"Anyway, like I wanted to tell you last
night, I have a new assignment for you. The time is the 1990's, in
"At least I'll be in female company," Shadow groaned. "Will I be needed anything else?"
"You might want to get some transportation, and your sword. The world is frequented by demons and warlocks, and your sword may be invaluable when fighting that kind of adversary."
"Demons and warlocks," Shadow stated. "Listen, Guardian, I know I made a complete fool of myself yesterday, but come on… don't you think you've driven the joke far enough?"
"I am not joking, Child. Now, get yourself ready."
Shadow muttered a "whatever", and got under the shower, washed herself, and threw some clothes on, making sure to put on her sturdy black leather motorcycle pants. After doing so, she made sure her Kawasaki Ninja ZX-7R bike was ready, and she gathered her sword for the trip as well. She put on the matching black leather motorcycle jacket, and zipped it closed. She remembered she had forgotten something, and rushed to get some clothes.
A smile was visible on her face at the thought of
finally being able to use the bike again. It had been some time since Shadow
had been to a world where it was possible to do so. She looked at the bike as
she returned, and really enjoyed the light playing on the Ebony/Galaxy Silver
finish. To Shadow, it was black and silver, but if the people at
Shadow packed the clothes in the saddlebags, took her matching black helmet, and hooked it over her arm.
"Guardian, I'm ready," she called into thin air.
"You're NOT going to get another speeding ticket on that beast, are you?" the Guardian said as she looked at the childish smile on Shadow's face. It was one of those rare occasions were the warrior actually smiled, or showed emotion, for that matter. In the Guardian's opinion, the warrior needed to open up more. And if this monster were the way to do so, she wouldn't object. Much.
"No, Mother," Shadow grunted, and got up on the shining machine. Shadow unhooked the helmet form her right arm, and put it on. When Shadow appeared in her new location, she closed the faceplate, ignited the engine, and roared off into the distance. Luckily for her, her helmet shielded most of her exhilarated cries as her front wheel lifted high into the air and the rear wheel left a trail of smoke behind. Forgetting her reason for being here for a few minutes, the woman opened up the super bike's throttle, getting reacquainted with the powerful beast between her legs.
When Shadow finally regained her presence of mind, she eased of the throttle, and just went with the flow of cars. She drove around SF for about an hour, getting acquainted with her new home. She had no idea how long she would be here, or what awaited her. She decided to get started, and stopped at the first phone booth she saw.
"Halliwell…Halliwell…yep, here they are. Thank God there aren't too
many of those in
Prue, Piper and Phoebe.
"Thanks," Shadow muttered, finding the correct phone number and matching address fairly quickly.
"Now. Should I just drive up to their house, or phone ahead first? If I phone ahead, they'll want to know more… and I can't explain this over the phone. I'll just drive up to the house."
Shadow memorized the address, not hard to do since the young woman spent eight years studying at the universal library. Her thoughts briefly covered the topic of why there was no magical knowledge available at the library while Shadow got back on the bike. She closed the lid, slammed the bike in first, and took off like a rocket chased by Satan and the beasts of Hell.
Shadow pulled up at a nice-looking house, and switched off the bike. Her ki senses alerted her. Someone had just looked at her. Her eyes shot form left to right, while her head didn't move. To everyone out there, she was looking at the house.
Shadow got off the bike after putting it up on its stand, and calmly walked up to the house. She removed her helmet and let her shoulder-long black hair fall free from its confinement. Shadow rang the bell, and nervously awaited the opening of the door. This was usually one of the hardest parts of her life, walking up to a stranger and asking for training.
A chestnut-haired young woman opened the door, and gave Shadow a nice smile.
"Hello. Can I help you?" she asked.
"Yes, My name is Shadow. I am looking for the Halliwell sisters," Shadow answered, trying to return the smile but not doing so well. Smiling wasn't her strong point. "I have heard they had some…special abilities that could help me."
"I'm Phoebe Halliwell," the woman responded. "How can we help you? I mean, we're just normal women."
Shadow looked at the woman, a hint of strain appeared in the green eyes of the black-haired woman as her ingrained repulsion for lies entered her mind. "You and your sisters are what is known as the 'Charmed Ones'. You are witches. I have come because I was told that you could instruct me in the use of magic."
"Maybe you should come in," Phoebe said, and stepped back. Shadow nodded appreciatively, and entered the house. She chose to ignore the rather strange look on the young woman's face.
"Phoebs who was…" two more women were seated at the table, and one of them asked the question when Phoebe and Shadow entered the kitchen.
"Everyone, this is Shadow," Phoebe said, still looking rather strange. "Shadow, these are my sisters, Piper and Prue." In turn the two women raised their hand, and said hello. Piper's hair was darker than Phoebe's was, with Prue in turn darker than Piper's, to the point where it was almost black.
"She ehm…she wants us to train her," Phoebe added. Shadow just dipped her head in response.
"Train her at what?" Prue asked, with Piper just looking strangely at Shadow, who was still dressed in her black motorcycle clothes, and looked rather impressive in them. Impressive isn't the word. She looked like a thug, minus the chains.
At this, Phoebe looked strange again, as if she couldn't believe she was saying this. "Magic."
"Magic?" Prue asked.
"You're a witch?" Piper added.
Shadow shrugged her shoulders. "Not yet. That's what I'm here for."
The three sisters looked to one another, as if trying to decide to laugh or cry.
"Sorry to tell you this, hut you're either born a witch, or you aren't."
"I…see…" Shadow grunted. "Isn't there some test to see if I am one?"
"Well, if you have any magical powers, you should have found them by now," Phoebe said.
"Let's see," Shadow muttered to herself, quietly enough so the three others couldn't understand her. "Speed above and beyond normal humans, ki, fighting techniques, nope, no magic… damn." Then, out loud, she yelled, "Guardian! What is the reason for you to embarrass me like this?"
Out of nowhere, the Guardian appeared, startling the sisters, making Phoebe and Piper let out a startled yelp.
"I am not embarrassing you, Child. You have found your teachers, so what is the problem?"
"They tell me that, unless I already found some magical abilities, I'm not a witch."
"That's because you aren't a witch," the Guardian said.
"Than what am I doing here?"
"You're a sorceress," the Guardian said.
Shadow didn't know what to say to this for a moment or two. "A sorceress. Right. And what makes a sorceress different from a witch?"
"More power, more mana, and your abilities unlock only when you're doing your first spell. Not before. A sorceress has no ingrained abilities, like premonitions and the likes. A sorceress can also use her mana to directly cast the spell, without the need to say the words."
"Ah. Thank you for clearing this up," Shadow said.
"Excuse me? But who are you?" Phoebe asked the white-robed woman.
"I am the Guardian of the Crossroads, guide to this young one on the path of the Universal Savior."
"Young one? Young one? Do you know how old I am?" Shadow asked.
"No," Guardian responded. "Have you regained some memories?"
"That's not what I meant!" Shadow said, getting rather angry now. "I meant do you know how long I have been on the path of the Savior?"
"Yes," Guardian responded. "Exactly 229 years, 1 month, 2 weeks and 4 days."
"So, I'm not young," Shadow responded.
"You are in comparison to me, and now be quiet, Child," Guardian admonished. Shadow, knowing better than to press further, shut up. The Halliwell sisters just stared from Shadow to Guardian, and back.
"A sorceress?" Piper asked.
"Two hundred thirty years old?" Prue asked.
"On the path of the Universal Savior?" Phoebe ended. "Cool!' she added.
"Looks like I have to tell my story," Shadow said, casting a glance at the Guardian, who was trying her best not to smirk. "Although I would have preferred to do so when we knew each other better."
So, Shadow told her story, about her dying, her memory loss, and her finding herself on the path of the Savior. She also told them about the Guardian, and her mission. The sister listened in rapt attention. Prue very obviously didn't believe a word, but Guardians appearance did cast some doubts. When Shadow powered up her ki, making it flame ruby-red around her body, it cast even more doubt.
Phoebe decided to end the dilemma. If what Shadow was telling was the truth, than the Book of Shadows, their magic book, should be able to tell.
The massive book as brought downstairs, and Phoebe started going through it.
"Excuse me," Shadow said. "But that will take a very long time. Maybe I can be of assistance."
"How?" Phoebe said, looking up from the book.
"One doesn't spend eight years in the Universal Library without picking up some speed-reading tricks," shadow responded with a small smile. The Guardian still kept herself separated from the conversation.
"Let you read the book? Come on, we're not stupid!" Prue exclaimed.
"Prue!" Phoebe said. "I don't know, guys. I believe her, I think," Phoebe said, looking at Shadow.
"Maybe your power can help," Piper said.
"Power?" Shadow asked, suddenly very wary of what was to happen.
"I have premonitions, I can see into the future and the past."
"A seer," Shadow said. "A visionary. Interesting." She extended her hand. "Please, can you shed clarity on my mortal life?"
It was very clear that the three witches hadn't expected Shadow to be so cooperative. Phoebe shrugged, and took Shadow's offered hand. Immediately, a vision washed over her. Unfortunately, the 210 years of almost continuous training had buried Shadow's past so well that Phoebe had no way of getting to it. She did see some of what Shadow had gone through. When she came out of the trance, all she did was gather the woman up in her arms, and give her a hug. Shadow, not expecting this, just looked thoroughly confused at Phoebe when she broke the hug. Obviously the other women were surprised as well.
"Phoebe? What happened?" Prue asked.
"Yeah, what did you see?" Piper pressed.
"You have suffered so much…" Phoebe ignored her sisters, and addressed Shadow. "How can find the strength to go on?"
"I…I just do," Shadow shrugged. "My life hasn't been that hard. But then again, it's the only life I have ever known, so I can't compare. Others do regularly say that I press myself too hard, and that I should relax more."
"Guys, she's telling the truth," Phoebe said, the answer more or less satisfying her.
So, Shadow got a spare room at her trainer's house once again. She started by learning how to use spells, reading form the Book of Shadows. In fact, her 'training' didn't include much more than that.
"Say, isn't there a way I could help you guys out? I mean, for the room and the board and such. Normally, I help out with housekeeping, cleaning, cooking, that sort of thing," Shadow asked a couple of days after she had settled in with the Halliwell sisters. It was during breakfast.
"Piper does the cooking around here," Phoebe answered. "And I don't think she'll appreciate anyone helping her."
"I can do other things besides cooking and cleaning. As you know, I'm also a good martial artist. Maybe as a guard somewhere, and whatever it pays could help with the bills."
"You know, we could use a bouncer at my club," Piper said. "But I think that a rather small woman won't impress people much."
"I guarantee that, after a couple of days, people will be respecting me," Shadow said, a small smirk on her face. "But I understand if you'd rather hire a big and beefy man for the job."
"We can always try," Piper mused. "After all, how much can it hurt?"
So, Shadow started work at Piper's nightclub as a bouncer. That evening was her first night.
"You're not going to stop me from entering," the big man said to the petite, raven-haired woman. Shadow didn't back off.
"Is that so?" she asked. "If you're that sure, why don't you try to enter?" Something in her eyes must have hit a wrong thing, because the big man hesitated. His first instinct was to turn around. But, logic told him that he had at least 50 kilos on her, as well as 30 centimeters in height. Of course, his mind had no way of knowing it was wrong.
The man tried to shove her aside when he suddenly found the world turning upside down before this went a little strange, and stars crossed his vision. He got up, and found everyone, quietly, staring at him and the girl.
"What happened?" he groaned, rubbing his head, and finding a sore lump.
"You touched me," Shadow answered him. "I took exception."
Like a mad bull, the man ran towards her. The next moment, he ran headfirst into the wall behind her.
"I suggest you leave, or I will talk to the police," Shadow told him. "P³ doesn't allow drugs, and we never will."
Shadow didn't understand why there were no drugs allowed, but if Piper wanted it that way, that is what Shadow would enforce. The rest of the evening passed quietly. The word on the street spread quickly: there was a new bouncer at P³, and she could kick ass.
The next day, everything started quietly, when a group of gang members tried to attack Shadow. They were from the same gang as the guy she had kicked out the day before, and they certainly didn't like their members assaulted. So, ten men tried to teach her a lesson. Shadow took the radio, and told Piper to lock the door, and to ignore any cries that would come from the outside. Shadow also told Piper to phone the police, and to bring an ambulance with them. Piper hurriedly did was she was told. This was the reason the previous bouncer had left: the gangs had gotten to him.
When the gang members drew knives, Shadow grinned. When two members drew guns, Shadow's mouth split into a wide grin. Shadow opened her jacket, and drew her katana. The gang members thought they had met a madwoman. Little did they know how Shadow felt when she was fighting. A combat rush spread over her, stronger than even her bike could produce.
She launched her attack, moving at the Ultimate
Divine Speed of the
By the time the police, and the ambulance, got there, all ten gang members were incapacitated, as well as the area had been cleared. No one wanted to be around the sword-wielding maniacal woman guarding the entrance. In fact, by the time the police got there, Shadow's sword has already been cleaned, and put back in its hidden scabbard.
Piper looked at the carnage. The men weren't dead; Shadow had made sure to hit them only lightly. Enough to incapacitate them, but not enough to either kill them, or endanger their lives. They were now on the ground, moaning, groaning, and begging Piper to keep her pet monster on a leash.
"What happened here?" a dark-skinned police detective asked as soon as every one of the officers and the paramedics started doing their jobs.
"Those people attacked me," Shadow responded.
"They're the ones that are hurt," the inspector responded.
"That's because I attacked back," Shadow responded.
"What kind of knife did you use anyway? I've never seen wounds like that before."
Shadow opened her jacket, allowing the officer to look at the sword. "It's lucky for those guys I'm a blademaster, so I knew how much to hurt them without killing them."
"Yeah, well, I'm sorry, but you'll have to come with me."
"For what?" Shadow said, offended.
"Ten accounts of assault with a deadly weapon," the inspector answered.
"Inspector, my hands are deadly weapons. My feet are deadly weapons. Those people," she spat the words out, "attacked me. I defended myself. Like I will defend myself from an attack by you or your people."
"Shadow, shh!" Piper grunted in her ear.
"Inspector Morris, This is self-defense," Piper told the officer. "and, since she is working for me, she has the right to do whatever she sees as necessary to keep the bad element out of P³."
"But," the inspector began.
"Inspector, you arrested ten gang members here tonight. Do you need to know more?"
"Uhm, no," he said, turning to his car. "I don't need to know more. This looks like another one of those nights. Alright people! Book 'em!" he shouted to his crews. The street was cleared within an hour, with only the bloodstains on the ground as a reminder of what happened. When it started raining, even that evidence soon disappeared.
Piper did have to close the nightclub for the evening, though. A fact for which Shadow excused herself extensively. Piper told her that she was just doing her job.
After that one evening, things quieted down at the club real fast. More people came, because they felt secure with Shadow guarding the door, and the bad elements stayed away because they were petrified of 'the blade-wielding maniac'.
Weeks went by, and Shadow became quite profuse with her new magical abilities. It wasn't exactly as she had thought it would be, no fireballs and chain lighting spells, but more spells to banish demons, to see things, and so on. One day, disaster struck.
Shadow entered the kitchen, to eat dinner before leaving for Piper's nightclub, when she saw Piper sitting at the dinner table, looking worried.
"Is there something wrong?" Shadow asked.
"Prue isn't home yet," Piper said "And we can't reach her at work either, so Phoebe's gone to check it out."
"Maybe this is a stupid thing to ask, but have you tried her cell phone?" Shadow asked.
"We have. It's her voicemail," Piper said.
"Then maybe I can look," Shadow said, and closed her eyes. she allowed her ki-sense to drift out, looking for the familiar signatures. She found Phoebe quite easily, but Prue was hard to find. "Got her," Shadow mumbled. "She in a cave, outside the city."
"A cave?" Piper asked. "How do you know?"
Shadow still had her eyes closed. "I need to concentrate to hold on to it. Please, take my hands. We'll gather up Phoebe first."
Piper, too shocked to say anything, took the woman's hands. Suddenly, they were at Prue's office. "Phoebe, hurry! I know where Prue is," Shadow urged. "Join our circle."
The three women joined hands, and Shadow teleported them to the cave where Prue was being held.
"Prue!" Piper and Phoebe yelled, running towards the restrained woman. Shadow, meanwhile, didn't like this one bit. The hair at the base of her neck was standing up straight, and that meant trouble. Slowly, the woman drew her sword while the two others freed Prue.
"We can't get those chains off!" Phoebe grunted.
Shadow turned around, her sword flashing out. Flames were sent flying as the sword severed the chains. In the same movement, the woman tuned back to the entrance of the cave, looking out for trouble.
"What? How did you get here?" a man said as he walked into the cave.
"Is this a warlock?" Shadow asked.
"Possibly, those chains were magical," Phoebe responded.
"Very well. Mr. Warlock, I hereby challenge you," Shadow readied her sword, and got into an attack pose.
"Shadow, be careful! Who knows what he might do!" Prue said, not exactly knowing what to do either. The Book of Shadows was at the house, and without it, neither of the three witches knew how to handle this particular demon.
"I have no quarrels with you," the warlock said. "I just want to witch with telekinesis. Stand aside."
Shadow snorted. "That witch is my friend. I will protect her with my very life." The next moment, shadow launched. The warlock started glowing in a strange yellow-amber light, and the three witches knew instinctively that the warlock was about to use his magic on their friend. Piper's hand flew up, and she used her special power: the power of stopping time. Time stopped at the precise moment that warlock had cast his spell, and the spell was halfway to Shadow.
To their surprise, the three witches could still see Shadow move. Slowly, very slowly, but she still moved. They could see how the woman's body was now slowly twisting sideway, evading the spell. In awe, the three stood there and watched how the warrior was still moving ever so slowly, evading a spell that was now hanging still in the air.
"I've never seen anyone who could still move after Piper froze time," Phoebe said.
"Yeah, only witches can move when time's stopped," Piper added.
"Or maybe you don't stop time, only slow it down a lot," Prue said. "That would also explain why Shadow can still move. She's so fast that slowing time doesn't stop her completely."
"Guys, shouldn't we help her?" Phoebe said.
"She looks to be able to handle herself," Prue said. "But, helping shouldn't hurt." She moved her arm, and used her special power, telekinesis. Shadow moved out of the way. Not long after, Shadow's face ever so slowly took on a look of shock. Piper was unable to freeze time for any longer. Time resumed, and Shadow rolled to the side, bounced of the cave wall, and attacked the warlock from the side.
Her sword halved him as she came to a stop on the opposite wall. The warlock looked shocked as his spell met only empty air, and he felt his body all in half. He healed soon after.
"Damn," Shadow grunted. "This calls for the big guns! Prue, Piper, Phoebe, out of the cave, NOW! This is destructive!"
"Like I am going to let them leave," the warlock said.
Shadow jumped towards him. "Solar Flare!" she shouted. Her body glowed in an intense light, effectively blinding the warlock. "Now!" Shadow shouted, "While he's blind!" The three witches ran to the exit. Shadow was right behind them. She didn't like close quarters.
"What did you do?" Prue asked. "That wasn't magic!"
"Ki technique," Shadow said, looking at the cave, where the warlock was just stumbling out the exit. Shadow lifted into the air. When the warlock finally regained his sight, his jaw hit the floor.
"Ka…" Shadow began, her palms joined at her side, a ball of yellow energy growing in them. The warlock looked dumbly at her.
"Me…"Shadow continued. The warlock, deciding that this wasn't a good thing, decided to make a run for it. He jumped up in the air as well.
"Ha…"Shadow grunted, the ball of energy growing ever bigger. The warlock was flying away. Shadow followed.
"Me…" Shadow was nearly finished. The warlock, not knowing this, halted, and tried his spell one last time.
"HA!!!!" Shadow yelled, thrusting her palms forward. The humongous ki-blast left her hands, on a direct path with the warlock.
"O-oh," he muttered, right before the humongous blast of energy vaporized him. Shadow remote-controlled the remaining ki-blast into space, where it would do no more damage.
Shadow touched down at the exact same spot. "I told you it called for the big guns," Shadow smiled. The three other just shook their head. They were sure Shadow would tell them all about it, as soon as they got home.
"And it's not enough!" the warlock shouted.
"Damn. He reincarnated," Prue grunted.
"Grab on to me. Hold on tight," Shadow said. After the three women had done so, Shadow lifted them into the air, and kicked in her overdrive to get them back home. The warlock was left behind, asking himself if he had just seen four women fly at such high speeds.
As soon as the four women got home, they started looking in the book of Shadows.
"Here he is," Phoebe finally said. "Uhm, guys... We have to banish him to in between time. Otherwise, he'll keep coming back."
"But how did he come into this world?"
"He's released from his time prison by certain events. It's totally random," Phoebe read. "Here's the spell to banish him. But we'll need to brew a potion as well."
"Right. I'll cover you," Shadow said. "I can stop him temporarily."
The three others nodded in thanks. While they gathered their stuff, Shadow guarded the house. When the warlock finally arrived, Shadow attacked without hesitation. She knew her abilities were as good as useless, but she did hold him off.
"Guys! How much longer?" Shadow yelled up the stairs, to the attic, where the three witches were doing their thing.
"Not much! Can you hold him?" Shadow heard Prue's voice.
"For the moment, yes," Shadow said. In fact, she could hold him almost into infinity, but the uselessness of her attacks was frustrating her beyond measure. But, as soon as she realized that this was in fact a once in a lifetime opportunity to train her abilities on a live target, she joined in with more gusto. After her sword techniques came hand-to-hand combat. She sheathed her sword, and attacked with the Hokuto Shinken technique. She struck at the warlock's vital points, which she assumed were at the same place as a normal human's, and she watched in satisfaction as his body and his head started swelling due to the disruption in the vital points' energy flow.
The warlock exploded, sending intestines, brains, and goo all over the place. Looking at the mess, Shadow thought that the three women would never forgive her. When the warlock resurrected himself, all the goo, intestines, and brains were called back to the warlock's body.
"Nice way of cleaning, warlock."
"Interesting fighting technique," the warlock said. "Got any more?"
Shadow attacked using the Futae no Kiwami technique, striking at the warlocks abdomen until she encountered resistance, then striking a second time, literally shattering the warlock's abdominal muscles, his intestines, and his backbone. He got up, healing himself.
"You're full of surprises." The warlock grinned.
"You ain't seen half of them." Shadow smiled, and combined the Hokuto Shinken with the Futae no Kiwami. Instead of striking full force at an energy point, she would strike the vital point using the Hokuto Shinken technique, but the strike itself would be the Futae no Kiwami. This, she would not reroute the energy flow, but she would destroy the energy point.
The warlock exploded more violently this time. Shadow waited patiently for the warlock to resurrect himself.
"Guys? How much longer? This guy keep dying, and I don't think he likes it!" Shadow yelled. The next moment, he grabbed her around the side, smashing her to the ground. Drawing on 200 years of experience in fighting, Shadow got down from under him, and used a Futae no Kiwami kick in his abdomen. After learning to use her right fist, Shadow had taught herself to execute the double-strike with her left hand, and both her feet.
She struck at his head, shattering it. Again, the warlock resurrected.
"Not long!" Prue shouted. "In fact! Now!"
The warlock suddenly was surrounded in an amber light, "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" he started screaming before he disappeared. Shadow watched her sparring partner go. When the three others came downstairs, she was still staring at the spot the warlock disappeared.
"Did it work?" Phoebe asked.
"It did," Shadow responded. "But now I lost a perfectly fine sparring partner. It's not often I get to practice my most lethal techniques on a living target."
The three women looked at Shadow as if she were growing an extra head.
"A warlock that can't be killed is a fine sparring partner. I do NOT want to encounter those you call a challenging enemy," Phoebe said, laughing. Shadow shrugged.
"I wouldn't know," Shadow responded. "I never encountered a challenging enemy."
Shadow could feel that her time here was coming to an end. She had developed a sixth sense for this kind of thing over the years. She slowly opened her eyes, and let out a groan. After her four hours of sleep, the young woman should feel like new. But leaving her new friends would be harder than ever. The weight of the years started to press down on her. The quiet, stable life she had led here was so appealing… but Shadow also knew that she would have to go on. So she would.
She dragged herself out of bed, and into the bathroom. After taking her shower and getting into fresh clothes, Shadow walked down the stairs to eat some breakfast. As usual, no one was awake yet. After all, it was only 5.30 in the morning. She fixed herself some cereal, and ate it without much appetite.
She walked outside, and did some warming up exercises. Her heart just wasn't in it. Deciding against doing her ki exercises in the open air, she walked back into the house. She crept upstairs, to the attic, and started leafing through the book of Shadows. Again, her heart just wasn't in it. Feeling totally bummed about herself, Shadow walked to the front of the house, crept out, and started her bike. A ride would fix her right up.
When she got back, a good portion of her tank had disappeared, and everyone was awake.
"Good morning, everyone," Shadow greeted.
"Morning. Went for a ride?" Phoebe asked.
"Yeah," Shadow grunted.
"What's the occasion?" Piper asked. They had come to read the warrior pretty well. When she went for a ride, something was bothering her .
"I have this nagging feeling. The problem is, I know this one all too well."
"What feeling?" Prue asked, suddenly alarmed.
"That my time here is almost over," Shadow grunted. "The problem is, I don't want to go. I like it here. A nice, normal, stable life. Well, most of the time, anyway."
The three sisters gave a small smile. They had come to value the warrior that lived under their roof. On more than one occasion, Shadow had proven her value, both magically and physically. And her unconventional way of looking at things made her a good person to talk to when having problems.
"That's bad news. We're really going to miss you," Piper said sincerely.
"Yeah," Prue said, and Phoebe nodded quietly as well, and a silence descended. No one really knew what to say.
"You know, this is crazy," Prue said, finally bursting out laughing. The two others joined in. Shadow just looked mildly amused, the twinkle in her green eyes telling her amusement.
"This isn't a funeral," Piper said," even though we're acting like someone's going to die."
"But I am leaving," Shadow said. "For good."
"Hey," Piper shoved Shadow's shoulder. "I was trying to lift the mood, you know."
"Sorry," the warrior responded. "I guess I'm rubbing off."
"You know, you always take off on that thing when something's bothering you. Care to tell us why?" Phoebe asked.
A small smile decorated Shadow's lips. "It's freedom," she said. "Total. Unconditional. When I'm riding that thing, feeling the wind around my body, the growl of the engine between my legs, I feel free, and I feel like I can finally let loose. It usually lifts my spirits. Why the sudden interest? Changed your mind about that ride?"
Soon after her arrival, Shadow had told the sisters that, if they wanted a ride, all they had to do was ask. All three sisters, seeing Shadow's driving style, had delicately refused at the time.
"Well, I might give it try," Phoebe said.
Shadow smiled more openly. "Just say when," she said. "And how about you? You changed your mind?" she asked the two other sisters, who stared at Phoebe like she were the bravest person in the universe.
"Maybe after Phoebe tells how it went," Prue said. Piper looked grateful at her sister for coming up with a really great excuse, and said the same. Shadow saw right through it, of course, but decided not to comment.
"How about after breakfast?" Phoebe asked.
"Sure, that'll be fine," Shadow said.
"But uhm… I don't have a helmet," Phoebe commented.
"No problem. I have one is reserve," Shadow said back.
So, after breakfast, Prue and Piper saw their sister climb on the back of Shadow's bike. After they roared off, Prue commented,
"There goes one brave woman."
"Yep," Piper said.
About an hour and a half later, Piper, who was doing the books on the club, heard Shadow's bike come to a screeching halt in front of the house. She hopped up, and opened the door, not expecting what she saw. She just saw Phoebe climb from the front of the bike, laughing at Shadow, who laughed just as hard.
Piper looked curiously at the pair, awaiting an explanation.
"Shadow let me drive on the way back," Phoebe commented.
"I didn't know you could drive a bike," Piper commented.
"Just something I picked up while I was in
"It was fun too, to let someone else drive. Even though Phoebe refused to go faster than twice the speed limit," Shadow said. "What's the fun in driving a bike when you refuse to open up completely?" she said while grinning.
"Hey, we can't all be race drivers like you," Phoebe shot back. "On the way out, miss Shadow here encountered someone who challenged her to a race. She beat the poor guy so badly he was almost crying by the time they reached the end of their little course."
"Hey, what can I say? The guy can't drive, and should know better than to call two women on a bike 'sweethearts', and to offer to teach them how to drive a bike."
Piper just shook her head in amusement.
"You should try it, Piper," Phoebe said. "It's great fun!"
"I don't know…your kind of fun is usually a little too wild for me," Piper said.
"I'm sure Shadow will drive civilized," Phoebe pleaded.
Shadow decided to keep out of this, not wanting to interfere by asking why Phoebe kept pushing.
"Won't you?" Phoebe asked Shadow.
"Uhm…sure," Shadow said. "I won't go faster than three times the speed limit." Phoebe shoved an elbow into shadow's ribs. Even though it didn't hurt her, Shadow got the point. "Twice?" she tried. Another shove into Shadow's ribs. "Come on, you can't expect me to obey the speed limit…" Shadow was almost pleading.
"If you'll obey the limit, I'll go with you," Piper said.
"Alright, alright! Get on. First stop, gas station," Shadow muttered. Piper took the helmet from Phoebe, and got up behind Shadow.
"Put your arms around my waist," Shadow told the woman. "And hold on. I might be obeying the speed limits, but I will be pulling hard to get there."
Piper groaned, Phoebe burst out laughing, and Shadow was stoic as she opened the throttle. The rear tire smoked as the bike lunged forward, and immediately stopped accelerating.
"Speed limit," Shadow yelled to the back, where Piper was clinging to Shadow's back as to a life preserver. Her eyes were closed tightly, and she just nodded her head, not wanting to look.
"You can open your eyes, you know," Shadow said to her back. "There's nothing to be scared of."
Reluctantly, Piper opened her eyes. After calming down a little, she actually began to enjoy herself. Phoebe was right. This was fun! After filling up the tank, and driving around a little, Piper asked,
"Alright, you can go faster now… but not to much!" she screamed as Shadow opened up the throttle. She shifted from fourth to fifth, and leveled off. Piper screamed "Faster!!" and cheered when Shadow opened up more, smiling. She had converted another one. She kicked the bike into sixth, and opened up. Then, she braked, and slowed down so much that it almost felt like they were crouching to Piper. When she looked up, she saw that there was traffic. For all her youthful enthusiasm and her need for speed, Shadow was a responsible driver. When there was traffic, she slowed to the speed limit and obeyed it.
Shadow drove home, and parked the bike. Prue was at work, and Shadow hoped that the Guardian wouldn't come and get her before Prue had a chance to get her ride.
Immediately, the two sisters started talking, probably concocting something. Shadow just went into the kitchen to look for lunch. When the two sisters came into into the kitchen, Shadow could see on their faces that they had indeed, concocted something.
"Would you be interested in playing a joke on Prue?" Phoebe asked.
"What kind of joke?" Shadow asked.
"Well… we'll talk Prue into having a ride. Could you…you know, step on it? Give her a little scare?"
Shadow's face became stern. "You want me to take someone on the back of my bike who has never ridden before, and you want me to drive as if I were alone?"
The two sisters looked at each other. "Uhm, well, yeah," Phoebe said.
"No problem. I'll just tell her to hang on tight," Shadow said.
Prue got home that evening, and almost immediately, her two sisters had a talk with her. Shadow didn't know what they told her, but Prue had certainly fallen for it. Or so it seemed.
"Did my sisters put you up to anything?" Prue asked when she was getting settled in behind the smaller woman.
"Yes," Shadow confirmed. She didn't flinch. She had told the truth. "They wanted me to drive as if I were alone."
"I see. Maybe we should get them back," Prue said. "Now, get started, before they get suspicious."
"You want me to drive as if I were alone?" Shadow asked non-believingly.
"Only until we're out of their sight," Prue said, putting her arms around Shadow's waist like she had been told to do. Shadow ignited the engine, and once more flew out of the street. She backed off as soon as she was sure the others couldn't detect them anymore. Prue tapped Shadow's leg, indicating she should pull over. Shadow did so.
"Good, now we can talk a little more," Prue said. "Say, how about we get the prank back to them? Let's say… I phone them from a pay phone, and tell them we were in an accident."
"That is lying," Shadow said. "I do not like lying. Or liars."
"Then why did you help Phoebe and Piper?"
"Because I never lied, and neither did they. I rode calm and civilized with them."
"I see," Prue said. "Of course I'll tell them immediately. So it won't exactly be lying, would it?"
Shadow relented. "Fine. Let's drive around a little, and I'll stop at a payphone in a few minutes."
Prue nodded, and got back onto the bike, and Shadow set out on a trip around the city. After about 20 minutes, Shadow pulled over at a pay phone. Prue motioned her over, to listen in on the conversation.
"Piper? Oh, my god!" Prue wailed in the phone. "Something's happened! Terrible! It's Shadow… she…we…had an accident. No, I'm fine, but Shadow' hurt. The doctors say she … she's critical!"
Shadow looked sternly as Prue listened, barely able to contain herself, to the cries from the other side of the phone.
"Got you!" she shouted. "That'll teach you. Trying to set me up!"
"Prue! Oh you…!!" Piper grunted into the phone.
"Well, it's your own fault, trying to play a joke on me. You should know that Shadow would spill the beans the moment she's asked."
Some more small talk was exchanged, and Prue finally hung up. She got back on the back of the bike, and Shadow took off. She drove home, and parked the bike.
"I really enjoyed that," Prue said. "Thank you."
"No problem," Shadow smiled. The moment she and Prue entered the house, they felt that something was wrong. Soft conversation came from the living room. When they got there, the Guardian was seated in the couch directly opposite to the one Piper and Phoebe were sitting in.
"Looks like you have to find yourself a new bouncer," Shadow told Piper.
"We won't be able to replace you so easily," Piper said.
"I hope not," Shadow grunted. "It took me a long time become as good as I am now."
All of them laughed, and Shadow said good-bye to them one by one. After that, she turned to the Guardian, gave a small nod, and she, bike, saddlebags, and the clothes she had brought here from the ShadowZone were transported back to the house. Once alone, Shadow fell on her bed, and cried.
Jennifer stared at the latest reports.
"How did he get that thing there without us knowing about it?" she barked at her staff. "A gateway of ten kilometers across isn't hidden so easily. I repeat: where did it come from, and how did he get it there?"
"To our best estimates, he built the gateway in his universe, and used some kind of special engine to move it across. Our best estimates are that it will go on line in a little under a day," Decker reported.
"Merde," she cursed. "And are you sure he'll be able to transport his ships and personnel through?"
David nodded. "It's a tri-ion accelerated reinforced dimensional gateway. It cuts through the inversed quantum interference surrounding his universe like a supercharged phaser slices through butter."
"Damn. How well is it protected?"
Admiral Decker showed the next picture. An armada was displayed. "As you can see, there are 34 Warcruisers, four battlecarriers with, as far as we know, full fighter compliments, and there is this…" Charles Decker pointed to a ship.
"This is what we have been fearing all along, people: a dreadnought-class planet destroyer. The ship is ten kilometers long, and carries weaponry that is far superior to any battlecarrier we have. And to make matters worse, all our information on this particular class of vessel is six months old. We have no idea what it might be packing."
"What are you saying, Admiral? Should we send the ESMF against it, or should be go home and cower away?" Jennifer asked.
"We should send the ESMF against it, and then go home and cower because we have about a snowball's chance in Hell," Admiral Decker said.
"Daphnix, tactical report?" Jennifer hoped to God that there was something Decker and his people had overlooked.
"I concur with the admiral's report. We have just received three new battlecarriers, but they have yet to be filled with fighters. They are being replicated as we speak. We have, as of now, still no crew to man the ships. We are running them with a holographic crew, and Borlan in full tactical command until we make a decision as to whether we include them in the fight or not."
"Of course we will," Jennifer said. "They'll be the front line. We'll be taking fewer casualties on the other ships, and all weaponry is welcome."
The meeting went on and on, people adding suggestions, tactical reports, and a new update was transferred every hour. All the while, the ESMF was preparing for a full-blown annihilative war. The battle was planned to be a couple of hours before intelligence showed the portal to come on line.
Vicky looked at the screen where her bug program was running. She sighed, and looked at her partner.
"It is time," she said. Sarah nodded.
"Borlan, The situation is dire. Please clear me and Sarah for access to deck 72, portal plant."
I understand. The portal has already been upgraded with the dimensional upgrades you suggested. I will have it programmed for the correct dimension by the time you get there.
"Thank you," Vicky said. Together with her friend, the two-woman crack commando squad left the room. In the turbolift, neither Vicky nor Sarah had to tell it where to go. The lift stopped at deck 72. They entered the room of the portal plant. The place was guarded heavily, but Borlan had taken care of them. A sedative gas had been released, and everyone was fast asleep.
"Be careful," Sarah said, hugging her commander. Vicky hugged the girl back.
"Be brave, Lieutenant," Vicky said, and snapped a salute.
"I will, Captain," Sarah responded, returning the salute. "Die well," she added.
Vicky nodded curtly, and turned to the gate. "Borlan, activate."
The gate's center turned a bright blue, and Vicky stepped through.
"Sir! You should see this!" an excited voice came from the bridge. Jennifer looked at the best of the best of the ESMF gathered in hr conference room.
"What is it?" Jennifer asked.
"Someone's challenging Sorcerer!"
Jennifer pressed a button, the screen changed from tactical reports to the live feed coming from Sorcerer's universe.
"The egomaniac always transmits his battles live," Jennifer grunted. Her face faulted as she recognized the challenger.
Vicky strode into the room, dropped her vest, and pulled her sword, after which she dropped the scabbard on the floor.
Sorcerer looked at the girl.
"You're the strongest the ESMF can spare?" he snickered. He attacked, she countered.
"Good one, girl," he sneered. "Now block this one." Vicky's sword went up to block Sorcerer's downward stroke. He next thing she knew, Sorcerer's second sword buried itself in her stomach.
"The dragon and the tiger," Sorcerer preached. "The tiger attacks with one strike. The dragon uses a second, hidden one. Only another dragon can counter. You're not a dragon. Now, DIE!" his sword was coming down to sever Vicky's head from her body.
"You won't," a voice shouted. Sorcerer's sword was blown from his hands.
"Who are you?" he angrily bellowed to the newcomer.
"My name is irrelevant, for you are already dead."
Note from
Enterprise1701_d: there is an added part that needs to be read before this.
It’s in the Shadow Chronicles of my site, years 249-250. The following will
make no sense otherwise.
Shadow’s Ninja-Alter stood facing Shadow in the
gravity room of the ShadowZone mansion. The gravity was now seven hundred fifty
times Earth Normal. Faster than the eye could detect, both vanished form sight.
Moments later, the clashing of swords could be heard as Shadow sparred with her
Alter. For the next ten minutes, both were totally invisible to the naked eye,
and when they finally rematerialized, Shadow was smiling. The Alter just
remained impassive.
“Great warm-up,” Shadow told her Alter, lifting
her hand. The Alter disappeared, breaking down into what appeared to be sand,
and sweeping up into one corner of the gravity room. At least I learned not to take pieces out of the gravity room each time
I call my Alter, Shadow thought to herself. Guardian had to fix this more times than in any of the previous time
put together.
Shadow decided on a light training for today, giving her muscles the chance to recover from the grueling training schedule she kept herself in while living in the ShadowZone. As such, Shadow was doing jumping jacks is a mild gravity, 550 gravities. Suddenly, the Guardian tapped on the gravity room's window. Her face expressed urgency.
Shadow deactivated the gravity, and stepped outside.
"What is wrong?" she asked.
"It is time for you to return to the Mortal Realm, Child,” Guardian said, voice sounding strangely emotional. “You will age, get sick, and die, but first, your training must be put to the ultimate challenge. Your adversary is Sorcerer. He is about to destroy everything the Gods have built."
"I understand," Shadow responded. She jumped into her clothes, donned her sword, and took two extra Senzu beans to recuperate from her earlier workout. The small bag of beans was hidden carefully in her garments.
"Ready?" the Guardian asked, rather impatiently.
"I am," Shadow responded. The next moment, she was standing outside a large hall. A couple of guards rushed her, and she silenced them with a few well-placed moves against their vital points. The five guards exploded as their vital energies were disturbed. Shadow was unaffected as she kicked open the gates, and was just in time to see a man, whom she knew as Sorcerer, about to butcher a girl. Shadow’s mind pulled up a vision of Kanami, and Shadow felt the mother-like feelings well up inside of her. She didn't know the girl, yet somehow, Shadow felt it was her duty in life to protect her. So, she stopped Sorcerer's sword with a small ki blast, literally kicking it out of his hand.
"Who are you?" the man growled.
"My name is irrelevant, for you are already
dead," Shadow responded. Shadow charged, drawing her sword in mid-run, and
engaged Sorcerer with the Hiten Mitsurugi style. To her surprise, eh ducked to
his left, and completed a cartwheel in mid-air… without supporting himself with
his hands on the floor. In mid-flight, he extended his arm, grabbed his sword
off the floor, landed, and charged her.
Shadow took it in stride, blocked his first
attack, and immediately realized that this man’s speed was incredible.
Therefore, she decided that the lesser Hiten Mitsurugi attacks wouldn’t do.
After blocking a second and a third strike, Shadow lashed out with the Kuzu Ryu Sen attack of the Hiten
Mitsurugi school. Striking at each of his nine
kenjutsu-based vital points simultaneously, Shadow felt confident that she had
taken out her opponent.
She landed directly behind him, and promptly
swiveled around to see him fall. To her surprise, he turned to face her,
chuckling evilly.
“That was good… but not good enough,” Sorcerer
sneered.
“He…he blocked them!” Shadow whispered. “he blocked the nine-headed Dragon Flash!”
Sorcerer chuckled louder, and spread his arms. “As
I said, it was a good attempt.”
Shadow angrily sheathed her blade, and dropped
herself into the battou-jutsu stance.
“Battou-jutsu quick-drawing
technique? Come on, girl, you should
know better by now,” Sorcerer admonished.
“Amakakeru Ryu No Hirameki!” Shadow howled as she charged with the reversed-footing
Above Ultimate Divine Speed technique of thee Hiten Mitsurugi school of kenjutsu. Shadow landed, and watched her sword
with satisfaction, as blood slowly dripped from it. She heard a thump behind her, and knew that Sorcerer
had been hit. She slowly righted herself, and was about to turn smugly towards
him, when she heard him mutter something that made her blood run cold.
“Regeneration.”
Shadow swiveled around like the devil was on her
heels, and her jaw dropped to the floor at the sight of Sorcerer, fully healed,
righting himself. He was laughing insanely.
The next moment, she was moving at full Divine
Speed, dodging under the magical bolts of fire that Sorcerer was throwing at
her. Shadow’s mind, used to dealing with a lot higher speeds than this,
regained composure very quickly.
“You’re fats, but not fast enough!” Shadow
sneered, charging him when she was at her closest point in her
avoidance-trajectory through the room, planting the correct amounts of pressure
at each and every one of his pressure points, as her mast Ken had taught her.
Shadow had engaged the Hokuto Shinken-techniques.
Confidently, Shadow turned away from him, and
started walking towards the girl Sorcerer had been fighting. Her hand was
already reaching for the hidden bag of Senzu-beans.
“Don’t turn your back on me!” Sorcerer shouted.
“You’re already dead,” Shadow said in a deathly
level voice. She heard him grunt and gasp behind her, and Shadow smiled at the
sounds. She knelt down next to her girl, one hand already at the secret chest
pocket to retrieve a bean. The scheduled explosion didn’t come, and Shadow
looked over her shoulder. Sorcerer’s body was swelling, but it wasn’t
exploding. Suddenly, it returned to normal.
“I’m Immortal, little bitch. You can’t kill me
with stabbing at my vitals,” Sorcerer said with a chuckle.
Shadow snarled as she threw herself to her legs.
She dove for Sorcerer at full Ultimate Divine Speed, striking at him using the
Futae Ni Kiwami double strikes against the Hokuto Shinken vital points. Instead
of disrupting them, she now destroyed
Sorcerer’s vital points. It was a technique she had developed while with the Halliwell Sisters, and it had yielded great results then.
Shadow had no reason to doubt that it would do the same here. Indeed, Sorcerer
exploded. And he regenerated without magic.
Shadow cursed loudly. Okay. No more miss nice girl. I am going to rip him to pieces!
Unfortunately for her, Sorcerer apparently decided on doing the same thing as
he drew a second sword from somewhere under his robes, and shouted “Mana shield
15%! Poison Cloud!”
Shadow ran through the cloud, holding her breath
using the special meditation techniques she had learned, only to strike at his
Mana Shield. Shadow’s ki flared up to 100%, creating a reddish glow around her
body. Her speed and strength quadrupled. “Masenko!” she called, throwing the
low-level ki-blast at the man. Sorcerer dodged.
“Oh, no, you don’t!” Shadow screamed,
machine-gunning ki-blasts at him, which he barely dodged until he kicked in his
Force-senses.
“You’re good,” Sorcerer admitted. “Way better than
Vegeta. But still not good enough! Fasta!” he called
the speed-spell. “Stone-Skin!” a dull amber glow made way for
a dull gray one, both fading out slowly. Shadow could feel his speed increasing, as well as
his innate defenses. And now he started countering with fire-balls, and Shadow
had no other choice but to start dodging.
“I once berated my dimensional twin for using
these things,” Sorcerer said in between his shots. “But now I will use them
myself. Talk about irony.” He pressed something on his arm, and implants
erupted on his body. The robe he wore disappeared, to be replaced by a shining
golden armor.
Shadow now found someone who was her superior in
speed, and her far superior in
strength. She had no choice but to completely fall back into the defensive, the
challenge of Sorcerer proving to be a far greater one than she had first
imagined. Okay, Shadow. This is it. What
do you do? She asked herself. I will
KILL him! She shouted in reply.
Shadow charged with the Futae no Kiwami technique,
hoping to at least get that armor off him. She didn’t even make it to the first
strike, let alone the second one, before being blasted backwards against the
wall. She bounced from the wall, into battou-jutsu stance, and immediately
charged with the Amakakeru Ryu no Hirameki. It had done some damage in the
beginning, and Shadow hoped that it would buy her some time to think over her
strategy. To her surprise, Sorcerer blocked. Faster then she would had assumed at first. Her sword broke, the top
piece embedding itself into the wall on her right. Shadow stared at the piece
of sword that was left on the hilt. She felt something snap inside of her. That was a present from Thor! Her mind
shouted. He just destroyed something
you’ve had for two-hundred fifty years! That is the only memory you still have
of Thor! You can not let him get away
with this.
Sorcerer had been ready to place a follow-up
strike, yet hadn’t done so. Shadow’s body was glowing in a strangely unfamiliar
rainbow-colored glow. Sorcerer stared
at the piece of blade in his wall. It seemed to break apart into atoms, which
regrouped on the hilt, forming a full blade once again. Shadow sheathed the
sword, and calmly placed it against the wall behind her. She turned to face
Sorcerer, face at pissed off, and
body glowing in all the colors of the rainbow, totally drowning out the red
glow of her 100% ki.
Sorcerer took a step back when a section of wall
disappeared from behind her, and a shudder went through his ship. In front of
Shadow, the samurai appeared.
Impossible!
No magic has that level of control! The only thing that comes close is the
Mental Alteration power… but there isn’t enough Mental Power in the entire
universe to have that level of speed and control!
Shadow’s Alter-Ability told her of a fact, and she
smiled evilly at Sorcerer.
“I have to thank you,” Shadow coldly commented. “I
used to create the Samurai into something I called ‘Alter Metal’, as heavy as
steel, but ten time stronger. But, it seems your ship uses a bio-metal that is
1000 times stronger than steel, yet weighs only half as much.”
“You’re welcome,” Sorcerer growled.
“Samurai. Destroy him,” Shadow ordered. Samurai merely dipped its
head, and charged. Sorcerer’s sword-arm blurred as it wielded Sorcerer’s sword with
deadly accuracy against Samurai’s charges. It didn’t take Sorcerer too long to
cut the Alter into ribbons.
Sorcerer smirked at Shadow. “That wasn’t too bad.
Got any more carnival tricks?”
Shadow growled. The pieces of Samurai exploded
into Alter energy, and a second piece disappeared from Sorcerer’s wall. The
Ninja stared at Sorcerer with a seriously cold look on its face.
“Just changing its shape won’t help,” Sorcerer
replied.
Second Stage Alter. I know you don’t stand much of a chance, Shadow thought to her Alter. But I need you to draw as much of his energy as you can.
The Ninja dipped his head, and Altered
two blades out of thin air. “Dual Strike!” Shadow
screamed. The Ninja moved, blurred, and disappeared. Sorcerer’s right hand was
barely fast enough to block the first strike. He never even saw the second
strike before it penetrated his body. Sorcerer snarled, and threw a fireball
into the Ninja’s face, blasting the Alter backwards. Sorcerer drew the sword
form his chest. “Fastera!”
Sorcerer snarled, boosting himself to the second stage speed spell. “Steel
Skin!” he added, boosting his defense rating as well.
“Ninja! Dance of Death!” Shadow shouted. Ninja dipped his head.
The sword that Sorcerer had thrown on the ground lifted, and materialized in
Ninja’s hand. The next moment, the Ninja-Alter grew two extra arms, also bearing swords.
Good thing I
learned to use my Alter since I got defeated by Jigmar, Shadow thought to herself. I hate losing. At that thought, Shadow crouched slightly, and
balled her fists. She could feel her anger raising her ki-level. Too bad my Alter and my Ki aren’t connected,
the raven-haired warrior thought to herself at the precise moment Ninja
disappeared in a swirling vortex of shining sword-steel.
Sorcerer blocked each and every strike, his
magically enhanced speed managing to keep Shadow’s second-stage Alter at bay.
Then, she could feel a chill go down her spine when Sorcerer laughed, turned
slightly, and started using his second sword.
Oh, shit… Shadow’s head seemed to explode and implode at the same
time, and a hollow scream left her lips when Sorcerer’s swords went through the
Ninja-Alter as a hot knife through butter. He sunk back on his throne, next to
the woman Shadow saw watching the whole fight.
“You were not bad, for a beginner,” Sorcerer said.
“Golem. Second level. Destroy
the bitch.”
Shadow gulped at the sight of a rock golem
appearing out of thin air. So THIS is the
true form of magic… Shadow thought as the thing suddenly lashed out at her
with an arm the size of a tree-trunk. She dodged under it, cupped her hands,
and howled, “KAMEHAMEHA!!” Throwing
the high-power ki-blast into the golem’s face did the job, and Shadow watched
it disintegrate into a million pieces.
Sorcerer sighed. “You’re way better than Vegeta,”
the man said. “Golem. First class.”
After that, he disinterestedly grabbed a bottle containing a blue liquid from a
compartment in his armrest, and slowly drank it.
What in the
Nine Hells is THAT!? Shadow’s mind
screamed at the sight of… a sentient flame? The flame lashed out at her, and
Shadow ducked under it. She could feel the heat searing her back, causing her
to grunt out in pain as she got up on shaky legs. The heat was intense, and
Shadow could feel her back start to blister. “Dammit,”
Shadow grunted. Now what? I doubt that
thing has vital points, and I don’t think I can do much of damage with physical
attacks. Maybe I can sue my Ki…
Shadow didn’t have time to finish her thought as
the Fire Golem ported right into her face, and grabbed her. Shadow could feel the heal penetrate her very being. Immediately, eh mind went
into ‘survival mode’. Closing her eyes and regulating her breathing, shadow
used the Yoga-techniques to focus on the Fire Golem. It’s not hot. It’s room temperature.
Shadow couldn’t feel pain in her present state of
mind. Unfortunately, it also meant she couldn’t fight. Her meditation changed. If it is the last thing I do, I must destroy
him. I do not care what happens to me. I am the Universal Savior. It is not
important what happens to me. All I want is to rid the universe of that evil…Something
gave inside of Shadow. I MUST have the
strength. I MUST use that strength! I am the Universal Savior! I will use every
last bit of my strength!
Sorcerer lifted an eyebrow when he saw the broken
Alter disappear from his floor. Suddenly, the Fire Golem was thrown backwards
as circles of white energy surrounded Shadow, who was standing perfectly still
in the exact middle. A golden-white aura permeated the air around her.
I do no longer
care about myself! Shadow’s mind screamed,
her eyes opening and looking ferociously at Sorcerer. All I know is that I will destroy him, and save her! Shadow’s mind
screamed, focusing on her rage towards Sorcerer and the protective feelings
towards the girl that was still on the floor.
Four more sections of wall disappeared, and
Sorcerer’s throne room now looked more like Swiss Cheese
than a room with solid walls. The energy coagulated on her, and Sorcerer’s jaw
dropped when he saw her body undergo a strange change. First thing he saw was
that her blood vessels seemed alight in Alter-energy, the multi-colored energy
lighting even through the skin. Those died out, and next Sorcerer saw the
warrior’s bone-structure lit up, before being replaced with the muscle-tissue.
Then, Shadow’s entire body lit up, and seemingly disintegrated for half a
second, before coagulating once more, covered from head to toe in a metallic
black armor that shone in the artificial lighting of the room.
Third stage
Alter…confirmed, Shadow’s mind simply
noted. Her head, covered in a special-looking helmet with black eye-patches,
lifted up towards Sorcerer. The warrior moved, leaving after-images of herself as she moved. Sorcerer, interestedly, rose form his
throne.
“This could be fun,” he said, charging her. Shadow
balled her right fist, and met his strike dead-on. To Shadow, it hardly felt
like pressure. She heard every bone in Sorcerer’s hand snap, causing him to
jump back, cradling his right arm.
He looked shocked at her. That’s not possible! That’s totally impossible! She’s not Phalanx, yet
she’s more of a match to me than anyone I’ve ever met!
“Okay, bitch,” Sorcerer snarled,
his fist healed. “This has gone too
far. Bio-Adamentium Skin! Fasteraga!” he called the last stages of defense and
speed. His body briefly covered in grays and reds before settling down. His
eyes glowed dangerously. “I will rip
you to pieces!” Sorcerer snarled, charging with his swords.
Shadow remained standing where she was. Idiot. I am faster and stronger than you. On
the outside of Shadow’s Altered arms, spikes grew
closely together. Her arms moved, leaving after-images, and caught Sorcerer’s swords in between two
spikes. She twisted her arms. The lever-action pulled the two swords from the
man’s grip. He shrunk back.
Okay. Cheating time. She’s grown to a whole new level. There’s no
way I can match her now. He raised his arm
towards the girl on the floor and, making sure that Shadow saw it, blasted a
fireball towards her.
Shadow reacted exactly the way he had hoped she
would: by diving right into the path of the fireball in an attempt to stop it.
While Shadow was busy doing that, Sorcerer balled his fists, and concentrated
on his magic. He could feel it explode inside of him. “Magic
Augmentation… level 2!” Sorcerer snarled, feeling the magical energies
explode around him. He could feel himself growing stronger than with
Bio-Adamentium skin and faster than with the third level Fasteraga spell. He
had matched Shadow’s new level… and surpassed it.
“You will die,” Shadow said dangerously as she
walked slowly towards Sorcerer, whose eyes went wide at the sight of the floor
rippling along her footsteps, as if the floor was made of liquid, and Shadow
was walking on said fluid. Her fists balled. Spikes grew along the wrist,
facing both outwards and bending over the hands and facing forward.
“You are mistaken,” Sorcerer replied coldly. “It
is you who shall die.” With those words, he disappeared, teleporting directly
in behind her, and grabbed her around the neck in a special-forces choke-hold.
Shadow held her breath, her hands clutching at his arms in an attempt to throw
him off. It was as if she were pulling at the
“Fuck!” Shadow shouted. That moment, Sorcerer
snarled, drew his fist, and charged her. Shadow did what came naturally, and
lifted her hand. Sorcerer hit a wall of Alter Energy. Lightning swept through
the room from the contact, digging deep burn-marks into the walls, ceiling, and
floor as they went. The woman on the throne next to Sorcerer’s dodged behind
said throne, peaking from behind it.
Shadow scowled, and pushed her second up to the
Alter Shield as she felt it give. Sorcerer’s magic-physical strength was
greater than her Third Stage Alter Ability could handle. She allowed the shield
to rest against her hands, so all her Alter Energy went into maintaining the
shield, rather than maintaining it and
keeping it in position.
She could feel her feet digging into the floor,
trying to stop her momentum backwards, yet failing. Shadow’s Alter Energy was
almost gone. She could feel the Shield slipping. Her ki swept up around her the
moment it failed, boosting Shadow’s Alter-physical strength as her hands locked
on to his. Standing there, each holding on to the other’s hands in a macho show
of strength, energies swept up around the two combatants as Alter and Ki met
Magic.
I can not lose!
Shadow’s mind snarled. It displayed an image of Sorcerer shooting at the girl. Superimposed over that was the sight of Hammer kidnapping Kanami.
Immediately after that, she thought of Jigmar, and her defeat at his hands.
Shadow’s scowl became deeper. “I will not
lose to you,” Shadow told the man who was facing her. Her ki exploded around
her, and only now did she succeed in keeping her rate of backwards motion down
to what it had been while her Alter-Shield had been in place.
Sorcerer didn’t say it, but now he was genuinely
impressed. But, he was growing tired of the game they were playing, and kicked
in his full strength. Shadow was ejected against the wall behind her. “Then
you’d better do a few more tricks,” Sorcerer said, and snarled. He started
throwing blast after blast after blast of fire in her direction, and Shadow had
to use every bit of her Alter-Speed to dodge them.
Suddenly, Sorcerer snapped into existence to her
side, and landed his knee in her stomach, causing her stomach to feel as if it
had been ejected out of her back. Shadow’s eyes went wide and her face
registered a mute shock and pain. His fist struck her cheek, breaking her
jawbone, knocking out a couple of teeth, and causing the warrior to sink to her
knees.
“I will not…lose!” Shadow snarled through her
broken jaw, her voice distorted due to the missing of couple of teeth. Her ki
exploded around her, and it violently swept up. I will take you to hell with me! Shadow’s mind snarled as she
locked her ferocious eyes onto him. Of course, he couldn’t really see her
expression, since most of it was hidden by the helmet. He could see, however, the grim set of her mouth, and the clenching of
her broken jaw at the place where her Alter-Armor had shattered under his
impact.
Shadow could feel her ki exploding. 7,000% normal. 8,000%. Nine thousand
percent. TEN
THOUSAND PERCENT. The moment it hit ten thousand, a dull rumble went
through Sorcerer’s ship, and a violent wind picked up in the room.
Shadow grunted, her helmet
disappeared. Sorcerer could see her
hair floating on the ki-winds, pulsating in color. From an
even black to a black with red streaks. As it pulsed, so did her eyes.
Her eyes pulsed from their normal ferocious green to a furious blood-red that sent
chills down Sorcerer’s spine. Finally, Shadow screamed. At that time, her ki
exploded a second time.
“What the…,” Sorcerer managed, involuntarily
taking a couple of steps back from the violent explosion that was taking place
in his throne room. When he looked back, Shadow was standing. On her feet. In a new armor.
This armor was a blood-reed in color, and featured
an open helmet, allowing the warrior’s upwards-pointed red-streaked black hair
to show through. Her mouth, too, was visible, but the rest of her head was
hidden. Sorcerer’s could see blood-red eyes beaming
through the black armored patched of eye-armor.
Still Third Stage. Just a new design, Shadow’s mind was informed through her Alter Ability.
“Kamehameha! Final Flash! Big Bang Attack!”
Shadow shouted, pointing her hands towards Sorcerer.
“Magic Augmentation! Level three!” Sorcerer shouted, closing his eyes, dropping
to one knee, and hiding his face under his arms. “Mana shield! 100%!
Bio-Adamentium Skin!” the ki blasts waved over him,
and Sorcerer could feel them burning away the floor around him, and the walls
behind him. The first blast waved over him, and it ripped away his shields. His
could feel the second one scorch every inch of his body, even through all of
the enhancements he had on him. He crossed his swords, caught the last blast,
and returned it to its sender.
Shadow merely deactivated the blast.
“You are indeed very strong. You’re the first that
forces me to this level. But… you’re out of strength,” Sorcerer said evilly as
he went to his legs.
Damn. He’s
right. Damned Direct Flow. Shadow grunted. “That is no matter. You will die!” Shadow
shouted at the man, and charged, her Alter-Armor growing a sword in her hands.
He blocked the first strike and struck back at her, forcing her to parry. She
blocked one strike, then a second, and a third… and then she felt her body give
out.
He jumped up, and delivered a devastating tornado
kick to her face. She was blasted to her legs, blood dripping from her mouth.
Then she felt his elbow strike at her neck, and a warm tingly feeling made its
way up her spine. She knew then that her neck was broken, and that she was
probably paralyzed. When Sorcerer’s boot hit her face, darkness drowned out her
last thoughts. I failed again…
Shadow opened her eyes. She felt…nothing. As she tried to look around, she
found that her body was placed in some sort of cast. An unknown woman appeared
in her view.
"You're on the Ortega," the woman said, as if that explained something. "I am Jennifer. Thank you for rescuing Vicky."
Vicky? The girl…
"Beans," Shadow croaked. The woman looked strangely at her.
"Excuse me?" She asked.
"Senzu beans. Hidden chest pocket, my clothing…" Shadow's voice was hoarse. The woman looked at something, and disappeared momentarily. She returned not long after, holding the small pouch.
Shadow nodded, and opened her mouth. The woman looked at Shadow, not knowing what to do, but decided to slip the woman a bean before she told her the gruesome fate: not even the best mental healers could repair the damage to her nervous system. She would remain paralyzed.
Shadow didn't munch on the senzu bean like she usually did, and swallowed it after barely three bites. The bean's effects washed over her. Instantly, she regained full control over her body, her energy restored to maximum. Her eyes, unfocused until now, got a hard look in them. Without a hint of problems, Shadow shattered the cast, and jumped out of the bed.
The woman looked at her as if she were a ghost. Shadow clenched her fists. "I lost," she grunted. "All my training has been in vain. Thank you for rescuing me," Shadow turned to the unknown woman. "But now I must return to my own world, and drive my training to the culmination of abilities. Guardian! Where are you?"
Nothing happened. Shadow sunk to her knees. "Guardian, don't leave me…"
Nothing.
The unknown woman placed a hand on Shadow's shoulder. "I am Jennifer," the woman said. "I think we can accommodate you for some time, at least, until our enemy destroys us. But thanks to you, we have a couple more hours to prepare for the onslaught."
"Do you have a gravity room?" Shadow asked.
"Gravity room?"
"A place where I can turn up the gravity."
"The holodeck," Jennifer responded.
"Thanks," Shadow answered. "Where is this Holodeck?"
"I'll show you there."
Jennifer soon found out that Shadow didn't talk much, and answered in precise sentences. When they arrived at the Holodeck, she expected Shadow to turn the gravity to two or three times normal. When she heard the woman ask for 800 gravities, Jennifer almost had a heart attack. Jennifer saw the young woman start to jump, run and do intense physical exercises in the enormous gravity. Jennifer couldn't believe it.
Shadow's ki burned as she did push-ups in now 900 times normal gravity. Every time she felt her body slipping, she ate a senzu, adapting her body to strains at a rate impossible to anyone else. Her ki flared up in humongous flames as Shadow called upon it. Then, she remembered something. She deactivated the immense gravity, and opened the door. No one there.
"Uhm… hello? Uhm…Linda, right? How is the girl named Vicky? The one I rescued?"
Vicky is in sickbay.
"Can you direct me there? I have something for her." Shadow clenched a senzu in her fist. It was one of her last. As Linda showed her to the sickbay, Shadow kept thinking of the fight. What had she done wrong? What had happened? And where did this tremendous burst of energy come from? She remembered Goku, Vegeta, and Trunks who could turn Super…
I turned Super. Super-human. I was told that Super only happened during immense rage, and only to special individuals. Well, I'm certainly special. And I need to train on Direct Flow. I need to master it, and soon. I may only have hours, if what Jennifer told me is true.
Sickbay, the computer dutifully informed Shadow.
"Thank you," Shadow said, and opened the door. She stepped inside, and walked up to the girl in the bed.
"Here, eat this," she told the barely conscious girl before a doctor rushed to her.
"What do you…" and he recognized her. "Dear God… you're the one that fought Sorcerer…"
Shadow dipped her head. Vicky was barely able to open her mouth. Shadow slipped the bean inside. As soon as Vicky swallowed it, the girl's eyes opened completely, and she sat upright in her bed.
There was a second girl sitting right next to the bed, a blonde girl, and she instantly rushed to the bed when she saw Vicky sit up straight.
"I am Vicky," the dark-haired girl answered. "This is Sarah. Thank you for helping me."
"No problem," Shadow said. "Now I need to train to defeat Sorcerer once and for all. I need to grow stronger, faster, I need more endurance. I need to reach my full potential." With those words, Shadow turned, and left the room.
Vicky jumped out of the bed, and the flabbergasted doctor barely had time to jump aside when Vicky, still in the hospital dress, and Sarah ran after Shadow.
As soon as the two girls reached the Holodeck, they immediately noticed that something was wrong. Well, not wrong actually, but strange.
"The gravity is set to 920 times normal," Vicky said.
"She's in there?"
"Linda, can you give us a visual?"
The control panel changed. Shadow was visible, using a halter with 10 kilograms worth of weights as a bo staff. At least, the weight would have been 10 kilograms in normal environments. In there, it weighed nine tons, and Shadow was using it as a bo staff, doing martial arts exercises.
But, on the inside, Shadow was feeling worse. Her sword had been broken during her ultimate technique. Her strongest techniques had been swept away as if they were flies. She had been useless. Weak. Shadow felt shame burn in her body. Ashamed. Dishonored.
"Linda, 1000 gravities," she cried, and increased her ki to compensate.
"Jeezes, she's going to kill herself. Won't you stop her?" Daphnix asked as the entire bridge watched Shadow in the Holodeck. Even though only hours remained until Armageddon, everyone looked at the young woman who was training in the Holodeck.
"How? This woman is using a ten-kilogram halter in a 1000G- environment. What would you suggest I do? Tickle her to death? You saw her against Sorcerer. She lasted longer than Fred. In fact, she outclassed him by orders of magnitude!"
"Maybe I can help," The Wise One said. He had a strange-looking woman with him. Then, Shadow appeared right next to the pair.
"Guardian," Shadow whispered. "You came."
"What is happening here?" Jennifer asked. "Wise One? Why are you here?"
"This is the Guardian of the Crossroads, and this is her charge, the Universal Savior, Shadow."
"The Guardian of the Crossroads? The woman who has Fred's soul?"
"I have no souls, Child. But I am guide to trillions of them, yes. If your husband withdrew from birth and rebirth, he is someplace in my realm. Don't worry; you will be reunited if your love is strong enough. But we are here for Shadow."
"Why did I lose, Guardian? I thought I was ready. I failed."
"There is a way for you to regain your past memories, which will probably unlock your full potential. You went through the entire path in 250 years, 6 months real time."
Shadow's gears clicked. "Temporal acceleration," she said. "I have been on the path for only 6 months. And the worlds I visited?"
"Their time-line accelerated when you were there, and slowed to normal once you left. It was done because 250 years is too long to train a Savior. Six months is the fastest we can manage without actually ripping time-lines to shreds."
"I understand. What is this way to regain memories?"
"We must warn you," the Wise One said.
"Who are you?" Shadow asked.
"I am the one who makes sure that the decrees of the Gods of the Universe are carried out."
"You are the being known as the Wise One," Shadow said. "You are part of the Gods of the living. Why are the Gods of the living and the guide of the dead united at last?"
"Because it is needed for this procedure. We must warn you, it has a 90% mortality rate."
"There is only 10% chance it will work?" Shadow asked, her eyes wide. When the two beings nodded, Shadow closed her eyes.
"It is needed," she said. "I will join. Jennifer, thank you for your hospitality."
With that, the God, the Guardian, and the Savior disappeared.
"I guess it's back to the war, then," Jennifer muttered.
"I hope that getting her to her full potential at 500 times normal will be fast enough," Daphnix muttered.
"There is still a chance, D. Every hour in our time-line is 500 hours for Shadow. That's almost two weeks."
"Yes." Daphnix's eyes started shining as hope filled his heart.
Shadow was strapped to a table, her entire body secured.
"You are the culmination of training," the Guardian told her. "Now accept the memories of your past life, or lives, learn from them, and may they make you stronger."
Shadow nodded in thanks, and opened her mouth to accept the ball gag. Shadow knew that it would hurt. The Wise One filled her vision, smiled encouragingly, and sat down at her head. Shadow could feel him placing his hands on either side of her head. The Guardian sat down at Shadow's feet.
"The Wise One will give you your memories. I will be here to help you through them," the Guardian said. "But I am not omnipotent. Only if the mind is of an extraordinary strength does the body survive. We have higher hopes for you, the Savior, since you finished the path."
Shadow closed here eyes, and nodded to the Wise One that she was ready. She opened her eyes, and looked up at his face. His hands started glowing. The last sensation she felt in her mortal body, as the next moment, her mind was bombarded with images. Painful images, pleasurable images, image upon image upon image. Shadow felt like she was being torn to shreds. Her sanity was overwhelmed by her experience.
Unknown to her, she had just bitten through the gag, and was screaming loudly. Her body trashed against the Divine Steel bonds. This was the same metal that the Swords of the Phalanx were made of, and it was supposed to be unbreakable. When Shadow ripped her right foot free, a second God created three more bonds on each arm and leg. In this case, the back up was useful, for the first time since this ritual was done.
"That's it," the Wise One said. Shadow was still breathing. Her breath returned to a normal pattern almost immediately. Her eyes fluttered open, and the God made the bonds disappear. Shadow sat up straight, and looked around. Not saying anything, she got up from the table.
"Sorcerer!" she shouted. The three other beings, two Gods and a Guardian, back away. "Sorcerer! Meet your DEATH!" Shadow shouted.
"Shadow…" the Guardian ventured. Shadow's head whipped around, a grin spread across her handsome face. Only this time, the handsome face was distorted by hate, rage, a passion without boundaries.
"Thank you all for your assistance," Shadow said. "I remember now. Until we meet. In Sorcerer's throne room. Dimension Door!" Shadow shouted. She disappeared.
"She can use the Dimension Door?" the Guardian muttered.
"It takes three class-one wizards to have enough mana to do so," the Wise One answered. "There have never been three contemporary wizards strong enough, to cast the spell. Unless she found a way to draw magic directly from around her."
"Now that would be a neat trick," the second God said.
"We're ready to engage the gate, My Lord," Arlon
reported.
"How are the clashes on the other side being handled?"
"It appears to be even, My Lord," Baral reported.
"Sorcerer!" a voice boomed through the throne room. "Call off those ships. In the name of the human race, I challenge thee!"
Sorcerer perked up. "Baral, do it. I have a good feeling about this one."
"Yes, My Lord."
A hooded figure appeared out of thin air. He was surrounded by poisonous green ki-flames.
Jennifer couldn't believe her eyes. The enemy ships had disengaged, and returned to defensive positions? And now it all made sense. A new challenger had stepped forward. Something deep inside her made her feel uncomfortable at seeing the hooded figure.
"I will finish it, Sorcerer," the figure said. Sorcerer, having just completed a mana charging the way he liked them, was in tip-top shape. The hooded figure threw back the hood, and dropped the cloak. Sorcerer felt faint.
Jennifer didn't feel faint. She fainted. Daphnix looked on with tears in his eyes, just like the entire ESMF, who all had a great interest in seeing Sorcerer's fights.
"I, Phalanx Frederic Fromthefield of the Human, Oech-anya and Ketari races, commander of the ESMF, Master Slayer, Jedi Knight, personal champion to the Gods of the Universe, Universal Savior, inheritor of Hiten Mitsurugi, S-Class Alter User, and conqueror of the internal Force, will defeat you."
"That's quite a list. Care to put your action where your mouth is?" Sorcerer sneered. The next moment, he was on his back. Frederic was standing on Sorcerer's old location, his fist extended. The green ki flames had died out once more.
Sorcerer cast a fireball. Frederic swept it aside. Sorcerer cast a level-three fireball. Frederic extended his hand, allowing it to come. When it was about to hit, he channeled his ki, which he had discovered was the Force generated by his own body, directly into it. The red fireball turned bright white while it upgraded from a level-three to a level-six. With a small grunt, Frederic turned it around. Sorcerer slammed a mana shield in its place.
“Mana Shield! 100%!” Sorcerer shouted. “Bio-Adamentium
Skin and Fastaraga!” the two boosting spells laid down on top of Sorcerer’s
body.
“So, you want to play,” Frederic said coldly. “Fine. We’ll play.” He drew his two Swords of the Phalanx. “Katana
mode,” he told the two swords, who changed their
traditional straight Western design to the curved Japanese design, allowing for
added speed. Immediately, Frederic charged with the Hiten Mitsurugi style.
“You’ve grown better,” Sorcerer commented. “But, it’s
still no use.” He pressed a button on the small device attached to his wrist,
and laughed evilly as the nanites boosted his body, covering it in implants. He
composed a new mana shield, as well as a Force-Mental one. “But… I am still
your superior!”
Frederic sheathed his sword. He knew none of his techniques
would make as much as a dent. There were two things, though… the Alter, and the
Ki. Ki. The Internal Force, generated by one’s own
body. Direct Flow, the elusive technique, was nothing more than the contacting
of the External Force, and drawing it in to recharge your reserves.
Frederic balled his fists. His body covered itself
in the rainbow-glowing effects of the Alter, and Sorcerer scowled when half of
his newly-grown wall disappeared. As he Altered, Frederic’s body changed forms
as well… at the same time, Frederic’s body grew the Alter Armor, changed into a
smaller, more feminine form, and was covered in blood-red ki-flames.
Super Alter Shadow snarled at Sorcerer. “This
time, we are even. This time, I am Immortal, and I possess the same reserves
you do, and it comes down to nothing but training!”
Sorcerer growled. “Magic
Augmentation! Level 3!” he shouted, immediately feeling himself boosting
to the next stages. Last time, this form defeated her. That she was Frederic, was of no consequences to Sorcerer. He knew that
he had defeated her last time, and he would do the same this time. He charged
her. Shadow’s body darted out of the way, and Sorcerer was left to punch holes
through her after-images. Sorcerer could feel
the floor rippling beneath him as Shadow moved. Every time she touched it, it
was as if the floor was nothing but sheer liquid.
Sorcerer growled again, and started throwing
fireballs at his opponent, who simply swept them aside with her bare hands.
“Give it up, Sorcerer! You are nothing compared to
me!” Shadow shouted. “I am the Universal savior! The ultimate embodiment of the
human species! I was trained savagely for two hundred and fifty years, and it
was enough to force you to your next stages! And now… now I am at full power! NOW I will defeat you!”
Sorcerer snarled, crouched, and balled his hands.
He closed his eyes. “Magic Augmentation! Level FOUR!”
he shouted, and Shadow could feel his
strength and speed increasing once again. She could feel his power level
reverberate to the depths of her soul.
What? MORE? I thought he was at full power! This is impossible!
This is NOT possible! Shadow’s mind
screamed as she charged him. It’s a
trick! Her mind insisted as she lashed out with her Altered
fist, balled strongly and with all spikes fully extended. The fist looked like
a meat-mincer. Sorcerer ducked under it, not even pretending to find it difficult.
Shadow jumped backwards, and landed. Force is Ki, and Ki is Force… and Force
reacts strongly to telekinetic powers! “Telekinetically enhanced… KAMEHAMEHA!” Shadow howled,
shooting the bright white orb of energy towards Sorcerer, who still remembered
the last time Shadow had started throwing balls like that. His walls had only
now healed.
He balled his fists, and lifted all his shields to
their full strength. The bolt ripped through shields and armor, and caused a
lot of damage. Sorcerer merely got to his legs, feeling his fourth level
augmentation boost his healing to ‘virtually instantaneous’.
Sorcerer took a breath, and turned physical.
Shadow, having felt his power level strike home into the depths of her soul,
only now understood what it meant as
his speed an strength were literally beyond her. Her attacks were likely flies,
there to be swatted away, and her defenses were crumbling fast, pushing her
Alter Armor to its limits and beyond. She could feel portion of it starting to
crack and break off, and her Alter Ability screamed in pain as it happened.
I have to do
this! Shadow’s mind screamed. I no longer care! He HAS to die! For
everything he did, for all the deaths he caused, and for all the pain he
spawned! Shadow felt an odd tremor going through her mind at that. He killed ME! Her mind snarled, and
Shadow forced herself deeper, harder, faster… again and again, her attacks meant
nothing, and again and again she could feel her Alter slipping. She didn’t dare
think what would happen if her Alter Energy ran out… she would lose the Third
Stage Alter!
Suddenly, Sorcerer’s hand lashed out, delivering a
tremendous punch to her stomach. To Shadow, it felt as if she had been hit with
a steam train. She coughed, and sunk to her knees. She started to push herself
up again when she felt Sorcerer’s elbow hit her in the neck, at the exact same
spot as before. Only, this time she was Immortal. This time… she wouldn’t fail.
“I will NOT
fail!” Shadow snarled as she forced herself to her hand and feet. “I … can’t…LOSE!!”
she screamed. Sorcerer shrunk back, first at the venom in her voice, and then
at the transformation the woman underwent. Her blood-reed ki aura and her
blood-red eyes turned a dark and vicious shade of purple, and Sorcerer saw a streak
of the same color add itself to her black-red hair. Shadow’s Alter-Armor turned
the same shade of purple, and immediately, she was up on her feet.
And showed Sorcerer every corner
of his own throne room. His Jennifer
was sitting on her throne, frozen in sheer terror. Shadow ignored the woman.
Shadow’s purple eyes stared at Sorcerer through
the black patches of her helmet. “I will rip you to pieces, Sorcerer,” Super 2
Alter Shadow promised.
“Bio-Adamentium Skin! Fastaraga!” Sorcerer snarled,
forcing himself higher still. He knew he was at the extreme limits his body could
endure. Doing more might kill him.
“You once told my counterpart that you expected
the war Song. I hope this makes your day,” Shadow said coldly. Her voice rose
up, beautiful and eerily deadly as it rose to the stars. Sorcerer felt a chill
go down his spine. He had seen death, and carnage, but never before had he
witnessed death like her. The sight
of her, standing there in full metallic-purple body armor of unknown design,
with a bright purple dancing aura around her, singing a song of sheer death,
burned itself deep within Sorcerer’s soul.
When he saw her lips move out of synchronicity
with the song that sounded, Sorcerer knew he was in trouble. Deep trouble, and he knew it. As the song continued to sound,
Shadow lifted from the floor, which rippled beneath her.
“Kamehameha! Final Flash! Big Bang Attack! Masenko!”
Shadow shouted over the intoning song that was still filling the air of the
throne room. “Telekinetically enhanced!” Shadow then
shouted, and the ball seemed to turn an ethereal white in color. It already had
been bright white, but now it seemed like a kind of white that only the depths
of hell could procreate.
When Sorcerer saw the ball race towards him, he
did the only smart thing he could do: he dodged to his throne, grabbed his
Jennifer, and pressed the gate controls on his arm.
Outside, the dimensional gate activated, but it turned unstable soon after. It exploded, but not before Jennifer and Sorcerer had disappeared. The Super Bolt attack exploded, blowing an enormous chunk out of the warship.
Warning! She heard the computer say. Timeline instability due to the absence of our benevolent leader. Full time-line will collapse I in under five minutes.
Sorcerer's continuous attempts to stabilize the timeline had made it completely dependant upon his presence. Without it, the timeline collapsed almost immediately.
"Five minutes," Super 2 Alter Shadow muttered. She calmly walked to the wall, took the sword she had left on her first attempt, and calmly walked back to where she had been. "Dimension Door!" she then shouted, drawing in external force to power her internal Force, her ki, which in turn fueled her mana.
Super 2 Alter Shadow appeared on the
"Hello everyone," Frederic said, rather unsure of himself. Everyone started laughing and cheering, and the entire bridge crew ran towards Frederic. When Frederic got his arms around Daphnix, both cried, words unable to express their feelings.
"Sorcerer's ships are self-destructing! His universe collapsed, and without their guidance, the ships self-destructed!" the science officer shouted. Everyone cheered even louder.
Frederic's keen ears picked up the high-pitched whine of a transporter. The blue beams spit out two small forms.
"I told you that we would be going too fast!" the female child said to the male one as they got up from the floor where they had been dropped.
"David…Jessica?" Frederic's voice broke. They ran towards him, their conversation forgotten.
"Dad!" "Daddy!"
"My precious ones…" Frederic fell on his knees, holding his two children in his arms, tears flowing across his cheeks. "My children…"
Everyone cried as Frederic was reunited with his children. He held on to them, and they held on to him, crying as well. The only one still looking rather dazed was Jennifer. When she finally got up, and started walking towards the touching scene on the floor, everyone cleared a pathway for her.
"Jenny…" Frederic muttered, slowly getting up, taking his children up on his arms. Both rested their head on Frederic's shoulder, David on the right one, and Jessie on the left one.
Her face stood impassive. "This time, it's OVER!" she shouted. "No more pain, anguish, guilt, or being worried!" she hit him in the stomach, because slapping his face would have come too close to the children. Of course, hitting someone who did thousands of sit-ups in hundreds of gravities tended to have the same effect as trying to hit a brick will. Frederic barely felt it, and Jennifer kept her face impassive as her hand healed itself, out of sight of everyone. She turned around, and strode out of the room.
Everyone was deadly quiet as Frederic just stared at the doors. David and Jessica looked just as shocked as everyone. They had thought that their mother would be the first one to greet Frederic back…
"Jennifer," Frederic whispered.
"Dad? What happened?" David asked.
"I don't know, honey. But I have to go talk to her…" Frederic bent down, and put his two children on the floor. Both nodded.
"Please make it alright, Daddy," Jessica said. With a speed everyone knew was impossible, Frederic flashed off the bridge. When a green glow of ki surrounded his body before it was cut off from view, they knew that what they had seen on the screen was, indeed, Frederic's next stage. Whatever had happened in those six months, it had been massive.
Jennifer was running along the corridor to her… their quarters.
Great. I haven't been there in months, and now I run there like a crying schoolgirl.
"Jenny!"
No! I can't talk to him!
"Linda, emergency transport. Beam me to the Daedalus V."
Jennifer disappeared in the transporter beam.
Frederic screeched to a halt. He closed his eyes, and locked onto Jennifer's ki. He teleported, even though the Daedalus V was already flying at near-light speeds.
"Jennifer…" he asked.
"Get off!" she shouted. "I don't want to see you again! And don't give me that look! I can't take it anymore! All the pain, all the worry about you! I just can't take it anymore!"
"You think that I like dying? You think I loved spending 250 years as a 20-year-old woman, going from one battleground to another, always in training, always shaping, growing better, stronger, faster? Is that what you think? For you 6 months passed. For me, 250 YEARS have passed. I have had many friends, and I had to leave them all. Always thinking that they were already dead, but that I was still alive. Cursed in an immortal body without immortal friends. I was truly alone, Jennifer. I knew nothing about who I was, or what I had been. I was the Shadow, nothing but a shadow of my former self. But in this case, the Shadow surpassed the original. And when the original and the Shadow finally merged, they became the next incarnation."
"You, you, you. It's always about you. You're the Phalanx. You're the commander of the ESMF. You're the personal champion to the Gods of the Universe. What about me? Who am I? Just the sidekick? The wife? The mother of the children? Is that it? I am an Amazon, and that's it. All the rest was given to me by you."
"I never knew you thought that way…" Frederic fell onto a chair. "We were linked for years, and never once did I suspect you felt that way. Jenny…I'm sorry…I never wanted you to feel this way. I would do anything for you…"
"Yeah, that was never the problem. But those last months have taught me a couple of lessons. You can die at any moment, and that realization scares me. I never want to feel that kind of pain again. So, if you're dead to me, I will never have to deal with it again. Now, please, leave."
Frederic stared at her with tears in his eyes. He closed his eyes, focused on Daphnix's ki, and teleported.
On the bridge, everyone was staring at him. The look on his face spoke volumes.
"I'm sorry…I…need some time alone." He walked off the bridge, and to his quarters. When David and Jessie joined him, he didn't mind. Those children were the only ones he could tolerate at the moment.
Jennifer walked up to the temple at
"We have been expecting you," The Wise One appeared directly in the center of the temple.
"I want a divorce!" she screamed. "I don't want to be linked to someone who can die at any moment! And why didn't you tell me where Fred was?"
"We didn't know that Shadow was Fred. And as for a divorce…wouldn't you think about it for some more? Right now, you're rather emotional…Don't make any decisions you'll regret later."
Jennifer wanted to strangle the God. She was back to her former strength, a level 13. Her emotional inhibitors kicked in, and she took a few deep breaths to calm herself. Only then did she realize that her decision was entirely based on an emotional outburst. She knew that she still loved Frederic…
"Fred's coming. Unless you want to talk with him, I suggest you leave," the God told her. Jennifer nodded, and activated a cloaking probe BorgFred had given her.
The temple crumbled, and Frederic found its normal ruins. It resurrected, again, as Frederic entered. He shouted something. His voice was cold as stone, his face an impassive mask.
A big slab of stone appeared in the center of the temple. Jennifer saw Frederic raise his two Swords, tip down. A reference hit her… Arthur once drew Excalibur form a stone. Could it be…
"NO!" she saw the Wise One appear, just
in time to witness the tips of the Sword drive deep into the slab.
"What is he going to do with the necklace?" she asked herself.
"Dagger mode," he told the Necklace. It morphed. Jennifer's mouth fell open. The dagger was planted right next to the two large weapons.
"Young Phalanx, what have you done?" the Wise One ran up to Frederic.
"I am giving up that which has stolen my wife from me," he said. "Futae No Kiwami!" he shouted. The double-hit technique shattered the two Swords and the dagger. He screamed loudly as swirling green energies surrounded the slab, and his body. He screamed in agony as his very essence was ripped from his body, reverting him back to what he had been: Frederic Fromthefield, nothing more, nothing less. But, there was one difference, though: he had trained for 250 years as a normal, a normal named Shadow. He now was Shadow's level, plain and simple.
All adaptations being the Phalanx had done to him were ripped away. He had lost the external Force, and the use of magic as it was taught to him by Freda. Everything he had learned while being Phalanx was gone. All he had now were some genetically induced powers, put back to inactive status, and the training Shadow had undergone.
Frederic got up from his knees, and looked around
as the temple crumbled. As the last of his powers left him, he saw the God grow
transparent. Only a Divine Being, and his selected friends, could see the Gods.
He was no longer a Divine Being. Frederic slowly got up, and walked out of the
ruins at
"No! Fred!" what did you do?" Jennifer deactivated the cloaking probe. He was…human now. She could feel that his mind no longer possessed any mental abilities. His side of the link had been closed, because it no longer had mental abilities to lock onto.
"I gave up everything," Frederic said. "If it only hurts you, there is no reason for me to continue."
"Fred, my love," she fell into his arms. "You're an idiot. But at least you're my idiot."
Frederic smiled through his tears as he kissed his wife. "My love…" he whispered.
"Now, go reclaim your powers," she said.
Frederic shook his head. "I broke them. The powers are gone. Only the Destroyers can make me the Phalanx again now."
She slapped him. "That's for being so stupid!" she said. Then, she kissed him. "That's for caring so much for me."
"You're my everything, Jennifer. You and the kids… and they've grown, haven't they? It was they who suggested analyzing the situation, and removing that which was the cause of our marriage to break up. You said it was that you couldn't live with the possibility of me dying all the time. And I was doing that because I was the Phalanx, and a Master Slayer. So, I gave up being the Phalanx. Since I was never trained, my Master Slayer abilities came solely from the Phalanx."
"You've literally given up everything for
"Everything but that which is now apart of me."
"What is that?" she asked.
"Shadow," Frederic said.
"So you can still fight as a Master Slayer," she concluded. Frederic shook his head.
"Shadow's magic training was very limited. Banishing warlocks and demons is nothing when faced by a horde of vampires. And without the external Force to fuel the internal Force, her power will be drained very quickly. But the Alter still makes up for a lot."
"BorgFred still has access to Avalon. Maybe if you forged the Swords again?"
Frederic shook his head. "The Swords and the Necklace are made from Divine Steel. It's impossible for any creature to forge that metal. Only a god can do that. And besides, I'm mortal now. I can no longer see the Gods."
"And the Force?" Jennifer asked.
Frederic shook his head. "I was trained in it while being Phalanx. Being the Phalanx gave me the ability to learn the Force. I changed you and Daphnix so you could learn it as well, but my abilities came solely form the Phalanx. Without it, I can't use the Force, or magic, or anything that was taught to me while I was Phalanx."
"Damn," Jennifer muttered. "Oh, well. Linda, beam us to the Daedalus V."
The two people disappeared. Unknown to them, the Wise One listened to their conversation.
"He's right," the God muttered. "But he underestimates us." The God disappeared after muttering those last words.
"So, what happened after Shadow left the Ortega?" Jennifer asked. Frederic had told her about Shadow, and everything she had done on her Savior path.
"Her…my memories were returned to her. But, at first, she didn't know what they were. All she knew was that she had to go somewhere. She did. She went back to the Afterlife, using my authority as the Phalanx to get in, and subconsciously using the external Force to power the Dimension Door spell. She visited a path known as the Path of the dead Phalanxes. There, her memories of me, or better, my memories of me were restored completely thanks to the help of the other Phalanxes, those that had died after defeating their dark Ones.
“One of them taught me how to use the different modes of the Phalanx weapons. Imagine my surprise when I knew that the Necklace was a weapon as well. It was also there that I meditated for the first time since regaining my memories. It was then that I learned the truth on a lot of things.
“I learned that what is called the 'ki' is, in fact, the Force generated by one's own body. The Direct Flow technique was easy to figure out after that. It wasn't more than just tapping into the external Force, and drawing it in to recharge the internal Force. But what kept my thoughts busy the most was why my spirit was female. "
"I was thinking about the same thing," Jennifer said, still resting her head on her husband's abdomen. He had relaxed his abdominal muscles enough so it didn't feel like a brick wall to her.
"I talked to many Phalanxes while there. Most were never up to my level, but some were, and those could help me. Supply me with information. When I asked them why my spirit was female, they say it was an unconscious decision, a deeper knowledge that caused my spirit to assume female form. A theory was that one of my past lives was an Amazon, and that the dominant personality of that warrior assumed command.
“Another question was why I remembered nothing. That answer was simple and straightforward, for a change. Super-strong beings, like myself, have very strong minds. When the body dies, the mind refuses to let go. The mind exhausts itself completely trying to keep the body going, so it has nothing left when it crosses over, and looses loses everything that make the spirit, the spirit. It reverts to instincts, which is possibly why it chose the female form of the Amazon Warrior."
"I see… you as an Amazon," Jennifer smiled up at him.
"Hey, I make a pretty good woman. After 250 years, I have more experience than you do," Frederic smiled back, planting a kiss on the tip of his wife's nose.
Daphnix had felt his newfound strength leave him. Again. When he contacted the Daedalus V, he got his answer: Frederic had surrendered all his Phalanx authority and power to regain Jennifer. Daphnix cursed Frederic for a moment, but decided to focus on his job first.
"Well, at least it's mission accomplished," Daphnix said as he watched all the ships of the ESMF returning to Earth001, Earth003, or Earth503, depending on their origins, to prepare to disembark all their personnel. There would be a huge get-together in the near future, but for the moment, everyone just wanted to get home, to rest, to relax, to be with the family.
"But I do wonder where Sorcerer ran off to," he muttered, and began the scan for Sorcerer's dimensional marker. Since he was the only living create to ever make it from the universe, it shouldn't be so hard to find. Or so he thought.
"It worked," Vicky told her partner. "Our plan has given us full clearance. I'm just glad that we got Borlan to cooperate."
"Borlan thinks like us. The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few. We are soldiers of the ESMF, thus it is our duty to fight to defend it. To the death," Sarah responded.
Vicky just nodded. "I just wonder what will happen now. I am going to ask Admiral Smith for permission to remain on board. The job of fighting vampires seems interesting to do. For a while."
"I agree. I will accompany you," Sarah said. Together, the two girl set out a dead-run, blasted through the near-empty hallways, and disappeared in a turbolift cart, taking them to the bridge.
When they got there, Daphnix was still looking at his tactical screen, watching the disembarking of the ESMF.
"Sir," Vicky and Sarah said, snapping a salute.
"After six months, you should know that we don't salute here," Daphnix said. "What is the problem?" he asked.
"Lieutenant Sarah and I would like to officially request a permanent posting on board the Ortega, sir."
"You know what we do when the ESMF is on stand-by, do you?" Daphnix asked.
"Yes, sir. According to the Battle-Oriented Logical Analyzer, your objectives are the protection of Humanity against the darkness, with darkness defined as vampires, demons, and black mages. Sir."
"Good. And you and Sarah wish to be a part of this, correct?"
"Yes, sir."
"I will talk to the Phalanx once he is available. Until such a time, you are put on active stand-by, with a posting to the Ortega. Return to your quarters, and await further transmissions."
Vicky and Sarah snapped a salute, said "Yes, sir!", and marched out of the room.
"We're definitely going to have our work cut out for us with those two," Daphnix muttered.
Sorcerer looked at his Jennifer. She seemed to be in some state of shock. He held her tight, rocking her gently.
"Everything will be alright," he promised. "We'll regain everything, you'll see. Hey, look at that…"
Jennifer's glazed eyes followed to five girls, fighting something that appeared to be a low-class demon. The five girls were dressed in short skirts, with sailor outfits.
Jennifer's eyes became focused as she sat upright.
"Are you alright?" Sorcerer asked.
"Don't those girls get cold fighting like that? What kind of outfit is that anyway? Their skirts barely reach halfway to their knees!"
"Sailor outfits," Sorcerer said.
"In
"And how would you know this?"
When Sorcerer averted his gaze, Jennifer just nodded. "U-huh. One of those games you used to play with your harem, right? Well, without a harem, you won't play them anymore. What happened anyway?"
"He was better," Sorcerer grunted. "I need to train. And I need to gain the fifth level without blowing up my body."
"I think you'd better hop to it, then. We have nothing at the moment, and I don't like it."
"Well, maybe we could have ourselves a deal with those who created that thing. It seems to be fairly low in level. I could give them a few pointers."
Jennifer just nodded.
David and Jessie sat in their quarters. Their quarters. It had a
special ring to it. For the first time since this all started, they were home
again. Seeing their mother and father enter their own quarters, together, had
erased the last traces of doubt from the twin's minds. Everything would be all
right. And when the highest-level security lock engaged, the twins just smiled.
Little did they know what was really going on. Frederic and Jennifer were in bed, yes, but they weren't doing what the twins thought they were doing. Their minds had joined, erasing the last barriers the two people had constructed during their separation. Walls were broken, resentments demolished, their love was rekindled.
"You know, now I'm the strong one in the relationship," Jennifer said to Frederic after they had broken the link.
"In what field, Love? Even in my present form, I held out against Sorcerer pretty well," Frederic answered.
"Yes, but I have mental abilities," she retorted. "I can reprogram you to whatever I want… now there's a thought."
"Hey!" He shoved her playfully. She laughed. Then, they turned serious once more as they gazed into each other's eyes.
"Any regrets about your powers?" Jennifer asked. Frederic shook his head.
"For you, my love, I would give up anything. You and the kids are the most important things in my life…everything that happened, everything that I went through, you have always been my anchor, my strong point. When things get hard, I hang on to the thought of you."
She snuggled closer to him. "And now I had you remove your powers," she said.
"You never told me to do it, Love. I gave them up on my own violation, for you."
"You never asked what I was doing there," she said.
"I thought you'd tell me when you were ready," Frederic answered.
"I was talking to the Wise One," she said, closing her eyes. Her face turned to grief. "Please don't be angry."
"Why should I?"
"Because I was asking for…for a divorce."
Frederic stiffened. She could feel it. She felt his body start shaking.
"And what did he say?"
"To think about it, that I was making an irrational decision. I was just about to leave, when you arrived. I cloaked, and watched. I never thought you'd…you'd actually go so far. For me. It was then that I realized how badly I had treated you…and that I still love you. I wish there was some way I could undo what was done," she cried herself. Frederic held her in his arm.
"I have no regrets, love. Please, you shouldn't feel them either. Know that I did what I did out of love for you. Just know that I can never be happy without you, and that as long as we are together, I will never doubt that I made the right decision this afternoon at the temple."
"I know," Jennifer sobbed. "But you gave up…so much. Just because I wanted to bitch. I don't deserve someone like you."
"Jenny, Love, I love you. Nothing can change that. Please, stop crying." He held her as Jennifer cried, releasing all emotions that the last six months had instilled in her. All the pain and anguish she had repressed during the war now came boiling to the surface, and Jennifer allowed them to come, secure in the knowledge that she was safe. Safe in the arms of her husband.
Only after Jennifer had regained control, and both man and wife were sitting in the living room of their quarters, staring out over the stars, did the Wise One appear.
"Wise One," Jennifer said.
"Where?" Frederic asked, suddenly sitting upright. His head went from left to right.
"What do you mean, where? Right there," she said, pointing the Wise One's location.
"I can't see him," Frederic said, closing his eyes. "I have lost my Divinity."
"But then, why can I still see you?" she asked the being.
"Because you are still blessed, Jennifer. Remember? Anytime you need tot talk, I will be at the temple?"
Jennifer nodded.
"Good. Now, Frederic, see me," the God said.
"I heard that," Frederic whispered, looking up, and seeing the God for the first time. "I can see you!"
"Yes," the God said. "I blessed you."
"I…I don't understand. Why are you here?"
"To make you an offer."
"What kind of offer?" Jennifer asked.
"You were right about many things, Frederic. But you thoroughly underestimated the power of the Gods. We give out the power to fight the darkness, remember? Most of the Phalanx's power comes from the Gods of the Universe."
"What are you saying?" Frederic asked. "You want to restore my powers? I don't want them. Last time, they almost cost me one of the few things that matter to me."
"Fred, Love, Honey, please. I want you to have them…please," Jennifer took his hand. When he looked into her eyes, he saw that she was sincere. Frederic closed his eyes.
"This will be a gift to the both of you. We want to empower you both."
"Meaning?" Jennifer asked. "We'll both be Phalanxes?"
The god shook his head. "The rules stipulate that only one being can be the Phalanx in a single universe of a single race. What we propose is the following: Frederic will become the Phalanx of his three races once again. If something were to happen, his powers and his authorities will automatically transfer to you, Jennifer, without the need to go through a transfer ritual."
"I would never be alone again," Jennifer whispered to herself. "If something happened, Fred would be a part of me…"
Frederic didn't know what to say, letting his wife make her own decision. He didn't want his powers back. Not if it meant giving up his wife.
"Does this mean that something will happen to Fred in the future?" Jennifer suddenly asked. "Have you foreseen something?"
"We are Gods, but we are not omniscient. This is merely an insurance, if you will. We saw how much you hurt, but there was nothing we could do. Without Fred, we had no base on which to etch your powers. This is like taking out insurance for your car, not knowing you'll ever need it."
"This isn't a car we're taking about. This is my husband," Jennifer grunted at the God.
"Jenny…are you the one that told me to be nicer to the Gods after I gave you the Dragon's Blade?"
Jennifer stared at the ground, embarrassed. "I'm sorry… I'm just touchy today."
The God held up his hand. "It's alright. Now, about my offer?"
"What do you say, Love? Want to go back to being my sidekick?" he shot her a grin.
"Anytime, Love," she said, taking his arm.
"Then take my hands. This is not an easy ritual, and it includes all six Gods," the Wise One said.
The next moment, the Wise One, Frederic, and Jennifer, appeared in a circular room. It was not exactly dark, but it wasn't well lit either. Instead, a dark amber light provided the only illumination.
"This is the room we use to empower the Phalanx to fight his or her Dark One. Now, it will be used to empower you."
Frederic gazed lovingly in Jennifer's eyes, and she looked back. A small smile decorated her lips.
"We're ready," Frederic said, holding on to Jennifer's hand.
"Then go to the center of the circle, kneel, and take each other's hands," the Wise One said.
Frederic and Jennifer did what they were told. They knelt down, and Frederic took his wife's hands in his own. The six Gods formed a circle around the pair.
All the Gods stretched their hands out to the pair, and every God started glowing in his or her, own light. Blue, yellow, red, brown, purple, and finally, white. The colors seamed to take substance as they blasted to the pair, forming a sphere over them.
They felt nothing, at first. What they thought would be an intense happening felt, in fact, like Frederic had when he first returned. Their powers increased. Well, Jennifer's increased, anyway. Frederic's were created from scratch, but still, all he felt was growing stronger.
When the God disengaged, the pair got up.
"That's it?" Frederic asked, rather dubiously.
"No," the Wise One said. "Reclaim your weapons," he wove his hand, and the slab Frederic had driven his weapons into appeared. Two swords and a dagger greeted him with a green flash. Frederic put his hands on the two Swords. The green glow surrounded his body as he pulled. The weapons gave as if they had been sheathed in hot butter. The weapons were sheathed in a second. Frederic's hand reached out, pulled at the dagger, and soon had the object in his hand.
"Necklace," he told the small weapon, and put it back around his neck.
"I can not tell you how grateful I am," Frederic said, turning to the Gods. "Thank you," he bowed to each God or Goddess, in turn. To his surprise, they all dipped their heads to him in response.
"And you especially, Wise One. I have treated you unfairly. I hope you will ever be able to forgive me." Frederic's head was bent, his eyes cast at the ground. When the God placed his hand on Frederic's shoulder, Frederic looked up, surprised.
"I understand Young Phalanx. We have warranted such treatment. Let us call us even, and forget this incident ever happened."
"Thank you, Wise One," Frederic said, his eyes shining suspiciously. The God just gave him a smile, and Frederic and Jennifer were transported back to the Ortega.
The nanoprobes once again pulled over time rebuilding the Ortega to supply a
banquet hall for the most important guests: the command crew of the Ortega, the
leaders of the ESMF, the Master Slayers and their friends, as well as
high-ranking officers from Starfleet and the Federation, escorted by the
Voyager, the Defiant, and the
Everyone was happy Frederic was still alive, and everyone was relieved everything had turned out all right. After hearing the reports of Sorcerer's now destroyed fleet, the Starfleet officials had been scared about their own universe.
When Frederic finally arrived, flanked by his wife, every head turned towards them. Frederic was dressed in a tuxedo, but it was Jennifer who drew the attention of everyone. Her elegant red dress flowed around her good-looking figure, accenting exactly the right points. But the most eye-catching was the jewelry. The jewelry Frederic had bought her while on the Soelasjna.
After the applause had died down, and Frederic and Jennifer finally had time to mingle, Jennifer still was the main attraction.
"Who replicated those?" Buffy asked. "I really have to catch the artist who can get that out of a replicator."
Jennifer just smiled. "They're not replicated, Buffy," Frederic said.
"You bought them?" Picard asked. "I mean no offense, of course, they're beautiful pieces, but why buy when you can replicate them?"
"These pieces were crafted in a universe called universe 22. The jewelry there is so rare because of a unique physiology in the ground. It causes a unique distortion in every gem, making it both more beautiful, and impossible to replicate."
"And a whole lot more expensive, I can imagine," Janeway said.
"Nothing's too expensive for my wife," Frederic answered.
"Of course, I can only use them on special occasions, and this is about as special as it gets," Jennifer responded.
When BorgFred and his BorgJenny walked over, BorgJenny immediately began asking about the jewelry, of course. BorgFred just looked…uncomfortable. When BorgJenny found out when they had been commissioned, she asked her partner about them.
"Mine were destroyed when my simulated universe collapsed," BorgFred explained. BorgJenny seemed to accept that, although reluctantly.
It was many more hours before Frederic and Jennifer finally had some time to just be by themselves, and look out to space, staring into infinity.
"I wonder where Sorcerer went," Frederic asked himself quietly. He perked up immediately. Linda would let him know when she had found Sorcerer's quantum signal. Until then, he would enjoy his life, now that he had it back.
The End
There they are, folks! The two words you've all been dying to hear! It's over! The movie's ended!
(And thank God that this is a written movie. I'd hate to be typing cast lists now, and including lists with the names of the characters. J)