Collaborative Fiction: Redd Capp's Revenge

    Redd Capp hid nearby to recover after Prysmatica blinded it.  Swapping places with the earth elemental was a brilliant idea in it's mind.  It didn't realize Prysmatica saw it when she blinded it.  It teleported behind the door where the trap was set.
    "Morgana right.  They take bait and follow here," Redd Capp whispered to the unseen figure.  It smiled, it would soon have elf blood.  The other was human in appearance so would be good for dying it's cap and a meal or two.  
    "Trap set and revenge is ours," Redd Capp joyfully stated.  
    "Yes, but one is missing, Redd Capp," Morganna corrected.  "The other two will have to serve as bait until she arrives."

"I think it was your Redd Capp," Prysmatical said. "I saw the same distortion of light I spotted in the forest."

"I don't understand why it isn't attacking us." Gerri shook her head. "It doesn't make sense. They love to fight."

Prysmatica moved to the doorway. "We might have to go deeper to find the answer to that. If you could hold the door open a crack, I can shift into my photonic-plasma form and scout the next room."

"Photonic-plasma form?" Gerri approached the door.

"I can turn my body into a type of radiant energy. Pure light." Prysmatica explained. "I can fly quickly in that form and, you know, scout ahead. I can't use my other abilities while changed, so if I find trouble I'll make my way back here."

"Handy." Gerri grabbed the doorhandle. "Go for it."

Prysmatica blurred into a kaleidoscope of every color, living up to her name. She lifted off the floor and hovered, waiting for Gerri to pull the door open. Once she did, Prysmatica flew through as soon as a crack became visible.

   Gerri got the message from Krystal Fae just as Prysmatica entered the darkened room.  "Morganna, Legion, Allies is what they have deciphered so far?" Gerri questioned.  "Then Prysmatica could be flying right into a trap!"
***
    Redd Capp watched a photonic being enter the room and it was immediately surrounded by a magical darkness.  "Bah, photons don't have blood.  I want blood."
    "Patience, Redd Capp, you'll get your blood," Morganna stated.  She smiled and used some crystals to bind Prysmatica.  "I'm sure your elf will enter the room any minute now to save her friend."
    Gerri rand into the room using her super speed.  which was when she noticed her feet sticking to the floor.  The trap was sprung.  Redd Capp ran over to her and tried to swipe her stomach but was punched by Gerri instead.  It did draw a little blood.  Which it licked off it's claw.
    "Yum!  Elf blood!" Redd Capp cheered.  
    "Now, Redd Capp, we talked about this," Morganna reminded it.  "You don't get to kill her just yet.  We have one more to capture.  That was the agreement."
    "Yes, but I want her blood," Redd Capp whined.
    "You'll have it and we will have what we want when we capture Krystal Fae as well," Morganna clarified.  "For now," she cast a spell and Gerri's arms were chained, "we wait."

Prysmatica flew into the connecting room. Her luminescent body lit every corner of the new room until, suddenly, it didn't. A darkness as black as midnight flooded all around her and she couldn't see anything.

"What?" Prysmatica exclaimed. She stopped moving afraid of flying into a wall.

 A rough, gutteral voice echoed in the darkness. "Bah, photons don't have blood.  I want blood."
   
"Patience, Redd Capp, you'll get your blood," a female voice stated.  

Prysmatica heard the sound of crystals tinking on the floor, like pieces of broken glass, and she felt herself pulled. Her body flowed downward into something she couldn't see. After a second, she looked around and found large panels of reflective surfaces all around her, shining her own glow back at her.

 "I'm sure your elf will enter the room any minute now to save her friend."

"GERRI, WATCH OUT," Prysmatica tried to shout, but in her photon form, she had no vocal cords to call out with. She tried to shift back to her human body, but a pain wracked through her as she did. Instantly stopping, her body went limp.

"Why can't I change back?" This had never happened before. She drifted slowly around the structure surrounding her. Tall glasslike walls greeted her on all sides and the ceiling seemed to be angled into a point. She pressed a hand against the mirror-like surface of one wall. She couldn't feel anything, but the light that made up her hand didn't go through."Am I inside some kind of crystal?"

 "Yum!  Elf blood!"

Oh, no,Prysmatica thought. "I've got to find a way to help out Gerri before something bad happens."

 "Now, Redd Capp, we talked about this. You don't get to kill her just yet.  We have one more to capture.  That was the agreement."

Who else could they be after?Prysmatica worried. "Could they want Krystal Fae, too. And why are they calling Gerri an elf?"

    "Yes, but I want her blood," the Redd Capp whined.

    "You'll have it and we will have what we want when we capture Krystal Fae as well. For now, we wait."

Prysmatica pressed futilely at the wall before her. She had no strength in this form. She did notice that the area she touched began to glow slightly, orange like molten glass. "Maybe I can get out of here. I've always used my photonic-plasma form to travel as light, but maybe I can do more than just that? Maybe the plasma part of me can melt through this?"

"I know both are relatively new at this agent business, but they were trained... protocol is contact every half hour...", said Krystal.

"Maybe they found something.", said Cordell.

"With Morganna in the picture, that's what I'm afraid of...", muttered Krystal worriedly.

"Tracking their last location marker... got it... Cord, inform the Director of our findings, and if I'm not back with those two in fifteen minutes, send in the calvary."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Krystal flew at her top speed to the marked location and remaining airborne, she carefully set up a light refraction field to become, in effect, invisible.

The bootprints of two women entered the tunnel ahead, and floating silently, so did she.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Morganna paced restlessly.  She had other things that needed her attention with another part of her scheme.

"Redd Capp... I need to check on something... keep alert, Krystal could show up at any moment.  If she does, use the crystal I gave you... it will suppress her Morphon abilities. I shall return shortly.", huffed Morganna, and with a thought and a ***BAMF***, she was gone.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Redd Capp menacingly stood over Gerri's bound form.

"Are you crying, little elf?  Does it hurt? Don't worry, I'll end that pain soon enough.", growled the monster.

Redd Capp's eye caught a flicker of movement near the tunnel's ceiling and it reached for the crystal that Morganna had prepared, but before he could activate it, a firey bolt of energy incinerated him.

Krystal made a series of intricate gestures, and Gerri's chains melted away like fog in a strong shaft of sunlight.

As Gerri rubbed at the bruises from the tight chain, Krystal searched the chamber for Prismatica.

Finding no sign of her physically, she risked attempting telepathic contact... if Morganna was near, Krystal may have given herself away.

Finally, Krystal noticed a telepathic 'echo' coming from a small cut gemstone on a shelf of rock near the back of the chamber, along with 2 or three other stones.

"This is not good...", she murmured as she pocketed the gems, and took Gerri's arm, moments later, they appeared in Krystal's lab at BADGE HQ.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Morganna dropped her illusion of invisibility.

"...So predictable, Krystal..., that will be your downfall, one of these days..."

    Morganna walked over to Redd Capp's ashes and pulled out two young looking versions of the monster.  "I see the changes the Morphons made to you remain in the new ones from your death.  Now that they've imprinted on me, Morgothan is out."  She went to take care of another matter with the now growing two following her.
***
    "We have to free Prysmatica from the crystal," Gerri said frantically.  "Morganna used a binding spell on it.  We have to break her out."
    "Calm down, Gerri," Krystal soothed.  "I think she may have already found a way out."  She pointed at a spot on the crystal starting to glow with heat.

Prysmatica could hear some of what happened outside of her crystal prison, but she focused on trying to breach one of the crystalline walls. Her first attempt did nothing but cause the material to glow. She tried to do the same at different points along her confinement. Where an edge formed at the juncture between two wall panels. At the very tip of the crystal, where several planes met. She even tried the floor itself.

Nothing happened.

The light beyond the crystal shifted and Prysmatica heard a crackle of fire. Shortly after, the area outside the crystal went black.

"Use your head, Romana,"Prysmatica thought to herself. "You can't be bested by some overgrown goblin with a passion for blood."

With the light having faded from outside, the light Pysmatica's photonic-plasma form created patterns in the material surrounding her. Several areas within the crystal seemed to bend the light and small fractures became visible.

"Of course." Prysmatica thought as she moved to the most significant pattern of light disturbance. She recalled going shopping with her mother for jewelry several years ago. Her mother tried to explain why some gemstones were more valuable that others. Her mother had pointed out a jeweler who sat deep inside the shop, cutting at a sapphire to remove damaged areas that reduced the clarity of the stone, h."I need to attack at where the crystal is weakest. At the fault points where there is already damaged."

She placed her hands at a section of her prison wall that had the most interaction with the light cast from her photonic-plasma form. "I hope this works."

After a few moments, the orange glow intensified and small flecks of crystal broke away. A crack formed. She could see beyond the confines of her prison. Prysmatica pushed her way through the small opening and found herself growing back to her normal size.

However, she was not in the tunnel any longer. She stood in a laboratory with Krystal Fae and the Sword of Gerraxia.

"So, what did I miss, ladies?"

    "Well," Gerri began, "Me falling into their trap by rushing in to save you.  Me sucker punching Redd Capp, though it did scratch me so, it did get a little blood.  Morganna chaining me.  Redd Capp taunting me.  Krystal saving the day."
    "How did you save the day, Krystal?" Prysmatica asked.
    "I incinerated Redd Capp after Morganna left," Krystal remarked.
    "That may have been a mistake," Gerri commented.
    "Why?" Krystal and Prysmatica asked.
    "You asked me how exactly Red Cap's reproduce, Prysmatica," Gerri remembered.  "There are three schools of thought and one has been disproved.  One:  they split into two at some point in their life.  Two:  two grow from the corpse of their victims.  This has been disproved.  Three:  two spring up from its corpse when it is killed."
    "So, I may have made two of it?" Krystal asked.
    "Maybe, only time will tell," Gerri pondered.  She was worried.  She was told to never kill a Red Cap, just capture them.  She hoped it was the first method of reproduction and not the third.

"Who is Morganna?" Prysmatica asked. "What does she have to do with Redd Capp?

"Morganna is a thorn in my side that needs to be trimmed once again," Krystal turned to one of her laboratory tables and rested her palms on the polished steel surface. She drummed her fingernails against the metal with fierce agitation. "Every time I think I am free of her interference, she sprouts back up like a poisonous weed."

"Sounds like Redd Capp. I hoped by putting him in prison, I wouldn't have to deal with him again." Gerri rubbed where the chains had wrapped around her body. "If there are two of them now, teamed up with Morganna, our duty is clear. They need to be stopped."

"Why did the Redd Capp keep talking about liking your elf blood?" Prysmatica asked.

Gerri's face paled.

"That isn't the issue right now, Prysmatica." Krystal spun around from the table. "Morganna has her hands in lots of pies right now. Her long game is usually very twisted as she tries to keep her true intention hidden. I need to think on how to unravel her masterplan."

Pysmatica moved to the table and picked up the gem she had been trapped inside of. "Well, can we use her tricks against her. If she could use this to trap me, could we do the same to the Redd Capp?"

"I'll need to analyze it, and these other stones as well... this one is useless as a prison now, but I can 'read' the spell she used, and adjust the crystalline matrix of a similar stone with the same spell...", said Krystal. "...meanwhile, I'm curious as to why she left these other stones. Morganna never 'gives' away something unless it's going to benefit her, somehow...".

About 45 minutes later...

"This stone was set to 'blind' certain sensors in BADGE's HQ... and this one was set to 'proximity' activate a third stone not present here... The one used as your 'prison' was ruined by your escape, of course, but the gem itself is common enough... I have several better examples, and the spell itself wasn't complicated, so I have made a few...", says Krystal, handing  Gerri and Prysmatica 2 'prison' stones each, showing them how to activate the binding rune etched into each.

"I have dis-enchanted those other two, so no sensors will be blinded, and whatever this one activates will remain dormant.", concluded Krystal.

"I had best remain vigilant here since Morganna obviously intends to infiltrate HQ for some, no doubt nefarious, reason.", said Krystal.

    Gerri was pondering on Krystals words.  What would Morganna want at BADGE HQ?  Why help Redd Capp attempt to get revenge on me when it clearly did not help her in her goal?  Or did it?  The crystals were left for a reason and Krystal Fae took them.  Prysmatica freed herself from the prison.  Redd Capp was killed.  That possibly made two new Redd Capps loyal to her.  
    Both Gerri and Krystal had natural magic.  Krystal also knew spells, Gerri knew runes.  How about Prysmatica?  Gerri turned to her, "Prysmatica, are your powers all Morphon based or supernatural in origin?"

Prysmatica gave Gerri a curious look, not comprehending the reasoning behind the question she had been asked. "Why does that matter?"

"The Redd Capp and Morganna both have ties to magic," Gerri replied. "Krystal and I both use natural magic. There are advantages she and I have when it comes to recognizing the activity they, Morganna and the Redd Capp, might be undertaking because we can use similar methods."

"And if I'm not a so called 'magical being', I'm not as useful." Prysmatica crossed her arms. "Is that what you're trying to say?"

"No, no," Gerri placed a hand on Prysmatica's arm. "You've been really helpful. It's hard to explain." Gerri searched for the words to properly express the unique nature of magical backgrounds. "Magic is complex. It uses skill, knowledge, and ability like most other things, but there are other components to it as well. History, bloodlines, rituals, conjurations..."

"I've had years to come into my magical heritage," Krystal added. "I'm not even truly from this world, Prysm, and when I arrived here, Morphons changed me. Same for Gerri. Morphons played a part in her becoming a hero, but she had a history with magic even before that. You and your powers aren't any less than ours in any way. In fact, they are an advantage because Morganna doesn't know what you can do with them yet. She probably expected me to have to release you from the prison, but you did it without any help at all."

Prysmatica lost some of the edge to her composure. "OK. I'm sorry. The truth is I don't really know. My siblings and I never paid much attention to our gifts beyond using them."

"You have siblings with powers? Are they the same as yours?" Gerri asked.

"A brother and sister. No, not the same powers." Prysmatica pulled out a stool and took a seat on it. "We're triplets, actually. We all got our powers on the same day. We were visiting Rome on our birthday when the portal opened."

"The portals opened on your birthday?" Krystal retrieved a data-pad and began typing on its screen. "Where in Rome were you? I know of another hero who was there at that time."

"We were touring the Castel St Angelo--" Prysmatica said.

"The Castel St Angelo? Interesting." Krystal tilted her glasses down her nose and studied Prysmatica over the rims. "A building surrounded by a garden structure in the shape of a pentagram."

Gerri looked at Krystal intently. "I've never heard of it. What are you thinking?"

"Shhh," Krystal hushed her new companion. "Go on, Prysmatica."

"There isn't much more to say," Prysmatica continued. "Our family has lived in Greece for as long as we could trace our history back. You know how it is. There are all sorts of stories that have been passed down speaking of how the ancient Greek gods did this and that. At some point, our ancestors were supposedly priests for some of them and could do wondrous things. At first, we actually kidded around about our powers being linked to the old gods."

"And yours would be from..." Gerri asked. "I don't know much about the Greeks."

"Aether. The god of light, child of Erebus and Nyx. Darkness and Light." Prysmatica smiled. "My sister's powers let her manipulate darkness, so she would have been from Erebus, and my brother's powers are a bit weird. He could never figure out what god his powers resembled."

"I think the three of you should spend some time and look into your gifts more." Krystal set her datapad down. "There are some pretty significant coincidences in your background. The number three, or a triad, is a very meaningful combination. The three Fates. The Charmed Ones. There may be more to your gifts than you realize."

"None of that is going to help us figure out what Morganna and the Redd Capps are up to." Prysmatica waved her hand dismissively at the notion. "From what I heard, Morganna is fixated on you. The Redd Capps on Gerraxia. I'm not even on the so-called vengeance menu."

"True," Gerri agreed, then a thought struck her. "Morganna teleported away before you arrived. One of the crystals was meant to blind sensors here at BADGE. She must have expected you to bring the crystals back here, Krystal. How else would the effect BADGE sensors if they weren't in a BADGE facility?"

"Sounds like her," Krystal sullenly nodded.

"Is there any way she would know you deactivated the crystals?" Prysmatica asked. "If not, why don't we set a trap for her and let her come to us?"

"Morganna likely sensed my entry into the tunnel... it would definitely fit her nature to sacrifice an 'ally' to further her plans, especially if she knew that it would bring other allies that would be more powerful and/or more loyal to her personally.", said Krystal.

(Looking in Gerri's direction) "She could sense that the spells were removed, but only if she was to try to enter HQ herself... she knows that I'd detect her presence instantly, so she won't try that... hmm... I wonder...", Krystal answered.

"10962...", she said into her communicator, "... have Purgatory do a thorough prisoner bio-scan and identity check of all BADGE detainees... yes, tell them it must be done asap...Authorization code KF-1A2B3..."

"That will tell us if anyone has escaped... If she broke someone out, their skill-set(s) will give us a clue to her plan...", Krystal said with a worried expression.

"I've been following another incident that also involves Morganna... I wonder if this is part of the same plan?  ", mused Krystal aloud.

    Gerri wondered what Morganna would be after, or who.  She decided to check the space station for anything or anyone who was missing.   She wondered what Prysmatica was doing at this time.  Krystal had her own ideas and she had to agree that Krystal knew what she was doing.
    She entered her fathers office.  "Hi, Daddy," she greeted.  She looked at all the books on his shelves.
    "Hi, Gerri, what are you looking for?" He asked noticing she was looking.
    "Anything that is missing," she stated.  She noticed one of his books on Celestial Runes was missing.  "Daddy, where is this book on Celestial Runes?"
    "Oh, one of the other heroes checked that out," he clarified.  "They didn't even take the translator Rune Spectacles."

As Gerri and Krystal set off on their own purposes, Prysmatica decided to return to her off-campus apartment. She could use a bath and some sleep before her shift at the Sentinel at her evening receptionist's desk.

As she soaked in her tub, heavily perfumed with lavender and windflower, she thought about her siblings. It had been several months since she moved to New Amsterdam, and although they spoke frequently online, it wasn't the same. She reached over to a small stand beside the bath and retrieved her phone. She knew her brother, Ward, would answer the call before it even had a chance to ring.

The instant after she pressed the connect button, his voice came across the line. "Hi Romi. You've been having fun."

Her brother's insights ever since the triplets gained their Morphon abilities took getting used to. Where most would ask if she were having fun, he offered the greeting as a statement. Somehow he was vaguely aware of what she and her sister experienced. There were many conversations about limits to how much he was to observe his sister's activities.

"So you've been keeping an eye on me as usual. Why didn't you warn me? Didn't you hear the Jaws theme as usual?" A unique condition of his observation gift was they often were accompanied by a soundtrack. An audio cue that represented danger or similar signpost.

"Not this time. More like Mission Impossible this time," he answered. "If you're going to be in America and playing the superhero game, I have to expect you're going to trigger some action movie themes. That is, when I'm not hearing the Working Girl theme or 80s love ballads. You really like that Chaz guy, don't you?"

"Stop it, we haven't even gone out yet," Romana said. His comment did trigger her to squirm a bit in the tub and send her floating rubber ducky on a erratic course. "How's Tamm?"

"Our sister's fine. She's on another underwater dig, looking for a temple or something." Ward paused. "She doesn't like the cook's skills. You know how she hates overcooked pasta."

They chatted for a while, talking about family and Romana's classes. As she prepared to end the conversation, her brother coughed twice, his forewarning of a change of subject. "Before you hang up, there's something you need to know."

"If I need to know it, why didn't you start off with it when I called? I hate it when you do that." She hated when people kept secrets from her.

Her brother tutted her over the phone. "Do I tell you how to use your powers? You want me to tell you or not?"

"You know I do. Spill it." Romana settled back and readied herself for his words, unsure if it would be a warning or an answer to a question she would miss on an exam.

"I had a dream about you. You were with a glowing green knife or long-bladed weapon and Krystal Fae. I recognized her from her articles. From the sword, who I guess represents someone you recently met, I get a very Lord of the Rings, Enya music vibe. Very Arwen or Galadriel. I get the same sounds from Krystal, but I sense a shadow behind her, very dark and ominous tones."

"OK. I'm following you so far. The weapon is a sword I think. I recently met a woman who calls herself the Sword of Gerraxia. A hero with BADGE. She has this enemy call--"

"Called Redd Capp." Her brother completed the sentence. "That explains the two floating red baseball hats dripping with blood hiding in the shadow. What I need you to watch out for is Krystal. She has two faces, and her music changes from the LOTR music to something sinister. And for some reason, the Alien theme pops in occasionally too."

"Well, that's just creepy." Romana tried to imagine what her brother's visions were intending. "Anything else?"

"I can't see much about the darkness, except that it is connected to Krystal in some way, but those Redd Caps. They are smashing boxes of cookies, and for some reason, the cookie boxes aren't breaking into crumbs but are bleeding instead. Is that any help?"

"Maybe. Can you tell what kind of cookies they are? A brand name on the box? Flavor?"

"I think they are chocolate chip. There are pictures of elves on the box. Does that mean anything?"

"I think it does. I need to g--" The phone line cut off. Another irritating quality of her brother was he hated gooodbyes. He hung up before she or her sister could say it.

She sent a short message across the BADGE communication unit to Gerri. "Do Redd Capps have anything against cookies? I think their next attack will be at a cookie factory."

    "Against cookies?" Gerri questioned then realized what was going on.  "Oh, my goodness, they're going after James!"
    "James?" Prysmatica was confused.
    "My boyfriend, James Keebler," Gerri clarified.  "We have to get there quick."
    She flew out the station quickly with her space flight.  She would worry about the shuttle later.  She couldn't let James be injured or worse again.  She flew to the Denver factory where she knew James had an office.  
***
    James was setting some fresh cookies on a plate in his office.  His phone rang and he answered, "This is James."
    Prysmatica tried to explain the danger he was in, "Hi, you don't know me, I'm Prysmatica.  You're in danger.  Redd Capp is loose and looking to hurt or kill you."
    "Prysmatica?  Oh, you're one of those BADGE heroes, right?" James pondered.  "Redd Capp escaped?  No worries my girlfriend is The Sword of Gerraxia, she'll keep me safe."  As he was speaking the two Redd Capps quietly crept towards him.
    "Elf blood," one of them said as he turned around to see them.  
    "Oh, no! there's two of you now!" James exclaimed.  "That means someone killed you."  He grabbed a cookie but it was to late they swung at him ripping open his gut while knocking him into the wall.
    Gerri got there just in time to see them dipping their hats into his blood.  "NO!!!"

    Gerri blasted the two Redd Capps with her force bubbles knocking them back.  She flew over to James and cradled him as his glamour failed and revealed he was an elf.  Gerri, not caring at the moment, let hers fall.  "Don't die on me James," she cried, "don't die on me."  Her once sparkling emerald green eyes streamed tears of horror and despair as she held him and his last breath left him.
    Prysmatica got there shortly after Gerri in her photonic form.  She saw the two Redd Capps trying to sneak up on Gerri as she cradled her boyfriend and saw them both reveal they were elves. she put a force field around Gerri and James to protect the grieving heroine.  She now knew the secret that Gerri and James had kept their entire lives.
    Gerri looked at the Redd Capps and with pure rage in her eyes began to think of different things to destroy them.  Prysmatica saw Gerri was losing control of her powers she had to do something.  "Gerri, you can't kill them!" she yelled.
    "They deserve it and worse," Gerri growled.
    "You'll just make more of them, remember?  Use the prison crystals Krystal gave us," she tossed hers to Gerri.  "You can do that, can't you?"  The two Redd Capps were bashing the force field trying to get to Gerri.
    Gerri looked at the crystals.  She knew Prysmatica was right.  Tears still streaming down her face she held the crystals in her hand with her ring facing the Redd Capps and concentrated on the rune of prison.  The Redd Capps disappeared into the crystals.  Gerri collapsed to the ground and wept.

        "Don't just give up!" Prysmatica yelled as she crouched down over James. She overlapped her palms on his chest and began compressions. "Staying alive. Staying alive. 1, 2, 3, 4. Staying alive."

        Gerri continued to weep, lost in despair. Even though she wasn't the one to die, her heart broke as if she had. His life with her filled her every conscious thought. The day they met. The first cookie he baked for her. Their many fights that he conceded to her, despite knowing he was right.

        Prysmatica called out to Gerri again. "Is there a first aid kit. Call 9-1-1. Contact Krystal."

        Huddled and rocking back and forth as her tears stained the floor, Gerri didn't respond to Prysmatica's instructions.

        "Damn it, Gerri!" Prysmatica lifted one hand and emitted a UV burst at Gerri's cheek. Tears turned to steam as the beam struck, creating a harsh red welt on Gerri's face. Not at the full strength Prysmatica could generate, but enough to hurt like the worst sunburn imaginable. "Do something, SWORD of Gerraxia. We aren't powerless here."

         The pain on her cheek barely registered in Gerri's mind, but Prysmatica calling her by her ancestral name did. She raised her head to pay closer attention and then the pain fully registered. "OWWWW. What in Oberon's name did you do that for?"

         "I'm a medical student. If we can keep his body thinking it is alive, there is hope." Prysmatica continued pressing hard on Jame's sternum. An audible crack snapped from his torso."You're not dead until you are COLD and DEAD."

       Anger flushed up into Gerri's eyes. She stood up and towered over Prysm. "Stop it. You're hurting him!"

        "He can deal with a cracked rib later. It happens. Think of your BADGE training, not about who you are trying to help." Prysmatica swung around to James' wound. "Take over on CPR."

        Gerri drove her pain deep into the pit of her stomach, realizing Prysmatica was right. She owed it to James to try to save him, not only defeat the ones that hurt him. Dropping to a knee, she began to pump his chest with a steady rhythym. Her hands went slightly lower than Prysmatica's had been place.

        "Put your hands up an inch higher." Prysmatica ordered as she generated a warm, bright light over her hands. "That should be enough to sterilize them."

        "Elf hearts are slightly lower and shaped differently. This is the right spot." Gerri spat out as she concentrated. Prysmatica already knew her secret, what could it hurt?

        "Emergency voice call. Connect to Krystal Fae." Prysmatica shouted. A beep sounded from her communication unit. "Krystal. We need medical assistance at James Keebler's office. He has suffered disembowelment by the Redd Capps. Gerri and I are doing CPR but he is non-responsive and has lost a great deal of blood."

Krystal appeared in the office with a ***BAMF*** of outrushing air. she made a tossing gesture and 4 healing charm rings flew at Prysmatica.

"Get those on him, then return to doing CPR...", she ordered.

Kneeling quickly beside him, Krystal made arcane gestures and spoke words that not even Gerri could truly understand, though she recognized the language as Elvish.

James' wounds began to close, and he gasped in a breath. As Krystal continued to work, his wounds fully closed and he was beginning to breathe shallowly.

Finally, Krystal sat back on her heels and took a moment to think.

"There is one other thing I can try... I've only successfully done this twice before... once was another Fae and once was a telepathic human, so I'm not sure it will work with an Elf...", said Krystal, looking at Gerri.

Gerri nodded and said, "Please... try...".

Krystal took a deep breath, placed one palm on James' forehead and the other over his heart. She closed her eyes, and for several moments a soft glow shone around her. It drained into James' body as Krystal took on a slight greyish pallor.

"Call for transport...", Krystal said as she began to recover, "... I've done all I can.  He's lost a lot of blood, and there's no way to replace it here... we have to get him to BADGE medical, stat..."

The grayish pallor about Krystal began to fade away as she gave instructions for BADGE transport to be used to take James in for further recovery. Prysmatica took a moment to breath deeply as she moved back to let Gerri and her boyfriend share a moment.

Watching Krystal use magic to heal once again brought up battling emotions in Prysmatica. On one hand, it was amazing to see life saved so quickly, but it also created a jealousy in Prysm. Medical school took so much time and study that magic didn't appear to require. Her efforts to become a doctor felt like a waste of time.

As Krystal regained her composure, she struggled for a moment on her feet. "I think that took more out of me than I expected."

Then next instant, Krystal stumbled and shook a display of cookie boxes placed on display in the center of the room. She then collapsed as cookie boxes pelted her body as the fell off the table. She laid motionless as the last box dropped on her head and broke open, littering the floor with crumbled cookies.

"Krystal!" Prysmatica shouted and rushed to the experienced agent's side. Slow, labored breathing passed her lips and her eyelids fluttered as if she were in R.E.M. sleep. Prysmatica lifted Krystal's wrist and checked her pulse, discovering it in a faint, but consistent beat.

Gerri called out from James's side. "Is she alright?"

"She's not what I would call good," Prysmatica pulled her communicator out an called the Denver branch office. "This is Prysmatica calling on Krystal Fae's authority. Agent down. I repeat. Agent down. Please send immediate transport to the Keebler Cookie Factory for medical evac for two individuals.

Prysmatica paused, sensing something she hadn't before. There were four people in the room, but an ability she rarely used sensed a fifth presence. Her empathy registered Gerri's anguish and concern, James's pain, and her own growing suspicion. Krystal being unconcious, she gave off no measurable emotion but somewhere in the room, Prysmatica felt hunger. It was faint, but distinctly there.

She looked around the room, searching for additional invisible Redd Capps. "Do you think Morganna made more of them?"

"Redd Capps," Gerri said. She stroked James's hair as she knelt by his pale body. "I wouldn't put anything past her. Do you see another? I know you could see them in the forest."

"No," Prysm scowled, unhappy she couldn't ferret out the source. She looked at the two crystal prisons near Gerri. She could be hearing the Redd Capps that had been trapped. Being diminutive as they had to have been transformed to fit inside a jewel must explain why the emotions were so small. "I'm not exactly sure what I'm thinking."

A rushing wind outside the building rattled the windows. Prysm stepped over and was washed over with relief when seeing the transport arriving and medical agents leaping out. She waved at the group, summoning them to the office.

"They're here," Prysmatica said. She moved to Krystal and took her hand in her own. "Help's here. We'll get you some TLC and back on your feet in no time."