by Lee Morgan
Amber moved around Ben to look at Sarah with a confused look. “Do you really associate with Changers?”
Squarely she admitted “Yes.” Sarah moved to stand at Connor’s other side and he smiled just as she did. “Kara and Connor are siblings. I love her just as I do with you. Her mate is Mark.” Sarah pointed and he noticed Mark standing and waving politely. “He and Connor have been best friends for many years. In human terms I mean…” Sarah pointed behind herself. “That is not all. We are also friends with the Keeper’s Veronica, that is her son Firon and his mate Clarein.”
Amber’s grin grew. “Little sister, you really have changed.”
Sarah rested her palm on his shoulder. “I have. It is all thanks to Connor.”
Connor took the initiative and introduced Amber and Ben to the three Keepers. Veronica looked at them and then to her savior. “Have they heard about last night’s incident yet?”
Ben looked at Connor and then to her. “We just arrived here about three hours ago. We ran here all the way from Arizona. What happened?”
Sarah grabbed her mate’s hand tightly and said quietly “Look around this room. What do you see?”
He and Amber cautiously glanced around the room. Amber turned around to say “Why is everyone looking over here at us?”
Sarah said evenly as Mark stood by his best friend’s side. “Last night three Changers tried killing Kara and Mark as they slept in the room beside ours. Connor took out two of them and I took care of the last one before anyone was killed.” Ambers jaw dropped from her sister’s bluntness. “When we took them to Firon, one of the larger males took a bite out of my mate. Connor immobilized him with a single hit.”
“She’s not telling it right.” Everyone turned their eyes to Firon. “Yes, Connor did hit him only once, but there was more to it. He revealed to the other Changers that if they tried anything harmful, he could easily kill each one of them with his bare hands. Their kind values strength, not tricks. I doubt any Changers will challenge his dominance since he proved his own strength rather than relied on his powers. None would dare challenge him at the moment and would be foolhardy to even consider those he associates with.”
Ben looked at Jack. “He can’t be serious can he?”
Jack crossed his arms. “Ben as it is. I would instantly lose if I even took a step against Connor in malice. Don’t worry he’s great kid, but it would be ignorant to underestimate him. Your grandparents were foolish enough to try and they can tell you how dangerous your new brother-in-law is.”
“Alright that’s enough you guys.” Connor said because he doesn’t like to be praised continually. “How about we all go upstairs and have some fun?”
“Sounds to me like you want to get away from all this attention and admiration!” Veronica stated, giving him a one sided smile.
“You are right about that.” Sarah stated herself. “We like the quiet life, but we seem to have a knack for large situations being attracted to us.” Veronica stifled a loud laugh. “How about it? Do you want to meet with us upstairs?”
“We need to get something to eat.” Amber said quickly. “We need to finish with a few things first, but we will join you as shortly as we possibly can. Where should we meet up?” Connor answered her. “Baseball stadium it is then.”
Connor leaped back onto the table and retrieved the barren trays and returned to the floor. Amber and Ben walked into the waiting line as they returned the tray’s and mugs. Jillian and Jack decided to spend some time with Amber and told the others to go on ahead. So the rest of them went up to level one and Firon had to be on duty again.
Sarah, Veronica, Kara, Clarein, Mark and Connor watched the different baseball teams playing amazingly for several hours. He noticed that Keepers could only play with other Keeper teams for fairness. Not only could the reptiles throw the ball faster and hit harder than your average immortal, but they were quickly able to adapt to any situation. They even use a different bat to play the game. Their baseball bats are longer so their large hands can grip the shaft properly. Every pitcher Connor witnessed relied heavily on their tails to maintain their balance, as they stood. Without a humanlike butt they’d have an impossible time moving around in their hind legs with anything faster than a spirited walk. It was amazing at how adept they were at playing a game humans created and one that they could adapt for themselves. There was even one time he noticed that when the sand on the field started thinning out in areas or gathering in others, a Keeper returned the sand back to the field. Connor knew she was using Terra herself to pull the sand from the outfield, dugouts, any remnants from shoes and even off the player’s clothes to fix the field.
Balancers were freer with the use of their abilities in whatever way they wanted. A male Metal Balancer changed the shape of the bat and flattened it because he couldn’t hit the ball as it was. The referee made him change it back to its original shape and Veronica had a laugh at that. A Fire Balancer one time made a fire whip to snatch the ball straight from the air. Hers weren’t even in the same league compared to his.
Jillian, Amber, Ben and Jack showed up not too long ago. The four of them sat in the row below them and Amber began telling them a story about her trip up this meeting. She said she was stopped once by a police officer because they were traveling through a city in a dangerous neighborhood. They escaped because Ben used his power over Pressure to make the officers vehicle take off on its own accord. They disappeared as soon as the officer turned his back. They all had a small chuckle at that. Apparently they ran day and night, from Arizona, to only rest when they couldn’t run any longer. They all kept talking, but Connor lost interest and returned focus to the game. Things were more interesting there.
This game was currently the Keeper team Rampage, verses team Mortuary. The pitcher for team Rampage has struck out every batter except for a single lucky hit, but it was caught by an outfielder. This Keeper had long, sinuous upper arms and a large muscled shoulder perfect for pitching. Each throw he made whistled through the air and made it impossible for any techniques to be used against it. Connor could easily see the ball as it bolted from the pitcher to the catcher, but soon realized that nearly everyone couldn’t and that led to a strike because their reactions were too slow. This was the last pitch of the ninth inning with a score of 7-0. It was practically a strike out and a landslide victory.
The pitcher roared in victory or outrage when the game came to an end with their win; Connor honestly couldn’t differentiate the emotion he was using. Everyone in the baseball stadium went silent as his mind entered everyone’s. “Isn’t there anyone who has the ability to hit off of me! I issue a challenge that whoever can score a hit can ask me one question pertaining to anything!” He looked absolutely prideful and dangerous.
Connor looked around to see everyone deciding if they should even attempt this daunting task. A minute passed and no one could summon up enough courage to take his challenge. Not even the local Keepers dared for some reason.
He stood up and Sarah knew what he was going to do because she was inside his head as the decision was made. She only smiled when Connor yelled in the silent arena “I will score two hits off of you!”
Everyone, and that means everyone, turned as one to look at him. Just about everyone laughed. That included Clarein, Amber and Ben. The others knew his words weren’t a bluff. The Pitcher turned his red and orange eyes right at the boasting challenger. He grinned, showing all of his teeth. “Finally a person with some guts! Let me see what you’ve got, Hatchling. Come on down here and try to hit twice.”
He turned to smile at Sarah. “Sorry, but I can’t pass up such an opportunity. Save my seat.”
She shifted over to where he just sat. “Show them who’s boss, Connor.”
As he made his way down, Veronica winked and smiled in her way.
Connor walked down the fence, listening to everyone laughing or taking bets on how humiliated this will turn out for him. A female Keeper in a purple robe opened the tall gate for h
im and he bowed courteously before walking through. The fake grass did buckle slightly under his weight, like real ground, but didn’t hinder his walking. He was then handed a human sized solid metal baseball bat from the other referee on the first base’s dugout. The entire time he could feel the eyes of the pitcher following his every move. He walked up to the catcher and the referee. The catcher had to sit down on his rear so he could catch lower than he has had to do all game. The referee mentally announced “Batter up!”
Connor got in the large square of red sand and chalk. He put his left hand at the very end of the bat and gripped tightly. His right hand went above the left as he took his stance. Knees bent, brought the bat up, turned to look at the pitcher and nodded. The pitcher held the large metal baseball on his right hand and hid how he held it with his left palm. His swaying tail twitched as he pulled his right arm back. He stepped forward with his left foot and brought his arm forward. The ball was on its way like a bullet shot from a powerful rifle.
The ball went right by Connor and he heard the metal ball land in the catchers awaiting claws. The crowd began laughing in an uproar and taunts were easily ignored. The catcher tossed the ball back and he even began laughing a hiss in a mocking way. The pitcher caught it with a cocky smile. Connor made sure no one was in his mind as he thought “The first one was free and I’ve got your timing down. Now it’s my turn.”
The catcher took his stance as did the challenger. He wound up and threw the ball again. He left nothing behind or back from the batter.
When the ball was right where he wanted it, Connor stepped forward with his left foot and swung with his arms while twisting his torso in a blurring show of speed. The ball and bat met instantly with a loud metallic Twang! Connor followed through, but didn’t see the ball anywhere. A heavy thud near his feet was instantly followed by the grinding sounding of swishing. He looked down to see the ball spinning sideways in the sand. It didn’t move anywhere, but spun like a tornado in place. The bat’s weight suddenly felt off for some reason. When he looked at it he laughed. It became impossible not to see where the two forces connected from where the ball and bat met because of a huge dent, but that wasn’t all. The funny part was that Connor bent the shaft back as it now looked more like a boomerang now. “Poor bat. It broke.” He laughed again.
His laughing came to an end as he realized he was nearly alone in a void of eerie silence, minus the sounds of his party, laughing and roaring with glee. Connor looked over at the pitcher and almost doubled over in painful hilarity. His reddish eyes were wide, jaw completely agape, tail completely limp and his arms slouched. He stood in utter denial and shock. Connor turned to see the other members of his team in practically the same state.
“Hey pitcher!” He finally blinked. “Count that as strike two. I don’t count that one as a hit!”
“Why not!” He straightened up.
“I will consider it a hit if I get a home run.” The pitcher grinned at him. Connor held up the remnants of the deformed bat. “But I cannot use this against you again. May I borrow one of your bats instead?”
He looked at a member of his team and pointed a single claw at the batter. “You heard the little man. Give him my bat.” A Keeper with thick burly arms ran on all fours into their dugout to retrieve a bat that they use. He walked up to Connor holding the handle out with one hand. He tossed the Keeper the curved bat and took the other.
This bat was three times as long, thick and heavy as what he just traded. He wasn’t able to encircle the handle entirely like before, but managed to hold it well enough so that it wouldn’t fly out of his grasp. Connor asked permission to take a few practice swings and the pitcher easily granted the request. He swung the enormous club about five times to get the feel and it wasn’t all that bad. The crowd remained soundless and watched his every move now. He could hear other crowds cheering at the other arenas, but this one grew dead silent. The pitcher soon said gleefully “This is getting exciting!”
This time when he threw the ball Connor connected solidly with it. The ball whizzed right over his head and hit the outfield’s net. Everyone became astounded to know that the ball broke the sound barrier. The explosive sound echoed throughout the first level and it was loud enough to quiet the other arenas.
Silence continued except from Connor greatest fans.
“That would be my first hit, Big Guy!” The Keeper had to shake his head. Connor could tell he was shocked, but also stepping on his pride a little bit. The outfielder tossed the ball back once it rolled down of the net.
“This pitch will be a Gyroball. This is a pitch that I have learned from watching your Japanese human players. This is my best pitch. No one yet has been able to hit off of this.” Connor had always loved sports before the accident. He would watch hours upon hours of sports and tried mimicking them at home. He never had the opportunity to play on a team before because his mom was afraid that he would seriously hurt someone his age. Not here thought. Connor remembered watching the Olympic baseball teams playing as a child, when he first heard of a Gyroball. A Gyroball is a fast pitch with a spin so great that its axis remains the same throughout its travel through the air. It puts less stress on the shoulders and doesn’t require any special hand positioning. But it has a trick to it.
The two of them took their respective stances. The silence alone could have been severed with a dull and rusty knife. The pitcher’s swaying tail suddenly twitched and Connor knew it was coming. The ball left the pitcher’s hand and it was spinning forward. It looked like a slider, barely missing the ground by an inch, but Connor already knew the secret to win. The ball started crawling up within the last few feet. Connor swung the bat above its current spot and connected perfectly in timing. It hit the net almost instantly. The crowd couldn’t believe what just happened if their continued silence said anything about it.
The silence ended when the pitcher threw his head back and started roaring out a laugh. Connor could tell he allowed everyone to hear what he said. “This is truly remarkable! I have finally found a worthy adversary in this game. You beat me in my own challenge, Hatchling. I will allow you to ask me two questions since you hit off me twice; as you said that you would.”
“Nah.” Connor said and the pitcher couldn’t believe what he heard. “I don’t need to ask you anything important. But I will settle for just your name.”
This surprised him and everyone again.
He laughed once again. “My name is Xaon, young one. Might I ask you two questions then?”
“Fire away, Xaon.”
He smiled with is black leathery lips. “What is your name and have you applied for a team yet?”
“My name is Connor. Secondly I have. We are team Equal. We have four Balancers, Two Changers and a Keeper on my team.” Xaon blinked like he misunderstood. “You heard me. My team is comprised of the three races. Maybe we might play each other one day.” Connor bowed and went to leave after handing the bat over to the referee.
“Wait a moment, Connor.” Xaon’s red eyes started concentrating and Connor then realized how old he was. He was at least twelve million years old. Two minutes passed until he re-entered everyone else’s minds. “It is setup. Tomorrow at noon my team Rampage will fight your team Equal.” He looked at everyone in the stands. “This will be one of the most unusual and rarest games you’ll ever get to witness. I want all of you to bring as many as you can to the fated game.” He looked at Connor. “I will see you tomorrow.”
He seemed able to leave now. Connor walked back to everyone and the audience couldn’t keep their eyes off of him. At least they began talking again.
His whole world jumped up and kissed him without warning as he returned. He could feel her pleasure and love radiating into him blissfully. He didn’t know what he did, but he loved actual reward.
Sarah was unable to stop herself after seeing such a display. Her head, heart and body all agreed that Connor deserved a real reward for what he just pulled off, from gaining respect from the seemingly
impossible. While their lips were connected he put his strong hands around her waist, obviously enjoying it. She struggled in knowing that others were watching this and she couldn’t wrap her legs around him. This early stage of the pregnancy has obviously made it impossible to resist him in that way. It was like the first time they kissed because when they pulled away she escaped breathless. She looked up into his passionate hazel eyes and looked at his kissable lips wanting so much more, but she knew it had to wait.
He smiled down at her. His voice turned deep and husky. “Wow, Sarah. What did I do to deserve such a great treatment? Whatever I did I should do it more often.”
Behind her she heard Kara playfully gag. She still stayed in her wolf state as she said “Cool it you two or I’ll go get a bucket of ice water.”
“While you’re at it get some for me as well.” Veronica stated and playfully fanned her face with her claws and gave Sarah a wry smile. “Any more heat around here will burn us all to a crisp.”
Kara playfully smacked Veronica with the back of her hand. “Don’t be giving them any more suggestions, Miss Horn Dog!”
Veronica burst into another fit of roaring laughter. It became contagious as the rest of the group burst into laughter. Unfortunately Sarah’s face flamed and everyone knew immediately how embarrassed she became. With her back to Connor she felt his wide chest press into her back and he rested his hands on her shoulders and that familiar electric sensation passed even through cloth.
She looked up into his handsome features as he said. “You still haven’t answered my question. What did I do to deserve such a kiss, Princess?”
“Connor you just scored three solid hits on one of the fastest Keepers ever known. That has given you a lot of status; even if it was just a game.” He began to reveal a confused expression. “For Xaon to issue a challenge against our team is an honor. I have no known knowledge of this ever happening.”
