic

[RocksmySocks]

Alright, Khalid and Isaac have inspired me! This post is just the beginning. There is much more story on its way!

Haha, keep in mind I just wrote this in like, the last half hour. But I want to post it anyway, because I am excited.

So, without further ado, I give you: Rat Lady's Tale: Part I.

___________________________________________________________________


I suppose my story begins at age 11, when my mother encouraged me to apply for a scholarship to the Vortex Women’s Academy of the Arts and Sciences.

War was fairly prevalent around the world at that time, and our own country was beginning to feel the pressures of it. The Vortex Academy provided one annual scholarship for each region to a deserving young girl, and with times getting rough, my mother knew this was my best chance to get OUT.

So I applied. I really had no idea what to expect in terms of an answer. Our town was small, and while I had heard there were cities far bigger than the one in which I lived, I never really had a good grasp of the true population. Upon receiving the scholarship, I was therefore shocked to discover I had beat out over 1400 other girls in my age group.

I accepted their offer, partly out of curiosity, but mostly for the happiness it brought my mother. A few months later, just after my 12th birthday, I bade farewell to my mother and my little brother, and was brought to the Academy.

I have to say that the time I spent at the Academy were some of the best times in my life. The war was drawing closer to our borders each day, but at the Academy, the war might as well been in another solar system. It was like living in a dream. We were taught math, science, literature, art, and history. We were trained in martial arts and were encouraged to take up cross-country running and various track and field games. I made several close friends very quickly, as I was finally around like-minded people.

Just about two years after starting the Academy, on an otherwise quiet Thursday afternoon, all that came to a crashing halt.

As I was leaving the chemistry lab to begin the walk to my dormitory, an explosion suddenly shook campus. After my ears had stopped ringing, I deduced that it had come from the library. Curious, and a bit naïve about my own personal safety, I ran over towards the smoking building to see what had happened.

Just then, a second, greater explosion burst from the library, sending flames down the stairwell and smoke all around me. Many students nearby got hit by flying debris, and several fled, but I could not. In front of me laid the fallen body of a woman. Though charred, I could just make out the insignia of the Neutron Knights on her front jacket pocket.

She coughed. It startled me, I must admit, as I had thought she was dead. She looked as though by all rights, she should have been. Opening her eyes, she swallowed and looked at me. “You…must…do something…for me,” she croaked, beckoning me towards her.

Shaking like a leaf, I shook my head. “We must get you medical attention. You have to –”

“NO,” she said forcefully, and I shut my mouth. “This is my end. There is nothing that will help me now.” The woman coughed several times and her head lolled to one side. “Girl, they are coming. They want what I have.”

“Wh-who?” I asked, kneeling down by her side.

“Eddie’s mercenaries. I have vital information that they want in order to –” she began coughing again, her eyes squinting shut. “I don’t have much time left. You must go to the Neutron Knights. You must pass on what I have learned.”

“Me?!” I was very panicked by that time. Eddie was a name known and feared throughout this hemisphere of the world. His armies had caused more damage than any known before. To cross him meant…well, to put it this way, people had suffered far worse fates at his hands than the poor woman that lay burnt in front of me.

“Yes, you MUST,” she insisted, grabbing my hand with her charred fingers. “Find the Knights. Tell them that the tree that blooms the longest holds the cure for life’s greatest defeat.”

I blinked back tears of fear that had suddenly bubbled up. “I – I – ”

“PROMISE ME,” she demanded, gripping my hand tighter.

“Well, y-yes, I guess I can try –”

“Good,” she relaxed, releasing her grip on me. “Now go, before they –”

A green laser bolt flew in from nowhere, hitting the Neutron Knight square in the chest.

I leapt to my feet, fear seizing me as several menacing shapes approached through the smoke.

“No, you idiot! You killed her! Now we’ll never know the secret!” a voice growled.

"Well excuse me! Who was the one who nearly blew her to kingdom come with those explosives?" another voice argued back.

That was enough for me. I took off running faster than I had ever ran before, trying to block out the voices of anger behind me, yelling, “No! Who is that girl? Did she tell that girl?! STOP HER! CATCH HER!”

I dropped my book bag off my back, hoping the loss of extra weight would help me gain speed. However, the moment it took to unhook the bag was a moment too long.

I felt myself being tackled from behind, my face shoved into the ground and scraping against the concrete.

“GOT HER!” my assailant cried out.

Something vile was sprayed into my eyes and nose. Things became fuzzy and the world began to darken. The last thing I heard before passing out was the laughter of a man I would soon learn to despise.

“Perfect. Eddie will be very pleased.”

[ssj4majuub]

Woaaahhhh

Sweeeet.

[Jimmygang 005]

WOW wonderful really WOW :thumbsup: :rock: :kawaii: , I can't wait to see more

And by the way I'm makeing a list of kings and queens of our kingdom, and Rat Lady your story time is King DeCarlo period (he had Hugh Neutron character)

:) Khalid :)

[RocksmySocks]

Thanks you guys! I'm glad you like it so far.


And cool Khalid. King DeCarlo. :D Perfect!

Will you post that list of time periods and monarchs for us on IDOJ, for reference? That would be awesome.


-Katie :ahoy:

[Beks]

Wow, Rat Lady! That's an awesome story! Are you doing this in parts?

But anyway, I should do one of these!

[RocksmySocks]

Wow, Rat Lady! That's an awesome story! Are you doing this in parts?

But anyway, I should do one of these!

Yeah, this was just the first part. I don't know how many parts there will be in total.

And yes, you should totally write one, too! :lol:

[CraazyOne]

Oooh, awesomeness! This is so cool... Looking forward to the next part!!!


But, oh, dear, all the NKs are doing this now and I haven't the slightest inspiration for mine...

Wait. O_o Maybe I do... :D

I'll just have to brainstorm a bit.






~Rachel~

[RocksmySocks]

Part II!

Haha, this looks like it will actually be quite a bit longer than I first thought. More parts will be on the way soon. Hooo boy, I have got to work on thinking up less complicated plot lines!

______________________________________________________________

I woke to find myself lying on a damp, cold, hard floor. A dim light from far away eventually allowed me to survey my surroundings. It looked to be a dungeon, though a fairly modern one. The walls and floor were made of concrete, not stone; the bars of the cell were fitted with an electronic lock; and, to my great relief, a toilet was included inside.

Still, by the looks of things, this cell had been used for quite some time. Messages were sprawled across the walls, cracks ran through the floor. A large gash ran down left wall, and I suspected it was a result of consistent water damage.

I sat still for a while, recalling the events that brought me there. I still remembered the message the Neutron Knight gave me, but most of me wished I had never heard it. I put my head back down on the floor in thought.

After a few moments silence, I heard a strange sound. It was very high pitched, and it seemed to escalate in intensity.

In sudden realization, I froze.

Rats.

There were rats in this cell.

Now, I had always been a friend to animals. In fact, at the Academy, I was encouraged to go into veterinary medicine. However, I doubted the rats in this cell were domesticated, much less friendly. Odds were, they were wild, and would respond as a wild animal would to being intruded upon.

I knew that for my safety, I needed to discover where these rats were. So I followed the sounds across the room. They were coming from the gash in the wall. Peering in, I saw only one set of eyes gleaming back at me.

“Well, hello there,” I said softly, letting the rat know I was present. “From what I heard, I thought there were many of you, not just one.”

The rat stared back at me and as my eyes adjusted to the dark, I noticed strange squirming coming from around the rodent. Babies! I realized with a start. That is what all the noise was.

“Oh, you are a momma?” I asked the rat, who continued to regard me with an expressionless face. “And it looks like those children of yours are still quite young. Eyes still shut, and all.”

I have to admit, I felt a bit silly for carrying on a conversation with a rat, but I was scared and alone. Somehow, talking was helping me calm down.

“Well, Momma, I’ll let you be, then,” I said, sitting back against the wall.

She cocked her head at me, then went back to cleaning the baby in front of her.


Days passed. Food was passed through the bars to me by a very bored guard. No one else came to see me.

Momma Rat left her home every day to run around the dungeons, out through the bars of the cell, to find food or bits of nesting material. At first, she tried to avoid me, and would freeze if I tried speaking. But eventually, she got used to my ramblings and began to just ignore my presence.

While she was gone, I would slip bits of my daily rationed broth to the baby rats, who would lick it off my fingers. Those moments kept me from falling into complete despair.

Then, one day, one of my original captors came to visit.

“Hello there, girl,” he said, sliding the door of my cell open.

I didn’t respond.

“My name is Tyson. And what may I call you?”

I didn’t trust myself to answer any question, even one so simple. To be honest, I was worried that just opening my mouth would cause me to reveal the secret I had been entrusted with. After days of isolation, logic tends to get fuzzy.

Tyson frowned. “This will be easier if you cooperate. I know you have something to tell me. Just say it, and you can go free. Easy as that.”

I pursed my lips together. If this secret was important enough for a Neutron Knight to die for, then it was worth me spending more time in a dark damp cell.

“Fine. You chose the hard way.” Tyson’s eyes narrowed. He was clearly annoyed. “You aren’t scared. Do you even know what the hard way is?”

Fear began settling in my stomach. Just then, Momma Rat chose to dart back into the cell.

She was a fast runner, but somehow, Tyson was faster. He snatched her off the ground and twisted cruelly.

I gasped, tears coming to my eyes, which refused to close. Momma Rat fell limp to the floor. I stared in horror, barely remembering to breathe.

“Next time, that will be your arm,” Tyson said, shutting the door and walking away. I barely heard him. I could not look away from my dead rat friend. Even if she had not considered me a companion in the way I regarded her, a friend was all I could think of her as.

And now she was gone.

I stumbled over to her body and gently lifted it off the floor. “I’m so sorry,” I whispered, tears dripping off my face. Squeaking could be heard from the gash in the wall and I winced. “Your babies. Who will look after them now?”

I swallowed, anger welling up inside me. Tyson would pay for this.

I cradled Momma Rat’s body up against me. “I’ll take good care of your babies. And I will make sure that man gets what is coming to him. I won’t let you down. I promise.”

[Beks]

Wah! So sad! But so good! ^_^

[CraazyOne]

Awwww...so sweet! ): Looking forward to your next installment, Katie! =D





~Rachel~

[N!no]

:thumbsup: nice chapters, really cool plots! though..so sorry for the mommy rat u know... waitin' for more updates soon
^_^

[ssj4majuub]

WIN

Sheer, untapped win.

[Jimmygang 005]

Very sad, that Tyson should have one good ass kick :angrymob:

:) Khalid :)

[RocksmySocks]

Wow, thanks for the replies everyone!

And hi, Noemi! I don't know if I have properly introduced myself to you yet. It is nice to meet you! I'm glad you are enjoying the story. ^_^

Alright, onto Part III!
(PS: Apologies in advance...I am really not spending the time on this I should. I just sort of type it up and post it. Not too much editing or revising. BAD Writer Girl! Bad!)

________________________________________________________________________


I tried my best. I honestly did. Guilt can make me doubt how hard I tried, but when I think back on it logically, I did try my best.

It was three days past their orphaning when I lost the first one.

He had been a runt. He already looked weak when I became the litter’s surrogate mother, and the broth I fed them was not enough for the poor little guy to make it on.

All I had to feed the little ratties was broth. I received two bowls of it a day, plus two pieces of bread, and two glasses of water. They were too young for solid food, and I knew it was their mother’s milk they actually needed, but broth was all I could offer them.

From each bowl, I would drink about one-half to two-thirds for myself, and then I would dribble the rest on my fingers for them to suck on. It was hard-going for all of us.

A week passed without anymore visits from that horrible man. In that time though, two more babies were lost, in addition to the runt.

Each death felt like cutting defeat. Each loss a small victory for the despicable Tyson, even though he, as far as I knew, had no knowledge of the litter’s existence.

When Tyson did return to my cell, there were but three babies left, safely hidden in the crevice of the wall.

“So, have you decided to talk, girl?” he asked, opening up the cell door.

I glared back at him. Words could not express the anger inside me, but I tried anyway. “Go jump off a cliff.”

“Ah, it speaks!” Tyson exclaimed, clapping his hands together. “Progress.” He smiled, moving into the cell.

Instinctively, I leaned to one side to hide the gash in the wall. I could hear my ratties inside, squeaking at me in hopes of it being dinner time.

“Now, what is it to be?” His face fell into an expression of complete seriousness. “That little secret? Or your arm?”

My brain spun, trying to think of some epic comeback to spit back in his face, when gunshots could be heard from above.

Tyson stepped backwards. “What the –”

An explosion rocked the building and dust fell from the ceiling, covering the two of us.

“Dammit!” He growled, turning and leaving the cell. He slammed the door shut and locked it. “You aren’t going anywhere. No bloody Neutron Knights are going to get past my defenses. They were designed by Eddie himself!”

My breathes came quicker. Neutron Knights? Here?! My heart leapt into my throat. Could it be me they are coming for? I could only pray.

Tyson stormed out of the dungeons, leaving me alone once again.

Some time passed. Eventually, faint sounds of yelling and fighting could be heard coming from above, and suddenly the dungeon doors slammed open and two people burst in.

“Okay, where is she?” a rough voice asked, tearing down the hallway.

I shrunk back to the corner of the cell, one hand over my face and the other placed in the crevice to pet the remaining baby rats in an effort to keep calm.

“I don’t know,” a female voice answered. “I don’t even know what she looks like. I wish we had more to go off of.”

“Eh, there’s a simple solution,” the first voice responded. “Hey! Girl! Are you in here? Don’t worry, we’re friends of Lady Avia. We won’t hurt you.”

Lady Avia? I felt nervous. Should I trust these people, or was this a trick?

“Joey, she might not know Lady Avia’s name,” the woman said. Their voices were getting closer. “I don’t know if they really had time for introductions.”

It would just be moments before they arrived at my cell. Realizing they would find me soon anyway, I piped up.

“No,” I said, “We didn’t really exchange names.”

Two figures strode in front of my cell. The man had spiked up hair and very wide shoulders. A nasty looking gun lay holstered to his side. The woman seemed to have some sort of glistening tiara on her head, and a rope strapped to her waist.

“Ah, there you are,” the man smiled. “Well that’s a relief.”

The woman nodded. “Hold on, we’re gonna get you out of here.”

The man whipped the gun off his belt and blasted the lock on the cell door. Electricity could be seen jolting about the bars, and the door jerked open in response.

“Come on, let’s get going,” the man said, gesturing impatiently.

I sat still, uncertain as to what I should do. My ratties licked my fingers desperately.

Upon seeing my hesitation, the woman walked in and knelt down by my side. “Listen. We’re Neutron Knights. We’re here to help.” She showed me the insignia on her long jacket.

Something in my gut told me she spoke the truth. “O-okay,” I finally said, slowly standing up. “Just, can we hold on a minute?”

“A minute?” the man scoffed. “We need to move NOW.”

The woman shook her head. “It’s now or never girl. We have to get you out of here while Tyson and his goons are distracted.”

This was all happening so fast. “I can’t leave them,” I tried to explain, my mind racing. With my energy levels at an all time low, I could form no more coherent thoughts than that. “I made a promise.”

The woman frowned. “Leave who?”

Gently, I took out my remaining three charges from the crack in the wall and showed them to my rescuers. The ratties raised their heads, perking up their newly opened ears. Their eyes were still glued shut.

“Well, really, this is just – ”

“Joey, quiet,” the woman interrupted. She laid a hand on my shoulder.

“You have to leave them. We can’t afford to waste more time with this,” she tried to explain to me. “I’m very sorry. Really. We’ll find you new pets when we get out of here.”

Panic and rage boiled under my skin. “No!” I pulled the rats close to me. “This isn’t about pets! I promised their mother, don’t you see? These are my CHILDREN!” Tears broke from my eyes. Despite being a teenage girl, I could have very easily been mistaken for a five year old at that moment. The weeks of starvation, lack of sunlight, and severe emotional stress had taken their toll on me.

The woman sighed. After a moment’s thought, she reached down and tore a long strip off the bottom of her jacket. “Here,” she said, tying it into a makeshift sling. “Put them in here.”

Relief washed over me like the first sun of spring. Carefully, I placed the three rats inside the pouch, and then wrapped it over my shoulders.

“Okay, good, the vermin are saved, now can we get a move on?” Joey danced on his feet impatiently in the hall.

The woman smiled. “You’ll get used to him, don’t worry,” she laughed, directing me out of the cell. “He just has the attention span of a toddler.”

I nodded dumbly and followed the Knights out the door.

The scene we escaped to was one of disaster. Neutron Knights raced back and forth, taking out guards as they went. Eddie’s mercenaries fought fiercely, but even with their greater numbers, they were outmatched by the Knights.

My rescuers ran on either side of me, shielding me blow by blow. I felt quite useless amidst such great warriors, up until an adversary dove straight at me and my martial arts training kicked in. Within seconds, he was on the ground, unconscious.

I checked the satchel with my ratties immediately, making sure they were okay. The two Knights with me just stared. “Well, I trained at the Vortex Academy…” I began to explain. The woman just laughed.

“Wherever it is that you trained, I’m happier for it,” she said, shaking her head incredulously. “Alright, enough standing around, let’s keep it moving.”

Our running lead us a hanger bay, where the roof had clearly been crashed through.

“That’s the one we want!” Joey shouted, pointing to a silvery ship in the distance.

“Alright, let’s – ” a flying object landed at our feet and the woman stopped mid-sentence, panic crossing her face.

Joey found his voice first. “POISON GAS!”

The round object began to ooze smoke.

“Hold you breathe and RUN!” shouted the woman.

Nobody needed to tell me twice. The three of us rushed out of the rising smoke at break-neck speed. Unfortunately, the smoke was spreading and covering out feet, so I failed to see the box in front of me.

Tripping, I fell, spread-eagle on the floor. A hand reached down and pulled me to my feet before I could inhale the noxious gas around me and I started running again. With each step the silvery ship grew closer.

I brushed myself off from my fall and, almost subconsciously, felt my side for the satchel.

It was gone.

“Ratties!” I shouted, panicked, spinning around. My heart dropped into my stomach. It must have slipped off when I fell!

I sprinted back into the gas, ignoring the shouts of my rescuers to get out of there. I can’t leave them, I thought, kneeling to the floor and feeling around through the smoke. I promised…my hand fell upon the cloth and I could feel their warm bodies inside. Grabbing, I tried to stand up, but it was too late. Tunnel vision overtook me and I collapsed back to the ground, weakly attempting to hold the satchel aloft above the fumes.

I…promised…

[ssj4majuub]

Woah!

Sweeeet.

And don't worry, that's all I did with my story too.=P

[CraazyOne]

Oh, Katie, this is great! It keeps getting better and better. How dare you leave for a week after posting a chapter like THAT for us???? Ohhh, the evil cliffhanger!!!! *collapses dramatically*

Um...hehe. :P






~Rachel~

[Beks]

:dance: Go me! Ahuh! I rescued you! Ahuh! :dance:

But what happens next?! :onfire:

[Beks]

I hate to bug fellow writers, but are ya gonna update this soon? I'm anxious to know if you're gonna be ok!

[RocksmySocks]

Haha, no problem Beks, you are right to bug me!

I shall try to get another chapter up today. :D

Oh, and as to whether or not I'm going to be okay...

Spoiler alert: I die in a fiery explosion and never make it to Knighthood. :onfire:

Sorry!


-Rat Lady :ahoy:

[Beks]

Oh no!!! :onfire: ....hey! Wait a Eustace beatin minute! You don't die! :rolleyes: Then how do you get to be in the NK's now? :huh: