Child of the Moon 1/? by Meredith Bronwen Mallory mallorys-girl@cinci.rr.com Rating: PG-13 for language. ³CHIBA! Wake up, damn!² Crayıs voice intruded in Darienıs strange dreams. For the first time since he could remember, he had not dreamt of the Princess. Instead he dreamt of... he couldnıt remember what he dreamt of, but it really didnıt matter since the sound of screeching alarms had finally reached his ears. Darien bolted up, breathing hard, and found himself looking into the worried hazel eyes of Cray Anderson. ³Whatıs going on?² he asked. She shook her head and turned away, alternately pushing buttons and shouting desperately into the radio. From the other end came only static. ³Weıre going down, thatıs what,² Cray said tersely, ³We entered the moonıs gravitational field only a few minutes ago, then all the sudden every system started failing. Weıre lucky we still got air, but Iıd get my helmet on right now if I were you. Hurry up, damn! I need some help over here!² Darienıs body went into crisis mode and he moved faster than he had in his entire life. He put on his helmet and took his place beside Cray, checking every system under his jurdisdiction. ³I donıt understand,² he shook his head, ³Weıve still go full power, but itıs like weıve entered some kind of interference. Whatever it is, itıs incredibly powerful. Have you ever heard of such a thing?² he asked. Cray looked at him briefly, before going back to her panicked workings. ³It ainıt in the manual, thatıs for sure!² she replied. Suddenly, a rush of gravity took hold of the craft, shoving Darien and Cray backwards. The tall woman was dashed against the wall as though she was a rag doll. Almost instantly, she lost consciousness and lay still on the cold deck. ³Cray!² Darien, who had not been thrown nearly as hard, yelled in worry as he attempted to reach the still form of his partner. Instead he was forced forward and against the control board as the shuttle tipped, plummeting towards the moon. was all he could think as he fought against gravity for control. Just when he thought all was lost, he managed to angle the vessel just enough that the impact did not kill itıs occupants... that was, if Cray was still alive. Darien was jarred again and again as the bottom of the craft skidded against the rocky surface of the moon. And then, just when the young man thought he couldnıt take anymore, the jarring stopped and all was still. He groaned as he moved from the placed heıd been thrown, fighting against the lighter gravity to reach Cray. He checked for a pulse, relieved when he found one. Then, he leaned against the bulkhead, struggling against unconsciousness and fighting a loosing battle as he joined his partner in the abyss. ----------- He was Endymion of Earth, a prince, heir to the throne. He was also lonely. (A prince???) He stood, leaning against a silvery pillar in the ultimate expression of boredom He hated parties. This one didnıt promise to be any better. Oh, well, he may as well please his mother... (What mother?) .....and dance at least one dance with the moon princess. After all, he was visiting the moon, and it would be polite. (Visiting the moon??) But he imagined Serenity would be just like all the other air-headed princesses heıd met in the last few years. All of them were attracted to him just for his looks, not a one of them wanted to know the REAL Endymion. Not even Beryl, his motherıs latest matchmaking attempt. (Who is making this stuff up!) Darien thought as he watched his dream. ((But itıs true, all of it,)) another voice answered, and he knew that voice was right, in some form or another. In disgust, the young prince decided that courtesy and manners could be damned, and stalked out into the gardens. The flowers on the moon fascinated him to no ends, they were so different from the ones on Earth. As he wandered amidst the strange plants, he saw some one sitting on a garden swing, surrounded by moon lilies, all in full bloom. It was a girl, one of the most beautiful heıd ever seen. He blinked, once, twice. She had to be some sort of vision, or an angel. (She looks like the princess) Darien observed. ((Shut up and watch the dream!)) the other voice ordered. The girl was singing too, in a voice that sounded like little ringing bells. ³I love the moon, the moon loves me. God bless the moon, God bless me!² she laughed a little as she used a dainty bare foot to push the swing a little more. Entranced, Endymion moved forward. She looked up, startled when she heard him near. ³Iım sorry,² he said, feeling a bit awkward, ³I didnıt... I didnıt mean to disturb you.² ³No, sir, you didnıt,² she replied, looking up at him with incredible blue eyes. ³Tell me, miss, why are you out here, shouldnıt you be at the party?² he asked. She scrunched up her nose in an adorable expression of disgust. ³I detest parties,² she said. ³Ah, then we agree on something,² Endymion replied, ³Iım not wild about parties either.² The girl giggled slightly. ³I think I like you, then,² she smiled. "Do I know you from somewhere?" he could have sworn it too be so... she looked terribly familiar. "I don't believe so," she looked at him with innocent eyes. ³Whatıs your name?² he asked. ³My friends call me Serena,² she informed him, ³And you, do you have a name?² ³My friends call me Endy,² he replied. ³Ahh,² Serena said, ³Iım pleased to meet you Endy,² and she moved over on the swing, offering him a seat, which he took gratefully ³And I am pleased to meet you, Serena,² he told her, raising her hand to his lips. She rewarded him with a brilliant smile that put the stars to shame. ((Time to wake up now, Prince)) ------ Darien awoke later to find that Cray was no longer unconscious, merely sleeping. He sat up and rested against the cool metal wall. The dream had been so strange, yet, so real, he ached with the sweetness of it. He raised his eyes to the heavens, wondering what sort of fate was to befall both himself and Cray. They were alone on the moon, a place with no air for them to breathe, and there was no way anyone would get to them before the oxygen in their tanks ran out. The cockpit's pressure had been compromised, Darien knew, and he was glad that Cray had the foresight to put her helmet on. Glancing at his sleeping partner, he decided to go out and see if he could determine where they were, at least. As he stepped out onto the airless landscape, Darien took a deep breath, thankful for his helmet. He took a quick look around, before deciding to climb the hill that hid the rest of the horizon. He reached the top with little effort, but what he saw once he got there knocked the breath from his lungs. Down below, a valley lay before him, lit by the luminous Earth. And there, in that valley, lay the ruins of what must have been a once very beautiful palace. A long pool of water (water!?) stretched before it, with tall flower-like spouts lining the sides, all of them inactive and most of them fallen. The palace stood behind it, glorious, though the roof the the taller middle section had either fallen in or been blown away. All of it was made of some type of glimmering silver brick, shining in remembrance of days gone by. ³I donıt believe it,² Darien breathed, unable to wrap his mind around the scene before his eyes. He glanced back at the ship, where he knew Cray rested with in, then looked at the air- read out on his suit. Five hours more. He then gazed once more on the impossible city sitting there in the valley, as if the entire purpose of itıs existence was to defy the laws of science. Darien might have had enough self-control to try the patience of a Saint, but inside, he had the same curiosity as the nine year-old little boy who wondered about princesses on the moon. And so it was, with careful steps, he climbed down the rocky ridge and made his way towards the gleaming palace. His eyes were even wider than before when he reached the steps of the palace. Heıd expected it to vanish as he neared, as though some type of mirage, but it did not. Instead, it remained, in all itıs glory. It was less glorious in person, for now he could see all the damage that had been done, though it was still beautiful. Plaster had fallen from the walls, he noted as he entered, and silvery vines adorned with white and lavender flowers climbed the walls. How could all this exist and no one ever find out about it? He wondered. And how could plants live here, without air. And most of all, how come he felt like he knew where he was going? he asked himself as he entered the main hall. The stars were above him, glimmering against the vacant night were the roof had long since ceased to stand above the room. That was when he saw it. The faintest flash of brilliant white and gold against the gray interior. Soundless footsteps. Then he heard the voice. ³I love the moon, the moon loves me,² it was a hallow, empty sound. It broke Darienıs heart, ³God bless the moon, God bless me.² He was not alone. -------- Somewhere down the hall, in a room that had suffered little damage, a row of computers and control panels sat, enchased by dust and years of neglect. And on top of one of those control panels, two huddled forms slept. One was white, and the other was black, both with little crescent moons adorning their foreheads. The heavy footsteps of a foreigner from Earth echoed in the abandoned hall, stirring the little black cat from her slumped. Opening her eyes, Luna watched as the Earth manıs form disappeared around the bend, her mouth hanging open. ³At last,² she spoke, ³Itıs happening.² She nudged her white companion a little less than gently, ³Artemis,² she nudged again, ³Artemis!² now she downright poked him. The white cat woke from his thousand year slumber a little more reluctantly ³Wha...² his eyes opened quickly as he realized who was jarring him from sleep. ³Itıs happened,² Luna informed him as she leapt onto one of the consoles and flipped a switch. Immediately, every screen leapt to life, each bright against the perpetual gloom. And on each read the same message. {Moon Kingdom Computer System Online...} And then, the words faded, and against the black another message formed. It did not come letter by letter, as the other had, but rather in surfaced as a whole, as though it had been waiting an eternity to find itself on the screen. It was bright red. [HELP ME] ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ TO BE CONTINUED.... as stated by those funky swirly things. So, tell me what you think? Thanks for taking the time to read this. Oh, and BTW, romance and strangeness await you in chapter three.