Chapter 2, my favorite so far. The plot is outlined, more characters come in, and the Black Hand is acknowledged. Hope you like it!

The Mda Chapter 2: Appearance of the Black Hand

“SLAP”

For the billionth time Kala swatted a mosquito that had eagerly come over for a drink. However, the poor bug was now as flat as Jango when he went through a door. The weather was harsh, with a humidity that made the jungle feel like an oven. Keemo, Jango, and Kala slowly walked along the dirt path, ready to drop dead.

“How much further is it, Keemo?” Kala said; her mouth as dry as a desert.

“I’d say maybe another mile. And if you’re worried about the heat now, our mission will probably have something to do with this jungle.” Keemo was hotter than any of them. His feathers would not shed and it felt like he was in a winter coat. But he kept walking, and the other two followed.

Just when the trio was about to turn around, they came upon a sight for soar eyes. A small, black piece of paper was lodged in a small knothole in a palm tree. Keemo eagerly stumbled forward, now exhausted, and barely managed to pick up the paper. He opened it slowly, and when it was unfolded, it revealed a key code of some sort.

“The password is, 777A09,” said Keemo as he crumpled up the piece of paper. He quickly took out the cell phone, and punched in the number. The red light blinked and a signal came in.

“Excellent,” said the same muffled voice, “You managed to get here even with this humidity. Now, here’s your first mission. My enemies have been accumulating in this area. With a new weapon, they plan to destroy me. I need you to infiltrate their base and dismantle the weapon. Without it, the Black Hand, or so they call themselves, will fall.

Keemo pressed the button on the side in order to reply, “Okay, so you want us to break into a facility, dismantle a weapon of some sort, and cripple the Black Hand. If I may ask, what is the weapon you want us to dismantle, and why is it so important that it be destroyed?”

“The weapon is a Saucer Stone,” the voice’s words baffled the MDA. A Saucer Stone, but those make monsters. How could one be used as a weapon?

“I know you may find this strange but yes, it is a Saucer Stone. However, this Saucer Stone is different from the rest. For years now, the Black Hand has been conducting research on the Saucer Stones, and they have found a way to reverse the effect.”

Keemo, Kala, and Jango froze in terror. If a normal Saucer Stone gave a monster life, than the opposite of that would be…

“Yes, the new Saucer Stone causes the death of a monster,” the voice said calmly, “The project is called VSS. It stands for Vortex Saucer Stone. When activated, the VSS creates a large, black vortex that swallows any monster in front of it, and immediately ends their life.”

Now the MDA knew how serious this mission was. It could easily affect every monster on the planet. With that announcement, the three dispersed. Kala took to the sky, Jango slid off into the jungle, and Keemo remained, waiting for any final announcements.

“Do you know where we can find the Black Hand?” Keemo wanted more information.

“If I knew that, I would’ve sent my own men. But I knew of your reputation, and how good you were with finding hidden gang headquarters. Well, the Black Hand is the biggest gang out there, so I presume you can find it.”

“We will find it, sir. And we will crush the Black Hand,” Keemo rushed off into the jungle in search of the Black Hand.


* * *

Kala soared through the sky with true skill. She was faster than any other pixie and much more quite. However, she was suited for night jobs, and in the mid day, her purple skin was not hard to spot. To avoid being spotted, she darted into the upper canopy of Kalaragi. Skimming past branches and leaves, not even an eagle could spot her.

Just then, something was coming up ahead. Kala quickly ducked into a small tree. A woman, with bone wings flew past, a Lilim. However, something was different about this Lilim. It had a white overcoat, with a very distinguished black palm in the front. One word went through Kala’s mind.

“Black Hand”

* * *

After sliding on his stomach for a half hour, Jango quickly pulled up into his humanoid form. The jungle seemed different in this area. A strange energy emanated from the jungle floor. No normal monster could have felt anything, but Jango had trained himself to recognize ground that had been frequently walked on. He followed the invisible trail to a small hole. The ground was marked with a single flag post with a white flag and a black palm.

Jango had found the Black Hand.

* * *

Keemo had continued leisurely along the main road. He always tried to be less secretive about his searches, because some criminals were stupid enough to put up a shack along the main road. This was actually very common, as most police forces searched anywhere but main roads. So criminals figured that the best place to hide is somewhere that won’t be searched.

As he continued along the main road, Keemo wondered if the disc would look any different. Would it look like a normal disc, or be square.

Keemo let out a chuckle. A square Saucer Stone was just too much. Then, he heard a twig snap, and froze. The sound of footsteps echoed throughout the jungle, and Keemo followed, silently. He had always been fast on his feet, and with his feathers, was able to catch the wind and use it to muffle the sound of his feet. He quickly caught up with an Ambush, a breed of Henger. The Ambush was wearing a white overcoat with a Black palm on the front. Keemo had found a member of the Black Hand, and was amazed at how easily he had found it.

Soon, the Ambush came up to a small cave and entered. Keemo quickly followed, and soon was in the middle of a pitch black maze. The walls of the cave were made of steel, perfect for infiltration.

“If only Jango were here, he would have no problem slithering along the wall,” Keemo thought to himself.

Deeper into the cave he traveled, aware that there was no security, no watch towers, and no motion detectors.

“It’s too easy,” Keemo whispered to himself.

“You’re right, Keemo. It is too easy.”

Keemo whirled around and saw the Ambush in the white robe, followed by about ten other Hengers. It was a trap, and he had fallen right into it.

“How do you know my name?” Keemo asked the Ambush.

“What criminal hasn’t heard of you?” the Ambush responded with a bit of sarcasm, “You’re famous in the crime ring, you know. The MDA, stoppers of crime, destroyers of all that is wrong, and protectors of all that is right.”

With that, the Ambush flicked his hand forward, and the Hengers approached Keemo. Knowing he was outnumbered, he surrendered and went quietly. On the way down the cave, he pondered how he had been caught. Then he realized it.

“My chuckle,” he whispered in a hoarse voice.

“Yes,” the Ambush turned around to address him, “It was your chuckle that let me know you were here. In fact, I am a Henger, and can compute things faster than anything else in the world. By the end of your little snicker, I had already figured out how I was to catch you.”

Then Keemo realized his mistakes. The Ambush wanted him to follow. Why run and make your presence known when you could fold up and fly to make a quiet get away. Keemo had been so stupid.

“In fact, we know the MDA has three members, and the other two will follow you, as you’re the ring leader. We know they’re out there, and we’ll find them. I hate to say it, but you’ve lost the element of surprise.”

Keemo feel, now aware of his inexperience. A true leader would not fall into a trap, and a true leader would not endanger the mission, or his friends.

Kala and Jango were in trouble, and there was nothing he could do about it…


Hope you liked it! 3 will be here soon. Don't miss it! -Icelord 13

OOOOOH!!! Very nice! Even better plot thickening! Like I say, 'The plot is like good oatmeal, very thick, and sucks you right in.'Better Punctuation than 1 too.