♫ You used to call me on my cell phone ♪ Late night when you need my love ♫

Friday afternoon. Hannibal peacocked in front of his wall mirror as R&B music pumped in the living room. He checked himself from head to toe in his new clothes: Dark dungarees, cowboy boots and blazer.

“Look at you, a man of culture!” he said smiling at his own reflection.

Outside of his room, Darna passed in the hallway, talking on her pre-paid mobile phone. Hannibal eyeballed her wearing a sexy midriff shirt and short black leather skirt. He squinted in suspicion.

"Ay! Why you dressed like that? Who you talking too? That earth dude?" He shouted at her.

“None of your business!” she yelled back.

He smirked, “Ha ha, you dumb bitch, he’ll break your heart and I’m gonna laugh!”

“What did you say?” She stormed in his room, paused, and sniffed the air, “What’s that nice smell?” she asked.

Hannibal grinned, “It’s my new cologne. It’s expensive. I paid a hundred dollars for it at the mall!” he displayed the silver bottle. “You can’t get a bottle for your earth boy cause this scent is for men,” he said grabbing his crotch.

Darna glared at him, expressionless.

“Are you dressed so nice for my cousin Maya or the pretty girl with the strange eyes...Rebecca?” she asked.

Hannibal checked his teeth in the mirror and smiled at Darna. “I look nice for all you bitches! Now move!” Glowing, he walked out the hideout and toward Anya’s banged up SUV in the driveway.

Darna chased him, “Where are Tidus and Zane?” she asked.

Hannibal started the vehicle, “They went grocery shopping or something. But I told them to get rid of that pickup truck!” he said.

“Oh,” she answered in a pigeon toed pose.

He raised his eyebrow. “What about you, what are you doing? Do you have a date with that boy or what?” he asked.

Darna turned away red faced, “It’s not a date!”

Hannibal laughed, “Ha ha, whatever baroness. I’ll be back in a few hours!”

Well dressed and smelling good, Hannibal peeled out of the driveway. Leaving Darna to her own problems.

The Green Knight

Hannibal grumbled at the packed school auditorium. Rylan’s play, with Rebecca and Maya as leads, sold out that morning. The play served as a beacon to role-player fantasy nerds from all over the city. More than a dozen audience members arrived in cosplay warrior armor.

“Hmph. Posers!” Hannibal mumbled to himself.

But all attention turned to the stage in the third act as the action reached it’s climax. Maya, the Green Knight, defeated the four princes in glorious combat, befitting a noble of her stature. But now she faced the dragon. The red beast flew across the stage spitting red paper fire. The audience cheered.

Maya, the Green Knight, twirled her mighty prop spear in a magnificent martial arts display and struck the dragon, running him through. The cosplayers exploded in applause and rowdy screams of, I love you Green Knight!

Hannibal fumed with narrow eyes at the howlers. I should slay them for disrespect.

On stage the Green Knight defeated the dragon to the roars of the crowd. The thankful Princess Rebecca rewarded her Green Knight with a girl on girl kiss. The audience roared and jumped to their feet demanding an encore.

“It can’t be over, it’s too good, I love you Green Knight!” cried the cosplayers.

When the curtains dropped the actors walked off stage to greet the audience. Hannibal, politely, shoved his way through the crowd to greet Rebecca.

Fuck outta my way!

When he reached her, their eyes met and she smiled.

“Hi, I remember you!” she said.

Hannibal bowed, and from behind his back he presented Rebecca six roses. Three white, three red.

“Oh my, thank you!” She blushed, accepting his gift.

He grinned a bad boy grin.

“My lady Rebecca, had I been your Knight, I would’ve brought you that dragon’s head.”

Rebecca covered her mouth and laughed, “Ha, I’m happy to know that, sir. And thank you for the roses,” she said, with a sparkle in her eye.

Hannibal, drugged by Rebecca’s gaze, tried to respond. But a hand grabbed his and yanked him away. He turned startled.

“Eh? Lady Maya?”

Maya dragged him to an empty hallway behind the stage.

“Hannibal, what are you doing here? You and Zane are all over the news?” she cried.

Hannibal smirked. “No we’re not. Just some vague eyewitness descriptions.”

Maya frowned. “You killed a cop on a highway and blew up his car. You can’t keep walking around in public!”

He smiled, “Why? Are you worried about me?”

“What?” Maya blushed. “N-No! Why would I worry about you?” she squeaked and turned away.

Hannibal smirked, “My lady, I brought you a gift.” He reached in his blazer and presented her a box of Tuscany Chocolates.

Maya gaped at the box, “Hannibal...this is ….thousand dollar chocolate...where did you?...when did you?”

Hannibal moved close to her as she cradled his gift. “My lady, we don’t have chocolate on our world. So it’s only fitting you receive the best from this world.”

Maya kept her eyes down. Hannibal, gently, lifted her chin. Their eyes met.

“My lady...I..”

She pulled away.

“Hannibal?”

“Yes, lady Maya?”

“You have to go home. And stop being seen, I command you.” She spoke softly.

Hannibal bowed, “Forgive me.” He turned to leave.

“Oh, one last thing!” she said grabbing his arm and stopping him.

“Yes?”

Her eyes squinted. “I saw you give Rebecca those roses.”

Hannibal’s face paled, he dropped to one knee, “My lady, she...uh.. it is my duty as a noble-”

Maya burst out laughing, “Ha ha, I’m messing with you fool! Go home!”

Hannibal stood up embarrassed, “Lady Maya!” he whined in protest.

She just laughed, “Hee Hee, did you like the show, baron? And don’t lie!”

Hannibal smiled. “Heh, heh I loved it. And of course you had to show off your Alexandrian spear technique!” he teased.

“Ha! You caught that?” she beamed.

“I was the only one out there who could!” he joked. Then he clenched his fist and scowled, “And I showed restraint by not slaying your loud fanboys!”

“What? Don’t go bullying my fans!” Maya laughed and pushed him to the exit door, “Now go home, baron. And behave yourself!”

“Always, my lady,” he chuckled and bowed to her, and she curtseyed back.

Afterward he exited to the parking lot and strolled to Anya’s SUV with a hop in his step.

“Good times,” he mumbled as he started the engine.

♪ Hi, if you play guitar, you’re not a musician! ♫

The metal lyrics blasted from his speakers as he raced out of the parking lot. On top of the world.

Bad Boys

Hannibal jammed to the music as he drove north on Sonoma Ranch Blvd.

Ahh, I forgot to tell Maya I’d bring her the machine lat-

Sirens and lights suddenly grabbed his attention. A county police car rolled behind him fast and flashed him to pull over.

Oh, what is it now?

Hannibal ran the hack program on his gear and shut down the cop’s camera and radio. The police cruiser wobbled in pursuit as the cop tried to call anybody on anything.

“Fool!” grunted Hannibal as he watched the cop fumble in his rearview mirror.

The officer in the car yelled on the loudspeaker to pull over the SUV. Hannibal floored the pedal and raced down the blvd. While speeding away from the cop he called Zane on his gear.

“Hey! I gotta cop chasing me, where are you?” asked Hannibal.

“On the way back to the house, I just dropped Tidus by the mall with Darna,” said Zane.

“What? You still have the pickup? I told you to atomize it!” yelled Hannibal.

“We needed to drive it! Besides I’m not the one being chased by an earth cop, Hannibal! So kill that weakling and meet me at the house!” said Zane signing off.

Hannibal punched the dashboard and checked his rearview. The cop closed in fast as he raced down the blvd and into the desert.

“Stupid cop, I got something for you!” he grunted.

Once Hannibal eyed no witnesses, he slowed the SUV down and shifted his striker to a pistol. The cop kept pace behind him but didn’t get too close. Frustrated, Hannibal slammed on the brakes and skidded to a stop.

But the police cruiser, moving too fast, crashed into the back of the SUV.

“Fuck!” yelled Hannibal as the cruiser’s impact smashed his head into the SUV windshield and he nearly blacked out.

After a second Hannibal regained his senses and kicked his way out of the passenger side of the now totaled SUV. The cop pulled himself from his own wrecked cruiser and ran around the back of it with his weapon drawn. Shouting from cover, the cop ordered Hannibal to get on the ground.

Oh please.

Hannibal aimed his pistol at the cop and blew the back of the police cruiser away. But he blasted the gas tank and the cruiser lit into a fireball on the empty desert blvd. Along with the cop.

Hannibal jumped clear of the explosion. Damn, that’s gonna draw attention. And I can’t wait here and try to steal another car.

Out of options Hannibal ran out into the open desert and toward the mountains. As long as he kept the hack on and vanished into no-man’s-land, he stood a chance.

Baron Zane

As Zane drove home to the four barons’ hideout, he pondered the call he’d just received from Hannibal.

Now the city police are looking for him, and me! I told Hannibal not to shoot that cop in public last night. The earthlings are not as primitive as he goes on!....But how did they know we were he-

Within sight of their desert shack, Zane spotted three, no five, police cars with their lights on outside of the barons’ hideout shack.

“Kave’s fire!” he cursed.

He couldn’t stop on the road and turn the big pickup truck around. Too suspicious, the cops would notice. He had to drive past them and the house, and play cool as if he were a random motorist. He rolled up his window and drove at the legal speed. But as soon as he reached the house, two officers spotted his truck, and pointed at him.

Crap!

Zane drove past the house checking his rearview mirrors. Three police cars pulled out of the hideout driveway and raced after him. Zane mashed the gas pedal, and called Darna.

“Darna, the cops are chasing me and Hannibal!” he shouted to his wrist gear.

“I know! Hannibal just called. He's running in the desert to Rylan’s house! That’s the rally point!” Darna replied. “Tidus and I have shut this entire city down. No earthling can communicate!” she said.

“Good, we’ll meet at the grounder’s house!” yelled Zane, “However, I have to destroy this entire police force or they'll chase me to Rylan’s yard!” shouted Zane.

As he spoke, shots rang out from the police cruisers pursuing him. They fired and struck his rear tires.

Dammit all!

Zane lost control of the pickup and slowed down. Like Hannibal before him, he prepared his striker and…

A force field?

As Zane tried to maintain control of the pickup, a force field formed around the vehicle. Panicked, he checked his settings on his gear.

I’m not creating this force field, it isn’t coming from me...wait..It’s a prison!

The pickup truck, completely engulfed in a force field prison, stopped dead on the street. Zane pulled his pistol and fired at the force field walls in frustration. He couldn’t communicate with his gear inside the prison. But when his gear beeped a warning he settled down.

Oh, I see now..An atomizer..How devious of you…

Only then did Baron Zane Daidor of Atrein, banner of the Rock Lion, master of the Iron Lance technique...accept his cruel fate.

Witness

Later that evening the six police officers pursuing Zane, would all share the same story of what they witnessed. Every cop wrote the same exact report, as if they practiced a lie to perfection.

In pursuit of the suspect pickup truck, all three cruisers chased blind with no radio communication or video capture. In moments, the suspect vehicle stopped driving, surrounded by a bluish translucent bubble.

After the bubble formed around the vehicle, a soundless explosion occurred inside the bubble. The officers all swore they witnessed the black pickup truck and the suspect explode and then implode inside the bubble. Afterwards the bubble, and everything inside of it, vanished…

….without a trace…or a sound.

...