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Young Writers Society



The Cosmic Dragon: Chapter 7

by Necromancer14


Alice didn’t know what to do. Should she escape? That didn’t seem very plausible, as she wasn’t healed yet. She sat up, deciding that she would at least give herself a tour, even if it was just out of curiosity.

She winced as she crawled out of bed. I hate second-degree burns, she thought. She stepped out of the room and into the hall, immediately noticing the metal walls and flickering lights. On the far side was an elevator, which suddenly dinged as a woman in a lab coat walked out. She stopped in surprise and stared at Alice.

“What are you doing? You should be resting,” she said.

“Who are you?” asked Alice.

“You can call me Jane, but you need to be resting,” said Jane.

“Why? It’s just a few burns,” replied Alice.

“Oh, fine, but there’s not much to do here,” Jane told her.

“Can I have a tour?” asked Alice.

“Actually… no, you cannot, because this place has sensitive information, and you might be a spy.”

Before Alice could argue, the elevator door dinged, opening again, and the glowy-eyed guy burst in with a huge gash along his forehead.

“Woah, Shadowscale, you need to get to the emergency room!” exclaimed Jane.

“I know, that’s where I’m going,” the alien replied. “I.S.U.E. and their annoying machine guns, not to mention landmines.”

“Wait… I.S.U.E. was there?” asked Jane.

“Mm-hm. They were “protecting” the place from “Unknown number one,” as they think that I’m the one who’s been destroying buildings and murdering people, as you know. Then, when I got past them, the building blew up right when I entered. Which, I must say, wasn’t very fun, I can assure you that,” explained the dragon. He glanced at Alice. “Is she healed? If she is, we should probably wipe her memory of me and this place and put her back on that sidewalk.”

“Wait, what? Hey! No! You’re not going to wipe my memory! I refuse!” exclaimed Alice, horrified.

“You might be a spy,” replied the alien. “Precautions must be taken.”

“But… but… I’m not a spy!” said Alice. I don’t want even a little bit of my memory erased! she thought.

“Can you prove it?” asked Jane.

“Uh, my criminal record is clean?” said Alice hopefully. Suddenly, she felt a throbbing headache in her skull, and the alien’s eyes glowed twice as bright as normal. “Ahhg!” went Alice, clutching her head in her hands. Then, as fast as it had come, the headache dissipated and she felt normal again. However, the dragon didn’t look normal, he looked completely exhausted.

“She’s not a spy,” he said.

“Huh? But just a second ago you said…” then Alice remembered her headache and the extra-glowy eyes, which made her recall a strange feeling of someone being in her head. “Wait, did you just read my mind?” she yelled.

“She’s completely ignorant of everything about us and about I.S.U.E. There’s no need to wipe her memory,” said the dragon, ignoring Alice. “In any case, I should probably get to the emergency room before I stain this floor with my blood even more.”

The alien hobbled off down the hallway, his shoes causing the metal floor to make clanking noises.

“Since you know I’m not a spy, now can I have a tour?” asked Alice. She was burning with curiosity, but mostly she just wanted to find proof of anything that would tell her whether the alien had been the one to injure her parents or not.

“I’ll have to check with Dr. Remington,” answered Jane, and she briskly walked off. After Jane left, Alice just sort of stood around, not knowing what to do. She was still standing there an hour later.

This is so boring, thought Alice. There’s nothing to do. When is Jane going to come back?

Just then, something not boring at all happened. The sound of an incredibly loud explosion rocked Alice’s eardrums, and she fell to the floor as the whole building shook. Red lights began flashing in syncopation with an alarm, and Alice grabbed her head to keep it from banging against the vibrating metal. She screamed in pain as she landed on her burns, her clothing feeling like sandpaper.

Horrifyingly, the wall caved outward as Alice heard another explosion, and she glanced out through the gaping hole. On the other side of the wall was a huge room, larger than a gymnasium, and the corridor that Alice was in was along the ceiling of the room. Alice momentarily forgot her pain as she stared at the strange sight.

“What on Earth…?” she said. On the floor of the room was a strange looking contraption that reminded Alice of a goal post like the ones you would use in american football. It had a metal base with lots of fancy-looking wires and stuff on it, and on top of that was a thick metal post that split into a U shape, curving up on either side. The whole thing was pretty much covered in wires and other such stuff, but on the inside of the U, there was a slit that went all the way around, from tip to tip.

However, it got even weirder than that. The whole thing was burnt and blackened, and there seemed to be random meteors laying on the floor, some almost as big as the machine itself.

Suddenly, Alice felt a hand grab her shirt and she shrieked, looking behind her.

“Don’t worry, I’ve got the girl. You humans just make sure everybody else makes it out. I’ll be back in a few minutes,” said the shirt-grabber. Thankfully, it was only the alien. Wait, since when am I thankful to see the alien? wondered Alice. Before she could ponder it any more, she was scooped up onto the alien’s back, and he ran at an incredible speed, practically flying. He whisked from hall to hall, and Alice hoped she wouldn’t get whip-lash.

The dragon finally burst out of a door, and Alice tumbled onto some grass, gritting her teeth. I hate burns. They are now my least-favorite injury, she thought. As the dragon zipped back into the building, Alice surveyed her surroundings. The first thing she noticed was several dozen people in lab-coats standing around with their hands in their pockets. The second thing she noticed was the cold biting at her skin, and the wind, blowing her hair in her face. The third thing she noticed was a loud crashing noise, which reminded her of trips to Lake Michigan.

She then looked around at the landscape. They were on an island. A small one. With no other man-made structures in sight, only some palm trees to one side.

“Hmm. I don’t like failed experiments. Especially when it causes the lab to blow up,” Alice heard Dr. Remington say as she was carried out by the dragon.

“I don’t know why anyone would,” he replied. He then looked up at the sky. “Those helicopters… they look a bit suspicious, don’t they.”

“What? Armed helicopters? How did I not notice?” replied the scientist, panic rising in her voice. The whirring sound of helicopter began to be heard over the sound of the ocean, and when they came even closer, a speaker blared from one of them;

“We’ve finally found you Unknown number one. It’s over. You can either submit peacefully, or you’ll be shot on the spot, which is no less than you deserve anyway.”


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Sat Jun 13, 2020 8:16 am
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KateHardy wrote a review...



Good Morning/Afternoon/Evening/Night (whichever one it is when you read this),

HALFWAY!!! *goes offscreen and does happy dance*,

First Impression: Best Chapter so far in my opinion. Has more personality and description. I'm liking this plot so far.

Okay getting right to it,

Alice didn’t know what to do. Should (Could) she escape? That didn’t seem very plausible, as she wasn’t healed yet. She sat up, deciding that she would at least give herself a tour, even if it was just out of curiosity.

“What are you doing? You should be resting,” she said.

“Who are you?” asked Alice.

“You can call me Jane, but you need to be resting,” said Jane.

“Why? It’s just a few burns,” replied Alice.

“Oh, fine, but there’s not much to do here,” Jane told her.

That was a quick 180. Maybe have them argue about that a tad bit more.

“Woah, Shadowscale, you need to get to the emergency room!” exclaimed Jane.

“I know, that’s where I’m going,” the alien replied. “I.S.U.E. and their annoying machine guns, not to mention landmines.

“Wait… I.S.U.E. was there?” asked Jane.

“Mm-hm. They were “protecting” the place from “Unknown number one,” as they think that I’m the one who’s been destroying buildings and murdering people, as you know. Then, when I got past them, the building blew up right when I entered. Which, I must say, wasn’t very fun, I can assure you that,” explained the dragon. He glanced at Alice. “Is she healed? If she is, we should probably wipe her memory of me and this place and put her back on that sidewalk.”

This is some of the best dialogue you've had so far.

“Uh, my criminal record is clean?” said Alice hopefully. Suddenly, she felt a throbbing headache in her skull, and the alien’s eyes glowed twice as bright as normal. “Ahhg!” went Alice, clutching her head in her hands. Then, as fast as it had come, the headache dissipated and she felt normal again. However, the dragon didn’t look normal, he looked completely exhausted.

“She’s not a spy,” he said.

“Huh? But just a second ago you said…” then Alice remembered her headache and the extra-glowy eyes, which made her recall a strange feeling of someone being in her head. “Wait, did you just read my mind?” she yelled.

That was quick. Either he did a surface level skim through or he can process things much faster than humans. Interesting set of powers. Good to see that those are being nicely developed.

“I’ll have to check with Dr. Remington,” answered Jane, and she briskly walked off. After Jane left, Alice just sort of stood around, not knowing what to do. She was still standing there an hour later.

Really? Fifteen year old teenager actually listens and stands in one place for one hour. That's unlikely.

Just then, something not boring at all happened. The sound of an incredibly loud explosion rocked Alice’s eardrums, and she fell to the floor as the whole building shook. Red lights began flashing in syncopation with an alarm, and Alice grabbed her head to keep it from banging against the vibrating metal. She screamed in pain as she landed on her burns, her clothing feeling like sandpaper.

Now this paragraph is a perfect example of what would have made that previous chapter much much better. Lovely description.

Horrifyingly, the wall caved outward as Alice heard another explosion, and she glanced out through the gaping hole. On the other side of the wall was a huge room, larger than a gymnasium, and the corridor that Alice was in was along the ceiling of the room. Alice momentarily forgot her pain as she stared at the strange sight.

More good description.

The whole thing was pretty much covered in wires and other such stuff, (that seems like a gloss over again. Don't just say "other stuff") but on the inside of the U, there was a slit that went all the way around, from tip to tip.

“Don’t worry, I’ve got the girl. You humans just make sure everybody else makes it out. I’ll be back in a few minutes,” said the shirt-grabber. Thankfully, it was only the alien. Wait, since when am I thankful to see the alien? wondered Alice. (Now we get some good Alice character development) Before she could ponder it any more, she was scooped up onto the alien’s back, and he ran at an incredible speed, practically flying.

“Hmm. I don’t like failed experiments. Especially when it causes the lab to blow up,” Alice heard Dr. Remington say as she was carried out by the dragon. (Wait she only talked to her once. She can already recognize her voice?)

“What? Armed helicopters? How did I not notice?”(Exclamation marks would help you out here) replied the scientist, panic rising in her voice. The whirring sound of helicopter began to be heard over the sound of the ocean, and when they came even closer, a speaker blared from one of them;

“We’ve finally found you Unknown number one. It’s over. You can either submit peacefully, or you’ll be shot on the spot, which is no less than you deserve anyway.”

And another amazing ending. You've got some awesome endings. Always making the reader want to read more.

As usual sorry if it was harsh but I think I didn't have much to say this chapter. It was the best so far. Take what you think will help and forget the rest.

So halfway done. I'm going to take a bit of a break and then tackle the other half before the day is out. Hopefully.

Stay Safe :)
Harry




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Sun Mar 22, 2020 4:17 pm
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4revgreen wrote a review...



Hi there!

One more chapter to go!

I like the action in this chapter, but again it was still pretty fast paced. It suited this part better though. I just really, really want Alice's personality to shine through! She doesn't seem like a main character. She has so much potential, and so much chance to develop but you aren't allowing her!

I'm glad Shadowscale was in this chapter. He's still my favourite character!

I liked the cliff hanger at the end - it makes me want to read on!

Should she escape?

I think 'Could she escape?' would make more sense.

That didn’t seem very plausible, as she wasn’t healed yet.

"...hadn't healed yet" would make more sense.

I hate second-degree burns, she thought.

I mean, no one likes getting burnt! This is a kinda stupid thing to say. I wish she would have talked about how much is hurt, how she felt about being hurt etc. instead.

“I know, that’s where I’m going,” the alien replied. “I.S.U.E. and their annoying machine guns, not to mention landmines.”

See, this is why Shadowscale is my favourite character! He actually has a character! This made me chuckle!

“She’s completely ignorant of everything about us and about I.S.U.E. There’s no need to wipe her memory,” said the dragon, ignoring Alice. “In any case, I should probably get to the emergency room before I stain this floor with my blood even more.”

Once again, I love Shadowscale! More like this would be great.

The sound of an incredibly loud explosion rocked Alice’s eardrums, and she fell to the floor as the whole building shook.

I'd get rid of "the sound of" part as it takes away from the fact there was an explosion. Like always, there is the perfect opportunity to have a really vivid description here!

The whole thing was pretty much covered in wires and other such stuff,

the 'pretty much' and 'other such stuff' is too informal for my taste! Describe the 'thing' in enough detail so that the reader can picture it!

Wait, since when am I thankful to see the alien? wondered Alice.

THIS is what you need more of! Alice's personality!

The third thing she noticed was a loud crashing noise, which reminded her of trips to Lake Michigan.

Describe to me how it reminds her! I've never been to Lake Michigan, which is why you need to have more description as you've got the power over the reader's mind!

“We’ve finally found you Unknown number one. It’s over. You can either submit peacefully, or you’ll be shot on the spot, which is no less than you deserve anyway.

Nice ending, I love a cliff hanger, and you seem to be pretty good at them!

Keep writing !






Thanks for the review!



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Sun Jan 26, 2020 12:33 am
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keystrings wrote a review...



Hello there! I'm coming by to review this last chapter/review that you requested. I'm quite interested to see where this chapter goes, as we were left with Alice going with the dragon, while Isaac alongside I.S.U.E.'s mandate is chasing after both of them.

I feel like this chapter is a good part to try to expand on Alice's personality since the beginning is a least calmer. We haven't gotten a good look into her mind when she's able to process all of the previous events, as Shadowscale had kidnapped her basically, while her thoughts felt all jumbled then, and then when her parents died, which is understandable. I'm trying to remember what age Alice is meant to be, in between the teenager-is ages, since she seems quite curious about everything going on and kind of like a child would, as in asking a million questions.

The fact that Jane could easily wipe Alice's memories seems quite ominous! I wonder if that will play a role later in the story as that could definitely be used by her, Shadowscale, or someone else which is no fun! Him reading her mind though is definitely interesting as we get another look at his powers. In a weird way, though, the fact that Shadowscale reads her mind and then says she knows nothing doesn't make quite entire sense to me since she at least knows what they look like and somewhat about the setting/place that she is now standing in. I guess that stuff wouldn't help the bad guys though (I.S.U.E.) so that works.

Besides that, hmm, let me think. I like the action in the second portion of the chapter because I think that adds to the building tension in this, and getting Alice to have to make her way through a room that's getting destroyed. And her starting to think of the "alien" as a somewhat good person is rather funny as I'm sure Alice isn't too pleased by that prospect, but that might be one of the few ones that she has at her disposal. Neat spot to end this, especially with the final quote at the end, so uh oh. Our characters are in trouble. Until next time!

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Tue Jan 21, 2020 2:58 am
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JazenKnight wrote a review...



Questions & More Questions
My favorite thing to do-ask skeptical questions. Haha. Why so much dialogue? The word horrifyingly is a ''ly'' adverb, why use it? Why isn't there more going on in Alice's head? What do those burns look like, feel like? Some things you might want to think over.
Crititque
.As perviously..err...noted you use too much dialogue. There isn't enough action here, until the end. (The good old Cliffhanger tactic I suspect (; ). I'd like to know more about the thoughts running through Alice's head, and her surroundings.
.Alice doesn't seem to have much of a character. Yes, she's just been conked out, but usually some strong sense of personality is present. And I hate characters with little personality. What I'm trying to say is, work on Alice's personality. She has the potential to be a great character-but bringing out that character takes work.
.''Unknown numer one''. Isn't that overused in a way? That didn't seem creative enough.
Jazen Knight
.When your sceintist notices the Helicopters and says ''What? Armed helicopters? How did I not notice?'' you might want to add exclaimation marks, otherwise it won't sound like she's actually panicked.
This is an intriqing story. Which is a high grade compliment coming from me.
Keep up the intrique,
JazenKnight






Thanks for the review!



JazenKnight says...


Your welcome.




When life gives you lemons…take over YWS with fruits and vegetables!!!
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