Shadows and Stardust: A Tale of Ambition & Quest for Recognition

Every strike brings me closer to the next home run." - Babe Ruth

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Bee strolled triumph through the chain-link fence surrounded by the Baseball Furies. T.C. stood up from behind a boulder and flicked the safety catch to the Bunny Buster.

“We cool?” he asked cautiously.

The gang parted ways and made a path for Bee to proceed with Number-22 following her. Atop the hill, Heather, Indigo, and Whisper waited.

“We’re cool,” Bee responded.

Number-06 pulled a cap from behind his back and placed it on his head. Then he tipped his cap and nodded facing Bee and T.C.

“Good game,” Number-06 said before leaving.

“I’ll keep Number-22 till we're done here at the mine,” Bee said.

Bee smiled and bowed. Then stepped into the Dutchman Mine’s territory and followed T.C. up the hill.

“What the heck happened, why didn’t you reply to any of the messages?” T.C. asked in a hushed tone. “What’s up with the big guy?”

"I’ll explain everything once we reach the top—I despise repeating myself," Bee replied, flicking her white hair behind her with a touch of impatience.

Once at the top, Bee explained what happened between her and the Baseball Furies. She was frequently interrupted with questions from Whisper, T.C., and Indigo. Only Heather remained silent.

“What…it was the only thing I could think of,” Bee said.

Heather grabbed the Medi-alert bracelet and unlatched the clasp. Bee’s eyes began to water, and her lower lip trembled.

“But I’m telling you the truth,” Bee said as she grabbed Heather’s hand. “I even have the dossier on us to prove it!”

“Fine…” Heather said, her voice low as she sneered. “Let go of Boss Kitty’s body, now!”

“If…if I do, she might,” Bee said looking back at Heather. “Fine, I’ll relinquish, just keep her alive, okay?”

Estelle’s body fell limp, but Indigo and Whisper caught her before she hit the ground. Heather yanked off the wristband and tossed it behind her. Number-22 slumped over.

“Hold her steady,” Heather said as her hands began to glow green.

Heather ran her hands down Estelle’s head and down towards the blood clot. Then she waved her hands above Estelle’s chest and a white mass seeped from her chest and hovered in the air. Heather flicked her wrist and flung the sphere away. She checked once more Estelle’s condition. After giving her a more thorough scan and not finding any further problems, she kissed Estelle on the forehead.

“Did Guillotine actually help?” asked Indigo.

“Somewhat, she could have used an anticoagulant or a clot buster to dissolve the blood clot. I guess Guillotine, Bee, or whatever she calls herself, wanted the pat on the back,” Heather said.

After a few moments, Estelle’s knees wobbled. Her eyes adjusted to the light as she squinted. Indigo scooped her up in his arms.

“What happened?” Estelle said, her voice dull.

“If Guillotine is telling the truth,” Whisper said.

“Big if,” Heather corrected.

“Well, yeah big if…your skills were deactivated when you used the spyglass,” Whisper said. “Probably would have happened to us if we jumped. Looks like Upper Management is trying to stop our winning streak?”

“By killing us? Not likely, I’m sure it was a glitch,” Heather interrupted.

Whisper narrowed her eyes, a sharp glare directed at Heather. Her frustration simmered just beneath the surface, evident in the tension of her clenched jaw.

"Are you seriously not seeing what's right in front of us?" she snapped, her voice low and edged with disbelief.

Heather, on the other hand, maintained a composed demeanor, her gaze steady and unwavering.

"I'm simply considering all the possibilities," she replied calmly, refusing to be swayed by Whisper's obvious agitation.

"Nano servitor bots don't just glitch or suddenly deactivate; it would take intervention from someone with high clearance," Indigo said.

“Regardless,” Heather said. “The nanobots suppressed your natural abilities, and you were nearly killed.”

“Oh,” Estelle said quietly. “I think I’ll go to sleep now.”

She closed her eyes and snuggled up in Indigo’s arms.

“So now what?” asked Indigo as he looked around.

“T.C., you stay here with Estelle. Indigo, you’re with me and we’ll clear the surface. Heather, you finish clearing the mine,” Whisper said.

“And mister big and scary here?” asked T.C.

Whisper shrugged, but Heather stepped closer and removed the nerve endings from Estelle’s fingers. She wiggled her fingers around which caused Number-22 to move.

“You know how to use a marionette?” Heather asked and began to explain the basics.

After wrapping up her instructions and conducting a quick test, Heather began walking away with Whisper and Indigo. As they moved off, T.C. noticed a gash on the back of Whisper’s leg.

“Ummm,” T.C. said. “Your leg…are you okay, hun…errr Whisper?”

She paused and examined the back of her leg.

“Oh, that? Some idiot tried to use a sun knife on me. I guess he didn’t realize those types of weapons are strictly for opponents in heavy armor. He accidentally cauterized my wound, so I didn’t bleed out or anything.”

“Does it hurt?” T.C. asked.

“Pain is just weakness leaving the body,” Whisper said as she flashed a peace sign with her fingers. “Take care of Boss Kitty till we get back.”

“Yeah, will do, happy hunting,” T.C. said.

The sun climbed higher into the sky as the clouds parted, allowing a few rays of light to pierce through. Whisper, Heather, and Indigo set off towards the Dutchman Mine, their silhouettes outlined against the emerging sunlight.

***