Iron Dragon Chapters 42-43
#21 of Iron Dragon
Katie blushed red from the very unembarrassed truth. Jenny gave her a wink as the two girls climbed in the car.
"This feels a little familiar." Jenny glanced around the inside of the car.
"It should, it has the same basic system as the Lotus. Only a newer version." Little Joe squatted next to the driver's door. "The stereo system is a little more powerful too. Have fun."
"We will." Jenny said.
Alice put the key in the ignition and turned it to run. Jenny had even put her belts on before her. The gauges glowed a seductive red. Like the Lotus, form followed function, but given the bigger car's dimensions, everything had a detailed and elegant form. She put the car in first and they slowly rolled out of the shop.
Jenny kept waiting for the tire smoking start, but oddly it never came. They cruised around at a normal pace for a little while. Jenny was glad when some boys in a sports car egged her on at a light. Slow wasn't quite right...
Alice looked over and blew them a little kiss before leaving them stupefied at the light. With more than double the power and massive tires the Viper pulled considerably harder off the line then the Lotus. Alice was giddy as she pulled third and they were all ready over seventy miles an hour. She jerked the wheel to the right and instead of sliding the snake went around the interstate entrance ramp tightly and neatly.
Fifth gear quickly brought them over one hundred, sixth they shot past the Lotus' top speed. Seventh and the far left lane of the autobahn highway heading west out of town now over two hundred miles per hour. The viper pulled hard all the way to two hundred and twenty miles per hour. Alice about had an orgasm when they reached two hundred.
"Holy shit is this thing fast!" Jenny suddenly understood Alice's feelings for speed. Between the brute force power and the smell of Alice's arousal Jenny was getting turned on.
"It's wonderful, isn't it?" Alice asked as they roared up the eight lane super highway to the mountains.
"I think I might understand it now." Jenny actually enjoyed a triple digit pace for the first time.
"Understand what?" Alice asked dropping down to sixth as the road started to snake up the canyon. The Viper handled like they were riding rails.
"This..." Jenny said with a smile. Alice and her laughed. They didn't need a destination.
Alice pulled off the highway and with no traffic on the bridge kicked the back end of the Viper out. Jenny actually got into it and the two girls giggled during the near eighty mph power slide across two lanes of traffic and down the ramp to head back to town.
Alice kept them under two hundred seeing as it had grown late when they had turned around. The bright yellow head lamps and driving lamps shooting out into the distance. Jenny reached over and turned up the radio as one of their favorite rock and roll songs came on.
They stopped at a little dinner for supper. Each of them had to go to the bathroom and clean up a little. Jenny had never gotten that turned on by riding in a car before. They had a rather light meal before getting back in the car for the ride home. Which was quick given the performance of the car and Alice's skill driving it. Not nearly as quick as the ride up had been, but still fast.
Alice moaned softly as Jenny put her arms around her from behind. They had just got inside their apartment.
"I want you so damn bad." Jenny whispered in Alice's ear as she cupped one of Alice's breasts with one hand. The other went straight down Alice's pants and panties to the very wet spot between her legs.
Alice moaned louder as Jenny effortlessly slipped two fingers inside of her. She undid her belt and pants on quivering legs while Jenny fingered her and gently bit her ear. Alice and Jenny slowly ended up on the floor, neither one could get Alice's clothes off quick enough.
They both were breathing hard as Jenny knelt on her hands and knees over Alice her now messy hair hanging down around the both of them. Jenny's shirt had been unbuttoned, she had skipped wearing a bra all day. Alice raised her head the inch between them and they kissed again.
Jenny smiled as Alice sucked on her tongue before laying back down on the floor. "I love you so much." Jenny said softly.
"I love you." Alice said softly. She put her arms around Jenny and pulled her down on top of her. As they kissed again Alice ran her hands along Jenny's side and both went under the waist of her loosened shorts. Jenny moaned as Alice squeezed her ass, pulling their hips closer together.
Jenny's mind went crazy as Alice whispers two little words in her ear. Jenny left the rest of her clothes in the living room as the two headed to the bedroom. Jenny moaned as she pushed the smooth bulged end of the toy inside of her. As she fastened the snaps, Jenny licked and sucked on Alice's clit.
They both moaned as Jenny pushed the thick end of the toy inside of Alice and turned it on. All the way to high, neither of them wanted to be teased. Alice hooked her legs around Jenny's waist and pulled them together, driving the toy all the way in.
"You're really sexy when you get this way." Jenny said before lowering her head down to suck on one of Alice's nipples.
"You... started it... Less talk more sex." Alice moaned as Jenny humped her with the toy. They both had cum once out on the living room floor. Alice ran a hand through Jenny's hair as Jenny gently bit her nipple.
Jenny moaned and shivered as she came again. Alice scratched her back as she came again. Which caused an odd sense of pleasure for Jenny, it was only the second time it had happened, but this time she liked it. She was covered in a sheen of sweat, the smell of sex was driving her wild. It sort of reminded her of their second time, neither were nervous and they just really needed the physical act.
The two laid in ecstasy with the toy pulled out and off now forgotten. With the hot and heavy out of the way they were in a tender and seductive embrace. Light kisses, gentle touches and a little giggling slowly lulled them both to sleep.
Jenny was the first to wake as the sun shone brightly into their room. As she sleepily glanced around the room, she noticed the door had been closed and all of their clothes in the laundry basket. She crawled out of bed and headed out to the kitchen to get something to drink.
She pulled a gallon of juice out of the fridge and drank straight from it absent mindedly scratching her breast. It wasn't until she put the juice back she realized Nodrog was not the only one sitting in the living room. Sherman sat at the opposite corner of the couch.
"I will take the slack jawed starring as a complement." Jenny said with a naughty grin. It wasn't like she had anything he had not seen before. And she was in too good of a mood to care.
The way he stammered and tried to say he wasn't staring was cute. And being in a naughty mood, she had to tease him even more. Jenny walked over to the couch with no attempt at covering up and leaned on the back of the couch right next to Sherman. She giggled as he fidgeted from the smell of sex that surrounded her.
"I don't mind you staring, besides I will let you in on a little secret." Jenny said.
"What's that?" Sherman asked as he tried not to stare at those small tits of hers, that and the smell was causing him to have a big problem.
"Alice and I have talked about what it would be like to have both of you at one time. Our hot little bodies between the two of your hard and hot bodies." Jenny said in a very naughty voice. She giggled and scampered back to their bedroom and closed the door.
Sherman sighed relief as the door clicked closed. "I think I am going to need an ice bath. How do you live with them?"
"It takes a little getting used to." Nodrog said and couldn't help but laugh at the wolf's frustration. Still that was a really mean thing for Jenny to do.
"I think that is the understatement of the year. I don't think I could keep my hands off of them." Sherman said, that little girl was so mean. "You don't think it's true?"
"Probably will never know. And there are days it is really hard. Cindy would kill you." Nodrog said.
"That is a fact." Sherman said grateful his hard on was going away.
"Don't go out there like that, unless you want to give Sherman a show too." Jenny said as Alice walked to the door. She had taken a quick shower but was still naked.
"Don't tell me you did?" Alice asked, she was embarrassed.
"Full on show and tease. I am so bad some days." Jenny said and walked to the bathroom so she could take a shower.
"Oh god you didn't? Please tell me you didn't tell him." Alice begged.
"Yeah I told him. You should try it, he is cute when embarrassed." Jenny giggled.
"You are so bad some days." Alice said and walked over to get her bathrobe.
"Just using the power of boobies to turn even the biggest of wolf to a whimpering puppy." Jenny peeked out of the bathroom after she turned the water on. "I dare you."
"No, I all ready went all the way with Wes' girlfriend. I am not going to tease Cindy's boyfriend." Alice tied the bathrobe tight before leaving the room. However as she pulled the door closed, she realized both of them had heard her say all of it. "fuck..."
She muttered to herself as she turned on the coffee pot. Thanking whatever god was out there that they didn't ask or say a word about what she had just said. "So what time did you three get in last night?" Alice asked as she sat in the recliner, careful not to give Sherman any more of a free show.
"Three hours ago. Hopefully that will be the last, last minute call out for a while." Nodrog said.
"So you are expecting us to be called out again?" Sherman asked.
"Even I know that's a give in you will be called out. Lets face it, the two of you are the only ones who can pull off that kind of thing." Alice said and sipped at her coffee, it sucked, but sometimes real life just does. And she caught herself staring at his crotch, and silently cursed herself.
"I didn't expect you to be okay with it." Sherman said.
Alice glanced up at him and stared into his eyes. "I'm not okay with it... It's just I don't have to worry about him or you coming back in a box. Cindy is the one I have to worry about when you are out."
"You have a point there." Sherman said.
"When corporations have armies that rival countries, you can't expect it to always be peaceful. We should be lucky it has been as quiet as it has." Jenny said as she came out of the bedroom. Fully dressed to Sherman and Alice's relief.
"How does she do that?" Sherman asked.
"Inject reasonable philosophy in the middle of a conversation, I have no idea." Nodrog said.
"Hey, I do think of stuff besides T & A." Jenny threw a roll at Nodrog. They all laughed as it bounced off the arm he had on the back of the couch.
"It is true, she worked diligently all day Monday without molesting me." Alice said.
"I'm really not that bad!" Jenny yelled. "It's just that's all everyone catches me at..."
"We know." Nodrog tossed the roll back at her.
"And technically, I put the idea in her head about screwing the two of you at the same time." Alice said sheepishly.
Sherman and Nodrog both sat in a rather stunned silence. "I didn't see that coming."
"Neither did I." Nodrog said.
"Didn't see what coming?" Cindy asked as she walked in. "What? He said when I got up to come over."
"That Alice would think of shagging the both of them first." Jenny said.
Cindy just laughed and sat on the arm of the chair Alice was sitting on. "Don't worry Alice, since I knew Sherman before the three of you met him. I had thought about it the first time I saw Nodrog. Would have been when we picked you up from the castle the first time."
Now it was four people in stunned silence. Even Jenny was speechless. "Well it's true. I know we are not the only three women to think it either." Cindy said and crossed her arms a bit embarrassed. Alice's mom pretty much admitted to it at the party. She felt a little relieved to not be the only one.
"So aren't you going to get dressed and show them your new toy?" Jenny said steering the conversation away from sex. Mainly for her own sanity.
"Oh yeah, Cindy and Sherman are sure to be jealous." Alice said and quickly ran back to get dressed.
"No it's not in the bedroom either. It's in the garage." Jenny finished eating so she could put her shoes on.
Jim and Kenny all ready found it sitting in the bay behind the Lotus. "You know the minute we try and take a peek she will be down here." Kenny said as they drank their morning coffee delaying getting the morning started. Both were leaning against one of the counters along the wall.
"Yeah. We are going to have to figure out how we are going to keep both of them in here without taking up more room." Jim said.
"At least we don't have to do the small fleet stuff anymore. That lift is useless for the trucks and tractors... How fast do you think it goes?" Kenny asked.
"two hundred and twenty mph." Alice said as they all came into the shop.
"You have two sports cars now?" Cindy asked, the little bit of jealousy coming through.
"No, I have a sports car and a hyper car." Alice said excitedly.
"Since when is a Viper considered a Hyper car?" Sherman asked as they all walked over to the menacing looking car. His head hurt trying to figure Alice as a car nut.
"Since this does over two hundred on pump gas." Alice pulled the pins to raise the ram air hood.
"Black heart." Nodrog said without knowing he said it out loud.
"I like it." Kenny said as Jim and he checked out the black power plant under the hood.
"I have a question." Cindy said and tapped Alice on the shoulder.
"Yes." Alice said.
"When do I get a ride?" Cindy asked.
Alice just smiled. "I knew you would get it. Lets go."
"Your usual spot?" Jim asked and walked over to the phone hard wired to security and air traffic control.
"That would be fine." Alice said and pressed the remote start.
"I thought it was a push rod engine." Cindy said as they got in.
"It is, the wine is the un-silenced turbochargers." Alice said as they belted in. Jim gave her a couple of hand signals. "You are in luck, we can use the main runway to get to the old runway system at the other end of the field.
"They let you play with your cars out there?" Cindy asked as they rolled out of the shop and cruised down to this end of the closest runway.
"I have to keep my radio on in case of an emergency or they need to do some training. But yeah, ten miles of runway, taxi ways and 14 miles of service road is my play ground." Alice said and kept the RPM up in the lower gears to warm the motor up quicker.
"Lucky girl." Cindy said and Alice pulled to a stop at the end of the main north south runway.
"Lets see traction control off, grip setting to drift. Now we can see how hard this launches." Alice built up the RPM and watched the gauges closely waiting for the turbo boost to hold steady.
"Hang on." Alice quickly let out the clutch and hammered the throttle pedal to the floor. While they didn't burn rubber the tires howled on the edge of loosing traction and just spinning.
They were pinned back in the seats every gear change. Cindy was impressed with how quickly and smoothly Alice up shifted the car. Alice shifted into seventh and the Viper did something different then it had yesterday. It kept pulling even after they hit two twenty.
"I thought you said two twenty?" Cindy asked and grew a bit worried when the only answer she got was laughter.
"Well we have another five hundred RPM to red line and we just crossed two forty five mph." Alice said but they could tell they had ran out of the power curve as the car quit pulling. "Looks like two hundred and fifty seven is the top speed."
The car rocketed down the run way. Alice gave a very gentle weave to see how the car handled at top speed, and was pleased with very little sway or roll. Plenty of down force to keep everything firmly planted on the ground.
Cindy was about to say something when Alice brought them down to one hundred and fifty, pitched the car sideways and they transitioned to the older part of the air field. This time she did get the tires to break loose and they howled in protest and let off a fair amount of smoke.
After two full throttle tire smoking corners Cindy realized Alice should have been a fighter pilot. She knew guys who couldn't use both feet and hands as well as Alice. "So how long have you been able to drive like this?"
"Hell I could do stuff like this before I ever got my first kiss." Alice smiled as they took a corner at a solid thirty mph faster than the Lotus could. "My dad races and his brother is a stunt car driver. They both occasionally teach advanced pursuit tactics to law enforcement."
"And your mom is a history and language professor..." Cindy said.
"My brother is an editor and photographer for a travel magazine." Alice said and a loud boom caught their attention.
"What was that?" Cindy asked.
"I don't know, wasn't us." Alice said and slowed to a crawl as they looked around.
"Alice, the equipment shop!" Cindy yelled and Alice spotted the rising smoke out of one of the bay doors.
"oh god..." Alice jammed the throttle to the floor and kept the full throttle pace across the nearly three mile of service road back to the shop.
They actually beat the fire fighters and the EMTs to the garage. Both of them jumped out of the car and were caught before they got to close to the flames. Each of them were screaming names.
Alice spotted him just before the flames vanished. "Let me go!" Alice yelled and ran over to Nightrunner, who was kneeling next to a bloody Jenny. "No!"
Nightrunner held up a finger to his lips, his other hand was just under her breast covered in blood. Several bloody metal fragments laying next to Jenny. "It's all right I have already removed the shrapnel. I just need to finish healing the deeper cuts." Nightrunner placed his other hand next to the wound.
"Why isn't she moving, where are the others?" Alice cried and frantically looked for everyone else.
"We are all right. Just some scrapes and bruises." Kenny said as he and Jim walked over to them.
"Jenny had just jumped onto the back of the winch truck. She was caught in the blast from the welding tanks exploding." Jim said and they looked over at what had been the rack they kept the full oxygen and acetylene tanks chained up.
The racks and tanks were mostly annihilated, the chunks of them embedded in nearly everything on this side of the giant winch truck. "What the fuck happened?" Cindy asked.
They jumped as Jenny spoke. "Sherman went nuts and attacked me. His dad attacked Nodrog."
Chapter
"But why would Sherman attack you?" Cindy asked as Nightrunner helped Jenny get up.
Jenny looked over at what used to be tanks. "I said he went nuts. I don't know why beyond that..." Jenny looked up at Nightrunner. "I would have been hamburger if you hadn't of shown up. Thanks." Jenny gave the elf a hug.
"Excuse me, but what the fuck just happened here?" One of the very confused fire men asked.
"Just tell your superiors the welding tanks exploded. Aside from some cuts there were no sever injuries and everything is under control." Jim said. He was the highest ranking person here and said it with enough authority they didn't ask any questions.
"You know that isn't going to work." Kenny said.
"I know, but until we tell Kathrin, Frank and Jade what happened it is going to do." Jim turned to face Nightrunner. "Thanks for saving our butts."
"The least I could do. I came as soon as Nodrog called me." Nightrunner returned Jenny's hug. "I need the three of you to tell me what happened in as much detail as you can."
"Nodrog called you here?" Jim asked.
"Yes, he said it was urgent. I can see that is the case." Nightrunner gestured to the well defined explosion.
"We were standing over by this work bench." Jenny walked over to the side closest to the door. "I was standing here." Jenny walked over took Cindy's hand and lead here to the long side of the bench. "Sherman was standing here."
"Nodrog was about were Alice is standing, the two of us where over here." Jim and Kenny took their spots at the wall side of the work bench...
Earlier.
"You all right Sherman?" Kenny asked as Sherman fell to a knee and knocked over a couple of coil springs.
Jenny screamed as Sherman quickly and violently picked her up by the neck. His eyes glowed a horrible green.
"What the fuck are you doing?" Jim yelled.
Sherman looked at the wide eyed girl in his hands. "I... don't know... Run... away."
Jenny fell to the ground and landed in a crouch. Sherman yelled at her to run away and took another swing at her. Tearing her shirt and scratching her chest before she rolled back, planted her hands and drove both of her feet up into his jaw as hard as she could. She rolled out of the hand spring turned attack and stood up as Sherman wiped the blood from his mouth.
"No you don't dragon!" Someone who looked like an older Sherman bellowed and knocked Nodrog against the winch truck before he could get between Jenny and Sherman.
"Who the hell are you?" Jim yelled and pulled out a .45 from under his shirt. He and Kenny narrowly avoided a ball of flame. He always carried now, after that incident where they found the dragon.
"All of you run away!" Nodrog slugged the older wolf as he bellowed.
Jenny turned and bolted, she hopped onto another bench and was in a dead sprint to the winch truck. Jim fired a couple warning shots at Sherman which bought Jenny enough time to hurdle onto the back of the big truck.
With a squeak from her sneakers Jenny stopped and ducked as Nodrog flew past her into the welding tanks. The old wolf followed. Jenny froze, as Nodrog grabbed the arms of the older wolf. They seemed equal in strength but her attention was on the sound of high pressure gas. "Gas leak!" Jenny yelled.
As the world washed white, Jenny only had one thought "Alice..."
"I arrived shortly after the explosion about the time the fires really grew." Nightrunner said.
"So Nodrog should still be here, I have seen him take a point blank blast before." Cindy said.
"That black shadow took Sherman, he probably took Nodrog and that other wolf too." Kenny said.
"Lets find out where he took them." Nightrunner said, then spoke in monster.
A shadow did appear, but it didn't look the same. Not nearly as tall and a bit more feminine then the other... At least jenny though this one looked female. "That's not Azule."
"No, this is his sister Shelk. What is going on?" Nightrunner said.
The shadow didn't speak, but did give a sign language of sorts. Nothing Kenny recognized from using sign with his deaf sister. "What is she saying?"
"Azule did come and get them, but he did not take them anywhere." Nightrunner was clearly perplexed.
"So the three of them are inside him?" Alice asked.
"Yes, that is why Azule cannot show himself or they would be freed. In a manner of speaking they are nowhere at all. Nodrog asked Azule to hold them there. Thank you Shelk. All we can do is wait until the dragon lets them go." Nightrunner said.
They had been here, which was nowhere for twenty minutes. The explosion was his fault, seeing as he set the gas off when he ignited his own fire ball. It did him little harm, the old wolf wasn't as lucky. So Nodrog only had to deal with Sherman.
Nodrog held a still fighting Sherman by his neck. "Focus!"
"I can't! Where the hell are we?" Sherman said in a state of rage and fear.
"Nowhere. What makes you think Azule will keep us here?" The old wolf said as he pulled metal shards from his own body.
"Because he and I are real monsters. Not a sorry excuse for one like you are." Nodrog snapped coldly.
"I've had enough insolence from you. The council should have locked you up and thrown away the key." The old wolf said and spat on the nothing that was the ground they stood on. "Then one of my sons even stands at your side to defend you, disgusting..."
Nodrog glanced at Sherman and saw his eyes finally focus. Nodrog let him go.
"Well I wouldn't defend you, you god damn bastard!" Sherman yelled. He looked at his hands, there was blood on them.
"Oh god, I really did attack her... You made me attack my friend... I couldn't stop it, no matter how hard I tried...Jesus I'm sorry..." Sherman said and fell to his knees.
"You are worried about one lousy human. Stand up and quiet crying." The old wolf pulled the last of the shrapnel from his arm.
"Now I know why you never talk about your dad. I think Jenny will forgive you." Nodrog turned to face Sherman's father. "As for you, don't think your hunter status protects you from me. Not that you deserve the title."
Nodrog picked Sherman up and pointed at his dad. "He is one of the hunters that came after Lilith." Nodrog walked a half circle around Sherman. "Hundreds of years and he couldn't find a scared little girl who never so much as harmed a bug."
"No one would have believed it was her. They would have laughed at us if we even brought up such a notion." The old wolf swore.
"That is true, but you were one of the three hunters that wanted to run away when I attacked Eitak." Nodrog vanished into the darkness. "Your son never ran away." Nodrog now stood behind the old wolf.
Inside of Azule there was light and darkness. You could say it was a colossal room with only one light. Only monsters of the dark and shadows could step into the shadows. Beings of light, would always be in the light. Time didn't exist here, an hour or day could go by to them.
The old wolf took a wild swing at Nodrog and missed. "He has seen me at my worst, eating the flesh of those I have killed. He has even fought me directly, toe to toe. No magic or cheap tricks like his father."
"So I am this way because..." Sherman looked at his hands. He was confused as he was angry at this point.
"You are part monster... Your mother is fully human." The old wolf said.
"It is partly my fault he could use magic against you. Because I have used a fair amount on you, myself." Nodrog said.
The old wolf sat on the nothing ground. "It's a lot of things. Neither of them had any signs of magic in them at an early age. He and Winston both would get over a cold or cut faster than the other kids, but that was as far as it went."
"Well that explains a few things... But why the hell are you such a bastard dad and leave mom?" Sherman asked.
"She wouldn't understand, and you and your brother were accidents." The old wolf said.
Sherman clenched his fists in anger. The old man laughed. "Yeah, I said it. I never wanted you or him. I did love your mom but not you."
As the old wolf stood up Sherman charged him pulling out his survival knife and jamming it in his chest. "Then you can fucking die for real this time..." Sherman growled coldly, the glow coming back to his eyes as he slowly began to understand this new found strength.
The old wolf reached out to Nodrog. "After what you did, you want me to help you? You really are pathetic, dying would be the only honorable thing you have done."
Sherman drove the knife deeper his hatred fueling the magic needed to kill an immortal. He let go and pulled the knife out after that bastard took his last breath. He looked down at the corpse with contempt in his thoughts and heart. Yet there was something else, relief.
"Are you all right?" Nodrog asked as Sherman's breathing calmed down.
"I will be. Can we keep this a secret?" Sherman asked.
"Of course." Nodrog spoke to Azule to let Nightrunner enter the nowhere that was Azule.
Jenny had hoped when Azule showed up Nodrog and Sherman would come out. The shadow exchanged signs with Nightrunner. "Very well. Sherman and Nodrog have requested my presence. Be patient, they will be back shortly, and they are both all right."
Jenny squeezed Alice tightly after he had left. "I was so scared. I never thought I was going to see you again."
Alice had to support her as Jenny broke down after her near death experience. Alice didn't know what to say, she felt a little lost. Thankfully Nightrunner could save her life.
"Am I correct in thinking your old man is behind this?" Nightrunner asked as he walked over to Sherman's father. Nightrunner knelt beside him and rolled him to his side. "I always told you it would be one of them."
"How do you know that?" Sherman asked.
Nightrunner stood up and walked over to Sherman. "Because I have known him for a long time. Are you all right?"
"Yeah, piece of shit deserved to die for what he did." Sherman said.
"Can you handle another revelation?" Nightrunner asked.
"Depends on what it is." Sherman said.
"You have four other half siblings. I am sorry to say your mother is not the only one to love him." Nightrunner said.
"Actually that somehow isn't surprising. Am I going to be on trial for killing him?" Sherman asked.
"Technically it was self defense." Nodrog said.
"His actions lead to a normal being severely injured, and used unauthorized magic to manipulate another. That and you are listed as a class one typhoon of which counting you there are seven. " Nightrunner said.
"Is this something new?" Nodrog asked.
"Actually it was drawn up shortly after you went into hibernation. It is a clause that you and a handful of other monsters and beings fall under." Nightrunner said.
"Meaning" Sherman asked.
"We, who enforce our own laws and govern monsters are not responsible for any damage to property or person if those listed as a typhoon are in anyway involved in any incident." Nightrunner realized he confused them. "Basically if someone provokes or attacks him, whatever happens, happens and no one is going to look into it."
"Is there a class two?" Nodrog asked.
"Yes, but he can eat whole worlds, you can only damage them." Nightrunner said.
"Okay, a planet eater is a little far fetched... Back to more important matters, is Jenny all right?" Sherman asked.
"I healed her physical wounds, as for the non physical wounds. I cannot say, she did come very close to death. And after all you have seen, you are not going to believe in a metal creature that can eat planets?" Nightrunner said with a sly smile.
Sherman only needed to think about it a second before deciding it was better not to think about it.
"Why don't you go back and see how she is doing. I will help Nightrunner with the body." Nodrog said.
"Are you sure? She probably wants to see you more than me right now." Sherman said.
"Doubtful, you only scratched her. I'm the one that blew us up." Nodrog muttered.
Sherman was let out of the nowhere and found himself in the shop once more. Jenny was sitting on a work bench as the others looked like they were picking up the pieces. He took a deep breath and walked over to Jenny. He was somewhat glad she didn't run away. "I don't know what to say... Christ I am sorry Jenny."
"I know it isn't your fault. How's your jaw?" Jenny asked.
"It still hurts... And it is my fault, I should have been able to do something." Sherman said.
Jenny reached out and slapped him "It is not your fault!" Jenny yelled. She blushed when everyone stopped what they were doing and looked at her. "If anyone is at fault, its me... What I did this morning was horrible... I'm horrible..." Jenny said quietly.
"I should have died!" Jenny screamed and bolted out of the shop.
Cindy chased after her, as Alice sunk to the floor and started crying. Sherman didn't know what to do, right now he felt like less then dirt. He couldn't stay here and slowly walked off to the apartment he had moved into for the mean time.
Cindy kept calling after Jenny, but she couldn't run as fast or as far. She had to stop and catch her breath. With a curse at herself Cindy turned around and headed back to the shop.
Kenny and Jim had gotten Alice off the floor and stemmed the flow of tears the best they could. "No luck?" Jim asked.
"Too fast for me." Cindy said.
"Alice, why don't you and Cindy head up to your apartment. Jim and I will go find Jenny." Kenny said.
"She was at a full on sprint to the tree line to the north west." Cindy put an arm around Alice. "Come on lets get you home. The boys will find Jenny."
Alice just nodded in agreement and the two of them headed up to their apartment. Jim and Kenny hopped into the work truck and took off after Jenny...
Nodrog and Nightrunner set the dead body on a stone down in a morgue in the castle. "I seem to owe you for two cover ups now."
"No, this one should have been taken care of sooner. Keep a close eye on him, the experiments on him combined with what his father passed on... Just keep an eye on him." Nightrunner said as they left the morgue.
"I will. Thank you again for saving Jenny." They both turned as Azule appeared and frantically signed at them.
"Don't thank me yet. He says she ran off after saying she should have died. You better go and find her before she does something regretful." Nightrunner said.
Nodrog ran into Azule and heard Kenny and Jim both calling out her name as he stepped out into the forest. Nodrog caught up with Jim.
"I don't know what she is thinking, she just bolted. Alice and Sherman are both pretty upset. Cindy took Alice back to you' alls place, to try and calm her down." Jim said.
"I'll find Jenny, could you and Kenny check on Sherman for me?" Nodrog asked and sniffed at the air, he could smell her dried blood.
"No problem." Jim gave him a pat on the back before turning to head back to the truck.
"Hey, I set off the gas. I didn't know." Nodrog said.
"It's all right. It was an accident." Jim called out to Kenny to meet him at the truck.
Nodrog took to the air and found her laying in a small clearing on her side.
Jenny heard him land, it was foolish to try and run away from him. "Go away."
"You know that is not going to happen. I need to apologize to you." Nodrog sat down behind her and pulled her into his lap. She was too exhausted to put up much of a fight. As he held her in his arms she began sobbing again.
"For what?" Jenny sobbed.
"Nearly killing you when I caused the explosion." Nodrog said.
"Nightrunner should have let me die... I'm so mean to everyone... why are you being nice to me? I'm horrible..." Jenny said between sobs and sniffles.
"You are not horrible, and no one thinks you are mean." Nodrog said quietly.
"Why else would Sherman's dad make him try and gut me?" Jenny asked.
"Because his father hates you and Sherman for defending me in front of the council. The actions of a single bastard do not determine your worth." Nodrog said.
"What is his name?" Jenny asked.
"Trash like him, do not deserve to have their name known. Besides Sherman killed him, his name can go to the grave." Nodrog said.
"Sherman killed his own father? I know they didn't get along but still..." Jenny said and blew her nose on her bloody and ruined shirt.
"His father was dead to him long before Sherman killed him. Turning him on his friend, pushed Sherman over the edge." Nodrog said.
"What have I ever done to be his friend?" Jenny asked.
"Some of the same things you do with me. You don't ask questions about our past, you try your best to include us and refuse to let us remain in the background. And most importantly, you have shown us how to live." Nodrog said and gave her a squeeze.
"Live like everyone should, with an open mind, heart and soul. Love freely and not getting hung up in details or preconceived notions." Nodrog said.
"What about this morning?" Jenny asked as she remembered how hot and bothered she had made him.
"You might want to apologize for that, or own up to it." Nodrog said with a teasing smile and tickled her. She wasn't the only one who could tease, and he loved the sound of her laughter. "Come on, we have someone waiting for us at home."
Nodrog picked Jenny up and took to the sky carrying her back to their apartment. He hoped Alice as doing okay after such a scare. Sherman he figured would want to be left alone to think things over, but still Jim and Kenny should check on him. They might be able to help him through it better then he could.
Cindy and Alice both looked up as Nodrog carried a now sleeping Jenny into the apartment. "Don't worry, she is okay. Just exhausted from all the running and other excitement of the day." Nodrog took Jenny into their bedroom.
Nodrog came back out after laying Jenny down in bed. "Thanks for taking care of Alice for me."
"Since you are here, I think you need to tell us what happened." Cindy said as Nodrog sat on the couch.
"The explosion was my fault. I didn't know what the gas was and when I went to blow a fire ball, that's when it happened. I called Nightrunner to take care of Jenny, Jim and Kenny while I dealt with Sherman and his father." Nodrog said.
"Why would Sherman's dad do something like that?" Alice asked.
"He hates that his son is friends with me, and even went as far as to take my side in front of the council." Nodrog said.
"Wait Sherman's dad is like you?" Cindy said with a little disgust.
"No, not even close to being like me. You don't have to worry about Sherman becoming a monster, because neither of his parents are one." Nodrog said, a little bit of a lie, but that's what his friend wanted to keep a secret.
"Sorry, I didn't mean it to come out that way. So what happened between Sherman and his dad?" Cindy asked.
"You will have to ask Sherman that." Nodrog said. Cindy got up and headed up to check on Sherman, she was worried about him.
Nodrog locked the door behind her and sat back down on the couch, but this time he sat right next to Alice. He could tell she was still a little shaken as he put his arms around her to embrace her.
"I thought I had lost you both... in a split second I thought my whole world came to an end." Alice said softly, she was glad for his embrace. It was reassuring.
"I'm sorry, Alice. I see now I should have acted different, and had Azule take the three of us before it got out of hand." Nodrog said.
"It's easy to over analyze after the fact. You did what you thought was the correct course of action. It is called an accident for a reason." Alice said and rested her head on his shoulder.
"She is right, both of us could have done things differently." Jenny came out of the bed room minus her shirt and pants. She sat down next to Alice putting Alice in the middle of them. "I know I screwed up. I'm so sorry Alice."
"It doesn't matter now, the two of you are here with me. But don't ever say anything like that again." Alice said.