Kegan/Z.O.M.G.
From Unofficial Handbook of the Virtue Universe
Contents |
Chapter I
The Big City
Izzy
Izzy slowly opened her eyes and looked around. It was dark and damp and she had no idea where she was. To top it off her head was killing her. She closed her eyes and tried to reach out to Kegan. Nothing, this was not good. The last thing she remembered was running through the woods behind her sister. She had felt a sharp pain … then darkness. Well she was awake now and from the feel of it she was in a cave. The ground bellow her was hard and damp. She slowly crawled to the bars of her cage and peered out. Across from her she could just make out the shape of a large black cat. She tried to focus; it appeared to be a Jaguar.
“Your correct” a voice spoke inside her head. “My name is Jade, and you are?”
“Isabeau, but my friends call me Izzy” she had never talked to such a large animal like this before.
“Ah so now we are friends” Jade chuckled as she flipped her tail “Fair enough the enemy of my enemy is my friend”
“Yes” Izzy stammered “Do you know where we are?”
“No child I do not”
Kegan
It was a warm spring morning the day Kegan arrived in Paragon. The city was filled with sights and sounds she had never experienced before. The journey here had been a long and hard. Kegan had left New Folkvang over a month ago, traveling to Helsinki were she boarded a freighter set for Paragon. Kegan had run away from home, she knew her mother would be worried but she had no other choice. Ever since her sister had been kidnapped 2 years ago she had waited. No one had been able to find Izzy and Kegan was tired of waiting. She was confident she could find her. Being twins they shared a bond most people would never be able to understand. It was this bond that pulled her to paragon.
It had been a long day but she had finally meet with Azure after hours of waiting and more paperwork then she had ever done in her life. It was stupid of her to think she could just walk in and see Azura, this was the big city she was in now. That meant lots of red tape and procedures to be followed. First she had to be registered as a Hero. This meant Physical and Psychological test to see if you could take on the job. Next you had to obtain a License and Security Level, more test and paperwork. Her whole day had been consumed by these tasks. By the time see final got in to see Azura she was exhausted. Kegan explained the situation with Izzy and why she had come to Paragon. Azura was able to confirm that her sister had been in the city but that was all the information she had for her. Kegan left the meeting feeling as if all hope was lost. What if Izzy was no longer in the city? Had she wasted an entire day filling out paperwork when she could have been tracking her sister?
Izzy
“Izzy, wake up” a voice sounded inside her head.
“Do you have to shout, my head is killing me” Izzy whimpered as she held her hands over her ears.
“Something is happening” Jade noted “They are removing people and animals in groups. “ But none of them are coming back.
Izzy sat up straighter “What’s going on?”
“I’m not sure” Jade replied as she peered down the tunnel. “They are coming for us now”
“What … How do you know we are next ... there could be more …”
“No” Jade cut in “We are the only ones left is this cave” Jade turned to Izzy and looked her straight in the eyes. “Do you trust me?” Izzy Nodded “Know this child I will never leave you, I will get us out of here! You just have to trust me”
The mage stepped in front of Izzy’s cage. “It’s her, she is different from the others. I can tell she's the one we need, the rest we just practice.” Izzy slowly felt the world slip away, as she passed into darkness she heard again “I will get us out of here, trust me.”
Kegan
Today had not gone well for Kegan. She thought back on the days events as she gazed out the window of her hospital room. She spent a lot of time at the hospital it seemed. Fighting crime and searching for her sister. She was working her self to the point of exhaustion. Azura had called to see how she was dong.
“I think we need to have a talk, you have been in the hospital three times this week. I know you want to find your sister but you seem to be going about it the wrong way. Kegan, when you get out I would like for you to come to my office.”
Azura was right, she was not getting any closer to finding her sister. One of these days she was going to get her self into trouble, and no one would be there to rescue her. She needed help; this was too big of a task for one person alone.
After leaving the hospital Kegan headed over to Atlas Park to meet with Azura. She was still a little sore from her last run-in with the Circle of Thorns. But as she sat in the lobby waiting to meet with her friend she felt relived. She hadn’t wanted to admit to her self that she needed help. But now that she was here she was glad to be getting some advice.
“Kegan, Azura will see you now.” A pleasant voice called over the load speaker.
Kegan got up and walked into Azura’s office. “I see you are doing better today” Azura noted as Kegan entered the office.
“Yes, I’m still a little sore, but I am feeling much better.” Kegan took a set opposite Azura. “I’m glad you called.”
“Well something had to be done. You can’t keep working until you pass out and then sleep for 12 hours only to get up and do it all again. Do you even have an apartment?” Kegan shook her head. “Just as I thought, I took the liberty of setting you up in a nice loft overlooking Gemini park. I also got you an Interview at the Paragon Times. They have an opening for a freelance Photo Journalist. It pays well and should work nicely with your currant occupation. Since I’m sure you see a lot of interesting “things” in you travels.”
Kegan stared at Azura in amazement. “I really don’t know what to say, Thank You”
“Well we can’t have you living at the hospital now can we?”
“No, and beside the food is terrible” Kegan replied as she crinkled her nose in disgust.
Azura laughed “Yes it is pretty bad” Azura pulled a small black device out of her draw and handed it to Kegan. “I also had this made up for you by a friend of mine. It’s a Pocket PC with a few modification made to it. He has added a cell phone, GPS, and wireless modem. So you will always be able to keep track of where you are and where you have been. Then if you get into trouble you can call for help. He also added a 12 Mega Pixel camera that you can use for your new job at the paper.”
“But I don’t have the job yet” Kegan broke in.
“Don’t worry about that I have a strong feeling you will get the job.” Azura smiled, “It has all the latest software so you can type up your story on the device and load it onto you computer when you get home.”
“But I don’t have a computer.” Kegan broke in again.
“Well you do now” Azura laughed “I made sure your apartment was stocked with everything you might need to find you sister Izzy. Now back to your new Toy. The most important upgrade to you device is that little red button in the corner. Go ahead give it a push.”
Kegan punched the button and small radar popped up on the screen. “Searching … Searching … Subject Not Located” would you like to try again?
“Hit no” Azura instructed. “We used your DNA to program the device to search for Izzy. It has a five mile radius. You can either do a manual search or set it to automatically do a search ever half hour.”
“Wow, this is great. I really don’t know how to thank you” Kegan replied.
“Don’t worry about it, just go home and get some sleep. You have an interview tomorrow and I don’t want you to be late.”
“Thanks, I will do that” Kegan replied as she got up to leave then stopped “I really do appreciate all the help you have given me.”
“I just want you to be safe Kegan; can you do that for me?” Kegan nodded and Azure continued “Good, you have helped me a lot here this last month and it would be a shame to loss a hero like you.” Azura commented as she went back to work “Good Luck and be safe”.
It had been a good meeting Kegan thought as she stood in her apartment latter. She had gotten a fresh start in Paragon, a chance to do things right. It was time to come up with a plan. She looked at the device and pushed the red button. “Searching … Searching … Subject Not Located” she sighed and replaced the device in the pocket on the side of her boot. Oh well tomorrow was a new day.
Izzy A small figure sits cross legged in the center of a cell. The cave around her is dark and damp. The only movement is the occasional flip of her tail. It has been over a year since she was taken from her home. Her memories are a jumble of confusing images she can’t quite put together. She has changed, that she is sure of. But how is another question. She has superior reflexes, a heightened sense of smell and increased vision. But there is something else that has changed; somehow she is different, she just can’t put her finger on it. Flicking her tail, she turns her head at the sound of the men talking down the hall. They are going out tonight, she smiles, and only leaving behind four men to guard her. “Ah … this is going to be easy!” They have grown over confident in their control over her. For months she has been trained by them to fight. Pitting her against all manner of monsters, some more then twice her size. Now they think four men can contain her. No matter they will soon learn the error of their ways.
“Soon child we shall strike” a voice sound inside her head. It seems somehow different … closer. “Yes” Izzy responds and closes her eyes “Soon”.
A short while latter a young mage approaches. With shaking hands he opens the door and steps into her cell, setting her dinner on the table he turns to leave. Before he takes two steps towards the door he is knocked-out cold. Standing over him Izzy stretches her neck and looks down at the young mage. “At least he was smart enough to be afraid” she flips her tail “One down … three to go.” Stepping out the door she heads down the tunnel to the next room.
“Careful child this will be your only chance. They won’t make this mistake again.”
Slowly she approaches the door. Standing in the shadows she watches the three remaining men, waiting for the right time to strike.
“Now”
Izzy responds to the command, leaping into action she takes out the two closet men in a single move, and lands next to them without making a sound. “Three down … one to go.”
“So I was right about you” The remaining mage says not even bothering to face her he continues to write at his desk. “You have been playing with us. Do you really think I was fooled, that I would let a prize like you go?” Suddenly he turns and shots her with a dart.
“Fool” Izzy growls as she yanks the dart out of her leg “You will pay for that” Before he can stand she is upon him. Pinning him to the desk she shots “Who am I and what have you done to me?” The mage only grins at her. “Tell me or I will kill you” she hisses.
“You don’t have it in you little one.” All these months and you haven’t killed a single being. Even now as you make your escape you don’t have the heart to kill the men who tortured you”
“Your right, I am not a monster” knocking him out Izzy heads for the door, to freedom. In her heart she knows it is foolish to leave the man alive. But she is not ready to kill. Bursting out into the light she runs through the forest. Leaping over fallen trees and dodging branches she makes her way to a clearing. Stopping to catch her breath she looks down at her leg. It is now covered in blood and in pain. “I’m not feeling so well” Izzy braces her self against a lamp post. “Hold on child I’m getting some help” Before she can answer Izzy collapses on the ground.
“Subject located standby for transportation in … 3…2 … 1... Transporting to Atlas Hospital now …”
Azura picks up the phone “We got her, do you want me to call Kegan?”
Kegan
Kegan looked up to see Mykal standing in front of her. She looked past him into the hospital room; Sam was on the floor surrounded by broken furniture and glass. A nurse was rushing down the hall toward them.
“I could ask you the same thing Sir” Kegan responded to Mykal. Pausing she looked at Sam, the nurse was helping him off the floor and into a wheel chair. Something was wrong with the kid she just wasn’t sure what. She had gotten a funny feeling while talking to him earlier that day. She had wanted to talk to Mykal, but the day had been so busy. Turning back to Mykal she looked at him, could she trust him … this was too much for her to deal with alone. Maybe this was the answer to her prayers she just had to ask for help.
Looking down at her PDA she watched the blinking red light.
“Subject Located”
Taking a deep breath she handing the device to him. “I need help its Izzy she’s here … in Atlas.” The entire day came rushing back in a flood of memories. In that moment it was more then she could take between worrying about Sam and searching for Izzy.
Izzy
Izzy opened her eyes slowly, the room was completely white, a shocking contrast to the caves. Blinking her eyes she looked around, there was a woman at the foot of her bed watching her.
“So your awake” Azura remarked “What do you remember?” Izzy continued to stare at her. “Your name is Isabeau, or as your sister calls you Izzy” moving around the side of the bed she looked down at the young girl and asked “Do you remember Kegan? She has been looking for you.”
Izzy looked up at the woman and was about to answer when she heard a load crash in the room above her, followed by breaking glass. A Man’s muffled voice was heard shouting. “Maybe we should go help” Izzy commented and glanced at the door.
“No” Azura responded “Mykal is up there I know he can handle the problem.” Just then a woman’s body fell past her window. Azura picked up the phone “Security get up to the third floor NOW!”
Kegan
Kegan looks out over the city from her perch high a top the paragon times building. A fuzzy pink kitten is asleep on top of a small back pack filled with pixie sticks. She sits on the edge a PDA in one hand a pixie stick in the other. She stares down at a photo of her friends. There’s Lion Hart, Hypotherman, Ayosgi Galiquo, Dark Invoker and of course her sister Izzy. They were he best friends together they fought crime and saved the day. They had only been together a short while but so far it had been nothing but fun. She smiled as she thought of the adventure this past week. They had been sent to stop the Clock Works King. It had been a hard battle but in the end they had succeeded. Setting down her Pixie Stick she pulls out the stylus and starts to scribble a moustache on Darks face. Just then her com-link beeps at her. “This is Kegan how can I help you? … That’s not good … I’m on my way as we speak.” Returning to the PDA she close out the file without saving, stuffs the PDA in her back pack. Grabbing her bag and her kitten she jumps off the ledge and flies off. Smiling she thinks to herself “Man I love technology!”
Chapter II
Going Home
Kegan
Kegan tossed her keys on the table as she entered the apartment. Glancing back she looked at her sister Izzy and her new ward Sam. Both looked more then a little scared, Sam was doing a far better job of hiding it though. Well who could blame them? It had been a long day for the two of them. For Sam it was getting attacked and almost killed by his sister. She had been the only family he had left and now she was in jail. Izzy had escaped from the clutches of the Circle of Thorns. Who knows what they had done to her. Izzy had yet to talk to Kegan. Sighing she plopped down on the couch and closed her eyes. This was supposed to be the happiest day of her life, she had found her sister. They were together again; they should be planning their trip home. But instead they were here in her apartment in Paragon. She opened her eyes and smiled at the two figures outside the door. Rising to her feet she turned to them “Come on in guys its time to get you settled into your rooms.”
Izzy
Izzy jumped a little as the boy Sam slid past her into the room. She remembered that this was her sister, that she was safe now. But there was so much she still couldn’t remember. She did not recall this place, it seemed foreign to her. She stepped into the apartment and glanced around; Kegan was showing Sam to his room. Izzy walked over to the window and looked out over the city. Confused she tried to remember this place but it was all a blur to her. Closing her eyes she tried hard not to cry. It was so frustrating to not remember who you were or were you came from. But somehow she knew this was not her home. Brushing her tears away she turned to face Kegan who had come up behind her. A sense of relief filled her as she looked into her sister’s eyes. She was exhausted and ready to sleep.
Kegan
After showing Sam to his room, Kegan slowly approached Izzy. She had yet to say a word to her and Kegan was growing a little concerned. She felt a sense of relief when she saw her sister turn and smile. Kegan noted how tired she looked. Taking her by the hand “You look exhausted, let me show you to your room so you can get some sleep.” Leading her to the last remaining spare bed room she thought to her self it’s a good thing the apartment is so big. She had thought it a waist of space when it was just her, but it had filled up fast. Releasing Izzy’s hand she walked over to the window and opened the curtains. “You have a nice view from here too.” Turning to face Izzy “I think you will like it, I had it painted blue. I know it’s your favorite color.” Pointing “through there is your bathroom. It’s all you’re so you don’t need to worry about sharing it with anyone.” Walking over to Izzy “Sam is already asleep, you should get some rest too before you pass out. I’m sure you had a rough day.” She looked at her closely to try and get an idea of what she was thinking. “Well, after you two get done napping I can make us some dinner …” At this Izzy began to laugh breaking the tension between them.
Izzy
Suddenly an image of Kegan standing over what was left of a pot that had been melted beyond recognition popped into her head. “You can’t cook!” laughing “You burn water!” Giggling she continued “In fact I have never seen you cook anything that didn’t burn. Were all gona starve if we have to depend on you to cook us dinner.” Hugging her sister “I love you and all but you can’t cook to save your life” releasing her she tried too look serious “Maybe Sam can cook” Cracking up again at the look on Kegan face “Well that’s probably not gona happen either.” Smiling she walked over to the window and looked out over the city. Cringing she noted how dark and dirty it looked compared to her village. People were fighting each other in the streets. Children were running around without parents. It was nothing like her home. “Well it really doesn’t matter we will be going home soon anyhow.
Behind her Kegan sighed and said “I will let you sleep now. You look tired. We can talk later.”
Izzy watched as Kegan left the room, closing the door behind her. Turning Izzy looked around the room. There was a hug bed in the center of the room and a fluffy chair in the corner. She looked from the chair to the bed and back again. Yawning she walked over to bed and yanked the covers off. Turning she headed over to the chair and sat down. Tucking her feet up under her she curled into a ball and pulled the covers over her. Falling asleep she dreamed of home.
Kegan
How was she supposed to tell Izzy that they couldn’t go home? Well at least Kegan couldn’t. When she found out Izzy was safe the first thing she did was contact her mother to tell her they would be coming home. It was then that Kegan was informed that she had been banished from the village until she proved herself worthy of returning. To do so, she must continue to fight crime in Paragon and rid the world of corruption. This was in punishment for disobeying Freyja and running away to look for Izzy. Sighing, she had been so worried for Izzy what else was she supposed to do. No one in the village had been willing to go look for her, so Kegan had taken matter into her own hands, setting off into the human world to find her. She couldn’t imagine being apart from her sister. She had come so far to find her and now she was stuck here. Looking at Izzy she smiled “I will let you sleep now. You look tired. We can talk later.” Turning she left the room, closing the door behind her. Shaking her head she tried to think of all the good things that had happened to her. She had made a few friends and had great job working for the paper. Besides Sam needed her, she was all he had left. Kegan walked over to the couch and sat down. Closing her eyes, there was so much she needed to tell Izzy, she just wasn’t sure how to do it.
Izzy
The warm morning sun streamed into Izzy’s window warming her skin as she slept. Smiling in her sleep she dreamt of home. She remembered sitting by the lake with Kegan after a morning swim. Their wet skin slowly drying in the sunlight. They always took a dip after practice it helped to cool their tired muscles as well as clean off the sweat from their morning work-out. Yawning Izzy stretched and opened her eyes. Lazily she stared out the window, Kegan was right it was a nice view. The water seemed to dance as the rays of light bounced off it. I reminded her of home in away. She wondered why Kegan looked so sad when Izzy mentioned home. Didn’t Kegan want to go home?
Insider her Jade stirred “She can’t go home.”
“What do you mean?” Izzy asked. “Why can’t she go home?”
“Because she came to get you and in doing so she broke the rules.” Sighing Jade continued “You can go home if you want but Kegan must stay here and prove herself.”
Izzy thought for awhile. “Then I will stay and help her.” Standing she left the room to find Kegan. She didn’t have to go far; it seemed she had fallen asleep on the couch. Walking over she gently shook her.
Waking Kegan looked up at her “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing” Izzy answered “I was just thinking … Maybe we should stay here in Paragon. Sam and the city need our help. It wouldn’t feel right to leave.”
Kegan
Kegan looked up at Izzy “Are you sure?” Izzy nodded and Kegan continued. “Well your right Sam certainly needs us. Glancing at the open door “Seems he has gone out already for the day. Somehow I doubt he went to school.” Smiling “Oh well we can deal with that later.” Rising she headed for the kitchen and Izzy followed. “We should find you something to eat.”
Izzy made a face “I don’t think that such a good idea.”
Kegan laughed “Its okay, no cooking we have cereal” she opened the cabinet she grabbed a box of cereal and placed it on the counter. Turning to the fridge she opened the door. Pausing she looked at the empty shelves. “Hummm … maybe we should go out for food.”
Behind her Izzy “Turned the empty box upside down and shook it. “Ya I think that’s a good idea.”
Laughing Kegan responded “I think we need to hire a cook as well, and I know just the person.”
Chapter III
Love and Loss
Kegan
Kegan sat in her apartment gazing out the window. Smiling to herself she thought back over the last few months. So much had happened. She had found Izzy, taken in Sam, passed her level 50 exams, meet many new friends and fallen in love. She couldn’t believe it herself, she was in love and his name was Mega. She had meet Mega while hanging out at the arena after practice with Sam, Izzy and Mykal. They had spard for a few rounds and she was very impressed by his skills. Over the following weeks they had spent much of their time together fighting crime and hanging out with friends at the park. Mega had asked her out a few times and she had said no. She had been so focused on her quest that she didn’t see how much she cared about him. It wasn’t until she lost him that she realized how deeply she felt. Mega was kidnapped and taken away to another dimension. In the end it worked out and he was returned but she knew now that she couldn’t loss him again. She needed to tell him how she felt. Grabbing her PDA she headed out the door. Punching in his name she waited “Searching … Searching … Subject Located” Smiling she thought to herself of course were else would he be at this hour.
Scrap Cat
It was a perrrr-fect day! Scrap thought to her self as she napped in the sun next to her brothers and sisters. They had gone to the park today with their mother. It was in fact their first trip out of the house. It had been quit the adventure. They had crossed the road to the cute little park on the other side. Here they had played all day in the sun. Scrap had learned ho to climb a trees, she had gone all the way up to the top. The view had been amazing! Her mom had looked a really worried though so she had come back down sooner then she would have liked. Next they played by the water looking at all the little golden fishes swimming in it. Scrap had reached out to touch one and fell in. Luckily a nice lady pulled her out before she got too wet. So now she was lying out in the sun just enjoying the day. She couldn’t wait until she was old enough to go out by herself. Then mom wouldn’t be worrying all the time about what she was doing. Not that she minded spending time with her family she was just ready to do some stuff on her own. Well soon enough that would happen. This was their last week together, and then her brothers and sisters would all be finding new homes. Scrap already knew where she was going; there was a nice old lady in apartment 3B that was going to take her in. Scrap’s only hope was that she wouldn’t get kept inside all day.
Kegan
Kegan headed over too Gemini Park to find Mega. Today was the day she was going to finally tell him how she felt. Her mother Kara thought that Kegan would get distracted from her duties if she got too involved with Mega. She had also suggested to Kegan that Mega might not feel the same way for her. Telling her that Kegan may get hurt if he didn’t. Shaking her head she smiled. Her mother was wrong Mega did love her she could tell by the way he looked at her and the things he said too her. She wasn’t going to risk losing him again. He had been so patient with her. Waiting until she was ready, never pushing her for more then she was ready to give. In the end that’s what had made he decide to finally tell him.
As she approached the park she noticed him sitting in the grass by himself. Smiling she stopped and just watched him for awhile. She remembered back a week ago. She had gotten injured and was in the hospital for observation. Mega had stopped to see her and brought her some flowers. They were pink her favorite color. They had talked for a long time, about everything that had happened. Before he left he had told her that he understood why she wasn’t willing to make a commitment to him. That he was willing to take what ever she was willing to give. She had almost told him right there that she loved him, but she chickened out. In the end she said something lame like be careful. Oh well she wasn’t scared now.
Walking up to him she noticed he seemed a little different. Shaking it off, she smiled at him “Hey Mega”
He looked up “Hey Keg”
She noticed that he seemed distracted so she asked “What’s wrong? Are you okay?”
He looked of across the lake “This girl I used to be in-love with came back and she wants to get back together.”
Scrap Cat
Shivering Scrap peaked out from under her paw and looked at the clouds that were forming in the west. It looked like a storm was coming. Curling her tail a little tighter around her went back to napping. She loved the rain. It was so fun to watch as the water streamed down the window. Sometimes she would try to chase it across the glass with her paw. Trying to see if she could reach the bottom before the rain drops did. Suddenly a fat rain drop plopped on her head startling her. Opening her eyes wide she looked around. The storm was coming fast. All around people were heading for shelter. Her mom had already gathered everyone together and was heading for home. Jumping up, Scrap scampered after them. By the time they reached the street the rain was falling hard. Scrap was only a 10 feet behind them now. But it was getting hard to see where she was going. Mom had reached the steps by the time Scrap started across the street. Water was flowing down the street and into the sewer. Scrap leapt over the water and landed safely on the curb. Glancing behind her Scrap saw a truck barreling down the street. She thought to herself it a good thing I made it onto the curb he might not have seen me. Turning towards her mother she grinned and head for the steps. When suddenly a huge wave of water hit her, sweeping her into the river that had formed in the street. Frantically she tried to paddle to the curb. It was too much water for her to escape. She was quickly swept down the street and into the sewer. The last thing she remembered was her mother’s startled face.
Kegan
She was surprised by his answer but not worried. “Oh, when did she get back?” She waited for him to answer, but he didn’t. Looking out over the lake she wondered what she should say. Should she tell him how she felt? Taking a deep breath “Well I just wanted to tell you something” she glanced over at him before continuing “I wanted to let you know I care about you a lot …
“I’m sorry Keg” he said cutting her off before she could finish.
“What? What do you mean?” Suddenly her heart froze. “Do you still love her?”
“I don’t know, I’m sorry” he didn’t offer any other explanation. Shocked all she could do was hold her breathe and pray she had heard him wrong. “Keg are you okay?” She just stared at him in disbelief. “It seems like the air around you just got really cold.” Blinking she looked down at her hands. They were covered with a thin coating of frost. She quickly tucked them inside her pockets and looked away. She couldn’t believe this was happening to her. She had trusted him. Just then her PDA beeped. She flipped it open and red the report the Vahzilok were causing trouble in the sewers again. They had taken three collage students. Jumping to her feet she grabbed her sword. “Wait” he grabbed her hand to stop her “What was it you were going to tell me?”
She glanced down and him “Oh … I just wanted to tell you I meet someone the other day. He is a really great guy. I think he might be the one.” She pulled her hand out of his hoping he couldn’t tell she was shaking. “I hope you work things out with your girlfriend” With that she turned and left.
Scrap Cat
Scrap awoke suddenly and jumped to her feet and looked around. Nothing, it was just a dream relaxing slightly she sat back down. Cringing she watched as bugs scampered across the ground. She had been forced to eat them to survive. She swore to herself that if she ever got out of here she would never eat a living creature again. Frustrated she batted a rock into the sludge and watched it sink into the water below. She hated this place, but she was too small and too week to escape. She had been down here for over a month trapped in the dark smelly sewers. But she was determined to get out. She had stumbled on to these creatures. They called them selves the “Vahzilok” they appeared to be some sort of undead being. They were utterly disgusting. They spent much of their time experimenting on corpses. She hoped if she followed them they would lead her to the surface. Suddenly there was a commotion as three young people were dragged into the room by a Vahzilok Eidolon. A woman was struggling to get free. One of the minions pushed her too the ground. That was enough; it was one thing to experiment on dead bodies. Scrap jumped to her feet and rushed at the closest minion grabbing his ankle she dug her claws into it. Moaning he reached down and ripped her off, tossing her into the corner.
Kegan
Kegan stepped into the sewers and paused, waiting for her eyes to adjust to the dark. She couldn’t believe what had just happened. A tear rolled down her cheek and froze. Absently she brushed it away without noticing. She had a job to do. No time to sit her thinking of Mega. Slowly she made her way down the tunnel. Ducking behind a create she surveyed the situation. There were 4 minions and 3 hostages. Smiling to her self, this should be easy enough. The minions were slow and stupid and there were no Eidolons in sight. The woman appeared to be fighting back. A minion shoved her to the ground. Another one reached for his ankle and through something in the corner. Now’s her chance while they were distracted. She rushed in and quickly took out two of the minions. She had failed to see the Eidolon behind them. He struck out at her knocking her backwards and causing her to drop her sword. Cringing she braced her self for the next blow. Instantly she was covered in a thick sheet of Ice. The Eidolons blow was deflected off her shield. Startled she shook it off; there was no time to figure out what happened now. She grabbed for her sword and quickly took out the startled Eidolon and the last two minions. Glancing down she realized the she was completely covered in ice. Even her sword had a thick coating on it and the water around her was staring to freeze. Strangely she didn’t feel at all cold. She watched in fascination as the Ice melted away.
Glancing at the hostages she shrugged it off. “Let’s get you folks out of here.” She stated to head for the door when she noticed something move in the corner. Walking over she discovered what appeared to be a small kitten. It must have been attacking the Vahzilok, that’s what the creature had tossed in the corner. She scoped it up and turned “Does this belong to you?” they all shook their heads. Smiling she placed the kitten on her shoulder. “Well let’s get you all home.”
Chapter IV
Fire and Ice
Kegan
Kegan stumbled into the apartment. She was week, cold and exhausted form her battle in the sewers. Walking over to the thermostat she turned the dial up to 80. Ever since she had left the sewers she hadn’t been able to get warm. Funny she hadn’t noticed it as she was fighting the Eidolon. She had been filled with rage and hatred. How could he have done that to her, she had given up so much for him. The freedom to love had not come at a small price. Her battle in the sewers had showed her that. Never before had she been injured by a man-made blade, she would have to be more careful now. Setting her sword aside she examined her injury. It was already starting to heal; a thin layer of frost had covered the wound keeping it from bleeding. When he cut her with his bade it was as if all the heat had drained out of her. She had found herself covered in Ice. Kegan cringed as she remembered how she had felt at that moment. It was as if all the love she had known in the world had flooded out of her and into the water. All her anger at Mega had left her as she waited for that final blow. Dreading it yet almost hoping for it to release her from the pain she was in. And yet in that instance the cold had come protecting her from those who sought to hurt her. In that moment she realized that she didn’t need anyone. This was her battle and she was ready to fight it alone. She made a promise to her self that she would never let anyone get close to her like that again.
Ru-Shinja
A man watched in the corner as the small girl dealt with the Eidolon and its minions. She had been filled with rage and anger. Her eyes had danced with it as she used her blade to battle with the diseased parasites that inhabited the sewers. The battle had nearly come to an end as she lost her focus and allowed the Eidolon to injure her. But remarkably she had recovered and come out victorious. Ru-Shinja smiled as he thought of his fortunes to have stumbled onto this battle. Never before had he watched a great warrior like her in battle. It was clear from the way she handled the blade that she had been trained by a great master. He waited patiently as the battle came to and end and the players excited the sewers. Slowly he approached the spot where the Valkyrie had fallen. Her blood was still incased in the ice that had formed at her feet. But it was melting quickly so he would have to make this fast if he was to succeed.
Kegan
Kegan jumped, startled as a small pink tongue licked at her cheek. Sighing she reached up and stroked the kitten on her shoulder. “I almost forgot about you, you most be starving.” Rising to her feet she headed for the refrigerator. “Let’s see what we can find for you in the kitchen.” Opening the door she pulled out some hot dogs to offer to her new pet. The kitten turned away in disgust and meowed a protest. “Guess you don’t want hot dogs then” she set the kitten on the counter as she continued to look for food. “Tuna?” Again the kitten shook its head. ”Well I see you are gona be picky about it” reaching down she slowly stoked its fur. “What were you doing in the sewers anyway? That’s no place for a kitten as young as you.” She smiled as the warmth from her fur warmed her hand. “You need a name you know. I’m thinking Scrap because you really handled your self well down there.” Kegan sighed as she went back to searching for some food. “Now if we could just figure out what you want to eat.” Kegan pulled a block of cheese out of the fridge and set it on the counter. Scrap meowed and nibbled at the cheese. “You want cheese?” Scrap nodded. “But not tune?” Scrap shook her head. Pulling a bag out “How about carrots?” Again Scrap nodded. “But not hot dog?” Scrap shook her head. Smiling Kegan set the carrots on the counter. “I think I see what going on here” petting scrap as she talked “You’re a vegetarian aren’t you?”
Ru-Shinja
Ru-Shinja sprinkled some powder over the ice and began to cast his spell. Closing his eyes he cut his hand and let his blood spill onto the ice. Focusing his energy through his amulate he ignited the ice on fire and watched as it burned brightly in front of him. Slowly the flames began to die down. There in its place was a dark haired girl. Pulling his cloak from his shoulder he raped it around her. Lifting her out of the water he carried her to the surface. Smiling he though to him self how fortunate he was. His blood would bind the girl to him. She would be forced to obey him. This dark warrior would be his champion., With her he would finally be able to prove his worth to the Tsoo leaders. With her nothing could stop him. As the sunlight washed over her face her was amazed at how beautiful she was. Except for her hair she looked identical to the Valkyrie Kegan. He could only hope she would be as formidable in battle. But her was confident he could teacher her anything she didn’t know. Slowly the girl opened her eyes and looked up at him. They were as black as the night’s sky. He was startled at the hate that burned in them. No matter she was bound to him and perfectly under his control. She was his dark warrior his Karai Musha.
Karai Musha
Karai watched in fascination as the young man scurried around the room gathering clothing for her. Wrapped in the cloak she wondered how she had come to be in his keeping. Smiling to her self she realized she didn’t care. He would make a good weapon in her battle against Kegan. Much of her memories were clouded but many things she did remember. Mega and his betrayal, her mother abandoning her in her time of need. They had thought to strip her of her power to make here week but she would show them. They would all pay with their lives. Ru-Shinja approached her and handed her a small robe and skirt. “There probably not the best fit but they will have to do for now.” Karai quickly changed into them. Glancing around the room she noticed a Katana blade in the corner. Walking over she reached for it.
“Leave that” Ru-Shinja ordered her.
Smiling she turned and glared at him “No!”
Ru-Shinja pulled an amulet from his pocket and pointed it in her direction. “Obey” he shouted as he cast a spell on her.
Karai responded by waving her hand and blocking the spell. “Fool … you have no power over me! “ Pulling together the energy around her she retaliated with a blast of fire. Hitting him dead on, he was blasted into the corner. Laughing she walked out of the room, glancing back she ordered “Follow me.”
Ru-Shinja slowly pulled him self to his feet and followed her. Hanging his head in shame he realized his mistake. He had succeeded to bind her to him, but not in the way he hopped. There was no telling what would come of this. He had in-fact created a monster he had no hopes of controlling.
“Let’s go see what Kegan is up to” Karai said softly.
Kegan
Kegan cringed as she heard the alarm go off on her PDA. There was trouble down on Arrgo way, some spirit masks had appeared on the highway and were causing trouble to the near by locals. It was a good thing she lived in founder’s falls. It wouldn’t take her long to get there. Grabbing her sword from the table she headed for the door. Scrap leapt of the counter and landed on her shoulder. She made her way over to Talos; Azura had told her too meet a fellow named Nicolai there. Kegan really didn’t like working with people she didn’t know. But really hadn’t been in the mode to argue with Azura over it. Reaching the spot she glanced around and didn’t see him. Typical she thought to her self, this is why she worked alone. She quickly spotted a mask and took aim swinging her sword she was startled when she missed. Behind her she could hear a man laughing “Not as easy as it looks is it.” Glaring at him she shoot back “Well then why don’t you show me how it’s done!”
Stepping around her he took aim for the nearest mask. Freezing it in mid air he followed up with a blast of fire. Burning the mask to dust before them. “See it’s easy now you try. Use your ice power first then follow up with the bade.”
Blushing she tried not to make eye contact. There was no way she was going to admit that she had no idea how to do what he had just done. Concentrating she fired a blast of ice at the mask and watched in surprise as it froze in mid air. Behind her she herd him shout at her “Quickly before it melts” Reaching for her sword she made to move at the mask. But before she could Scrap leapt from her shoulder knocking the mask to the ground and breaking in half. Laughing the man watched as the kitten ran after the next mask. “That works too!” They three of them continued to battle the mask for the next hour Kegan and Nicoli freezing them as scrap broke them in half. The little kitten was so fast it was hard to keep up with her. Exhausted she sank to the ground as Scrap and him finished off the last mask. Walking over to her he offered her his hand. “I don’t think we met properly I’m Nicolai and you are Kegan I presume.” Glancing at his hand she slowly reached for it. As she clasped it she felt a rush or warmth flow through her body. Startled she snatched her hand back as if she had been burnt. “Laughing he walked over and picked Scrap up. “Well its seems we will be spending a lot of time together little one. Kegan is my new partner.”
Karai Musha
Kurai Musha sat in the library atop a stack of books. Clouded in fog she was invisible to those around her. Carefully she watched the one they called Sam. He had spent days here reading everything he could. But in the end he would fail. She would make sure of that. The war was coming and nothing Kegan and her friends tried would change that. Kurai though back on the day of her birth. Kegan had been full of rage that day, jilted by the man she thought loved she had lashed out in anger. Slamming her hand on the table she had cut it. Kurai had been born of that rage. Foolish little girl her mother her warned her not to fall in love. No matter they would all pay for what they had done to Kegan, to Kurai. For in fact the two had once been united. But where Kegan was weak and vulnerable, Kaurai was not. She would not be so stupid as to fall in love. Speaking of which, Kaurai pulled her PDA punched up a list. Omega he would be the first to go, he was weak and an easy target. Next on the list was the one they called Hypotherman, Kegan loved him more then she had ever loved that fool Omega so he would be next. It would be a huge blow to Kegan to loss him. Then the rest would fall into place nicely Izzy, Nony, Scrap Cat, and finally Mykal. Then there would only be Sam who remained. She would deal with him last. She needed him to live just a little longer. The boy was a time bomb, maybe if she sat back and watched he would do the work for her. Smiling she glanced over at Shadow Impulse. Thinking to her self, yes this was going to be fun indeed.
Chapter V
New Beginnings
Scrap Cat
Scrap glanced around the apartment quickly to see if the coast was clear. She quietly made her way to the door and slipped out into the hall. Making her way down the stairs and out into the street she headed north. She was gona have to make it fast if she was going to be home before Kegan woke up. Stopping at the corner she pulled out her PDA and verified the location of the warehouse. She would have to gain entry into the building and steal back an artifact from the Tsoo. It’s seemed easy enough. Few people suspected that a kitten was up to no good. So even if they did see her it was unlike that they would stop her. Reaching the door she smiled. It was open this was gona be way too easy. Tucking the PDA back into her back pack, she slipped into the door.
Nony
Nony couldn’t believe her luck. She had finally found a clean, warm place to live. Most of these abandoned warehouses we not in such good shape. She rummaged through some of the boxes that we scattered on the shelf. Finding a small lined jewelry box in the process. It was just the thing she needed, it was going to make a wonderful bed! She quickly pulled it out and placed it to the side and continued to dig through the remaining boxes. There was a ton of stuff in these boxes. She tipped one of the boxes over to get a better look. A pile of gems and coins spilled out. A small silver sword caught her eye. Carefully she set it aside with the Jewelry box. Suddenly she heard voices below her. There were strange men rummaging through some boxes below her. There was a young woman who seemed to be in charge. The men grabbed a couple of the boxes and headed out of the room after her. Suddenly she felt the shelf shake as a small kitten landed beside her. Startled she ran towards the sword.
Scrap-Cat
Scrap quickly pounced on the mouse and pulled her back towards her. “Shhhh little mouse don’t be so load! We don’t want those guys to find us.” She looked down at the mouse which was shivering in her paws. “Oh you poor thing I’m not gona hurt you! I’m a vegetarian. Promise.” Scrapped eyed the little mouse closely. Somehow it didn’t look like the little mouse believed her. Sighing she loosened her grip. “If I let you go do you promise to be quite?” The mouse nodded and scrap released her. The mouse quickly made a dash for the edge of the shelf. Scrap tried to reach for her but knocked the jewelry box off the shelf in stead.
Nony
Gasping Nony tried to stop the box from falling. “No!!!! That was my house! Why did you break my house?” Sobbing she looked down at the beautiful jewelry box that was now in peaces on the floor. “Now where I going to live. It took me ages to find this place and you have ruined it. Why didn’t you just let me be?” Suddenly their were voices below them as the men came rushing back into the room. “There” one pointed up at the top shelf “it’s just a cat chasing a mouse” Behind him the woman laughed “Fool, since when do cats wear back packs?”
Scrap Cat
“Well little mouse that our cue to get out of here!” Grabbing the mouse she tossed her into her back pack. Glancing down at the shelf she noticed the small sword. “Hey little mouse is this yours” all she heard was mumbling from the bag, “What speak up! Oh well no time for that now we need to get out of here! Leaping from shelf to shelf she made her way across the warehouse. The men following her as best they could as she flew across the room. Behind her she could hear the woman laughing. Quickly scrap made her way to an open window and out into the street. “We best be getting home now mouse.”
Nony
Nony tumbled out onto the floor of the apartment and the tiny little kitten over turned the back pack. Jumping up she looked around quickly.
“Welcome to you new home mousey!” Shouted the kitten. “I’m Scrap and I live here with Kegan and Izzy. Your gona love it I promise!”
“You want me to live here with you” Nony eyed the kitten cautiously “How do you know you don’t just want to eat me?
Scrap giggled “Silly mouse I told you I was a vegetarian!”
Nony glanced around the apartment. This crazy kitten might actually be telling the truth. “Okay, I guess I could live here…”
“YAY” the kitten started dancing around the room. “I knew you would like it! You can live in my doll house. It will be perfect for you!”
Glancing at the floor Nony noticed the Sword from the warehouse. Slowly she reached down and picked it up. She hadn’t noticed before that it glowed. Suddenly there was a flash of light and Nony was transformed into a slender young girl. She still resembled a mouse with pointed ears and a tail, but she was now about 5 feet tall. She looked down at the startled kitten.
“WOW” Scrap gasped “Your gona need a WAY bigger room”
Kurai
Kurai slowly tuned the amulet over in her hands. Smiling too herself she thought things were going better then planed. That fool kitten of Kegan's had lead her right to the amulet. It had been hidden in the jewelry box she had broken. With this she could finally start her plans. Looking up she stared at the man that had entered the room. “Well?”
“They got away”
“Ahh I see” smiling “No matter I got what I came for.”
Chapter VI
Good and Evil
Kegan
Kegan pulled the covers around her a little tighter. She had been awaken by the sound of the front door slamming. Sighing she thought to herself. She was really needed to have a talk with Sam. She really had no idea where he was all the time. Groaning she pulled the pillow over her head. In the next room she could hear Scrap rambling on about mice or something. That kitten was just to hyper at night. It was hard to believe she could fight crime all day and stay up all night talking to herself. Slowly Kegan started to fall back asleep. She would just have to deal with this in the morning. At least this was her day off. She wouldn’t have to deal with that jerk Nicoli today at least. She had spent the last month training with him. Granted she had learned a lot from him, but he was just so frustrating. He was always lecturing her about control. Insisting that she take back-up with her on every mission. Kegan was used to working alone. Occasionally she would bring Izzy or Kaylyn along, but that was it. Now she found herself in charge of a whole team of people. This just wasn’t how she liked to do things. The sooner she got rid of Nicoli the better.
Kurai
Making her way to the public library she started her search for Sam. Shadow Impulse as many called him. He was the key to her plan. If she could get him on her side she could have a lot of fun. Kegan would never suspect the boy. She was too trusting. She never even questioned where he went every night. For the last month Kurai had been tracking him. It was easy with the help the amulet scrap had unwittingly found for her. Entering the library she headed to the section on occult and magical practices. There she knew she would find Sam. Hopping up onto her normal perch atop a stack of books and waited. She planed to follow him home tonight. To set her plan in motion and make herself know to Kegan.
Kegan
Kegan was suddenly awaken by a loud noise in the next room. Jumping to her feet she ran grabbed her sword and ran into living room. There in the kitchen stood Scrap. Covered from noise to tail in floor, she had on a tiny apron and chefs hat. It really was adorable, except for the mess she had created that was. The entire counter was covered in floor, which scrap was tracking all over the place as she leaped around the kitchen. Just then Izzy rounded the corner armed with a staff and ready to fight. Kegan tried hard not to laugh as Scrap bounced around and sang a little song. “Scrap what in the world are you doing. Kaylyn will be here any second to make breakfast.”
Scrap never paused for a second. “Well see Nony here was hungry. So I decided to make her pancakes.” With that she cracked 2 eggs into the bowl and began to stir.
Kegan stopped laughing and looked around the room. “Who’s Nony?” It was then that she noticed the young girl covered in flour crouched down behind the counter. The poor thing looked scared out of her mind. Kegan looked a little closer and was surprised to see that the girls skin was actually grey and her eyes resemble those of a mouse. Before she could question scrap further the apartment door opened and Kaylyn and Nicoli walked in.
Kurai
Carefully she watched the one they called Sam. Protected by a clouded in fog she was invisible to those around her. He had spent days here reading everything he could. But in the end he would fail. She would make sure of that. The war was coming and nothing Kegan and her friends tried would change that. Kurai thought back on the day of her birth. Kegan had been full of rage that day, jilted by the man she thought loved she had lashed out in anger. Kurai had been born of that rage. Foolish little girl her mother her warned her not to fall in love. No matter they would all pay for what they had done to Kegan, to Kurai. For in fact the two had once been united. But where Kegan was weak and vulnerable, Kurai was not. She would not be so stupid as to fall in love. Omega he would be the first to go, he was weak and an easy target. Next on the list was the one they called Frozen Ember, Kegan loved him more then she had ever loved that fool Omega so he would be next. It would be a huge blow to Kegan to loss him. Then the rest would fall into place nicely Izzy, Scrap Cat, and finally Mykal. Then there would only be Sam who remained. She would deal with him last. She needed him to live just a little longer. The boy was a time bomb, maybe if she sat back and watched he would do the work for her. Smiling she glanced over at Shadow Impulse. Thinking to her self, yes this was going to be fun indeed.
Kegan
“Whoa Kegan! Your gona catch a cold walking around dressed like that.” Nicolie slowly looked her up and down. “Not that I mind or anything.” With that he winked.
Blushing Kegan looked down and realized she had nothing on except panties and a tank top. She had been so tired after the mission last night she hadn’t bothered to put on pajama’s. “Well its not like I was expecting guest today!” Glaring at him “Why are you hear anyway?
Walking over he taped her on the noise “Your cute when you angry.” Spinning her around her gave her a pat on the butt. “Now scoot, its time for you to get dressed and for Kaylyn to make us some food!”
“If you ever ... ever do that again” Kegan growled over her shoulder “I swear … I will …”
Before she could finish he pushed her toward the bedroom door “Aw so cute! You think you could take me in a fight?” With that he walked into the kitchen and picked up Scrap. Who was happily making a mess as Kaylyn desperately tried to get some control over the kitchen.
Kurai
Finally! The boy was going home. Kurai followed him at a safe distance. No need to make mistakes now. She had a feeling the boy could sense her, so she tried not to get to close. They quickly reached the apartment, slipping into the elevator behind him she tried not to make any noise. A couple of time he glanced her way, but hen shrugged it off. Fool was to tired to trust his own senses it seemed. As he made his way down the hall he glanced back a couple times but kept going. Getting into the apartment was easy enough. She was a little surprised to find it filled with people. They were are busy cleaning up a mess in the kitchen that they didn’t even notice that Sam had come in. Yet there was no sign of Kegan. Walking around the apartment she made a note of the layout. Coming to stop at a computer she pocketed the PDA next to it. That would come in handy she thought to her self. Moving toward the sound of running water she stepped into what must be Kegan’s room. Looking around she was sure she was in the right place. Now all she had to do was wait.
Kegan
Slamming the door behind her Kegan grumbled. The nerve of that man. He was always treating her like she was a little child. She was 19! She didn’t need him telling her what to do all the time. She had a lot of responsibilities to handle with Izzy, Sam, Scrap and now this Nony person. She was going to have to talk to Scrap as well it seemed. Not that it would do any good. The little kitten seldom listened to a word she said. She was always getting into trouble. Jumping in the shower she relaxed as the warm water. Why had Azura ever thought that Kegan and Nicoli would make a good team? They were nothing alike. He was rude and overbearing. He always wanted to do things his way. He was down right impossible to work with. To make matters worse he was always flirting with her. She was sick and tired of men like him. Mega had fooled her into thinking he cared for her. She wasn’t about to make that mistake again. Turning off the shower she wrapped her self in a warm robe and opened the door to her room. There near the window stood a young girl that looked exactly like her. Blinking Kegan froze, not really knowing what to say. Before she could react the girl fired a blast of energy in Kegan’s direction. Kegan quickly jumped out of the way and reached for her sword. But it was too late to block the second blast of energy. Hitting her dead on she was thrown into the wall. Just then the door flew open and Nicoli rushed in followed by Izzy.
Kurai laughed and stoked her necklaces. “I see your not alone, good thing to. I wasn’t ready to kill you just yet, we have a game to play.” With that she leapt out the window and disappeared before their eyes.
Chapter VII
Moving Day
Kegan
Kegan slipped on a pair of clean jeans and t-Shirt. Pulling her hair back in a ponytail she slowly braided the length and curled it into a coil. Pausing she glanced at her reflection in the mirror. A bruise was starting to form on her cheek. She hadn’t noticed it before. But then she seldom felt pain … Shrugging it off she took a last look to make sure everything was in place before slipping out of the room. They should all be here by now.
She slipped into a chair and glanced around the room. She noticed Sam wasn’t there, She really needed to talk to him. With a reassuring smile she started. “As you all know today we had a minor incident …
“Minor” Nicolai barked “That GIRL … That girl almost killed you!”
“Nic let me speak please” Kegan gave him a look of disapproval. Muttering he motioned for her to continue. “Today we had a minor incident.” Glancing at Nicolai she continued. “A girl looking suspiciously like me entered the apartment and attacked me. We have no idea who she is or what she was after for that matter. So in light of the situation I feel it best to move.” Looking around the room she saw a few startled faces, but was reassured by the number of people who seemed to support the idea. “Does anyone have any suggestions?”
Kegan watched with amusement as scrap quickly darted into the other room. Returning with a pamphlet in her mouth she jumped onto Kegan’s Lap. Reaching down she glanced at the cover. “Faultline” with that she smiled “well lets have a look shall we.”
Izzy
Izzy glanced around and smiled. The place was looking good. She pulled out her PDA and glanced at the map. Azura had set up a meeting for her with a Jim Temblor. It seems his father was killed when the villain Faultline destroyed the neighborhood of Overbrook. She also had meetings with a Doc Delilah, and an Agent G for later that afternoon. Glancing up she noticed a man in a leather jacket approaching her.
“Ah you must be Isabeau” smiling he offered his hand.
Taking it in her hand she smiled. “Azura told you I was coming I presume.”
“That she did.” Taking her elbow he led her to a near bye park bench. “So where shall we start?”
“I find the beginning is always a good place” Smiling she listens closely as he begins to tell the story of his father … Faultline.
Kegan
Kegan smiled as she looked around. This place had changed a lot since she was here last. They had accomplished a lot. There was still much to do but she was impressed. Looking about she decided to check out the shopping area. There were plenty of areas for dinning it seemed. Bianco’s Italian Cuisine, El Super Mexicano, In-Front Steakhouse, The Dirty Duck Bar and Grill, The Hungry Dragon and even Drenched Donuts. Looking around she noticed the other amenities. The Rusty Rivet, Downtown Music, RH, Mapolis, Diane Diamonds, Family Jewels, Exchange Bank, & First National Bank. Pulling out her PDA she tapped the information in and sent it to the others. Just then she noticed a real-estate office. With a smile she went in to check out what was available. There were a number of condos for sale. The prices weren’t half bad. She scheduled an appointment for 3:00. That would give her plenty of time to check out the rest of the zone. Smiling she goes off to explore.
Outside of the store she notices a woman dressed in oriental robes. Smiling she nods. Just then her PDA beeps. It’s a message from Azura asking her to meet a contact at Yin’s Market. Checking the map she heads out to find the location and the mysterious contact.
Izzy
Izzy listens intently as Jim describes how the villain PsiCurse used a device known as the PsychoChronoMetron to alter history. Turning Jims father into a vanillin and in turn causing the destruction of Overbrook. It seems he had over looked some key facts about Faultline and this caused him to lose control of his powers.
Just then Izzy’s PDA beeps. Its Azura asking her to head over to Yin’s Market to meet Kegan. Checking the coordinates she notes its only 300 yards away. Thanking Mr. Temblor she heads off to find her sister.
Kegan
Kegan paused as she reached Yin’s Market. Tilting her head she swore she could hear something. Walking around to the back of the store she heard the noise again. It was coming from a box lying by the dumpster. Kneeling down she peaked in the box and saw three small kittens nestled together fast asleep. Gently she picked up the box careful not to disturb them. She headed around to the front. She couldn’t help but notice the clock-works standing guard outside the store. Nor could she overlook the small child they were clearly looking after. Opening the door she headed in. Glancing about she noticed the wide variety of thing for sale. Food to weapons. Anything a person needed they seemed to have. She didn’t notice anyone in the front of the store so she headed to the back. Noticing a smaller gentlemen she walked over to him. “Excuse me sir … I found these kittens out back … I wondered if they were yours?”
Glancing in the box the man shakes his head. “No .. I don’t recall owning any kittens.” Looking her over he scratched his head. “Weren’t you in here the other day?”
Smiling softly she replied “No this is my first time here. Nice place you have. My sister and I are thinking of moving to Faultline.
Smiling he nods “It’s a nice place to live … we be even better once the construction is complete.” Glancing up the bell chimes as Izzy enters the store.
Izzy
Walking over she glances in the box “Do we really need more kittens?”
Kegan looks down at them and smiles “I found them out back. They appear to be homeless.”
Izzy shakes her head. “Now you sound like scrap, oh well at least we are getting a bigger place.” scratching the head of one of the kittens she asks. “So what did you need?”
Kegan looks puzzled. “Hum? Azura sent me here to meet a contact but I don’t see anyone.”
Izzy “Odd she sent me a message saying to meet you here.”
Kegan frowns and looks about. “It did seem strange for her to not leave more details.”
Izzy nods “Maybe its that girl again … or someone else for that matter.”
Kegan shrugs it off “Oh well, I found a place I want to show you.” Turning to the man she smiles “By the way I’m Kegan and this is my sister Izzy.”
Grinning he nods. “Nice to meet you ladies. Its always a pleasure to meet the new heroes before they become all big and famous.”
Blushing Kegan smiles “I didn’t catch your name?”
“Mr. Yin” he answers pointing at the tag.
Izzy glances around the store. “WOW you really do have everything here. I really could use a new knife.” Glancing in the case she notices one with a Jaguar carver out of Jade on the handle. “May I see that one?”
Mr. Yin takes it out slowly and hands it too her. “A fine choice for one such as you” with that he winks and turns around to straighten the shelf behind him.
Glancing over at Kegan she raises an eyebrow. “It’s very beautiful” Examining the handle closer she notices that they eyes on the creature seem to sparkle. “I’ll take it. With out asking the price she hands him a credit card.
“Do you need a bag?” He asks as he hands her back the card and a receipt.
“No need” she smiles as she tucks it into the holder strapped to her boot. “It’s a perfect fit.”
Smiling he responds “Indeed it is.” As the two girls exit the store he turns to the cat at his feet. I think your daughters will have a good home.”
Kegan
With the kittens tucked securely in her backpack Kegan follows the young real-estate agent around the condo.
“This is one of the larger units. As you can see it has 4 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms, 2 fire places, a full kitchen, Dinning room and living area. The whole building is Sound proofed so you wont be disturbed by construction noises. There are a number of restaurants and Bars with in walking distance. As well as a hospital and police station.” Hurrying about he continues to point out the features of the apartment.
Kegan turns to Izzy and whispers “I don’t think its big enough. With Sam, Scrap, Nony, and Kaylyn plus now the 3 kittens I just think we need more room.”
Izzy looks around slowly. “Hum you may be right. Perhaps if you got more then one we could combine them.”
Kegan grins “Excuse me sir, we really do love the place and zone. But this seems a little to small for our needs.” Do you happen to have anything larger?”
Grinning the man respond. “Oh … I know just what you need. Follow me.” leading them into the unfinished condo he walks them about. “This one is currently back on the market. The previous buyer backed out at the last minute. They were planning on sealing up the floor later in the week to make it smaller. “So we can finish it anyway you like”
Looking around Kegan notes the open feel the place has. There is a large open living area with a vaulted ceiling. Around the edges of the second floor are a number of bed rooms. By the looks of it plenty for their needs. The kitchen was spacious and was sure to make Kaylyn happy, and well a happy cook is always a good thing. Turning to the man she grinned. “Its perfect. When can we move in?”
Clapping his hands he smiled “We can have it ready by the end of the month. Just let me get the paper work and go over some details with you.” With that he left the girls alone.
Chapter VIII
Memories
Kegi-Bot
Kegi stood at her desk and looked into the box resting on top of it. Picking a picture on her desk she dropped it in the box with the rest of the stuff. Wiping a tear away she looked over the contents of the box. At the bottom were a pile of small hand made dolls shaped like her friends. There were a couple small rocks from the day they spent at the falls in Eden the day she learned to fly. A small CD containing her back-up files that she had saved incase things went wrong with her last upgrade. And resting on top a picture of her and him. Reaching into a small pouch attached to her belt she pulled out 2 small fuzzy balls. One White and one purple. They had been made to represent her and him. She dropped them into the box and closed the lid, taping it shut. She just stood there for a moment and thought back over the events of the day.
It had been 6 months since she last saw him. Since the day he taught her to fly. He had left her at her apartment, kissing her cheek he promised to call her the next day. The call had never come. She had waited. Sure he had gotten distracted at work. She had waited 6 months and the call never came. Since then she had under gone 2 upgrades. Passed her 3rd quarter exams and started her 4th quarter of collage.
Then today nearly 6 months since that day, she saw him. She was on a trip to Portal Corp with Scrap and Paw. They were running some training exercises for class. This quarter they were studying the first Rikti invasion. She had looked over and seen him just standing there. Joking with some co workers. He had glanced over and looked at her before turning to laugh at a joke his co worker said. Shocked she just stood there for a moment. He didn't even seem to recognize her. She had spent the rest of the day in a haze. Checking her email and voice messages every few min to see if he called. Finally she went home and just sat at her desk.
Reaching into her desk she pulled out a pink crayon and wrote in large letters on the box. TRASH. Pushing it aside she looked at the computer screen. It had taken her about an hour to write the program but it looked complete. With just the push of a key all memories of him would be gone. Replaced with fabricated memories of the important events like learning to fly. Now instead of him teaching her Scrap would. The other memories would be altered or changed depending on there importance. She had already sent an email to Scrap explaining the program. Sitting down she hooked herself up to the computer. Taking a big gulp she reached out and pressed the enter key. A warning message popped up. "Are you sure?" Blinking back a tear she moved the mouse over the box and clicked yes …
Kegan
Kegan opened the door slowly and peaked in. With a sigh she made note of the small girl lying crumpled on the floor. Stepping aside a small white kitten darted into the room and hopped over the girl to land at the keyboard of the computer. She watched from the doorway as the little paws flew over the key. Looking around for a moment she chuckled at the liberal use of pink. The noise was rewarded from a hiss from the kitten. “Sorry I wasn’t laughing at you” walking in she rolled Kegi over and brushed her hair aside, noting the small cut on her head. She pulled a med kit out of the pouch on her belt and careful cleaned and bandaged it. The kitten scoffed “That will be healed in like 5 min you know” Smiling to herself she nodded “I know”. Careful not to disturb the cable connecting Kegi to the computer she picked her up and placed her on the bed. Smoothing out her hair and she settled her in place. “So how bad is it?” The kitten shook her head “It not bad, but we will have to do a hard reset on her. She has erased and re-written a lot of her memories. I can’t undo it and all the back-up files have been erased.” She shook her head. “Well do what you can.” Standing she picked up a box on the desk labeled trash and took it back to her room. Opening it she looked over the contents of the box. A few pictures, some journal pages ripped from a diary, a few hand sown dolls dressed like the members of ZOMG and a disk. Picking up the disk she smiled. It was a back-up copy of Kegi’s memories. Dropping it in the box she closed it back up and wrote Kegi on the side. Opening her closet she set it on the top shelf next to 2 boxes already there. With a sigh she noted their labels Omega and Hypotherman. Closing the door she thought to herself, if only her own painful memories were so easily erased.
Scrap Cat
Scrap sat at the computer and tapped away at the keys. Crinkling her nose she looked over the numbers on the screen again. Taping a few keys she watched the program run. It was a few minutes before the same error message she had been getting all night popped up. “Invalided request, data not found.” Defeated she turned the program off and open another program. Opening up the system tools she scrolled down and clicked on the restart button and waited. Turning she watched as Kegi’s program went through its start sequence. Satisfied with the results she hoped onto the bed and curled up to take a nap at Kegi’s feet. It would take a few hours for it to be complete, only then would she know how much damage had been done.
Kegi-Bot
Kegi blinked her eyes and looked up at the ceiling. A little confused she tried to remember how she got into bed. Sitting up slowly she looked around the room. She noticed her gear sitting neatly on the table next to Scraps robotic suit and the Mech man they had confiscated from a council base. She couldn’t help but giggle as he waved at her. Looking down she noticed that she was still attached to her computer. Looking down at Scrap curled up on the end of the bed she decided not to disturb her. Getting up slowly she looked at the blinking message on the screen. “Restart complete, no errors found.” She carefully unplugged the cord from her arm and set it on the desk. Looking about she walked over to the table and looked over the contents. It all seemed to be there and undamaged. Both her Fire and Ice gauntlets were there. Looking under the table she noted her boots also undamaged. She slowly rummaged through the various modular devices on the table that attached to her tech belt, as well as taking the time to inspecting her wings and nothing seemed damaged or missing. Tucking her hair behind her ear she wandered over to the mirror to inspect herself for damage.
Smoothing out her skirt she didn’t see any sign of damage. It was in fact the same thing she had worn to training that afternoon with Scrap and Paw. Looking over her arms they also seemed fine. Looking up into the mirror she blinked at the bandage on her head. Reaching up she pulled it off noting the already head wound on her head. All that was left was a faint bruise. Crinkling her nose she noted the sprinkle of freckles across her nose and cheeks. They were actually the only thing that could be used to tell her and Kegan apart. She heard a sound from behind her and turned to look at the small kitten now glaring at her from the bed. “Wha?”
Scrap Cat
Sitting up Scrap looked over her for a moment “How do you feel?”
Kegi shuffled her feet a little and replied “Um … fine? Why how should I feel?”
Scrap looked about ready to say something then looked away.
“So … what happened?” Kegi asked causally.
Scrap looked at her for a moment and then responded. "Something happened at Portal Corp that you didn't want to remember. You created a program and erased some of your memories. Before you ask. No I can't reinstall them because you deleted all the back-up files."
Kegi shrugged it off "Well I'm sure I will be fine."
Scrap fluffed up her tail and went to full lecture mode. "No it won't be fine. You can't just erased or forget everything bad that happens to you. That's not how it works. You have been using your computer brain as a crutch for far too long. Its about time you use your real one. Its been well over a year since you took that body for a host. Its time you stopped avoiding your past and faced it. Tomorrow we are going to Shadowstar and you will register as a Kheldian. Don’t give me that look you have had plenty of time to get used to that host, its time you face your past.” With that Scrap jumped off the bed and stormed out of the room.
Chapter IX
draft
Aleska (1922)
It was the early 20th century when Kodies parents left their home world and traveled across the galaxy to escape the Kheldian war. Here on the planet earth they sought a new life, safe from the Nictus who hunted their kind. For the Nictus had discovered that by stealing the life energy from other Kheldians they could increase their own lives.
Early on the couple decided not to take host, choosing instead to live out the rest of their lives in their true form. It was with great surprise that in the year 1920 they welcomed their daughter Kodie into the world. Knowing that there time left in this world was short they sought out a host for Kodie. Finding a well to do family they approached them with an offer. Their daughter Aleska was dying of an unknown illness. Merging her with Kodie would save the life of the girl and provide Kodie with a safe future.
Aleska set the book down and reached to turn off the light. "Read it again" Came the voice in her head." With a sigh Aleska replied "I already read it twice. It’s late and I need to get some sleep I have a test in ...."
"Read it again!" Kodie demanded"
Aleska could almost feel the young girl’s excitement. Grumbling she opened the book and started over. "it was the early 20th century ...
Kodie (1922)
Kodie listened contently as Aleska read her mothers journal again. Her favorite part was the beginning. She had eidetic memory, being able to recall any event that happened to her with crystal clear accuracy. She remembered the day her mother explained to her what a symbiont was. She hadn’t wanted to leave her parents, but knew that it was the only solution for both her and Aleska. Kheldians could only live about 10 years without a host. Her parents were already pushing nine. It wouldn’t belong before they returned to the cosmic plain were all beings came from. In the end they had died only a few months later, but it was just enough time for Kodie’s mother to write down her memories for her.
She was happy living with Aleska; they had been joined for over 2 years now. Though at times it was frustrating for her, to not be able to do anything on her own. Aleska was kind enough to humor her. Doing things a 16yr old would not normally enjoy. She would take her to the park so she could swing, or down to lake to catch frogs. She was fascinated with the way they hopped from point to point. She also loved to color. She remembered the day Aleska had taught her the names of colors. First laying out 3 crayons, Red, Blue and Yellow, Next she placed down 3 more crayons Green, Orange and purple. She explained the way they mixed. Yellow and blue make green, Red and Yellow make orange. Blue and Red make Purple. She then moved on to show her how you could make the color lighter by mixing it with white. It was then that Kegi discovered PINK! Since that day she had been enamored with the color.
Deedrick (1922)
Deedrick watched the girl from his park bench. He occasionally tossed some corn on the ground for the pigeons. He had been watching her for quite some time now. She had a power he was not formilure with, it was powerful and pure and he vowed to have it. Deedrick had first sought the power of black magic in the late 19th century. Hooking up with a group that would come to be known as the circle of thorns. In 1898 he was one of the chosen few that was gifted with the power of the thorn. In a secrete ceremony he had a mystical thorn driven into his heart. This thorn gave him the power to steal magical powers from other beings. He spent the much of his time collecting these powers from others. In 1914 he moved to Paragon city. It was here that he came across the none as Aleska. She had had a somewhat miracles recovery. He was almost certain that she had some sort of Mystical healing powers. Powers that he wanted as his own. He had watched her for the last 2 years. Leaning her habits, watching her … waiting for the right moment. But his time was running out. He could feel his body growing tired. His hair had already turned grey, his skin wrinkled. He would have to act soon.
Kegi (2007)
Kegi sat on a ledge and watched the woman known as Shadow Star. She had been watching her for over an hour now. Over the coarse of that hour 3 Hero had come up to her. They were clearly new to the hero business. Stumbling over their words and looking a bit scared. Scrap sat sleeping in the grass at her side waiting. Looking at Scrap one last time Kegi cautiously approached the women.
“Um …” shuffles feet “I’m here to register as a warshade I know I was supposed to come sooner but …” Before she could finish the women cut her off.
“When a Nictus leaves that dark path behind, the universe itself sings with joy. I greet you on the first day of your new life.” Smiling at Kegi she continued. “Lets get started. First off, what’s the name of your Kheldian?”
Kegi just blinked at her.
“You know the name of your symbiont?”
“Kegi” she replied.
Jotting that down on her PDA she continued. “And the name of your Kheldian?”
“Kegi” she replied again.
“No dear they can’t be the same, I need the name of your Kheldian.”
“My name is Kegi” she smiled at her and waited.
Shadowstar looked at her for a moment then asked “Okay … what is the name of your host?”
Blinking Kegi tilted her head and looked at her for a moment before replying. “I don’t have a host.”
Confused Shadowstar put the PDA away and sat down to look at her better. “What do you mean you don’t have a host? Every Warshade has a host. With out a host your just … well a ball of fluff and energy.”
Thinking for a moment Kegi looked back at Scrap. “Um well you see Scrap put me in this robotic suite so I guess that’s my host. The suite is called Kegi. I don’t remember what my name is.”
“I see … and were did Scrap get you? Was Scrap your host?”
“Ohhhh no Scraps not my host. She is a kitten. I’m not sure a kitten can be a host. Scrap found me in a COT cave I was trapped inside a purple crystal.”
“Ahhh … I see. Perhaps we can locate your host and reunite you with …” Noticing the look of horror on the girls face she stopped mid sentence.” Or not, you seem to have adjusted well to that one. Even if it’s a little unconventional.” Handing her a packet of information she continued. “Why don’t you read over this and then come see me in a few day.” Taking the packet Kegi nodded and wandered off.
Aleska (1922) Aleska waved at the old man feeding pigeons smiling to herself. She wondered what he thought of a grown girl chasing frogs in the park. Catching another one she held it up for Kodie to look at. Giggling the Kodie showed her approval by making the flowers around them bloom. Kodie’s power scared her at times. She glanced about to see if anyone had seen it. “Kodie you have to be more careful, people are going to start to suspect I’m not normal.” She could almost feel the girl pouting. “It’s okay when were alone but that man may have seen you.
“Who? The one on the bench? Its not like he would have cared, he has way more power then me. I have seen his just disappear into thin air when he doesn’t think your looking. And one time he turned into a snake!”
“What? A snake .. disappeared? I think I have been reading you too many fantasy books.” Setting the frog down she brushed her hands off. “Its best we get home, dinner will be ready soon.” Turning she collided with the man that had been sitting on the bench just a min ago.
Deedrick (1922)
Smirking down at her Deedrick reached out to catch her by the shoulders. When he had seen her new display of power he knew the time to act was now. Reaching out he placed his hand above the girls solar plexus and started chanting an ancient spell. He could feel her life forces draining out of her and into him. He closed his eyes and waited as the power flowed into him. He could feel his body healing, getting younger. His grey hair was turning black, his wrinkles fell away. Just as the girl was passing out it hit him. An intence screaming inside his head. Breaking contact he dropped the girl into the grass, hopping to end her screaming. But it didn’t go away. The voice inside his head kept screaming. If he hadn’t seen the look of horror on Aleska face he would have sworn it was her screaming. Wrapping him self in a clock of dark magic he teleported himself back to his underground sanctuary. Finally after 3 hours of screaming the voice had subsided into a soft whimper. This was annoying but at least bearable. Cautiously he asked “Are you done yet?” He was answered with a few sniffles. “Good, now just who the hell are you?” The voice replied “Kodie, Why did you take me from my host?” Blinking he thought this over for a moment. It all made sense now. The miraculous recovery, the ability to heal his aging body. He had somehow gotten his hands on a Kheldian. He had heard of their kind but never come across them. Smirking to himself he started to plot.
Aleska (2007)
Aleska waited nervously in the crystal room. She had waited 4 years for this moment. To track down the man that had taken Kodie and left her for dead. It had taken her over a year to regain her health, 3 more to track him down. She had run into a bit of luck when she meet up with the Menders of Ouroboros. They had offered to help her find Kodie, but to do so they would need to transport her to the future. Careful not to shock her system then decided to move her 10 years at a time. Letting her adjust to each decade before moving her to the next one. Finally she was about to take her final jump. To the year 2007, from there it would be up to her to track Kodie down. Stepping up to the portal she placed her hand on it and stepped through.
Squinting her eyes she put her hand up to block the sun from them. Looking across the courtyard a girl dressed in all pink caught her eye. For some reason she reminded her of Kodie. How she pictured she would look. She knew it wasn’t possible though first off the chances that Kodie had escaped Deedrick were slim. Second she would be well over 80 years old by now. This girl looked to be about 18 if that. But for some reason she couldn’t keep her eyes off her. She was dressed in a dark pink uniform and had long pink hair. She was sitting in the grass playing with a white kitten. Just as she was about to walk off a many caught her eye. He was dressed in Black clack and a white T-Shirt. He too was watching the girl. For a moment she swore she saw the old wizard in his eyes. Just then she head a familiar voice call her name, as she turned to look he disappeared. Standing in front of her was the girl dressed in pink, at her feet the kitten. “Aleska?” She asked again
Character Bio's
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To contact author
- In-game: @Kegen
- CoH official forums: Kegan
