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A Hollow Past

Chapter One

Wincott dismissed yet another hero and then turned to face Joshua. The officer in charge of Hollow’s security eyed the large troll turned Cerulean Legionnaire through a suspicious squint then absently worked the corner of his mouth. Behind Wincott, the Hollows sky was a steel grey broken intermittently with ragged streaks of white. A light wind had been blowing all day and the Hollow’s air was moist with the threat of rain. It was the first time that Joshua had seen Officer Wincott since being led, tired and shaken, from the Hollows. And before then, during his time running in the Hollows as a member of Atta’s guard, they both knew of each other only by reputation..

Wincott chose to ignore Joshua as another hero ran up and asked how they could help. Joshua took a deep breath and fought over the instinctual rush of troll impatience and anger which seemed to threaten daily to overwhelm him. He felt a deeper pulse inside him from the shard of the Source Stone, warm, strengthening, and managed to wait patiently. Since coming to Atlas Park, it happened repeatedly to Joshua. He was caught in the middle. Welcomed only grudgingly by the other heroes that thought little of his troll past and hated by that same troll culture he had been forced to leave, only the Cerulean Legion had showed him hospitality, friendship. And, considering the origin of how he had come to meet them, even the warmth shown by them surprised Joshua.

But, he had to do this. He could not run like a coward away from his own past. No, he had to come back to these Hollows as a Cerulean Legionnaire and face his fears. He had meditated on it for some time standing outside the security checkpoint before making up his mind. He had been directed to other problems within the city but it was here, within the Hollows, that he would have to walk. He had to come to terms with his past before he could confront his future.

A handful of other heroes were spoken to by Wincott while Joshua waited. Eventually, as the tide of heroes ebbed, the security officer was left with no choice but to speak to the new Legionnaire standing patiently in front of him.

Wincott gave him another disdainful look, shook his head, and spoke. “You know, I knew of another troll who thought he would come clean. It was about a year ago. We interrogated him when he came into the sandbags waving a white flag. He said he wanted to use the powers the Superadine had given him to make up for the wrongs he had done.”

At this, Wincott chuckled and looked around at the broken Hollows, “Yhup, we got him help. I saw to it myself ‘cause I wanted to give the boy a chance. I heard once back at Atlas, they gave him some sort of chemical substance they thought counterbalanced the ‘Dine. After that, I never saw him again. You know what happened?”

Joshua silently shook his head.

Wincott took off his mirrored sunglasses for just a moment and focused into Joshua’s blue glowing ones, “He finally wigged out and slaughtered half a grocery store worth of people.”

Joshua did not know what to say so he remained silent. Between the two men, the breeze played for a moment before Wincott put his sunglasses back on. The officer muttered a curse under his breath as he did so and then looked back at the troll. “So, Kleitos, what is it you want?”

Joshua took a deep breath and then responded calmly but in broken english, “That is not my name.”

Wincott gave a gruff laugh, “That’s funny. You know why? Its funny ‘cause no more then two days after you left three of my officers got attacked by a group of trolls looking for a renegade named Kleitos Drumfist who had stolen a crystal that belonged to Atta himself. After that, two heroes got bounced off the dirt just North of here by some trolls that claimed to be part of Atta’s personal guard. I’ll give you one guess who they were looking for?”

“Kleitos Drumfist.”

“Right in one, troll.”

“But that is not who I am any more.”

“You gonna tell your friends that when they come looking for you?”

“Yes.” Joshua was near the end of his patience. He repeated what he had heard others say as they approached Wincott, “I have come to help.”

Heroes, caught in the backup of trying to talk to Wincott, were beginning to form a small crowd around the pair. Wincott glanced at them and worked his jaw muscles a little. “Alright, fine. Fine. The folks over in Atlas think you’ve got what it takes, fine.” Wincott motioned with his hand at the white and blue star on Joshua’s chest, “If this group of yours thinks you’re something, then fine. From what I’ve seen they’re good people. But, I’m not signing off on you, troll. I’m just handing you a job, you understand?”

Joshua, still laboring under the effects of the Supradine on his communication abilities, could think of little else to say besides, “I am here to help.”

“Ok, hero, ok. We’ll see how this goes, won’t we? Standard job for rookies in my zone is to fan out and keep an eye on the Cherry Hills. Hellions, trolls, aliens from space, I could care less, they’re not welcome. See me after you’ve patrolled a bit and we’ll go from there.”

Joshua nodded again and Wincott dismissed him by turning to another hero that was waiting for information. As he left, a few heroes as well as a few officers gave him not only the silent treatment but space. A hero in a costume of bright yellow and orange cracked a loud joke, “A troll coming to bust bad guy in the Hollows? It’s the end of the world!”

But Joshua ignored them all. He was no longer a troll. He was a Cerulean Legionnaire. The shard within him whispered that recognition would come in time. That till then, he would have to be patient.

He jumped over the sandbags of the security checkpoint and headed off into the broken and ruined section of Cherry Hills toward an alleyway which he remembered was a favorite gathering spot for Hellion’s. He would introduce himself to Hellion’s first. He knew that eventually Wincott would be forced to send him against the trolls he had once called friends and tribemates. Eventually, the word would spread amongst the troll packs that Drumfist the Traitor had returned. It didn’t matter to Joshua. He had to do this. He had to face his past not only here but as a troll. He had done terrible things. Once, he had NOT been a hero. But since the shard had dissolved into his skin, he had begun to remember something from his past. The memory seemed distant, murky, almost like it belonged to someone else. It was the memory that once upon a time, as a child, he had wanted to be a hero. It might have been the shard speaking to him but he knew that the only way back to that distant memory was to face his past in the Hollow’s first. It was what he had to do. As he sprinted towards the Hellion’s meeting place, Joshua cleared his mind and paid attention to the dangerous ruins around him.

It was time to start over.

Chapter Two

It had not taken long for word to spread that the Traitor was back in the Hollows. Joshua had been doing patrols for no more then three days when it became obvious to him. After several patrols cleaning up and arresting Outcast gangers, he eventually was handed assignments by Wilcott that took him out towards the Four Seasons area and, of course, the trolls. The first few groups of trolls had been younger, of the lower ranks. Sent by the higher ranks to test them, to perpetually test and prod Wincott’s forces, and grab territory from the Outcasts, they had been easy to find. They were just as easy, with the aid of the powers given him by the shard, to defeat. On the second group, one had escaped while he had been kept busy with a Jutal lieutenant and Joshua knew it would only be a matter of time.

He did not have to wait long. By the next day, after observing a group for nearly a half hour, he struck and their cries of “It is the Traitor!” rang in his ears well after the battle had ended. By the end of the second day, Wincott was no longer glaring at him and instead handed him missions like any other hero running up to him.

Having nothing of his own, it was easy for him to claim a small room in an abandoned and wrecked apartment building near the security post. John Talbot had given him a small loan and with it he had purchased essentials. Living as he had done as a troll, he knew how to live lightly. He needed little. A sleeping roll, a lantern, a small cook stove, and a cooler he used to store his foodstuffs were the basics for him. If he needed anything else, he ran into Atlas for it and then returned. Upon waking, he ran to the security post and began his day. Upon finishing he retired, rested, and usually spent some time trying to understand what the shard was doing to him. He needed the comfort that the cycle provided for him.

He had been following up on a group of Outcasts that had taken over a brickstown in Four Seasons. The group had formulated a plan to bomb the security checkpoint and, after tracking them down, Joshua busted through a ground floor window surprising them. The battle had been over quickly. He collected the odds and ends of the primitive bomb equipment and after also finding a note that led to the bomb supplier, headed out the front door of the complex.

The large rock smashed into his left shoulder and sent him several steps sideways. Dropping the equipment for the bombs, he turned and saw a large troll that he recognized.

Leander Ribtaker, the friend he had watched defeat Clubfoot on the day Joshua had absorbed the shard, was charging in behind the thrown stone and roaring. Joshua felt shard energy spike in reaction to the attack as he planted his feet and sent a stream of energy directly at his old friend.

Leander dodged it easily with a fluid warrior’s movement and before Joshua could deflect the blow, landed a solid bone jarring hit. Joshua flew backwards and hit the ground hard, asphalt digging into his shoulder, his ribs, and the side of his scalp.

“Traitor!” roared Leander. “Now, you die!”

Joshua remembered the way of the Trolls well enough. The fight had been joined and it would not be over until one of them was defeated. There would be no discussion. This was Leander Ribtaker and before the shard had gifted Joshua, Leander had been his equal. There would be no compromise.

Caine lashed out again with a wave of blue energy that rippled along the ground and lifted Leander up and into the side of the brick building. Bricks cracked and a window next to the impact shattered. The troll roared again, rolled easily to his feet, and charged again.

Joshua lept to his feet in time to receive the charge and block the initial attack. The shard empowered his fist as he launched a massive upswing to his friend’s ribs but Leander curled his body and the hit slid off his massive back muscles.

Reacting swiftly, Leander grabbed his forearm in a vice-like grip, shifted his weight, spun, and Joshua was again flying through the air and impacted what was left of a light pole. As he lifted himself up on one elbow, he saw Leander reach down, grab part of a brick from the ground, and advance again.

More energy this time lashed outward but before it could knock Leander backward he was able to smash the brick into the side of Joshua’s head. The impact whipped Joshua around in a small circle at the same time the energy was lifting Leander upwards and backwards, leaving him to slide and bounce along the broken sidewalk. This time, both trolls rose a bit more slowly. The coppery taste of blood in Joshua’s mouth called to his troll past and before he could stop himself, he roared in defiance at Leander.

Leander roared in return.

Both trolls charged into each other.

Savage blows were landed and energy flashed. Toe-to-toe the combatants did their best to wear down the other. Leander attempted to take the fight to the ground several times but Joshua would have none of it, keeping his smaller friend away with a blast of energy or a thunderous punch.

Joshua was thrown into a nearby abandoned car but then spun as another attack came in and slammed Leander into the dented and rusted hood. In a flash of inspiration, Leander ripped the twisted windshield wiper from its moorings and whipped it across Joshua’s cheek. Caine lashed outward with another burst of shard energy. Spun into a blood rage and lost to the world around them, they did not see the Outcasts come from the nearby alley.

The first bullets puncturing the thin steel of the car’s skin and the report of the pistol shots brought both men out of their fury. Turning to face the new attack, Leander took a shotgun blast to the chest and went over the hood of the car. Several bullets peppered off Joshua’s shard toughened costume and he backed off. As he did, more Outcasts spilled from the mouth of the alley. As he ran backwards away from the new attack, he saw Leander do the same, trying to get out of range of the hail of gunfire.

Ribtaker stopped before ducking into an alley further off the street. A bullet whined off the corner as he snarled and cursed toward Joshua, “Another time, Traitor! We are hunting you and we will place your head over Atta’s throne!"

Then, turning into the alleyway and easily leaping over a six foot high fence, he disappeared.

Joshua threw a wave of energy at the onrushing Outcasts. Pleased to see it disperse their charge as it sent several into the air, he turned and ran as well. For the first time since absorbing the shard, he was tired and in no shape to continue the fight against them. A few more bullets bounced off his protective covering but within a few seconds, he had easily outpaced the pursuing gunmen.

He ran for the security checkpoint and a place to rest and recover. Leander Ribtaker, once his closest friend among those that protected Atta, was now hunting him. He needed time to process it. His troll nature knew what it meant; one of them must die before it would ever end. It was natural and simple and not to be thought of too long. But, there was something else, another part of him only recently enhanced by the shard, that caused him to be sad, to mourn the loss of a friendship.

It wasn’t until he started to crest over the Cherry Hills to see the checkpoint that he remembered he had dropped the recovered bomb equipment on the sidewalk. Pausing briefly to wipe blood from his eyes, he considered going back. No, the Outcasts would have reclaimed it by now. Battered, tired, frustrated, and confused, he ran for the western security checkpoint.

To be continued…

Chapter Three

His things were right where he had left them in the small apartment overlooking the Hollows outpost. Small cookstove, supplies, bedroll partially open, a small grade-school level English book, all of it was there. The only thing new was the dust and the cobwebs. He took a deep breath and looked out the window. In doing so, he noticed that there was still a small amount of rubble from the Gulch on his blue suit. He brushed it off and looked for more but found none.

The Gulch.

After retiring from his initial fight with Leander Ribtaker, he had struggled to retrieve the lost bomb parts. It had taken days but he had finally been able to do so and get them back to Lieutenant Wincott at the outpost. He had taken a small break to think about his encounter with Ribtaker. He could not sit and wait for his old friend to find him. It could be a lethal mistake. And the matter was between himself and Leander, wasn't it? There would be no contacting the Legion. He must take care of the matter himself, by himself. There were things in his past that only he could put away and this was one of them. He began looking for Leander the next day.

The search took him further to the west as he questioned any troll pack he could find. After awhile, several either knew better then to face him or ran away at the sight of him. It wasn't until he began to venture near Grendal's Gulch that he started meeting more stiff resistance. He had discovered that Leander had set up a base of operations in the Gulch. A base whose sole duty was to kill and bring the Joshua's head, that of Kleitos the Traitor, to the throne room of Atta. As he began to dig deeper into the location of the base he forgot more and more about his patrols with Lieutenant Wincott. The singular focus of his trollish instincts drove him further and further away from contact and deeper and deeper in the Gulch.

Most knew Grendal's Gulch as a dangerous stretch of ground in the middle of the Hollows and that was all. Created by the Trolls in a massive explosion, it was now an area to be dodged, ran around, or flown over. But, the Trolls knew more, much more. Ancient earthen tunnels, old sewer lines stretched and zig-zagged throughout the region creating a small world underneath the surface. It was those he went into to begin his search. Dodging Pumicites and large bands of trolls, he picked his fights carefully. Eventually, he was able to find the location of the base but the process had taken several weeks. Weeks where, supported by the Cerulean shard he carried, he resorted more to his trollish ways of rugged survival. Living in ruins, sleeping in caves, eating what he could take from the troll packs he defeated, he persevered. And he found Leander Ribtaker.

Joshua surprised Ribtaker as he walked with a pack officer from one tunnel to another. He had to remind himself that it was no longer his way to attack first. He simply asked Leander to stop the madness of pursuing him, to end his revenge. After Leander recovered from the surprise of seeing his adversary in the tunnels of his own base, the following talk was short and ended in conflict almost immediately. The officer ended up running for help at Leander's command.

The final battle had been fierce and had spiralled into the adjoining tunnel. They had fought to a standstill. Leander, strong, tough, and using his full skills as a troll warrior against his own abilities and his growing ability with the powers of his shard. It was only later when he had time to think about it, he realized that with the powers of the shard he should have been able to best Leander but something had held him back. He realized at that moment it was his conscience. As a troll he would have easily smashed Leander's skull with a stone or broken him against the walls of the tunnel with the power of the shard. But, his troll side was weakening wasn't it?

The battle, in its fury, had collapsed part of the tunnel they were fighitng within when Leander had smashed a stone column with a fist Joshua had barely dodged. Weakened by the massive struggle and deprived of their final supports, the walls could hold up the tunnel no further. Vanishing in the cloud of dust and rock, it appeared that Leander had been crushed underneath the tons of stone which had filled the passageway and cut off all retreat back to the surface. As the tunnels began to collapse, Joshua had run for his life with only the slight light he was able to generate from the shard to guide his way. Eventually, the rumbling stopped and Joshua was left deep in the earth, his only option a curving unknown passageway that led further downward into the earth.

It took days, possibly weeks, to find the surface. Joshua was unsure how long it took. With the shard to guide him and light the way, he never once lost faith, he never felt concern for his well being. The shard reassured him all was well whether he believed it or not. Exhausted and longing for an end to his undergound journeys, he crawled through a small opening high in the sides of the cliffs which bordered the river. It was the happiest he had been to feel the sunlight on his skin, to breathe the fresh crisp Spring air.

As he travelled back to the Atlas Gate, he had questioned some trolls that knew better then to fight him and discovered that Ribtaker's base in the Gulch was no more. "Collapsed by a pumicite attack," was what they told him. They knew little of the Ribtaker's fate.

And now, he was here, back in his apartment. He looked at the sandbags of the outpost and could make out the form of Lieutenant Wincott talking to a few heroes. He then looked back to his bedroll. He spent a few moments considering the fine line between his strength of duty and his need for rest. He should contact the other Legionnaires. They would be concerned by his absence. He looked at his bedroll again.

He collapsed on the bedroll almost immediately.

Wincott and his friends would be there when he woke up.

To Be Continued...

Chapter 4

He could still the taste of the Red River in his mouth. The damp, moldy, and earthen taste seemed to hang in the back of his throat for hours after he woke up in the hospital bed. Even now, back in the Hollows, it would occasionally rise up from around his back teeth and he had to force back the urge to spit in front of the other heroes around the Atlas gate watchpost.

It had been his first mission since coming back from his battle with Ribtaker. It was also his first mission with other legionnaires. Even after explaining in broken English that he preferred to work alone he had listened when Patrick Walker had asked him to hand off some cash to two of the new recruits in the Hollows and to help them out. He remembered the new recruits, Gwyndolyn and Kirste. Danni Starsong was there as well and he figured that Starsong was there to keep an eye on the recruits. The elf, the barbarian, and the alien is what he had called them. The elf because, well Gwyn WAS an elf, Starsong WAS an alien, and why had he called Kirste the barbarian?

He was unsure. It made sense but he was not sure he knew exactly what a barbarian was, a piece of a memory of when he was younger. A piece of memory from his childhood that had been covered and cloaked like a dust sheet over furniture. To him, it was straightforward. Natural. Any other way was a waste of time and could get you killed. So it was the elf, the alien, the barbarian, and the troll. It had been rough at first and each knew little of the other. But, the shards within each began to work in harmony and before long, they had wrapped up their assignments handed to them by Wincott and others.

It was Joshua's first taste of what it was like to work with other Legionnaires. To him, it was similiar to the feeling he could remember when hunting with his packmates. It was a feeling he remembered fondly. They had even handled the rock men with few real difficulties which was something even hardened trolls were unable to do in a well grouped pack.

Joshua had volunteered to bore the brunt of their attacks in order to lead the pumicites into a crossfire. The others had looked at him oddly. Such sacrificial actions were common in Atta's upper guard. He did not think others knew that, knew how the Superadine acted on the trolls to make them not only more savage but so loyal, so feverish about things. Even though the Source Shard within him worked to counteract the daily repurcussions of taking so much 'Dyne, old habits, it would appear, died hard. In the resulting attack of boulders thrown by the rock men, he had only lost consciousness once.

He had been surprised by the hugs, by the affection, more then by the harsh comments of some of the group. Harsh words, poking fun, were a daily occurance in his previous life as Kleitos Drumfist. He was used to such things and, in a way, it helped him feel a bit more familiar within the team. But when one of them had hugged him after thinking he was seriously injured, he did not know what to do. To fall from an attack was a sign of sacrifice or weakness. It was not something that one received hugs for..... or was it?

More memories had swirled around Joshua after the hug. Conflicting memories that told him that the hug was ok. A sign of friendliness and concern. Memories of having parents, of having a family, of being hugged.

He was forced to push the memories aside as the next ambush from the rockmen happened. For awhile, he forgot about those memories that promised comfort but also carried a hint of forgotten pain. When the mission was done they had decided to head back to the Atlas gate via the Red River. It was there, caught in a narrow spot of the river where the rock outcroppings rose up to either side, they were ambushed by the Red River trolls.

At first he had thought they might be able to break free from the ambush. But then, one of of the Legionnaires had gone down, he could not remember who, and more trolls came pouring from behind a large boulder. He could tell they recognized him. They all seemed to be coming for him. He did his best, firing his cerulean blasts, sending those that got to close flying off into the river with his punches. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the large ogre lift a wet boulder from the banks of the river. He could not get turned in time and the boulder impacted his right shoulder and his head. Light flashed. He was falling.

He fell into the river and it embraced him, hugged him. He remembered slowly sinking in the brown and clay tinted waters of the Red River. His last thought was trying to move his fingers and arm through what he felt was thick mud as he toggled the recall button to the hospital.

When he awoke in the hospital room, he was alone except for the slight beeping of a machine next to him and the acrid taste in the back of his mouth. There was a card or two on the table next to them. He could not read them but somehow he knew they were for him. More feelings like what arose from the hug surfaced and he frowned at the card for a long time before the nurse came in and was surprised to see him awake. The doctors told him he had almost drowned. For some reason, there had been some interference on the teleportation system in the hospital and the resulting time in the water had almost killed him.

At least that is what they told him. But, he did not like the way they looked at him, the way they prodded him. Well honed troll instincts, survival instincts, flashed a warning to Joshua when he looked into their eyes. They were hiding something and he did not like their questions or their needles.

"Your injuries from the blunt trauma appear to have healed but we would like to run a few more tests before we release you. Just to be sure, you understand?"

"We have only had the chance to study a troll coming off of Superadine a handful of times. You could be a great benefit to the medical community."

Regardless, when he stood up and pulled the sensors off of his chest and neck, they decided that perhaps it was time to let the large, energy throwing troll go on his way. He was released the following day. He took the cards with him. After setting them by his bedroll, he took another drink of water to try and wash the taste out of his mouth of the Red River. From there, he reported to Lt. Wincott.

"Joshua, glad to see that wasn't a permanent trip to the hospital."

Joshua simply nodded.

"Look, there's troll trouble over by the Gulch. Some of my recon boys are pinned down. You know the area and I was hoping you could get them out."

"Of course," was all he said and Wincott punched the information into his datapad/commlink. "Thanks, Joshua."

Joshua was glad to notice that Lt. Wincott had stopped calling him Kleitos. He checked the location showing on his pad and nodded again to the Lieutenant.

Chapter Five

f anything could make Grendel's Gulch worse, it would be heat. It was that type of humid heat that seemed to sink into the crevasse that is the Gulch and sit heavily on everything within the Hollows. A humidity that hazed the distance, a glaring sun that seemed to wash out details, and a slight breeze that felt of infernal origins carrying the stench of garbage, decay, and death. It all combined to make the Gulch a miserable place. It was this heat that Joshua cut through as he flew from the Red River bridge and entered the Gulch.

After his several month absence, he had gotten back to work in the Hollows. IT took only a day or so for him to get the word that someone wanted to speak with him. Someone that he had only heard about in his time living within the Hollows. Someone that, since Joshua's most recent trials, the troll wanted little to do with. The man was a mythic personality within the Hollows, a shadow and a hermit who somehow managed to survive within the Gulch as well as do his work. Joshua approached the location he had been given and realized that, in some ways, that definition fit himself as well.

As he stopped at a hover near what was left of a ruined office building Talshak the Mystic stepped from around the corner in his dark red robes. "Greetings Joshua Caine of the Cerulean Legion. I am glad that you decided to answer my call."

Coyotekid 11:28, 3 March 2009 (MST)

Talshak sat on the remains of a brickstown apartments wall while Joshua stood, arms folded. Both of them had moved to shade as quickly as possible but regardless, both of them were sweating. Neither of them complained. A block away, a group of trolls were moving down the street, patrolling. Neither of them spoke of it.

"I've been hearing of you for some time, Joshua Caine. When word reached me of your "betrayal" I began following your soul thread that is tied to the tapestry of not only the Hollows but to many other things as well. Kleitos the Betrayer, Joshua Caine the Shardbearer, Caine the Troll-hunter, and the newest, Blue Fire."

Joshua's eyebrows perked at the last one which he had not yet heard.

"Yes, that is what some of the younger trolls call you now. You could even add to the list, Slave to her Majesty."

Before he could stop himself, Joshua had summoned a burst of cerulean energy, pushed himself off the wall, and was emitting a fierce roar at the mystic. "Never call me that!"

Talshak held up a gentle hand, "Contain yourself. I can see that you have not come to terms with your past exploits and that is fine. Over time you will eventually see what gifts those troubles brought you."

The energy continued to flare along the Legionnaire, "Gifts? What gifts?"

Talshak fixed the troll with a stare, "How did you get here?"

"What?'

"It is a simple question. How did you get here?"

"I flew!"

"And could you do that before your troubles?"

Joshua frowned and set his jaw while Talshak relaxed against the ruined brick wall. "There are other gifts which are more subtle. You will realize them in time."

Caine stayed silent, simply glaring at the Mystic who leaned against the wall in his red mage robes as if he were by a cool woodland pond instead of surrounded by ruined buildings, the stench of a ravaged city block, and patrolling enemies.

"I called you here because I wanted to tell you a few things," Talshak continued. "There are powerful mystical forces at work around and within you, Joshua Caine. You are only, just now, beginning to feel their pull. You are having memories of your life before the Hollows aren't you?"

Caine squinted a bit and felt some the earlier rage leave him. There was only once answer to that question. "Yes."

Talshak nodded, "Those will lead you back to who you were once were. Do not fear them. The time is coming when you will need to leave the Hollows behind, you know that already. That time is quickly approaching. Already you venture out from here on missions and you are starting to explore the outer world more and more. This is all good but before you can truly be free from your life here in the Hollows, to truly have your soul path renewed, you will have to do one thing."

Caine took a deep breath and folded his arms across his chest again, "What is that, mystic."

"You will need to face and beat your old chief, Atta."

Silence hung in the heat between the two of them. Neither moved as their eyes locked for several seconds.

Joshua spoke first, "I know."

Talshak nodded, "Good. And know this, whether you like my mystical means or not, I am here to help Joshua Caine the Shardbearer get ready."

"Why would I need you and why do you care?"

"As I spoke earlier, you're path is one that is very important for times ahead. You are needed," and Talshak rose his staff pointing it to the giant war wall that surrounded the Hollows, "out there."

"You are not ready to face Atta. But, with my help, you will be. Know this, if you refuse my help, you may still succeed but it will be at the cost of much time and suffering. I wish to aid you in not going down that path. It is, of course, your choice."

Caine looked out over the broken buildings and streets of the Gulch. A few blocks away there was a trollish roar and automatic gunfire. He glanced that way instinctively but then went back to his thoughts as such sounds were like birdsong in the Hollows. After several moments, he turned and looked at Talshak.

"What is it you would have me do? How do you plan on making me ready?"

Talshak gave a smile and leaned forward onto his knees, obviously pleased by Joshua's answer, "Well, I'm sure you've dealt with them already but there are these creatures called magmites."

Caine nodded, "I have fought them before."

Talshak's grin widened and his eyes twinkled, "Not the ones I am going to show you."

Chapter Six

The dreams had started again. Waking in a cold sweat, Joshua had risen from his one room apartment in the Hollows that overlooked Atlas gate and realized he needed to be outside. Flying off the roof, he climbed higher, into the clouds and headed for Steel Canyon.

He had been spending more time outside the Hollows and in the downtown area, enjoying the new interactions with the civilians that were beginning to see him as a Legionairre, not a troll. He was also able to retreat to the rooftops of the massive skyscrapers if the crowds and noise became too much. As he flew, the dream images bubbled and burned in his mind’s eye. Miniscule flashes of another life that set his emotions spinning, frustrating him that he could not hold on to them. And, the frustration brought with it something else which he tried desperately to contain. Some times it was worse then others and tonight he was struggling with it more then usual. The memory of the dreams and the beast from his past fought each other for space within Joshua’s mind giving him no ease, no enjoyment in the night flight He simply kept flying.

The man in faded jeans and a sweat stained polo shirt had started walking with a group of friends. As the walk had progressed from the bar, one after another had peeled off and left the man to walk the last four blocks to his Steel Canyon home in the dead of night. Joshua, silently hovering in the night sky, picked them up as they left the bar and decided to overwatch the man in case of trouble. Steel Canyon was just as dangerous any other place of Paragon City in the middle of the night.

The man was too drunk to notice the five Outcasts slice off from the shadows of a nearby alley and move to intercept him. Lowering his altitude, Joshua came in on the men just as the alpha of the squad, an Outcast with red hair and a facial tattoo, rushed the man and shoved the civilian into the rough stone wall. The man crumpled unconscious onto the concrete.

Joshua floated to a stop behind one of the Outcasts and delivered a shard-powered punch. As the punch landed and the Outcast flew away from the impact in what seemed like slow motion, Joshua knew it was going to happen again. The wave was coming. But, in the split second of making the realization it was too late to stop it.

The Superadine was taking over again.

Joshua landed and as the still lingering emotional effects of his Superadine addiction rose to full strength, he roared at the Outcasts in full troll fury. Three of the Outcasts froze from the bestial cry. The leader, far more trained, raised a hand and flames sprung up along his forearm.

Joshua grabbed the nearest Outcast by the front of the shirt, lifting him off his feet. By hovering only slightly off the ground, he then flew forward and slammed the carried Outcast into his fellow gang member with a furious collision of bodies. There was a scream, the sound of breaking bones, and two more Outcasts were down.

The flames from the Outcast leader hit Joshua and served to do only one thing; fuel his rage. With a wave of his arm, the Legionnaire dispatched a wave of blue energy along the ground which picked the leader up, twisting him in the air, and then sent him to the ground. The leader desperately tried to get to his feet as Joshua barreled at him, covering the distance, but was too late. The troll grabbed his wrist, pulled him forward, and then picked the Outcast leader up and over his head. With another roar, Joshua forcibly slammed the man into a nearby lightpost. The Outcast leader folded around the pole like a rag doll, flipped, and then fell to the ground screaming and clutching his body.

Joshua could feel the rush of the blood pounding in his temples, his teeth tightly clenched, his jaw muscle quivering, and the delicious rush of the savage fury that it was to be a troll. To be the strongest! To be the fiercest! To have your enemies at your feet! And to have such power with such strength! He was once Kleitos Drumfist, favored of Atta! And now, he was so much more! Lost and fallen into his trollish rage, he blasted the screaming Outcast again and again until the man fell silent, ignoring the last gang member who had shakily drawn a pistol and aimed at the troll’s back.

The Outcast fired once and the bullet caught Joshua in the right shoulder blade spinning him around to face his attacker. Joshua felt the impact as the gunshot cracked through the late night and he stumbled a bit as shard energy protected him from any real damage. He finished the turn slowly and completely faced his attacker. Seeing the bestial look on the troll, the final Outcast member ran for his life, jumping over the forms of his broken comrades.

Still hovering a few inches off the ground, Joshua fell onto the gangmember like a falcon. Grabbing the man’s shoulders and spinning him around, Joshua slammed his forehead into the Outcast’s own. The impact thumped like a collision of hollow logs and the final Outcast fell limp in his grasp, blood pouring from a wound delivered by one of Joshua’s horns. Joshua tossed the man into a nearby car, the windshield shattering, and turned back towards the scene of the battle.

The civilian had come to and was cowering on the ground, pressing against the corner of the building wall and sidewalk in fear as around him the bodies of four other Outcasts moaned, twitched, or lay ominously still. It was at that point, the Cerulean Shard within Joshua was able to overcome the effects of the Superadine and he wavered a bit, losing his balance slightly and finally falling to his knees in dizziness.

His focus returned slowly, his rage draining away quickly. The after-effects of the drug were growing less and less powerful but still, on occasion, continued to plague him. At least, he thought to himself, they were further and further between each one. A few seconds later, he raised his head. The civilian had gained his own feet, still drunk, and unsure of what had happened. He looked at Joshua with a confused look of fear and relief and stumbled away into the night.

“Go home. Quickly,” was all Joshua growled at the man. It was enough and with a quick frantic nod the man turned and drunkenly wove down the sidewalk in a light jog.

Still dizzy, Joshua forced himself to rise and check on the Outcast leader and sighed heavily in relief as he felt a pulse of life on not only him but the others as well. He affixed transport call markers on first the leader and then the others habitually and then, stumbling to the corner of the building and the alleyway, watched the men vanish, teleported to the authorities. Satisfied, he let himself turn and stumble, almost fall, into the shadow of the misty alleyway lit only by a flickering bulb hung by a back supply door.

He rested his head back and began practicing the deep breathing exercises taught to him by Talshak. Without telling him, the Mystic had known of the episodes he had been having. It had been part of why he had sought Joshua out, to train him on how to deal with them and, in his words, “harness them.” He closed his eyes. Breathe in. Hold. Breathe out. Embrace the shard’s energies. Retreat away from the moldy smell of the alley. Relax into the shard. Breathe in. Hold. Breathe out. As he did so, the shard responded and he began to regain his focus.

Tears of frustration welled in the corner of his eyes as he thought back to the fight. Combat was one thing but when he returned to what he used to be it was something else, something dark, viscious. There was no honor in such disregard for life. Was he a monster? This was not him, it could not be. Or was it? He only knew one thing for sure, the episodes needed to end. He had been told that his past would always be with him. He had also been told the shard should eventually heal the damage done by the Superadine. But what of the emotional damage? Breath in. Hold. Breathe out.

He opened his eyes and without thinking launched himself skyward toward the top of the tallest building he could see. Shooting out of the alley, he rose slowly upwards, the night wind buffeting him, the clamor of the city fading away below him. He needed to be alone. Alone on the top of a tower.

When the sun rose over the edge of the war wall surrounding Steel Canyon he was still there.

Breathing in.

Breathing out.

Chapter Seven

His first impressions were cool still air upon his skin. His second was the distant and echoing sound of water dripping. Coming back up to full consciousness, he could feel the hard stone cave floor underneath his small padded mat, his slightly numb crossed legs, and an over-arching sense of peace settling within him. Opening his eyes slowly, Joshua Caine saw only the walls of the small cavern he was sitting in and the three small candles which added a peaceful glow to the stone room. Focusing more, he saw that Talshak the Mystic was there. Though not there when Joshua began, Talshak seemed to always be there when he opened his eyes.

Arms crossed and leaning against the cavern wall, Talshak regarded him peacefully. They shared a long gaze before the Mystic was the first to speak. "And what did you see this time, Shardbearer?"

"It was night. Fireworks," responded Joshua in his deep level tone. "A crowd of people. Someone handing me a sparkler. I believe it was my father."

"And what did you feel?"

"Happy." Joshua looked into Talshak's eyes a moment more then looked down at the three orange candles.

Talshak nodded and leaned over to give the Cerulean troll a reassuring pat on the shoulder, "You are beginning to remember more of your human life. It will come in time and you cannot push it." The mystic then sat himself on the other side of the candles and looked over at the troll which had become his charge for over six months. "I've come to tell you something."

Joshua slowly returned his gaze to Talshak.

"I brought you down here many months ago. I did so because you were adrift, uncertain. Not only were you experiencing changes brought about by the shard you carry but it was also attempting to heal parts of you, return you to the physical state you knew before the Superadine," Talshak said. "All of this was boiling inside of you and my omens told me there was a possibility even the great Shard within you would be unable to contain your furies. That is, unless you found training. You were headed to a dark place and so, I invited you here."

Talshak absently picked up a small rock from the cave floor, "After your incident in the city, when you felt the old anger return, you sought me out as I knew you would. We came here, to one of the areas in the Hollows that I consider safe. I've taught you how to still yourself. I've shown you doorways and tools to your future and you have been a solid pupil."

The small stone suddenly changed into a small green moth which Talshak regarded with a smile. The wings fluttered briefly and then the moth launched itself into the air of the cavern and into the darkness. Both men watched it go, the faint sound of dripping water the only sound between them.

Talshak looked back to Joshua, "And what am I going to say next?"

Joshua replied evenly, "That my time here is done."

Talshak smiled and nodded. "I have shown you all that I am allowed to show you. You are to return to the outside world."

Joshua took a deep breath and looked around. It was right. He knew it to be true. Here underneath the Hollows, among the roots and stones of the land that had made him a troll, he had learned much about himself. There was more to learn, of course, but it could not be found here. He nodded and gave a small smile back to Talshak, "I can never thank you enough."

"Yes, you can. Take what you have learned and use it in the world out there. That will be my thanks enough." Talshak paused and, this time, it was his turn to stare into the candles. "Know one more thing, Joshua Caine, Shardbearer. There is one final thing you must know."

Joshua tilted his head slightly.

Talshak settled a hard look onto to the troll, "You may not return to the Hollows unless it is to defeat Atta. To banish the demons of your past life as a troll underneath him, you must face and defeat Atta alone. This is what the spirits have said and this is what you must do. Only then, once it is done, will you truly be ready to face your future."

Joshua sat unmoving as the weight of Talshak's words settled upon him. To defeat Atta alone! The Legionnaire who had come to apprehend Atta the first time, the one whose extra shard Joshua had attempted to claim for Atta his chief, had failed at such a mission. Joshua could still remember the Legionairre broken and bleeding on the stone floor. Joshua knew he was nowhere near ready for such a thing. However, there was a part of him that knew he would be in time. The clarity of it, the strength of Talshak's pronouncement sat with leaden truth in Joshua's core.

Finally, he nodded once, "I understand. But, those in the Legion who are my friends? They will wish to help me."

"Alone," was Talshak's only reply.

Joshua nodded again and stood. There was nothing else to discuss. Talshak murmured a few words and a small crystal in his hand began to glow a dull orange color. In response to this, Joshua blew out the remaining candles and left them there in the small cavern that had been his quarters for so long. Gathering his few spartan possessions into a well worn grey duffel bag, Joshua silently followed Talshak up the winding corridors towards the surface.

They stood for several moments at the opening with the cool evening wind washing up the side of the ridgeline. The night was clear and to the west silver moonlight reflected off of the Red River. For a few moments, there was silence. Then, the distant chattering of gunfire could be heard. Northward several flashes of red energy lit the sky briefly as yet another hero did their best to stem the tide of violence in the Hollows.

"I will leave by the Atlas Gate. I wish to speak to Lieutenant Wincott and then I will go."

Talshak simply nodded and then extended a hand to him. "When it is time, I will come to check on you."

Joshua took the hand and shook it firmly then without a further word, his shard powers activated and he began to float into the air. Hovering for a moment, he nodded again to the Mystic that had placed him so firmly on his path and then he was twisting upwards and gaining altitude as he flew towards the Atlas Gate. Below him and lit by the pale light of a full moon, the ugly scar of Grendel's Gulch came and went and then, he could see the gate into Atlas Park as well as the activity that always seemed to hum around it.

Heroes moved from Lieutenant Wincott's ramshackle defense structures and out into the ugly ruins of the Hollows, most of them alone. New heroes rushing off into the jungle of stone, steel cable, rust, and debris. Landing on the ruined remains of a concrete wall he simply watched for a long time. Turning he let his eyes roam over the small brick apartment buildings complete with broken windows and bullet holes, eastward he looked over the barren rolling Cherry Hills where backs of gang members and trolls seemed to fight an eternal turf war. For the first time, he realized just how much this was home to him. The starkness and brutality of it was like a blanket to him. Which was more honest, he asked himself, this place or the land of tall glass buildings and business suits on the other site of the Atlas Park gate?

And how much of that was the Superadyne talking? How much of that was his old troll self? Too many questions, Talshak would say, can cloud the truth.

What was the truth here, the truth for him? It lie on the other side of the Atlas Gate that much was sure.

With a final last look around the Hollows, he took a deep breath, stored the image deep in his memory, and flew into the sky toward the Atlas Gate. He would not say goodbye to Lieutenant Wincott. From the looks of it, the man was too busy as it was speaking to another batch of young heroes. Besides, Joshua knew he would be back soon enough.

He had a date to keep with his past.

Chapter Eight

His time outside the Hollows had been transformational. Just before Talshak's proclamation, he had spent only a minuscule amount of time outside of the broken and savage section of town. Since then, he fully moved to Steel Canyon which was the only other area of Paragon in which, for some reason, he felt truly comfortable. For a few weeks, he survived as he always had by living in the quiet and secluded areas, trusting on the skills he learned in the Hollows and the life-sustaining powers of his shard. Then, after saving a wealthy corporate businessman who had become a victim of an Outcast kidnapping, Joshua had time to talk to the man before the police arrived on the scene. Grant Rendell, a rich property owner in Steel Canyon, was shocked to hear that Joshua had been living on the silent and peaceful rooftops of Steel Canyon. Rendell insisted that Joshua meet him that very evening at a rooftop address he gave him before he was swirled away by a crowd of police, medical personnel, personal assistants and caretakers.

After finishing up a patrol, he flew to the heights of one of the larger skyscrapers, Rendell Plaza, and there waiting him on the stone floor of a secluded patio was Grant Rendell complete in a three piece suit and holding a set of keys. Rendell was an older man with short grey hair, clear green eyes, a tan, and the look of a relaxed casual shark. He greeted Joshua with a relaxed and warm smile as the troll landed. After a quick exchange of pleasantries, Rendell motioned him over to a door, "No one knows why they built this thing when they constructed the building. It was here when I bought it. I had thought to make a secluded studio out of it, maybe a workout room, maybe a get-away for late night parties. Then, some Outcasts got up here, messed it up real bad, and I just let it go. Once some of them learn how to fly, they can literally get anywhere. I'm very sorry it doesn't look like much right now. I don't think anyone's been here but the Outcasts and the pigeons."

He unlocked the weathered wooden door and led Joshua into a dark area. It smelled like dust, mildew, and worse. The bank of windows were cracked, some of them with broken or missing panes. A small stack of empty beer cans stood by the doorway on dust and dirt covered wooden planks. "I had the power turned on up here earlier," he muttered and swept his hand for a light switch in the dark, "and had it checked by security just in case we had anyone lurking around." The lights flickered on, a strip of overhead circular lighting fixtures, and revealed a massive room empty of anything valuable. What it did contain was ancient broken furniture, piles of beer cans, empty ratty sleeping bags, and the occasional left over syringe from drug activity. Two store mannequins, broken, painted in garish colors, and leaned tilted in one corner. Spray paint graffiti in a multitude of colors and slogans decorated every wall and Joshua spied a sloppy and partially erected tent in the far back corner.

The troll took it all in with an impassive stare which caused Rendell to chuckle nervously and raise a hand, "You must really be wondering about me now, eh? Save my life and here's a crappy apartment great for drug dealing! Don't worry, I've got a room all ready for you in one of the small apartments downstairs. Its only one floor down. There is an access door just off the patio and we should have this place cleaned up in about a week. You give me an idea of what you want and I'll get my decorators up here. After that, its all yours for however long you want to stay here. No rent. No bills. I insist. Its the least I can do for wha-"

"I will clean it."

Joshua's statement stunned the executive, "Don't be silly. You're a busy man. I can understand that. No one who saves my life will clean up after such -

Joshua locked his eyes onto those of Rendell's, "Do not worry. I will clean it. I want to clean it."

Rendell knew the look in the troll's eyes, "Very well. I think its insane but have it your way. However, I insist you spend your other time in the apartment downstairs."

"No. I will stay here."

Grant turned to face the troll and set his own jaw. He made an overt motion of closing the hand that held the key to the apartment and placing it into the pocket of his slacks. It was Joshua's turn to face that same stubborn glare. "Then, the deal is off. If you want to clean it yourself, fine. I can understand and appreciate that. I looked into you this afternoon and had some of my people ask around. You've got a streak of pride about you that could blot out the sun. Trust me when I say I can most definitely appreciate THAT."

Grant then took a step towards the taller and larger troll, "And its MY pride that won't let a person that saved my life sleep in this pit. So, thats the deal. Stay downstairs and clean as you go or, well, take a hike. Or, in your case, a fly."

Joshua regarded the man for a moment and then let a small smile curl the corners of his mouth, "Very well. You have a deal, Mr. Rendell."

Rendell nodded once, satisfied, "Good."

The opulence of the "small apartment downstairs" made Joshua uncomfortable. In a way, he felt embarrassed by it, unused to it. He slept on the floor and not the bed. He ate most of his meals on the small outdoor patio. His time was spent between crime fighting and the process of cleaning his new apartment. True to his word, Rendell did not get involved with the cleaning but he made sure that staff, under an oath of secrecy not to reveal the identity of the new guest, was available to carry trash down or deliver cleaning supplies. Eventually, driven by the desire to have his own place, Joshua had scoured the apartment within ten days and was ready to move in. On the day of the move, Grant inquired of the troll's favorite meal and then, that evening, had it delivered with a bottle of the finest mead he could fine. Dining on the floor next to his bedroll and by the light of several candles, Joshua began to relax for the first time in months, possibly years. That night, he slept so hard he did not awaken till noon.

Awakening to the golden sun slanting sideways into the repaired windows and glowing off the refinished wood floors, he looked around the large unfurnished room and sat up. An unfamiliar but comforting feeling wrapped itself around him as he sat up and padded barefoot to the concrete patio to look out over Steel Canyon. It took him a moment to recognize it but when he did he smiled.

He realized that, for the first time since his time in Hollows, since before the Shard, he was at home.

Chapter Nine

Things began to blur a bit after saving Grant Rendell. The news story ran for two days and even though Joshua tried to avoid the journalists, the photographers, and their never-ending questions, he found that he could not do so completely. Grant helped by securing the access to the roof of Rendell Plaza after a journalist had found his way up to Joshua's front door. The next morning, Joshua was greeted by a circling helicopter which featured a photographer and a large telephoto lens. Concerned at first by it's presence, he drifted up to them to investigate. Once identifying them, he silently allowed the journalist a few shots and flew back down to his house. Luckily, Joshua did not have a phone so was not pestered by the constant calls Rendell said he would be receiving. Within a few days, things appeared to calm down. However, when he followed a lead from the PPD involving a Tsoo boss named Fire Tiger and a plot to kidnap a famous female musician, the news was there when he pulled her out of the abandoned factory.

Afterwards, it was incessant. He, the troll turned superhero, had become their focus. They watched for him in the skies of Steel Canyon and Skyway. When he came through the tunnel into Faultline, journalists outside the police department and the doughnut shop would reach for their cellphones. He turned down all interviews offered to him and stayed silent as the cameras flashed. When he could, he spent a lot of time at the Legionnaire base safe from the pressure. Still hungry for more and more knowledge, he turned to reading during those quiet moments. Some days, he would wait till nightfall to return to his apartment. Flying up over most of the other buildings of Steel Canyon, he would wait till he was over his apartment before diving down like a hawk to his door and then sliding in as quickly as possible.

Just after his breakfast one morning, there was a knock on the front door of the apartment. The sun had just crested and was sending golden streaks between the tall skyscraper canyons. Curious, he rose from his small mat while the shard transformed itself around him, taking on the current outfit both he and the shard seemed to agree on. Opening the door he was surprised to see an attractive brunette dressed in a tightly tailored grey business suit, matching grey slacks, and black pumps. On the lapel of her suitjacket was pinned the small cursive R that signaled her as part of the Rendell Plaza. Holding a thin manilla folder close to her chest, she tucked a strand of ebony hair behind an ear and looked up at him over the black frames of her glasses.

"Mr. Caine? I'm Serena Holden," she extended her hand for a handshake and her voice was smooth, warm, "Mr. Rendell sent me up to speak to you about something. Do you have a minute?"

Taking her small hand in his large green one, he found her handshake was dry, confident. He glanced outside briefly but saw no waiting cameraman, no reporter. He stepped to the side and nodded once briefly as he opened the door further. Giving a smile, she entered and he watched her reaction to his spartan apartment.

Her heels gave a sharp rhythym on the bare wooden floor as she strolled past the floor cushions, the numerous candle stands, and the occasional low standing wooden displays that held small trinkets from various victories. On one lay a bracelet from a very tough Troll lieutenant, on another stood a small stone statue recovered from a Tsoo hideout, and several others held similiar items. She paused only briefly to survey the room, nodding once as if in some silent agreement, before heading for the small breakfast bar which Joshua had chosen to leave in place during the remodeling. Lying the manilla envelope on bar, she gave Joshua another smile and turned to face him as he approached.

"Mr. Caine," she began, "Mr. Rendell told me you were a direct man so I'll get right to the point. I've been assigned to you as your assistant and public relations agent. He feels it would be for the best since it seems that the novelty of your past combined with your current role is making a small stir in the news. I am, in effect, to be your secretary." She paused a moment to see his reaction which consisted of nothing but his solid gaze back into her own. "This is, of course, based on your approval of the arrangement."

Joshua frowned a bit and leaned on the bar, "No offense but why does Mr. Rendell think I need you?"

Serena nodded, "We assumed you would have that reaction. Because of your history you may or may not know that where the media is involved, problems usually follow. You are a man of few words, some would say taciturn. The journalists will have one of two reactions to such a person. They will either get bored with you or, well, they will make things up to fill in for your silence. If you were a boring man, I would say you would not have much to worry about. However, you're a hero and a rather interesting one at that. So..."

Joshua nodded, "They will make things up."

"Unless, of course, we give them something to chew on."

"And that is why you are here."

Serena smiled a more roguish grin, "Yes. Mr. Rendell tells me you are still recovering your memories. What do you know or remember of media relations? Of the press and public opinion."

Joshua blinked at this and folded his arms. Once folded he gave a firm shrug and said, "Nothing."

"Then, for now, you need me, Mr. Caine."

"Joshua."

"Excuse me?"

"Call me, Joshua. If you are to be my assistant, then you call me by first name. And, would you like something to drink? Coffee?"

Serena responding smile was dazzling, "Then, that is a yes?"

"We will try it out." Joshua once again locked his black eyes onto her hazel ones, "Do not think you will be able to tell me what to do or where to go. I will choose when to speak and who to speak to. I will not be herded around and I am not here to make Mr. Rendell more money."

Serena pulled a stool over and sat onto it crossing her long legs, "Of course not. And yes, I'll take some coffee." She tucked another strand of hair behind her ear and continued as Joshua moved around the bar and into the kitchen, "Mr. Rendell is very thankful for you, Mr. Ca- Joshua. He is quite sure that without you coming to his aid, he would have died. He has even told me that if you choose to move out of Rendell Plaza today, I am to accompany you and help you in any way. I'm to inform you that if there is anything you might need from him, all you have to do is ask."

Joshua squinted slightly as she spoke, "Accompany me? You will not accompany me on any missions."

"There is more about me then meets the casual eye. But, for now, that is fine. I understand. We will talk about the possibility ater." Before he could resist further she lifted the manilla envelope, "Since you have agreed to my assistance, we'd best discuss the first order of business."

Joshua turned as he poured water into the coffeemaker, "What is it?"

Serena laid it down lightly and tapped it again gently with a polished fingernail. "This, Joshua, is something I will leave for you to look over. For now, I will just give you an overview. First off, I do not doubt your claim to your name but are you positive it is Joshua Caine?"

Joshua stiffened visibly. When he turned to face Serena, he could see that the displeasure on his trollish face caused an initial reaction of fear. He had seen it before and knew that she was thinking she had gone too far, had blown it. Perhaps she had? Some of the color had drained from her face as she leaned back and looked at him as he approached her.

"Why?" was his only response.

She surprised him with her speed of recovery as she squared her shoulders to him and clasped her hands in front of her and on top of the manilla folder. He had startled her but she had recovered. He liked the fact she had a spine.

"Because, Joshua, I was told to research your name in Paragon City. My job is to get to any "sensitive" information before the news dogs find it. Mr. Rendell and I assumed that you had lived in Paragon prior to your Superadyne addiction. You say yourself that you've childhood memories of the city. I assumed I would be able to search for your name and with enough research find information that you might enjoy having as you reawaken your memories. We thought you would, for instance, appreciate being able to go back to your old childhood home."

Joshua stood rock still, "My name is Joshu-"

"Yes, I know what you are calling yourself. What I am telling you is that there is NO record of a Joshua Caine being born or living in Paragon City. I won't lie to you. There are partial records and documents containing the name of Kleitos Drumfist but there are no families with the last name Caine in this city that have any lost family members with the first name Joshua in the past twenty years. There is no record or trace of you in this city until you came out of the Hollows with the shard and registered your name in Atlas. Nothing. All of the information I have is in this packet for you to look over."

Joshua frowned again. He felt his brow closing together, the bridge of his nose wrinkling. He felt a snarl begin to build low in his abdomen but he repressed it. Clenching the bar tightly, shard energy began to glow around his arms before he forced it back down. He took several deep breaths while continuing to focus his gaze at Serena who, again, began to look uneasy. Behind him, the coffeepot began to sputter and gurgle.

"I do not lie."

Though uncomfortable, Serena did not back down, "Mr. Rendell assured me that you were not the type of person whom would kill the messenger. I hope you do not prove him wrong. I'm not calling you a liar, Joshua. I'm giving you basic straightforward fact. And, there is more."

Joshua clenched his jaw several times and took another long steadying breath.

"I went outside of Paragon City. I went to the entire state. I found nothing that would indicate there has been anyone of that name living anywhere in this state. I'm still researching it on a national level. If I find something, you'll be the first to know." Once again gathering herself, she leaned forward and her eyes softened, "Joshua, I am not debating your claim to that name or that you are a good person. I've seen your file. I know what you have done to help people. You may call yourself what you wish. However, if you believe beyond any doubt that your name is Joshua Caine then there is something going on and we need to figure it out before a news hound looking to makes his career finds it.

Joshua reached down inside himself, to the Shard. He could feel it there, within him, around him. It pulsed and spoke in absolute truths. He could remember clearly what had happened when he had absorbed the Shard in Atta's tunnel. His first crystalline thought, generated by the Shard, had shot into his consciousness and it had been his name. It had been a foundational post of his recovery. He was Joshua Caine. How could he be wrong? It was his name. He turned to the Shard and probed it, asked it the question. Again, the answer came back, 'It is your name.'

He realized he was standing with his eyes closed. Opening them, he was calmer and Serena was still looking at him. "It is my name," was all he could say.

Serena nodded slowly and gave him a thoughtful look. She took a deep breath, "Then, big guy, we've got a mystery on our hands and I'm going to figure it out for you."

Caine looked out the bank of windows and out over the misty tops of the Steel Canyon skyscrapers. Why should he doubt her information? It was being brought forth in an effort to help him or so it appeared. If it was true then it would be important to figure out the information before less scrupulous individuals did for themselves. There had always been a hope within him that his name would be the key to unlocking not so much who he was now but who he had been. Now even that was being taken away from him or so it appeared. Talshak had taught him that appearances were often deceiving. How were they deceiving now? Could this be an opportunity disguised as disappointment?

Serena gave him the time he needed to think by getting up and getting her own coffee from the now finished coffee pot. The three coffee cups, blue metal tin ones hanging from underneath the cabinet, were not hard to find. Walking back, she stood next to him with cup in hand and waited for him. His attention elsewhere, he did not seem to notice her at first. Up close to him for the first time, she studied him briefly and realized how small she was in comparison to his large frame. There was also an intense energy that seemed to gather itself around him as if a spark or a bolt of lightning might crackle over him at any moment. Was that an effect of the Shard? Did he even know the sense of strength he projected? When Joshua looked down at her she handed the cup up to him and then stepped away again self-consciously.

"How do we start?" was all he asked.

"That depends. Either your family is from somewhere further away then Paragon or, well, it's been covered up somehow. If it has been covered up then we are going to have to do some digging and get some questions answered." She took a sip of the coffee and sat back down on her stool. "Is there anyone, anyone at all, that might be able to give us a clue as where that name came from?"

Joshua thought for a long moment. As he began to shake his head, he frowned and stopped in mid-movement as something crossed his mind. Is THIS what Talshak meant when he had said, "Only then, once it is done, will you truly be ready to face your future."

Noticing the change, Serena leaned forward, "What is it?"

The more he thought of it, the more it made sense. The more everything began to lock into place. Deep inside him, there was a thrumming from the Shard.

"What is IT?" insisted Serena.

"There is someone who might know."

"Who?'

"Atta."

"Oh," and Serena leaned back against the backrest of her stool. "Are you sure? There's no one else?"

"No one that I remember."

A long moment fell in the apartment. Serena shifted her weight. For the past several weeks, she had done her research on Caine, knew him as well as anyone could, and had a good idea of what he was thinking. It was why Rendell had given her the job. "You two will get along," was how Rendell had summarized it. She knew how much the information would disturb Joshua. Knew that, underneath his public silence and his apparent preference for the direct approach, there was a very brave, intelligent, and focused mind which was still struggling with the effects of Superadyne addiction. She knew that the news would rock him to his foundations and that the only way he would want it presented would be directly, as she had done it.

That was why, after silence had sat in the apartment, she nonchalantly picked up her cup of coffee again and said, "Then, you're going?"

Her comment took Joshua out of his thoughts and he looked at her with amused surprise. For the first time, he gave her one of his trollish grins and saw her chuckle and shake her head at him.

"Fine, I understand. You need to do this." she replied to the grin. "But, please try to remember that I just got this job. If you don't come back it will be the shortest employment I've ever had.

He regarded her for a moment and then let himself chuckle. Unable to help himself, he realized that he felt comfortable around her, appreciated her solidness, directness, and the way she spoke to him. He locked eyes with her, "I would hate to to see you unemployed."

With that, he headed for the door. He was also pleased that she did not say anything to him, did not ask him to reconsider. She simply watched him walk to the door. "You want me to lock up?"

He paused at the door, "If you leave, yes. I will return when this is finished."

She rose her coffee mug to him, "Till then."

As he walked across the stone porch and began to float into the air with the Shard's energy, he was overwhelmed with a sense of rightness to what was happening. Nor did he feel worry about leaving Serena in his apartment. There was a sense of rightness about that as well. Oddly enough, he found he trusted her. He lifted himself into the air and oriented himself towards The Hollows. Regardless of whether or not Atta had information which would help him, one thought kept echoing in his head as he flew towards his showdown.

It was time.

Chapter Ten

Word spread quickly he had returned. As he began to fly over Grendel's Gulch, he wondered if it was by radio? Telepathy? Every troll he saw in the area was looking up or running to be in his flight path. There were no jeers or curses carried up to him. They simply stared at him as if he was an omen come to sail across their sky. He had intended to stop and speak with Talshak but the mystic was not there and their usual meeting place had grown thick with packs of trolls. He climbed higher and headed to the last known entrance of Atta's cave system.

They were waiting for him as he descended. Forty trolls or more mobbed the entrance but they did not rush him as he came to hover a few feet over the brown and broken ground. For a brief moment he felt a twinge of fear. If this was how it was to begin, he might very well die here without ever getting close to Atta. This first wave did not worry him. It was the third, fourth, and eighth wave which would wear him down. So be it, he thought to himself. He wanted this to be over, one way or the other.

While maintaining his hover he inched towards them and was shocked to see them begin to move, separate. Within seconds the entire group had stepped aside and offered him a direct channel into the entrance of the cave. From the looks on their faces he could tell that although some were concerned about his presence the majority of them were not pleased by having to step aside. Atta had done this. He had given the order. Which meant that he had been expecting Joshua. It was that fact alone which sent the shiver of a chill down his neck. For a long moment, he hovered there analyzing the situation. They might have been told to do this tactic to trick him further into the cave where something else was waiting, concealed in the dark and narrow quarters.

An older troll, sensing Joshua's hesitancy, stepped out from the group. He bore a line of scars down his cheeks and neck. Three golden rings adorned each of his ears which combined with the scars marked him as a ranking leader. He snarled and pointed at Joshua, "Atta is expecting you. No trap. He wait."

Joshua considered the situation for only a moment more before turning off his hover and walking confidently into the cave. To either side trolls bared their tusks, snarled at him, and a few slapped their chest or shoulder in agitation. But none stepped forward to prevent him from entering. They simply watched his progress and closed in behind him. Entering into the cave, Joshua saw another few packs also simply standing, waiting. He walked past them as well. The cave carried with it a damp, thick smell of sweat, dirt, blood, and smoke. Oddly enough, even after his months sleeping in Steel Canyon and his new apartment, his initial thought when encountering that dank air was of comfort, familiarity. He moved through the cavern system and everywhere he went the trolls simply stepped aside or watched silently from their bedrolls and steel drum fires. He felt like an apparition as he moved among them, a blue and black clad spirit from another place, another time.

He encountered no resistance until he was much deeper. A young troll, early in the thralls of his addiction, his skin mottled with greenish gray splotches, attempted to make a name for himself by rushing him without warning. Turning to the noise, Joshua reacted instinctively and landed a shard powered blow into his attacker's chest. An explosion of energy lit the cavern and the youth's body flew through the air, smashing into a stack of crates. As one of the crates teetered and fell onto the unconscious troll, the others did not react. As since his arrival, they simply watched.

He heard the drums first as their beats throbbed up the cave walls from below. A few hundred yards later he began to hear the chanting, the roaring. The stone pathway become more lit by torches fixed to the walls and by a brighter illumination further ahead, pouring out of the great chamber of Atta the King. As he came to the entrance of Atta's hall, the cavern sloped away and down into a vast chamber room in which could be built a cathedral. As he stepped onto the lip the drumming and the roaring stopped. Several hundred trolls turned their faces to look at him. Beyond them on the far back wall, sitting on his throne of stone slabs and his feet propped up on one of the several rusting steel drums around him was the King of the Trolls. Seeing Joshua, his feet came off the drums slowly and he stood, pulling his shoulders back, forcing out his chest. Behind him the ever present neon "HAPPY HOUR" sign glowed a vibrant pink. No one else moved. The only sound was the combined breathing of those assembled.

Without a cue, the trolls in the center of the chamber began to pull back, forming a large open circle. As they moved, Atta raised his arms and boomed across the chamber, "Behold, Kleitos the Traitor! First, he steals from me. He fight his brothers with his new powers. He chases us. And now, he comes to challenge me. He is a fool."

As he spoke, Atta had descended the floor which sloped away from his throne and now stood in the center of the large open circle created by the retreating trolls. "Many here am frightened of you, Kleitos. Did you know? I told by cowards we should crush you by force when you come. I say, "No!" I will fight him. I will crush him. I will hold his broken body over my head like I did to the others before him. Break him! Break him so fast that no one save him! Crush him so all here see the power of ATTA! Come, Kleitos, come and see what happens to traitors!""

As Atta spoke he was fierce. His massive calloused fists clenched in front of him, froth formed in the corners of his mouth. He was working the crowd and they were responding. But, as Joshua watched, something happened to his perception of the Troll King before him. He suddenly realized that Atta was smaller then he had remembered. The thought ran through his mind that Atta was not just pumping up the crowd but that Atta was trying to galvanize himself as well. In a flash of insight, Joshua realized that the Troll King in front of him was just another criminal, just another arrogant villain. For the first time since being in the Hollows Joshua felt no apprehension towards this confrontation. He held down the urge to smile and descended down to the cavern floor.

On the edges of the crowded trolls, a few trolls lost in the fervor began to play their drums. The trolls at the edge of the circle began stomping their feet. Atta spat towards Joshua as he came into the circle and then began snarling and yelling at him. He hurled insults for the benefit of the crowd but Joshua did not hear them. He was, instead, watching Atta's every move, analyzing him. Realizing what he was doing, Atta stopped suddenly and cocked his head at Joshua. Then, in a fluid movement, Atta ended his grandstanding and took a combat position as he roared. The two opponents stood facing each other, unmoving. The drums and the stomping continued for a few more minutes until it slowly faded and a tomblike silence descended. Atta began to circle to Joshua's off-hand side and Joshua simply turned in place. After a half a rotation, Atta stopped again and glared at him with fierce eyes, baring his teeth.

Atta's rushing attack was like a striking snake. Roaring and leading with his left hand as a feint strike, he intended for Joshua to focus on the incoming left fist and as the Legionnaire spun away, he would come in fast with a devastating right elbow. What happened was not what he expected. Joshua stepped into the strike and in a fast arm wrap, trapped Atta's left arm. Unexpectedly caught, Atta went ahead and delivered the elbow with as much power as he could generate. However, before it could land, there was an explosion of energy as Joshua' punch landed solidly on Atta's chest.

The troll king's eyes widened as the intensity and pain of the blow washed over him and stole his breath. Joshua released the trapped arm and then clenched both of his fists together. Taking a step towards the shocked Atta, he delivered an upwards axe-handle blow to the troll's chin. An energy flash and an explosion of energy blinded those close at impact. Atta flew across the cavern, twisting in mid-air as if caught in a whirlwind. His body crashed into the steel drums next to his throne and disappeared behind them as some cannisters spiralled away or rolled into the massed trolls. The silence in the cavern turned from that of expectancy to total shock.

Calmly flying in the wake of Atta's path, Joshua descended and reached down, gripped the troll by the throat and lifted him. Blood washed from several wounds on Atta's face and head from the impact to the drums. His eyes were lit with a mixed light of fear and defiance. For a moment, Atta began to raise another clenched fist but Joshua struck downward with his forehead, smashing it into Atta's own. To most courts of law, to any other individual, it would have been considered brutal. To the trolls it was anything but as, for good measure, Joshua threw another headbutt downward. The force of the second blow drove the Troll King out of Joshua's grasp and down into the steel barrels again.

Again, Joshua reached down and grabbed Atta, this time with both hands. Blue energy coruscated along his forearms, ebbed off of his hands. Atta eyes were dull and blood leaked red against the his dark green skin from a smashed nose and cut lip. Joshua brought him close and hissed, "Who am I? Tell me and I won't kill you. Tell me and I will walk away today. Tell me and today I will not destroy everything you have built beginning with you!"

Atta's eyes rolled for a moment and then focused on Caine's words and then the Legionnaire himself. He spit weakly and his arms rose to grip Joshua's forearms. Looking back over Joshua's shoulders he saw the gathered trolls, his army. He could call them now. He could call them and some would respond. But, not enough. Joshua knew that Atta had told them to stay out of the fight and now, his pride had doomed him. He could not call on them for the stain on his honor it would cause. Regardless, Atta was considering it anyway.

Joshua shook him again to gain his attention. "Who am I!"

Realization dawned in Atta's eyes as it became clear a deal was being struck, that the Traitor had not come to simply finish him. He frowned slightly which Caine took to be resistance. Blue energy spiked along the Legionnaire's arms and Atta responded. "Explain. Explain more," he hissed quietly.

Joshua leaned in closer, nose to nose with the creature he had once looked up to and protected as his honor guard. "You know who I am. Before the Supradyne. Who am I? Tell me and I will leave your kingdom standing today! If not, this cave and EVERYTHING you have built will be gone before sunset!"

Atta considered the words for a moment, his eyes moving to the army behind them, and then back to Caine's. With a small snarl and a blink, he nodded once. Inside, Joshua was not ready for that nod, that affirmation that Atta did indeed know something. The Troll King did not notice any change, however, and simply looked over at two of his honor guard. "Send them away. All of them!" he snarled.

Within moments, the two were alone within the silent cavern.

Atta released a heavy breath, "Behind the throne. Behind the throne there box with lock."

Joshua nodded, "Show me," and with a heave tossed Atta into his own throne. Joshua activated his flight and hovered over Atta as he struggled once again, unhurt, to his feet. the Legionnaire watched for treachery but without complaint, Atta moved behind the throne and retrieved a medium wooden chest. After opening it with a small key, he rummaged in the contents for several seconds. Then, with a grave look at Caine, he held up a battered thin black wallet.

"You were different. I kept this as trophy. Used to wear it. Kept it to remind myself of what to look for. You spoke of deal. This deal on your honor?"

Joshua, fixated on the black wallet, simply nodded in reply.

With a light grunt, Atta tossed the billfold at Joshua.

Joshua let it fall between them aware that Atta might use the opportunity of his catching the wallet to attack him. It hit the dirty ground with a light puff of dust. Atta stood silent watching Caine's reaction. Bending over to retrieve the folio, Joshua could feel the rapid beating of his heart. Atta had known all along. Atta had, of course, hid it from him. He stood with the wallet and contemplated looking inside. Again, he hesitated afraid that what he saw inside would give Atta an opening.

Reading his thoughts, Atta gave a throaty chuckle. "I will not move. I might get good hit to you but then you destroy Atta. I honor the deal."

Holding the wallet now Joshua could see it was a simple single fold; dirty, torn, but of good quality. He thumbed a bit of dirt from its surface and then, with a final glance at Atta, he slowly opened it. Glancing down, he took in an ID and what appeared to be tarnished silver badge. Glancing up again at Atta he then looked down and studied the ID.

There, in official print under yellowed lamination, was the name Joshua R. Caine. Below it was a black and white picture of a caucasian male with short brown hair, the resemblance to his current features minimal. But, he could tell, in the eyes, it was once him.

Atta began talking, ""I thought something different with you. We find it in your apartment. You thought I not know. You hid it good but we find it."

Joshua felt himself take a deep breath. Realizing he needed to pull himself together, his eyes flickered to the larger type words that said simply, "D.E.A. Special Intelligence Division" before looking back to meet Atta's eyes.

Atta simply continued, "You asked too many questions. Acted funny. Different. We find the drugs they gave you to fight the 'Dyne too. After that, we made you take the 'Dyne. After that, you became a real Troll."

Joshua blinked hard and frowned trying to piece together what Atta was saying around the images that were rushing into his mind. They came rapid fire; running through an alley, being chased, being thrown out of a window, a needle piercing his skin over and over, the sound of someone screaming. He stumbled a bit and put some distance between himself and Atta. However, the Troll King did not move.

Instead Atta pulled his shoulders backwards and lifted his chin, "Our deal complete. Now, go."

In the churning mix of emotions Joshua felt a surge of rage and before he could stop himself he activated his flight and thrown a devastating energy filled punch that lifted Atta up into the air and into the far cavern wall. Waiting for the Troll King to come to rest and look over at him, Joshua growled across the cavern. Catching himself before his anger took over completely, he shook himself. "Never order me again. Pray I never return."

And with that, he took flight and flew through the cavern to the surface like a rocket. Trolls in the passageways dove out of his way and within moments he was in the warm air over the Hollows. Once reaching a high altitude, he came to a hover and attempted to catch his breath. Opening the leather folio with quivering hands he stared at the picture on the I.D, the name, and tried to ride the wave of emotions and memories which surged back into him. It was right there in front of him. It was truth. Joshua Caine. Briefly, with a small chuckle, he wondered what the R stood for as his middle name.

The rest, the information concerning the ID, the badge, would wait. He remembered little if nothing of it and he could only hope that some memories would return. Obviously, he had been undercover, perhaps investigating the Supradyne connection. How he had eased into his work with Lieutenant Wincott and the Paragon Police Department began to make more sense. A disturbing thought crossed his mind that he must have been deeply undercover for his name not to have come up in both the Paragon Police and Hero Registration files. For now, though, he did not care. He had what he wanted.

Thinking of Atta and the Hollows, he felt as if he had strode through a great crossroads. As he looked back at the grainy and small picture of himself there was solidness which finally began to settle upon him. Here was his proof, physical, gazing back at him, that he had once been something else, someone else. After the conversation with Selena it was what he needed and was sure that with what he now carried the rest of his past could be uncovered safely.

Smiling, he navigated towards Atlas Park clutching the dirty and torn wallet firmly in his fist.

He was Joshua Caine.

Joshua Caine/A Hollow Past

From Unofficial Handbook of the Virtue Universe

Contents

A Hollow Past

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter 4

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

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