Part 3- Park Ranger

[Jaygo Jones]

Everyone knew about the Wingra Tree. It symbolized the entire reason the school was still standing. Jeremy was a legend at St. Joseph School. All the guys wanted to be him, saving the girl and being the hero. All the girls dreamed of a guy that would do that for them. saving them at the last second. Jaygo knew better, dead was dead no matter how heroic or romantic it might seem. but here he stood. next to the damnable tree looking down at the small plaque beside the tree. Three small spotlights circled the tree, each with a small name engraved upon it 'Sparks' 'Portals' and 'Velocity'. The heroes that stood their ground would forever watch over their friend. The whole courtyard was a historic spot for Paragon as a whole. it was the first true defense of a structure of the invasion, and because of it was commemorated as a historic landmark. 'Symbolism my ass. it's just another way to fill these kids heads up with tales of glory. Wind blew through the open area, scattering a few loose pieces of paper. Jaygo studied the tree a second longer, and noticed that the concrete sidewalk around it was cracked. Several cracks ran away from the tree, almost as if the entire root system was being ripped out of the ground.

Jaygo's face contorted into a frown, more trouble. His plate had been getting rather full as of late. whatever it was would have to wait, he needed to focus on the task at hand. Looking down he opens the small piece of paper in his hand. it was once again covered in fluid writing and excessive caricature.

8pm. the amphitheater in Perez Park. Come alone or we kill them

His tolerance for being played was pretty much at it's limit. Sure he hated his parents, but this was ridiculous, they wanted him for something, of that he was certain. He crumbled up the note and stuffed it into a small crack at the base of the tree. 'Keep this safe for me Wingman. hopefully I'll be back for it.' Jaygo slid his backpack onto one shoulder and started off. He headed for the main gates of the school, checking his watch to see how long he would have to wait for the tram to run through again. Several students still littered the campus. He made eye contact with one girl as he sat next to the stairs to the science building. Her light blue body suit catching the sun. Ice blue eyes, hidden behind a few strands of frosty hair looked up intensively. 'Stasis Kiss' was new and was having trouble adjusting. Jaygo remembered those days. He shot her a smile and continued on.

'Jaygo.' The single word echoed around the courtyard. Jaygo turned to see Jasmine flying down from a window of the dorm building. Her uniform was gone. replaced by a loos fitting jacket and skirt. A cowboy hat adorned her pink locks. She landed soundlessly next to him and smiled. Jaygo's face was covered in a smile that could light a room. ' Hey sport, where you headed.?' her question was short and sweet. one of the many things Jaygo liked about her.

' Hiya Jas.' He didn't want to lie to her, but things were gong to get rough and he didn't want her to get hurt. ' I, uh, have some things to take care of. personal things'. His voice was raspy and his mouth dry. His eyes never once meeting hers.

'Jaygo, what's going on. you in trouble again? I can help.' Concern coated her words. His stomach hurt now, he could most defiantly use her skills in the park, there was no doubt about it. but could he allow himself to put her in danger.

'Jas, no. I can't. I need to do this alone. It's too dangerous, if something happened....' His words trailed off. He didn't need to finish the statement. She already knew the rest.the light in her eyes darkened and it seemed as if the shadows around her were moving. energy sparked from her hands. Jaygos shoulders slumped and his head drooped. ' Jasmine....' He looked up, but she was already gone, a fading shadow in the sky. His sigh was heavy and deflated a lot of the anger he was harboring. He shook his head and scanned the area one last time. Several students were looking at him as he returned to his burdens, which seemed to weigh him down more than ever.


Jaygo's sneakers pounded the pavement. He had spotted the tram a few blocks back and was trying as hard as he could to beat it to the terminal. He saw it out of the corner of his eye. Damn. not going to make it. need to take a short cut. He turned into the mouth of an alley and stumbled through a large knot of Hellion gang bangers that were shooting dice there. His fall caused the ganger throwing the dice to wildly fling the dice, which hit the a large Hellion squarely in the face. Jaygo stands quickly and looks around. ' Great just what I need.' The large Hellion smiled and pulled out a wicked looking piece of chain covered with hooks.

' Look what we have here boys, Mary school girl trying to get home. Well Mary you ventured into the wrong ally this time.' The pack of thugs burst into laughter. Jaygo quickly took stock of the situation. Seven gangers and lots of lethal looking weapons. The leader was a mountain of a man, easily seven feet and bristling with anger. his torn leather jacket had extra spikes welded onto it, the butt of a pistol clearly visible at his waistline. His face was a mass of scars and cartilage, obviously received while fighting up the ranks of gangdom.

'I really don't need this today. Listen you guys stay here and keep playing with each other. I have something to take care of, but as soon as I finish i'll come back and kick your ass. Okay?' Jaygo picked up his bag and turned to leave the stunned Hellions where they were. A huge hand landed on his shoulder. Jaygo slumped, nothing can ever get done the easy way he thought.

'Nobody makes fun of Ribcracker and gets away with it.' Vemon in his voice, the leader spun Jaygo around just in time to connect his ham sized fist with Jaygo's jaw. Jaygo crumbled under the blow. His natural reaction, to go with the blow had taken the edge off the hit, leaving only a slight sting in his otherwise unhurt jaw. He slowly stood and fixed his hair, the thugs looking on in shock, no one got back up after Ribcracker hit them.

' You know. this is getting old really fast. I just wanted to catch the train, nothing more. WHY is it so hard to understand that.' Jaygo focused his rage into a swirling mass of energy around his fist and decked the leader square in the face. His body twitched once before dropping, unconscious. ' and Ribcracker, god, where do they come up with this shit.' The other gangers looked on, too stunned to react.

Then like a wave of emotion, they surged forward, intend on making sure their victim paid their price in pain. Jaygo deftly dodged a baseball bat aimed at his head, and spun quickly to deflect an incoming knife jab. A numbing pain in his ribs let Jay go know that he was a bit slow on the defensive, as one of the gangers lovingly planted his sledgehammer there. The fight was quickly turning into a mass of bodies and pain. Jaygo, realizing that he needed to end this quick, summoned all the power he could and began swinging in all directions. He was less than graceful and lacked any sort of tequinece, but the power in his blows super seeded the need for any kind of form.

Bodies littered the alley. limbs jutting in all directions, not all in natural poses. Blood and urine covered the ground. several of the tugs had lost control of the ire bladders when the fight went sour. Jaygo's clothes were a shambles. His blazer little more than a rag covering his chest, white shirt blood stained and filthy. Bending down to retrieve his pack, Jaygo was stopped by the sharp pain in his ribs. Damn, he thought rubbing his side like things aren't already bad enough. He dashed out of the alley, intent on still trying to make the tram.

Two minutes too late, just two minutes and he could have been on his way to Perez Park. Jaygo sighed and sat on one of the benches. It was twenty minutes before another tram was scheduled to come through. He reached into his pack and pulled out his Walkman. Heavy, thrashing beats flooded his senses as he hit the play button. He closed his eyes and allowed the pulsing rock track to focus his thoughts. the arrival of the tram broke his rock induced solace. It was time to focus on the thing at hand.


Perez Park was once a gem of the city, clean and less modernized, it was a retreat for the citizens of the city to get away from the hustle of the real world. In recent years following the invasion it had become a haven for all types of criminal elements and horrors. Jaygo walked slowly around the outer walls of the park, sounds echoed from inside the park walls, not all pleasant. He had changed upon arrival, gone was the uniform, however much of it left that could be called such, replaced by the dark green hoodie and camo pants. He secured both straps of his pack on his shoulders and ventured into the park. He was instantly assaulted by the hanging dread that always seemed to surround the park. His pace slowed as he gathered tendrils of negative energy around him. He wanted to remain hidden for as long as possible.

The walk to the ampithearter was slow. several times he had to change his course to avoid rowdy thugs and in one case a rather large group of walking corpses. lights were sparsely placed inside the park, originally to not overwhelm the natural feel of the area, lately though, the lack of light only helped to hide possible dangers. Shadows moved among the stone benches of the theater. Dark green robes hid their features, but a faint yellow glow could be seen from under the hood. Several larger, more ominous figures moved along the stage.

Jaygo's form moved carefully. but the infrared scope provided no escape for him. ' Target sighted. Do we engage?' the figure was lying in the bushes of the amphitheater. Well hidden, he had obviously bee there a while. His face was fully covered except for his eyes. a small earpiece and sub dermal microphone the only visible signs of humanity present. The figure awaited conformation on his next movement. The earpiece squeaked to life. ' negative. do not, repeat do not, attempt to engage. target is to be watched only'

Jaygo crept forward. not wanting to startle any of the figures until he had an idea of what was on the stage. 'Glad you could join us Mr. Jones' Jaygo stiffened. the voice sounded like gravel rubbing sandpaper. Lights erupted to life filling the amphitheater and the surrounding wood line. Jaygo groaned, there on the stage were several robed figures, all holding ornate staves and wearing glinting crowns. The Circle of Thorn mages stood relaxed, they didn't consider this a dangerous situation. there were bodyguards and worse everywhere. ' Come quietly now Mr. Jones and we'll think about releasing your parents.' Jaygo glanced at the stage before turning to look at the approaching guards and defiantly raised his hands.

The approaching guards posture slacked a bit as Jaygo seemingly surrendered. As they approached, Jaygo lashed out. His first swing took out the Thornweilder in frond of him. A quick elbow dispatched the foolish guard trying to flank him. The other guards stopped dead, none willing to approach. ' What did you want, me to surrender and go happily with you. I'm here for my parents, but they are leaving with me.' He suddenly charged, fists flying, barreling into several of the guards. The mages quickly began shouting orders, trying to use their overwhelming numbers to incapacitate him. Jaygo had other plans though, he steamrolled through another set of guards and jumped onto the stage. Face to face the mages backed up, their bravado gone with their shield of guards gone. Only the head mage, a towering, slim figure held his ground

' Foolish boy, your parents are no where near here. did you think I would allow you to ruin plans that have been in motion for decades. Your headstrong reaction was just what i was hoping for.' The mage raised his hands and chanted a small phrase. A swirling green ball appeared on the stage. It expanded until it was almost ten feet in diameter. The tearing sound that accompanied it was like nothing Jaygo had ever heard. it was like the air itself was in pain. Fire poured from the portal. heat and smoke drifted in all directions. A large clawed hand emerged, followed by the tip of a leathery wing. Jaygo, took a step back, whatever was in that portal wasn't something he wanted to be close to. A piercing shriek, followed by a massive head, came next. The head was a mix of a bad and a wolf and had huge horns that curved back atop it's forehead. A sculpted body followed, red and leathery, nothing natural could be so perfectly built. Hoofed legs finished the creature off. It stretched to it's full height, almost twice Jaygo's size.

Jaygo looked around, this thing is too big to fight up here, I need some room to use my speed. Jaygo lept away from the stage, stopping only long enough to quickly hurl a stone at the beast, which turned and opened it's huge mouth, and spewed a large ball of fire at Jaygo. Holy shit, OK. new plan. Jaygo vaulted one of the benches just before the fireball connected, melting the stone. Jaygo was up and running fast, he needed to stop that thing. Several guards were in pursuit, albeit from a safe distance. Jaygo, seeing them hesitate stopped and rushed into the group. The monster was furious, it's prey wasn't supposed to be doing this. It lept into the air, and with a sweep of it's huge wings crashed into the group of thorns. Bodies flew in all directions. Jaygo landed several feet away with the body of a Thornweilder next to him. Jaygo noticed the wicked looking sword on the ground and grabbed it. It pulsed with energy and tingled slightly in his hands.

Jaygo lept froward at the beast, ducking under a swipe of it's claws and slashed with all his power at the monsters open mid section. The blade cut deep into the leathery bulk. Black blood gushed out of the wound, as the creature let out an unearthly howl of pain. Jaygo was lifted off the ground by powerful hands and thrown across the theater, landing hard against a tree. The beast stomped forward, a little slower than before , and favoring it's wounded right side. Jaygo moaned and crawled forward a bit, he was hurt, bad. The creature grabbed his leg and held him up, toying with him. Jaygo's vision filled with black spots as the monster smashed him into the ground.

Jaygo was a tough kid, hell he bragged about it all the time, but he could feel his body failing him. already his vision swam. His ribs felt like they were on fire. he was pretty sure he was bleeding somewhere internally. The beast again lifted Jaygo, this time not completly off the ground. Jaygo felt movement, he was being dragged. Bach to the stage, he was sure, but he could do nothing.

' Excuse me, the park is closed after dark. I'm going to have to write you all a citation for being here.' A melodic voice said from a clearing to the left. Darkness exploded in all directions, engulfing several of the thorn mages. Tenebrous roots sprung from the ground, trapping the beast where he stood. Anger filled it's vision, as pain seared through it's body. Jaygo was thrown into the darkness with a crash, the beast too far into a bezerker state to comprehend it's decision. 'Stay down hero' was the last thing Jaygo heard before he passed out.

Jasmine emerged from the darkness with an evil grin on her face. ' Amateurs, do you really want to know what power look like?' The engulfing darkness again pushed forward, racing for the remaining thorns with a vengeance. The beast, having worked it's way free, stormed forward, intent on destruction. It didn't get more than a few feet before a ball of dark energy ripped into it. The ball expanded out and slithered around the monster, crushing it slowly, and causing it to fall. Jasmine turned to the stage, where several of the mages were down and the rest were in retreat. ' Power isn't something you play with. If you have it use it. Toying around will only get you killed.' she waved her hand one final time and darkness covered the stage, and muffled screams could be heard. She walked back to her wounded friend.

Jaygo awoke to a throbbing pain in his head. His body hurt all over, but it was mostly sore muscles. He was in a clearing in the woods, and the sun was just beginning to rise. Jasmine was standing off to the side, watching a group of Skulls pass by. Jaygo couldn't help but smile. He tried to move, but was rewarded with more pain. Jasmine, hearing the rustling, turned and frowned. ' Don't move too much yet, hero. I used my energies to heal you , but it's not the most effective, and usually leaves a hell of hangover'. Jaygo weakly smiled.

' Jas.... I'm sorry. I didn't want you to get hurt. You saw that thing.' Jaygo sat up, trying valiantly to stand. His efforts got him wobbly to his feet. He turned to Jasmine, who was waiting with a right cross, sending him crashing back down to the ground.

' Don't you think I was worried about YOU..Your such an ass, Jaygo. Stop trying to protect everyone from your issues... I can only help if you talk to me. DAMN IT.' Jasmine walks away, leaving him with his thoughts and once again a sore jaw

[Jaygo Jones]

Woo.. the long awated part 3. extra special thanks to my favorite alien Annie for the help with this one. couldn't have done it without you

It's less of what I intended when i began writing it, but flows better for the story. Still alot left to get across, so please bear with me. I have been asked by a few people to do other stuff also. so this project might slow down a bit to let me take a break from the intensity. my mind is usually on this thing 24/7. if i'm awake thsi is running in my head..

thanks again for all the support, you know who you are. and on to part 4..

[Annie Dromida]

<blush>

I was just someone to talk to and bounce ideas off of. I didn't do all that much. Thanks for the recognition, though. It means alot.

[Kali Jade]

it just keeps getting better.... now im on the edge of my seat for what happens next

[Stasis Kiss]

holy!

and i even get a cameo appearance.

damn good work Jaygo .. man, are you going to be hurting unit for awhile. ouch!