CONNECTION RE-ESTABLISHED.

DAY TWO
COLOSSEUM STATION
UNKNOWN SYSTEM, NOVA UNIVERSE
0904 HOURS, MAY 3, 3961 A.D.

A small ship emerged from a blood-red time gate into the system, instantly recognizing the massive ship of the Ender, noting a small battle was taking place on the gigantic ring that encircled it. The ship, a Valkyrie named the Devil's Advocate, sped off towards the station, piloted by none other than Nar Akasi.

“Colosseum Station: Requesting Permission to Dock.”
“Permission Granted, Devil's Advocate. Proceed to Docking Bay 3978.”

Akasi smiled evilly. He rarely took his personal ship, considering the Insurrection made for a much bigger impression. However, in this case, subtlety was the name of the game, and he didn't want to draw any attention. He had a target to find: JoshTigerHeart, who apparently knew how to reach the Tyrekonian Universe. It would please him greatly to discover how to reach the Phoenix Dominion.

He donned a plain, gray jumpsuit, further ensuring a lowered level of detection, and turned on his Psi Jammer. This meeting had better be quick; he had a schedule to keep.

MAIN RESEARACH LAB, COMMANDARIAN INDUSTRIES, INC.
PLANET XYBER XVII, IMPERIAL UNIVERSE
0600 HOURS, AUGUST 10, 3036 A.D.

Bowser clocked in, then proceeded to his office. With Mike off at the Academy, and Commander busy preparing meetings between the Empire and several prominent figures of the Nova-verse, he had plenty of time to get started on one of his projects. This one, however, was so secret, not even the head honcho himself knew about it.

“I've been meaning to do this for a while; I had initially designed it for a possible war with the Necra, but I shelved it when the fight on Syracuse ended before we could even respond,” he mused to himself. “But now, with Stukov and the JR/VA in cahoots, and an invasion of Tigerheart's homeworld imminent, I think it's cause enough to get to work on it.”

He opened a file drawer listing various projects he'd yet to start or complete – most were that boring, eggshell-white color that people were familiar with. At the back, though, there was one black folder, hidden behind a false panel at the back. Bowser glanced this way and that, making sure no one was around. When he did, he grabbed the secret file, labeled “PROJECT ITALY,” closing the panel quickly and hiding the file between some paperwork. Once he got to his work table, he laid the folder out flat, and studied the designs before him.

“Project Italy's going to give the JR/VA the scare of a lifetime,” Bowser chuckled to himself.

Before he got too far ahead of himself, the Koopa King needed to get in the groove of things – and that called for a little music. He walked over to his massive collection of music, took out a CD with The Caesars on it, popped it in a nearby machine, andturned to a specific track.

A small spotlight came down from the ceiling as he danced, taking out a wrench and a toolbox, singing along as prepared to get to work.

“Wind me up, put me down, start me up, and watch me go...”

WERE-CREATURE TRAINING ACADEMY, KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI
UNITED STATES, PLANET EARTH, SOL SYSTEM
0634 HOURS, AUGUST 10, 3036 A.D.

Mike was asleep, dreaming...

He saw himself dashing through woods, as a human, but suddenly shifting almost on a whim, into his wolf form. He punched through foliage, until he eventually reached a clearing. Dozens of other werewolves were there, just staring at the new wolf.

They looked up, and when Mike did, he saw the pale, yellow sphere of the Earth's moon. He howled, almost as if on impulse, and the other werewolves joined in.

“Huh!”

He started himself awake, grabbing his chest. He felt multiple hairs brush across the hand as he grasped at his stomach. His eyes shut tightly, hoping that he wasn't feeling what he thought it was.

Please...let this be a dream...

He looked down, and opened his eyes. He let out a sad sigh, frowning upon discovering his chest was still covered in fur. He had so wished that yesterday was just a dream, but no, he was still in the bunk that he had fallen asleep in last night. The sooner he was human again, the better.

He suddenly found himself sniffing the air as an aroma filled his nose, convincing him to leave his bed. Again, he took care to elevate his tail in order to walk correctly. He still was easily fascinated by something so simple, swishing it playfully back and forth; but then, if you had AD/HD, even the most insignificant things could keep one amused. It lightened his spirits somewhat, letting out a slight giggle as he watched in mute fascination.

Getting his mind back to the smell, he followed where it was coming from: a kitchen, just a short trip from the “dorm,” having little better way of describing where he slept. Inside he saw Megan cooking, but what he didn't know. She looked over her shoulder and noticed the wolf peeking in, shyly and curiously. A smile broke across her face.

“Morning, sleepyhead,” she said, jokingly.
“Man...that smells good. What is it?”
“Just Bacon and Eggs. Nothing special.”
“Sounds good to me.”

They both sat down, and ate. It was strange how the shape of Mike's mouth didn't seem to make it that difficult to eat at all. While Mike used a fork for the eggs, he never could bring himself to do that with bacon; it was one of those foods that you shouldn't eat with your hands, but really gave you no choice.

Mike decided to strike up a conversation. “So, uh, Megan, where you from, originally?”
“Me? I'm a New York girl.”
“I see. What's it like knowing you're a Werewolf?”
“Hmm...not too different from being a human, actually. If you can get past the verbal slings some smart-asses make, it's actually pretty nice.”
“So, were you born a werewolf?”
“Yep. Got it from my Mom.”
“Your...Mother? Not both parents?”
“No, though dad didn't have much say in the matter when they decided to have me...” she said, looking off to one side ashamedly.

Judging from her tone, Mike decided it would be a good idea to drop the subject. He didn't like to pry if it meant getting into more personal matters; Mike always valued a person's privacy, and he wouldn't go any farther unless the person decided to tell them about it.

“So, what's on my schedule for today?” he asked, switching gears.
“Oh, not much,” she replied, now a bit more cheerful. “Ignatius is going to start teaching you to use your senses to find your way out of situations.”
“How so?”
“Sorry, I'm not allowed to tell. Academy rules. It's forbidden to tell arrivals how they'll be trained aside from what they're going to do that day.”
“Hmm.”

Mike quickly finished what was left on his plate.

“Well, I guess I'd better be off, then. I'm sure I don't want to miss this class. Where's the shower?”
“Oh, just off to your right once you get back to the Bunks.”
“Thanks, Meg,” he replied. Then he headed out the door.
“Good luck out there!” Meg called after him.

The first thing Mike did was get some clean clothes; without the scent of breakfast to distract him, he stunk horribly now, and he was sure that flies wouldn't mind buzzing around him if he didn't wash soon.

He headed to the showers, reminding him of those he'd seen back at McCarty Hall when he was at DO-IT at the University of Washington. Tile floors and a few curtains for decency, plus a shower for those confined to wheelchairs.

He stripped completely, throwing his dirty clothes in a pile on the floor. The clean ones he placed on a bench about 5 feet from the stalls. He stepped inside, taking a bar of soap and some shampoo that had been provided for him back at the dorm room.

He turned the water on, twisting the handle a full turn clockwise, plus a little, for the hot water. The water felt quite rejuvenating, as he felt the horrible dirt, grime, and whatever else had accumulated on him wash away. The shampoo worked quite admirably on his “hair” on the top of his head, but the soap bar was another matter – it kept getting snagged in his fur on the rest of his body.

Eventually, though, he managed to get his whole body cleaned. He shut the water off, and, thinking that other canids did it, shook his body, making his fur poof out. Then he grabbed a towel and started drying himself off like he would normally.

When he had finished toweling himself off, he noticed that it was simply covered in hair, which, given the circumstances, wasn't entirely surprising; his fur was constantly shedding, most likely.

After he put his clothes on, he returned to the dorm room to deposit his dirty clothes in a bag. When he walked inside, he saw Megan again.

“Say...how do you keep yourself clean without getting the soap tangled in your fur?” he asked.
She laughed. “Well, the thing is, I don't use the soap when I wash.”
Mike stared blankly. “You...don't?”
“Nope! The Shampoo works just fine. You do realize that, don't you?”

Mike just stood there, but it did make sense; after all, now he had hair all over his body, not just on his head anymore.

“This is kind of a stupid question,” Mike said, scratching his head, unsure, “but do you use a lot?”
“Well, have a look,” she said, pointing to her recycle bin. Inside, there were at least 10 empty bottles of the stuff.
“Wow.”
Again, Megan laughed. “Oh, don't worry, you'll get used to it. Anyway, you'd better get going; it's almost 9:00.”
“Okay. See you later, Meg!”
“Bye!”

Mike headed out into the main room, where he spied Ignatius sitting in a lawn chair. He was reading the paper while sipping a cup of tea, one leg crossed as his tail hung out the back, slowly flicking back and forth. His wings slightly flexed as he turned the page.

*clears throat* “Uh, Ignatius, Sir?”
“Yes, what is it?” the dragon inquired, keeping his back to Mike.
“I'm, uh...I'm ready to start.”
“So I gathered. Let me look you over.”

He folded the newspaper, then set it down on the table, standing up as he did. His tail slipped out from the back, and he turned to face the new student. Ignatius walked over with his hands folded behind his back, and paced around Mike as he studied the young werewolf in his attire. It was like he was looking to see if he could find even the slightest speck of dust on Mike's body.

“Good. You look like you're ready for today's lesson.”
Mike nodded. “Megan said...”
“Ah! Not another word,” the Dragon said, holding up a clawed index finger. “She probably told you we're training your wolfish senses, didn't she?” questioning him.
“Uh...y-yes sir.”
“Hmm. Well, Academy Policy allows for it, so she's fine. Don't worry.”
“So, uh...what's first?”
“Well, you probably were awakened by the smell of her cooking breakfast, weren't you?”
“Yeah, I...”

He stopped himself mid-sentence. Did he just hear what he thought he heard?

“Wait...how'd you know?”
Ignatius chuckled slightly. “Actually, I put her up to it. You see, each day, you're going to be awoken with something that triggers one of your senses. In this case, it's your nose.”
“So...I'm going to learn to smell things?” Mike said, blank stare and unimpressed.
“Not just smell, Michael; you're going to learn how to track scent trails.”
Mike's expression changed from boredom to interest quickly. “Oh...kinda like on those cop shows, where they use bloodhounds or other dogs to track the criminals?”
“Precisely! However, Were-creatures can do it naturally, and with a greater margin of success, I might add.”

Just then, a door opened. From it emerged a rather nondescript human. “Ah, Reichelt!” Ignatius spoke. “Just in time!”
“Who's he?”
“Reichelt is going to play as the 'criminal' you have to track,” Ignatius explained. “He's going to be in a concrete maze, and you have to find him within a specific time limit.”
“Hmm, doesn't sound too hard.”
“The first time around, yes. The second time, however, the lights will be turned off, forcing you to find him in the dark.”
“Using my nose, I gather?”
“You catch on pretty quick. I guess Bowser was right about your personality.”
“Hey!”
Ignatius laughed. “Sorry, I couldn't resist.” He cleared his throat. “Now then...to the maze!”

The Maze was situated in the building next door. The walls seemed to stretch to the ceiling, standing 20 feet over Mike's head. All he could do was stare in silence, half in awe and half in worry.

“So, Reichelt; how are you going to hide in the maze without me knowing which way you'll go?” Mike asked.
“You're going to be blindfolded until I've secured my hiding spot. After that, it'll be removed, and you have to find me.”
“Okay, well it's obvious that to do that, I'll have to be able to know his scent...so how do I do that?”
“Well, to start, let's use his coat,” Ignatius stated.

Reichelt took off his jacket, and handed it to Ignatius. The Dragon then held it in front of Mike.

“Now, sniff it until you feel a sensation in your nose,” the dragon instructed.
“What kind of sensation?” Mike asked, curious.
“Trust me. You'll know it when you feel it.”

Mike leaned in, taking a few short sniffs. After a few seconds, it almost felt like a needle had stabbed him in the nose. In reaction, he grabbed at his muzzle with both hands, letting out a few pained groans.

“Good, now narrow your eyes into slits by closing your eyes and opening them. This will allow you to 'see' the scent.”

Mike, still reeling somewhat, concentrated and closed his eyes, then opened them again. As if he'd done it a thousand times, everything suddenly seemed to darken – everything beyond 10 feet or so was masked by a black wall, but everything else was different shades of black and white. A small white trail of vapor led from the jacket to where Reichelt now stood. It truly was a bizarre experience.

“Good. Now, to return to normal vision, just close and open your eyes again.”

Mike did so, and everything returned to normal hues.

“Very good, Michael. Now, you will have five minutes to find Reichelt in the maze. To pass, however, you must find him within two for the lit maze; three when it's dark. He will leave something behind for you to discover his scent and help find him.”

Ignatius then took out a piece of cloth, and wrapped it around Mike's eyes. “Can you see anything?”
“Uh, no.”
“Good. Start running, Reichelt!”

Though he couldn't see, Mike could definitely hear the man taking off, listening to the sound of his shoes as they ran across the concrete floor.

After about a minute, Reichelt shouted, “Okay! I'm ready!” Ignatius then removed the blindfold.

“You have two minutes, starting...”

(beep)

“NOW!”

Mike dashed for the entrance, noting the item Reichelt had 'lost' in his haste; a torn piece of his shirt. Mike then sniffed it, waiting for that jabbing feeling, then narrowed his eyes, allowing him to see the scent trail. He ran this way and that, eventually finding Reichelt, who shouted, “TIME!”

A faint “beep” of Ignatius' stopwatch could be heard. Then he fluttered over to Mike and Reichelt.

“Well?” Mike asked, panting slightly.

Ignatius then showed him his time:

01:47:085

“Good work, you pass!” the instructor said. “Now, for the dark maze.”

And so it continued throughout the day, as Mike learned other ways to improve his sense of smell. After the maze, he was blindfolded, had ten different objects pass his nose, then match them to each of their smells once the blindfold was removed. Then he had to determine where some 'contraband' (actually a packet of sugar) was hidden in a car only after picking up its scent.

By the end of the day, Mike was burnt-out and ready for the bunk. He'd no idea that just smelling could require so much work. Megan was, yet again, in the dorm room.

“Looks like you had quite a day!”
“Yeah...I had no idea that things would be THIS intense.”
“Well, I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but it's only going to get rougher as the week progresses.”
“I kinda figured that,” Mike said, scratching his head. Then he yawned loudly. “Well, I guess I'd better get ready for bed...see you tomorrow, Meg.”
“Good night!”

Mike made for the shower. This time, he decided to take Meg's advice and use only the shampoo. He slathered himself with the liquid, eventually covering the whole of his body before rinsing himself.

Afterwards, he put on his night clothes, and climbed into bed. Sleep never felt so good...

SIGNAL LOST.

ATTEMPTING TO RECONNECT...

---

NOTES N' STUFF:

Well, in case the past few posts haven't been indicative of it, I'm starting to turn into a bit of an audiophile. Can't say that I'm surprised, though – from 6th through 12th grade, I was in percussion; one of the things I've discovered as a result of being a percussionist is that any sound can become music. You don't need notes – just a good beat. =P

There's a song by these guys called “Rowl-Off” that's called “Lids” - the “instruments” are actually metal trash cans, with a plastic one acting as the Bass. I enjoyed that song thoroughly. XD

Unfortunately, we had no metal cans – instead, we had to use our chairs, but we managed to make it work.

Moving onwardly, this marks day 2 of “The Power Inside.” 5 more left.

As I stated yesterday, there's something I wanted to show you guys.

This was done by  strawberryxvodka the other day – I'm the one in the lower right. Don't worry – it's Safe For Work™. =)

She and her hubby,  barrin84, could use some money. Commission them when they have slots open! They're awesome!

Alrighty, well...on to homework. See ya tomorrow with another update!

The Nova-Verse and its Governments/Characters © Ambrosia Software
Bowser is © Nintendo
The Empire, JR/VA, and all characters w/in © Me