Collecting the group

``Breaking time'' by Cale Robinson

Arrows of gold lined softly

from boron stained diamond sky,

crisps of rainbow feathered songs

and dry emerald grass swings.

The blushed day awoke virgin

to its turbulent new fate

nature beaming its paint grin

to conspiracy ahead.

My tight drum cage contracted

with irony of contrast,

oblivious summer set.

My hollow hoarse throat enclosed

by hands that now fix or break.

Alas, next won't come the same.

From such a message one would doubt the decision of involving Spikes. Firstly, he wouldn't get on on his own, two more wolfmen were automatically included. Secondly, he couldn't show his maturity in public or people wouldn't recognize him, so he would joke around all the time. At least he was punctual and I knew he was with Akita, who was responsible for keeping them in line. What could we do? We needed a dispensable car and enough men power to create chaos, and these three Musketeers were made for that particular job.

Not even my prey complained, she only affirmed over and over again that she wanted her ``puff'' back in one piece once I was done with him. Then she turned around satisfied gliding away with a smile and wouldn't even want to know what it was all about. I guess, better for her! I was still feeling guilty for getting Akita in all this mess, but he had the perfect profile for the job too. Not that he was the most responsible of the four, but those three could shift of course with an ease that an outsider could better detect. And he wouldn't have liked it one bit, to not be included in the present conspiracy. ``Sticking it to the man'' was, according to him, a requirement to becoming a responsible adult.

For several days this part of the plan was traced by Bleach Eyes with the Blond Singer as hypothetical consultant. Turned out, Blond Singer with her indigo eyes was a fresh-whalewoman, so it was easier to trust she had no connection to the elite squad. There aren't many whalemen, but they have the inapt ability to predict several scenarios, generate complex simultaneous planning and sustain the plotting in stressful environment with pragmatic ease. She managed to keep her doll face throughout all the exercise thinking this was just that, a war game exercise. I swear her eyes blue got more vivid as she bit her lips and we could almost see the sprockets turn inside her perfect head, amidst thick rolling strands of gold. Such an innocent looking powerful machine.

The sailor-looking friend from my father turned out to be a whaleman too and he helped when he could with all the overall details. He swam through the timelines and flipped the pawns like a fish under water. For these three expert brains the plan should be simplified to the bare minimum, which they insisted is the key to success, that and several contingency subplans.

I managed to attend the gatherings and intervened as little as possible, while I selfishly argued with myself. And the fear that something would happen to Akita kept weighing inside of me, winning to the desire to include him with us today. When the time came to find someone who could deal with the chaos trio, there weren't many options and none of which I would trust as much, but that hurt even deeper. I was endangering him and not even getting his company during this frightening experience, at least I would keep him on the loop and was able to contact him at any time.

Now, I just closed my eyes and wished everything was over, all of it done and set to rest. I often dreamed of being able to fast-forward through these moments of life, although I feared I would spend my life in fast-forward. As it was I was constantly on the run, reaching out and trying to keep up with life. I felt like I was constantly working just to keep afloat. I wished we were back in my place, safe and commemorating the new found peace of our country, and our glorious tough minuscule involvement guaranteeing it. I wished even harder, that nothing of this had happened, that we were back in exams and that was the full extent of our concerns... and that the world would turn as it has for so many years, revealing the sun once again in all its golden warmth. I wished it so bad I was even looking forward for exams, can you imagine? But when I opened my eyes, the world was still, and so were we... so was the run for this night's events. So I broke the silence and gave in to reality.- ``Spikes just confirmed position!''

Bleach eyes checked his watch and hmphed already from the inside of the car. - ``You were late!''

I pulled the seat back into place to get back in, so Sonya beat me to retort! - ``I am not magical! I haven't been here before and don't know how accurate I should be with the timing Rambo!''

- ``minutes should do fine, hum... Sonya!''

- ``He knows my name?'' - her eyes flew back to me sharp as arrows in a piercing and threatening accusation. -``If we are doing something shady enough that I can't know about I shouldn't be known either. Where have you been getting yourself into? I better have you harmless in bed in time for the sun to rise.'' - Her chestnut wavy hair swept left and right as she pointed her bow of a mouth to me, Bleach eyes and me again. As soon as I was in, she started driving like crazy without knowing yet where to. Her eyes were narrow and her full raise cheeks creased with unease.