CHAPTER FOUR.
the silver wolf.

     THEY HAD BEEN WANDERING THE CAVE FOR AROUND TEN MORE MINUTES before they came across a big opening at what they believed to be the end of the cave. They were still lacking in light, but, by now, they were able to see decently in the dark, and Mars didn't see anything in the opening.

      " It's not here. " KP said, sounding more disappointed than she expected him to, but Mars was more optimistic.

      " Maybe there's a secret button to like, activate it, or something? Maybe it has an invisibility tarp over it. " Mars tried, and KP only gave her a dry look that she managed to decipher as 'points for creativity, but no'. " Just feel around, okay? "

       He did as she said, and the two of them spent nearly two minutes feeling along the walls and even the ground for some sort of secret button or door. As Mars glided her fingers over some scattered pebbles on the rough, sand-like ground, she felt something particularly smooth. Squinting her eyes to try and make it look clearer, she saw that the surface was smooth, and it was a distinctively lighter color from the rocks. Without so much as a second thought, she pushed down on it with two fingers.

      She waited for a moment, then she heard it: a small, nearly imperceptible clicking noise. Mars rose to her feet, hearing the clanking grow louder as the ground began to gently shake. KP glanced over at her with a wide eyed look on his face, to which she gave him a cocky expression even though she knew he probably couldn't see it.

     " Found it. " She gloated, and he walked over to her as they stood and watched as a discolored panel in the ground began to split and open. It pulled apart, revealing a secret door as it came apart, even more blackness underneath it.

      They took a step back together, feeling the shaking intensify as a whirring noise occurred. Suddenly, something started rising out of the ground. Mars instinctively grabbed at her necklace, remembering the burning it caused when near the map. Slowly but surely, the top came into view, and soon the entire mechanical wolf was sitting in front of them. It was still dark, so they could only see the outline of the warship, but it stood nearly forty feet tall, just barely hitting its head on the roof of the cave.

    " Okay, " KP was the first to speak as the both stood in silence, not exactly knowing what to do next. " Any ideas as to how we turn it on? "

    " No, not really. " Mars insisted, not wanting to admit that she hadn't thought this far into the plan; however, it didn't take long for their solution to appear.

    The silver band hanging from Mars' necklace began to faintly glow again, but this time it didn't burn the tips of her fingers as they held it away from her chest. She quickly pulled the chain over her head, holding it out towards the machine. KP watched, eyes going between the Silver Wolf and Mars, waiting for something to happen. Mars approached it, the ring providing a bit more light than the small flame from earlier had. She could see some rust on the mouth, it's silver exterior still shined, though.

    When nothing else happened, Mars turned her head to look at KP with a pointed look. He shrugged a bit dramatically before suggesting, " Try talking to it. "

    " Talk to it? " She repeated, her warm brown eyes narrowed as she stared at him, dumbfounded, " You want me to talk to the mechanical wolf? "

    " It might work, plus, it's not like we have anything else to go off of. " He pointed out, and Mars exhaled lowly, turning her attention back to the Silver Wolf.

   " Uh, hi, hey there. . . buddy, " She attempted, trying to keep the necklace from trembling in her hand as she began to get nervous.

   " Not like that, M, " KP insisted, motioning towards the ship, meeting her gaze, " it's your father's ship, and he wanted you to have it. Tell it that. "

    Mars still found this idea incredibly stupid, and extremely lucky, if it happened to work. Once again, she turned back to the Silver Wolf, raising her eyes to look at its head, where the eyes, made of glass, revealed what looked to be the control station.

    " My name is Mars Argo. My father is— " She informed it, clenching the chain between her fingers, " —was Louis Argo, your previous pilot. He gave me this, so that I could, uh, pilot you. "

    Mars didn't speak again after she finished, even holding her breath as she closed her eyes, hoping that when she opened them something would've changed. She needed this to work, she didn't know how to fulfill whatever prophecy her father wrote about without it.

     Please, she thought, her fingers starting to ache around the necklace, please work.

      " Mar, " KP called, but she couldn't open her eyes; she didn't want to see the darkness, a sign that she couldn't do it. She couldn't even get the ship to work, how was she supposed to live up to the prophecy, to her father's legacy.

     " Mars! " KP shouted again, and just as her name left his mouth, Mars heard a loud clanking noise, mechanical whirring and the sound of gears grinding following it in a sort of orchestra, then came a white light, a light so bright that it nearly blinded her with her eyes closed.

      She opened her eyes after the light died down just a bit, hearing the howl again, but this time it was crisp and clear. She blinked a couple of times and held her empty hand up to shield her eyes as she finally saw the Silver Wolf before her, the white light glowing from its glass eyes, lifting its legs as if it were stretching.

     It noticed that she was looking at it now, and it leaned forward, placing its head closer to the ground and it's mouth standing just before her. She swore it gave her a smile, the best a machine could, and then opened its jaw, showing her a tall entrance. Mars stared at it, then glanced over at KP, who looked just as shocked as she was. He slowly met her gaze and closed his dropped jaw into a huge grin as he let out what sounded like an excited squeal, a noise that Mars never dreamed she would hear come out of his mouth.

    " Come on, what're you waiting for? " He exclaimed as he rushed up to her, placing his hands on her shoulders and pushing her in.

     They walked through the mouth, ending up in a small compartment underneath the control room, where a hanging light swung from the handle of a hatch. Mars pushed the hatch up, having to try a couple of times before it finally flew open. She put a foot on one of the pipes attached to the wall, lifting herself up, her upper half peeking through the floor of the control room.

    She placed her palms on either side of the hatch before pushing herself up and practically throwing herself to the side, her butt landing on the cool metal floor. Mars pulled herself to her feet as KP jumped up with no struggle, following her process but a bit smoother before he pulled the hatch back up, shutting it with a small clunk.

    " Wow. " Mars said aloud as she walked around the control center, which wasn't really all that big, but she assumed it didn't need to be since it was used to fight, not to lounge.

     Near the front, she could see through the eyes of the Silver Wolf. Below them, where they had just been standing, looked small from here. The control panel sat just below the glass windows, filled with various buttons, levers, and screens, none of which Mars knew of. She wasn't really into piloting or anything dealing with machines at all. But, as if the Wolf read her mind, the pilot's seat, covered in cushioned red leather, suddenly slid backwards, bumping into KP who had been too busy admiring the interior. The floor seemed to dip underneath as it formed two indentations shaped like feet.

      Mars glanced over her shoulder at KP, who's eyebrows were raised. She was waiting for his advice, but he simply shook his head indifferently. The teen's eyes dropped to the floor, inhaling and closing her eyes briefly before stepping into the indents, which fit her feet perfectly.

     " Alright... " She breathed, holding her hands out, slowly raising them until they were near her eyes, feeling the Wolf move with her, its head rising to its full height.

      She felt her hands starting to shake as she stretched one of her hands forward, causing the Wolf to sway back a second before taking off in a fast run through the cave, through what took them half an hour to walk. KP had gripped onto the pilot's chair, holding himself steady as he made his way up to her, eyes searching all of the buttons and levers, as if he was memorizing them.

     Suddenly, they were outside. The sky was darker now, and the stars illuminated it well enough so that it wasn't purely dark. The fact that they were outside, that they were still on Ceren and this wasn't some strange thing she'd dreamt up in her sleep worried Mars. She didn't know where to take this thing, what if KP was right, and the Elders would arrest her if someone saw her take the Silver Wolf? She definitely couldn't take it back to her house, but she didn't really have anywhere else to go.

    And then, before Mars even really thought it though, a lever on the control panel began glowing red. She contemplated not touching it because it was red, and that usually meant something bad, but why would it want her to pull it if it was bad?

    So, she impulsively pulled it.

    Instantly, the indentions in the floor smoothed back out, and the white seat flew across the floor, slamming into the back of Mars' knees, making her sit involuntarily. From beside her, KP watched with slightly concerned eyes as a few longer levers rose from either side of the chair. Two on the left, one on the right. The feeling in her stomach was telling her to grab the right one, which is exactly what she did. She shoved it forward, and before either of them could try and stop it, the Silver Wolf leaped into the air.

    " Shit. " Mars bluntly said, tightening her grip around the lever as they teetered slightly, soaring through the air, leaving the ship they had taken behind them in the dirt they stirred up.

    " We're flying. " KP stated, looking out the eyes in awe, as if he was flying for the first time again; Mars' reaction wasn't nearly as heartwarming as his. " We are flying in the Silver Wolf, Mars— "

    When he turned to see if she shared the same excitement as him, he saw nothing short of terror on her face as they both quickly realized that Mars didn't have any piloting education that wasn't virtual, let alone know how to fly a weaponized machine from a war that happened years ago.

    " Mars, hey, let me fly— " When he replaced his hand on the lever though, the Wolf suddenly powered down, going black as it started to fall to the ground; the two of them both let out a frightened scream as Mars hurriedly grabbed the lever, pulling on one of the left ones in hope that it would get them away from the ground. The engine kicked back on as soon as her hand touched the lever.

      " What the hell, did you turn it off? " KP questioned, and Mars' afraid expression hardened as she tried to glare at him for asking that.

      " No, are you serious? It shut off by itself! " She shouted, noticing that they must've accidentally turned during the scare, because ahead of them was the edge of the Ceren Central, and, near the heart of the planet, the Council Building.

      " Mars, get us away from the Central! " KP ordered, and the girl's high ponytail whipped around as she looked at the levers.

      " Yeah, how do I do that, exactly, KP? " She said rhetorically, digging her nails into the right lever; she felt panic rising in her chest as they got closer and closer to the town.

      " I don't know, your dad didn't say how to control it? " KP snapped, and Mars held back the urge to roll her eyes as she decided focusing on what was in front of her was more important.

      " What part of 'no instruction manual' did you not understand?! " She retorted, and, finally breaking the defensive tone she had, " Will you just please help me so we don't die? "

       KP looked unsure for a moment, realizing that the ship had shut off when he touched it, then a lightbulb seemed to go off in his head as his eyes lit up briefly. He stood behind the pilot's chair, his tall stature looking over it as he leaned down near Mars' head to see, placing his hands over hers, just a bit bigger and quite a few shades darker.

      " Trust me. " He told her, but she didn't need to be told, she trusted him with her life, but not necessarily with his own.

      " Whatever you're going to do, do it fast. " She insisted, and he didn't miss a beat as he pushed down the left lever just as they entered the town center.

       They just barely swerved past one of the taller buildings as he continued to switch between the levers, pulling Mars' hands back and forth to dodge the skyscrapers. They dived down towards the market through the middle of the central, where booths were set up for various goods, like crafts and food, and more.

       " KP, the Council Building— "

         " I see it. " He cut her off, switching the levers again as they went up and over the final booth sitting at the end of the market, nearly ramming into the giant cement fountain that sat just before the stairs of the Council Building.

          Mars wasn't entirely sure he actually did see the building directly in front of them, as he didn't seem to be making an effort to get away from it. When she was about to remind him that she preferred them to land without vandalizing the most important building on Ceren, she noticed the big, open park on either side of the building. There were no trees, just little gardens of red and purple flowers scattered along the grass. It'd probably still get them in trouble, but it was a lot better than wrecking the Council Building.

         Right at the last minute, KP pulled back on both of the levers, making the Silver Wolf make a sharp right, feet touching the grass as it began to tumble and roll. Mars heard KP yell as his hands left hers, and she had the sudden instinct to jump for him, but the chair instantly produced a metal belt across her lap to keep her seated as they rolled over twice, ending on the Wolf's side.

        It was a short crash, but Mars could tell there was some damage done to the Wolf. She was a tad more concerned with KP though, so as soon as they stopped moving and the Wolf powered down with a quiet whimper and the metal belt unlocked, she practically leaped from her seat.

        " KP! " She called, gripping the side of the chair as she slid across the floor, her shoulder slamming into the paneled wall, which now acted as the ground because of their sideways position.

         He laid on his back beside her, letting out a groan as he rolled his neck. Mars grabbed his hand as she fixed her position, standing along the wall rather than laying on it, and tried to heave him to his feet. She managed to pull him slightly up, allowing him to settle his feet against the wall. She scoffed at his dopey smile when he stood, becoming taller than her in mere seconds.

           " Are you okay? What are you smiling about? " She questioned, gripping his face in her hands, turning it to either side, then, not finding anything more than a few bumps and bruises, she dropped her hands to her sides with raised eyebrows.

           " We didn't die. " He pointed out, and she let out a dry laugh, shaking her head slightly, which she regretted after the ache it brought her.

            " No, we didn't, " She agreed, making her way to the floor hatch, unlocking it and pulling it open; the two of them managed to crawl out, finding their feet on the smooth tiled floor in the middle of the Ceren Central. Lights gleamed from the windows of the buildings strewn about the streets. " but something tells me we're not getting away with this one. "

         Not even a minute after she said that, the front doors to the Council Building flung open, and Mars felt her heart drop as she found herself grabbing KP's hand. He squeezed her sweaty hand in return, neither of them expecting anything good to come out of whatever happened next. They saw three figures approaching them, the one in the middle wearing a flowy, short sleeved shirt, and matching pants that ended just above his ankles. The other two wore dresses of varying sizes and styles, but they were hard to make out in the night, even with the lights distributed amongst the buildings.

      As they got closer, Mars recognized the person in the middle to be the Carmen representative, Hebron Opheous. His emerald skin gleamed underneath the starlight, the tendrils on his head are slicked back like an old hairstyle Mars remembered seeing in a really old movie where almost all the guys wore leather jackets. His arms are lean yet muscular as he crosses them in front of his body, coming to a stop in front of Mars and KP.

    On either side of him are Delia Kane, the blonde Ceren representative with the big, bug-like brown eyes, and Ginae Moro, the Apollon representative with magenta colored skin. Delia watched the two of them with a warm smile, contradicting Hebron's tough expression, while Ginae seemed expressionless. Mars glanced over at Ginae, who is nearly half a foot taller than any of them, her pure white hair braided back along her head. It was a strange thought with poor timing, but she looked like she knew how to play the ukulele. Mars assumed she probably knew how to play a lot of instruments, considering the Apollons were known for being artistically talented.

       As the three Elders looked at them, Mars could just feel the urge to pass out growing more appealing in her head. She didn't know what the punishment would be, but vandalizing the gardens would be at least one week of planting them. She knew that because an old friend of hers once had to do that because she spray painted the Titan Army's symbol in one of the school's bathrooms. Not because she supported the Titans or anything, she had told Mars, she just felt like doing it.

        But, the angry shouting and lecturing she was expecting never came. Instead, Hebron's hardened face rose into a small smile.

        " Well, what took you so long? "

xxx.

note.

yes the silver wolf is a sentient robot ship that acts like a dog, yes this was inspired a long time ago by v*ltron