Chereads / The Big Bang System / Chapter 44 - Home

Chapter 44 - Home

Angela and Lenara stand over the teleporter, their hands placed on top. Upon activation, the runes let off an electric glow and the space around the pair starts to distort, pulsating and twisting sporadically. With each pulse, the distortion grows larger and larger, finally culminating in a massive tear in space that sucks them both in.

The sound of birds singing echoes through the forest, an orchestra of nature that wakes Angela from her stupor. Opening her eyes she is greeted by a familiar sight: the autumn leaves carpeting the floor of the forest, a kaleidoscope of reds, yellows and oranges. Taking a deep breath, Angela revels in the smell of the forest, the smell of the plants and the fresh air, oh how she had missed this.

It is only after letting the nostalgia wash over her that she remembers her companion. Looking around, Angela spots Lenara not far away, still to regain consciousness. A couple gentle shakes is enough to rouse her though.

After her drowsiness leaves her, a rather bizarre expression appears on Lenara's face. "I cant feel them, I cant feel any of them." It takes a moment for Angela to realise what she is talking about. With the distance between them and... wherever the void is, it is understandable that she would lose the psychic connection to her drones; they could only hope that it would be regained when they returned.

Regardless, it is not important now. Angela helps Lenara to her feet and looks around. Though she is still fairly familiar with the forest, she needs some sort of landmark to guide her as the landscape, while beautiful, is very repetitive.

In the distance Angela spots something: an old wooden stump with rocks scattered around it. When she was younger this was one of the spots that she would come to with her siblings (accompanied by an adult of course) to have a picnic. She smiles wistfully as she remembers the old memories but quickly focuses on the matter at hand.

Now that she has her bearings, Angela remembers how to get to her old house, though it is a bit of a trek from where they are. Forcing down the excitement that is starting to bubble inside her, Angela motions to Lenara before moving at a measured pace in the correct direction.

As they get closer to their destination, sounds of yelling and shouting accompanied by the sounds of vehicles start to be audible.

Angela frowns, something is clearly wrong. Though there was usually some amount of noise accompanying the everyday operation of such a large house, it never reached this level. It would appear that her fears were not unfounded.

From here onwards, Angela slows down her pace, flying up towards the treetops and continuing onwards by air. Unfortunately the day is bright, severely limiting their ability to hide, though they still would not be noticed unless it is an active search.

Reaching the edge of the forest, Angela can see the entire estate. A large number of men patrol back and forth, each armed with a baton. At the front door of the house stands a somewhat aged man, though his fitness still surpasses that of an average person, talking to an overly rotund man in a suit. The grey haired man is unfamiliar to Angela but the businessman, the businessman she recognises.

Roland Grimsworth, that's his name. He was one of her father's colleagues, though not one of the ones he trusted. After her parents' death he had tried to get his hands on part of the will. At that time he failed but clearly he is back for another, more forceful attempt.

After a short conversation, though she could not hear what they were saying, Roland turned to go inside, leaving behind the older man. His grizzled voice carries across the garden, barking orders to his men.

If Lenara still has control over her warriors with her, such methods would be trivial but alas, it is just the two of them so they will have to take a more stealthy approach.